The big Microsoft event came and went and there wasn’t even a word about Windows Phone 7.8. Joe Belfiore and co didn’t even announce a date when the update will be released, but it will probably be a while after WP8 hits the shelves (which is already happening).
Whoever is managing the Windows Phone Italia Facebook page was more talkative, however, and answered a question from a fan, revealing the new features that v7.8 will bring. The response has been deleted since.
The list includes the new homescreen (which we already knew), something called Club, which we guess is Rooms, Xbox Music and SmartGlass.
Facebook is hardly a reliable source of info, but the features listed seem quite probable - we already know about the homescreen, Rooms and SmartGlass are available for other OSes too, so its unlikely they will be excluded from WP7.8 and Xbox Music will bring the existing user base to Microsofts new music service.
In case you dont know yet, Windows Phone 7.8 will be released for 7 and 7.5 devices, as the old hardware wont get updated to WP8.
"The upgrade to 7.8 will be available for versions 7.0 and 7.5 shortly after the marketing of the devices Windows Phone 8.
Among the features are the new Start screen, the sharing of the calendar using the function Club and access to key Microsoft services and content, including Xbox Music Store library that can be enjoyed by Zune and Xbox SmartGlass.
Installing Viber on Windows and MacOS computer is pretty very easy and straight forward much like the mobile versions on Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
I would not be wrong to say that Viber needs little or no introduction at all owing to its huge success and popularity and have taken over other VoIP apps by storm and currently giving Skype a good competition.
Just as Skype is available for PC and mobile devices for all platforms, so also is Viber available cross platform on all PC and mobile devices and allows you to send free text messages and calls to other Viber users.
However, unlike Skype which you need to register with your email and a password,Viber do not require an email registration; just your phone number is needed.
When installed you have all your contacts The procedure for getting and setting up Viber for PC is as detailed below.
Requirements
Windows and MacOS computers
Procedures
1.DownloadViber by clicking on Get Viber from the website
2. After downloading, run the installation file and click Accept & Install.
3. This would launch another window and full installation files would be further downloaded
4. Once the downloading is complete, it will start installation and then complete
5. You would presented with a welcome screen and insert your mobile number you use your viber with on any of your smartphones.
6. An activation code would be sent to that number which you would then input in the screen as shown below.
7. Immediately, all your contacts on your smartphone Viber will show up and then you can select and start chatting or calling as you desire.
Finally, the Viber icon will show up on your desktop and you can start using it immediately. If you find it helpful, drop your comments below
RIM, the company that makes the Blackberry phone and Playbook devices will today formally launch Blackberry Z10 and X10 to the entire world. The company had lost a lot of money in the past and still looking for a way to get back into the game; a game that Apple and Google stole from them a while back. RIM has been struggling with this fierce competition that iPhone and Samsung is pulling, the range of smartphones offered by RIM isnt good enough to compete thereby forcing the company to completely redesign, remake and rebuild their devices from the scratch in other to retake the market they long lost. The outcome of this new strategy is the birth of Blackberry 10
The blackberry 10 program started months back, taking all the energy, commitment and focus of the design team is expected to fulfill the dreams of its makers i.e, to put RIM back on her feet. Whether this new device can do that will be seen from today onward when it will be officially available for sale and use and in later days to come.
As for design, flow, usability and stability during the testing stages of this device, reports are that it was superb and more than capable to rival both the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 smartphones.
Today, RIM will be in the spotlight and they should be really prepared if the BB10 doesnt meet the expectation of consumers.
On a quick note on specs, the BB 10 has a new operating system different from other previous Blackberry devices, a 1800mAh battery, 1.5GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 8mp camera, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and a 355ppi display.
Personally, I believe that this device would perform well, meet expectations and fulfill the desires and dreams of its creators. If you think otherwise, share your thoughts and of course, in the coming days we shall know where RIM stands and the weight Blackberry 10 will pull
Not too long ago, we heard that Blackberry was working on an update to BBM that would support those running Gingerbread still. Yes Gingerbread is a pretty old OS, approaching 4 years old now, but there’s still a pretty big chunk of people running that version of Android. For those of you still using BBM, this means that many more people will be using BBM. Since there’s around a quarter of the Android population using Gingerbread still.
This new version of the app is for Android 2.3.3 and higher. It’s also leaked out and it could potentially crash BBM’s servers. We’ve seen that happen before, back last year when it was leaked out and actually postponed the launch of the BBM for Android app. So be careful out there with installing this leaked version of the app.
The folks over at N4BB have posted the leaked APK, which you can grab from the link down below. As we said previously, it’s only for Android 2.3.3 or higher. N4BB also states that the app lacks BBM channels and BBID are not whitelisted. Which seems a bit odd, but whatever, I guess. Additionally there are some minor UI tweaks.
So if you’re interested in running BBM on a Gingerbread-powered Android phone, go ahead and download the APK down below. Make sure you’ve enabled “Unknown Sources” and then install it like any other app. It’s just that easy to side-load this version of BBM. If you do take the plunge and decide to install this version of Blackberry Messenger, be sure to let us know in the comments below how it’s working out for you. So others know whether or not they want to take the chance and install it.
The Pipo Smart S3 tablet is an improved version of the Smart S1 tablet, by adding a rear 2 mega pixel camera and higher resolution 7-inch 1024*600 capacitive 5-point multi-touch screen. It has has HDMI and runs Android 4.1.1
Download PhoenixSuit archive from here, here or here.
The archive contains the next versions: - PhoenixSuit_v1.05_ENG - PhoenixSuit_v1.06_CHI - PhoenixSuit_v1.07_RUS
Install whatever version do you like, then upgrade to 1.08 version, the softwarewillautomatically ask to update or simply click on number version, in the right-down corner.
There you are, making sure every single store coupon you can possibly use is going to cut down on that grocery bill. But while the prices are slimming down with the discounts offered by supermarkets, the foods with the most discounts could be expanding your waistline.
In a new study published this month in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease (PDF here), researchers found that most of the coupons grocery stores offer (which excludes manufacturer coupons) online or via loyalty reward programs rack up discounts on high-calorie foods like crackers, chips, desserts, processed prepared meals and sugary drinks.
On the other hand, there are barely any price cuts on healthier items like lean meats, low-fat dairy products or fresh fruits and veggies.
This could contribute to our nation’s obesity epidemic, researchers say, as people are often shopping on a budget and rely on those coupons to be able to buy enough food to live on.
“We know from other studies that when you lower the price of foods, people buy more of them,” study author Dr. Hilary Seligman tells Philly.com. “When junk foods are the foods stores are lowering the prices of, we shouldn’t be surprised that more of them are purchased.”
The study took into account 1,056 online store coupons that were offered over a 4-week study period in April (when there wouldn’t be any added holiday discounts offered) and found: The biggest piece of the coupon pie went to the 25% for processed snack foods, candies, and desserts and that about 12% of coupons were for beverages, more than half of which were for sodas, juices, and sports/energy drinks.
Then there were the coupons for fruits (less than 1% of the total) and vegetables (only 3%). That could be attributed to the fact that retailers make more money from processed items and could possibly lose money on discounted produce, since they already end up throwing away plenty of unsold products.
Because many use coupons to stretch their food budgets along with aid from the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP), you better believe customers are going to take whatever discounts they can, whether healthy or unhealthy for them. SNAP usually provides about $4.50 to feed one person for a day.
“The bottom line is that people are spending $4.50 on what they are eating,” study author Seligman says. “The only way to do that well or without feeling hungry often is to take advantage of the specials that grocery stores are offering. When all the specials are for candy, sweets and processed foods, it doesn’t give the low-income consumer many choices.”
But researchers think that if grocery stores incentivized more healthy food items, it could help the public eat healthier.
“Recent work emphasizes the importance of the food environment and other external forces on the quality and quantity of food consumed,” the study explains. “Grocery retailers may be uniquely positioned to positively influence Americans’ dietary patterns.”
Google and Oracle have been tied up in a fight for a while over how Java works in the Android operating system. In 2012, Oracle specifically targeted the Dalvik virtual machine that runs on Android devices in its legal assault against Google, though Google eventually prevailed in that case. Google has been working toward replacing Dalvik in secret and users running Android 4.4 will be able to use Google’s new alternative.
Android 4.4 will reportedly allow users to select which runtime they use. The available options will be Dalvik and Google’s new runtime called ART. Google has stated on its website for developers that ART is a work in progress and is considered experimental at this time. Users wanting to give it a try can enable the new runtime in Android 4.4 via the Settings, Developer Options menu.
Indications are that users won’t notice much difference between the two available runtimes for now. ART is said to handle app execution in a fundamentally different way than Dalvik. While Dalvik uses a Just-In-Time compiler and a lot of the compiling is actually done on the user’s device each time the app is run, ART is different.
ART precompiles bytecode into machine language when the apps are first installed turning them into native applications. The process is called Ahead-Of-Time compilation. This means that start times for applications can be cut down significantly and execution can be faster compared to using Dalvik. Indications are that Google has been working on ART the last two years. No timeframe for ART to replace Dalvik has been announced. SlashGear
Back in December, Google had told us they were going to add the “Auto-Show Images” feature into Gmail. Which it’s been available on the desktop for a while, and now with the newest update to Gmail, it’s now here. Google is hosting these images on their own proxy servers now, so you won’t need to load them up yourself anymore. They will load up automatically in the email. Which is a nice change, I think.
There’s not a whole lot of other changes here. Of course there are probably some bug fixes and performance tweaks as there are usually in app updates. But, as Android Police points out, there should be a pop-up notice informing users of the change. Which is shown off in these strings:
<string name=”showImages_askFirst”>Ask before showing</string>
<string name=”always_show_images_teaser_title”>Images Now Showing</string>
<string name=”always_show_images_teaser_description”>”Loading images is now safer, so you’ll automatically see all images within a message when you open it. %1$s.”</string>
<string name=”always_show_images_update_in_settings”>You can update your preferences under %1$s in %2$s.</string>
What’s interesting, is that Google is allowing you to turn off the “Auto-show” feature for images. If you go into your account, and at the bottom under settings, you’ll see the option to change it. Which is pretty nice to have. And yes, we do have the APK, which is at the bottom of this post. Make sure you have checked “Unknown Sources” in the Settings/Security section on your phone. Then just install it like any other app. It’s important to let you know that this will overwrite your current version of Gmail on your phone or tablet. But that shouldn’t be a big deal. We suspect it’s in a staggered rollout, which means it may not hit everyone for a few weeks. Which sucks, but that’s why we have the APK for you.
The Nokia vs. HTC patent troll wars are running at a fevered pitch. In earlier news, HTC had received a severe blow when Nokia had won an injunction on a USB related patent in Germany – which could potentially see all HTC Android devices banned in the country. Nokia has been taking HTC to court over various patent infringement lawsuits all across the globe.
In the latest information received by FossPatents, HTC has received reprieve from the 7th Civil Chamber of the Munich I Regional Court, where Judge Dr. Matthias Zigann has dismissed a patent infringement lawsuit (Nokia vs. HTC). In the lawsuit Nokia had claimed that HTC had infringed upon Nokia’s patent identified by the nomenclature EP0804046 which deals with a “method and apparatus for updating the software of a mobile terminal using the air interface”. The patent does not relate to all OTA updates, but specifically addresses a methodology of enabling mobile phone users to accept calls while simultaneously downloading a software update over the air.
The court had concluded that HTCs devices did not meet the requirement of a “first memory” and a “second memory” for enabling simultaneous OTA updates and incoming phone calls. As a result the court dismissed the suit. However there is not much cause for celebration in the HTC camp.
Since Nokia is selling its mobile devices unit to Microsoft, ensuring their patent portfolio remains intact is their most important task. Nokia can turn a decent profit on the basis of royalty it receives from its patent portfolio. As a result, we see these troll wars heating up, in which though HTC has successfully scored some big wins, Nokia has also received major wins – including an injunction in the UK and three separate wins in Germany itself.
Nokia has been pursuing a vendetta against HTC and has pulled the Taiwanese manufacturer across the globe in various patent infringement lawsuits, a process which started in April last year. Patent troll wars have turned out to be a major factor affecting innovation, however there seems to be no respite from these litigations in the near future.
What’s your take on these troll wars, let us know in the comments below.
NPD Group reported Thursday that new consoles from Sony and Microsoft powered a winning holiday season for the video game industry in the United States.
"The newest consoles from Microsoft and Sony are off to a tremendous start," said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.
The rival consoles were released in November and eagerly snapped up by players.
Nintendos Wii U consoles also fared well during the holidays, with December logging its best monthly sales since its release about 13 months earlier, Callahan said.
Video game hardware sales more than offset a 17 percent drop in sales of game software to $1.31 billion in December, according to NPD.
For the full year, game software sales were down 11 percent from 2012 to $6.34 billion. One reason for the drop was said to be that fewer titles were released.
US video game hardware sales for the December holiday period were $1.37 billion, a 28 percent rise over the same period a year earlier, NPD reported
Video game hardware sales for the year tallied $4.26 billion, up five percent from the $4.04 billion logged in 2012.
When factoring in money spent on game rentals, downloadable content, micro-transactions, mobile "apps," play at social networks, subscriptions, and used game sales, nearly $2.4 billion was spent on games in December, according to NPD.
NPD ranked "Grand Theft Auto V," published by Take 2 Interactive Software, as last years top-selling video game.
Electronic Arts military shooter title "Battlefield 4" was the second most popular game with buyers, with France-based Ubisofts "Just Dance 2014" taking third spot.
The latest installment of the beloved "Call of Duty" franchise was the best selling game in the United States in December, according to the industry tracker.
It was the fifth consecutive month of rising overall US sales in the video game industry.
The Galaxy S3 has been available in the market for a while now, but with the recent update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (the 4.1.1 platform), not only has the S3 been given a speed boost; theres also a host of other goodies thrown in as well.
Its mostly changes to the interface that have been brought with the new update, but there are a few other areas that have been updated with the new breed of TouchWiz, so weve spent a few weeks checking them all out.
Samsung has made a big deal about this phone, not only choosing to launch it at a big and glitzy standalone event in London but has managed to top 30 million sales in November 2012 - and given the amount of people we see rocking the handset on the trains these days, those number seem to bear a hallmark of truth.
The price is pretty palatable for a top-end phone – some sites are offering it for around £26 per month with a very low up front cost,
But lets get down to the main question – is this the phone you should be spending your hard-earned cash on?
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is, according to Samsung anyway, inspired by nature – it sees, listens, responds, and enables you to share the greatest moments.
While this is all a little hyperbolic, the nature theme is certainly present when you handle the phone for the first time.
Brushed polycarbonate – youve got a choice of Marble White and Pebble Blue – adorns the large device, which runs in with dimensions of 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm, despite still having to pack in a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen.
Well lay it out right now: the plastic feeling of the Galaxy S3 wont appeal to all. It feels very lightweight (despite tipping the scales at 133g) in the hand, and some people will read this as feeling a little cheap.
However, its exactly the same sensation as we found on the Galaxy S2, and given the silly numbers of sales that had, we think theres more than a market for a phone that youll barely notice in your pocket most of the time.
But well be very clear on this - the Galaxy S3 is not a cheap-feeling phone. Its got a really solid Gorilla Glass 2 front, a well-packaged interior and a more robust battery cover. Its polycarbonate rather than bog-standard plastic, although were not sure some people will like the more rounded nature of the design.
However, despite being made of similar material, theres no doubt that the HTC One X feels more premium in the hand. Although the One X is actually 3g lighter than the Galaxy S3, it feels a touch weightier, which shows the way texture can affect the way a phone feels in the hand. And theres something about an object so large feeling so light that some will find disconcerting in the S3.
Theres no doubt in our minds that the Pebble Blue offering is the much more attractive option, since the Marble White looks similar to a low-end Galaxy Mini or similar – the brushed effect is really necessary. And now weve got a host of extra colours to play with (Titanium Grey, Garnet Red, Amber Brown and Sapphire Black) so the sky really is the limit here... although actually, theres no Sky Blue option.
Compared to rest of the Galaxy line, the S3 has more in common with the original Galaxy S than the S2, with curved edges the theme in the design language. The home button has also been elongated, although the same menu and back buttons remain from the prequel.
Overall, the effect is much more like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus than anything else – rounded edges, HD screen but with a more minimal bezel to really accentuate the larger screen in the hand.
The button design around the phone has been well thought out in our opinion - for a phone this big its very difficult to make all the keys accessible, so putting the lock button on the right-hand side rather than the top makes a large degree of sense.
The addition of the lozenge-shaped home button, and its softkey Back and Menu buttons are great additions in our eyes, as it means contextual menus can be found easily without needing to mess around looking for the on-screen icon.
The volume up and down button is parallel to the lock key on the left-hand side of the phone, and also within easy reach when holding the Galaxy S3 in the hand.
The microUSB slot is placed at the bottom of the phone - easy to find with a charger but it will be interesting to see how its used when placed in docks and car cradles.
The battery cover is also made of the same polycarbonate material as the rest of the body. Yes, you read that right - the battery cover is removable. The future isnt all unibody, it seems.
This means that not only can you switch the battery in and out - a key consideration for many people - theres also a cheeky surprise in the shape of a microSD slot next to the microSIM port. Expandable memory? This just gets better and better.
This means that theoretically youll be able to have a 128GB-capacity Samsung Galaxy S3 if you combine the top spec of internal memory (64GB) with the largest microSD card around at the moment (64GB)... making it a mouth-watering prospect for those who love a spot of media. However, were still waiting to see the 64GB Samsung Galaxy S3 variant make an entrance, as it looks like retailers are going off the idea of such a high capacity model.
Sure, there are stats that say only 10% of users regularly go over 16GB of storage, but theres always the lower end version of the Galaxy S3 for that. With HD movie downloads becoming far more prevalent, plus the influx of HD apps, we think more space is an excellent idea.
Overall the Samsung Galaxy S3 feels superb in the hand. The design contours well against the palm, and while the screen size may be a little big for some (youll need a bit of shuffling to reach the upper section of the screen) its definitely more than useable day to day.
So in short: if you dont mind a slightly lighter-feeling polycarbonate shell and you like big HD screens in your pocket, this is a phone definitely worth checking out.
Alcatel, has announced a brand new flagship phone today. This one is the Idol X+, and it has some pretty impressive specs. This one was announced in China, and more than likely it’ll remain in China. So if you’re interested in this device, you’ll have to import it. The Idol X+ features a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor, with 2GB of RAM, along with a 2,500mAh battery inside. It is featuring the same 5-inch 1080p IPS display and 13MP camera as it’s predecessor. Which isn’t bad, but I would have liked to see more improvements there.
Additionally, Alcatel has also announced the Boom band along with the phone. It’s more or less a Bluetooth sports wristband that is available in multiple colors. It does allow you to track your performance with fitness applications, there’s also a proximity alarm in case your phone gets stolen or you’re separated from it. It will also work with Bluetooth apps that take advantage of wearable technology.
The Idol X+ from Alcatel is already a pretty beefy phone, spec-wise. What’s going to make it fly off the shelves. Alcatel is selling it for about $330 unlocked and free from any carrier subscriptions. Which would make it a more worthy buy than the Nexus 5, in some aspects. As we stated earlier, this was announced in China, and normally Alcatel doesn’t make their devices available in the US. Although that could change, and that would definitely make us happy. The Idol X+ and Bom band should be available around January 15th, and if you’re interested in pre-ordering it, you’ll have to head over to jd.com and get that taken care of.
For a phone with a 2GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a 5-inch 1080p display sitting at $330, it’s kind of hard to pass that up. Since it would normally be about twice that price unlocked. I’m really hoping Alcatel brings this to the States, at least in the unlocked variety. How about the rest of you?
Samsung Galaxy Pro Review- Samsung recently introduced the Galaxy Pro, a smartphone that is also the newest member of the clan Galaxy. Comes with the concept and treat-QWERTY candybar-sized 2.8-inch screen, Galaxy Pro smartphone Samsung looks different from other Android platform.
Not only that, QWERTY keyboard Galaxy Pro is also positioned as the Messaging Smartphone powerful with a compact design.
Although most of the specifications have not been revealed, but one that we can be sure that the Galaxy Pro will come with running the Android 2.2 aka Froyo and will be equipped with 800 MHz processor. Galaxy Pro user interface will be enhanced by support for the creation of the Samsung TouchWiz.
Galaxy Pro camera device has the ability to capture images with the power of 3 MP. The Galaxy had been due to business connectivity Pro will be supported by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
Some other features along with release time and the availability of the Galaxy Pro until now is still a mystery. For that, we wait for its development.
Other Features: SNS integration, Digital compass, DivX/Xvid/MP4/WMV/H.264 Player, Player MP3/WAV/eAAC +, Organizer, Image / video editor, ThinkFree document viewer / editor, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration, Adobe Flash 10.1 support, Voice memo / dial, Predictive text input, 3.5 mm audio jack
Love gaming with your PC? Wishing there are controllers that works seamlessly with your games? While you are at it, why not make it you additional controller to use for your Xbox 360. The high price-point might discourage people from purchasing this controller for a quick buy, but for those who has been playing the Xbox 360 for a long time or simply love the build quality might consider this a good buy.
First Impression:
Hopefully at this point you have seen a regular Xbox controller, that being said the controller is practically the exact model like the ones you get for free. However, when you purchase this particular controller, you get a USB device that allows your Xbox to connect to your PC. Just in-case someone never seen an Xbox 360 controller before, to my opinion it is a very ergonomic controller; when you wrap your hands around the controller, your fingers will fall easily to the buttons. Solid build quality and weight gives user a great feel of the controller.
Test Drive:
The setup was very easy, insert disc, plug the USB device, connect your controller. BAM! The next thing you know, you are already in the game killing some virtual monsters. The software installed from the disc is very light, and barely noticeable running in the background. The software will only lets you connect your Xbox controller and gives notification if it ever gets disconnected or low on battery. NOTE: Software will not allow you to map your buttons.
Although I cannot map the buttons, the Xbox controller works at ease with games that are build with a controller option available. To test the controller out, I purchased Darksiders II from Steam (claiming that this game is controller enabled). One word: Amazing - the moment the game started it adjusted it self to the controller. I felt like I was playing a native Xbox game; there was no connectivity issue and the controller was very responsive.
Conclusion: Build quality, easy setup and great compatibility give this controller an edge. Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows is great to have if you have an Xbox and tend to play some PC games that plays better with a controller; given this circumstances, then it is a great deal as you have 1 controller for 2 devices. However, as a stand-alone controller the $59.99 price point maybe a bit high as an investment to play 1 or two games.
Tip:
To turn off the controller, simply leave it idle - it will disconnect by it self.
The Xbox 360 controller will always sync with the last device connected (either PC/Xbox)
Winds of Destiny: Duels of The Magi is not your everyday retro rpg. No sir, or ma’am, it’s much more than that. Winds of Destiny combines some of the most popular and amazing game genres out there, to offer a truly unique experience to anyone who is looking to have a little fun. Winds of Destiny takes the RPG, TCG, Strategy, and Fighting genres and mashes them together to give you an awesome head to head experience. If for some reason you are completely against new style graphics and will only play games that are adorned with all the retro 8-bit love that was painstakingly pieced together, Winds of Destiny is your game. Or, it could be one of them at least.
If you like head to head fight battles, but feel they can get a little boring sometimes, there’s no better way to mix things up than with a little strategic value thanks to the TCG elements at play in Winds of Destiny. As explained by the games developer, Winds of Destiny is the perfect game for when you get together with buddies or friends for a coffee break, that you can enjoy together when you both have a yearning for a little head to head retro action. The game is not only fun, but it’s supposed to help your cognition as well, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Winds of Destiny offers up a 1-player story mode, because sometimes its just better to play by yourself. But, sometimes that’s rather boring and you need some more interaction, so why not join others in the quest for dominance by checking out the simple and easy to use matchmaking system, which will pit you against other live opponents who only wish to duel for glory.
Not enough time for a full story mode session? Take your chances at the epic single player mode Boss Battles, which are only a single battle if you have not but the time for a quick game. There are 9 total characters, with 8 of them available from the start, and the 9th which is an unlockable. Winds of Destiny also promises to have future content added in, with free access to the expansion if you snag the paid version of the game. Winds of Destiny DOTM will set you back a mere $0.99, but if you want to give the game a try first, you can grab the free version to test it out, however it does have less content. You only get access to three of the games characters, and there is no 2-player matchmaking for online battles against other players. You also won’t get any access to the future content with the free version, at least not without paying for the full game at that time. You can grab Winds of Destiny DOTM from the Play Store now for some awesome retro mashup action.
Alcatel has just taken the wraps off its POP C9, the largest Android smartphone in its POP series encompassing devices from the tiny 3.5 inch C1 to this largest, 5.5-inch C9. The Alcatel POP C9 is all about bringing a large screen and quad-core chip in an affordable package. Of course, compromises were inevitable.
The POP C9 is a colorful plastic device coming in a range of colors (Bluish Black, Cherry Red, Full White, Hot Pink or Fresh Turquoise) and bearing a surprising similarity to Samsung’s Galaxy S III. The POP C9 comes with a 5.5” LCD IPS display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. This works out to pixel density of the mediocre 200ppi, meaning text and icon edges will appear jagged.
Under the hood, the Alcatel POP C9 features a 1.3GHz quad-core chip. It sports an 8-megapixel auto-focus rear camera capable of recording 1080p videos, and a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter. The handset ships with a 2500mAh battery.
In terms of software, we only know that the POP C9 will run on an unspecified version of Android with a light skin on top adding some custom widgetry. Alcatel has not yet revealed the price of the POP C9, but we are definitely talking about mid-range levels, so it should be affordable.PhoneArena
Exciting mix of pure driving, aggressive maneuvering, and using technology;
Seamless integration of single- and multiplayer brings world to life;
Terrifically tempting risk-versus-reward mechanic for racers;
Gorgeous visuals;
The Bad
Conspicuous AI rubber-banding;
"Damage critical." The words appear on the screen in red, sending a rush through me. One more hit and Im done for. Its too far to the nearest repair shop; I know I need to make it back to a hideout fast or Ill lose everything. I gun it, relying on my reflexes to help me evade the police, with their spike strips and their reckless attempts to run me off the road. There are only two possible outcomes: the triumph of big risks taken and big rewards achieved, or the agony of seeing everything Ive earned slip away in an instant. Which will it be this time?
Despite being the work of new developer Ghost Games, Need for Speed: Rivals is clearly a game in the mold of Criterions entries in the Need for Speed series, particularly 2010s excellent Hot Pursuit. In this game, as in that one, you step into the cars of both cops and racers and cruise around a gorgeous open world, completing events that require you to either evade the law or enforce it. Of course, enforcing the law here isnt a matter of asking drivers to politely pull over; instead, it involves ramming racers at speed, using spike strips and shock rams, and wrecking the elusive racers vehicles by any means necessary. As a racer, you have plenty of tricks up your sleeve as well, including shock waves that damage and repel nearby vehicles, and jammers that prevent the cops or your fellow racers from using their own weapons against you.
The Redview County Police Department has quite a budget.This wild technology can get you out of a tight spot as a racer or help you incapacitate one as a cop, but its your skills as a driver that matter most. Weaving through traffic and around roadblocks, drifting smoothly around turns, and making smart use of your limited nitrous can make all the difference, and dividing your attention between driving skillfully and making the most of your tech is wonderfully stimulating. With so much going on at once, its not unusual to feel like youre operating on pure instinct, and when you get into that zone, Need for Speed: Rivals is aggressive arcade racing bliss. These cars feel hefty and substantial, so as you side-slam a cop or hit a racer from the rear, you can almost feel the clash of metal on metal in your bones.
Most of this could have been said about Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit too. And the event types that are scattered around the landscape are standard stuff: straightforward races, time trials, hot pursuits in which cops try to bust racers before they reach the finish line, and so on. But there are two things that reinvigorate this familiar gameplay in Rivals. One of those is that, by default, you always share the world with other players. Those players might be cops or they might be racers, and as you cruise around trying to complete objectives to advance your own career, your experiences and the experiences of these other players might collide. If youre playing as a racer, for instance, someone playing as a cop might start pursuing you, whether youre in the middle of an event or youre just cruising around.
These police can fly.And if youre a cop, hunting a human player across the winding roads of Redview County--an environment that offers no shortage of obstructions you can smash through and shortcuts that you can take advantage of--is more exhilarating than pursuing artificially intelligent prey. Other games in the series have had multiplayer options that pit cops against racers, but here, the multiplayer is seamlessly integrated into the world at large. You can encounter other players at any time, and as a result, the world feels alive in a way that earlier games in the series havent. If you choose not to share a world with other players, AI cops and racers roam the roads, so theres still a chance youll run right into a high-speed chase or some other action even when youre playing alone.
The seamlessness with which events are integrated into the world does carry with it the occasional downside. If you start a race, for instance, while being pursued by cops, the cops might... Read the rest of this post --->
Samsung doesn’t normally announce any new products at CES or Mobile World Congress. Normally, Samsung holds their own Unpacked event for their larger devices, like the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines. In fact, at Mobile World Congress this year (2013), Samsung handed out invites to their Unpacked event in March to announce the Galaxy S4. However, this year it looks like Samsung is looking to hit Barcelona hard! We’ve seen many leaks and patent filings that lead us to believe that Samsung is going to be announcing the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy Band in Barcelona this year.
According to Lee Seung-woo who is an analyst at IBK Securities, “Samsung is currently working on the Galaxy Gear 2, and the product will be surely released early next year.” There’s also another close source to Samsung, who is speaking anonymously, which told The Korean Herald that Samsung is working on bringing the Galaxy Gear 2 under spotlight at Mobile World Congrsss in Barcelona.
So far the specs of both the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy Band are not confirmed, and we really haven’t heard much about either one. I reckon that the Galaxy Band is going to be similar to the Fitbit Flex or the Fitbit Force. While the Galaxy Gear 2 will still be more of a smartwatch. Although I kind of hope they get rid of the camera. It looks kind of odd to me where it’s placed. But maybe that’s just me. Hopefully we’ll learn more about the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy Band pretty soon. Maybe even a flexible display on these two new devices? It certainly would be awesome to have.
How many of you are excited for the Galaxy Gear 2 or the Galaxy Band? Let us know in the comments below.
via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2013/12/rumor-samsung-looking-announce-galaxy-gear-2-galaxy-band-mobile-world-congress-february.html
