Sony trademarks ‘Exmor RS’, might indicate new camera sensor

It is not every single day that a company applies for a particular trademark, but I guess whenever a company does so, industry insiders and watchers would do well to sit up, pay attention and form their own conclusions as to what the upcoming device will be able to deliver. We have gotten whiff that the latest trademark that Sony champions would be ‘Exmor RS’, and that would logically speaking, indicate a brand new camera sensor – presumably one that will see action on future smartphones from Sony Mobile, of course. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Devil May Cry’s Dante confirmed for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Sony Xperia S now in Dark Silver,

Dropbox to be updated with video thumbnail previews and UI improvements for the Nexus 7

As some of you Dropbox users know by now, Android 4.0 with Dropbox allows users to upload videos and stream them on their devices. However if you’re not the type that bothers renaming your video files and they end up with the default names that your camera or phone names them, then trying to figure out which video is what can be tricky. Well the good news is that Dropbox has recently been updated and will now provide video thumbnails so that you will have an idea of what video to expect. Video playback is also expected to be improved along with an UI improvement for Nexus 7 devices. Unfortunately this updated version of Dropbox is not public yet but has been seeded to a handful of lucky users. No word on when the update will roll out to the masses, but seeing how far along the preview is, we expect it shouldn’t be too long!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Dropbox for iOS updated, FedEx website allows direct printing from Box, Google Drive, and Dropbox,

Capcom announces Resident Evil.net free online service

Games like Blizzard’s World of Warcraft and Diablo 3 have online armories or profiles whereby players can view their characters or characters of their friends online. Details such as the skills used, talents utilized, equipment, achievements, guild affiliations and etc. can be seen, letting players keep track of their characters without having to launch the game, and to a certain extent let them show off to friends. Now it seems that something similar will be happening with Capcom’s upcoming Resident Evil 6 in which they will be launching an accompanying free service called Resident Evil.net.

The website will track data collected from your game, such as weapon proficiency, types of enemies killed, Mercenaries scores and basically lets players compete with other Resident Evil 6 gamers around the world. RE.net will also allow players to schedule events where other players can participate in and gain points which can be used to redeem rewards. There’s even a feature called a Champion belt where players will have to play every week to maintain the belt, much like how boxers have to defend their titles. In any case more details about RE.net can be found in the source link below.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Resident Evil 6 will come with a “Agent Hunt” mode that lets you play as a zombie, Capcom releases more Resident Evil 6 gameplay footage,

PS Vita firmware update adds button controls, iTunes playlists and more

PS Vita firmware update adds button controls, iTunes playlists and more

If you’re a Vita owner, then this week must feel like running through rain of joy, as new features and functionality keep coming. Well, why not splash in a puddle or two along the way, as we learn what treats the next firmware update for the handheld — version 1.80 — will bring. First up is the ability to use the console’s buttons on the home screen and within some applications — yeah really! In addition to that mind-bomb, you’ll also be able to fast-forward and rewind video, import playlists from the PS3 and iTunes (10.6.3 or later) as well as use the rear touchpad for scrolling and zooming in the browser. There’s a bunch of other minor tweaks, too, just skip down to the source for the breakdown or wait until “late August” for the download.

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PS Vita firmware update adds button controls, iTunes playlists and more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 bezel spotted?

What you see above is purportedly a bezel of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (unlike the previous dud) , but it remains to be seen whether this is the real deal or not. After all, the device which snapped this particular photo did not seem to come with any kind of image stabilization, which is why the entire thing has its fair share of blur spots to make it look real authentic. It remains to be seen whether this is the real deal or not, so you might want to take it with a pinch of salt after digesting this particular image.

The hardware in the depicted image does seem to point to a rather unbecoming design that lacks the refinement and finesse of the Samsung Galaxy S3. Thanks to the ruler which is draped from corner-to-corner, it might very well come with a larger display compared to its predecessor, the original Samsung Galaxy Note, although this one will still be able to play nice with your S-Pen. Are you happy with the way phablets are being developed over time, and do you have your very own ideas to input in order to improve this niche market that is slowly but surely gaining traction?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Did Samsung hint at a Galaxy Note for Verizon subscribers?, Galaxy Note 2 photo shows up over at Samsung’s Facebook page, could be real or fake,

Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified trailer revealed

Gamers if you own a PlayStation Vita and Call of Duty is a game you wouldn’t mind playing on your handheld console, Sony has announced via its PlayStation blog that the first trailer of the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified has been released. For those unfamiliar, Black Ops Declassified is meant to act as a bridge for the storyline between Black Ops and the upcoming Black Ops 2 which is scheduled to see a release in November later this year.

Developed by Nihilistic Software, Black Ops Declassified will reportedly bring to players the same sort of features and experience that they have expected from the Black Ops 2 franchise, including Create-A-Class, Perks, Prestige Levels and the use of dual analog sticks. It will feature multiplayer support for up to 8 players over a WiFi connection and will make use of the PlayStation Vita’s features, such as its touchscreen which is used for melee attacks and to lob grenades at your enemies. More details of the game can be found at the PlayStation blog, but for now you can check out the trailer in the video above. So, who’s looking forward to Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified on their PS Vita?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: PlayStation Mobile announced, PlayStation Plus to arrive on PS Vita, Ragnarok Odyssey arrives on PS Vita,

4G LTE Blackberry Play could be headed AT&T’s way

While RIM’s Blackberry Playbook tablet isn’t exactly the device that everyone’s queuing up for or selling out, the company has made it a more attractive device by adding 4G LTE support to it. Unfortunately at this point in time, the 4G Playbook is only available in Canada, although plans to roll it out to US, Europe and the rest of the world is definitely in the cards, but how soon, and more importantly, which carriers in the US will be supporting it?

Thanks to the latest developer beta OS for the Playbook that has been rolled out today, bundled AT&T apps were spotted, thus suggesting that AT&T could be one of the carriers to support RIM’s 4G LTE Blackberry Playbook. It should also be noted that Verizon is another possibility as the Verizon Wireless store tab made a brief appearance in the App World in the past. In any case this isn’t a confirmation but if you are looking forward to the 4G Playbook, then perhaps you might want to keep an eye on both these carriers. Until then be sure to check back with us for more updates.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Blackberry Playbook with LTE gains FCC approval, 4G LTE capable Blackberry Playbook has reportedly been confirmed,

ChargeCard for Micro USB devices debuts

Late last month I mentioned a new project that had turned up on Kickstarter. The project was called the ChargeCard and initially was for the iPhone. The idea was a thin credit card-sized charger that you can put inside your wallet and plug directly into your iPhone and a USB port when you need to recharge.

At the time, the original project launched the developers promised a version would come for devices that recharge using micro USB ports. That micro USB version of the ChargeCard has now been unveiled. Like the iPhone version, the micro USB ChargeCard is thin enough to fit into your wallet and take with you wherever you go.

Rather than having an iPhone charger on one side, this one has a micro USB port coming off at an angle. The section of the ChargeCard that plugs into the USB port of a computer is still flexible allowing the charger at work at just about any angle. The developers say the micro USB version of the product will work with any device that recharges using the little USB port.

That means this should work with the majority of Android smartphones and tablets out there as well as a bunch of other products. The micro USB ChargeCard comes in three colors, including black, white, and bird. The bird version is black with white silhouette art of birds sitting on a line. The project has 12 days to go and was seeking $50,000, so far backers have pledged over $136,000.


ChargeCard for Micro USB devices debuts is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Blackberry 10 beta devices currently being shown to carriers

We know that RIM has plans to roll out several Blackberry 10 devices, although the question on the minds of many Blackberry fans is when? While a specific release date still eludes us, the Wall Street Journal (paid article) has reported that according to RIM’s CEO Thorsten Heins, he has confirmed to the publication that the company is currently showing off two Blackberry 10 beta devices to carriers this week. One of them features a keyboard, while the other is a full touchscreen device which will also be the first Blackberry 10 device to launch.

Heins also goes on to confirm that these are two of six Blackberry 10 devices planned, half of which will be full touchscreen. He was also quoted as saying, “We’re near the finishing line” and that “the physical shape and feel of the new phones is finished and the software nearly complete.” Other details revealed include the fact that the batteries of Blackberry 10 devices are removable, allowing for hard resets and also for replacing them in the eventuality that they stop being as efficient.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: RIM’s CEO believes that Blackberry 10 can be licensed, Samsung denies reports of licensing Blackberry 10,

iPad mini design detailed

Several reports have indicated that Apple is working on a smaller version of the iPad, said to be around 7.85-inches, but there haven’t been anywhere near as many leaks as there have been for the next iPhone. 9to5Mac believes it has solid information regarding the design of the iPad mini, however, suggesting that it will look like an enlarged iPod touch, with smaller bezels compared to the current iPads.

[Above mockup by 9to5Mac, showing the potential iPad mini design.]

9to5Mac suggests that this may make the tablet easier to hold due to the reduced size, with users gripping the tablet from the back rather than grabbing on to the bezels. Some of the buttons on the iPad mini will also be tweaked, with the volume rocker featuring seperate physical buttons rather than a combined rocker. A microphone will also be added to the back of the device for noise cancellation.

The thinner bezel is also alluded to in alleged schematics for the iPad mini, first spotted back in July. The schematics corroborate reports of the thinner bezel and tweaked buttons that have come from multiple sources, and also point to a much thinner design for the device compared to the current generation iPad. The smaller dock connector that has been rumored for the next iPhone, along with all iOS products going forward, is also seen in the drawings.

John Gruber at Daring Fireball has backed up some of these claims in addition to iMore, suggesting that the bezels will indeed be noticeably reduced, with Apple possibly aiming for a much thinner device compared to the current iPad. The company had to increase thickness slightly over the iPad 2 in order to accommodate the Retina display and larger batteries, but won’t necessarily have to make those concessions for the iPad mini, allowing for a thinner device.


iPad mini design detailed is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.