Xperia E4g announced: Think of it as an Xperia E4 with 4G LTE
Sony has announced a variant of the Xperia E4 called the Xperia E4g, which will include 4G LTE support. The Xperia E4g has a smaller 4.7-inch qHD display, versus the 5-inch qHD display on the Xperia E4. The Xperia E4g is therefore a smaller handset, but marginally thicker at 10.8mm (Xperia E4: 10.5mm). Other small changes include the addition of NFC and a higher processor clock speed of 1.5GHz quad-core (versus 1.3GHz on the original). The new handset will be available in both single SIM and dual SIM (Xperia E4g Dual) variants. It is due to launch in April 2015 for €129 and will be available in black and white colours. Via Sony Mobile Blog.
Today’s Links February 24, 2015
4K Rich Recording Drum Solo capture (Denim on 930 with Lumia Camera) You may or may not have a 4K screen to appreciate the extra pixels, but you’re probably more likely to have some good enough headphones to realise how superior Nokia’s history of audio recording has been, climaxing with the 930 and 1520. Having something as simple as stereo recording changes the whole environment of the listening experience for me. It’s kinda sad when I hear my Note 4 play recorded videos only through one side because. The likes of the 930 and 1520 not only record in stereo but in surround sound, not to mention it has rich capture so you have the richest sound playback possible on a phone. Here is Rolf playing some improvised jamming along with an excerpt from a well known Stratovarius song. Video is shot with three Lumia 930 devices in 4K resolution using new Lumia Camera app enabled in Lumia Denim update. Audio is raw from the “front” device. Antti Kangasaho Sony flogs memory card with “Premium Sound” for $155 Sony certainly has balls. It is attempting to sell a new breed of microSD memory card that has been designed to offer better sound quality. Considering that conceived wisdom suggests that the transfer of digital signals is just a stream of ones and zeros, it’s hard to fathom how this memory card would make a difference. According to Sony, the SR-64HXA 64GB micro SD card produces less electrical noise when reading data. Sony itself recognises there probably won’t be a great demand for such a card, especially given the price point of 18,500 yen (£101, €136, $155) excluding tax. The card is due to launch in Japan on 5 March 2015. Via Sony Japan and ASCII.jp (via The Verge). Supposed Xperia Z4 Dual screenshots leak; gives a glimpse of Lollipop We have previously speculated that the Sony Xperia Z4 (codename Ivy) is likely to land in a dual SIM variant – after all Sony released the Xperia Z3 Dual in select markets. A few leaked screenshots have emerged which are believed to come from the Sony Xperia Z4 Dual. The model number is masked in the “About phone” settings, but it highlights that the Xperia Z4 will run the Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 chipset and Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. The screenshot also suggests that Sony will use a kernel version beginning with “3.10”, whilst the software build number will start with “28”. The settings menu shows that this is the Dual SIM model, with the screenshots giving a brief glimpse as to what Lollipop may looking like in the upcoming update for older handsets. Via Digi-wo. Today’s Links February 23, 2015 Live on YouTube app adds support for more Xperia devices; brings Full HD broadcasting Sony’s “Live on YouTube – by Xperia” application has added support for ten Xperia devices in the latest update to build number 01.00.39. The app now officially supports the Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact, Z2, Z2 Tablet, Z1, Z1 Compact, Z, Tablet Z, Z Ultra, ZL, ZL2, ZQ and ZR. Other changes include the ability to broadcast in HD and Full HD resolutions (minimum upload speed: HD 1.5Mbps/Full HD 3Mbps). The broadcast duration has also increased to 30 minutes and a new Switch Account option allows you to choose which YouTube channel to broadcast from. Android 5.0 Lollipop for Xperia Z3 certified by Wi-Fi Alliance In what may be a hint that Android 5.0 Lollipop will shortly roll out, the Wi-Fi Alliance has certified the software for the Sony Xperia Z3. The certification took place on 16 February 2015, which could signal that Sony is on track to release the Lollipop update this month. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear more. Via Juggly.cn. SmartWatch 3 receiving Android 5.0.2 update (LWX49K) Google has pushed the button on the Android 5.0.2 firmware update for Android Wear devices. Sony SmartWatch 3 owners are reporting that they are also receiving the update in the form of build number LWX49K. The update is believed to be just a bug-fix update, with no major noticeable changes. A notification should appear on your watch prompting you to update to this latest version. Popular Xposed Module GravityBox Has Been Released For Android 5.0 Lollipop Just about a week after the public release of the Xposed Framework for Lollipop devices, we are now privy to one of the best and most popular modules, GravityBox. And, like the framework, the developer of GravityBox is calling this version an alpha release. Still, those of you with Nexus devices are going to be very excited about this one. For the unfamiliar, GravityBox is an Xposed module that offers a wide variety of tweaks for AOSP-ish ROMs. The idea is to make custom ROMs, like CyanogenMod, unnecessary. Even better, the user can have more control over the modifications. You might like one feature of OmniRom but not another. With GravityBox, you have more granular control of the experience. Here’s a feature list, courtesy of the developer: CyanogenMod Pie controls Expanded Desktop Statusbar QuickSettings tile management with additional tiles and reordering /* work in progress */ Statusbar icon coloring Statusbar Brightness Control Center clock in statusbar Battery indicator style Navigation bar tweaks including cursor control keys Low battery warning policy Disable LED flashing when battery low Disable LED while charging Advanced power-off menu (reboot, recovery) Volume key cursor control Skip tracks by volume key long-press while screen off (thanks to rovo89) More volume levels for music stream Option to control safe headset media volume Button for clearing all recent tasks at once Minimal brightness setting Autobrihtness levels adjustment Lockscreen tweaks Hardware/navigation key actions Notification drawer style (background color, image for portait/landscape, transparency) Button backlight modes (default, disabled, always on while screen is on) Dialer (Phone) tweaks Google Launcher tweaks Screen recording GravityBox Actions – interface for 3rd party apps Smart Radio Notification control (per-app notification LED/sounds/vibrations) Ascending ring tone There is also a large list of features in the works. You can find download information over at XDA. SOURCE XDA DEVELOPERS Report: Apple to release iOS public betas Apple plans to begin releasing new versions of iOS as public betas, according to a new report by9to5Mac. Intended to help eliminate bugs from upcoming iOS versions before general release, the model will follow the one used by Apple for OS X Yosemite last summer — a public beta cycle that will begin following the early developer betas, running in tandem with the developer program up until general availability of the new operating system. The report notes that Apple intends to begin the new program with the release of the upcoming iOS 8.3 update as a public beta in March, aligned with the third developer beta release of that version; iOS 9 will also allegedly follow a similar schedule to last year’s OS X Yosemite releases, with an announcement at WWDC and the beginning of the developer beta program, followed by a public beta in mid-summer, and the normal final release in the fall. The iOS public beta program is expected to be limited to 100,000 users “in order to maintain a higher level of exclusivity.” Japan Display vying to be Apple’s primary display supplier Japan Display is in talks with Apple about the possibility of manufacturing smartphone screens, Reutersreports. Citing a “person familiar with the situation,” the report reveals that Japan Display and Apple are presently negotiating, with Japan Display looking for Apple to carry the majority of the 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) investment in building a new display manufacturing plant. The discussions are confidential, but a successful deal between the two companies would attempt to have the new plant in operation next year, and would make Japan Display the primary supplier of displays for next-generation iPhones. The report notes the new plant would be expected to have a larger capacity than Japan Display’s existing facilities in Mobara — a plant that is running close to its capacity, according to Japan Display CEO Shuichi Otsuka. Japan Display currently produces approximately 50,000 meter sheets of LCD screen per month, with some of the sheets being used for the iPhone 6. Weekend Watch: W10 keyboard on phones Mark demoes the new keyboard in Windows 10. It looks mostly familiar but there is a new dot cursor and mic button. I’ve found cursor keys quite useful to have (SwiftKey has a row of this) but this seems like potentially a better layout. The only thing that concerns me are current bugginess. Mark shows the cursor being moved to a different location but then the delete button removed a letter from the original position. Very odd oversight. Another is that the placement of the dot is inconsistent. Sometimes it’s there and sometimes it’s not. Good thing this is just a preview. Long press of the number button brings up emoticons. It might not necessarily be better than the old long press for quick numbers. Finally, the mic button – for a more system wide talk to text. It looks to work really well. Today’s Links February 22, 2015 How to verify your iPhone email settings from your Mac Ever want or need to verify your email setting on your iPhone in order to troubleshoot mail setup issues? Apple has created an convenient and easy tool that accomplishes just that. Here’s how it works. Open your browser and navigate to the Mail Settings Lookup page. Here you can enter any one of your email addresses that you have set-up in your iPhone Mail app to verify its settings. Once entered, you will be able to view/verify your the following Incoming Mail Server Account Type: Username: Server hostname: Server port: Authentication: Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): Outgoing Mail Server Username: Server hostname: Server port: Authentication: Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): One word of caution: Apple may collect and use your domain address in the interest of improving products and services. However, they caution that your full email address will not be stored and will not be used by Apple or shared with any other entities. Dual SIM Lumia 640 with digital TV heading to Brazil? Some info on a possible Lumia 640 has cropped up. Other than dual sim, this mid range or even entry level piece also comes with Digital TV. Source QuizUp Coming to Windows Phone & Windows The ultra popular quiz trivia app “QuizUp” is finally coming to Windows Phone and Windows as a universal app. The official site for QuizUp was updated to reflect that the Windows version of the app would be coming soon, after months of teasing and promising. QuizUp’s popularity is mainly due to the plethora of categories you can quiz yourself in, ranging from Game of Thrones to Medical sciences and engineering. So there’s something for everyone. Although no exact date has been announced yet, the app is said to be available in “the coming weeks” so hopefully not far away. Via: WindowsCentral [Deal Alert] Catching Fire, The Second Book Of The Hunger Games Trilogy, Is Free On Google Play You can get a very popular book for a really, really low price on Google Play today. And by low price, I mean it’s totally free. The book, which inspired the movie, is number two of the three-part series by Suzanne Collins that follows Katniss Everdeen’s adventure in the dystopic future. Normally, the book is $12.99. The first and third books are also marked down to $8.57 and $6.50, respectively. Giving away the second book is kind of clever, since it is not all that useful without also getting the first book. And, if you get the first and the second, you’re not just going to ignore the third book. There’s no indication of how long this deal will last, so you’ll want to grab it while you can. SOURCE CATCHING FIRE ON GOOGLE PLAY Building my own HTPC Now installing Windows 8.1 on my HTPC . Always bee a Windows guy so wanted it on my mediacenter also. Loving it so far. Posted via my Motorola X 2nd gen Get 100 GB of Space for OneDrive with DropBox The cool thing is that OneDrive is now offering users a 100 GB extra space which is valid until 2017 for users. Previously it would only work for users in the US but I tried and since I live in Swedne I would say that this is somethign that you can get also. Follow the link below to claim your extra 100 GB of space. Visit this link- Get free 100GB storage on OneDrive Movie Review: 22 Jump Street Perhaps the most admirable thing about “22 Jump Street” is that, despite having a big-name cast, a big budget and big standards to live up to, it never takes itself too seriously. The film recognizes exactly what it is: a sequel to a reboot of the 1980 crime drama television series “21 Jump Street.” The 2012 summer comedy of the same name, a buddy cop film that follows the exploits of two acquaintances-turned-partners in their mid-20s who are sent back to high school to bust a drug distribution ring, was a surprise box office hit. There were a couple of things running against the film from the start. Generally, reboots do not perform as well as their source material; in the film industry, the adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” often rings true. Many also had concerns that leads Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum would lack the chemistry to make the laughs flow freely. But 2012’s “Jump Street” did something different. Apart from modernizing the original source material, which had fallen almost entirely into obscurity for millennials, it changed genres, giving movie-goers a comedy instead of a drama, complete with an outrageous premise and lewd, laugh-out-loud humor from Hill and Tatum. And not only did the film work, but it proved doubters’ worries unfounded, surpassing both audience and critic expectations alike. Cue sequel. Enter “22 Jump Street,” directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who bring back the dynamic duo Hill and Tatum. Hill and Tatum portray the driven, sensitive, insecure Schmidt and the apathetic, bullheaded jock Jenko respectively. The film’s premise is essentially identical to its predecessor, and this fact is conveyed to the audience in a humorous nudge-nudge-wink-wink moment between Schmidt, Jenko and Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman) in which the deputy tells the pair to “do the same thing as last time. Everyone’s happy.” And yes, as if it really matters, “22” follows the same exact format as the last film. But this time around, the boys go to college where they must track down the distributor of a new drug called WHYPHY (pronounced Wi-Fi). Thankfully, Hill and Tatum’s chemistry doesn’t change, either. Throughout their operation, the two must overcome obstacles in their friendship before they can come out the other side as brothers united in purpose. These tensions are infused with a dash of humor and become one of the film’s running jokes, which draws a comparison between Schmidt and Jenko’s relationship with that of a gay couple’s. One scene in particular has the two engage in a couple counseling session to help put some spark back into their dying friendship. Ultimately, “22 Jump Street” succeeds where other comedy sequels have failed. It features bigger laughs, bigger hearts and bigger calamities. The duo of Hill and Tatum carry the sequel, which rivals, if not surpasses, its predecessor, a notably difficult feat in Hollywood. “22” is fond of reminding audiences of the first installment’s surprising success. Offerman’s character ramps up the meta by informing the two cops, in a scene which is subtle enough to sail over the heads of those who skipped “21,” while still eliciting chuckles from returning fans, that nobody cared about the Jump Street reboot and that by all expectations it should have failed. The deputy goes on to say that the department doubled Jump Street’s budget “as if spending twice the money guaranteed twice the profit.” Spending twice the money seems to have been a wise investment, because “22 Jump Street” certainly pays off! Today’s Links February 21, 2015 Nokia CEO: Nokia design NOT sold to Microsoft, Back to consumer products maintaining Nokia FEEL in ALL products Rajiv Suri speaks to Times India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Nokia-CEO-Rajiv-Suri-We-will-maintain-the-Nokia-feel-in-all-our-products/articleshow/46231813.cms The story returns to the Chennai factory, which is still frozen and unable to be sold. He says however that they’re close to selling it. 2M electronic equipment was made there last year, 50% exported. Perhaps the meeting with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, may soon help with the un-freezing process? Suri is proud that Nokia seems healthy again, with a 27% increase in dividends compared to last year. 2014 ended with $5 billion in cash AFTER returning $1.8B back to shareholders. He does however state that there is always debt even if there’s cash, but this puts Nokia in a better position credit rating wise, thus making their debt cheaper. With regards to returning to the consumer world, the tablet was the first sign to test the waters and what long term opportunities arise. Nokia is particularly loved in India, China, and Russia so may concentrate efforts there first, starting with China one step at a time. Nokia will also be looking for opportunities to license their brand. They do the design which they did NOT sell to Microsoft…thus NOKIA can maintain the Nokia feel in their products. Art of Map Making from HERE : Converting data to information HERE has shown how they collect data. But what do they do with it afterwards? JDI reveals round low-power wearable display – could we see this in the SmartWatch 4? Sony Mobile may change with tradition and adopt a circular display for the next iteration of its SmartWatch according to our sources. It may very well end up using this new 1.34-inch diameter (320 x 300 pixel resolution) display from JDI – in particular, it is touting the ultra-low power consumption of the memory-in-pixel (MIP) reflective-type colour LCD module. Battery life is critical when it comes to wearable devices. Sony has recognised in the past using a transflective display in the SmartWatch 3 to give the Android Wear smartwatch decent battery life. The new reflective-type module display has power consumption less than 0.5% of transparent-type LCD modules. The display has an optimised optical design which JDI says gives it bright reflective-type images, even under bright sunlight conditions. Samples of the display will be available next month with sales expected to start in July 2015. Via JDI. Sony Stainless Steel SmartWatch 3 now rolling; “holder” kit landing in a few weeks to use any wrist strap Sony has started to roll the Stainless Steel SmartWatch 3 globally. It is currently available across the Sony Mobile Store in Europe for £229.99/€279.90 versus the silicone versions for £189.99/€229.90. We imagine some owners are waiting for Sony to sell the Stainless Steel wrist brand separately, well the good news is that Sony has confirmed it will be selling them from early spring. Sony also recently confirmed that it will see the modular SmartWatch 3 “holder” kit in the coming weeks. This will allow you to use the SmartWatch 3 with any 24mm watch strap. This will also come with brown or black leather strap options. Sony Stainless Steel SmartWatch 3 released Sony SmartWatch 3 with “Holder” and Brown Leather strap Sony SmartWatch 3: All wrist straps Via Sony Mobile Blog. Check Out Microsoft’s New Ad For Windows Microsoft today posted a new ad for Windows on their YouTube channel. This ad titled “Do Great Things” shows how Windows powers computers on desks over the world to running subway systems. Windows has been a part of daily life and it empowers people everywhere to turn ideas into actions. This ad starts by showing the evolution of Windows and how Microsoft democratized the technology (jibe at the Apple?) by respecting everyone’s privacy (jibe at the Google). Microsoft is now building a deeply personal and empowering experience that is enabled by technologies like Cortana, Kinect, HoloLens and more. It ends by saying that Windows will always be there for people who do and because the people who do are the ones who move the world forward. What do you think of this new ad? Google Helpouts to shut down April 20th Google is saying goodbye to their Helpouts service on April 20th, 2015. For those who use the service, you’ll be able to download your Helpouts history by using Google Takeout, a data backup service that will be available until November 1st, 2015. Advertisement Helpouts was a service that launched back in 2013 that aimed to get people the help they needed through qualified experts. People that have sufficient knowledge on a certain topic would record tutorial videos, available for the whole world to see. If you wanted to learn about a specific topic, you could pay the person giving the tutorial at a set price for a certain amount of time. So, why is it shutting down? Google sent out an email to Helpouts users explaining that not enough people were using the service. Here’s the full email explaining their reasoning: Until April 20th, you can still use Helpouts. Until then, Google isn’t encouraging any new listings, and the company won’t accept any new help contributors. Though this is a unique idea, it’s not really a surprise that Google is shutting down the service. After running into monetization problems and neglecting to add almost any new features or fixes to the service, I think we could all see the demise of Helpouts coming a mile away. Are you a Helpouts user? Does this affect you at all? Let us know what you think in the comments. High fives and fist bumps, here’s Google’s latest Android commercial Android has been the focus of Google‘s latest string of TV commercials. Starting with Androidify characters on a bus back at the announcement of Android 5.0 Lollipop through to a more recent spot filled with a handful of cute animals, big and small, in unlikely friendships. The latest Android commercial hit just recently. Foregoing the cartoons and animals, Google shows off a collection of impressive, and sometimes dorky, human interactions, all centered around the high five. In the one minute spot, handshakes and fist bumps are performed with skill, careful planning, a lack of careful planning and even a total lack of skill. All in all, the message remains the same, “Be together. Not the same.” No products in sight, no insights into the future, just good old fashioned fun. If the video did not load above, head on over to Google’s YouTube channel for Android to see them all in action. Which Android commercial is your favorite so far? Movie Review: Playing it Cool with Chris Evans Rom-coms right now don’t have the best rep. Sure, there are some great ‘classics’ in the past few years like 500 Days of Summer or more recently, The F Word, but it’s been hard to find a romantic comedy that is not only smart but funny, whilst sticking to the idealistic romantic formula. Enter ‘Playing It Cool’, a project once known as ‘A Many Splintered Thing’ that sees Chris Evans as the lead guy who has never been in love. Much like in the Captain America franchise, Snowpiercer and many of his other films, irrespective of his acting ability his capacity to imbue his character with charm and relateability helps to carry the film. Michelle Monaghan stars opposite Evans as the girl that helps illuminate Evans’ jaded film writer. Anthony Mackie hires Evans’ to write a romantic comedy so that Evans can finally write the Action film he’s been dying to get his teeth stuck into. The audience takes the journey along with Evans’ character as he attempts to discover love to be able to write his screenplay and meets Monaghan’s exciting character in the process. The filming is fast, the dialogue snappy and fluid and many of the creative constructs hilarious. There’s a scene near the end where Evans’ is being ‘cheered’ on by various onlookers which we realise is all images in his head. It makes the film fun and interesting whilst also making fun of its own genre. There’s actual chemistry between Evans and Monaghan which make the romance believeable. For the scenes that are a little too idealistic to be believed, this chemistry helps us put it to one side. The film doesn’t quibble much with names (as far as I remember, we never find out the names of Monaghan and Evans’ characters), and this is a small strength for the film. It helps to draw in the audience and if the film tells us nothing new about love or relationships, many of the opinions and issues it displays are real enough to balance out the sweeping romance. The film is not a revolutionary rom com in that it’s free of the stereotypes of its genre, but it is an example of a romantic comedy done right, whilst trying to provoke thought in areas more profound than merely ‘boy likes girl’. This is the kind of light hearted film which both guys and girls can enjoy. There is no UK or US release date yet set for the film but I’d heartily recommend it. It’s a romantic comedy that for once, isn’t sickly sweet, but more on the smart side. 12-inch MacBook Air could compete with cheaper Chromebooks According to Mark G from our friends over at 9to5Mac, Apple is rumored to be working on a 12-inch MacBook Air with an all new design that just might position it to compete with cheaper Chromebook’s. Possibly. Maybe. We think. Or are they simply continuing a philosophy that has driven Apple design for years–minimize, reduce and streamline their product line? Apple is known for pushing aging technologies out of their product lines, and ushering in new more efficient design formats even when customers might not be ready for the changes. We saw them do it with the floppy-disk drive, they did it with the hard drive. Now it looks like they may be removing multiple ports and connectors on the purported newly designed MacBook Air. More specifically, the 12-inch Mac Book Air will no longer have full-sized USB ports, MagSafe connectors, or a SD card slot. The payoff is an even thinner design that will still house a high-resolution display. So what’s all the hoopla about? What category does this new MacBook Air fit into for Apple? Who will appreciate or desire a design such as this? What sets this MacBook apart for previous versions? These are the questions–what are the answers? Mark goes on to describe the new 12-inch MacBook as being “considerably smaller than the current 13-inch version, yet also slightly narrower than the 11-inch model.” Apple is said to be able to achieve this by reducing the bezel size all around the display. Mark goes on to describe the keyboard of the purported 12-inch MacBook as having “an edge-to-edge keyboard” that sets the keys “noticeably closer together.” So what will these changes offer the consumer, and why should this interest us? One possibility points toward a new entry level MacBook that will be able to compete with cheaper Chromebooks, but still offer a premium look and feel that is unmistakably Apple. Although this is plausible, it appears that with this device Apple is slimming and trimming as much as possible from weight and function. Still, I’m not sure I can fully get behind this possibility without more info. This just isn’t how Apple typically functions. However, even though past behaviors are usually good indicators of what to expect in the future–Apple under the leadership of Tim Cook has been less predictable than ever before. What say you? From what Mark has described, is this a MacBook you would be excited see, or more importantly, would you be interested in purchasing one? Digest powered by RSS Digest Digest powered by RSS Digest Digest powered by RSS Digest Digest powered by RSS Digest
Digest powered by RSS Digest