Archive for 2014

By April 24, 2014 Read More →

Is the OnePlus really a $1 smartphone?

oneplus-one-announcement-02-970x646-cGoogle’s Nexus does not seem to the only modestly priced powerhouse on the market. OnePlus have launched the inexpensive One, a $300 high end phone with some killer features.  OnePlus will be available at some point between April and the end of June in America, UK, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Taiwan. The is no exact release date however review samples have made their way to various outfits.

Most interestingly the OnePlus will run Android, but it’ll be a custom version of the popular CyanogenMod. Running on the new Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM and a 3100mAh non-removable battery will be inside the device.

Other specs include a 13-megapixel, six-element, f/2.0 Sony Exmor IMX214 sensor. Image stabilization and slow-motion recording at 720p will be standard, and a fast 0.3s shutter speed is promised. The camera also shoots video in 4K (Ultra HD), and selfie fans will welcome a 5-megapixel front camera fitted above the screen.

What’s that about $1? Their website brags that you might be able to acquire the device for as little $1, however there is a timer counting down. 

Posted in: News, Phones
By April 23, 2014 Read More →

New rumours Google eyeballing HTC for another Nexus

HTC-TabletThis rumour has been heard before, however this is supposedly “supply chain” intel to corroborate them. According to this newest report, Google is still considering teaming up with HTC on a new Android Tablet. This may be an 8-inch device. The second part of this rumour suggests that Google is considering eliminating the Nexus line of Android tablets altogether after this device.

There are two possible reasons why Google could be using HTC instead of Asus for a future tablet. First, Google is apparently looking for a new outer design for the Nexus tablet. Second, according to the report, Asus has not been very motivated to try and push the Nexus tablet line, instead they are trying to build up its own brand cache. Ironically, this is exactly what Google wanted. They specifically put restrictions on how Asus could push the Nexus line. This was meant to spur the company to create its own line of Android products. 

Apparently, Google’s whole purpose with the Nexus tablets was simply to jump-start the industry so that Android tablets could compete effectively with the Apple iPad. Since that has been mostly successful, Google is considering pulling back to let the various OEMs run the show now. Asus is a good example of the outcome that Google was aiming for.

Posted in: News, Rumours, Tablets
By April 23, 2014 Read More →

The Mobile Tech Addicts Show 20-04-14

vlcsnap-2014-04-14-17h44m50s213Tracyandmatt.co.uk present this quick look at the technology news for the last week. Gareth Myles comments on some of the more interesting stories including Project Ara, The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and US Airways legendary twitter activity.

This is our second show and we’re aiming to make this a regular feature so, as always, your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Posted in: News, Videos/Unboxings
By April 22, 2014 Read More →

Nokia to become Microsoft Mobile yet still be known as Nokia

398079-nokia-and-microsoftNokia and Microsoft have sent a joint email to Nokia account holders talking about the process of data transfer between the two entities. It would appear with the sale of Nokia’s Devices & Services business to Microsoft, a Microsoft Finnish affiliate named Microsoft Mobile will assume “responsibility for your personal data and the contractual relationships for the products and services related to this business.” The email adds that customers “should experience no difference as a result of the sale.”

Essentially, the name of the will be changed to Microsoft Mobile, however, Microsoft is likely to continue using the Nokia as the consumer-facing brand. 

Privacy, Data Protection and Service Terms Information Regarding the Sale of Nokia’s Devices & Services Business to Microsoft

 

Hello,

We wanted to share some important information about your data privacy and contracts.

Nokia currently expects to complete the sale of its Devices & Services business to Microsoft in April 2014. With the completion of this transaction, a Microsoft Finnish affiliate* assumes responsibility for your personal data and the contractual relationships for the products and services related to this business. Microsoft cares deeply about your privacy and the protection of your personal data and will continue to collect and use your personal data in the same ways and for the same reasons as Nokia, and you should experience no difference as a result of the sale.

Also, please note that Nokia will continue to run its businesses, including HERE location-based products and services, which are not part of the Microsoft acquisition. The responsibility for your personal data and your contractual relationship relating to these Nokia products and services remains with Nokia. Nokia continues to be committed to the highest standards to protect your privacy and your personal data.

We wanted to give you notice of these changes. Our commitment to your privacy remains paramount. To learn more about Microsoft’s and Nokia’s privacy policies and service terms, click here. You may also contact us at: Microsoft Mobile Oy, c/o Privacy, Keilaranta 7, 02150 Espoo, Finland or Nokia Corporation, c/o Privacy, Keilalahdentie 4, 02150 Espoo, Finland.

Sincerely,

Chad Fentress

Vice President, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer

Nokia

Brendon Lynch

Chief Privacy Officer

Microsoft

* With the completion of this sale, the Nokia Devices & Services business will be part of this Finnish entity, Microsoft Mobile Oy, a subsidiary of Microsoft Corp.

Posted in: News, Phones
By April 21, 2014 Read More →

Baldur’s Gate casts itself onto the Play Store

Screenshot 2014-04-20 21.21.44The Classic RPG Baldur’s Gate from Black Isle Studios has come to Android. Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition is now available for Android and can be found on the Google Play Store for £6.99. The RPG is one of the most beloved on the PC, many will have played it and shall rejoice at the news.

Here’s a quote from the Google Play Store with a full game description:

The dawn is especially cruel this morning…

For as long as you can remember, your view of the world has been limited to the heavily fortified walls of Candlekeep. Your foster father, Gorion, has done everything in his power to protect you and keep you out of harm’s way.

All of that is about to change. Forced to leave your home under mysterious circumstances, you find yourself drawn into a conflict that has the Sword Coast on the brink of war. An iron shortage of unknown origin threatens to plunge the city of Baldur’s Gate into conflict with Amn. Meanwhile, there is something else at work, far more sinister than you can even begin to fathom…

Since its release in 1998, this classic saga of mystery, intrigue, and adventure has set the standard for Dungeons & Dragons™ computer roleplaying games. Customize your hero’s traits and abilities, recruit a party of brave allies, and explore the far corners of the Sword Coast in your search for adventure, profit… and the truth.

Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition contains the original 60-hour epic, as well as the following expansions:

* Tales of the Sword Coast: Explore the fabled Durlag’s Tower and more locations from the original Baldur’s Gate expansion.
* The Black Pits: You have been captured and forced to fight in Baeloth’s marvelous arena. A myriad of monsters await, as well as countless other adventurers who face the same fate. Maim, murder, and maul your way to freedom… if you can!
* Discover countless improvements we’ve made to the original game, including high-resolution fonts, an improved interface, dynamic zooming, and more!

Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition also offers the following premium content available for purchase:

* Brothers Lost: Lend your aid to Rasaad yn Bashir, the Sun Soul monk, as he scours the Cloud Peaks in search of his lost brother.
* Neera and the Red Wizards: Save the wild mage Neera from the cruel machinations of Thay’s dreaded Red Wizards.
* Path of the Bloodied: Join the blackguard Dorn Il-Khan in taking revenge against those who betrayed him in Luskan.
* Gallery of Heroes: Reimagine your character with eleven never-before-seen character portraits from acclaimed Icewind Dale artist Jason Manley!
* New professionally recorded voice sets to choose from to further customize your character.

 

Posted in: Apps & Games, Retro Tech
By April 20, 2014 Read More →

The Quest for E.T. is on

atari-2600-et-the-extraterrestrialLegend has it that Atari buried a massive stock of unsold E.T. cartridge alongside Atari hardware and other games in an Alamogordo, New Mexico landfill after the famous 1983 video game crash.  The Alamogordo Daily News reported in September 1983 that between 10 and 20 semi-trailers from an Atari facility in El Paso, Texas were buried at the landfill. Sounds like an urban legend and you would wouldn’t be alone in thinking that. However, the story even appeared in The New York Times, and an Atari spokesman confirmed the report at the time.

No specific Atari merchandise was mentioned to have been dumped, many reports have stated that upwards of 3.5 million copies of the 2600 game E.T. The Extra Terrestrial be found in the mythical landfill. It seems entirely probable that the Atari dump contains a wide variety of Atari game consoles and computer hardware not to mention unsold video game cartridges.

Fuel Entertainment has received permission from the city to excavate the site on April 26, 2014. They plan on creating a documentary film surrounding the myths, facts and exploration of this legend. The general public has been invited to attend this dig, so if you’re an Atari fan and in the area, be sure to attend! 

2014 would appear to be the biggest year of the E.T. game since 1983 as the Angry Video Game Nerd has also based his first feature film about the landfill with an outlandish quest to discover it.

Posted in: Retro Tech
By April 20, 2014 Read More →

SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive Unboxing

sandisk-SDWS2-032G-A57-9-lThe SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive is a simple little USB peripheral that opens a wifi connect and allow off device storage with streaming capabilities. The big bonus here is allowing the user the ability with swap out the MicroSD card inside creating limitless possibilities for storage on the go. 

Here I’m unboxing and setting up the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive…

 

 

 

SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive features:

  • Wirelessly store, share, stream movies, photos, music, and documents across your smartphones, tablets and computers

  • Simultaneously connect & access data stored on up to 8 devices via Wi-Fi

  • No internet connection, cables or router required, works on all Wi-Fi enabled devices

  • Up to 4 hours of video streaming on a single charge

  • Access with free app, compatible with iOS 5.0 or later, Android 2.3 or later and Kindle devices

  • Access with internet browser, compatible with all Wi-Fi enabled devices

  • Charging and accessing with USB 2.0 connection interface or higher

  • Optional Wi-Fi password protection and 128-bit AES encryption

 

 UK stockists are Amazon (£41.90)  Currys (£49.99) and PC World (£49.99). Those prices relate to the 16GB size. 

The 32GB size is priced at £59.99 whilst the 64GB size is priced at £99.99.

Posted in: Gadgets, Storage Devices, Videos/Unboxings
By April 19, 2014 Read More →

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact unboxing

xperia-z1-compact-gallery-02-1240x840-dad66cd05b7d66abf67ab3f1e7cee212Sony released the Xperia Z1 Compact a little before the Z2 and the it seems to be a happy medium between the Z1 and Z2 in a smaller form factor.

Here we take an initial look at Sony’s modestly priced, smaller, high-end phone. This device has almost everything you would expect from the Z1 and more, combined into a smaller handset. Also features the water resistant technology, Walkman software and and elegant design.

 

 

 

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact specification:

  • Dimensions -127 x 64.9 x 9.5 mm (5.0 x 2.56 x 0.37 in)
  • Weight – 137 g
  • Display – 720 x 1280 IPS LCD
  • Data – HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL
  • Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
  • Camera – 20.7 MP, 5248 х 3936 pixels, autofocus, LED flash + 2 MP, 1080p@30fps
  • Processor – Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400
  • Internal memory – 16 GB, 2 GB RAM

 

Posted in: Phones, Videos/Unboxings
By April 18, 2014 Read More →

Mobile Tech Addicts Podcast 224: Cellular modular interactive ovular

Podcast-Logo.jpgGareth, Dan and Phil are back for more phone and tablet chit chat from the UK

In this week’s show we discuss Windows Phone 8.1 developer software, Google Camera going standalone on Google Play, The Amazon Phone, Project Ara and much more.

Google release Chrome Remote Desktop app for Android

Project Ara reveals some interesting prospects

 

Featuring Gareth, Matt and Phil

 

Posted in: Podcast, Videos/Unboxings
By April 17, 2014 Read More →

Project Ara reveals some interesting prospects

project-araFor those who are not aware Project Ara is the fruition of a much fabled modular phone, a phone with interchangeable parts. The idea of being able to add functionality to your phone by purchasing a module, be it a larger screen, better camera or some such and clicking it into the appropriate bay. Project Ara developers’ conference is currently taking place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. An exciting announcement yesterday was their first Project Ara “gray phone” will launch in January of 2015 for $50. Quite a bit aways although it’s great to have is on the map, for now.

To spice things up there is $100,000 up for grabs for one lucky developer who comes up with the best module. Obviously the will really help as an incentive to push creativity beyond standard bluetooth, camera and wifi modules. Developers will be judged on novelty, functionality, elegance, quality, impact, and commercial potential. Two runner ups will be receiving all-expense paid trips for up to 3 people to the next Project Ara devcon and will be guaranteed hardware for their project.

The challenge will kick off in May, Google will make available around 100-200 units of the prototype hardware to developers and it will draw to a close in mid- September.

Posted in: Phones
https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/surgical-face-masks