Skyfall gear guide: All the gadgets fit for a spy

Skyfall hits theaters in the United States later this week, but many of the gadgets Bond will use are already available to buy – if you have a Bond budget. Prepare your lusty eyes over these one-of-a-kind pieces.

While the latest 007 flick, Skyfall, has already popped up in UK theaters, those of us in the States will lay eyes on Daniel Craig’s third go around as Bond this Friday, November 9. Of course, the super sleek spy is known for a closet full of badass gadgets, and Skyfall is no exception. Here’s a first look at all the gear Bond will be sporting in Skyfall – and where you can snag some for your next mission.

Aston Martin DB5

Plenty of exotic automotive nameplates have graced the Bond films throughout the decades — Lotus, BMW, and Jaguar have all served as four-wheel chariots for the dapper double O. But another car, more than any other, has come to define our beloved MI6 agent, and that car is the Aston Martin DB5.

Marking its third appearance in the long-running Bond franchise, the iconic Aston is back. We’re not sure what additional gadgets and weaponry the classic car may feature, but we expect upgrades to the original’s bulletproof shield, passenger ejector seat, oil slick sprayer and pop-out guns are in order. Consider our excitement shaken, not stirred, to see DB5 in action once again.

Walther PPK

If you’ve seen the trailer for Skyfall, you might have noticed that Q is a lot younger than we’re used to seeing. In one scene, he is seen issuing Bond a brand new Walther PPK. Perhaps his most personalized gadget yet, this re-modified version of classic Bond handgun has a palm-sensitive biometric reader that will not fire unless Bond is the one holding the firearm. So, enemies, if you’re out of ammo, don’t bother trying to snatch this bad boy from the man. It’s not Bond’s most powerful weapon to date, but it sure is pretty cool.

Globe-Trotter Stabilist Rifle Case

Produced just for Skyfall, this limited-edition rifle case features an aluminium body with a diamond-quilted lining and chrome locks so even your weapons get the ultra-luxe accommodation. The handle in this commercial edition also has the telescopic sight, replicating the James Bond’s version to a tee (without the actual functionality, of course. We can only dream.) Globe-Trotter has crafted only 100 of these for global sale at a retail value of £5,000 (approximately $8,000 USD) so get your order in while supplies last, if you’ve got the cash.

Sony Xperia TL

Every gadget James Bond uses is full of crazy doo-dads and secret features. Oddly enough, with a modern smartphone, there’s an app for just about everything. The Sony Xperia TL is set to be Bond’s phone of choice in Skyfall, and this time he’s in for a treat. The TL will soon be released on AT&T and comes with a 4.6-inch HD screen and an impressive 13-megapixel camera, which we’d imagine would be good for spying. Bond might also make use of the NFC capabilities of the TL, which can pair with other devices by simply tapping it on them. The only downside is that Bond will be stuck using Android 4.0 at launch. Like the rest of us, he’ll have to wait for an upgrade to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) … unless, of course, Q has already hacked into the system to give him all the apps he’ll ever need.

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M

Think you can walk into your nearest Omega retailer, spend big bucks, and get yourself a piece of that James Bond flavor? Well, yes and no. The special edition watch Bond wears in the film can perform any function a phone can (and then some), so expect some hidden tricks to unveil throughout the movie. While your Omega might not be able to shoot lasers, it is equipped with a scratch-resistant crystal dome, a chromium-nitride diving scale, rhodium-plated hands, steel case, and is water-resistant for up to 2,000 feet deep. The limited-edition Planet Ocean Skyfall edition is slated for release some time before the year’s end, with prices to be announced. Bond can be seen wearing the watch in some of the promotional posters, along with a classic black suit. Speaking of which…

Bespoke Tom Ford suit

Hardly a gadget but hardly James Bond without, the staple Tom Ford suit is a must-have if you’re looking to cop Bond’s style. The custom tailored suit uses breathable, flexible fabric that allows Bond to both battle and strut while maintaining a modern fit.

[Additional reporting by Amir Iliaifar and Jeffrey Van Camp]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

ZTE Warp Sequent and Anthem 4G announced, will provide budget Android thrills for MetroPCS and Boost Mobile

Both MetroPCS and Boost Mobile have announced new, budget Android phones this week; the ZTE Warp Sequent and the ZTE Anthem 4G respectively.

ZTE has been busy over the past few days, with two of its phones debuting on two different US networks, and both offering cheap Android smartphone thrills.

The first is the ZTE Warp Sequent, which is available now for Boost Mobile, and as its unusual name suggests — seriously, ZTE, what’s wrong with slapping a “2” on there like you usually do — it’s a new version of the old ZTE Warp.

So what’s changed? The screen remains at 4.3-inches, however it now has a 960 x 540 pixel resolution, plus the processor has been upgraded to a 1.4Ghz, single-core Snapdragon S2. The RAM has been boosted to 768MB, and there’s 4GB of internal storage, plus a microSD card slot to add another 32GB too.

A 5-megapixel camera sits on the back and a 1.3-megapixel video-call lens on the front, while the operating system is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which appears here almost free of manufacturer and network abuse.

Phone fans may recognize this specification as being similar to the Grand X and Grand X IN, and there has been talk that the Warp Sequent could use an Intel Atom processor; however Boost’s specs don’t mention anything other than the clock speed, and the Grand X IN’s Atom runs at 1.6Ghz and not 1.4Ghz, so it’s looking unlikely.

If you’re interested in the Warp Sequent, it’s out now and is priced at $199 without a contract, but you will need to buy one of Boost’s pre-paid plans.

ZTE Anthem: cheap 4G with a catch

On to the ZTE Anthem 4G, which is MetroPCS’ latest budget offering, and it’s particularly notable because the phone is ZTE’s first 4G LTE device to be released in the USA.

It has a 4.3-inch touchscreen with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution, a 1.2Ghz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.

The camera has 5-megapixels and can shoot 1080p video, plus there’s features such as an HDMI-out, a microSD card slot and GPS. It’s a weighty beast though, tipping the scales at 190 grams, and at 13.7mm, it’s not slim either.

What it is though, is fairly cheap at $219 SIM-free, but then it needs to be as it runs Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread. While Gingerbread is perfectly usable, it looks and feels dated when compared to Ice Cream Sandwich, let alone Jelly Bean.

If the outdated operating system hasn’t put you off, then the Anthem’s budget 4G thrills will be available in both MetroPCS stores and online in the coming weeks.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Fitbit announces two new fitness devices: One and Zip

Welcoming the new season, Fitbit is releasing two new fitness activity tracker gadgets -- one to replace its famous Ultra and another for the budget-conscious.

Fitness gadget competitors may have to rethink their pricing strategies now that Fitbit has unveiled two new devices for the season. Following Fitbit’s premier gadget, the Fitbit Ultra, the company is now releasing the One and Zip — both updated to run with Bluetooth 4.0 support so you can wirelessly sync with the latest smartphone models such as the iPhone 4S/5 and Samsung Galaxy S3.

The Fitbit One, the more expensive of the two, is meant to be a major improvement and replacement over the Ultra. The One has a slightly curvier design and contains a clip that holds securely to your clothes to make sure you don’t misplace your pricey gear. It integrates a vibrating silence alarm to wake you up without disturbing your partner. Like the Ultra, the One not only follows the walk, steps, and calories burned in a day but also doubles as a sleep tracker to note the times you fall asleep and when you wake up. In a single charge, the One’s battery reportedly lasts between five to seven days with a battery indicator right on the LED screen. You can currently pre-order the device at $100 in your choice of Black or Burgundy colors, with a shipment date of around mid-October.

If $100 seems like to much to fork over at the moment, Fitbit will also offer a budget alternative. The Fitbit Zip is a $60 version that offers the basic fitness tracking functionalities as the One, just sans-sleep tracking and vibrating alarm. The tiny gadget (which looks a bit like a Tamagotchi toy — remember those?) also measures to just about the size of a quarter, and uses a replaceable battery so USB ports here. Fitbit estimates that the Zip’s battery will last approximately six months.

The Fitbit Zip is available in five colors — magenta, lime, blue, charcoal, and white — and features a plastic, water-resistant body perfect for those wearing this during sweaty workouts. The device also connects to an online Fitbit account to keep track of your fitness activities online. When used in conjunction with the refreshed iOS and Android app, you can cheer on your Fitbit friends’ activities and view a leaderboard of who’s burning the most calories or losing the most weight. Like all previous Fitbit accessories, the accompanying online account offers gamified rewards such as badges for achieving certain weight loss goals. The Fitbit Zip is up for purchase today at the Fitbit official site.

Will the devices stack up to the likes of its competitors, such as the increasingly popular Nike+ Fuelband? Only time will tell.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Motorola Razr M first impressions: Maximized screen real estate at its finest

Here's our first look at the budget-friendly model of Motorola's new Droid Razr line ahead of its September 13 release date.

Motorola announced an updated line of its Razr smartphone family this week, and the first of the three to be released is the Motorola Razr M — otherwise known as its budget-friendly edition. At $100 (with a 2-year contract,) the phone stacks up competitively to other budget phones on the market such as the HTC One V. Here’s our first look at what Motorola has in store for its Razr line.

It’s funny to think that a 4.3-inch screen phone these days is considered “compact,” but that’s exactly how Motorola described the Razr M during its press conference Wednesday. The near edge-to-edge design offers more screen per square inch — which makes the advertised 4.3-inch screen bigger than it sounds. The 960 x 540 resolution display itself is truly vivid especially under the gorilla glass, and the whole device feels more expensive than your average budget phone. Thanks to its Kevlar back, the anti-scratch and added grip makes for a beautifully-designed phone that feels like it’s worth a ton more than one Benjamin.

While the Motorola Razr M comes with an internal memory of 8GB and 1GB of RAM, storage is expandable with the micro-SD slot placed right on the side of the phone. The SIM card slot is also right next to it, so no more opening the back of your phone and digging your nails in to remove either chips. The device is runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is a bit of a disappointment, but Motorola says all the new Razr phones should be getting Jellybean by the end of the year.

The Razr M also comes with a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 processor, 8 MP back camera, and a 3 MP front-facing shooter. The dual-core processor makes the Razr M run extremely fast. Switching between screens is swift, and you can program your own pages and add them as needed. To delete, simply hold and drag the app icon or page to the trash can.  

What’s new about the Razr M is a circle interface that allows you to customize shortcuts. For example, new text messages can appear on the most prominent circle while the second circle is dedicated to weather. For each city you add, you can flip the circle to navigate through the cities and get updated weather information for each location.

According to Motorola, one full charge can deliver an impressive 20 hours of battery life but we’ll see if that claim holds true. Be on a lookout for our full review shortly. In the meantime, the Motorola Razr M is available for pre-order now at Verizon with an official release date of September 13. To get the $100 price, you will have to mail in a $50 rebate through Verizon.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Nexus 7 Vs. The World: Our favorite cheap tablets

The battle for your budget tablet affections is really ramping up. Which 7-inch tablet should be commanding your attention?

If you’re in the market for a small tablet (say around the 7-inch mark) then you are spoiled for choice right now. There are some great options on the market, persistent rumors about some impending new releases, and prices are getting competitive. Let’s take a look at the contenders, kicking off with the Android platform. 

All three of these Android tablets are priced at $200 (for the 8GB versions) and they all have 7-inch displays. You can see a full comparison table in our Nexus 7 vs. Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet: $200 tablet showdown.

Nexus 7

Our Nexus 7 review makes it pretty clear that Google’s 7-inch Jelly Bean tablet is a beauty. It’s cheap; it’s feature-packed; and it runs the very latest version of the Android platform. With a class-leading quad-core processor and a high resolution IPS LCD screen (1280 x 800 pixels), what’s not to like? The lack of a microSD card slot disappointed some people, and the Nexus 7 depends on Wi-Fi (there’s no mobile network option), but beyond that it’s an impressive piece of kit.

Kindle Fire

Amazon’s offering has been around for a while now. It’s a solid device and Amazon is able to link in a great selection of content, but specs-wise it pales in comparison with the Nexus 7. If you primarily want an e-reader then go for a cheap Kindle. If you want a tablet then go for the Nexus 7. The Kindle Fire simply isn’t the best at anything at the moment, though that may change this week. Amazon is rumored to announce a new Kindle Fire.

Nook Tablet

The Nook Tablet is almost identical to the Kindle Fire when it comes to specs, which puts it behind the Nexus 7 too. It does boast a microSD card slot and slightly longer battery life than its competitors, but is that enough? At the moment, it’s tough to beat the Nexus 7.

Other Android tablets

You may also consider the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) which is freshly available on Verizon’s 4G LTE network, but at $350 we think it has priced itself out of the market. You could pick an older entry in the Samsung Galaxy tablet range for less and there are other options out there including the Acer Iconia Tab range, but none of them measures up to the Nexus 7 when it comes to bang for your buck.

On the Android horizon

There have been various rumors about a Kindle Fire 2. It could be a larger tablet to compete with the iPad, or perhaps it will be another 7-inch tablet with upgraded internals. We’ll have to wait and see, but a Kindle Fire upgrade seems imminent. Amazon enjoyed enough success with the original to make a follow up a foregone conclusion.

We also know that Barnes & Noble is working on a new Nook device. The release date is uncertain, but we can expect something capable of carving out a niche in this competitive space.

iPad mini

Is the iPad mini fact or fiction? We still don’t know, but all those iPad mini rumors just won’t go away. If Apple was to release an iPad mini then there’s no doubt it would represent a real challenge for all these 7-inch Android tablets. The deciding factor could be pricing. Suggestions of superior specs and a comparable price tag simply don’t add up. If Apple was to drop an iPad mini for around the $200 mark and accept a slim profit margin in order to strike out at its competitors then it would certainly do well. We’re not convinced that’s really Apple’s style, though.

The wealth of iPad apps available and Apple’s legion of loyal fans would make it successful even at a higher price point than the competition.

BlackBerry PlayBook

RIM’s original tablet release didn’t set the world on fire, but the software has been updated since then, and the price has fallen. Check out our BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 review to get a feel for what it can do. The latest PlayBook supports 4G, but it certainly isn’t cheap. 

What it offers over the Nexus 7: Well there’s a rear-facing camera that can record HD video, but not much else. The price of the U.S. version of the latest BlackBerry PlayBook has not been announced yet, but it could be north of $500 off-contract and that’s way too high to compete.

Microsoft Micro Surface

There were rumors about a 7-inch Microsoft tablet prior to the Surface being announced, but the new tablet turned out to be sporting a 10.6-inch display. The Microsoft Surface was unveiled but there was no word on pricing. If you look at the specs and size, you might wonder why it’s mentioned here at all. Well, Engadget reported that an anonymous source told them that the Surface would ship in October for just $200. That would mean Microsoft would make a loss on each one so it seems unlikely, but if it turned out to be true then the Surface would be a really strong contender.

What should you buy?

It’s a predictable answer, but if you want to buy a budget tablet tomorrow then it has to be the Nexus 7. If you’re willing to wait a while then the next Kindle Fire is likely to be worth a look and there’s always an outside chance that the iPad mini will make an appearance. It will also be interesting to find out what the Surface will cost.

We’ll make sure you know about it if something better than the Nexus 7 comes along.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

YouTube now features 150 free movies from Troma

Troma, everyone's favorite low-brow, low-budget film studio, has uploaded 150 movies from its catalogue for free viewing on YouTube.

Lloyd Kaufman’s Troma Entertainment has made a name for itself by bucking Hollywood trends. The company’s films are made with shoestring budgets, storylines designed to appeal to an audience’s most basic instincts, and an utter disregard for society’s notions of “decency.” Most crucially though, Troma’s films are very fun, which is far more than we can say for most $150+ million blockbuster efforts slapped together in a Hollywood backlot.

In keeping with this trend of flouting Tinsel Town conventions, Troma has taken to YouTube over the past few months to upload 150 films spanning the company’s surprisingly immense catalogue of movies. Now fans can watch “classic” Troma flicks like Rabid Grannies, and Poultrygeist free of charge, on demand and as often as they’d like. Unfortunately, this collection of free movies doesn’t include many of Troma’s most famous films — there’s no Toxic Avenger, no Class of Nuke ‘Em High and, most depressingly, no Surf Nazis Must Die – but that’s understandable, at least from a fiscal standpoint, as these films are the ones most likely to generate huge bags of cash at some point in the future and releasing them totally gratis would be detrimental to Troma’s ability to generate profits from these properties.

However, as if to make up for this noticeable lack of the studio’s most popular films, YouTube’s Troma Entertainment channel also includes a number of older films the studio has been distributing. Films like White Zombie (a 1932 movie starring horror icon Bela Lugosi that is widely regarded as the first entry in the “zombie movie” subgenre) and the endearingly terrible Shark, a Jaws clone that inexplicably features Burt Reynolds, back when the man could still draw swoons from female fans with the slightest hint of his hypnotically bushy chest hair.

Now we’re not saying that this is the greatest collection of cinematic masterpieces in history — far from it; these movies are objectively terrible — but we are urging anyone who has never been exposed to a Troma film before to take advantage of the firm’s generosity as soon as possible. Despite their flaws, Troma’s movies all have a deliriously entertaining sense of mayhem, and if you have the desire (and intestinal fortitude) to discover something wholly unlike the mainstream pabulum Hollywood has been regurgitating en masse for the past century, then now will likely be your best opportunity. 

That said, we should probably drop a “Not Safe For Work” disclaimer here to prevent any of you from firing up one of these flicks in front of your boss. The people who work at Troma could probably get away with it, and we have to imagine that these movies wouldn’t really faze those who work in slaughterhouses, but if you’re a typical cubicle worker who spends your days grinding away on depressingly meaningless paperwork your boss probably won’t be too keen to join an impromptu screening of Zombie Werewolves Attack!

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

HTC Desire X stars in a promo video, tells us all about its cool features

HTC recently announced a budget dual-core Android phone – the HTC Desire X. A new promo video for the phone tries to highlight its strong suits. Just like its big siblings, the Desire X packs Beats Audio and a 5MP camera with a BSI sensor, F/2.0 aperture and ImageChip for burst shooting.

Hop after the break, to see what else HTC thinks the Desire X has going for it.

The video touts the HTC Desire X dual-core processor – and indeed that’s one of the best bits of the device’s specs sheet. The HTC Desire X uses a Snapdragon S4 Play chipset, which unfortunately is pretty far from its Krait-based S4 companions. The phone has a MSM8225 chipset with two Cortex-A5 cores at 1GHz, 768MB of RAM and Adreno 203 graphics.

The video also mentions the screen – the 4″ WVGA Super LCD screen – and the Beats Audio integration. By the way, the Desire X also supports Apt-X for it’s Bluetooth audio streaming.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

New Desire X joins HTC’s gang of budget Android phones

HTC has announced the Desire X, a new budget Android phone with a 4-inch screen, a dual-core processor and Android 4.0.

HTC hasn’t really entered into the spirit of IFA 2012 so far, with no flashy press conference scheduled and except the rumored announcement of the Flyer 2 tablet, a distinct lack of chatter surrounding potential new devices.

It hasn’t turned up entirely empty handed though, and it has today announced the HTC Desire X, a new entry into its budget Android smartphone line-up.

Despite it hanging around the lower end of HTC’s range, the Desire X has a solid specification, beginning with a 4-inch Super LCD touchscreen with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution.

Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is the operating system, and as usual, HTC has covered it up with version 4.0 of its Sense user interface. The phone is powered by a dual-core, 1Ghz Snapdragon processor with 768MB of RAM at its disposal, plus the Adreno 203 graphics chip too.

The Snapdragon processor is Qualcomm’s MSM8225, also known as the S4 Play, which differs from the exciting new S4 Pro chips by featuring a pair of ARM Cortex A5 cores instead of Krait cores, and being built using a 45nm process rather than the 28nm process for the S4 Pro.

It’s a little less impressive on the imaging front, as it has a 5-megapixel camera that shoots 480p video, while other features include Beats Audio, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 4GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot and a 1650mAh battery.

Initially leaked as the HTC Proto, the Desire X sits somewhere between HTC’s entry-level Android smartphone, the Desire C, and the entry-level One series phone, the One V. It also shares a similar specification to the dual-SIM Desire V model announced recently for selected markets.

With the announcement of another budget Desire phone, HTC confirms that the Wildfire name has been retired, although according to TechRadar.com, it could return in the future.

At the moment, the HTC Desire X is headed for European and Asian markets later this month, with no word on pricing or a US release just yet.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com