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OnePlus OTA update for CM 11S (38R) rollout begins

Owners of OnePlus smartphones have a new firmware update on the way that will bring some new features and fixes to the mix. The OTA update for CM 11S (38R) is rolling out starting today. The new firmware improves the responsiveness of the touchscreen of the smartphone and adds a new lock screen to the mix.



Fans of photography using their smartphone will love this new feature; photos can be taken in RAW format with the new firmware applied. Audio support was also enhanced to give the One the ability to play high-resolution 24-bit, 96/192kHz flac/alac/wav files without resampling.


A new method of reporting bugs directly to Cyanogen was added along with a pause button for video recording. Battery life has been improved and issues with camera exposure compensation being stuck in auto mode were fixed.


An issue where users who had chosen 4G preferred weren't able to connect to 3G data when needed has been patched. Static in headsets when changing the volume was fixed and a rotation issue where the screen didn’t move if turned slowly was fixed. The update also adds ANT+ support. OnePlus says the update is rolling out slowly starting today, so it could be a while before everyone has the update.


SOURCE: OnePlus


Star Warfare 2: Payback lets you even play as an alien

Star Warfare is back and it's back with a vengeance. Or at least that's what the name implies. But aside from what may seem like a catchy title, this sequel to Star Warfare: Alien Invasion, which is noted to have millions of downloads and a four-star rating, puts a few twists to the tried and tested sci-fi shooter convention.



Star Warfare 2: Payback, like its predecessor, offers two modes of playing. In single-player mode, you are left on your own to face hordes of aliens and other "biological oddities". Of course, you're not technically on your own as you have a wide assortment of weapons, robotic "pets", vehicles, and combinations of those to assist you in vanquishing your foes.


The game gets just a wee bit interesting when you dive into multiplayer mode, offering different ways of playing with others online. Aside from your usual PvP fights, you also have Co-op standoffs, where you get to team with other players in squad-based competition. There is also that popular capture the flag game that no modern multiplayer shooter can do without. Perhaps the most interesting mode is when you actually get to be the Alien Boss that will turn on your friends, or any other human players, to get a feel of what it is to be rooting for the other side, and maybe even getting owned yourself.


Star Warfare 2: Payback is free to download and play from Google Play Store. But, of course, like any freemium game this day and age, the game comes with in-app purchases. Thanks to the new Google Play Store feature, we now know that those range from $0.99 to $99.99, for a single item purchase, that is.


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Download: Star Warfare 2: Payback on Google Play Store


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





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