Mlb Forums Cool TechToys: July 2014 http://onlinecasino.us

Wednesday, 30 July 2014

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition)

samsung galaxy noe 10.1 2014 edition


PROS                                                                             CONS
Brilliant high-res display                                                
Battery life still not close to the iPad
Good performance                                                        
Plastic frame doesn't feel high quality
Leather-like back panel helps with grip                          Expensive
Expandable memory
Complete range of S-Pen features

Decent camera

"The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 is the weapon of tablets, offering a slightly compromised tool for almost every job you could imagine."

General
Release dateFebruary 2014
Dimensions (mm)171.00 x 243.00 x 7.90
Weight (g)547.00
Battery capacity (mAh)8220
Removable batteryNo
SAR valueNA
Display
Screen size (inches)10.10
Resolution2560x1600 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)299
Colours16M
Hardware
Processor1.9GHz 
RAM3GB
Internal storage16GB
Expandable storage typeSD card
Camera
Rear camera8-megapixel
FlashNo
Front camera2-megapixel
Software
Operating SystemAndroid 4.3
Java supportYes
Browser supports FlashNo
Connectivity
Wi-FiYes
Wi-Fi standards supportedNA
GPSYes
BluetoothYes
NFCNo
InfraredNo
DLNAYes
Wi-Fi DirectYes
MHL OutNo
HDMINo
Headphones3.5mm
FMNo
USBMicro-USB
Charging via Micro-USBYes
Proprietary charging connectorNo
Proprietary data connectorNo
Number of SIMs1
SIM TypeMicro-SIM
GSM/ CDMAGSM
3GYes
Voice CallingYes
StylusYes
Sensors
Compass/ MagnetometerYes
Proximity sensorYes
AccelerometerYes
Ambient light sensorYes
GyroscopeNo
BarometerNo
Temperature sensorNo


Build & Design


However, it is quite disappointing that the build quality still is a couple of notches below perfect. Press hard on the middle of the back panel, and it does bend a bit. The plastic on the spines just looks bolted on as an afterthought. And the port covers over the SIM and microSD card slots feel flimsy at best. Up front and at the back, the design elements seem extremely different, more like a case of two halves, as they say in football. You have the fake leather look at the back, and the more conventional Samsung-ish design up front, complete with the hardware key for home, and touch keys for menu and return - exactly the same as most Galaxy smartphones.



The Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) has much more compact dimensions than the version it succeeds - 243.1mm x 171.4mm x 7.9mm and weighs 535 grams. While the weight reduction is massive, generation-wise, it still is heavier and bigger than the Apple iPad Air (240mm x 169.5mm x 7.5 mm; 478 grams). Albeit, do note (no pun intended) that there is a slight difference in the screen size of both tablets, and that does have a bearing on the Samsung’s apparent disadvantage on the spec sheet.


One thing that does catch your attention is that there is no notification LED that will indicate charging status or any new update from an app. If you hold the tablet in landscape mode, there is a speaker grill on the left and right side spines. The top spine has the power key and the volume rocket, while the bottom spine has the micro USB port for charging and data transfer.






Display


The display is one area where Samsung has never lagged behind Apple. The Note 10.1 builds on that brilliance, with the 10.1-inch Super Clear LCD panel, with a massive resolution bump up to 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. You really will find it very difficult to find a 10-inch tablet with such a brilliant display, in terms of native brightness, crispness of text rendered and the colour richness without any particular shades popping unnaturally, one problem we always noticed on AMOLED displays. The display goes well beyond Full HD resolutions, and that makes this tablet very much future proof.



In terms of brightness levels, the Note 10.1 registers a Luxmeter reading of 1654, while the iPad Air’s 9.7-inch screen registered 1522, both at 100% brightness with the same content on the screen. And it is that base that the Note 10.1 builds on. Between these two displays, the whites look purer on the Note 10.1, and so does the text for the same content. Where the iPad has the advantage is with the slightly softer colours and the warmer tones, if one prefers that.

Be it Real Racing 3, or the 1080p version of Elysium, the sheer richness of the display is something you just cannot ignore. Switch over to reading, and for that, I specifically use the Kindle Reader app and also Flipboard. The text rendering is absolutely fantastic, with just the perfect amount of crispness. Incidentally, there seems to be some issue with the default browser - try zooming into text on a web page, and it looks fuzzy for a second, before returning to perfection.


Audio


One issue that the iPad Air improved on, over the previous generation, was the introduction of dual speakers, instead of just one on the 4th generation iPad. Samsung had packed in the two side spine mounted speakers in the previous Note 10.1 as well, but this time around, the sound seems a lot better, mostly in terms of clarity at high volumes, particularly for dialogues. Though this may still not replace your headphones or any external speakers that you may use with the tablet, it's good enough for when on the move.



The Adapt Sound feature, also seen in the Galaxy S4, adjusts the audio tone and the left-right audio balance to improve the experience. To set this, you need to plug in a pair of headphones, and commence tweaking. Hit start after opening the app, and you will basically go through a multi-step hearing test with a series of high and low pitched beeps to understand the capabilities of your headphones, and also your ears in some ways.

Additionally, the built in music player has a very detailed set of equalizer settings, which makes a massive amount of difference. The cube based equalization method, in addition to the conventional equalizer is a neat feature.

Performance


The Note 10.1 packs in Samsung’s Exynos 5420 chipset with a quad core cluster at 1.9GHz and another quad core cluster at 1.3GHz, paired with 3GB of RAM. As expected, the benchmark scores make this one of the fastest Android tablets out there. But, the real comparison is with the Apple iPad Air, which itself got a processor and graphics boost not long back. But, despite all the power under the hood, the Note 10.1 is still behind the iPad Air, at least as far as the simple numbers are concerned. Within the Android ecosystem, the Note 10.1 stands alongside the 7-inch XOLO Play Tegra Note in terms of best in-class performance.





However, the fact that the test scores are still behind iOS, despite such powerful hardware, just points to the fact that Android as an OS, and the apps around it, are still not polished enough to utilize such powerful hardware to the fullest. I mean, it isn’t an issue because performance doesn’t get impacted negatively, but this does leave a semblance of a sour taste in the mouth - based on the amount of money you spend and the expectations from it.

In everyday use, the Note 10.1’s performance superiority shows. Apps open quickly, multi-tasking is a breeze, and there is no disagreeable stutter when switching between apps. This tablet is equally comfortable with almost any usage scenario you may throw at it - simple web browsing and social networking or productivity tasks or be it a session of Real Racing 3. The performance potential is well translated every time. However, this isn’t to say that the Note 10.1 is faultless. Yes, the TouchWiz UI has been further tweaked and feels much lighter than the earlier version, but you will see an occasional lag or stutter when flicking between the home screens or the app drawer pages.





It's good to note that the device doesn’t heat up when stressed, and the fake leather layer at the back is one of the reasons why your fingers aren't singed after an hour of driving very quickly around some corners in the latest iterations of Real Racing or GT Racing.

Battery

Samsung has packed in a humongous 8220mAh battery in the Note 10.1, which should mean the tablet is on fairly stable ground. However, there are other factors that come into play. First is the fact that Android isn’t as resource nimble as iOS. Second, battery life will depend on how many of Samsung’s features (for example Smart Stay) you have turned on.

In the video battery drain test, with the same HD video via VLC with screen brightness at 100% and volume at 50%, the Note 10.1's battery dropped to 86% in an hour. In the same test, the Apple iPad Air still retained 95% charge after one hour of playing the HD video.

Having said that, it is very much possible to get 8-9 hours of usage from a single charge, with assorted usage scenarios. The critical bit is to turn off all the features that you don’t need - like Smart Stay and Multi-Window.

S-Pen

Personally, I do not envisage myself using the stylus on a regular basis, forget using it on a daily basis. But, that doesn’t mean the feature isn’t important. After all, millions of Galaxy Note devices have been sold globally! The entire Air Command ecosystem of apps is just brilliant, for someone who will be using the stylus. Remove the S-Pen from its bay, and the Air Command window pops up automatically. Or you can press the button on the pen with the tip hovering just above the screen. This circular command centre opens up a lot of options - Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write and Pen Window.

Action Memo lets you quickly scribble down updates or quick reminders, which get saved within the app. This can be very useful when jotting down something quickly, like a phone number. Yes, there are a lot more features within Air Command, but quite honestly, don’t think anyone will be too bothered to remember them. I most certainly hope that, like other things, this simple stylus feature that allows you to scribble notes quickly and efficiently doesn’t get bogged down by the inevitable deluge of additional features that one may or may not use.


Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Dell Inspiron 15 (I15RV-6190 BLK)


dell inspiron 15 (I15RV-6190 BLK)

PROS
Very affordable. Good battery life. Slim profile.


CONS
No touch screen. Low-res screen. USB 3.0 ports are black.

BOTTOM LINE
The Dell Inspiron 15 (I15RV-6190 BLK) is a relatively thin 15-inch laptop offering Intel Pentium processing power and good battery life for under.

Budget laptops are all about sacrifice, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for a big, clunky system with a bland design and limited features. With the Dell Inspiron 15 (I15RV-6190 BLK) you get relatively good performance in a thin, textured 15-inch chassis. Granted, it uses a watered down version of last year's Ivy Bridge architecture and can't display full HD (1080p), but if you're looking for a solid desktop replacement laptop for emailing, Web browsing, and light home office duty, this deal is hard to beat.

Design and Features

Measuring only 1-inch in height it is thinner than both the HP 2000-2b19wm (1.4 inches) and the Toshiba Satellite C855D-S5104 (1.3 inches), and at 5.1 pounds it's also a tad lighter than the Toshiba C855D-S5104. The lid is done up in a stylish textured black finish and sports a shiny Dell logo in the center.

The keyboard deck uses the same textured finish as the lid. The Inspiron 15's matte finish is susceptible to faint fingerprint smudging, though nearly as bad as a high-gloss finish. The full size chiclet-style keyboard is firm, and the black keys travel well, but don't look for backlighting at this price. A numeric keypad sits off to the right, and there's a slightly recessed multi-gesture touchpad with two good-sized buttons at the bottom. The pad has a smooth surface and had no trouble responding to swipe, pinch, and zoom gestures.
The 15.6-inch TruLife display has a resolution of 1,366-by-768 which, means can display 720p HD videos, but it can't display HD content at 1080p. This Inspiron 15 doesn't support touch technology, but again, you'd be hard pressed to find a notebook in this price range that offers either one of these features, let alone both. The display is reasonably bright and offers good color quality, although viewing angles are a tad narrow.

Despite its budget-class status the Inspiron 15 offers a decent feature set, including two USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports. As with the Dell Inspiron 17-3721, the speedier USB 3.0 ports are black rather than blue, making it difficult to differentiate between the slower USB 2.0 ports. Other ports include an HDMI video output, a LAN port, and a headphone jack. There's an 8-in-1 card reader on the front edge of the chassis and a 1-Megapixel webcam embedded in the display's upper bezel. Wireless networking components include Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth 4.0 radios.

The Inspiron 15 has 500GB of storage in a 5,400-rpm hard drive and comes with Windows 8 preloaded. It also comes with the obligatory bloatware programs like eBay and Kindle and trial versions of McAfee Security Advisor and Microsoft Office. Dell covers the Inspiron 15 with a standard one-year limited warranty.

Performance
The Inspiron 15 uses last year's Intel Ivy Bridge technology. It is equipped with a 1.8GHz Intel Pentium 2117u processor, Intel's HD Graphics GPU, and 4GB of system memory. It performed pretty much as expected, trailing the faster 1.9GHz Intel Core i3-equipped Dell 17-3721 and 2.4GHz Intel Core i3-3110M-equipped Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340. It blew away the Toshiba C855D-S5104 and HP 2000-2b19wm systems, both of which use a slower, less powerful 1.3GHz AMD E-300 processor.

comparison of dell inspiron 15 with other laptops

We saw similar results across the board; the Inspiron 15 took longer to complete our Handbrake encoding and Photoshop tests than the faster laptops and was almost three times faster than the AMD-based laptops. Likewise, its Cinebench R11.5 CPU score was more than three times higher than the AMD-based systems. Graphics performance was almost identical to the two laptops using AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics, but none of these systems was capable of handling intensive graphics work. If you want to play the latest games, be prepared to shell out a lot more money for a laptop with a powerful graphics solution.

The Inspiron 15's 4-cell Lithium Ion battery lasted 4 hours 10 minutes on our battery rundown test, which is impressive for a 15-inch desktop replacement laptop. It beat the Dell Inspiron 17 by around half an hour and the Toshiba C875-S7340 by almost an hour and a half. The AMD based laptops had the edge here, however.

With the Dell Inspiron 15 you get a very capable 15-inch laptop at an amazingly low price. Granted, it uses older CPU technology and lacks touch-screen capabilities, but it's not a bare-bones laptop by any means and offers enough horsepower to handle the basics, making it ideal for students and day-to-day home office computing. As such, it earns our Editors' Choice for budget laptops.

Monday, 28 July 2014

LG G3 CAT6


lg g3 cat6













LG has officially launched the LG G3 Cat.6 in the South Korean market on 25th,july!


KEY SPECIFICATION:

  • Display5.50-inch
  • Processor2.7GHz
  • Front Camera2.1-megapixel
  • Resolution1440x2560 pixels
  • RAM3GB
  • OSAndroid 4.4.2
  • Storage32GB
  • Rear Camera13-megapixel
  • Battery capacity3000mAh

LG G3 Cat.6, a smartphone that offers high download speed of up to 225Mbps. Made official on the company's blog on Tuesday, the firm claims that the G3 Cat.6 smartphone can download a regular 1GB movie in 36.4 seconds and an 80MB music video in 2.8 seconds.



The LG G3 Cat.6 handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor instead of the Snapdragon 801 SoC on the LG G3. The Snapdragon 805 on the G3 Cat.6 features a clock speed of 2.7GHz, up from the 2.5GHz clock speed of the Snapdragon 801 on the G3.

Colours available: Metallic Black, Silk White, and Shine Gold colour variants. Notably, the LG G3 Cat.6  comes only in a 32GB variant with 3GB of RAM, and will not be available in the 16GB with 2GB of RAM variant.

The Android KitKat 4.4.2-based LG G3 Cat.6, apart from the SoC and LTE-A modem, has the same specifications as the LG G3. It features a 5.5-inch QHD (1,440x2,560 pixel) AH-IPS LCD display. It G3 Cat.6 sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with OIS+, dual-LED flash and a laser auto-focusing sensor, while also including a front-facing 2.1-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture, and a selfie mode. The LG G3 Cat.6 is powered by a 3000mAh removable battery, and features wireless charging support.

The original LG G3 was already considered the company’s “best phone yet” because of its 538ppi display, beautiful design, and top-tier performance. This Category 6 variant adds LTE Advanced to the already impressive spec list which allows for up to three times faster speed than current 4G LTE devices.

Sunday, 27 July 2014

Genie Smart Lock



genie smart lock



Control Your Door Lock From Anywhere in the World

  • Lock and Unlock With Wifi and Bluetooth
  • Send and Receive Bluetooth Keys
  • Access Logs - Check Who Last Used Your Lock

There’s a new smart lock aiming to connect your door handles to the Internet so that you can lock and unlock remotely, send digital keys to friends and tradespeople (via the companion app), keep tabs on comings and goings, and get into your home without the faff of taking your keys out of your pocket.




More importantly it’s aiming to do all that with a battery life that lasts a year. Yep, a whole year — rather than a couple of weeks, as can be the case with some existing wi-fi smart locks.That is the Genie Smart Lock vision anyway. Currently its makers are in the “engineering phase” but are taking pre-orders based on their vision. The estimated ship date for their smart lock system is “late 2014″. But bear in mind there’s no functioning prototype yet so that sounds a tad ambitious.

control your door from anywhere in the world



“One of the main issues facing smart lock developers is power management and ensuring battery life is at an acceptable level,” says founder Joel McAndrew, pointing to the problems in other Digital Locks.

A smart lock that checks for a wi-fi signal every five to 15 seconds results in a battery life as low as two to four weeks, according to McAndrew. But the problem with checking less frequently is that degrades the product user experience being as there’s a wait before it will execute a function. 

(It’s worth noting that Lockitron has been doing firmware updates aimed at improving its battery life – we’ve asked them for the current battery longevity status for their smart lock and will update this post with any response. Update: Lockitron says its device is currently achieving some two to three months’ battery life, which it is “still working to improve”. It also has “dynamic low power models” in the works.)

The Genie Smart Lock takes a different tack. It’s using a power management system that relies on a secondary device — a wi-fi hub plugged into the mains inside your home — that talks to the connected door handle via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). That comms hand off means the smart lock’s battery drain is kept to a minimum because the thirsty Wi-Fi radio is being powered by the grid, and the batteries inside the door handle only need power BLE transfers.

connect your smart lock with mobile app

“The Genie Hub receives the wi-fi signal and converts it to BLE. This BLE signal is sent to the Genie Smart Lock and then a reply is sent to the Genie Hub over BLE. This reply is converted from BLE to wi-fi and transmitted to the wi-fi device (smart phone or computer),” says McAndrew.

“This efficiency means that the Genie Smart Lock will be able to achieve a realistic battery life of 12 months. Users can adjust settings to further increase this battery life if they are happy for the device to scan for a signal less frequently.”

The device can also function without the hub — as a Bluetooth only lock, for keyless entry with a smartphone (or with a Bluetooth fob, or indeed via a traditional key if the battery has died completely). But, without the hub, the Genie won’t be able to offer wi-fi enabled functions such as remote unlocking and provisioning digital keys for others.

The Genie Smart Lock’s other twist vs the smart lock competition is that it is actually a whole replacement door handle, rather than a deadbolt (as Lockitron is). It’s been designed to replace all “standard” door handles, according to McAndrew, fitting a traditional 54mm door hole.

Installation is apparently easy enough for the user to do (see component diagram below) and the device is said to remove without a trace, meaning renters could potentially make use of it, not just home owners. Although your landlord may take issue with you changing the locks.

Whether it’s an advantage to have a smart door handle vs a smart deadbolt depends on your requirements. But judging by the design renders of the Genie it’s not going to win any elegant door fixture design awards so owners of period properties are probably not going to be clamoring to replace their antique door handles with such a utilitarian bauble.

AIR TYPE

air type














KEYBOARDLESS KEYBOARD


We have seen them in sci-fi movies, and hoped that someday we would be able to type stuff down by just thinking about it. Well, AirType is not going to tap into your brainwaves just yet, but it can achieve the same by following your finger movements, letting you even type in the air if you need to.



The company located in Austin, Texas has not yet revealed how the technology works, but you will need to strap on a pair of bands to your hands to do the same. The concept looks pretty promising and the devices look like something out of a Star Wars movie; yet we guess this has something to do with sonar or similar to what Leap Motion has achieved with their Leap Motion Controller.



keyboardless keyboard



AirType will not only follow and adapt to your keystrokes, but will also auto correct what you’re typing thanks to its accompanying app for devices. We will warn you though; the future of typing will indeed lacks tactile feedback. Still then, the concept is pretty neat and we are interested to see if the company gets it right. If they do, the typing accessory will indeed revolutionise typing which has remained the same for over 150 years.

Friday, 25 July 2014

DIGITAL DEVICE TO DRAW MEASURES

DIGITAL DEVICE TO DRAW MEASURES

















Everybody knows that straight lines are hard to sketch or trace by pen or pencil without the help of ruler, triangle or square. What if you could just snap something onto your drawing tool instead?


But this concept goes beyond simple enabling linear effects – from drafting to simply underlining more neatly in books – it is envisioned by product designer Giha Woo as a way to measure while you draw as well, and display the results in realtime on a digital readout.


digital device for drawing lines

These days there may not seem much need since computers can draft for you, but any creative person knows there is something about putting pen to paper (or stylus to pad, at the very least) that gives you a more visceral connection to your creation.


Thursday, 24 July 2014

SONY XPERIA C3

sony xperia c3
Dig into more detail about the features and technologies behind the 
Xperia C3

Pros:


4G wireless data:

  • It features a 4G wireless data technology.
  • See also: The newest 4G phones

Very large display:

  • Large Dislpay: 5.5 inches and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels means about 12.93 square inches and an image quality of at least 267.22 dots per inch (DPI)!

HD screen:

  • Not only is the display big, it's an HD display!

High-resolution camera:

  • High-resolution built-in camera of 8-megapixel.
  • Other Features: Auto-focus, Geo-tagging, HDR, Object Tracking, Red-eye Reduction, Superior Auto.

Spectacular battery life:

  • IXperia C3  (2500mAh) battery will have enough power for 1440 minutes of conversation, a lot of talk time!

Cons:

Ostensibly no HDMI port:
  • We were disappointed not to find any evidence of the Xperia C3 featuring an HDMI port (which is convenient to watch HD videos on your shiny HDTV.)
Heavyweight:
  • With its 150 grams of weight, the Sony Xperia C3 might turn out somewhat bulky.
Touch screen is only a capacitive:
  • A large touch screen is nice, but we are not extremely impressed that it is just a capacitive model. Of course, capacitive screens are okay.


SPECIFICATION:


   Display
  • 5.5" HD (1280x720) IPS display

Processor (CPU)

  • Snapdragon 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Quad-core
  • Adreno 305

Memory and storage

  • 1 GB RAM
  • 8 GB flash memory (internal)
  • Up to 32 GB microSD™ (card slot)

Sound

  • Sony Surround Sound technology (VPT)
  • Clear Audio+ – Sound improvement software
  • Audio recording, supported formats: 3GPP, MP4, AMR
  • Audio playback supported formats: AAC, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, FLAC, MIDI, MP3, PCM, Vorbis, WMA

Connectivity and communication

  • aGPS
  • Bluetooth® 4.0
  • DLNA Certified®
  • GLONASS*
  • Native USB tethering
  • Screen mirroring
  • Smart Connect
  • Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync®, Facebook™, Google™ and SyncML™*
  • USB charging
  • USB High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support
  • Wi-Fi and WiFi Hotspot functionality
  • Xperia Link
  • ANT+™ wireless technology
  • Wi-Fi direct

Camera and video

  • 5 MP Front-facing camera (720p)
  • Front flash LED
  • Wide view front camera
  • 8 MP camera with auto focus
  • HD video recording 1080 p
  • Sony Exmor RS for mobile image sensor
  • HDR (High Dynamic Range) for photos and videos
  • Pulsed LED flash
  • 16x digital zoom
  • Superior Auto – automatic scene selection
  • Geotagging – add location info to your photos
  • Object tracking – lock focus on a specific object
  • Red-eye reduction
  • Image capture, supported file format: JPEG
  • Image playback, supported file formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG; WebP
  • Video capture, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4
  • Video playback, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4, M4V, AvI, XVID, WEBM

Networks

  • GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G)
  • UMTS HSPA (3G)
  • LTE (4G)