Category: Articles

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Microsoft Posts Video Showing XBox One Dash and Multi-Tasking

xbox one home start screen dashboard live tiles kinectGetting really hyped up for the next console generation!

Microsoft is teasing us with this short video showing off the Xbox One’s Kinect integration and giving us a sneak peek of what the UI will look like. Kinda nice seeing some Live Tiles on a TV screen, and it’s certainly clear that Microsoft wants to be the front end interface for your entire living room, as we also get to see IE and Skype in action. Thankfully they remembered to include a little game play footage as well. Because, you know, it IS a game console and all…

Check it out below.

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Polaroid’s iM1836 Android Powered, Lens-Swapping Camera Now Available at Amazon and Walmart

polaroid iM1836 android micro43 camera amazonIt’s fascinating watching companies try to evolve. For traditional film photography businesses like Kodak, it meant leaving the consumer space and moving into corporate imaging. Polaroid however is taking another stab at consumers. The quick-to-print darling built their rep on delivering pics the moment they were taken. In an age of Instagram however, that novelty fades a bit.

Announced back at CES this year, the iM1836 follows in the footsteps of Samsung’s Galaxy Camera, but offers up a few fun twists. The 18MP image sensor is Micro 4/3rds which puts it on par with most entry and mid-level SLR’s, and allows for an interchangeable lens system. The “fun” and immediacy of this new outing comes from a camera body powered by Android, making it a full-fledged multimedia device. Think iPod Touch+incredible optics.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on board for connectivity, so that insta-share experience is maintained. Apps on the camera and your phone allow for instant social media participation over WiFi or your phone’s data connection.

That the iM1836 manages to hit a $299 price point is pretty remarkable, as that’s very close to high-end point and shoot camera territory for an SLR grade image sensor bolted onto an Android media player. The camera isn’t shipping yet, but Amazon can hold you a place in line. Delivery should drop just in time for the holidays.

(via Polaroid)

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PSA: Plants vs Zombies 2 is now Available for Android on Google Play

WP_20131023_15_13_07_ProIt’s About Time? More like “TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!”

But I digress…

Now those of us on Galaxies, Ones, and Droids get to jump into the next chapter of Zombie yard defense. New graphics, new plants, new powers, and new zombies to defeat! Crazy Dave is back to sell you weird stuff, and a whole world of zombie slaying is open to you as you travel to various zombie outbreaks throughout history.

Get planting folks. It’s free to play, with upgrades to buy, and this week you can get the Mighty Jalapeño for 65% off.

Plants vs Zombies 2 on Google Play

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T-Mobile Un-Carrier Part II: Tablets Unleashed – Free Tablet Data for Life!

Nexus 7 (front horizontal)This is dirty (in a good way).

If you buy an LTE enabled tablet through T-Mobile, you can get one for $0 down and monthly payments. For example a New Nexus 7 will cost you $0 down and only$16 a month for 24 months. Here’s the kicker though, you will receive 200MB of data per month on LTE for free for as long as you own that tablet. Bumping up to $10 a month will give you unlimited data (only 500MB on LTE though).

Adding that Simple Choice tablet plan to your monthly bill will also include free worldwide data for those of you globe trotters out there who don’t want to worry about foreign data charges.

Right now the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is currently available, and Google’s Nexus 7 will arrive November 20th. What do you think folks?  T-Mo is getting kinda plucky aren’t they.

More info at Tablets Unleashed. Full PR after the jump.

Continue reading “T-Mobile Un-Carrier Part II: Tablets Unleashed – Free Tablet Data for Life!”

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Nokia Quietly Releases “Refocus” Website – Lytro style focusing coming to Lumia Smartphones?

nokia refocus demo picDetails on this are pretty slim, but it could be an exciting development for mobile photography (pun intended).

For those who don’t know what Lytro is, it’s a special camera which takes photos that allow the photographer to select the focus point AFTER the image has been shot. Take a picture of a scene, and pick what to focus on later. It’s a really sci-fi approach to shooting stills.

It looks like Nokia might be replicating that functionality in a future app update on Lumia Smartphones. Dubbed “Refocus”, it provides similar focus-after-the-fact features, or the ability to make everything in focus. As I’m used to shooting on an SLR, there’s something a little mind blowing about having your entire frame in focus.

Nokia quietly released a website to show off some test pics. As this doesn’t rely on any specialty hardware, it could become a popular feature moving forward, especially when paired with the excellent image sensors built into the Lumia 1520 and 1020. Rumors point to this feature being included on Nokia’s up coming phablet, then filtering into a select number of older phones later through software updates.

Play with this photo below to see how Refocus will work, or hit the link under it to check out Nokia’s site.

Nokia Refocus

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Samsung confirms future Galaxy Gear compatibility with Note 2, GSIII, and GS4

29 gearThe Galaxy Gear has garnered a lot of attention for smartwatches, but the fact that it’s only currently compatible with the Galaxy Note 3 is a little limiting. Samsung officially announced today that they’ll be expanding the line up of phones that can talk to Gear.

Posted on Samsung’s Google Plus profile:

Today we’re announcing that the #GALAXYGear will be compatible with the #GALAXYS4 , #GALAXYSIII and #GALAXYNoteII via the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update starting this month. In addition, the GALAXY S4 Mini, S4 Active, Mega 5.8, Mega 6.3 and S4 Zoom will also support the GALAXY Gear through a separate software update at the end of October.

Of course you have to filter updates through carriers too, but hopefully this means if you’re using one of the above phones and were thinking of trying Gear, your wait wont be much longer.

(via Samsung G+)

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Will Elon Musk Bring Android Apps to the Tesla Model S Dashboard Touchscreen?

model-s-interior1_960x640At a reception in Germany, Elon Musk spoke to a crowd about Tesla’s investment in the German market. Germany is very forward on renewable energy, alternative fuels, and they seem like a natural fit for the Tesla vibe. Especially considering that Germany was the second place market for the Tesla Roadster (behind the USA).

While answering questions about their corporate plans, Musk was asked about developing apps for the huge touchscreen built into the dash of the Tesla Sedan. The Model S currently uses a build of Linux, so porting Android apps over, or running them in an emulator, should be fairly easy to do, and he does specifically mention updating the car’s browser to chrome.

Elon actually takes the stage at 14:47 in this video, and you can skip to 37:20 to hear him answer the question about apps and Android.

I still have some ergonomic and safety reservations about an automobile control surface comprised mostly of a smooth featureless touchscreen, but at least I might not have to learn a new and unfamiliar  UI when I’m finally able to get my hands on a Tesla of my very own… Some day… It could happen… Sigh…

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AT&T Shows Android Some Love With U-Verse App, Live TV

u-verse app for androidIt’s always a bit of a bummer when an app or service is a platform exclusive. I mean I get it why so many services are developed for iOS first, but that waiting for an app on Android can be killer. Whelp, if you’re a U-Verse subscriber, but you’re using an Android phone or tablet, looks like AT&T is finally showing you some love.

Not only will you have the ability to control your DVR and browse on demand content, you’ll be able to watch live TV on more than 20 channels anywhere you have a data connection. Plus, more channels will be added in the future. Not a bad little value add, and now us droids can play too.

So AT&T… With all the cool Lumia gear you guys sell… When might we see a U-Verse app for Windows Phone? That Lumia 1520 has a pretty sweet screen…

(via AT&T)

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