LG launching its first 4K monitor in January with 31-inch ultra-widescreen panel

LG’s monitor division has been zigging lately while it’s competitors zagged, as it’s eschewed regular widescreen in favor 21:9 ultra-widescreen models. It’s now made the same interesting choice for its first 4K monitor, the 31-inch 31MU95, which features a so-called DCI 4K (4,096 x 2,160) IPS panel with a 21:9 ratio. For comparison’s sake, most Ultra HDTVs and 4K monitors like ASUS’s first model display 3,840 x 2,160 pixels at 16:9. Interestingly, the new offering conforms to the 4K format recorded by RED’s Epic and Scarlet cameras and also packs a Thunderbolt 2 port with 20Gbps throughput. LG claims that’ll let you monitor 4K footage and back it up at the same time — ideal for on-set movie playback, for instance. It’ll also be offered in a 29-inch version, and both will display 99-percent of the sRGB gamut and come with LG’s True Color calibration software. There’s no pricing yet, but Dell’s recently launched 32-inch 4K Ultrasharp model is running $3,299, by way of reference. Both monitors and other ultra-widescreen business models from LG will arrive at CES 2014 in January — naturally, we’ll be there to fill in the wider picture.

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Source: LG

Plex Media Server arrives on Windows Phone 8, free for Nokia devices for the first month

While Plex has been busy updating its media server software for iOS and Android, it’s sadly neglected Microsoft’s mobile OS since its debut on Windows Phone 7 nearly two years ago. That changes today however, with the introduction of Plex for Windows Phone 8. Based on Plex for Windows 8, the program has many of the features as its other iterations — you can remotely control your media from the device, view metadata about shows and tunes, and even share selected files with friends. Plex also now supports HTTP Live Streaming, which should result in higher quality video and support for more subtitle formats. And here’s a special bonus for those of you with a Nokia WP8 device: you’ll be able to download it for free for the next 30 days. Do note that the app is still under heavy development, but the company promises there are plenty more updates (like a new second screen remote feature) coming down the road.

Filed under: Software, HD, Mobile

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Source: Plex

Ex-Oppo exec reveals new company OnePlus, plans to make ‘the perfect smartphone’

When Pete Lau resigned as VP of Chinese electronics maker Oppo, it was accompanied by rumors that he was going to build his own tech company. Well, whoever spread those rumors spoke the truth, because Lau has just announced a new venture called OnePlus that promises “to spare no expense” to build “the perfect smartphone.” The exec reveals very little on his announcement post other than his desire to make the “best possible product for users worldwide” — it didn’t even mention CyanogenMod, which is reportedly developing a phone with him. Our sources have told us, however, that Oppo will manufacture the company’s first device, signifying that Lau never burned bridges when he left. We’ll update you when we hear more details, but for now, you can let OnePlus know what you think makes a great phone on its forum.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Pete Lau (Google+), OnePlus, OnePlus Forum

Oppo Find 7 to Have a 2k Display!

It is now confirmed: the Oppo Find 7  will have a beautiful 2k display! This was confirmed by the very image you see above, which was just tweeted out by the Oppo Twitter handle. The image is more of a tease, but why not tease that 2560×1440 resolution?

Rumored specs of the Oppo Find 7 have also been floating around, and they are truly dazzling. To accompany that 2k display, the Find 7 might be sporting a Snapdragon 805 SoC, 3GB of RAM, and that will all be powered by a hefty 4,000mah battery. Sounds simply marvelous to me, and I am sure everyone out there would agree. If we find out anymore information about the Oppo Find 7, we will let you know. Also let us know your thoughts about the phone.

Source: @Oppo

Daily Roundup: Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet review, 3D printed speakers, Windows Phone 8.1 and more!

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Must See HDTV (December 16th – 22nd)

Time is running out on 2013, and as the year comes to a close most of the high-profile TV shows are taking off on their winter break. This week we’re looking forward to individual releases of the classic Indiana Jones movies — due for a return to the big screen in a few years now that Disney/Lucasfilm has the rights — while another 80s favorite, Predator, returns in 3D-converted form. The process worked out pretty well for Top Gun 3D, but we’re thinking jungle foliage and camouflaged aliens may be a little tougher to deal with. Football fans have a slew of lower-tier championships and bowl games to deal with this week while gamers will see Minecraft on the PS3 and the first episode for the second season of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead. Check after the break for our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.

Blu-ray & Games

• Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (3D)
• The Lone Ranger
• Elysium
• One Direction: This is Us (3D)
• Kick-Ass 2
• Predator (3D)
• Justified (S4)
• Shameless (S3)
• The Family
• Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Beyonce: Life is But a Dream / Live in Atlantic City
• Prisoners
• Minecraft (PS3)
• The Walking Dead S2 Episode 1 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Monday

• Almost Human (fall finale), Fox, 8PM
• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• How I Met Your Mother (fall finale), CBS, 8PM
• 2 Broke Girls (fall finale), CBS, 8:30PM
• Ravens/Lions Monday Night Football, ESPN, 8:40PM
• WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
• The Great Christmas Light Fight, ABC, 9PM
• Major Crimes, TNT, 9PM
• Mike & Molly (fall finale), CBS, 9PM
• Mom (fall finale), CBS, 9:30PM
• The Sing-Off, NBC, 10PM
• Hostages, CBS, 10PM

Tuesday

• NCIS (fall finale), CBS, 8PM
• NCIS: LA (fall finale), CBS, 9PM
• Black Mirror (season finale), DirecTV, 9PM
• Boston’s Finest, TNT, 9PM
• The Voice (season finale), NBC, 9PM
• Person of Interest (fall finale), CBS, 10PM
• Marshal Law, TNT, 10PM
• Awkward (season finale), MTV, 10:30PM
• Trust Me, I’m A Game Show Host (season finale), TBS, 10 & 10:30PM

Wednesday

• The Sing-Off, NBC, 8PM
• WWE Main Event, Ion, 8PM
• The X Factor, Fox, 8PM
• Inside the NFL, Showtime, 9PM
• Mob City (season finale), TNT, 9 & 10PM
• Nashville, ABC, 10PM
• American Horror Story, FX,10PM
• Key & Peele (season finale), Comedy Central, 10:30PM
• NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 11PM

Thursday

• Bulls/Thunder, TNT, 8PM
• Spurs/Warriors, TNT, 10:30PM
• The Sing-Off, NBC, 8PM
• The X-Factor (season finale), Fox, 8PM
• Saturday Night Live Christmas, NBC, 9PM
• White Collar (fall finale), USA, 9PM
• Anger Management, FX, 9:30PM
• Ground Floor, TBS, 10PM
• Adam Devine’s House Party (season finale), Comedy Central, 12:30AM

Friday

• Betas, Amazon Prime Instant Video
• Alpha House, Amazon Prime Instant Video
• NCAA Division III football championship: Mount Union/UW Whitewater, ESPNU, 7PM
• The Carrie Diaries, CW, 8PM
• WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
• Rockets/Pacers, ESPN, 8PM
• Hawaii Five-0 (fall finale), CBS, 9PM
• Nikita, CW, 9PM
• The Rolling Stones: Sweet Summer Sun, Showtime, 9PM
• Blue Bloods (fall finale), CBS, 10PM
• Comedy Bang! Bang! (season finale), IFC, 10PM
• Timberwolves/Lakers, ESPN, 10:30PM
• Birthday Boys (season finale), IFC, 10:30PM

Saturday

• NCAA Division II Football Championship Game: Lenoir Rhyne/Northwest Missouri State, ESPN2, 12PM
• New Mexico Bowl: Washington State/Colorado State, ESPN, 2PM
• Las Vegas Bowl: Fresno State/USC, ABC, 3:30PM
• NAIA Football Championship: Cumberlands/Grand View, ESPN3, 4:30PM
• Potato Bowl: Buffalo/San Diego State, ESPN, 5:30PM
• Cavaliers/Bulls, NBA TV, 8PM
• New Orleans Bowl: Tulane/Louisiana-Lafayette, ESPN, 9PM
• Atlantis, BBC America, 9PM
• NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship, ESPN2, 9:30PM
• 24/7: Red Wings/Maple Leafs Road to the NHL Winter Classic, HBO, 10PM
• Saturday Night Live: Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake, NBC, 11:30PM

Sunday

• 60 Minutes, CBS, 7:30PM
• Bears/Eagles football, NBC, 8:20PM
• Treme, HBO, 9PM
• Getting On, HBO, 10PM
• Betrayal, ABC, 10PM
• Ja’mie: Private School Girl, HBO, 10:30PM

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Clack-Clack FACE gives a typewriter new life as a text-based portrait painter

There’s something oddly romantic about taking a piece of archaic technology and giving it new life as a work of 21st century art. Take the Royal Empress typewriter you see above. This particular model was built in 1961 and eventually landed in the hands of Amanda Gelb as graduation gift. She and her fellow classmates, Jinyi Fu and Quingyuan Chen, looked at the hunk of aging metal and saw potential instead of an obsolete writing tool. For their installation at the ITP Winter Show, they wired up each of the keys to an Arduino for tracking what a user types, then paired that with a tiny projector that displays the letters on a sheet of paper wrapped around the platen.

The “face” part of the equation comes from the webcam mounted to the top of the typewriter case. It uses brightness to map a silhouette of the person sitting in front of it and fills only the darkened areas with letters, creating an ASCII portrait in real time. The code also automatically loops the letters you type, so even if you press only a single key the picture will appear. Of course, you could also type out a love letter or a quick blog post and the whole thing will be wrapped inside the confines of your outline. When you’re done, you can press the re-labeled print key and a laser printer spits out your portrait.

While there are already plenty of apps and sites out there that will automatically create ASCII versions of images, there’s something alluring about sitting in front of gorgeous piece of hardware and creating it live. Plus, there are few things in this world as satisfying as pressing down the stiff keys of an old typewriter, hearing the titular onomatopoeia and seeing the letter appear before you. Especially when you know you’re creating a work of art, even if you’re a terrible writer.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Filed under: Misc, Alt

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