Subscribe:

Ads 468x60px

Labels

Malaysian retailer advertises availability of Samsung Galaxy Mega 2

Though there has been no formal announcement from Samsung regarding this newest phablet, apparently the Galaxy Mega 2 is now available in Malaysia through authorised reseller SenHeng. Unless they jumped the gun in advertising the smartphone’s availability, this indicates that they are the first country to have officially released the newest member of the Galaxy family.



Well, it seems more likely that there was some confusion in when the ad should be published, because as per the Samsung Malaysia website, there is still no listing for the Samsung Galaxy Mega 2. The ad was spotted in a local newspaper in Malaysia and on the SenHeng website and advertises that it is available for RM1,299 which is around $410. The ad was also offering a special deal if you use a Maybank credit card to buy the smartphone with their Easy Installment Plan. For comparison, the previously released Samsung Galaxy Mega was priced at RM1,599 or around $505, which makes Galaxy Mega 2 almost $100 cheaper.


In terms of specifications, the ad lists the phone as having a 6” HD TFT display, powered by a Quad Core 1.5GHZ processor and has an 8MP rear camera. It has 1.5GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which probably explains why the Galaxy Mega is more expensive, since it has 16GB. Previously leaked details about the Galaxy Mega 2 have shown different specs. The first leak from a TENAA certification showed it had 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm, 2GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, rear camera at 13MP and front camera at 5MP. The 2nd leaked specs had 1.5GHz quad-core Pega Pro, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8MP rear camera and 2.1MP front camera.


140824-samsung-galaxy-mega-2-official-senheng-malaysia


The Malaysian ad offers the Galaxy Mega 2 and two other Samsung smartphones for the Maybank instalment. You get 1 month free instalment on a 24 months duration, and will also get free dual car charger and a 10,000mAh power bank as well. We’ll be finding out in the next few days whether this was a legit offer or if they were not authorised to release the ad this early, since Samsung has not done any formal announcement yet.


140824-samsung-galaxy-mega-2-official-senheng-newspaperad-resized


VIA: SoyaCincau





Chromecast root access achieved via Teensy boards

The Teensy USB Development Board made by PJRC is famous with DIY hobbyists, students, and budding computer engineers for its low-cost microcontroller chip and AVR processor, and for its easy usage via USB. The guys over at XDA have now used the earlier versions of the Teensy board – the Teensy 2.0 and the Teensy 2 ++ – to create an exploit that gives root access to your Chromecast device.



The process itself requires that you have in possession a Teensy 2.0 board or the slightly longer Teensy 2 ++ board. If you don’t have one, those are easily purchased via the PJRC links that are cited in the XDA forum thread (check the source link). There are also some software requirements that are linked on the thread, easily downloadable. You would also need a few cables – an OTG USB cable, and a USB-to-miniUSB for programming the Teensy board. Lastly, you would need a 1GB (at least) flash drive for flashing your Chromecast device.


The process is pretty straightforward and is clearly lined up in the thread. The exploit is guaranteed to work on Chromecast’s current software build, as well as new devices which haven’t been connected to the internet yet. Watch the demo below.




A logical question for non-techy users would be – what are the advantages of a rooted Chromecast? Well for one, you now have the ability to cast video from any Android phone or tablet to your Chromecast, whereas the original unrooted software would be very picky in the devices it allowed to cast to it. Then there’s audio casting, and using custom firmware to get even more out of your Chromecast. The warning, as always, is to research the heck out of the process before even trying it. But the payoff is ultimately sweet.


SOURCE: XDA





Koush reveals ADB GUI extension for Chrome

Google provides a very powerful Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool for interacting with an Android device, but the default interface is a rather geeky and, for some, a tad arcane. Koushik "koush" Dutta has just pre-announced a new tool that he has been working on that gives a fancy GUI to ADB, accessible via a Chrome web browser extension.



Installing the extension is easy but isn't the usual way you'd install Chrome extensions via the marketplace, at least for now. You download a ZIP archive and extract the contents into a folder of its own. Then in the Chrome browser's settings, you have to enable Developer mode and then click on Load unpacked extension and direct it to your extracted contents. Once installed, you can launch ADB either from the Extensions settings page or from Chrome's Apps page. Remember to stop any currently running ADB server before you do so, in case you have some already running.


chrome-adb-7


chrome-adb-8


Once everything has been setup properly, you will have access to almost all of ADB's functionality from a clean-looknig graphical interface. There are five tabs available. Packages lists all packages installed on the connected device and lets you do operations like clearing the data, uninstalling, forcibly stopping them. You can also into APKs from this space. The Controller tab lets you control your device right from within your browser window. A separate ChromeADB app on Google Play Store can be installed on the Android device which adds a mouse pad functionality in this tab. Process List simply enumerates the system-level process and apps running, but it doesn't let you do anything about them. App Memory Info and Disk Space do the same for memory space and file storage. These latter three do have some search functionality in them.


chrome-adb-2 chrome-adb-3 chrome-adb-4 chrome-adb-5 chrome-adb-6


At the moment, only the Nexus 5 is the officially supported device for Chrome ADB, but more will be added to the list soon. Koush will also be making a more proper release of the extension, adding it to the Chrome web store to make it easier to install and manage. This extension removed the need for users to install the Android SDK tools just to get access to ADB, making it a lot easier for anyone to tinker with their devices. It is noted, however, that on Windows, drivers still need to be installed for the extension to work.


SOURCE: +Koush


Android “L” seems to be all about a Lemon Meringue Pie

Are you craving for some lemon meringue pie? Well, Google seems to be hankering for some as more evidence seems to indicate that the upcoming Android release, codenamed Android L, will be called “LMP”. And since it has always been all about sweet nothings when it comes to naming Android updates, then the initials most likely stand for this tangy dessert, unless you can think of any other sweet that the LMP can mean.



Multiple sources indicate that the Android “L” is being referred to as “lmp” and since the final build isn’t available yet, Google most probably will not confirm nor deny this. Let’s look at all the “evidence” that shows that we will probably all be buying lemon merengue pie in the next few months as speculation continues to grow until the official release of “lmp”. The current preview builds for the Nexus 5 and 7 are referred to as the “lmp-preview-release” based on the extract from the Android SDK. Another document that supports this is the WiFi certification for HTC’s upcoming tablet called Volantis. In the specs sheet, the firmware is listed as LMP as well.


nexus2cee_wifi_thumb


Another key evidence for #teamLemonMeringuePie is the fact that when you search for the initials “lmp” on the Android Open Source Project repository, there are nine hits already. One of them even has LMP on its subject heading. However, it’s still not concrete proof that it will actually be called that, since the previous build was referred to as Key Lime Pie in internal documents, but ended up being called KitKat (probably for that weird tie-up with Nestle though).


nexus2cee_aosp_thumb


All the speculation for the official name is fun (and making us crave for baked goods) but what’s more important for users is what new things Android L will bring about. Some initial reports indicate it will include multi-user account, a new Material Design, and ART runtime by default among other things.


VIA: Android Police





Samsung Galaxy Note 4 teaser banks on crafting using S-Pen

As D-day fast approaches, Samsung fans are waiting with bated breath on what the long-teased about Galaxy Note 4 will bring. On September 3, all will be revealed, but until then, we have to deal with all the leaks, speculations and teasers that are coming our way. One of the latest official teasers is a short video, part of their Ready To Note campaign, that crafting is a cognitive ability and how the S-Pen can bring it to digital life.



The video called "Ready to Note? Your Note for Crafting" opens with real-life “old school” ways of crafting and designing that we’ve developed over the years, from school room art projects to cartography to architecture design to playing classic video games. There’s even footage of the unpeeling of an apple, maybe a “shout out” to its closest competitor. Then it shifts to showing how the S Pen, introduced through the Galaxy Note series, has changed how we marry using the digital life of our smartphones with our artistic and creative impulses. It shows how we create artwork/caricatures, play games and even just use the S Pen for normal smartphone use.


While it is a good reminder for some of us to actually use the S Pen, it also doesn’t show anything yet of how the Galaxy Note 4 will maximize the use of this feature of the smartphone/phablet. But it’s quite obvious that they will be harping on the S Pen as a key differentiator for the newest member of the Galaxy family. They also released another teaser in the Ready to Note series entitled Your Note for Handwriting, which focuses on the S Pen’s handwriting features, which were fully realised when the Galaxy Note 3 was released last year.


The official announcement of the Galaxy Note 4 is slated for September 3 during Samsung’s event in Berlin, which happens a few days before IFA 2014 kicks off in the German capital. The leaked specs has fuelled the hype over the device, with the reported 2560x1440 QHD resolution of the 5.7-inch smartphone. The reported 4GB RAM has caused some Android users to salivate. And we’re also now very familiar with how they’re pushing the Ultra Power Saving Mode, which was first introduced with the Galaxy S5. We have just 9 days more to find out whether all this is too good to be true.







Microsoft to out Miracast dongle as Chromecast competition

Microsoft is planning to compete with Google in the screen-casting/media-casting market, this much is proven by a couple of unrelated sources that prove the Redmond-based software giant is planning to come up with its own Miracast dongle to compete with the Chromecast device.



The first evidence was information on the FCC website about a Microsoft device called the HD-10, but at that point it was still unclear what it was. The WiFi org certification of the device sealed the deal, and it was now clear that the HD-10 would allow Nokia Lumia users to cast their devices’ screens onto a bigger screen, much like what Chromecast is being used for at this point.


miracast


Windows Phone 8.1, the newest iteration of the OS, includes a “Project My Screen” feature that will dovetail perfectly with the HD-10, which uses Miracast technology. Most Nokia tech bloggers think that the dongle will be compatible with any device running Windows 8.1 – either tablet, laptop, or smartphone.


The information on the Microsoft HD-10 says that it will of course be compatible with current WiFi standards, it will have a USB connection available, and should be able to output to a bigger screen using HDMI. And as expected, this device will be one of the highlights for Microsoft’s event at IFA 2014.


VIA: SlashGear





OnePlus’ summer photo contest to give away 10,000 “invites”

Are you looking for a new smartphone that isn’t part of any of the established OEMs? Do you have a ton of summer photos just waiting to be uploaded? Do you like taking part in unique marketing gimmicks? Then you still have a few more hours to join OnePlus’ Summer Shots contest as it is as easy as uploading a photo on social networks and putting on some hashtags. The prize? They’re giving away 10,000 free invitations to be one of the first thousands to own their smartphone called, you guessed it, OnePlus One.



If you’re still not familiar with this particular brand and why you need an invitation, let us refresh your memory. OnePlus One is actually not yet available in the market and will not be for purchase on any of the usual retail sites yet. You need an invitation to be able to get one, and for the past few months, they’ve come up with several marketing and social media gimmicks to give away these invites. The latest contest is something close to the hearts of most smartphone owners: a photo competition.


But don’t worry, you don’t need to be an award-winning photographer to join. You can just post any picture that you’ve taken during the summer, use the hashtags #summershots #oneplus and share it on Instagram, Twitter, or on their forums. You are allowed to slightly alter the photo using Instagram’s filters, but the photo must have been taken by the uploader himself/herself. The prizes are 10,000 of these golden invites, plus 100 t-shirts that have the OnePlus logo on them.


There are some other things that you can to join the contest, if you don’t feel like taking summer shots. You can follow OnePlus’ various social networks (IG, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube) to get 1 entry each. Winners will be randomly chosen by Rafflecopter, so don’t worry if you’re not the next Annie Leibovitz. You have a few hours to join, as the deadline is August 25. There are over 142,000 entries already, so if you really want to get a chance to buy the OnePlus One, you better count on your lucky stars that you get picked.


SOURCE: OnePlus


VIA: PhoneArena





Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)