Weekend poll results: The hots and nots of MWC 2014

You’ve had a week to vote for your favorite hardware from the MWC, now it’s time to review the results. The Mobile World Congress saw brought us several new flagships and expanded the wearables category, but there were plenty of other interesting devices too.

Most results from the polls are very clear – those were some good devices, but the companies still have a lot to work on.

Perhaps the most important poll was the Star of the show – here the Sony Xperia Z2 scored a clear victory over its Samsung Galaxy S5 opponent with 77% of your votes.

The next two polls tell us more about that result – most people (85%) thought that the Galaxy S5 just isn’t a big enough upgrade over the Galaxy S4. The Xperia Z2 didn’t take the victory easily either – a large portion of voters (43%) were unhappy with the big bezels.

Sony had a second flagship at the MWC – the Xperia Z2 Tablet. It’s thin, light and beautiful, making it a serious challenger to the iPad Air. While many thought that 1080p was not enough resolution for a 10.1″ screen, the majority still voted positively for the Z2 Tablet.

Moving on to the most controversial product from the Congress, Nokia’s Android-powered phones. Here it was an almost even split (51/49) on whether or not Nokia should go all in on Android or dump it and stay with Windows Phone.

LG revealed its high profile phones before the Congress even started and the LG G Pro 2 phablet was received fairly well, with the majority voting for it in its battle with the Galaxy Note 3. The LG G2 mini rated as better than the Galaxy S4 mini for what that’s worth (Samsung should have an S5 mini in the works by now).

HTC didn’t announce its new flagship, instead it showed off a “flagship mid-range phablet”. For its part, the Desire 816 did very well when we asked if you prefer it over the Galaxy Note 3 Neo from Samsung.

Mozilla and its partners continued to promote Firefox OS devices, but they didn’t ignite much passion – a fairly even split voted them as not up to par with Android’s low-end devices.

Speaking of alternative OSes, Samsung put Tizen on its second generation Gear smartwatches, but it seems that the change in form factor was what made the real difference. The majority (73%) of voters picked the band-like Gear Fit over the Gear 2 / Gear Neo.

Finally, after seeing several impressive devices from relatively unknown makers, we asked if their time has finally come. There’s decent support, but the vote still went in favor of established marques even if that means paying more.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Ingenious Way to Still Get Amazon Prime for $79

By Jon M. Chang
@JonMChang
Follow on Twitter

Mar 14, 2014 1:45pm

Paul Sakuma/AP Photo

If you were concerned about Amazon Prime membership jumping to $99 per year, you still have a chance to get it for $79, even after the price hike takes effect on April 17 for returning subscribers. As explained in the blog LifeHacker, all it takes is a little bit of planning ahead.

The workaround is aimed at people looking to get another year of their existing Amazon Prime account at the cheaper price. The site offers Prime gift memberships that can be scheduled to go into effect up to a year in advance. Prime customers can send gift subscriptions to their own email addresses to arrive on the day that their own Prime memberships lapse.

Then you need to make sure that the current subscription doesn’t automatically renew at the higher price. Currently, the Amazon Prime website only offers customers a way to immediately stop their subscription. To get out of the membership, you would either need to call an Amazon customer service representative or keep a mental note to cancel your membership the day before it renews.

There’s no telling how long it will take Amazon to close the loophole, so people looking to save that extra $20 may want to take advantage of this sooner rather than later. Customers new to Amazon Prime can still subscribe for $79 through March 20.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Samsung’s S Band wearable fitness tracker

The Samung Galaxy S4′s companion, the S Band, never saw the light of retail day, but it looks like Samsung is trying again to bring the S Band to market with the release of the Galaxy S5.

The S Band fitness tracker should be released in a few months. Hit the jump below to learn more about the wearable’s features.

Don’t go counting on playing angry birds on the S Band though, as it doesn’t have a display. It’s packed with a sensor that tracks the calories you’ve burned, the steps you’ve taken, and monitors your sleeping habits.

It does have a built-in alarm that notifies you of new messages and phone calls. It also functions as a loss protection device. If your phone and S Band are more than 10 meters apart, both the phone and the S Band’s built-in tracker will sound an alarm.

Samsung will be releasing a variety of colorful rubber bands that you can place your S Band into. Expect the newest S Band to be compatible with the current crop of Samsung devices.

Anyone interested in picking one of these up?

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

New Nexus 7 2013 now on sale for £149.99 in the UK

The Google Nexus 7 2013 has been enjoying some steep discounts recently. The latest comes from the UK where popular retailer Staples is currently selling the 7″ tablet for £149.99.

That’s the price for the 16GB Wi-Fi version of the slate, making it a cool £50 less than what Google is selling it for at the UK Play Store. The Nexus 7 2013 runs on a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU and packs a 1200 x 1920 resolution screen, and 2GB of RAM. Best of all, it’s able to run the latest build of Android, version 4.4.2 KitKat.

If you’re interested in the deal, follow the source link below. Staples also offers to ship the slate to your local store for free, which is nice.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Samsung launches a trio of accessibility accessories for the Galaxy Core Advance

Samsung has just launched three accessories for the Galaxy Core Advance smartphone that will enhance its accessibility options and experience.

The new accessories include Ultrasonic Cover, Optical Scan Stand and Voice Label.

Here is the official description of the new accessories:

• The Ultrasonic Cover allows users to detect obstacles and navigate unfamiliar places by sending an alert through a vibration or TTS feedback. By holding the Cover in front of the user, it can enhance a visually impaired user’s awareness of their surroundings by sensing the presence of a person or object up to 2 meters away.
• The Optical Scan Stand positions the device to focus on printed materials, automatically activating the Optical Scan application, which recognizes text from an image and reads it aloud to the user. The Optical Scan Stand is particularly useful when a consumer is alone, automatically initiating the application to read text as soon as paper is sensed on the stand.
• The Voice Label assists users in distinguishing objects by allowing them to make notes and tag voice labels easily on-the-go. With NFC technology enabling a seamless connection to their smartphones, users can record, stop and access their notes. This feature can also help a user distinguish how to use electronics by allowing them to record a short explanation.

All three accessories are already available for purchase. The Samsung Galaxy Core Advance was announced last December and is expected to hit the shelves any moment now.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

‘Titanfall’ to possibly arrive on the Mac

In a rather odd turn of events, it seems Titanfall may just be coming to the Mac. Responding to a tweet on whether the game could be arriving on Apple’s desktop platform, co-founder of Respawn Entertainment (the people who developed Titanfall for Windows and Xbox) Vince Zampella said that they are talking to Aspyr, publisher of games for Mac, and that “they should do it”.

In case you haven’t heard of it yet, Titanfall is the biggest release of 2014 so far and a landmark game for Microsoft. The company managed to get exclusive rights to the game, which is why it is only available on Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows. This is exactly why the news of the game arriving on Mac seems so odd.

As for Aspyr, these are the same people who in the past have ported over Windows games such as Bioshock Infinite, Borderlands 2, Call of Duty Black Ops, Civilization V, and Company of Heroes to OS X. It remains to be seen how long they will take to port the game over to OS X after they get the green signal from Electronic Arts, the publishers of Titanfall.

The Mac platform is not really known for its gaming prowess due to the lack of sufficient titles and Apple traditionally lagging behind PC hardware vendors when it came to graphics performance. Things have changed considerably since Steam arrived on Mac and Apple released the Mac App Store and now you have a decent variety of games to play but the situation hasn’t changed considerably on the graphics front. You should be able to play the game on the desktop Macs at moderate settings, depending upon how well the game is ported, but if you really wanted to play, you are probably running it under Boot Camp right now.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Play Store 4.6.16 update brings batch install and much more

Google has started rolling out an update for the Play Store app on Android. Version 4.6.16 brings with it some much needed features, along with some UI changes.

One of the major additions is the ability to batch install apps from your apps history. This will come extremely handy when you get a new device and want to install all your apps on it. You just go to the All tab in My Apps section and press and hold apps to start marking apps you want to batch install. Also, the app won’t take you to the top of the list anymore after you remove an app from your list.

Another change is that you can now set how and when the Play Store asks for your password while downloading paid content. Earlier, you can either set it to ask every time or never. Now you can set a 30 minute timer, so after you enter your password once to purchase an app, it won’t ask you again for the next 30 minutes, similar to the App Store.

Another change is to force the Play Store app to update itself. Previously, there was no way to do this and you either had to sideload an APK or wait for Google to push the update to your device. The app would then discreetly update itself in the background. Now you can tap on the version number in the Settings and check if there is an update available.

There are also some changes to the UI. The Settings and Help menu, which were left behind in the Action overflow menu, have now been moved to the sidebar and the overflow menu has been removed. The oddly named Add-widgets option, which actually just put an icon of the newly installed app on the homescreen, has now been renamed to the more correct Add icon to Home screen. You will also see IAP being shown in app permission dialog while installing an app and the Google+ count is now a proper number instead of the nearest approximate value.

You can either wait for the update to be pushed to your device or head over to the source link to download the APK.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

New pricing structure for Google Drive storage

Google is now offering additional Google Drive online storage space at more affordable prices.

The cuts are fairly significant and certainly offer you more bang for your buck.

With Drive, you now get 15GB free. For 100GB, you need to shell out $1.99 a month, $9.99 for a terabyte, and $100.00 a month for 10TB. There are additional charges for storage over 10TB as well.

If you want to change your storage plan, or think its worth it now to sign up for one, click on the source link below. It’s also worth mentioning that the new pricing kicks in automatically, so there’s no need to contact Google to sign up for the new payment structure.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Mark Zuckerberg Calls US Government ‘Threat to the Internet’

By Alyssa Newcomb
@alyssanewcomb
Follow on Twitter

Mar 13, 2014 4:13pm

Mark Zuckerberg lashed out at the government for its surveillance practices in a rant today on his Facebook page. 

“When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we’re protecting you against criminals, not our own government.,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Zuckerberg and other major tech CEOs have called on the Obama administration to be more transparent about spying efforts. The Facebook co-founder, 29, said he vented about his concerns in a phone call to the president.

“The US government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat. They need to be much more transparent about what they’re doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst.,” he wrote. 

Zuckerberg concluded his post with a call to action to internet users, saying it’s up to everyone to “build the internet we want.”

“Together, we can build a space that is greater and a more important part of the world than anything we have today, but is also safe and secure.,” he wrote. “I’m committed to seeing this happen, and you can count on Facebook to do our part.”

Read Zuckerberg’s Full Post Here

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Nexus smartwatch to have 1.65″ screen, more specs revealed

The MWC this year made it clear that wearables are the new hotness and Sundar Pichai, Android’s head, was talking about a new wearables API. So, of course, rumors of a Nexus smartwatch are running amok.

All fingers are pointing to LG as the manufacturer and popular rumor source @evleaks has dug up more details.

Google’s smartwatch will reportedly have a 1.65″ square screen of 280 x 280 pixel resolution. That’s just about the same size as the Samsung Gear 2 though with a bit less resolution. It will be a classic IPS LCD rather than an AMOLED or e-ink / e-paper.

Processing power is not entirely clear, but with 512MB RAM the Nexus smartwatch should be able to run full-blown Android 4.4 KitKat and Google’s wearables API could be even more thrifty with RAM usage.

There will be 4GB of built-in storage, which suggests the watch will have some autonomy though it may be reliant on Wi-Fi when there’s no smartphone to tether to, similar to Google Glass. According to the Wall Street Journal, mass manufacturing of the smartwatch will start this year.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Purported Android backdoor affects several high profile Galaxy devices

Replicant, a third party developer of an open source Android distribution, claims to have stumbled on a backdoor program that makes it possible for the modem to modify the phone’s onboard storage.

The purported affected devices include the Samsung Galaxy S, S II, and S III, Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S, Galaxy Note and Note 2, and Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and Tab 2 10.1.

Replicant developer Paul Kocialkowski made this statement on the Free Software Foundation website:

“While working on Replicant, a fully free/libre version of Android, we discovered that the proprietary program running on the applications processor in charge of handling the communication protocol with the modem actually implements a backdoor that lets the modem perform remote file I/O operations on the file system.”

This could potentially allow the proprietary modem architecture found on the above Galaxy devices to read, write, and delete personal user files on the phone’s storage.

Kocialkowski says that his Replicant OS does not cooperate with backdoor requests such as this coming from the modem, but cannot guarantee his OSs integrity if the modem takes over the main processor and rewrites the operating system software.

Samsung has so far not provided a comment in regards to the vulnerability of the backdoor or its actual purpose.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Amazon Prime membership going up to $100 a year

Amazon UK already raised the price of its Prime service, but that was done with a big Kindle Fire price cut to soften the blow. Users in the US will have to take it on the chin – Prime will cost $100, up from $80, in a week.

Amazon announced this with a banner on its home page that looks like Prime is being discounted $20 for the next seven days.

That’s just wishful thinking though, $80 was the price until now. Amazon was considering raising the price by as much as $40, but it seems the etailer has settled on a more gentle bump. And if you think about it another way – $20 more per year is a $1.67 per month – the blow doesn’t seem so big.

Also, keep in mind that students with .edu email accounts can get Prime for $50. If you don’t have Prime or an .edu account, you can start a 30-day trial and lock in the $80 price for the next year, even though the price hike is taking place in a week.

Amazon Prime offers free two-day shipping for many products and streaming access to Amazon’s collection of TV shows and movies. This collection is much bigger in the US than what other countries are getting.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Arnold Schwarzenegger wants you to help him crush stuff with his tank

This isn’t your regular technology topic that you’re used to reading on our Blog, but this is epic. Arnold Schwarzenegger owns a tank and wants you to help him crush stuff with it. How cool is that?

The ex-Governor of California runs a charity campaign and everyone who donates a minimum of $10 is eligible to win an unforgettable day with Arnold and his tank. In the promo video, which you have to check out below, the actor invites you to destroy anything you’d like by crushing it.

With nearly 2 million views, you’ve probably already seen the clip. If not, enjoy it below.

Check out the charity campaign’s website for more information on how to enter.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Samsung Galaxy S5 apps leak: S Note, WatchON and S Health

It’s about a month before the Samsung Galaxy S5 will hit the shelves across the globe but thanks to some work by a developer with early access to the smartphone many of its preinstalled appsare now available for download.

The full list includes the S Note, WatchON, Gear Manager, Gear Fit Manager, Calculator, S Health and S Translator. All of the apps can be installed using the supplied APKs and feature the newer, flat design brought by the KitKat TouchWiz on the Galaxy S5.

The apps will be installable on the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 but would probably need you to be running Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Also some of the apps could require you to freeze the existing instance of the app on your phone – something that can be done only if your phone is rooted. The S Health app has been reported as non functioning (probably due to the lack of a heart-rate sensor on the S4 and Note 3), while the Gear Fit Manager is pretty much useless because chances are you don’t have a Gear Fit to pair with. You could still do a quick visual run-through, though.

Head on over to the Source link for the APK files.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Razer announces updated 14-inch Razer Blade

Razer has announced a new version of the 14-inch Razer Blade that was introduced last year. A lot of the components have been retained in the new model, including the quad-core 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-4702HQ processor and 8GB of RAM. But now you get a stonking 3200×1800 resolution display instead.

The new display replaces the 1600×900 resolution display on the previous mode. It uses an IGZO panel and has multitouch support so you can experience Windows 8.1 the way it was intended to be. Powering the new display is a new GPU: an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M with 3GB DDR5 VRAM, along with the standard integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics.

The new model measures 13.6″ x 9.3 ” x 0.70″ and weighs 2.03kg, slightly more than the previous model. The battery life is said to be around 6 hours for regular usage and 2-3 hours for gaming.

The price has also seen an update, with the base 128GB model now starting at $2,199 and you also have the option of 256GB and 512GB SSD. The new display possibly makes the 14-inch Razer Blade the highest resolution notebook on the market, but one has to wonder if such a resolution is appropriate for what is essentially a gaming machine, where higher resolution just means lower framerate unless you have a GPU capable of handling it.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

VLC beta now available on Windows Store

After a fair bit of delay since it was first announced, the developers of the popular VLC Player application have finally released a new beta on the Windows Store, designed specifically for the Modern UI.

This is mostly the same VLC that we know but in a fresh new design. This means it will still play pretty much everything you throw at it. This is, however, a beta and the developers haven’t been cagey in describing all the issues in the latest version. There is a pretty long list, including lack of hardware acceleration, subtitle and audio issues, lack of playlists and stream support and general stability issues.

Another thing to note is that the VLC beta does not support ARM as of now, so you can only use it on x86/x64 based Windows 8 and 8.1 devices. ARM support is said to be coming in the future.

You can download the VLC beta for the Windows Store.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Nikon 1 V3 announced

Nikon has announced its latest mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the Nikon 1 V3. The V3 has a new 18.4 megapixel 1″ CX-format CMOS sensor, and a new EXPEED 4A image processor. The camera also has a new Hybrid AF system, that allows it to have full autofocus while taking 20 shots per second, the fastest for any camera.

Other features include 1080p60 video recording mode, 720p 120 fps slow motion mode, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and a 3-inch tilting LCD with touch panel.

The Nikon 1 V3 will be sold with a 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom lens, the DF-N1000 Electronic Viewfinder and the GR-N1010 Grip for a $1,199.95.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Truffol Signature luxury case for iPhone 5s review

The Truffol Signature case for the iPhone 5s is an unusual value proposition on the market for luxury cases. Available in three different versions, the two-piece cover is made from premium materials such as aluminum, Italian leather, and different types of exotic wood.

Founded by people with luxury watch industry background, Truffol combines modern craftsmanship and traditional materials. Read on to find out if it the case is worthy of dressing up your iPhone 5s.

I got to spend quality time with two Truffol Signature models – Minimalist and Nature. The Minimalist features aluminum frame and stainless steel back, while the Nature combined the same metal frame with a wooden back plate.

Truffol Signature for iPhone 5s in the flesh

The third available Truffol Signature option is dubbed Classic. It offers a back plate finished in genuine Italian leather alongside the Signature aluminum frame.

The aluminum frame itself is available in different finishes. They include silver, gray, and black.

I found both versions of the Truffol Signature case I tried handsome in the flesh. From the nicely-looking retail box, all the way to the fine details on the case, nothing leaves doubt that it is indeed a luxury item.

Curiously, not everyone around the office shared my opinion on the looks of the Truffol Signature, particularly as far as the front of the case is concerned. A couple of colleagues were adamant that the setup looks like more luxurious box for prototype devices.

All the above considered, I reckon that the design of the case depends on one’s personal opinion. I find it to be a good-looking.

Both versions of the Truffol Signature case I tested will do a good job of keeping an iPhone 5s safe in case of a drop. All edges of the smartphone are completely covered by the case, while a bundled screen protector ensures that the display won’t suffer during an impact.

Ergonomics are undoubtedly the biggest chip in the Truffol Signature case’s armor. Possibly because it is the company’s first product, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the cover was simply not well thought out in this department.

The biggest issue I encountered with the case is that it significantly degrades the signal reception of the iPhone 5s. In areas with normally good reception, the smartphone dropped a couple of bars with the case on.

To make matters worse, on more than one occasion, the iPhone 5s dropped its LTE connection altogether and worked only on HSPA+ network. In short, unless you live in an area with flawless coverage by your wireless carrier, living with the Truffol Signature case on a daily basis might be frustrating.

My second grievance with the ergonomics of the case has to do with the difficult access to the Lightning port and the 3.5mm audio jack of the iPhone 5s. Only the standard iPhone USB cable fits, thus making the device all but impossible to use with additional accessories.

The above issue applies to the 3.5mm audio jack as well. There is a bundled adapter which works with all 3.5mm headphones, though it is uncomfortable to carry in jeans pocket. Its quality is also not on par with the finish of the rest of the case.

Final word

The Truffol Signature case for the iPhone 5s is good-looking and well-built case, let down by incredibly poor ergonomics. If you are willing to compromise on the aforementioned, the cover is a decent value due to the high-quality materials it offers.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Apple reduces iPhone return period to 14 days

Today Apple slashed its iPhone return period from 30 days to 14 days. The policy change applies to iPhones bought from both Apple’s online and brick and mortar Stores.

Other than the shorter period for returning the product, Apple has made no other changes to the conditions. The iPhone you plan to return in that time frame has to be undamaged and include all of the original accessories.

The new 14 days return policy will go into effect from tomorrow, March 13 and marks an effort from Apple to offer similar product return conditions as its carrier partners. AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have all been selling the iPhone with a 14 days return policy.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Windows Phone 8 supports 128GB microSD cards

SanDisk has announced the availability of the world’s first 128GB microSD a few weeks ago at the MWC in Barcelona. It is the world’s highest capacity microSDXC card. But is your device even accepting 128GB memory cards?

Well, if you own a WP8-running Nokia Lumia 1520, then you can insert and use such card.

A user from the WP Central forum called NoRomBasic has tested SanDisk’s latest breakthrough – the 128GB microSD card – and it was fully compatible with a Nokia Lumia 1520. This means Windows Phone 8 supports cards up to 128GB capacity.

Even though the OS may know how to use such a big microSD card, some smartphone-specific requirements still may apply, so if you have another WP handset make sure you double check before you fork out the cash.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 passes through FCC, Tab 8 specs confirmed

Information on all three Samsung Galaxy Tab series 4 leaked a month ago with detailed specs, model numbers and other information. We expected the trio to go official at the MWC in Barcelona, but it didn’t happen.

Today the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 made it through the FCC and the uploaded documents confirm its design and connectivity package – GSM, 3G, LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth.

Even though the FCC docs don’t include the complete specs sheet, someone put the Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 through the GFX Benchmark. This means most of its key specs got uploaded over the GFX database.

Apparently the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 will pack a 10.6″ (odd, right?) display of 1280×800 pixels resolution and will run on Snapdragon 400 chipset with a quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 processor, Adreno 305 GPU and 1.5GB of RAM. Other revealed specs are the 3MP rear and the 1.2MP front camera, 16GB internal storage (12GB actually available) and the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS. Digging into the GFX Benchmark database you can also find the Galaxy Tab 4 8.0. It has absolutely the same specs but less screen estate.

There is nothing official on the Tab 4 series just yet, but since the 10.1 slate has already passed through the FCC the announcement should be just around the corner. A 7″ Tab 4 slate is expected to premiere alongside the 10″ and 8″ tablets.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

OnePlus One will have always-on voice commands, unlocking

OnePlus’ upcoming One smartphone is going to sport always-on voice commands similar to what the Moto X premiered with. The information comes straight from the source and there’s even a poll going to see which command the phone will take – “Ok, OnePlus!”, “Wake up, OnePlus!” or “Alakazam”.

The OnePlus team has tailored the voice feature using Qualcomm’s tech while the CyanogenMod team, which is making the OS for the OnePlus One has implemented it to recognize your voice even in locked state.

The OnePlus One will be able to perform different tasks even when locked and could also do a Google search or set up an alarm.

So far we know the OnePlus One will sport a 5.5″ 1080p display in a body smaller than the Xperia Z1′s , have a quad-core Snapdragon 800 with 3 GB of RAM and will cost lower than $400. The device will become official on March 16.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Gameloft to bring The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to smartphones in April

Gameloft has announced its plans to launch The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The successor to the game that got almost 1 million downloads in the Google Play Store is going to bring improved graphics and new storyline.

The gamemaker says The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will stick to the plot of the movie as a result of the ongoing collaboration with Marvel Entertainment. Gameloft plans to launch the game in April for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

There’s no information regarding pricing yet. The original game costs $6.99 on iOS and Android (currently it’s on a discount, by the way), so we expect its successor to be similarly priced.

Check out the announcement trailer below.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

‘Flappy Bird’ developer considering bringing the game back

Not long after it was pulled off the stores, developer of notoriously popular Flappy Bird game Dong Nguyen says he is considering bringing the game back.

For those who are not aware, Flappy Bird was a popular arcade game for iOS and Android that featured guiding a bird through a series of tightly spaced out pipes. The game was quite difficult but also quite addictive so despite the frustration it caused people kept playing it, which resulted in its astounding popularity. Even though the game was free to play with only the in-game ads being the source of revenue, Nguyen was said to be earning close to $50,000 per day from his game.

However, through a series of tweets, Nguyen later announced that he will take down the game from the stores, which he did. The reason for this, which he provided later, was that he thought that the game was too addictive and his sudden celebrity status was infringing on his privacy. The game has been off the stores for over a month now and in its wake has spawned several clones, none of which have quite managed toe emulate the success of the original.

It seems though that Flappy Bird might be making a comeback and Nguyen says if it does, he will put in a warning that asks players to take a break from playing the game. You can read more about this and a lot more in his Rolling Stone interview in the link below.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Instagram for Android gets leaner and faster with the latest update

Instagram for Android received a major update. Version 5.1 of the popular photo sharing app brings a host of improvements including revamped UI and snappier overall performance.

The new Instagram for Android will now load twice as fast thanks to reduced size and the aforementioned optimized performance. The developers promise that the app “feels native and at home on any Android device” (think smartphones with less than stellar specs).

The app also features neater design. Visuals have been simplified, thus making the app easier to use on devices with both small and large displays.

If you haven’t updated the app on your device already, you can do so by hitting the source link below. Feel free to drop us a line with your impressions in the comments section.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Bill Nye and Andy Samberg, Odd Couple Judges for User Inventions at SXSW

By Maya Baratz

Mar 11, 2014 4:36pm

South by Southwest is known for its convergence of hipsters and geeks, and the hosts of the festival’s Night of Invention event were emblematic of that odd couple vibe.

The SXSW Interactive event is a sort of “Shark Tank” for new product ideas, and the panel of judges included Bill Nye, host of StarTalk Live (and of Science Guy fame), actor and comedian Andy Samberg and Quirky founder Ben Kaufman.

“The challenge is to do more with less,” Nye declared while judging Saturday’s event in Austin, Texas, sponsored by Quirky and General Electric.

The event was simultaneously hosted in front of a live audience and live-streamed to more than 1 million people who tuned in from home to watch and vote on their favorites.

Judges offered their initial thoughts on each product before the greater audience voted on whether it should be created, or further explored for creation, by Quirky, a platform that allows users to pitch products for invention and mass production.

Quirky’s partnership with GE – through which both companies will collaborate to release a series of products over a couple of years — could potentially mean that products being pitched in a forum like Night of Invention may reach a mass market.

Among the products pitched were a self-flushing toilet, a snow-shoveling robot and a sensor that vibrates to encourage skiers to lean farther forward and have better control of their skis. Feedback ranged in tone from humor to poignancy.

Samberg, for instance, seemed to have a bias for the snow-shoveling robot because it looked “like Wall-E.” He didn’t love the idea of the ski sensor for fear it would chip away from our ability to develop the type of instincts we need to ski better on our own.

As pitches came to a close, Nye encouraged the audience to never stop thinking of new problem-solving ideas, mentioning his own unlikely patent for more comfortable ballet slippers as an example of an idea he has yet to put to use.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

SXSW Attendee Shows Us What the Future Could Look Like

By Alyssa Newcomb
@alyssanewcomb
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Mar 11, 2014 3:55pm

(Image Credit: Ken Rohman)

Another day, another self-proclaimed nerd at South By South West.

Nick McGlynn, 31, was photographed riding around Austin, Texas on a Segway, wearing Google Glass while checking his smart phone.

“I thought bringing the Segway to Austin would be the perfect way to get around, and also since it’s a geeky event I figured what’s geekier than riding around on a Segway?” the New York City based photographer said.

McGlynn, who is in the Google Glass explorer program, said his futuristic eyewear was perfect for taking photos as he cruised around town on his Segway.

“All you have to do is wink and it will take photos. And you always have to check your phone to know where your friends are!” he said.

While McGlynn is used to snapping photos, he said he had no idea he was being photographed and didn’t learn he had gone viral until a friend saw a photo of him posted on imgur, where it has racked up more than 87,000  views.

“How much nerdier could I get?” McGlynn said with a laugh.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com