DisplayMate Technologies tested the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 successfully

The new display technology Apple has used in its new iPad Air tablets which has made it possible for a full to reduce both the weight and volume of a new tablet by around 25 percent. Apple now uses indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) semiconductor materials and has moved away from amorphous silicon (a-Si) compounds used in previous Apple iPads tablets. However changing the technology of their Apple iPad display has also reduced the quality of the display’s image, according to recent testing carried out on the iPad Air tablet and its competitors by DisplayMate Technologies.

Previously Apple’s iPad range of tablets performed the best in its market, but this week it has been revealed that Apple has now been pushed down to second place by Amazons Kindle Fire HDX tablet. DisplayMate Technologies tested the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, the iPad Air, and Google’s Nexus 10, the Fire 8.9 and posted their results earlier this week. Explaining :

“The emphasis for the iPad Air is in reduced size, thickness, and weight. The most important under the hood display improvement is the switch from a-Si amorphous Silicon LCDs up to a much higher performance IGZO LCD backplane, which was discussed in our iPad 3 Display Shoot-Out article last year. The switch to IGZO produces an impressive 57 percent improvement in display power efficiency from previous Retina Display iPads – so the iPad Air doesn’t get uncomfortably warm like the earlier iPads.

Most impressive of all is the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, which has leapfrogged into the best performing Tablet display that we have ever tested, significantly out-performing the iPad Air in Brightness, Screen Reflectance, and high ambient light contrast, plus a first place finish in the very challenging category of Absolute Color Accuracy.”

To know more information on testing carried out on the current tablets available to purchase and details on each test carried out gently over to the DisplayMate Technologies website for full details and a rundown of the results.

Via - CNET

Nike published today announcing new Nike+ FuelBand SE fitness tracker @ $150

Fitness fanatics patiently waiting for the launch of the new generation of Nike fitness tracking wristbands in the form of the recently announced Nike+ FuelBand SE. Will be pleased to know that their weight is now over and the next generation of fitness tracker is now available to purchase directly from the Apple online store. Nike has made a number of improvements to their latest Nike+ FuelBand SE which now comes equipped with Bluetooth LE connectivity. Enabling it to link to your Apple iOS smartphone for updated results and fitness data using the new Apple iPhone 5S M7 processor.

Unfortunately due to the limited support provide by Android for Bluetooth LE in its current versions, Nike has said that it cannot release an Android supported Nike+ FuelBand SE at the current time but is working on releasing an Android version in the future. Nike explained in their press release published today announcing the availability of their new Nike+ FuelBand SE fitness tracker a little more about their new fitness tracking device.

“NikeFuel is a single, universal way to measure all kinds of activities—from your morning workout to your big night out. This uniquely designed metric applies to whole-body movement no matter your age, weight, or gender.

FuelBand tracks how much, how often, and how intensely you move. So go ahead and set a daily NikeFuel goal for how active you want to be. You’ll receive move reminders for an extra push to get you moving every hour. And monitor the intensity of your workouts with NikeFuel Rate and Nike+ Sessions.”

As well as their new Nike+ FuelBand SE, Nike has also rolled out a new firmware update for its older generation Nike+ FuelBand and and Nike+ Move app which add a number of new features and enhancements.

Via - Mac Rumours

New Verizon Ellipsis 7 tablet at $249.99 on Verizon without a contract

The Verizon Ellipsis Tablet will retail for $249.99 on Verizon without a contract, if you take out a new two year contract with the carrier, they will give you $100 off the price, this also applies to other tablets they are offering.

The new Verizon Ellipsis 7 tablet offers users another option when shopping for a new fully featured tablet at an affordable price. Exclusive to Verizon Wireless, this compact tablet has a 7-inch HD screen and is easy to carry. Readers can download e-books using the Amazon Kindle app, and because of its size, the Ellipsis 7 is ideal to hold with one hand. Entertainment seekers, on the other hand, can use Redbox Instant by Verizon to watch their favorite movies when they are traveling, at the gym, or at home when someone else is using the TV.

The Verizon Ellipsis features a 7 inch IPS HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, the tablet is powered by a quad core 1.2GHz processor and it also comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of built in storage, it also features a 3 megapixel rear camera.

Via - Verizon

Highly anticipated GTA Online 1.05 patch to be released

Grand Theft Auto Online gamers waiting patiently for the release of the highly anticipated GTA Online 1.05 patch to be released. Are sure to be delighted to know that the new GTA Online update 1.05 is now available to download for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The new Grand Theft Auto Online 1.05 update brings with it fixes for the disappearing vehicle bug that removed both cars and modifications for numerous players, thanks to a cloud save failure.

Other new features and fixes rolling out in the latest Grand Theft Auto Online update include built in measures to prevent users from losing their progress when there is a cloud outage as well as a number of new measures to protect players’ cash balances even if they experience network problems. Those of you still patiently waiting for the arrival of the $500,000 will be pleased to know that now the Grand Theft Auto Online 1.05 update has been released you can expect to see the cash landing in your GTA Online back accounts in the next few days.

The $500,000 in-game Grand Theft Auto Online Stimulus package was expected to be roles out a few weeks ago but due to issues within the game Rockstar need the current patch to roll out before they could issues the funds. For more information on the new GTA Online update 1.05 jump over to the official Rockstar website for details.

Via - Eurogamer

Ouya announced to increase more Games store - Video

Ouya has today announced that its Ouya games store now offers more than 500 game for players to choose from and has plenty of more games currently in development which will soon be adding to the ever growing library of games available for the Ouya games console. Check out the video after the jump to see a selection of the games now available for owners to play. Last month the Ouya team also announced that they had created a new and update controller for their Ouya games system and a new Oyua External Storage feature currently in development is also close to being rolled out to gamers. Enabling them to play and load games from external storage devices and USB drives.

The Ouya games console is priced at just $99 and is powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor supported by 1GB of RAM and comes fitted with a generous 8GB of internal storage. For a full list of all the games developers now available from the Ouya games store jump over to the Ouya announcement page for details. The Ouya game console originally launch in June of this year after a successful Kickstarter campaign help raise $8.5 million in funding to help it make the jump from concept to production. Ouya explains:

“We love playing games on the TV and we want to bring the most creative, innovative and engaging games back to the TV by allowing any developer—big or small, experienced or new, paparazzi-famous or up-and-coming—to easily build games for the big screen. Your favorite and soon-to-be-favorite games in 1080p—what’s not to love?”

Source: Ouya

Canon upgrades its EOS C100 digital video camera offering continuous autofocus mode

Canon has today announced that it will soon be making available a new factory installed upgrade for its awesome $8,000 Canon EOS C100 digital video camera offering it a new continuous autofocus mode and more. The new Canon factory installed upgrade will cost $500 and will install a new Continuous AF (Autofocus) Function for all Canon EF Lenses, apart from manual-focused models using Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology says Canon.

Another new Canon EOS C100 feature within the upgrade includes a very handy AF Lock setting, that will allow you to owners to lock focus on a point while still panning the camera and changing the image frame. Canon has created the new upgrade to provide users with a smoother capture process for moving subjects enabling owners to push their creativity even further and is hoping to start the upgrading process during February 2014. If you are looking to take up the offer of upgrading your Canon EOS C100 you will need to send your camera back to the Canon factory for the upgrade to be installed professionally.

To know more information on the new upgrade and how to purchase, jump over to the official Canon website for full details on all this new features and how to apply to have your camera graded.

Source: Canon : Engadget

New PlayStation 4 bundle Unveiled today with Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag game

Ubisoft and Sony have today announced a new PlayStation 4 bundle they have created in the form of the new PlayStation 4 Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag bundle. Which has been created its thought to fill the void left by the PS4 Watch Dogs launch bundle, which has now been scraped due to the delay in the release of the new Watch Dogs game which has been pushed back into 2014.

The new PlayStation 4 Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag games bundle includes an extra hour of exclusive PlayStation 4 gameplay which will be available to download from the Sony PlayStation Network. The new PS 4 Assassin’s Creed 4 games bundle will be launching alongside the PlayStation 4 console and will be arriving in European stores later this month on November 29th and in North America stores on 15th November. Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag has already launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles on November 1st, and will be followed by the Sony PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One and PC versions. 

“The year is 1715. Pirates rule the Caribbean and have established their own lawless Republic. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag introduces Edward Kenway, a brash rebel Pirate Assassin. His fight for glory has earned him the respect of legends like Blackbeard, but also drawn him into the ancient war between Assassins and Templars, a war that may destroy everything the pirates have built. Take part in an incredible and seamless adventure.

Discover the most diverse Assassin’s Creed world ever created. From Kingston to Nassau, explore 50 unique locations where you can live the life of a pirate. Become one of the most feared pirates in the West Indies. Stand amongst legendary names as you establish a lawless Republic in the Bahamas and relive the truly explosive events that defined the Golden Age of Piracy”

Via - Destructoid

Video of Google Nexus 5 Android Kitkat vs Nexus 4 Android Jelly Bean

The Google Nexus 5 is the fifth handset to launch in Google’s Nexus range, the first device was the Nexus One which launched back in January of 2010. This was then followed by the Google Nexus S which launched at the end of 2010 in December, then Google launch the Galaxy Nexus in October of 2011, it came with a higher resolution display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

In November 2012 Google launched the Google Nexus 4, it was the first handset to launch with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and last week we had the new Google Nexus 5 with Android 4.4 Kit Kat. The video below, which was put together by Phone Buff, shows all five of Google’s Nexus smartphones side by side, and it is interesting to see how far these device have moved on since the first Nexus handset launched back in 2010. 

It will be interesting to see how Google’s Nexus smartphones change over the next few years, the new Nexus 5 is their most powerful handset to date and it comes with some impressive specifications.

Via - Phone Buff

New Knock iOS app uses Bluetooth 4.0 technology to connect your Mac system

If you own an Apple Mac system and secure it using a pass code which enables a number of times during the day to stop unwanted access to your files and system. You might be interested in the new Knock iOS App which has been developed to allow easy access to your Mac system without you having to enter your pass code every time you return to your system.

The new Knock iOS app uses Bluetooth 4.0 technology to connect to your Mac system and is supported by Apple’s iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S smartphones. Once installed on your smartphone and enabled the Knock iOS app allows you to simply tap on your iPhone device whilst in range of your Mac system to securely access your system and bypass the password entry option. Watch the video below to see how easy access in your Mac system can be using the new Knock iOS application.

The Knock iOS App now available to download from the Apple iTunes App Store and is priced at $3.99. The Mac system companion application which links to your iPhone is available to download directly from the official Knock website for free. Its developers explain a little more:

“You keep your iPhone with you all the time. Now you can use it as a password. You never have to open the app— just knock on your phone twice, even when it’s in your pocket, and you’re in. Using the Knock iOS App won’t drain your iPhone’s battery, even if you use it all day every day. Knock securely communicates with your Mac using Bluetooth Low Energy, a new technology that draws very little power.”

Via - Mac Rumours

Google Profile photos display whenever you use Android smartphone to call other

Google is continuing to integrate its Google+ into its Android OS, and from next year, when you telephone an Android device from a Google+ verified phone number, your Google+ profile photo will appear on the handset you are calling. If you have verified your phone number on your Google account, when you phone one of your friend on an Android device, it will automatically show them your Google+ photo.

This is the coolest part of the new Caller ID by Google feature my team worked on, and we’re finally announcing it for early 2014: “Coming in early 2014, users who have verified their phone number and have discovery turned on will have their names and Google Profile photos display whenever they call you, or you call them (it’s great if a new friend who hasn’t been saved in your contacts yet calls you). 

Check your Google Account to make sure you are happy with how you appear on caller ID by Google: http://goo.gl/g9P3Bp ”. Of course everyone may not want to use this feature, and you will be able to choose whether or not to use the feature when it is introduced next year.

Via - Google+, Engadget

Dissapoinment for BlackBerry Lovers

BlackBerry lovers left could be in for some bad news. 

The device that was so addictive that it was dubbed the "CrackBerry" might not have much of a future: Its new chairman and interim CEO says he wants to give more importance tosoftware and services - not devices. That could mean the company might eventually get out of the business of selling smartphones.The possible change in strategy comes as Fairfax Financial, BlackBerry's largest shareholder with a 10 % stake, said Monday it won't buy the struggling smartphone company and take it private. It said that instead Fairfax and other investors will inject $1 billion as part of a revised investment proposal. 

CEO Thorsten Heins is resigning and John Chen was appointed chairman of BlackBerry's board of directors and interim CEO. Chen, the former CEO of software data company Sybase, told The Associated Press on Monday that BlackBerry employees need to start thinking differently about the company and accept that "we're really not in phones but we're in phones for software, for services." 

Chen said he wants to find a CEO with a strong software and services background. He noted that BBM BlackBerry's popular messaging application, has been downloaded by more than 20 million users since it became available on Google's Android and Apple's iOS platforms in the last 10 days. BBM, works like text messaging but doesn't incur extra fees. BBM had long been one of the most popular features on BlackBerry devices and only became available on rival smartphones last month. While there are fewer users of the actual BlackBerry smartphone, BBM remains popular. Chen said there are now about 80 million active users of BBM.

"I had like to find somebody to help me monetize that," Chen said. Colin Gillis, an industry analyst at BGC Financial, questioned whether that's possible. "It's like Apple saying we're going to stop making phones and we're going to become an iMessage company," Gillis said. BlackBerry no longer provides the number of actually device subscribers, and a company spokeswoman said that number would not be "an accurate reflection of our business today." 

In June, it said the total BlackBerry subscriber base was about 72 million. Mike Walkley, an analyst with Canaccord Genuity, estimates that there were about around 65 million BlackBerry device subscribers globally at the end of August, down from a peak of around 80 million at end of August 2012. He said he expects the rate of decline to accelerate.By comparison, smartphone market leader Samsung Electronics Co. shipped 81 million units in the July-September quarter alone, according to research group IDC.Gillis said BlackBerry might indeed stop selling phones but noted BlackBerry is already obsolete. He doesn't think current BlackBerry users have to worry though. 

"They are not just going to shut the lights off," Gillis said. The decline of the BlackBerry has come shockingly fast. In 1999, BlackBerry became a game-changing breakthrough in personal connectedness. It changed the culture by allowing on-the-go business people to access wireless email. President Barack Obama couldn't bear to part with his BlackBerry. Oprah Winfrey declared it one of her "favorite things." Then came a new generation of competing smartphones, and suddenly the BlackBerry looked ancient. Apple debuted the iPhone in 2007 and showed that phones can handle much more than email and phone calls. In the years since, BlackBerry Ltd. been hammered by competition from the iPhone as well as Android-based rivals. 

This year's much-delayed launch of the BlackBerry 10 system and the fancier devices that use it was supposed to rejuvenate the brand and lure customers. It did not work. Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry recently announced 4,500 layoffs, or 40 percent of its global workforce, and reported a quarterly loss of nearly $1 billion. "Sadly I think they are already out of the business after the BlackBerry 10 flop," said Mike Walkley, an analyst with Canaccord Genuity. Walkley said he believes BlackBerry will focus on its mobile device management business, which allows IT departments to manage different devices connected to their corporate network.

Via: indianexpress.com

New trailer released upcoming Gran Turismo 6 driving game

A new trailer has been released for the upcoming Gran Turismo 6 driving game which provides a new look at the cars and tracks you will be able to enjoy within the latest game in the franchise that is currently under development. The new Gran Turismo 6 trailer also reveals that you will also be able to drive the “Lunar Roving Vehicle LEV-001 ’71″ on the Moon. Providing you with a very unique experience not normally included in your traditional track based racing games. Watch the new Gran Turismo 6 trailer after the jump to see a glimpse of what you can expect.

The new Gran Turismo 6 will allow gamers to drive more than a thousand different games within the game with 120+ new vehicles included in Gran Turismo 6 game. Its still unsure if the new Lunar Roving Vehicle will be allowed to race on tracks or just on the moon landscape. But either way it will add a little quirkiness to the games track racing design.

“Gran Turismo 6 will introduce new locations where the drama will continue to unfold: the Goodwood Hillclimb course, a very exclusive track that only a few selected guests had experienced until now, is recreated for the first time in a video game; the Silverstone Circuit, the holy ground of the GT Academy that nurtured gamers into professional racing drivers; and the legendary Brands Hatch of UK fame, for a total of 7 new tracks included at launch. No matter if you’re driving alone or if you are challenging rivals, GT6 will set the stage for your new drama.”

For more information on the new Gran Turismo 6 game jump over to the official Gran Turismo website for details and a look at all the track that will be included in the new game.

Via - VG247