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Author Archive: Gareth
Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.
Lets take a look at the latest games on the Android platform.
Trouserheart is a new hack n’ slash game has arrived onto Google Play from 10tons called Trouserheart. In this game you are not trying to save a princess who has been kidnapped, free a realm from a monster invasion or any other typical fantasy type of theme you find in a lot of hack n’ slash games. Instead you’ll be out to rescue a pair of pants that has been stolen from the king.
Trouserheart Features:
- Meet peculiar enemies
- Hoard treasures
- Upgrade your sword, shield, and armor
- Defeat 10 unique bosses
- Gain more than dozen achievements
- Explore exciting environments
- Choose between two difficulty levels plus the perma death mode
It looks like the new 4.4 KitKat version is the most significant upgrade for Android in a quite some time. It includes a massive array of new features.
Here’s a quick breakdown of many of the features:
- Now supports lower-end devices and can run on just 512MB of RAM.
- It will now have a new launcher.
- Translucent system UI styling.
- Enhanced notification access.
- Includes faster multi-tasking.
- More advanced caller ID.
- new white/gray color scheme and fonts.
- There is a new sensor batching technology. This is meant to cut down on sensor power consumption by grouping and prioritizing requests. Google claims it is now 25% more accurate, and can ask back for clarification.
- It will now have wireless printing functionality.
- Includes support for IR Blasters natively. It is limited to sending functions only for now. It can’t learn or receive yet. This is probably just a feature that is in progress since it is mostly not very useful yet.
- Native screen recording and can output in MP4 format.
- Now supports Moto X-style “OK Google” voice commands. For now this only will work with the Nexus 5. Supposedly this feature is hardware dependent, although Google hasn’t shared what is required.
- Bluetooth devices will now be able to control the system volume directly instead of having to adjust two different volumes.
- There is a new lock screen which includes a camera shortcut. You can also rearrange your homescreen.
- Built-in Chromecast support.
- Chrome web view.
- Full-screen wallpapers with preview.
- HDR+ photography.
- Location in Quick Settings.
- Low-power audio playback.
- Music and movie-seeking from lock screen.
- The NFC payment system doesn’t require using the secure element anymore. It uses a software based emulation work around. Because of this, carriers can no longer use this as an excuse to not support Google’s NFC payment functions.
Even at that, there is more. Little tweeks and drops of oil to make things run better. Google have put together a pretty terrific package and from what I can gather, here is a list of a few device that will see 4.4 arriving:
HTC phones to get Android 4.4
- HTC One – sometime in 90 days
- HTC One mini – sometime in 90 days
- HTC One max – sometime in 90 days
- HTC One Google Play Edition – sometime in 15 days
Nexus Devices to get Android 4.4
- Nexus 4 – “the coming weeks”
- Nexus 7 – “the coming weeks”
- Nexus 10 – “the coming weeks”
Samsung Devices to get Android 4.4
- Galaxy S4 – “in due course” end of 2013 or early 2014
- Galaxy Note 3 – “in due course” end of 2013 or early 2014
Sony Devices to get Android 4.4
Others Devices to get Android 4.4
Annoying, despite the promise that KitKat will run nicely on low end devices Google have dropped the Galaxy Nexus from the update schedule.
I’m back with a long overdue look at some of my recent pick ups from the days gone by.
This time there is a follow-up to a piece of kit I stumbled upon a month ago, the Amstrad NC200 is the big brother of the NC100 complete with new features and some top notice goodies included in the package.
Adding to my Gameboy hardware collection I have picked up a couple of different generation Gameboys complete with a couple of games. And finally the jewel in the crown is another gem for the Atari Jaguar collection, a game that was not fully released at the time of the Jaguar’s demise, brace yourself!
Recently the market for Chromebooks has expanded massively with four new models arriving around the same time, the largest of these being the HP Chromebook 14.
Packing a number of extra features over the Chromebook 11, HP have crammed in a 14″ screen, an SD card reader and a new Intel processor with Haswell technology. On a spec sheet this is nowhere near the bleeding edge, and for a Chromebook the step up from the models that have gone before is minimal. This doesn’t seem to be the typical convention of a Chromebook.
Our HP Chromebook 14 review unit came to us without its original box so no unboxing video here this time. However, we do still take you on a tour around the hardware and show you a little of the setup and getting started elements of Chromebook.
Google decided to show off the next-gen version of their Google Glass hardware. They previewed the image to the right on the Google Glass Google+ page. As you can see they would rather show than tell. The only real difference which is immediately noticeable is that it now has a mono earbud. We aren’t sure if this means they had to give up on the skull-vibrating setup in the previous version, of if this is just an additional option.
Google also claimed they have improved the hardware, without getting into specifics. This post also serves as a reminder to Google Glass Explorers that they will be able to “trade-up” later in the year when this next-gen version is released. The only other detail that we can share is the new Google Glass will support prescription frames. Also, if you are already Google Glass Explorer, later this year you will be able to invite up to three friends to get a Google Glass.
German Tim Cannon, a “biohacker” has stuck a giant computer chip beneath his skin. The Android power device transmits his biometric data to other Android devices. The chip is kept safe because it’s sealed inside a protective case. The device is powered via a battery, which needs to be charged. Thankfully this has some wireless charging technology built in.
The craziest part about all this is that, as he explains in an interview with Motherboard, no certified doctor could ever perform the operation required to get the chip inside his arm. My guess is a doctor probably likes their license too much to attempt something like this. So he instead had to get help from “body modification enthusiasts”, the type of people who put stuff like horns under their foreheads. As you do.
The guy who ended up doing the job was one such enthusiast by the name of Steve Haworth. Because Steve isn’t a medical professional, he wasn’t licensed to use aesthetics. The device, called a Circadia, is going on sale soon for around $500. installation price not included.
Gareth and Matt enjoy a warm and fuzzy recollection of days gone by in this the latest instalment of the Retro Tech Addicts podcast.
In this week’s show we talk about Windows XP, the first Apple iPod and the HTC MTeoR. Also in this show we discuss the rise of HTC and several of their key, early handsets.
This was also an experimental show. We’ve used Google Hangouts to record this week and later we’ll have a video of the show to share too. It’s not polished and obviously we’ll get better at this as we progress but we thought we would share it nevertheless.
We would really appreciate your feedback!
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It is now confirmed that the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset will be coming to Android and that Android users will also have their own headset. A newly announced mobile headset will be a lighter consumer version of the Oculus Rift headset already planned for PC.
We have some exciting plans on the mobile VR side as the PC VR side. We’re really looking at hitting the consumer market. We’re very excited about what we’re seeing. Skeptical about how good mobile VR could be on such a small platform. It’s pretty incredible what [John Carmack has] been able to do. – Chief executive officer Brendan Iribe
Unfortunately there isn’t a whole lot more in terms of details than what was mentioned. As for when we can expect the Android headset to be released, the company is hoping to have both the PC and Android versions release simultaneously or as close to it as possible. No word on pricing as of yet.
Canadian Carrier WIND Mobile has just posted a pre-registration page for the Nexus 5 on Facebook. Specs for the device have been semi-confirmed along with the tag-line, “Google Nexus 5. The smart, new phone made to capture the moments that matter.” Here are the quick specs listed:
Nexus 5 specification:
- Screen: 4.95-inch 1920×1080 display (445 ppi) Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Cameras: 1.3MP front facing 8MP rear facing OIS
- Weight: 130 grams
- Dimensions: 69.17 x 137.84 x 8.59 mm / 130g
- Operating System: OS Android 4.4, KitKat
- Chip Set: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz
- Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) 802.11 a/b/g/n/nc NFC (Android Beam) / Bluetooth 4.0
- Storage / Memory / Ram: 16GB or 32GB internal storage 2GB RAM
- Ports & Connectors: microUSB, SlimPort enabled, 3.5mm stereo audio jack, Dual microphones, Ceramic power and volume buttons
There is a report from the Wall Street Journal today that hints we may see the next phase of the wearable tech rolling out very soon. Google is already nearing mass production on a new Google Now smart-watch. In fact, if the timeline they are suggesting is as accurate as their rumour, then we might see a Google Now connected smart-watch revealed in the first quarter of 2014.
According to the WSJ report, Google is working hard to address the two primary concerns/complaints with a wearable smart-watch, usefulness and battery life. Google is planning to address these issues head on by imbuing their smart-watch with far greater functionality and a deeper integration with Google Now services. Additionally, they have focused a great deal of development on increasing power efficiency for the device so that it can last several days on a charge.
Here’s a quote with more details:
The new device, which will run on Android, will be integrated with Google Now, the company’s intelligent personal assistant that can answer questions, make recommendations and predict what information users need based on what they are doing, a person familiar with the situation said. Google has also been working to reduce power consumption on the smartwatch so it won’t require frequent battery charges, the person said.The smartwatch will be able to communicate with other devices such as a smartphone, and draw information such as travel schedules from a user’s email through Google Now, the person said. The device could be ready for mass production within months, the person said.
Whether Google’s smart-watch can fire on all cylinders and deliver a compelling experience will have to be judged once it really does come to market. Regardless, it certainly looks like the ball is rolling on the evolution of wearable computing devices, despite not taking off the way smartphones and tablets have.
Lets take a look at the latest games on the Android platform.
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