Tech and Consumer

Possible Backplates For The Next iPhone Emerge

will — Tue, 29 May 2012 23:03:11 +0000

With WWDC 2012 coming up soon and rumors going around about a possible new iPhone announcement, the Apple rumor mill is running at full steam, and today 9To5Mac has given the rumor mill something that may kick it into overdrive. Images that according to 9To5Mac contain the next iPhone’s back and front plates. So if you’d like to have a look for yourself at what could possibly turn out to be the back and front plates of your next iPhone. Click the source links below.

Source: The Verge, 9To5Mac

iOS 5.1.1 Untethered Jailbreak Now Available

will — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:34:52 +0000

Earlier this morning the Chronic-Dev Team and the iPhone-Dev Team released Absinthe 2.0, a tool for Windows and Mac which allows you to, wait for it… have an Untethered Jailbroken iOS Device Running 5.1.1. This is great news for all of you out there who enjoy jailbreaking your iDevices to customize and experiment with them. The tethered version has been available for awhile now via Redsn0w, but the Untethered 5.1.1 jailbreak was just released today.

Source: Greenpois0n.com

[Review] Volume+ For Android

will — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:09:51 +0000

Many Android users have probably experienced this, you open up an app and turn up your media volume to hear the soundtrack. You then exit the app, forgetting to turn down the system wide media volume or you really don’t want to wait for the app to open again. Next thing you know you’re sitting in a meeting or having a conversation, and the game/app you downloaded earlier wants to tell you something like “SALE!!! 50% OFF ALL COINS! HURRY!!!”. and your phone makes an annoying beep or sound that you become embarrassed about. If you’ve ever been in one of those situations, or just want to have complete control of your Android volume, read on to see what Volume+ can do for you.

Ever since I’ve been using Volume+ it has become a permanent app on my Droid X2. I have the small grid widget (pictures below) on one of my homescreen’s and it allows me to see what level my system sounds are at at all times. I can see the media, phone call, ringtone, Bluetooth headset, and more volumes. If I tap on the widget it opens the app and lets me use sliders or a wheel to control the volume levels of any of the volumes. I can even set my phone to complete silence, vibrate, or tell it to send everything through a bluetooth headset. I would recommend this app to anyone and everyone for its awesome ability to control many volumes. The ads on the free version don’t get in the way at all so here’s the link to the free version, paid is here

Pictures (Click to enlarge) :

Apple Releases iOS 5.1.1

will — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:18:26 +0000

Apple has just recently released iOS 5.1.1 which comes with a whole host of bug fixes and not much more. If you’re on tethered jailbreak already, then you will be happy to know that there is a tethered jailbreak out already. If you’re still on untethered then you’ll have to keep waiting unless you want to go tethered. Disclaimer: You are responsible for your own actions no one else is responsible.
Source: Engadget

Gameloft’s Asphalt 7 Featured On Samsung Galaxy S III

will — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:17:28 +0000

No further details were given, but we do know for sure that the sequel to Gamelofts popular Asphalt 6: Adrenaline will be Asphalt 7 and it will run on the Android 4.0 Galaxy S III. Looking at the screenshots given it appears that Gameloft has taken a lot of the good feedback of what worked in Asphalt 6 and brought it to Asphalt 7. I have played Asphalt 6 on iOS and have to say it is the best racing game I have played on iOS. Gameloft also has a sequel coming out for N.O.V.A. 2 (another one of Gamelofts blockbuster titles) called N.O.V.A. 3. No word on release dates and pricing, but Gameloft is probably gearing up to show us more soon.

Source: The Verge (Photos)

Samsung Unveils New “S Pebble” MP3 Player

will — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:03:25 +0000

The Galaxy S III isn’t the only device that was recently announced at Samsung’s Mobile Unpacked Event. Samsung also announced its new “S Pebble” MP3 Player. The device is set to not actually connect to a computer, but to the Galaxy S III and download music from there. The S Pebble is set to come out in a 4GB version with 17 hours of battery and should be available alongside the phone at some point soon.

Source: The Verge

Samsung Unveils Galaxy S III Smartphone

will — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:55:02 +0000

Samsung has recently announced its long awaited next gen smartphone, the Galaxy S III. The Android smartphone is set to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on Samsung’s brand new Exynos quad core mobile processor along with 1GB of RAM and a 4.8 inch 720p Super AMOLED display. As for Camera specs the newest addition to the Galaxy lineup sports a 8 MP rear facing camera with a 990 millisecond start time and 3.3 FPS burst mode, and on the front you have a nice 1.9 MP front facing camera. Other specs as well as photos of Samsung’s new flagship smartphone can be found at the source link below.

Source: The Verge

[Review] Rocketfish Advanced Series Stylus

will — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:35 +0000

Overview:

There isn’t much to this stylus, but that’s part of what makes it great.

On the top you will find a nice cutout for a string or wrist strap which is accompanied by a convenient metal clip for clipping to a shirt or anything else. The main body itself is rigid yet lightweight and feels almost just like a pen. Last, but not least of course is the end part of the stylus. The end of the stylus is a dome of rubber like fabric which is not entirely smooth, but not at all sticky. If you push down on the dome you will notice that there seems to be nothing behind it which contributes to the stylus’s ability to feel lightweight.

Review:

The fact that the stylus is lightweight is great. It really feels like I’m using a pen on a touchscreen. Of course if you normally write with your hand on the paper, you’re probably not going to want to do that here (lol). The overall construction of the stylus makes it feel comfortable, yet rigid in my hand, this makes for a nice balance of the two. There is a coating on the outside of the main chassis which will begin to scratch and some of those scratches may show up, but it’s not a big deal.

In terms of the dome tip, it is not for precision work. On web pages with small buttons or links, it’s going to be easier to use the stylus, but not great, zooming in to make those items bigger is a good idea. Areas where the stylus does great are those where the UI is catered towards touchscreen use, or those where the User Interface is a big too squished for big fingers.

FPS Gaming is out of the question, but almost any game that requires only a finger is great with the stylus. Ex. Angry Birds, etc.

Verdict:

The Rocketfish Advanced Series Stylus feels more like a pen, which is great (yes I did try to click it once or twice ) and the subtle additions of the clip and wrist strap cutout are a nice touch (pun intended). As for the dome tip, it is not good for small buttons and links, but it provides the ability to see what you’re “tapping” more easily and that in and of itself is an advantage.

If you’re in the market for a nice and precise stylus, look elsewhere, but if you’re simply looking for a nice and light stylus to help with those annoying green pigs, the Rocketfish Advanced Series is great.

Rayman Legends NFC Features Leak In Video

will — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:43:35 +0000

Nintendo’s sales haven’t been exactly stellar, but that hasn’t stopped developers from utilizing the full potential of its upcoming system, The Wii U. A leaked Rayman Legends Video shows the NFC feature of the Wii U put into action by way of adding characters to the game. NFC is aka “Near Field Communication” and has become popular in cell phones and mobile gadgets as a way for them to connect with other electronics. Hopefully Nintendo can tell us more about the Wii U at E3 in June.
Source: Engadget

Samsung Reveals Its Own Quad Core Mobile CPU

will — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:09:07 +0000

Electronics just keep getting faster! Samsung has recently announced that its next major piece of hardware, supposedly the Galaxy S3, will contain a Quad Core Samsung chip called “Exynos”. Samsung says the Exynos chip has a brand new 32 nanometer manufacturing process and 1.4 GHz per core as well as 1080p video, HDMI 1.4, and it consumes 20% less power which is good news for those who typically drain their phone in a day. A Samsung event on May 3rd will supposedly reveal the next smartphone with this chip.

Source: CNET