LG says “Save the Date” for May 27th, is the LG G3 almost Here?
We’ve been hearing a lot more about the rumoured LG flagship that is supposed to succeed the LG G2. Assumed to be called the LG G3, we’ve already gotten a look at what the device might look like and we know that it likely carries over the rear volume buttons that debuted on the LG G2. LG has thrown more fuel on the fire after they sent out invites to a press event on May 27th (or 28th, depending on where you are in the world) for an undisclosed product. Naturally, this begs the question: is the LG G3 almost here?
While the announcement realistically could be for anything that LG manufacturers (TVs and homewares included), the “G” in the word “Great” does look awfully like the “G” in the LG G2 press materials, albeit, slightly more rounded. It does look like a pretty big hint that the product they are announcing will be a G-branded device and the best bet we have is for the LG G3. So far, we can only speculate what specs the device might have, but judging by its closest competitors, a LG G3 would struggle mightily if it didn’t at least have the new Snapdragon 801 processor, and will likely benefit from the OIS+ enhanced camera that was showcased on the LG G Pro 2.
What do you think about a possible launch of the LG G3 in May? Would you consider the device? Let us know your thoughts.
Source: Phone Arena
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GTA 5 will survive GameSpy’s server shutdown, but Rockstar’s older games aren’t as lucky
Since GameSpy announced that it was shuttering its online mulitplayer services come May 31st, a few companies have adressed how their respective legacy games would keep functioning in the future. Rockstar Games has recently come out with its two-years-in-the-making solution, and, well, there’s a direct relationship between how old a game is and the number of features it’ll lose. With last year’s Grand Theft Auto V, there’s nothing to worry about — it’s business as usual for players as the outfit converts to its own system for hosting online services like multiplayer and progression tracking. Internet play will remain intact for Red Dead Redemption (posse up!) and Grand Theft Auto IV, but online stat-tracking and leaderboards — and “in-game Social Club services,” for the former — hosted via the Rockstar Social Club won’t.
The likes of Beaterator, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (on Nintendo DS and PSP) and Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition and Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix take the brunt of the bad news, as they’ll be stripped of their connected functionality completely. It’s a little disappointing that those games are losing features, sure, but the economics of keeping the lights on for a five-year old music app or a PlayStation 2-era racing game likely didn’t make sense for Rockstar anymore. For the full list of what isn’t making the cut, be sure to check the source links.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Rockstar (1), (2)
Google no longer mining student Gmail accounts for targeted ads
Google makes no bones about scanning our emails for advertising purposes, but the company has suddenly become a bit more timid when it comes prying into students’ messages. According to the WSJ, Google has stopped scanning the 30 million accounts that are registered under its free-of-charge Google Apps for Education program. These users — including students, teachers and administrators — were never actually shown ads, but their personal information was still collected so that Google could make use of it for targeted advertising elsewhere on the web. The decision to stop collecting this data could well have something to do with a lawsuit started in California last year, in which students claimed Google’s monitoring violated wiretap laws. Even if the search giant isn’t too worried about that specific case, it may well fear the bad PR that has started to stem from it.
Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: WSJ
LG G3 to be released on May 27th
Following a variety of hints at the rear button layout of the LG G3, and even LG pre-empting financial success with the launch of the yet to be released device, LG have finally set a date for the release of the LG G3.
The Korean company have issued invites for six events across the world on May 27th and May 28th with San Francisco, New York, and London holding simultaneous gatherings for the launch of a new product. Seoul, Singapore, and Istanbul will follow the next day.
Whilst LG haven’t actually confirmed the name of the device, it seems safe to assume that given the leaks we’ve seen over the last few weeks, the unnamed device will be LG G3.
LG’s teasing message for the event reads “To be simple is to be Great”. What this means exactly will all become clear at their event next month, but could we see a stock Android build on the LG G3?
The post LG G3 to be released on May 27th appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sprint announces HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon Edition, Spotify partnership
Today, Sprint announced several new product offerings.
First up we have the Sprint HTC One (M8) Harmon/Kardon Edition. The device seems to be identical in specs to the standard One (M8) while adding software for music quality enhancement. After a hands-on, PCMag has reported that the Boomsound speakers have been tweaked by Harmon/Kardon engineers to improve sound. Using the Clari-fi software, the HTC One (M8) should produce a richer sound than the bass-driven Beats Audio.
Sprint also announced a suite of music apps to accompany the new device. Naming the platform, Sprint Sound Sessions, the company aims to enhance their offering by providing its customers with a handful of apps dedicated to music and music news.
The apps included in Sprint Sound Sessions are:
- Spotify – Gives users access to catalogue of over 20 million songs to stream or listen to offline. Sprint will offer 6 months of Spotify free to all new and existing customers on a Sprint Framily plan
- Sprint Music – Sprint’s music store and player
- Music Live – An all-in-one style music app that includes music, news, and other services. It also integrates with other applications.
- NextRadio – Allows the user to listen to local radio stations.
Sprint wants their music app suite to be the one stop shop for music.
Lastly, starting May 19, Sprint will offer a no-credit-check option for customers signing up for Framily plan. Customers can bring their own Sprint phone, purchase a preowned phone from amSprint store, or pay full price for a new phone.
Source: Full Announcement, PCMag
The post Sprint announces HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon Edition, Spotify partnership appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moxivo: a multiroom audio system like no other
We always like to see something that’s a little bit different, and that’s exactly what Moxivo is doing with their Indiegogo campaign.
Many homes now only use one of their phone lines at home to attach their ADSL line and a phone base station, and maybe not even that for those with cable internet, but that leaves a lot of unused phone sockets around the house.
This is where Moxivo steps in. With an RJ11 connector on one end, and a variety of audio connectors on the other, you are now able to distribute music around your home by using nothing other than your phone line wiring.
Simply connect Moxivo to your audio source and connect speakers into your phone sockets using your Moxivo cables and you’ll have music distributed throughout your entire house in no time.
Moxivo is the perfect way to utilise your existing speaker systems without having to implement expensive wireless or bluetooth adapters.
Their Indiegogo campaign has only a few days left and you can support them for as little as $5, with $22 securing you two Moxivo cables. So check them out now, back their Indiegogo, and have your audio connected around your home in no time using nothing but your unused phone wiring circuit.
The post Moxivo: a multiroom audio system like no other appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Essay generator can spew out BS, still get you an ‘A’
While automated essay-grading machines can tackle 16,000 essays in 20 seconds, are they any good compared to a human? Online course administrators in the machine camp think so, but retired MIT prof Les Perelman has shown that such bots aren’t about to pass a Turing test anytime soon. His proof is the Babel Generator, aka the Basic Automatic BS Essay Language Generator. In less than two seconds, the software can spit out an essay capable of scoring 90 percent or better on automated tests. The only problem is that while grammatically correct, the papers are utter gibberish. Here’s an example he gave the Chronicle of Higher Education: “Privateness has not been and undoubtedly never will be lauded, precarious, and decent.”
You can stare at that as long as you want; it’ll never make sense — but such writing could still have netted you an high score on certain tests. The point is not to help cheaters, obviously, and Perelman isn’t completely opposed to grading software. But he thinks they’re far from ready to be relied on alone (“maybe in 200 years”) and need to be supplemented by actual teachers. In the end, he fears that it’s a money-saving shortcut that could actually damage students — especially underprivileged ones who can’t afford a standard education.
Via: Popular Science
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
LG’s probably going to announce the G3 and G Watch on May 27th
LG’s new flagship phone is coming: the company told us to expect the G3 later this quarter, with a screen resolution going beyond the (increasingly standard) 1080p spec. New smartphone necessitates a glitzy press reveal, right? This time round, LG is going global, hitting up six different cities (San Francisco, New York, London, Seoul, Singapore, Istanbul) in the span of two days. “To be simple is to be Great” is the company’s tagline, with that intentional capitalization likely pointing to said new smartphone, or dare we dream, the G Watch, one of the first smartwatches set to run Android Wear, Google’s latest software effort aimed at making wearables a thing. We’ll be in attendance at one or two of those aforementioned cities — expect at least one product starting with the letter ‘G’.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile, LG
Secret’s anonymous confession box comes to the UK, Ireland, Australia and NZ
Ever wanted to tell the world that you stuck your genitals into a bowl of jam (or vegemite) without compromising your reputation? Secret, the app that lets you anonymously bare your soul to the world has landed in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. While you’re likely to see the odd eye-rolling confession of sexual misconduct, Secret was also the venue that first broke the story that Google’s Vic Gundotra was leaving the company. At least when you’re caught using the app, you can say that you’re hunting around for more of the latter, not contributing that time you were seen doing something unspeakable to a toasted sandwich.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Secret (Medium)
BioShock gets an HD remake, sort of
When it launched almost seven years ago, BioShock was quite the looker thanks to its stylized aesthetic and the custom version of Unreal Engine 2 under its hood. The game has held up pretty well in terms of visuals (all that water!), but it’s certainly starting to show its age. Don’t get us wrong, we love the original. It’s just that we wouldn’t turn down a new version of the game running with all the bells and whistles that Epic’s next-gen development tools offer, either. Well, as Kotaku has spotted, an enterprising indie dev has kindly done something along those lines.
What you see in the fan-made video below is the result of YouTuber noodlespagoodle taking assets from the 2007 release and dropping them into Unreal Engine 4. In doing so, Andrew Ryan’s failed paradise somehow feels even more moody and claustrophobic than before, the iconic Big Daddies all the more menacing. Sadly, the clip is pretty short and has us jonesing for a shiny new Eve hypo. With the fate of BioShock up in the air, however, it’s anybody’s guess if something like this could actually happen.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Kotaku
Source: noodlespagoodle (YouTube)
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