Home » Articles » A Sony 6.44 inch Smartphone may come Soon
Well here is something we were least expecting. Sony may be making a smartphone, or should we call it phablet, which will be a gigantic 6.44 inched one. Recently some photos are circulating the Chinese tech sites which are claiming to be from a smartphone under manufacturing process. The said photo is showing what appears to be a factory worker holding a huge front section of a smartphone. The Sony logo suggests it to be from a Sony 6.44 inch smartphone.
The bezels around the device seem to be very narrow and look very nice. The glass panel for the alleged Sony 6.44 inched behemoth lacks any other significant details; we don’t see any markings for capacitive buttons. This may come as no surprise that Sony is looking to dive into the phablet business too. The company stated that in previous years it had lost the touch, but now is ready to tackle the tech world again. This statement was further solidified by the launch of Sony Xperia Z smartphone and Sony Xperia Tablet Z recently; both of them are true contenders of any top tier device available.
With many manufacturers looking to dominate the large smartphone market, Sony will have a tough time dealing with already established brands. Samsung’s Galaxy Note series, Huawei Ascend Mate and Nubia Z7 are among the recently launched/announced phablet devices. Sony may be pushing the term “smartphone†by releasing a gigantic 6.44 inched device though; I for instance will not be interested in a device of such proportions. This will be a risk Sony is willing to take with its Sony 6.44 inched device, and will be quite interesting to see what sort of specifications the smartphone will launch. Remember this may never actually arrive in stores though.
Google touches on the future of Motorola, Nexus 4 shortages
Revenue and profits weren’t the only thing discussed during Google’s Q4 earnings call. Google executives touched on everything from the success of their core services and the evolution of search, to the future of Motorola hardware, to the high prioritization of sorting out the Nexus 4?s availability problems.
Speaking on the Nexus 4, Google CEO Larry Page made it clear that Google is aware of the issues consumers are facing with low availability levels, saying “clearly there’s work to be done managing our supply better, and that is priority to our teams.†In an interview last week, LG Mobile France director Cathy Robin said inventory should stabilize by mid-Feburary.
Larry Page and Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette also had plenty to say on Motorola, sharing some words on where they want to focus on hardware, and the progress they’ve made within Motorola.
Both Page and Pichette made comments on how Google’s relationship with Motorola is still in its infancy. So far, much of what Google’s done with Motorola is directly related to restructuring. In 2012, Google sold off Motorola’s Home division, laid off employees associated with the department and launched the rest of the hardware Motorola had planned before the acquisition.
In the past, Google was staunch on the position that the two companies would operate separately. But it looks like behind the scenes, that may be changing. Page spent time talking about where Google and Motorola want to improve hardware, and where current smartphones are lacking.
Battery life is a huge issue. You shouldn't have to worry about constantly recharging your phone. When you drop your phone, it shouldn't go splat. Everything should be a ton faster and easier. There’s real potential to invent new and better experiences.Larry PageGoogle
For the past several months now, there’s been a rumor developing surrounding Motorola’s first phone under Google’s guidance, known only as Motorola X Phone. According to DroidLife, Motorola X Phone will be announced at Google I/O in May, sold through Google Play near current Nexus prices, and will be available for every carrier in the US. When used with Verizon, a monthly fee will be charged for unlocking the bootloader. It will be sold with some carrier enhancements, or bloatware, on top of stock Android, but that will be able to be removed once unlocked.
If the Motorola X Phone turns out to be real, don’t be surprised if battery life and enhanced durability are major selling points. Even if it isn’t real, Motorola is undoubtedly working on something for 2013, and it’s been long enough so that Google’s influence should be apparent.
We can’t wait to see what Google and Motorola come up with this year. If we’re lucky, we’ll know much more by the time May rolls around.
Home » Articles » Gamegou’s Shift It slides on to Google Play
Puzzle games have been around for ages, and each week several new ones arrive on Google Play. Shift It for Android is one of the latest puzzlers to get our attention, and once it gets your attention you’re going to have a hard time putting it down.
Shift It for Android is a sliding puzzle game consisting of multi-colored blocks. The blocks rotate on an infinite similar to a Rubicks cube, and to complete a level you simply need to slide a row of blocks until you get the like colored ones together. This is a pretty easy task starting out, but it gets trickier as you progress as more colors are added and lock blocks are put into play. As you can see from my screenshot I just encountered the lock blocks and am only on 3 colors around 17 levels in. Considering Shift It has 300 puzzles it looks like I’ve got a long way to go and it’s going to get much more puzzling along the way.
Shift It is a simple puzzle game that’s surprisingly effective as the little block puzzles suck you in and whittle away at your free time. The layout and way you go about working the puzzle is very well done; the game has loads of depth as well with its 3-star levels, multiple difficulty settings, and lighting mode. If you’re looking for a new puzzle game to play, look no further than Shift It from Gamegou Limited. You can pick up Shift It for Android for free on Google Play.
Android App Review: The Kickstalker Kickstarter Client for Android
Home » Articles » Reviews » Android App Review: The Kickstalker Kickstarter Client for Android
Kickstarter is the most popular crowd funding site out there, but keeping track of things on the site from your mobile can be a pain at times. The Kickstalker Kickstarter Client from TGM looks to remedy that situation as it makes stalking your favorite projects a breeze.
The Kickstalker Kickstarter Client is mainly comprised of three sections with Discover, Search, and Backed Projects. The Discover section features 12 random projects from the site; it’s small right now but it’s a work in progress and I’m sure it will be expanded soon. The search features is pretty self-explanatory and lets you search for a particular set of projects by phrase while the Backed Projects section lets you check on things you’ve funded. Any project you click on in the app has all of its basic info listed including general details, tiers, updates, and comments. All projects can be “starred†as well or shared via email, Bluetooth, and messaging. You can also access starred projects for browsing at a later date which is great if you’re not sure about what you want to back. It does almost everything you’d want a Kickstarter app to do, and it does it well.
The Kickstalker Kickstarter Client is simple, easy to use, and it’s definitely the best Kickstarter Android app I’ve used thus far. While the app is in the early stages of development, more features are coming soon like the ability to star people as well as the addition of Kickstarter discover categories. Basically, if you’re looking for a Kickstarter app, this is the one. If you’re ready to give it a shot you can pick up TGM’s Kickstalker Kickstarter Client for free on Google Play.
Home » Articles » Sony Xperia tablet Z officially announced
It may come as absolutely no surprise that a Sony Xperia tablet Z exists, by now. But it is always in the wind unless the company gives a confirmation, Sony in a recent announcement has stated that the Sony Xperia tablet Z will indeed be launching. The Sony Xperia tablet Z after being subjected to many leaked news and photos was becoming a very eagerly anticipated device.
Following the grand announcement of Sony Xperia Z smartphone at CES 2013, Sony is aiming to gain a fair amount of share in the tablet market too. The Xperia Z smartphone is a very lucrative device, and Sony Xperia Z tablet is going to follow in its wake too. The latest tablet will be taking over the Xperia Tablet S with its unique and stylish design, water resistance and dust resilience.
The Sony Xperia tablet Z will be featuring a 10.1 inch Full HD display running at the resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels, the screen will have Sony’s own Bravia Engine 2 technology. The tablet will be powered by a 1.5GHz Quad Core processor, chugging along 2 GB worth of RAM. There will be 32 GB is internal storage memory and a microSD card slot for further expansions. An 8.1 megapixel rear facing camera with Sony’s very own Exmore R sensor will take high quality photos. With Android version 4.x Jelly Bean the Sony Xperia tablet Z can be considered one of the top dogs in tablet business.
The design is where Sony has made the Sony Xperia tablet Z shine. Even with the inclusion of a microSD card slot, NFC tech and LTE connectivity, the tablet is only 6.9mm thick. The Sony Xperia tablet Z is by comparison quite thinner than other top tier tablets out there, cutting ahead the Galaxy Note 10.1 and Nexus 10. Sony Xperia tablet Z even trumps the iPad mini’s 7.2 mm thickness. We will cover more once we get some hands on time with the splendid tablet.
If you’re starting to get annoyed with all the HTC M7 news lately, we suggest you move on to another story. Yesterday we saw the first believable rendering of the HTC M7, and today we have a pair of high-quality pictures that show off the front and back of the device. The good news is that the new pictures match up really well with yesterday’s renderings. The only real differences we’ve been able to spot are the placement of the flash (it’s moved from the right to the left side of the camera lens) and the Beats logo (which will probably vary depending on where service providers decide to place their logos).
Along with the pictures of the M7, there are a few new screen shots to show off HTC Sense 5 in more detail. As we saw with previous leaks, Sense 5 is moving away from the typical skeuomorphic design we’ve seen in previous versions of Sense and toward a “simple and clean†approach. We’re hoping that the Sense 5 is a lot lighter than previous versions, as that would hopefully translate into a much more responsive and fluid UI.
Now that you’ve seen real pictures of the HTC M7 and HTC Sense 5, what are your thought? Is HTC going to have a leg up on Samsung in 2013?
The Top New Android Games of the Week â€" January 21, 2012
This week’s picks for Top New Android Games of the Week include games filled with magic, a funny creature with removable eyeballs, and the one of the most frustrating games you’ll play in your entire life. Seriously. We’ve only got 8 games this week, but they’re all good ones so sit back, relax, and enjoy our picks for the best new Android games from the past week.
Super Hexagon takes home the top spot this week and to be honest… it wasn’t even close. The brainchild of Terry Cavanagh will drive you insane with its maddening quick-play stages, but you’ll have a hard time putting it down once you pick it up. It’s simple, extremely addictive, and boatloads of fun. Full review is coming on this one if I can manage to make past the 5th level, I’ve been trying for a week. You can pick up Super Hexagon for $ 0.99 on Google Play.
Our favorite retro dev’s Orange Pixel assaulted our senses this week with Gunslugs. No, it’s not a game about gun wielding slugs (sequel Idea!), but there are a lot of bullet’s involved and it’s about as intense as it gets. You can read a bit more about it here, check out the free version or jump straight into the full version for $ 2.99.
We haven’t seen anything new from Gamehouse in a while, but last week that changed with the release of Marble Mixer for Android. The game lets you play marbles on your Android device, and you’ll get to play in three different ways with Space Mania, Table Tactics, and Monster Picnic. I haven’t tried this one out yet, but it looks good; if you want to give it a go you can pick it up for $ 0.99 on Google Play.
Mobage released yet another card battling game, but this one involves playing poker with famous folks like Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and Blackbeard. You won’t actually get to play “with†the characters, but they will be a part of your team and the damage you deal is based on the poker hand you draw. It’s an interesting take on the whole card battling craze, and it’s quite a bit of fun. You can check out Mobage’s History Attacks for free on Google Play.
Sega dropped the sequel to its popular game Kingdom Conquest this week simply dubbed Kingdom Conquest II. You can forge your own fortress, build an army from hundreds of monster cards, and duke it out online as you try to conquer the nine Towers of Magna. Some users are reporting instability issues with the game while others don’t seem to have an issue s you’ll want to keep that in mind. Sega’s Kingdom Conquest II is available to download for free on Google Play.
Tupsu The Furry Little Monster is a game about a cute little monster with detachable eyes. It’s a physics-based puzzler, and it’s not quite like anything you’ve probably played before. I’m purposely being vague as Tupsu is just the kind of game I like to spring on people as it’s quite the pleasant surprise. It’s inspired by World of Goo and Spider-man… and you can download it for free on Google Play.
Like old school space shooters? If so you’ll definitely want to give G-Gee’s Ikaruga a look. You may have played the popular shooter on the Xbox Live Arcade, but if you didn’t now’s your chance. I haven’t played this one myself, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. If you want to give it a run you’ll have to shell out $ 9.00 (wow), and you can pick it up on Google Play.
Red Robot Games released an interesting game last week called Life is Magic. It’s a location-based MMO set in a fantasy land, and it works to turn the real world around you into a place of magic and myth. You’ll get to capture towers, steal loot, and fight wizards all across America. If the game is half as good as the groups previous titles you’re in for a good time. Life if Magic is free to download on Google Play.
