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New LG Tab Book is a superpowered Android tablet hybrid

LG may not put out much Android tablets in the market, but when it does, it tries to make it into something truly distinct. This new LG Tab Book model that the company has unveiled in Korea will not only be one of the biggest Android tablets you might get to see, it is also probably one of the most powerful, running on an Intel Haswell Core i5 CPU.



The 11.6-inch LG Tab Book might be smaller than Samsung's largest beats, which measure up to 12.2 inches, but it surpasses those in almost every aspect except weight, since this LG device measures just a bit over 1 kg. That's not surprising though, since this Tab Book is a 2-in-1 device, meaning that it has a sliding mechanism that converts it from tablet to a laptop, at least at a certain angle. At least the keyboard is built-in so you won't have to carry around a separate one. Those more familiar with LG's products outside the Android world might recognize the company's previous Tab Book models. But while those run on Windows 8, and on a previous generation Intel Core, this one, model 11TA740-GA50K to be exact, runs on Android.


Despite the size, the tablet only manages to reach a 1920x1080 pixel resolution. But perhaps the most interesting aspect to this device is how beefy it is in terms of raw power. A fourth generation Core i5 4200U, running at 2.6 GHz, an Intel HD Graphics 4400 CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and a generous serving of SSD at 128 GB, this tablet hybrid is pretty much laptop-grade. Or, alternatively, an Android tablet on steroids. While we definitely don't mind handing over to Android some heavy-duty hardware, one could perhaps wonder to what purpose they could be put to good use for a resource-efficient OS like Android.


LG has not yet released any pricing or availability details for this Tab Book, but existing models ran from around $1,900. While Android tablets usually run for much lower price tags, the beefed up specs on this one could mean it will be priced roughly the same, if not close. One other thing that does mar this otherwise interesting piece of Android slab is the fact that it will only be running Android 4.2.2., which probably means that key software features that has made devices like the LG G3 or the latest batch of G Pad tablets quite interesting won't be making its way to this overpowered hybrid.


SOURCE: LG





1Password to release new update, extends free trial

If you’re still not on board the 1Password bandwagon, you’re being given more time to explore the popular password manager for free, as they are extending the free trial until August 18. Developer Agile Bits will also releasing version 4.1 soon, which will add even more features to the first one launched just six weeks ago on the Android platform.



The password manager, which claims to be one of the most secure in the digital world as it uses a 256-bit AES “military grade” encryption, has long been a favourite of iOS and OS X users. And when finally it arrived for Android users just last June, the developers wanted the newbies to try it out for free for almost two months. The good news now is that they decided to extend the free trial for another 18 days to give others the chance to experience the app before deciding to “commit” to the freemium model.


The upcoming update v4.1 includes some new features, fixes and improvements on the app. Users can now create a new password vault on the app itself even without an existing account or vault. There are also now additional localised languages, including German, Spanish, Portuguese (European and Brazilian), Romanian, Russian, and Swedish and coming soon will be Chinese, Japanese, French, and Italian.


By August 19, 1Password for Android will switch to the freemium model, where users will be able to download it for free but in read-only format, then upgrade through a one-time in-app purchase of $9.99 to be able to edit, organise and create a new vault for your passwords. But for two weeks starting on the 19th, they are offering a 20% discount so you’ll be able to buy the Premium version for only $7.99. So if you haven’t yet started on your free trial, you can download 1Password from the Google Play Store now.


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SOURCE: 1Password





Selfies is a new social hub made just for selfies

If you've already had too much of the selfie generation, wait until Automattic gets its experimental social network out of the lab. The company, more popular for creations such as the WordPress blogging platform and the Gravatar avatar service, has very silently launched a new social network called Seflies that is focused on one thing and one thing alone: sharing selfies.



The app has been out for a week now and, given how high profile WordPress is, it's a bit curious that there has been barely any word about it, either from media or from Automattic itself. In a sense, that was intended as Selfies is both still in an experimental stage of development and, at the same time, itself a sort of experiment, going beyond the company's usual products. That said, its origin isn't exactly that divorced from company's roots. The app originally started as a Gravatar app for Android, which also explains why the company targeted Android first before iOS.


In terms of features, there isn't really anything special about Selfies, at least not yet. You can take a selfie with the app, do a bit of very basic editing, and upload it. The selfie then becomes part of a public stream of never-ending self photos. Think of it like an instagram dedicated solely to selfies. While the photos are indeed available to the public, the only way to actually view them would be through the app. Users can also delete whatever they've posted in case they think that their photo is a bit too embarrassing or inappropriate. You can also respond or comment on other people's selfies by posting a selfie of your own, which Automattic expects to create all sorts of fun and mayhem.




Automattic does have greater plans for Selfies, from something basic like being able to filter through the currently one and only public stream to more fine-tuned features like photo filters ala Instagram. There is even a plan on taking the app to iOS depending on how the Android app performs. Given that the app is only noted to have download nubmers between 500 to 1,000, it's not exactly encouraging. Then again, our Internet is already over-saturated with selfies, as much as it is with cat pics. Do we really need to put up a shrine dedicated to it?


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Download: Selfies on Google Play Store

VIA: TechCrunch





Sony kills off SUS software, points to PC Companion instead

If you have been a Sony smartphone fan for a while now – even in the early days of Sony Ericsson – you would be familiar with the Sony Update Service, or SUS (which before that was the SEUS). It was the definitive Windows PC software to get if you didn’t want to use Sony’s PC Companion, but now we can tell you with certainty that the SUS is dead.



The SUS was a software for Windows PC that allowed you to update the firmware of your Sony handset without using PC Companion – and all those bells and whistles. It was just a straight-up service for updating the firmware of your device. That’s why we liked it so much, but now Sony has announced that they will stopping support for the software.


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You want proof? Well, this here is proof – when you access the Sony Update Service website, you get this message:



"As from 21st July 2014, the Update Service application is no longer supported. To update the software in your device, use PC Companion instead."



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To make it clear though, if you have a version of the SUS installed, it will still work. But for how long, though? Sony may have realized that a lot of Xperia handset owners prefer the SUS software to the PC Companion, so in the meantime, the company has kept the server side connections open. But that might really not be for long. If you still want a copy of the software, check out the source link for the download locations.


VIA: Xperia Blog





Firefly Online gets original cast as voice actors for game

Firefly is probably the one Joss Whedon creation that can claim cult geek classic status, and so the Android spinoff game Firefly Online – announced at last year’s Comic Con – has, potentially, a very lucrative market base to start with. The hype will most likely move towards positive as they have announced this year that the game will feature original cast members as voice actors.



When the game was announced in 2013, the reactions to the game – honestly speaking – ranged from “ho-hum” to “meh”, mainly because of the game’s substandard visuals at that point. I mean, they were at Comic Con, so they were pretty much pressured to impress, but they didn’t achieve those heights.


This year, the game developers showed another video, with a bit more detail into the game (more on this later). But the major announcement was that the cast of the original series will be coming to the game development to do voice acting for their original characters within the game. That should put a little bit more momentum to the development.




The game, as discussed by the video above, may have illusions of gaming grandeur to the scale of EVE Online, that space MMORPG of epic proportions. We doubt that Firefly Online, at the onset, would have the same kind of complexity and depth. But there certainly is potential for the game franchise to grow. We’ll be waiting for more details as the launch nears. Watch this space (pun intended, of course).


VIA: Android Central





Trend Micro retracts exaggerated Play Store malware claim

We are most likely used to how companies tend to bend the truth a bit to sell their products, but sometimes things can get quite out of hand. That might just be the case when Trend Micro published a blog post which painted a picture of Google Play Store that was too horrifying to be true, only to later "clarify" the exact point that the cyber security firm was trying to make.



100% of free apps filed under the Widgets, Media & Video, and Finance group in Google Play Store are fake. 90% of those under Business, Music & Audio, Weather are fake. 70% of apps grouped under Games, Books & Reference, Live Wallpapers are fake. And 51% of those fake apps are malicious. We will not claim that the Android platform is immune to malware, much less fake apps, as our security tag portal can attest to. But these figures really border on plain ridiculous. 100% is 100% and that doesn't really leave any room for popular and verified authentic apps like HD Widgets, Muzei, MX Player, and more. Even if Trend Micro qualified these as covering only free apps, the numbers still won't add up.


TechRepublic did its own malware test just to check out those figures and, suffice it to say, even Trend Micro's own anti-malware suite did not report those same frightening results. They reached out to Trend Micro's PR company who promptly informed them of a subtle update to the blog post. Now it says at the very bottom, long after people have read the rather misleading claims, that the fake apps were actually gathered from third party sources and not from Google Play Store. Trend Micro supposedly wanted to highlight the dangers of installing apps from untrusted sources, which is definitely true. That said, neither the original report nor the blog post have been updated to reflect this fact.


We realize that Trend Micro wants to make people want to buy or use their software by painting a less than idyllic picture of Google Play Store, but the rather extreme tactics of FUD (Fear, Uncertain, and Doubt) went out of fashion decades ago. While there might be a good number of users who will be swayed by these numbers, the rest of the Internet to which Trend Micro is preaching might be less susceptible, or even less forgiving.


SOURCE: Trend Micro (1), (2)

VIA: TechRepublic





Thomas Was Alone game now available on Android devices

Who knew you could get that much drama and fun from a few geometrically-shaped objects with artificial intelligence? The BAFTA award-winning game Thomas Was Alone has now arrived on Android devices and mobile game enthusiasts can now be treated to the game that IGN called "the most endearingly characterful game about jumping rectangles that you will ever play.”



The indie puzzle video game has been in existence since 2010 when it was first introduced as a Flash-based browser game. It eventually expanded into Microsoft Windows and Mac and even made its way to gaming consoles like the PlayStation (3 and Vita versions). This year it has finally found its way to the mobile platform and can now be played on your Android smartphone or tablet of choice.


The game is as minimalist and as simple as the title itself. Thomas is actually a “curious rectangle”, who along with other shapes in its computer mainframe universe, have become out of control and even gained personalities because of an Event that happened. The players can choose to be one of the shapes, even the eponymous Thomas, and go through levels and puzzles until you reach the endpoint for each character. There are 100 levels in this minimalist game that is all “about friendship and jumping.”


The game is available at a discounted price of $3.99 until July 28, but afterwards, it will go back to its regular price of $5.99. It also comes with the Benjamin’s Flight level pack, an additional 20 levels of games as you follow another shape named, you guess it, Benjamin as he searches for the Fountain of Wisdom. Download Thomas Was Alone now from the Google Play Store.




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