Tracy and Matt's Blog

A new Nexus 7 just round the corner

Gareth — 2013-06-19T09:48:28Z

The next generation of the Google Nexus 7 will likely be hitting the streets pretty soon. It was just spotted at the FCC with Android 4.3 and a couple different radio versions in tow (GSM and WIFi). Specs for the device are even available through some indirect sleuthing by several websites. The way it was determined that the tablet at the FCC is actually the Nexus 7 required some deductive reasoning and several different puzzle pieces. I won't bore you with the rundown, but here are the specs:

7-inch display (1920 x 1200 or 1080p) resolution
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064)
Adreno 320 GPU
2GB of RAM
32GB of storage
5-megapixel camera
1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
NFC
Wi-Fi 80211n with dual-badn
LTE
(possibly) Qi wireless charging
profile: 7.5 to 8mm

Posted by: Gareth

Technorati Tags: Nexus 7 2,nexus,second generation,adreno,snapdragon S4 Pro

Original post from Tracy and Matt's Blog.

Mobile Tech Addicts Podcast 202: A bargain at twice the price?

Gareth — 2013-06-19T08:11:11Z

Gareth and Matt are here with another UK update on the mobile front. A new budget HTC causes a little concern for Gareth and Matt as gets all excited over Apple's recent announcements, Gareth can't help but to try and burst his bubble.

Featuring Gareth and Matt

Original post from Tracy and Matt's Blog.

HTC Desire 200

Matt — 2013-06-18T11:26:08Z

HTC have just made the rumoured HTC Desire 200 official.

The Desire 200 launches as a budget handset and has a Desire HD Mini look to it with a 3.5" LCD screen offering a seemingly old-school 320x480 resolution. There's a 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM which should be adequate for the entry level but the 4GB of built in storage will have many reaching for a MicroSD card, which fortunately the Desire 200 supports up to 32GB cards.

The fact that there is a removable battery will keep many happy in that the can have a stand by battery ready to swap when needed.

Full spec can be found below:

Original post from Tracy and Matt's Blog.

Highlights From Apple's Conference

Matt — 2013-06-18T10:31:32Z

Monday, June 10 marked the beginning of a big week for Apple, as the tech titan held its Worldwide Developers Conference to unveil new innovations and products. Over the past 6 months or so, many begun to question whether or not Apple has begun to lose its edge in tech competition, and some feel that the closest you can come to an exciting new Apple product is a new iPad accessory from MySmartBuy. Nevertheless, the company remains driven and creative, and truth be told is still ahead of its competitors. In that regard, the Conference contained a bit more news than many expected.

Of course, there's no significant iPhone upgrade coming just yet - but here are a few words on some of the improvements and new products Apple announced at the conference.

iOS7
The highlight of the conference, iOS7 is generating more positive press than Apple has seen in over a year. Specific upgrades involve automatically updating apps and a "flat" visual design, as opposed to the current 3D design. iOS7 will be available on iPhone 4 and all newer models, as well as the iPad Mini and iPad 2.

iRadio
Essentially Apple's very own version of Pandora, iRadio, coming in the fall, is a personalized Internet radio station. It will choose music based on user preferences and iTunes purchases, and will come in both a free and paid ($25) edition.

Photo Organization On Devices
Until now, Apple devices have offered little organization when it comes to photos. Now, these devices will automatically catalogue photos based on the time and location at which they were taken, allowing for smoother organization.

iBooks Updates
Not only will the iBooks feature now be available on Mac computers in addition to mobile devices, but the design has also changed. Instead of the classic wooden bookshelf appearance, the new iBooks looks more like iTunes, with a white background and book covers on display in rows and search categories.

Macbook Air Changes
The main change with the Macbook Air is what essentially amounts to all day battery life. For the 11-inch version, battery will last for 9 hours; for the 13-inch, an astounding 12 hours of battery will be available.

Password Assistance
Remembering different passwords for different sites and programs across all our devices can be a tough task. Apple is now providing us with Cloud support for passwords, allowing devices to remember all of our passwords in a secure fashion.

Siri Updates
Siri is becoming more dynamic, with the main change being the fun option of a male or female voice. New commands, such as "play my last voicemail," are also available for the ever-improving robot voice.

Mac Pro
This peculiar, all-black cylinder shaped computer was perhaps the most mysterious highlight of the conference. But basically, it sounds like an incredibly capable and powerful new computer option coming soon.

Posted by: Matt

Original post from Tracy and Matt's Blog.

Usher teams up with Samsung Smart TV’s

James — 2013-06-17T10:14:40Z

Usher, eight-time Grammy winner, one of the best-selling musical artists in history and currently one of the coaches of NBC's hit show, "The Voice," has teamed up with Samsung Smart TV and digital agency Huge to create a digital short film inspired by the title track from his current critically acclaimed album, "LOOKING 4 MYSELF." The film, Usher's 'Looking 4 Myself' Presented by Samsung, is available via Samsung's YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/samsungtelevisions.

"Our goal was to create a one-of-a-kind film that brought Usher, a global music icon, together with international technology leader Samsung, to create an artistic and extraordinary digital film experience that people will want to view and share," said Ross Maupin, Creative Director of Huge. "By seamlessly integrating the Samsung Smart TV into the film starring Usher, we are setting a new standard in viral marketing."

Original post from Tracy and Matt's Blog.

Retro Tech Addicts Podcast -1: Beta

Gareth — 2013-06-14T01:06:45Z

Gareth and Matt are back looking at a bunch of fond memories from times gone by Retro Tech Addicts podcast.

Featuring Gareth and Matt

This day in the past

HTC Touch Diamond

The 'Smart' phone?
Matt: Nokia Communicator 9000i
Gareth: Sony Ericsson t68i

The First Console

Matt: Philips Videopak G7000
Gareth: Sega game gear

Listeners:

@bazz7777777
Arcades would be a good subject, remember pacman, dragons lair, after burner and space harrier to name a few

@DragonsLairDoc
Dragon's Lair brings back very fond memories. vimeo.com/37600315

Email us: Podcast@tracyandmatt.co.uk Tel: 0208 123 3757

Gareth Myles - @garethmyles

Matt and Tracy Davis - @tracyandmatt

Music by James Everett

Posted by: Gareth

Technorati Tags: Retro,Technology,8-bit,16-bit,sega,htc,nokia,sony ericsson,philips

Original post from Tracy and Matt's Blog.

Green Technology to Improve Your Household

Matt — 2013-06-13T07:42:26Z

Many people have green aspirations - after all, who wouldn't want to save the planet. Some people, however, allow worries associated with the potential costs of going green to keep them from realizing their eco-friendly goals. While some green products - like striking smart cars - are expensive, others are highly affordable. Instead of continuing to put off the adoption of green practice, start with something small and affordable, like adding some green technology to your home.

Home Security

You can stay green while keeping your home secure. According to www.securitycompanies.com, do-it-yourself home security systems are viable, green options, thanks to new technology. Companies like FrontPoint Security now offer systems that you can order online or via the phone - saving the gas-sucking drive a salesperson would have to make. You can even install these entirely wireless, drilling-free systems yourself. The billing process is even green with paperless statements.

Original post from Tracy and Matt's Blog.

Xbox at E3 2013

Chris — 2013-06-13T06:14:20Z

This week starting 10th June is one of the, if not the ultimate week of gaming excitement that gamers across the globe get to enjoy. I'm talking of course about the yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo in LA and this is where we see the latest and greatest announcements from the industry leading companies in gaming.

This year was always going to be one of the best E3'sever simply because we were going to see the biggest console battle between two companies for 8 years ish, the battle is of course between Microsoft and Sony respectively. Both companies have announced their new next generation consoles, the Xbox One and PS4 and to be quite honest before the conferences the talk was all about how Microsoft could 'redeem themselves' after the shambles they created after their Xbox One reveal event a couple of weeks previous. To a point I think that Microsoft did redeem themselves by showing some incredible games running in real time on their new console, but the problem regarding the trading in of games and the 'online check in' still remains.

Original post from Tracy and Matt's Blog.