Category: Misc gadgets
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WSJ: Google smartwatch to enter mass production this year

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Google’s alleged smartwatch is in the final stages of its development and the search giant is said to be in talks with Asian hardware suppliers to begin the mass production of the hotly anticipated accessory.

According to a report from WSJ, the Google smartwatch will enter mass production by the end of the year. Read more »

Hyetis Crossbow smartwatch misses on ZEISS optics

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Remember the Hyetis Crossbow, the Swiss-made smartwatch with a 41MP camera, which was going to have ZEISS optics and optical zoom and more sensors than one of NASA’s space probes? An attorney from Carl Zeiss AG has contacted us saying that Zeiss has no connection with Hyetis whatsoever and the Crossbow definitely will not have ZEISS optics.

The watch smelled of pure, undiluted vaporware before, but things look even sketchier now. Read more »

Watch Apple’s October 2013 keynote here

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Today’s Apple keynote marked the announcement of the release of the free Mac OS X Maverics, the release of the updated and now free iWorks and iLife application packages, the announcement of the hardware updates to the MacBook Pro lineup and the availability and specs info about the Mac Pro. Last but not least, we saw the announcement of the iPad Air and the Retina update to the iPad mini.

All this fit into less than an hour and a half so you can be sure the pace was hectic. But you don’t have to take my word for it. If you missed the live streaming of the event, now is your chance to watch a replay. Read more »

Dropcam Pro goes official, brings a new Android app

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Dropcam has officially announced its new streaming camera device, dubbed Pro. Dropcam Pro is said to be brighter than before and the newest spy cam comes with superior hardware than its predecessor.

The new Dropcam promises enhanced image quality and brings an Android app to go with the already existing iOS app, expanding the reach of the device quite significantly. Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Gear review

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The smartwatch is a relatively new market niche, but seeing the interest it has been getting lately, it will certainly expand quite rapidly in the next few years. And Samsung, being one of the world leaders in smart tech, certainly wants to be a part of that expansion. The Galaxy Gear smartwatch is built around the idea of being an extension of your smartphone and not the sole star of the show. Currently, as of its launch, the Galaxy Gear only supports the Galaxy Note 3 and 10.1, which is limiting its reach quite severely, but Samsung promises to add more devices to the list in the next few months.

Instead of going all sci-fi with the Galaxy Gear, Samsung decided to take the logical path. The smartwatch can help you unlock your smartphone, acts as a fitness accessory, snap a photo or two and mainly, aid you in those cases when your phablet is out of reach or the circumstances just don’t allow you to operate it. Read more »

Nook Simple Touch Glowlight gets a price cut in UK, now available for £49

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Nook Simple Touch Glowlight has received a price cut in the UK and the eReader is now available for just £49 while stocks last. The Nook that comes with integrated lighting will be up for grabs across the UK, starting today.

Just as a reminder, other Nook variants are also available at a discounted price and the basic 8 GB version of the 7-inch Nook HD now costs just £79, while the 16 GB option is priced at £99. Read more »

Sony announces BRAVIA Smart Stick, supports Google Services and apps on BRAVIA TVs only

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Sony has just announced its answer to the Google Chromecast dongle. Dubbed BRAVIA Smart Stick, the TV accessory comes with full support of the Google Servicesр, which means Android apps on your TV. This also includes the popular Chrome web browser (with Flash enabled).

The BRAVIA Smart Stick currently only works on the company’s 2013 line-up of BRAVIA TVs and all prospects point at this not changing any time soon. Nevertheless, it comes with a set of cool features. Read more »

GoPro Hero 4 specs get leaked, can shoot 4K video at 30fps

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We are hearing about the first leaked specs of the upcoming edition of the popular GoPro mobile cameras, the HD Hero 4.

The leak comes by way of Ambarella, the company that makes the SoC’s that have powered the GoPro line for the last several generations. Read more »

SanDisk launches CFast 2.0 memory card, claims it to be the world’s fastest

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SanDisk has launched the world’s first CFast 2.0 memory card. CFast is a variation of the CompactFlash cards we usually find in high-end cameras and offers significantly faster access speeds.

The CFast 2.0 card that SanDisk launched has read speeds of around 450MB/s and write speeds of around 350MB/s. This makes it ideal for cameras that record content in resolutions as high as 4K. In fact, SanDisk claims that their CFast 2.0 card is currently the world’s fastest memory card. Read more »

Nokia releases two new cool-looking portable chargers

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Nokia has announced the availability of two new portable mobile chargers – the DT-601 wireless charger and the DC-19 universal portable USB charger.

The DT-601 wireless charger is not actually a charger even though Nokia calls it that, but a wireless charging plate ending up in USB port. It is much smaller than its DT-900 predecessor and will easily fit in pockets. The DT-601 is Qi compatible and you can get it in yellow, cyan, bright red, black and white. Read more »

PayPal announces Beacon, a Bluetooth USB dongle that will accept your smartphone as a hands-free payment method

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Meet the PayPal Beacon, a USB dongle, powered by Bluetooth Low Energy that will await PayPal customers in participating stores, recognize their PayPal identity by pairing to their smartphone’s PayPal app as they walk in and even let them automatically pay for their goods, no hands required.

The first participating stores are Booker, Erply, Leaf, Leapset, Micros, NCR, PayPal Here, Revel, ShopKeep, TouchBistro and Vend, but more are expected to crop up as 100 developers are poised to get the dongle and API early. The PayPal Beacon is expected to become wide-spread starting Q4 of this year. Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Gear vs. Qualcomm Toq vs. Sony Smartwatch 2: Put your finger on it

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Smartwatches are the talk of the street right now and for a very good reason. They are cool, capable and understated. At the IFA 2013 expo, both Samsung and Qualcomm announced their smartwatch representatives: the Galaxy Gear and Toq. Naturally, we had to compare them to the Sony Smartwatch 2, which was announced a couple of months ago.

You may be thinking that smartwatches aren’t really our scope, but remember that while we are professional phone reviewers, we are also geeks. This puts the smartwatch product category right in our alley. Read more »

Sony announces Android 4.1 powered Walkman F886 music player

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Sony has showcased its latest music player, the Walkman F886 at the on-going IFA consumer electronics exhibition in Berlin, Germany. The highlight of the newest addition is the high-resolution audio system along with its Android operating system.

With Sony Walkman F886 you can enjoy high-quality music and also share it among your friends without having to break a sweat, thanks to the built-in Bluetooth radio. Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Gear goes official, works only with the top end of the Galaxy line

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Samsung jumped head first into the smartwatch field with the Galaxy Gear. It’s made out of stainless steel for the body and futuristic material for the strap. The heart of Gear is a 1.63″ Super AMOLED touch screen with 320 x 320 resolution (that’s 277ppi pixel density).

In a throwback to the S9110 watch phone, the Galaxy Gear features a speaker and mic, so it can handle calls (with a noise cancellation mic), but also understand voice commands with S Voice. Read more »

Analyst: Apple iWatch coming in late 2014, to be priced around $149-229

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Apple’s iWatch is one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets, especially after reports that Samsung will be launching its Galaxy Gear smartwatch next week. However, according to the latest gossip, Apple’s iWatch is not coming anytime soon and is expected to launch only in the second half of 2014.

According to an analyst at CIMB Group, 60% of Apple’s iWatch orders are expected to be manufactured by Invetec, the Taiwan-based ODM. The deal is expected to generate about 19% of Invetec’s profits in the coming year. Read more »