ZTE clones the LG G3’s specs for a lot less money
Aside from a couple of intriguing revelations earlier in the year — including a phone with a rumored 4GB of RAM, and another with a 13MP selfie camera — things have recently been pretty quiet on the ZTE front. Today’s freshly announced Nubia Z7 merits some noise, however, simply because it attempts to cram all the things we know and love about the LG G3 (currently one of our favorite phones) into a cheaper package.
Just like the G3, ZTE’s Z7 is a flagship device that offers a 5.5-inch Quad HD display (equating to 538 ppi), a top-end Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel, optically stabilized, f/2.0 rear camera (which ought to be a big step up from your average f/2.2, unstabilized module). All of this comes for the equivalent of around $550 for a 32GB handset, which is around $200 cheaper than the off-contract launch price of the G3.
However, there are two big caveats: Firstly, ZTE hasn’t quite been able to match LG’s super-slim bezels, resulting in a handset that’s a bit taller (153.2mm vs. 146.3mm) and also marginally wider (to the tune of around 1mm). Secondly, we don’t know if the Z7 will be sold outside of Asia, so the news is largely academic right now — even if it’s nice to see that ZTE is upping its game.
Filed under: Cellphones
Source: ZTE
Music Vault brings 12,000 classic concert clips to YouTube
Even if you weren’t born yet on July 7th, 1970 you can now catch the Who’s classic Tanglewood concert thanks to Music Vault. It’s just unveiled an avalanche of classic concert videos, 12,000 in all, on its YouTube video channel. Those include concerts from the Who, Dylan and Springsteen (among others), newer shows like Deer Tick in Vermont during Hurricane Irene and archives from Woodstock, the now-defunct Capitol Theater in New Jersey and the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals. The Music Vault group said it has spent the last two years “restoring, transferring, mixing and mastering thousands of tapes from (its) enormous archive” for the new collection. All told, there’s now 13,000 videos totaling nearly 2,000 hours on the site, along with playlists, features and original content. If you’ve got a couple of hours to spare, check the source — if not, get a taste with the videos below.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, Google
Source: Music Vault (YouTube)
Sony’s first ‘curved sensor’ photo may herald better images, cheaper lenses
We’ve seen plenty of curved screens, but Sony has just revealed the first picture taken with a curved image sensor that may one day bring cheaper, smaller lenses and higher photo quality. Regular, flat camera sensors have a rather large problem called “Petval field curvature.” That results when light rays passing through the edge of a lens fall in front of the sensor’s focal plane, rather than on it. As a result, optical designers must add costly elements to lenses, which also makes them heavier and more complex. The shot above flaunted by Sony is just a test and there’s no high-resolution samples available yet; in fact Sony has indicated that high-megapixel sensors may be a ways off. However, it does mark the first image shown from Sony’s curved CMOS sensor and a possible new direction for its digital camera division.
A sensor with the edges bent towards the lens takes care of many optical sins. Sony built its prototype curved sensor flat, bent it into a shape known as a “Petzval surface” and reinforced it with a ceramic backplate. That geometry permits shorter, lighter lenses with larger apertures that let more light in. In addition, such a design also reduces light falloff at the edges of a typical flat CMOS sensor, and the process of bending a sensor introduces strain in the photodiodes that actually benefits them by reducing noise. Finally, Sony added that its sensors work the same way as the human eye to fix optical issues, and even have a similar level of curvature.
As such, Sony has constructed a 2/3-inch prototype sensor typically seen in compact cameras, along with a full-frame version. As it happens, the latter sensor would work very nicely in an RX1-type camera. When such sensors arrive commercially, they’re likely to be used in fixed lens and not mirrorless or DSLR models to start with, since they wouldn’t work with any existing lenses on the market. In fact, there’s a rumor that a possible RX2 will be announced in September at Photokina 2014 — we’re not holding our breath for a curved sensor on it, but you never know.
Via: DPReview
Source: Nikkei (Japanese)
Microsoft offering $75 credit if gamers upgrade to an Xbox One
If you’ve pondered buying an Xbox One but have felt a sense of loyalty to your Xbox 360, Microsoft is very keen to help you make the switch. As spotted by user BeforeU on NeoGAF, the company is running a new promotion that gifts its “very best customers” with a $75 promotional code if they buy an Xbox One or any Xbox One bundle. It appears that not everyone is eligible for the offer, with Microsoft only targeting a subset of Xbox 360 owners across the US ahead of its July 31st deadline. However, there’s no word on whether the promotion will come to other countries. To find out if you qualify, turn on your Xbox 360 and make sure it’s connected to Xbox Live. If you’ve been selected, you can order a (full-priced) console from any retailer and Microsoft will credit your Xbox account with $75, as long as you redeem your voucher code by October 15th. That’ll cover you for at least one Xbox One game like Destiny, ensuring your game collection gets off to a good start.
[Image credit: BeforeU, NeoGAF]
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Via: VG247
Source: NeoGAF
New Zealand ISP admits its free VPN exists just so people can watch Netflix
One of the most frustrating parts of trying to go legit with your movie watching is being restricted by Hollywood’s windows and geofences that limit what’s available to watch in your area. Of course, a network of third parties provide tools to help users go around and through the blocks, but now an ISP is taking the unusual step of getting directly involved. For the last year, New Zealand’s Slingshot has offered a Global Mode VPN feature marketed for use by visitors from the US or UK. As a not-so-secret side effect it also let Kiwis pull in streams from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and BBC iPlayer, but that wasn’t mentioned — until now. Slingshot General Manager Taryn Hamilton confirmed to the New Zealand Herald that “No beating around the bush. This is to watch Netflix,” ending the ruse and opening it to all subscribers for free.
[Image credit: Nathaniel Bell for Netflix]
Slingshot has unlocked the internet! Check out the @nzherald article below about turning on Global Mode for everyone! http://t.co/UVpC5eEcXl
– Slingshot (@SlingshotNZ) July 3, 2014
Questions raised by the move start with whether or not this will cause providers to reinforce their walls — Hulu started blocking VPN users recently — or if the local video providers that have the rights to the content will mount a legal charge. Not coincidentally, the change in advertising arrives just as competing ISP Telecom New Zealand is launching an internet video service of its own for $15 per month, and rumors suggest Netflix will launch an Australian service soon. Both of those will probably have fewer viewing options than services from the US or UK, giving Slingshot an advantage. New Zealand ISP Fyx tried a similar strategy for a few weeks in 2012 before withdrawing the service, we’ll see if support from local consumer groups like Choice help this one last any longer.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: New Zealand Herald, Slingshot Global Mode
Moto 360 may be offered with a Silver wristband
The Moto 360 is a stunning looking smartwatch already, and arguably the best ascetically of the Android Wear offerings so far, but according to a recent discovery of an image embedded on the landing page of the Moto 360 on the Motorola website, the device could yet be offered in a Silver option. Hidden in… Read more »
The post Moto 360 may be offered with a Silver wristband appeared first on SmarterWatching.
Read the rest at the source, SmarterWatching.com
The post Moto 360 may be offered with a Silver wristband appeared first on AndroidGuys.
CyanogenMod 11.0 M8 begins rolling out to select devices
For avid followers of CyanogenMod you’ll be pleased to hear that version 11.0 M8 that moves to the Android 4.4.4 KitKat codebase has hit download servers today for a select few devices.
The devices that will have CyanogeMod 11.0 M8 available to them include: OnePlus One, Oppo Find 7a, Galaxy S Relay 4G, Samsung Galaxy S III, Xperia Z1 Compact, and the Acer Iconia Tab A700.
Don’t worry if your device isn’t one of those initially supported, since more than 80 more will be added to the compatibility list in the coming days.
Here’s the full changelog that CyanogenMod 11.0 M8 gives you:
- Common: Android 4.4.4 (Google)
- New Devices: Sony Xperia Z2 (sirius); Xiaomi Mi2 (aries); Oppo Find 7a/s (find7); OnePlus One (bacon)
- Common: Fix VPN issues related to 4.4.3 merge
- Common: Enable ‘Heads Up’ notification mode (Settings > Notifications)
- Settings: ‘Interface’ replaced by ‘Status Bar’, ‘Notification Drawer’, and ‘Gestures’
- Settings: Moved ‘Expanded Desktop’ to ‘Display’
- Settings: Moved all lock screen related items to ‘Lock Screen’ and removed duplicates from ‘Security’
- Settings: Moved ‘Navigation Bar’ layout control to ‘Buttons’
- Trebuchet: Custom Homescreen grid size
- Trebuchet: Add Protected Apps feature
- Trebuchet: Add Search Panel (Google Now) option
- WhisperPush: No longer ignores ‘Blacklist’
- Futex: Protect against Towelroot
- Various small bugfixes, global and device-specific
Had a chance to try the new build out yet? Drop us a comment below.
The post CyanogenMod 11.0 M8 begins rolling out to select devices appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Key fob phone alerts friends that you need help with the press of a button
You know how establishments have hidden emergency buttons to call the police? There’s a new device called the ECHO Urgent Messenger that’s something like that, except it’s a tiny one-button emergency phone that you can attach to a keychain, so you can call for help whenever needed. According to the device’s Indiegogo page (where its creators are trying to raise $5,000 to start production), ECHO sends a message to the company’s urgent care staff and to all your authorized contacts when you press the emergency button. Yes, you can include anyone you want, whether you have them as a phone or email contact or even as a Facebook friend. This message will apparently contain your location within five feet, as determined by GPS, GLONASS and cell tower triangulation.
While that makes it sound as if you’re carrying a tracker, the company swears it won’t try to track you until after you press the button. When you do, though, know that the company’s staff will be able to talk to you, or to listen in if you’re unable to talk or if your safety will be compromised by doing so. ECHO, which runs on AAA batteries, can reportedly last for seven years on standby and through five hours of talk time, in case (god forbid) you end up needing to use it. You’ll have to pledge at least $144 to get one in December, but like many crowdfunding projects, production will only start if the company meets its goal.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: Indiegogo
The Brazilian Job: Thieves hit Samsung’s Campinas factory, steal $36 million worth of Gear
All the action really is happening in Brazil. While the World Cup has been going on, an ambitious heist has occurred in Campinas, Brazil, specifically at Samsung‘s Campinas factory, where thieves have allegedly taken around 40,000 laptops, phones, and tablets that are estimated to be worth $36 million. Samsung has since downplayed the cost of the goods stolen, but that doesn’t take away from the magnitude of the heist itself.
In fact, so impressive was the heist that it is suspected that the thieves had inside help within the factory. It is alleged that the thieves hijacked a company shuttle to get inside the complex, where they then took hostages and took their phone batteries so they could not call for help. Furthermore, stealing that number of devices could not have been so efficient without precise knowledge of exactly where those things were within the complex. That, or they might have been Ocean’s Eleven. Either way, it’s unlikely that the devices will ever be returned, and it’s unclear if Samsung is going to investigate their staff to uncover potential insiders.
What do you think about Samsung getting stolen from? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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The post The Brazilian Job: Thieves hit Samsung’s Campinas factory, steal $36 million worth of Gear appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
ReWalk rehab exoskeleton goes home with a patient
The FDA may have only cleared the ReWalk exoskeleton for home use just two weeks ago, but it’s already finding use outside of hospitals and clinics. Retired US Army Sergeant Theresa Hannigan (shown meeting the President in March) has become the first patient in the US to take one of the mobility machines home, letting her walk and reclaim much of the independence she lost after being paralyzed. The Argo-made gear is expensive to own at nearly $70,000, but the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to cover the cost of ReWalk technology for Hannigan and anyone else who’s eligible to use it. The exoskeletons will have some positive side-effects, to boot — since recipients are much more active, they reduce the chances of heart disease and other conditions that might take them back to a doctor.
[Image credit: Debbie Hill-Pool/Getty Images]
Filed under: Transportation, Wearables
Source: CBS News
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