Panasonic is continuing its advertising campaign for its 4K UltraHD televisions that feature Neymar Jr., star of the Brazilian national team.

Big sporting events usually drive up sales of large, expensive TVs, just ask Samsung. I haven’t looked at Panasonic’s numbers but the World Cup is bound to have boosted the performance of its TV division too. Read more »

Microsoft is scheduling an update for Windows 8.1, but has unequivocally stated that it’s not going to be called “Update 2″, as rumors were suggesting. That’s because the company doesn’t want to wait longer in order to build a more comprehensive update pack, and strives to release the fixes and new features as soon as possible.

With that in mind, the not-Update 2 includes the usual set of security fixes in addition to some new features. The Start menu isn’t making its long-awaited return in this one, but rather in the upcoming Windows Threshold release. Read more »

One of the problems with the G Watch (and the Gear Live) is that it comes with a proprietary charging port that necessitates the use of the bundled charging cradle. While that may not seem too bad at first, there was no way to replace the cradle in case you lost it. What made the problem even worse in case of the G Watch is that there is no power button on it and if it switches off the only way to switch it back on is to put it on the charger.

Thankfully, LG has now started selling the charging cradle separately on the Play Store, which should put your mind at ease if you happen to have a G Watch. Read more »

Don’t like neon? Then you won’t be a fan of the new color options Pebble is offering up for its smartwatch line.

If neon is most definitely your thing, then hit the jump to learn more about the limited edition run of the wearable. Read more »

Mugen Power took the wraps off a 2,800mAh battery case for the Motorola Moto X with built-in microSD card slot. The useful accessory is available to order immediately with a price tag of $89.50.

The freshly announced battery cover addresses arguably the most glaring omission in Moto X’s spec sheet – the lack of memory card slot. Read more »

Windows Phone 8.1 has seen its first major update, GDR1, which has just seeded out to developers. Naturally, we can’t let devs have all the fun to themselves so installed it on one of our test devices.

As you can imagine, that gave us access to all the latest on Microsoft’s updated mobile OS. Highlights include folder support, Cortana for additional regions, and the new Apps Corner. Read more »

Venture capital firm KPCB published a report on Internet trends and one of the slides stands out – each day over 1.8 billion photos were uploaded and shared using social networking and messaging apps. WhatsApp and Snapchat are the titans of the field.

Facebook has a significant share too but its growth seems slow compared to the apps. Of course, WhatsApp is now Facebook territory, so it’s not too bad for Zuckerberg and co. Read more »

Lenovo has just announced the premium-built VIBE Z2 Pro smartphone and right away we get the promo video on YouTube.

In it we see the device’s key selling points – Android 4.4 KitKat with Lenovo’s VIBE UI 2.0, a precision-crafted unibody made out of brushed metal and just 7.7mm thick and the 16 MP snapper. Read more »

Italian luxury brand Caviar has launched a successor of its limited edition Putinphone, and it was only logical since all 44 units of the first one were sold out in just one day. The Putinphone 2, however, sports a titanium back engraved with the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin and 499 units will be made.

Based on the iPhone 5s, the Putinphone 2′s full model name is the Caviar iPhone 5S Ti Supremo Putin. And it costs the cool $3,320 (RUB 119,000). Read more »

As we told you a couple of days ago, infamous Twitter leaker @evleaks is ceasing his operations. Evan Blass, as is his real name, made a real splash in the tech industry, but his departure from the scene in large part is because he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

As a result, the tech community has come together and opened an IndieGoGo funding campaign that’ll go towards his Blass’ medical fund. Read more »

You can already have an encyclopedia on your wrist, so why not a messaging service?

That’s at least the thinking behind the makers of WhatsApp, who have released their app for Android Wear. Read more »

A full port of the legendary video game BioShock is coming soon to iOS. The word arrived on Twitter from the developers of the original 2007 title – 2K Games.

The team from 2K China has created the port of the game. Read more »

The latest version of CyanogenMod is now available to download and enjoy. CyanogenMod 11.0 M9 is still based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat, it comes with a bunch of fixes here and there, but also adds support for three new devices.

These are the Sony Xperia Z2 and Z2 Tablet, as well as the HTC One (M8). Read more »

It’s been a long time coming, but the latest usage statistics from Net Applications show that iOS has fallen behind Android in terms of total active usage.

While Android has long since surpassed Apple’s offering in terms of market share, this is the first time that Google’s mobile OS is also being used more than iOS. Read more »

The Galaxy Tab S tablets and their slick AMOLED screens have a new series of ads that highlight their exclusive content extras.

The content includes a 6-month subscription to The Wall Street Journal, additional cars for Asphalt 8, and others. Read more »