While the Google Glass project seems to have run its course Sony is picking up the slack with its Single-Lens Display Module. Unlike Glass, Sony’s device can be attached to conventional corrective glasses, sunglasses and even goggles.

Not much is known about the device itself though the company will make it available next year and will release the SDK to select partners. Read more »

The PS4 Remote Play app allows owners PlayStation 4 and Xperia devices to use the portable device as a wireless screen for their gaming console. That neat trick is reserved for certain Sony Androids, though with a little help from XDA Developers you can now lift that restriction.

The ported app requires Android 4.4 KitKat or later (Lollipop is a bit more difficult to set up), a PlayStation 4 (obviously), while a 5GHz router is recommended. Read more »

Google Drive’s office suite for Android is getting a minor but helpful update that landed on iOS last week. Docs, Sheets and Slides are all getting improvements.

The biggest update is that the apps can now open and edit Microsoft Office files. File creation and updating has also been improved. Read more »

Popular IM and voice call app Viber is expanding into games, following in the footsteps of its neighbors Line, WeChat and Kakao. Right now it’s a limited release with only three games and four countries, but will go in January, barring any show-stopping issues.

It’s been a busy year for Viber – it went after Skype with global landline and cellphone calls in December 2013, then it was acquired by Rakuten, launched a desktop app and even took a swing at Twitter with public chats. Read more »

As part of its teaser campaign for the Vivo X5 Max, the company explained how it managed to make the handset only. 4.75mm thick – by pushing most components around the rim of the device. If that sounds a bit abstract, these teardown photos will help.

The Vivo X5 Max stole the title of “the world’s thinnest smartphone” from the Oppo R5 just a week ago. Read more »

Apple puts design and minimalism on a high pedestal and that even extents to its stores. The Institution of Structural Engineers awarded an Apple store in Istanbul, Turkey the Supreem Award for Structural Engineering Excellence.

The store is dubbed “Glass Lantern” and with good reason – its walls are completely transparent. Read more »

We’ve seen some games crop up on smartwatches, but what about playing with the smartwatch rather than on it? That’s exactly what HandyGames did (I’m not sure if the name is a coincidence or not).

HandyGames adapted its Aces of the Luftwaffe to use a wearable as a sort of joystick. Read more »

Jolla’s IndieGoGo campaign has come to an end – with over four thousand Jolla Tablets pre-ordered and well above the initial goal, the campaign gathered a total of $1,824,055. The campaign couldn’t reach the coveted third stretch goal – the 3.5G connectivity (which was set at $2.5M).

The first stretch goal (support for up to 128GB microSD cards) was unlocked four days before the end of the campaign, while the second goal (split-screen multitasking) was reached hours before the end. Read more »

Blu-ray won the optical format wars while MKV won on the digital side. That’s why there was plenty of cheers (by which we mean grunts “Finally!”) when it was revealed that Windows 10 will support MKV files natively. It turns out we don’t have to wait so long – Windows 8.1 now supports them too.

The pre-installed Xbox Video app has been updated and it can now play “most MKV files,” provided they don’t use an unsupported codec. Read more »

Doomsday preppers behold – the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 is the only phone you need for a zombie apocalypse, if you are a fan of Windows Embedded 8 that is (not WP8!). The handset is rated for IP68 and MIL-STD-810G and can survive drops from 3m (10ft).

And was certified by the GCF in the States, meaning it will be available over there too. Read more »

Toshiba unveiled the TT301, aka The Shared Board. It’s a 24″ 1080p tablet that also doubles as an HDMI monitor if you hook it up to a TV or you can use it as a wireless display via Miracast. It weighs only around 1.8kg (remember it’s 24″ big) and packs two 2W speakers.

Toshiba also included its own implementation of split-screen multitasking, but it seems it’s limited to only two apps at a time (Samsung’s Multi Window can do up to 4 split-screened apps, plus floating apps). Read more »

Android phone manufacturers have been accused of pushing for higher resolution displays purely for marketing purposes. We have to admit, we were pretty skeptical ourselves whether a small, pocketable phone needs a 1080p screen, let alone more. Having seen the first wave of QHD devices, we’ve come around – the extra resolution does make a difference, especially with the ever increasing screen sizes.

But where’s the cutoff limit at which you stop seeing any further benefit from adding extra pixels per inch? We’ve devised a test to help you find out. Read more »

Having a global best-seller is nice, but for a company that makes as many devices as Samsung, targeting different regions with different phones makes a lot of sense. The Samsung Galaxy Prime has modest display specs, while keeping the rest on proper mid-range levels. There’s a dual-SIM option in certain regions.

It’s questionable whether it will garner a lot of popularity in the developed western markets, but such phones are selling like hotcakes in the rest of the world. Read more »

Twitter first introduced filters to its official app two years ago in December, now it’s time to actually make theм work well (the whole thing was a knee-jerk response to a soured relationship with Instagram).

The official apps for Android and iOS (which are rolling out today) abandon the 3×3 grid display for filters for a more traditional approach. Read more »

Archos did its usual pre-IFA mass announcement of multiple devices, including the Windows 8.1 running Archos 80 Cesium. Little was known about it other than that it was supposed to launch in October. Better late than never I suppose.

The 80 Cesium belongs to the line of very affordable Windows tablets – €150 in this case – and it comes with the usual concessions. Read more »