Samsung has had no trouble peddling its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone. There are also plans for different variants of the phone, with the likes of the Galaxy S4 Active (dust and waterproof variant), the Galaxy S4 Zoom (S4 with a massive camera) and the Galaxy S4 Mini (smaller, cheaper version). Now we hear that they plan to launch another variant of the popular smartphone – one that will transmit data at nearly twice the normal LTE speeds we are seeing today. (more…)

Certain students are just more prone to asking insightful questions in the classroom than others. Not necessarily because the latter students don’t have those questions in mind, but rather because they might be more timid in nature. Spanish professors have decided to tackle the problem, for these students to have a more inclusive environment where they can communicate directly with the professor privately. This is done during class and without interruption.

Researchers from la Universidad Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) have built just such a system which lets a professor receive feedback from students and know which ones have questions by using augmented reality technology, allowing them to continue with class while taking note of the needs of individual students. (more…)

We have heard rumours about this device for some time and finally, it is official. Samsung took the wraps off its new Galaxy S4 Zoom variant, another spinoff of the flagship smartphone. What sets this one apart? It features a 10x optical lens with a 16MP CMOS sensor and a Xenon flash.

This is a natural evolution of the Samsung Galaxy Camera that was released towards the end of last year. This time around, you do get the full smartphone experience with the ability to make phone calls. We can’t image it will be very comfortable to make calls with, though, as it is big and heavy. It comes in at 208 grams and is 15.4mm thick. That being said, it is thinner than the aforementioned Galaxy Camera. (more…)

The next generation of consoles will be among us by the end of this year, with the Xbox One and the PS4 both being released in the holiday season of 2013. The new Xbox has been confirmed as a November release, whereas we don’t yet have the exact date for the PS4.

Gaming has truly evolved since the previous generation of consoles though, and these giants of the gaming world are also now becoming all-encompassing entertainment systems rather than just a vehicle for big budget games.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2013 started on Monday, 10 June and we finally saw what the PS4 looks like, with many other morsels of news being announced for both the consoles. Both Microsoft and Sony are preparing for a mammoth battle, so let’s see how things are shaping up. (more…)

Google has patented new facial recognition technology which allows users to unlock phones with a wink and a smile. The first time we saw this feature was with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but since then Google has been hard at work to improve the technology and make unlocking your device easier and more unique. In the process they have also attained more IP protection. (more…)

So it is that time of the year again, with Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference taking place this week. But what can we expect from Cupertino? We already know that they will unveil the new versions of iOS and OS X, and they are garnering more interest than in the past. The mobile operating system from Apple has evolved very little since their initial release and are facing pressure from investors and consumers alike to come up with something bright and new.

It is indeed an important time for Apple as they have not been performing at their stellar levels in the last 12 months. The stock price has fallen dramatically in recent months, and for good reason. iPhone sales aren’t growing as fast as it did in the past and the first half of this year lacked any kind of innovation or new product launch. (more…)

This doesn’t really come as a surprise, since we already heard in the last couple of weeks that both Samsung and HTC also have this strategy. Their flagships, the Galaxy S4 and the One, will both launch a version with stock Android. Sony has announced that the Xperia Z competing flagship will get the same “Nexus” treatment.

Google’s Nexus brand name has now started to gain some traction in the market after the success of the Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 7 tablet. More people want that vanilla Android experience than ever before, and the manufacturers are now giving consumers that option.
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There are many flavours out there for people who want to change the keyboard on their Android device. Most of the proper ones, however, aren’t free. Not anymore, as Google has just made its stock Android keyboard available in the Google Play store. Its initial rollout includes a multitude of countries, with the rest to follow soon.

There are many people that aren’t crazy about their OEM’s typing experience (nudge, nudge, Samsung), so this is the perfect opportunity to check out another option. (more…)