Author Archive: Gareth

Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.

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By June 4, 2013 Read More →

Asus announce a slew of new devices

asus-fonepad-note

We have an exciting list of new devices Asus today. Computex 2013 kicked off this morning and Asus came to the party intending to make an impact. Lets get right to it, the first here is the new MeMo Pad FHD 10. This one Asus decided to outfit this one with an Intel processor. Here’s the rest of the specs:

  • 10-inch full HD resolution display
  • Intel’s dual-core 1.6GHz ATOM chipset from the Clover Trail+ family
  • 2GB of RAM
  • Android 4.2 to start
  • Available in both 16GB and 32GB configurations
  • Also will come in either black or white
  • WiFi N, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS
  • 5 megapixel camera on the rear
  • 1.2 megapixel camera on the front
  • Stereo speakers and more

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The second Asus announcement today is the MeMo Pad HD 7. With this one Asus is taking things to a whole new competitive level with pricing. The device has decent specs and a killer price of just $129.99. There are some rumours floating that Asus designed this to replace the Nexus 7 in their line-up, but we will wait to see more info before passing judgement on that. Here’s a breakdown of specs:

  • 7-inch 1,280 x 800 screen
  • 5-megapixel and 1.2-megapixel cameras
  • SonicMaster audio
  • ARM Cortex A7 quad-core CPU
  • A microSD slot and a micro-USB socket
  • Android 4.0
  • 8GB version for $129 & 16GB version for $149

Next there is a hybrid, the Asus Transformer Book Trio and it is basically a notebook/tablet device that runs both Android and Windows 8. This baby doesn’t skimp on power either. Here’s a spec breakdown,

  • Intel’s Core i7 chipset inside the notebook for the Windows side of things
  • A 2GHz Intel ATOM-based Z2580 chipset for the Android tablet part
  • 11.6 inch 1080p display
  • 64GB of flash storage in the tablet portion
  • 1TB hard drive inside the dock/notebook
  • The dock/notebook includes its own bigger battery separate from the one in the tablet

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Next, who’s up for a new Transformer Pad Infinity? The new version of the device will likely be the most powerful new Android tablet to hit the market later this year. It will be coming with a 1.9GHz Tegra 4 quad-core chipset. It will also come sporting a phenomenal 10.1-inch "Retina Level Display." Here’s the full spec breakdown:

  • 10.1-inch 2,560 x 1,600 display
  • NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 4 chipset clocked at 1.9GHz
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 5 megapixel rear camera
  • 1.2 megapixel front camera
  • 32Gb of internal storage
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • USB 3.0, an SD card slot (probably part of the dock)
  • HDMI-out with support for 4K video

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Asus is also launching the 6-inch FonePad Note. Here’s a full breakdown,

  • 6-inch 1080p resolution
  • Android 4.x
  • Stylus Included
  • Radios for data and voice
  • Intel’s 1.6GHz Z2560 Clover Trail+ processor
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 8 megapixel camera
  • Two-Front facing stereo speakers

As you can see, this device will be a huge competitor in the phablet market (and we mean that literally and figuratively). Again Asus didn’t share specifics on dates or prices for this one, but we will let you know after more details emerge.

 

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Posted by: Gareth

Posted in: Phones
By May 31, 2013 Read More →

HTC One just got sexier

htc-one-nexusJust as the Samsung Galaxy S4 has an exciting, new vanilla Android experience, HTC is offering the same experience for the HTC One, a phone widely regarded as the best on the market at the moment.

Removing what might be considered bloat this version of HTC One has had the pretty overlay of HTC Sense removed to make way for a pure Android experience. Recently, the same treatment had been given to the Samsung Galaxy S IV announced by Google at their Google I/O conference earlier this month. The HTC One had been rumoured as another possible experiment and it is only today that it has been confirmed as true, love it ?  check these products to make your testosterone run.

Some will not understand the reasons for getting rid of the pretty interface on top of Android however anyone who has been using a Nexus device over the past few years will understand the benefits of the no-frills approach. Allowing developers more freedom, a fresh canvas for customisation and reported improvements to device stability and speed.

You can find out more over at the HTC Blog and check out Matt’s review the device here. It will be interesting to see if this becomes standard play for devices and how well they sell.

Posted by: Gareth

Posted in: News, Phones
Tags: , ,
By May 30, 2013 Read More →

Nvidia Shield is ready to go

nvidia-project-shield-handheld-android-gaming-console

Nvidia has published a blog post taking a detailed look at the behind-the-scenes effort regarding their Android-powered handheld gaming device called Shield. In case you’ve missed it, the pre-orders are live for these devices as of May 17th and will run you $350 to snag one right now. While the behind-the-scenes look is pretty interesting, Nvidia has posted another video that showcases the final firmware of Shield, pre-loaded games that will come with it and more.

Up until now the firmware has been worked on and it looks like Nvidia is finally happy enough with it to call it a final build, at least for the device’s launch. As with any firmware there will be updates that happen and new features added, just like anything else running Android. Nvidia also shows off some pre-loaded games which will be coming with the device: Sonic 4 Episode II and Expendable Rearmed.

While the video seems more like a commercial than anything else, at least we get to check out the final firmware and some games in action on it.

 

Posted by: Gareth

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Posted in: Phones
By May 22, 2013 Read More →

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 spec leak

Tab3PlussThe newest hot Android tablet from Samsung might be coming pretty soon. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 just got its press pic leaked. We also have some intel on specs for the device. Here’s the industry speculation at the moment,

  • Wi-Fi, 3G and LTE versions
  • Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
  • 8-inch 1280 x 800 pixels display (could be better at time of launch)
  • 1.3MP front-facing camera
  • 5MP rear camera
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Dual-core 1.5GHz processor
  • 1.5GB of RAM
  • 16GB of internal memory
  • MicroSD card support (up to 64GB)
  • 4,450 mAh battery

As you can see, the specs aren’t spectacular, but perhaps the price will be competitive because of that. If they can price it below a certain point it could put the squeeze on the Apple iPad Mini. We will keep you apprised if something more concrete comes out.

Posted by: Gareth

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Posted in: News
By May 17, 2013 Read More →

Some love for Google TV

Google-tv-logo3-lGoogle has been mentioned at Google I/O this year. Although not specificly in the keynote, they announced some cool new things for the service. First, Google is now sending out the latest Android 4.2.2/Jelly Bean to Google TV. This is a welcome upgrade and should get GTV users excited. Additionally, they are also sending out the latest version of Chrome as well. Now browsing on your Google TV should be even faster than before.
That’s not all. Google also announced they plan to bring updates to Google TV on a much more timely basis, specifically stating “weeks rather than months.” Here’s a quote below from the Google TV developer’s blog G+ account with all the details,

Quote:

Over the past few months Google TV has gathered momentum by launching powerful features for our users such as the highest quality voice search of any TV product and strong manufacturer adoption of the platform. At Google I/O, it’s time to talk about developers and enabling them to bring more great experiences to TV.
Today, Google TV is moving to the latest version of Android (Jelly Bean, 4.2.2), and we’ve refactored Google TV so that our TV OEM partners can update to future versions of Android in a matter of weeks rather than months. For developers, this means you can build TV experiences using the latest Android APIs, including the NDK.
Today Google TV is also moving to the latest version of Chrome, and from now on Google TV benefits from Chrome updates on the same six week cycle that you’ve come to expect from Chrome. In Chrome on Google TV, we’ve added support for hardware-based content protection, enabling developers to provide premium TV content in HD within their web apps.
Google TV-powered devices in market will start to receive updates in the coming months, and we expect to see new devices launched later this year. If you are attending Google IO, please check out the “Android: As seen on TV!” session and stop by the Google TV Developer Sandbox area.
https://developers.google.com/tv/

LG has already updated some of their new Google TV equipped LG HDTVs with the newest Android 4.2.2 version. Above is a video of the TV with the new update.

Posted by: Gareth

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Posted in: News
By May 17, 2013 Read More →

ARCHOS Unveils the ARCHOS 80 Xenon

image002Archos, the little French company that did, is currently  preparing to launch another Android tablet that is easy on the wallet. Featuring a wave of uninspiring specifications, the tablet sets itself apart from the rest with Archos’ signature approach to Media consumption. The inclusion of Xenon in the title does not, however, apply to a flash technology for the camera.

 

Posted in: Tablets
By May 13, 2013 Read More →

Rumours surrounding the Nexus 7 2

nexus-7-3498We have bit of intel from an "analyst" in the mobile industry. As usual, feel free to be sceptical of this news. Supposedly, this analyst was privy to the new specs of the next-generation Google Nexus 7 Android tablet. Here’s what was "revealed,"

  • 7-inch LTPS display with 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) resolution
  • quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor (APQ8064)
  • 5-megapixel camera
  • HD front-facing camera
  • Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth
  • NFC
  • 4000mAh battery with Qi wireless charging support
  • Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

These specs are pretty enticing, especially considering the tablet is supposedly going to stay at its original price-point. As you can see, this new version will come sans NVIDIA hardware in the next go-around assuming this rumour turns out to be true. It will also come with an upgraded screen and the Android 4.3 version we have seen rumoured for the past week or so. Finally, it’s also interesting to see the added rear camera and wireless Qi charging support. Overall this new Nexus 7 is turning out to be a hardcore competitor.
As an interesting side note, this story came with some additional intel. Supposedly, Google will sell this device at a loss again when it hits the Google Play Store. Unfortunately we have no idea when that will be, although Google I/O next week should clear that up.

Posted by Gareth

Posted in: Tablets
By May 3, 2013 Read More →

A Nexus 11 coming?

nexus_10_large-full-frontalThere’s a new rumour hitting the web regarding the next generation Nexus Tablet from Samsung. Supposedly, Samsung is working on the Nexus 11, which will actually be an 11-Inch Premium style tablet. We’ve heard mention about this previously, but today we have a few more specs supposedly leaked. Here’s the skinny:

  • 11-inch Super PLS TFT display
  • 8-megapixel rear camera & a 2-megapixel front-facing camera
  • A microSD slot
  • Samsung’s Exynos 5 octa-core processor (this was rumored previously)
  • Most likely Android 5.0

What is obviously new about this is the odd 11-inch display. If this intel is accurate, we may be seeing three new Nexus style tablets this year. Earlier rumours suggested a new generation Nexus 10 and Nexus 7. Of course, if Samsung is doing a Nexus 11, it may instead replace the Nexus 10 in the lineup. What do you guys think of a tablet this size?

Posted by: Gareth

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Posted in: Tablets
By April 30, 2013 Read More →

What’s inside Google Glass?

google-glass-closeupPreviously, we shared Google’s release of the basic features & specs of Google Glass. The info they shared was a bit limited because it didn’t share some of the specifics of the internal hardware. Today, the full hardware specs of the current generation of Google Glass have been shared by one of the developers who has the device already. Here’s a quote followed by a full breakdown,

Quote:

I’m a geek and it’s still awesome to nerd out on the guts. +Liam McLoughlin (Hexxeh) also found the USB debugging setting and got ADB working (looks like it was broken on my primary machine). Once I got it working I pulled up some details about Glass. Key points are:
* It’s running Android 4.0.4 – Ice Cream Sandwich – just as Larry Page said
* It’s an OMAP 4430 CPU – Dual Core? – Having trouble finding exact mhz
* There’s 682mb of RAM (678052kb reported in /proc/meminfo). Kernel messages lead me to believe it’s actually 1gb but some is being used for other hardware purposes(?)

Posted in: News
By April 17, 2013 Read More →

Glass App pops up

unnamedGoogle has launched a ton of new and relevant stuff for Project Glass. First up, the beta explorer units are rolling out of the factories and will be shipped to early adopters very soon. Second, they already put their MyGlass app on the Google Play Store along with a setup page. Next, they revealed the full specs of the device. Here’s a bullet-point breakdown for you:

  • 640 x 360 display – however, because of its location close to your eye, it simulates a 25-inch hi-def monitor from a distance of eight feet
  • 5MP camera
  • 16GB of internal storage supported by “Google cloud storage”
  • Audio via bone conduction
  • Battery life = “one full day of typical use” and will charge with a standard microUSB cable
  • WiFi and Bluetooth

Google also released the Mirror API which will be handy for developers wanting to whet their appetite on the new platform. Just remember to take them off in the bathroom.

Posted by: Gareth

Posted in: News
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