LG G-Flex Available at Sprint Jan 31st, Pre-Order Today
Sprint has just announced that they will be launching the LG G-Flex for their customers and that it will be available in-stores starting January 31st. If you don’t want to wait that long to ensure you have one, they have just opened up pre-ordering for the device through Sprint.com.
As an added kicker, they are also throwing in the QuickWindow Folio Case if you do happen to pre-order.
Key features of LG G Flex:
- Display: 6-inch, HD (1280×720), curved P-OLED (Real RGB)
- Battery: 3,500mAh (embedded) lithium ion with up to 29 hours of talk time
- Processor: 2.26GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800 processor with quad-core Krait CPU
- Camera: 13-megapixel rear-facing, 2.1-megapixel front-facing
- Memory: 2GB RAM, 32GB eMMC ROM]
- Convenient Rear Key provides outstanding grip and ergonomics
- Dual Window divides the screen into two separate applications for better multitasking
- QuickTheater offers fast access to photos, videos and YouTube™
- Operating system: Android 4.2.2, Jelly Bean
- Size: 160.5 x 81.6 x 7.9-8.7 mm (6.3 x 3.2 x 0.35 inches)
- Weight: 177 grams (6.24 ounces)
If you wait to get it in the store on or after February 7th though, you will also have the option of the Sprint Easy Pay for Phones program. That lets you put $149.99 + tax down on the device with monthly payments of $20.84 on your bill for 24 months to pay it off. Otherwise you are looking at $2.99.99 with a new two-year contract if you are eligible.
Anyone out there looking to pick up the G-Flex though Sprint? Head over to the pre-order page to get your order placed, or to just poke around the information.
Nokia Normandy UI Screenshots Leak Showing Part Android Part WP
The Nokia Normandy has definitely become the Bigfoot of devices for 2014, and today we get another look at what the UI may look like. These screenshots are courtesy of evleaks, which he has been our prolific source for this device. Seems that Nokia has decided to design an Android and Windows Phone hybrid UI, so there goes our dreams of having a Nokia phone with just Android on it.
As you can see from the long screenshots, it looks more Windows than Android. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any Google apps present within the apps, but reports suggest that those apps will be available in the Play Store. There is still a chance that those apps may not work on the Nokia Normandy, simply because this device is rumored to have an OS similar to Amazon Fire OS, so owners might have to side-load certain apps onto it.
So one of these days maybe we will hear about an announcement of this mystery phone. Let us know your thoughts about these leaked screenshots.
Source: Android Authority
Google Now Cards making their way to Chrome on Desktop
Everyone loves the Google Now Cards on our Android devices, but like most things, we more and we want it on our Chromebooks and desktops. There have been indicators that Now Cards would be finding their way to our laptops and PC’s, but until now, they have been a bit elusive.
Google Now in Chrome closely mimics the Google Now experience on Android. Cards will show up to offer up the contextual information like flights, news or weather in Chromes notification center on Desktop. It will use your phones location to pull the relevant information and you will need to be sure that you have the proper locations settings turned on as well as be cross synced with the Chrome browser.
Google Now on Chrome shows a subset of the Now cards you see on your mobile device, which uses your device’s location. You can edit your location settings (Location Reporting and Location History) on your Android or iOS device at any time.
The option isn’t easy to find and does require that you install the alpha Chrome Canary build to try it out. Of course Google will push it to a stable build update for the standard Chrome Browser for everyone eventually. Usually with in a few weeks of it appearing the Canary builds. If you want to give it a shot you will need to download and install Chrome Canary first. Then follow the instructions below to get it running. (Thanks 9to5Google for that)
The feature is hidden by default: enabling now requires toggling a setting in the chrome://flags pages. Going to chrome://flags/#enable-google-now will take you directly to the appropriate setting in Chrome Canary.
It is a great chance and a great way to stay a head of the curve and check out all that Chrome can do now and will be doing by default in the future. Go give it a whirl and let us know what you think about it.
Via: 9to5Google Image Credits: Gigaom
Google Now Chrome Support Page
Chrome Canary Download page
Dual OS Android-Firefox Phone The Revolution Poses for the Camera
Geeksphone’s new flagship baby, The Revolution, has been leaked out in all of its glory. This phone comes equipped with both Firefox and Android, for a dual-booting fun experience.
As we take a look under the hood of The Revolution, we can find a 1.6 Ghz dual-core Intel Atom processor, which is very mid-ranged. The face of it will rock a 4.7 inch IPS qHD display, and it will all be powered by a 2000mah battery. It has a pretty slick design, and pricing for this phone has yet to be determined. I’m sure with the mid-ranged specs, it will be a very budget friendly phone.
Dual-booting devices I think will start making their splash this year. Some devices were shown off at CES, and there have been a lot of information about dual-booting Windows and Android phones. Let us know if you see yourself getting a dual-booting device.
Source: Techno Buffalo
Ventev Brings Inovation to the Charging Side of Our Devices
Powering our multitude of devices quickly, efficiently and on the go is probably one of the more important aspects of our lives. Prior to CES we were introduced to a company we had never heard of before, not all that surprising there are millions of them out there. After taking a read through what they had to offer we were definitely interested. We met up with them at CES and had a little pow-wow so to speak and got to really know the guys, and gals, behind the products. Now it is time for us to share them with you guys.
Ventev has created one of the more unique sides of the charging game. Rather than break each of these five pretty distinctive accessories into separate pieces, we will go over each just a little bit here. Lets start with the WallPort.
The Ventev Wallport r2200
The WallPort is a dual-usb wall charger for charging two devices at the same time. Both plugs are located at the bottom and spaced far enough apart to make plugging in two cables easy. The back is where you find the collapsible power plug, which makes it nice for travel. The finish on the product is a rubberized material that makes it soft to the touch and also makes it look really nice.
The dual-ports are specifically designed to rapidly charge two devices at the same time. The output on each port is 2.1a 5v 10W. Plugging in two high-end power hungry tablets won’t be an issue nor will it extend your charge up time.
Next we move to the two car chargers.
The Ventev Dashport r2240
The Dashport is your typical straight in cigarette lighter car charger plug. With the exception that it charges two devices at one. Yes, some others do that too. Instead of making it more of a brick though, Ventev kept it slim and put one port on the rear and one port on the side. Giving the passenger, or driver, a straight out no tangle cord crossing way to charge.
The obvious kicker here is that Ventev is pushing quick charging. On the go and in the car doesn’t always afford an hour of time to plug in. This little dual-port beauty is pushing 5v, 2.4A 12W to each port. In English, you can get a good amount of charge in a short 10 or 15 minute trip.
The Ventev Powerdash r900
The Powerdash r900 is a different breed of car charger all together. It is designed for a single device charging. Great for those that don’t carpool, or don’t like to share. It is more of a lipstick tube shape with the same rubberized grey material coating it for looks and grip.
The Powerdash has a secret though. While it does pump out a 2.1A amp quick charge that will give you juice fast, it is also a portable battery bank. Cleverly concealed inside is a 900mAh battery. While it it is plugged in it charges. If you get to your destination and still need to juice up some, pull it out and toss it in your pocket. Downside, the output from the battery is only 1A, so it will charge much slower than if it was in your car.
Now to more portable power.
The Ventev Powercell 5000
As the name would suggest, this battery bank, external battery pack, or whatever you call it, is a 5,000 mAh portable power battery. Ventev has done a pretty amazing job at keeping with their use of the grey rubberized material and branding across all their products. So again, this one is soft to the touch and easy to grip onto. It offers up dual-port charging to power up two devices at the same time. A typical 1A (5w) port for phone and such and a 2.1A (10w) output for tablets and higher end phablet devices.
On the top you find a recessed power button to turn the charger on, along with 4 orange LED lights to indicate remaining power. Each one represents approximately 25% remain.
Finally…
The Ventev cables
Nothing major, but something nice. The charging cables come in a variety of color options to help distinguish who’s is who’s or to show of your style. They are flat band no tangle cables which is a preferred styling for many of us multi-device families. They are rigid with a bit more of a plastic feel, but hold up nice and don’t get jumbled.
The Wallport came with the grey cable you saw above, and the Powercell came with a standard micro USB cable. The green one, and a blue one, were provided separately.
Overall experience with Ventev:
The team behind the products are extremely nice people. That goes a long way in my book. They were genuinely interested in our thoughts on their products open to feedback for future improvements. We were able to take a look at a few of the upcoming products, like the Utilitychager 2100, which is a dual-port combination wall and car charger and the Powercell 6000, which has a build-in wall plug to charge your devices and charge up the battery bank.
I think Ventev has some great things going for them. Internally they short circuit and temperature protection and adjust output automatically for your device to make them charge as fast as possible without ruining anything. The price points for each are evenly matched to other brands on the market, and in some respects, they look better and perform better too. I would like to see the charging/sync cables coated in the same material as all the physical products. They do seem a little out of place in their look and feel of the line up.
The pricing for each item shown above, is down below. However, you should also go swing by the Ventev site and poke about on your own. They also offer a unique line of cases, screen protectors, earbuds and styluses as well.
Pricing Rundown:
- Wallport r2200 – $29.99 direct
- Dashport r2240 – $29.99 direct
- Powerdash r900 – $39.99 direct
- Powercell 5000 – $54.99 direct
- Flatband no-tangle cables – $14.99 direct (each per color for micro USB version)
Of course you can shave some money off those prices through Amazon. All of which are conveniently placed below.
Some 80,000 “Break-Up” Letters Later, T-Mobile adds More Carriers to the Mix
I know we can personally confirm 4 lines that dumped Sprint after our return from Vegas. That will soon be 5 when one of our other guys has a chance to swing by the store. What many of us really want to know though, is what are the hard fact numbers when it comes to the 4th phase of T-Mobiles Uncarrier approach lead by John Legere. Sadly, they aren’t releasing any hard numbers, but if the social side of things is even partly true, then it is looking pretty big.
Some recorded 80,000 break-up letters have been posted to various social media outlets by customers that were ready to move on from their current provider and jump on board with T-Mobile. Hopefully each and everyone one of them did just that. That number only accounts for the ones that have taken part in the whole social break-up thing.
To help increase the exposure and up the subscriber base, T-Mobile has also added in US Cellular customers and a few smaller regional carriers around the states. Previously you could only qualify if you were coming in from Verizon, AT&T or Sprint. They are also going to increase the number of handsets you can turn in and will also accept damaged devices too. Don’t expect $200 for broken screen on an S4.
“This is not just a promotion,” T-Mobile marketing chief Mike Sievert told Re/code on Thursday. “What we are trying to do is bring an end to unfair one-way onerous contracts in this country.”
It doesn’t sound like this offer is going to be going anywhere. How many of you out there have officially “broken-up” with your carrier for T-Mobile?
Check out all the social Break-Up letters at RebelMouse or through the hashtag #BREAKUPLETTER
LG G Flex available in Australia exclusively through Harvey Norman in early February
We know that the gargantuan, curved smartphone from LG, the LG G Flex, has started its roll-out outside of LG’s native Korea and it appears Down Under is its next target. In a press release today, LG announced that the LG G Flex will be available in Australia for exclusive sale through electronics retailer, Harvey Norman. The 32GB version of the device is already available for preorder now from Harvey Norman’s website and is quoted to become available in ‘early February’. And the price? Why, only a mere $988 AUD for the outright and unlocked phone.
I did actually manage to get a hands-on look at the LG G Flex at CES 2014 and I’ve got to say that the device grew on me. Despite its enormous 6-inch display footprint, the curvature did actually make the smartphone feel incredibly comfortable to hold, even more so than my almost equally large Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Throw in a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, a 3,500mAh battery, and that self-healing technology,you get a pretty attractive package. But a package worth $988 AUD? I’m probably going to have to sleep on that, however, Harvey Norman is also offering the phone with Optus’ My Plans and adds a $200 Harvey Norman gift card sweetener if you sign up to a Optus My Plan with the G Flex during February.
I’m not exactly tempted, but let us know what you think. Anyone in Australia going to pick up the LG G Flex when it becomes available here?
Press Release
LG’S REMARKABLE ‘G FLEX’ TO LAUNCH IN AUSTRALIA
EXCLUSIVELY WITH HARVEY NORMAN
LG’s First Curved Smartphone to Arrive in Australia in February
Sydney, 16th January, 2013 — LG Electronics Australia (LG) today announced the local launch of the much anticipated ‘G Flex’, setting a new benchmark in the evolution of the smartphone. The latest device to join LG’s G Series, the ‘G Flex’ is the first curved screen smartphone to follow the contour of the face, offering totally new and innovative design with an exciting and completely new form factor.
The state-of-the-art, one of a kind handset offers advancements in smartphone technology with a 6-inch HD, Curved P-OLED display, advanced “Self-Healing” coating on the rear cover and impressive battery life. This is the first smartphone of its kind from LG, delivering what LG believes to be the future of smartphones.
The ‘G Flex’ will be available at Harvey Norman from February and will be available outright and unlocked or on a contract through a variety of Optus ‘My Plans’. Additionally, during February all ‘G Flex’ handsets purchased and connected to an Optus ‘My Plan’ contract at Harvey Norman will receive a $200 Harvey Norman gift voucher.
“The ‘G Flex’ represents LG’s commitment to innovative design and breakthrough technology and we are extremely excited to launch the model in Australia exclusively with Harvey Norman” said Lambro Skropidis, General Manager Marketing for LG Electronics Australia. “The G Flex brings together ground-breaking design with intuitive functionality and hardware, and is testament to the huge progress LG is making in the smartphone industry. The handset has been well received in other markets and we anticipate that many in Australia will also be excited by this trend setting technology. ”
“We’re thrilled to be the exclusive retailer of the LG ‘G Flex’ in Australia” said Geoff Van Der Vegt, General Manager of Technology & Entertainment at Harvey Norman. “LG’s latest smartphone shows true innovation and we are always looking to deliver new and exciting products to our customers. We believe consumers will be truly amazed by everything the LG G Flex has to offer.”
Innovative Design
The LG G Flex has captivated early adopters as the first smartphone curved to the contour of the human face. The handset is sleek and flexible, delivering an exceptionally comfortable grip and fit, as well as extraordinary voice and sound quality. The curved design of the handset reduces the distance between the user’s mouth and the microphone, increasing the sound level compared to flat smartphones.
The LG G Flex also features ergonomics on the rear of the device first introduced with the LG G2. By placing all the buttons on the rear, the smartphone is completely devoid of buttons on the sides of the device allowing the user to control it with their index finger in a natural position. Furthermore, this is perfect for both left and right-handed users.
User-Centered Technologies
The LG G Flex incorporates a series of new, impressive and immersive technologies. Among these is the handsets inventive “Self-Healing” coating on the back cover of the device. The elastic coating has the ability to recover and “self-heal” from minor daily wear-and-tear scratches that a smartphone is likely to receive, keeping the G Flex looking good.
Users of the LG G Flex will gain a wide variety of new and engaging features including the ability to enjoy music in various formats – MP3, CD quality or 24 bit/192kHz Hi-Fi playback. Further feature favourites include KnockON, Guest Mode and Plug & Pop, all originally launched and positively received on the LG G2. Further exciting features for the LG G Flex include:
– QTheatre providing users with quick access to photos, videos and YouTube simply from the lock screen. By touching the screen and dragging outward along the curved surface with two fingers, the three apps appear through drawn theatre curtains, thus creating an easy and accessible way to enter some of your favourite media applications.
– Dual Window lets the user divide the wide 6-inch screen into two separate windows for effective multitasking.
– Swing Lock screen can alter the image on the lock screen depending on the angle the G Flex is held.
– Face Detection Indicator displays the LED on the Rear Key in green to confirm the status of face detection and focus.
– Camera Timer flashes the Rear Key LED to indicate that the countdown has begun, perfect for group photos and selfies.
– Urgent Call Alert flashes the LED on the Rear Key in red when several consecutive calls from the same person have gone unanswered.
Collaboration with LG partners
The development of the LG G Flex was only possible through the successful collaboration with sister companies LG Display and LG Chem. The 6-inch display is a Plastic OLED (P-OLED) that was developed and mass produced specifically for smartphones. The ultra-thin, ultra-light flexible P-OLED display and curved OLED panel are built on plastic substrates instead of glass, giving LG G Flex its unique shape and durability.
LG Chem developed the curved battery technology specifically for application in G Flex. The curved battery is designed with LG Chem’s patented Stack and Folding technology, which reduces the physical stress on the battery pack when in the curved form providing stability and performance. Despite its thin form the LG G Flex battery has a large capacity of 3,500mAh, providing the power to meet the demands of daily use.
The G Flex will be available from Harvey Norman via online presales from today and via stores from early February. The exclusive promotion to receive a $200 Harvey Norman gift voucher when purchasing the handset via all Optus ‘My Plans’ is available during the month of February.
Key Specifications:
Available: February 2014 (pre sales via online immediately)
Retail Partner: Exclusively with Harvey Norman
Presale Availability: Via the Harvey Norman website www.harveynorman.com.au
Pricing: RRP $999 outright and unlocked
Plans: Variety of Optus My Plans including – $60 monthly Plan with $12 per month MRO (Monthly repayment option)
Promotional offer: All purchases in February on an Optus My Plan through Harvey Norman will receive a $200 Harvey Norman gift voucher
Processor:
Operating System: Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
Display: 6-inch HD (1280 x 720), Curved P-OLED (Real RGB)
Network: Recommended for use on the Optus Mobile Network – no compatibility with 3G networks for voice calls or date using the 850Mhz frequency band (Telstra or Vodafone)
Memory: 2GB LP DDR3 RAM / 32GB eMMc
Camera: Rear 13.0MP / Front 2.1MP
Battery: 3,500mAh (embedded)
Size: 160.5 x 81.6 x 7.9 – 8.7mm
Weight: 177g
Others: TDMB / Hi-Fi 24bit, 192kHz Playback
Colours: Titan Silver
Google Announces Smart Contact Lenses. More for Health Reasons than Google Glass-like Tech
Google Glass? Let’s get beyond that. How about contact lenses instead of wearing those ridiculous glasses? Google has just announced Smart Contact Lenses, and as “Mission: Impossible” as that sounds, it is more for health reasons, rather than how users already utilize Google Glass.
For anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes, these contact lenses will measure the glucose levels in your tears, then you will be alerted ASAP when levels drop to a critical level. Kind of relieves the stress of people with diabetes that has to prick their fingertips to check their glucose levels. These lenses actually make sense to have, in my opinion. Remember when Eric Schmidt mentioned in his 2014 prediction video that Google will get more into the genetics side of technology? Sounds to me like this is the first step they plan on taking.
Early prototypes are already out, and Google wants to place tiny LEDs to give more of a warning to the person who is wearing them. They are also trying to get approval from the FDA, as well as looking for partners for this project, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see these hit the market in the next year or so. Let us know your thoughts about Google Smart Contact Lenses.
Source: Phandroid
Samsung is expanding its Tab 3 line with the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7-inch
When we first heard about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 line-up, it appeared to be a little underpowered, a fact not lost on Android purists. Fortunately for Samsung, it’s not up to just those people to sell these tablets as it appears that the Tab 3 line is coming into its own as a sales giant, in particular the Tab 3 7-inch version which appears to be readily available anywhere and everywhere now. So popular the 7-inch variant is that Samsung has decided to announce a ‘Lite’ version of the device, or Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7-inch, which will be available globally.
There are not a terrible lot of differences between the original Tab 3 and the Tab 3 Lite: you get the same dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1 GB RAM and a 7-inch 1024×600 display. However the differences that I have spotted are:
- Original screen: TFT, Lite: WSVGA
- Original rear camera: 3.15 megapixel, Lite: 2 megapixel
- Original Android software: 4.1, Lite: 4.2
- Original battery: 4,000mAh, Lite: 3,600 mAh
- Original video playback: 720p@30fps, Lite: 1080p@30fps
That might not seem like much, but for the highly competitive budget tablet market, these changes could make the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite that little bit cheaper and that little bit more attractive than its competitors; 1080p playback is definitely a nice improvement, I think. The Tab 3 Lite will be coming in white and black versions, as pictured, though pricing for the device has yet to be confirmed. But guessing by how much the original Tab 3 7-inch is going for now, the Tab 3 Lite 7-inch should be going for a hair under even that price.
Who’s interested in getting a Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7-inch? Let us know if you are convinced in the comments.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
Rube Works, the Rube Goldberg game, is finally released on Android
I’m a huge sucker for Rube Goldberg machines, mostly because I’m a geek, but also partly because they’re just damn cool and hypnotic to watch. So when I first heard about Rube Works, an officially licensed Rube Goldberg game, I got properly excited. While the game has been out on iOS for some time now, Android is finally getting its taste of Rube Works as it is available now on the Google Play Store for $1.99 (links below). For a better idea of how the game plays and what you’ll be getting up to, check out the trailer below.
Are you a Rube Goldberg machine fan? Let us know if you’re going to give Rube Works Android a go.
Game: Rube Works: Rube Goldberg Game
Price: $1.99
Press Release
“Rube Works” – the Official Rube Goldberg Puzzle Game – Available on Google Play
Challenge your mental muscle with the only official Rube Goldberg licensed physics puzzler, now available for Android users
San Francisco – January 14, 2014 – Unity Games and Electric Eggplant and Heirs of Rube Goldberg are pleased to announce that the Android version of Rube Works: Rube Goldberg Game, is now available on the Google Play store for €1.49, £1.29, AU$1.99. The Android version of Rube Works includes 18 humorous brainteasers to test your mental acumen as you use everyday objects to craft contraptions which in turn perform what normally would be routine tasks! Imagine the goal is to carve a turkey — and you have a penguin, a bucket, a rooster, a box of sand, a sea sponge, a seesaw and an ice cream maker to complete the task. How will you do it?
“Rube Works” is the first officially licensed game based on the creations of Rube Goldberg, the award winning artist known for crafting comedic solutions to everyday problems and combines the puzzle genre with slapstick humor and creative problem solving.
– View the Rube Works gameplay trailer: http://vimeo.com/79228950
To download Rube Works on Google Play –
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unitygames.rubeworksRube Works is developed by Electric Eggplant in partnership with Kalani Games and the Heirs of Rube Goldberg and published by Unity Games, for more information please visit
https://www.facebook.com/RubeWorks or http://www.rubeworks.com . You can also follow
Rube Works on Twitter – @RubeWorks
About Unity Games
Unity Games is a division of Unity Technologies dedicated to publishing high quality Unity authored games. Working with the talented and diverse Unity community, Unity Games is elevating the status of its developer base, while pioneering technologically and artistically advanced games. For more information, visit: http://unitygames.com
About Electric Eggplant
Founded by David and Annie Fox, Electric Eggplant has been on the forefront of multimedia design and production since its inception in 1992. Annie and David have partnered on dozens of projects in their 39 years of marriage, including co-founding the Marin Computer Center in 1977—the world’s first public-access microcomputer center. The Foxes have consistently garnered kudos for their work on games, educational software, emotional intelligence content, online communities, and emerging technologies, as well as for their books and apps for kids, tweens, and teens. David began his game design career in 1982 at Lucasfilm Games (LucasArts). During his 10 years there, his credits included groundbreaking titles like Rescue on Fractalus!, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure. David is the Game Designer and Executive Producer on Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game. http://www.ElectricEggplant.comAbout Kalani Games
Kalani Games is a game design & development studio in Austin, Texas. Founded by industry veteran, Kalani Streicher, Kalani Games has developed games for mobile, social and online platforms, pushing the boundaries of original, innovative and new game play experiences.
Kalani Games is a trademark of Kalani Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.kalanigames.comAbout HRG
HRG (Heirs of Rube Goldberg) is a family-run company led by Rube Goldberg’s granddaughter, Jennifer George. The company’s mission is to raise awareness of Rube’s work and to license the intellectual property to appropriate entertainment and media partners who will remain true to the spirit of her grandfather’s legacy. HRG works in tandem with RGI (Rube Goldberg, Inc), the non-profit arm whose mission includes education outreach programs for students and tinkerers of all ages through Rube Goldberg Machine contests around the globe.Also available is the quintessential coffee-table book on Rube Goldberg: The Art of Rube Goldberg, published by Abrams ComicArts – found everywhere books are sold. More information is available here, and atwww.rubegoldberg.com
AIVAnet 