Developed by Yves Behar and Jason Johnson, August is a new smart lock which can be unlocked using an Android or iOS app on your smartphone via Bluetooth. The sleek looking device attaches to your deadbolt and it does not have a direct internet connection, so it’s less vulnerable to hacks.

There are virtual keys which you can send to your relatives or friends to allow them access to your house while you are away. The device also keeps track of the comings and goings of people. August runs on four standard AAs which will reportedly allow it to run for between six months and a year, and it’s also coming with a regular key just in case the battery dies.

The only problem is that not all devices are supported as it uses Bluetooth 4.0. You will need to own an iPhone 4S (or newer), or a third-gen iPad or the “latest model Android devices”. They haven’t announced which all Android models are supported. As you might know, this is not the only lock out there that interacts with a phone. There is also Kwikset’s Kevo, which can connect to an iPhone 4S or 5.

Although August can be used by anyone, it will most probably be more popular among vacation rentals. It will ship later this year for $199. Are you interested in getting one for yourself?

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It’s a new Chrome Experiment game for some multiplayer fun with your friends. ‘Roll It’ turns your Chrome browser into a classic boardwalk game and all you need is your smartphone and a desktop or laptop.

You start by logging in with a computer and smartphone. You will get a special code on the phone which has to be entered for syncing the device with the computer. Then you can use your handset as a controller to play the game which allows up to three players.

The game requires you to tap an arrow to aim and then flick the device up to toss the ball, the faster you flick the higher the ball goes. You will also get to play with power-ups. The graphics is running smoothly and, although Google is recommending a Chrome browser for controlling the game, other “modern Web browsers” can be used. But, apparently, the S2′s pre-installed Internet app wasn’t working.

Also they released earlier the ‘Racer’ game which allows you to play a racing game with five players on up to five mobile displays.

So, are you interested? Do share your thoughts about the games after you have played them.

[Source]

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There have been rumors about Motorola’s upcoming smartphone which will go against the iPhone and Galaxy devices, and now Dennis Woodside and Regina Dugan have confirmed the existence of the device at the AllThingsD D11 Conference.

Woodside decided to bring the flagship in his pocket but didn’t show it to anyone at the event. It would have been nice if we got a peek at the device, but we will probably be able to do that via a leak sometime soon.

He said, “We have a hero device that’s coming out that’s going to be called Moto X”. The device, which will arrive in October, is coming with sensors which will make the device ‘contextually aware’. It will know what the user is doing with it and can adjust itself for it. And the handset will be built in the US, with processors coming from Taiwan and OLED screens from Korea. The price of the device could be a tad higher than other high end smartphones due to the Made in USA tag.

And also talked about were electronic tattoos and vitamin pills. Those are not for some high tech patient but for the users of future Motorola smartphones.

According to Dugan, “There’s so much information on your smartphone that makes you so much more vulnerable to identity theft now. After 40 years of computing we’re still authenticating the same way”. Motorola’s tattoo (with an antenna and circuits) and pill (with a chip powered by the stomach’s acids) will make the phone’s owner an authentication token or password.

Apple is likely to introduce finger print tech in future iDevices. It’s good to see that Motorola is thinking about new stuff rather than trying to copy though it seems to be a bit too much of authentication. What do you think?

[Source]

The post Motorola Moto X Smartphone Coming In October appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Up until now, the material has only really been used in ultra luxury Vertu phones, so this could be the first time that Liquidmetal is implemented in a more regular consumer-level smartphone. We thought that Apple had the exclusive rights, but I guess that’s not really the case. If the rumor holds true and HTC releases a Liquidmetal smartphone in the second half of this year, it could mean that when and if Apple does the same, it won’t have the same kind of “revolutionary” impact.

Liquidmetal, made by a company appropriately called Liquidmetal Technologies, is said to be as smooth as liquid, but it’s also twice as strong as titanium. What this means is that it is practically indestructible, in terms of day to day use, and it’s also very resistant to scratches, hits and corrosion. This may prove costly, so either HTC will have to cut costs elsewhere or raise the price of its devices.

The recent release of the HTC One demonstrates that this company still has a lot of promise, but it still doesn’t have the sales to compete against the likes of Samsung and Apple. Is Liquidmetal their ace in the hole? We’ll find out soon enough!

[Source]

The post Rumor: Indestructible HTC Liquidmetal Smartphones Coming This Year appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It’s been a while since we last heard about Qualcomm’s Mirasol display, but it’s still alive and the company has showed off their MEMS-based reflective display at SID Display Week. Included in the demo were a 5.2-inch panel with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 and 577 ppi on a smartphone and a 1.5-inch panel on a smartwatch, although the displays were just mock-ups.

According to a representative, the display is expected to come out with third-party devices. The main advantage of the Mirasol screen is its energy efficiency, having 6 times power advantage over LCD and OLED displays, which means you if a smartphone arrives with Mirasol tech it could go without charging for quite a number of days. But Mirasol requires an external light source (not backlight like an LCD).More R&D is still required for the tech so don’t expect it to show up on any devices anytime soon. For now, Sharp’s IGZO tech seems to be the best thing out there.

About the Mirasol technology, Ars Technica’s Jon Stokes explains:

“Each Mirasol pixel is composed of three subpixels: red, green, and blue. Each subpixel is a simple structure made up of two films that are separated by an air gap. When the air gap is open, the subpixel reflects light at a specific wavelength; when current is applied to the two films, they pinch together and the air gap closes, turning the pixel nonreflective (black).

Like an E-Ink pixel, each Mirasol subpixel is bistable, meaning that it’s stable in either the “open” or “closed” states, and it requires power only to switch states; this bistability gives it its low-power characteristics. State switching is fast, on the order of a few microseconds, which is why Mirasol can do video”.

Check out the video, which comes to us courtesy of Engadget, to take a closer look at Mirasol.

The post Qualcomm Mirasol Display (Hands-On Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Qualcomm announced at an event held earlier today in Beijing that the big daddy Snapdragon 800 will see production toward the end of May. The Snapdragon 800 features some key performance updates over to Snapdragon 600 (found in the S4, HTC One, Optimus G Pro etc) including Krait 400 architecture and Ardreno 330 graphics.

What these improvements actually mean though are the new chip is capable of being clocked at 2.3Ghz and will happily play 4K video at 30fps, although it remains to be seen just how useful this will be on a phone size display. It is rumoured that China’s ZTE will be the first company to launch a Snapdragon 800 phone, but we’ll have to wait until later this year for confirmation and further details.

[ Source ]

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Amazon have taken the Android tablet market by storm with their low-cost tablets, and now it appears they are hoping to do the same with smartphones.

It’s long been rumoured that Amazon could be working on an own branded Android smartphone, and indeed makes sense as they have their own app store, online retail network and hordes of happy fans. To further stoke the embers of speculation Charile Kindel, the ex-general manager for Windows Phone, has joined the company and is working on “something secret”. The tip off comes from Kindel himself via his Linkedin profile where he writes that he is working on “something wonderful” at Amazon.

An Amazon Android phone looks like a distinct possibility, but could you see one in your life? Keep in mind it’s possible that this project could be something totally different as well.

[ Source ]

The post Amazon Hires Ex-Windows Phone Exec, Amazon Phone in the Works? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

HTC has been watching the popularity of smartphones in China very closely, and we can expect to see a number of low cost, Chinese-only Android phones from the Taiwanese phone maker over the coming year.

The first to launch are the HTC Desire Q and P, both of which are dual-core smartphones with 1GB RAM, 8 mega-pixel cameras, SD card readers and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The major difference between the two phones is that the Q offers users a low-cost 4-inch display, while the P has a larger 4.2-inch WVGA panel and a price tag of $365.

We honestly don’t think many Chinese phone fans will be too excited about the Desire Q and P, as local phone makers are producing quad-core , Full 1080, Android 4.2 handsets with 13 mega-pixel cameras for just $160. What do you think of these two ‘budget’ handsets?

[ Source ]

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We all like to have the latest greatest, feature-packed smartphone, but with high pricing and hefty carriers contracts it isn’t always possible. Now there is a gleam of hope thanks to Florida-based smartphone maker Blu.

Blu isn’t a household name like Apple or Samsung (yet), but the phone manufacturer has been shipping phones to happy customers since 2009 and have been seeing amazing growth with 4.1 million Blu phones shipped in 2012.

Blu’s current market is mainly around Latin America, but CEO Sammy Ohev-Zion hopes to break in to other markets with the $299 Blu Life One and Blu Life View Android smarpthones. Not only are these phones low-cost, contract free and unlocked but they also boast impressive hardware.

The flagship Blu One Life features a 5-inch HD display, 13 mega-pixel camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, while the Blu Life View packs a larger 5.7-inch HD display, 12 mega-pixel rear camera and 5 mega-pixel front.

Blu phone are currently available through online commerce sites such as Amazon and Newegg. How well do they actually rate though? It tends to depend a lot on the model, with some getting low-to-fair reviews and others scoring quite nicely. Bottom-line, the build quality or even the specs of a Blu phone won’t begin to compete with flagships from Samsung, Sony, Apple and others — but if you are looking for a higher-end phone without paying a fortune, it could still be worth a serious look.

[ Source ]

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Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is official, it has some pretty awesome specs and it is going to sell like hot cakes. These are the facts, people. Apple doesn’t seem to like this so much though. Samsung has outdone the iPhone once again though, so they have posted up a webpage which details a few reasons why they believe the iPhone 5 is still the best smartphone you can own.

You don’t need to visit the link as I have taken the time to pick out some of the rather lame reasons for and have listed them below:

• Only the iPhone and other Apple products have Retina display.
• The iPhone has a long battery life.
• The iPhone has “ultrafast” wireless and LTE.
• Only the iPhone and other Apple products have access to the iTunes Store and the App Store, which offers over 800,000 apps. What’s more, they are all reviewed by Apple to protect against malware.
• Only the iPhone has Siri, the intelligent personal assistant

I can think of a number of phones which offer a fantastic screen, have great battery life, access to thousands of apps and run Android. As for Siri, I never use it on my iPad Mini, and LTE? There are still places around the world that do not even have access to it yet, not to mention that Android devices have been offering LTE as a feature for way longer than Apple.

I have a suggestion for Apple, rather than spending time making lame articles about the iPhone 5, why not make a truly amazing iPhone 6 which will have ex-iPhone users (like me) flocking back to iOS? What do you think of the iPhone 5, how does it compare in your opinion to other phones out there running Android, Windows Phone 8 and Blackberry 10?

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