LG makes Knock a standard feature, update coming for L Series II models
LG first rolled out its Knock feature on the G2 earlier this year, but now that item will become a standard feature on future handsets. If you’ll recall, the power button on that smartphone is situated around back, so Knock allows users to turn the unit on by double tapping on the screen. In addition to those upcoming devices, the outfit will add Knock to existing L Series II gadgets via a maintenance release update starting next month. Of course, specific availability will depend on region and carrier, so you might have to wait a bit longer for the add-on.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, LG
Source: LG
Samsung’s new chip could put 4GB of memory in your next smartphone
Think the 3GB of RAM in the Galaxy Note 3 was a lot? Samsung was only getting started. The company has just unveiled the first 8-gigabit (1GB) low-power DDR4 memory chip, which could lead to 4GB of RAM in a multi-layered, mobile-sized package. Moving to the higher-bandwidth (3.1Gbps) DDR standard should also provide a hefty 50 percent speed boost over existing DDR3-based chips, even though the new silicon uses 40 percent less power than its ancestors. Samsung is only promising mass production of the new RAM sometime in 2014, but it’s already clear about the target audience. The technology will go into laptops, smartphones and tablets with Ultra HD displays, where additional memory will be crucial for powering all those extra pixels.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Storage, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung Tomorrow Global
Google, Audi to announce in-car Android plans next week, says WSJ
Google has big plans to put Android in cars, and will start by announcing a tie-up with Audi at CES 2014 next week, according to the WSJ. Its sources said that Android will power an in-car entertainment system for that automaker, which will run on hardware built directly into the car rather than your smartphone. The collaboration will also involve NVIDIA, and such a system would give you access to the same navigation, entertainment and communication functions available on your handheld device. Audi recently announced LTE for select models, and a recent report from EE Times suggested that Google’s had the automotive space squarely in its sights since Apple announced its iOS in the Car initiative. We’ll remain skeptical until we see a product demo, but it would be more surprising if Big G didn’t do something with car companies to stymie its arch-foe.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Transportation, Google, Sprint
Source: WSJ
Samsung’s 110-inch Ultra HDTV is the world’s largest, and it goes on sale Monday
Samsung promised at CES in January that it would deliver a 110-inch UHDTV this year to dwarf its already-gargantuan 85-inch model and with just a couple of days left to spare here it is. Apparently rolling out in China, the Middle East and a few European countries first, there’s no word on price (the 85-inch had a $40K pricetag attached when it launched), but can you really put a price on a TV that’s bigger than a king-size bed? That’s right, at 2.6-meters by 1.8-meters, there’s more than enough room for the well-heeled VIPs, large companies and government agencies Samsung is expecting to buy this to catch some z’s on the S9110, and bring a few friends. It’s available for custom orders just before we see the new generation of Ultra HD (including a 105-inch curved model) at CES 2014 next week, although most of us will be looking for TVs that actually fit inside our living room.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung
Source: Samsung (Korea)
How would you change Canon’s EOS-1D X?
A $7,000 camera may only share a border with the mainstream gadgets we normally discuss on How Would You Change, but it’s one that’s worth bending a rule to discuss here. In the hands of our reviewer, we learned that Canon’s EOS-1D X wasn’t compelling enough to convince 1Ds Mk. III users to switch, but when it comes to such luxurious cameras, the 5D Mark III was the better and cheaper choice overall. That was his finding, at least — but what about you all? Share your experiences shooting with this gear in our forum discussion. And for a primer on how to get started, check out our guide to the new Engadget.
Win an iLAND FLY [12 Days of Giveaways]
We’re in the final days of our 12 Days of Giveaways promotion and we’re still looking to unload great things like the Nexus 5, Moto G, and today’s prize!
Prize #1 iLAND FLY
Today’s first prize is the solar charging device called the iLAND FLY. Portable and rugged (water and dust resistant), this guy folds up nicely and works well for hikers, campers, or anyone who spends time in the sun.
Learn more about iLAND Solar.
Prize #2 Bundled Goodies
The second prize we’re hooking you up with is a Kensington Virtuoso Touch Stylus & Pen and an iHome BT speaker. The former is an actual pen that doubles as a stylus for your smartphone or tablet so that you can capture, create, and sketch your ideas. The latter is a Bluetooth speaker to listen to music, podcasts, or movies on when connected to your Android or smartphone. As an added bonus, it also connects via NFC!
Learn more about Kensington or follow them on Facebook and Twitter!
Learn more about iHome or follow them on Facebook and Twitter!
Daily Prizes
Oh… don’t forget we’re also giving out Google Play credits over the remainder of the month. On some days we’ll randomly pick someone to win $10, others will be $25 and higher!
How to Enter
We’re going to keep this short and simple. To enter today’s contest all you need to do is leave a comment below! We’ll let this run for 24 hours and then randomly select the winner(s).
Win Google Play Credits!
To enter to win one of the Google Play credits all you need to do is share the following on your social media platform of choice: “I want to win Google Play Credits, AndroidGuys! http://goo.gl/dGQhG6 #12DaysAndroid”
Yes, you can share over Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google+. Yes, you can enter as often as you like.
Finer details
This post will be updated with the name(s) and we’ll reach out via the comments as well. Also, be sure to keep an eye on the 12 Days of Giveaways page where we’ll keep a running tally of prizes and winners.
Note that we’ll give each winner a 24 hour window to respond. Should the winner not reply in time, we’ll re-draw and announce a new name. Be sure to check back!
Here’s the rub: We’re limiting this contest to U.S. residents only. Yes, we know it sucks – we hate doing it. Also, you can only win one prize per household. If you happen to win a Google Play Credit as well, then so be it!
The post Win an iLAND FLY [12 Days of Giveaways] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Weekly Roundup: 2013 Mac Pro review, judge okays NSA spying and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Judge okays NSA spying
A US District judge in Manhattan deemed the NSA’s telephone data collection legal, as he saw no evidence was being used in any way other than attempting to foil terrorist plots. Click through for the ruling.
Apple Mac Pro review (2013)
Apple’s latest workstation is a powerhouse. Armed with up to 7 teraflops of computing power, a super chill cooling system and beautiful new design, the 2013 Mac Pro is more than ready for the modern age. Click through for our review.
Taiwanese FTC fines Apple
Apple awoke to a not-so-merry surprise on Christmas day as Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission accused the company of unlawfully mandating pricing to iPhone carriers. According to WSJ, Cupertino can appeal the ruling, but could face steep penalties. Click the link for more information.
Jack Dorsey joins Disney
Today, Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey joined Disney’s board of directors. Click through for a quick look at how the social network’s inaugural user (@jack) wound up working for the mouse.
Hackers reverse engineer Wii U GamePad to stream from PC
Thought using the Wii U GamePad as a simple PC controller was a neat trick? Try this on for size: a small team of hackers has figured out how to stream PC games to the tablet-esque controller natively, circumventing its host console. The hack was shown this week at the 30th Chaos Communication Congress, where the group revealed how it reverse engineered the GamePad controller. After weaving a complex tale of dumped firmware, decoded video and buggy streams, the team showed a simple drawing app streaming from a laptop to the Wii U GamePad. Impressive? Sure, but the crowd didn’t erupt into applause until they booted up a Gamecube emulated session of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.
Despite some crashes, the demo appeared to be fairly playable — though the team warns that the available code is aimed primarily at developers. The group eventually plans to build user-friendly tools for Windows and OSX, as well as an Android port designed to allow users to substitute the Wii U GamePad with their own tablets, streaming from the console to the slate of their choice. It’s not quite ready to replace your NVIDIA Shield, but the project is brimming with potential. Check out the presentation’s slides at the source link below, or read on for a video of the hack in action (the fun starts about 47 minutes in).
Via: NeoGaf
Source: Libdrc, Slides (Google Drive), 30C3
The best cellphone deals of the week: 12.29.13
With Engadget’s new tools, you can track price drops on thousands of devices every day, and once a week we feature some of the best deals right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won’t last long.
The holiday shopping rush may be winding down, but there’s still some great deals for the taking. Best Buy is currently offering stellar pricing on both the iPhone 5s and the HTC One — so long as you’re willing to opt for a two-year contract. Be sure to visit our product database to monitor prices on these gadgets and more as they move around. Join us and add the gadgets you’re shopping for to your “Want” list; every time there’s a price cut, you’ll get an email alert!
We weren’t shy about how much we loved the HTC One when it arrived back in the spring. The handset earned a 96 Engadget Global Score and now has an attractive $50 price tag from the folks in the blue shirts. Depending on your carrier choice, silver, red, black and blue models are available should you decide to splurge for the metal-clad device.
The more colorful of Apple’s two handsets that were unveiled this fall is quite the value at no cost with a two-year agreement. According to our Price Drop tool, this is the lowest the multi-hued gadget has been since mid-October. Of course, the choice of color is yours once more here.
Filed under: Cellphones
Cyrcle Icon Pack Review
Hey guys, the name’s Patrick Campanale. I’m new around here, and one thing that I love about Android is the customization options available. One of those options is the ability to use custom icon packs. A few weeks ago, we talked had the Cyrcle icon pack in our Themer’s Roundup, but today, I want to take a more in-depth look at Cyrcle, a new icon pack from Andrea Corvi, aka djskarpia.
A little over a week ago, Andrea shared something with me and the rest of his Google+ following. He received an email from Google stating that Cyrcle had been removed from the Play Store, their reason being, ”Wrong tags used in the description on the Play Store.” You can read the full story at the link above. Needless to say, Andrea re-released Cyrcle as a new app, which means he lost all of his rating and download numbers on the store.
Shortly after this, he released an update on December 24th, which contained 54 new icons, more alternative icons, and fixed some issues with activities. This was because of the great response he got to people supporting him when Google shut it down. Shortly after the re-release of Cyrcle, the beloved icon pack jumped into the top 10 in the US play store for top new paid apps under productivity, which is really saying something. I have spoken with Andrea, and he has told me that he has a lot in store for Cyrcle, including pushing it over 2,000 custom icons, which is one of, if not the largest icon pack in the Play Store. But enough backstory, let’s take a look at Cyrcle.
Cyrcle was one of the first icon packs I bought when I started to get into customization with icon packs and wallpapers. I’m not a heavy customizer, but I like to make my device look nice. Cyrcle is one icon pack that did just that, without having to work and tweak the icons to display just right, or to go through the developer’s library of icons included with the pack and chose a bunch of alternatives. Cyrcle is good, right out of the box.
The icon pack comes with 1,800 icons, with Andrea working to bring that number to 2,000 soon. It also comes with quite a few very nice wallpapers that fit the “circle” theme of the icons. The icons are very minimalistic in design, and don’t try to over do it. They just work, plain and simple. One reason that I always go back to Cyrcle is the fact of how nice they look on my Galaxy S4 with it’s beautifully huge 1080P 5″ screen. No other icon pack comes close, in my opinion.
The icons are circular in nature, as you would expect, and most of them boast a single color background; though some have multi-colored backgrounds, like Candy Crush Saga.
If you want to pick these up, and you really should, you can head into the Play Store and buy them at your leisure. Don’t wait to long though, the Cyrcle Icons are currently on sale for just $0.99.
AIVAnet 