Tech N Hack

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2013-02-12T11:24:00.002-08:00

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How WWE 14 will look if develop by GTA V developer Rockstar Games

2013-01-20T07:21:00.000-08:00

Next week THQ is Auctioning off their Assessts, including The WWE License, What if GTA V developer Rockstar Games picked it up?. Here is a small fan-made video footage showing just a glimpse of how WWE 14 will look if develop by GTA V developer Rockstar Games.

THQ's assests are up for sale on Tuesday to the highest bidder, so we should find out by Wednesday if THQ will keep the license for WWE '14 or another company will be picking it up.
If THQ indeed decide to sell WWE franchise license, which studio should pick it up, Rockstar Games, EA Sports, Ubisoft or any other?. Let us know your views to us in the comment section below.
Enjoy the fan-made footage below:

Source: Gamepur

12 Fashion Forward Tech Accessories at CES

2013-01-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

These are one of the many creative and beautiful tech accessories in the wild last week at the 2013 International CES conference in Las Vegas. hope you like it.

1. The Case Purse

This iPhone cover from Bootcase also serves as a wallet and purse.

2. Memorex Speaker

This retro-styled speaker from Memorex allows you to wirelessly stream music in a cute package.

3. The Karl Case

A collection of Karl Lagerfeld cases are for those who want to show their affection for the high-end German fashion designer.

4. Fashionable Stickers

ID America features a collection of stickers that can be tacked to smartphones.

5. Two-Piece Smartphone

These iPhone cases from Patchworks are sleek and fun.

Nokia Lumia 920

2013-01-15T06:07:00.004-08:00

Design and build
While we didn’t get a whole lot of time with the phone, what we had was good enough to formulate a solid first impression. Starting with the build and design, Nokia hasn’t deviated too much from the first-gen Lumias. The basic form factor remains pretty much the same as the 920 is carved out of a single block of polycarbonate. This unibody approach makes it durable as there’s less chance of anything snapping off if it falls. It is extremely well-built and sturdy in your hands, albeit a bit chunky. This extra bit of heft could be attributed to the image stabilisation used in the camera, so we guess there was no avoiding it. At 185g, it’s very much manageable in your hands, although it might get uncomfortable in your pocket. The size is not a big deal either.

The 4.5-inch IPS display is nothing short of amazing. Due to the high pixel per inch count (332ppi), it is ‘Retina-grade’ and images and text look sharp and vivid. The display is also super sensitive, more than usual, so even the slightest gestures are easily picked up. The buttons are all placed where they should be and are within reach of your thumb. It’s good that Nokia decided to place the power button on the side as placing it on top would have been uncomfortable.

The phone is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm SoC (MSM8960) which doesn’t do much for the UI but helps in image and video processing. The interface is smooth for the most part, but the stutter bug will pay you a visit occasionally. This could just be an issue with the pre-sale unit or WP8 itself; we’ll know for sure once the phone is officially launched here. The 920 does not have expandable storage, so you’ll have to make do with the 32GB onboard memory.

The Camera
Next, let’s dive straight into the one feature that everyone’s raving about – the PureView camera. This time, the PureView title refers to the optical image stabilisation onboard rather than the 41MP sensor. Nokia calls it floating lens technology, where the camera lens actually balances on a bunch of springs so it can compensate for user movement. That coupled with a large aperture value of f/2.0 and we’re looking at some pretty god low-light shots. Let’s head straight to the samples.

This was taken in the corner of our labs with very low ambient light. Even with the flash off, the Lumia 920 will fire it while focussing and then capture the image. The result is pretty remarkable as you can see, however, there was this minute blur that we simply couldn’t get rid of, no matter how steady our hands were.

Has huge potential
After spending about an hour with the handset, we must say that the Lumia 920 has huge potential when it launches in India next month. Nokia is still tight lipped about the pricing, but we'd guess it would be anything between Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000. The device is built like a tank and the finish and choice of materials easily rivals the top dogs like the One X and even the iPhone 5. The hardware is all there and now all that’s left is for the software platform to mature, and fast. Apps are always going to be the deciding factor between platforms, which could offset the sales of the 920 in the start. But even without apps, the Lumia 920 is a good phone and has some powerful imaging capabilities. There are plenty of features in the 920 that we still need to put to the test once we get our hands on a retail unit, but for now, we feel that the Lumia 920 has potential for greatness.

Source: Tech2

GTA V PC in development, 10 Hidden Evidence Confirms

2013-01-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

At present Rockstar Games has only announced Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) for PS3 and Xbox 360. The firm is keeping quiet on PC version of most anticipated game of 2013 (GTA V). However this hasn't stopped one eager GTA series fan from rounding up 10 separate bits of evidence suggesting GTA V for PC will happen indeed sometime in near future.

Here is what GTA Forums user "S1LV3R_W0LF" said about his finding, "Ok first of all I wanna make clear that I know there are some threads about GTAV PC, and also there was a lot of topics about rumors. But the purpose of my thread is not to talk about rumors or to talk about if there is or not a version or to be transformed in another useless debate/ flame war with consoles.

These are all facts, that I mentioned before but that people miss, because they hardly read the whole threads and this time I'll post all the sources of these informations, instead of just listing them. So I think once and for all I should make this thread that originated a few articles on the Internet on websites I didn't even knew with the list I made but that many people questioned because there were no facts to support it, ok here we go:"

Check out HERE, a total of 10 Evidence which confirms that GTA V PC will indeed happen in near future.

Few of these evidence are pretty weak, but taking into consideration all the facts mention, this indeed makes a pretty compelling case.

Do you agree with all these evidence listed by "S1LV3R_W0LF"?. Let us know your views to us in the comment section below.

source: Gamepur

Confirmed: Fallout 4 Leak Details are FAKE FAKE FAKE

2013-01-11T20:42:00.003-08:00

Fallout 4 details are FAKE, the reddit user (GNR_Informant) himself admitted. According to the recent update posted by the user on Reddit, he has not proof (about all the Fallout 4 details leaked) because it was all LIE.

Check out below what false details user GNR_Informant leaked about Fallout 4.

First and foremost, the game will take place in Boston, and be kind of a direct sequel to Fallout 3 with a few groups returning.
From what it sounds like, “The
Institute” is pretty much the downtown DC or New Vegas of this game.
Boston is going to be unlike anything we’ve seen in a Fallout game
before, with buildings more on par with cyberpunk and retro-futurism.
Androids play a big part in this
game. The railroad from Fallout 3 is a faction. The enemies of the
railroad is “the Plantation” — a group who force Androids to farm so
that Humans can get food. The Institute is highly advanced and probably
obtained or built their own GECK to start a farm.
Due to complaints about using Super
Mutants and the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 3 excessively and going
against the lore too much, Bethesda has decided to avoid using these
groups. Bethesda wants to make a new “race” (think Ghoul, Super Mutant)
which will be central to Boston. Bethesda is currently looking at
Lovecraftian fiction since Boston is around “Lovecraft Country”.
Bethesda has no plans to reinvent
the leveling up system to make it more like Skyrim and want to make
Fallout 4 more distinct from Skyrim since of the complaints that
Oblivion and Fallout 3 were too similar. Bethesda is thinking about
introducing a system, similar to Skyrim, where your skills can level up
if you perform certain tasks.

source: Gamepur

Gorgeous Looking New GTA V Screenshots Released

2013-01-11T20:21:00.002-08:00

Rockstar Games has released some brand new screenshots of the most awaited game of 2013, "Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V)". The game is schedule to arrive in Spring 2013 for PS3 and Xbox 360, PC port of the game is not yet officially announced.

Trouble taps on your window again with this next chapter in the Grand Theft Auto universe, set in the city of Los Santos and its surrounding hills, countryside and beaches.
A bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer, Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present-day Southern California.

Check out brand new screenshots below.

“Now” App Scans Instagram To Find You Something Fun To Do Nearby

2013-01-11T20:14:00.003-08:00

You’re bored at home asking “What should I do?” Meanwhile people nearby are shooting Instagrams of the fun events they’re at. Now is a free iOS app that uses Instagram’s API to sort through photos in real-time, organize those from the same time and place into events, and show you the events as a feed. Now harnesses the powerful Instagram API to help you discover parties, concerts, bar nights, and share them too.
French developer Ben Broca bootstrapped Now into existence last year, and it’s been gaining steam with its recent 2.0 update that made it accessible worldwide. Now employs an intelligent combination of programmatic photo processing and human curation to give users an accurate look at what’s going on around them.

First Now uses Instagram’s API to suck in all the photos taken nearby and clumps them together by time and location. Now super users then read the photo captions, choose the best shots, and organize them into categorized and titled events. This lets Now determine that 20 people posting photos of a musician with the caption “Shuggie Otis” at West 16th and 9th Ave in New York is actually a concert for Shuggie Otis at the Highline Ballroom.

Events with the most photos and likes bubble to the top of your feed. Click through one to check out all the photos shot there. You can also filter the Now feed to see only music, art, parties, food, outdoors, or other types of events. And if you’re feeling some wanderlust, you can drag the map to anywhere in the world and search to see what’s going on in Tokyo, Rio, or rural Slovakia.
Now also lets you share experiences with the app’s community and your social networks. Just select a nearby place, choose to include photos taken their by other people or insert your own, add a description, and post away. You can follow other Now’ers to keep up with their adventures.
In the future, Broca hopes Now can make sure you don’t miss cool things in your neighborhood. It’s considering notifications of especially popular events nearby, and it has an email newsletter highlighting top venues. A clear route to monetization that Broca is considering would let even promoters pay for sponsored placement in the Now feed.

For the moment, though, Broca is just happy Instagram is so generous with its photos, “I think a lot of people underestimate the Instagram API. We were surprised at how powerful it is.” He says most apps built on it just recreate the Instagram experience on the web, and don’t actually do anything unique, but Now focuses on “the real-time photos API that gives you every photo in a geographic area. We use it in a smarter way to show you interesting information about those photos.”
Instagram itself is doing some innovative things with its data set, like beefing up its “trending tab”, adding a photo map, and creating galleries of popular hashtags. But Broca doesn’t think the company will ever get too serious about events, leaving room for Now.
And as for Instagram’s owner Facebook’s influence on the future of its sweet API? Broca simply says, “I hope they don’t change it too much.”

Source: TechCrunch

Check out iHome focuses on Lightning, Bluetooth, and fitness

2013-01-11T03:13:00.005-08:00

iHome makes so many different audio products that even the PR people have a hard time keeping them straight. The new lineup introduced at CES is no exception, and here for your enjoyment are some highlights from my personal tour of the company’s 2013 products.

Lightning docks

The $150 iDL100 is a triple-charging stereo clock radio with dual Lightning docks—one an iPhone or iPod touch, the other for and iPad or iPad mini—plus a USB port to connect older iOS devices (or even a third Lightning-based product if you’ve got on). You can charge and play music from any of the devices—there’s even an auxiliary jack for playing from other hardware—and you can set multiple alarms to wake you to music or playlists from your devices or from the built-in FM radio.A step down is the $100 iDL45, which is basically the same product but with a single Lightning dock instead.

Bluetooth speakers

iHome’s $200 iBT44 is a follow-up to 2011’s iP4 boombox-styled dockable speaker. But this time around, it’s all about Bluetooth, which lets you wirelessly stream music from iOS, Android, or other Bluetooth-enabled hardware. (The dock slot is still there, but now just as a place to rest your weary portable device.) It runs on six D batteries or wall power, features a five-band EQ, and comes with a magnetic remote that gloms onto the metal front so you won’t lose it.

iBT44

The iBT30 is a Bluetooth version of the company’s iW3 AirPlay speaker. Like the iW3, the iBT30 is a rechargeable speaker that sits atop it charging base. Stream your music to it wirelessly and then you can just pick it up and move it around the house until the battery runs out. It also includes an auxiliary jack for direct playback and a USB port to charge one of your devices.
The $80 iBT20 is a Bluetooth clock radio that also includes a USB charging port. It’s got an FM radio built-in with six presets, SRS TruBass for better sound, and a backup battery to make sure your alarm goes off even when your power goes out.

iBT20

Headphones

The $100 iB85 are Bluetooth headphones with a built-in mic and on-ear remote control functions. They feature a padded headband and ear cushions, charge via a Micro-USB connection, and fold up for better portability (especially using the included travel pouch).

iB85

The $20 iB10 sport earhooks with “cord cruncher” cable designed for active (read: exercising) audio lovers. These are fairly standard earbud with sport hooks to keep them from falling off while running and the like. The neat (or gimmicky, depending on your point of view) feature is the retracting, sheathed cable that prevents tangles and limits cable length for when you, say, have your player in an arm band.

iB10

source – letlearn

Comment Samsung Says It Will Not Release Its Windows RT Tablet In The U.S.

2013-01-11T02:48:00.001-08:00

Samsung’s Windows RT tablet, the Ativ Tab, will not be sold in the U.S. Mike Abary, head of Samsung’s PC and tablet business in the U.S., told CNET at CES that his company shelved the release because its retail partners do not see enough demand. (Abary did not specify if the Ativ Tab will be launched in non-U.S. markets).
The Ativ Tab is powered by Qualcomm chips, and the announcement comes, rather unfortunately, just days after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, with an Ativ Tab on hand, joined Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs during his CES keynote address to extol their partnership.
Abary also said that the amount of investment it would take to educate consumers about the benefits of Windows RT was another factor. As he told CNET:

There wasn’t really a very clear positioning of what Windows RT meant in the marketplace, what it stood for relative to Windows 8, that was being done in an effective manner to the consumer. When we did some tests and studies on how we could go to market with a Windows RT device, we determined there was a lot of heavy lifting we still needed to do to educate the customer on what Windows RT was. And that heavy lifting was going to require pretty heavy investment. When we added those two things up, the investments necessary to educate the consumer on the difference between RT and Windows 8, plus the modest feedback that we got regarding how successful could this be at retail from our retail partners, we decided maybe we ought to wait.

This is another step back for Windows RT, which is floundering in the face of competition from Windows 8 and Android tablets, and may be dealt a further blow once Intel Atom Bay Trail tablets are released later this year. Abary said, however, that Samsung may reconsider Windows RT devices if a strong enough market develops.

How to Hack Your Brain

2013-01-11T01:31:00.001-08:00

You are not who you think you are. Your personality and identity is significantly more malleable than you realize. With a few simple tricks, you can exploit your brain's innate functionality to change just about anything about yourself. Here's how.

You Are Not Necessarily the Person You Think You Are

You are not who you are, but rather the product of many influences. The saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" exists for a reason: the longer you've been the person you think you are, the harder it becomes to change. The thing is, you can dramatically change who you are. It's actually not so much that it's difficult to change, but that you've developed patterns and habits that make it easier to do things the way you do them. Trying something in a new way can feel very awkward, it will be generally less efficient by virtue of being something new to you, and it often lacks excitement for you when it involves giving up the comfort associated with your way.
That's not to say you aren't born with some inherent abilities, but most of what you consider part of your identity is a product of influence. While we don't know the exact ratio of nature to nurture, there is undoubtedly a combination of both that makes us who we are. We have a tendency to think that change is difficult, but it's really just a matter of changing your influence. You're probably familiar with Stockholm syndrome-the term used to describe how hostage victims tend to develop positive feelings towards their captors. Stockholm syndrome isn't a kind of brainwashing by the captor; instead, the victim adapts to the poor situation he or she is in. If most people can adapt to something as awful as being kidnapped, most people can adapt to smaller positive changes in their own lives. You can even make enormous changes if you're willing to put in the work and you provide yourself with the proper influences. We're going to look at how to do that on high and low levels, from priming your brain to manipulating your own emotions, and also look at how your environment and the people you know shape your life.
Most of these methods won't make you feel comfortable, and, at times, they may sound a bit crazy, but it is possible to "hack" your own brain. Here are just a few ways to do it.

Priming Your Brain

Priming is a ridiculously simple technique because all it involves is talking to yourself. On the dull end of the spectrum, it's similar to self-affirmation. On the crazier end of the spectrum, it bears some similarities with neuro-linguistic programming. Priming your brain involves reciting a given set of words that are designed to alter your mindset. It is not brainwashing and it cannot make you do anything you don't want to do. What it can accomplish, however, is putting you into a state of mind that will be more useful to you with a given situation or task.
Before we get into the specifics of how to prime your brain, let's talk about how and why it works. If you were to say the word mustard out loud, and then you were to see a portion of the word later, you'd be reminded of mustard. For example, if you were to say "I must have this" you might be reminded of mustard because of the word must. If you were hungry and liked mustard, you may even want some. It's the same phenomenon that compels you to buy a particular brand of shampoo that you saw on television even if you 1) don't remember seeing the commercial, and 2) couldn't care less what kind of shampoo you use. This is essentially how priming works, and it's all thanks to your memory.
While you're not going to remember everything you say, that doesn't mean what you say is gone forever. While everything stored in your recent memory may not be immediately accessible, all you really need to bring something up is a trigger word. This is conceptually similar to using acronyms as a memory tool (e.g. Roy G. Biv) but isn't designed to help you actually remember anything. Instead, the goal is to place common words that, when apart, have no real specific value, but when together, have an associative value that make you think of happy things, sad things, specific people, or ambition. If any of those common words come up again later in the day, you'll immediately associate that word with the associative value of the group. Here's an example:

drive
do
go
make
objective
important
create
commitment
purpose
enthusiasm
eager
motivation

This is a list of words synonymous with or related to ambition. It's designed to be read aloud to put you in a more ambitious mindset, focusing your thoughts and priming your brain to react ambitiously when these words, or portions of these words, come up later in your day.
Another exercise involves taking a shorter list of priming words and making a sentence with it. Here's an example:

the
smiled
looked
girl
and

These words can form the sentence "the girl looked and smiled," which should bring to mind pleasant associations for most people. Constructing sentences out of word lists (which you can create yourself) can help put you in the right mindset.
These two methods can be used to prime your brain. They are not magic tricks that will instantly make you feel happy, ambitious, or whatever, but they can help to provide you with the mindset you need to better accomplish your daily tasks.
For more reading on priming, and a look at some really interesting studies, don't forget to check out the references for this article.

Using Your Emotions

If you've ever found yourself making out-of-character decisions based on your emotional state—such as binging on ice cream after a breakup—you know how easily your feelings can overtake your actions. Rather than letting your emotions lead you towards poor judgment and irrational behavior, however, you can learn to compensate for different emotional states and to fabricate emotions to alter your mood. In order to do that you need to, simply put, get in touch with your feelings. The idea isn't so much to cry into a pillow about your wasted childhood, but understand what you're feeling when you're feeling it, what the root cause is, and what you can do about it. We're going to take a look at how you can dissect your emotional state to use it to your advantage, and also look at how you can fabricate emotion to change how you're feeling.

Take an Acting Class

You can't really control your emotions if you don't understand them, and one of the best ways to understand them is to take an acting class. To some this may sound fun, and to others this may sound like hell. Love it or hate it, acting lessons are one of the best ways to explore how and why you feel certain things. Your goal should be to find a class that will make you uncomfortable every time you go. In my experience, any class teaching the Meisner technique is very effective if you put a lot of effort into the exercises. It can be slow, tedious, and uncomfortable, but it's capable of bringing out emotion you might not realize you had.

Make Yourself Uncomfortable

Your emotions aren't in full force if you're not really doing anything, so you need to put yourself in uncomfortable situations in order to bring them out. This doesn't mean you should make yourself feel horrible, but that you should go out and do things that you might resist because you're worried about the downsides. Meeting new people is something that makes most people uncomfortable, and it's a great place to start, especially if it's a first date. Try new things that scare you. If you notice you're glued to the couch and don't want to get up, do the opposite. Spend time with people you don't like. Go to a movie you're sure you'll hate. Your experiences won't always be pleasant, but they should incite emotion that you can later analyze and better understand.

Keep Track of How You Feel

Like an abbreviated diary, every time you have an emotional reaction to something, write it down. You don't need much detail, but just a sentence or two noting the emotion you're experiencing and the (possible) cause. For example, I get extremely irritable when I'm hungry. I will lose my temper far more easily when I'm hungry, so whenever I notice myself thinking irrational (and sometimes hateful) things, I always remind myself that I'm just hungry, I'll eat in a minute, and the "asshole" who accidentally missed the garbage can and didn't notice is mostly a result of my frustrated stomach. Until I started to pay attention, I never really noticed that I was a jerk whenever I was hungry. Instead, I just thought I was a jerk. This is a simple example, but the point is this: pay attention to how you feel and the other issues currently present, and you'll find it much easier to manage your negative emotions.

Emote in Front of the Mirror

Fabricating emotion is difficult. Once you understand your emotions you'll find it a bit easier, but it helps to be able to recall how it feels, physically, to emote. We all know how to smile, for example, but you can probably count more fake smiles in family photographs than you can real ones. If you don't know how to create an authentic smile (also known as the Duchenne smile), it will be very obvious to everyone around you.
The easiest way to learn to fake expressions is to practice them in the mirror. You can try them out to see what you look like and you'll immediately know if they're passable or not. You'll also note that it feels physically different to create an authentic-looking emotion than it does to create a fake-looking emotion. For example, an authentic smile shows more in the eyes than it does in your mouth. When someone smiles a true smile, their eyes wrinkle (creating "crows feet") because a new musicle—the orbicularis oculi muscle—is used. You'll come to remember this feeling and be able to replicate it away from the mirror after a little practice.
It's not necessarily easy to emote in front of the mirror, but that's not as hard as you think. If your goal is simply to learn to smile better, you'll get there if you just stare at yourself for awhile. Eventually it will get so ridiculous that you'll have to laugh. If you're less patient, you can try to make yourself laugh by making strange faces or just being ridiculous. If you're comfortable, have a friend over to help. For other emotions, you simply need to find a source of that emotion and bring it into play in front of the mirror. If you've employed any of the previously discussed techniques, you may already have a reserve. Alternatively, watch a movie that makes you laugh or cry and do it by the mirror. (Yes, this is absolutely a strange thing to do, but it'll work.) If you're interested in anger, you should have no problem getting there by just complaining to yourself or to a friend on the phone.
Emoting in front of the mirror is going to be strange and awkward at first, but after a few tries you'll get the hang of it and be able to create authentic expressions on demand. These expressions do surface from genuine emotion, so repeating them can actually make you feel happier/sadder/angrier/etc. through repetition. If you need to change your mood and your mindset, the ability to fake it ‘til you make it is very, very useful.

Consider Your Health

Anything you do is much easier if you're healthy—and that goes for mental as well as physical health. These methods won't be terribly helpful if you're seriously depressed. If you're not sleeping, eating well, and/or getting a reasonable amount of physical activity in each day, you're going to find them difficult as well. You can do pretty much everything better if you take care of your mind and your body, so don't look at anything you've read here as a panacea for the problems in your life. Everything here assumes that you take reasonably good care of yourself and generally start your day in a good place. If you're not feeling good on most days, you need to take care of those problems before you decide to start playing mind tricks with yourself. Always be healthy first.

Amazon's AutoRip Gives You Free MP3s for CDs You've Purchased

2013-01-10T10:21:00.001-08:00

Amazon has launched AutoRip, a service that gives customers free MP3 versions of CDs they've purchased anytime since 1998.
Even better, customers who purchase a new CD will receive their digital copy before the actual, physical CD arrives at their doorstep.
"What would you say if you bought music CDs from a company 15 years ago, and then 15 years later that company licensed the rights from the record companies to give you the MP3 versions of those CDs ... and then to top it off, did that for you automatically and for free? Well, starting today, it's available to all of our customers – past, present, and future – at no cost," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO.
AutoRip currently has some 50,000 albums in its database, with more on the way. The quality of the ripped MP3 CDs is 256 Kbps.
Users will be able to play their music through a web-based player as well as any Cloud Player compatible device, including Android and iOS devices, Kindle Fire, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs and Sonos.
The service is now live, and users should be able to see a notification in their Cloud Player that AutoRip is operational.

ZTE Plans to Launch Firefox OS Smartphone in Europe in 2013

2013-01-10T10:16:00.005-08:00

China's ZTE has teamed up with an unnamed European carrier to build a smartphone based on Firefox OS, Bloomberg reports. The companies plan to launch the device in Europe this year.
According to CEO of ZTE’s U.S. unit Cheng Lixin, the company might also launch a Firefox OS-based device in the U.S. in 2013.
“We closely monitor the ecosystem and how it evolves. If that is ready and if consumer studies support that data, then we may launch one in U.S. also this year,” Cheng said.
He did not disclose any additional details about the device's specifications or pricing.
Vice president of products at Mozilla Jay Sullivan confirmed the company is working with ZTE, as well as Qualcomm and TCL on Firefox OS-based devices.
Mozilla had announced Firefox OS in July 2012 as a fully open alternative to Android, promising first devices would arrive in 2013. It seems they'll be on schedule, though the road ahead is long and hard, especially since Android and iOS are quickly overtaking market share from smaller competitors.
Image credit: Mozilla

How the Mars Curiosity Rover Works

2013-01-10T09:55:00.001-08:00

On a hopeful evening in August 2012, a roomful of NASA employees held their breath as they watched a rover named Curiosity attempt a landing that was no short of a miracle. After what they dubbed the "seven minutes of terror," the control room erupted with emotion as Curiosity's wheels safely touched the surface of Mars.
Curiosity rover will drive around the Gale Crater in a mission to determine if Mars could ever support microbial life. This information will serve as the foundation for possible manned missions to the Red Planet.
Curiosity — who has assumed a female personality on NASA's social networks — is different from the any other rover to ever land on Mars. For starters, Curiosity is 10 feet long, 7 feet tall and five times heavier than her predecessors Spirit and Opportunity, twin rovers that NASA launched in 2003. To put it in more tangible terms, Curiosity is about the same size as a Mini Cooper at 1,928 pounds.
No space is wasted on the $2.5 billion Curiosity rover. She is packed with a cutting-edge scientific payload that allows her to explore Mars like a human would. Here is a rundown of just some of the hardware that the rover uses on the mysterious Red Planet.

How Curiosity Snaps Photos of the Red Planet

If you've kept up with the latest news about Curiosity's findings, you have probably seen the incredible, high-res images she has beamed from the Red Planet. The rover uses 17 different types of cameras to snap these images — in both black and white and color — and high-definition video.
The first camera the rover used was her Mars Decent Imager (MARDI), which was turned on as she completed her white-knuckle descent onto the Red Planet. The 2-megapixel wide-angle camera recorded a full-color, HD video of that landing so that we can relive those seven minutes whenever we want.
Next up on the rover is the Mars Hand Lens Imager, which captures extremely close-up images of things like soil, rocks and ice. Mounted on Curiosity's arm, this camera is so advanced that it can reveal details of materials that are smaller than the width of a human hair. Curiosity has also used this camera to snap incredible self portraits.
Built at about human-eye level, Curiosity's Mars Science Laboratory Mast Camera takes color photos and video of the rover's surroundings. Essentially, this camera sees what she "sees" — the Red Planet terrain or materials collected with the rover's arm, for example. This camera can take incredible 360-degree panoramic views of Mars by stitching together images slowly taken in a rotating circle.

The Tools Curiosity Uses to 'Do the Science'

Curiosity's suite of instruments, called Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM), analyzes material the rover collects using her arm. All of these tools are used to complete her ultimate mission of assessing carbon-based molecules — the building blocks of life — on the alien planet.
For this instrument, Curiosity will deliver powdered samples to one of two funnels on her "back" and then to small cups for processing inside the rover's "body." The entire box is about the size of a microwave oven and weighs about 88 pounds.
For studying Mars' atmosphere, Curiosity has a gas chromatograph, a mass spectrometer and a tunable laser spectrometer with combined capabilities to identify a wide range of organic compounds and determine the ratios of different isotopes of key elements. To identify materials in rocks and soils, Curiosity uses an on-board an X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrument called CheMin.
The rover uses an instrument named ChemCam to vaporize thin layers of material from Martian rocks or soil targets up to 23 feet away. It took eight years for the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory and France's national space and research agencies to build the ChemCam. And Curiosity didn't waste anytime before firing it. Using 30 pulses of laser for 10 seconds, Curiosity blasted her first fist-sized rock called "Coronation" in August.
The rover first used SAM in early November. NASA released the initial results of those findings at the first of December. Despite a rumor that turned out to be a major misunderstanding, those first soil samples did not contain an "earth-shaking" discovery. However, the data did show that Martian soil is a complex makeup of water, sulfur and chlorine-containing substances.

Karbonn A21 Review

2013-01-10T09:21:00.003-08:00

Karbonn has been making news recently with its dual-core Android-based smartphones and the A21 is the latest entrant in its Android smartphone line-up. The recent advertisements state that the phone can do two jobs at a single given time, which is true to quite an extent given that it is equipped with a dual-core processor. Well, let's find out if the phone is really smart enough.

Design and build
The A21 from Karbonn has a great design and an aesthetically appealing exterior. The dual-tone black and white body makes it look a class apart and trust us, it does not feel like any of the cheap phones. Though the handset looks classy, the chassis is made from a strong and durable plastic with a semi-matte and glossy finish. It can get pretty ugly looking after a bad fall or if it is not properly handled. The edges especially are glossy and the white rear panel can get smudged with dirty hands pretty fast. The front panel features four capacitive buttons for Home, Menu, Back and Search along with a large 4.5-inch LCD display. Towards the top is the earpiece and a front camera, and next to it is a translucent window that hides the proximity and light sensors. The rear panel sports a camera and an LED flash towards the top and a speaker grill on the bottom. The volume rocker is placed on the right while the power and audio jack are seen on the top. The right side has the micro USB interface. Overall, the design looks impressive and does sport a good look for a phone priced in the the Rs 10,000 bracket (approximate price in the local market). Lastly, the rear panel opens up to the battery compartment where you can see the two SIM slots and a hot-swappable microSD card bay.

Features and performance
The A21 from Karbonn’s Duple series of smartphones features a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.2GHz. As per our benchmarking utilities, we found the processor running on a maximum 1.15GHz—so either the processor is underclocked for stability or the speed of the processor is rounded-off to 1.2GHz for the spec sheet. Coupled with the processor is an Adreno 203 graphics processor and 512MB of RAM. Here again, as per the benchmarking apps, the information passed out about the RAM is that 386MB is in use by the operating system itself and the rest is available for user apps. This amount of memory does not feel sufficient enough for a dual-core based hardware but is good enough for casual and basic operations. The internal storage provided is 4GB, which can be extended using a microSD card. The display is a large 4.5-inch LCD with a resolution of 480 x 800, but all our tests reveal a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. A 5MP camera with an LED flash is provided on the rear and a 1.3MP camera for video calling is available on the front panel.

Dual-tone black and white body with glossy front and back panels

The A21 features dual SIM support, of which one is capable of 3G while the other is 2G. So you have an option of using one SIM for the Internet channel while the other can be used for voice calls. The Internet can also be connected using the Wi-Fi b/g/n interface. Other connectivity options are Bluetooth and a micro USB PC interface. A-GPS onboard can be used for your navigation purposes. Lastly, a 1800 mAh battery completes the phone’s specification section.

Volume rocker on the right side

Power and audio jack on the top

On the performance front, we did find the phone faster than most single-core processor based Android phone in the market. However, after using it for a while with a few apps and games, we did find it getting a bit sluggish thanks to the insufficient memory provided for the user apps, which runs out in no time if you use memory-heavy apps including a live-wallpaper. Casual free games downloaded from the Play store would suffice, but keep away from high-definition and GPU heavy games as they could get sluggish in no time and you will lose out on battery life in no time.

Source: Tech2

First Impressions: Nokia Lumia 820

2013-01-10T09:15:00.001-08:00

It’s one thing to admire Nokia for its design prowess but quite another to appreciate the aesthetics that go behind the design itself. Nokia’s Lumia 820 was only recently launched for the Indian market, and being at the launch venue itself gave me the opportunity to get a quick hands-on of the new Windows Phone 8 toting smartphone.

Design and build
The Lumia 820 has an appealing design form even if it does seem a little generic. It’s a simple rectangular, candy bar-styled handset in a nutshell. Keeping that in mind, it was initially rather disappointing at first sight as it gives you a whole different feeling when it’s in your hand. The rounded edges and width of the handset make it easy to hold and quite comfortable to access most parts of the display with ease.

The volume rocker is placed on the right side, followed by the power key and the camera shutter release/activation button at the bottom of the same side. It's always great to have a shutter release for mobile handsets as it makes it so much easier for capturing media. Sometimes, tapping on the virtual capture key can be quite cumbersome.

Like the Nokias of old, the Lumia 820, in an attempt to live up to its heritage, has a removable rear panel that can be interchanged with alternate colour options. The device itself is all black, so it pairs easily with any and all colours. The panels themselves are available in a variety of types – matt, glossy and rugged (slightly rubberised). This will allow you to be colour coordinated with your device if that's what you're into. Sadly, you'll have to buy these yourself if you want a range of choices. So pick a colour you like upfront. The only options available for now are in Glossy tones. We noticed that the covers with wireless charging tends to sit very snugly on the back while the covers without this feature felt a tad loose.

Nokia's Clear Black Display technology makes sure viewing angles are optimised irrespective of the lighting conditions. The contrast ratio is vivid and the 4.3-inch display with its 480 x 800 pixel resolution really pops.

Interface
There's really not much one can say about the Windows Phone 8 UI that hasn't already been said. It's designed to work smoothly whether its on a Rs. 35,000 handset or one that's priced at significantly lower bracket. Thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon Krait dual-core processor running at 1.2GHz, all functionality seemed absolute and swift.

This kind of processing power also allows for seamless playback of full HD content, which was available to try. Needless to say, it was a fair experience. We also got the opportunity to test the audio on this handset and thanks to audio partner Dolby, with their Headphone Sound Enhancement, tone quality seemed pristine. But we'll have to test it in our labs and in outdoor conditions for a more detailed experience.

Getting rid of Zune's media transfer feature, like it is on the WP7 devices, Microsoft has made media lovers quite happy. The new added microSD card slot with support for up to 64GB was a welcome sight. Add to that the available 8GB of onboard storage and you've got more than enough space for your media and more. Nokia will also be providing up to 7GB of online cloud storage via SkyDrive. What the Lumia 820 could have certainly used is a hot swap memory card slot. Unfortunately, you're going to have to remove the battery should you require removing the card for any reason. I suggest getting a higher capacity card if you want to avoid this situation. Speaking of the battery, we noticed that it just tends to slip out while opening the rear cover so it's advisable to hold the phone face down and then open it.

Misc. features
A lot of extras such as a video and photo editor are part of the handset's software makeup. Nokia's Mapping (Nokia Drive) software with GLONASS support via GPS will be much appreciated, I'm sure. Other location-based apps – other than those for social networking – including Nokia's City lens and a few other apps will also prove to be handy for travellers.

NFC and wireless charging was also showcased for all the Lumia devices that were announced. Accessories were announced and will be available from next week onwards. Prices are yet to be disclosed.

Camera
As you may well know by now, the Lumia 820 sports an 8MP autofocus shooter with a dual LED flash. We'll put the camera to test when it gets to our labs. It's no PureView, but with Carl Zeiss backing Nokia for so long, there's very little to complain about the camera section. The various lenses included with the device will help make your images a little more 'entertaining', for lack of a better term.

The bottom Line
With an MRP of Rs. 27,599, Nokia might just have a real winner on its hands with the 820. However, it will need to seriously boost app capabilities—which is the only major issue with the platform. As far as the hardware goes, the Lumia 820 is right up there with the best in this range and could make a few loyalists, who can't afford the 920, very happy. But we did expect the price to be a little more competitive. So their catch phrase – Switch to Lumia – is more of a question, at least for most of the Android and Apple users.

Samsung's Youm flexible-display tech at CES 2013

2013-01-09T19:17:00.003-08:00

The screens, which were shown off here as just a concept, promise to change what kind of form factors are possible for companies that make smartphones and tablets.
Samsung brought out a handful of demo units around 5-inches in size to show press, including a phonelike device with a screen that wraps around the side edges and could therefore display information like text messages and other alerts without a user needing to view the entire screen. A similar design puts the wraparounds on the bottom, while another concept (shown off in a video) rolled out like a scroll.

Behind the scenes, Samsung is making use of OLED to give the screens what it says are deeper blacks and a higher overall contrast ratio with better power efficiency than traditional LCD displays.
During a brief viewing of the technology following the presentation, Samsung showed a small group of reporters a close-up of the screens, which were displaying still images and videos. Touch interactions with the tech were not shown off (since the displays were not hooked up to CPUs), but Samsung was keen to demo the possible form factors, from a screen bent like a question mark to more simple designs that form a small curl on the edges.
Samsung did not provide a price or release date for Youm.
Samsung's approach (which the company teased last month) differs from competitor Nokia, which made waves in October 2011 with its "kinetic interface" technology. Nokia showed off a flexible screen that controlled aspects of the phone hardware depending on how users twisted the screen. So far, Samsung appears to be more interested in using its own technology to turn parts of the phone that would otherwise go unused to additional areas to display information and add interactivity.
This is not the first time Samsung has unveiled flexible-display technology at CES. The company demoed flexible, transparent displays at the same show in 2011, also with the intent to bring them to future devices. The newer models come in larger form factors and with higher pixel displays.

Source: CNET

Panasonic Debuts 20-inch 4K Windows 8 Tablet: Less Than Half An Inch With Stylus Input

2013-01-09T04:55:00.003-08:00

Panasonic showed off a new tablet device at its CES 2013 keynote today. The Windows 8-based device is less than half-an-inch thick, with a 20-inch screen with 4K resolution for ultra-crisp images. The device is clearly aimed at the professional market, and a promo video Panasonic showed featured a photographer talking about how it can help him with his workflow. The tablet has pen input, and is not only incredibly thin, but also very light.
For use in the field, this has obvious benefits. Similar products in the past like the Wacom Cintiq line of digital tablets require an external computer to work, and are also much bulkier and much lower resolution. The potential applications really are impressive, especially if it works as smoothly as it did in the slick demo video Panasonic put together to show it off. Pricing and availability are still unknown, but since this is a device targeted at industry and professional users, don’t expect it to be cheap.
Panasonic will have the new tablet on the show floor here at CES, so we’ll try to get up close and personal, and also nail down some more specifics in the process.
Source: tech crunch

GTA V vs Watch Dogs: Which will be Best Open World Game of 2013?

2013-01-09T04:35:00.000-08:00

2013 will see one of the most iconic battle every in gaming industry, as two of the most highly anticipated games "GTA V and Watch Dogs" will go head to head against each other for Crown of Best Open World Game 2013.
GTA V:
Talking about GTA, the entire series has been undisputed king of open world genre every since the release of first game way back in 1997. Over the years we have seen steady flow of GTA games, and each version comes with improved levels of gameplay, innovations and more (including strange controvery). The latest installment in the series, GTA V is set in the city of Los Santos and its surrounding hills, countryside and beaches. Many are already claiming it a bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer.

GTA V is expected to shatter all gaming records, and rewrite history on its own. The game is schedule to arrive in Spring 2013, and is already available for pre-order. However on the horizon looms the launch of Ubisoft's Watch Dogs (the biggest challenger to GTA series crown of Undisputed King of Open World Genre).
Watch Dogs:

The first and the foremost reason Watch Dogs is touted as a biggest and real threat to GTA V in open world genre is that it is designed by a team comprised of industry veterans from blockbuster franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow 6 and Far Cry. Release date for Watch Dogs is not yet announced yet, but it is expected to arrive in late 2013.

Watch Dogs will feature massive map with endless possiblilities and variant ways to complete the game. The game blends cutting-edge technologies and sophisticated game design into a realistic and living open world where players must use any means at their disposal to take down a corrupt system. The game revolves around main protagonist, Aiden Pearce. Gamers just need to direct Aiden through various mission, using his hacking, stealth and fighting skills to successfully complete it.

We already have seen early gameplay footage of both these games, and going by the details in it we can say that GTA V has a slight edge over Watch Dogs when it comes to cruising the streets in cars. Watch Dogs is slightly weak in this area, whereas GTA series is know for its great driving simulator experience.

But according to me this time around the deciding factor will be whether gamers go for well versed dark humour of the GTA series (with GTA V) or prefer a more more serious, conspiracy oriented storyline of Watch Dogs. The answer to this will only be available upon the release of GTA V and Watch Dogs.

Google To Unveil Free WiFi In NYC’s Chelsea Neighborhood

2013-01-09T04:31:00.001-08:00

Google has slowly been building up its service provider cred, with an ambitious fiber project in Kansas City and free WiFi initiatives through a partnership with Boingo. Today, the search giant is taking another step in that direction: it will unveil a free, public WiFi network in the New York City neighborhood of Chelsea. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is expected to join Ben Fried, Google’s CIO, to make the announcement at 10.30 am Eastern time.
The network will become the largest public outdoor service of its kind in New York, and the first neighborhood in the city with free WiFi. Although the network will be open to anyone, the Chelsea Improvement Company, also involved in the scheme, is hoping that it will provide a further boost to the city’s so-called “Silicon Alley” by attracting more startups and other tech businesses to the area. Chelsea is also where Google has its own New York headquarters.
The network will cover the area between Gansevoort Street and 19th Street from 8th Avenue to the West Side Highway, and will include the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park and Gansevoort Plaza.
Google has already been providing some WiFi services in the city. Over the summer, to promote Google Offers, it teamed up with Boingo to provide free WiFi at 200 public hotspots. (A promotion that later got picked up by Microsoft when the Google deal ended.) Boingo is also working, longer term, on a project to light up WiFi across New York’s subway network. To promote Google Play, Google also teamed up with Boingo for a 4,000-hotspot U.S.-wide service.
Google has also rolled out free WiFi in Mountain View, “as part of our ongoing efforts to reach out to our hometown,” it notes on the login page. But it’s also had some hiccups in its municipal WiFi efforts in the past, including one effort in San Francisco that was abandoned, back in 2007, after Earthlink hit the rocks.
We’ll update this post as we learn more.

Source:Tech Crunch

Firefox 18 Launches With New IonMonkey JavaScript Engine and Retina Support

2013-01-09T04:22:00.004-08:00

Right on schedule, Mozilla released the latest stable version of its Firefox browser for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Firefox 18 is the first stable version to feature Mozilla’s new IonMonkey JavaScript compiler. Given the right benchmark, IonMonkey outperforms Mozilla’s old compiler by more than 25 percent, and most Web apps, and especially browser-based games, should be significantly faster on Firefox 18.
To show off this new-found power, Mozilla is highlighting BananaBread today, a 3D web game developed by the Mozilla Developer Network that’s powered exclusively by the trinity of HTML5, WebGL, and JavaScript (the game itself, by the way, isn’t actually new but was release last August).
As expected, Firefox 18 also brings support for high-resolution Retina displays to the stable channel. The browser now also uses a new algorithm for scaling images, which should result in better image quality on quite a few sites that depend on in-browser scaling.
Also new in Firefox 18 is preliminary support for the new in-browser WebRTC communications framework for real-time video and audio chats.
One feature that didn’t make it into this release, by the way, is Mozilla’s new built-in PDF reader. While the organization has been working on this for a while, it will only make it into the beta release that’s expected to arrive on Thursday.

New In Firefox For Android: IonMonkey, Phishing Protection And Google New Search Widget Integration

As usual, Firefox for Android is also getting an update today. Just like the desktop version, Firefox for Android now uses IonMonkey. The mobile browser now features opt-in search suggestions in the Awesome Bar. These, Mozilla writes, “are conducted over a secure connection to protect your user data.”
The mobile browser now also includes new anti-phising and anti-malware features that warn users when they encounter a malicious website.
Another interesting new feature of Firefox for Android is its integration with the Google Now search widget.

Source:tech crunch

Garmin's K2 'glass cockpit' will change the way you interact with your car

2013-01-08T18:42:00.003-08:00

Infotainment platforms are a dime a dozen these days, but Garmin's K2 "glass cockpit" is definitely one system that you're going to want to take seriously. You'll be interacting with a 10.4-inch capacitive touch screen, which is positioned front and center, while a squat 12-inch digital gauge and information readout console is fixed just behind the steering wheel. The system pulls its realtime data from Garmin's servers through your connected smartphone, or, if vehicle manufacturers opt to include it, you may be able to maintain a constant connection by adding a dedicated modem. Then, you'll have access to realtime traffic information, fuel rates at local gas stations, along with email, text messages and other data feeds, including news and sports scores.
As expected, Garmin has taken safety into account -- depending on OEM configurations, you'll likely only be able to operate the center panel while stopped, at which point you can also read and respond to email, send texts, flip through your directory, search for weather, etc. While you're driving, all of those functions shift to a text-to-speech system, which also recognizes commands presented in full sentences. Emails pop up as they're received, with the platform reading messages aloud, if you so choose. You can speak your responses, and a reply will be fired off without any need to direct your attention away from the road.
The system worked very well during our hands-on demo today at CES. Unlike the version that Garmin presented in 2012, this iteration is completely operational, rending detailed 3D graphics and popping up with real POIs in response to actual queries. In other words, the K2 we saw would work perfectly well on the road, though Garmin opted to fix the GPS location in Chicago for the purposes of today's demonstration. There's no set date on when we can expect the platform to make its way to vehicles, and pricing will be set by OEMs, but the version we saw today was installed in a Dodge Durango, and it looked mighty fine there. But don't take our word for it -- you can catch the full hands-on demo just past the break.

Source: Engadget

Top 5 Android Smartphones

2013-01-08T06:08:00.002-08:00

The world is always looking for something smarter, more intuitive and more advanced than what was available yesterday. So far, in the ever-changing world of mobile phones, the demand for something new is extremely high and the larger variety of devices is so far ruled supreme by handsets running on Google’s Android Platform. For those looking to switch from other operating systems to Android, here’s our list of the top 10 best Android phones in India today.

Do keep in mind that these are handsets we’ve selected based on their popularity in the market as well as our own tech2 ratings. The prices listed are best prices we have gathered from our market and official sources and will vary depending on your location, taxes etc. The list below is not sorted according to any specific rank.

Samsung Galaxy I9100 S II - Rs. 28,500
The Galaxy SII shot to stardom almost immediately after its launch. It’s still quite a sought after handset with features to rival some of today’s new handset models. At the time of its launch, the S II was one of the scant few to feature a Dual Core processor (1.2GHz). Packed to the hilt with features, and toting Android’s Gingerbread OS, the SII is still one of the slimmest handsets to make it out of the Samsung camp. The S II is also capable of playing full HD video content and comes with multiple codec supports for almost all popular video files. For the Indian user, Android 4.0 aka ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich), is on its way and should be here real soon.

The once reigning champion

The SII also features -

4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus Gorilla Glass display sporting a 480 x 800 pixel resolution
4G (HSPA+ 21MBPs), EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with DLNA compliance (AllShare), Wi-Fi hotspot support and Wi-Fi Direct
GPS with a-GPS
Bluetooth 3.0+, USB 2.0 with MHL for media out and USB-on-the-go
8MP AF camera with LED flash supporting 1080p video capture @30fps
Secondary 2MP camera
FM radio
16GB and 32GB capacities with 32GB microSD card support

Samsung Galaxy Note - Rs. 32,500
The Galaxy Note is the second effort by a mobile manufacturer to try and bridge the gap between tablets and mobile handsets, the first being the Dell Streak that didn’t quite catch on. The Note however was quite a hit with the business class users as it came off as a device that managed to offer substantial speed with its 1.4GHz Dual Core and a large enough display to get work done on the fly. Like its younger brother, the Note also features plenty of video codecs built in to handle all format runs on Android Gingerbread with an ICS update on the horizon. The Samsung S-Pen or Smart Pen stylus can also be quite handy for both work and play or just jotting down notes.

Big brother looms over the little SII

The Note also comes with -

5.3-inch Super AMOLED display with an 800 x 1280 pixel resolution (Corning Gorilla glass)
4G (HSPA+ 21MBPs), EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with DLNA compliance (AllShare), Wi-Fi hotspot support and Wi-Fi Direct
GPS with a-GPS
Bluetooth 3.0+, USB 2.0 with MHL for media out and USB-on-the-go
8MP AF camera with LED flash supporting 1080p video capture @30fps
Secondary 2MP camera
FM radio
16GB and 32GB capacities with 32GB microSD card support
Active noise cancellation

Samsung Galaxy Nexus - Rs. 24,500
Although this, the third edition to Google’s Nexus family, was never formally introduced to the Indian shelves, the handset is nevertheless still available via other vendors. The Galaxy Nexus is the second in this series to be made by Samsung and come preloaded with ICS. One of the main benefits of the Nexus devices is that you’re almost guaranteed to get Android updates earlier than other phones. With its 1.2GHZ Dual Core processor, this device is as fast as you need it to be to handle all kinds of functions seamlessly.

Google's got dibs on the updates

Features also include -

4.6-inch Super AMOLED display with an 720 x 1280 pixel resolution (Corning Gorilla glass with an Oleophobic coating)
3G (HSPA+ 21MBPs), EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot support
GPS with a-GPS
Bluetooth 3.0+, USB 2.0 with MHL for media out
8MP AF camera with LED flash supporting 1080p video capture @30fps
Secondary 1.3MP camera
16GB capacity

Sony Xperia S - Rs. 30,500
Sony’s latest high-end Smartphone in their Xperia range was only recently launched for India and is the first device launched under the Sony branding (minus the Ericsson). It’s equipped with a 1.5GHz Dual Core processor and comes loaded with Sony’s Bravia Mobile Engine to enhance your visual experience. For some strange reason Sony is shipping the handset with Gingerbread but rest assured, an ICS update will make it to the Xperia S in time. This is also the very first Android powered device to come with a 12 megapixel camera. The camera settings include 3D panorama Sweep and geotagging amongst others. The unique transparent strip at the bottom of the handset also adds a bit of class and sex appeal to the overall look and feel of the handset that’s quite robust in design as it is.

Quite a sharp looker

Features also include -

4.3-inch LED Backlit LCD with an 720 x 1280 pixel resolution (Scratch resistant)
3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot support
GPS with a-GPS
Bluetooth 3.0+, USB 2.0
12MP AF camera with LED flash supporting 1080p video capture @30fps
Secondary 1.3MP camera
FM Radio
32GB capacity
HDMI out
Active noise cancellation

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V - Rs. 17,200
The Neo V, with its chic oval shaped design proved to be quite a popular handset in its price range. It offers users a well balanced feature set that includes a 1GHz processor, 5MP camera, HDMI out and again Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine to boost colors and textures on the display. Like the Xperia S the, Neo V also features Sony’s 3D camera option for a 3D Panorama Sweep and also has face and smile detection with touch focus. Sony’s Track ID is also on board along with their Timescape UI.

Well equipped and neat looking as well

The Neo V also comes with -

3.7-inch LED Backlit LCD with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution (Scratch resistant)
3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot support
GPS with a-GPS
Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0 with USB-on-the-go
5MP AF camera with LED flash supporting 720p video capture @30fps
Secondary VGA camera
FM Radio
1GB on board memory with up to 32GB via memory card support
HDMI out

Nokia Lumia 920 vs Apple iPhone 5

2013-01-08T05:51:00.001-08:00

The Nokia Lumia 920's camera is by far one of the best fitted to a mobile phone. In the high-end mobile space, we have handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Note II, HTC One X, Apple iPhone 5 and Nokia's very own 808 PureView that will be competing for the title. Today, we had a short hands-on time with Nokia's upcoming flagship WP8 device and what better rival to pit it against than the iPhone 5. Both phones feature 8MP BSI sensors (8.7MP for the Lumia) for better low light photography. The Lumia 920 however has a larger f/2.0 aperture as compared o the iPhone 5, which has a f/2.4 aperture. The Lumia's optical image stabilisation should also come in handy in low lighting conditions. Here's a direct comparision of two under different conditions. Make sure to click the images for the actual size.

Under very low ambient light

The Lumia 920 clearly has the upper hand here as there's a lot more detail notiecable and the image is not as grainy as that of the iPhone 5.

Outdoor shot

The Lumia once again does a good job adjusting the white balance of the image. The level of detail from both phones is pretty commendable.

Indoors under sufficient ambient light

Coming to an indoor macro shot, the Lumia once again fixes the white balance perfectly along with a lot more depth of field.

Macro shot

While the level of detail is pretty good from both phones, we feel the 920 has a slight upper hand once again.

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This quick shootout proves that the PureView camera can indeed deliver under almost any condition. This makes it quite a potent option for those looking at serious photography from their smartphones.

6 PC Games That Gave Glimpse of Next Generation Graphics

2013-01-07T05:56:00.002-08:00

The arrival of Xbox 720 and PS4 is just around the corner (probably in late 2013, however not officially confirmed, but as rumored by many gaming sites and others). Graphics and Visuals are two important aspect of gaming world, and it is expected that these departments will see a massive makeover and significant improvements with next generation games for Xbox 720 and PS4.

But there's one bitter truth that consoles gamers are currently living with i.e "PC gaming is way way ahead of console gaming". This saying is indeed a Universal Truth because there are plenty of PC games that already look like next generation games. So we have listed below Six PC Games That Gave Glimpse of Next Generation Graphics.

Check out the list, and let us know in the comment section below, Do you agree with the list or not?. Also let us know any other PC games you want us to add in the list below (along with a valid reason).

Battlefield 3

DICE's Battlefield 3 tasted a massive success, however due to low frame rate issues on consoles, the game doesn't do a true visual and graphics justice. But on a perfect and high end gaming PC, Battlefield 3 is BEAST to watch out for with smooth and perfect animations, detailed environments and never felt before gameplay experience.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

The original game in The Witcher franchise was not that impressive, but CD Projekt RED came back strong with a spectacular and astonishing looking The Witcher 2: Assasssin's of Kings. It was one of the best RPGs of 2011, and one of the top most features of the game was graphics and over visuals. You the watch out the intro sequence of The Witcher 2 below, it just looks astonishing.

Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City from Rocksteady was powered by Unreal Engine, and was one of the first major game to support DX11 and full tessellation support. The console port of Batman: Arkham City was locked at 30 FPS, but PC port was free of these restriction, as a result on a decent PC gaming machine Arkham City is a visual treat.

Far Cry 3

The trend of innovation continues with Far Cry series. When the original game in the franchise was released, it was one of the best looking game ever on PC, and now the latest installment Far Cry 3 is sight to behold. To experience the visual and graphics power of Far Cry 3, just adjust game's setting to MAX (on a decent gaming PC).

Crysis Series

Now this one is something special because here we have listed an entire series, yes and it's none other than Crysis franchise. This one series re-defined the term a perfect gaming hardware, and as Crysis 3 release is just around the corner expect a brand new definition of perfect PC gaming hardware once more.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The beauty of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim doesn't come straight away from Bethesda, its community mods which gives a perfect finishing touch to this awesome game. High resolution texture mod, graphical filters, animations and more make Skyrim one of the best looking games ever, and as mention above all thanks to dedicated Skyrim modding community.

Source:Gamepur