Lenovo Announces a New Projector Smartphone

May 28, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Projector phones aren’t that new – even Samsung had their failed releases; but what’s new is that Lenovo may have just struck gold with their beaming device.

Obligatory – Beam me up Scotty!

Now that I have managed to get that Star Trek reference out of my system, let’s talk about the Lenovo smartphone that can beam almost anything!

Smart Cast was just announced at the Lenovo Tech World conference, and the internet has already gone crazy over it – and for good reasons too! It doesn’t feature the DLP technology that pico projectors use, and in its stead it sports an integrated focus-free laser projector – for the first time on a smartphone too.

It has all the features that a normal smartphone would have, so there’s no need to worry that you won’t be able to play that sweet Candy Crush Saga, or Clash of Clans – barf!

The Lenovo Smart Cast can project a virtual keyboard, or a set of piano keys – how about Fruit Ninja?! Yes, sir!

That’s fantastic, but let’s not get too excited. We don’t really know any technical specifications, and we seriously don’t know what it’s going to be priced at. The only info we’ve got comes from this short video. This short and awesome video. I just love it!

I don’t want to get all that pumped up, but how couldn’t I after watching the promo clip?

Let’s get our feet back on the ground. When Samsung released that meh Galaxy Beam 2 it was priced at $560, and it was a complete disappointment – remember me to not trust Samsung ever again. We’re looking at something along that price range. I’ll be more than happy if Lenovo prices it at $600, heck, even at $700, just don’t cut down on performance.

The gesture based control system will let the device’s user

The built-in kick-stand transforms any possible surface into a smart display so get ready for those lazy Sundays!

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

VR-ready PC for Oculus Rift Will Cost About $1000!

May 28, 2015 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

Oculus Rift will begin to ship sometime in early 2016. This means that you have all the time in the world to upgrade your PC so it can run the VR toy.

Oculus Rift CEO Brendan Iribe has been reported of saying at the Re/code conference that – ” We are looking at an all-in price, if you have to go out and actually need to buy a new computer and you’re going to buy the Rift… at most you should be in that $1,500 range.”

This isn’t bad to be honest.

Previous Oculus Rift development kits have been priced at $350 – we don’t expect it to go any higher than $400; so a $1000 PC rig sounds more than decent.

These are the technical specifications that you need to base your new PC on.

NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater

Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater

8GB+ RAM

Windows 7 SP1 or newer

2x USB 3.0 ports

HDMI 1.3 video output supporting a 297MHz clock via a direct output architecture

With time, we expect those pieces of hardware to drop their price, and you can bet your hiney that in 2016 you’ll pay less than the $1000 mentioned cost.

Oculus Rift Chieft Architect Atman Binstock has said earlier this month that these specifications will apply for the entirety of the product’s life span, and consumers shouldn’t worry that besides upgrading their VR gear, they should also upgrade their PC. It is unknown at the moment if Oculus Rift owners will have to upgrade their device’s components with time.

It’s all in a mist at this point – nothing is clear. We truly hope that these are the specifications, and that the price is cemented, but who really knows?!

Can Oculus Rift deliver?

What we do know is that Oculus Rift is trying to gain the lead. The company has recently bought a firm that reconstructs 3D scenes in real time – Surreal Vision. It sure comes in handy when big daddy Facebook opens its pockets. Their official blog post reads – ” Great scene reconstruction will enable a new level of presence and telepresence, allowing you to move around the real world and interact with real-world objects from within VR.” Sure Oculus, buy everything you can – just release a proper product.

I’m no that sceptical, and I’m not that optimistic either. When it comes to jumping on the hype-train I rather remain suspicious on where we’re going, and how long the trip will last. At this point, we’re seeing so much news regarding virtual reality. It seems like every big industry behemoth has a virtual reality gear in the makings.

“We’re developing breakthrough techniques to capture, interpret, manage, analyse, and finally reproject in real-time a model of reality back to the user in a way that feels real, creating a new, mixed reality that brings together the virtual and real worlds.” it concludes the blog post.

And I proclaim myself the king of Sweden. Big expectations Oculus Rift, really big expectations.

Can the Facebook-owned VR company deliver? Or we’re being grotesquely lied to?

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Google is Making a Creepy Smart Toy for Children

May 26, 2015 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

Sure Google, why not?! Build whatever smart toy your heart desires, but leave the children out of this.

Google filed a patent for a creepy smart toy, and it’s going to be built by their Nexus Rupin division. The Google X project that seems to take their inspiration from the Chucky movie franchise will make the smart toy fully responsive. This thing that nightmares are based on is going to respond to voice commands not only by speaking to whatever you’re asking it, but also with facial expressions and actions.

Sure, that seriously couldn’t backfire in any way, could it Google?

Well, do you know what experts say on this matter? That the smart toy will be easily hacked, and said hackers will have access to the video feed from the bear’s camera, and also to the microphone. Not only will your child’s playtime be available to any creep on the internet who knows how to hack a live feed, but the whole family can be spied on – without a problem.

In an era where everyone is afraid of the NSA spying on us, Google’s patent seriously couldn’t have been leaked at a better time. It seems to be a trend with the big G – Google Glass suffered from the same fate.

If we take a look at the patent, we notice that Google’s smart toy will sport stuffed animals mainly – rabbits, bears, puppies, and other cute creatures, that are just ready to ponce when you’re at your utmost vulnerable state. I keed, I keed.

Now, this isn’t a sure thing. We all know how Google loves to file patents for different things, and not make them a reality – remember that patent for an elevator that would transport people straight to the moon? Where’s that Google? Where is my safe trip to the Moon?

In a statement to BBC, Google has said that – “We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with. Some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don’t. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patent applications.”

” When those devices are aimed specifically at children, then for many this will step over the creepy line. Children should be able to play in private and shouldn’t have to fear this sort of passive invasion of their privacy. It is simply unnecessary.” The Center for Democracy and Technology has jumped straight to the Google’s neck.

Do you think Google’s idea will come to fruition? Or do you think the big G won’t produce the smart toy mainly because of the huge backlash it has received?

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Android M Release Date and Rumours

May 25, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Android 5 Lollipop is a thing of the past for Google. Android M on the other hand is the next big update!

On the 28th of May, that is less than 3 days from now, Google will host its annual I/O developer conference at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Nerds from different plateaus of coding will fill the room, but if you’re one of the geeks that will, unfortunately, not be attending the conference, don’t fret. Articles regarding key updates, and features will be posted by the AFP team as soon as they are announced.

Most likely Google is going to unveil their new Android M update, Android Wear, Android TV, and Android Auto – who knows, maybe even Android panties!

Until we know for sure, let’s speculate and talk amongst ourselves!

Android M – does it stand for Marshmallow?

We all know how Google likes to name its software updates something based on pastry goods, or candy – Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, JellyBean, KitKat, and Lollipop; but what does the new M stand for? Muffin? Marshmallow? Madeleine? Mars isn’t out of discussion here either. Google formed an alliance with KitKat in order to use their name.

But what about the number? The logical thing would be Android M 5.2, but Google may wish to skip directly to Android M 6 – it’s not been unheard of.

By the way, have you noticed that Google likes to name its software in alphabetical order?

Android M Material Design

It’s unlikely that it’s going to change, and Android M is expected to build on top of Lollipop’s UI – it’s going to be an evolutionary update, like we’ve seen it happen a couple of times now, not a revolutionary one.

Expect to see new flat icons, shadows under objects, and sliding transitions – focus is shifting towards a minimalist design that will still keep the essence of Android. Google’s new update will focus more on enhancing existing features, rather than implementing new ones.

Security

Some time ago, the fingerprint scanner was released with a popular flagship phone, from a popular brand – it was really easy to use, and it didn’t pose as a frustrating problem like its earlier iterations did. We loved it – even my grandma loved how easy it was to unlock her phone.

It’s common sense that Android M will most likely release its own native version of a fingerprint scanner – this will allow developers to integrate in their apps the fingerprint scanners, without looking for a third-party, or building a new one themselves.

Fingerprint scanning is growing in popularity, and it’s the wisest of choices to support it – more so, people tend to love the fact that they can connect to every device they have using a universal fingerprint scanner.

Rumours have it that Android M will focus a little bit more on businesses, enterprises – this isn’t to say that Google will completely forget the average Joe.

Also, Google will add a feature that will allow the device’s owner to edit app permissions. Let’s say that you don’t want a certain app to look at your Google account info, or your photo gallery – just edit out its permission and the feeling of dread that the NSA, or whoever, watches over your personal info will be no more.

Android Pay

This isn’t a new mobile payment system; it’s going to be focused more on alleviating the stress that developers have. Android M Pay will give the ability that developers need – I’m talking about a safe, and easy integration of payment methods into their apps.

NFC will be its main communication medium, and support for biometrics will most likely come in future updates.

Support for Android Wear on iOS

Google’s software platform, Android Wear for wearables, has been improving constantly since its release. There’s a rumour, a huge one to be more specific, about Android Wear coming to iOS. It’s a little bit hard to believe, but we might see Google offering support for iPhones, and iPads at Google I/O. Come to think of it, we have seen Android Wear smartwatches paired with iOS devices – without any hacks involved whatsoever.

Google has been reported of saying that they are – ” close to finishing the final technical details”, that involves iOS support.

See, we will see two of the industry’s giants work together for the greater good of the consumer? Or is this a clever rouse to make money? I’ll go with option B.

Android M Release Date – When should we expect it?

I think it’s safe to say that we don’t need to hold our breaths for a release date being announced at the conference in 3 days. Sure, it will probably be available for download after the conference is over, but don’t expect a stable version – that’s going to take a couple of months of intensive tests.

Android 5.0 Lollipop was announced in June of 2014, and it rolled almost 5 months later. This isn’t to say that Android M will suffer from the same fate. Nexus and Google Play Edition devices will surely receive the software update first, then flagship smartphones and tablets from Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola, and Sony will be the next ones.

We predict that Android M, a stable version, will be available for the public some time this Autumn, even Winter – probably to pair it with the Nexus 2015 release.

Source: Image 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

PS4 and Xbox One Games that are Coming Out in June!

May 25, 2015 By Roxanne Briean 2 Comments

May, and June are always going to be filled with the best game releases for PS4 and Xbox One. Why so? Because the end of Spring brings the rise of Summer which is the perfect time to waste countless hours in front of your favourite console. E3 is just around the corner, but before you jump on the hype-train, let’s see what our Summer is going to be filled with – PS4 and Xbox One games of course!

PS4 and Xbox One Games Galore!

The Escapists

Quickly, count how many paces there are from your cell to the entrance to the kitchen, now check out at what intervals do patrols come, and who they are – some are more unaware of their surroundings than others. Got all of it? Okay then, now focus on stealthily stealing keys, and materials so you can finally escape and hear the chirping noise of birds once again.

The Escapists has made its début on PC earlier this year, and we have long awaited a console version. You’re a convict, and your only goal is to escape this filthy horrible jail. Plot, and execute your plan, but be careful, because one tiny little mistake, one miscalculated thing will throw you back in your cold cage.

It received mixed to positive reviews – fans on gaming forums call it highly addictive, but with a couple of annoying bugs; hopefully, they have fixed them for the console version.

Available on PS4 and Xbox One!
Release date: June 2

Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess

The strategy puzzle-action video-game follows up the 2014 release of Blood Ties. The new iteration introduces a new character named Valgyrie, with whom you can set up traps, and bash your enemies with swift, and powerful kicks. You will take control of the Nightmare Princess Valgyrie who has only one objective – to save her father from from the Devil’s imprisonment.

The last one, Blood Ties, was positively received by critics, and fans alike – Famitsu even ranked the game at 34/40.

Available only on the PS4
Release date: June 14

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

I’m a big geek when it comes down to The Elder Scrolls – especially when you put it in an MMO setting. It was about time we gamers received this beautiful gem for our consoles.

You can be an Argonian, Dunmer, Nord, Altmer, Bosmer, Khajiit, Breton, Orc, Redguard and even an Imperial – regardless of what you choose, your adventure will be your own. Mold your quest carefully, it’s not wise to upset other adventures, or factions.

Tamriel Unlimited adds to the 100+ hours that consist of the main story with more to do once you pop level 50, and more boss fights.

Available on PS4 and Xbox One!
Release date: June 9

Lego Jurassic World

We all knew that this was coming since a new Jurassic Park movie was announced. I have complete confidence in the team behind Lego video-games – they will make a really fun, and funny game. It’s designed for children, but that doesn’t mean an adult can have the time of his life playing it. Although, I was really hoping for a dark, and gritty Jurassic World game – a fps with RPG elements; something on the lines of Fallout.

The video-game will encompass the story lines of all the Jurassic Park movies – and also the upcoming one.

Available on PS4 and Xbox One!
Release date: June 12

PayDay 2: Crimewave Edition

Really digging the trend that PayDay, and GTA V are making popular – heists!

GTA V did an awesome job with heists – if you’ve got a proper team you’ll get a ton of rewards, and have an excellent gaming experience on the long run. Use random people, and expect only ragers, and leavers.

PayDay2: Crimewave Edition takes everything good from the heist trend, and bundles it up in one game. You, and three other players carry out heists in the Washington D.C. area. Practice with little convenience stores, and then gradually move towards big banks – don’t bite more than you can chew, or you’ll get your head blown off.

Better graphics, more content, and all the DLC’s from PayDay 2 will be available with the Crimewave Edition!

Available on PS4 and Xbox One!
Release date: June 16

Ride

Motorcycle fans haven’t received that much love in the past years, but Ride wants to set this right. With over 100 bikes to choose from the best manufacturers on the planet, Ride provides an excellent motorcycle simulator. Superbikes, Supersports, Naked, and Historical bikes – you name it, and the video-game has it.

Fully customize your motorcycle, and rider while you prepare for the race.

By the way, Ride has some superb circuits that will drop your jaw, so take care not to lose track of the race, and end up last.

Available on PS4 and Xbox One!
Release date: June 23

Batman: Arkham Knight

I’ve been waiting for this since I finished Origins. It’s the last installment in the series – no, I’m not crying, I’m just chopping some onions over here.

Battle ScareCrow and his posse which includes Two-Face, Penguin, and Harley Quinn – and other villains that we don’t know about. I can’t wait to bash Penguin’s face – I seriously hate that little smug man; he always thinks he can out-rich, and outwit Bruce Man, ah, Bat Wayne, ah damn it.

For the first time in the franchise, players will take control of the Batmobile. Expect only the best gameplay, and story from the critically acclaimed Arkham series.

Available on PS4 and Xbox One!
Release date: June 23

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition

I’m quite a big fan of the series, and I’m still hoping that they will bring back the anime – God, I loved it to death; still can’t manage to understand why they cancelled it.

The Special Edition will be a blast from the past by adding three bonus playable characters like Vergil of Devil May Cry 3, Trish from Devil May Cry 2, and Lady who will be making her début.

The story revolves around Nero, a demon-hunter, and Dante, the reason we’re in love with the franchise, as they fight through hordes of demons in the game’s iconic stylish combat that involves guns, swords, demon powers, and more guns. Did I mention guns?

Available on PS4 and Xbox One!
Release date: June 23

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Soon You’ll Be Able to Buy Directly From YouTube Ads

May 22, 2015 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

In a tactic that will most likely increased YouTube’s revenue, the user will be able to buy, in the near future, directly from YouTube ads.

Earlier this week we heard some rumours about how Google wants to let users buy directly from in-search-engine ads, and this new tactic to increase profits from YouTube doesn’t shock us one bite.

If you think about it, YouTube has zero profits – it’s only revenue comes from pre-rolled advertisements, but that’s on Google’s back too. It’s quite mind boggling how they make money considering the fact that Ad Blocker is free, and the majority of internet users intstall it in their browsers.

If you are one of the few courages individuals that watch those 5 second, or more, agonizing ads that YouTube shoves down on our throats, I can only applaud you – and then laugh in your face.

I don’t think anyone has ever bought something from those pre-roll YouTube ads, so I went out and tested if you can impulse-buy something from them.

While trying to watch an Adventure Time sneak peak, an add for water guns rolled. Hmmm, nice touch, great algorithms, but then I tried to watch some gameplay footage from The Witcher 3, and an add about haemorrhoids popped – yikes, YouTube pairs gamers who are constantly sitting down with haemorrhoids. Actually , that isn’t a bad assumption, but still.

“Whether it’s watching a product review or learning how to bake a soufflé, we look to video in countless moments throughout the day to help us get things done. We call these micro-moments — when we reflexively turn to our devices to learn more, make a decision, or purchase a product.” Google says in a blog post.

I mean, sure, but, wait, what? No Google, when I learn how to bake a muffin, I don’t want to buy stuff from your pre-rolled ads, I just want to learn to make the damn thing. Stop making videos shoppable happen, it ain’t gonna’ happen – boy, I’ll eat my shoe if it does.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Rockstar Games Sues BBC Over GTA Drama

May 22, 2015 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

A while back we wrote about how BCC wants to create a new drama that revolves around Rockstar Games – with Daniel Radcliffe staring in it.

Daniel Radcliffe will soon be Daniel Sadcliffe, because Rockstar Games is suing BBC over their Game Changer TV show that tells the story of how the company battled a crazy lawyer that wanted to shut them down.

Take-Two Interactive, who is the parent company of Rockstar Games, has filled a trademark infringement suit against BBC, because ” Rockstar Games has had no involvement with this project. Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC’s pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games. We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary.” “ said Take-Two in a statement to Polygon.

Welp, I was about to bash the studio for not letting BBC make the TV show, but when you put it like that the broadcaster deserves what’s coming.

BBC responded to the statement by confirming that Daniel Radcliffe will play Sam Houser and Bill Paxton will play Jack Thompson. I think they are playing with fire over here.

Game Changer is based on David Kushner’s book about the Grand Theft Auto history called Jacked.

Filming has begun in April, and there is no official release date, but rumours have it that the TV show will be released sometime this Autumn – that is, if they win the case, or somehow strike a dealing with Take-Two Interactive.

It’s highly probable that it’s a case about money – someone wants more money, while the other doesn’t want to give said money.

I know I’ll tune in to watch the première because a) I love BBC b) I love Rockstar Games, and c) Daniel Sadcliffe played a huge part in my childhood!

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

iOS 9 Rumours

May 22, 2015 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

The iOS 9 update is rumoured to be released in the first two weeks of June – it coincides with the WWDC 2015 conference in San Francisco, and we all know that Apple has its keynote in the first day. We don’t know many things for certain, and at this point we can only talk about iOS 9 rumours, but boy, aren’t they making me feel all giddy!

iOS 9 Rumours

Before reading further, keep in mind that some rumours are just pure speculation on my part, but they are based on what trends we are seeing on other competitors such as Samsung, Sony, and LG; and rumours are based on leaked information from various tech reviewers. Take everything with a pinch of salt, and enjoy the future!

iOS 9 Release Date

What we know for sure is that developers will be able to download the update as early as next month – it actually makes sense, because this is the pattern that we’ve seen Apple uphold for its past updates. But some unofficial sources state that Apple may be holding back on releasing the update, and in its stead we will see iOS 8.4 with its new artist-driven social network – a key part of Apple’s new music app.

If the unofficial rumours are true then soon after 8.4, iOS 9 will enter public beta, and a final version available for everyone will hit streets sometime around September. I know, it’s going to be a total disappointment if this happens, but we don’t want to experience the same ordeal as last year’s iOS 8 release – *ugh* just thinking about it makes me shiver.

We don’t want a buggy iOS 9 that will only frustrate us.

iOS 9 Compatibility

iOS 7 said goodbye to the iPhone 3GS almost two years ago. I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but I think that iOS 9 will say its farewell’s to iPhone 4 – possibly even iPhone 4S. Don’t kill the messenger, it’s not my fault that the iPhone 4S has an execution date.

If you think about it some more it becomes a certainty. With the iPhone 5, and iPhone 5c Apple introduced 1 GB of RAM – 512 MB more than its previous iteration.

iOS 9 Download Size

This is a huge problem, and we hope Apple addresses it. Rumours have it that it’s going to be small in size, and we can only hope that it’s going to be so.

You need up to 5 GB of free storage space on your device for iOS 8, please don’t tell me that I’m going to need more than that for the next update. It would mean that I have to delete all of my music and pictures – I certainly don’t want to do that.

The counter-argument here is that you can always use a cloud service to save up on space – sorry, but I don’t want to pay a dime more.

To end this phase – iOS 8.3 and 8.4 beta are setting a marvellous example. A smaller download size – under 5 GB for sure.

A New Siri

The new update will also come packed with a new Siri – small changes, but changes that we all need. It’s been reported that developers are hard at work trying to make it as good as the Siri found on Apple Watch.

Siri seriously needs to up its game if it wants to compete with Microsoft’s Cortana, and the really accurate Google Now.

Siri also needs to learn some manners, and shouldn’t speak unless spoken to – I’ve had some problems in the past with Siri activating all by itself when I was talking on the phone, or just talking to myself. I didn’t even said Hey, Siri, just mindless nonsense.

Integration of Beats Music

I can take it or leave it.

Google’s music streaming service is the best on the market. No, not Spotify, because it isn’t available everywhere. I travel quite a lot for business, and pleasure, and in certain European countries I can’t use Spotify.

Dr. Dre’s music service seems to have taken quite a leap towards world music domination, with more and more users switching to Beats. What I can say for sure is that Jay-Z’s Tidal isn’t going to pose a problem to the current providers. It’s really expensive, and it doesn’t offer a variety of songs like they promised. If I wanted to hear only commercial music, I would have listened to the radio.

Apple Maps with Public Transit – Trains, Subways, and Buses

It’s been a tough time since Apple Maps decided to be an independent lad leaving its partnership with Google Maps. Over the past years Apple has bought several GPS firms, and the most notable one is its recent acquisition of high-tech GPS firm Coherent Navigation. Could it be that we will able to finally use Apple Maps and get to our destinations safely, and on the correct route?

I seriously don’t want to take a detour through, I don’t know, The Grand Canyon.

Apple is also working on an augmented reality view, but let’s take one step at a time, baby steps actually. I wouldn’t bite more than I can chew.

Stability

It’s safe to say that this isn’t a rumour, just the logical next step – a more stable software. iOS 8 suffers from glitchy starts, buggy transitions, and that super-annoying battery drain bug.

We hope that Apple isn’t rushing anything, even though the adoption rate of Apple devices over Android ones is growing larger every month, and it would make perfect sense to release a new software as soon as possible – please be stupid this time Apple, just for me.

Interface Shortcuts

Whatever anyone may say, interface shortcuts are never enough, and I’m fairly sure that iOS 9 will feature new ones – simple taps, and gestures like what their new Force system can do.

iOS 8 did a pretty good job, leaving all of the bugs aside, with interactive notifications, a multitasking menu, and other shortcuts. We need, no, we demand new stuff Apple – it’s your own fault for teaching us to act like this.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Remember the Drum Pants? They’re Now Open Source!

May 22, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Back in 2007, Tyler Freeman, the man behind the Drum Pants, released a video on YouTube demonstrating what his pants can do. The internet went crazy of course – it was the perfect timing, because the internet was already awed by the functional guitar t-shirt.

Here’s Tyler way back in 2007.

Flash forward to 2014. Tyler appeared on the TV Show Shark Tank – you know, the one where someone pitches ideas to rich guys, and if the pitchers prove that they can make money off of them they get the funding. Now the TV appearance didn’t go as planned so the Drum Pants creators turned to Kickstarter to fund their project. It raised almost $75,000 – it’s more than double of their initial goal of $35,000.

They added a loop pedal that you can activate using your left foot, while the right one can be used as a kick drum. Toms, hi-hats, snares, and cymbals can all be performed slapping your legs – rhythmically of course.

The developers weren’t too happy with just $75,000 so they started an Indiegogo campaign to fund the mass production of the Drum Pants version 2.0!

Here’s a new clip featuring what the new pants can do. Warning – they are awesome!

So, you’re telling me that for $159 I can get my very own Drum Pants? Shut up and take my money!

Even better, if their campaign reaches the goal of $35,000, the Arduino-compatible device can be used for anything, and everything – it will be open source, and the developers are promising to release every piece of designs, schematics and firmware if and when that happens.

The Drum Pants 2.0 is faster, and more stable than its predecessor – it consists of pads and foot pedals, and you can wear them above, or under your clothes. Definitely under, just take a look at this guy.

You can wireless connect your pants to its app on your iPhone, iPad and Mac – we’ll hopefully see an Android version in the near future; and to a MIDI controller via Bluetooth.

It can also connect to virtual reality gear. Think that’s cool? The Drum Pants 2.0 can help people who suffer from certain disabilities to communicate.

Image Source: 1, 2

The Top Tablets That You Can Buy Right Now!

May 21, 2015 By Michael Turner Leave a Comment

A couple of weeks ago we wrote a quick list of affordable laptops that you can buy in 2015, and I think this is the perfect time for a round-up for the top tablets that are available right now!

Whether you’re on a budget, or you want to throw money at retailers, you’ve come to the right place.

In an era where everyone has to get their information as soon as, possible people tend to buy a device that won’t suit their needs. You don’t just go out and buy a tablet, or a smartphone, you do some research before, read a couple of reviews, and settle on one that you think it’s best for you – don’t impulse-buy devices just because you love how they are designed; sure, it does matter, but in the long run, you want a tablet that won’t need to be recharged 2 times a day.

The Top Tablets #1 Microsoft Surface 3

Is Microsoft’s third iteration of its Surface line good? Well this reviewer thinks so. It seems like Microsoft has learned from past mistakes, and it’s starting to listen more and more to consumers. It’s a hybrid actually, but the team behind the Surface 3 has developed it with tablet specifications in mind – but this doesn’t mean that it won’t work pretty great as a low-end laptop.

The display is its strong point – a beautiful bright, and crisp glossy IPS display will have no problems on a sunny day, and it makes surfing the web outside a pleasure. The Windows tablet is 10.8-inches in size, and at 1920 x 1200 pixel-resolution it allows the user to enjoy movie marathons without a problem – there is no issue with viewing angles, so you don’t need to worry sitting in bed all day and binge watching Netflix series.

The display is incredibly responsive, and offering a full 10-point multi-touch you can rest assured that it’s going to be as easy as pie surfing the web, and playing video-games.

If you’re an avid traveller – whether it is business related, or pleasure, you definitely need a variety of ports. The Surface 3 sports a MiniDisplay port, a micro SD card reader, headset jack, a cover port, and a micro-USB charging port. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a USB Type-C port, and Microsoft has decided to go with a USB 3.0, but maybe they’ll jump on the band wagon with their next installment.

If you’re tired of looking at the small screen, you can also connect your device to a big HD TV using its HDMI port.

The detachable-keyboard is kinda sluggish, and I have had some problems with it, but nothing serious. Although, if you’re not used to typing, you’ll find it a little bit frustrating. The keys are narrowed, and this makes them feel more cramped, but at least the trackpad is decent.

The Microsoft tablet, pardon me, hybrid, will come with a built-in Windows 8.1, go figure, and you’ll have the possibility of upgrading your OS to Windows 10 for free when the time comes.

Specs

– Quad Core Intel Atom x7-78700 processor with 2MB Cache, 1.6GHz turbo boost to 2.4GHz

– Integrated Intel HD Graphics

– 4 GB of RAM

– 128 GB of flash memory

Pretty great considering it’s about $500. You’ll definitely not use it to play GTA V, or the just released Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but you don’t buy a hybrid for gaming, you buy it because it’s super portable, and because the battery will last you long enough to fulfil your day to day tasks.

This isn’t to say that you can’t play out-dated video-games. I installed Team Fortress 2 to see if I can make it work, and what do you know? It played smooth at 30 fps with all the graphics settings set on low. Sure, it looks kinda ugly, but yet again, you don’t buy a hybrid for gaming – at least, not yet.

Talking about battery life, I managed to squeeze almost 10 hours out of it, meaning that if you use it all day, you will have to recharge it before you go to sleep.

I’m all for super-thin devices, but what about some love for battery longevity?

Anyway, the Surface 3 has two cameras. The rear facing 8-megapixel camera has autofocus, and its quality output is more than enough for Facebook shares. Its front facing camera is set at 3.5-megapixels. It’s okay’ish for Skype and such, but I wouldn’t praise it being the best camera on the market.

The tablet computer has built-in speakers that are loud enough if you plan on watching movies without using headphones.

I’ve seen it in stores for the low price of $500.

Pros

– Top-notch display

– Quality build

– Super-portable

Cons

– Uncomfortable keyboard

– Low storage space

– Mediocre front-facing camera

The Top Tablets #2 Dell Venue 8 700

If you’re looking for cheap tablets, then you should consider looking into the Dell Venue 8 700. It’s $400, and guess what? It’s the titled holder for the World’s Thinnest Tablet, but there is more to it than just its title – beautiful design, and great performance output from a device so cheap.

Even though it’s considered the world’s thinnest tablet you should know that its challenger, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, is marginally thicker.

Design-wise Dell deserves some applause – I don’t really know why I love it so much, but something speaks to me when I’m looking at it, or holding it.

The Dell tablet sports a 8.4-inch OLED display that can output a 2560 x 1600 resolution at 361 ppi – seriously not bad, and it overpasses the previous discussed Surface 3 hybrid.

Dell’s edge-to-edge display is quite a marvel on their part, and I seriously can’t understand why the tablet is priced at just $400. There must be something wrong with it. What’s the catch? Fortunately there isn’t really one. Although it sports a 361 ppi, when you try to use it during a sunny day you’ll have some issues with it, but readability is still over the average rankings.

It features Intel’s Sensing Assist, but you may want to turn it off because it can suck your battery dry – Sensing Assist wakes the device from its dormant state when it senses motion, but it isn’t that great. Let’s say you want to move the tablet from point A in your bedroom to point B in the kitchen for whatever reason. You don’t want it to turn on just because you change its place in the house.

It runs a stable version of Android 4.4 KitKat, and you can upgrade its software to 5.0 Lollipop. It will still run smoothly – no problems in this department.

Although the majority of tablets on the market have moved to Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, Dell still uses Intel as its primary chip-maker.

Specs

– Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core 2.3 GHz 64-bit processor

– Imagination PowerVR G6430 graphics chip

– 2 GB of RAM

– 16 GB of storage space

Don’t leave just yet! Yeah, it had 16 GB of storage, and the tablet’s user will most likely have 10 GB available, but you can add up to 512 GB of extra storage through its micro SD slot.

It’s not the best tablet on the market if you take performance into consideration, but for $400 the quad-core 2.3 GHz processor paired with that GPU, and 2 GB of RAM is more than decent. I can give you this, 2 GB of RAM is fairly low considering that the majority of tablets sport 3 GB or more, but it does its job well, and you won’t see any performance issues like lag, or sluggish surfing.

Now its battery life falls a little bit short, and it can only last up to 9 hours, but that’s because Dell sacrifices a couple of things in order to make it super-portable and super-thin.

I have said this countless times over to my friends – stop using your tablet to take pictures, it just looks ridiculous. More so, if you plan on going to a concert, for the love of whatever you think is holy don’t be that guy who takes pictures using his tablet – last time I went to an event, someone from the crowd threw a beer at the doofus with the tablet. He deserved it!

Now, you got 4 cameras, and they take advantage of Intel’s new RealSense Snapshot Depth Camera technology. The rear facing camera stands at 8-megapixels, but it’s surrounded by two other 720p shooters. The front facing camera sports a 2-megapixel output, and I don’t really recomend it for Skyping.

I found myself obstructing the cameras with my big hands, so be warned. If you have clumsy big sausages for fingers like me, you’ll have some issues taking that perfect photo.

I’ve seen it in stores for the low price of $400.

Pros

– Beautiful display, and its ppi is just astounding

– Pretty great camera

– Super-thin

Cons

– A little bit slower than other tablets on the market

– Really low storage space

The Top Tablets #3 Sony Xperia Z3

At first touch the Sony Xperia Z3 looks, and feels like a 2013 device, but that’s just because Sony thinks it should push down our throat their somewhat out-dated design. It costs about $600, and for this price you may be swoon by a certain Samsung Galaxy tablet – the 8.4 S model. But before you make your final decision, you should know that the Xperia Z3 has some aces in its sleeve.

One of the device’s selling points is that you can hold it easily in one hand – it makes the perfect tablet for kids too. Secondly, it’s waterproof, so no need to worry about taking your tablet with you to the local pool, and coming back home heartbroken – it uses rubber seals on all of its ports, except for its headphone jack, which is already specially treated.

I just love how it looks, and because it’s so thin and small – not the smallest though; it can fit easily in your backpack, or purse.

To me, its design inspires high-tech, more than the covered in aluminium iPad Mini 3. Even though it’s entirely made out of plastic it’s the good kind, not the cheap and tacky one. It also feels good to the touch – better than the Nexus 9 if you want a comparison.

There are some little bits of metal here and there, especially on its corners – probably to save it from utter destruction if mister clumsy hands over here drops it. I haven’t performed this test, so please don’t throw your tablet at the wall.

The 8-inch LCD screen stands at 1920 x 1200 resolution, but it’s really not that crisp, and clear like others at the same price range. It suffers from poor viewing angles, and I don’t recommend you using it on a sunny day in the park – readability is really low, and you’ll just annoy the living hell out of yourself trying to find that perfect place with shade.

The Android tablet comes with a built-in 4.4 KitKat, but you can easily upgrade it to 5.0 Lollipop.

Specs

– Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 Quad-core processor 2.5 GHz Krait 400

– Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 graphic chipset

– 3 GB of RAM

– 16 GB of storage space

You can add more storage space by adding a micro SD card up to 128 GB.

More RAM, and a better processor than the previously discussed Dell Venue 8 700 doesn’t make it the best tablet, but you surely won’t experience lag, or any performance issues.

The top-shelf processor, paired a quad-core graphic chipset, and 3 GB of RAM makes it a beast when it comes to gaming, and the 1080p screen is stands tall, even though is not the best one.

Before they launched it, Sony was praising themselves that the Xperia Z3 will last about 15 hours. I almost immediately started to ridicule them and send them letters with only Liar, Liar pants on fire written in the body. Gee, can you imagine how humiliated I was after I tested it, and figured that it can last more than what they’ve stated? Almost 16 hours of battery-life time make it one hell of a behemoth.

Its 8-megapixel rear facing camera matches the quality its challengers can output, and it actually shoots pretty great photos come to think of it. I wouldn’t frame any of them, and nor would I go out of my way to show them to my friends, but for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter is more than enough.

The secondary camera is a measly 2.2-megapixel unit – as I said before, don’t expect high quality Skype video calls.

The actual selling point for this device is the fact that it supports PS4 remote play. A very limited number of Android devices support PS4 Share Play, thus making it one hell of a device for gamers if you have a PS4. You can easily connect a DualShock 4 controller to the tablet, and just stay in bed all day long playing Call of Duty, and telling your enemies, or team-mates about how many sexual relations you’ve had with their mothers.

I’ve seen it in stores for the low price of $600.

Pros

– Superb battery life

– PS4 Share Play

– Super-thin and super-portable

Cons

– Its screen is not that great

– Somewhat out-dated design

– Horrible secondary camera

The Top Tablets #4 Acer Iconia W4

One of the cheapest tablets for sale – and I think I’ve even found it in the Walmart tablets section; the Acer Iconia W4 is set at an astonishing low price of $350!

Sure, there are different models that offer more storage space, but the entry level one is a must-buy.

Last year’s W3 was the first 8-inch device to feature Windows 8.1, but it it didn’t do it good – actually it was kinda’ horrible if you think about it. Grainy low quality display, and a low performance processor managed to offer a poor experience.

The Iconia W4 has polished all of its older brother’s failures, and it made major improvements in key areas where W3 fell short.

Some think of it as highly evolved, but I really don’t applaud it that much. Sure, it learned from past mistakes, but has it seriously improved that much in order to fight in the tablet pits? I don’t think so.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s pretty great, and at $350 if you have never experience a high-end tablet before, you should definitely buy it. More so, you should definitely buy it if you’re looking for budget tablets.

The Ace Iconia W4 received mixed to positive tablet reviews mostly because it was launched at the right time, at the right price. It features a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution on the 8-inch device – it didn’t receive the award for best tablet of 2014 that’s for certain. It’s a tried and test resolution that seems to work for Acer. I, for one, don’t really like it that much – maybe because I’m accustomed to high-end devices.

At 186 ppi it falls behind the average tablet, and the display just doesn’t cut it – don’t plan on using your device outside. Readability is inexistent.

Specs

– Intel Atom Z3740 Quad-core processor 1.33 GHz

– Intel HD Graphics

– 2 GB of RAM

– Standard Edition comes with 32 GB of storage

You can’t add any more storage space, but the built-in storage is actually a SSD, and it works pretty fast.

You definitely won’t be using it for HD gaming, but it can run almost anything on the store. You’re going to have some minor performance issues because it only features 2 GB of RAM, and the processor even though it works on 4 cores it doesn’t make up for its speed – 1.33 GHz is really low.

I’ve experienced lag after opening up more than 4 apps – it eventually lead the tablet to freeze, and I had to restart it. Didn’t liked it one bit.

I tried to install a couple of games on it, to see if the device can at least start them. Skyrim was my first choice – I know, I was reaching for the sky, but guess what? At the lowest settings, and resolution it run at 15 fps. It’s unplayable I know, but it surprised me. Afterwards I decided to have a little bit more confidence in the little Iconia so I installed Left4Dead. Pleasantly surprised that it reached a peak of 20 fps, but when multiple zombies flooded the screen it went down to 10. It was an enjoyable experience until the undead horde attacked.

The last one that I tried out was Valve’s Counter-Strike: Source – 20-25 fps on average, but if a flash-bang, or a grenade goes off near you, you’re dead – not from the damage, but from the screen freezing instantly. You could try to play with bots, but no on-line play, unless you want your team to constantly yell at you.

Acer said that the W4 will last up to 10 hours of usage – I proved them wrong. It completely died after almost 8 hours and 30 minutes. Not much, and it ranks on the same level with other average tablets.

Iconia W4’s rear primary camera is actually great – even if it stands at 5-megapixel. It may be sub-par to what you’re used to, but don’t let the low number unit fool you. In the right settings it takes some awesome photos – crisp, and well-saturated images. It does have its issues in low light conditions.

It can also take video footage at 1080p at 30 fps – not bad young one.

The secondary front-facing camera is another story though. Lowering the number to two, the small camera unit can only be used for Skype video calls, and even then it will output low quality.

Why am I even recommending or adding it to our list? Fair and simple. It’s the best entry-level tablet, and at $350 it’s one of the cheapest devices.

I’ve seen it in stores for the low price of $350.

Pros

– Low price

– Windows 8 tablet

Cons

– Performance issues

– Low resolution

– Horrible secondary camera

The Top Tablets #5 Asus Memo Pad HD 7

This Asus tablet has a MSRP of $120, and by partnering with Google, Asus went from unreliable tablet manufacturer to the de-facto leader in the small tablets market. Low price, awesome capabilities, and world-wide availability made the Memo Pad HD 7 one of the best 2014 tablets.

You may think of me as an insane man, but I really do love this so-called Google tablet. What’s to hate?

It weighs just about 302 grams, and the 7-inch IPS LCD screen outputs a 1280 x 800 resolution at 216 ppi – more than the Acer Iconia W4 which is almost three time its price.

The tablet is made out of slippery plastic – it was constantly dropping out of my hand in the first day, or so; luckily I’m quite a bright man, and figured the issues as soon as I put my hands on it. Slippery plastic means cheap plastic, which eventually leads to a horrible slimy feeling. In order to not utterly destroy your device, I highly recommend you grip the tablet with both of your hands.

Moving on to the 7-inch IPS LCD screen – it’s crisp, and sharp, and you can try to use it on a sunny day. Since it has 216 ppi you’ll be able to read off of your device, but at the same time, you’ll be struggling with it. Find a shade covered bench, and you’ll have no problems. The colours seem to favour a yellow-ish tint, but there are no major complaints that I know of.

It has Android 4.2 Jelly Bean built-in, and you can upgrade it to 4.2.2 – don’t expect KitKat or Lollipop because it ain’t gonna happen.

You won’t be able to play the latest things available on the store. Hell, you won’t be able to play the majority of cool things, but there are still plenty of old games and apps for you to enjoy. Facebook will work super slow; Messenger, and WhatsApp will annoy you each time you try to text someone.

Specs

– Mediatek MT8125 Quad-core processor 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7

– PowerVR SGX544 graphics

– 1 GB of RAM

– 16 GB of storage space

You can add more storage space by adding a micro SD card up to 32 GB.

The 1.2 GHz quad-core Mediatek processor is uhm, not that good. Even though Mediatek is known for their ways of revolutionizing the industry, they also build low-end procs. Pair it with only 1 GB of RAM and you’ve signed your own death-wish. Lag will be present all the time, so be patient young grasshopper, because good things may come to those who wait.

Use the Memo Pad with care – not only it can slip out of your hands, but it takes a little while to start apps, games, and surf the web.

Do you know the surprising thing? It didn’t freeze once. Yes, it lagged, and yes, I got really annoyed trying to use Facebook, Reddit, and other apps, but it didn’t once freeze. Sure, it closed the app because it wasn’t responding any more, but I didn’t even have the chance of realizing this, and the error was immediately prompted telling me to close the app.

I’m not saying this is an extraordinary thing, but it ain’t a bad thing either.

It has a small 15Wh capacity battery that will keep your device alive for about 10 hours. It seriously isn’t that bad considering it’s only $120. You can watch about 4 to 5 movies on a long flight, and because it has a standard micro USB port you can recharge it almost anywhere you please.

The Memo Pad’s primary camera is a 5-megapixel unit, but unfortunately it doesn’t take good photos, hell it doesn’t even take mediocre ones. It outputs low quality images, and don’t think for a second that the secondary camera is better. The 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera is a laughable unit – you can’t use it for anything, it’s just there for the sake of existing.

I’ve seen it in stores for the low price of $120.

Pros

– Super-low price

– Sharp screen

– All the things considering, it has a great battery-life

Cons

– Performance issues

– Horrible primary, and secondary camera

– Low storage space

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

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The Top Tablets #1 Microsoft Surface 3

The Top Tablets #2 Dell Venue 8 700

The Top Tablets #3 Sony Xperia Z3

The Top Tablets #4 Acer Iconia W4

The Top Tablets #5 Asus Memo Pad HD 7

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