HP Slatebook 14 arrives with Android, Chromebook 11 returns with new colors

Over the weekend, HP officially unveiled two notebook devices for fans of Google's software bundles. These include the Android-powered Slatebook leaked last month, as well as new variants of the company's existing Chromebook 11 series.

The Chromebook 11 has been in the market for months now, at first with a Wifi-only model, and it has had a rather colorful story. At one point, it was abruptly pulled from Google Play Store, which was later explained to be due to faulty chargers. This was, fortunately, promptly resolved before the launch of the LTE variant early this year. Now HP is putting a slightly new spin to the device, making it available in two new colors of Ocean Turqoise and Snow White, while retaining everything all other features of the Chrome OS-toting notebook.

HP is also introducing a completely new device in the form of the Slatebook 14. This time, however, the manufacturer has swapped out Google's more ultraportable oriented Chrome OS with Android. In terms of hardware, you have here a 14-inch 1080p touchscreen display and an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor. The rest of the specs have not yet been detailed, but it could match closely the information that was seen in last month's leak. As mentioned there as well, it still remains to be seen whether this device will truly take off, considering how Android, though quite capable, isn't exactly known for being a laptop stand-in.

The new HP Chromebook 11 models will sell for $249, quite lower than last year's model, and will come with optional 3G connectivity options. The HP Slatebook 14, on the other hand, will arrive on store shelves August 6 for $399. And confirming the previous leak as well, the device will only come in only one, but admittedly curious, color option, black with a hint of yellow.

VIA: SlashGear (1), (2)

Story Timeline

• HP SlateBook x2 Tegra 4 tablet launched


• HP Chromebook 11 now official; arriving with 11.6" display and microUSB charging


• HP Chromebook 11 take two, comes with safer charger


• HP Chromebook 11 LTE connectivity coming from Altair Semiconductor


• HP Slatebook 14 leak puts Android on a Tegra notebook

HTC “One Wear” smartwatch coming this fall, report says

HTC is releasing a smartwatch, that much we know. Their CEO has committed to it, and they’ve long said wearables are important to their future. A small Taiwanese blog has reportedly had a hands-on with the device, claiming it’s called “One Wear”, and will launch in the busy release timeframe of August-September of this year.

The watch itself is said to be round, much like we find with the Moto 360. The blog also says it will be “available in polycarbonate and metal flavors”, which we hope is a turn-of-phrase. Though tech is delicious, we don’t really want to eat it.

Aside from a name, overall shape, and release timeframe, nothing else was offered up. Is it Android Wear? Bulky? We don’t know the size of the watch face, and there wasn’t even mention of performance. There were no pics offered up, no hands-on video, and really nothing to back their claims up.

We do know HTC is serious about wearables, though — and ‘One Wear’ is a pretty snappy name, if it’s what the device will really be called. The release timeframe fits all previous HTC wearable chatter, too. For now, an interesting tidbit of news, and one to keep in your back pocket. If HTC is coming up with a Moto 360 rival, we’d love to see it.

Source: TK Tech News

Story Timeline

• HTC see wearables as "critical", and say their upcoming tablet will be "disruptive"


• HTC is reportedly working on a smartwatch for release in the second half of 2014


• HTC banks on wearables and smarter marketing for salvation


• HTC smartwatch tipped to be based on Qualcomm Toq

Lenovo A line of tablets hit the US market

More than a month after Lenovo spilled the beans on the price of its upcoming budget tablets, the manufacturer has now made those available for purchase. Make no mistake, these are not your top of the line Android tablets, but they might just be the ones you need if you're on the hunt for something basic and cheap.

The Lenovo A7, A8,and A10 are the latest addition to the company's series of A tablets powered by Android. As before, we see here just enough hardware power to keep the show running at an acceptable minimum level, like a 1.3 GHz quad-core CPU made by MediaTek and 1 GB of RAM. All three sport the usual wireless connectivity options of WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0. Data storage differs in configurations, with the A7 starting off with 8 GB and 16 GB, while the A8 has 16 GB and the A10 offers 32 GB. All have microSD card slots in case you need more.

The three tablets differ in sizes, at 7, 8, and 10 inches. Unfortunately, they are all the same in terms of resolution, which at least reaches HD levels at 1280x800. That, unfortunately, means the bigger the tablet, the lower the pixel density. To make up for it, the increasing sizes do also have increasing battery capacities. The A7 has a 3,450 mAh battery that can last it 7.5 hours, the A8 has 4,200 mAh for 8 hours, and the A10 has a large 6,340 mAh power supply to last it 9 hours.

The Lenovo A7 comes in two configurations and prices, with the 8 GB model priced at $129 while the 16 GB one costs $139. The Lenovo A8 gets a price tag of $180 and the large Lenovo A10 gets the highest marks at $250. Lenovo is selling these three A tablets from its own online store, but Amazon is also carrying the A8 and the A10 at discounted prices.

VIA: Liliputing, SlashGear

Story Timeline

• Lenovo A1000 quietly goes on sale, undercuts the Nexus 7


• Lenovo A3500 and A3300 tablets spotted in Bluetooth SIG filing


• Lenovo A-Series tablet lineup expands


• Lenovo A-Series tablets priced ahead of US release

Dragon Quest VIII arrives on Android with a heavy price to pay

Square Enix has finally released the Android port of Dragon Quest VIII, but it isn't all bright and shiny. While fans of the venerable JRPG franchise will probably have no qualms about buying this game, others will less emotional attachment might find the price tag a bit hard to swallow.

Dragon Quest is one of the few JRPG lines that can probably stand tall beside Final Fantasy, without being nearly as endless. This eighth title was released about eight years ago for the PlayStation 2 but has now been ported to Android. Square Enix already revealed its development last year, and now it has finally arrived, bringing with it some rather unconventional features.

I will not bore you with the plot, which is your typical "hero gets to save the kingdom and the princess from a great evil" trope, but there are a few things that make this mobile port notable. Most obvious is the graphics, which Square Enix has remarkably been able to carry over from PlayStation 2 to Android. Of course, it's bound to give your smartphone a workout, but at least you'll have no problem keeping your hand warm during winter. But most interesting is the fact that the game has been redesigned to be playable using only one hand, and in portrait mode. While most games would require two hands in landscape, Dragon Quest VIII is advertised to be perfectly usable in a phone's normal orientation. Of course, battles are turn and menu based, so there's little need for your fingers to be mashing or sliding around during those more intense moments.

Now for the bad news. This is a Square Enix title, so you can expect it to be pricey. But no one perhaps expected it to cost $20, definitely the most expensive game from the publisher's Android catalog and probably the most expensive in all of Google Play Store. The only saving grace is that after the 1.4 GB game has been downloaded, you will not be faced or forced with any extra hidden costs via in-app purchases. One important note though. Dragon Quest VIII is playable offline, but the game needs to connect to the Internet when the game is loaded for initialization and validation.

Download: Dragon Quest VIII on Google Play Store

Google Wants To Bring The Best Moto X Feature to Every Android Phone

One of the best features of the Moto X—besides that perfectly-sized screen—is its always-on listening capability. Nothing beats saying "OK, Google" and watching the device wake up from sleep to do your bidding. It works like magic, and if this Android Police report is true, it'll be coming to every Android phone before you know it.

Read more...

How to Stream Anything from Android to AirPlay

The AirPlay wireless streaming system makes sharing stuff between your phone and TV incredibly easy—but only if stick with Apple gadgets. Try to share content from an Android and suddenly you're out of luck. But with these third-party streaming apps, Airplay and Android can finally speak the same language.

Read more...

GO Launcher 5 arrives, brings about a makeover

After much teasing and countdowns, GO Launcher has finally unveiled the latest version of this popular homescreen replacement. With GO Launcher EX 5, the app switches over to the flatter aesthetic of KitKat and the buttery smoothness of its own 3D graphics core.

More than anything else, GO Launcher 5 is a visual refresh, bringing its own widgets, icons, and design to match the flat, minimalist, and colorful tastes of Android 4.4. This is, of course most evident in the icons that GO Launcher uses for its settings, but it can also be felt all throughout the home screen and the app grid. Even the widgets that officially ship with GO Launcher have been updated to that same visual identity. Of course, there are other behavioral new features as well, like the side navigation panel in the Apps grid, which gives users access to Widgets, GO Launcher's own App Manager, and a new Hide App section.

When it teased its upcoming version upgrade, GO Launcher mentioned bringing in some smarts. This, however, apparently didn't mean the same level of intelligence as other "smart" learning homescreens. It mostly came in the form of Smart Cards, basically just tips that popped from below here and there to offer timely and relevant tips.

In almost everything else, GO Launcher remains the same, only better. You get the same penchant for sometimes over the top transition animations. You also have access to GO Launcher's own market ecosystem, which covers everything from widgets, themes, and even apps. All in all, you still get everything you may have enjoyed in GO Launcher, the freedom to configure and customize your homescreen just the way you like it. Only now everything is prettier to look at, at least by default.

There are actually many more new features, but most of them are hidden behind the paid Prime version. This includes things like ad removal, new transition animations, more gestures, a side dock, and even a very useful security lock to keep some apps private. The Prime version will cost you $5.99, either from Google Play Store directly or via in-app purchases. If, however, you do not need any of those features, then the free GO Launcher EX 5 might be enough for you.

Download: GO Launcher EX (Free), (Prime)