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Google Chromecast review: can you make your dumb TV a smart one for just $35?
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Nexus 7 review (2013)
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Autographer wearable camera launches tomorrow priced at £400, we go hands-off
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Phil Fish cancels Fez II, tells haters 'you win'
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Samsung reportedly crafting 10- and 12.2-inch tablets with 2,560 x 1,600 displays
Despite the best efforts of Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, LG and others,
most of the televisions in people's homes these days are not of the
smart variety. However, there are hundreds of millions of regular
televisions packing HDMI ports, and Google's new Chromecast
device offers a way to put some brains into those dumb TVs by giving
them access to web-based content. Having a Chromecast dongle connected
to your TV means you can stream videos straight from a Google Play,
Netflix or YouTube app, or mirror the content in any open tab in
Google's Chrome browser using a tab casting feature.
Sure, we've seen devices with almost identical functionality, like Plair, but Chromecast is backed by Google, whose relationships with content providers and developers mean that the Google Cast technology powering it will soon be popping up in even more apps. Not to mention, there's the price. At $35, it's almost a third of the cost of Plair and also Roku 3 and Apple TV, the current most popular devices that bring internet video to your TV. Even for such a paltry outlay, is it a worthy addition to your living room? And is it really "the easiest way to enjoy online video and music on your TV" as Google's marketing would have us believe? Read on to find out.
Sure, we've seen devices with almost identical functionality, like Plair, but Chromecast is backed by Google, whose relationships with content providers and developers mean that the Google Cast technology powering it will soon be popping up in even more apps. Not to mention, there's the price. At $35, it's almost a third of the cost of Plair and also Roku 3 and Apple TV, the current most popular devices that bring internet video to your TV. Even for such a paltry outlay, is it a worthy addition to your living room? And is it really "the easiest way to enjoy online video and music on your TV" as Google's marketing would have us believe? Read on to find out.
It looks nearly the same as it did in 2007, but Spot's outdoor beacon has evolved quite nicely on the inside. Now in its third incarnation, the Spot Gen3
is designed to help wandering argonauts keep their loved ones informed
of their location for an even longer period of time. Engineered to be
worn by those intentionally
heading off of the conventional grid, the Spot Gen3 adds unlimited
tracking (enabling wearers to pre-set the device to send tracks every 5,
10, 30 or 60 minutes), motion activated tracking and longer battery
life. According to the company, this guy will last nearly twice as long
as prior versions, and you can also power it via battery or USB. The
downside, of course, is that you'll need to pay $149.95 for the unit
itself, along with a required annual subscription plan that starts at $149.99 per year. No one ever said adventuring was a poor man's sport, eh?
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During the heyday of optical storage we saw a 400GB Blu-Ray flavor (shown above) and even 1TB discs
in the lab, but lately such development has waned. Sony and Panasonic
have teamed up to move things along, however, saying there's a need for
reliable long-term storage that only optical disks can provide. The pair
will develop a "next-generation standard for professional-use optical
discs," saying that a 300GB flavor could be ready in two years or so.
Though geared towards industries like cloud storage and digital cinema
at first, the tech could eventually trickle down to consumers, too.
Given rapid developments in on-demand streaming and cloud gaming, however, there might be nothing left for us plebes to archive by then.
BMW's i3 concept has been kicking around for quite awhile, and so far we've seen the carbon fiber chassis, a you-wish prototype, many of the specs and even the price.
All that remained was to see an actual car, and BMW has finally pulled
the covers off of it today. The $41,350 (US pricing) vehicle will run
for 80-100 miles on a charge while going from 0 to 60 MPH in seven
seconds, thanks to the 22kWh battery, 170-horsepower electric motor and
relatively slight 2,600 pound heft. If you opt to pay $45,200, you'll be
able to nearly double the range, thanks to an optional 34-horsepower
two-cylinder backup motor. That's pricier than the $39,145 Chevy Volt
(which also has a backup gas motor), but BMW has equally high hopes for
its premiere EV. It launched a dedicated sales channel for the i3 and
future i-branded EVs, and even created a division dedicated to creating
mobile apps for such cars. It'll arrive in Europe in November and we'll
see it stateside during the second quarter of next year. Check the
source or video after the break for more.
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt
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they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act
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Today's hottest deals include one of the best smartphones on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, at half price with a Sprint contract, as well as a cheap deal on an entry-level Canon PowerShot. Want the latest deals delivered to your inbox? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Today's hottest deals include one of the best smartphones on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, at half price with a Sprint contract, as well as a cheap deal on an entry-level Canon PowerShot. Want the latest deals delivered to your inbox? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
All in all, global tablet shipments were up for Q2, according to new numbers released by analyst firm Strategy Analytics.
Factoring in white-box units, the market saw 51.7 million tablets
shipped in that time period -- that's up 43-percent compared to the same
time last year. A lot of that good news can be chalked up to Android's
success. The OS saw a healthy bump from 18.5- to 34.6 million units
shipped, a number that has Google's mobile operating system holding
67-percent of the market. The news is a little less cheery on Apple's
side of the OS wars, with shipments dipping from 17- to 14.6 million
units, decreasing its marketshare to 28.3-percent, according to the
firm. Microsoft, not surprisingly, saw a healthy increase in shipments
from last year -- though it's still got a ways to go, calling around
4.5-percent of the market its own.
After we got a good look at the spec sheet, though, we quickly forgave Google and ASUS for their decision. For the money, you get a gorgeous 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display, 2GB of RAM, a rear camera, a quad-core processor, wireless charging and the latest version of Android, Jelly Bean 4.3. Now that we've had the opportunity to take the new and improved Nexus 7 for a spin, we're ready to tackle all the obvious questions: is this still the best budget tablet on the market? How does it compare to the iPad mini? And does the spec sheet actually reflect real-world performance? Let's find out.
Nexus 7 review (2013)
Origin's twist on the laptop includes a 4th Generation Intel Core processor, NVIDIA GTX 765M graphics and up to three storage devices. The company didn't announce specifics, but Clevo's own product page outs Intel's 2.8GHz i7-4900MQ, 2.70GHz i7-4800MQ and 2.40GHz i7-4700MQ chips as possible options. The base model also supports up to 16GB of RAM, though its Digital Storm variant tops out at 8GB. Naturally, Origin says that many of these elements will be customizable and upgradable, with the most frugal configuration ringing in at $1,474. Additionally, customers that order before August 5th can score free overclocking and a gratis Corsair M95 mouse. Not bad, if you're looking for tiny gaming machine. Check out the company's official press release after the break.
Nokia is planning to release a Bluetooth accessory for its Lumia lineup called the "Treasure Tag," according to various sources. A report from The Verge tallies with a previous mention
on Yahoo's message boards that names the tag, which could be a reason
Nokia's adding Bluetooth 4.0 and LE support to Lumias via the impending Amber update.
Apparently, the tag features NFC for easy pairing and can be set up and
tracked using a Windows Phone 8 app that'll incorporate Nokia's LiveSight AR tech.
It's also said that a button on the Treasure Tag will reveal the
location of a misplaced phone using an audible notification, if it's in
range of the accessory. It could look like the above diagram, is
allegedly launching in "the coming weeks," and is thought to be one of
several planned accessories that'll make use of the Bluetooth 4.0
standard.
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