AT&T is announcing that it will release the Modio LTE case for iPad Mini models on March 20. This is an intriguing concept – it’s a case that will bring LTE connectivity to Wi-Fi-only small iPads. It will work with the iPad Mini 3, iPad Mini 2, and the original iPad Mini too.
The flip side is that you’ll need to sign a two-year contract if you want to get the Modio case for just $49.99. That’s right, we’re talking about a long-term commitment for a tablet case. That’s quite odd, but luckily you can also purchase it with no strings attached, though in that case you’ll need to shell out $199.99. Read more »
As many mobile device makers are holding their pre-MWC press events, HP has unveiled a new laptop – the Spectre x360. This is actually a convertible PC, and HP says that we’re looking at its “most premium and versatile” computer ever.
The Spectre x360 can be used in a few different ‘modes’ – there’s the laptop mode obviously, as well as the tablet mode, but you can also choose ‘tent mode’ for playing, and ‘stand mode’ for watching entertainment. Read more »
After having leaked earlier today, both the Huawei TalkBand B2 (pictured below) and the TalkBand N1 are now official. The Chinese company has updated the design of its original TalkBand B1 from one year ago, this time opting for a more premium look. The materials are different too, since the B2 is made from an aluminum alloy. Its functionality is similar to its predecessor’s – namely, it’s a fitness tracker that’s also a Bluetooth headset.
On the other hand, the TalkBand N1 is a Bluetooth headset and music player apparently aimed at the fitness market. Read more »
For almost two weeks now Meizu has been teasing the upcoming release of the Ubuntu-running edition of its MX4 smartphone. At first, things were pretty cryptic, but yesterday the Chinese company published the first official screenshots of Ubuntu running on the MX4 – so all was clear. Today it’s keeping the teasing campaign going with the image you can see below.
So we get yet another confirmation that the Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition will finally become official during MWC next week. Meizu even found time to take an ever so subtle jab at the BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition, which was the first ever handset to run the mobile version of the OS. But indeed that is no “premium device”. Read more »
Well, the cat’s out of the bag now. Huawei has been teasing a smartwatch for a couple of weeks or so, but today we get to see exactly what it will look like. This is thanks to the fact that Huawei already has ads for the watch at Barcelona airport, waiting to welcome people attending MWC we assume.
Since the Android Wear logo is present in the bottom right corner of the ad, it’s clear which platform the Huawei Watch will run. As you can see, this is another round contender in the smartwatch space, and judging from this image alone it seems to be one of the best looking wearables revealed so far. Read more »
Today Google has released the latest version of its Maps application for iOS. Google Maps 4.3.0 is already up for grabs from the iTunes App Store, for both iPhone and iPad (running iOS 6.0 or later). The update brings with it a few new features.
For starters, you now see nearby businesses when you look up an address. Additionally, you get quick facts on popular points of interest, and you can add transit directions to your calendar. Read more »
So far, Motorola’s Moto Maker service has allowed you to order a very personalized Moto X from the company. But next month it will become available for the Moto 360 smartwatch too.
You’ll get to choose a casing – either silver, black, or champagne gold. Then you pick a band size, from the two available. The band itself can be either metal or leather. And finally, you select one of 11 watch faces, and the one you like will show up when you first turn the wearable on. Read more »
The People Sense Windows Phone app leaked just a couple of days ago, and now it’s gone live in Microsoft’s mobile app store. However, it’s done so under a different name. The app is called SquadWatch, though its functions are unchanged.
Internally codenamed Buddy Aware, SquadWatch is basically a location sharing app for groups of people. It’s bidirectional, so the users you add won’t see your location unless you can also see theirs. Read more »
Speaking to employees at the company’s Kurfürstendamm store in Berlin, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that he now wears his Apple Watch all the time, even while showering. So even if the company’s first smartwatch won’t be able to come diving with you, at least it will be able to withstand water splashes.
Up until now there’s been no mention of water resistance from Apple, save for the promotional image you can see above. It also implies that the Watch will be splashproof, but maybe nothing more. Read more »
Today Google has started rolling out the latest update for its Calendar app for Android. Google Calendar 5.1 brings with it a 7-day view for phones. Additionally, you can now add Google Drive files to events, and Drive will even check if everyone who’s participating in an event can open them.
These are the main new features, but there’s more stuff in this update. For example, you can now control whether birthdays from your Google+ contacts are shown on your calendar. This setting will arrive on the Web version of Google Calendar too, but next week. Read more »
Since its launch, Google Play Music has allowed you to upload and store up to 20,000 songs in the cloud. This has been a key differentiator for Google’s service, since you don’t have to rely solely on its collection – if you’ve got some tracks that it doesn’t, just upload them and then you can stream them to any device.
This limit has now effectively been raised to 50,000 – that’s how many of your own songs you can store in Google’s cloud from today. So we assume very few people will not be able to upload their entire music collections to Google Play following this move. Read more »
On Android, Google Now serves as the virtual assistant Siri is on iOS and Cortana is on Windows Phone. Thus, Google Now can take voice commands and act on them. But up until recently that did not include toggling certain system settings – not directly, at least.
The good news is that as of this moment Google Now is in fact able to toggle your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections on or off, as well as the flashlight functionality enabled by your phone’s LED flash. The one caveat is that you need to be running Android 5.0 Lollipop. Read more »
JDI is one of the big players in the mobile display space, and the Japanese company has now announced a new smartwatch screen. It’s of the round variety, as you can see, and it’s the reflective type. According to its maker, this means it will enable some significant advancements in smartwatch battery life.
That’s because its power consumption can be as low as 0.5% or less when compared to a traditional LCD module. JDI says that its reflective design can achieve this because it’s different than a normal LCD panel, where 80% of the power requirements go to the backlight. Read more »
Samsung’s latest PR stunt / ad / promotional material for the Gear VR headset comes from Australia. Through a media agency over there, the Korean company set up a diving gear shop in the Australian outback, 1,200 km from the nearest ocean.
Naturally curious people enter and wonder where the water is. The key to everything is obviously the Gear VR, used in conjunction with the Galaxy Note 4 to give people in the middle of the desert the feeling that they’re in the ocean at that very moment, more than a thousand kilometers away, surrounded by sharks no less. Read more »