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Mac mini 2014 gets an iFixit teardown

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After the recent iMac with Retina 5K display teardown, iFixit has now gotten its hands on the new 2014 Mac mini. Although the machine looks identical to the past several generations, there are some new bits inside, some of which are quite troubling.

For starters, the circular plate on the bottom can no longer be twisted to open. Inside is another metal gate with unconventionally small TR6 Torx Security screws. Apple has officially made it harder to get inside the new Mac mini. Why is that? Well, it doesn’t take long to figure that out. Read more »

Ambient display mode spotted in Android Lollipop [Update: Only for Nexus 6]

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One of the cool features of iOS is that the screen lights up whenever you get a notification. This does consume a bit more battery than just having a notification light but it’s far more informative, and you know not just what the notification is about but can also get a brief look at the contents of the notification, making it easier to decide if you should act upon it or ignore it.

With the updated lockscreen notifications in Android Lollipop, Google has now also added a feature called Ambient display mode. This will allow the phone to light up the display when notifications arrive. Even better, it will wake the screen when you pick up the device, similar to the Moto X. Read more »

‘Angry Birds Transformers’ for iOS and Android game review

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Angry Birds Transformers is the latest and tenth installment in the Angry Bird series of games. Made in collaboration with Hasbro, Angry Birds Transformers is based on the Transformers series, the original animated one, not the terrible movies made by Michael Bay.

After a soft launch the game is now available worldwide on iOS right now and will be available on Android at the end of the month. Anyway, let’s get on with the review. Read more »

Nexus 9 goes up for pre-order in India on the Play Store

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The Nexus 9 has been put up for pre-order on the Play Store in India. India is one of the 22 markets worldwide that will be getting the Nexus 9 on day one.

The Nexus 9 is available in two configurations in India. There is the base 16GB version with Wi-Fi, that is priced at Rs. 28,900, and there is the 32GB LTE model that is priced at Rs. 44,900. The Nexus 9 is only available in the Indigo Black color in India for now. Read more »

Twitter adds Audio Cards to discover and play audio within the app

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Twitter has announced a new feature called Audio Cards. This will allow users to discover music from their favorite artists and then play it within the app itself. The feature is available on both iOS as well as Android.

Audio Cards appear as regular tweets on your timeline with the track. You tap on the track and it starts playing within the app with album art and playback controls. You can minimize the Audio Card and continue to browser your timeline. Read more »

Nexus 9 goes up for pre-order on Amazon

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The Google Nexus 9 has gone on pre-order on Amazon in various countries. The new tablet can now be found on the US, German, and French Amazon stores, and should be up on others soon.

The Nexus 9 is priced at $399 for the 16GB variant and $479 for the 32GB variant. It is only available in black and white for now, and not the sand color. You could choose to get two or three year drops and spills warranty for additional $71.96 and $94.21, respectively. The tablet will be delivered after November 3. Read more »

Multiple Dropbox account passwords leaked online, Dropbox claims it wasn’t hacked

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Multiple Dropbox accounts got compromised today when an anonymous user posted hundreds of Dropbox ID and password in a text file on reddit. The ID and password were in four text files that were posted on pastebin.

reddit users confirmed that many of the accounts listed with their passwords were legit. However, Dropbox later said that it wasn’t hacked, and that the account details were obtained from third party sources. Read more »

Microsoft’s new Surface Hub app lets you customize your stylus experience

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Microsoft has released a new app for the Surface 3 tablet. Called Surface Hub, the app lets you customize the settings for the stylus that comes bundled with the tablet.

The app lets you adjust two aspects of the stylus. The first is the pressure sensitivity, and now you can increase or decrease the pressure required to activate the stylus. Read more »

Upcoming Google service will let you talk to doctors online for medical help

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Google is working on a new service that is integrated within the Google Search app of your phone. Whenever you search for an illness the app will suggest you to talk to a doctor, which will then initiate a Helpout-style video chat where you can ask the doctor about the problem you are having.

According to Google, “When you’re searching for basic health information — from conditions like insomnia or food poisoning — our goal is provide you with the most helpful information available. We’re trying this new feature to see if it’s useful to people.” Read more »

‘Electronic Super Joy: Groove City’ for iOS game review

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Electronic Super Joy: Groove City, and its predecessor Electronic Super Joy, are two popular 2D side-scrolling platforming games. The games fall under the ‘masocore’ category, where the gameplay is extremely difficult and requires far too much patience and precision to play. Other than that the games are also known for their 8-bit graphics, epic EDM soundtrack, and tongue in cheek humor.

Although the original game never arrived on mobile, the developers have released the second version on iOS. I did enjoy both the games on PC, so I was looking forward to how the mobile version was going to be. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that great. Read more »

Microsoft makes an Android Wear keyboard

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Microsoft is working on a keyboard for Android Wear devices (yes, you read that right). The company has now released a prototype version of the keyboard, which can be downloaded from the company’s website.

The Microsoft keyboard is a bit different than the ones we have seen so far, wherein it doesn’t have actual keys but uses the screen to let you draw characters on the screen, which are then converted into actual characters. Read more »

Google Play Store updated to v5.0, gets more Material Design elements

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Google has started rolling out v5.0.31 of the Play Store for Android. The major difference here is in the UI, and it’s approximately 600% more Material Design now.

First up, the action bar on top is now teal (or something close to that) with a new side menu and a cool animation for the hamburger button. The side menu shows the same items now, but the font is smaller. Read more »

Galaxy Note 4 goes through the bend test

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In case you are not aware, the whole iPhone ‘Bendgate’ controversy was started when YouTuber Unbox Therapy bent an iPhone 6 Plus into a boomerang on video using just his hands. This sparked a lot of debate, ranging from the validity of these tests (I say these because everyone else started doing them as well) to the legitimacy of the original video. He later did another video in public where he bent another iPhone 6 Plus out on the street on camera.

Since then, there have been a lot of requests to bend other phones, as most people believe it is possible to bend other phones as well. I’m pretty sure by far the most requests would have been to bend the new Galaxy Note 4 on camera, since it is the iPhone 6 Plus’ closest rival, and Unbox Therapy has finally obliged. Read more »

Watch the new HTC RE and Desire EYE videos here

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Yesterday HTC released two new devices, the HTC RE, a tiny waterproof camera for taking wide angle photos and videos and the Desire EYE, the first phone with a front facing 13 megapixel camera with dual LED flash.

HTC has released a couple of videos for both the devices. You can check them out below. Read more »

‘Entwined Challenge’ for iOS and Android game review

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Entwined Challenge is the latest game from PlayStation Mobile for iOS and Android. The game is based on Entwined, made for the PlayStation platform.

Entwined Challenge is a simplified version of Entwined, modified and optimized for touchscreen devices. You play as a fish and a bird and control both characters simultaneously in an endless runner sort of environment. The original PlayStation title received mixed reviews from critics. Let’s see how well the mobile version fares. Read more »