The LG G4 will feature a “Dual Mode” OS
We’ve known for a while now that LG is planning to unveil its upcoming flagship smartphone, the G4, simultaneously in New York, Seoul, London, Paris, Singapore, and Istanbul on April 29. However, up until now, any additional software optimizations that the manufacturer is planning to load onto the device have been a little shady.
If a report published earlier today by Business Korea is any indication, it looks like LG has developed its own Dual Mode Operating System for the G4, which appears to be tailored to two consumer groups — “experts” and “general” users.
The expert mode is set to have more advanced functions on board, not only in the camera application, but elsewhere too. Whereas general mode will be focused on simplicity, eliminating all functionality that would confuse those who are not familiar with a smartphone.
It all sounds good, but we hope LG can develop it without making the device a pain to use, much like Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface is.
Source: Business Korea
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HTC takes the wraps off its brand new Re Sok
It would appear that HTC is getting in on the April Fools’ action with its latest product, the Re Sok. Now, despite what you may be thinking, these aren’t your standard pair of socks with the Taiwanese company’s branding. They are “smartsocks.” Yes, you read that correctly. Smartsocks.
With these bad boy’s on your feet, you’ll be able to read SMS messages as soon as they come through on your handset, locate its partner sock should you happen to misplace it and even receive a nice warning when there’s a hole in your foot garment and it’s time to purchase a replacement pair.
I’m sure you’d agree that this is quite a revolutionary development in the world of sock-making.
Hit the source link below to see the full listing over on HTC’s website.
Source: HTC
Come comment on this article: HTC takes the wraps off its brand new Re Sok
HTC One M9 shipping times delayed for some, HTC apologies with 25% off accessories

Last week the HTC One M9 became available for pre-order through a number of carriers, as well as unlocked directly from HTC. For those ordering from HTC, shipping dates were supposed to start this Monday, March 30th, but it seems that HTC has run into some shipping issues. For those that were affected by the shipping delays, HTC is now sending out apology emails, giving these folks 25 percent off a variety of official HTC One M9 accessories. Keep in mind that these shipping delays won’t necessarily apply to all who
Keep in mind that these shipping delays won’t necessarily apply to all who pre-ordered, though it’s unclear exactly how many buyers were affected. Still, giving a discount on accessories is a nice gesture for those that were hoping to get their phones this week. As for when your delayed order might arrive? We are hearing that the phones should still be arriving sometime between April 4th and 7th.
Should you buy the ASUS ZenBook UX305?
If you’re in the market for a stylish ultrabook but are on a tight budget, the ASUS ZenBook UX305 is a laptop worth looking into.
The UX305 has earned high marks for its build quality, slim profile, and its reasonable pricetag. Let’s dig into some reviews and see if it’s worth your personal investment. On top of pro reviews, we’ll also be hearing from the Windows Central community in the comments about their first-hand experiences with this laptop.
Infinity Runner is leaping across from Steam to Xbox One
Infinity Runner is an endless runner (think Temple Run) played from the first person perspective, and it’s heading to Xbox One courtesy of ID@Xbox.
You’re charged to escape your own incarceration, dodging obstacles, lasers, airlock pitfalls and various other sci-fi hazards in a claustrophobic space ship setting. The game also sports combat inspired by mixed martial arts (via quick time event) and features narrative and plot elements Temple Run fans may find themselves deprived of.
Buy the Surface Pen from Microsoft for $50
The Surface Pen is now available for purchase from Microsoft directly. Listed as available for shipping on the online store, those who invest in the Surface 3 are able to pick up the optional accessory for $50.
Old school shooter Tower of Guns hits Xbox One on April 10th
Tower of Guns – self styled as the “ultimate bullet-hell” first person shooter is gunning for an Xbox One launch on April 10th.
Featuring procedurally generated levels and enemies, Tower of Guns seeks to recapture the rawness of the old school FPS, providing players with ridiculous weapons, huge and elaborate boss fights, vast potential for upgrades, secrets and endless legions of enemies just begging to be blown up.
Garmin vivofit 2 fitness tracker review
The Garmin vivofit 2 lets you track steps, calories, distance, and more right on your wrist without having to charge it for an entire year.
The vivofit 2 is a refinement of last year’s original vivofit and brings with it an improved screen with a backlit display, activity timing, and auto sync. The move bar has also added audible notifications so you don’t have to look at your wrist to know you need to get moving. While the vivofit series may not have all the bells and whistles of other fitness trackers, it’s a tradeoff some folks may want to consider in exchange for what is pretty much endless battery life.
The good
- No charging necessary for at least 1 year
- Comfortable design that is easy to forget about
- Modified clasp that doesn’t snag or cause the band to come undone
- Backlit display that’s user activity
- Activity timing right on your wrist that syncs with Garmin Connect
- Water resistant up to 50 meters
- Automatic sleep tracking
- Available in a wide range of colors, additional bands available through Garmin
The bad
- Garmin Connect app could use some updates
The vivofit 2 improves upon the original vivofit by adding a few features that make it more useful right on your wrist. One of the most welcome additions is a backlit screen. Just like the first vivofit, there’s only one button. A short press and hold activates the backlight. You can then continuously press the button to filter through all the different screens. By default the vivofit 2 shows steps, how many steps you still need to take to meet your goal, miles walked, calories burned for the day, an activity timer (which we’ll talk more about later), the date, and the time. If there are certain types of information you don’t really care much about, you can disable those screens in the Garmin Connect app.
The activity timer is another addition that lets you do more without actually having to pick up your phone. A long press and hold will start the activity timer. When you’re done, press and hold again. Garmin Connect then syncs your data with your Garmin account and you can customize a session later, leaving you to your workout without having to fiddle with an app. When you filter through the different sections of the vivofit 2, Garmin also has an activity data set that shows your total active time for the entire day, a nice added feature that gives you an overall picture of your day.
Since the vivofit 2 is water resistant up to 50 meters, you can shower with it, swim with it, and do pretty much any other water activity you’d like. That means you aren’t missing potential activity by having to take it off. It’s also one less opportunity for you to forget to put it back on, which is constantly my problem. I had no problem sleeping with the vivofit 2 and have been doing so for over 2 weeks now. For the most part, I forget it’s there, except when I’m not being active, and then it reminds me.
The vivofit 2 features the same move bar the first generation did, except this time it offers up audible alerts — don’t worry, you can disable them in favor of your phone vibrating instead if you prefer. The move bar remains static on top of your vivofit’s screen. After an hour of inactivity, a single bar will appear. For every 15 minutes that you are inactive, another bar will appear. If it fills the screen, that means you’ve been completely sedentary for at least 2 hours. The only way to reset the move bar is to get up and walk around for a bit. It’s a good motivator for anyone that wants to make sure they aren’t remaining stationary for too long, which lots of us behind desks tend to do.
The most noticeable improvement over the last generation vivofit is auto syncing. This means that you don’t actually have to open the Garmin Connect app unless you want to view your data. The first generation vivofit required you to sync your wristband by opening and triggering a sync. This isn’t the case any longer, and it’s a welcome change. The Garmin Connect app is long due for some updates so I appreciate not having to rely on it as much.
That being said, going to garminconnect.com on your iPhone or computer is actually a pleasant experience. I prefer it in every way over the actual app. Regardless, the Garmin Connect app does sync reliably and shows me what I need to see at a quick glance. I just hope that Garmin plans on bringing some of the Garmin Connect web interface and user experience to their iPhone and Android apps soon.
Heart rate sensors have become a thing in fitness trackers this year. The vivofit 2 can pair with external monitors but does not have one built in for reasons that should be obvious. If you want a year’s worth of battery life, an internal heart rate sensor won’t be an option. It’s a tradeoff but one that some folks will be happy to make. The vivofit 2 does however track sleep, and it does it well. You can confirm sleep times but even if you don’t, the vivofit 2 syncs all your sleep data to Garmin Connect, where you can see the quality of your sleep each night.
In terms of accuracy, I’ve never had issues with any Garmin tracker. Both manually tracking my steps and comparing the vivofit 2 to my UP24 produces similar results. Garmin reflects slightly lower calorie counts but nothing alarming enough to mention.
A fun feature of the vivofit 2 worth mentioning is that Garmin offers mix and match bands. They come in packs of 3 and are currently priced at $29. Not necessarily a feature but something a lot of people will enjoy taking advantage of.
The bottom line
If you want GPS, heart rate tracking, and every other advanced feature on the market, the isn’t the tracker for you. However, if you’re willing to trade some of the more power hungry options other trackers feature for a year of battery life, the vivofit 2 has a lot to offer. It’s a great personal motivator and accurately tracks all your steps and calories, on land and in the water. It’s comfortable to wear and only makes its presence known when it’s time to get moving. And for some people, that’s more than enough.
- $129 – Buy now
Show us your Lumia ASCII Camera photos in the Windows Central forums!
Microsoft is having some fun with us today for April Fool’s with the launch of MS-DOS Mobile, computing from the past brought into the modern age. Despite being an elaborate prank we’re enjoying playing around with it and its fully working ASCII Camera.
It’s not going to shoot any award winning photos, but that doesn’t really matter. Come and share your creations in the Windows Central forums!


















