New video shows Apple iPad 5 and Apple iPad mini 2 casings

We don't expect Apple to introduce the Apple iPad 5 or the Apple iPad mini 2 next week at its press event. No, the September 10th event is all about the Apple iPhone 5S and the Apple iPhone 5C. But sometime next month, Apple will take the wrapping off the Apple iPad 5 and the Apple iPad mini 2. A video posted on YouTube Friday showed off the shells of the two upcoming tablets.

The Apple iPad 5 shell has been leaked before, so there is nothing unexpected about the thinner, smaller form factor when compared to its predecessor. In addition, a lot of the design cues obviously came from the Apple iPad mini. And check out the thinner bezels on the iPad 5.

As far as the difference between the Apple iPad mini and the Apple iPad mini 2, the one and only change involves the Apple logo. On the OG iPad mini, the Apple logo was polished into the block of aluminum while the logo on the new model is chrome and is inserted through a cut-out on the back of the shell. Other than that, there seems to be no design changes at all between the two generations of iPad mini slates.  

You can check out the latest video to show off leaked Apple iPad shells by clicking on the video below.



Thanks, Anonymous Tipster

source: YouTube 

Samsung releases 18 minute video on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch

Samsung has released a single 18 minute video that shows off the functionality of both the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Starting with the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung shows off some of the new features of the phone including the new Air Command feature that allows the user to hover the S Pen anywhere over the screen to see a menu of 5 functions that the user can select from. The Scrapbook feature also look useful as it allows you to merely circle content using the S Pen and save it to a scrapbook category. Even YouTube videos can be saved in this manner. Pen Windows is a useful feature that lets you use the pen to draw a window that becomes an application, like a calculator.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch connects to your phone via Bluetooth 4.0 and lets you make calls (using S Voice) and take them. It also has a camera that takes photos and captures video. Using the Gear Manager app, you can decide which face setting you want on your timepiece. It's like having a few different watches in one and is a great companion for the Samsung Galaxy S4 or Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

If you've been considering either device, watching the video is going to make you want both of them even more. Make sure you can handle that before you click on the play button!



source: SamsungMobile via AndroidAuthority

Early version of the LG G Pad 8.3 scores over 12000 on Quadrant

So, what do we have here? Oh, it's the LG G Pad 8.3! You've probably heard already that this premium tablet is on its way to the market, but do you know how it scores in benchmarks? We guess you don't, so why don't you hit that Play button up there and see it in action?

Here's a new render of the camera-centric Oppo N1; trailer #2 released

The OPPO N1 is the next camera-centric handset about to be introduced. Actually, the N1 is more than just a smartphone with a world class snapper attached. With a 5.9 inch screen, we are in phablet territory here, and the phone will offer a rear touchscreen panel. Not only that, but some rather vulgar marketing from the China based manufacturer let us know that with one handed use possible, we can attend to our business in the bathroom with a roll of toilet paper in one hand and use the phone with the other hand. If OPPO were on the ball, they could use Pete Gray's image to promote the one-handed use of the phone. And if you're not a serious baseball fan, Google him.

Render of the OPPO N1

You might also remember that OPPO's website revealed a trailer last week with a countdown timer for the next trailer to appear. Trailer #2 is now out and we have included it below for your perusal. On September 8th, the next trailer will be released and the phone itself will be unveiled on September 23rd. Trailer #2 seems to deal with the manufacturing process from the clean room to the machinery. What will the third trailer reveal? Stay tuned.

The OPPO N1 is expected to hit the ground running, with a 12MP or 13MP rear camera using a home grown N-Lens. We also expect to see the phone come with two interchangeable lenses. One will have 10x zoom while the other will offer 15x zoom. Both offer OIS for stable videos. The aptly named Owl imaging sensor (who? Oppo, of course) will capture low-light photographs clearly.

While we've seen OPPO tease the device for a few days already, what we haven't seen is the OPPO N1 sit down, dressed in its Sunday best for a photo. What we do have is a rendering that is not an official look at the N1, but is a realistic look at what the final design could be. If the phone does turn out to look like the render, do we have any takers? The phone is expected to be priced under $480.



Thanks, Anonymous Source!

source: OPPO 

Watch this stunning time-lapse series taken with a Nokia PureView 808

With all the recent news about ultrapixels, and a new PureView branded Windows Phone on the way to Verizon, this series of time-lapse photos makes a perfect appearance to remind all of us how unique the Nokia PureView 808 still is nearly a year after its release.

Granted, this is pretty much an amazing camera with a smartphone attached. The rest of the spec sheet will not cause anyone’s heart to start fluttering, although overall the device is plenty competent.

In our review of the PureView 808 last summer, we acknowledged all of the Nokia’s warts and still gave Symbian a thumbs up. The main attraction of the PureView though is the camera, and what a camera it is. From its large sensor to pixel oversampling which enables higher quality photos even when shooting in automatic 5MP mode, to lossless zoom to capturing images in full resolution, the optics do not disappoint.

In addition to the mega-camera unit, there are a number of shooting modes, including a setting called “creative” which allows you to manually adjust all the settings. In short, photos simply come out great. Check out the compilation put together by Martin Roth with a Nokia PureView 808. Naturally, selecting full screen and 1080p will make the difference when enjoying the scenery. The images were taken last summer in Denmark.

However, to view as the photographer intended, select “original” for resolution. You might want to be sure you have solid graphics capability and make sure you have a good internet connection as the photo resolution is 7728x4354.

source: Camera Check Channel (YouTube)

First promo video for the Nokia Lumia 928 is released

Now that the Nokia Lumia 928 is being launched via Verizon on May 16th with a PureView camera sensor that takes great pictures in low-light conditions, what other features are on the phone? Nokia has already launched its first promo video for the device and let's get the the camera out of the way first. We've already shown you the amazing stability of the OIS on the phone. When it was attached to a remote control copter, the phone filmed as though it was in the hands of a surgeon performing a life-saving operation. So of course, the promotional video shows how the Nokia Lumia 928 allows you to take pictures and videos free of blurring, even in low-light conditions.

Other features touted by the promo include the "advanced speakers" on the device that allow you to rock out. The Nokia Lumia 928 will let you create a perfect panoramic photo by following the fool-proof instructions. Editing your pictures allows you to easily share them with friends and family while Smart Shoot eliminates closed eyes, sneezes, yawns and lets you use the best face for each subject in your picture. The feature even allows you to remove objects that you don't want in the shot. HERE City Lens uses Augmented Reality so that you can see what is actually all around you, while HERE Drive gets you from point A to point B with the fastest route.

We've already had a chance to show off how well the microphone works on the device during a loud subway ride, and the Nokia Lumia 928 is not only enabled with NFC, it can be charged wirelessly. The device is $99.99 with a signed two-year pact and Verizon is giving away $25 of credit for the Windows Phone Store with each purchase. 



source: Nokia 

New TV ads for the HTC One are all about BlinkFeed while taking on the Apple iPhone 5

Attacking the competition has become a common feature seen in the national prime time television commercials promoting a smartphone manufacturer or a specific platform. Samsung started this back with its ads for the Samsung Galaxy S II that featured Apple iPhone owners waiting on line to buy the next version of the phone. This continued with ads for the Samsung Galaxy S III. The spots would always include Apple fans with their mouths wide open, amazed with the latest technology and features being showed off by the Samsung Galaxy S II and Samsung Galaxy S III users.

This year, Samsung once again went after Apple with its ad for the Samsung Galaxy S4 which shows a clueless iPhone 5 owner waiting to have a picture sent to her device using S Beam, which of course, won't work on the iOS flavored Apple handset. "No, yours doesn't do that," says one of the Galaxy S4 users.

The ad that has received the most notice in the industry this year is one surprisingly done by Microsoft for the Nokia Lumia 920. Taking place at a wedding, the spot shows Apple and Samsung users fighting it outwhile two waiters stand back, calmly watching the action while each clutches a Nokia Lumia 920. The tag line? "Don't fight-Switch".

That brings us to a couple of new ads for the HTC One. Both ads focus on the BlinkFeed feature that streams all of the user's favorite content right to the phone's home page. The ad shows an Apple iPhone 5 user digging and digging and digging for the information he wants, while the HTC One user has all of his important content right in front of him. The second ad is similar to the first one with the Voice Over announcer saying, "Wouldn't it be better if all of your apps, sites and networks were all in the same place so you didn't have to dig?" And once again we see an Apple iPhone 5 user doing some heavy duty digging on his phone, looking for his important content. And while both ads show iPhone users leaving gopher-sized mounds of dirt from digging for their content, the ads also take a shot at the Samsung Galaxy S4. At the very end of both spots, the announcer says, " Stop the digging. The all metal HTC One."





source: YouTube (1), (2)

BlackBerry R10 leaks out in gesture control tutorial video

The BlackBerry R10 hasn’t even been announced officially yet it appears in the leaked images almost every day, but now we have the first video showing how the new BlackBerry 10 operating system will function on the R10.

The gesture-oriented interface on the BlackBerry R10 will allow you to use gestures like swiping from the bottom of the display to bring up the card-like multitasking menu. All the bells and whistles of the BlackBerry 10 platform will be supported.

So far we know the BlackBerry R10 has a white, black and even a red version. It will be a full QWERTY device like the Q10 but it will come at a more affordable price.

Here is what its leaked specs look like:

• 3.1-inch display, 720 x 720 resolution
• 5MP rear camera, front camera
• Support to shoot up to 2560 x 1920 resolution photos
• 2GB of RAM
• 8GB internal storage
• 2180 mAh non-removable Battery
• BlackBerry 10.1 OS

source: CrackBerry

Nokia walks us through design of Nokia Asha 501

Nokia unveiled its brand new Asha 501 yesterday introducing with it a new design language in the Asha feature phone series with lots of borrowings from Windows Phone including the plentiful vibrant color options. 

The Asha 501 is a lot about its design indeed - it packs a two-element construction that snaps together sturdily. The handset runs on a slightly updated version of Nokia’s all too familiar Series 40 interface and supports the very basic Java applications.

Now, Nokia decided to walk us through the design inspiration and the story of the Asha 501. Take a look at how it came to be and what is the resemblance between the new Asha and Nokia’s Lumia Windows Phones.

source: Nokia Conversations

Take that Glass: Modified Epson Moverio glasses bring new interactive AR

APX Labs is developing an interactive augmented reality function that brings a whole new application to Epson’s Moverio BT-100 3D glasses, which are serving as the test bed for this concept and demo.

However, instead of your own personal video viewing device, we will soon be able to interact with the things we are viewing. Imagine Nokia’s City Lens, but through glasses, and being able to point your glasses at designated points to gather information.

Those designated points are called Northstars, and they hold a lot of potential for all sorts of practical applications. For businesses, people will be able to simply look at points to get real-time inventory. Consumers might be able to look at points to get updated shipping information about a package they might be tracking.

Social feeds can find a new dimension for real-time sharing of video or other content. As APX Labs develops this concept further, the goal is to enable users, businesses and developers to build their own content for use on the platform. Are these modified Moverio glasses as sleek looking as Glass? No, but there has not been much talk about Glass by way of augmented reality…yet.

via: Engadget

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo roots for bolder decisions, talks about “internet in our pants”

Twitter’s CEO shares some deep insight and humor with his alma mater, the University of Michigan this week. True to form, he started his speech with a tweet.

Like many commencement speeches, Mr. Costolo waxes metaphors while sharing his journey following his graduation from college and before he found a real use for his computer science degree. However, those metaphors strike the right tone and are apropos to his current profession as the CEO of Twitter, “be in this moment.”

From there, sharing his frustration about how his plans to be an improvisational comedian were not working out, “fortunately…the internet happened.” Then the ever-familiar sense of age, “We didn’t have the internet in our pants. We didn’t even have the internet not in our pants that’s how bad it was.” We think that could be a new catch phrase.

The speech is only 17 minutes, and the internet journey begins at about 7 minutes into it. Twitter, love it or hate it, in an important player in how we communicate and he shared some instances on the role it has played in shaping how we reach out to each other. In the final summary, Dick Costolo encouraged the eager young minds to make courageous choices and “be in this moment.”

source: University of Michigan (YouTube)

ASUS posts teaser video, possibly new Transformer devices incoming

In less than one month from today – on June 6, to be more specific, Asus will host a press conference at the Computex expo in Taipei. Will it be exciting? Yeah, most likely. Chances are that we'll see new products on stage at the event, and among them might be a new Transformer device or two. Or at least that's the conclusion we arrived at after watching the teaser video you see below.

The video has the enigmatic "We Transform" title attached to it, which leads us to believe that a new member of the Asus Transformer series will be announced officially. In fact, we may already know what tablet Asus has in stock. We're talking about the Asus ME302C tablet leaked last month, the existence of which was confirmed by data in the GLBenchmark database. What we know about the device so far is that it runs Android 4.2.2 and has a 1920 by 1200 pixel screen. An Atom processor running at 1.6GHz, most likely the Z2560, provides the necessary computing power.

For those who need a refresher, Asus launched its Transformer lineup back in 2011 with the Asus Eee Pad Transformer – an Android tablet that could be used as a notebook computer after being attached to a hardware keyboard dock, hence the name. Then came the Asus Transformer Prime with its Tegra 3 processor, and the gorgeous Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, which you can read all about in our review.

That's all the information we have for now, but we're expecting to learn more as the event nears. Asus has four more teaser videos to post, so we'll keep our eyes open and keep you updated on the matter.

source: ASUS 

Surprise! New Windows 8 ads are actually funny

Microsoft is known make solid business software, it’s known to make the most popular operating system in the world and it is known for many more great things, but its marketing is usually not one of them. This time, though, with its new Windows 8 ads targeting China Microsoft is right on the money and the ads are plain hilarious.

You won’t hear much about Windows 8 features in the ads, but instead the messages of “Beautiful and fast,” “Work and play,” and“The power of touch” come across great.

The videos are absurd, crazy, creative and extremely funny. This is definitely the kind of marketing Windows 8 would make use of. Some of its features haven’t been met with a huge excitement, but those universal messages in the ads definitely come across. Check them out below.

source: TheVerge

A 13" Sony slider with Triluminous display leaks in blurry footage, can we say Vaio Duo 13?

Windows 8 and its minions sprawled an abundance of unorthodox form factors, culminating with the Acer Aspire R7 here, and its crazy Ezel hinge. Sony is not one to shy away from bold design decisions, either, and it was one of the first to introduce a compact Win 8 slider, the Vaio Duo 11.

Now a training session at UK's electronics retailer Dixon has leaked on video, and, despite the low quality of the footage, we can see that the Japanese are prepping a larger, 13" version of the intriguing form factor, with hinge that actually seems a lot like the Ezel one of Acer, though it's not clear whether the Vaio Duo 13's panel flips as well. 

The slider is allegedly powered by a choice of Intel Core processors, sports a Full HD Triluminous touchscreen panel, and rounds it up with 4/8 GB of RAM, while 128/256/512 GB of SSD are reserved for storage. Sony's ClearAudio+ and an 8MP Exmor RS sensor on the back of the display part take care of the media I/O, and the gear apparently comes with its own stylus.

In any case, the announcement shouldn't be far away, so we are waiting for the price as the last piece of the eventual Vaio Duo 13 puzzle. As for the battery life, it is said to last 10 hours on a charge, which would be pretty darn great if Sony manages to pull it off.

source: CoolHotCold & Esato

Two more Samsung Galaxy S4 ads each show off a feature of the phone

The other day, we showed you Samsung's new full length ad for the Samsung Galaxy S4 that included the usual shots at the Apple iPhone. Judging from the feedback we received, it seems that the favorite line from the ad belonged to the Galaxy S4 user who had just sent a photo to another Samsung Galaxy S4 user via S Beam. A woman with the Apple iPhone 5 in her hand held her phone out, expecting to receive the tap that would transfer the picture to her phone. "No, yours doesn't do that," said one of the Samsung owners, leaving Ms. iPhone 5 holding her phone out in the air awkwardly. That line isn't quite the put-down line that "Dude, you're a barista," turned out to be. You might remember that Samsung even made up t-shirts with that saying on it to be used as a contest prize.

Samsung has now added two shorter spots for the new flagship Android device. The first is a quick 15 second ad that shows a son asking his dad if he is going to switch. While it isn't said, it is implied that he is talking about swapping out an Apple iPhone for the Samsung Galaxy S4. The son must have realize that what it comes to tech, his dad is not, shall we say, hip. So junior points out "Easy mode" which limits the home screen to three panels, populated with larger than normal icons for weather, calendar, phone and messaging. It gives those not able to set up an Android phone, the ability to jump right into using the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The three home page panels for Easy Mode

The second ad, a 30 second spot, shows a proud mother taking a picture of her son receiving his high school diploma when all of a sudden a half-dressed punk runs on stage and gets in the middle of the picture. A sentimental moment lost forever? Nope. Using "Eraser Shot mode" the offending idiot is easily removed from the photo, leaving a photograph that will be looked at with warm feelings for years afterward.

source: SamsungUSA (1), (2)

SNL takes on Google Glass

Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update last night featured a segment on technology hosted by correspondent Randall Weeks (played by Fred Armisen) which was supposed to show how, unlike a smartphone, using Google Glass isdiscrete. Instead, with loud volume allowing everyone around to know that Weeks was watching porn on the device, and with exaggerated head rolls to scroll the screen and to go back a page, the Weeks character proved otherwise.

A couple of notes. The audience reaction revealed that it is just not tech savvy nerds who have an interest in Google Glass. The audience was on top of the skit from the moment that that the news parody's tech expert was seen on screen wearing the recently shipped product. And we have to give kudos to NBC for building a more than passable replica of Google Glass. How passable was it? Well, we wouldn't go buying a used unit from someone from the peacock network. Hey, did we just say peacock? You need to watch the video to understand that comment.

Go ahead, check out the video below. We promise it won't bite.

source: SaturdayNightLive 

Billboard shows ad for the Nokia Lumia 928

The unannounced Nokia Lumia 928 has been recently spotted all over, which is pretty interesting considering that the phone has not yet been introduced. Just the other day, it was seen at a private Nokia concert, being used to shoot some video that might end up being displayed to the world on May 14th. That is when the Finnish manufacturer will be holding a press event with the Nokia Lumia 928 expected to be unveiled.

Now, a billboard has been spotted for the Nokia Lumia 928, complete with the Verizon logo. The nation's largest carrier will have an exclusive on this model in the U.S. Obviously someone jumped the gun here, but the good news is that apparently the phone will be launched not too long after the May 14th event.  

Excited? If you love taking pictures with your smartphone camera, you should be. The billboard touts the Nokia Lumia 928's prowess in taking pictures under low-light conditions, something that the Nokia Lumia 920 has become known for.  

source: WMPoweruser

Someone jumped the gun by putting up this billboard of the unannounced Nokia Lumia 928

App allows you to upload video to YouTube from Google Glass

With developers turning their attention to Google Glass, those using the specs can now upload a video to YouTube using an app called Fullscreen BEAM. The process is simple and the video ends up on Fullscreen BEAM's YouTube channel, ready for your viewing pleasure. You can have the video appear for the public to view, or you can keep it private for you own personal viewing. And if you want, the video can be tweeted via Twitter.

While some developers will be hard at work, creating a Google Glass version of their apps, others will be creating third party versions of popular Android apps. Last week, Evernote and Path each said that they would each be creating a version of their app for Google Glass.

Uploading a video to YouTube that you've filmed with Google Glass is a four step process. Register the Fullscreen BEAM app, shoot the video, share the video with the Fullscreen BEAM app and then wait for confirmation. You can check it out in real life by watching the video below.

source: YouTube via SlashGear