OnePlus introduces StyleSwap Covers for the upcoming One
Yet again, OnePlus is releasing another little detail on its upcoming One smartphone. However, recent announcements have mainly dealt with hardware specs, battery, and the screen, this announcement deals with aesthetics.
The One will have “StyleSwap” covers, which will allow the user to customize the look of their device. The only picture we have is from OnePlus’ forum, as seen above, which seems to have a silk, sandstone, denim, bamboo, and kevlar options. OnePlus is really pushing their “Never Settle” campaign, by making a smartphone that is customizable from software to design. The company hasn’t released any details on price or availability, but we hope they keep them affordable and readily available at launch.
I hope that all this hype OnePlus is generating for the One actually comes to light in the second quarter this year. Which cover are you looking forward to?
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HTC in full hype mode for HTC One
HTC is just full of themselves and now on their website they are stating, “Get ready to hit refresh.” Is this pointing to an immediate release after announcement? I think so! With last week’s announcement that Carphone Warehouse, in the UK, will be selling the new One after is it announced and with HTC hinting us to ‘hit refresh’ seems like consumers will be able to purchase the device online and maybe in stores.
Now, we all know about the time delay that Verizion customers faced last year with the original One release. However, Verizon is not playing games this go around! This morning a picture of a new HTC One promo box surfaced also stating, ‘hit refresh’, on March 25th. So I think it is safe to say that Verizon is playing ball this year and trying to get the latest from HTC into the hands of its customers.
What about the other carriers? No news yet, but if Verizon is launching on Day 1, I would say that AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint (cross your fingers) are not far behind.
Source: androidcentral
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The week’s best Android rumors: Nexus 8.9, Moto 360, Amazon smartphone, and more
Moto 360
Motorola’s first foray into the smartwatch space could employ wireless charging and a Sapphire glass face, says G for Games. Whereas everyone else seems to go the route of Gorilla Glass, this one would would separate itself from the pack. As far as the wireless charging is concerned, we’re still betting on something akin to the Qualcomm Toq.
Amazon Smartphone
The long-rumored Amazon may finally be close at hand, according to new reports from this week. Reportedly, the device will feature a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 4.7-inch display, and a battery approaching 2400mAh. In addition to a 13-megapixel rear camera and front-facing shooter, the smartphone is alleged to house a camera in each of the four front-facing corners. Their purpose? To track eyes and gestures for a hands-free experience. We are told to expect the device within 3-6 months.
Samsung Galaxy Beam
A new, unannounced Samsung Galaxy Beam has been spotted with a projector. This may be a China only phone, as the photos came from Tenaa, a telecommunications equipment certification center in China, and the device has China Mobile branding on it.
HTC Sense 6
According to a video now removed from YouTube, HTC Sense 6.0 may include a double-tap to wake feature. Although we didn’t get a look at the video, it was apparently an HTC One running a a ROM ported from the All New HTC One or “M8.”
Nexus 8.9
Google may introduce an 8.9-inch Nexus tablet later this year, or so says semi-reliable Digitimes. Specifications are said to include Android 5.0 and a screen with resolution higher than that of 2K displays. Reportedly, the tablet could be priced around $299 when it arrives.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini/Neo
An SM-G750 has been spotted in ueser agent profiles on Samsung’s website, leading some to suggest this is a Galaxy S5 variant. Specifications point to a 1280×720 display, a 2.3Gz processor, and Android 4.3. Likely getting KitKat before its release, the device could be a Galaxy S5 Mini or Galaxy S5 Neo.
LG G3
LG’s next big flagship release could feature a 5.5-inch display with up to 2,560×1,440 pixel resolution, says PhoneArena. At a density of 538 pixels per inch it could be the highest of any smartphone on the market. In terms of software, the G3 is said to offer “advanced personalization” features though it isn’t clear if this is more Google Now or LG’s doing. Reportedly, the device may learn your usage habits in order to adapt itself and change based on when it is or where you are.
Oppo N1
A 5-inch “mini” version of the 5.9-inch Oppo N1 smartphone is rumored to launch in May or June. It is being reported that the device will boast an octa-core processor and come in two versions, one with LTE, the other without.
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Exploring virtual reality on PlayStation 4 with Shuhei Yoshida and Richard Marks (video)
It was 2010 when Sony engineers first explored virtual reality concepts. The idea of a VR headset sprang from another project at the company: PlayStation Move, a wand-like motion controller for the PlayStation 3. Company engineers attached the controller to head-mounted displays, enabling a form of homemade VR via motion and depth tracking. Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida was asked to try these early prototypes, one which put the player into the role of Kratos in God of War 3 and the other a mod of Half-Life 2 where you could lift up and look at your own gun. “That was a totally compelling experience, so I became a believer,” Yoshida told us in an interview this week, post-Project Morpheus announcement. “It was a ‘wow’ moment!”
So, what’s Project Morpheus? It’s the somewhat silly code name (from the Greek God of Dreams) for the virtual reality headset planned for the PlayStation 4, and Sony unveiled it this week during the 2014 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Yoshida himself announced Morpheus, flanked by R&D engineers Richard Marks and Anton Mikhailov who dug into the technical chops behind the prototype headset. The trio chose GDC for an important reason: this is where they can send a rallying cry to game developers. Marks made their call to action clear when he finished his portion of the presentation by saying that this moment, right now, is the beginning of a new field of gaming. “This is the Wild West,” he said. And he’s right. There are no VR standards (though efforts are being made), no VR game “tropes” yet. The folks making VR games are at the forefront of an unexplored genre, and that’s thrilling.
Morpheus is as close to the quality of Oculus VR’s latest Rift prototype as anything out there, though it lags behind a bit in a few key areas. Specifically, vision blur, field of view and image quality aren’t as refined as the Rift’s latest dev kit (read our full hands-on here). Nor is Morpheus up to Sony’s standards for the consumer version. Marks acknowledged as much in our interview (seen above), and he also spoke to the hurdles ahead for VR as a medium going mainstream.
As ever, with VR it’s about making a product that’ll convince people. But what about that whole “putting electronics on your head” issue? That “encumbrance” factor is a concern, Marks admitted — one that Sony’s trying to minimize with the design of the headset, but only so much can be done with existing technology that keeps it within a reasonable consumer price range.
Whereas Oculus has put a firm price on its Dev Kit 2, Sony’s not talking cost for this first iteration of Morpheus, and that same silence extends to its particular specs, and eventual consumer release. The prototypes/development kits at GDC are the base level of workable hardware for developers to start developing games. Yoshida’s hoping we’ll see some of the fruits of those developers’ labor by E3 this June — Morpheus dev kits head out to game developers next month, and the only way to get one currently is to get in touch with Sony directly (Yoshida suggested tweeting at Adam Boyes and Shahid Kamal Ahmad).
Morpheus will inevitably evolve towards a final consumer version. It’s just not coming this year — and that’s the closest thing to a release window we’ve got right now. But we expect Project Morpheus won’t remain so mysterious for too long.
RadioShack offering $50 discount for in-store Galaxy S5 pre-orders
With the Samsung Galaxy S5 going on pre-order today, RadioShack is offering a $50 discount when you order the device before its release.
Specific carrier information as to what the pre-order is offering hasn’t been specified, but since every carrier has confirmed they will have the Galaxy S5, it’s pretty certain you can have the pick of the bunch.
Devices pre-ordered through RadioShack will be available for pick-up in store starting mid-April and are subject to stock availability.
If the $50 saving wasn’t enough, RadioShack customers can also save $75 to $300 on a Samsung Galaxy S5 when you trade in a select working smartphone through their Trade & Save program.
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Samsung to offer global preview of Galaxy S5, Gear 2, and Gear Fit prior to launch
Beginning today, Samsung are putting their new devices on display to the world. The Samsung Galaxy S5, Gear 2, and Gear Fit will be showcased and available for pre-order at around 1,400 shops around the world.
The move to showcase the devices before launch gives an unprecedented opportunity to see the devices, their features, and appearance before opting to pre-order them.
The global preview takes place at Samsung Experience Stores, mobile carrier stores, and key retailer stores across 61 countries. Beginning with the United States and Switzerland on March 21, the special first look experience will be expanded to the remaining 59 markets including Brazil, China, Germany,and United Kingdom.
There will be “Galaxy Specialists” on hand at these participating stores where the devices are on show in order to assist and answer any questions potential customers may have.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is up for pre-order starting next week. Are you looking to pre-order yours?
[Samsung]
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Apple Rolls Out New ‘Indie Game Showcase’ Section on App Store [iOS Blog]
Apple has added a new “Indie Game Showcase” section on the App Store dedicated to games made by independent studios, reports MacStories. The page promises to regularly highlight notable titles from indie developers, as well as their favorite games from other studios. For its inaugural showcase, Apple highlighted action-thriller game Device 6 from developer Simogo, which was chosen as a runner up for Game of the Year during Apple’s Best of the iTunes Store 2013 awards.
Often made up of just a few dedicated members, independent studios prove that what really matters is the size of your dream. In each Indie Game Showcase, we celebrate a popular game and its creative team, highlighting the developer’s titles along with their favorite games from other studios.
Various indie games have seen a great amount of success on Apple’s App Store since it first launched in 2008, with titles like Flappy Bird, Doodle Jump, and Fruit Ninja becoming international hits. Popular indie titles made for other consoles have also begun appearing on iOS, with games such as Terraria and Limbo seeing releases on Apple’s platform.
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Leaked documents detail how and why NSA targets network admins
With the amount of NSA-related information that’s been leaked to the press, one may wonder if the feds will have anything new to share whenever the agency’s first transparency report releases. The latest info is that the NSA was targeting foreign network administrators to gain access to the networks they control, as late as 2012. Edward Snowden gave The Intercept a handful of screengrabs from an internal agency message board that, among other things, detail how the NSA can monitor calls and emails moving through a foreign telco’s network simply by having access to the system admin’s PC. The steps for that apparently include grabbing the admin’s IP address, and from there hacking the user’s Facebook or web-mail accounts to gain full access to their computer via surveillance malware.
The postings were supposedly written by the author of last October’s Tor network attack-report, and go on at length describing his or her dream to build a master list of system admins that would span the globe. What good would that do? Well, it’d enable the agency to launch an attack once an “extremist/terrorist or government official” uses the network an admin oversees. There are also step-by-step instructions for attacking an admin’s computer through its network router using Telnet, the agency’s SIGINT tools as well as the Quantum hacking-platform.
The posts say nothing about how the NSA would sidestep inadvertently hacking system admins in the US either, or even system admins working for foreign companies on domestic soil. Be sure to check the source links for the full story, but don’t the playful tone of the posts distract you from the real issue: the government was, and could possibly still be, persistently monitoring civilians who’ve done nothing wrong in the off-chance that an enemy of the state could log on to their network.
Filed under: Internet
Source: The Intercept (1), (2)
Turkey bans Twitter but users can still tweet via SMS
Turkey has joined the ranks of Iran, Egypt and others who have blocked access to Twitter at one point or another. Now, anyone in Turkey who tries to go to the website is redirected to a statement from the country’s telecommunications regulator instead. A Turkish journalist told The Daily Dot that the outage started just after Thursday midnight and gradually spread out, depending on users’ internet providers. It looks like the government didn’t block the microblogging site’s SMS service, though, because Twitter’s Policy account just reminded Avea and Vodafone users that they can text START to 2444, while Turkcell subscribers can text START to 2555. But, why was Twitter banned in Turkey in the first place? Well, that’s because some users posted voice recordings and documents, which allegedly reveal corruption within the Turkish prime minister’s inner circle — and that sure didn’t sit well with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Hours before the blackout, Prime Minister Erdoğan threatened to shut Twitter down while speaking at a political rally to campaign for the March 30th local elections. He claimed the accusations are merely a smear campaign by his opponents and even dismissed other countries’ criticisms: “The international community can say this, can say that. I don’t care at all. Everyone will see how powerful the Republic of Turkey is.” Erdogan’s office later explained that Twitter was blocked in the country, because it failed take down the offending links after being issued four court orders. Considering the prime minister called social media “the worst menace to society” in the past, though, this development is not surprising in the least.
[Image credit: Myrat/Wikipedia]
Twitter is banned in Turkey a couple minutes ago @engadget @verge @NeowinFeed @CNET @techradar pic.twitter.com/HPDOdv7wLZ
– ömer balk (@omer_balk) March 20, 2014
Turkish users: you can send Tweets using SMS. Avea and Vodafone text START to 2444. Turkcell text START to 2555.
– Policy (@policy) March 20, 2014
Avea ve Vodafone’dan 2444′e, Turkcell’den 2555′e START mesajı göndererek SMS üzerinden Twitter kullanmaya başlayabilirsiniz.
– Policy (@policy) March 20, 2014
Filed under: Internet
Source: Reuters (1), (2)
Nexus 8 May Hit Production in July or August [Rumor]
Rumors about a Nexus 8 tablet have been circulating around for a few months now, and now it looks like we might actually see this new tablet this Summer. According to IHS Technology, the 8.9 tablet is set for production this July or August. Here is the real kicker: HTC might be making this Nexus 8 tablet. How long have I been begging for an HTC Nexus device to come back to us? They even stated that this tablet will not be budget friendly, because they are shooting for the stars in specs. Who strives for great hardware? HTC. I am really liking that idea, and I am hoping this is not a bunch of silly rumors.
There was also mention about another Nexus 7 tablet being produced this year, but no details about who is making it were talked about. What do you guys think about an HTC Nexus 8 tablet? Let us know down below.
Source: CNET
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