An HTC Nexus 8?! Oppo Find 7 Official! – The ManDroid Show
The ManDroid Show is here my friends. It has been a crazy week for me this week, and some changes are going to happen when it comes to video content. An HTC Nexus 8 might be on the horizon which is something to be excited about. Oppo launches the Find 7, and in two versions. Pretty stuff I must say, some of you were probably drooling like we are. Enjoy the show!
News Topics
Android Wear becomes official
Nexus 8 rumors suggest July or August production
Oppo Find 7 official
Countdown to the HTC event
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Seed promotes the “Phone That Grows”, like a PadFone, but for all Devices
The ASUS Padfone line of devices has always raised a lot of eyebrows, but we quite like it; the idea that you can have one device that acts as a phone normally but can also power your tablet is a pretty cool idea (and cheap too).But imagine that you could have that phone device and not only power your tablet, but your laptop, your desktop PC and your smart TV too. That’s the idea behind the Seed phone and its motto, “the phone that grows”. Check out the concept video that creator Nick Rout has put together to lay out his idea:
Reminds me a lot of the modular phone concept, Phonebloks, but for devices in general. The idea that a single device could power our entire lives is a really powerful one, and in reality, the tech world is slowly gravitating towards that anyway; smartphones and tablets run Android and hybrid laptops are known to also utilize Android operating systems. Throw in Smart TVs as well and we’re almost there, but to run it all from one smartphone would be an incredible and exciting feat. While Nick Rout may only be a final year computer engineering student, we hope his fantastic Seed concept catches the attention of an ambitious manufacturer, as Phonebloks did with Motorola, who can turn that dream into a reality.
What do you think about Seed and “the phone that grows”? Could we reply on one device to power all our technology? Let us know what your opinion is in the comments.
Source: Seed via Phone Arena
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Wendy’s now lets you pay for a meal with its mobile app
Wendy’s, home to a bunch of square burgers and Frosty, is following in Burger King’s footsteps and embracing mobile payments. Now, you can use the Ohio company’s app to pay for your purchase in most (but not all) of its locations in the US. Just like its Burger King counterpart, the app acts as sort of a digital wallet that generates six-digit codes you’ll have to give to cashiers for payment. Wendy’s, however, has regrettably left out one of the BK app’s best features — discounts and coupons.
The fast food chain apparently decided to offer mobile payments in an effort to attract the younger, smartphone-obsessed set. Unfortunately, the app’s limited features (you can’t use it to call in a delivery, if you’re wondering!) and lack of discounts as a perk make it a less convincing download than its competitors. But, hey, at least it can show nutritional values, so you don’t scarf down a Baconator without knowing it has 940 calories.
Filed under: Misc
Twitter may indulge our vanity by showing view counts for tweets
Twitter isn’t supposed to be a popularity contest, but let’s be honest — many of us get a little thrill from new favorites and followers. It may be a good thing, then, that Twitter is experimenting with view counts on tweets. While Twitter’s ad partners have had access to this data for a while, the test lets regular social networkers (albeit just a handful) see how much interest there is in what they say. The company isn’t commenting on the dry run, but we wouldn’t assume that a full-scale launch is coming. While view counts might encourage participation after well-received posts, they could also crush the self-esteem of newcomers. Not everyone can attract as many eyeballs as a celebrity or a politician, after all.
[Image credit: Lydia J, Twitter]
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: The Verge, Lydia J (Twitter)
Roocase Executive Portolio Leather Case Review for Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0: Executive and Functional
I don’t envy accessory manufacturers who are in the business of making device cases; with the market flooded with cheap cases which provide the minimal level of functionality, it can be hard for premium accessory manufacturers to differentiate themselves, whether it’s through better materials or better functionality. We’ve previously taken a look at roocase‘s products (see that review here) and we can see what it takes to be considered more functional and unique than the norm; today, we’ll be taking a look at another of roocase’s folio cases, the Executive Portfolio.
We’ll be taking a look at the Executive Portfolio specifically for Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, though the case is also available for a whole number of other tablets such as the Nexus 7, Kindle, etc. (check out roocase’s website here to see if they have this case for your tablet). In terms of what you get in the box, what you see is what you get with the Executive Portfolio, but it’s what’s on the inside that is the main event. What you do get on the exterior of the folio is a leather covering with twin branded zips to make sure nothing on the inside of your case falls out.
The inside of the case is quite busy, much like an executive might be. On the inside cover, you will find a whole hosts of card slots and a pocket that can be used for storing cash. This space is likely to be enough as a wallet replacement unless you really like to horde cards, but it’s nice to see the option is here as well as the added security of the zipped up case.
You may remember from the roocase Dual-View case, there was a stylus/pen included in that package. Well, that stylus is back, this time located in the spine of the Executive Portfolio. As before, the quality of the hybrid stylus and pen is nothing to write home about, however it’s a neat inclusion for those people that like using styluses or often find themselves without a writing implement.
The actually case for your Galaxy Tab 3 is a leather framed affair, much like the one on the Dual-View case. Your tablet gets sealed inside the case with velcro and is a surprisingly snug fit with very little free movement. There’s ample room on all sides to get to all your Galaxy Tab 3′s access ports and buttons which includes the rear camera.
Which brings us to the coolest part of the Executive Portfolio case; the section which holds the tablet can actually be removed from the folio case to become a standalone case. While it obviously lacks the protection it had while inside the folio, this section has its own functions as well.
As you can see in the photos above, this section of the case has a stand built-in as well as a strap which can be used as a handhold to stop you dropping your tablet during use. While the stand is a bit too short to be used for movie viewing, it is the perfect height for use on the desk during meetings or at your desk and the handhold is something a bit different, particularly if you’re prone to losing hold of your tablet.
Attaching this section of the case back into the folio is as simple as doing up a button, though I’m a bit concerned about this part of the folio; there is no mechanism to hold the the above pictured flap down so if you were to tip your folio in a particular direction, your tablet would swing out and potentially unclip itself. While this isn’t extremely likely in a professional setting, I do wish there was something there to stop this eventuating.
Rating: 4/5
Professional-looking, functional and with lots of hidden tricks up its sleeve, the roocase Executive Folio leather case is a very multifaceted case, something which is somewhat of a rarity on the market. While individually there are parts of the case which are a bit lacking, the sum of its parts makes the Executive Folio a very good option for the user who wants to look a little more professional without losing the ability to be functional in the office, all for the relatively low price of MSRP $49.99 USD.
If you’re interested in picking up the roocase Executive Folio leather case, you can visit its product page here and see what participating retailers are selling the case. Additionally, the roocase Executive Folio leather case can be found for as little as $35 on Amazon right now (links to Amazon are below).
Gallery of Photos
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Ask Google Search on Android to ‘play some music’ and… it will
Sometimes, having your entire music collection in your pocket can be a bit overwhelming. When there are hundreds (or in our case, thousands) of tracks at your disposal, where do you even begin to listen? To help thwart that paralysis of choice, Google is going to do the guessing for you with its latest tweak to Search. From Google Now or the search bar, simply say the magic words “play some music” and your Android device will start playing a random Play Music “I’m feeling lucky” mix that’s based on recent listening habits. With its deep catalog of tunes, it’s pretty easy to imagine that this feature’s benefits increase exponentially if you’re paying for Mountain View’s All Access service, too. Subscriber or not, though, if you’re stuck in a Nine Inch Nails rut, this could be the ticket out.
Source: Google
New Slim 12″ MacBook and MacBook Air Updates Soon
A new forum post on Weiphone.com has revealed a number of details about Apple’s upcoming plans for their MacBook notebooks as well as some details about their iWatch initiative. The author of the post has previously posted legitimate leaks and photos of un-released MacBook hardware in the past.
The poster writes about the upcoming MacBook Pro line as well as a new 12″ notebook that has previously been predicted. A MacRumors reader provides a summary translation of the post:
1. MacBook Air updates are coming soon; MacBook Pro updates won’t occur until September.
2. He discusses a new 12 inch notebook without fan assembly. It comes with a new trackpad design that doesn’t include the mechanical button, as we do on current MacBooks.
3. An Apple watch device does exist but still in prototype stage, so its announcement won’t come anytime soon.
It’s not entirely clear where the 12″ Apple notebook will fit in the product line. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first predicted in October that Apple would be releasing a 12″ slim MacBook with a Retina Display this year:
We expect the unprecedented 12” model will boast both the portability of the 11” model, and productivity of the 13” model. The high resolution display will also offer the outstanding visual experience of the Retina MacBook Pro. The offering will likely be lighter and slimmer than the existing MacBook Air to further highlight ease of portability in the cloud computing era.
The buttonless trackpad design that the author describes may be related to a recent patent application by Apple which describes a buttonless trackpad design using an array of sensors and an actuator to mimic the function and tactile feedback of the current trackpad.
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Apple may finally bring iTunes to Android due to drop in download Sales
For the longest time, Android users have had to deal with the absence of an official iTunes app from the Google Play Store; sure there are substitute apps, but that’s a far cry from an official app that evolves with Apple‘s aspirations and focuses, much like other music providers like Spotify and Pandora have done over the last few months. That void may be filled soon, however, as Billboard reports that Apple may finally bring iTunes to Android.
The change in heart is primarily due to a decrease in music download sales, down 11% according to Nielsen SoundScan. Conversely, while download sales are down, revenues from streaming sites like Spotify and Pandora have risen 39% in the past year, signalling to Apple that they should probably consider something along the lines of a music streaming service with an “All-Access” subscription model, possibly using the existing iTunes Radio platform as a starting point.
Whatever does happen, I’m sure many users will be ecstatic if, and when, iTunes finally arrives on Android. What do you think about Apple finally considering to bring iTunes to Android? Let us know what your opinion is in the comments.
Source: Billboard via Android Community
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Daily Roundup: Turkey bans Twitter, Peter Molyneux talks VR and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Leaked documents detail how and why NSA targets network admins
Thanks to several screengrabs uncovered by Edward Snowden, The Intercept derived new details regarding the NSA’s ability to monitor calls and emails. Once the agency gains access to a telco’s system admin PC, a user’s Facebook or web-mail account is susceptible to its surveillance malware.
Peter Molyneux wants more from VR than what’s available
Without failing to realize how far VR has come, Peter Molyneux told us at GDC that the tech still leaves him wanting. According to the famed game designer, it’s all about innovation, and the latest next-gen tech, like Sony’s Project Morpheus, doesn’t push the limits.
Sony shows (and tells) us why 4K on a phone isn’t crazy
Ultra HD is on the rise, but with the lack of 4K displays in the wild, are smartphones with such technology really that useful? We asked Sony’s Kichiro Kurozumi, and his answer, not surprisingly, was yes. According to the VP, “There’s no dependency on 4K TVs.” “[Video] will look best on those, but even when downscaled to 1080p, the higher-resolution video looks good.”
Turkey bans Twitter but users can still tweet via SMS
If you glanced at your Twitter feed this morning, you probably already noticed that Turkey joined ranks with Iran and Egypt by restricting access to the social network. Apparently, some users from the country posted voice recordings and documents regarding the Turkish prime minister’s political corruption.
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Filed under: Misc
Titanfall on PCs will soon support 4K and NVIDIA’s latest graphics tricks
Many gamers already argue that the PC version of Titanfall is the best-looking of the bunch. Pretty soon, though, it won’t even be a contest. Respawn plans to update its robotic shooter to handle both 4K displays as well as a host of technology from NVIDIA’s GameWorks program, including full support for multiple GeForce cards, improved antialiasing and more realistic shadow effects. The upgrades aren’t all that surprising. Some modern video hardware is powerful enough for 4K gaming, and developers have already used GameWorks to spruce up flagship titles like Assassin’s Creed 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts. Still, the visual improvements are bound to make a big impact — Titanfall is one of the most important games of the year, and a good excuse to pick up a new gaming rig.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, NVIDIA
Source: NVIDIA (1), (2)
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