Smartwatch and Projector Phone Concepts Showcased at Lenovo Tech World

lenovo-new-logo-2015-bgLenovo wrapped up their Tech World conference by talking about the future and showing off some concept products.

As we throw around buzz words like “Internet of Things” the tech industry is actually facing it’s next major hurdle in how we can better integrate data and services into people’s daily lives. Products like smartwatches are another step in that conversation.

smartwatch concept front2Lenovo’s Magic View concept takes the standard smartwatch face we all understand (which looks a lot like the display found on the Moto360), and adds a second virtual screen. That small rectangular patch below the watch face is a virtual privacy display which can project content up to 20 times larger than the watch face.

concept phone with projectionProjection was a hot topic for phones too. Smart Cast is the world’s first laser projector in a mobile phone. Not only will it display the contents of your screen onto a flat surface, but it will also allow you to interact with the UI through the projection.

Lastly, Lenovo announced a partnership with Microsoft to bring exclusive features to Cortana on Lenovo PC’s. REACHit will provide cloud search and sync access to Cortana for popular services like DropBox and Google Drive. Files in the cloud and on various PC’s, Tablets, and Phones will all be accessible to users regardless of where they are or which device they’re using.

As Lenovo continues their lead in the PC space, most of the talk at Tech World focused on a future where services and information are a bit more fluid than the traditional PC experience. Buying Motorola was certainly a step in expanding their influence in the mobile market, and now “Internet of Things” is looking like the next arena they want to play in.

You can see more from the conference on Lenovo’s Youtube channel.

Android Wear 5.1 on the Asus ZenWatch – New Features and Review!

Google put a fresh coat of polish on Android Wear and built in a few new features to play with! Let’s take a look at Android’s newest smartwatch OS!

Shop the ZenWatch on Amazon.

Lumia 640XL Review – Microsoft Refreshes Their Budget Phablet

Big screen! Little Price! The advertising campaign pretty much writes itself. Microsoft has refreshed the hardware and design of their entry level line. Let’s take a look at the Lumia 640XL!

Lumia 640XL Camera Review
Lumia 640XL Speaker Test

T-Mobile Offering Free 128GB SD Card For Pre-Ordering LG G4

Pre-Orders for the LG G4 start today at T-Mobile, and Lil Magenta is throwing in a sweet offer for folks putting their money down early.

Not only does it appear that they are selling the leather edition for the same price as the plastic back G4, but they’ll also throw in a 128GB MicroSD card for free. On top of LG’s promotion of a 32GB and a spare battery, early G4 adopters could be rocking some serious storage on their phones for cheap.

Supplies are limited, so if this sounds good to you, better jump. We also have a full review, and a whole host of comparison linked below to help aid in your purchasing decision. Enjoy!

LG G4 Camera Review
LG G4 Speaker Test
G4 vs G Flex 2
G4 vs G3
G4 vs Galaxy S6

How to Restore Browser Tabs in Mobile Chrome for Android 5.0 Lollipop

I’m not a fan of how Chrome handles browser tabs by mixing them into the main list of apps when multitasking. I think it’s very poor design for a smartphone, cluttered and a waste of space. Thankfully there’s a way to fix this!

Lenovo Announces Z41/Z51 and Ideapad 100 “Simple” Laptops

Z51_White

As Lenovo continues their lead as the number one PC manufacturer, the company took the wraps off of two new lines of laptops available next month.

Lenovo Z41/51

Z51_White

Billed as the “Ultimate multimedia workstation for music and movie lovers”, these new Z laptops are focused on home entertainment. Full HD displays will be powered by Intel processors (up to a Core i7) and there will be options for discreet AMD graphics. Dolby is on tap for their surround sound technology, and the Z51 will also come with Intel’s RealSense 3D front facing camera. The RealSense camera can be used for gaming, capturing 3D photos, or scanning objects for 3D printing.

The 14″ Z41 and 15″ Z51 will start at $499. A Z51 with 3D camera and 8GB of RAM will sell for $599

Lenovo Ideapad 100

Ideapad_100_14_Black-8-OutlookGetting down to basics, this new Ideapad is focused on delivering a streamlined experience at a low price.

Ideapad_100_14_Black-11-VideoIn 14 and 15 inch flavors, Ideapad 100 borrows from recent tablet success using an Intel BayTrail low power processor, and can be configured with up to 500GB of storage. The slim notebook will start at $249 when it’s released later next month.

You can catch Lenovo’s full press release below.

Continue reading “Lenovo Announces Z41/Z51 and Ideapad 100 “Simple” Laptops”

Viewer Poll Results: The Best Smartphone Camera? The LG G4!

We’ve been playing with more polls, and we started off with a doozy.

Shooting individual comparisons between some of the top smartphone cameras on the market, we put the results up to you our readers and viewers. Galaxy S6, Lumia 930, LG G4. Which phone came out on top? Based on your vote, The LG G4 is currently the best camera available on a smartphone today!

The G4 goes on sale early next month, but we’ve already got the most in-depth review of LG’s newest shooter available online. Hit the video below, and if you want to see the individual comparisons we’ve got them linked underneath.

Congratulations LG!

Galaxy S6 vs Lumia 930
Lumia 930 vs LG G4
LG G4 vs Galaxy S6

Microsoft’s Cortana Coming to Android and iOS

cortanaAs part of their roll out for Windows 10, Microsoft will be making their services as accessible as possible to people on all operating systems. They’ll be delivering music apps, for example, which will tie into OneDrive for people to stream their entire music collection anywhere they have data.

Most interesting however is the recent reveal that their digital assistant Cortana will also be going cross platform. Syncing any phone with a Windows 10 PC will setup their companion app which provides deep integration with services on the phone.

Similar to Google Now and Siri, Cortana can look for relevant information in emails and calendar entries, and can respond to voice commands. She’s become popular for having a bit more personality than offerings from Google or Apple.

It’s an interesting move from Microsoft as they shift away from making popular services exclusive to their ecosystem, and opens the door to broad adoption from people on every platform. You can catch more info in their announcement video below.

(via Microsoft)