Microsoft to Kinect Up the Next Windows Phone

The Verge has reported that Microsoft is in the process of inducting Kinect features in its next Windows phone, code named “Mclaren”. The Mclaren was introduced to the world through phone tripsters EVLeaks.

The phone will be a successor to the Lumia 1020 and will boast propriety technology like 3D touch and Real Motion. These features will assist in interaction with the phone without actually touching the display.

Kinect is now integral to the Xbox experience

Kinect was reveled at the 2010 E3 conference. Kinect made sense on a large screen system like the Xbox. Its features which made technology invisible was appreciated by people. The question that everyone seems to be asking is whether a phone version of Kinect will actually have some benefits or will be just another gimmicky add-on.

Some of the reported features include the ability to answer a phone call by just bringing it to your ears or cutting a call when the phone is dropped back in the pocket. The phone can also be put on a table to start an speakerphone conversation. These features have to be utility based or else they will end up as the Air Gestures in the Samsung phones.

The phone will also be fitted with pressure sensing instruments on the sides to detect changes in grip. They want to make external buttons completely obsolete. One of the way this can be used is gripping the phone can power on the device. Even the Camera can be zoomed in and out just by doing the usual pinching motions near the device.

These features were originally intended to be used on the Windows 8.1 powered Nokia Goldfinger phones. This phone is now being pushed back for a later release, while the Mclaren is being given priority. This is one more way in which Microsoft is pushing the Nokia name off the edge. Some have said that Nokia’s innovations are being stripped for profitable parts in Microsoft’s research labs.

The new UI will be inspired by Zune Mixview

The phones will also have a tiny UI renovation with the Kinect induction. When pointed above a tile it will open multiple floating tiles. This is inspired by the Zune Mixview. The tech makes sense on a big screen where there was minimum learning curve, but in a small screen it will be a whole different story. Microsoft would have had to go back to the drawing board to make the technology featurable on a handheld device.

Now as these are still leaks and we’d have to wait for the device to come in our hands before we comment on the functionality of these features. This of course will be a good experiment to look forward to. Microsoft Xbox’s Kinectic abilities suit it well for a home entertainment system, but it has to take some real efforts to convince people that hovering fingers over your phone is as good as having a touch response.

E3 2014 Roundup of Major Releases

The gamers paradise is sizzling with action. The E3 or the Electronic Entertainment Expo is the biggest Gaming conference. E3 2014 had some of the biggest names having their moment on the podium and a lots of games found their way to the spotlight. We bring you the latest releases from all of them.

MICROSOFT:

After the mega release of the Xbox One last year, Microsoft concentrated mostly on the games for their gaming console. The Games list from Microsoft stands at:

a)      “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare”

b)      “Forza Horizon 2”

c)      “Evolve”

d)      “Assassin’s Creed: Unity”

e)      “Dragon Age Inquisition”

f)       “Sunset Overdrive”

g)      “Capcom: Dead Rising 3 DLC”

h)      “Dance Central Spotlight”

i)        “Fable Legends”

j)        “Project: Spark”

k)      “Ori and the Blind Forest”

The Announcement of Halo masterclass got a lot of folks excited

The most welcome news from Microsoft’s stable was the Halo Masterchief Collection. This will hold all the previous Halo versions plus the beta versions of upcoming versions, i.e Halo Nightfall and Halo: Guardians.

ELECTRONIC ARTS(EA):

The Mega Giant of the gaming industry had some sweet surprises for the gaming enthusiasts. Some of these games were demo of future releases. It’s almost like a cool prototype you saw at an auto show and wanted to know when its coming out only to know that date don’t exist. Hopefully that won’t be the case with:

a)    Untitled first person racing games: This one will be for the Go-Pro inspired generations. Have you ever seen those epic videos that those puny little cameras have captured and thought to yourself “wish I could do that.” Well this game aims to do just that. It will let the users operate in first person a huge assortment of vehicles such as cars, ATVs, helicopters, planes, jet-skis and more.

b) Mass Effect 4 and other Bioware games

c) Star Wars Battlefront

d) Mirror’s Edge 2: This was one of the most impressive and innovative games. The new version will show Faith (the lead) continue her intense badassery and take it to a new level. The parkour in this version will be more realistic and combat. This will be one of the games to look forward to.

Apart from this the usual sports games from the EA menu are also going to be released in their yearly release. This includes FIFA, Madden and NHL. Along with the Sims 4, the medival bonanza of pop culture will be celebrated with Dragon Age : Inquisition.

A lot of Dhoom in Battlefield Hardline

If you are a fan of fast paced urban action games, then Battlefield: Hardline Demo is the game for you. It’s a crime thriller with cops and robbers Dhooming around town. Somehow the visuals reminded us of the terrible, over used Amir khan dialogues from Dhoom 3.

UBISOFT:

The French gaming conglomerate had some impressive showcase this year. Heres the Ubisoft game list for the year:

a)      Far Cry 4

b)      Just Dance 2015

c)      Tom Clancy’s The Division

d)     The Crew

e)      Assassins Creed Unity

f)       Shape Up

g)      Valiant Hearts: The Great War

h)      Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Shield

This was a safe year for Ubisoft but their product line up was varied and will impress all kinds gaming pleasure seekers.

SONY:

They released the monster last year and now it’s time to feed it. After what must have been a long wait, the company showed off its games counter and it was truly impressive. It has a healthy mix of offerings for everyone this year. Here is what you can feast on this year on your PS4’s

a)      Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

b)      The Order: 1886

c)      Infamous: First Light

d)     LittleBigPlanet 3

e)      Destiny

f)       Bloodborne

g)      No Man’s Sky

h)      Mortal Kombat X

i)        Batman: Arkham Knight

j)        Remakes and Free-to-Play

One of the biggest announcements was that Grand Theft Auto will finally make it on the PS4 by this fall. By the end of July the PS4 version of The Last of Us: Remastered will be out.

Sony also showed off some free to play games such as Kingdom Under Fire II, Planetside 2 and War Thunder just to show that it cares.

NINTENDO:

The Japanese came with a plan when they unleashed their games with a kickass Robot Chicken inspired segments. Seth Green’s boys made some hilarious pieces with Nintendo characters that left the audience in splits.

Nintendo also had actual gameplay in the trailer making it a more authentic sell. They also had a good number of games for their handheld platforms Wii U and Ninendo 3DS.

Here is their Games list for 2014:

a)      Super Smash Bros.’ for Wii U and 3DS

b)      Yoshi’s Wooly World’

c)      Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker

d)      The new ‘Legend of Zelda’

e)      Pokémon Omega Ruby’ and ‘Alpha Sapphire’

f)       Bayonetta 2

g)      Hyrule Warriors

h)      Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

i)        Xenoblade Chronicles X

j)        Mario Maker

k)      Splatoon

l)        Fantasy Life

m)    Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

n)      Mario Party 10

Nintendo brought some extra fun in gaming with the Amiibos

Amiibos come in your favorite Nintendo Characters

Apart from this Nintendo also released a action figure series called Amiibo. These figures have to ability to remember the user’s stats, fighting styles and character traits and can be used with the Wii U. There a lot of possibilities

The Major players have showcased their goodies for 2014 and we look forward to bringing you more in-depth Game reviews as soon as we get to lay our hands on them.

The Top 5 FIFA World Cup Ads of 2014

1. NIKE

Football’s existence is under threat. It just had a corporate takeover and there has just been an attack of the clones. Our favourite sport is ruined and the greatest footballers now have to do odd jobs to survive. The Original Ronaldo decides brings them all together to save a game that has been their collective passion. Sometimes in life you just have to Risk Everything.

2. SAMSUNG

Earth is about to be destroyed and all the hopes of saving the planet rests on Footballers (because love for Football is not limited to just Earth.) Earth’s Mightiest footballers join forces against Aliens who seem inspired by the Predator. They are led by a hooded overlord who kinda reminds you of the Emperor from Star Wars. It’s almost a TV show as the ads are released in parts, teasing and keeping folks asking for more.

The Immense investment in these ads is impressive. The All Star video almost looks Avatar-ish.

3. ESPN

Football is a religion in most part of the world. Every 4 years the world is united by this religion and we all come together in one time zone: The World Cup Mean Time.

4. BEATS BY DRE

The five-minute ad, which is exhilarating to watch even for those who aren’t fans of the sport, begins with Neymar, the Brazilian star, having an emotional and empowering conversation with his father before the start of a match. The conversation goes on through the ad, as the setting changes from country to country and person to person. The powerhouse track playing in the background is ‘Jungle’ by X-Ambassadors and Jamie N Commons while the ad features famous football personalities like Rio Ferdinand, Cesc Fàbregas, Luis Suárez, Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry, as well as LeBron James, Nicki Minaj and others not from the football world.

5.MCDONALD’S

The clip was released to coincide with the start of the tournament in Brazil. One of them is a young boy. Another is a woman who happens to be wearing massive heels. There’s even an elderly man on a motorised scooter. All of them are shown performing ridiculous tricks with a football on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. We presume much of the trickery in this clip was accomplished using sly camera tactics, but even so, it makes for fine viewing.

Samsung takes aim at the iPad Air with New Slim Galaxy Tab S

Samsung has unveiled its new Galaxy Tab S, a new flagship tablet. The new device was introduced at an event Thursday evening in New York City and It will be available in two sizes: 8.4 and 10.5 inches.

Samsung called it a high-end tablet with an emphasis on entertainment and consumption. Google, Netflix and Flipboard are said to be the most important content on the tab. The Galaxy Tab S fashions a high-resolution SuperAMOLED display with 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, giving a tough competition to iPad ‘retina’ display. Samsung said its screen technology provides better color and deeper contrast, while consuming less power than the LCD displays in most tablets. It is the first time, Samsung has made available a tablet with SuperAMOLED display. At the back, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and 8.4 feature an 8MP camera with a 2.1MP at the front.

Galaxy Tab S is also equipped with an adaptive display, which will change the white balance of the tablet based on the ambient light. The screen also has a less reflectivity in bright sunlight. The device also has a fingerprint scanner same as Galaxy S5 which can be used by eight  people to login to different profiles.

Samsung is emphasizing the magazine content in the Galaxy Tab S with its own magazine display called Papergarden. The company also announced partnerships with Condé Nast, Marvel Comics National Geographic, who will be working on bringing titles to Papergarden, complete with interactive features.

Both Tab S tablets size variants are just 6.6mm thin, or 0.26 inches; thinner than the iPad Air. The weight is 465g for the large size and 294g for the smaller design. Both sizes come in white and bronze, and Samsung is offering optional covers as well as a keyboard.

The Tab S can also be synced to Galaxy S5 through SideSync, Once paired, the tablet can mirror the tablet’s screen in a smaller virtual window, letting users take calls on the tablet via its speakers and microphone. SideSync can also be used to transfer files or even run apps.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S is a strong contender against iPad, However, time will tell how it is received by consumers. In the U.S., the Samsung Galaxy Tab S will cost $499 for the 10.5-inch version, and $399 for the 8.4-inch.

SPECIFICATIONS

• 10.5 INCH
 
• 8.4 INCH

Display

10.5” (267.2mm) 2560×1600(WQXGA) Super AMOLED

Bearer

Wi-Fi Model

- Wi-Fi Only

LTE Model

- LTE : 800/900/1800/2600+850/2100

- 3G : HSPA+42.2 850/900/1900/2100

- 2G : GSM/EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900

Memory

3GB RAM, 16/32GB Memory, MicroSD (up to 128GB)

Camera / Flash

8M w/ Flash LED + 2.1M Full HD

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO

WiFi Direct, BT4.0

GPS

GPS, GLONASS, Beidou (Not supported in USA, Canada)

Dimension, Weight

Wi-Fi Model : 247.3 x 177.3 x 6.6mm , 465g

LTE Model : 247.3 x 177.3 x 6.6mm , 467g

Battery Capacity

7,900mAh

OS / Upgrade

Android 4.4 (Kitkat)

Messaging & SNS

Google+, Gmail

LBS

Google Maps

Other Services & Applications

Samsung Magazine, Professional pack, Multi-user mode,
SideSync 3.0, Gear & Gear fit manager

PC Applications

Samsung Kies

UI / Web Browser

Samsung UI / Android, Chrome Browser

Audio

MP3, AAC ,AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC

Video

H.263, H.264 (AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, WMV7, WMV8, VP8

Recording : FHD (1920 x 1080) @30fps

Playback : WQHD (2560 x 1440) @30fps

Connectors

USB 2.0, 3.5mm Ear jack

Apple Set To Change 100 Year Old History, will make headphones With a New Lightning Port

The internet has been talking about the possibility of Apple killing classic 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of the company’s propriety Lightning port. The decision to do so could have far-reaching effects for customers, who would be requisite to buy adaptors for their existing headphone sets, but would also result in larger synergies with the company’s latest acquisition of high-end headphone company Beats Electronics.

The company has introduced a new design for manufacturers in its made-for-iPhone (MFi) program that will let them to produce headphones with Lightning connectors. The new type of headphones will be able to make the change between analogue to digital audio with an elevated lossless stereo 48 kHz digital output, it would in addition convert the traditional headphones into a smart device.

The headphones that go directly into the Lightning port would have better audio quality than current models, meaning those fancy Beats by Dre would sound better.

The 3.5 mm headphone jack also remains the biggest hurdle when trying to make a slim phone, as the headphone jack requires a far fatter cavity than most other components, and the lighting connector serving as a headphone jack could mean that the iPhone could end up being super slim at the edges.

Apple has pointed out in its new specification that the new headphones can be “made to work specifically with a companion iOS app”. For instance, consumers would be able to do more than just skip tracks; they could work with apps such as iTunes Radio or initiate playback controls on iOS.

The biggest advantage of this new addition in iPhones will be that the headphones would be able to tap into power from an Apple device, thus eliminating the costs associated with an internal battery.

But on the downside, talks are customers won’t be able to listen to headphones and charge the phone at the same time, but of course there are also talks about wireless charging for the new iPhone.

Unlike the iPhone charger, the audio headphone jack has been around for more than 100 years. A version of it was used in the first telephone switchboards, and the jack has been in Army radios for as long as the Army has had radios. The current 3.5mm headphone jack is the portable-music standard, and has been since even before the first Sony Walkman hit stores in 1979.

There is a possibility of a revolt if Apple lovers are suddenly told that every pair of headphones they ever bought will be useless with the iPhone 6. But, then again, Apple usually tries to be ahead of the curve and predict what technologies are going to become legacy technologies, And so far they’ve been successful with it.

The Plastic HTC E8 One Officially Launched

HTC E8 One has been launched in China and its pricing is almost half as much as its aluminum counterpart M8. The much talked about plastic body is said to be solid and looks good too.

E8 fashions an impressive ergonomic Dual Curve Design, that makes the device fit in your hands easily. It has a 13MP main camera and 5MP front facing wide-angle camera. The Built-in Touch Up software balances skin tones while retaining your genuine look. The company will also provide a dual SIM version of the phone but only in selected areas, as mentioned on their website.

The new ‘Vogue Edition’ HTC M8 One is said to be similar to M8 in most of the specs. Though it is pointed out that its 13 MP camera is slower and the TV remote feature is missing. The price of the E8 is easily a steal given the near-identical features as the M8 i.e. Motion Launch, HTC BoomSound, Snapdragon 801, 5-inch 1080p screen, MicroSD expansion.

E8 is available in four colors: Polar White, Electric Crimson, Maldives Blue, and Misty Gray. The new device is said to be a little bit taller and thicker than the M8. The price set for the phone is CN¥2, 799 which rounds up to INR 27,000 approximately. We’re still uncertain about when it would be launched in India.

LG G Watch Specs Leaked

Looks like Smart watches are focus device for manufacturers now. LG had announced its own Smart watch called the LG G watch and it looks quite impressive. It is stated to release on the 7th of July this year and will be showcased at the Google I/O conference.

Some of the features that LG had featured on its website are:

1. Compatible with Android: A wide option of devices to connect your watch to.
2. Sleek and Sexy Metallic Body: Comes in Black and White
3. Water and Dust Proof: Outside Friendly
4. Always on Screen: No Stand by brings it closer to real watch experience.
5. Gives all functionality of a Smart Watch: Navigation, Reminders, memo.
6. Voice controls through Google Now: To play music, record memos and lot more.

LG’s G Watch looks a sure shot challenger to Samsung’s Galaxy Gear. On the design front it looks really classy with pure black  and the white being incorporated to Gold elements.

Now @upleaks has leaked the specs on the watch even before its release. So lets see what is under the hood of LG’s Smart watch and if has the hardware potential to take on the Galaxy Gear.

The watch is powered by the new Android Wear OS. The display is a 1.65-inch LCD screen with 280×280 pixel resolution. The processor on the G Watch is a quad-core Snapdragon 400 (with APQ8026 CPU) chipset with an 4GB LPDDR2 RAM .

G Watch also has 4GB of storage. It runs the latest Bluetooth 4.0 which is great for portables. The battery is a 400mAh Li-Po battery which is rated to give 36 hours of standby time and can be charged in under 2 hours.

This sure looks like a gadget to look forward to and if LG prices it right, it could be a winner for LG as well as a great introduction to the world of Android Wear OS.