One of the headlines that has come out of IFA 2013 so far is the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. It sports a plethora of new software features and awesome integration options with the just announced Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
So, in order to familiarize potential Note 3 owners with some of its new software tricks, Samsung has made a lengthy hands-on video of the phablet. In the video, the presenter talks about the new S Pen functionality, namely the Air Command feature. The updated S Pen, Scrapbook, Action Memo, as well as S Finder are also mentioned in the hands-on.
Here’s the 18-minute video below. We suggest you make yourself comfortable, grab a snack and check it out in full.
Yesterday, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone at IFA in Berlin. The company’s latest flagship comes packed with features, as is usual for a Samsung smartphone, and there is a whole bunch of new stuff to go alone with the stuff we have already seen in the past.
To show off all the new features of the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung has now released a fairly lengthy six and half minute long video that goes through each of them. Let’s talk about them briefly before we get to the video.
First of all is the design. Unlike the Galaxy Note II which looked more or less like a bigger Galaxy S III, the Galaxy Note 3 is, ahem, notably different from the Galaxy S4. Samsung has eschewed the strange pattern and glossy finish back cover of the S4 for a faux leather finish for the Note 3, complete with a fake stitching pattern around the edges. While it’s not quite the real deal, it looks significantly better than the previous Galaxy smartphones and is also said to have a better feel in the hand.
Around the edges, Samsung has once again gone for a metal finish but with a serrated pattern that is said to resemble the pages on the side of a notepad. The choice of making it simultaneously look like metal as well as paper is, in the very least, oddly conflicting. The front of the device retains the Galaxy family look, which is to say it looks dull and uninteresting.
The Galaxy Note 3 comes with a whole range of flip wallet covers in multiple colors, including ones with a window on the front to quickly access the display.
In terms of hardware, the Galaxy Note 3 runs on either the quad-core Snapdragon 800 clocked at 2.3GHz or the octa-core Exynos 5 clocked at 1.9GHz for the A15 cores and 1.3GHz for the A7 cores. There is also 3GB of RAM, 32/64GB internal storage space with microSD card slot, 13 megapixel rear camera capable of 4K recording at 30fps on the Snapdragon 800 model and 1080p60 recording on the Exynos model, 5.7-inch, 1920×1080 resolution Super AMOLED display, 3,200mAh battery and the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
The software is where the real innovation has happened and once again Samsung has made good use of the capacitive stylus that comes with the device. Now you can tap anywhere on the screen by pressing the button on the S Pen and bring up a special Air command menu, with options such as Action Memo, Scrap booker, Screen Write, S Finder and Pen Window.
Action Memo lets you quickly take down a memo by drawing it with a stylus and depending upon what you wrote you get options such as phone, contacts, messaging, email, browser, map and task.
Scrap booker lets you collect content such as videos, images, web pages, etc. and place them in your scrap book, which you can then share with others.
Screen Write lets you write directly on your screenshots so they are more personalized.
S Finder lets you find any content on your device by drawing the text with the stylus. The phone will even find handwritten text within saved memos that match your entered text.
Lastly, there is Pen Window, which lets you draw a small square on the screen and select from a small group of apps that you can open in that small square. You can have apps like calculator, clock, browser, phone, contacts, etc. that hover on top of your existing window so you don’t have to leave your existing app to, say, make a quick calculation.
Other than that, Samsung has also updated the S Note app with new UI and features and it also syncs with your Samsung or Evernote account.
The multiwindow feature that debuted with the Note 10.1 has also been improved. You now have more apps to choose from and with some apps like ChatOn you can have two instances of the same app running so you can chat with multiple people simultaneously. You can also easily drag and drop context around between the two windows.
Finally, there is a new My Magazine feature, which brings together all your news feeds and social network updates into one magazine like app that sort of looks like Flipboard.
You can check out all the new features in action in the video below.
The best Android arcade racing game series reaches a new turning point! Perform dynamic, high-speed aerial stunts in an intense driving experience powered by a brand-new physics engine!
LUXURY DREAM CARS • 47 high-performance cars (80% of them NEW!) • Top licensed manufacturers and models such as Lamborghini Veneno, Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari FXX and Pagani Zonda R • Newly recorded high-fidelity car motor sounds for realistic audio immersion
GET AIRBORNE • Hit the ramps and take the race above the track • Perform barrel rolls and wild 360ยบ jumps • Maneuver through the air and pull stunts while racing
NEW EXOTIC LOCATIONS • Race in 9 different settings, such as Venice, French Guiana, Iceland, the Nevada Desert and other exciting locations! • All tracks available in original and mirror variations in Career mode • Discover plenty of hidden shortcuts
NEW FEATURES FOR SPEED FREAKS • 8 seasons & 180 events in the Career mode • Stunning visuals thanks to next-gen shaders, real-time geometry reflection & other amazing effects for a new simulation of speed! • A detailed damage system like nothing you’ve seen before • Check out the new Infected and Drift Gate game modes
SIMULTANEOUS MULTIPLAYER & GHOST CHALLENGES • Simultaneous multiplayer action for up to 8 real opponents! • Dare friends to asynchronous races in your favorite cars • Compare scores on the new leaderboards with friends and drivers around the world • Share your racing achievements and prove that you’re the ultimate speed machine
MUSIC TO REV YOUR SOUL • A heart-thumping mix of amazing licensed music for your game • Featuring real tracks from Bloc Party, Mutemath & The Crystal Method!
This is a game for fans of extreme arcade racing, with real dream cars and phenomenal graphics that will also please racing simulation enthusiasts.
How To Install Download Asphalt 8 apk and datafiles via direct link or Via Torrent install apk palace Datafiles into Sdcard/Android/obb/... Run 1st Time Online to verfy Data Then Play offline
Requirements Armv7 Hvga, wvga, Tabs Android os 2.3 ad up Ram: 1gb Disk Space: 1.7GB
If you have been around over the last few days, you probably know that we’ve been hard at work, putting the Sony Xperia Z Ultra monster of a phablet through its paces. And while the review is still some way off from being complete, we though you might enjoy some photos coming from the camera of the device.
It’s a bit early to pass any final verdict at this point, as we need to do some more shooting before we are ready for that, so we’ll just let you enjoy the shots.
Of course, the Xperia Z Ultra is hardly the most comfortable device for taking photos on the go and the lack of a flash unit clearly points that photography wasn’t too high on the Sony priority list. Still an 8MP snapper will certainly tempt quite a lot of its adopters to use it as their main camera.
Over 130 million users love Instagram! It's a simple way to capture and share the world's moments on your Android.
Customize your photos and videos with one of several gorgeous and custom built filter effects. Transform everyday moments into works of art you'll want to share with friends and family.
Share your photos and video in a simple photo stream with friends to see - and follow your friends' photos with the click of a single button. Every day you open up Instagram, you'll see new photos from your closest friends, and creative people from around the world.
Features
• 100% free custom designed filters: XPro-II, Earlybird, Rise, Amaro, Hudson, Lo-fi, Sutro, Toaster, Brannan, Inkwell, Walden, Hefe, Nashville, 1977, and others. • Linear and Radial Tilt-Shift blur effects for extra depth of field. • Instant sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Foursquare • Unlimited uploads • Interact with friends through giving & receiving likes and comments • Works with Android versions 2.2 and above that support OpenGL ES 2 • And much much more…
Recent changes: = New in 4.1 = * Share videos from your photo library * Recording video is now also supported for all devices running ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich)
We’ve had the Samsung Galaxy Core for enough time now that we got see how good the battery of the affordable smartphone is.
The Samsung Galaxy Core we have here on campus is of the dual-SIM variety which, in theory, should do worse than the single-SIM edition, having to power a second radio all the time. But is it really that bad? Find out after the break.
Now, the Samsung Galaxy Core comes equipped with an 1800 mAh Li-Ion battery, which needs to deal with those dual radios but also the Snapdragon S4 Play chipset and the 4.3″ WVGA screen. Those last two bits have proven to be pretty efficient, so the Galaxy Core is not without its chances to impress here.
The Samsung Galaxy Core managed almost 12 hours in the talk time test – 11:52 hours to be exact, which fairly good, considering that the low-power chipset and the screen can’t help it at all here.
That’s a very impressive result and points that the single-SIM Galaxy Core will get an even higher one because it doesn’t need to deal with a second always-on radio. But even the dual-SIM Galaxy Core gets more than enough juice out of the 1800 mAh juice pack.
BlackBerry Messenger was supposed to hit the Android and iOS app stores today, but there’s nothing just yet (but you can try the beta). More interesting is that Samsung has now kicked-off its promotion of BBM – earlier this month the two companies struck a deal to promote the messenger in Africa.
CrackBerry forum member PauloPlmenta spotted an ad of the Galaxy S4 running BlackBerry Messenger during a football game (Manchester United vs. Chelsea) broadcast in Mozambique.
Samsung Mobile Ghana is also taking part of the campaign by posting teasers on Facebook.
There was even a video ad that prematurely made its way to YouTube, but has since been pulled down. I’m not sure if this is the same video, but it shows the Galaxy S4 next to what appears to be the Galaxy Star and the Galaxy Note 10.1. It’s not clear how long this video will stay up.
Anyway, the BlackBerry Messenger will be available through Samsung’s own app store (but in the Play Store too). Samsung, of course, has its own messenger, ChatON, but that one is yet to gain any sort of traction.
Nothing ever escapes the custom designed opening picks at iFixit and the new Moto X is no exception. The newly released smartphone from Motorola spent some quality time at iFixit, exposing its insides for all to see.
According to iFixit, the Moto X isn’t particularly difficult to take apart, once you get past the tenacious back cover that uses a copious amount of glue to stick to the phone. The cover itself, however, is made from a nice woven fabric material that is actually see through if you look carefully.
Motorola has seemingly spent a lot of time thinking the construction of the Moto X. iFixit found some notable highlights in the construction, such as the modular headphone jack, microphone assembly mounted on top of the earpiece assembly connected by spring contacts, mid frame held by pins protruding from the display assembly, etc.
Of course, most consumers would never see any of this but it’s nice to know that some thought went into making this phone. You can check out the complete teardown in the link below.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids edition launches next month
Samsung seems to be preparing a Kids edition of its Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 slate. The tablet is called Galaxy Tab 3 Kids and will launch this September.
The specs of the customized Tab 3 Kids are identical to those of its vanilla sibling – it comes with a 7″ TFT display with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels, runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and features a 3MP camera, 1GB of RAM and 8GB expandable storage.
The Tab 3 Kids runs on a deeply customized Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with completely redesigned and simplified UI. Samsung will preload lots of educational software, games and multimedia for the kids too.
There is no official announcement yet, nor is there a rumored date and price. Samsung’s official website for Korea has already listed the slate’s manual, so we guess the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids will indeed hit the stores very soon as the source suggests.
Lately our smartphones have become one of our most precious possessions, partly because they store so much of our private data but also because they are usually quite expensive. That’s why theft is as great a worry as it ever was, while misplacement is quite the nuisance. Luckily we’ve got remote management and phone tracking apps to help us in these times of distress. Recently, Google has also recognized the importance of remote tracking our smartphones and has delivered its first attempt in the category.
PhoneLocator Pro is one of the most functional `third-party application for the Android platform, that helps you track and remotely manage your smartphones. Today, we will take a look at the features and the functionality of the app to see if it’s worth your cash. Title PhoneLocator Pro
With PhoneLocator Pro, you can track your phone’s position and manage them with a set of security features. A computer with an active internet connection or a cell phone, which can send text messages, is what you need to start tracking your device.
When the app is launched for the very first time, it allows you to set a web interface account, which can be used to monitor your smartphone whenever you need it. You are further required to tune few settings, according to your preferences and that’s it, you are done with your part.
PhoneLocator Pro now allows you to trace your smartphone on Google maps, and learn about its traveled distance. The app also takes a picture from the front-facing camera of the device when there are unsuccessful unlock attempt and the image is sent to your email address immediately.
The best part of the app is its audio recording capabilities. The “record audio” feature records the sound in the vicinity from the device’s microphone and again, the file with the recording is sent to your preferred email within a few seconds. This unique feature can be initiated from the web interface and our tests revealed that the recordings were of pretty high quality.
The list of useful features with PhoneLocator just continues with its lock and unlock with Wi-Fi option. It allows you to keep your smartphone unlocked on known Wi-Fi networks (of course you need to feed your networks to the app before it starts functioning), and will immediately lock the device once you leave the network.
The SIM card swap protection option is another cool feature of the app. Once a SIM card is registered with the app, this feature will prevent unauthorized SIM changes and will lock your smartphone as soon as the registered SIM is removed.
PhoneLocator Pro also has the ability to auto enable the GPS, whenever required to get the accurate positioning and the location of the device. However, this feature is limited to experienced users with rooted phones.
Lastly, the PhoneLocator Pro app can be hidden from the app drawer, so that no one knows about your secret security guard. You can also retrieve the app as and when you require, using a few pre-set codes or commands.
Verdict:
If you are worried about your expensive smartphone being lost or stolen, then PhoneLocator Pro is just the app that needs to be installed on our device. The app is a great choice as far as security is concerned, but works nicely as phone tracker and phone finder too.
The app works reliably anytime and anywhere in the world. And, the host of the features PhoneLocator Pro offer is hardly matched by any other app in the market.
Since, the app runs in the background most of the time, it does take its toll on the battery, but it is overshadowed by the fact that the app secures your smartphone all the time. To send the commands from the web interface and to communicate with the app, the device needs to have an active internet connection. And we did notice that the app consumes a lot of data while communicating with the web interface and also when the audio recorded, image files are being sent to our address.
All in all, PhoneLocator Pro is one of the best and most accurate tracking applications available for Android devices. Install the app and don’t worry about your smartphone being lost or stolen ever again.
Rating: 9/10 Pro: Host of useful features, flexible; app management with web interface as well as by text messages. Cons:Fairly high data consumption, strain on the battery. Download PhoneLocator Pro for Android
Gameloft’s next big release in the Asphalt series of racing games – Asphalt 8: Airborne – has finally been released on the App Store. The Android version of the game should be arriving shortly and even a Windows Phone 8 version is on the cards.
lar racing game below.
As you can tell from the name, Asphalt 8: Airborne takes the action off the ground and into the air. You will still be driving around as in the previous games but now you’ll jump off ramps and pulling off stunts in the air. Think of it as Riptide GP on wheels.
As is usual for Asphalt games, Gameloft has once again formed an impressive roster of cars from top manufacturers such as Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ferrari and Zonda. There are now 47 cars to choose from with improved engine sound for more realism.
There are nine tracks to choose from locations around the world such as Venice, French Guiana, Iceland, the Nevada Desert and play in 8 seasons and 180 events in the Career mode. There is also a multiplayer mode where you can play against up to 8 opponents simultaneously.
Asphalt 8: Airborne is priced at $0.99 with in-app purchases. We will be taking a closer look at the game in our full review shortly.
We all know that Samsung is working on a smartwatch, which is rumored to be officially showcased at the company’s upcoming Unpacked 2 event in Berlin on September 4. The purported specifications of the gadget were revealed a few days back and now, we have another report that tells us that the Galaxy Gear smartwatch will be available in different color options.
According to a report from SamMobile, the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch will initially ship in White, Orange, Grey and Black hues. Later on, Samsung is expected to bring its White Gold color variant of the Galaxy Gear to few selected regions.
Samsung Galaxy Gear is rumored to be available at the stores from late September or early October. We will know more about the pricing and other details, when Samsung officially announces the smartwatch on September 4.
Do remember to check back with us when the time comes, as we will be bringing you all the latest news from the Unpacked 2 event live.
We reviewed Contra: Evolution when it was released on iOS back in May. Now, developers Punchbox Studios have also released an Android version of the game on the Play Store for $0.99.
Contra: Evolution, as you can imagine, is an evolved version of the 1987 cult classic. The gameplay and even the general level design is nearly identical but the game has been given a solid shot in the arm with significantly updated visuals that are completely redrawn and not just running at a higher resolution like most ports.
Blueprint 3D 1.0 APK Full. Magic puzzle game 3D motion.Never before seen gameplay
• Over 300 LEVELS OF PURE AWE! Each level begins with a mysterious clutter of seemingly chaotic dots and lines. Underneath all the chaos, however, lies a beautiful model image waiting to be discovered. It’s right in front of you: Just drag your finger across the screen to rotate the figure, and suddenly you’ll notice that the lines start to make sense! Solve the puzzle by rotating the figure in all directions and on all planes until you find the sweet spot. Once there, the secret picture will reveal itself. Wait till you see this in action!
• Includes 11 tracks and free updates! Reveal hundreds of artistic images and amaze your friends with the magic of this application. Select the image challenge of the following topics:
• ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK Each theme comes with its own original music, but feel Change your favorite songs in iTunes. Whatever your musical preference, this app is sure to deliver a delightfully artistic multimedia experience.
• Trophy Room, ACHIEVEMENTS AND CLASSIFICATION Earn trophies while you unlock new images, and add your prizes to your Blueprint 3D trophy room. Google Unlock achievements and game service Publication high leadership score.
Summary of Functions: - Amazing 3D Motion Puzzle - Over 300 levels - 11 Theme Packs - Google Game Support Service - HD Graphics - Smooth Graphics - Original Soundtrack - Trophy Room - World Records - Achievements
Blueprint 3D 1.0 APK Full. Magic puzzle game 3D motion.Never before seen gameplay
• Over 300 LEVELS OF PURE AWE! Each level begins with a mysterious clutter of seemingly chaotic dots and lines. Underneath all the chaos, however, lies a beautiful model image waiting to be discovered. It’s right in front of you: Just drag your finger across the screen to rotate the figure, and suddenly you’ll notice that the lines start to make sense! Solve the puzzle by rotating the figure in all directions and on all planes until you find the sweet spot. Once there, the secret picture will reveal itself. Wait till you see this in action!
• Includes 11 tracks and free updates! Reveal hundreds of artistic images and amaze your friends with the magic of this application. Select the image challenge of the following topics:
• ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK Each theme comes with its own original music, but feel Change your favorite songs in iTunes. Whatever your musical preference, this app is sure to deliver a delightfully artistic multimedia experience.
• Trophy Room, ACHIEVEMENTS AND CLASSIFICATION Earn trophies while you unlock new images, and add your prizes to your Blueprint 3D trophy room. Google Unlock achievements and game service Publication high leadership score.
Summary of Functions: - Amazing 3D Motion Puzzle - Over 300 levels - 11 Theme Packs - Google Game Support Service - HD Graphics - Smooth Graphics - Original Soundtrack - Trophy Room - World Records - Achievements
Google has launched an update for the Google Play Store app bringing it to version 4.3.10. The update doesn’t bring major user interface changes, as most of the updates are under the hood.
Android Police has dug around the app’s inner workings and have found exactly what the fixes and improvements are. In the latest version of the Play Store Google introduces the “Recently updated” section. Its idea is simply to provide you an app list of the ones that have received an update most recently.
Next up are the updated app notifications, which are now combined into a single notification instead of each app having a separate one. The Play Books part of the Store is now updated to show the list price of the book you’re purchasing giving you a better idea of the savings you make.
If you’re interested in all the details regarding the update, the source link below is well worth the read. There you can also find the download link for the Play Store v4.3.10 app if you don’t feel like waiting and prefer to side-load it.
Samsung is pushing hard with the Android updates this week. First we saw the 4.2.2 Jelly Bean version rolling out for the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, then it hit the Galaxy S II Plus, and now the Galaxy Note 8.0 is following suit.
The update is no surprise since we already knew Samsung has scheduled the update process of its slates to complete by the end of September.
The Android 4.2.2 update for tablets brings a few important new features including multiple user accounts, lockscreen widgets, DayDream and a new two-tier notification panel.
According to earlier reports the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 won’t be stopping with Android 4.2 and will be getting Android 5.0 eventually.
The update is currently rolling out for the LTE version of the Note 8.0 in the UK, but we expect other countries and versions to follow soon. We also expect even more Tabs to be updated in the next couple of weeks.
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z SGP321, which is the European LTE version, has started receiving its Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 update from Sony. The update brings centered soft buttons, a notification area on top instead of at the bottom and with quick settings in it
The status bar is semi-transparent in the lockscreen and there are a number of optimizations and improvements under the hood.
The software has the kernel, build number and baseband of the Sony Xperia Z, ZL and the ZR, which got the update a couple of days ago.
The Wi-Fi-only version of the slate is yet to receive the update and markets outside Europe are on the waiting list, too. Still, now that the rollout has begin it shouldn’t be too long a wait for everyone to join the party.
Gameloft has released a new trailer for its upcoming Asphalt 8: Airborne game. The game was featured at the Google Android event last week to show the capabilities of the new Nexus 7 in terms of graphics performance.
And in this trailer you can see some of the game’s glorious graphics, including some in-game footage. That’s a result of the brand new physics engine the game is boasting. We also learn that Asphalt 8: Airborne will pack 180 events that can be played with any of the 47 cars. There also new game modes, some of which justifying the game’s Airborne title.
Here’s the full teaser trailer in question. Just hit the play button below and enjoy some console-grade graphics that’ll be available to your smartphone or tablet (provided it has enough oomph to run it) soon. Note the immense detailing on both the cars and the environment, and make sure to watch it in HD.
The company is keeping its cards close to its chest as far as an exact release date is confirmed. An educated guess would be August 8, but nothing has been official just yet.
Temple Run franchise is one of the most popular arcade running games in the market beyond any shadow of doubt. The different avatars in the game, which lets you run through the temple streets trying to escape the horde of monkeys in the original Temple Run or the giant ape as in the Temple Run 2 is the main mojo of the game.
Imangi Studios, the developers of the game have now introduced a new character – namely the one of the sprinter Usain Bolt, two times Olympic gold medalist, in its Temple Run 2 game play in an attempt to promote its game.
The fastest man on the planet is available for a limited time for 99 cents as an in-app purchase and the character comes with a special ability – the electric bolt shield, which turns on the boost as well as the coin magnet.
Temple Run 2 is available on Android, iOS and Amazon Kindle Fire and can be downloaded from their respective app stores.
