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31
Aug

Gionee GN9007 will actually be called the Gionee S5.1 Pro


Android smartphones_Gionee_GN9007_leaked specs_081515_1Only two weeks ago the Gionee GN9007 passed through the TENAA. A new report states the upcoming smartphone will be known as the Gionee S5.1 Pro.
The Gionee S5.1 Pro will feature a totally new design very unlike that of the Gionee S5.1. The smartphone will include mid-range specifications and will likely be announced in the coming months if not weeks. It will feature an ultra thin body of only 6.45mm and support 4G LTE connectivity with dual SIM capabilities. Pricing should land in the $300 -$400 range.
Source: Mobipicker

 

 

Come comment on this article: Gionee GN9007 will actually be called the Gionee S5.1 Pro

31
Aug

Moshi IonBank 5K with microUSB connector review


Whether it’s an evolution of smartphone use, the lack of battery life on the latest smartphones, or a combination of both, we need to charge our devices more than ever. The problem is we need an outlet nearby to juice up our device(s). That brings us to portable power banks, such as the one we have to review. Moshi was kind enough to send us an IonBank 5K with microUSB connector to review. So let’s take a look and see how it stacks up.

Design

Moshi always seems to have high quality products and the IonBank 5K is no different. Most power banks you see around are made entirely of plastic, which is where Moshi’s differs. The top and bottom are made of anodized aluminum, so it protects the goods very well. It has a nice texture to it and isn’t as slippery as you’d think. Honestly, it would be nice if some metal smartphones had this same texture.

Moshi IonBank 5K microUSB

One area where the design of the Moshi IonBank 5K really excels at is hiding cords. Without taking out the charging cable or microUSB cable, there are no cords to be found. The device is a perfect rectangle, that is until you slide the bottom out. It reminds me of my smartphone slider days and is actually a very intuitive way to expose the microUSB cord. Once the cord is out, the slider can close and still allow the microUSB cord to charge a device. The charging cable for the IonBank 5K is found on the opposite and conveniently slides into the plastic edge.

Moshi IonBank 5K battery level

Another interesting design feature is that the device has a battery life indicator built into the side of the device. There are four small LED lights to represent how full the battery is. To activate the device or just check how much juice is left in the tank, press the button once.

Moshi IonBank 5K charging cord

Right next door to the battery level indicator is a USB port, just in case. That means you can charge your friend’s iPhone, provided he brought a cord. I’m sure they did, because those things need to be charged all the time, but I digress. What’s nice is you are actually able to charge two devices at the same time.

Performance

The performance of the device is actually quite impressive. It holds a large 5,000 mAh lithium polymer cell, which is good for charging most Android phones nearly two times. One thing I was surprised with was that how quick it would charge my device. Moshi doesn’t advertise this as a quick charging bank, but it sure seems like it. It can power my Samsung Galaxy Note 5 at more than 1% per minute, which is quite impressive.

Moshi IonBank 5K charging

One thing to note about the power bank when charging two devices at the same time, is make sure the USB port doesn’t get too warm. When I tried charging my OnePlus 2 through it (USB Type-C), the connector seemed to get very warm. To make sure it wasn’t just the OP2, I through my G4 on the charger and the same thing happened. When putting out power, the device itself gets a little warm, but nothing to worry about.

Conclusion

If you are in the market for a power bank, look no further than the Moshi IonBank 5K. Not only is it very stylish and physically appealing, it performs just as well. The power bank being flanked by anodized aluminum on either side makes it look for nice and protects the internals. The IonBank 5K can definitely back up performance with looks by charging a device with around a 1% per minute ratio, which is very nice when are outlet isn’t nearby.

The only thing about the device is that since it is a premium product, there is a premium price for it. Currently you can buy the Moshi IonBank 5K on the official Moshi website for $88.95 or on Amazon for one cent cheaper at $88.94. It is Prime eligible.

The post Moshi IonBank 5K with microUSB connector review appeared first on AndroidGuys.

31
Aug

Google On – OnHub companion app now available from the Play Store


OnHub_on_counter_with_family_in_background.0

Google’s OnHub smart router is hitting the store shelves tomorrow, August 31st, so the Search Giant is getting you equipped with the necessary tools to be ready for some advanced internet usage. Thankfully, you don’t need much. You can operate every aspect of the OnHub from the official Google On app, and it has just become available from the Google Play Store.

If you missed out on the Google OnHub news, it’s a router made by the Mountain View giant. It’s not cheap at $199.99, but it promises features that you won’t get with your usual WiFi hubs.

Aside from looking gorgeous, this router benefits from automatic updates (without disconnection). The device also scans for congested wireless channels and switches to the best performing one. In addition, the owner can prioritize certain devices, run network tests, easily change/share the WiFi password and more.

Zoomed_out_device_on_counter.0

Here’s what you can do with the Google On app:
• Set up your OnHub in just a few minutes
• Learn how to improve your Wi-Fi connection if there’s a slowdown
• Run a network check to test your connection speed
• Easily share your network name and password to friends & family
• Make changes to your settings, such as your network name or password
• Remotely provide or receive help from friends and family

Is it worth the $200? It depends on your needs and priorities, but it sure seems to be among the best WiFi routers around. And this is not an isolated event; Google plans to partner with other manufacturers to make more OnHub devices. The next one is said to be ASUS, but we shall see. Maybe it will be a bit cheaper.

For now, just go to the Google Play Store and grab your app if you are planning on getting the Google OnHub. How many of you are signing up for one?!

Download the Google OnHub app from the Google Play Store

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31
Aug

It looks like HTC’s deca-core Aero smartphone will be known as the HTC One A9


Android Smartphones_HTC_Aero_One-A9_twitter post_083015According to a recent tweet from Evan Blass, HTC’s upcoming flagship smartphone will be known as the HTC One A9. According to recent reports, the A in A9 stands for Aero. The new flagship will likely hit the market in late 2015 or early 2016 and will likely be the first ever smartphone to be powered by a deca-core processor.

The HTC One M9 rumors are beginning to heat up. We’re expecting the flagship to include a Quad HD (1440 x 2560 pixels) display, a first of its kind deca-core MediaTek Helio X20 processor backed with 4GB of RAM and an improved rear-facing camera with support for RAW photography.

We’re expecting the HTC One A9 to launch on AT&T and be priced between $500 – $600 off contract. We should find out more in the coming months.

Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)

Come comment on this article: It looks like HTC’s deca-core Aero smartphone will be known as the HTC One A9

31
Aug

Video of the Sony Xperia Z5 family leaks out



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It turns out that the photo that we posted up yesterday was actually from a 3-minute video of the Sony Xperia Z5 family that was released early and basically gives a tour of the new Sony Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Premium. The only problem – the video is completely in French. Despite this, we can see the user interface for both devices as well as confirming the 23MP camera that we’ve known about for some time now. Check out the video for yourself:

As was hinted yesterday, Sony is expected to announce three new devices at IFA 2015 this week: the Sony Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact and Z5 Premium. It’s quite a formidable range of devices, and we’ll have to see if Sony is able to capitalize on its diverse range this time around.


What do you think about the video of the Sony Xperia Z5 family? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: XperiaBlog

The post Video of the Sony Xperia Z5 family leaks out appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

31
Aug

Smoother movements help robots save a lot of energy


Researchers try smoother robot movements

Eliminating the herky-jerky movements of robots isn’t just good for comforting nervous humans… it helps the robots, too. Researchers have developed smooth movement algorithms that slow the acceleration and deceleration of robots, saving as much as 40 percent of the energy they’d normally use. The trick is to order tasks in a way that lets robots move at their own pace without colliding into each other. Factory robots typically rush through tasks in a rigid order, only to wait for their fellow automatons to catch up. Here, they’re more flexible as to when and how quickly they get things done.

You may see these more graceful robotics sooner than you think. General Motors is one of the partners in the project, and it has a vested interest in saving as much energy as it can. Robots use roughly half of the electricity at a vehicle assembly plant — if GM can save a lot of money using nothing more than code, you know it’s going to leap on that opportunity. While it’ll likely take a long time before robots ship with smoother movements from the get-go, it won’t be surprising if the underlying algorithms eventually become ubiquitous.

[Image credit: Oscar Mattson, Chalmers University]

Filed under:
Robots, Science

Comments

Via:
Geek

Source:
Chalmers

Tags: algorithm, chalmers, ChalmersUniversity, factory, generalmotors, gm, robot, robotics, science, video

31
Aug

Netflix hopes you won’t mind losing access to some big movies


The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Here’s hoping that you weren’t bent on watching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire or World War Z on Netflix — if so, you don’t have much time to do it. Netflix has confirmed that it won’t renew its longstanding movie deal with Epix, which will lead to many Lionsgate and MGM titles disappearing from the service come September. The company hopes you won’t mind, though. As Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos points out, there are legions of original shows lined up — Netflix is betting that you’ll be too busy watching Narcos to worry that a favorite flick just disappeared.

And where is Epix going? If you believe Recode, it’s not giving up on third-party services altogether. Reportedly, it’s is “likely” to sign a deal with Hulu instead. That’s bad news for folks outside of the US (where Hulu is virtually non-existent), but it beats losing all subscription-based access.

Whatever happens, it’s clear that Netflix is making a calculated move to get as much popular content as it can without breaking the bank. As you might gather, content agreements like the one with Disney are expensive — it could be difficult to preserve absolutely every deal when only some of them are likely to translate to more subscribers. Moreover, it’s getting difficult to offer a truly wide selection when there’s a race to snap up exclusives. Like it or not, you may have to subscribe to more than one streaming provider (or rent the missing titles) to cover your typical viewing habits.

Filed under:
Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

Comments

Via:
Recode

Source:
Netflix

Tags: epix, hdpostcross, hulu, internet, lionsgate, mgm, movies, netflix, streaming

31
Aug

New Moto 360 leaked image shows smart watch in 2 colors


New Moto 360 AA

The Moto 360 design made this smart watch one of the most popular first-generation Android Wear devices around, so it’s only natural that so many of us are looking forward to seeing its successor. Don’t you worry, the new Moto 360 should be announced next week, during IFA, but we are already getting a good look at the product thanks to beloved ex-leakster @evleaks.

He was actually quite smooth this time around. Evan Blass leaked the image in the form of a response to tech blogger David Ruddock, who was talking about boarding Delta flights using his Android Wear device.

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Pretty sneaky! The device shows up in 2 colors and displays some aesthetics changes. For starters, the button has been positioned higher. Looking around the image we can also see the watch has a much more classic design, making it even better looking than the original Moto 360.

There’s nothing exactly new here, as we have already seen some images before (one of them actually came from Motorola). Regardless, it’s always nice to get a good look at an unannounced gadget, especially when available images are so good.

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Enjoy the render and let us know what you think of the 2nd-generation Moto 360? Are you thinking of buying one? As mentioned above, the announcement should be taking place this coming week, so keep it tuned to Android Authority for all the news!

31
Aug

Google’s self-driving cars can’t handle bicycle track stands


Google's self-driving Lexus cars in California, not Texas

Ever performed a track stand, where you keep your bike upright at a stop without taking your feet off the pedals? If you have, you’ll want to avoid trying that around Google’s self-driving cars, at least for a while. One Austin-based cyclist reports an encounter where one of the autonomous cars was comically unsure of what to do when it spotted him doing a track stand at an intersection. Every time his bike moved even slightly, the car would lurch forward and promptly hit the brakes. Nothing happened beyond some good laughs, but it was clear that Google’s self-driving code didn’t know how to handle a not-quite-stationary bike.

Google is upbeat about the whole affair, telling the Washington Post that this is the kind of real-world input it’s looking for as it develops its intelligent vehicle tech. However, this is also a friendly reminder of how far autonomous vehicles have to go. There are many, many road hazards that are hard to anticipate, even if you’ve had a lot of experience on the road. The one consolation is that these very early self-driving cars are still predictable in a way that human-operated models aren’t. As the cyclist notes, he already felt “safer” around this robotic ride — imagine what happens when it eventually understands how to react in complex situations.

Filed under:
Transportation, Google

Comments

Via:
Washington Post

Source:
Roadbikereview.com

Tags: austin, autonomous, bicycle, cycling, google, self-driving, self-drivingcar, transportation