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Elliptic Labs pushes for better gesture controls in devices

It’s a different kind of evolution, the way we interact with our devices – call it “reverse evolution” maybe, as the more we delve into better technology for our gadgets, the less physical interaction we demand from them. So device manufacturers come up with gestures, but most of those still require physical interaction through touchscreen or any other part of the device. Elliptic Labs has a viable solution called “multi-layer interaction”.



Elliptic has been at this for a while now, and we are seeing probably a product of years scaling and down-scaling so that the technology can become a viable option for smartphones and tablets. Elliptic says that it uses ultrasonic technology for its multi-layer approach, something that it claims is a level higher than the solutions available in the market today.


The gestures are pretty ideal in scope – you move your hand towards the device and the screen turns on, pretty much like how the new 2014 Moto X does it. But the kicker is in the layering – move your hand closer and it gives you a next level of options for actions, maybe unlocking the screen, or opening messages, or running specific apps. See more information from the video below.


Lastly, Elliptic is promising full 180-degree coverage of the area around your device – top, bottom, side, it doesn’t really matter. While I personally don’t like the “laziness” that is the premise here, I like that technology for our mobile devices is still evolving to loftier goals. Judging from the technology’s capabilities, it might not be too far off before we start seeing this in our devices.


VIA: SlashGear





Samsung boasts of S Pen capabilities in new video

A new video released by Samsung to highlight the capabilities of its S Pen in the Galaxy Note 4 may not be the most inventive, but it does get the job done. The enhanced S Pen is one of the selling points of the newest member of the Note family and this video might give you a case of Pen envy as you see all the cool and useful things that it can do.



The Smart Select feature of the S Pen allows you to use multiple images and text to capture and share with your friends or loved ones, either through email, chat or other apps that you need. So those pegs for the bridesmaid dress you want to wear for your friend's wedding can be sent in one fell swoop through your FB messenger. Another Smart Select cool feature is that when you use the S Pen to capture images or text, it can detect which related apps you may need to use to share it or which app you can use to understand it better, like Maps to locate a certain address or a calendar to add an appointment in your chat thread.


The Photo Note feature lets you capture written notes, whether on your lecturer's white board or your own notes or doodles during a meeting. You can convert the photo to editable text, then add or erase or edit your notes to your satisfaction. You can also now get the meta data from screenshots that you've taken using the enhanced S Pen which makes it easier for you to trace where you actually got a photo in your screenshots log.


The Galaxy Note 4 has already been released in South Korea and China end of September but is expected to be available in the US and Canada this October 17. There has been much anticipation for the new phablet, primarily because Samsung has been hyping it up leading to the launch event just before IFA 2014. So far, our hands-on experience has been pretty good, so let's see how it will do in a market that is saturated with all kinds of smartphones, tablets and phablets.







Peek moved to developer’s own name, new app pages added

Popular Android utility Peek has a major update, but it's not one that has added new features or fixes bugs. Instead, the update is that the app is now filed under the account of Jesús David Gulfo Agudelo or jedga, Peek's author, instead of his Google Play Store "proxy" Francisco Franco.



This change is significant on two accounts. The first is that it marks Google's addition of Colombia as one of the regions where developers are allowed to published paid apps. While Google's Android Developer Console is available widely and to any developer, the ability to monetize apps is limited to certain markets only, with Colombia previously left out of the list. This forces developers like jedga to look for friends in other supported countries to publish the paid apps for them, sometimes with undesirable consequences. Now that the doors have been opened, jedga is able to move his apps to his own account in Google Play Store, to minimize confusion about the authorship and authenticity of the apps.


That said, the second reason this news is significant is that it will be causing some initial confusion. Peek been available on Google Play Store for a while but the paid version has been published under Franco's name. The older Peek Pro version has been updated with an insanely high price tag of $200 to prevent would be buyers from making the wrong purchase. Those who have bought it in the past will now have to install the correct free version under jedga's name and update the old Pro version, which will automatically unlock the new Pro Peek. New buyers, on the other hand, will have nothing to worry about.


Peek is the standalone Google Play Version of the similar named feature available on Paranoid Android. The feature itself traces its history back to the 2013 Moto X and its Active Display feature, allowing users to see notifications on the display even when the phone is still locked and, in the case of AMOLED screens, without even waking up the entire display. There are now three version of Peek up on Google Play Store so there might be some confusion. The proper ones, which have Jesús David Gulfo Agudelo as the named developer, can be found in the Download links below.


Download: Peek (Free), (Pro) on Google Play Store

SOURCE: +Jesús David Gulfo Agudelo





LG G Watch R finally launching, first in Korea

We’re finally getting word that LG’s round-face smartwatch – the LG G Watch R – is finally launching, albeit in their home market in South Korea first. LG has had a history of doing that, and so we in the international tech community and consumers at large would have to wait just a bit more for the international launch.



The LG G Watch R is the South Korean manufacturer’s answer to the huge draw and popularity of Motorola’s Moto 360 – the first Android Wear product to take on a radical round design. And according to LG, the Korean market will get first taste of the pretty round watch on October 14. That’s not too far away now.


As for international markets like the US and Europe, there is no mention of a launch date yet – but you can’t imagine LG making these profit-rich markets wait for too long, could you? No, we don’t think so as well. Especially when this could be LG’s “Moto 360 killer”. Take a gander at our hands on with the LG G Watch R video below.




LG is harping on its full circle OLED screen, possibly making fun of the Moto 360’s “flat tire” round design. It sports a Snapdragon 400 processor, pretty powerful for a smartwatch, and a 410mAh battery – bigger capacity than the Moto 360’s 300mAh battery. LG says that the LG G Watch R wearable device will retail at around USD$330 in Korea on launch date.


VIA: SlashGear





HTC confirms event on Oct. 8, may launch 3 new products

So it’s finally confirmed – HTC is having a big event on October the 8th and we’re expecting a product-laden launch, what with a lot of new HTC products buzzing around the rumor mill these days. The mosy eye-catching (pun intended) will be the HTC One (M8) Eye, which is probably a new version of the company’s hugely popular flagship. Then there’s also the HTC Desire Eye, dubbed as the ultimate selfie phone, and RECamera, an odd-looking mobile camera of some sort.



The HTC One (M8) Eye, will have a decidedly two-eye camera setup (geddit? One eye, two eye…) as the main upgrade to the flagship is the new 13MP dual camera setup at the back of the device, a much needed spec bump from the quite embarrassing 4MP that used to adorn the HTC One M8. Other than that, rumors say that it should take all other specs from its predecessor. We’ll know soon enough.


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The more interesting device is the HTC Desire Eye. Dubbed as the “ultimate selfie” phone, it gets the moniker from the huge 13MP front-facing camera it has, to partner the same 13MP camera it has at the back. It also rumored to have a very strong spec lineup, as one might even be tempted to say it has flagship level specs – a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor (2.3Ghz) backstopped by 2GB of RAM, a 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p screen, 32GB of internal storage and a removable 2,400mAh battery. Interesting, right?


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Lastly, we have the “ugly duckling” of the bunch – we really don’t know what to make of the rumors surrounding the RECamera, which was initially purported to invade the personal professional mobile video camera market dominated by GoPro. Some recent rumors say that the camera on the device might not stand up to GoPro’s level. And with the leaks showing an inhaler-slash-periscope shaped oddity, we will only have to look forward to October 8 to see how HTC spins this product.


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So there you have it. You’re all ready and wound up for the launch. Now to wait the two days (or one day, depending on where you are) for the actual event. Go and relax for a bit. Grab coffee or something. And stop biting you nails.


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SOURCE: HTC on Twitter





T-Mobile Xperia Z3 page now up, device still coming soon

Sony's latest flagship might make its way to T-Mobile subscribers really soon now. Sony has put up a product landing page for this carrier-specific version of the Xperia Z3, not only confirming the fact that T-Mobile will indeed be carrying the smartphone but also giving hope that it could launch sooner than the end of the year estimate.



That the Xperia Z3 will be coming to T-Mobile, as well as other US carriers, is already notable in itself. Sony has traditionally eschewed such partnerships, preferring to carry their mobile phones mostly on their own. While it has the benefit of being ensured of an unlocked device when brought directly from Sony, it is speculated that it has also contributed to its smartphones selling poorly in the US. That might be a moot point now as T-Mobile is now sure to sell the devices while Verizon is also rumored to have stocks available as well.


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Sony highlights some of the Xperia Z3's defining traits. Sony's flagships have been known for their rugged qualities, but this latest iteration is its highest rated one yet. And if numbers aren't enough to convince you, then maybe an underwater unboxing will. Sony is also playing on the digital photography talents of the Xperia Z3, which subtly improves on its predecessor. The slew of fun Xperia-exclusive camera apps that the manufacturer has just recently unleashed on Google Play Store seems to attest to that as well. Entirely new to the Xperia Z3 family is a focus on gamers as well, with the new PS4 Remote Play feature for streaming and controlling PlayStation 4 games right on your smartphone.


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The T-Mobile Xperia Z3 is still marked as coming soon, so we don't have an expected ETA yet aside from before this year ends. As for the rest of the Xperia Z3 family, Sony does have landing pages for the Xperia Z3 Compact and the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, not from T-Mobile or any carrier for that matter, but neither have any dates, not even a "Coming Soon" label, attached.


SOURCE: Sony





LG Tribute now available for purchase at Virgin Mobile

If you're looking for a decent and affordable new smartphone, if you head on over to Virgin Mobile, there's a new device available there that might just catch your fancy. LG's entry-level smartphone, the Tribute can now be purchased on the online shop both for its one-time payment prepaid plan and also with the monthly unlimited plans.



The budget-friendly smartphone comes with pretty decent specifications, although of course for its price range, you wouldn't really expect that much. It has a 4.5-inch WVGA (800x480) IPS display and runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor. For its RAM, it has 1GB and then 4GB of internal storage, but can be expanded because it has a micro SD slot. It has a 5-megapixel main camera with LED flash and Full HD 1080p video recording. Again, this doesn't look pretty impressive on paper, but it's an entry-level phone, but the 4G LTE connectivity might be a selling point.


In terms of LG's proprietorial software, it does adapt several of their flagship, the LG G3's unique features, including the Touch & Shoot which allows you to both focus and take a picture with just one tap. The Tribute also has the knock code that lets you unlock your device just by tapping several areas on the screen that you yourself preset. It will have the latest Android 4.4.2 software, also has Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and has a talktime of 15 hours.


The Tribute is available for purchase at the Virgin Mobile online store for just $79.99 and is ready for shipping. You can also avail of it through the monthly unlimited plans (no contract) that range from $20-$55 per month. If you want to use the phone as a mobile hotspot, you need to add $5 per day and you can connect it to 5 WiFi-enabled devices.


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SOURCE: Virgin Mobile


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