Hicon Social Bangle is a wearable fashion bungle
If you waste too much time checking notifications on your phone, don’t sweat it — yet another wearable promises to help you save those countless minutes throughout the day. But if you’re already leery of wrist-worn devices, the Hicon Social Bangle, which is undergoing an Indiegogo campaign, won’t do anything to change your mind. On the contrary: The Hicon is a awkwardly large bracelet that’s lined with enough square charms to remind you of fourth grade. Each charm is interchangeable and represents a different service (SMS, calls) or social network (Facebook, WhatsApp, etc), and they vibrate and light up whenever you get a notification from that particular service.
The Bluetooth 4.0 device has some other uses, too. You can exchange contact information through a simple handshake or fistbump gesture. The leash bracelet also comes with a companion app that notes your location and matches you with other people in the vicinity who have similar social profiles. (If you don’t think that’s creepy enough, watch the commercial below.)
Hicon promises compatibility with iOS, Android and future Windows Phones. It also comes with an accelerometer, waterproof build, 14-day estimated battery life and a variety of colors, but one thing it can’t do is display the time. This means you’d have to wear it along with a watch or pull your phone out of your pocket to check the time — further negating its primary reason for existing. But if it still sounds like the dream wearable for you, a $49 contribution is all you need to secure one later this fall, pending a successful campaign.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile
Source: Indiegogo
See what makes Android Wear tick in these teardowns
You’ll be able to nab your own Android Wear watch any day now (or today, if you’re lucky), but isn’t it about time you saw what really makes them tick? Well, the iFixit community has gone and done what it does best: it’s dissected Samsung and LG’s takes on the Android Wear formula and splayed their guts out for all to see. None of the components are particularly surprising here, especially since neither of the rival companies have been shy about talking them up. No, it’s the precision, the industrial origami that’s really a sight to behold here — both watches manage to cram plenty of stuff into those tiny, stainless steel, wrist-worn frames. Samsung’s had more experience putting these things together and the way the Gear Live has been put together will seem awfully similar if you’ve peeked at any other Gear teardown. The G Watch? That’s a different story. In typical LG fashion, it’s apparently a breeze to disassemble and reconstruct — if you’re a tinkerer looking to splurge on a smartwatch, you may have just found your perfect match.
Source: iFixit
Sony introduces Xperia C3, the “selfie” phone
Selfie. I’m gonna let that sink in for a bit… OK, now we can kick this off. Sony is apparently trying to get market share any way they can so they came up with an idea to create a selfie-centered smartphone. Yeah, you might see even more people smiling at their smartphone in the most ridiculous locations. Let us be honest though, every one of us has taken at least one selfie, but most of us more than that. If you honestly haven’t, hats off to you Sir.
Anyhow, let us get down to it. This phone is called Sony Xperia C3, that very same device that was teased yesterday. We’ll start from the probably the most important part for people who’ll buy this thing. The device has a 5MP camera on the front, which makes it one of the few out on the market today sporting such a big sensor on the front. This camera has an 80-degree field of view, which is impressive for a front-facing shooter, although this is to be expected considering this phone is meant to be used to take selfies. Next to the camera you’ll find a soft LED flash, so you can shoot away in low light areas as well.
On the back, C3 sports an 8MP Exmor RS sensor shooter with a pulsed LED flash next to it. Sony included a few extra features in this phone. For example, other than pressing on hardware or software button in order to take a selfie, you can double tap on the back of the phone and it will activate the “Smile Shutter” feature and take a shot.
As far as specifications go, this is a mid-range offering. Let us check it out:
- 5.5″ 720p Trilumionus display (267ppi)
- Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz chip
- 1GB of RAM
- Dual-SIM
- 2500mAh battery
- Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS
- 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card up to 32GB)
- Colors: black, white and mint
Sony says the device will launch in China this August. They mention that will be the first launch market, which means they’ll launch it elsewhere as well. So if you (or someone you know) really wants a device like this they’ll probably be able to get it.
Source: Sony
Via: PhoneArena
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Accessory of the Day: Anker MP141 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Now that we’re in the warmest part of the year we often find ourselves sitting on the back deck or patio enjoying a sunset. Maybe we’re out there on a Friday night with some friends and having a rousing game of Connect Four or whatever. Or, perhaps you’re the forever alone type who sits alone and spends their night on Reddit. Whatever the occasion or situation, we’re betting it goes better with music.
The Anker MP141 Bluetooth Speaker can see you through an entire evening or two, maybe longer. Thanks to an internal battery that lasts up to 20 hours, you’ll be able to set some epic music for that all-nighter on the porch.
Pair your smartphone over Bluetooth or go the traditional route and use the 3.5mm auxiliary input. And, should mom call to check in on you, the device doubles as a speaker phone so you can talk hands free.
Features:
- Experience your tunes in high definition and surprising fullness realized through a 4W / 2in driver and bass port – outclassing other similar-sized portable speakers.
- Unrivalled 15 to 20-hour playtime powered by a built-in rechargeable 2100mAh Li-ion battery.
- Automatically connect to the last-connected device when turned on enables one-step music streaming. Compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled devices (2.1 and over). 3.5mm audio port for non-Bluetooth devices.
- Outstanding connection range of up to 33 feet. Built-in microphone with a 2-feet pickup range allows the speaker to double as a speaker phone.
- Package contents: Anker® MP141 Portable Bluetooth Speaker, micro USB cable, 3.5mm audio cable, travel pouch, instruction manual. 18-month warranty and free lifetime technical support.
The post Accessory of the Day: Anker MP141 Portable Bluetooth Speaker appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Claimed iPhone 6 SIM Card Trays Point to Space Gray, Gold, and Silver Color Options
Several new photos published today by Letem svetem Applem [Google Translate] show the purported power and volume flex cables as well as three SIM card trays that hint at the color options Apple is planning for the iPhone 6. This report follows a leak from earlier this month that first showcased these two internal flex cables from the iPhone 6, although the parts shown in the two reports are not identical.
Similar to the previous photos but slightly different in layout, the volume flex cable contains both the mute button and volume buttons with a possible larger separation between the two components. The power flex cable also shows the same arrangement of connectors with a potentially larger-sized power button. Though we can’t confirm how these cables will appear inside the iPhone 6, mockups and drawings have depicted a redesigned button layout on the iPhone 6 that includes oval-shaped volume buttons and a side-positioned power button.
While the flex cables provide little new insight on the iPhone 6 itself, the supposed SIM card trays hint at the coloring of the iPhone 6. Not surprisingly, the trays suggest the iPhone 6 will keep the same color options as the iPhone 5S — space gray, gold and silver. Physical mockups have been circulating in all three colors for some time, and a claimed genuine rear shell surfaced in silver, but the full set of three current color options had so far not been seen in claimed genuine iPhone 6 parts.
Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 6 with a larger display as its key selling point. The Cupertino company is reportedly prepping a 4.7-inch model along with a 5.5-inch model as an update to the current 4-inch iPhone 5s. Besides the display, the iPhone 6 may include a faster A8 processor, a thinner design and improved camera optics.
Key Maps Engineer Chris Blumenberg Leaving Apple for Uber
Chris Blumenberg, a key Apple engineer who has long worked on Maps for iOS and OS X, is leaving the company to take a position with Uber, according to a report by The Information. Blumenberg is the latest of a number of departures from Apple’s Maps team, which has been suffering from internal politics.
Blumenberg is a 14-year veteran of Apple, initially working on Safari for OS X and later iOS. He famously built a version of Maps for iOS in just a few weeks in late 2006 so that Steve Jobs could demo it at the iPhone introduction in January 2007. For the last six years, Blumenberg has managed the Maps Apps & Frameworks group, overseeing a team of at least 40 employees handling Apple’s Maps apps on iOS and OS X. From his LinkedIn profile:
My team is primarily responsible for the Apple Maps app and the MapKit framework. Since 2006, we’ve worked on a number of Google and Apple service-backed features such as local search, directions, street view, next destination and CarPlay. I proudly drove and guided the implementation of vector maps, Flyover and navigation during the shift from Google’s services to Apple’s services in 2012.
Apple’s issues with its Maps team have reportedly slowed the company’s work on that initiative, so much so that there were virtually no mentions of Maps at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote last month. Apple reportedly has a number of iOS Maps improvements in the works, including transit directions and improved points of interest, but it is unclear whether they will be ready in time for the public release of iOS 8 later this year or if they will need to be held for a later update.
Apple’s ‘Find My iPhone’ Web Maps for iCloud.com Beta Move from Google to Apple
Apple is beginning the transition to move its Maps application online starting with the Find My iPhone web app on its iCloud.com beta website, as noticed by iPhoneBlog.de [Google Translate]. Though the public version of iCloud.com is still pulling data from Google Maps, beta.icloud.com now uses an online version of Apple maps for its location information.
Apple has been slowly switching away from Google Maps after using the competing mapping service in the early versions of the iOS. The Cupertino company dropped support for the Google-based mapping solution and introduced Apple Maps as part of iOS 6 in 2012. While iCloud.com still remained tied to Google, iOS apps such as Find My iPhone and Find My Friends also were converted to Apple’s mapping data in the same year.
After a highly-criticized launch, Apple has been making efforts to bolster its mapping data, recently improving its points of interest database as well as notifying users when reported problems had been fixed. Apple was said to be adding indoor mapping and other new features to Apple Maps in iOS 8, but internal politics and the departure of key employees may have delayed those plans.
Android L Hits the Nexus 4! Android 4.4.4 for the New Moto Family! – Device Updates
Android L makes its way over to the Nexus 4, and now more people can enjoy the beauty that is Material Design. Got to love these developers in our community, and how they strive to bring us the latest and greatest. The Moto family is starting to see Android 4.4.4, but that is only if you are over in india. I am sure everyone else will get theirs soon.
Device Updates
Android L ported to the Nexus 4
Android 4.4.4 hitting the Moto family in India
Gionee Elife leaps to Android 4.4.2
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The post Android L Hits the Nexus 4! Android 4.4.4 for the New Moto Family! – Device Updates appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
HTC launched an affordable HTC Desire 616 device sporting a MediaTek octa-core processor
HTC is really trying its best to improve on their profits. It seems to be working considering they had their first profitable quarter in quite some time. They really did something great when they introduced the first HTC One device and only improved on it by releasing HTC One (M8). Not everything revolves around flagship phones though.
HTC unveiled their new mid-high tier smartphone offering in form of HTC Desire 616. They launched it in Russia and in parts of Asia. Let us take a look at the specs:
- 1.4GHz MediaTek octa-core
- 5″ 720p display (294ppi)
- 1GB of RAM
- 4GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card up to 32GB)
- 8MP camera with autofocus and LED flash
- 2MP front-facing shooter
- Android 4.2.2 OS with HTC Sense 5.5 on top of it
- Weights 150g
- Dual-SIM
It is kind of weird the device will launch with Android 4.2.2, but it will hopefully get the update to a newer version of the OS. The device won’t come to the U.S, at least for the time being. It will be priced between $200-300. This seems like a decent offering by HTC, it might fit some people, are you one of them?
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Samsung says they are losing profit due to a weak demand for their low-mid tier smartphones
When you think of Samsung you think of high sales numbers. Well, it looks like those numbers are lower than we thought, at least as far as low and mid tier devices are concerned.
Samsung says that their profits will be approximately 24% lower this quarter than it was a year ago. They had to invest extra funds in marketing for their low and mid tier devices in order to sell them, considering they have too much of those lying around in warehouses. Samsung says that there are various reasons for this turn of events.
One of those reasons is a stiffer competition, they don’t mention from which OEM but we’re going to guess Motorola with their Moto G and E smartphones. Although LG and HTC probably have something to say there as well. Another reason they mention has nothing to do with competition though but currency fluctuations. They emphasize this to be the main reason. Won is increasing its value compared to the dollar and that is creating problems for Samsung. Korean-based OEM is quite positive looking forward though, they expect things to change later this year. It is to be expected their upcoming Note 4 device will help with the profits significantly.
Samsung is still selling lots and lots of smartphones. They’re far from being in trouble or anything of the sort. We are hoping this will make them change certain things when it comes to their smartphone offerings though, in other words work a bit harder to bring some improvements to them. What do you think?
Source: NewsWire
Via:: Engadget
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