LG’s new G Pad II really isn’t anything new
LG’s never been scared of trying new things when it comes to smartphones, even pioneering the strange-yet-convenient back button placement other manufacturers have copied since. By comparison, the company has played it safe with its G Pad tablet range, none of which have had any particularly stand-out features. And after briefly playing the LG’s new G Pad II 10.1 here at IFA, it seems like the company is quite happy sticking to its rather unexciting formula. Last year, LG opted to release three sizes of tablet, but for now at least, the G Pad II only comes in the one form factor, with a 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display. Slideshow-316996
To refresh your memory, the G Pad II marries a 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 with 2 gigs of RAM, 16GB of storage, 5- and 2-megapixel cameras, a 7,400mAh battery and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. By all accounts, a capable tablet, but there really isn’t much to say beyond that. At 489g (just over 17 ounces), it’s agreeably light for a 10-inch slate, and the one “brilliant bronze” color scheme is neither exciting nor off-putting. Build quality is tight, as you’d expect from an established company like LG, but otherwise, the G Pad II is pretty generic. In fact, one of the more interesting factoids about the slate is that it comes with Microsoft’s Office suite preinstalled.
Of course, not every tablet has to push the boundaries of design, specifications or feature set, but it’s hard to consider LG’s latest effort as anything but “just another option.” And without conclusive pricing for either the WiFi-only or LTE variants, which launch in the US later this month before rolling out to other markets in due course, we can’t really speculate on who it’ll appeal to most. We’ve poked LG for more info on this important missing piece, and we’ll be sure to update you if we hear anything more. On first impressions, at least, the Bluetooth keyboard launching alongside the G Pad II is more interesting than the new tablet itself. Whoops…
Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
Filed under:
Tablets, Microsoft, LG
Tags: gpadII, gpadII10.1, hands-on, ifa, ifa2015, lg, lggpadII, lggpadII10.1, microsoft, microsoftoffice
Samsung finally has an elegant smartwatch in the Gear S2
Few companies have churned out as many different smartwatches as Samsung, so it’s little surprise the company is showing off a new one — the Gear S2 — at IFA. What is a surprise, though, is how much more elegant, more polished the S2 feels compared to just about all of Samsung’s previous attempts. After years of seemingly blind iteration (and just a little bit of hands-on time), Samsung finally seems to have a style, if somewhat controversial smartwatch on its hands.Slideshow-317057
I say “controversial” because the Gear S2 runs Tizen, a decidedly different beast than the Android Wear most of Samsung’s rivals have been cranking out lately. Thankfully, Samsung finally fixed one of the Gear line’s biggest flaws with the S2 — you won’t need a Samsung phone to use this thing. The Gear S2 is compatible with just about any Android smartphone with at least 1.5GB of RAM that runs Android 4.4 and up. The test units we fiddled with were connected to Galaxy S6s, naturally, but the company warns that certain features and notifications won’t work properly if another smartphone maker implemented things differently. This Tizen foundation also means Samsung has had to woo developers into crafting apps for a completely different platform, but the company says to expect about 1,000 apps available at launch, many of which should take advantage of the S2’s sweet, sweet rotating bezel.
The bezel, by the way, is amazing. It’s the biggest addition to an otherwise minimalist smartwatch design, and I’m sort of in love with it. Crank it to the left from the homescreen and notifications will pop up on that bright 1.2-inch circular AMOLED; turn it to the right and you’ll see all your selected widgets. And the best part? There’s a very satisfying click that punctuates each turn of the bezel. You’ll still be tapping on icons all over the place, but dedicating the bezel to navigation makes more sense than transplanting the touch-and-swipe-and-touch-and-swipe experience to a smaller screen like Android Wear does.
Samsung’s previous Tizen-powered Gears were, shall we say, a little clumsy looking. This time Samsung ditched the clunky, power-user aesthetic in favor of a sleeker, more traditional smartwatch design. Both the dark gray and silver versions of the bog-standard Gear S2 are lightweight and come with comfortable elastomer bands, but the Gear S2 Classic seeks to class things up even more. It’s a hair smaller than its cousins — the body is 40mm wide instead of 42 — and it comes with a handsome black leather strap and a little knurling on the bezel for a slightly more masculine aesthetic. Your mileage my vary, but the Classic seems like the most thrilling option of the three… unless you count the bigger, 42mm 3G version that’s coming too. What’s inside the thing matters just as much, so Samsung tossed in WiFi, watch faces you can customize with news tickers and ESPN sports updates and NFC for all those Samsung Pay transactions (this’ll get unlocked via software update in November).
All told, the Gear S2 is the best-looking smartwatch Samsung as has ever made, and Tizen is growing to the point where people — normal people! — won’t mind it as an alternative to Android Wear or Apple’s watchOS. Of course, we won’t pass proper judgment on this thing until our full review, so stay tuned to see if Samsung finally nailed the smartwatch formula.
Filed under:
Mobile
Tags: gear, gears2, handson, ifa, ifa2015, mobilepostcross, preview, samsung, smartwatch, tizen, wearable
Bang and Olufsen’s BeoPlay A6 is a $1,000 wireless speaker
Luxury audiovisual brand Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has just announced a pricey wireless speaker, the $999 BeoPlay A6. The style evokes the back of a chair, gently curving and covered in designer fabric from Danish studio Kvadrat. Apparently, this isn’t all about looks, though. B&O says its unique shape “enables sound to fill an entire room whilst creating ambience in multiple areas of a house.” The interface for the A6 is pretty interesting too. It’s all based around swiping and tapping the top of the speaker. A swipe right, for example, turns the volume up. Holding the center mutes, and a quick tap skips the track. Perhaps not the most intuitive control scheme ever, but a cool talking point nonetheless.
Inside the BeoPlay A6 there’s a pair of 60 watt 5.5-inch woofers, a pair of 30 watt 0.75-inch tweeters, and a single 60 watt 1.5-inch “full-range” speaker, each with its own amplifier. That full-range unit’s actually positioned in the opposite direction to the others; B&O says that “allows us to maximize the spaciousness of the sound you experience,” which is another way of saying that they’re bouncing sound off the wall behind the speaker. That music can come from a number of sources: it supports AirPlay, DLNA, Bluetooth, and has “integrated access” to streaming services like Spotify, Deezer and TuneIn radio. Of course, it’ll also play nice with the company’s new multi-room setup, allowing you to look down on those “cheap” Sonos users from your penthouse.
So there you have it. B&O has made a very pricey take on the wireless speaker. It looks very attractive, it probably sounds good, and it costs a small fortune by regular standards (although it’s a fair bit cheaper than some of its other products). Tempted?
Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
Source:
Bang & Olufsen
Tags: BangAndOlufsen, BeoPlay, BeoPlayA6, IFA, IFA2015
T-Mobile lets you dial up a video chat just like a regular call
T-Mobile has launched a video calling feature that you can access straight from your smartphone’s stock phone dialer. With T-Mobile Video Calling, “there’s no need to search out, download, configure and register additional apps,” said CTO Neville Ray. It seamlessly switches between LTE and WiFi and automatically drops to voice-only when bandwidth is low, switching back if you get a better connection. There’s a serious catch, though: It only works on Samsung’s brand new Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5 phones now, with support for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge coming next week.
Contacts who can receive your video calls will get a camera icon next to them. On top of the hardware restrictions, video calling is limited to fellow T-Mobile clients, though team Magenta said it’s “working with others so you can eventually enjoy built-in video calling across wireless networks.” That means for now, you can’t place a video call to Verizon users, even though that network has had its own video calling service for nearly a year. T-Mobile said the service will work on three additional handsets by the end of the year, though it didn’t specify which.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, T-Mobile
Source:
T-Mobile
Tags: mobilepostcross, t-mobile, Verizon, Video Calling
Canyon Smart Bike Computer brings power of Android to cycling
Bicycle manufacturer Canyon has announced a new concept for a bike computer called the Canyon Smart Bike Computer. With the device, Canyon has partnered with Sony to produce a device targeting cyclists that runs Android Wear and will offer a better alternative than smartphones. Through use of Android Wear on the cycling computer, users can load and use popular apps like Strava, Komoot or Google Maps. The device itself is made to withstand the elements and easily snap into a sleek connector on a bicycle.
Using a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone that a rider can safely stowaway on their body. Canyon says the device can last 8 hours on its battery, has built-in GPS and a 1.6-inch display with 4GB of storage, so it is possible to use it even without a smartphone being in close proximity if data access is not needed.
Canyon is still referring to the device as a “concept” with a projected 2016 release date and an estimated price of €200 ($222 USD). Any cyclists out there think this would make a better solution than wearing an Android Wear powered smartwatch?
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Canyon
Come comment on this article: Canyon Smart Bike Computer brings power of Android to cycling
HERE Maps for Android gets long-press menu in latest update
HERE Maps for Android has quickly risen in popularity as a mapping and navigation solution for smartphone users. In their latest update issued earlier this week, developer Nokia has included a couple features that are the first to go through their new beta program. Headlining the changes is a new long-press contextual menu that brings up a choice of four different commands that can be selected without typing anything.
Using the long-press menu, users can just long-press anywhere on the map to pop up four choices – information, share, directions, or launch driving navigation right away. You can check out the HERE for Android video below showing how it works.
In addition to the new contextual menu, HERE for Android now gets a display of intermediate stops on transit routes. Nokia’s development team says this will help users better understand how long a journey may take and give them a better idea of when they may be getting off their current ride for a transfer or to end their journey. The app also gets the usual batch of bug fixes and performance improvements.
If you want to give HERE for Android a try, head over to the Google Play Store using the download link below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: HERE
Come comment on this article: HERE Maps for Android gets long-press menu in latest update
Madfinger Games releases latest ‘Unkilled’ title, brings more zombie killing to your Android device
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Madfinger Games is a gaming developer studio that many Android gamers know fairly well. They produced Shadowgun, Shadowgun: Deadzone, Dead Trigger, Dead Trigger 2 and a few others. Their latest title, Unkilled, looks to rank right up there with their past success’.
Unkilled is another 1st person zombie shooter that takes place on the streets of New York. It brings with it over one hundred missions, multiple side-missions, unique bosses and a story line that plays on the conspiracy theory nut in all of us. Madfinger lists out a dew of the interesting bits of the game like homing rockets that don’t miss their mark, adrenaline that slows down the zombies for head shot take downs more easily and regularly spawning treasure chests containing loot, gadgets and other things.
It doesn’t sound like this one offers up a multiplayer aspect to it, but with over 100 missions and, whats sounds like, a long story line, the free title should be something worth giving a go at.
If you are ready to get your zombie killing on then hit the link below to grab the title. It is free and does offer some in-app purchases and does have some of those annoying energy to play aspects, but that shouldn’t stop you from picking it up.
http://playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js
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Native video calling coming to T-Mobile Note 5 and S6 Edge+ next week, more devices coming soon
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Video calling is a fantastic way to communicate. Be it for a business meeting, catching up with family or even being able to see the what you might be missing out on. Skype is probably one of the most well-known services for video calls, along with Apple’s Facetime and Google’s Hangouts. However, all of those require both parties to have the right app installed and sign-up for an account. Not everyone wants to do that. T-Mobile has announced today that the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be able to make and receive video calls on the network after a software update that is rolling out for both devices.
You can make T-Mobile Video Calls to and from capable devices on any available LTE connection − using data straight from your high-speed data bucket − as well as over Wi-Fi. Like HD Voice calls, T-Mobile Video Calling moves seamlessly between LTE and Wi-Fi. And, if you move off LTE or Wi-Fi to a slower connection, your video call seamlessly switches over to a voice call. If you move back to LTE or Wi-Fi, switch it back to video with a single tap.
The update to both devices is listed as starting next week, so don’t go thinking you are missing something on today. T-Mobile also states that they will be pushing the same software enhancement update to enable video calling function to 3 more devices by the end of the year. They don’t specify which 3, but my best guess would be the Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 and LG G4. I will be sure to keep an eye out for other devices as they make the list.
Source: T-Mobile
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IndieGoGo: Make your TV a giant Android touchscreen tablet with the Touchjet WAVE
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Dad: “Don’t touch the TV screen!” Son: “But dad, I am supposed to touch it now.”
As a parent I loath fingerprints on the TV. It is annoying when trying to watch a show or movie and often times they come with food and gunk attached. However, being an Android enthusiast and tech lover, I have always wanted to make my TV an interactive touch panel for games, drawing and other activities. The Touchjet WAVE is going to do just that without the need of buying a new TV to do it. Check it out:
The Touchjet WAVE It is powered by a 2.0GHz Quad-Core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage and sports Android 4.4. The unit sits on top of your TV and plugs straight into an open HDMI port on your TV which can range in size from 20-inch to 80-inch. It also offers an audio line out jack and 2 USB host ports. The physical unit creates a grid with its Light Processing Unit (LPU) it recognizes where you are touching with your finger, or the soft touch (infrared) stylus, and translates that into touch on the Android based operating system. There is a companion app for your phone and tablet as well to let you send things to the TV screen or open and use other applications.
The unit looks to be small and very portable giving you a killer travel companion for work and play and it will cost you far less than a specialized touch screen TV or some of the other units I have seen in the past. The IndieGoGo campaign has 5 days left, but it has shattered its goal 5 folds. The group was looking for $100,000 and have cleared over $500,000. That shouldn’t stop you from getting in on the action though. One Touchjet WAVE funding purchase is %35 off what they will go for at retail launch and will set you back $129 with free shipping stateside. Retail launch timeline is set for April 2016, which is always a drag and a downfall to funding campaigns for cool tech. If you do back the project they are estimating a March 2016 deliver date.
Go check it out on their IndieGoGo page.
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Apple to Promote iOS Games With New Dedicated Twitter Account
Apple today expanded its presence on social networking site Twitter, creating a new Twitter account dedicated to sharing App Store games. According to the account bio, which features the tagline, “Embrace the future of gaming,” it’s run by Apple’s team of Games Editors.
Apple has long had an App Store Twitter account that frequently shares new and popular games, but it also shares standard apps, creating a feed that’s somewhat unfocused. Apple appears to have made the decision to distinguish and promote games separately from non-gaming apps going forward, in an effort to streamline each account and give both games and regular apps more attention.
Games have been a cornerstone of the App Store since it first launched, and Apple makes an effort to highlight different game compilations and editor’s picks on a weekly basis, in addition to offering frequent sales and detailed gaming categories.
Tap. Tap. Hello, world. pic.twitter.com/zp9yT0PLpF
— App Store Games (@AppStoreGames) September 3, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
It is not clear why Apple has chosen today to create a new Twitter account for gaming as gaming on iOS has been highly popular for several years, but it could be related to the fact that the App Store is set to expand to a new device in the very near future, the Apple TV. Launching next week, the new Apple TV will include a full App Store and a motion-enabled remote control able to be used for gaming purposes.
Thus far, the App Store Games account has only tweeted once, but following a retweet from the main App Store account, it’s already at more than a thousand followers in just a half hour.
AIVAnet 