Category: Articles

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Qualcomm announces 64-Bit Snapdragon 410 chipset with World Mode 4G LTE

Qualcomm-Snapdragon-410 lte worldA bit techie, but stick with me.

We’re watching a smartphone revolution happen. It’s a little quiet now, but it’ll heat up very quickly. The exciting growth sector next year wont be in premier and high end phones. It’ll be in emerging and developing markets. We’ve seen hints of this with the popularity of the Nokia Lumia 520 and Moto G. Now Qualcomm is pushing forward with a new chipset designed to improve the mobile data experience for low-cost smartphones.

The Snapdragon 410 chipset is a 64-bit quadcore with integrated world mode LTE. We’re struggling to crawl out of the “chicken or egg” problem of delivering faster bandwidth to emerging markets. If they don’t have devices to support LTE, why build out the network? If there’s no network, why include expensive radios? The 410 aims to solve part of this problem by including LTE in a package which is designed for phones around the $150 off-contract price point. That’s Lumia 520 and Moto G territory.

The 64-bit addition could be interesting as well. Apple struck first, and we can take that as a clue or a cue that they might start merging the iOS and OSX ecosystems. We know Microsoft is working towards that with a planned release of “Threshold” in 2015, bringing Windows Phone and Windows 8 together. Qualcomm is now offering up hardware which might better facilitate that kind of software integration. Imagine Windows Phones, which can offer a robust computing environment like Windows RT for $200 or less powered by LTE data. Remarkable.

Read the full PR after the jump.

Continue reading “Qualcomm announces 64-Bit Snapdragon 410 chipset with World Mode 4G LTE”

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Chromecast supporting 10 new apps, Plex and Avia media streaming!

google chromecast tv hdmi dongle somegadgetguyDevelopers are moving forward with Chromecast integration, and it’s starting to look really good.

Announced today on the Chrome Blog, ten new apps have been officially added to the Chromecast repertoire. The list of standalone services includes VEVO, Red Bull.TV, Songza, PostTV, Viki, Revision 3, and BeyondPod.

What’s also interesting is the growing list of local streaming apps. Chromecast allows you to share a tab on your computer’s browser, but it wasn’t a great solution for streaming music or video stored on your computer’s hard drive. Now with Avia, RealPlayer Cloud, and Plex this process should get a lot easier.

Alongside recent additions like Hulu, HBO Go, and Pandora, the Chromecast ecosystem is looking a little healthier. Who needs a Nexus TV AmIRite?

Our setup and review video of the Chromecast!

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Google adds Sony Z Ultra to Google Play Edition stock Android Portfolio

sony z ultra google play editionNo sooner do we post on the LG GPad 8.3 GPE, then we discover the Sony Z Ultra is also playing ball.

Yup, we now have a proper phablet offering for those who want a true-blue stock Android experience on a larger screened phone. Offering up a 6.4″ 1080p display, it’s also the first GPE device to rock Qualcomm’s screamer Snapdragon 800 quad core. 16GB of storage on board with a MicroSD card slot, and the Z Ultra is also water resistant. A nice little touch there, helping the survivability of a somewhat pricey gadget.

Speaking of price, you’ll drop $649 for a Z Ultra of your very own. Not a bad price at all for a proper phablet, and it looks like handsets should be shipping out in 1-2 days. Get at it folks!

Sony Z Ultra GPE on Google Play

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LG Intros GPad 8.3 Google Play Edition Tablet

LG-G-Pad-8.3 front and backLooks like rumors surrounding a possible Nexus 8 tablet from LG were only MOSTLY false…

Google Play Edition phones are popular Android handsets running stock Android. We’ve seen Samsung and HTC strip out all of their custom software on the Galaxy S4 and One phones. LG will be offering up the first GPE tablet with the GPad 8.3. The specs make it a solid competitor for the Nexus 7: a 1080p screen powered by a Qualcomm 600 series chipset and 16GB of storage. Now you can choose between a GPad with LG’s custom software enhancements, or go with a clean, pure stock tablet.

GPad 8.3 GPE will start at $349, which on top of a Nexus 7 price, also nets you a MicroSD card slot and an IR blaster.

Full PR after the jump!

Continue reading “LG Intros GPad 8.3 Google Play Edition Tablet”

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Halo: Spartan Assault released for XBox One on December 24th

halo spartan assault video game somegadgetguy screenshotOne of the best games for Windows Phone and Windows 8 is now making its way to the XBox One this Christmas Eve.

Spartan Assault is a top down arcade style dual stick shooter set in the Halo universe with all of your favorite weapons and power ups. Over 30 missions will be on tap, and 343 Industries has polished up the game to be displayed in glorious 1080p at 60fps. Console gamers will also have access to a new online co-op mode to plow through missions with their bestest pals on Live. You lucky dogs.

This new take on Halo will launch at $15, but if you’ve already purchased the game for Windows Phone or Windows 8 (or purchase it before Dec. 15) you can get it for $5. If you’ve been looking forward to Halo: Spartan Assault, you should really jump on buying it now as you can schnag it for Windows 8 and XBox for$12, instead of $15 for the XBox standalone version.

Check the teaser trailer below.

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AT&T Customers Can Now Roam in Canada on Roger’s LTE Network

ATT logoMarking the first international partnership for LTE roaming, AT&T customers can now sign up for discounted rates on Rogers’ 4G network when traveling through Canada.

Covering 70% of Canadian’s, Rogers will be lighting up LTE in 95 markets over this next year. For you world travelers, an AT&T Data Global Add-On package should help take some of the fear out of using your smartphone while on a trip. We all know someone who came home to find an outrageous bill because they used their phone overseas.

The packages  are tiered 120MB for $30/mo; 300MB for $60/mo; and 800MB for $120/mo, and are good in over 150 countries, but of course traveling to Canada will guarantee you the four gees speed.

Full PR after the jump.

Continue reading “AT&T Customers Can Now Roam in Canada on Roger’s LTE Network”

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Long Term Review: The LG G2 on AT&T – Look, Feel, and Function from LG’s premier Smartphone

LG G2 Camera reviewOnly my second LG review!

The G2 is a MONSTER phone on paper. Incredible screen, huge battery capacity, big camera specs, and a brilliant tablet-grade processor. Having used the phone out in the wild for a couple weeks now, does real world performance live up to the specs on paper? Does this phone live up to LG’s promises?

Let’s take a look!

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Top 5 for the week starting Dec 1st, 2013 – LG G2 news, Batteries, and Cases!

ballistic hydra waterproof case iphone 5s test review somegadgetguyThese were the top read and most shared stories from SomeGadgetGuy last week! LG ruled the week, but we also got in a few accessories. Nice little round up as we wrap up 2013 and the holiday buying season!

Let’s jump in!

5 – Using a Ballistic Hydra Rugged case for iPhone 5 on an iPhone 5S

The nice thing about how Apple updates the iPhone with a tick-tock system, cases for the iPhone 5 largely work with the iPhone 5S. If you’ve been looking for a rugged case for the 5S, this waterproof case might do the trick!

4 – Review: Ravpower Lipstick Charger and Flashlight

003This week, Chris took a look at a handy little portable charger + flashlight combo. RAVPower has become a favorite here at SGG, offering up very good mobile charging solutions at great prices. Looking to extend your phone’s run time out in the field, maybe this gadget will help?

3 – Ask Juan: Why won’t my Moto X show up as a USB drive on my Mac?

An opportunity to play a little tech support? On a tech blog? Who’d have thunk it? Robin has a problem with his Moto X and his Mac playing nice together. Seems this is a pretty common problem seeing how popular this post was last week…

2 – Real World Battery Test: The LG G2 – 47 hours to “Critically Low”

LG G2 Camera reviewI don’t do a lot of battery bench marking. It’s very time consuming, and usage is very relative. What’s heavy to one person is light use for another.  That said, when a phone comes along with exceptional battery life, I at least need to point out how it handled real world activities.

1 – Camera Test: The LG G2 on AT&T – video samples from a 13MP Android with Optical Image Stabilization!

And the number one story from last week was a doozy! LG made some pretty bold claims surrounding the camera on the G2. It’s only the second Android with optical image stabilization, and it has three times the resolution as the HTC One. Did the G2 camera live up to the hype?

We’re nothing without you readers, and we certainly can’t compete against the big blogs by ourselves. We always greatly appreciate not only the likes, but the sharing on social sites like Google Plus, Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit. The more we get to talk with other tech fans, the better we get, and soon we’ll be able to reward that participation with some fun contests coming up soon!

Thanks for reading, and if you feel we missed a big story this week, or you have a hot tip, please drop us a line on our Contact Page!

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