Acer announces new 7 and 7.9-inch Iconia tablets for $130 and up
Acer is known to refresh its Android tablet line-up at CES, and this year is no different. Ahead of the madness, the company has just announced new 7.9-inch and 7-inch models: the Iconia A1-830 and the Iconia B1-720.
The 7.9-inch A1 is the more premium of the two, with an aluminum backing and an IPS display for wide viewing angles (albeit with a ho-hum 1,024 x 768 resolution). It runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2.1 with an Atom processor and 1GB of RAM under the hood. There’s 16GB of on-board memory (expandable to 32GB via micro-SD card), and the rear camera lets you shoot at a 2,560 x 1,920 resolution. Of course, at $180, it’s still on the cheap side, but it looks to be a good low-end option, with up to seven hours of battery life to boot. The A1-830 be available in early 2014, and Acer will sell an optional keyboard and cover as well.
Now in the ultra-affordable category: the Iconia B1-720 costs $130, and your money buys you a basic slate that’s nonetheless faster than last year’s version. You get a 1.3GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, and the device is rated for up to five hours of battery life. The patterned finish is a touch classier than the previous B1′s glossy backing, too. The 7-incher will hit North America later this month, alongside an optional protective case. Check back later this week, when we get a chance to check out both tabs in person.
DreamWorks to launch Android ‘DreamTab’ with original content this spring
DreamWorks certainly knows what kids want to watch, and Android tablet maker Fuhu knows a thing or two about children’s tablets — having produced the Nabi 2 Disney edition model, for instance. It looks like the two are putting that youth savvy together to create a new slate called the DreamTab that’ll come with its own stylus and a raft of kids’ apps. The studio told the New York Times that it’d launch an eight-inch model this spring for under $300 with content that can interact with other DreamWorks toys or show kids how to draw, for instance. It’ll also include other educational apps to further entice parents and could even have animated characters like Shrek tell kids when it’s time to shut it down. A 12-inch model will arrive later, and though there’s no word on specs yet, DreamWorks said the new models will provide around the same power as an iPad. “If you give a kid less… they won’t like it.”
Filed under: Tablets
Via: The Verge
Source: The New York Times
LG’s bringing Ultra HD OLED TVs in more sizes to CES, ramping up production
Last year LG and Samsung did battle with their first few commercially released OLED HDTVs, and now at CES 2014 we’re moving on to round two. The curved 77-inch Ultra HD OLED shown as a concept late last year will return, this time rocking a model number (77EC9800) and focus on specs (3D, upscaling, apps and processing of 4K video) that makes it seem due for release very soon, along with 55- and 65-inch sizes. It’s also showing off a second gen 55-inch curved OLED HDTV (no ultra) that it claims has “more recyclable materials and considerably fewer parts” than its predecessor. While being green is nice, we’re most interested in knowing if the 55EB9600 can ship for a price well below $10,000.
Flat TV fans will have to live with the same 55-inch “Gallery OLED” from a few months ago (and possibly US release information?), however the most important news will probably not be seen on the show floor. LG closes its press release with word that it’s expanding production in a number of countries outside Korea, with plants in Brazil, Poland, China and Thailand already built. Of particular interest to us is a facility in Mexico opening later this year specifically meant to serve the North American market. Now that OLED TVs are a reality the race has moved to who can produce an affordable version, and these new plants will go a long way towards helping LG do that.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, LG
Source: LG
Battlefield 4 won’t get AMD-powered frame rate boost until later in January
The company known affectionately as Advanced Micro Delays has just confirmed something we already knew: the intriguing Mantle update for Battlefield 4, which promises a “significant” frame rate bonus for PC gamers running AMD hardware, has been postponed. It didn’t arrive in December like it was supposed to, but is now officially meant to be on track for release sometime in January. The gossip is that the source of the delay isn’t actually on AMD’s side, but rather on EA DICE’s, since the game developer has been swamped with bug-fixing chores and hasn’t had time to focus on luxuries. Meanwhile, other developers tell us that they’re getting on well with Mantle, thanks to its ability to circumvent DirectX and make better use of AMD’s Graphics Core Next and octa-core CPU designs — and that’s something that we expect to be able to prove, one way or another, in the next few days.
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Laptops, AMD
Via: Anandtech
Wii Fit U hits retail January 10th, still won’t work unless you use it
Come January 10th, Nintendo’s tardy Wii Fit U will hit store shelves at a handful of price points and configurations — all with the intent of making both you and your wallet lighter. If you missed out on last generation’s fitness-game craze, a bundle with the software, a Wii Balance Board and Fit Meter fitness tracker will cost you $90. Just need the new game and a Fit Meter? That’ll set you back $50, while individual Fit Meters go for $20 each. Luckily, if your pocketbook is already thin, The Big N is still running its trial-to-full-game-conversion promo if you download Wii Fit U from the eShop and sync a Fit Meter. That $30 discount only lasts through January though, so running to the store might be a good idea.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
Via: Joystiq
Source: Nintendo
Acer’s latest all-in-one doubles as a 27-inch touch monitor and Android PC
Perhaps the best way to regard Acer’s growing range of Android “all-in-ones” is not as PC replacements, or even as giant tablets, but rather as touch-sensitive monitors that have the added benefit of being able to run their own OS. That certainly applies to the latest model, the TA272 HUL, whose 27-inch, 2,560 x 1,440, 10-point touch panel makes it particularly well equipped as a monitor for a Windows 8 PC. Alternatively, an “NVIDIA Tegra quad-core processor,” which we suspect might be an old Tegra 3, will allow the unit to run basic tasks and media playback in Jelly Bean even when the source PC is switched off. The TA272 HUL comes with 16GB of onboard storage, a USB 3.0 port, HDMI and DisplayPort inputs and a 2-megapixel webcam, all for an RRP of $1,099. For reference, that’s at least $100 more expensive than a similarly specced Acer monitor without Android (the T272 HUL), so you’d need to be pretty certain that you’ll put that built-in OS to good use.
Filed under: Desktops, Displays, Acer
Source: Market Wired
Carbon for Twitter updated, new type styling added
You guys asked, and Carbon answered! A few days ago, we took a look at Carbon for Android, v 2.0. Well, today Dots & Lines pushed out a new version, v 2.0.8 to be exact. This version bump doesn’t add much, but it does add something that was missing and we wanted. It adds the ability to change the font styles from condensed, to regular, to light.
Was this feature holding you back from using Carbon? Well, fear not! It’s there, and live in the Play Store! So go, get it now!
Droplr’s rapid file sharing service goes pay-only
Droplr makes it easy to share files with friends, but that simplicity doesn’t come cheap, it seems. The company has revealed that it will discontinue its longstanding free tier next week; after that, customers will have 30 days before they must subscribe to a Lite or Pro plan. There are a couple of incentives for veterans to fork out some cash, though. Any existing Droplr members can get a 30 percent lifetime discount, and a referral program will let users earn free Pro access. The shift in strategy won’t please those who’ve been thriving on free sharing for years, but there are plenty of alternatives for thrifty types.
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Droplr (Tumblr)
Magellan’s Echo smartwatch now tracks your golf and skiing adventures
Magellan reckons that many smartwatch buyers are fitness mavens, and it’s catering to that health-minded audience today with a big upgrade to its Echo Smart Sports Watch. The iOS-compatible wristwear now tracks data for a much wider range of activities beyond running, including golf, hiking and skiing; you won’t need a dedicated device or special watch apps to get stats for that black diamond ski run. As before, the Echo offers basic control over both music as well as athletics apps like Strava and Wahoo Fitness. If you’re interested giving the upgraded watch a try, you can pick one up today for $149 by itself, or $199 paired with a heart rate monitor. Android users should get Echo support sometime early this year.
Filed under: Peripherals, Wearables
Source: Magellan
Check Out the Panono Ball. A Camera Ball that Takes Panoramic Pictures. [Video]
It is only the second of January, and my mind is already blown for the year. The Panono Ball is taking the camera to the next level. It is a ball, that you no doubt have guessed, but it is a ball that takes 360 degree panoramic shots. Might sound a little ridiculous, but after I watched the video, my mouth hit the floor.
The way the Panono Ball works is, you can basically throw the ball up in the air, and it will take that 360 degree picture. I guess you can also attach it to a stick to make sure you get the shots you want, or if you are bit weary about damaging the ball . You then can check the picture on your phone or tablet, and they have an app for the ball for both Android and iOS. What is really cool about the app, is that when you move your device, the picture moves with you. Pretty similar to street view, but then we get to the clarity of the photos. 108 megapixels on this beast, so camera enthusiasts are going to wet their pants about this slightly.
They started an Indiegogo campaign to raise $900,000, and they have already surpassed that number. Just shows you how awesome this truly is, and you can still contribute of you would like by heading over to the site provided below. Also check out the video to see the ball in action. Let us know what you think about it.
AIVAnet 