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26
Feb

Sony confirms Xperia Z4 tablet will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress


Sony_Xperia_Z4_Tablet_Tease_MWC_2014

A couple of days ago, Sony mistakenly or on purpose outed the Xperia Z4 tablet in their Xperia Lounge app. The immediate assumption was that we would see it at Mobile World Congress next week, and Sony has confirmed it. In a Tweet a little while ago, Sony said, “Slimmer. Lighter. Brighter. All will be revealed on 02.03.15. #Xperia #SonyMWC.”

Now they could be referring to the often rumored Xperia Z4 phone, but highly unlikely. Expect it to be the Xperia Z4 tablet since Sony isn’t expected to release another flagship phone so quickly.

On top of it being very thinner, lighter, and brighter, we do expect it to have a Quad HD (2560 x 1600) display. Other than that, we will have to wait until March 2 to find out.

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26
Feb

Android Wear smartwarches now total 1 million


LG_G_Watch_R_Green_Lantern_TA

Early this month it was reported by Canalys that about 720,000 Android Wear devices were shipped during 2014. Of course that figure didn’t even necessarily represent the total amount that consumers purchased.

As of right now, it appears that there are roughly 1 million Android Wear devices in the wild. How can we tell? The Android Wear app reached 1 million downloads as of yesterday afternoon. Now we can’t guarantee that everyone who downloaded and installed the Android Wear app actually has an Android Wear watch, but I think it’s safe to say that the majority of those downloads probably represent people who actually do have a watch. It also isn’t that far fetched based on the 720,000 figure given by Canalys for 2014, which ended about 2 months ago.

Is 1 million a good number? You can be the judge of that, but I still say that smartwatches are not something the average consumer needs. Companies like Apple, LG, and Motorola are smart in designing smartwatches that are more fashion-focused since that alone might be enough to generate sales.

Yes, it’s cool paying for a cup of coffee with my wrist, and as much as I love my G Watch R, I can’t get myself to tell my friends that they must buy one. Smartwatches will continue to evolve and become more popular, but don’t expect them to explode anytime soon. That includes the Apple Watch.

 

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26
Feb

Motorola to bring Moto 360 to Moto Maker


moto_360_its_time_preview

Coming in March, Motorola will allow consumers to design the Moto 360 to their liking in the Moto Maker store. Moto Maker is currently used for purchasers of the Moto X to design the smartphone exactly to their tastes and desires, but soon the circular smartwatch will appear alongside it. 

There was a recent spat between Apple’s Jony Ives and Motorola’s president, Rick Osterloh, with regard to the Moto Maker. Ives felt that by giving consumers choice, it allowed Motorola to forego responsibility in design quality. Obviously, Osterloh disagreed, and with this news that the Moto 360 will join the Moto X in the Moto Maker, Motorola appears to be flipping the bird to the naysayers.

The options prospective buyers might find in the Moto Maker for the smartwatch will deal with the band, the watch casing, and the choice of what watch face the buyer wants to see when they first turn on the device. Additionally, Motorola says that there’ll be some new watch faces to choose from.

moto360_maker_picture1

The watch casing will come in silver, champagne gold, or black. The band’s varieties include two different sizes of leather or metal, which probably have different color options in each category.

In an interview with Wired, Motorola’s director of design for wearables, Dickon Isaacs, had the following to say about the new addition to Moto Maker:

“We clearly believe in the power of choice, as a brand. And this is really empowering. To be able to design your own watch—it’s not an analog watch, it’s a highly sophisticated device of the future. To be able to do that at this level, we just think it’s going to be incredibly liberating.”

So if you’ve been hesitant to buy a Moto 360, or if the styles currently available just didn’t appeal to you, you might want to revisit the smartwatch here in March.

Source: Wired

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26
Feb

JXE Streams: Taste the rainbow in ‘Kirby and the Rainbow Curse’


What seemed so novel and strange about Kirby: Canvas Curse ​when it came out now seems almost quaint. Only one part of the screen can be touched at a time? There aren’t gyroscope controls? What is this, an Android store launch game? Please. Just shy of its tenth birthday, though, Canvas Curse still feels like a pristine lesson in touch-control video game design despite its antiquity. It had the depth and challenge of a classic arcade game as well as a strange but clean, immediately understandable interface. Canvas Curse was a colorful dollop of fun that begged for a follow up. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is finally here, and we’re playing it for the very first time today on JXE Streams.

Starting at 3PM ET, we’re streaming two full hours of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse on Wii U. Anthony John Agnello, a Kirby fan stretching all the way back to Kirby’s Dream Land in 1992, will be firing up the GamePad to check out the​ claymation style of developer HAL Laboratory’s latest.

JXE Streams broadcasts every Tuesday and Thursday from 3PM to 5PM ET on Engadget.com/gaming and Twitch.tv/Joystiq. Our schedule is going to be ramping up over the coming weeks so be sure to check out what we’re playing and when at the top of Engadget.com/gaming.

[We’re playing a retail copy of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse streamed through an Elgato Capture HD via OBS at 720p.]

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Nintendo

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26
Feb

Apple will live stream their ‘Spring Forward’ special event on March 9


As they have often done for recent events, Apple will stream their March 2015 special event live on their website. As previously announced, the event will take place on Monday, March 9 at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT.

Apple invites people to join them on their event website:

Join us on March 9 at 10 a.m. PDT for our special event. Watch the live video and follow every moment on apple.com/live.

On a Mac or iOS device, you’ll need to watch the event through Safari. Macs will need to be running OS X 10.6.5 or newer, with Safari 5.1.10 or later. iOS devices will need to be running iOS 6 or better. While Apple points users to their live event site, the fine print at the bottom indicates that you’ll also be able to watch the event live on a second-or third-generation Apple TV.

Our own Rene Ritchie and Serenity Caldwell will be there, so be sure to stay tuned to iMore for the latest news from the event.

Source: Apple

26
Feb

50″ LG TV & Sound Bar Giveaway



We’re giving away a FREE 50″ LG TV and throwing in a sound bar speaker to boot! There’s no purchase necessary and you can enhance your chances of winning by sharing the giveaway with your friends on social media. Enter now and upgrade your entire home theater situation to the next level.

See more at deals.androidguys.com

Do Not Miss These Other Deals!


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26
Feb

Google outlines the reasons you’ll enjoy the new Google Calendar



On Google’s update Wednesday, Google Calendar was what received the main upgrade, making the version number 5.1. On Google+, Gmail made the announcement, and outlined the reasons you will enjoy the new Google Calendar.

  • “See more events at a glance with 7-day week view and pinch-to-zoom”

The 7-day week view is nice, as only seeing 5 days was a little odd to me, and the pinch-to-zoom feature is a great touch!

  • “Add Google Drive files to events. Drive will even check if everyone can open them.”

Google Drive functionality is not something I will see myself using, but then again I don’t really use my calendar for business related things, so I’m sure it will be useful to those that do!

  • “Control whether birthdays from Google+ are shown in settings. You’ll also see the same changes on the web next week.”

This functionality already exists in Google Now, but having it all in one place will certainly be helpful for remembering birthdays!

  • “A new option to show week numbers in settings.”
  • “Import .ics files sent to you in Gmail and other apps”

This will be very helpful for those who regularly collaborate with others who use different online calendars.

An update to an app is always appreciated, and it seems Google has packed quite a bit into the Google Calendar. If you use iOS, you’ll also be happy to know that Google says Google Calendar is coming to iOS soon.

Google Calendar (Playboard) | Google Calendar (Play Store)


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26
Feb

Apple to Live Stream ‘Spring Forward’ Apple Watch Event on March 9


Apple today updated its website to notify users that it plans to live stream its Monday, March 9 media event that will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

The event will be broadcast on Apple’s Live website and it will also likely be available on the Apple TV via a dedicated channel. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the event as well, both on MacRumors.com and on the MacRumorsLive Twitter account for those unable to watch Apple’s live stream.

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The March 9 event, which kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, is expected to focus on the Apple Watch. Apple will likely unveil new details about the device that have been previously kept under wraps, including information on pricing, battery life, and accessory options. We may also get a concrete release date. Apple may also debut other products at the event, like the rumored 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.



26
Feb

Google paid $7 billion to developers on Google Play and they’re rolling out a new way to search ads



2014 turned out to be a fantastic year for developers on Google Play as they raked in an impressive $7 billion.  It’s no wonder when we saw app advertisements during the Super Bowl, with super model Kate Upton promoting Game of War which is available on Google Play.  The cost for a 30 second ad during the Super Bowl was an astounding $4.5m, or $150,000 per second, which means app developers are definitely pulling in the dough.

Google also announced today that they are rolling out a new program to search ads on Google Play.  It’s only going to be a limited pilot program, but if anyone knows how to handle search ads, we all know it is Google. Google manages over 100 billion searches per month on google.com, which means they know how to strategically place ads where people will actually use them, versus the traditional type ads like side-bars.  Hopefully in the end, the new way to advertise will help us users learn which apps are the best ones to use.

Here is a copy of the press release.

Hi — Today, we announced 

<http://android-developers.blogspot….
that
we’ve paid out more than $7 billion to developers for distributing apps and
games on Google Play over the past year.

In addition, we’re rolling out a new pilot program to introduce search ads
on Google Play. We think this will help developers improve the
discoverability of their apps with new users. You can learn more about the
limited pilot below.

***
A New Way to Promote Your App on Google Play

Google Play now reaches more than 1 billion people on Android devices in
more than 190 countries, helping a growing number of developers like you
build successful global businesses. In fact, in the past year, we paid more
than $7 billion to developers distributing apps and games on Google Play.
We remain as committed as ever to making Google Play the best place to find
great apps, games and other entertainment.

App discovery plays a critical role in driving your continued success, and
over the past year Google has provided best
<https://developer.android.com/distr… practices
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v lZH… to enhance app discovery and
engagement, as well as app promotion tools
<http://adwords.blogspot.com/2014/04…
to get the most out of search and display advertising for developers. We
are always looking for new ways to help you get your apps in front of
potential new users. That’s why, in the next few weeks, we will begin
piloting sponsored search results on Google Play, bringing our unique
expertise in search ads to the store.

With more than 100 billion searches every month on Google.com, we’ve seen
how search ads shown next to organic search results on Google.com can
significantly
improve content discovery for users and advertisers
<http://adwords.blogspot.com/2013/07…
both large and small. Search ads on Google Play will enable developers to
drive more awareness of their apps and provide consumers new ways to
discover apps that they otherwise might have missed.

In the coming weeks, a limited set of users will begin to see ads from a
pilot group of advertisers who are already running Google search ads for
their apps. We’ll have more to share in the coming months about the
expansion of this program as we look at the results and feedback. We
believe search ads will be a useful addition to Google Play for users and
developers alike, and we hope this will bring even more success to our
developer community.

Posted by: Michael Siliski, Product Management Director, Google Play


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26
Feb

Intel teases new Atom processors with a new naming scheme


IntelTo bring the Atom processor line inline with the popular Core i# processors, Intel is introducing a new naming scheme along with a new generation of Atom processors. Much like an i3 being OK, an i5 being better and an i7 being the best, the Atom will sport an x3, x5 or x7 moniker, respectively and performance will get better with each respective numerator. But that’s not it.

According to the Intel presser, the new Atom processors will be geared to mobile devices including tablets, phablets and phones that prioritizes battery life with great performance. While there isn’t new tech to be seen today, the new changes will start with the next generation of processors which should debut sometime later this year.

If you’re interested in reading the infographic, it can be found here. What are your thoughts on Atom powered mobile devices? Let us know below.

source: GSM Arena

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