TechGuySmartBuy

Review: HTC One For Sprint, Android Nearly-Perfected

noreply@blogger.com (Roderick Scott) — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:01:00 +0000

It seems like just last May we were handling the One X and a lot has changed within the world of consumer technology in 365 days. We are back with the company's new knight in shining armor (literally) with the HTC One. We attended the unveiling in NYC and have been itching to my hands on and that time has finally come. HTC's latest innovation is encased in aluminum, sporting a new type of camera, and a host of new features to compete for the top Android spot. I will cover all of the bases to see if this could be your next smartphone. My critique of HTC's latest lies below.

"HTC continues to offer one of the best display in the market."

Display

Handling all of your visuals is a 4.7inch Super LCD display w/ 1080p HD resolution + 468ppi. The One's display provides crisp images, rich Blacks, accurate color reproduction, and great viewing angles - especially in sunlight. Just slightly above the Droid DNA which formerly held the top Android display crown in our eyes. HTC continues to offer one of the best display in the market. LG is the only manufacturer who has come close.

Performance/Battery Life

The engine inside of the One is matches the impressive exterior as it is powered by the new Qualcomm CPUs. Namely a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor accompanied by 2GB of RAM. All this makes for a seamless Android device with stellar execution. To make up for short-changing users with the DNA, HTC put 32GB of storage but still no microSD storage. Doubling the physical combined with 25GB of cloud storage through Dropbox covers your needs a lot better.

Through most of my time with the One I was on Sprint's 3G service which was a bit slower than what I am used to but consistent. I was able to find an area a few miles away that had access to their 4G network. And LTE on Sprint is just as awesome as any other carrier. I got peak download speeds of over 23Mbps and upload up to 7Mbps. Pretty good thus far, now all I need is for LTE to be available in more areas.

Just as the DNA. HTC placed a non-removable 2300 mAh battery to keep the One going and how does it fare out? Pretty good. Not an all-day battery (up to 24 hours or more) but can give you anywhere between 8 to 10 hours of moderate usage. Heavy streaming, push notifications, & long phone calls outside of Wi-Fi will warrant you to less juice.

Cameras

HTC continues to innovate with their newer 4MP 'Ultrapixel' camera. Instead of going with a higher megapixel shooter, they decided to go with something different. The concept behind 'Ultrapixel' is to utilize larger pixels to take in 3 times more light for your photos. With using a small pixels shooter, you get faster photo processing, sharing, and editing. The new type of camera does leave you with mixed results: great in low-light & regular photos w/ slight noise & grain. HTC can fix some of this with a software update, hopefully. Not to be blown up and framed but ideal for social media. The Ultrapixel shooter really stands out in low-light situations.

The front-facing shooter is the new HTC standard of 88-degree, ultra wide-angle 2.1MP lens. Both front & rear-facing shooters are capable of 1080p video capture and work really well.

Zoe is the One's secret weapon. It allows you to take a 3-second video along with 20 photos in one setting. The joy of the workings of Zoe allows for a variety of free-range editing and other options to make your photos/videos look amazing. You can edit out unwanted objects + photo bombers, turns Zoes into action shots, add great effects, add frames, and retouch skin/eyes/face contour. So instead of taking a photo, take a Zoe.

HTC's Ultrapixel gamble pays off in my opinion.

Sound

HTC made sure to focus on media consumption with the One as they thought to place the audio output in front. With not one but two front-facing stereo speakers coupled with built-in amps that use Beats Audio software dubbed BoomSound. Easily one of the best-sounding speakers on a smartphone, not incredibly loud but definitely louder than your average. Also for clear phone calls + less distorted audio when recording video, there is a built-in HDR microphone to improve all of that. It works pretty good too.

Software

The One uses a newer version of HTC's Sense 5 UI running on top of Android 4.1.2. This is most assurely the best iteration of the skin as it is more minimized and streamlined. Visually, HTC's Sense easily gives Sense its own distinct identity within the world of many skins. Icons are more flat, the Sense clock + weather widget is more simplified, and even the multitask screen is more of its own and I like it. Along with the visuals, the company placed many new features inside of it as well.

BlinkFeed is HTC's way to take in a variety of content on your homepage. Giving you a feed of whatever kind of news you desire. From business, sports, tech to even your Facebook &Twitter feeds. You can actually post to the two social media networks from it as well. Think of BlinkFeed as FriendStream reborn but with aggregated news being more so the focus. If you don't like it, you can't get rid of it. You can, however, replace it as being your main homescreen.

HTC's TV service uses the infrared sensor (which doubles as the Power button) and turns your One into a universal remote. I tested it on both a Vizio and my own Samsung HDTV as it works flawlessly on both. Navigates through your channel guide of your service provider, YouTube & Netflix TV apps - all with ease. Another one of its premium services built into the device.

But HTC made sure to accentuate the little things within the software like the ability to turn your device into a mini-karaoke machine . When using the built-in Music app, you have the option to display the song lyrics along with a visualizer to sing out loud till the neighbors call the cops on you. When viewing you photo galleries, it create awesome little slideshows for view every photo taken from that day. All are great to have in my book.

"This is my favorite go-to Android device."

TG 2 Cents

I think this year their flagship Android device won't become a memory against Samsung's efforts. HTC truly stepped their game up and continues to push the envelope of standards with the One. The One is hands-down their best device they have built yet. The Ultrapixel camera and parts of the Sense 5 features (namely BlinkFeed) can be a bag of mixed feelings on them. This will easily make the choice more difficult for consumers to who gets their $$$, HTC or Samsung? But for me, this is my favorite go-to Android device.

To Buy Or Not To Buy

Having played with both the One and the Galaxy S4, I would buy this in a heartbeat. That's my personal preference. I, honestly, don't think you can truly lose with either one.

We Could Get That HTC One 'Google Edition' In A Few Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Roderick Scott) — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:15:00 +0000

Hopes of beautiful hardware and pure Android might be on the way. According to the folks over at Geek, HTC May actually be bringing us that Google Edition One we hoped for after Samsung's version was announced last week at I/O. The site was responsible for leaking out the the modified Galaxy S4, days before it was officially announced.

HTC is currently considering a version of the flagship device running stock Android. Not sure how some of its features will work without Sense like BoomSound speakers and ImageSense software for the Ultrapixel camera. Coincidentally, this ties in with word that HTC is working to get Android 4.2.2 on Sense 5 for the One. I would buy this in a heartbeat if they do this right.

Phandroid via Geek

How AT&T Is About To Get More $$$ From Their Customers

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:19:00 +0000

This is not bad news per se but something consumers should be wary of. Effective May 1st, AT&T will add a $0.61 administrative charge to your wireless bill. This is in addition to the other taxes and fees that go along with being a cellphone subscriber. This will add up to about $7.32 annually per AT&T subscriber for 2 years - which means a lot of $$$ for them.

According to AT&T, the new fee will assist to cover costs like interconnection and cell site rentals + maintenance. Don't think they are the only carrier with additional fees consumers have to cover. 9to5Mac broke it down as Sprint has a fee of $1.99 & more, T-Mobile's fees add up to around $1.61, and Verizon's fees are around $0.91. Just a tidbit to keep you guys informed and knowledgeable.

AT&T via 9to5Mac | TheVerge

Photo: Flickr

Live From The Bryant Park Verizon Store In NYC To Celebrate The Launch Of The Galaxy S4

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:48:00 +0000

Today is the day where Verizon customers can dump their older device and pick up the latest flagship device from Samsung. That's right, we're talking about the Galaxy S4. By the now you've seen the commercials and got a small glimpse of what it can do along with our hands-on at the unveiling at Radio City Music Hall.

The GS4 is packed with a 5inch HD Super AMOLED display w/ 1080p resolution, powered by a 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage expandable via microSD, dual cameras (2MP in front + 13MP in the back), running Android 4.2.2 w/ TouchWiz UX, and a 2600 mAh battery.

We were invited down to the Verizon Wireless store near Bryant Park in NYC to demo it on Verizon's LTE network. We hung out there for a few hours with our awesome Verizon + Samsung reps, DJ Spynfo + the HOT97 street team, and many customers coming to in to upgrade.

Seriously, there were a lot of customers coming in and leaving with one.

Verizon made sure to take care of their subscribers. Anyone who came in to upgrade to the GS4, they received several gifts like a small external speaker, headphone jack splitter, a free cover case all from Samsung and custom etching courtesy of Coveroo. Below are a few of the covers we and other consumers left with for their new GS4.

Stop by our Google+ page for more photos. To get your Galaxy S4, you can head down to your local VZW retailer or hit the link below to order yours.

Verizon

Thanks again to Samsung Mobile and Verizon for inviting us to VZW store by Bryant Park.

Smart Buy: Get This Refurbed 15.4inch Retina MacBook Pro For Only $1,679

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:28:00 +0000

Just in time for the Memorial Day weekend sales, Apple has a great deal on one of their MacBook Pro w/ Retina Display. This refurbished model that was released in June 2012 is armed with a 15.4inch display w/ 2880 x 1800 resolution, 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and a combo of Intel + NVIDIA graphics card on board. Typically priced at $2,200, you can grab this for only $1,679 w/ free shipping. Saving you $520 as it is easily one of Apple's most powerful laptops in display and in performance. Order yours while supplies last.

TechDealDigger via AppleStore

The Gmail App Mailbox, Makes Its Way To The iPad

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:59:00 +0000

After being sold to Dropbox for $100 million, Orchestra (the company behind the Mailbox app) has been quiet the past few months. The app has made its way to the iPad to take on other Gmail-supported email clients. Mailbox was created to help achieve a zero inbox by archiving and snoozing emails. When the app launched for the iPhone, they used a reservation system which made interested users have to wait their turn to give it a spin.

Not sure if the momentum of the app's popularity is still relevant as Gmail and other clients are still offering more native Gmail features within their apps. I am a still avid user of Mailbox but not really for the reasons it was created for. We put Gmail & Mailbox against each other for the iPhone for more details on why I use it. But you can hit the link below to try it for yourself if you haven't already.

Download it here

You Can Sign Up Now To Get Notified When The Xbox One Pre-Orders Go Live

noreply@blogger.com (Roderick Scott) — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:21:00 +0000

Now that the Xbox One has been unveiled and some confusion has been cleared up, interested gamers can now sign up to become alerted of when you can buy one. Mind you, this isn't a sign up for pre-orders. It's to remind you via email when pre-orders will begin for the Microsoft's next-generation console. At the current time only Amazon and the Microsoft Store are accepting email addresses. Microsoft was giving out a free $10 credit for those who signed up through them but have stopped.

via Amazon | MicrosoftStore

Clearing Up Some Confusion About The Xbox One

noreply@blogger.com (Roderick Scott) — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:17:00 +0000

Earlier today Microsoft unveiled the new Xbox One and presented us with a lot of information about it. Apparently there was some confusion about certain features on the next-gen console like: Does it support used games? If it's always online, can I play games offline? Is there a fee to install a purchased game onto another console? The news presented earlier as the answers to the aforementioned questions could pose as a deal breaker for many consumers. We got the real deal below.

The Xbox One will support used games as after you insert the disc, it installs the game onto the HD. After that, its pretty much useless. So GameStop can still take your games after installing.
No fees involved to install on another console. So if you take the disc over to a friend's house, as long as you use your sign-in you are good. No real breakdown yet as on the how yet.
Yes, you can play games offline but keep up with your progress may require you to be online to access your game saves since all your saves are stored on the cloud.
Xbox 360 games and controller will NOT work on the new console. Due to the new hardware, there is no backward compatibility

Hopefully any other gaps of information and other matters will be addressed at E3 next month. So if you have any other questions, its not that long of a wait.

via MajorNelson

Microsoft Unveils Their Next-Gen Console, Called The Xbox One (Video)

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:45:00 +0000

After months & months of internet chatter and hearsay, Microsoft makes their next-generation gaming console official with the Xbox One. Microsoft took notes on what not to do from Sony's PlayStation 4 announcement and delivered. We got everything you need to know about the new console below.

The console itself resembles an older cable or TiVo set top box and it is powerful. Really powerful, like it uses 64-bit architecture, an 8-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, USB 3.0, Wi-Fi Direct, Blu-ray player, and a 500GB HD. Running three-operating systems: Windows 8 , RT, and the OS on the Xbox, the One takes advantage of Microsoft's entire ecosystem. The controller has been slightly modified, and the new Kinect (which will ship with it) armed with a wide-angle 1080p HD cameras that record at 30 frames per second.

Games for the One will be on a Blu-ray disc in which you download the game onto the hard drive and don't have to use them again after. The disc can't be installed onto another One console or used for another Live user. They may have set it up to prevent used games, they haven't addressed that yet. The One will NOT be backward compatible to support games from Xbox 360. The only real bummer. On the software side, gamers will have access to a built-in DVR to edit/share gameplay online and stored online on the cloud.

Sorry, Sony you got a rough road ahead of you after seeing the Xbox One.

Has an instant-on feature that allows you to power the console on by simply saying, "Xbox On". With the new Snap mode, you can multitask using two apps at once like having a Skype phone call and while watch your favorite shows or watching a movie while browsing on Internet Explorer at the same time.

The new Xbox is now, more-so, your all-in-one entertainment system as you can now watch live TV have access to channel guide, trending shows, and more. You will have to use one of the two HDMI ports to connect your cable box/satellite receiver to as it will work hand-in-hand with SmartGlass and Kinect voice recognition. Simply amazing.

The Xbox One is truly the next evolution of gaming and entertainment. No word on pricing but the One is expected to become available later this year. Microsoft will unveil even more details at E3 next month. More games & content details lie inside of the official release link below.

Microsoft

A New NBA Live Is Coming This Year, Making Its Way To Next-Gen Consoles

noreply@blogger.com (Roderick Scott) — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:54:00 +0000

After last year's game was cancelled, EA is gonna try to make up for it and offer NBA Live 14 this year. Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen confirmed the new title during a talk at a conference earlier today. Stating that a new NBA Live is on deck to launch later this year for next-generation consoles (PS4 & the new Xbox).

EA has been dropping hints on their social networks: Facebook and Twitter. This could also mean that we may see an announcement sometime today during Microsoft's unveiling of the new Xbox. The show starts at 1PM as it can be viewed from your Xbox. Stay tuned!

via Polygon

Photo: Flickr

AT&T Users Can Expect To Start Using FaceTime & Hangouts Over LTE By The End Of The Year

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:51:00 +0000

At this point, we already know AT&T is quite picky about how subscribers use their data on their network - especially with video calling services. perhaps it has something to do back when their the only carrier for the iPhone and everyone having unlimited data was buckling down their network Having already blocked Android users from using video chat on Hangouts and the same for iPhone 5 users wanting to use FaceTime over LTE.

Looks like AT&T is looking to change their image on their views on data policing by allowing users to access video chat apps over cellular. BBM & FaceTime video chat will be enabled by mid-June and Hangouts video chat will be ready by the end of the year. AT&T released a revised statement to address the matter:

For video chat apps that come pre-loaded on devices, we currently give all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share or Tiered plans. Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry have chosen to enable this for their pre-loaded video chat apps. And by mid-June, we’ll have enabled those apps over cellular for our unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices from those three manufacturers.Throughout the second half of this year, we plan to enable pre-loaded video chat apps over cellular for all our customers, regardless of data plan or device; that work is expected to be complete by year end.Today, all of our customers can use any mobile video chat app that they download from the Internet, such as Skype.

Being that we are almost halfway through the year already, the wait to green light this shouldn't be too much longer.

via TheVerge

Photo: Flickr

Expect Google Voice Support To Arrive To Google Hangouts In The Near Future

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:33:00 +0000

Google's new all-in-one chat service, Hangouts was just announced last week and is already set to get a few important updates to make it even better. Late last week there was already mention of adding SMS integration to it and now we have the missing piece of the puzzle on the way w/ Google Voice. Nikhyl Singhal of Google+ stated in a post today that inbound & outbound calls Hangouts update is coming. He also stated that Hangouts was designed to be the future of Google Voice as call support is just the beginning.

Hopefully the wait isn't too long.

via Google+

Deathstroke Will Be A Playable Character In Batman: Arkham Origins (Video)

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:36:00 +0000

As part of one of the 8 assassins who comes to Gotham to kill Batman in the upcoming Arkham Origins game, looks like gamers will be able to use the one-eyed assassin, Deathstroke. According to the folks over a Superhero Hype, they found an Amazon advertisement with him as a DLC when you pre-order the game. You also get a $10 Amazon gift card as well as an extra incentive for reserving through the online retailer.

Deathstroke will be only utilized within the challenge maps like Robin, NightWing, & other in Arkham City Game O The Year edition. It would have been nice if you can utilize him in the game like you did with Catwoman on Arkham City. We'll keep you posted as more details become available. Here's a full trailer of the game to keep you talking.

Amazon via SuperHeroHype | Polygon

Here's What Galaxy S4 Features May Come To The Galaxy S III

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:37:00 +0000

Shortly after the Galaxy S4 was announced we told you guys that Samsung was hard at work to get some of the new TouchWiz software features down to Galaxy S III users. According to a new leaked update from SamMobile, they got a hold of a beta version of Android 4.2.2 for the GSIII that's officially due out in June. The update could actually come as an Android 4.3 update as that is also slated for a June release. Check out what's coming in detail below.

New S4 Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, two Unlock effects (Ripple and Light), improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message
New Screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo
Daydream
Actionable notifications
New Additions in Notification Center
Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the S4)
Addition of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)
Gallery modes have white background (When changing gallery modes to 3D the background changes to white)
Full screen Samsung apps
New S-Voice (from S4)

I hope Galaxy S III owners aren't too disappointed. All of the cool features (S Health, eye-tracking, Air View, remote control) weren't coming due to new on-board hardware. Keep in mind that this is a beta build and more could be added in lieu of what's missing.

For you modders/tinkers out there with a GSIII, you can hit the source link to take the update for a spin.

via SamMobile

Yahoo To Acquire Tumblr For $1.1 Billion, WIll Remain Its Own Brand

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:57:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of TechCrunch

After some rumblings of this happening, the gang over at AllThingsD have pretty much confirmed that Yahoo will be acquiring Tumblr for $1.1 billion. The deal was put out there to Tumblr and was just awaiting approval form Yahoo's board of directors. Permitting that Tumblr will accept the terms & conditions of the deal, this will be a big acquisition for Yahoo under the Marissa Mayer era. More on the deal below.

Yahoo is expected to officially announce the deal and its terms at a press event happening in NYC at 5PM. The deal would be modeled similar to when Facebook acquired Instagram last April. Tumblr's CEO David Karp will get most of the $$$ form the deal as he will have to stay at Yahoo for 4 years and retain control of the company. After the acquisition, Tumblr will remain its own company other than Yahoo taking more control of their ads. Tumblr previously held discussions with other big name companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, etc. but yahoo was the only one who put a bid in.

Yahoo via AllThingsD (1), (2)

TGSB Top Stories Of The Past Week

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:07:00 +0000

Our popular posts of features, news, reviews, etc. of the past week in one spot.

Everything important that you may have missed last week in tech news. From news, features, smart buys, lessons, reviews, and anything else you may have missed out on or wanted to read again. We've got everything from our review on the X1 Carbon Touch by Lenovo, to Blackberry Live, to Google I/O.

Review: Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch, Premium Windows Goodness

The Galaxy S4 Is Coming One Week Early For Verizon Customers

Everything From BlackBerry Live 2013

Everything From Google I/O 2013

Android Users On AT&T May Have Some Problems Using The New Google Hangout App

New Seat Tracker Feature Comes To TripIt Pro

A White Nexus 4 Along With Android 4.3 Could Be Announced Next Month

Could Android 4.3 & A White Nexus 4 Be On The Horizon For June?

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:02:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of AndroidAndMe

While Google I/O had some very big announcements this year, there were some missing elements tot he Android party. Some that were expected but wind up being no shows. Namely new Nexus hardware (the Galaxy S4 running pure Android doesn't count) and a new version of Android. But this can all change in a matter of weeks according to Taylor Wimberly over at Android And Me.

He has actually held the Ivory-colored Nexus 4 in hand and mentioned that it is exactly the same as the Black one, no additional storage or LTE on-board. Bummer. Alongside of the Nexus w/ a new paint job is the elusive Android 4.3 update. No one knows really anything about the new version of the green robot. Other than word of it capable of using low-energy Bluetooth Smart.

Both hardware and software is said to launch on June 10th. The White Nexus 4 preloaded w/ the new OS would be available on the Google Play Store while the software would be available to the current stable of Nexus devices along with some of the older ones.

If and when this comes into fruition, who's buying one?

via AndroidAndMe

New Batman: Arkham Origins Teaser Shows The Dark Knight Against Deathstroke (Video)

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:32:00 +0000

Earlier today, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment released a teaser of the upcoming Arkham Origins. As you saw above it is brief fight between the Dark Knight and Deathstroke the Terminator at the docks. The full trailer is set to be revealed on May 20th. Many Batman fans might be pissed that legendary voice actor Kevin Conroy won't behind the vocals as this is essentially Batman: Year Two and they wanted a younger voice behind him. You will however have multiplayer though.

The new game is set to launch on October 25th for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and a modified version coming to the Wii U.

Get caught up with everything we know about the upcoming Batman title here.

YouTube via Polygon

TripIt Adds A New Service To Its Pro Tier WIth Seat Tracker

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:33:00 +0000

TripIt is an awesome travelling service that starting just got a lot better. For those of you unaware if TripIt, it is a service that allows you to better organize your travel itinerary into one space which can be accessed from your smartphone, the calendar, and online. Now you can get notified when a better seat becomes available on your flight.

Seat Tracker is a new treat as part of TripIt's Pro premium service. The new service alerts you when a preferred seat becomes available or any seating change on your upcoming flight. This is applicable to when you want to pick window, aisle or either:

Specify front or back of cabin
Track the exit row or bulkhead
Find seats together, in groups as large as four
Choose economy, premium economy, business or first class

Along with seat tracker, the Pro tier offers check-in reminders, trip organization, fare + point tracking, gate change notifications, cancellation/delay alerts, alternative flight information, and track all of your frequent traveler points. TripIt Pro is priced at $49 annually and offers a 30-day free trial for those of you travelling out within the next month. Essential for the those who travel regularly.

TripIt

Good News! SMS Integration Is Coming To Google Hangouts

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:21:00 +0000

Google's new unified chat service Hangouts was just released yesterday and is already set to get even better in the near future. According to Google+ Community Manager for Hangouts & Chat, SMS integration is one of their most requested features and will be coming soon. Android's version of the app already asks for permission to access your SMS before installing but with Apple being way more locked down, don't expect this feature to make to iOS.

With word of upcoming Google Voice support, Hangouts will definitely cover all of your communications (minus email) inside one app.

I think it would be better with the feature, what do you think?

Dori Storbeck (Google+) via DroidLife

The Nokia Lumia 928 Is Now Available For Verizon

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:34:00 +0000

Today is your day, Verizon subscribers! You can get your hands on your own high-end Lumia. The Nokia Lumia 928 runs Windows Phone 8 OS, a 4.5inch OLED display, wireless charging, high-amp mics, and superior low-light optics with a Pure View 8.7MP Carl Zeiss. It can be yours for only $99.99 on contract, all you have to do is head down to your local VZW retailer or hit the link below.

Verizon

If You're An AT&T Customer Trying To Use Video Chat For Hangouts, Read This First

noreply@blogger.com (TechGuy SmartBuy) — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:02:00 +0000

Yesterday, Google unveiled its unified chat service called Hangouts for Android, iOS, & the web. Looks like history is repeating itself. It would appear that AT&T doesn't trust its subscribers to the amount of data they might use during video chats. Slash Gear discovered that if you are using an Android device on AT&T's network and trying to use the video chat feature on Hangouts, you were greeted with a message stating: "You must be connected to a Wi-Fi network to join a video call." While iOS users had no problems connected.

AT&T had this to say about the matter:

All AT&T Mobility customers can use any video chat app over cellular that is not pre-loaded on their device, but which they download from the Internet. For video chat apps that come pre-loaded on devices, we offer all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share, Tiered and soon Unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices. It's up to each OS and device makers to enable their systems to allow pre-loaded video chat apps to work over cellular for our customers on those plans.

According to this generic statement, there is some miscommunication between AT&T and Google. Google never requested for the carrier to allow Hangouts to work over cellular or AT&T is being picky about what services they will allow to soak up data on their network. Either way, until this is resolved that means no real Hangouts for Android users. When it should be the other way around where iOS users are having trouble.

Just last year the carrier blocked its customers not using their Mobile Share plans from using FaceTime over cellular. But the issue was resolved months later. Hopefully this can get resolved a bit quicker.

Have any AT&T customers had any problems using video chat on Hangouts from their Android device?

via SlashGear

NBA 2K14 Is Scheduled For An October 1st Launch Date

noreply@blogger.com (Roderick Scott) — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:19:00 +0000

After EA delaying NBA Live for the 2013 NBA season, it was all about 2K13. Already prepping for next season, NBA 2K14 will launch on October 1st of this year. The game's parent company released the details inside of an investor release of the 2013 fiscal year. The platforms are marked as To Be Announced but last year's title made it everywhere expect the PS Vita & Game Boy. You can expect the usual trinity of PS3, Xbox 360, & PC for sure.

I wonder will Jay-Z executive produce this one again?

Polygon via BusinessWire

Google Maps Gets Updated All Across The Board (Android, iOS, & Web)

noreply@blogger.com (Roderick Scott) — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:22:00 +0000

Google made sure that this was truly a software-focused event at I/O today. Another bit of what was expected, Google made sure to update its Maps service everywhere. On the desktop side of things they implemented their card support from Google Now as it offers an interactive view of whatever you are searching for w/ places of interest, better navigation, images form Google Earth, flight search, and redesign that mirrors the look of the iOS app.

And speaking of the iOS version of Maps, Android and iPad will get the new look. The Android version will get more features for their wait. They will get Google Offers support so they can get deals based on locations of nearby retailers, view/offer Zagat ratings, and get live traffic alerts of nearby delays/accidents. Those with iPads can expect the update to arrive sometime this summer.

Google

Google Gives Google Now Even More Features Like Public Transportation, Emails, & Voice Reminders

noreply@blogger.com (Roderick Scott) — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:15:00 +0000

Google is never ending in pumping Google Now with new ways to make your life easier. Today they announced some new tricks for the predictive service with more card support. Now you can set voice reminders with it, get real-time public transit information, and get recommendations for upcoming books, music, TV shows, and video games based on your tastes.

They also demoed voice search to get places of interest in a desired city. Nice touch, Google, Siri who? Exactly. You can update it on your Android device now by hitting the link below.

Google Play