New Galaxy Note 4 teasers show three artist “testimonies”

Another day, another batch of new Samsung videos. It’s just a few days from the official reveal of the Galaxy Note 4 and they’re definitely upping the anticipation. This time, they enlisted the help of three real-life artistic people who are huge fans of the Note series. The three 1-minute videos how these individuals have maximized their devices, particularly the S-Pen of the Note to further develop their creativity.

Fashion Blogger and model Martha Pozzan says that the Note has enabled her to not use a computer anymore in the year that she’s been a user of it. She uses the scrapbook feature to save and create her fashion pegs. She creates a sort of storyboard to guide her for photo shoots for her blog with her stylist.

Day Day is a barber and artist who says he operates his life through his Galaxy Note. He has a physical journal/sketchbook which he also keeps on his smartphone with the power of the S-Pen. He also sketches on his Note the hairstyles he wants to do on his client and show it to them beforehand before actually cutting their hair.

Musician and spiritual healer Diva Dompe says she’s able to share her music, meditation videos and thoughts through her Galaxy Note. She shows that being “hippie” and “New Age” doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t be in touch with your digital and hi-tech side. She even mentions that the crystals within the smartphone can be used to “transmit the energy outward.”

The videos that they’ve released the past few days are pointing towards the fact that the Galaxy Note 4 will be relying a lot on the S-Pen so we’re kinda looking forward to what more functionality they can add to the past releases. The official announcement will be made on September 3 during the Samsung event in Berlin, just right before IFA 2014.

SOURCE: Samsung

Story Timeline

• Samsung teases Galaxy Note 4 handwriting features


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

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and Xperia Z3 teased again

Sony is set to toss some new gear out at IFA 2014 when it kicks off early next month. The new gear that it is teasing for launch at the show includes the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and Xperia Z3. The Z3 Tablet Compact was teased with an image hidden away on the Sony mobile website, but it's only a single image with the tablet taken from the side showing a thin profile. This is the same tablet that has had specs leak in the past.

You may still be able to see the image, which is in this story above, on the Sony Mobile website right now if you sort by Features > Display and look for "Xperia Z3 Tablet compact." All we know about that tablet right now is that the screen uses IPS technology and has improved viewing angles.

You can also tell from the image that the tablet is very thin. We expect to hear the full details at IFA next month. The second device teased is the Sony Xperia Z3 and it has its own teaser video. Other than the Xperia Z3, a quick flash of an image at 41secs in the video is hinting that there will be another smartphone to be announced together.

The teaser video offers no details at all about the smartphones or tablet. A date of September 3, 2014 is in the video and it has a tagline that says, "The Time to Demand Great is coming," and has a hashtag #XperiaDetails included. Like the other tablet, we only have a few days to wait to hear more.

SOURCE: Xperia Blog

Story Timeline

• Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact named in user manual


• Sony Xperia Z3 spotted in TENAA with Z2 specs


• Sony may have ‘leaked’ Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, smartwatch

AnTuTu v5.0 available now on Play Store

Have you ever tried a benchmarking tool with your Android smartphone? AnTuTu is one of the most popular Android benchmarking tools, and has been used in all the smartphone reviews you have read. Today the company has pushed a major update to Google Play Store, which will update the previous v4.0 to v5.0 with new benchmarking details.

With the continuous improvement of smartphone processor capability, few of the graphics performance tests in the V4.0 reach its peak. According to AnTuTu, the v5.0 has added new test methods through a 2D game engine “Coscos2D” and real game engine “Havok Vision Engine”. The 3D testing scenario has been tweaked with more complex lights, shadows, normal mapping – up to 3x tougher in v5.0 compared to v4.0.

Instead of just testing the processor in its full power, AnTuTu v5.0 has introduced CPU performance testing with single-core, because you will probably be running one or two cores only in normal usage, even though your smartphone processor is quad core. AnTuTu is also ready for 64-bit Android L devices. Both 32-bit and 64-bit processors from ARM and Intel are supported now with new test algorithm.

It might seems like benchmarking tools are useless to you. What else you can do with the AnTuTu other than running a boring test? The ranking tab in the app gives you a list of the top performing smartphones. That list can be used as a convenient reference if you are looking for current top performance models.

There is also a device info tab to let you better understand your smartphone hardware details, including Android version, IMEI number, root status, supported sensors and more. Though, if you want to use it to detect a counterfeit phone, you will have to also retrieve the hardware info with CPU-Z and Android Hardware Info

Try the AnTuTu v5.0 here on Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• AnTuTu v5.0 to put greater weight on graphics performance


• AnTuTu Q2 surprises: Snapdragon 800, Nexus 5 at the top

Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 gets an unofficial advanced preview

All eyes are on the Galaxy Note 4 headed for IFA 2014 next week, but there is another big boy that might also be in town at the same time. The less gigantic Galaxy Mega 2 isn't out yet, but the guys over at DroidSans have managed to get their hands on one and are now giving the rest of the world a sneak peak at Samsung's extra large phablet.

The Galaxy Mega 2 with its 6.0-inch display sits cozily in between the 5.8-inch and the 6.3-inch Galaxy Megas. This means that while it is still too big for one-handed use, it isn't as obnoxious as the largest phablets-almost-tablets in the market today. That display also boasts of Super AMOLED and a resolution of 1280x720, so at least it isn't lacking too much in that area. And fortunately, Samsung has endowed it with its multi-window feature to take advantage of the extra space available.

This phablet won't be a powerhouse, but it won't be an underdog either. It is said to house an Exynos 4415, a quad-core Samsung chip running at 1.4 GHz. There 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage space, of which only 11 GB is really available to the user, most likely thanks to bloatware. There's an 8 megapixel shooter at the back, complete with Auto Focus and LED flash. On the front, you have 2.1 megapixels. The battery is marked at 2,800 mAh.

In terms of design, the Galaxy Mega 2 resembles more closely the Galaxy Note 3, with its faux leather back cover with stitches, rather than the Galaxy S5's perforated pattern. And like the Galaxy Note 3, the edges are silver-coated plastic. This smartphone is slated to launch sometime next month. DroidSans puts the price tag at 14,500 THB, which is around $455 in the US.

VIA: DroidSans

Story Timeline

• Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 certified by TENAA, has faux leather design


• Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 leak shows a different set of specs


• Malaysian retailer advertises availability of Samsung Galaxy Mega 2

Nokia speeds things up in Z Launcher update

Nokia (yes, the real Nokia, or what's left of it) is announcing an update to its still pre-beta Z Launcher homescreen replacement. Focusing on performance improvements under the hood, Z Launcher is taking a few steps closer to becoming a more serious contender in the Android launcher race.

Considering that the basic premise of Z Launcher is to get you to apps, contacts, and whatnot as quickly as possible, it is only natural that the launcher itself should be fast and responsive, a major improvement in this latest version of Nokia's surprise app. That said, fast doesn't need to mean ugly, so the dev team have sprinkled some new animations when transitioning to the home screen or to and from apps. The animations are noted to be still works in progress and the devs are asking for feedback on them.

There are also some functional improvements in the update, particularly regarding how contacts are displayed in the search results. Contacts that have multiple possible actions associated with them (like call and text) now appear collapsed in the list, so that a single contact won't monopolize the screen space. The gesture portion of the launcher has also been adjusted so that you don't accidentally launch an app when you draw a letter too quickly.

Z Launcher is a curious take on an Android launcher. It is search-centric like EverythingMe but unlike that launcher, it revolves around scribbling the letters instead of typing them, which, for some users, might feel easier or more natural. Z Launcher is still in a limited testing stage, so getting access to the app still requires applying for permission. Those who already have the launcher installed just need to go to the app's settings to manually query the server for available updates.

SOURCE: Z Launcher

Story Timeline

• Nokia pre-beta tests Z Launcher for Android


• Nokia Z Launcher sees first update, welcomes new testers

Pandora brings music streaming service to Google Glass

If you’re wearing your Google Glass and want to bust out a dance move to show how cool you are, you can now have a perfect partner app for that, instead of just relying on the music in your head. Pandora has now arrived for Google Glass as a result of the music streaming service’s hack-a-thon this spring, which Google was more than happy to adapt to their precious wearable.

The Pandora app allows you to control your radio stations either by voice command or through the touchpad. If you want to use the former, you’ll be able to choose from among your existing radio stations or create a new one based on your new favourite artist or genre. But if you want to have more advanced controls, you need to use the Google Glass’ touchpad to be able to pause the song you’re listening to, skip the one that you’d rather not listen to and stop the radio altogether.

You can also use the touchpad to give the current track a thumbs up or thumbs down, depending on how you feel about it. But how will you be able to listen to music through Google Glass? Glad you asked. You can use either the built-in wireless speakers in the device, the single earbud which is included in the Explorer kit or a double earbud that can be attached to the glass using microUSB.

To download Pandora on your Google Glass, all you need to do is find it on the glassware page and turn it on and you’re on your way to your listening pleasure. Google Glass is only the 2nd wearable device where Pandora is available, after launching it on the Pebble smartwatch a few months ago. They promise to add more in the future as wearables continue to slowly make an impact on the market.

SOURCE: Pandora

Story Timeline

• Pandora for Pebble coming soon to Android


• Pebble updates firmware, Android app, adds Pandora to store

Dropbox Pro updated to better security and sharing settings

As more people start to discover the convenience of having their files on the cloud for easy access, cloud services need to step up their game to get the consumers’ attention and loyalty. Dropbox is one of the most popular ones out there and Pro users now have something more to sing about as the latest update brings you more security and sharing settings, as well as giving you even more space for all your media files and documents.

One of the best things about having your files on the cloud is having a convenient way to share needed files to your colleagues, classmates or friends. Instead of saving it on a USB flash drive or emailing it to them, you can just share it through Dropbox. The new security options will ensure that only the people you intend to share the files with will be able to access them. You can now add passwords for your shared links, which can also be set with expiration dates.

To further secure your files, you can also set view-only permissions for shared folders so that they’ll be able to view and edit within the folders only. Just in case you lose your smartphone, tablet or laptop that contains your dropbox files, you can delete them remotely by wiping the Dropbox data from the device while still keeping them safe in the cloud. But the most exciting update to Dropbox Pro is that there is just now one plan to rule them all where you get 1TB of space to store all your files.

While all these features are indeed useful, you won’t be able to have them if you have a free Dropbox account. It will cost you $9.99 a month to upgrade to Pro, but if your problem right now is that your Dropbox is almost always full, then that amount shouldn’t be a problem at all.

SOURCE: Dropbox