Sony debuts new DualShock 4 hues, colorful hard drive covers
If you already own a PlayStation 4 but want to add a little bit more flair to your console, Sony’s Tokyo Game Show press conference has delivered some good news. First up are new hard drive panels, which let you add a touch of colour to your console with a variety of yellow, gold, pink, yellow, light blue, red and purple plates. Sony introduced us to the idea of swappable faces when it debuted its Project Skylight beta back in December 2014, but its latest accessories focus on solid colors more than game tie-ins.
If you’re happy with your console but could spring for a new controller, Sony’s delivered on that front too. It’s unveiled four new models, which come in Gold, Silver, Steel Black, and transparent Crystal. Both the controllers and the hard drive panels will launch in Japan ahead of the holiday season on November 6th. Sony says the plates will cost 2,500 yen each ($21/£14), and the new DualShock 4 pads will retail for 6,480 yen ($54/£35). The company has confirmed that the gold and silver controllers will make their way west first, but hasn’t said when we can expect them. It’s likely we won’t have to wait long until they all become available.
Source:
Sony
Tags: dualshock, dualshock4, hdpostcross, playstation 4, playstation4, ps4, sony
Huawei Nexus shows up in benchmarks with Snapdragon 810 processor
A leaked GeekBench report has emerged online for Huawei’s upcoming Nexus smartphone, which is rumored to launch in just two weeks time. The benchmark reveals that the handset is set to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM on board, and will run the latest build of Android 6.0 Marshmallow straight out of the box.
Other notable specifications include a QHD display of either 5.5-inches or 5.7-inches, an Adreno 420 GPU, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 4G LTE capabilities, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1 (LE), USB Type-C for fast-charging and a fingerprint scanner.
Check out the full list of benchmark test results in the image below:
Source: MyDrivers
Come comment on this article: Huawei Nexus shows up in benchmarks with Snapdragon 810 processor
Deal: HTC selling the 16 GB Nexus 9 for $239.40, 32 GB version only $287.40 (US-only)
Trying to get yourself a brand new Nexus 9 tablet? You are looking to spend $399 to $479… that is, unless you buy it straight from HTC. The Taiwanese manufacturer just went nuts and started selling the Google tablet at amazingly reduced prices. You can now grab the 16 GB version for only $239.40, while the 32 GB iteration will go for $287.40.
Those are some very sweet deals, considering the prices these tablets usually go for. This would be only for the WiFi versions, though. There’s currently no discount on the LTE-enabled pads. Now, do keep in mind there is one significant caveat – the website states “all purchases must be billed and shipped to a valid mailing address in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia only.” Pretty straight forward.
All things considered, the Nexus 9 is a very nifty tablet to have. It managed to get a 9/10 in our review, which places it well above many other competitors. And even though its an aging device, it continues to hold its own pretty well.
The Nexus 9 packs a Tegra K1 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and 8.9 2048x1536p display, an 8 MP rear camera, a 1.6 MP front shooter and a 6700 mAh battery. It’s certainly no weakling, and at this price point it happens to be a very good deal too. Just make sure you act fast if you want to jump in on this deal, because we are not sure how long it will stick around. Are any of you signing up?!
Buy the Nexus 9 from HTC’s website!
Three’s Voice over LTE launch means better signal in more places
There’s more than one way to wipe out a not-spot, and to compliment Three’s inTouch app for WiFi calling, the carrier has today become the first in the UK to add Voice over LTE (VoLTE) support to its mobile network. Simply put, VoLTE — or “4G Super Voice,” as Three’s branding team would prefer you call it — uses your 4G connection to handle calls (when appropriate), instead of older 2G and 3G networks. That part isn’t particularly important, however, but it means customers will be able to call, text and check Instagram in places they haven’t been able to before. In addition to its existing 1,800MHz slice of 4G spectrum, Three’s been building out an 800MHz network to support VoLTE services. These lower frequency airwaves probe further into underserved rural areas, and deeper into buildings, lavishing mobile coverage on previous dead zones.
But, there is one catch: you need a VoLTE-compatible phone and the right software to take advantage of it. Three tells us only Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and LG’s G4 will work right away, but before the end of the year, many popular handsets like the iPhone 6/6 Plus (and their impending sequels), HTC’s One M9, and a handful of Lumia and other Galaxy models will be supported. At launch today, Three claims its 800MHz network covers 50 percent of the population, and the majority of London, Edinburgh, Exeter and Birmingham. By the end of the year, that figure is expected to jump to 65 percent as the umbrella widens to more towns and cities including Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol.
Three might be the first UK carrier to launch VoLTE services, but Vodafone and EE can’t be too far behind. They had both previously penned in summer launch windows, so we’ll probably be hearing updates from the pair soon enough. Just last week, Vodafone joined EE in switching on its app-free WiFi calling service, one of the benefits of that being seamless call handover between VoLTE networks.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Filed under:
Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Tags: 4g, 4glte, 4gsupervoice, lte, mobilepostcross, three, voiceoverlte, volte
PS Vita gem ‘Gravity Rush’ is getting a PS4 port and sequel
Gravity Rush leapt onto the PlayStation Vita in 2012, when the console was in desperate need of some “triple-A” titles to compliment its blossoming indie library. It was a beautiful game with a few novel gameplay mechanics — to traverse the world and land on different objects, you were forced to jump in the air and pull gravity down in new, unusual directions. The handheld title was received favourably but, like Tearaway, never reached a large audience on the Vita — so Sony is giving it the Unfolded treatment with a port-remaster-remake-thing on the PlayStation 4. It’ll be coming out on December 10th in Japan — no word yet on an international release — followed by an all-new sequel called Gravity Daze 2 (the original was also called Gravity Daze in Japan) next year. For fans of Kat and her occasionally headache-inducing adventures, this is an unexpected treat from Sony.
Tags: gravitydaze, gravitydaze2, gravityrush, playstation4, playstationvita, ps4, psvita, sony, vita
UE Boom 2: One of the best wireless speakers gets even better
Ultimate Ears is at it again, updating the last straggler in its line of Bluetooth speakers to get them all on the same page in terms of build and software. A few months ago, the company revamped its entry level offering and today Ultimate Ears is announcing the UE Boom 2. This is the mid-level speaker in the UE lineup and although the changes may be hard to notice at first glance, they’re significant enough to warrant a second look. It sports a fresh set of colors and a tighter fabric mesh that contributes to its new IPX7 waterproof rating. The internals have been reworked to improve Bluetooth range, sound quality and offer a few special features. The UE Boom 2 is available today on the Ultimate Ears website, with Apple’s online store following close behind. You can pick one up for the same $199 price as the original UE Boom, but you’ll be getting a good deal more under the hood.
Slideshow-316355 Slideshow-318659
The new internals have been packed in tight and your cylindrical speaker will have less roll potential, easily balancing in one spot when you lay it on its side. All the ports are now fully waterproofed, with the additional protection of tightly fitting port flaps. The Bluetooth range is said to have been bumped up to 100 feet and you’ll want to snag the new version of the app to take full advantage of conveniences like remote power on/off, a five-band EQ, Double Up and more. New software updates will also arrive automatically when the speaker is connected to a mobile device, helping you stay current.
The major points of interest here are upgrades to sound quality and the new accelerometer-driven tap features. You may notice the Boom 2 is a bit louder than its predecessor (25 percent to be exact), due to the decibel rating’s change from 88db to 90db. While you can Double Up with additional UE speakers, one of these should be more than enough for a small get together in a busy park. The battery is still rated for 15 hours, but if you’re always jamming out at full volume, you’ll find that time cut down significantly. If you really want to maximize volume and battery life, you should consider its bigger brother the Megaboom. The one thing that the Boom 2 is ahead of the game on, though, is with the new tap features. While holding the speaker (it won’t work standing or laying down) you can tap once on the top to start or stop the music, and a double tap will skip to the next track. The Megaboom should soon catch up with the next software update, but early adopters who prefer the more affordable and portable UE Boom 2 will get all the new features right out of the gate.
Filed under:
Wireless
Tags: megaboom, roll, rolling stones, speaker, ue boom, ue megaboom, ue roll, ueboom, ultimate ears
Hurry: HTC Nexus 9 one day sale for as low as $240
HTC is having a one day sale on the Google Nexus 9 today and will end on Sept. 15th at 11:59PST. You can pick up the 16GB WiFi model for as low as $239.40, down from the MSRP of $399.00. The 32GB WiFi version can be had for $287.40 down from $479.00. Both versions come brand new and are Google’s pure Android tablet running Android Lollipop 5.1. Again, this is only a one-day sale and quantities are limited so act fast.
Designed for work and play, Nexus 9 combines a brushed metal body and soft grip back with the best of Google and Android for virtually limitless entertainment content and business tools.
For movers and makers
- 8.9” screen
- Front-facing stereo speakers
- Access to over a million apps
- Automatic Android updates
- Seamless device integration
Accessories are also on sale like the Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio can be had at 50% off.
Check out the deal at HTC.com. Other deals at HTC listed here.
Source – Slickdeals
The post Hurry: HTC Nexus 9 one day sale for as low as $240 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sony now rolling out Lollipop update for the Xperia Z1, Z1 Compact and Z Ultra
Sony is now rolling out the much-anticipated Lollipop update to all unlocked variants of the Xperia Z1, Z1 Compact and Z Ultra in the United States. With regards to added functionality, the upgrade brings the latest build of Android 5.1.1 to the handsets, in addition to a plethora of bug fixes, speed optimizations and, thankfully, a patch for the famous Stagefright vulnerability.
All the changes you’d expect to find in the Lollipop software are bundled into this upgrade, including support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, stronger 256-bit encryption, a smoother multitasking experience, personal unlocking, streamlined performance, increased battery life and Material Design.
As is the norm, the update is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device to hit your unit, you could always search for the upgrade manually. To do so, open the Settings app, scroll to the bottom and tap on “About Device”, hit “System Updates”, then select “Check for updates”.
Come comment on this article: Sony now rolling out Lollipop update for the Xperia Z1, Z1 Compact and Z Ultra
Stripe launches new ‘Buy’ button for Twitter and other apps
Stripe, the company that has powered Twitter’s “Buy” button from the start, has released a new and universal button merchants can use to sell across apps. This API (if you want to get technical) is called Relay, and it connects with the sellers’ existing inventory, so you don’t click “Buy” only to find out later that the item’s already sold out. For sellers, it means they can list products in a single place, knowing that items will show up on every app they use Relay with. Yes, that includes Twitter, which is one of this new tool’s launch partners and already allows users to sell within tweets. For you, it means being able to purchase an item easily in fewer screens using payment information you’ve previously used with Relay and Stripe. Unfortunately, that also makes it harder to prevent yourself from spending too much by shopping through mobile, which is typically more cumbersome than buying through a computer.
Grab a new fall read and Downing in English Oak—a go-to pair of sunglasses for any season. Buy now from this tweet! http://t.co/HcDMSVrzJD
— Warby Parker (@WarbyParker) September 14, 2015
Filed under:
Misc
Source:
Stripe
Tags: paymentbutton, relay, stripe, twitter
E FUN announces its first 4G LTE Nextbook Android tablets, Ares 8L and 10L
E FUN, the fifth largest vendor of tablets in the US, announced its first 4G LTE tablets, the Ares 8L and 10L. Both tablets are compatible with Verizon’s LTE network, run Android Lollipop 5.0, and are powered by Intel’s quad-core Atom processor.
The Ares 8L is an 8″ display tablet designed for users constantly on the go and want access to streaming videos, email, social media and video games. The Ares 10L is more geared toward the power user with a 10″ display and a magnetic keyboard with two USB ports.
Both tablets share these specs:
- 1280×800 IPS screen
- Quad-core Intel Atom processor
- 1GB RAM
- Verizon 4G LTE
- 16GB memory
- Bluetooth 4.0 with WiFi
- Expandable memory up to 64GB via microUSB
Both the Ares 8L and 10L are available at Walmart for $144 and $193 respectively with a two-year contract.
Check them out at NextbookUSA.com or at Walmart.com.
Ares 8L -$144
Ares 10L -$193
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