Google has announced the Nexus Player. Nexus Player is powered by a 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor with PowerVR Series 6 graphics, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Voice search built into the remote control. It also has Chromecast and a gamepad that brings Android gaming into the living room.
The Nexus Player is similar to Apple TV except it connects to the Google Play Store to offer films, TV shows, music, apps and games and more.
The next question is how will Apple respond to this.
Google have announced the Nexus 6, made by Motorola. The Nexus 6 will feature Android L 5.0, has a huge 5.96-inch screen and Quad HD (2560×1440) resolution. On the inside it’s running the latest Snapdragon 805 processor. Storage comes in 32 and 64GB configurations, and around the back there’s a 13-megapixel camera with OIS. The phone also comes with a Motorola Turbo Charger, which should give you six hours of power from a 15 minute charge. Qi Wireless charging is also included.
However, unlike the Nexus 5, this will cost a lot of money. It is also too big for most people.
So what do you think?
Google announced Android L yesterday and it really adds a lot of extra functionality. The key points are –
1) Material Design- Android L introduces a new bold colourful UI. Seems like everyone is updating their UI’s nowadays.
2) Notifications -only get interrupted when you decide using priority mode, view and respond to messages directly from your lock screen, Android Lollipop can stop incoming phone calls from interrupting what you’re watching or playing.
3) Battery – A battery saver feature which extends device use by up to 90 mins
4) Security – New devices come with encryption automatically turned on to help protect data on lost or stolen devices
5) More flexible sharing with family and friends – Multiple users for phones. Guest user mode.
6) New Quick Settings now include handy controls like flashlight, hotspot, screen rotation and cast screen controls
7) New connectivity options and improved modes
8) Now runs on ART, android runtime. 4 x better performance ,Support for 64 bit devices, like the Nexus 9, brings desktop class CPUs to Android
9) Improved graphics and audio, video, and camera capabilities. A range of new professional photography features for Android Lollipop that let you capture full resolution frames around 30 fps, raw formats like YUV and Bayer RAW supported. Control capture settings for the sensor, lens, and flash per individual frame
Capture metadata like noise models and optical information. State of the art video technology with support for HEVC main profile to allow for UHD 4K 10-bit video playback, tunneled hardware video decoding to save power and improved HLS support for streaming.
10) Android TV Support for living room devices
And so much more. Makes android very compelling.
Pop musician Will.i.am has just taken the wraps off of his first wearable, the Puls , during Salesforce’s Dreamforce 2014 conference (via The Next Web). The watch ships with a software suite that includes Facebook and Twitter connectivity, Instagram, and even integration with Salesforce. It also features a voice control system dubbed “Aneeda” that’s powered by Nuance. Aneeda also supports basic features such as reminders, music control, alarms, and more.
On the hardware side, the watch sports standard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections along with a pedometer, GPS, acceleromter, and even a 3G connection powered by AT&T (or O2 in the UK) that will allow users to place calls or send text messages and emails without pairing the Puls with a phone at all. The battery is built into the strap, providing plenty of space beneath the face for the other internal components, which includes 16 GB of storage space and a full gigabyte of RAM. It also has built in speakers for music and alerts. A music streaming service is also on offer.
An app called Humin will allow you to share contact information from one Puls to another by tapping them together. It can also associate contacts with location and other data, allowing you to use more conversational voice commands such as “send a text to the guy from the game last week.”
A fitness application is also included that can track basic workout data. A future update is said to be in the works that will allow you to share this information between two Puls watches.
Will.i.am’s new wearable technology company i.am+ will also carry a jacket that powers the PULS, a backpack with a sound system and shoes that tell you how much you weigh and how many steps you’ve made per day. All wearables hook in with the PULS to either help you track information about yourself or power the device. The device itself has a built-in mirrored sim so your phone and the device can use the same number. Developers can also build apps for the PULS. Apps like Humin and Esri already work with the device.
The exact price wasn’t given but the singer said that it will be cheaper than an off-contract iPhone, which comes in at $649. will be available in black, white, pink, and blue. There will also be a solid-gold Puls and one with gold and diamonds.
I’m getting worried about this idea already!
Source – 9to5mac
Google announced the Nexus 9. Below is the full info.
– Size – 8.9 x 6.05 x 0.31 inches
– Weight Wifi version 425 grams, LTE version 436 grams
– Display 8.9 inches (2048 x 1536), 4:3 aspect ratio
– Processor NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit dual-core processor at 2.3 GHz
– LTE model uses Qualcomm MDM9625M modem
– Operating system Android 5.0 Lollipop
– Memory 16GB and 32GB for Wifi-only, 32GB for LTE
– RAM 2GB DDR3
– Network HSPA+/LTE
– Connectivity 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, Wifi 802.11ac, Chromecast
– Camera 8MP rear with BSI, f/2.4, 1080p video
– 1.6MP front, BSI, 720p video
– Sound Front-facing BoomSound speakers
– Battery 6,700 mAh Li-polymer
– Accessories Keyboard Folio, cover
This is clearly a straight hit at Apple and the iPad Air. But does it tempt you with the high resolution screen and Boomsound speakers?
Google has produced 6 short videos promoting Android. I really like these as they are witty at times and not knocking the competition. They also make fragmentation cool.
KAZAM has announced the arrival of the World’s thinnest smartphone in Europe. Available mid November for £249.
At only 5.15mm thin, the KAZAM Tornado 348 is a marvel of mobile engineering. Combining a robust aluminium-magnesium alloy uni-body with a wealth of features:
4.8” AMOLED 1280 x 780 HD Gorilla Glass® screen, the display on Tornado 348 offers resolution and clarity that is hard to beat.
8MP main camera with 1080p video capture, coupled with an incredible 5MP front facing camera, perfect for the ever-popular selfie.
The MediaTek True Octa-core MT6592 processor is blisteringly quick and powerful, easily capable of handling the most demanding of mobile applications simultaneously alongside other features.
All brought together with Google’s KitKat 4.4.2, and supported by KAZAMs unrivalled customer proposition – one year screen protection* and KAZAM Rescue service.
Dimensions [139.8 x 67.5 x 5.15mm], 95.5g. Battery 2050mAh
Impressive that even though it’s 5.15mm thin it still has a 2050mAH battery.
So another week or so has passed since owning the iPhone 6 Plus and some more thoughts of mine are detailed below based on my experiences.
First up I have included a selection of apps that have been updated specifically for the 6 Plus. Screenshots above and below include apps from Newsify, CNN and Safari. The difference of the apps design after being updated for the 6 Plus is incredible and really emphasise the brilliance of the 5.5 inch screen.
I hasten to add that I think these updated apps are better than that found on alternative platforms too.
I just hope that in a few months time a lot more apps take full advantage of the screen real estate. Google+ for example is dreadful in comparison to these apps shown in this post.
My 6 Plus is protected by the black Apple Leather case. I noticed tonight that the leather case is not perfectly cut in a straight line along the right edge. So hopefully this can be exchanged at an Apple store. I took the phone out of the case and really admired again the beautifully design. It is a shame that it is too slippery to be used without a case.
Bugs. iOS 8 still have bugs. I am hoping Apple will release soon a few substantial bugs fixes. Usage. The audio quality whether via headphones or the inbuilt loudspeaker is amazing. I can listen to podcasts just using the inbuilt speaker in the car as it goes loud enough. Bye bye iPad Air. Just have not really used this tablet since owning the 6 Plus.
Reachability. At first I kept forgetting to use this feature. But now double tapping the home button to drop the lower half of the screen is second nature and makes one handed use a piece of cake.
Overall, I am so surprised how much I am enjoying the 6 Plus experience. I really thought android was first option on a smartphone. Clearly not at the moment.
If you own a $200,000 Bentley then spending $10,000 on a phone shouldn’t be an issue.
If you need to know more than the fact it’s got a quality leather finish and Bentley logo then here goes. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat, has a 4.7-inch 1080p sapphire-fronted display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.3Ghz quad-core processor, 13MP rear camera, 2.1MP front camera, 64GB of storage, LTE, NFC and Qi charging.
It has a few more novel features so if you’re interested head over to Vertu.
Via Engadget.com
“Tesco’s Blinkbox video streaming service might be facing a less-than-certain future, but that doesn’t mean the supermarket giant is ready concede defeat just yet. Mirroring similar moves by Amazon and Sky, the company today announced it’s now letting customers grab digital copies of their DVDs and Blu-rays, which can be stored inside a Blinkbox account. Tesco will rely on Ultraviolet to provide a locker service, making previously-bought titles available to instantly stream or download across a wide number of devices, including the new Hudl2. To get started, you’ll need to create your Ultraviolet library, link your Blinkbox account and then get streamin’.”
This sounds like a good idea.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 