5TB hard drives are here, shipping now in LaCie’s five-bay NAS
25 terabytes of storage in a single standalone cube? That’s now possible, thanks to Seagate’s new 5TB hard drive. You can pair the LaCie 5big Network 2 five-bay NAS with up to five individual 5-terabyte drives for a maximum of 25TB of storage for less than two grand. Based on the $300 price difference between the 15TB kit ($1,299) and the 10TB version ($999), we imagine you’ll be able to max out the RAID device about $1,900, once these gigantic drives become available for purchase individually. For now, you’ll need to settle for one of the two above configurations, available directly from LaCie beginning today.
Filed under: Storage
Source: LaCie
Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana reportedly borrows the best of Siri and Google Now
At this point it’s a forgone conclusion that Microsoft is going to enter the digital assistant space in order to keep pace with Android and iOS. Its offering, code named Cortana (after a Halo character), is reportedly set to debut as part of Windows Phone 8.1, which we’re expecting to get a glimpse of at Build. While the final shape of the app has yet to be confirmed, recent leaks hint that it will borrow heavily from Siri and Google Now, blending what many see as the best features of each. According to the Verge, Cortana will replace the standard Bing search and feature a circular animated icon as its primary UI element. The icon will use the highlight color you’ve chosen and bounce around the screen or frown when you ask it a question. In addition to offering visual indications of its “emotional” state, Cortana will feature a Siri-like personality that can greet you by name.
Cortana’s central repository of information is called called Notebook, which will store your location, personal info, calendar and contact data, as well as track your behaviors. Over time it will adapt to individual users, but it will also include robust privacy features that will require you to specifically allow Cortana to store data and will even allow you to edit or delete that information after the fact. For example, if you allow it to access your email, Cortana can watch for phrases that about meetings or appointments and automatically add reminders.
In addition to your locally stored data and Bing, the virtual assistant will also be able to tap third-party sources of data like Foursquare. If Microsoft is aggressive in opening up Cortana to third-party apps and services that could give it a leg up on Siri and Now. Especially if it moves quickly to bring the new tool to its other platforms: namely Windows and Xbox.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: The Verge
Google’s Project Tango is a smartphone with sensors to map the world around you
Google’s just announced Project Tango, a 5-inch Android smartphone prototype equipped with Kinect-like 3D sensors and other components to track motion and map your surroundings. Unlike other 3D-sensing devices including Kinect, Project Tango includes the Myriad 1 vision processor from Movidius, which allows for advanced motion and depth tracking without sucking a ton of power. Available to a limited group of developers today, the handset could enable enhanced indoor navigation and immersive gaming, among other things.
Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group is the brains behind Tango, and ATAP head Johnny Lee (formerly of the Microsoft Kinect team) said that the prototype “strives to give mobile devices a human-like understanding of space and motion…enabling new and enhanced types of user experiences.” Gaming and navigation applications are two prime examples, but overall the goal seems to be harnessing precise location and mapping information to enhance your mobile experience. Google also mentions the possibility of navigation assistance for the visually impaired, and it’s not a leap to guess that Mountain View could integrate ads with this sophisticated mapping technology as well.
ATAP, one important holdover of Google’s acquisition (and subsequent selling off) of Motorola, hadn’t revealed any hardware prior to today’s announcement, so we’ll be following this project with interest. Head past the break for a video demo of Project Tango.
Via: TechCrunch (1), TechCrunch (2)
Source: Google ATAP, Google Project Tango
Dell to be the first PC maker to adopt a wireless charging standard
The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) has just added a major player to its membership roster: Dell. This marks the first time a big PC maker has come forward to support a wireless charging standard, which A4WP has branded as Rezence. As a part of this announcement, A4WP is also introducing a new high power specification that would be able to charge devices from 20 to 50 watts, such as, of course, Ultrabooks. In fact, a A4WP spokesperson told us that ideally, a laptop charging with Rezence could also be used to give power to a smaller device, say a smartphone, simply by putting it on top of the former. While such products don’t exist just yet, the alliance is hopeful for the first few consumer products with Rezence — perhaps even a laptop or two — to debut some time this year.
Filed under: Misc, Laptops, Dell
Source: Rezence
New HTC One 2014 Shows Up in Silver and Gray Press Render
The HTC M8, or All New HTC One, shows up in silver and gray today brought to you by evleaks. Now as you can see, it looks like all the other renders, but I find that the gray looks more black than gray. I guess it is a dark gray, and if I had to choose between the three colors it is going to come in, I would definitely choose gray.
The New HTC One will be unveiled on March 25th, with a double event hosted by HTC in New York and London. Let us know which color you plan on choosing when the New One comes out.
Source: evleaks
Android 4.4 Rolling Out to the Sprint Galaxy Note 3
Sprint Galaxy Note 3 users will start receiving that delicious Android 4.4 KitKat. The kernel source was posted the other day, which usually leads to a roll out, and that indeed is happening. Here is what you get with the update:
- Android 4.4
- Music album art on the lock screen
- Launcher selection in settings
- Camera shortcut on lock screen
- Improved user interface and stability
- Prevention pop-up removal
The Android 4.4 update is a hefty 503.6 MB file, so make sure you’re on a wifi connection as always. Let us know if you received it.
Source: Android Police
Hands-on with Blu Life Pure
Initial Design at a Glance
The Blu Life Pure features a 5.0″ 1080p display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 13MP rear/5MP front-facing camera, 2GB RAM and more. This device is Blu’s flagship for 2014 and runs Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean. With no contracts to worry about, the Life Pure works with an unlocked GSM SIM slot.
At first glance it definitely resembles a squared off Nexus 5, with the thin profile, large display, and dual-speakers on the bottom.
For those familiar with globally released devices, you may recognize this device already as the Gionee Elife E6. Gionee is an OEM for regional companies such as BLU meaning this device is not a clone, but rather a twin of the Gionee Elife E6 with minor software changes marketed for the United States area.
Display & Software
At 1080P and about 440ppi this phone has a beautiful 5″ display with great colors. The screen is very sharp with great resolution and brightness. The Life Pure has one of the best and sharpest displays that I’ve seen in a while.
The modified software can give this device a strange iOS/Android cross experience with the launcher and app drawer hybrid. The settings menu has been redesigned like no other and some other options will make you look twice. The software UI layer is different, yet cool, but can take time to get used to it.
Audio Quality, Connectivity, and Networks
The Life Pure has decent and loud call quality and I’ve received the same reception as my other carrier smartphones. The dual built-in speakers, featured on the bottom of the phone are a bit louder than most smartphone speakers. I particularly enjoyed this on phone calls.
This device will pick up 4G HSPA+, 3G, and Edge depending on your provider. While a lack of 4G LTE support is a down side, the HSPA+ runs as well as on another other handsets
For the sake of clarification, all connectivity were tested with T-Mobile USA. WiFi and Bluetooth drivers are just as strong as the cellular drivers, so there are no weak links as far as connectivity goes in my experience.
Processor, GPU, RAM and Battery Life
The hardware that powers the phone include a quad-core Mediatek MT6589T clocked at 1.5GHz. Not a Snapdragon 800 and its powers but it keeps the price point down. When testing with AnTuTu X, the processor made it right in between the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the LG Nexus 4 – not slow by any means.
My experience has been very snappy while browsing, playing full HD videos, etc. Do note however, that because of the 1080P display, the Mediatek processor and PowerVR SGX-544MP cannot handle graphic intensive games such as Modern Combat, Grand Theft Auto 4, Final Fantasy, etc. If you are an intense gamer stay away from this phone. Playing graphic intensive games will yield a frame rate as low as 6fps. If you handle basic tasks, watch HD YouTube videos, listen to music, stream Netflix, and play games such as Angry Birds, Minecraft, etc. you shouldn’t have any issues.
With a 2,000mAh non-removable battery and its software saving options, life has 5-9 hours. This does all, of course, depend on usage and type of data connection.
Camera Experience
The Life Pure offers a 5MP front facing camera for sharper selfies and video chats. While 5MP may not seem so high-res, most current flagships buzz in at a few megapixels less. The front facing camera (like most these days) doesn’t do too well in poorly lit areas, so be sure to have a good handle on lighting.
Around back you’ll find a 13MP rear camera with a bright single LED flash that honestly takes pretty nice pictures. Even when in lower light conditions without flash the colors are beautiful.
Overall
If you are in the market for an off contract flagship smartphone and are not an intense gamer, check this device out. At $325 it falls closely in line with some of the previous Nexus line, just be cognizant of what your needs might be. The price point is great and the experience works perfectly for the average consumer who doesn’t need high-speed LTE or intense gaming performance.
The post Hands-on with Blu Life Pure appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung sets price and availability for Galaxy Camera 2
At the beginning of the year, Samsung announced their second iteration of the Galaxy Camera. Today, they have officially announced the availability and pricing for the Galaxy Camera 2. It can be yours for $449.99 somewhere around mid-March.
In case you may have missed the original announcement, here are the specs:
- Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
- 16.3-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor
- 21x optical zoom lens
- 4.8-inch HD Super Clear Touch LCD display
- 1.6GHz quad-core processor
- 8GB internal storage
- microSD card slot
- 2GB RAM
- 2000mAh battery
- It also has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC
The post Samsung sets price and availability for Galaxy Camera 2 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
LaCie’s External Drive Lineup Gains New 5TB Drives from Seagate [Mac Blog]
LaCie has launched several new products with Seagate’s new 5TB drives, including a new Thunderbolt 5-bay RAID array that puts up to 25 terabytes of storage in one 5-bay unit. LaCie’s is using Seagate’s new drives featuring ‘Shingled Magnetic Recording’ technology to push the physical boundaries of magnetic storage.
The new drives are also available in LaCie’s d2 Quadra for $350 and the d2 USB3.0 Thunderbolt for $450.
More speed means a leaner workflow. Get 785MB/s* thanks to five 7200rpm/64MB cache hard disks preconfigured in RAID 0. With these speeds, you have all you need for any post-production work. Handle multiple 2K uncompressed 10-bit streams. And with capacities up to 25TB, you have enough storage for today and the future. For example, you could store all your project’s raw daily footage onto a single LaCie 5big. Focus on your creative projects without the hassle of managing multiple storage devices.
LaCie says their new RAID is the largest 5-bay storage product on the market, sporting speeds up to 785MB/s. The RAID is available in three configurations, 10TB, 20TB, and 25TB, for $1000, $2000, and $2500 respectively — Thunderbolt cable included — from LaCie’s website or the Apple Online Store, with the 5TB d2 available for $450 and the 5TB Quadra for $350.
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Oral-B smart toothbrush will make sure you’re following your dentist’s advice
Two can play the smartphone-savvy toothbrush game, it seems. Procter & Gamble tells Reuters that it’s releasing an Oral-B toothbrush (not pictured here) that, like its Kolibree rival, will talk to your smartphone via Bluetooth to show how well you’re cleaning your teeth. Dentists will play a more important role here, however — they can program the companion app to make sure you’re cleaning spots you tend to miss. Ideally, this will prevent the tendency to slack off following a check-up. The smart brush will be one of the priciest models in the Oral-B line at £199 ($331) when it ships in June, but it may be worth the expense if spares you from any cavities.
Filed under: Household
Via: SlashGear
Source: Reuters
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