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Acer to give Iconia tablet new lease at life

Acer is putting out another player to mix it up with the budget tablet market as it gives its Iconia brand tablets another chance. The Iconia A3-A20 mixes entry level specs with a sleek new look to give the 10.1-inch tablet a fresh aesthetic. The question is really, will this strategy work?



The problem really is that mediocre specs make for mediocre performance. The new Iconia will be powered by a MediaTek 1.3 GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM. Those will push pixels to a 1280x800 HD screen, thankfully a decent resolution to view your HD movies. Users will have a choice of either 16GB or 32GB internal storage.


There is a 5MP rear camera, coupled with your usual connectivity features – USB, Bluetooth, WiFi, and an HDMI out for viewing on a bigger screen. One of the few new features is a 2MP front-facing camera for semi-blurry selfies. Acer has also deemed the new tablet worthy to run Android 4.4 KitKat.


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Aesthetically, there is a lot to like about the Iconia A3-A20 – the sleek looks make up for the hiccups and performance bottlenecks that will be sure to happen if you push the entry-level specs of this device to the limit. But at the USD$270 price tag, you probably will understand that you get what you pay for, if not a little less so.


VIA: SlashGear





Meizu MX4 leak reveal narrow bezels, familiar design

Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and OnePlus have all had their piece, so now its Chinese OEM Meizu's time to take center stage. A batch of leaked photos of its upcoming Meizu MX4 flagship has recently surfaced, showing company's design vision for its next smartphone, which honestly is starting to look like an amalgamation of some very popular and identifiable smartphone designs.



To be fair, the MX4 looks quite similar to the MX3, but the same can be said of both smartphones anyway. The very rounded corners and top speaker grill and cameras hint at a Samsung smartphone, while the paint of white (or black in some cases) paired with a circular home button calls to mind Apple's design. There have been some comments that the Meizu MX4 looks similar to the recently unveiled Xiaomi Mi 4, but that isn't doing it any favors, as the latter has also been criticized for playing up to Apple's design. The MX4 does have impressively thin bezels, but the seemingly raised frame keeps it from looking like an HTC One as well.


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In terms of hardware specs, there are two sets floating around, one for a base model and one for a so-called premium variant. One set has a rather strange 1800x1080 resolution display, powered by an MT6595 MediaTek octa-core processor. The high-end version is more ambitious, said to carry a 5.4-inch QHD screen and running on a Samsung Exynos 5433, almost the same specs expected to be seen in the upcoming Galaxy Note 4, except for the screen size. Both models are also believed to sport 3 GB of RAM, a 20.7 megapixel rear camera, and an 8 megapixel shooter on the front.


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Those are definitely interesting specs, some of which may sound too good to be true. Meizu is expected to unveil the MX4 next month around IFA 2014, so we'll be waiting to see if these hardware, plus whatever features Meizu might be throwing in, would be enough for the smartphone to rub shoulders with the brands and devices it seems to be trying to identify with.


SOURCE: Weibo (1), (2)

VIA: GSMArena


Google launches four Android Wear ads

It may only have two smartwatches (soon to three) running under its platform but Android Wear may soon be the most popular one for wearables. With Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch and the entry this summer of the Moto 360, the first round face smartwatch, it is poised to slowly gain in popularity, at least for the Android community. Google uploaded four new ads on their YouTube channel, showcasing the capabilities and beauty of smartwatches running on Android Wear.



The new videos are vastly different from the mostly technical ones that Google has been posting on their channel. This time around, they are like TV spots that show how you’ll be able to incorporate Android Wear into your everyday life. The longest one clocks at 30 seconds and is a lovely compilation of how different people and lifestyles will be able to use smartwatches. Each different scene is interconnected with visual and aural cues.




The other three videos are shorter, and talks about specific capabilities of Android Wear. “Safari at a glance" shows a woman in a safari using voice search on her smartwatch to find out information right then and there.




“Fashionably late at a glance” shows a woman using the voice feature of her smartwatch to send a text message.




“Surf’s up at a glance” meanwhile shows a guy checking on the traffic through Google Now on Android Wear before deciding to go back to surf again.




We’re not sure if these ads will make their way to TV screens but for now, you can enjoy them on YouTube, while dreaming of having your own Android Wear device, if you don’t have one yet. Anticipation is high for the release of the Moto 360, as it’s also the first one to have ambient light sensor. It’s expected to come out worldwide during the summer.


SOURCE: YouTube Google





Surgeon Simulator now out on Android

The very “tasteful” PC game Surgeon Simulator – a favorite of budding medical practitioners and human body mutilators alike – is finally out on Android via the Google Play Store. Heaven help us, all the surgical maniacs are rejoicing. This very… err, interesting franchise gained cult status when it launched on PC, and now game developers Bossa Studios Ltd. are saying that the Android game should be just as fun.



Going past the blood, gore, and body parts, there is a certain hilarity to the game, and that is why it has become such a hit with fans. The game once again puts the lives of hopeful patients in your “knowledgeable” hands, and you can of course choose to save their lives, or mercilessly butcher them. Your call, really.


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It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea (*insert gagging here*), but if this is your kind of game, then go for it. The London-based Bossa Studios said that they have relished porting the gameplay to handhelds, and that users will surely have to rely on their nimble fingers. We are pretty sure this is going to be heck difficult.


In addition to the heart and double kidney operations which are a staple in the original game, the Android game brings the more technical – if you want to call it that, but knowing you morbid animals out there, we’re pretty sure you’re gonna love mucking these up – and hideous eye and teeth transplants. Quick, check out the source link – should be a USD$6.99 download for you.


SOURCE: Google Play Store





Now Browser Extended brings power to lightest web browser

Just because you're lightweight doesn't have to mean that you're weak. This is the philosophy that Now Browser is adopting with its new Extended Program, a new version of what is billed as the lightest web browser for Android that adds a ton of new power features while still remaining small, agile, and simple.



Now Browser, briefly called Material Browser because of its adoption of Android L's new aesthetics, brought the promise of an extremely fast and extremely small mobile web browser, occupying only around 160 KB, more or less, of your storage space. The app existed in two tiers, a free version and paid pro one. In truth, however, much of the potential of Now Browser is really only unlocked with the pro version, which gave access to the Now Browser Rendering Engine, Javascrpt Super Fast Mode, Web File compressor, and unlimited tabs.


Now Browser Extended is a new tier that brings even more features to the fold, a veritable laundry list of much desired functionality found in most fully featured and heavyweight web browsers. Just to whet your appetite, there's AdBlock support, Tor proxy support, unlimited tabs for Web File compressor (not just regular tabs), and Immersive mode. There are some new features that you'd expect to be in any regular browser but are only making their way to Now Browser via the Extended Program, things like bookmarks management and even Find in Page. But wait, there's more! FlashPlayer support for KitKat devices is also noted to be in the works. Spport for Flash is actually already present in both free Basic and Pro versions of Now Browser, but limited to Android 4.1 devices and older due to Google's new policy. This feature would then enable the same capability devices running the latest Android version.


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Now Browser Extended, however, doesn't come with a free or even trial version. You will have to pay $1.86 up front to get your hands on these very desirable features. It might be a worthwhile investment, however, as the developer is accepting requests for more features to be added in the future.


Download: Now Browser Extended on Google Play Store

VIA: XDA


Om One stands out with a levitating Bluetooth speaker

With so many Bluetooth speakers available in the market, those who are not content with having a simple one would always look out for the most unique devices out there. The Om One Bluetooth speaker is ready to stand out from among the rest, as it has a levitating orb that would fascinate observers, while also providing sound quality that would rival the best ones out there.



It is not magic that makes the orb speaker levitate, but rather the simple power of magnets. A Neo magnet is located at the bottom of the orb, which in turn reacts to the electromagnet of the speaker base, making it float in the air just above it. You can connect the speaker to your phone, computer or wherever else you store your music, as long as it has Bluetooth 4.0. The speaker has “world class true stereo sound” and if you happen to have another levitating orb speaker floating around, you can pair them to give you an even better true sound experience.


You can also use the Om One speaker to pick up your calls just like a speaker phone, since it has a microphone built in. So you can pretend to be talking to a floating orb, just like what you saw in an old science fiction film. In terms of power, it claims to have improved battery life since it only uses 3 watts as opposed to most speakers that use around 10 watts.




The Om One speaker is also very portable so you can bring it anywhere you want and show it off to your friends. However, your desk or study table is probably the perfect spot for it, as it could also be decorative aside from functional. The speakers will be available later this year and is expected to cost around $179 in retail stores.


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SOURCE: Om One


VIA: SlashGear


HTC outs the One M8 PHUNK limited edition

What’s more premium than premium? Well, considering that the HTC One M8 is probably the best Android phone you can get out there (OnePlus One users might argue that, but nevertheless), a limited edition offer on HTC’s flagship might be the only improvement you can get barring a next-gen upgrade. So HTC gives you a limited editiom HTC One M8, with which it worked with Singapore-based art studio PHUNK to give it an… err, funky look.



PHUNK is HTC’s first partner for the “Here’s to Creativity” campaign they’re running this year. The plan will be to partner with studios such as PHUNK to give its handsets a sort of artsy creative theme. For the One M8, PHUNK is going with “Wonderment” as the theme. This now reflected in the laser-etched art design on the premium metal back of the One M8. Behold.


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No doubt about it, the design is an enhancement to an already premium-feel phone like the One M8. To partner your new back design, PHUNK also rolled out a couple of wallpapers to match. No sense in having a great design on the back and put your favorite LOLcat wallpaper upfront, right?


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So how do we get one? Not easily, wethinks. HTC reveals that there are only 64 of these babies created, hence the “limited edition" tag. From what it looks like, they might be given out as prizes for contests that HTC will be running. You may want to keep an eye out for those online ads that point to an HTC contest, because you might just be bringing home one of these funky HTC One M8’s.


VIA: SlashGear





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