The team behind Prey 2 talks about its cancellation

April 9, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Prey 2 was the much awaited sequel to 2006’s Prey – a first person shooter set in a world where aliens abduct humans so they can feed off of them. Something along the lines of War of the Worlds, but without crazy turned Scientologist Tom Cruise.

Developer Human Head Studios shares some insight on why the game was never meant to exist – it was actually scrapped way back in 2011, 3 years before Bethesda officially announced the title’s cancellation.

“We stopped working on Prey 2 near the end of 2011, and had been working on it for close to two years. It was very close to an alpha state, with all major content pieces represented. We were at that point in a game where you can step back and see the whole picture and shift from developer to editor and decide which elements to cut and which elements to emphasis and polish.” – Chris Rhinehart, project director has stated for Develop.

Prey 2 was officially revelead in March of 2011, but by the end of 2011 Bethesda was not pleased with the quality of the game, announcing in October of 2014 that the game – ” […] wasn’t up to our quality standard and we decided to cancel it. It’s no longer in development. That wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s one that won’t surprise many folks given that we hadn’t been talking about it.”

Both developer and publisher have some contradictory views. While Bethesda is saying that the quality of the game was poor, and it lacked several key features, Human Head Studios are stating that – ” Our tech had progressed significantly past the live demo we ran at E3, Gamescom and PAX and was even more impressive. It’s my personal opinion that we would have been counted among the best looking games of the previous console generation.”

At this point, we really don’t know who to believe. It’s true, the demo that ran at E3 was brilliant, and we saw how much work was put into the Prey universe, but on the other hand, it was just a demo, and everything was scripted.

We will never know what Prey 2 could have been, but we are glad that the guys and girls behind Prey weren’t utterly destroyed by the cancellation of their 2 year project. They managed to get up like a Phoenix from its ashes, and help Irrational Games’ Bioshock: Infinite with level designers, system designers, programmers, artists and animators. Small teams from the studio also went on to create mobile free-to-play title Fort Courage, while other employees where put to work for Trion World’s MMO Defiance – art, level and character design.

Now the studio is hardly working on Lost Within – a survival horror game set inside a haunted asylum filled with monsters, where the player is tasked with confronting a famous killer who has been locked inside. It is rumoured to be released this Spring, or Summer – no official date exists at this moment. Lost Within is designed for smartphones and tablets. Published by Amazon Game Studios especially for their Fire devices, the game will also appear for iPhone and iPad. A trailer can be watched right here.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Jonah Becker, Design Chief from HTC Quit

March 27, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

The design chief from HTC, Jonah Becker who oversaw the development of the new HTC One M9, has called it quits.

Jonah Becker, associate vice president of industrial design from HTC, announced on his Twitter on Thursday that he has left the company. He did not reveal what his future plans were, but he did ask his followers to stay tuned for more information. Becker had been working for HTC for less than a year. He replaced Scott Croyle in April of 2014.

This isn’t the only change that HTC is going through, just last week the company revealed that chairwoman and co-founder Cher Want was going to replace CEO Peter Chou. Chou isn’t leaving for good, as he will remain on board to help develop new products for HTC.

Becker was the person in charge of overseeing the development of a plethora of products, including the company’s recently released flagship, the HTC One M9 smartphone.

The HTC One M9 received rave reviews and the only negative criticism was the fact that it was hardy distinguishable in terms of design from its predecessor.

Becker and HTC have both announced that they were looking forwards to a new adventure, but the reason why Becker chose to leave HTC is unknown and it is probably going to remain that way.

HTC was quick to announce that it has replaced Becker with creative director Daniel Hundt.

HTC is beginning to branch out with a wide range of gadgets, including the HTC Vive VR headset and the HTC Grip fitness band.

Image Source: Ibtimes

Ili Pika, Rare Rabbit-Like Creature, Seen For First Time In 20 Years

March 26, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

The Ili Pika, a rare and rabbit-like creature, was seen alive and photographed for the first time in 20 years.

The Ili Pika is an endangered animal that is native to the Xinjiang region of China, in the Tianshan mountain range. The teddy bear-like animal was photographed for the first time in 20 years, after it was believed by some to be almost extinct.

The Ili Pika is sometimes being referred to as the magic rabbit and it was spotted a few months ago. The Ili Pika is even rarer than the elusive Panda bear.

Chinese officials estimate that there are less than 1,000 Ili Pikas in the China and the world. Scientists admit that the official figures could very well be wrong, because of the elusiveness of the animal.

The animal is supposed to be diurnal, which is why scientists were very concerned about the numbers of Ili Pikas being very low. This recent spotting is the first since the early 90’s, which makes the Ili Pika one of the most elusive and endangered species in the world.

While some scientists attribute the animal’s elusiveness to their remote habitat, others believe that there really aren’t many Ili Pikas left in China, which is why the sightings are so rare.

The Ili Pika live at very high altitudes, where not many people go. They are very sensitive to warm temperature, which means that the present global warming must have been one of the reasons why their numbers have dropped so drastically. As the planet warms up, the Ili Pikas retreat higher in the mountains, until they have nowhere else to go.

Li Weidong, Chinese conservationist, was the man who discovered the Ili Pika in 1983. He was also the person who took the most recent photograph of the Ili Pika.

He stated that the species could become extinct at any time and that he noticed that there simply aren’t any Ili Pikas in areas where they used to be in the past.

The most shocking piece of information is that the Ili Pika is not featured on China’s List of Wildlife under Special State Protection, a part of China’s Wildlife Protection Law, 1988 and it there is no plan to put it there.

Li Weidong hopes that a conservational organization soon becomes interested in the Ili Pika, so that the tiny creature has a chance at surviving.

Image Source: Daily Mail

Grenoble, France Implements Cité lib by Ha:mo

March 24, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

The city of Grenoble, France is one of the most technological forward-thinking cities in the world. It uses smart alternatives for pretty much anything and now it has implemented an innovative electric car-sharing system that will revolutionize urban transportation. The project, a multi-partner one, is called Cité lib by Ha:mo and it works by making available for the people of Grenoble electric cars that can be borrowed from various points in the city and used for as long as needed, and then returned to their charging points.

Cité lib by Ha:mo is a joint effort between Metro, the French electricity company EDF, Sodetrel, by Toyota and Cité lib, the Grenoble car-sharing operator. The project Cité lib by Ha:mo is made up of 70 four and three-wheeled electric cars, COMS and TOYOTA i-ROAD. The cars have available a whopping 120 charging stations, stretched out throughout the city.

Toyota Motor Corporation, Takeshi Uchiyamada, stated that the company is very excited to be working aside the residents of Grenoble in solving the city’s urban traffic problems. He continued to say that all the partners who helped make the project have the same aspiration of creating a future urban mobility. Uchiyamada concluded that urban mobility solutions will also be a key growth area for tech car giant Toyota in the near future.

The entire electric car-sharing system is made available through an app, naturally! The app is called Station Mobile and it will tell you where to find your electric car, what is the best route for your needs and how to use the city’s public transportation system to get to the Cité lib by Ha:mo vehicles. The cars can be reserved through the app and paid for with a special card at the charging station, where the person picked it up.

What makes this project valid and possibly very successful is that it chooses to work together with buses and trams and does not seek to eliminate them. The Grenoble public transportation system is a very successful system and by adding the electric vehicles, it has just been made even better.

The electric vehicles themselves are very compact and, Grenoble citizens are saying, cute. They even tilt when conform to the curve of the road, which takes some getting used to, but in the end they serve their purpose very well.

So how much does this innovative electric car-sharing service cost? Cité lib by Ha:mo is also called 3, 2, 1 euros, because it costs three euros for the first 15 minutes you use the car, two euros for the second 15 minutes and one euro for each 15-minute increment after that. You can even subscribe to an annual transport card, which is cheaper, two euros for the first segment and just one euros for each 15-minute increment after that.

Cité lib by Ha:mo’s infrastructure isn’t just people-friendly, it’s also environmental-friendly and great city management. Experts believe that Cité lib by Ha:mo will significantly decongest traffic in the city of Grenoble and the surrounding areas.

Director of Public Markets for EDF, Jean-Pierre Frémont, stated:

Energy transition leads us to create and develop innovative solutions for low-carbon mobility in order to improve the quality of life of people in local communities. That is the very meaning of this unique trial project for EDF and its partners.

Cité lib by Ha:mo doesn’t seek to replace the public transportation system, such as buses, trams and trains, but wants to work with them to reduce traffic congestion, which is why its success is almost guaranteed.

Hello Barbie, New Doll That Will Have Conversations With Kids

March 5, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

The new Barbie doll that is going to be released sound very exiting. Hello Barbie, new doll that will have conversations with kids.

America’s most popular doll, Barbie is getting an improvement, and the next generations of Barbie will join the expanding connected toys category. The company behind the doll, Mattel, has teamed up with ToyTalk to create Hello Barbie, which is aimed to be a doll that can have a conversation trough Wi-Fi and voice recognition technology. The new Barbie is still under development, but Mattel is planning to release it in stores before the holiday season.

Apparently, the idea of the talking Barbie, came after little girls all over the world said that they wanted to have a conversation with Barbie. And this new technology, will allow Barbie to have a two way conversation with the girls.

Even tough a talking doll is not something new to the market, this certain Barbie will be brought to the 21st century, with several features. One of them is the fact that Hello Barbie, will remember the responses of the users and will arrive to know them better with time, similar to Cortana or Siri.

For example, if a child was to tell her they like a specific singer, Barbie might refer to that in the future. Also, Hello Barbie, will be updated periodically trough an internet access.

The doll will require a Wi-Fi connection and its battery can last up to an hour, on a single charge. The necklace of the doll, will have incorporated the microphone and the speaker, but also the two LED lights. The rechargeable batteries will be placed in its legs and will connect to a wall mounted charger. The price of the Hello Barbie will be of $74.99.

A prototype of the talking Barbie has been displayed at the Toy Fair that took place New York. Presently, the doll is able to hold just a few minutes of conversation, which is only about her being at the Toy Fair and some things about herself. In the upcoming months, ToyTalk will be working on the further development of the doll, giving it the ability to discuss on various topics.

The main idea is that they are going to bring out the things that kids aspire to be and the career direction that Barbie represents, starting from a scientist, a mathematician, painter, surfer, all of the things that Barbie has been along the time, explained ToyTalk, CEO Oren Jacob. Adding that, kids and Barbie will talk about feelings and why not, fashion, since it’s Barbie we are talking about. The company will be seriously analysing Barbie and what girls and boys who love to play with the doll want to do, and the things they want to ask her.

The plan of Mattel seems a pretty good one, since the sales of Barbie have lately suffered a decline. But their idea does rise some privacy questions, especially since the doll will be remembering what the kid is interested in. There is also a greater fear. Theer are concerns that the doll might be hacked and set to say things that are not suitable for children, something which has happened before with connected dolls.

Image Source: Our Muddy Boots,tom’s GUIDE, TIME

Google Launched “Android For Work” To Separate Business From Personal Life

February 28, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Android is trying to make it inside the business oriented app, and Google launched Android for Work, meant to separate business from personal life.

Google has revealed an brand new set of apps and services that were created specially to promote the use of Android for work.
The newly developed system includes work profiles, which were created to with enhanced security but also specific apps like”Work Mail”, “Work Calendar” and so on.

For most of the workers, smartphones and tablets are not used in the work place as much as they should. Their potential when it comes to business and innovation remains largely unexplored, stated Google in a blog post. They announced the release of the Android for Work program to start exploring that potential.

With the help of a group of partners, Google is helping business bring more devices at work by managing, securing and innovating on the Android platform.
Basically the app allows users to take their personal phones to work and use them in a manner that is separate from their own personal apps and services on their phone. For example, users can use their regular Gmail app for personal use and then they can use “Work Mail” to receive emails intended for work only.

Along the time, Google has seriously struggled to present Android’s position in the work environment. Devices running on iOS have slowly, but very effectively made their way into the workplace presented as professional devices.

Microsoft has also been known for its business oriented devices for quite some time now. However, Google has to make a bigger effort than its competitors to manage establishing Android as an operating system that can be used professionally at the workplace.

Google has started to develop the technology for Android for Work, after it bought a startup named Divide.

Place in body part

Even so, Android for Work app is much more complex than it sounds as it is something more like and app for apps.
Main idea, is that, when Android for Work is launched, it develops a “Work Profile”, which basically allows users to separate apps and data that are used for work, from data used for personal purposes.

“IT can deploy approved work apps right alongside their users’ personal apps knowing their sensitive data remains secured.”explained Google.

Adding that, people could use their personal apps as they are aware that their employee is only handling work data and will not erase or have access to their personal content.

In order for the new system to be deployed effectively, Google has made partners with several companies and vendors, which include companies that help businesses to manage mobile devices and smartphone producers such as Samsung and HTC.

The work profiles are already compatible with Android Lollipop, and Google said that, they will be also available on the previous versions of Android, by using the Android for Work application.

Work profiles are already compatible with the new Android Lollipop, but, Google says that they will be available on older versions of Android using the Android for Work app. Android for Work will be available for devices which are running the Android versions from 4.0 and up.

Image Source: android

Google Will Soon Make Adult Blogs On Its Blogger Platform Disappear

February 27, 2015 By Kenneth Scott 1 Comment

Google will soon make disappear adult blogs on its Blogger platform that are not conform with its new anti-adult policies.

Every single one of the users behind and adult content writing blog, was announced on Monday by Google to delete the content that was sexually explicit otherwise their blog will be deleted from every form of access, exception making registered users.
So far, Google’s Blogger platform has allowed pictures that contained nudity or sexual behaviour and said that censoring that content was in contradiction with a service that was based on freedom of expression. But Monday, that concept changed, when Google “threatened” explicit content writers that their blogs will disappear if the adult images or videos will not be deleted.

Google warned about starting to take actions on March 23, 2015, if bloggers will not obey and do as they were asked.
There is a large variety of users on Blogger’s, and many of them are facing routinely sexual censorship. It is very important to understand that, many of those blogs have been labeled as adult content by the bloggers themselves whether it deserved it or not.
Presently, Blogger blogs, labeled with adult, include LGBT and sexuality diaries, erotic writings, transgender activists, editors and reviewers of romance books, reviewers of sex toys, nude art photographers, artists like comic illustrators and painters, writers of sex news, LGBT sex activism, sexual education, feminist porn, fetish fashion and way more.

The notice released by Google for Blogger users with adult content sounds something like this:

(…) In the coming weeks, we’ll no longer allow blogs that contain sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video. We’ll still allow nudity presented in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts, or presented where there are other substantial benefits to the public from not taking action on the content.”

Removing from search in every mean possible and allowing to access only by personal invitation or by registering is the closest thing Google could do to delete all the blogs together without being criticised for deleting a percentage of its user data base of Blogger.
We are not talking about illegal content, or that Christians don’t approve of Blogger, or malware danger, the actual Blogger community, or minor protection from porn, warning which already exists. Adult content has always been fighting for free speech and political dissent, thing which isn’t about to change very soon.

When Google forces its inappropriate Blogger blogs to lay low, it will affect more the internet than you can imagine. Many links that have been accessible on Blogger since its debut in 1999, will be broken all over the internet.

For example, with this new policy, a personal blog, dating from 2001, will cause the death of over 500 blogspot.com links. After the implementation of Google’s changes there will be impossible to find and discover adult content blogs on the Blogger platform.

The only way to manage finding an adult content blog, or any other blog that is against Google’s rules, will be by receiving an invitation straight from the Blogger user who is writing the blog. Even so, to be able to read a post, the person invited will be required to use a Google account to identify themselves or choose to view the post as a guest.

Adults blogs on Blogger, have already been restricted for those who don’t want to see the explicit content, whether is due to local laws, community of cultural principles, work restrictions or simply by personal choice.
Blogger’s Content Warning, which is already in use for these blogs, pops up and demands for agreement before proceeding. It warns you that the content you are about to view may have a content suitable for adults and in general Google doesn’t review or approve the content of these types of blogs.

Image Source: instantcall, Forbes, Digital Inspiration, Scrapbook of Truth

Here Are The Best GoPro Alternatives Cameras

February 18, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

If you are passionate about taking pictures and capturing videos but yet don’t own a GoPro, you have to immediately buy one as it is the it camera to have of the moment. Here are the best GoPro alternatives cameras.

There is no doubt that GoPro cameras have created a frenzy in the world of video filming but also when it comes to personal use as it has completely changed the meaning and way of taking a selfie. The capacities of the camera are incredible, being packed with advanced features, like connectivity to Wi-Fi, being waterproof and owning impressive video abilities. GoPros are also the camera of choice for flying drones both as a hobby and professionally.

Like everything else in this world, the better quality the product is the higher the price. There are many seeking high quality features in a camera but the steep price keeps them from buying one. Don’t worry, here are some cameras on the market that offer the same high end features but retail for a more convenient price.

Here is a list with the best alternatives for a GoPro that are presently available on the market.

iON Air Pro 3 Wi-Fi Action Camera

The iON Air Pro 3 Wi-Fi is a nicely designed action camera that offers amazing image quality. As its name suggests, users can connect their cameras trough Wi-Fi from an iOS app or an Android one, or trough the web. The connection to the browser allows the functionality of only few features, like accessing the camera’s memory card for copying and deleting data. The use of iOS and Android apps, offers an easier way to share content on social media. The camera sells for $239 on Amazon.

Contour Roam3 Action Camera

Like Roam 2, the Contour Roam 3 Action Camera has the ability to capture videos of 1080p at 30fps. Its lens can rotate at 270 degrees which delivers a field of view of 170 degrees, and it can be accustomed trough the laser level. The camera has the capacity of surviving 30 feet under the water without the need of an externak case. One important feature is the instant-on record switch, which permits the camera to start recording once it is turned on. With a price of $199 on Amazon, the Contour Roam3 Action Camera comes also with an 8GB memory card.

Replay XD Prime X Wi-Fi Action Camera

The Replay XD Prime X camera is among the smallest, lightest full HD cameras that are waterproof, currently available on the market. It has a sensor of 16MP CMOS, Hyperion CinePrime Lens,from 3 to 3.5 hours of battery life and Wi-Fi. It can record videos of close to 1080p at 60fps and also 720p at 120fps. It is also able of capturing cinema settings for 24 and 48 fps. On Amazon, the camera can be found for $279.

Garmin VIRB Elite Action Camera

The VIRB Elite has a size of 4.7×2.2×1.6 inches and has an aspect similar to a mixture between a wine stopper and a flashlight. Almost the entire exterior of the camera is covered in a rough rubber coating. Its waterproof design allows it to resist under water for half an hour, at almost one meter deep. The waterproof feature it is valid only for accidentally dropping the camera inside the water. Those who wish to film underwater with this camera can buy the optional dive case which costs $40. The camera doesn’t come with a Wi-Fi remote like GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition and can communicate trough Wi-Fi with the help of a tablet or smart phone. The price on Amazon is of $238.

Drift HD720

Drift HD720 is appreciated for its sleek and lightweight design. It has an LCD screen of 1.5 inches, remote radio frequency and 4X digital zoom lens which can rotate at 300-degrees and 130 degrees of wide angle capturing. It can also capture time lapse videos up to 60fps. Among other features there are a built in microphone, the Drift mounting system and rechargeable battery. Also, the camera comes with a waterproof case. On Amazon this camera sells for $121.90.
Image Source: habrahabr, Videomaker, multi, Amazon, Trusted Reviews, truly net

Lollipop 5.0 And The Phones That Will Be Upgraded First

February 13, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Which are the very first phones and devices that will be upgraded to the new versions of Android, Lollipop 5.0? That is the answer Android users all over the world are awaiting.

Android 5.0 Lollipop has been released on the market and all manufacturers hurried to update their phones to the newest version of the Google operating system. To be sure you are informed with everything there is to know, here are the official news but also the rumours regarding the fresh arrival on your favorite brands of phones and tablets of Lollipop 5.0.

SONY

Sony comes with good news for all the people owning Xperia Z smartphone.The company will update all its premium models to Android 5.0 Lollipop and they have confirmed that the following phones will be updated with the new software: Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3V, and also the Xperia Z3 Compact.

Their tablets haven’t been left aside either, and will be updating the Lollipop 5.0 on the tablets Xperia Z, Xperia Z2 and the latest Xperia Z3 compact. The Google Play Edition of Xperia Z Ultra seems to already have been updated. Last December, Sony confirmed that they intend to start a broader update of Android 5.0. A post on the official Xperia Twitter account, reaffirmed the company’s intention of bringing Android 5.0. to the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z3 at the beginning of 2015.

LG

Until now, LG’s Android 5.0 updates have been limited to Europe, but that has changed, and Lollipop 5.0 is on its way to the United States. The updating starts with AT&T for the LG3, according to Android Authority.  The update occupies a space of 689.53 MB and starting with February 10, people owning G3s will get it.

Ending of October, LG sent from the Twitter account of LG Electronics UK, a welcome tweet concerning the G3 smartphone, informing that the G3 phone model should get its Android 5.0 update before the end of the year. They haven’t mentioned an exact date, but recent news stated that it might come sooner than later.

The first in line will be G3 owners from Poland, and the process is expected to start from the 10th of November. A statement from LG’s blog said that this will be followed by other key markets in the near future. LG’s seems very proud of the efforts for Android 5.0 and stated with confidence that it will be the first worldwide manufacturer which will provide this year the latest version of the OS created by Google. As usual, it will be an shaky release which will depend on the cooperation of the network. A French network, released on the 8th of December, a software update schedule and the LG G3 model was catalogued as being ongoing.

Also at the middle of December, there has been a leak of the list containing the European countries where G3 would receive Lollipop 5.0. Among the mentioned countries were Austria, UK, Italy, Germany and Spain, December 12 being the start date. In India, G3 phones seem that would receive the software, before the ending of the month.

It doesn’t come as a surprise hearing that LG will first take care of its phones, and once that is over LG will discuss about the other devices to be prepared for the update. G Pro2 and phones like G Flex and also the G3 Beat are expected to occupy high places on the list.

MOTOROLA

Motorola collaborated with Google to create the Nexus 6, so it is normal that they are already pretty familiar with the OS to quickly upgrade its latest phones. On their official blog they declared that Moto x and Moto G phones will get Lollipop 5.0 together with the versions 4G LTE of the Moto G and the Moto E.

The older Motorola phones wont be left out either, also the Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx and the Droid Mini. On the 12th of November Motorola has released Android 5.0 for the second generation of Moto X Plus, the U.S. version and the international second generation of Moto G. At the ending of last month, owners of Moto G second generation connected to Verizon, have also updated to the new version.

Beginning of December, Indian owners of original Moto G, reported the arrival of Lollipop 5.0 which was confirmed by Motorola on its own software update page. In France, the Moto G phones would be updated in December but it wasn’t mentioned which generation of Moto G would be updated. Motorola promised that soon other devices will be updated as well.

SAMSUNG

In the U.S., the first Samsung smart phones that will receive the update will be Galaxy S5, sold at Verizon, which should happen to all the Galaxy S5 owners during the next two weeks.

For those on other networks, including the ones owning Galaxy Note 4, will have to wait a bit more, until Lollipop 5.0 will be updated on their devices. Usually manufacturers, send out updates little by little to ensure everything is working perfectly.

The European Galaxy S5 owners, will slowly but surely receive the update, with U.S. smart phones close behind, but the update will be related to the speed with which networks favour the new firmware.

A previous rumour that was published by SamMobule.com, turned out to be real, when Polish users started to receive the update at the beginning of December 2014. British Galaxy S5 owners have also access to Lollipop 5.0. A schedule update of a French network, showed that Galaxy S5 will be upgraded during the month of December, while Galaxy Note 4 will be postponed till January.

According to SamMobile, Samsung has given a unique makeover to their Android interface to bring it on the same level with Google’s Material Design, introduced with Android 5.0 and also a selection of brand new features.

NEXUS

Nexus has upgraded their new Nexus 6 smartphones and on the tablet Nexus 9. The Lollipop 5.0 was confirmed also for Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 smartphones and the tablets Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.
Google tweeted on the 12th of December that Lollipop has been released and will quickly be available on the majority of Nexus devices.

HTC

HTC was the other Android 5.0 hardware of Google along with Motorola, and produced the Nexus 9 tablet. According to HTC’s official page of software update, HTC One and HTC One M8 will be updated to Lollipop 5.0. Even though the company has announced the updated within 90 days after the team would receive the last version from Google, failed to make its deadline.
HTC said that in spite of that the update will be introduced soon enough. In Europe already have Lollipop 5.0 on their HTC One M8.
Starting with the 10th of February, T-Mobile upgraded to Lollipop customers having HTC One M8 phones. The update occupies around 630 MB and can be done by going to Settings> About> Software Update. The phones HTC One M7 and M8 Google Play Editions should be the first to receive the upgrade, somewhere between November and December. The versions Sense-based will be next and will be updated in January/February.

During the period between January March, Lollipop 5.0 will arrive to phones like One M8 Dual Sim, Desire Eye, E8 Dual-Sim, One E8 and also Butterfly 2.According to the source, Lollipop should make its way to the Desire Eye, One M8 Dual-Sim, One E8, One E8 Dual-Sim, and the Butterfly 2.

By March and April Desire 816 and One Mini 2 should be upgraded and Butterfly S and One Mini are scheduled for March/ May. An interesting fact is that the Desire 820 , of 64 bit hasn’t been mentioned. However, their Mediatek powered handsets are still evaluated so it is not sure if they will receive the Lollipop 5.0 upgrade.

Image Sources: xda Developers, Sony.com, Lg.com, Tech 2, T-Mobile.com, TechAdvisor, HTC.com

China Kicks In With a Bold Phablet Competitor, the Mi Note

January 31, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

As more time passes and we advance into the year, there seems to be an undeniable trend happening. It would be a false statement to say that this is a new thing however; it’s been happening for years but it seems to have gotten way more powerful recently. Strangely enough, concomitantly with the release of the iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple seems to have set a new trend when they decided to have a reset on their own principle and forget about the whole small and powerful design for their phones. They took a leap of faith by now switching to the trend themselves and making bigger, but still powerful phones.

The only reason that the iPhone 6 came in two variants was probably something done that way to make sure it appeals to both new customers and already loyal fans of the Apple products.

These days, everyone is pushing the size limit on the phones they design with no regret. If producers want to not have their devices classified as phablets, they still go as far as they can with the display size. Hybrids even more so. Even tablets seem to be getting the same treatment: take as an example Apple’s leaked mold for the new tablet they seem to be preparing for later this year.

Given the recent study that proved that the bigger phones get, the less users turn to their tablets for day to day use, the company seemed to have become riled up with the information and acting accordingly.

Xiaomi – ‘The Apple of the East’

If you’re wondering why I keep making Apple references, well, it’s not a bias towards the company. It’s simply because the Chinese developer that we will be turning our attention towards now is Xiaomi, a company that has, on several occasions, been labeled as “Apple of the East” thanks to the uncanny resemblance between its smartphones appearance and Apple’s mobile phone products.

Its latest release however seems to have been putting extra effort in leaping away from the label in question as the two new releases brought by the Chinese company look anything BUT Apple. If anything, they resemble Android devices way more. We were able to get several sneak previews of the two new flagship devices Xiaomi is bringing to the market – dubbed Mi Note and Mi Note Pro – and by the looks of it, the pair of phones is ready to take on a challenge head on. Hoping to be able to compete with the success that the iPhone 6 Plus has scored in China, even the company itself started off its presentation campaign with comparisons between their new devices and the phablet version of the latest iPhone, made in the most direct way possible.

The occasion that brought the two flagship smartphones into the spotlight was last week’s press event in Beijing. Attendees were able to view and tinker around with the phone, and truth be told, impressions seem to only speak of good things. News of the Mi Note’s variant’s release say that we should be expecting this phone to hit stores on January 27^th while its Pro version won’t make it out into the light and into consumer’s pockets until March 2015. This is only speaking for Chinese stores as well as stores in India as there is no news of release anywhere else so far.

Mi Note & Mi Note Pro Specs

So let’s talk specs and details for a little while. While there’s no visual, design difference between the two models, the Pro version is rightfully entitled that because it packs up a harder hardware kick. In terms of design, the company has certainly exceeded themselves – the entire thing looks polished and incredibly well built.

Including a metal case that so many producers run away from these days to be able to cut on prices, the phone was claimed to feel like a well-crafted piece of jewelry. Both of the Mi Note phablets make use of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 with a 2.5D curve on the front – just like its iPhone 6 counterpart – and 3D curve on the back. During the event it was showcased just how durable the glass is to scratches and damage, including the powerful self-healing capabilities that more and more phones adopt these days for their screen’s health. Said screen also includes an anti-glare coating that was also used in the iPad Air 2, reducing reflection when stood in sunlight and improving viewing angles just as well.

Both phones are of the same 5.7 inch display screen, measuring 155.1 x 77.6 x 7 mm in overall dimensions and not weighing more than 161 grams. Both versions have dual SIM capacity and can take both micro SIMS and nano SIMS as well. The full HD display as an IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen capable of 16 million colors and a 1440 x 2560 pixel resolution, summing up to a 515 pixel density.

That’s a staggering number for your regular ppi, which only means that displays will show amazingly crisp, vivid and colorful images to entertain you, whether it’s media watching or enjoying the photos you took with your own hands.

While we’re on the photo taking portion of the phone description, again – both phones prove to pack the same amount of megapixels stored in both the front and rear cameras. Xiaomi used a 4 megapixel front camera with 2 micron pixels for both models – that is something you may have seen before in the HTC One M7 and M8 respectively if you keep up with changes in the smartphone world. There are also 13 megapixel cameras placed on the phones rear, and they pack quite a lot of photo-taking, video-recording potential.

They are packed with optical image stabilization, a two-tone flash developed by well-known producer Phillips, a Sony CMOS sensor and six-element lens. Photos taken on both versions were quite outstanding and held close to absolutely no reason for complaint on their quality. The rear cameras can shoot photos in 4128 x 3096 pixel resolutions and videos in 1080p at 30 frames per second, while the front facing ones can still do 1080p themselves.

Audio-wise, Xiaomi claimed with 100% certainty that the ESS ES9018K2M audio chip that it incorporated in both the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro is the highest quality audio chip on any phone made until today. While this might not be something users get that involved in – unlike the display for example – as most people prefer to use a pair of headphones on their phone, speakers are gaining some ground when it comes to phablets and the way they are starting to replace other viewing ports for media and such.

Onto the part where we discuss differences between the two versions of the Mi Note. While not even close to weak, the regular Mi Note packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU and an Adreno 330 GPU. No less than 3 GB of RAM make their way on this beauty, making multitasking and memory consuming apps the least of your problems. Wait until you see the Mi Note Pro version however.

Xiaomi’s Mi Note Pro is officially one of the first smartphones or phablets out there to make use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, released at the end of last year. The exact model of the chipset, for those interested is Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810, packing both a quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 and a Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A57 CPUs. The graphics processing unit is considerably newer than its Mi Note counterpart as well, an Adreno 430 model being included in this version as well. 1 extra GB of RAM can also be found on the Pro variant in comparison to Mi Note’s 3 GB memory.

Such a beautiful design however doesn’t seem to have been able to pack a microSD card slot without ruining the feng shui of the ordeal. Yup, that’s right, no extra storage for individuals grabbing either of these models. The Mi Note comes in two storage options – both 16 GB and 64 GB while the Mi Note Pro version remains exclusive on the 64 GB storage. Considering there’s no expansion to the storage, it might not be a bad idea to grab the larger storage version if you do decide on purchasing Xiaomi’s newest flagship wonder.

Both devices support Long Term Evolution technology and over 3,000 mAh batteries under their hoods. In terms of special features that the developer might have come up with for its users, there is one thing that is strongly worth mentioning: to make one-handed navigation and usage easier on its users, given the ungodly size the Mi Note displays, Xiaomi added support to the phones, allowing you to shrink the screen and adjust the size of it according to the preferences of the person using the device.

Conclusion

The release of the two devices will be complimented by Android’s latest 5.0 Lollipop operating system to enhance all of its features even further with the help of the OS’s Material Design. The pricing of the two phablets is shockingly low for the power they pack in their midst: considering we are talking about phones bought out of contract here, the pricing for the Mi Note starts at $376 for the 16 GB version, while the pricing for the Mi Note Pro is estimated to start somewhere at $534.

Xiaomi has definitely exceeded itself with these two tech monsters. Known to be the 4^th biggest smartphone producer worldwide and proclaimed 3^rd most powerful in Q3 of 2014, activates only in China, India and partially in other countries of Southeast Asia. The two phablets are certain to score a great amount of success in China the very least, considering that it’s not only the largest market for mobile phones with displays larger than 5.5 inches, but also scores the most shipments of phablets than the following 10 phablet markets combined – as it has been stated by analyst Melissa Chau from IDC.

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