Monthly Archives: July 2015

plantronics backbeat sense

Plantronics BackBeat SENSE Review – Smarter Bluetooth headphones

Wearables, , , , , , ,

You’re spoiled for choice right now with wireless headphones, but Plantronics is hoping the new BackBeat SENSE can slot in with a mixture of clever tech and everyday flexibility. Lightweight and quietly handsome, they may not have in-your-face branding of some rivals, but they come from a company with a solid track-record both in audio and in wireless devices. Bluetooth offers more than just cutting the cord, mind, and Plantronics claims to be doing more than most with its smart wireless system.
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https://www.slashgear.com/plantronics-backbeat-sense-review-smarter-bluetooth-headphones-21393777/

galaxy s6 edge plus

Galaxy S6 Edge Plus specs appear in release diagrams

Phones, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The latest Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus specifications have appeared in a set of case-maker images passed to SlashGear today. These images show the very basics in height and width and give some details as to how the device’s curves and edges will line up with its predecessor. As you can see, this device takes what the Galaxy S6 Edge was and is and amps it up. Makes it just a bit bigger. This device will be a mix of the best elements in the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
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https://www.slashgear.com/galaxy-s6-edge-plus-specs-appear-in-release-diagrams-21393828/

genworth aging suit

This futuristic exoskeleton convinced me to take aging seriously

Wearables,

One day you will die, but, before then – and assuming all goes to plan – you’ll be trapped in an old body. Failing eyesight, hearing plagued with tinnitus, and limbs progressively seizing until just getting up from your chair is a challenge too great: death may be considered the biggest taboo, but aging is arguably a more uncomfortable one. With all that to look forward to, it’s no surprise that nobody wants to talk about getting old. Could a futuristic exoskeleton kick-start that conversation?
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https://www.slashgear.com/this-futuristic-exoskeleton-convinced-me-to-take-aging-seriously-20393645/

ASUS Chromebook Flip C100 is now available for purchase

ASUS Chromebook Flip C100 is now available for purchase

Computers & IT, , , , , , , , ,

After almost four months of teasing, ASUS has finally unleashed the surprising wonder that is its Chromebook Flip, model C100 to be exact. This little affordable portable that can tries and succeeds where many otherChromebooks of its ilk couldn’t, delivering a wallet-friendly browser-oriented computer that doesn’t look and feel its price. With prices starting at $250, the ASUS Chromebook Flip brings that now popular folding convertible factor to the Chromebook line, providing a laptop workstation when you need it and a touch-based web browser when you want it.
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https://www.slashgear.com/asus-chromebook-flip-c100-is-now-available-for-purchase-20393716/

Xbox One Madden NFL 16 Bundle goes up for pre-order

Xbox One Madden NFL 16 Bundle goes up for pre-order

Wearables, ,

Football fans, today brings good news: the Xbox One is arriving in a new bundle, and it’s bringing Madden NFL 16 with it. Called, most appropriately, the Xbox One Madden NFL 16 Bundle, it includes an Xbox One with a 1TB hard drive, offering ample space for all the downloads you’ve got planned, as well as a full download for Madden NFL 16 when it launches next month (August 25, to be precise). It is coming with a couple other perks, too, and you can pre-order it now.
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https://www.slashgear.com/xbox-one-madden-nfl-16-bundle-goes-up-for-pre-order-20393697/

2015 Dodge Durango is a bigger – and possibly even better – version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee

2015 Dodge Durango is a bigger – and possibly even better – version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee

Cars, , , ,

Ever wanted a Jeep Grand Cherokee with three rows of seats and room for seven people? Is the extent of your off-road adventuring limited to farm roads, campground trails, and blizzards? Well then, I have good news!

The Dodge Durango is just the SUV you’ve been wanting. It just doesn’t have a Jeep badge on it.
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https://www.nydailynews.com/

HTC delays Under Armour-branded wearable after testing and user feedback

HTC delays Under Armour-branded wearable after testing and user feedback

Wearables, , ,

As big tech companies invest more resources into developing wristband wearables, HTC is getting cold feet with its own wearable plans.

In March, the company teamed up with Under Armour to built the HTC Grip. The manufacturer showed it off at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and gave it a spring launch date.

But now, HTC confirmed to Mashable that it’s pulling back on shipping the product and will rework it after “extensive wear testing and user feedback.”
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https://mashable.com/2015/07/20/htc-grip-delayed/

Uncharted Collection has more secrets to reveal - what could they be?!

Uncharted Collection has more secrets to reveal – what could they be?!

Wearables, , ,

The Uncharted trilogy is easily one of the best game series around – bringing thrilling adventure and amazing graphics to the PS3 over three games of derring-do and shooting baddies in the face. Nathan Drake does actually kill a lot of people…

Anyway, the whole trilogy is getting a major re-release in the near future as Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. Players will get remastered versions of the game at 1080p and 60 frames per second and with other extras like a photo mode. So far, so Last of Us but it seems like there’s plenty more to come – at least according to Sony’s Senior VP of Product Development Scott Rohde.
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https://www.irishexaminer.com/

6-inch, $200 smartphone: Bargain or bust?

6-inch, $200 smartphone: Bargain or bust?

Phones, , , ,

When you’re knee-deep in tech like many in my line of work are, it can be easy to forget that the vast majority of consumers are not. Let’s face it: Keeping up with an ever-changing marketplace like that of the modern mobile phone is a tall order. There are bills to pay and chores to do and fantasy teams that need tinkering with, after all.

Perhaps this is you. Perhaps you learn of the ZTE Grand X Max+ (MSRP $ 219.99)—with its cheap price, its huge screen, and its month-to-month wireless plans via budget carrier Cricket—and get excited. It’s gigantic, affordable, and almost commitment-free.
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https://www.usatoday.com/

Guess who's back: Newest iPod now on sale

Guess who’s back: Newest iPod now on sale

Wearables, , , , , , ,

In a statement late on Wednesday, the Cupertino, California-headquartered company worth over $700 billion said that among the key features of the new and “best” version media player-meets-pocket computer are the Apple-designed A8 chip with 10 times faster graphics performance, a new eight-megapixel iSight camera, an improved FaceTime HD front camera and better fitness tracking with the M8 motion coprocessor.
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https://www.albawaba.com/business/guess-whos-back-newest-ipod-now-sale-721022

Apple and Samsung Collaborate to Develop the Next Generation SIM Card

Apple and Samsung Collaborate to Develop the Next Generation SIM Card

Phones,

One of the key things that we learned from Gemalto getting hacked earlier this year was that the SIM card technology in our phones has grown outdated. We’ve been using the same technology for decades now; also, we’re heavily reliant on the Netherlands-based company for SIMs. Apple and Samsung, the two companies that don’t usually see eye to eye, have come forward in an attempt to fix both the issues, it appears.
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https://gadgets.ndtv.com/telecom/news/apple-and-samsung-collaborate-to-develop-the-next-generation-sim-card-717403

Escort Passport Max 2 radar detector review: Escort Passport Max 2 automatically crowdsources speed traps

Escort Passport Max 2 radar detector review: Escort Passport Max 2 automatically crowdsources speed traps

Wearables, , , ,

When CNET editor Antuan Goodwin reviewed the Escort Passport Max radar detector in 2013, he was impressed by its detection capability but griped about the additional cost for Escort’s SmartCord, needed to use the Escort Live Radar smartphone app. Escort solves that problem with the Passport Max 2, integrating Bluetooth connectivity into this next-generation radar detector.

I put this new version of Escort’s signature radar detector through its paces, checking out its app features and testing its detection capabilities.

Unchanged in size, the Passport Max 2 is on the large side, considering how small most consumer electronics have become. The unit measures 1.3 by 3.2 by 5.3 inches, much thicker than the average smartphone, and at 9.6 ounces it also has a bit of heft to it. Size aside, the packaging, black with silver accents, looks business-like.
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https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/reviews/escort-passport-max-2-radar-detector-review/

Vroom raises $54 million to make buying a used car less horrible

Vroom raises $54 million to make buying a used car less horrible

Cars

Can $54 million make the used-car lot obsolete? Vroom is banking on it — or at least trying to make buying a car a little less horrible.

The startup announced Monday that it has raised eight figures from investors, including former Denver Broncos quarterback-turned-car dealer John Elway, to expand its ability to buy, fix up, resell and then deliver used cars faster than competitors to consumers throughout the United States.

“People have compared the trepidation of car buying and the slough of negotiating to having a root canal,” said Vroom CEO Allon Bloch. “The used-car salesman reputation is almost deserved.”
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https://www.cnet.com/news/can-54-million-make-buying-a-used-car-less-horrible-vroom-says-yes/

Facebook acquiring 4th Israeli company

Facebook acquiring 4th Israeli company

Wearables, , , , ,

The social media site acquired the Kfar Saba based company Pebbles Interfaces for $60 million .

Facebook is acquiring an Israeli start-up company that has developed technology for operating a computer through hand and finger gestures.

Pebbles Interfaces, based in Kfar Saba, is Facebook’s fourth acquisition in Israel, the Israeli business daily Globes reported Sunday. Facebook reportedly has agreed to pay $60 million for the company.
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https://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Tech/Facebook-acquiring-4th-Israeli-company-409548

Pebble Time smartwatch just hit Best Buy, landing at Target August 17

Pebble Time smartwatch just hit Best Buy, landing at Target August 17

Wearables, , , , ,

You can finally buy Pebble’s latest smartwatch in stores.

The Pebble Time is a good smartwatch, but until today it was only available via Pebble. Best Buy now offers the Pebble Time in all three colors (red, white and black), either online or in-store, in the US only. As of this moment, at least a few Manhattan locations show it being ready for in-store pickup.
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https://www.cnet.com/news/pebble-time-smartwatch-just-hit-best-buy-target-to-come-august-17/

Updated Moto E delivers higher quality at low cost

Updated Moto E delivers higher quality at low cost

Phones, , , , ,

Flagship smartphones might grab the headlines, but not everyone wants to spend big bucks on a new smartphone. In fact, the majority of smartphone sales are still driven by the budget market with almost 60 per cent of all Android smartphone shipments consisting of sub-$US200 handsets, according to IDC.

Until recently, low cost has equalled poor quality in the smartphone space. However, as manufacturers continue to push the envelope in the premium end of the market, the trickle-down effect of technology has resulted in better-quality smartphones at the low end.
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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/updated-moto-delivers-higher-quality-at-low-cost/news-story/86cb016692d218f9ddd6400fb3957b71

Cortana in Windows 10 is coming to 6 more countries

Wearables, , , ,
If you’re bummed that you won’t get Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant when Windows 10 launches next week, don’t fret: there’s a good chance that you’re next in line. The folks in Redmond have revealed that Cortana will be available to Windows Insider members in Australia, Canada (English only), India (also English) and Japan in the “coming months.” It’ll also spread to Brazil, Mexico and French-speaking Canadians later in the year.
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https://www.engadget.com/

Prick-free way to monitor glucose might be the future

Wearables, ,

Diabetes is nothing to take lightly but many of its life-threatening dangers can be avoided by vigilance. Sadly, despite our hi-tech age, monitoring blood sugar levels still feels almost medieval, drawing a drop of blood to feed into portable glucometers. Luckily, science and technology might be on the verge of coming up with less invasive means to measure glucose levels. At the University of Leeds in the UK, a small device utilizes lasers to do all the measuring, and it’s low-powered enough not to do any damage to your skin, much less prick it.
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https://www.slashgear.com/prick-free-way-to-monitor-glucose-might-be-the-future-19393548/

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2: smaller, thinner, almost the same

Tablets, , , , , , , , , ,

After a brief period of leaks and rumors, Samsung has finally made official the Galaxy Tab S2. The second in its rather new Galaxy Tab S line, these new Android slabs boast of the same things that made the first one noteworthy, specifically the slim profiles and high quality display. Somewhat strangely, though Samsung has further slimmed down the Galaxy Tab S2 to be more handy, it has seemingly also reduced the pixel resolution, which might disappoint a few of the fans of the first generation.
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https://www.slashgear.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-s2-smaller-thinner-almost-the-same-19393554/

Microsoft’s first Windows 10 ad wants you to think of kids

Wearables, , , , ,

With barely two weeks before the momentous occasion, Microsoft is unsurprisingly oiling up all the marketing machinery it can muster. Aside from its Upgrade Your World party, Redmond has just released the first ever video ad for Windows 10. Now you might think this will geek out over all the new features in the upcoming OS. Well, yes and no. Sure it mentions them in passing, but what the new Microsoft really wants you know is how human Windows 10 will be. And what better way to say “human” than with kids?
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https://www.slashgear.com/microsofts-first-windows-10-ad-wants-you-to-think-of-kids-20393571/

Xbox One game streaming switched on for Windows 10

Wearables, , , , , , , , , , ,

In little less than two weeks, Microsoft will finally unveil its “universal” Windows 10 OS. To show solidarity with its PC sibling, the Xbox One is also revving up the hype machine. For starters, game streaming from the console is now enabled for everyone who has, or will have, a Windows 10 computer. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The real meat is coming with the July update of the Xbox App on Windows 10, turning it into your one stop shop for your Windows Store and “regular” Windows games.
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https://www.slashgear.com/

E1: the smallest micro 4/3 interchangeable lens 4K camera

Cameras, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Smartphones have somewhat put digital cameras on notice, but a new shooter might be turning the tables on mobiles. No, it isn’t something as complex as thePanasonic LUMIX CM1 camera smarpthone/smartphone camera. Instead, this one bridges the divide between a handy and portable GoPro and a professional camera monstrosity. Z Camera’s E1 is laying claim to the title of a the world’s smallest micro four-thirds Ultra HD 4K digital camera, one that can be used with popular interchangeable lenses like those from Panasonic and Olympus.
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https://www.slashgear.com/e1-the-smallest-micro-43-interchangeable-lens-4k-camera-20393565/

NAO robot becomes self-aware very briefly

Wearables, , , , ,

OK, maybe now it’s time to start worrying. While artificial intelligence has been making considerable progress, the doomsday scenarios painted by science fiction are still years, if not decades, away in the absence of one critical factor: self-awareness. Now that might actually start to be a concern. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor Selmer Bringsjord demonstrated how those cute and polite NAO robots have been able to gain an extremely short instance of self-awareness. OK, maybe we don’t need to panic just yet, but it’s a start.
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https://www.slashgear.com/nao-robot-becomes-self-aware-very-briefly-20393569/

LG Bello II drops old design, gains 5MP selfie cam

Phones, , , ,

If you’re a bit tired of seeing the same LG stylistic touches by now, meaning rear button controls, then you might like the different take that the LG Bello II has. That is, if you’re in the market for a 3G-only budget smartphone. LG has just announced the existence of its second “Bello” mobile, once again earmarked for certain emerging markets. The LG Bello II, however, is noticeably different from its predecessor, but don’t let it fool you. Like what they say about beauty, it’s mostly skin deep.
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https://www.slashgear.com/lg-bello-ii-drops-old-design-gains-5mp-selfie-cam-20393573/

UK High Court makes it illegal to copy your own music again

Wearables, , , , ,

Music and movie fans in the UK were happy when a law was passed in the UK last October that allowed them to make legal copies of CDs and DVDs that they had purchased in an effort to convert them to digital media for use on the go. The UK High Court has now come back and said that it is illegal again to make copies of legally owned movies and music.

The about face came after the Basca, which is a musicians union, and industry reps from the UK challenged the law. One mystery with the overturning of the law for now is how exactly the law will be enforced. The law passed in October of last year that the new ruling overturns was called the Copyright and Rights in Performances Regulations 2014.
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https://www.slashgear.com/

Znaps magnetic adapter makes charging a snap

Wearables, , , ,

One of the coolest little features that Apple throws at the MacBook is the magnetic power adapter. That means you don’t actually have a plug that you have to push inside an opening on the MacBook. The other upside is if you trip on the charge cable of a MacBook you are unlikely to pull the computer off the table or counter, the magnetic charger just pulls away. The Znaps magnetic adapter is very similar to that MacBook charger.
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https://www.slashgear.com/znaps-magnetic-adapter-makes-charging-a-snap-20393592/

iPod touch 6th gen gutted by iFixit, scores low for repairability

Wearables, , ,

iFixit has been taking apart just about every new gadget that comes along for years now. The gutting of the devices is under the auspices of showing us how easy they would be to repair if you break them. Today I think we all pretty much know that our gadgets aren’t very repairable. We still like to see our gadget porn though and this time out iFixit is gutting the new 6th generation iPod touch.
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https://www.slashgear.com/ipod-touch-6th-gen-gutted-by-ifixit-scores-low-for-repairability-20393584/

Boost Max+ by ZTE lands on Boost Mobile packing 5.7-inch screen

Wearables, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Boost Mobile has a new smartphone that has launched for no contract fans to choose from. The smartphone is called the Boost Max+ by ZTE and it brings a big screen smartphone to the mix packing a 5.7-inch HD IPS screen. That big screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass to prevent cracks and scratches during drops and normal use.

The Boost Max+ runs Android 5.1 for the operating system and boasts Dolby Digital Plus sound. The smartphone can be used as a mobile hotspot for an extra $5 per month on your plan and supports 3G and 4G connectivity.
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https://www.slashgear.com/boost-max-by-zte-lands-on-boost-mobile-packing-5-7-inch-screen-20393595/

Windows 10 auto updates are a necessary evil

Wearables, , , , , ,

Last week, Microsoft was discovered to have silently updated its Licensing Agreement, you know, that part that barely anyone reads before installing software, for Windows 10. What Microsoft sneaked in has sent ripples on the Internet over the weekend and, in typical fashion, has polarized even Windows users. What exactly is that change? In order to use Windows 10, users, at least the Home consumer ones, must agree to receive automatic system and app updates, no questions asked. It is, after all, for the common good, but thing aren’t always ideal.
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https://www.slashgear.com/windows-10-auto-updates-are-a-necessary-evil-20393580/

Apple promises info on ‘Back to School’ promo this week

Wearables, , , , , , ,

Many students and others involved in the education industry know that summer is one of the best times to buy a new Apple computer or laptop, as its annual “Back to School” promotion gives customers a $50 or $100 gift card good at either the Apple Store or the App/iTunes Stores. Unfortunately, that promotion usually starts in early July, and there’s been no word from Apple on this year’s program. But late last week, word got out that Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s retail chief, is going to reveal some new information this week on the situation.
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https://www.slashgear.com/apple-promises-info-on-back-to-school-promo-this-week-20393613/