Possible prototype of Amazon’s smartphone leaks
For years, rumors have been centered around Amazon and their plans to reveal their first smartphone. It may be happening sooner rather than later, thanks to a leaked image from BGR.
So, is it real? Is this a 3D-capable smartphone? At the moment, we don’t really have any details, other than this image. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Amazon is preparing to release a 3D smartphone, that could be announced sometime around September.
We’ll just have to wait until then to find out!
Source: BGR, Via: Android Central
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Sky’s renamed TV channel bundles make even less sense than before
We couldn’t tell you why, say, Samsung believes the word “Galaxy” means anything when it’s attached to almost every product, but branding can often miss its mark. Apparently, Sky’s been taking flak over the name of its entertainment channel bundles, on the basis they’re “not clear enough.” Thus, they’ve been renamed as of today, but what we find hilarious is the new titles are just as nondescript. “Sky Entertainment” is now the “Original Bundle,” “Entertainment Extra” is now the “Variety Bundle,” and “Entertainment Extra+” is now the “Family Bundle.” We have no idea what ‘original’ is supposed to mean in this context, but ‘variety’ at least alludes to a greater channel selection, we suppose. And, the “Family Bundle” has more stuff for the kids, right? Not really, no. The changes won’t actually impact anyone, apart from the new names showing up bills, but it is dumbfounding that Sky would both consider this an issue, and then come up with this, erm, solution?
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Source: Sky
Samsung explores a stripped-down take on wearable displays
Samsung must want to keep an open mind when it comes to wearable displays. Just a short while after it explored the possibility of smart sports glasses, the company is back with a patent for a heads-up display with a built-in earpiece. In some ways, it resembles a stripped-down version of Google Glass; the transparent screen and camera are familiar, but Samsung is using only the earphone assembly to prop things up rather than a more elaborate frame. Its layout would include a collapsible eyepiece, too. The patent says little about what the company would do with the hardware besides “augmented reality,” and there’s no guarantee that you’ll ever see this in stores. If you find yourself picking up this wearable alongside some future Samsung smartphone, though, you can at least say that you saw it coming.
Filed under: Displays, Wearables, Samsung
Via: SamMobile, Galaxy Club (translated)
Source: KIPRIS (PDF)
The Gramofon is a streaming music hub that’ll also extend your WiFi
Recognizing that there’s no shortage of set-top boxes and smart speakers capable of streaming music around your home, global WiFi provider Fon has decided it wants to do things a little differently. Billed as a new “modern cloud jukebox,” the company today introduced the Gramofon, a stylish little box that is actually part music streamer and part WiFi router.
Here’s how it works: you wire up your Gramofon to your stereo system or speaker system. Then you connect the box to the internet via its built-in ethernet port or using your existing WiFi connection. It’s then a case of connecting your iOS or Android device to the Gramofon’s new WiFi network, allowing you to stream Spotify or listen to its own free radio service powered by WahWah. Because the Gramofon serves as a WiFi router, you could also extend the range of your existing wireless network and control playback from the weaker spots in your house. You may also wonder where the jukebox element comes in. Well, Fon’s trying to push a social element with Gramofon, using Facebook to control who can connect and also control the music. If you’re virtual friends with that person, they’ll be able log in via Facebook, get internet access and play Spotify tracks using their own phone.
Fon says it has completed most of its research and development, but it isn’t quite ready to open Gramofon sales to the public just yet. Instead, it’s taken to Kickstarter to gauge interest and raise $250,000 to help fund the production of the first 6,500 units by July. To incentivize customers, it’ll initially offer Gramofon pre-orders for a discounted price of $30 for a black model and $40 for a white version. After a limited time, they’ll rise to $50 and $60 respectively.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Gramofon
Google lets users send backed up photos via web-based Gmail client
Google on Tuesday introduced a new feature for the desktop web-based Gmail experience that allows for better sharing of photos. Log into the browser version of Gmail and you might encounter a new “Insert Photo” button at the bottom of your composition window. This feature lets users send photos that have been taken from Android devices and automatically backed up to the Google+ cloud. Listed in reverse chronology, these pictures can be resized and/or cropped before sending; sharing images or albums is possible.
Make sure you’re backing up your photos to Google+ if you’d like to take advantage of the new feature. Heck, make sure you’re doing it just to have a copy of the photo somewhere else.
The post Google lets users send backed up photos via web-based Gmail client appeared first on AndroidGuys.
ONE DAY ONLY: Google Glass available to public today
If you’ve been anxious to get your hands on Google Glass but haven’t been fortunate enough to scoop up an invitation, today’s your lucky day. Literally, today (April 15, 2014) is the day you’ve been waiting on.
Google is selling Google Glass to anyone and everyone willing to put down the $1,500 on a pair of the next-level wearable technology. It’s a sale that only lasts one day so you’ll have to act fast if you’re giving it any consideration.
As a sign of good will, Google is tossing in a pair of sunglasses shades or prescription lens frames at no extra cost. Worth $150-$225 on their own, it’s a rather decent incentive to hop on board the Glass Explorer train.
For more information or to order your pair of Google Glass, head to the website.
The post ONE DAY ONLY: Google Glass available to public today appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Pioneer Brings Apple CarPlay to Existing In-Dash Receivers
In line with earlier reports, Pioneer today announced it is bringing Apple’s CarPlay technology to its existing product line. CarPlay will be added to the company’s five 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers via a firmware update that will be made available in early summer 2014.
“Pioneer’s years of expertise integrating smartphone connectivity into the automotive environment has provided us the opportunity to be among the first to offer CarPlay to drivers,” said Ted Cardenas, vice president of marketing for the Car Electronics Division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “By providing an aftermarket option, Pioneer’s 2014 in-dash multimedia systems give many iPhone owners the ability to add CarPlay to their current vehicles.”
Introduced earlier this year, CarPlay is an iOS-driven system that allows an iPhone to tie into the in-dash display of a car, providing Siri-controlled voice access to features like Maps, phone, messages and music. CarPlay works in conjunction with BlackBerry’s QNX Car Platform, which powers many existing in-car infotainment systems, including those from Pioneer.
The service initially debuted in new 2014 car models from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo.
Google Glass KitKat update coming this week
The biggest news about the update is that KitKat is coming to Google Glass, bringing with it under the hood changes and massive improvements to battery life. Also now that Glass runs Andriod KitKat, developers can write Glassware apps using the Android SDK.
Other changes the update also includes:
- Photo bundles — Your pictures will be sorted as bundles, making them easier to navigate through.
- Photo replies in Hangouts – You’ll be able to send images through Hangouts, as well as receive them.
- Sending feedback – Sending feedback will be easier and will have a dedicated card in the settings.
- Voice command sorting – Voice commands are now sorted by recency and frequency.
- Video calls will be removed – Google is removing video calls from Glass for the forseeable future.
Added as a teaser at the end, Google say there’s a ton more features being rolled out as part of this update so advise to watch the Glass Journal in the Explorers Community to see the rest.
[Google+]
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There’ll be no escape from the FBI’s new facial recognition system
If you thought that the NSA wanted too much personal information, just wait a few months. The EFF is reporting that the FBI’s new facial recognition database, containing data for almost a third of the US population, will be ready to launch this summer. Codenamed NGI, the system combines the bureau’s 100 million-strong fingerprint database with palm prints, iris scans and mugshots. Naturally, this has alarmed privacy advocates, since it’s not just felons whose images are added, but anyone who has supplied a photo ID for a government job or background check. According to the EFF’s documents, the system will be capable of adding 55,000 images per day, and could have the facial data for anything up to 52 million people by next year. Let’s just hope that no-one tells the Feds about Facebook, or we’re all in serious trouble.
Filed under: Internet
Source: EFF
Toshiba’s first 4K laptop arrives next week for $1,500
After launching its first 4K laptop in the UK, Toshiba has just announced US availability. Stateside, it’ll be called the P55T, but as before, it’s a 15.6-inch laptop with 3,840 x 2,160 resolution — a staggering 282 PPI, if you’re scoring at home. Driving all those pixels is AMD’s 2GB DDR5 Radeon R9 M265X discrete graphics, a 4th-gen Intel quad-core i7 CPU and 16GB DDR3L max memory. Another hook is Technicolor certification, which ensures that each IPS display is individually calibrated for accurate colors. Along with the included copy of Adobe’s Lightroom 5, that’ll appeal to photographers and designers — though the rather anemic 1TB, 5400 RPM mechanical hard drive is a letdown. It’ll arrive on April 22nd at $1,500, a price that seems competitive with the few other 4K laptops. Meanwhile, Toshiba also announced some more mainstream models — hit the break for more on those.
As with the 4K laptop, Toshiba’s other new models are similar to those announced in the UK, but with slightly different model names. In brief, you’ll get three performance models: the 15.6-inch Satellite S55, 17.3-inch S75 and 14-inch E45. All can be had with up to 1080p resolution, Core i5 or i7 dual-core CPUs (the S55 is also available with an AMD A10 APU), 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Touchscreens are available on the S55t and E45t models. Prices start at $650 for the 14-inch E45.
Finally there’s the “everyday stuff” laptops, as Toshiba calls them. Those include the C55/C75 and L55/L75, 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch laptops for each lineup, respectively. As the focus here is on value, the screens have less resolution, with a touchscreen only available on the L55. Toshiba isn’t mentioning exact specs, but did say that they’ll come with either Intel or AMD CPUs, 12GB of RAM max and up to a 1TB disk drive. The C series will start at $400, while the L models will run $330 and up, with availability for all models starting on June 22nd.
Source: Toshiba (1), (2)
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