Garmin Monterra is an Android-powered handheld GPS unit

GPS equipment maker Garmin's latest device looks a lot like an Android smartphone. but it doesn't make calls and doesn't support cellular data. Instead it's rugged handheld GPS device designed for outdoor use — but you can also use it to download and run apps and games from the Google Play Store.

Garmin says the Monterra is the company's first WiFi-enabled handheld GPS running Android.

The Garmin Monterra features a 4 inch touchscreen display, 6GB of storage, and a microSD card slot. It supports WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC, as well as FM Radio. And of course it has a GPS and GLONASS receiver.

It can also receive weather alerts from NOAA.

The device has an 8MP camera with an LED flash which you can use to shoot 1080p video or snap photos with geo-tagged information.

Unlike most Android devices, you can power the Garmin Monterra with AA batteries, or you can use the included Li-ion battery pack. Also unlike most Android phones and tablets, the Monterra is a rugged device, with an IPX7 waterproof rating. That means it can be immersed in up to a meter of water for a half hour, which should be more than enough for a hiking or biking trip where it's more likely to get splashed or rained on.

Garmin says the Monterra will be available within the next few months for $650 and up.

While that might seem kind of pricey by Android phone standards, good luck finding a phone with all the features available in this outdoor GPS device.

via Android Central

Garmin Monterra is an Android-powered handheld GPS unit is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day (6-24-2013)

So far 2013 is shaping up to be a great year for HD displays. A growing number of smartphones and tablets are shipping with 1080p or higher-resolution displays. And we're starting to see Windows laptops following suit, with some models featuring screen resolutions as high as 3200 x 1800 pixels.

But what about desktop monitors? While higher-than-1080p screens have been available for a while, they tend to be crazy expensive.

Now AOC is offering a model that's a bit closer to affordable. the AOC q2963Pm is a 29 inch, wide-screen IPS display with a resolution of 2560 x 1080 pixels. It's kind of like having two side-by-side monitors, except it's just one screen.

And it sells for $400, which makes it about the price of 2 monitors, but much cheaper than many other devices in its class.

Here are some of the day's best deals.

• AOC 29″ 2560 x 1080 pixel IPS monitor for $370 – Newegg (coupon: HPNMQSV55)
• Asus Zenbook UX31A 13″ ultrabook w/Core i5 Ivy Bridge, 1080p screen for $699 - Adorama (via eBay)
• Toshiba Satellite U945 14″ ultrabook w/Core i5 Ivy Bridge for $550 – Adorama (via eBay)
• Refurb Vizio CT14 14′ ultrabook w/Core i3 Ivy Bridge for $500 – Badger Auctions (via eBay)
• Refurb Dell XPS 13 ultrabook w/Core i5 Ivy Bridge for $675 – Gaming Laptops (via eBay)
• Refurb B&N NOOK Tablet w/8GB for $90 – 1SaleADay (via eBay)
• Refurb BlackBerry PlayBook 7″ tablet w/16GB for $90 – CowBoom
• OCZ Agility 3 480GB SATA III 2.5″ SSD for $280 - Rakuten

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Deals of the Day (6-24-2013) is a post from: Liliputing

Now available: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S, Acer Iconia W3

If you've been waiting to get your hands on a small Windows 8 tablet or convertible, there are two new options on the market this week. The first 8 inch Windows 8 tablet is now in stock at some storess, and Lenovo's 11.6 inch Windows 8 convertible laptop is now available from the Lenovo website.

The Acer Iconia W3 is now available for $350, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S sells for $750 and up.

Lenovo IdeaPada Yoga 11s

Lenovo's third member of the Yoga family is a laptop that bends over backward to become a tablet. Basically you can lift the lid and use the computer in notebook mode — or keep pushing the screen until it goes back nearly 360 degrees and rests below the keyboard so you can hold the system like a tablet.

The first Yoga tablet had a 13.3 inch screen, the second had an 11.6 inch display but ran Windows RT. This is the company's smallest full Windows 8 model.

It sports an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, an Intel Ivy Bridge processor and is available with 4GB to 8GB of memory and 128GB or 256GB solid state disk options.

Acer Iconia W3

The Acer Iconia W3 is the smallest Windows 8 tablet released to date. It has an 8.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display and it's powered by an Intel Atom Z2760 Clover Trail processor.

Acer's little tablet has 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 2MP front-facing camera, and offers up to 8 hours of battery life.

Unfortunately when I got a chance to play with the Iconia W3 recently, I was underwhelmed by its speed and the screen's viewing angles.

Interestingly, Staples sent out a press release to let us know that the Iconia W3 was now available in-stores, but I don't see any mention of it on the company's website at the moment. Office Depot, however, is selling the Iconia W3 for $350, which is about $30 less than the tablet's list price.

Acer also offers an optional Bluetooth keyboard for $80.

Now available: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S, Acer Iconia W3 is a post from: Liliputing

Shisutena to launch a 10 inch Tizen Linux tablet in Japan

Smartphones and tablets running the Tizen operating system are expected to hit the streets this year, and it looks like Japan could be a good place to find some of the first. Hot on the heels of news that wireless carrier NTT DoComo would offer one of the first Tizen-powered phones, a company called Shisutena has announced it's developed a 10 inch Tizen tablet.

The tablet has all the specs you'd expect from a high-end Android tablet… it just happens to run a different operating system.

It sports a 10.1 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel display, a 1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. The tablet supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi, has a microSD card slot, and features a 2MP rear camera and 0.3Mp front-facing camera.

Tizen is a Linux-based operating system which places a heavy emphasis on web technologies. Third-party apps, for instance, can be written in HTML5 and JavaScript.

Samsung and Intel are backing the Tizen project, and it's likely we'll see some Samsung-branded devices running the operating system later this year.

We might not see the Shisutena tablet for a while either — the company plans to show it off at a trade show in October.

via FanlessTech and Hermitage Akihabara

Shisutena to launch a 10 inch Tizen Linux tablet in Japan is a post from: Liliputing

Sony SmartWatch 2 coming in September, pairs with your Android phone

Sony's SmartWatch 2 will hit the streets in September, giving you a new way to interact with your mobile phone without pulling your phone out of the pocket. It's a wristwatch with a 1.3 inch capacitive touchscreen display which you can use to tell the time, manage phone calls, read email messages, and more.

Word on the street is that Apple will introduce a smartwatch this year. Pebble already offers one, and it seems like every other day a new smartwatch project hits crowd-funding site Kickstarter.

But Sony actually introduced a wristwatch which pairs with your Android phone to let you access music, email, weather, maps, and other data more than a year ago.

Recently the company opened up that device to outside development.

Sony's second SmartWatch has a better display, longer battery life, more software, and adds support for NFC communications — you should be able to pair it with a smartphone by tapping the two devices together. It also supports Bluetooth, which lets it communicate with your phone.

It's not a WiFi-capable device, so when your phone isn't around, the watch will more or less function as… a watch. It'll still support a few apps and let you read messages that have already been downloaded, but it's really most useful when you have an internet connection.

The Sony SmartWatch 2 can also function as a remote control for your phone, acting as a remote trigger for the camera, for instance, or controlling music playback or presentations on your phone.

Other features include a mapping app, support for the Runtastic fitness app, Facebook, Twitter, and calendar apps.

The Sony SmartWatch 2 has a 1.6 inch, 220 x 176 pixel display. It's a transflective LCD screen which should be easier to read in direct sunlight than most smartphone displays. The watch is also water-resistant (which is to say it can withstand a few splashes, but you won't want to wear it into a swimming pool).

Sony SmartWatch 2 coming in September, pairs with your Android phone is a post from: Liliputing

What's new in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean?

Google has yet to officially launch Android 4.3 Jelly Bean yet, but leaked Android 4.3 firmware for the Samsung Galaxy S4 started making the rounds this week. At first glance, there's not much new in the next version of Android — Google has started making many of its updates available through individual app updates (Gmail, Calendar, Keyboard, Play Services and so on).

But when you start digging beneath the surface, Android 4.3 has more than a new version number and a slightly tweaked camera.

Here are some of the things that are new in Android 4.3 so far:

• Even when you turn off WiFi, it'll stay on a bit in the background to help with location services — unless you dig even deeper into the advanced settings to really turn it off. 
• Bluetooth Low Energy is now supported, allowing for wireless, short-range communications with certain devices (like smartwatches) while using less power.
• There are a few new developer options for testing/debugging.
• The default "Roboto" font has been updated. Android Police has an analysis of the new font, as well as download links for folks that want to install it on devices that aren't yet running Android 4.3.

Keep in mind, these changes were all found in a leaked build of a pre-release version of Android 4.3. It's possible that some or all of these features won't be available in the final release. It's also possible that we'll see more new features if and when Google officially launches Android 4.3.

We'll probably have to wait until the launch of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie before we see more dramatic changes to the operating system though.

What's new in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean? is a post from: Liliputing

Sony goes big with the Xperia Z Ultra 6.4-inch smartphone

Sony's new smartphone might be the largest device anyone's bothered to call a phone in years. The Sony Xperia Z Ultra features a 6.4 inch, 1080p display. It makes the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 look tiny.

But the screen isn't the only thing that sets the Xperia Z Ultra apart from the crowd. It also has one of the fastest smartphone processors around and a case that's both waterproof and dust resistant.

Remember when cellphones used to be the size of your head? And remember how exciting it was when they shrunk down small enough to fit in your pocket?

While it might seem like we're returning to the cellphones of the 80s, the thing is that you probably don't hold a modern smartphone up to your face nearly as often as you hold it in your hands. If you use a device to watch videos, play games, shoot photos, read, or surf the web more than you use it to make phone calls, the bigger the screen, the easier it is to do many of those things.

You just won't be able to do them with one hand unless you have enormous hands.

So it's likely that big smartphones are here to stay — and it's likely we'll continue to see companies pushing the limits to see just how big a screen they can offer. And since these models have bigger screens, there's also usually space for bigger batteries, which is a nice bonus.

Anyway, back to the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, it's powered by a 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot, a 2MP front camera and 8MP rear camera, and a 6.44 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display.

It runs Google Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and supports GSM, GPRS, HSPA+ and 4G LTE networks.

The phone has a 3,000mAh battery and measures 7.1″ x 3.6″ x 0.26″ and weighs 7.5 ounces.

Like some of Sony's other recent phones, this model can survive a dunk in water and it has a case designed to resist dust, which makes it useful both outdoors and in bathrooms.

It also supports handwriting recognition, although unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra does not have an active digitizer or digital pen. Instead you can use a capacitive stylus or "any pencil… or metal pen."

So if you're looking for a huge smartphone and you're on a budget, there's the 7 inch Asus Fonepad. If you're looking for a model with top-tier specs, it's hard to do much better than the 6.4 inch Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

The phone's expected to launch in select markets this summer.

Sony goes big with the Xperia Z Ultra 6.4-inch smartphone is a post from: Liliputing

Ouya's $100 video game console is now available (whether you want it or not)

The Ouya team generated quite a buzz last year when they promised to deliver a hackable, Android-powered video game console for $99. Almost a year later, and after raising millions of dollars through a successful crowd-funding campaign and outside investors, the team has delivered on its promise… sort of.

You can now buy an Ouya game console from Amazon, Best Buy, Target, or the Ouya website for $99.99, among other places (although Amazon is already out of stock). But early reviews of the device have been mixed, at best — and some backers of the company's Kickstarter campaign are still waiting for their units to arrive.

The Ouya is a small box with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. It comes with a wireless controller, and connects to your TV via HDMI and to the internet over WiFi or Ethernet.

While the Tegra 3 was pretty much the best available ARM-based chip available when the Ouya project was announced, it's starting to look a little dated. But it's still possible to run many excellent Android apps on a Tegra 3-powered device, and Ouya says there are 170 games available for the game console at launch.

Folks who've been testing the platform, on the other hand, say there are few particularly good games at the moment — unless you count emulators, which let you play classic console games.

Early testers also had problems with buttons sticking on the wireless controller, but Ouya has promised to fix those problems before the retail launch, so hopefully the new controllers are better.

Some folks have also complained about slow or unresponsive customer support, although arguably people who received units after backing the Kickstare campaign aren't "customers," so much as funders. But you'd think the company would want to keep happy the people who were enthusiastic enough to pay for a device that might never see the light of day.

You can also use an Ouya as a media center device — eventually it's expected to support the XBMC media center. For now you can install a few media apps from the Ouya store including TuneIn Radio and Plex.

But if you're looking to use the device primarily as a game console, it sounds like the Ouya platform shows promise… but might not deliver on all that promise just yet. On the other hand, if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive Android-powered device that comes with a wireless controller and which you can root or otherwise modify, $100 isn't a lot of money for a device with these features.

Ouya's $100 video game console is now available (whether you want it or not) is a post from: Liliputing

Leef Bridge is a USB flash drive for your smartphone or your PC

USB flash drives have been allowing you to transport files to and from work, carry around music in your pocket, and even run apps for ages. But most USB flash drives have one thing in common: a full-sized USB connector designed to be plugged into a full-sized port on your laptop or desktop.

The Leef Bridge has one of those full-sized connectors too. But it also has a microUSB connector, which makes it easy to plug the Leef Bridge into a smartphone or tablet.

There's a full-sized connector on one and and a microUSB connector on the other. Just slide out the one that you need and the case of the flash drive will protect the other.

Not every device supports USB storage devices. While a microUSB port can be found on most Android phones and tablets, on many devices that port is only used for charging. You'll need a model with support for USB OTG capabilities to use the Leef Bridge.

Leef has posted a list of supported Android and Windows 8 devices on its website, but I'm pretty sure it's not a comprehensive list.

Theoretically you could buy a micro USB OTG adapter for a few bucks and connect any old flash drive to your phone. But it's nice to have a single-piece solution, and the Leef Bridge is reasonably priced.

You can pick up a 16GB model from the Leef Store for $17.99, or a 32GB flash drive for $28.99. A 64GB model should be available next month.

via Android Police

Leef Bridge is a USB flash drive for your smartphone or your PC is a post from: Liliputing

Lilbits (6-26-2013): Chromebooks with Haswell chips on the way?

When the first Chromebooks hit the market, they were powered by Intel Atom chips designed to keep prices relatively low, battery life relatively long, and performance relatively poor. OK, that last bit might have been the unintended consequence of going with Atom rather than a goal.

But Google recently showed that Chromebooks don't have to be slow. The $1299 Google Chromebook Pixel has an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor and it's speedy as all get out. And even the $249 Samsung Series 3 Chromebook with an ARM Cortex-A15 chip is pretty zippy.

But soon we may see some even faster models featuring Intel Haswell chips.

Here's a roundup of tech news from around the web.

• Upcoming "Bolt" Chromebook could have Haswell CPU, touchscreen
  The Chromebook Pixel might not be the fastest Chrome OS laptop for long. New models with Intel Haswell processors are in the works, and at least one appears to have a touchscreen. Or maybe the units that are undergoing testing are just prototypes that'll never see the light of day. [Chrome Story]
• Sony PRS-T3 eReader hits the FCC
  Sony's next-generation eReader showed up at the FCC. There aren't a lot of details, but it looks like Sony's refined the design a bit, and both devices are WiFi-capable. [The Digital Reader]
• MiiPC Android mini PC for kids ship date pushed back to September
  The MiiPC is a crowd-funded mini computer that runs Android and is designed for kids. It was initially scheduled to launch in July, but the date's been pushed back a few months. [Kickstarter]
• NVIDIA Shield makes a pretty nifty remote control for the Parrot AR Drone (Video)
  The NVIDIA Shield may be a handheld gaming console first and foremost, but it's also an excellent remote control for a drone. [Droid Life]
• Coby MID9052 9 inch Android tablet hits the FCC
  Budget tablet maker Coby's latest Android tablet appears to have a 9.7 inch screen, Android 4.0 software, and 8GB of storage. It's not the most exciting device around, but it'll probably sell for under $150. [FCC]
• LGX BB100 is a $15 BeagleBone Black case for the BeagleBone Black, completes the tiny PC aesthetic
  The BeagleBone Black is a $45 hackable computer board. But you can turn it into a more respectable PC by adding a cheap case. [LinuxGizmos]
• Intel HD 5000 (Haswell) and HD 4000 (Ivy Bridge) graphics compared
  Intel promised big gains in graphics performance with the move from Ivy Bridge to Haswell. That's kind of true, but it depends on which Haswell chip you use, and what you use it for. [AnandTech]

You can keep up on the latest news by following Liliputing on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

Lilbits (6-26-2013): Chromebooks with Haswell chips on the way? is a post from: Liliputing

$140 Nabi Jr is a 5 inch tablet with a Tegra 3 processor

Fuhu's Nabi tablets are aimed at kids. But despite the bright colors and semi-rugged design, some of the company's latest models have specs you'd expect to find on a full-fledged tablet.

The $250 Nabi XD, for instance, is a 10 inch tablet with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, up to 32GB of storage, and an optional keyboard cover. Now it turns out Fuhu is also offering a tablet that's just over half the price, less than half the size, but which has surprisingly similar specs.

The Fuhu Nabi Jr if a 5 inch tablet with an 800 x 480 pixel multitouch display, up to 16GB of storage, and a camera that can swivel to face the front or back.

While the company announced a $99 model last year featuring 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM, a 2350mAh battery, and a Tegra 2 dual-core processor, Android Police reports that there's a new $139 model with much better specs.

It has an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 2500mAh batteryand runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (the cheaper model runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich).

It also has a kind of chunky case — it's designed for kids, after all.

While the screen resolution isn't very impressive, the rest of the specs look pretty great. The handheld devices supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi, has Bluetooth 3.0, a microSD card slto, and features a 2MP camera. You also get a removable rubber case that helps protect the device.

What you don't get is out-of-the-box support for the Google Play Store, but you should be able to root the tablet and install it yourself.

The Nabi Jr. tablet with Tegra 3 is available for $140 from J&R, B&H, and Best Buy.

 

 

$140 Nabi Jr is a 5 inch tablet with a Tegra 3 processor is a post from: Liliputing

Samsung Galaxy S4 with Snapdragon 800, LTE-Advanced hits Korea

The Samsung Galaxy S4 that's available in the US and Europe is one of the fastest smartphones around, packing 4G LTE wireless capabilities and either a Samsung Exynos 5 Octa processor or a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chip.

But if you happen to be in South Korea, you can get an even faster model. SK Telecom just announced a new version of the Galaxy S4 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU and support for LTE Advanced mobile broadband.

The rest of the specs are pretty much the same as on the international versions of the Galaxy S4, including a 5 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display, 2GB of RAM, and a 13MP camera.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor is one of the fastest ARM-based chips to date, and recent benchmarks show it kind of blows away the competition in terms of graphics performance.

Meanwhile LTE Advanced networks can handle download speeds as high as 150 Mbps, although real-world performance will probably be somewhat slower most of the time.

It's unlikely we'll see this phone in the US anytime soon, as there aren't any wireless carriers that offer LTE-A service yet.

via TechHive and AllAboutSamsung

Samsung Galaxy S4 with Snapdragon 800, LTE-Advanced hits Korea is a post from: Liliputing

NVIDIA Shield ship date pushed back to July (handheld gaming)

NVIDIA has announced that its handheld gaming console will ship next month. The NVIDIA Shield had originally been slated to ship starting June 27th, but the company says it discovered a "mechanical issue" during quality assurance testing.

The company wants to resolve that problem before delivering units to customers — and that's probably for the best, since a mechanical issue isn't something you can fix with a simple software update.

The NVIDIA Shield looks like a handheld game controller with a 5 inch screen attached, and that's pretty much what it is. But it also packs an NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and the ability to run Android games and other apps.

You can also use it to stream games from a PC on your home network.

This is the first gaming device from NVIDIA, and if successful it could represent the start of a major change in strategy for the company. Up until now NVIDIA has primarily focused on making graphics cards for laptop and desktop computers and CPU and GPU chips for mobile devices.

NVIDIA is selling the Shield for $299, which is $50 lower than the price the company had originally planned. But if the comments on the blog post announcing the delay are anything to go by, some early adopters are less than pleased by the delay.

On the other hand, as we've learned from Ouya and countless other projects, shipping a device before it's 100 percent ready for prime time doesn't make for very happy customers either.

NVIDIA Shield ship date pushed back to July (handheld gaming) is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day (6-26-2013)

Google's All Access music service lets you stream millions of songs on-demand to a web browser or mobile device. The company offers a 30 day free trial, and starting next month users will be able to keep going after the free month is up by paying $9.99 per month.

But Google's offering a discount for early adopters, and anyone who starts a free trial by June 30th, 2013 will only have to pay $7.99 per month.

Time's running out on that promotion, and it costs nothing to start the trial, so you might want to think about doing that before the end of the month.

Here are some of the day's best deals.

• Google Music All Access for $7.99 per month (sign up by 6/30) – Google
• Samsung Chromebox X300 for $250 – Amazon
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 + $25 Google Play credit for $345 – asavings (via eBay)
• Refurb Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 for $299 – BuyDig (via eBay)
• Refurb Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 7″ Andorid tablet for $77 – Lenovo (coupon: DOORBUSTERS)
• Centon 128GB USB 3.0 flash drive for $60 after rebate – TigerDirect
• ADATA 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive for $30 after rebate – TigerDirect

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Deals of the Day (6-26-2013) is a post from: Liliputing

Google edition HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 now available, shipping July 9th

As promised, Google is now selling two of the hottest Android smartphones straight through the Google Play Store. The Google edition versions of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 come with Google's version of Android, receive software updates directly from Google, and come as carrier and bootloader unlocked devices.

Update: It looks like software updates won't be coming straight from Google after all. The company will provide key software to HTC and Samsung, but they'll be responsible for sending updates to users.

That means there's also no carrier updatesubsidy, so you have to pay full price for the phones up front. The HTC One sells for $599, while the Samsung Galaxy S4 costs $649.

Some wireless carriers charge a lower monthly fee to customers that bring their own devices though, so you might actually end up saving money over the course of a typical 2-year contract by purchasing an unlocked device this way.

Both phones features 1920 x 1080 pixel displays and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processors. Samsung's model has a removable battery and a microSD card slot, both of which are features the HTC One lacks. But HTC's phone has excellent front-facing features, and a new type of camera which is designed to work well in low-light conditions.

Since the phones don't include Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense software, you don't get all the features that come with the typical versions of these devices. There's no BlinkFeed widget, no HTC camera, and no Samsung software to let you answer calls by waving your hands over the camera.

On the other hand, you should get software updates much more quickly on these devices than you would on most other phones, and installing custom ROMs should be much simpler.

Google edition HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 now available, shipping July 9th is a post from: Liliputing

JW-11 is a cheap, Linux-friendly ARM PC with a 2.5″ drive bay

Like the idea of using a small ARM-based device as a low-power desktop or media center computer, but don't want to rely on the 4GB to 16GB of storage that usually comes with an Android TV box?

The JW-11 is a box with an low-power processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of built-in storage, and a 2.5 inch drive bay which you can use to add a hard drive or solid state drive.

It's available from AliExpress for about $68.

The JW-11 features an Amlogic AML8726-M3 ARM Cortex-A9 single-core processor and ships with Google Android.

While it officially support Android 4.0 or Android 4.1 software, folks have been porting other Linux-based operating systems to run on devices with AML8276 chips. There are versions of the XBMC media center application available for both Android and Linux, which could make the JW-11 a decent little addition to your living room.

You'll still probably get better performance from an XBMC box with a more powerful x86 chip, but Amlogic's little chip can handle 1080p HD video playback.

You can hook it up to a TV using the HDMI port, connect to the internet using the built-in WiFi or Ethernet, and connect a mouse, keyboard, or remote control using one of the 4 USB 2.0 ports.

There's also an SDHC card reader and audio and video jacks.

via AndroidPC.es

JW-11 is a cheap, Linux-friendly ARM PC with a 2.5″ drive bay is a post from: Liliputing

BlueStacks introduces GamePop Mini: Free Android game console (with $7/month subscription)

BlueStacks is adding another Android-based video game console to its lineup, even before the first model hits the streets. Recently the company unveiled the GamePop, a $129 device that lets you play Android games on the big screen by paying a $6.99 subscription fee to access an all-you-can-eat buffet of games.

Now the company is introducing the GamePop Mini, a smaller model which will be available for no additional charge when you sign up for a 12-month subscription. If you return the device before your first year is up, you pay a $25 restocking fee.

BlueStacks still hasn't actually told us what kind of hardware is in the $129 version, so it's tough to say exactly how the "free" version differs. But the GamePop and GamePop Mini both differ from other Android-based video game consoles like the Ouya and GameStick in a few ways.

First, rather than buying individual games, you pay a subscription to play as many games as you like. This isn't a Netflix-style streaming service. Games will be downloaded to your device and you can play them at any time. But stop paying your subscription fee, and the GamePop system will be useless.

Second, BlueStacks got its start by making Android games run on Windows PCs. Using similar technology, the company is promising to enable support for iOS apps on Android. You won't be able to access every game in Apple's App Store, but iOS developers will be able to offer their games to GamePop subscribers without first porting them to Android.

At launch, BlueStacks says games from 500 developers will be available.

The GamePop mini goes up for pre-order on July 1st from GamePop.tv. The $129 GamePop is already available for pre-order. Maybe the company will tell you what differences exist between the two devices next week.

via Engadget

 

BlueStacks introduces GamePop Mini: Free Android game console (with $7/month subscription) is a post from: Liliputing

Leaked build of Android 4.3 for the Samsung Galaxy S4

Google has yet to officially launch the next version of its smartphone and tablet operating system. But Android 4.3 has already been spotted in the wild — and now a leaked build for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition is available for download from SamMobile.

You can also grab the system dump.

It's probably just a matter of time before the software is unofficially ported to run on other devices — but keep in mind, this is unofficial software, installing it might void your warranty, and you could break your device.

With those warnings out of the way, here are some of the things that are new in Android 4.3:

• The camera has been tweaked a bit with a half-circle menu instead of a full-circle.
• Yeah, that's about it.

If there are more changes, they're likely under the hood and tougher to spot. It's no surprise that Android 4.3 is still code-named "Jelly Bean," since it appears to be a minor software update at best.

Keep in mind, it's also possible that this ROM is a fake… I mean, it's certainly a real ROM. People have installed it. But it might not really be Android 4.3 so much as a cleverly modded version of Android 4.2.2.

Google recently started offering standalone versions of many core Android apps through the Google Play Store, which lets the company push updates to the Gmail, Calendar, Play Music, Play Store, and even keyboard apps without releasing a whole new version of the operating system.

That doesn't mean we won't see OS updates anymore. But they might not be as important these days as they were a few years ago when the only way to update the core Android experience was through the launch of a new version of the operating system.

This is generally good news for folks who don't install custom ROMs or buy Nexus phones, since it means you don't have to wait for your phone maker or wireless carrier to modify and/or approve updates before you get new features.

But for custom (and stock) firmware enthusiasts, it looks like the era of Android 4.3 is upon is, whether Google meant for it to start today or not.

Now let the wait for Android 4.0 Key Lime Pie begin!

Leaked build of Android 4.3 for the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day (6-28-2013)

Asus makes some of the thinnest and lightest ultrabooks around, which means the Asus Zenbook laptops usually cost a bit more than some of the models available from Lenovo, HP, or other companies.

But if you're willing to buy a model from a year or two ago, you can get a pretty good deal. Today's roundup of bargains on tech products includes a few nicely priced Asus Zenbook ultrabooks with Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge chips.

Make sure to read the descriptions carefully, because the higher-priced model has an older chip and a lower-resolution display, but twice the storage capacity.

Here are some of the day's best deals.

• Asus Zenbook UX31E 13″ ultrabook w/Core i7 Sandy Bridge for $880 – Woot
• Asus Zenbook Prime 13″ ultrabook w/Core i5 Ivy Bridge for $700 - Adorama (via eBay)
• Refurb Acer Aspire S7 11.6″ ultrabook w/Core i5 for $800 – Acer (via eBay)
• Refurb Acer Aspire S3 w/Core i3 Sandy Bridge for $460 – Adorama (via eBay)
• Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx Windows 8 tablet w/Atom Z2760 for 350 – Newegg (coupon: EMCXPVM86)
• HP Envy X2 11.6″ Windows 8 tablet (w/Atom Z2760) + keyboard dock for $500 – Staples (coupon: 69503)
• Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7″ tablet w/16GB for $170 – Groupon
• Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit for $80 – Newegg (coupon: EMCXPVM235)
• Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500 (unlocked) for $550 - Newegg (via eBay)
• Android 4.0 TV stick with WM8850 Cortex-A( CPU for $36 – MidnightBox
• Fantom 3TB USB 2.0/eSATA hard drive for $130 after rebate – Newegg 

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Deals of the Day (6-28-2013) is a post from: Liliputing

Huawei MediaPad 7 Youth tablet hits the FCC

Chinese device maker Huawei seems to be aiming for youth and beauty with its latest tablets. Earlier this month the company launched the Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue, and now it looks like another model called the MediaPad 7 Youth is on the way.

The new tablet showed up at the FCC website this week.

While the FCC listing is light on details, the test reports show the tablet is a WiFi-only device. But Dutch website TabletGuide.nl says that retail listings in that country suggest a 3G model will also be available.

Like the MediaPad 7 Vogue, the new model will likely have a 7 inch screen. Photos also show a similar design with a white and silver back and a shiny black bezel around the screen on the front.

The Vogue has the specs of a low-to-mid range tablet, including a 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a microSD card slot, and a 1.2 GHz MediaTek quad-core processor.

It's not yet clear whether the MediaPad 7 Youth will offer similar specs.

Huawei MediaPad 7 Youth tablet hits the FCC is a post from: Liliputing

Lilbits (6-28-2013): Haswell in small desktops, Raspberry Pi in an Atari case

Zotac has released a number of tiny desktop computers over the past few years, but the company also offers products that let you build your own. The latest is the Zotac H87-ITX, a small motherboard that's compatible with Intel's 4th-generation Core processors, also known as "Haswell."

You can use the H87-ITZ mini-ITX case to build a small form-factor desktop featuring a Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processor. It supports up to 16GB of RAM, and has mSATA, PCI Express, and mini PCI Express slots.

The board supports 8-channel audio, features HDMI and DVI output, and has built-in WiFi.

Unfortunately Zotac hasn't yet announced a price.

Here's a roundup of tech news from around the web.

• Zotac launches a new mini-ITX board with support for Haswell chips
  Intel's latest Core processors use less power, and generate less heat than some of their predecessors. So why not cram them into a small box? This mini-ITX motherboard will help you do that. [Zotac]
• Raspberry Pi crammed into an Atari 2600 case
  Fitting a tiny Raspberry Pi computer into a classic case never gets old. This particular case, however, is pretty old. The Atari 2600 game console originally launched in 1977. [Hack-A-Day]
• Chrome OS dev channel update lets you edit Excel, Word files
  Google bought the makers of QuickOffice a while back, and they're starting to incorporate the technology into Chrome OS. If you're on the dev channel and enable a special flag, you can now edit some documents without first loading them into Google Docs. Functionality is pretty basic so far. [François Beaufort]
• Firefox gets a new logo (and some new apps)
  The Firefox web browser's been around for nearly a decade, and in that time it's gone through a few logos… although they're all so close to one another that you might not have noticed. Today the logo changed again, but the differences are pretty subtle. Oh yeah, the company also launched new beta apps for its desktop and Android apps. [Engadget]
• Microsoft appears to be ready for a wide range of screen sizes, resolutions
  The company's new developer tools for Windows 8.1 include options for a range of screen sizes and resolutions, including some that cold point to new Surface tablets — or at least the possibility that Micorosft expects third party companies to release products with 7 inch, 1080p screens, 7.5 inch, 1440 x 900 pixel screens, and 10.6 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel displays, among others. [The Verge]
• Leap Motion Teardown
  Leap Motion is a motion control device that lets you interact with a computer using 3D gestures. Wave your hands, move your body, make funny faces. You get the idea. Apparently most of the magic is in the software, because it turns out there's not much hardware to look at. But here's what it looks like splayed out. [SparkFun]

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Lilbits (6-28-2013): Haswell in small desktops, Raspberry Pi in an Atari case is a post from: Liliputing

Pipo M7Pro tablet with RK3188 CPU, 8.9 inch full HD display on the way for about $240

Chinese tablet maker Pipo has introduced a new model with a speedy processor, a high resolution display, and a relatively low price. The PiPo M7Pro is an 8.9 inch tablet with a 1920 x 1200 pixel display, a Rockchip RK3188 quad-core processor, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean software.

It's already available in China, and you should be able to get one in the US this July for around $240.

Pipo actually introduced the tablet in May, but I was reminded to check for pricing and availability after Chinese blog Padhz got their hands on the device recently and posted some hands-on impressions.

The tablet has 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 5MP rear camera with auto-focus and flash, and a 2MP front-facing camera. It features GPS, HDMI, and a microSD card slot and supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi. Unfortunately there's no Bluetooth support.

According to Padhz, the Pipo M7pro  is pretty thin, light, and easy to grip thanks to a bumpy texture in the plastic near the edges. It's also not a bad-looking device — unless you have an aversion to ports. There are plenty of them around the sides of this tablet.

Geekbuying is taking pre-orders for the Pipo M7Pro for $240 and expects to have it in stock by July 20th.

You can also order one from AliExpress, where sellers are offering the tablet for between $215 and $310.

 

 

Pipo M7Pro tablet with RK3188 CPU, 8.9 inch full HD display on the way for about $240 is a post from: Liliputing