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Asus announces $149 MeMO Android tablet

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 5:59 AM on January 14, 2013

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas may be over, but it does not mean news and product announcements come to an end. Asus waited until today, perhaps to avoid the avalanche of other announcements, to unveil its new MeMO Pad — a seven inch Android 4.1 tablet that will be released soon.

The MeMO Pad will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, has a 1 MP front facing camera, 1 GB of RAM and comes with either 8 or 16 GB of storage. The company claims 7 hours of battery life. In addition, it claims to feature “a 10-point multi-touch LED-backlit display with 1024 x 600 resolution, 140-degree wide viewing angles, and its 350-nit brightness means images remain clear, even outdoors”.

The tablet “will be available starting this January in selected markets”. Prices begin at $149 — presumably for the 8 GB version. The MeMO Pad will come in three colors – Sugar White, Titanium Gray and Cherry Pink and will be in the U.S. market in April.

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Posted in Android, tablet

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Control your home theater with Zmart Remote for iOS, Android

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 8:44 AM on January 11, 2013

There have been several hardware solutions over the past couple of years that turn your smartphone into a universal remote. I have previously looked at RedEye, which seems to no longer be available, but a new solution was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week — the Zmart Remote from Viatek.

This one involves a small device that you will need to plug into the micro-USB port on your phone. It works with both iPhone and Android. The company claims that “The setup takes less than a minute. Whether you are trying to choose which tv show to watch, need to pause the movie to pop some popcorn or even skip to your favorite song on a CD, now you can do all of this with just your smart phone.”

Setup of the RedEye was clunky and almost felt as if it required a computer science degree. Hopefully the newer technology will improve this process. The company claims it is capable of controlling 200,000 devices and 95 percent of those on the market. The ones it can’t control it can learn.

The package, including the app, will retail for $19.99 and can be purchased now.

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Posted in Android, Home Theater, iOS

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PowerSkin Unveils Next Generation of Battery Cases at CES 2013

Posted by JenThorpe at 4:11 PM on January 10, 2013

PowerSkinXPAL Power, Inc., is the maker of the PowerSkin line of cases for smartphones. They are shock-absorbing, battery-boosting, and compatible with both Android and Apple iOS devices. As you can see from the photo, the new line comes in some very eye catching colors!

PowerSkin is showcasing its new line-up at CES 2013. The Pro Series are a line of iPhone 5 battery cases. They feature a double-injection, TPU bezel with a soft touch, hard plastic shell. They come in 5 colors: white, black, titanium, red, and pink. Each has 2000 mAh of power and an LED indicator light on the front that you can glance at to do a visual battery check. The PowerSkin Pro line is the PowerSkins slimmest case yet.

They are also showcasing the PowerSkin Hybrid Battery Charger. It has small, flexible, suction cups that adhere externally to the back of your smartphone. It connects via a soft, flex tip to a micro-USB, Apple 30-pin, or Apple Lightning connector. This allows users to recharge their device without having to remove the current case. The PowerSkin Battery Charger has 2000 mAH of power capacity and can extend power between 50% and 70% (depending on the mAH of the device being charged). These also come in black, white, titanium, red, and pink.

The PowerSkin Battery Case for iPhone 5 has a new ultra-thin angular shape. The iPhone 5 Designer Series PowerSkin will extend talk time for up to 6 hours and Wi-Fi usage for up to 8 hours with its 1500 mAh power capacity. It has an on/off button to activate a charge of turn the PowerSkin off. There is a LED battery level indicator, making it easy for you to tell how much juice you have.

PowerSkin is unveiling the Ultra Thin design for the Samsung Galaxy S III case at CES 2013, (including 2 limited-edition colors).

PowerSkin is at CES 2013. You can find them at the Venetian Las Vegas Casino Hotel & Resort in Suite # 28-111.

Image by PowerSkin

This article written @ GeekNewsCentral.com and if seen anyplace else has been illegally re-posted.

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Posted in Android, battery, ces, iOS, iPhone

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Glympse Safely Lets You Share Your Location While Driving

Posted by JenThorpe at 2:38 PM on January 9, 2013

We have all had this happen at one time or another. You are in your car, driving towards you destination, and are running late. Wouldn’t it be great if you could easily let your co-workers know where you are at, without having to pick up your phone?

Glympse allows you to do exactly that. They have created the first location-sharing app for Ford Motor Company’s SYNC in-car connectivity system. It uses the AppLink interface. Drivers use simple voice commands to activate the app and send a Glympse to their worried co-workers or family members. Ford announced this at CES 2013.

It is very easy to use. Press the SYNC voice button on your steering wheel. Say “Send Glympse”. The app will talk you through the rest. You will need the Glympse app installed on an iOS or Android-based smartphone. Your car will automatically recognizes the app when your phone is Bluetooth-paired or USB-connected. You can send a Glympse to your friend’s email, mobile number, Facebook, or Twitter.

When your friend, or co-worker, gets a Glympse from you, it will show him exactly where you are at. He can monitor your vehicle’s process, and estimated time of arrival, via a real-time dynamic map. After the user-defined time limit expires, the location is no longer updated.

This article written @ GeekNewsCentral.com and if seen anyplace else has been illegally re-posted.

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Posted in Android, application, ces, iOS

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Polaroid announces two Android tablets

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 9:21 AM on January 9, 2013

Polaroid grabbed a lot of attention this week when it announced an Android camera, but the company did not stop there. It also unveiled two new Android tablets — both a 7 and 10 inch version.

The company chose to post no official press release, however press representative Melissa Hoistion referred me to the company’s web site. That resulted in no information, but Cnet reports that both devices are running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), while the M7 has a dual-core processor and M10 packs a quad-core processor. Both have a 2 MP front-facing camera and 8 GB of internal storage.

polaroid m7 m10

Not much more information is available at this time, but I have been promised a review unit, so stay tuned for more information to come in the near future.

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Posted in Android, ces, tablet

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Kid Friendly Accessories for iPhone, Android, and iPod Touch at CES 2013

Posted by JenThorpe at 6:28 PM on January 8, 2013

Nickelodeon AccessoriesGriffin Technology has partnered with Nickelodeon to create fun accessories for children’s mobile devices. The inspiration came from several of the popular characters that your child watches in cartoons that appear on the Nickelodeon channel.

The first three lines of cartoon inspired mobile device accessories for kids feature SpongeBob Squarepants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Dora the Explorer. Each will be introduced at CES 2013. The products are slated to become available in Spring of 2013 at major retailers nationwide.

The SpongeBob Squarepants line includes a SpongeBob Folio iPad case with several characters from the show done in 8-bit style. (The nostalgic aspects of this one might appeal to adult fans of the cartoon as well as the kids!).

This line also has Faces for iPhone 5G. It is a case that looks like SpongeBob, and you can interchange six different eyepieces and three different mouthpieces to make customizable expressions. In the photo above, you can see the SpongeBob Woogie, a huggable, squeezable, five-legged plush SpongeBob doll that doubles as a protective case for iPhone, iPod touch, and Android devices.

The Ninja Turtle accessories include a Shell for iPhone 5 and iPod touch, which is made of a hard, durable, exterior that protects against impacts and scratches. The photo above shows the Folio for iPad that has Ninja Turtle artwork on the front, microsuede lining, and a loop to carry a stylus.

The Dora the Explorer line might appeal to preschoolers. This line includes a Dora the Explorer skin for iPod touch. It is made of a durable, yet soft, silicone that allows for easy access to the camera and all ports, controls, and connectors. As you can see in the photo above, it also features Dora herself on the back.

Griffin Technology is at CES 2013 where they are displaying their line up of products. You can find them in the LVCC North Hall at Booth 5212.

Image by Griffin Technology

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Posted in Accessory, Android, IPAD, iPhone, ipod

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D-Link Cloud Cameras and Routers at CES

Posted by Andrew at 2:00 AM on January 7, 2013

D-Link LogoD-Link announced at CES today a range of IP cameras and routers with cloud connectivity for remote monitoring and viewing.

The two new cameras are the Cloud Camera 1050 (DCS-931L) and Cloud Camera 1150 (DCS-933L) which come with remote monitoring as standard via mydlink and mobile devices, but also offer new capabilities such as audio detection with image alerts based on sound, not just motion, and an integrated wireless repeater mode for expanded coverage that eliminates wi-fi dead zones and lets consumers easily add more Cloud Cameras without worrying about existing wireless coverage. That’s a pretty clever idea, building a repeater into the camera. Of course, these are 802.11ac devices and the 1150 also offers infra-red illumination for night operation.

 

DCS-931L CameraDCS-933L Camera
To go with the IP cameras, D-Link’s new 11ac routers are the wireless AC1750 Dual-Band Gigabit Cloud Router and Wireless AC1200 Dual-Band Gigabit Cloud Router (aka DIR-860L and DIR-868L) which deliver speeds of up to 1750 Mb/s and 1200 Mb/s respectively by combining both 11ac and 11n technologies. In addition, both Cloud Routers offer easy remote network management with the free mydlink Lite app from an iPhone, iPad or Android device, which is interesting and could be useful in a number of environments.

“Catering directly to today’s increasingly mobile lifestyles, D-Link’s new Cloud Cameras and Cloud Routers offer the latest features and performance available for home network and monitoring needs,” said Daniel Kelley, Associate Vice President of Marketing, D-Link. ”Keeping an eye on loved ones and valued possessions is easier than ever with greater Wi-Fi coverage and higher quality viewing and recording day and night. And, the new 11ac Cloud Routers give today’s connected homes with multiple user and high-bandwidth activities the ultimate in network performance and remote management capabilities.”

The cameras and routers will be available in the next few months – The Cloud Cameras 1050 and 1150 will be available in February for $79.99 and $99.99 respectively. The dual-band gigabit Cloud Routers DIR-860L and DIR-868L will be later in April for $149.99 and $169.99.

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Posted in Android, Apple, google, iOS, IPAD, iPhone, smartphone, tablet, wifi, wireless

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Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7” Inch Widescreen Tablet

Posted by tomwiles at 9:48 PM on January 3, 2013

Over the Christmas holiday my nephew showed up at my house with an Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7” Inch tablet. My Mom, who just turned 88, ended up playing with it and decided she wanted one. So, we stopped by Best Buy and picked one up.

I spent some time adding free apps from the Amazon Android Market that I knew my parents would like, such as Accuweather, News Hog, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News Channel, recipe apps, etc.

What followed over the next few days was surprising. Of course my Mom started using it right away, but what surprised me was that my 79-year-old Dad started using the Kindle as much as my Mom uses it. Mom has used a computer for a number of years. Dad has played around with computers but never did much with them. Dad made the observation that the Kindle was a lot easier to use than a regular computer.

I have had an iPad for a long while now and my parents have been around it, but they’ve never used it much. The Kindle is a different story. Perhaps they felt more at ease since they own the Kindle, but I think there’s more to it than that. I believe the Amazon Kindle Fire HD has a better, friendlier user interface than the iPad has. The Kindle Fire HD presents app icons in a very large format on a revolving carousel that the user simply swipes through. It didn’t take long at all for them to begin to remember which of these large icons start which apps.

Another advantage the Kindle Fire HD has over the iPad is better, much louder sound. My parents are a bit hard of hearing, yet the Kindle Fire HD is able to get plenty loud enough for them to be able to easily hear, even in a noisy environment. The iPad isn’t capable of getting nearly as loud.

The $199 Kindle Fire HD 16 gigabyte (as well as the larger 8.9” inch version) comes bundled with a free month of Amazon Prime, which includes Amazon Prime streaming videos. Mom ended up easily figuring out how to stream videos and liked it so well she went ahead and subscribed.

The 7” inch widescreen seems to be just the right size for them. It is easy for them to handle, yet large enough for them to be able to see and manipulate the multi-touch screen.

The Kindle Fire HD has a dual core processor and gives great battery life. The apps are very responsive and there is never any lag.

If I were going to buy a tablet today, I would give strong consideration to a Kindle Fire HD. For $199 for the 7” inch and $299 for the 8.9” inch, Amazon is giving a tremendous amount of value and performance for the money.

The only downside that I can see is that the Kindle Fire HD doesn’t have a built-in GPS chip, nor any native mapping apps, so mapping on it is currently limited. However, for $199, it’s easy to overlook the lack of GPS. The WiFi-only versions of the iPad don’t have built-in GPS either.

The Kindle Fire HD has a forward facing camera for use with apps such as Skype, but no rear-facing camera. That’s not much of an issue for me since I rarely use the rear-facing camera in my iPad, but it might be for other people.

Now, if I can just get my parents to give up their flip-phone for a smartphone…

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Posted in amazon, Android, application, IPAD, Opinion, skype, smartphone, tablet

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ARCHOS TV Connect Controls Your TV Like a Tablet

Posted by JenThorpe at 4:09 PM on January 3, 2013

ARCHOS has come up with another innovative device that you won’t want to miss! It will make your TV viewing experience into something much more interactive. It’s called ARCHOS TV Connect. It turns any HDTV into an Android powered smart TV that provides the full Android ecosystem. There is a specially designed TV Touch remote for you to use.

Instead of sitting in front of your TV, and perhaps clicking the buttons on your regular remote, you use the TV Touch remote. Suddenly, you are able to control your TV like you would a tablet. You can tap, swipe, zoom in or zoom out, select something or type. It even has a full keyboard with Android shortcuts, (including a key for voice controls and voice typing).

You can choose from over 700,000 apps and games on Google Play, and play them on your TV. The TV Connect has dual analog thumb sticks and a gaming mapping tool.

Use TV Connect to call a group of friends or family and have a video chat with them through your big screen TV. ARCHOS TV Connect has an HD webcam for high quality video calling. An LED light will notify you of an incoming call while you are watching TV. It is compatible with Skype or Google Talk.

TV Connect includes the ARCHOS Media Center applications. It will read your favorite video files with format and codec support including H.264 decoding in full 1080p HD. You can stream media content over your home network through WiFi or Ethernet. The TV Connect features HDMI (cable included), full USB host and micro SD slot.

The ARCHOS TV connect runs Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean”. It will be available beginning in February of 2013, and will cost $129.99. You can experience the ARCHOS TV Connect first hand at CES 2013. ARCHOS will be showing off its new line up of tablets, including the Game Pad and more. The ARCHOS booth is in the Central Hall (15322) of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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Posted in Android, Gadgets, TV

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Android winter wallpaper released

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 1:39 PM on December 28, 2012

Winter Wonderland!

Just a few days ago Google released a small set of holiday wallpapers, but now the holidays are almost past and the dark, cold days of winter stretch out ahead of those of us in the northern hemisphere — exception for Todd and his Hawaiian paradise. Now it is time to switch to a new winter wallpaper.

Thankfully, the folks over at Android Foundry have stepped up to the plate and pushed out a nice one. The image depicts two of the little green “men” playing in the snow, along with a snowman and pine trees as a background.

The image is free and comes in multiple sizes to fit pretty much every device.

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Posted in Android, mobile

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