AdAge is reporting than in an effort to lure more content producers (along with the subsequent viewers and advertisers that follow) away from traditional television, YouTube is supposedly getting ready to launch paid subscription on specific channels. More »
![galaxy note 8 Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Priced At 391.99 Euros [Rumor]](https://i0.wp.com/cdnrss.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/galaxy-note-8.jpg?resize=640%2C480 "Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Priced At 391.99 Euros [Rumor]")
After a Samsung executive confirmed the existence of an 8-inch Galaxy Note, numerous images were leaked here and there, raising more questions than answers. Adding to the rumor is what appears to be the pricing details of the tablet. The folks over at Mobile Geeks are saying that the mysterious Galaxy Note 8 will be priced at 391.99 euros. The claim was also supported by a listing of a Galaxy Note 8 on Staples which is priced at 391.99 euros. According to the stock information, the device will be available on February 19th.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPad 5 Expected To Resemble An iPad Mini And Release In October [Rumor], Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Rumored To Be Priced Starting From $149, 
The classic board game Stratego is hitting more platforms today. Developed by Keesing Games, the popular strategy board game by Royal Jumbo is now available on the iPad, Facebook, or through a web browser (Stratego.com). Both the Facebook and web browser versions are free to play, but the developers are charging a hefty $6.99 for the iPad version.
Stratego has been around for over 50 years, and it has seen many revisions along the way by many board game makers, like Milton Bradley, Hasbro, and Spin Master. This digital version from Keesing Games looks to be based on Hasbro’s version from a few years ago, but it includes a few more surprises than what you would find in the regular board game version.
Players can play in both single-player modes and online modes, with the option to play in full 40-piece games or smaller games of 10 pieces. All of the mechanics from the board game are present, with players working to capture the flag of their opponents, and using a mix of strategy and deception to successfully move game pieces around the board.
Development of Stratego began last year during the spring, and the game has been in a closed beta until now, with around 18,000 players having already had their fair share of play time. Keesing Games says that while the game will still see action on Facebook, the game will probably have an easier time gaining players on iOS due to the platform’s popularity. However, the developers are hard at work on a new mode for the game that will hopefully attract more Facebook users.
[via Inside Social Games]
Stratego comes to iPad, Facebook, and the web browser is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Now that the Android-powered game console on a stick, GameStick, has been fully funded (five times over), another piece of the puzzle is falling into place: its final design. Taking suggestions from the Kickstarter backers that supported the device in the first place, the final design of the controller reflects, “a more ergonomic form with extended grips and a tapered shape to better sit in the hand.” The HDMI stick that previous popped out from the bottom of the controller now rests around back — it’s now got a MicroSD slot built in as well, allowing up to 32GB of expandable memory (bringing the maximum of expandable memory up to 104GB — that’s a lot of Android games).
A docking station is also in the cards, which enables a whole mess of peripherals via USB, HDMI, and ethernet ports — it’s powered separately, so you can charge your GameStick controller without having to turn on the console. You can also charge your controller on it wirelessly, according to PlayJam. All said, it’s got one ethernet port, a full size SD card reader, three USB ports, and three HDMI ports (one out, two in), and comes as part of an option $109 bundle on the Kickstarter page. As for its sale price separately from the GameStick, PlayJam’s staying mum for now.
Gallery: GameStick (final)
GAMESTICK UNVEILS FINAL DESIGN INSPIRED BY KICKSTARTER COMMUNITY
London & San Francisco; January 29th, 2013; As the GameStick Kickstarter campaign (http://kck.st/12SSvMO) enters its final few days, the team announce their final designs of the device as well as a new docking station for every peripheral conceivable.
GameStick; Kickstarter´s most recent success story, currently sits at over 500% of its original target with over $500K raised at the time of writing. The team waits on tenterhooks to discover the final figure to be revealed at 04:23 PST on Friday 1st February.
“It´s hard to believe that we launched GameStick just a few short weeks ago. The Kickstarter campaign has been a roller coaster of a ride and one which has given us more feedback than we could ever have possibly imagined.” says PlayJam´s CMO, Anthony Johnson, “We have been able to take that input and literally better shape our product to give our backers a truly bespoke creation – one which has been designed by the Kickstarter community that backed it.”
The new design sees subtle changes to the controller, which gets a more ergonomic form with extended grips and a tapered shape to better sit in the hand. The housing for the HDMI stick has been moved to the rear of the controller and the stick itself now supports an expandable 32GB MicroSD card slot in response to overwhelming demand. The finish has also been meticulously designed meet the highest of standards.
Additional requests from the backer community resulted last week in the GameStick team announcing support for peripheral hardware through a previously unspecified docking station. The dock brings on board a number of sought after features such as; wire-free charging for the controller, a number of USB and HDMI ports to support peripheral hardware such as keyboards, mice, microphones and cameras as well as support for yet more storage bringing the total potential capacity of the bundle up to 104GB.
“The GameStick Dock is a prime example of how we have moved rapidly to innovate while still in the pre-production phase,” continued Johnson, “it has made for a ‘hairy’ 30 days but we think the results are worth it and we are delighted that we have been able to tailor the product as much as we have in such a short time-frame”
The GameStick Kickstarter campaign has reached its first two stretch goals with just under $60K to go to hit it´s third and final stretch which will add a number of colour options to its range; a target the team hopes to hit before close. Backers have been urged to vote for their favourite colours on the GameStick Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/GameStickNews) in a poll to establish the final color.
To visit the Kickstarter page and pledge your support, please visit: http://kck.st/12SSvMO
To visit the GameStick website for more information or to apply for an SDK please go to: www.gamestick.tv
To follow GameStick news, join the conversation and give your opinion on Facebook or Twitter please go: www.facebook.com/GameStickNews and www.twitter.com/Game_Stick / @Game_Stick
To subcribe to YouTube,please go to: www.youtube.com/GameStickVideos
The Mio Alpha made a bit of a splash on Kickstarter earlier this year when it promised a heart rate-sensing watch that didn’t use chest straps or similar encumbrances to measure your exertion. They went $200,000 over their goal of $100,000 and just started shipping in time for pre-marathon season.
The watch offers two basic functions. You can tell the time, obviously (but not the date) and you press the right button to toggle heart rate mode. You can set a target heart rate by holding down the left button. You end your workout by holding down the right button again.
The real trick is how the device senses your heart rate. Rather than sensing using EKG technology, the watch uses a pair of LEDs to sense blood volume under the skin. The green LEDs light up and another LED begins pulsing when it grabs a reading. Compared to a Polar EKG watch I’ve used, the heart rate reading was accurate. The Alpha is rechargeable and includes an oddly-shaped USB dongle that snaps into the bottom of the watch. The battery lasted about two weeks of semi-regular use but your mileage may vary.
The watch also transmits data via Bluetooth so you can connect the Mio to a smartphone for more precise recording. Users of EKG watches will immediately see the benefits: you get a continuous readout without having to wear anything around your chest and the watch itself is light and comfortable so you will barely notice it. Could it have more features? Sure, a timer and stopwatch would be nice, but as it stands at $199 you’re getting a very solid heart rate monitor. The Nike+ GPS watch, for example, costs $169 and tracks distance but the monitor is $70 extra. Better heart rate watches from Suunto and Polar can hit the $300 and higher range, so this very basic watch is just about all you need if you’re only looking for accurate heart rate measurements without much fuss.
The Alpha is surprisingly light and simple to use which makes it great for folks who don’t want a huge watch strapped to their wrist while running. While there is something to be said for a wrist computer that can tell you pace, distance, age, weight, number of mailboxes passed on your run, and lucky lotto numbers, something like the Mio is refreshing in its simplicity.
Google’s philanthropic arm, Google Giving, has awarded a grant to the U.K.’s Raspberry Pi Foundation to fund 15,000 U.K. schoolchildren to get their very own Raspberry Pi micro computer to learn to code.
The size of the Google Giving grant has not been disclosed by Google but the Foundation describes it as “generous”, and the Model B Pi, which the kids will be getting, retails for $35 — so taken at face retail value the grant is worth $525,000 for the hardware alone. Add in additional teaching materials, support and resources and it’s likely to be worth considerably more than half a million dollars. Update: TechCrunch understands the total grant is worth $1 million — which covers the cost of the devices plus support and teaching materials to ensure the kids get the most out of their free Pi.
Announcing the award in a blog post today, the Foundation revealed Google’s chairman Eric Schmidt spent the morning with Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton at a local school in Cambridgeshire — Chesterton Community College – teaching kids about coding and doubtless geeking out over the details of building a $35 micro computer.
The first “tranche” of free Pis were also donated to the class of 12 year-old school pupils, according to Google.
The Foundation said it will be working with Google and six U.K. educational partners to “find the kids who we think will benefit from having their very own Raspberry Pi”. The six partners are CoderDojo, Code Club, Computing at Schools, Generating Genius, Teach First and OCR – each of whom will be provided with a supply of Pis to give to kids who show interest in computer science courses.
As well as helping the Foundation identify the lucky kids who will get free Pi, the six organisations will also be providing additional help and support. For example, OCR will be creating 15,000 free teaching and learning packs to go with the Raspberry Pis.
The Foundation, which was set up with a mission to get more U.K. schoolkids learning to code, added:
We’re absolutely made up over the news; this is a brilliant way for us to find kids all over the country whose aptitude for computing can now be explored properly. We believe that access to tools is a fundamental necessity in finding out who you are and what you’re good at. We want those tools to be within everybody’s grasp, right from the start.
The really good sign is that industry has a visible commitment now to trying to solve the problem of CS education in the UK. Grants like this show us that companies like Google aren’t prepared to wait for government or someone else to fix the problems we’re all discussing, but want to help tackle them themselves. We’re incredibly grateful for their help in something that we, like them, think is of vital importance. We think they deserve an enormous amount of credit for helping some of our future engineers and scientists find a way to a career they’re going to love.
More than one million Raspberry Pis have been sold since launch, although it’s not clear how many of those have gone to kids — as the Pi has been especially popular among the enthusiast adult maker community.
Commenting on the grant in a statement, Google’s Schmidt said: “Britain’s innovators and entrepreneurs have changed the world — the telephone, television and computers were all invented here. We’ve been working to encourage the next generation of computer scientists and we hope this donation of Raspberry Pi’s to British school pupils will help drive a new wave of innovation.”
It’s not the first time Schmidt has made comments about the British education system. In August 2011, in a keynote speech at the Edinburgh TV festival, he slammed the system for failing to teach computer science and focusing instead on telling kids how to use software. “That is just throwing away your great computing heritage,” he said at the time.
Since then, the U.K. government has been knocking heads together to try to get a handle on the problem — announcing plans to develop new “IT-centric” qualifications to teach schoolkids core principles of computer programming, and measures to attract and train a new generation of computer science teachers. It’s currently carrying out a curriculum review to come up with a new program of study for the subject — but an all-new computer science curriculum is not due to land in September 2014.
In a statement provided today, the Foundation’s Upton said: “We hope that our new partnership with Google will be a significant moment in the development of computing education in the UK. We believe that this can turn around the year-on-year decline in the numbers and skill sets of students applying to read Computer Science at university.”
Asked why Google is gifting Pis to the U.K. — rather than a developing nation — Upton told TechCrunch: “As I understand it, Google like to support the community in each of the countries where they have a presence. They have a very large engineering organization in the UK now, and so it makes sense to do this sort of activity here. The fact that Eric has a well-known interest in the state of computing education in the UK makes it all the more relevant.”
Apple released iOS 6.1 yesterday, adding LTE to around 36 additional iPhone carriers and 23 additional iPad carriers around the world. If you’re wondering how many iPhone, iPad, and iPod users downloaded iOS 6 since its launch in July, Apple has some numbers for you. Via press release, Apple says that nearly 300 million iDevices have been upgraded to iOS 6. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Philip Schiller, confirmed the milestone today saying, “iOS 6 is the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and with nearly 300 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices on iOS 6 in just five months, it may be the most popular new version of an OS in history.” Schiller adds, “iOS 6.1 brings LTE support to more markets around the world, so even more users can enjoy ultrafast Safari browsing, FaceTime video calls, iCloud services, and iTunes and App Store downloads.” Well done Apple.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPad 4 128GB Model Officially Announced, Samsung Wants A Peek At iOS’ Source Code To Determine Patent Infringement, 
It looks like some of the hottest MWC action won’t take place in the same country — or even in the same week, for that matter. HTC has confirmed that it will be holding a press event in New York on the 19th of February, which is a few days before the majority of MWC companies hold their press conferences. At the time of this post, we believe this will be the company’s new flagship phone (currently rumored to be called the M7). We’ve also received official confirmation that an event will be held in London as well. Regardless of where they’re held, we’ll be there to get you the info on the latest and greatest from HTC!
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC
The Titanium Utility Ring is not a wedding ring per se. But since I don’t like man rings and the only rings I’ve ever worn are three wedding rings, it is a wedding ring to me. I mean, if I had to marry a fourth time, I’d definitely get this thing. More »
Do you feel that? Yes sir, that is the buzz of excitement that has reverberated among the folks over at Team XBMC, as they have just announced XBMC 12 “Frodo” to long-suffering folks, and you can bet your bottom dollar that XBMC 12 Frodo will come with its fair share of innovative features.
Some of these features will comprise of HD audio support that includes DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, over the new XBMC AudioEngine (OSX/iOS are still unavailable), as well as Live TV and PVR support, h.264 10bit (aka Hi10P) video software decoding for anime, 64-bit support in OSX to match the 64-bit support in Linux, improved image support that enables the XBMC database to accommodate many other kinds of image types and more interesting and complex skins, support for the Raspberry Pi, initial support for the Android platform and improved Airplay support across all platforms.
I am quite sure that Raspberry Pi users will be more than pleased to hear of XBMC 12 Frodo’s support for their platform, making it the single least expensive and most affordable method of running XBMC ever to date. You can download XBMC 12 Frodo over here if you are interested.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: 32-Monitor Matrox Mura-Powered Video Wall In Action, Foursquare For Business Managers Gets Launched, 
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