Nintendo’s high-capacity Wii U GamePad battery available in US, $32 for 8 hours of playtime
Tired of tethering your Wii U GamePad to a wall socket? You no longer have to: Nintendo has finally made the screen-toting controller’s high-capacity battery pack available to US gamers. The 2,550mAh battery first debuted in Japan this summer, promising to boost the device’s middling 3-5 hour battery life to almost eight. The upgrade took months to crawl its way west to Europe, and is now available to North American buyers in Nintendo’s online store. The price of an extending gaming session? About $32, give or take shipping. We’re glad to have it available, but admittedly, we wish it came just a little sooner.
Via: NeoGaf
Source: Nintendo
Galaxy Note Pro?!?! Moto X Introduces Interactive Print Ads! – The ManDroid Show
It is Friday, and there was almost no ManDroid Show today. Had some difficulties this morning, then had a pain in the neck…literally. But I reshot the show, and it is finally up for you all to see. Galaxy Note Pro is looking to be a real thing. Motorola is trying a different kind of marketing campaign for the Moto X that should turn some heads. Bringing technology to that paper stuff. Enjoy the show!
News Topics
Galaxy Note Pro a 12.2-inch tablet?
Oppo N1 gets certified with CyanogenMod
Moto X interactive print ad
New Tizen screenshots leak out
T-Mobile Uncarrier 4.0
Last minute stocking stuffers you can still have delivered before Christmas
Order these through Amazon before Sunday night and they’ll arrive in the (Saint) Nick of time
You’ve waited until nearly the last day possible to pick out some Christmas gifts, did you? Now you’re worried about what you’re going to get your friends and family members. Not to worry, we’ve got your back.
We have compiled a list of great products, from brands we trust, that will make the perfect last-minute gift for everyone. Just don’t tell them you waited, goofball. We can keep a secret.
First things first
The first thing you are going to need to do is sign up for an Amazon Prime account. This way, you get free two-day shipping that’s guaranteed to arrive in time for Christmas just so long as you order before December 22.
Two-Day Shipping (FREE with Amazon Prime)
Order as late as midnight EST / 9 p.m. PST (varies by item) Sunday, December 22
Note that Amazon Prime accounts can be canceled at any time you want but after your 30-day free trial it costs $79.99 per year. Actually, moms and students get a discounted plan so check that out if you haven’t yet!
Unless otherwise noted, these gifts are under $20 each.
Gift Card
Should you absolutely run out of ideas and have no clue as to what your friends want or need, this one works in a pinch. Actually, you can order these and have them emailed to you contacts within minutes. It doesn’t get any more last-minute than this, but it works!
For what it’s worth, it’s possible to have them delivered via Facebook or printed out at home.
In addition to selling Amazon gift cards, you can also scoop up brands like Starbucks, Regal Entertainment, Applebee’s, GameStop, Kohl’s and others.
Targus Stylus
Perfect gift for your friends or family members who own a tablet or Kindle Fire. Toss it in the pocket or purse or keep it at the office for those times when you need to mark up a document or draw mustaches on photos.
Galaxy S4 Wallet Case
Great protection and utility in one bundle, it’s exactly what the Samsung smartphone needs to stay safe and secure. Slim and low profile, it comes in at least eight color options.
Belkin SurgePlus Mini Travel Swivel Charger with Dual USB Ports
Whether your loved one is a jet-setter or a college student, this handy gadget will prove to be beneficial. Not only does it turn your standard outlet into three plugs, but it adds a pair of powered USB ports (1A, 2.1A) as well. Swivel in 360-degrees and lock into one of four position – very convenient!
SanDisk 8GB microSD Card
It ain’t the fastest memory card on the block but it might be more storage than they already have. Most phones have 8GB or more internal storage with the option to expand via microSD. And, with so many adapters and readers out there, this also helps with digital cameras, MP3 players, and other gadgets.
6’ MicroUSB Cable
Fact: you can never have enough MicroUSB cables. It’s like science or something, too. There’s nothing wrong with tossing a few of these around the house. Keep a couple on deck for when guests drop by and need some juice. The best part is that these are six feet long; no need to crawl behind the couch.
Samsung Handsfree Stereo Headphones with Mic
Chances are good that someone you know owns a Samsung smartphone. Why not hook them up with a pair of official headphones from Samsung? Features volume control, microphone, and answer/end key and soft earbud rings.
Car charger
As great as battery life has gotten over the last few generations, GPS can still be quite the drain. Put a charger in your car and top off on the way home from work.
Tablet Stand
This portable stand can fold up and travels with virtually zero footprint. A great companion accessory for 7-inch devices like the Kindle Fire HD or bigger tablets like the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1. Watching movies, reading books, or simply browsing emails – whatever the case, this makes it much easier.
Toshiba Canvio 500GB Portable Hard Drive $50
How about dropping half of a terabyte of storage into a stocking? Compatible with USB 2.0 or 3.0, it’s small and able to withstand the occasional drop. Just because you can put everything in the cloud doesn’t mean that you have to. A great way to backup pictures, videos, and other media.
AmazonBasics Accessory Bundle
A goodie bag of must-have accessories, this one includes a stylus, a 2.1A USB wall charger, a USB 1.0 AMP DC charger, and a Micro USB to USB charging cable. If for no other reason, buy this as a backup kit to take on trips or to keep in the car. It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll reach for one of these components at some point.
GreatShield Flex Grip Lightweight Universal Car Mount Holder
Whether you’ve got an Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone lover in your life, this one will do the trick. Attaches to the windshield or dashboard with a twisting lock/suction and swivels your phones in any direction, 360-degrees. Fits most smartphones save for those larger devices such as the Galaxy Note 3
5200mAh High Capacity Portable Power Backup
Toss in a bag or purse and you’ve got enough juice to take a phone from zero to to one hundred twice over. Small and sleek, it pulls double duty as a flashlight for up to 250 hours. Bonus points for the LED indicator to keep users in the know.
Cruzerlite TPU Case
Tons of color option and designs to choose from; one of our favorite ways to protect Android smartphones. Odds are good that you’ll find something you’ll enjoy for any number of key devices released in the last year or so.
You don’t really need us to explain why this guy is the best $35 you can spend, do you? With a fast-growing list of apps with support, this is one of our favorite gadgets of all time and it’s only getting started. Output your favorite movie apps, streaming services, and so much more. Better buy a few of these so you can put one in each room.
The post Last minute stocking stuffers you can still have delivered before Christmas appeared first on AndroidGuys.
[LEAK] French Carrier SFR Lets Slip That Android 4.4 For Galaxy S4 And Note 3 Expected Late Jan/Early Feb 2014
About a month ago, a leaked Samsung document seemed to suggest that Android 4.4 for Galaxy S4 and Note 3 were being planned to be released in January next year with a second wave to follow and update the Galaxy S3 and Note 2 later in March or April. While there’s been no confirmation that the leaked document was accurate or even real, a message on the side of French carrier, SFR, appears to have confirmed the time-frame for the software update that we were expecting.
SFR claims that Android 4.4 (Kit Kat) should be available for the Galaxy S4 and Note 3 somewhere between late January to early February 2014 which is right in the ballpark we were expecting, assuming the international variants of the phone are updated first, followed by the carrier variants. While this still isn’t a confirmation, Phandroid appears to believe that SFR’s hunches are generally quite accurate seeing as they predicted the release of Android 4.3 on Galaxy S3 and Note 2 (and for my own reasons I’m a little adamant). Nevertheless, Samsung could definitely be turning over a new leaf with software updates in the new year so we’ll be hanging out for any further news whenever it hits.
Do you think Samsung will meet the late Jan/early Feb time-frame suggested by SFR? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Six CCM’s rumored to be included in the Amazon Phone
The talk that Amazon will be entering the smartphone arena is nothing new. It has been crossing over the wires for most of the year actually. Of course nothing concrete has landed its self on our doorsteps. On the off chance that the 50/50 Taiwanese supply chain outlet is right, we thought we should have our bases covered. The new order report is said to bring in an order for six compact camera modules (CCM’s) that include floating point technology per device.
Yes, you read that correctly. Six CCM’s per phone. Two of which will be the main cameras for the front and rear for your usual photos, while the other 4 will face forward allowing 3D rendering and touch-less motion control. That ties back into a report that surfaced in October mentioning the code name “Smith”. Basically allowing the cameras to track your eyes so that what you see on the screen is three dimensional. Think, glasses free 3D TV style, but with touch, or rather touch-less operation. There is further mention that the device should be headed to consumers hands in the second quarter of 2014.
HTC is supposedly the manufacturer that Amazon has been working with on this little project of theirs.
All of these failed rumors and reports about an Amazon phone have almost already killed its desire and appeal. Even if they do manage to pull of something incredible and never done before, I am just about past being interested. Seriously, there was rumored to start production back in April of this year, now we are talking about April of next year. While I am certain Amazon and some manufacturer are playing about with physical phones, I personally won’t be too surprised if Q2 gets missed for a real device for the people to see.
What do you guys think though? Eye tracking touch-less 3D control display. Is that enough to pull you from your HTC One, Galaxy S4 or Nexus? Or has Amazon missed their phone boat and need to stick to their tablets.
Via Afterdawn
What Smartglasses Should Be: The Atheer One Says “Atheer Later, Google Glass”
The whole smartglasses craze that has taken over the tech world was started by Google Glass, and while it definitely wasn’t the first effort in the area of virtual eyewear, it managed to capture the imagination of the tech community in only a way Google could. Google Glass is now the standard by which all future smartglasses efforts are going to be judged against, however there are some challengers that appear to be up to the task. Lumus and Vuzix are names that come to mind and arguably do a better job of creating virtual spaces than Google Glass does, however there’s one key thing missing from all of these which is gesture control, a void that the Atheer One is hoping to fill.
One of Google Glass’ prime selling points is its integration with the increasingly functional and effective Google Now by way of vocal recognition, however we’re all aware of the social ramifications of looking like you’re talking to yourself. The Atheer Labs team have put together their own take on this which will allow their smartglasses to project virtual environments and allow you to interact with them using “airtouch” gestures. Check out their pitch video:
Atheer Labs has started an Indiegogo campaign (which launched yesterday and still has 42 days on the clock) to help get their smartglasses into the hands of willing developers. Atheer Labs is offering two models of their smartglasses: the Atheer Developer Kit and the Atheer One, the former being the version that developers will want to purchase to help develop some of the apps from the pitch video, and the latter being the smoothed out version for those who just want to use the finished product. That’s not to say that these smartglasses will have a lack of apps available to them either; Atheer Labs has said that their smartglasses will have access to Play Store, and presumably will be able to interact with those apps the way you might on a smartphone.
The Atheer smartglasses boast a pretty impressive spec list, not least of which is the display resolution available per eye which is 1024×768; for reference, the Google Glass only allows for a resolution of 640×360 through its viewing prism. Compared to its competition, both the Atheer Dev Kit and the Atheer One look quite impressive, not only in technical specifications, but price as well, effectively outpacing everything else that is currently available. It’s definitely an impressive project, one which we hope succeeds and if you’re planning to get on the bandwagon, there are still Atheer Developer Kits available for $1000 and Atheer Ones for $400; the link to the Indiegogo page will be below.
What do you think about Atheer Labs’ take on the smartglasses formula? Think they’re onto something? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Indiegogo
Google tightens Chrome Web Store rules to prevent toolbar overload
Many web veterans can share horror stories of friends and family who installed a few too many browser toolbars, some of them by accident. Google is clearly eager to avoid those disasters in Chrome — it’s instituting a new Chrome Web Store policy that will limit extensions to a single purpose. From now on, new extensions can’t sneak in toolbars, secondary extensions or other features that aren’t part of the core functionality. The move will create problems for honest developers who simply want to make rich add-ons, but Google is giving these code writers until June to either slim down or split up their current extensions. Although we doubt that everyone will like the stricter measures, they may be worthwhile if Chrome stays largely clutter-free.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Via: The Verge
Source: Chromium Blog
Engadget Mobile Podcast 197 – 12.19.13
It’s been a hot second, but we’re back with your host Brad Molen and guest Myriam Joire for a year-in-review episode. It’s been a wild ride with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 picking up the processing pace, Motorola joining the smartphone market with renewed vigor and John Legere’s refusal to let crazy get in the way of good ideas. Those on a budget could get quality in more ways than one and if the sky was the limit, you could get that too. And yes, Moto G received a KitKat update, but we didn’t notice since it arrived while we were busy recording this amazing podcast just for you! So, if everyone’s in, the Engadget Mobile Podcast is about to begin — whenever you’re ready, of course.
Hosts: Brad Molen
Guest: Myriam Joire
Producer: Jon Turi
Music: Tycho – Coastal Brake (Ghostly International)
Hear the podcast:
24:31 – Moto G review: an affordable smartphone, done right
41:13 – Moto X review
02:09 – Nexus 5 review: the best phone $350 can buy
04:16 – Nokia Lumia 1020 review
24:31 – Nokia Lumia 1520 review: the best Windows Phone device yet
41:13 – Nokia’s high-end Lumia 929 Windows Phone for Verizon gets fully detailed in latest leak
02:09 – Apple iPhone 5s vs. iPhone 5c: which is for you?
04:16 – Pebble smartwatch review
24:31 – Samsung Galaxy Gear review
41:13 – A closer look at the Jolla phone: good intentions, bad delivery (video)
02:09 – LG G Flex review: a promising phone, but not one you should buy right now
04:16 – Samsung Galaxy Round hands-on
04:16 – HP Chromebook 11 review: is this $279 Chrome OS laptop really for everyone?
Subscribe to this podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically
[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
Download this podcast:
LISTEN (MP3)
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Contact this podcast:
podcast (at) engadgetmobile (dot) com
Follow us on Twitter:
@phonewisdom @tnkgrl @engadgetmobile
Move Over Vertu: Gresso Makes A $1,800, Solid Titanium Android Smartphone
You may have heard of a smartphone manufacturer called Vertu before; they make premium Android handsets that are inordinately expensive for the ordinary tech lover, increasing the price of their phones by using precious metals and handcrafted goodness. Gresso, another of these premium manufacturers, is moving away from modifying iPhones for the first time to create its first Android handset called the Radical.
The specs of the Radical series are fairly pedestrian: quad-core 1.2GHz, 36GB internal storage, a 4.5-inch display, 8MP rear camera and runs Android 4.1.2. However, the real ‘radical’ part of these smartphones are the fact that they are made from grade 5 solid titanium. Predictably, this makes the phone quite expensive; $,1800 to be exact for the above pictured ‘cheap’ version. If you wanted to replace the Titanium ‘Gresso’ logo plate on the front of the phone with either white gold or yellow gold, you’ll be shelling out $2,300 in total.
If you are thinking of getting a Gresso Radical, you’ll want to move quickly as there are only going to be 999 handsets made, as indicated by the engraving on the back of the phone. Would you ever consider getting a solid titanium Android smartphone like the Gresso Radical? Or any phone that costs as much as it does? Let us know what you think in the comments.
[Deal Alert] Get 50% Off The Moto X With Contract, Or 30% Off Without Contract Thanks To Ellen
Did you miss out on getting a coupon to get a discount on the Motorola Moto X smartphone a few weeks ago? Have no fear for the Ellen DeGeneres Show is offering another deal for you to get Motorola’s flagship phone cheap. The deal will allow you to either get 50% off the Moto X on a contract, or 30% off if you get the Moto X off contract through Moto Maker, though for those of you wondering if you can get the new Bamboo backing with this offer, you’re out of luck as it is not included.
To used this deal, follow these instructions as seen on TalkAndroid:
- Fill out this form and put “ellen50″ in the top box that asks for the registration code.
- Put the rest of your information in the form.
- Select which deal you would like and hit “Submit”
- Wait for your code to arrive and start designing!
Don’t wait too long to decide though as the coupon (“ellen50″) is only good for the first 5,000 uses, so you better jump on it quick! Be sure to let us know if you get hold of a coupon to get the Moto X.
Source: The Ellen DeGeneres Show via TalkAndroid
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