Samsung lets you charge three devices in new wall charger

Gone are the days when you would just need one USB wall charger since you only have one device that you need to charge. But since most people now carry multiple devices, and you cannot of course monopolise all the wall outlets at any given places, you would need a contraption that can power all your devices (or at least three of them). Samsung brings you its Multi-Charging Wall Charger, whose name explains itself already.

The charger allows up to three micro-USB devices to be charged all at the same time. It has a 2A charge that will be divided evenly among the three devices. So if you have your smartphone, bluetooth device and a wearable plugged in all the same time, they will each receive 667mA, which isn’t much really, especially if you’re in a hurry to have all of them fully charged.

If it’s just two devices, then they’ll each get 1A of charging. And if you’re good in math, you’d know that just plugging in one device means it will receive all of the charger’s 2A power. But that kind of defeats the purpose of having a multi-charging wall charger right? But nevertheless, the charger detects just how many devices are plugged in and then optimally adjusts the distribution of power among or between the devices.

The charger is still “coming soon” and will available for purchase from the Samsung website for $39.99. That seems a bit steep for just a charging cable, but if you feel the need to have a portable and optimized multi-charging cable, then maybe you’d be willing to spend that much for this latest Samsung accessory.

SOURCE: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy NX roams the earth with Rover project

One small step for Samsung, a thousand giant steps for mankind (well, at least those who love photography). Inspired by the NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, the OEM built a similar contraption to put its Galaxy NX camera on the road in different parts of the world to be able to let people remotely take pictures of places and events and send you the pictures instantly and upload them directly on the database.

The Samsung NX Rover is a combination of a photography and social experiment. Using the 4G connection of the Android-powered camera, the photos that you take remotely, controlled online and in real-time, are sent to you directly from the camera. This is one of the best things about the NX camera series, as it allows direct sharing onto social networks and other sites without having to save photos onto your hard drive.

Covering such events as the London Super Comic Con and a game at the home stadium of German and European champions FC Bayern, the Rover project announced in advance the “shooting schedule” so that those who wanted to participate would be online. They also teamed up with Getty Images and three famous photographers, (Gareth Cattermole, Julian Finney, and Ian Gavan) to do a little tutorial on how best to use the Samsung NX cameras to take action, portrait and landscape shots.

The Galaxy NX camera is a 20.3MP APS-C Sensor gadget that has a 1/6000 sec shutter speed and 8.6fps shooting capability, plus several connectivity options as well. As of now, there is announcement of a new event yet where you can test out the traveling robot, but you’ll be able to view the galleries of past events on the Samsung Galaxy NX Rover official site.

SOURCE: Samsung

Story Timeline

• Samsung Galaxy NX camera kit priced ahead of October release


• Samsung Galaxy NX camera spotted at FCC


• Samsung Galaxy NX camera arrives in the US

ZTE nubia 5S mini arrives in the US, unlocked and with LTE

ZTE is bringing yet another of its rare smartphones to the US, this time offering it without any carrier support or subsidy. The nubia 5S mini's 13 megapixel camera and focus on digital photography features, however, might make it a more interesting pick compared to the manufacturer's previous devices, even or especially those limited edition marketing gimmicks.

The nubia 5S mini LTE, a name that is likely to cause some confusion, is, for all intents and purposes, a mid-range device. It runs on a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, expandable up to 32 GB via a microSD card. The 4.7-inch 1280x720 display might not sound impressive, but ZTE boasts that it has applied Sharp's power-saving IGZO technology. It is powered by a 2,000 mAh battery and is compatible with US LTE networks. Unfortunately, it only uses Android 4.3 instead of the latest KitKat.

While the specs may sound mediocre or decent at best, ZTE is selling this device more as a camera-centric smartphone than an Android powerhouse. The 13-megapixel rear camera comes with a BSI sensor and an F2.2 aperture, is made up of five pieces of precision optical lens and protected by sapphire glass. The front piece is no underdog either with a 5 megapixel sensor. Of course, there are various software features designed to take advantage of that hardware, including different camera modes for different needs, editing and filter effects, as well as a "smile trigger" for easier selfies. ZTE is claiming to offer a DSLR-like photography experience with controls and photo editing capabilities.

ZTE will be selling the nubia 5S mini LTE unlocked through Amazon. The company claims that this shows its confidence in its product, meaning that they're confident users will buy them without the help of US carriers. The smartphone costs $279.99 and comes in only one color configuration of white with black front bezels. The nubia 5S mini LTE will officially launch on August 27 but is already available today for pre-order from Amazon.

SOURCE: ZTE

Huawei teases Sept 4 announcement of Ascend Mate7

While we’re still wondering whatever happened to numbers 3-6, the official announcement of Huawei’s Ascend Mate7 (the follow-up to the Ascend Mate2) is definitely pushing through on September 4 during the IFA in Berlin. The Chinese OEM has sent out teaser-invites for the event, although we’re once again confused as to why there are neon cats included in it.

The images are actually from a PowerPoint presentation and shows several clues as to what the Ascend Mate7 (or maybe other products that will also be announced) may be like. The photo of a fingerprint being scanned may be a reference to the security biometrics of the Ascend Mate7 and a “mystery smartphone” that was leaked earlier this week, which showed a fingerprint scanner at the back. There are also photos of an eight-speed transmission (probably to refer to the smartphone’s speed), the silhouette of a 7 (obviously), and mysteriously, several neon cats (Is there a special cat game installed? Is the phone going to be shaped like a cat? Is the graphic artist who made the teasers just a big cat person?)

Not much is known about the Ascend Mate7, except for a few leaked details. It will reportedly be a 6-inch smartphone which will run on Kirin 920. The main camera will be at 13 megapixels while the front-facing one will have a relatively high 5MP one. There will reportedly be two variants of the smartphone, with one having a 2k resolution and 3GB RAM while the other one has just a 1080p display and 2GB RAM.

All will be revealed in just a few weeks when Huwaei will announce what the cats really mean. And of course, what the Ascend Mate7 and maybe other gadgets will also be officially announced during the event in Berlin on September 4.

Story Timeline

• Leaked Huawei Ascend D3 photos betray a familiar design


• Huawei skips digits, Ascend Mate7 slated for Sept. 4


• Huawei mystery smartphone leaked with fingerprint scanner

Sony Xperia Z3 spotted in TENAA with Z2 specs

Stop the endless hardware specs race. Sony is planning to prove you that they can bring you a great Xperia Z3 with a similar Z2 internal hardware. With Sony’s official press event coming in 2 weeks, its Xperia Z3 is now certified by TENAA in China, listed as L55t and L55u models with different network bands.

According to the previous rumor, Xperia Z3 has an internal code name "L55t". The L55t from TENAA supports TD-SCDMA, TD-LTE network, while the L55u model supports WCDMA and TD-LTE network. As listed in the filing details, Xperia Z3 will be powered by a quad core 2.5GHz processor, comes with 5.2-inch Full HD IPS display, Android 4.4.x KitKat, 3GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSDXC card slot, Bluetooth, FM Radio, WiFi and GPS. There is also a 20.7 megapixel camera, and a 2 megapixel front facing camera. A screenshot from this leak has further revealed the processor to be Qualcomm MSM8974AC with Adreno 330 GPU.

As you can see from the above comparison tablet, Xperia Z3 and Z2’s internal hardware is almost identical except a faster Qualcomm processor. The main changes should be the phone design, at least it is slimmer and lighter with Xperia Z3. What’s not listed in TENAA certification is the rugged protection. The existing Xperia Z2 is protected with IP55/IP58, while we expect the Xperia Z3 to be equipped with the same durability feature too. It is not sure if Sony will take the protection to the next level with IP65/IP68 – which they just did it for Sony Xperia M2 Aqua this week.

Sony has scheduled its press event on September 3rd, be sure to follow us for live event coverage and other IFA 2014 announcements!

SOURCE: Tenaa (1), (2)

Photos from previous leak

Story Timeline

• More Sony Xperia Z3 pics leak, this time with details


• Sony Xperia M2 Aqua takes waterproofing to budget level


• Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact named in user manual

Swing Copters is now here to seduce and frustrate you

So that dreaded day has finally arrived. .GEARS ("dot gears"), the studio owned by Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen, has finally unleashed Swing Copters to the masses. Now we wait and see whether this game will be yet another hit like its predecessor, though the absence of in-app purchases should at least give you and your wallet some peace of mind.

Just the other day, we got a glimpse of Nguyen's next game, Swing Copters. The game still wears that Super Mario-esque visuals that was part of Flappy Bird's appeal. The goal of the game sounds simple enough. You have to navigate your character, who wears a propeller hat, through ascending levels of obstacles which you, of course, have to avoid, lest you plunge to your comedic death. That said, they always say that the devil is in the details, and that is especially true in this case.

The game is absolutely deceptive in its simplicity. Tapping launches your oddball character and further taps changes his (or her?) direction. Easier said than done, however, as you will sometimes have to tap like crazy to control its (or his or her) speedy ascent. To call it frustrating would be an understatement. But that is, once again, it's appeal. Frustration leads to challenge, and challenge leads to addiction. Plus, the somewhat hilarious way you fall to your death slightly removes the pain of failure and sometimes makes it even more worthwhile.

As mentioned, Swing Copters is available, on Google Play Store, without any price strings attached. There is, however, an ad space at the top that appears only when menus also appear. Beware, however, of imitations, as there are many who would wish to capitalize on its creator's popularity and mislead unwitting users to their own doom.

Download: Swing Copters on Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• Flappy Bird is returning, and it's all your fault


• Flappy Bird is back with more obstacles, multiplayer fun


• Flappy Bird creator to come out with new game: Swing Copters

Google Glass firmware updated, new design patented

With Android Wear off to a solid start, it's time to turn our eyes again on some of Google's well-known but still unreleased projects, namely, Google Glass. This week we're seeing some interesting news surrounding the eyewear, including the addition of a long overdue feature as well as hints at a more acceptable new design.

Google Glass XE20.1, which is what the upcoming update is believed to be called, will finally allow users to access their full list of contacts. If that has you surprised, it has us baffled as well why Google initially limited contacts access to 10. Surely you have and would want to reach more than ten people from your fancy spectacles. In any case, the full list now comes via Google Contacts and offers owners access to Hangouts accounts, email addresses or phone numbers. The 20 most recently used and/or starred contacts are given special treatment, as they can be accessed via voice commands.

Perhaps more interesting to those who still don't have Google Glass in their hands is a patent that hints at how Google might want to proceed with the smart eyewear's future design. Glass currently sports a very conspicuous and sci-fi-ish look that might appeal to some users, but the general consensus seems to be that it is butt ugly. The patent shows that Google wants to hide the components of Glass behind the frame instead of sticking them on the outside. It seems that the camera has also been separated and now located on the opposite side of the frame.

Of course, this is so far only a patent, which isn't an assurance that an actual implementation is already in the works. That said, it might just be the change that Google Glass needs before it goes on retail. The initial hype and interest around Google Glass has seemingly mellowed down, which might not be good as an indicator of possible market reception. And while this change in design might sit well with would be owners of the device, it might rouse up even more concern from law enforcers, policy makers, and establishment owners who might prefer Google Glass to actually be more conspicuous for the sake of privacy and security.

VIA: SlashGear (1), (2)

Story Timeline

• Google Glass XE18.3 update begins rolling out


• Google Glass XE19.1 improves connectivity and interface


• Lenovo announces Google Glass rival, push for collaboration