CASE Remote: Android device as wireless DSLR controller

Even with the advent of mobile photography due to the massive improvement of smartphone cameras, there is still nothing better for old school photographers than to have a DSLR in their hands. But sometimes, lugging around and controlling that massive camera can be a pain in the neck, especially when you’re trying to get a rather difficult shot. CASE Remote wants to help solve that problem by turning your Android device into a wireless remote controller for your DSLR.

The small 2x2 device may look like the power adaptor of a Macbook but serves as the connection between your DSLR and your Android smartphone or tablet. You mount it on top of the camera using a hot shoe or 1/4 screw hole. Then you download the CASE app on your device, and you’re all set to remotely control your camera. You will get a live view of what can be found on the DSLR’s viewfinder and you can also control several settings, including focus, magnification, aperture and other parameters. You can also set it up so that the GPS will be embedded in the photo.

Once you’ve captured the image, you can now directly share it with your friends (or touch it up with your photo editor of choice) on your different apps and social networks. CASE Remote is very convenient to have if you want to take weird or difficult angled shots, macro photography, wildlife photography (you don’t really want to be up close and personal with some animals right?) and even for the time lapse effect. Their site indicates that they support Canon and Nikon DSLRs but they say that is still not the complete list, so we can expect more updates soon.

The creators of CASE Remote have already reached their target goal on IndieGoGo with over 400 backers but they opened up Round Two to try and get more people on board. They have finished mass production and plan to ship it out to their backers by next month. Then by September, they will be selling it online, so even if you didn’t back them up, you can still purchase this wireless DSLR remote for your photography pleasure.

SOURCE: IndieGoGo

Nokia Z Launcher sees first update, welcomes new testers

Nokia, yes the real Nokia or what's left of it, has just announced the first ever major update to the pre-beta version of its search-centric self-learning Z Launcher homescreen replacement. In this round, the developers have implemented a few of the most requested features and ironed out some kinks to performance and the launcher's learning abilities.

Z Launcher tries to make it easy to find your apps, contacts, and even web searches, using drawing gestures to spell out words. However, it wasn't so straightforward to actually manage them. This update changes that, somewhat. First up is the new ability to configure your Favorites, the four apps that appear at the bottom, via drag and drop, said to be the #2 most requested feature from users. However, the implementation isn't exactly as obvious as you might think. You will have to tap and hold on the icon of the app, not the name, to start the process. Also note that there is only a maximum of 4 apps allowed on the Favorites. Even if it looks like the existing icons are moving around to make room for the new one, it will really just be replaced.

The other feature is the ability to hide apps from the suggestions listed on the homescreen. You can do this by tapping and holding on the name, not the icon this time, and then tapping on the hide option at the right edge. This same gesture will give users an Uninstall option when done from the full Applications list. To unhide an app, that is to allow it be listed again, go to the Applications list, look for the app, tap and hold (on the name), and select Unhide.

Z Launcher has also gained some optimizations in how it tries to learn from the habits and patterns of users. For example, now it takes into account WiFi SSIDs so that it will learn about and suggest different apps depending on the network you're connected to. It also tries to get deeper insight into how you use your phone and your apps to be able to make better suggestions. Some people might be uncomfortable with this aspect of the launcher but, since this is part of the bread and butter of Z Launcher, they might as well look for something else.

Z Launcher is still in limited pre-beta status, but Nokia is opening the testing stage to more willing users, of course still a bit limited. Those who want to apply for the trial should take note of two requirements. The first is that you need to have a Google Account. The second is that Z Launcher currently doesn't support root, so if you have a rooted device, better wait for the day that it will.

SOURCE: Z Launcher (1), (2)

The Best Free Android Apps in Amazon's New Two-Day Giveaway

The Amazon Appstore already gives away one free app each day, but today it's decided give away 30 apps, worth a combined total of $100, for free to anyone with an Android phone. Here are the pick of the bunch that you should download first.

Read more...

Verizon releases Kyocera Brigadier with Sapphire Shield

With rumours swirling about that the new iPhone will be using sapphire crystal glass for its display screen among others, it seems that another OEM has gotten ahead of them. Verizon has officially announced that the Kyocera Brigadier, which has the sought after Sapphire Shield, is now available exclusively with the carrier.

While the Japanese brand may not be at the forefront of mobile devices, Kyocera released a teaser video a few days ago showing just how tough the sapphire display really is. The Brigadier specs are not on par with most new Android phones now, but it is pretty decent. It has a 4.5-inch screen with a 720p display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and runs on a 1.4GHz quad core SOC.

But remember that Kyocera manufactures smartphones that are for rough terrain and this one is no different as it has a lot of great ruggedisation features. It has IP68 dust and water resistance and can be submerged up to 30 minutes in six feet of water without suffering any damage. It is US MIL-STD-810G-rated which means it has protection against several environmental conditions like strong vibration and temperature extremes. But of course everyone is looking forward to the Sapphire Shield, which is "virtually scratchproof" and can even survive if you drop it screen-first onto rocks below.

Verizon is offering the Brigadier at $99 under a 2-year agreement and at $19.99/month if you want to split it into 20 payments. The price is not bad, despite the aforementioned simple specs, since you could expect to keep the phone for years due to its "rugged good looks".

SOURCE: Verizon

LG G Vista arrives with Verizon Wireless

After few leaked photos and details, Verizon Wireless has officially launched the LG G Vista, which comes with a 5.7-inch qHD display (960 x 540) and Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The phablet is slightly larger than the 5.5-inch LG G3, but share the similar back buttons design.

Available at $99.99 with 2 year service contract, the G Vista is powered by a 1.2GHz quad core processor. If you would like to get it without contract, the full retail price will be $399.99. Other specs include a 1.5GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, microSD card slot, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n and a 3200 mAh Li-Ion battery. Although there isn’t any specific processor info on the Verizon page, the LG G Vista’s processor should be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 according to previous leaks.

Like LG G3, the G Vista has rear key control for power and volume adjustment. There is no Laser Auto Focus and dual LED flash on G Vista. Instead, it comes with a 8 megapixel camera, single LED flash and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera.

Along with the new minimalistic GUI with Android KitKat, LG’s unique tools like QuickMemo, QSlide 2.0, Knock Code and Mini View are available on G Vista too. Improving on KnockON, Knock Code allows you to set a pattern of taps to wake up and unlock your phone from standby mode.

Check out this page on Verizon Wireless for more info

Better Open With gives more knobs when opening files

It's great that Android doesn't tie you down to a specific app for different types of files, but sometimes the default "Complete Action With" behavior is annoying, if not limited. For those who want a bit more control over this part of the Android OS, Better Open With gives you better options, including the option not to do anything at all.

The Android platform is already powerful and flexible enough that it will present you with a list of compatible apps when opening a certain file type and even lets you set the default app for that action. However, there might be cases when you want to use a different app from time to time but having to choose an app every time can also be equally cumbersome. There are also times when you click on a link or file and don't realize that the Complete Action With window popped up. It is exactly for those situations that Better Open With was made.

When you select Better Open With as the default app for opening files, you do still get the Complete Action With window, except now you have a few more features available. For one, there is a configurable timeout that will automatically select your preferred app when you don't do anything after, say, 5 seconds. You can also set your favorite app for each file type right from Better Open With, so you won't have to wait for the system to ask you about it when the time comes. This gives you more flexibility when opening files but at the same time lets you be lazy and it will still take action even if you don't.

Better Open With also has other customizations options, like choosing between light and dark color schemes to match your theme or choosing between a list or a grid view when displaying available apps. The app is completely free, comes with no adds, but is still in beta. The developer already has a todo list of upcoming features, including basic ones like sorting apps, hiding apps, or even just more supported filetypes.

Download: Better Open With on Google Play Store

VIA: XDA

Marvel Contest of Champions game promises many things

The annual San Diego Comic Con just passed us by, so naturally some are up to their ears in news, gossip, and teasers on what's what or what will be what in the comics industry. Not to be outdone in the mobile industry as well, Marvel let it be known that it will have a mobile game coming this Fall. But will Contest of Champions be able to match up to the promises that it makes.

Contest of Champions is a one on one arcade-style fighting game. There will be attacks in three intensities of light, medium, and heavy. There will be also be combos and special powers. But we've seen that type of mobile game before. Marvel, however, promises that there will be no virtual buttons or joysticks to mash. Controls will be "intuitive", but that term has been misused and abused more times than we care to count. It can also mean anything. Hopefully it won't just be a twitch-based swiping disappointment that was Injustice.

Contest of Champions has multiplayer as well as RPG elements. Considering how much we're inundated with multiplayer games ranging from competing indirectly via leaderboards to dishing it out in arenas, we can perhaps be forgiven for being more interested in the RPG part of the equation. There will be a story mode, not just one that feels artificially slapped on, but one that is deep, engaging, and memorable. Or so Marvel says. In charge of this aspect of the game is Marvel's own Sam Humphries, responsible for such story arcs and titles such as Avengers A.I., Ultimates, Uncanny X-Force, and John Carter, just to name a few.

Contest of Champions will be based on a classic Marvel universe event of the same name. There have actually been two Contest of Champions, though we'll presume they were referring to the older 1982 one. After all, classic means classic, right? Either way, the basic premise of both series is the same: heroes and villains get to dish it out against each other in one on one battles, fighting either for the fate of the universe or for their very lives. Or even both. What this means, though, is that the mobile game will have a rich roster of Marvel characters to pull from. We already see some staples in the screenshots and the trailer below, including Captain America, The Vision, Spiderman, Mohawk Storm, Deadpool, The Hulk, Thor, Blackbolt, Daredevil and many, many more. There's a promise of more to come from teams such as the Avengers, Thunderbolts, X-Men, Inhumans, Guardians of The Galaxy, the Brotherhood, and X-Force.

This definitely sounds like a checklist for "the best Marvel mobile game ever" and we seriously hope that Marvel and mobile game developer Kabam, of The Hobbit and Wartune fame, will be able to live up to that. This isn't (yet) a movie tie-in, unlike Marvel's existing games, so there is hope that it will be different from all the Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America titles out there. In any case, expect Contest of Champions to burst into action sometime this Fall.

SOURCE: Marvel

VIA: Droid Gamers

Story Timeline

• Iron Man 3 game Review: what you need to know


• Injustice: Gods Among Us finally hits Android but isn't the game you were expecting


• Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a cel-shaded team-based action game


• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 game has you slinging over a gorgeous New York


• Spider-Man: Unlimited mobile game unveiled ahead of E3