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Apple Reportedly Will Launch Streaming TV Service This Fall

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When it comes to Apple we expect nothing but high quality products and inovative ideas. It seems that the company wishes to enter the cable TV world just like it entered the music one, with iTunes.Rumors have it, that Apple reportedly will Launch streaming TV service this fall.

No one can argue the fact that Apple is unbeatable and its technological empire keeps expanding in much more areas. So far we have been used to hearing about Apple smartphones, Apple laptops, Apple computers, Apple watches, and even future Apple cars.

This just makes us wonder what technological segment will Apple hit next? There’s no doubt that Apple has made top products and has excelled in all the devices it has created, but do you think is possible Apple might do the same when it comes to television?apple-tv-streaming-service

According to The Wall Street Journal, from what it looks like, the company is aiming to give it a try, as Cupertino is negotiating with TV content providers to offer a small pack of tv channels trough online streaming, that might happen this fall.

Even though the cited sources have not been named, the newspaper stated that services provided by Apple TV, would consist of  around 25 channels, which will include classic channels such ABC, FOX and CBS.

But so far the discussion with the program suppliers didn’t include NCBUniversal, and have excluded channels like USA and Bravo, because of a fall out between Apple and the founder company of NBCUniversal, Comcast, stated the Journal.

It has been once rumored that Apple and Comcast were talking about a potential partnership, and Comcast clients would be allowed to access the content of the cable provider with the help of an Apple TV set top box. But, it appears that their relationship has presently turned colder.

But, even without having NBC in the plan, Apple is reaching Walt Disney, CBS, and other smaller popular channels, like FX and ESPN.

The monthly price for the Apple tv package would cost between $30 and $40,a pretty high price, if we think about the extremely packed streaming and on demand market.

However, for example, HBO NOW costs $14.99 a month and the new Sling TV, costs $20 a month, they are both offering much cheaper packages, but none of them is providing such a large channel selection like Apple is believed to be planning.

Other networks, such CBS and NBC, offer on demand programming for monthly fees and the prices vary between $3 to $6, while Hulu Plus, has a price of 47.99 per month.

Apple has not given any comments concerning the reports. But apparently, the technology mogul, is planning to unveil all this in June, before  the launch from September. The TV service will be compatible with all the iOS devices, Iphones, iPads and Apple TV boxes, included.

Before going for the, what just might be the next big Apple thing, the company is partnering with HBO for the launch the following streaming service, called HBO NOW.

The HBO NOW app is set to be released in April, and the subscription will have a price of $14.99 per month, and will allow subscribers to watch all The Game of Thrones or Girls series they want on their iPhone, Ipad, iPod Touch and Apple TV, but also on a PC trough HBONOW.com.

The partnership of Apple on HBO NOW  is reportedly an exclusive deal, but according to Cablevision’s announcement of this week, HBO NOW will also be offered to the Optimum Online Customers, living in the New York area.

Image Source: ibtimes

Withings Activite Review

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The Activite activity tracker from Withings isn’t about notifications and small distractions disguising themselves as help. A wearable is sometimes best when it simply doesn’t get in your way. This is exactly what the French developer had in mind when it created its Activite device. On top of this, these activity trackers have something pretty unique: the devices have classic dials and round faces, so they don’t really look like any activity tracker we’ve seen so far. The Activite from Withings isn’t exactly a traditional fitness device, nor is it entirely a smartwatch. We love this aspect but you should be aware that these devices are probably not for everyone.

Here is our Withings Activite review.

Withings Activite review

Hardware

The devices come in two versions, Activite and Activite Pop. The normal Activite is the more expensive of the two and costs $450. We had on our hands a unit that came with a black face and black leather strap. But if this isn’t your style, you’ll be happy to know that the device also comes with a brown band and a blue trim. They feel like they would be more suited to wear while going out than to the gym but the silicone strap included in the package really helps when you’re working out.

It’s pretty cool that the company decided to include the silicon strap with the device but the leather one looks more elegant and my wrist got very sweaty under the plastic strap.

The normal Activite is very elegant, while the Activite Pop looks more like a Swatch watch. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the Activite Pop does all the things the regular one does but in a more colorful body and a less expensive build. The Pop comes with a silicon strap that you can remove and replace with another one with the help of a very simple latch. The less expensive material used to build the Pop is pretty much the only thing that is different from the premium version. Activite is built with a shiny alloy and the Pop uses a PVD treated stainless steel. The glass on the Pop is made out of mineral glass and the premium version uses a sapphire that’s also scratchproof.

The Pop is not as comfortable as the premium version, mainly because of the silicone strap, but if your wrist doesn’t get particularly sweaty you’ll be just fine wearing it for long periods of time.

The Activite will show you how many steps you’ve taken with the use of a small dial on its face. The default goal is 10,000 steps but you can change this with the help of the companion app. It’s obvious that Withings tried to make a very useful device without stuffing it with a surplus of somewhat unnecessary features. The device comes with different watch faces and Withings built them thinking about both genders. While it would have been cool to have a more dazzling and larger design, the device gets the job done.

The device doesn’t come with a charger and instead, the company decided to use a button-cell battery. Withings claims that a battery can last around eight months before you need to change it.

Software

Because the two watches don’t really do all that much by themselves, Withings made a companion app called Withings Health Mate that helps the two devices. The app is pretty much the display the watch lacks. You can use the companion app to program your fitness goals, weight and height and then Withings Health Mate combines all your movement, sleep data and heart rate into a neat single feed. While this works well, you might find yourself a little confused by the tiny graphs and numbers that fill the screen of your smartphone.

The Activite collects a lot of data and one of the most awesome tricks the app has up its sleeve is the possibility to check your heart rate with the use of your iPhone’s camera. The app detects your heart rate with the help of the LED light. While this is pretty accurate, trying to find out your heart rate in a very bright room can be pretty tricky as the Health Mate app detects your pulse through the skin of your finger pressed against the bright LED light.

While sleeping with something on your wrist may not attract you all that much, Activite does a good job of analyzing your sleep hours. However, it does seem overly pessimistic when it comes to sleep cycles. Some nights the app reported I didn’t get as much sleep as I did. It probably matters how well you sleep but it did make me wonder if it’s all that accurate at all. While the app isn’t probably as accurate as you’d want it to be, it did tell me that I needed more sleep. (I already knew that, but it did remind me of it.)

There are some design decisions that don’t really seem that great. You earn badges when you complete some challenges but this doesn’t show up in your profile page where they should normally appear, instead, they show up in your timeline. It’s true this isn’t a major problem but it’s pretty annoying nonetheless.

One bigger problem is the alarm clock. When you set an alarm, you have to drag a bar down and up the screen to choose when the alarm will set off. When you first look at it, it seems kind of cool but when you want to set an alarm for eight hours (or more) since that moment, you have to drag the bar to the edge of your smartphone’s screen and wait for the app to cycle until the slider lands on your desired time. A much easier solution would have been to implement a text box. Fitbit and Jawbone are definitely winners when it comes to the design of their companion apps. It would be nice to see some improvements in the updates to come.

The competition

Withings Activite review

The Activites from Withings are both great devices but there are other great smartwatches on the market. Fitbit’s devices such as the Surge and the Flex are great for everyone and the $100 Flex imposes quite the competition for the Activite. The Flex tracks your sleep and steps, just as the Activite, but at a smaller price.

For the price you would pay on Activite you could choose a fancier Android Wear smartwatch. The Moto 360 and the LG G Watch cost less than the device from Withings and do a lot more.

Wrapping up

PROS

– Good materials and beautiful design

– User friendly interface

– Step counter works really well

CONS

– Very expensive

– The companion app isn’t very polished

– The smartwatches don’t have a lot of features

Verdict

If you want a wearable that’s both a fashion statement and an activity tracker, consider buying the Withings Activite. The device is built with premium materials, such as stainless steel, leather for the strap and a sapphire crystal. However, its looks are overshadowed by its limited functionality other than to count your steps and show you the time. The $450 Withings Activite is definitely a beautiful device and you won’t feel embarrassed by wearing it but you will definitely feel somewhat poorer.

Images source: 1, 2

Nvidia Shield Set-Top Box Hands On

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Nvidia Shield Set-Top Box Hands On

Nvidia’s latest Shield is an Android top box that makes use of the company’s latest Tegra chip. The device streams games over a platform called GRID, it can stream games from your PC and also supports Twitch streaming at the same time. Here are our Nvidia Shield set-top box hands on impressions.

However, the question is: Is this device any good? And the answer is: Kind of.

Having recently used the device it’s safe to say that it’s a pretty nifty peace of hardware. However, being a streaming device it’s uncertain how it will perform after its official release.

Nvidia’s Shield is powerful, small and looks similar to other set-top boxes we’ve used. The Shield box will be very familiar if you’ve ever used the Fire TV from Amazon. The device offers a lot of apps and digital content from Netflix and Hulu to Google Play and YouTube. The Shield features voice search and a microphone is built right in the gamepad.

But I’m sure you don’t care as much about Android TV as you do about the game streaming, so let’s get to that.

Does the game streaming actually work? Well, yes, it really does. But will game streaming work right in your home? We can’t tell you for sure at this time. The fact is that this feature depends on your internet connection as well as how well the servers from Nvidia will perform after the official release.

This is what we played on the device:

A match in Ultra Street Fighter IV streamed from Nvidia’s GRID
Around five minutes of Dying Light, also streamed from GRID
A very short section from Doom 3: BFG Edition played locally

 

Let’s start with the most relevant game from the list. Doom 3 looks and feels exactly as Doom 3 should feel and the only difference is that the game now plays on Android and its graphics are a little nicer. The game performs really smooth and it’s very pretty. However, whether Doom 3 is exciting or not depends solely on you and what kinds of games you like to play. What we can confirm is that the game actually runs on Shield and, supposedly the new device can also play Crysis 3 locally. We weren’t able to play the game, however, mainly because Crytek didn’t want the press to test the game for now. Nevertheless, we did get a look at Crysis 3 on the Shield and we can say that what we saw was indeed Crysis 3 and actually played like the game, albeit somewhat laggy.

When we played Ultra Street Fighter IV and Dying Light we didn’t sense any lag. To be fair, we only played the games for a short period of time and game streaming should be tested at home to see exactly how well it performs.

We’ll make a full review of the device when it launches but for now we can say that it definitely looks promising. It’s safe to say that if this $200 machine will perform great after its official release, it will become a serious competition for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. But to pay this kind of money just to stream video content doesn’t seem like a great idea. There are great set-top boxes out there that cost less than half its price.

Image source: Photo 1

Astro Xbox One Headphones Review

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Astro

Those who are into this kind of gadgets will surely want to find out everything about them. Check out the Astro Xbox One headphones review and decide for yourself.

Until recently, if you wanted a pair of gaming headphones you had to buy a set of purpose made cans. Gladly, thanks to the way the PlayStation 4’s and Xbox One’s controllers are created, that isn’t an issue anymore.

To use your favourite headphones with Xbox, all you need is a $35 adapter.

But how does Astro compete, a company known for its luxury gaming headsets?

The $200 A40 Xbox One Edition headsets is way better than its competitors, but encountered serious competition from an unexpected area: other headphones made by Astro.
Astro products have always been pretty expensive, but the trick with them is that they are an investment, not just any purchase. But, since the release of Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, the company has released just a handful of models.

Rather than becoming out dated like many other headsets, with the release of PS4 and Xbox One, Astro instead created updates to make the wireless MixAmp modules and the A50 match the new system.

astro 40

What does the A40s has to offer that the old ones don’t?

One of its biggest extensions is the M80 MixAmp that can be plugged in directly into the controller of Xbox One. It stands as a replacer for the console’s previous mentioned adapter, but mainly it performs the same duties: voice/game audio balance and a single button muting.

The difference stands in the different EQ settings offered by the M80,meaning no bass, medium bass and lots of bass and the 3.55mm headphone input has been replaced with an approximately 4 foot linguini cable and a 3.5 mm headphone jack that can be plugged into the bottom of the left ear cup.

astro 1

Another quality is that the mute button/volume know combo is very big and is very easy to reach even when not looking at the controller. The setup is a piece of cake as well, all you have to do is to plug the M80 into the controller and the cable into the headphones and all is set. One single wire and no frustrations.

Reviews of the MLG edition A40s headphones have given very high rates. The headphones sound great for practically anything, even voice transcription and some consider it the top of the top. They are unpretentious, very comfortable to wear for long periods of time and very easy to use.

The new model of A40s are different on that matter, but only from a superficial point of view. Instead of an all black design, they are light grey with baby blue accents. This design should be a total success for the Detroit Lions fans, but others might not find their looks so appealing.

Functionally speaking, not many things have changed. You can still switch the boom mic from one earcup to another and the magnetic earcup covers*named officially “speaker tags”) can be removed and customized however you wish too.
When it comes to the audio quality, the headphones deliver the clear earcup vibration expected to hear from Astro gear.
No matter what choosing to listen with these headphones, the sound provided is to die for.

Frankly, they kind of betray the stereo only nature of any audio output by the Xbox One controller. When plugging the A40s into the official headset adapter of the Xbox One, the comparison is useless. The sound was fuller, and felt like the sound was traveling all around the back of the head, as opposed to being heard exclusively on the side of each ear.

A pleasant surprise was how the different EQ modes applied when having incoming voice chat. It was very easy to create a serious mix between game and chat audio and even manage to adjust the sound mode settings without looking away from the TV.

This is another aspect, Astro has always been very good at compared to others who didn’t manage to reach expectations, as they tried to pack to many buttons into a small area. In that sense, it is much easier to use, than Microsoft’s adapter.

If we were to look for a downside, that would be that the M80 sucks dry you controller’s battery life., as it is taking its power from the gamepad itself, which makes the Xbox One controller power use to be a complete turn off.

With a fresh set of AAs, after 12 hours of use and three gaming session, the battery warned to be low.
When analysing all of these criteria, we cannot help but ask ourselves if investing $200 in it would worth it, taking into consideration that you already own other Astro headsets.

This matter is slightly relative as it all depends on what your priorities are. You could purchase a pair of A50s and dispose of 7.1 audio and wireless chat for the amount of $100 extra. On the other hand, with $250 you could get a set of classic A40s, the wireless MixAmp Pro(which has 7.1 surround and Dolby Digital audio), but for chat you would require a wire. With this, you get stereo and a built-in am all in a discreet packaging.

Astro says that if the Xbox One would ever start to output two channel virtual surround with the help of the controller, the M80 can deliver that. Even so, this is limited to analog sound, which is not just as accurate as digital sound.
Bottom line, the A40s is a good recommendation, but the price gets a lot harder to justify when looking at the rest of the company’s line of products, especially if owning more than just the Xbox One.

Its would be advisable that, if you cat spare the $50, save some money for a bit more time, and buy the vanilla A40s.
Image Source: Best stuff, OXCGNs, GAMEZONE

LG G Flex2 Review

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LG G Flex2 Review

Almost everyone said that curved displays are just gimmicks but it seems that they are here to stay. LG’s new phone is sleeker, smaller and a lot prettier than the previous model.

Here is our LG G Flex2 review.

Hardware

LG G Flex2 Review

It’s easy to see LG’s first G Flex as a device made to fire back at the company’s rival Samsung. Once all the novelty of a curved display smartphone wore off, however, we were left with a device that felt like it needed improvement. And the company definitely improved it. The G Flex2 is a lot better than the original G Flex. It’s improved every aspect of the original one and it is the greatest curved smartphone we’ve used to date.

It may look like calling it the greatest curved smartphone isn’t such a big deal but let’s face it, the device will always be primarily known for its curviness instead of everything else it has to offer. The mobile phone actually stands out in a crowd as it is something that people never saw (or rarely saw) before. We tested the “Flamenco Red” model and the burgundy finish looks amazing. However, it’s still its curviness that stands out the most.

But if you look past its design, you will find a lot of things that you’ll love. The edges on the Flex2 are completely empty other than the headphone jack, microphone, the tiny IR blaster and the micro-USB port. LG once again put the volume control and the power button on the back of the Flex2, under the 13MP camera with laser autofocus. It takes a while to get used to the placement but after this you will wonder why other manufacturers don’t do the same thing with the button placements. Your index finger naturally stands on the back of the phone which makes the button placement feel natural.

There is a micro-SD card slot next to the micro-SIM tray on the back of the smartphone, under the back plate. This might not seem like a big deal but it’s good to know you can pop in a memory card in case you run out of storage and want to watch that whole season of Game of Thrones you like so much. We’ve had on our hands the 32GB model but there is also a 16GB one.

Because of its curviness, the G Flex2 embraces your face more comfortably than any other phone we’ve tested. The G Flex 2 hugged so very neatly my thigh that at times I almost forgot I was carrying it. This is excellent news if you are sick of smartphones that resemble bricks constantly pressing down on your leg. The G Flex2 feels a lot more comfortable than the previous model, mostly because LG decided to put a slightly smaller 5.5 inch P-OLED display on it but with a higher resolution than the previous Flex.

It’s obvious that the device is curved. But the question is: does it flex? And this is the answer: kind of. You could flatten the device if you wanted to but that’s obviously not what LG wants you to do with it on a regular basis. Even though LG didn’t say how much weight the device can take, at the CES briefing we saw someone from the staff at LG throw the smartphone on the floor and jump on it. Our test wasn’t as dramatic, however, but the results were practically the same. I sat on it many times and didn’t feel like it was about to get damaged and I mushed it a couple of times. It’s obvious that you don’t have to treat it with a lot of care but this doesn’t mean you should put it through very dangerous scenarios.

The Flex2’s self-healing back also works great. LG said the back can repair itself if it has minor scratches in around 10 seconds. We didn’t have an old Flex to compare but LG was right on the money. Tiny scratches that appear on the smartphone from daily use quickly repair themselves. However, don’t expect miracles if you drop the device.

Display

LG G Flex2 Review

The best decision LG made was to get rid of the 6 inch display on the old G Flex. They replaced the screen with a curved 5.5 inch P-OLED 1080p one and it is definitely better than the one found on the 2013 model. It’s a huge difference and comes as kind of a surprise seeing how young this kind of technology was just a couple of years ago. Not to mention how expensive it was to have this kind of screen on a device. While it isn’t as crisp as the display on the G3, you won’t see any individual pixels on the screen of the G Flex2.

It’s true that these things would mean nothing if the screen was lousy at all the rest. But be rest assured, the screen is amazing. The display is very bright and crisp and has deep blacks with great colors. You can even choose between “Natural” and “Vivid” color schemes in the presets from the settings menu on the smartphone. The display looks amazing in the “Vivid” color preset and looks more saturated without being overly violent.

The viewing angles on the screen are great as well. Whites will, however, get sort of a bluish look when you look at it from very awkward angles. The curve of the screen is what makes it great for visibility but it’s not as revolutionary as LG claims it is. You won’t really notice the curve if you are very close to the screen so it’s not as immersive as the company claims it is. There’s not really a great difference between the G Flex2 and other smartphones with big screens.

There is a single speaker on the back of the G Flex2 and it’s not as bad as we expected it to be. There is a lack of depth because of the single speaker setup and there are parts on tracks that overshadow others but it’s actually pretty good. The speaker is pretty loud and music and YouTube videos sound really great on the device.

Software

G Flex2 certainly turns heads but LG also kind of played it safe regarding software on the device. The G Flex2 has about the same features as the G3. They basically do the same things. You can pin two apps on the bottom and top halves of the display for easy multitasking and a double-tap on the device’s screen will wake it up from sleep mode. If you don’t really like this you can customize it with your own Knock Code. It’s also great for helping you get off the couch. The LG Health is a great addition and counts all the steps you take on a map for later analysis. Long story short, even though this is a new phone, you get the old interface.

Smart Notice, the Google Now competitor is back but it doesn’t look to be any smarter. It’ll let you know the weather is bad and remind you of birthdays but doesn’t do much more than that out of the box. However, Smart Notice will pick up on your habits in a few days of using it. For instance, if you call an unsaved number more than a few times it will ask you if you want the contact saved. I also had a conversation with the QVoice assistant, even though I faced some issues. The voice of the digital assistant sounds pretty natural.

Glance View lets you have a quick view at the notifications and time without draining your battery. Instead of tapping the lock button to light the whole screen up, you can swipe down to get a peek at all the important information. This only lights about a quarter of the screen in order to save power.

The new LG G Flex2 runs Android 5.0.1 Lollipop and the device comes with some software that LG didn’t develop such as Material Design UI. But some of the features in Lollipop can be a hassle to find. Usually manufacturers put their own print on the Android OS before they ship the device, but Google made some major changes in Lollipop and it can be a little frustrating to find all the features.

Camera

The camera on the original G Flex wasn’t really great. Rather than trying to improve the camera, LG simply put the same camera on the new G Flex2 that you can find on the G3. This is a great move from LG. The impressive 13MP camera in combination with the laser autofocus system is really great. All the photos we’ve taken were very detailed and crisp and very well exposed. The G Flex2’s camera performs surprisingly well even in darker environments. The optical stabilization is pretty good too and will save your shots if you have shaky hands.

The camera app is also quite straightforward and intuitive. There are only a back button and a small overlay that shows you the recent photos. You just have to tap on the screen to take a photo. However, if you enter the Settings menu you can turn the camera app into something else. You can set it to focus when you tap on the screen and you will have to tap the shutter button to capture a photo. There aren’t a lot of options to choose from, other than the grid, HDR, timer and the ability to shoot a panorama. You can also take a shot with both of the cameras simultaneously.

Even though the front –facing camera isn’t amazing, it does have some interesting features. If you make a fist at the camera it will start the timer. Once the photo is shot, when you move closer to the camera, the phone automatically enters gallery mode for you to view your photo. It’s a pretty nifty feature.

Battery life and performance

LG G Flex2 Review

There are some premium components inside the LG G Flex2. The smartphone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core CPU clocked at 2GHz. Even though this chipset was reported to heat pretty badly and Samsung even ditched it, the G Flex2 is the first smartphone to use it. In Korea there were some reports that the chipset is indeed running pretty hot, but some also said that it’s cooler than the previous chipsets from Qualcomm.

In our tests the phone didn’t feel all that hot and I have only great things to say regarding its performance. The top half of the G Flex2 got a little warm when being put through very demanding games but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Sometimes the homescreen performed slowly and while disabling the Smart Notice widget worked wonders on the performance, it still hiccupped a few times. It seems that 2GB of RAM sometimes simply aren’t enough.

The Flex2 can be a little flaky at times and it did refuse to connect to my Wi-Fi network because it reported it as being a poor connection, despite the fact that moments before it showed it had excellent signal. These are small quirks and aren’t all that important as it happened just once.

The battery life is pretty good. It kept on going for 13 hours on a single charge when being moderately used. We did make a video rundown test and the LG G Flex2 held its head up high for 10 hours and 12 minutes on a continuous 720p video loop. The phone charges from 0 to 50 percent in around an hour and the full charge completed in just under an hour from that.

Wrapping up…

PROS

– Beautiful design

– Good camera

– Battery charges very fast

– Great video and gaming performance

CONS

– LG’s UI seems a little sluggish at times

– Some stock features in Lollipop are missing

– Weak front camera

Verdict

The LG G Flex 2 isn’t perfect. Certain features in Android have been removed and it can be a little sluggish sometimes. Some may want a better battery life and will complain about the Snapdragon chipset inside the device but the balance between performance and style on the device is pretty spot-on.

Images source: cartridgeservice.ro, pcmag.com, trustedreviews.com, allinallnews.com

Best Gaming Laptops On the Market

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Finding the best gaming laptop can be really hard for those people that compare the price of a gaming laptop to that of a PlayStation 4, which costs around $500.

Learning about the laptop’s specifications should give you a clue why it’s priced the way it is. Most gaming laptops come with 1080p displays, the best performing Intel CPU and 16GB or more RAM.

We present to you some of the best gaming laptops on the market today.

1. Razer Blade 14

Best Gaming Laptops

This is a very sleek laptop that is just 0.70 inches thick. It has a gorgeous QHD+ display and 16GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L RAM and up to 512GB SSD storage. Having SSD means that it is able to deliver speeds of up to four times faster than traditional hard disk drives, which allows the machine to boot a lot faster and launch games quicker.

It has an Intel Core i7 4720HQ processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M graphics card and an IGZO display that is more than gorgeous.

2. Alienware 17

Best Gaming Laptops

The Alienware 17 features high-end graphics and CPU with a carbon fiber design and copper heat sinks. This gaming laptop is designed to deliver a great gaming experience.

Other features on the laptop include the IPS LCD display, full sized keyboard, a 2.0MP Full HD webcam, Quad-Core Intel i7 CPU, great audio powered by Creative SoundBlaster, pre-installed software called Alien Autopsy and AlienFX API.

3. Gigabyte Aorus X3 Plus

Best Gaming Laptops

The key features on the gaming laptop from Gigabyte are its 13.3 inch display with a resolution of 3,200 x 1,800, an i7-4860HQ CPU, two 256GB SSDs and a GeForce GTX 870M graphics card. The laptop weights 1.8kg and is only 23mm thick. It’s a very portable gaming laptop and you can easily fit it inside a standard backpack. The screen is gorgeous and beats its competitors in terms of black levels, color accuracy and contrast ratio. The laptop also boasts a pair of very good speakers that offer highly detailed and great sound, a very suitable keyboard and a great battery life of up to 5 hours and 20 minutes.

4. Gigabyte P35W v2

Best Gaming Laptops

This beautiful gaming laptop comes with a 4th gen i7 CPU paired with a great GeForce GTX 870M graphics card with 6GB video memory. The laptop also has a dual fan cooling system that keeps it very cool and supports two HDDs and two SSDs. If you opt for a full kit model you will be able to get a storage capacity of around 5TB. You can choose to replace one of the drives with a Blu-Ray. The display of this laptop is Full HD and has a very wide viewing angle. The Gigabyte P35W v2 also features a Mini Display Port that can display a 4K resolution.

5. Origin EVO15-S

Best Gaming Laptops

This gaming laptop from Origin is only 0.78 inches in thickness and has great features and specs. It features a Quad-Core i7 CPU from Intel, a GTX 970M GeForce graphics card, 16GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. The laptop features numerous USB 3.0 ports, a 720p webcam, an SD card reader and a choice between a matte or glossy 15 inch UHD IPS display.

6. Asus Rog G751

Best Gaming Laptops

This laptop features a 17.3 inch Full HD IPS display and it’s one of the first laptops that can handle 4K games. It has up to 32GB RAM, dual fans with copper heat sinks and easy access game keys and programmable ones.

7. Schenker XMG P304

Best Gaming Laptops

This is a new breed of gaming laptops and features a 13.3 inch display and weights 2kgs. It also has a great battery life for how portable it is. You can play for up to 4 hours on a 40 percent brightness level. The display is great in terms of brightness, color accuracy and black levels. Other features on the gaming laptop include 8GB RAM, a 250GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M graphics card.

8. MSI GE70 Apache Pro-012

Best Gaming Laptops

This laptop is built with premium hardware that can easily enhance the gaming experience. It features an Intel Core i7-4700 HQ CPU that can be turbo boosted to 3.4GHz. The machine has 12GB of DDR3L RAM, a Steel Series Full Color Backlit keyboard and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M graphics card with 2GB of GDDR5 video memory.

This was our short guide on the best gaming laptops on the market at the moment. We hope you enjoyed it and wish you happy shopping.

Images source: techtimes.com

Could LG G Flex 2 Actually Be A Menace For Galaxy S6?

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lg-g-flex-2

LG G Flex 2 has proved to be a fierce contender for the place of one of the best smart phones and rumours has it that it might be a threat  for the Galaxy S6. Could LG G Flex2 actually be a menace for Galaxy S6?

The reviews received by LG G Flex 2 have been pretty amazing, preparing the phone for its release in stores, set for March13.
But the question is: Could LG G Flex2 be a threat to other phone brands on the market? So far, LG has not had the same success as Apple or Samsung, but it is possible that LG Flex 2 will change all of that?

Putting the LG G Flex 2 face to face with the iPhone can raise a lot of questions. Does the device created by LG have what it takes to attract iOS lovers over to the Android side? Even if the G Flex 2 might have higher end specs than iPhone 6, that’s not necessarily the deciding factor when it comes to iPhone fans.

 

The factor that helps Apple followers to decide, is the software. Thing which seems to be totally true, as the market has plenty of Android phones with higher end specs than the iPhone. Among those phones LG G Flex 2 has most certainly a well established position but this doesn’t meant that it will be the phone that will take the place of the iPhone. The G Flex 2 is still running Android, thing which right now Apple lovers are into.

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What is even more interesting is try imagining how the device will compare to the Samsung Galaxy S6 which is approaching it’s release. When it comes to Android phones, the LG G Flex 2 offers some unique features.

One of the obvious different features is the curved display of the phone. Many people have stated that the curved display feels very good in the hand and also the face, when taking on the phone. Apart from that, it allows users to reach more easily all the areas of the phone with the use of one hand.

There are others, who consider that the curved display is weird and was designed just to attract attention. For those who believe so, for sure the Galaxy S 6 will be a much better option. But the G Flex 2 is not just a phone with a curved screen. What’s hiding behind its pretty looks, is much more interesting.

The phone has a Snapdragon 810 processor, which rumors say, that it has been removed from the Samsung Galaxy S6, because they encountered many issues. The replacement of it, chosen by Samsung, is reported to be Exynos 7 processor.

The only thing we can do, is wait and let the reviews decide which one of the two phones will be in the top of preferences. But if Samsung has indeed changed its processor, it will perform much better than the Snapdragon 810.

Another thing that has to be taken into consideration is the market time the G Flex 2 has had compared to Galaxy S6. Samsung has been very careful not to reveal many things about the new Galaxy, even though there have been many leaks.

Even so, Samsung Galaxy S smartphone series will remain the rulers of the Android phones and for the LG G Flex 2 to take the place of the Galaxy S6 or even the iPhone, situation should change 180 degrees, in order for that to happen.
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A Mysterious Device Will Be Announced By Motorola On February 25th

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Brace yourselves, as in a few days Motorola will be revealing a secret. A mysterious device will be announced by Motorola on February 25th.

It seems that Motorola is preparing for a surprise release, on Wednesday, as the company has been sending out a number of emails to people part of the tech press. Motorola said that they will be shipping a box, hinting that inside of it there would be, everything that a person could need.

Even though details regarding its content are poor, the company did mention the exact day the box will be delivered.
In the invitation, Motorola, talked about revealing something very exciting and that they wanted everybody present, in the front row, to witness it and that the best part about it, was the fact that people could choose where and when they would like to experience it. All people need, could fit inside a box which will be delivered to their doorstep on Wednesday.

It is obvious that the intriguing invitation has caused a stir, and a lot of speculations have been made, regarding what could possibly be Motorola preparing to dish out in just a couple of days.

Some speculations, said that the surprise inside the box, was a new version of the Moto 360 smart watch. Others have said that Motorola, could be preparing to release an improved version of its Moto X device.

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Not long ago, the company has announced that it was planning to make an official return to China together with Lenovo as its newest parent company. When that will be accomplished, the action will be marked by launching in its new home country, several Motorola products, like the Moto G, Moto X and Moto X Pro. A Motorola statement, has said that all these products could be arriving into stores after the Chinese New Year celebration.

People have forgotten that Motorola used to own 40% share of the smart phone market in China, meaning there may be a residual brand value left, which they might manage to capitalise on, explained Bryan Ma, from IDC, research firm.
China is one the biggest and fastest growing markets in the world when it comes to smart phones, a thing which Apple was familiar with straight from the beginning. Exactly like Apple, Motorola is looking to obtain a strong position in the device market from China.

Presently, Motorola is producing a lot of devices, which include tablets, smartphones, wearables, batteries, chargers and many others. Every one of these products can fit in a small box. If one of these objects will be presented on February 25th, it remains to be seen in a few days. There is also the possibility that the company will be launching something completely new, that has never been done before and will completely revolutionise the technology market.
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Apple Smart Watch Design And Features Might Create A Technology Hysteria

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Apple Smartwatch Design
Apple watch will be finally released and all of those who have been waiting for it like warm bread can breath, lay back and count the days until its release. Apple smart watch design and features might create a technology hysteria.

The exterior of the smart watch is coated with sapphire, and Apple went for a geeky chic look.

The release date is set for April and rumours are saying that Apple employees are already wearing the long awaited watches.

Apple Smartwatch Design
Which one would you choose?

There will be 34 variants of watches, so everybody can be pleased.
The drive is matching Apple’s design and the watch is compatible with iPhones. The premium Apple Smart Watch design is rectangular with rounded corners, but is not a circular smart watch like its very fashionable rival, Moto 360. Like any other Apple device, behind the good looks there is a powerful system which works with iOS 8 devices that include iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Review

Battery Life

Producers haven’t given many details regarding the battery life of the watch, but they hinted that the watch is designed to be worn all day and is very easy to charge during the night. In a conference which took place in October, Tim Cook, state that they believe people will enjoy the smart watch so much that they will end up having to charge it every day. Affirmation which could mean that, the battery life of the Apple smart watch should be of one day, similar to Moto 360, Samsung Gear Live and LG G.

Apple Smartwatch Design

A spokes person of the company somehow confirmed the theory that the watch requires to be charged daily but also that Apple was working on changes to give the battery more life. Other smart watches on the market like LG G Watch R, Sony SmartWatch and ASUS ZenWatch, are able to reach a battery life of a day and a half due to the software update, Android Wear.

The spread of rumours that Apple’s smart watch battery lasts only 2.5 hours have no base and are unfounded.

Previous rumours have stated that the iWatch would have a battery of 400mAh, but producers have refused to give that information away, for now. They only mentioned about the unique charging method of the watches. The back crystal of the device is based on a magnetic induced wireless charging, a method resemblant to MagSafe design.

With this, Apple might start a new trend, increasing the popularity of Qi wireless charging and leaving aside the classic one.

Price

The price will start from $349, given all the technology involved, meaning 233 pounds in the UK and AU$403 in Australia. Comparing the price to other brands, the Android Wear watches, included Samsung Gear Live, sold for $200 and LG G Watch sold for $230 when they were first launched. But Apple’s biggest competitor comes from Motorola and is called Moto 360, which sells for $249.

Apple Smartwatch Design
Given all the work that has been put into it, Apple is aiming for a luxury watch, as it has a sapphire display protection, two seizes, an impressive digital crown and also 18k gold coloured edition. For that version, prices should be much higher.

What does it do?

The Apple smart watch, receives messages, Facebook notifications and apps, directly on our wrist, simplifying all the process of needing to take out your phone to constantly check our messages and notifications. There are over a dozen ways of communicating with the device, and you can also summon Siri for help.

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This would be so convenient, as you would avoid taking your phone out every time it rings or beeps. The watch will notify you on who is calling and you can choose to answer or not.
The smart watch will also work as a fitness tracker, designed with health sensors and nutrition apps, features which are a must for every wearable device these days. You can use it for your daily workout, showing your heart rate, sporting a technology that can be a serious competition of the best present running gadgets.
Reportedly it will also be able to track glucose levels of users by showing notifications from the glucose monitors of the medical company DexCom.

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Among the apps, found in the Apple Watch, include, Health Calendar, iMessage, Mail, Photos, Weather, Camera shutter button, Passbook, which include Apple Pay and Apple Maps.

The number of the apps keeps increasing, even before the release of the watch, and curious users can even try out the watch before deciding to buy one.
Here is a list of what possibly might be the best Apple Watch apps, that could make you decide whether you will buy one or not. Many of the apps will be extensions of built in iPhone ones, but there will new ones as well.

You can use the watch as a flashlight, track down the pizza delivery boy, browse Instagram without taking you phone out of your pocket, how awesome does that sound?
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Wishbone Allows Taking Body Temperature Without Physical Contact

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wishbone world's smallest thermometer

New gadget that changes the whole process of taking you baby’s temperature. Wishbone allows taking body temperature without physical contact.

Technology and new gadgets are something that will always ease our lives, especially when it comes to situations involving our children. Trying to put a thermometer in the mouth of an upset baby can be quite a task and sometimes requires a lot of patience and cool.

A new gadget called Joying Wishbone will spare you from all that work, as it only has to be pointed at the kid to manage to read his/hers temperature.

The Wishbone thermometer, most probably named after its Y shape, can be attached to any Android of iOS smartphone and reports the temperature back to its companion apps. The creator of Joying Project, Harry Hu, said that he was very aware of the difficulties encountered when trying to take a baby’s temperature, which can turn into a real challenge. He is a parent and owns a store that sells products for babies.

world's smallest thermometer wishbone

Users only have to hold the smartphone attachment close to the child, for two seconds in order to receive the temperature reading. They can also take the temperatures of the bottles of their babes, the outside weather or themselves.
Even tough in ear thermometers are faster, Wishbone is less demanding as it doesn’t require physical contact and it wont disturb your baby while sleeping, or get contaminated. Its very accurate, and much smaller than any other thermometer.

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The features of Wishbone, allow users to create a history, giving them a more detailed insight into the child’s health or even themselves. For example, women can be notified on ovulation periods, by searching for a small, clear spike in women body temperature.
At the moment, Wishbone is on Kickstarter and has a week left in its campaign. With over $140,000, to a campaign that initially needed $20,000, Wishbone should be closing its final goals and is on the road to hit production lines. Joying is about to finish prototypes.
The first economical goals, $30,000 and $40,000 gave the chance for new colours for Wishbone, but the $10,000 and $20,000 brought the chances to add extra features to it. The final variant of Wishbone could include, an ambient mode, an object mode, iOS health kit, sharing features and also pets mode.

Wishbone is set to enter production in March.

Image Source: gadgetsin, technology tell, 6sqft

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