Mota Galaxy S5 battery case, 64% off
Extra battery life. Who doesn’t need it? We’re all walking around with high-powered computing devices in our pockets, sucking the life out of them with incessant scrolling, yet we …
26
Jan
Mota Galaxy S5 battery case, 64% off
Extra battery life. Who doesn’t need it? We’re all walking around with high-powered computing devices in our pockets, sucking the life out of them with incessant scrolling, yet we curse them the moment they don’t last long enough to get you through the social-anxiety of that recent party by withstanding your refreshing of Instagram all night. In all seriousness, battery life is probably the only part of Smartphone technology that hasn’t caught up to our society’s lifestyle. Good thing that we have alternatives, such as this Mota case, to hold us over until we reach device utopia.
The Mota Galaxy S5 Battery Case is a sturdy layer of protection for your Samsung Galaxy S5 that also serves a second purpose: extended battery life. Mota boosts your device with an extra 3800mAh of power and is lightweight and sleek enough to not get in the way. With a kickstand for video watching and LED lights for power indication, this is a great piece of hardware for any Galaxy S5 owner. The best part is that, while normally priced at $99, AndroidGuys readers can snag this case up for just $35!
See more at deals.androidguys.com
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26
Jan
The triumphant return of ‘Rock Band’?
After several years years of hiatus, an official announcement, and the shockingly rapid decline of the music game market, Rock Band suddenly leapt back to life this month. Harmonix Music Systems — the studio responsible for the music game craze, and the studio that created Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Dance Central — announced new tracks heading to the Rock Band online store, which works with both Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Blitz. Why in the world is Harmonix releasing new tracks as paid, downloadable content for games that only exist on previous generation consoles? The official word is full of public relations obfuscation:
“We had an exciting opportunity to add new content to the already-massive Rock Band library with a song from Arctic Monkeys – a band that’s never been in a Rock Band title before! – as well as new music from fan favorites Avenged Sevenfold and Foo Fighters. We couldn’t pass it up. Also, we wanted to see if we could still do it. Turns out we can. It’s sort of like riding a bike.”
Great. That out of the way, what’s really happening? Companies don’t just casually release new content for years old games. That’s not a thing that happens. I’d call it “testing the waters.”
First and foremost, here’s an interesting, not exactly surprising fact: “hundreds of thousands” of people are still playing Rock Band every month. That’s what a Harmonix rep told me, and it refers to folks playing online on “all platforms where DLC is available” (there’s no way of measuring how many folks are playing offline, but let’s wager that it’s not a lot).
For those of you wondering who’s still holding onto all those plastic instruments, the answer is “a surprisingly large group of people.”
As for the rest of us, well, my house is purged of all the fake guitars, wireless microphones, and plastic drum kits that accumulated across the Guitar Hero / Rock Band years. The same goes for most of my friends, and I doubt you’re much different. Beyond the burnout that comes with releasing several junky, obvious cash-in games — Activision flooded the market with constant variations on the Guitar Hero franchise — many of us didn’t want to fill closets/basements/dorm rooms/etc. with clunky gaming peripherals.
Harmonix is actually trying to determine how you feel about those peripherals in a survey sent out via Twitter. More importantly, not only is Harmonix trying to determine if you still own old peripherals — the company is asking very specific questions about which aspects of a Rock Band game (local multiplayer? a robust on-disc song library? etc.) are most important to you. It’s also asking which current-gen game consoles you own.
Smells an awful lot like Harmonix is pretty seriously considering a re-birth of its biggest ever franchise — the franchise that both helped popularize music games and managed to get more than one Beatle on stage during a video game press conference.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that the company is being asked about Rock Band all the time. When Forbes‘ Jason Evangelho asked about “Rock Band 4″ back in October 2014 (a theoretical sequel to Rock Band 3), here’s what Harmonix publicist Nick Chester said:
“We love Rock Band, it’s in the company’s DNA. We own the IP. And when the time’s right we will absolutely come back to it. There’s a whole bunch of factors to take into consideration before jumping in that pool again, but there’s a desire for it, absolutely.”
So, given that, and Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos outright stating that Rock Band would return at some point this console generation, the question of Rock Band’s triumphant return isn’t a question of if, but of when.
Do you want a new Rock Band on current-gen game consoles?
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
26
Jan
Dish’s $20 web TV service, Sling TV, will soon be publicly available
Tomorrow, Dish Network will officially release the company’s new streaming TV service: Sling TV. Customers will need to pay $20 per month for channels including ESPN, CNN, Travel Channel and others. Customers can choose additional channels in $5 packs, such as a “News & Info Extra” pack with HLN, Cooking Channel, DIY and Bloomberg TV. Sling TV also includes movies and other video-on-demand offerings.
Dish worked hard to have as many hardware available platforms as possible. Sling TV can be used on computers, mobile devices or on televisions using set-top units like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and the Xbox One game console, as well as apps on iOS and Android.
It is clear that Dish is looking to attract business from those potential customers who have either cut the cable cord or who have never had a cable bundle.
But there are some negatives about the service:
- No DVR capability
- No live broadcast networks
- Limited channel lineup (compared to today’s bundles)
- Lack of Chromecast and Apple TV support
- Streaming issues for some with sufficient broadband speeds
To be fair, I suspect many of the negatives will soon rectified. For example, Chromecast support is not far away and a number of channels will likely be added in the next few months.
But, in the world of skipping advertisements, some may not realize that they will need to sit through commercials with this service.
How do you convince a generation accustomed to YouTube’s “skip ad” feature that reruns of “The Big Bang Theory” are worth the wait? …… Sling TV has the same amount of commercials as any live television, but watching them on a smaller device makes them seem longer, particularly because there’s no way to skip through them. – International Business Times
Offering ESPN is a major, major factor to the success of this service. For $20 a month, sports fans will finally have a cord-cutting option at a relatively cheap price and no contract. It helps Sling TV that programming fees continue to increase. Therefore, it is hard to see when bloated TV bundles will drop in price.
So, although Sling TV is not at this moment a game-changer, it just may have the power in a short time to make substantial changes to the TV industry. But Sling TV will need to add channels, add DVR capabilities and fight off future competitors who will try to start their own TV service.
According to reports, Sling TV launches by invite tomorrow and will have a general launch in the next two weeks.
26
Jan
Apple’s AuthenTec Acquisition Left Nexus 6 Without a Fingerprint Sensor
The dimple on the back of Motorola’s Nexus 6 would have featured a Touch ID-like fingerprint sensor if Apple had not acquired sensor firm AuthenTec in 2012, according to former Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Woodside states the company had plans to include the finger-sensing feature in the Nexus 6, which was launched late last year, but due to Apple’s poaching of “the best supplier” for the technology and other suppliers not meeting quality expectations, Motorola decided to remove the feature before launch.
“The secret behind that is that it was supposed to be fingerprint recognition, and Apple bought the best supplier. So the second best supplier was the only one available to everyone else in the industry and they weren’t there yet,” says Woodside. Nonetheless, he adds, the addition of fingerprint recognition, “wouldn’t have made that big a difference.”
Woodside, now CEO of Dropbox, expresses relief at freedom from these “uncontrollable market forces” in his new position. “We’re not trying to serve ads or sell hardware,” he told The Telegraph.
Apple’s introduction of AuthenTec-based Touch ID on the iPhone 5s sparked much interest in fingerprint-sensing technology, and the company continues to work to improve upon the technology. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus introduced a more sensitive version of the sensor and it is now being used to authenticate purchases made with the company’s new Apple Pay mobile payments service.
26
Jan
Rumored ‘iPad Pro’ and Companion Stylus Imagined in New Renderings
Following an influx of rumors surrounding the “iPad Pro” and a possible stylus accessory launching around the same time, well-known 3D modeler and designer Martin Hajek has created a series of concept renderings for each device on his blog.
Hajek’s models include several details rumored for the iPad Pro, which has been claimed to carry a 12.2 – 12.9 inch display and fall in line with the rounded design of the current iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. The renderings are based on some design drawings that surfaced last November, with Hajek noting the design brings back the larger bezels seen in earlier-generation iPads. Consistent with the schematics and other rumors, he also places speakers on the top and bottom and edges of the device, allowing for stereo sound when used in landscape orientation.
Otherwise, the iPad Pro sticks by most of the current-generation standbys, including volume rockers on the right side of the device, a lock button on the top right, a Lightning charger on its bottom center, and a Touch ID capacitive home button sitting in its normal central position.
Beyond the iPad Pro itself, Hajek also imagines a possibility for Apple’s rumored in-house stylus. Borrowing “the design language of the iPad Pro”, he added in a capacitive +/- slider for additional operations, and also elements of the Apple Watch as well, including biometric sensors and a digital crown. While the stylus renderings are interesting, a lack of leaks or even specific details about the accessory means the images are not based on any actual information.
The new renderings show off the iPad Pro mostly in the Silver option, though it’s likely to receive the other two usual color options of Space Gray and Gold. The latest rumors suggest the iPad Pro may launch sometime in the late spring or early summer of this year. The full suite of renderings featuring the iPad Pro and stylus can be found on Hajek’s blog.
26
Jan
Facebook Lite puts Facebook on a diet for low-specced phones
With tech companies targeting mobile growth in developing markets with low-specced entry level devices, some of today’s apps may be a bit heavy around the waist to perform well on these devices. Facebook is one of these apps, and while the company was worked toward making the app faster and more responsive through an endless series of updates, the app can still struggle on lower-end devices. Facebook seems to know this because it’s released Facebook Lite, an app that comes in at 0.25 MB.
You read that right. It comes in at one quarter of a megabyte. Of course there’s a reason for that. It appears the app is just a wrapper for the mobile web site with native Android notifications built in. It also allows people to open messages sent you in the app rather than forcing you to use Facebook Messenger. So, those of you who don’t like that aspect may want to install this just for that. The app is said to be designed with 2G access or limited connectivity in mind and is said to be “efficient with data.”
We have the download link and QR Code for you below.
Come comment on this article: Facebook Lite puts Facebook on a diet for low-specced phones
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26
Jan
Hands on with The Witcher 3, the next big RPG for Xbox One
Last week, your friendly neighborhood Games Editor had to miss the Windows 10 event that knocked everyone’s socks off. Don’t feel sorry for me, though – I was busy with a gaming-specific event in San Francisco. That’s where CD Projekt RED hosted the first-ever hands-on event for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, their open-world action-RPG that comes to Xbox One, Windows, and PlayStation 4 this May.
After a short presentation from the game developers, my fellow journalists and I sat down for several hours of uninterrupted playtime with The Witcher 3 on the platforms of our choice. Guess which one I picked! The event wrapped up with a short question and answer session that provided additional insight into what the finished form of The Witcher 3 will be like.
Read on for my detailed gameplay impressions, news of the Witcher 3’s second playable character and more!
26
Jan
Help Me Jack: Atomic Adventure (Review)
Who doesn’t like old school hack n’ slash games? RPG is one of the few genres which lets you experience a new surrounding from the perspective of a virtual character. Introducing to you one such game which will get you addicted as you embark on an exciting adventure.
What it is about?
Help me Jack is an adventure RPG that has been developed by NHN Entertainment Corp. for Android. You play as a member of Jack’s superhero squad and recruit more partners as you go on. The game features very cartoonish and blocky graphics which are exactly according to my liking. The storyline follows an aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse which has the whole world exposed to harmful radiation. And due to this radiation, animals are turning into mutant monsters capturing humans all around the world. Your goal? To battle the monsters with your partners and rescue humans. Along the way, you will discover secret passageways, build your own sci-fi headquarters, research on new technologies and upgrade your equipments.
Gameplay
The gameplay is actually very good and refined. One that is expected from an AAA game. You get console like environment and easy to navigate menus. It will take some time to familiarize yourself with what the game has to offer but nothing that would take you more than 15 minutes. It has relatively easy and well laid-out controls. There is an Auto mode for those who are more of a strategist and like to overview battles and take decisions from the backseat while leaving all the button smashing and sword swinging to the CPU. I found myself using that mode a lot.
Final Verdict
What makes you keep playing this game is the scores of items you can collect and two different classes to ace. You can upgrade your battle avatar, share your score and achievements over Facebook. There are three exciting modes which you can play from namely Arena Battle, Endless mode and Stages. The game is no doubt resource intensive and will definitely put a toll on your dual core if you have one. Above a gig of RAM and a quad-core is necessary to ensure smooth gameplay though there will be a few hiccups with that too.
What I like
- Rich gameplay and colourful graphics.
- Easy controls, variety of game modes and above 200 levels to play.
- Made for both Sword and Gun type players.
- Interesting and original storyline.
- No Ads.
What I didn’t like
- Hefty in-app purchases.
- The game is not very challenging from the fighting point of view. It’s more of a strategy game.
- An internet connection is required to play the game.
- Loads of data to download at first.
The post Help Me Jack: Atomic Adventure (Review) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
26
Jan
Google and NFL deal puts football highlights on YouTube
It had to hurt when Facebook made a deal with the NFL to play video clips before YouTube, but Google has finally announced its own pact with the league just in time for the Super Bowl. There’s now an NFL YouTube channel for official highlights, and Google will also show video, scores, broadcast times and other info in its search results. For instance, typing in “New England Patriots” now brings up the score and a recap of the team’s AFC championship game against the Colts, along with a video preview for the Super Bowl. Re/Code reported that in exchange for access to in-game footage, Google will split ad revenue with the league.
YouTube will only carry clips and not entire games to avoid competing with the NFL broadcasters — NBC will livestream the entire Super Bowl, for instance. However, it’s a long-overdue step for the NFL, which has only recently dabbled in selling digital content rights. It’s also a welcome change for fans, as YouTube’s NFL previews and recap packages are quite complete (see below), and don’t appear to be region locked — good news for Euro fans and expats. YouTube has now struck deals with all four major US sports leagues, and conversely, it’s now possible to catch NFL highlights on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Google
Source: Re/Code
26
Jan
Next Asus smartwatch might last seven days on a single charge
Speaking on Saturday, Jonney Shih, chariman of Asus, stated that this would be the year the company focuses on pushing its low-cost ZenFone smartphone range to the global market. He also let slip a few thoughts about the company’s successor to the excellent ZenWatch.
Shih hinted that Asus’ next smartwatch could be designed to last up to seven days on a single charge of its battery, a notable improvement over the current ZenWatch’s maximum of two days.
This battery saving likely won’t just come from a larger battery capacity, Asus may be planning to opt for a more energy efficient, lower performance processor next time and might be prepared to cut down or even ditch Android Wear in favour of a more efficient, simplified operating system. Exact hardware details weren’t given, but Asus looks to want to further differentiate itself from other high-end smartwatches by offering additional battery life.
“The ZenWatch is defined by us as a companion to a smartphone, and we think it still has a lot of room for improvement,”
“As a companion device, its central processing unit and operating system should be more simplified than the current version, so that I can use it for up to seven days on one charge, rather than for just two days.” – Jonney Shih, Asus
With Asus talking about a simplified OS, Samsung looking to push Tizen more heavily this year and LG rumored to be preparing its own WebOS powered smartwatch, Google’s Android Wear platform could end up being sidelined by custom built smartwatch operating systems in the future.
Back at the launch of the Asus ZenWatch last year, Shen also let slip that the second-generation ZenWatch is planned for Q3 2015. The smartwatch is said to feature SIM-card funcationality, allowing it to take calls without being tethered to a smartphone. Asus also has plans for two lost-cost “wrist-band like” devices targeted at the health and fitness market.
AIVAnet 
