Apple has released iOS 8.2 beta 4 and this time it makes the clearest display that the Apple Watch is close to being released in a month or so. March is the probable time line for this smart watch.
So hands up if you are looking to acquire one of these?
The LG G Flex 2 is now available to pre order at Amazon Germany http://www.amazon.de/LG-Flex-Full-HD-POLED-Display-2-GHz-Octa-Core-Prozessor-13-Megapixelkamera/dp/B00R4TCGLG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421074073&sr=8-1&keywords=G+Flex+2&tag=rnwap-20 for 599 euros.
So if you want early doors with this phone then thats the premium price you will need to pay. The G Flex 2 has a 5.5-inch curved P-OLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing shooter.
Lenovo announced a fitness band featuring a curved E Ink screen. The main body is wrapped in metal either black, gold or white along with a rubberized strap. The band weighs just 30 grams. E-Ink means 30 days battery. The device continuously monitors your steps, calories, travel distance, sleep quality and you also get notifications from your phone using Bluetooth LE.
What is interesting with this band is another wearable that doesn’t use Android Wear operating system being announced at CES 2015.
Lenovo also announced several phones. Of interest, was the Vibe X2 Pro Smartphone.
VIBE smartphones gets bigger and faster with X2 Pro
Sporting the same eye-catching, award-winning layered design of the Lenovo X2, the Lenovo VIBE X2 Pro limited edition smartphone brings craftsmanship, power and style to the next level with its sleek, lightweight full-metal body. The VIBE X2 Pro packs a 5.3-inch FHD display with stunning visuals and a 64-bit Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Octa-Core processor that delivers jaw-dropping performance and long-lasting battery life.
For greater ease of use, the Lenovo X2 Pro incorporates the intuitively designed VIBE 2.0 user interface, featuring personalized lock screen, Instant On camera, elegant transparent icons and more. The smartphone also utilizes dual 13 megapixel auto-focus cameras (front and rear) with LED flash, gesture controls and beautification features, which combines with the new VIBE Xtension™ Selfie Flash to capture flawless selfies.
Note the auto focus front and rear cameras and both 13mp.
Source – http://news.lenovo.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1880
And right before CES, Alcatel announces new products. First up the Alcatel Watch series of smart watches. From the press release the Watch will connect to your Android smartphone, track activity and stats, show notifications and let you control media playback and your smartphone’s camera. However, it does not run Android Wear, although the price will be cheap. Let’s hope the watch looks as good as the press renders.
Next up Alcatel announced the Alcatel OneTouch PIXI 3 series of handsets offer screens ranging from 3.5 to 5 inches. The key point to notice about these devices is that they can all run Android, Firefox OS, or Windows. Alcatel describes the devices as OS agnostic. I am sure we will see more hardware being agnostic going forward.
I am looking forward to the next generation of wearables to see if battery life and design has been tackled.
I just happened to check to see if any new panels had been add, and hey presto CNN now have updated their app to include support for the Note Edge.
The latest version of Google Play services includes several new features in Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Wallet, and Google Fit.
Google Maps, the API now includes a default toolbar that makes it quicker to get directions and navigation by automatically giving turn-by-turn directions to a destination, a “lite mode” map option that allow developers to put thumbnail images of maps in their apps. Users who want to see a larger version can tap on the thumbnail, which launches the Google Maps app.
Google Drive lets developers add public and application private custom file properties to a Drive file, which the company says will make search queries more efficient. Drive’s new API makes syncing Drive files easier and more battery friendly, with the ability to control when files are uploaded based on network type and the amount of battery charge still left in phone. In addition, users can also now cancel pending uploads.
Google Wallet’s API know lets developers add a “Donate with Google” button in addition to the “Buy With Google” button. Google Fit’s API update means that it is now easier for developers to support pauses in their apps or workouts with multiple activities by adding activities in “sessions,” or specific intervals of time.
You should receive this update to your device over the next few days.
Finally, Pokemon a company owned by Nintendo is bringing a game to iOS and the iPad. It will be a video game based on the Pokémon Trading Cards.
This is quite significant as this is the first time anything from Nintendo will be appearing on iOS and also significant because Nintendo had previously gone on record that they would never release games on iOS.
Let’s hope this is the start of new exciting beginnings.
Via Androidpolice.com
“Google has big plans for both YouTube and Google Play Music. We’ve heard a lot about YouTube’s potential subscription music playback service, background audio, and offline playback, and there’s been much speculation about what such an arrangement would mean for Play Music All Access. YouTube is set to launch a service called YouTube Music Key, and Google is set to rebrand Google Play Music All Access to Google Play Music Key. This Is YouTube Music Key, Google’s Upcoming Subscription Service With Offline Support, Background Audio, No Ads, Free Play Music Key ”
So explaining this a bit further, YouTube Music Key would feature offline playback even when an internet connection is not present. The audio-only mode is offline playback that allows keep using YouTube Music Key when using another app or when the display is turned off. As expected, this paid music streaming service would be free of advertisements. Ads would no longer appear across a subscriber’s phone, tablet, computer, or television.
In terms of cost, it will be $9.99 like the current Play Music All Access. YouTube Music Key’s price will also include the new Play Music Key. Current subscribers of Google’s music streaming service would automatically be moved into the new services.
So does this sound better than your existing streaming service?
Just look at how little bezels there are present on this phone. It looks great, and is coming to the USA. Sharp Aquos Crystal X has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 801 and is 10mm thick chassis. The balance of the specs are all run of the mill. It is more about the screen and lack of bezels.
Stunning.
Brazilian site Tecmundo has revealed the above photo of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha which will have a a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1080×720. Inside there will be 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage and in some markets a 64GB version of the phone will also be available, although based on past history this version will not arrive in the UK. The smartphone will have a 1860mAh battery and USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 4.0. It will contain a 12 megapixel rear camera and a 2.1 megapixel front facing camera.
The specs also show a heart rate monitor and a fingerprint reader will be included in the Galaxy Alpha. The processor is supposed to be a octa-core Exynos chip, with four cores running at 1.8 GHz and the other four at 1.3 GHz. The article claims the phone will be priced at R$2,399, or about $1,048 and will be released sometime in the second half of September or the first half of October.
This is meant to be Samsung’s answer to the iPhone but what do you all think about this ?
Source – techmundo.com
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 