Kid opens PS4 on Christmas day, finds block of wood instead
It’s always a little awkward when a well-intended Christmas gift is a bit off target. But it’s down right cruel what happened to little Scott Lundy from Wakefield, MA. After (we imagine) weeks, maybe months, of anticipation and avoiding the naughty list, Lundy was rewarded with a PlayStation 4 under the Christmas tree. Or so he thought. Instead of unboxing a sick next-gen console (his parents opted for the Teen-rated Uncharted bundle), Lundy found a PS4-shaped bit of wood. What’s worse, instead of a quick start guide to read, the malcontent penned a surly seasonal greeting.
The message? Reportedly the Mature-rated “from c*ck and balls with love.” In case poor Lundy wasn’t sure what this meant, the crudely-nailed-together faux PS4 came with an illustration of the aforementioned anatomical parts scribbled on the underside. Lundy, understandably upset, reacted in a way only a 9-year-old who’s just had everything he knows about Christmas ruined could (tears and alone time). There is, at least, a cheery enough ending to the tale. Lundy’s parents took the offending woodwork to the branch of Target where they’d purchased it, and were given a legit console plus a $100 gift card for their son’s troubles. Whether that’ll make up for the loss of faith in Santa is unclear. Let’s hope next year’s Christmas is made extra special by that other carpenter.
Via: GameSpot
Source: Fox25
Don’t know what to spend those gift cards on? Here are our recommended gadget deals
Now that Xmas is over, you may have a stack of gift cards that you don’t quite know what to use for. Gift cards have been selling at a record breaking pace and you will want to make sure they don’t get forgotten about and expired. We are here to guide you into spending your money wisely with some of the best products and coolest deals from Amazon.com.
There are just so many things to buy, so we have curated a comprehensive list of some of today’s compelling gadget offerings. Let’s get to it!
Google Nexus 6P by Huawei, 32GB Graphite – $499
Device details:
- 5.7-inch AMOLED Capacitive Multi-Touchscreen
- Android v6.0 (Marshmallow), Quad-Core 1.55 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-Core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A57 Processor, Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 81, Adreno 430 Graphics
- 12 Megapixel Camera (4608 x 2592 pixels) w/ Autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash + Front-facing 8 Megapixel Camera
- Internal Memory: 32GB, 3GB RAM
BLU Pure XL Unlocked Smartphone, 4G LTE GSM, 64GB and 3GB RAM – $349
Device details:
- 6.0″ Wide Quad HD (2560 x 1400) Super AMOLED display transforms the smartphone visual experience at 4 times the resolution of HD + Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Mediatek Helio x10 64-bit 2.0 GHz Octa-Core Processor; enhanced viewing experience powered by MiraVision(TM) Picture Quality Engine, Android L v5.1
- 24MP Main Camera featuring an f/2.3 sensor with sapphire + 6P lens, real-time HDR, and Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and 8MP autofocus wide -Angle Front Camera
- 64 GB Internal Memory with 3G RAM. Micro SD Slot up to 64GB. Fingerprint Sensor and NFC supported
- 4G LTE, (2/4/7/17), 4G HSPA+ (850/1700/1900/2100). GSM Quad Band: US Compatibility Nationwide on all GSM Networks including AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, MetroPCS, Straight Talk, Pure Talk USA, and others
Sony Xperia C5 Ultra 16GB Unlocked Smartphone (GSM/LTE) – $299
Device details:
- Two 13MP cameras – capture superior pictures, selfies, and videos, wherever you look.
- High-quality selfies with selfie flash- light up the whole image, from corner to corner.
- 6″ full HD display with ultra-thin bezel- enjoy a large screen with mobile BRAVIA engine 2 gives you enhanced sharpness and contrast for immersive viewing.
- Wireless freedom- SIM Unlocked, no contracts or commitment to any carriers. Compatible with GSM Networks including AT&T, T-Mobile and cellular network providers utilizing GSM network such as: Straight Talk, MetroPCS, Simple Mobile, Brightspot, Net10, h20 Wireless, and Cricket Wireless.
Amazon Fire Tablet, 7″ Display, 8GB (includes special offers) – $49
Device details:
- Beautiful 7″ IPS display (171 ppi / 1024 x 600) and fast 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. Rear and front-facing cameras.
- All-new Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games and even in-app items are actually free – including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs and more
- Enjoy more than 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps and games
- 8 GB of internal storage. Free unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices. Add a microSD card for up to 128 GB of additional storage.
- Updated user interface – Fire OS 5 designed for quick access to your apps and content plus personalized recommendations that make it easy to discover new favorites
- Up to 7 hours of reading, surfing the web, watching videos, and listening to music
- Stay connected with fast web browsing, email, and calendar support
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, 9.7″ Display, 32GB (Black) – $374
Device details:
- Android 5.0 (Lollipop) OS, 9.7″ 2048×1536 (QXGA) Super AMOLED
- Quad 1.9GHz + Quad 1.3GHz, Octacore application processor
- 32 GB Flash Memory, 3 GB RAM Memory
- 0.85 pounds
Nvidia Shield Tablet, 8″ Display, 16GB (Tegra K1 Processor) – $199
Device details:
- More ways to game with Android games and GeForce NOW cloud gaming service.
- Powered by the NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor, featuring a 192-core NVIDIA Kepler GPU and 2.2 GHz quad-core CPU.
- Full HD 1080p, 8-inch display, and dual-front facing speakers for incredible video and sound.
- MicroSD slot provides expandable storage up to 128 GB.
- The optional tablet cover and SHIELD controller make SHIELD tablet K1 the ultimate tablet for gamers.
- More Ways to Game with Android Games and Geforce Now Cloud Gaming Service
- Powered by the NVIDIA Tegra K1 Processor, Featuring a 192-core NVIDIA Kepler GPU and 2.2 Ghz Quad-core CPU
SanDisk Ultra 200GB MicroSD Card (Class 10) – $79
Device details:
- Ideal for premium Android-based smartphones and tablets
- Transfer up to 1200 photos a minute with premium transfer speed of up to 90MB/s
- Holds up to 20 hours of Full HD video
- Class 10 for Full HD video recording and playback
- Water proof, temperature proof, shock proof, X-ray proof and magnet proof
- Comes with SD adapter for use in MIL cameras
GoPro HERO4 Session Camera – $199
Device details:
- Smallest, lightest GoPro yet
- Durable and waterproof to 33′ (10m), no housing needed
- Easy one-button control, power up and capture videos or photos with a single press
- Professional quality up to 1440p30, 1080p60 and 720p100 video
- 8MP photos with 10 fps Burst
Amazon Echo – $179
Device details:
- Plays all your music from Prime Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more using just your voice
- Fills the room with immersive, 360º omni-directional audio
- Allows hands-free convenience with voice-control
- Hears you from across the room with far-field voice recognition, even while music is playing
- Answers questions, reads audiobooks and the news, reports traffic and weather, gives info on local businesses, provides sports scores and schedules, and more with Alexa, a cloud-based voice service
- Controls lights and switches with compatible WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, Insteon, and other connected devices
- Always getting smarter and adding new features and skills–over 95 added since launch
Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear Headphones – $98.30
Device details
- Samsung Galaxy model using newly designed, tangle-free oval cable featuring 3-button in-line remote with integrated microphone
- Custom machined, low resonance stainless steel housing deliver a detailed and accurate sound
- High-quality dynamic transducers produce high output level with low distortion
- In ear canal design provides excellent attenuation of ambient noise. Multiple sized ear tips included insuring a personalized fit
Our review of the Momentum In-Ear
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Studio Over-Ear Headphones – $128
Device details:
- Critically acclaimed sonic performance praised by top audio engineers and pro audio reviewers
- Proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils
- Exceptional clarity throughout an extended frequency range, with deep, accurate bass response
- Circumaural design contours around the ears for excellent sound isolation in loud environments
- 90° swiveling earcups for easy, one-ear monitoring, professional-grade earpad and headband material delivers more durability and comfort. Detachable cable
Samsung Gear VR – Virtual Reality Headset – $99
Device details:
- Works with Samsung Galaxy Note5, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge
- Light weight so you can play and watch more comfortably
- Easy to use touch pad
Huawei Watch – Starting at $299
Device details:
- 1.4″ full circle AMOLED display with a scratch resistant sapphire crystal and stainless steel body
- Compatible with most devices with an iOS 8.2 or Android 4.3 or later operating system
- Get notifications and alerts for calls, texts, and apps with over 4000 Android Wear apps to choose from
- A variety of pre-installed watch faces and easily swappable bands for your own unique style
- Accurate fitness tracking with enhanced heart rate monitor and sensors to track running, walking, and more
Samsung Gear S2 Smartwatch (Classic) – $299
Device details:
- Classic style with a ceramic bezel and 20mm Genuine leather band
- Intuitive circular interface and rotating bezel for easy navigation
- Access to important notifications, texts, and updates at a glance
- Compatible with most Android Devices.
- Wireless charging dock included
Naim Mu-So Wireless Music System – $1299
Device details:
- UPnPTM (Universal Plug ‘n’ Play); AirPlay ; Bluetooth
- Control volume, light settings, room modes, create playlists and activate multiroom. Almost every as
- Internet Radio ; USB ; Digital Input (Optical)
- Spotify Connect
Nest Learning Thermostat, 3rd Generation – $249
Device details:
- Auto-Schedule. No more programming. With auto-schedule, Nest learns from you and programs itself
- Auto-Away. Don’t heat or cool an empty home. Auto-away adjusts the temperature after you leave
- Remote control. With the Nest app, you can change the temperature, check energy history and get an alert if your home is too hot or cold
- Screen: 24-bit colour LCD, 480 x 480 resolution at 229 pixels per inch (PPI), 5.3 cm diameter
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n @ 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 802.15.4 @ 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
- Built-in, rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Nest Cam Security Camera – $182
Device details:
- 24/7 live video streaming – See your home on your phone in 1080p HD. And control Nest Cam from anywhere
- Alerts on your phone – Get motion and sound alerts so you know if anything happens
- Night Vision done right – See the whole room at night – not just a limited spotlight view
- Talk and listen – Hear the baby. Or talk back to get someone’s attention
- Quick, easy setup – Plug in Nest Cam and download the Nest app to get started. No hub needed
- Don’t miss a thing – Subscribe to Nest Aware to get 24/7 continuous recording and powerful cloud algorithms that give you personalized alerts. Every camera comes with a free 30-day trial
Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid – $149
Device details:
- Authentic Movement: Guide your BB-8 with a smartphone or tablet
- Listens & Responds: BB-8 recognizes and reacts to your voice
- Holographic Messaging: Record and view virtual holographic videos with BB-8
- Autonomous Behavior: BB-8 has a mind of its own – explore the Star Wars galaxy together
- Adaptive Personality: Your BB-8’s unique attitude and actions evolve as you interact
- Authentic Movement: Guide your BB-8 with a smartphone or tablet
- Listens & Responds: BB-8 recognizes and reacts to your voice
Amazon Prime Membership – $99
Details:
Receive all the benefits of Amazon Prime including FREE Two-Day Shipping for eligible purchases, unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video, and the ability to borrow books from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library for $99 a year.
The benefits include:
- FREE Two-Day Shipping on eligible items to addresses in the contiguous U.S. and other shipping benefits. For more information, go to Amazon Prime Shipping Benefits.
- FREE Same-Day Delivery in eligible zip codes. For more information, go to Order with Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery.
- Prime Instant Video: unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes for paid or free trial members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to About Prime Instant Video.
- Prime Music: unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of Prime Playlists and more than a million songs for members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to About Prime Music.
- Prime Photos: Secure unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive. For more information, go to About Prime Photos.
- Prime Pantry: Access to Prime Pantry, where members can purchase and ship to addresses in the contiguous U.S. low priced grocery, household, and pet care items for a flat delivery fee of $5.99 for each Prime Pantry box. Prime Pantry orders cannot be shipped to addresses in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
- Amazon Elements: Access to Amazon Elements products, Amazon’s own line of everyday essentials.
- Prime Early Access: Get 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon.com and new events on MyHabit.com. For more information, go to About Prime Early Access.
- Kindle Owners’ Lending Library: access to members in the U.S. For more information, go to Kindle Owners’ Lending Library
- Kindle First: Early access for members in the U.S. to download a new book for free every month from the Kindle First picks. For more information, go to Kindle First.
- Video Add-On Subscriptions: Members can purchase Video Add-on Subscriptions to premium content providers. Browse available Video Add-on Subscriptions, or manage your existing subscriptions.
- Deals and Discounts, Compliments of Amazon Family: These include 20% off diapers through Subscribe & Save and 15% off eligible products from your baby registry. For more information go to Get 20% off Diaper Subscriptions or About the Completion Discount.
- Membership Sharing: Two adults living in the same household can create an Amazon Household to share certain Amazon Prime benefits. For more information, go to About Amazon Households.
Happy after-Xmas shopping!
The post Don’t know what to spend those gift cards on? Here are our recommended gadget deals appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Ford’s self-driving cars, and more!
Energy bills tend to spike in the wintertime, but this incredible UK home costs just $2 a month to run. The secret? Tons of insulation and a massive set of rooftop solar panels. We also spotted a futuristic Russian dome home that’s able to withstand massive loads of snow, and a team of Finnish engineers are building the world’s longest ice bridge at the start of next year.
When it comes to green energy, Costa Rica is king. The nation just announced that it sourced 99 percent of its energy from renewable sources in 2015. Researchers in Iceland developed a new wind turbine that’s tough enough to stand up to the strongest gales, and scientists developed a special glass coating that allows solar panels to capture sunlight from almost any angle. Sony announced that it’s working on smartphone batteries that last 40 percent longer, and Fairphone launched an ethically sourced smartphone that you can repair and upgrade yourself.
Ford believes self-driving cars will reach maturity in four years’ time — and according to a new report, they’re teaming up with Google to make autonomous vehicles happen. Meanwhile Volvo announced that its first production model with semi-autonomous technology will hit streets in 2017. Biking in the rain sucks, but fortunately Vanmoof just unveiled a clever bike poncho that fits over your handlebars to keep your torso, hands and legs dry in a downpour. And, as 2016 draws near, we’ve rounded up our top wearable technology and green design stories of the past year. Which is your favorite?
Fujitsu spins out its PC and mobile divisions
Much in the same way that Sony got rid of its PC division last year, Fujitsu has announced that it’ll do the same in 2016. The outfit’s leadership has revealed that its laptop and desktop firm will be spun out into a new wholly owned subsidiary, Fujitsu Client Computing Limited, on February 1st. In addition, the firm will do the same to its mobile arm, tossing it out to become the newly-formed Fujitsu Connected Technologies Limited.
As Fujitsu itself says in the release, commoditization of PCs and phones makes differentiation difficult. That’s business-speak for the PC industry is dying, and you can now knock out a half-decent mobile device for $50. Those two factors combined mean that there’s very little profit to be made and when firms like Samsung are bleeding, Fujitsu has no chance. Spinning these businesses out into their own separate entities is an easy way to get rid of a painful, loss-making division without admitting that’s what you’re doing.
There’s another element to this story, and that’s what this decision means for the combined fates of Toshiba and Vaio. At the start of December, we brought you rumors from Japan that scandal-ridden Toshiba and Fujitsu would spin-out and merge their PC divisions together with that of Vaio under the latter’s brand name. Fujitsu has either begun the merger process a little earlier than its new frenemies, or it simply believes that it can do without them.
Source: Fujitsu
Sony will ensure ‘The Banner Saga’ comes to PS Vita
Now that Sony has more or less given up on first-party support for the Vita, indie games have become the portable system’s lifeblood. It should come as no surprise, then, that when The Banner Saga developer Stoic announced it was putting its Vita port “on the back burner” due to budgetary concerns, Sony took note. It’s partnering with indie publisher Versus Evil to continue work on the Vita port, and assumedly absorbing some of the cost (and potential profit). The news comes from Sony’s Gio Corsi, who handles third-party developer relations for the company.
Great news! We’re partnering with @vs_evil to continue work on #BannerSaga #Vita. More news in 2016. Happy Holidays! pic.twitter.com/txbawVDqpb
— Gio Corsi (@giocorsi) December 23, 2015
The Banner Saga is a strategy RPG framed within a epic norse-inspired story. It launched to critical acclaim and commercial success on the PC, Mac and mobile in 2014, and is due to hit PlayStation 4 and Xbox One next month. It’s actually the first part of a longer story, with The Banner Saga 2 due for release on PC and consoles next year.
Via: Gamasutra
Source: Gio Corsi (Twitter)
Dear Santa, Can you please add these features to flagship devices for 2016?
The lines between budget, mid-range, and high-end phones are rapidly becoming blurred. There are many devices in every price category that perform at a high-level, so it is about time that flagships start differentiating themselves again.
With Christmas just a day away, I’m writing an open letter to Santa Claus who hopefully will grant my smartphone feature wishes for next year. I think I have been good, and hope to have stayed off of his naughty list…
Dear Santa,
Flagship phones cost a great deal of money, and it’s embarrassing to see phones that cost half as much offer similar performance and hardware for half the cost. Santa, can you help Samsung, Sony, HTC, and LG design new features into their best phones to keep the enthusiasts happy? I know some of these ideas might be a little crazy, but it can’t hurt to ask!
Optical zoom and a camera lens cover
Before smartphones, most of us used actual cameras to take our pictures. One of the cardinal rules of photography was to never touch the lens. Oil and dust can ruin any picture but no smartphone comes with built-in coverage. Almost all compact cameras come with an automatic lens cover to protect the lens from dirt and oil, so can you help one or all of these companies help protect our lenses? Most lenses come with a coating that helps keep them protected, but after a year of wiping and cleaning, that protection is gone and pictures just don’t come out as good as they did when the phone was new.
Optical image stabilization, ridiculous megapixel counts, laser auto-focus, dual LED flash and Ultrapixels are all great, but optical zoom is what is missing on smartphone cameras these days. Samsung made the Galaxy S4 Zoom a couple of years ago, but that phone was just too thick and a niche device. And Sony made the external DSC-QX30 wireless lens, but no one really likes to bring along a second device to take pictures, unless it is a real camera.
Santa, can you help the engineers come up with a revolutionary way to bring us 3-10X optical zoom to our smartphone cameras? It shouldn’t add much bulk to our devices and should be reliable too. Optical zoom would be a great way for us to enhance our pictures.
Dual front-facing speakers with full range sound
Quite a few phones have dual front facing speakers like the Nexus 6 and 6P, but many flagships like the Samsung Galaxy Note5 and LG V10 still have a mono speaker on the bottom of the device that are anything but spectacular. Loud but tinny sound is the norm on flagships, but can you help the engineers develop fuller sound like the HTC One line has?
It would be nice to make audio an important feature on all flagships these days and we shouldn’t have to settle for a huge black bar to get it. We all love to listen to music, take calls over speakerphone, play games and watch videos. Is it too much to as for full range sound?
Decently made earbuds with an inline remote and microphone
The Apple iPhone has great earbuds that come free with every purchase. Sadly many manufacturers have quietly stopped giving us earbuds and make us buy them separately. If they aren’t going to provide us with quality front facing speakers, can you help them develop earbuds that seal out excess background noise while providing decent sound while being included with every purchase?
Panasonic makes the RPHJE120K In-Ear Headphones and they retail for $6.29 on Amazon.com with free 2-day shipping! The headphones have over 27k reviews with an average rating of 4.5/5 stars which means they are excellent. It really can’t cost manufacturers that much money to manufacture these, so I beg you to help these companies add headphones back into the package.
External Memory with 32GB of base memory
There are fewer and fewer flagships with the ability to add external memory. As technology progresses, our data consumption increases right along with it and some of us need more memory. We are downloading HiFi music from Tidal, and videos from YouTube Red and need our storage space.
Some companies like HTC and LG still have external memory as an option, but Samsung recently decided people care more about looks than internal hardware. In this time of great phones, we should be able to have great builds with external memory too. And while I am at it, can you also make 32GB of memory a base option for flagships? Android software can take over 5GB of space, and that isn’t including all of the bloatware that Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T install on our phones without our permission.
16GB of base memory is unacceptable for flagship devices.
USB type-C and Qi Wireless charging
Many devices are switching over to USB type-C, like the Nexus 5X and 6P which is a great thing. One of my favorite features, albeit a very simple one, is that you can insert the plug in any orientation. Even though it is a huge pain in the rear to have different charging cables(micro USB and USB type-C), the benefit of not having to look at a small plug before inserting to charge is a nice feature to have.
Santa, can you help all companies adopt this standard?
Sadly while Google brought USB type-C to the Nexus 6P and 5X, they decided to leave out wireless charging. It’s kind of ridiculous that we need to sacrifice one feature for another. Can we just have both? Wireless charging is a great feature that many of us take advantage of. Once you get used to wireless charging, it is really difficult to go back to using a standard plug to charge your device.
48-hour battery life
I’m not sure why phone manufacturers have set a 24-hour limit on battery life, but most flagships barely can make it through a full day of heavy usage. Before smartphones, our flip phones used to last a couple days on a full charge. One would logically think that battery life on smartphones would get better as time passes, but as efficiency improves manufacturers just make the batteries smaller. The Samsung Galaxy Note3 and Note4 both had larger batteries than the Note5, but all three get roughly the same amount of usage on a single charge.
The Note5 can last a full day on a single charge with a 3000mAh, battery, but it’s time to give us a 4000-5000mAh battery found in unlocked devices. We want more time away from our chargers. Is this something you can help us with?
4k Display
I know having a 4k display seems a bit ridiculous at this point. 2k displays commonly found on flagships are so clear that you cannot see pixels without magnification. But as virtual reality(VR) expands in popularity so does the need for increased resolution. VR magnifies your display in a viewer, like the Google Cardboard, making pixels on 2k displays easy to see.
The Elephone Vowney is an unlocked Android smartphone and comes with a pixel busting 2k display with 535ppi. It also comes with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of memory, an octa-core processor and even a 2k display. It also costs just $299. Paying top dollar for a Samsung, LG, HTC or Sony flagship just doesn’t make sense when you can get so much hardware at a mid-range price.
4k resolution may be a bit over kill for most, but it will help future proof our investments since our devices should last us two years or more.
Case and Screen protector
I have now purchased two unlocked budget devices from Gearbest.com, and both phones came with a screen protector installed with a clear hard case covering the back too. Sure this has never been apart of any flagship, but most of us do want added protection for our devices. When we pay $800, it won’t cost much to throw in a case and screen protector.
Amazon.com lists many cases and screen protectors for less than $10. I’m sure cases and screen protectors cost a fraction of that amount, so start including them with our purchases. Instead of giving us fewer accessories, while giving us software features we don’t need, can you help the manufacturers redirect their investments and put them towards things we do need? A simple case and screen protector would be fantastic, and is probably the most reasonable things on my wishlist for 2016.
Budget devices come with them installed out of the box, so the big manufacturers like Samsung and LG shouldn’t have an issue with this.
I think I have been good this year…
Santa, I think the things I am asking for are not too unreasonable. Android manufacturers like HTC and Samsung are getting killed when it comes to smartphone sales and are frequently turning over senior management. They have lost sight of what makes their phones great, and 2015 was a year that lacked in true innovation. Mid-range and budget devices have caught up this year, and are set to do even more damage for 2016.
I ask for the things listed above, because the current sales figures for 2015 represent our growing dissatisfaction with what the major smartphones offer us, and I really want to see a comeback for smartphone flagships in 2016.
I may or may not be granted some of my items from my wishlist, but I am taking part in the spirit of giving on my own anyways. I will be selecting one winner from the ultimate giveaway package that can be entered with a simple comment.
Have a safe trip delivering gifts around the globe Santa. I will be tracking you using Google’s Santa Tracker.
The post Dear Santa, Can you please add these features to flagship devices for 2016? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’ delayed once more to April
If you’re itching to experience what has been described as Nathan Drake’s final chapter, you’ll have to sit tight for just a little bit longer. Developer Naughty Dog has announced another delay for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, this time pushing it back from March 18th to April 26th in the US, April 27th across Europe and April 29th in the UK. The extra few weeks, according to creative director Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley, are needed to give “several key sequences” more polish.
“Pushing the date is not an easy choice, and we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t feel in our hearts it’s the best course of action for the game. To you, our loyal fans, we hope you’ll accept our sincere apology. We know many of you have been waiting patiently for Nathan Drake’s final chapter, and now we humbly ask you to wait a bit longer.”
Uncharted 4 is one of the PlayStation 4’s biggest titles for 2016, and has been slowly teased over the last year or so with a few trailers and the remastered Nathan Drake collection. We’ve seen the treasure hunter take out scores of goons in the jungle, dangle from the side of a bridge and encounter Nadine Ross, a new villain for the fourth instalment. Naughty Dog has also shown us one of the game’s branching dialog sequences, a first for the series, and teased the multiplayer suite with a frenetic beta. The game certainly looks impressive — however, previous Uncharted games have set an absurdly high bar, so it’s no surprise the developer needs a smidge more time to give Drake the send-off he deserves.
Source: PlayStation Blog
All 4 streaming app arrives on PlayStation 4
If your PlayStation 4 hogs the first or second input on your telly, there’s a good chance it doubles as your TV streaming box too. It already has a bundle of apps including iPlayer and Netflix, but today an important service is joining its roster: All 4. The live streaming and on-demand service from Channel 4 (formerly known as 4oD) is now available from the UK PSN store, giving you easy access to programmes like Homeland and Fargo. This particular app only supports catchup viewing though, so you’ll need to use another device if you want to tune in live. Given that Demand 5 is already available on the PS4, that means ITV Hub is the only service from the big terrestrial trio now missing on Sony’s console.
Source: Channel 4
The best-selling unlocked Android phones from Best Buy (December 22)
Motorola’s 2nd-Gen Moto G is at the head of the pack
Purchasing a new smartphone can be quite the expensive endeavor. Moreover, it can also be a bit of a headache as you try to consider which phone, which carrier, and which rate plan is right. We’re here to help you with at least one of those segments: the phone.
Why unlocked?
The benefit of an unlocked smartphone, for those who aren’t aware, is that it can be used on a variety of wireless service providers. Moreover, going this route ensures you don’t have to worry about contracts or long-term obligations. Want to hop from T-Mobile to AT&T or vice-versa? That’s no problem when you’re using an unlocked GSM phone.
We’ve gathered up the 10 best-selling unlocked Android devices from Best Buy so you can get a sense for what’s available. Indeed, you’ll see a nice mix of big-name vendors and devices from other, scrappy players. Note that we’ve omitted color variations; you might find other colors available.
So, the next time you need to replace your existing phone, consider scooping up one of these. It’s often a heck of a lot cheaper than going through your carrier in the long run.
- Motoroloa Moto G 2nd Generation 8GB – $99.99
- Sony Xperia C4 16GB- $249.99
- Blu Advance 4 4GB – $49.99
- Motorola Moto G 3rd Generation 8GB – $179.99
- Samsung Galaxy S6 32GB – $449.99
- Huawei P8 Lite 16GB- $219.99
- BLU Life X8 8GB – $129.99
- BLU Studio X 8GB- $124.99
- Motorola Moto X Pure 16GB – $399.99
- Google Nexus 5X 16GB- $379.99
The post The best-selling unlocked Android phones from Best Buy (December 22) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
GoPro’s streaming channel finally lands on PlayStation
GoPro’s been feeding the other gaming platform its curated video channel for over half a year. Now, it’s ready “for the players.” The console app will allow PS3 and PS4 owners to stream all the sane GoPro content, as well as shop for the company’s products, directly from their gaming systems. The channel will launch with at least one exclusive video, though, The 66th Parallel – Discovering Iceland with Ben Brown. Though, it will only be an exclusive until December 29th, at which time it will disseminate to GoPro’s other platforms including Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, and Roku.
[Image Credit: Getty]
AIVAnet 