The 3D printing "revolution" isn’t just being held up by the state of the technology. It’s also being held up by the sheer cost of a 3D printer. But in February 2014, some key patents will expire, leaving an opening for competitors come in with cheaper alternatives.
     |
The broadband speed wars continue to rage, and today, Verizon announced that it’s throwing down with its fastest tier yet. With a download speed of 500 megabits per second (and an upload speed of 100Mbps), the leap forward marks the latest evolution of the company’s fiber-optic Quantum Internet Service, which rolled out last summer. To put those numbers into perspective, you’ll be able to download a 5GB HD movie in 1.4 minutes or upload a 100MB file in eight seconds, assuming you’re operating at full speed. Verizon is hoping to gradually introduce its newest speed tier to all FiOS markets by 2014, with limited availability starting today. To hear what Big Red has to say about it, check out the video after the break.
This week Gameloft continues their high-powered relationship with Marvel Comics in a teaser for no less than Thor: The Dark World. This came will be appearing on Android devices as well as Apple mobile devices of all kinds – iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch included, and will be appearing close to the release of the film itself, later this year. What you’ll see in this game is another birds-eye-view of a superhero, keeping with the successful modes introduced in games such as the Amazing Spider-Man not too long ago.
Gameloft’s approach with games such as these is the same – it would seem, and appears to have been proven several times over – as those full-fledged original storyline games they’ve been releasing for years. They put in just as much effort here as they would their own title, so to speak, this breaking the trend of major-label movie-sourced concepts released alongside Hollywood films almost without fail since the dawn of video games.
Here you’re going all-in, complete with support and updates well after the film is released.
“Thor: The Dark World – The Official Game will allow fans of the franchise to play as one of Marvel’s most iconic Super Heroes in a game of epic scope and beauty. With this new game, we are further expanding the successful relationship between Marvel and Gameloft.” – Javon Frazier, VP Games Marketing at Marvel
Unfortunately you’ll not be able to get your hands on this title until later this Fall, again much closer to the actual release of the movie itself. Unlike Gameloft’s release of Iron Man 3, this game relies a bit more on a more traditional gaming structure, aiming to bring Thor to you from overhead, allowing you a full-on god-like vision of your environment. Strike true!
BONUS: Can’t wait to play it on NVIDIA SHIELD? Not surprising, especially given the original code-name. We’ll still have to wait until Autumn though, no matter how hardcore the combination might be – stay tuned!
Thor: The Dark World mobile game heralds incoming film is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Back in January during CES 2013, Belkin revealed their latest WeMo product for home automation. The WeMo Light Switch allows users to remotely control the lighting in their house over WiFi via their smartphone or tablet. Finally, the new product is available today and is ready to take on The Clapper as the ultimate automated light switch device.
The WeMo Light Switch can control more than one light, though, so you can control a whole host of lights in your house through your mobile device, and you don’t even have to be connected to WiFi — the accompanying app and the light switch can talk over a data connection as well.
As for all the neat stuff that the WeMo Light Switch can do, there’s obviously the basic turning on/off the lights in your home through the mobile app, but you can also set schedules for turning them on and off, which is perfect when you’re on vacation and want it to look like there’s someone home in order to prevent burglaries.
The switch can also turn on and off lights automatically based on the sunrise and sunset, and you can even integrate Belkin’s WeMo products with IFTTT (which just recently released an iOS app), for things such as sending you a text whenever the switch is activated.
Belkin says the light switch can be “easily” installed into your existing electrical wiring setup in your house, so it doesn’t seem like there’s a whole lot preparation work you need to. Although you may need to call up a trusty electrician if your electrical and wiring skills aren’t up to snuff. In any case, the WeMo Light Switch is available now for $49 at several retailers.
Belkin WeMo Light Switch arrives for 21st-century WiFi alternative to The Clapper is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Leap Motion
| |
Track cars are quite something to behold, and can be a lot of fun to take out for a weekend ride. While many track cars aren’t street legal, this one is – and it looks amazing too.
The Vuhl 05 is made in Mexico, and it’s made for track days. It’s very light, at only 1,500 pounds, and has got 285hp under the hood. Its lightweight body uses steel, aluminum and has a plastic open-top body. The two-liter Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder engine is quite snappy, so you’ll be able to power away from your competitors. Its maximum speed is 150 mph, and it will reach 62 mph in only 3.7 seconds.
It has a six-speed manual gearbox and it’s also perfectly street legal, so you won’t have to tow it around. The Vuhl 05 sells for approximately $84,000(USD) and it will be available in the spring of 2014.
[via Top Gear]
Despite how the saying goes, bigger isn’t always better — and that’s especially true in the mobile industry, where companies have produced smartphones with larger and larger screens. While that does seem to be the latest trend, a few manufacturers haven’t forgotten that there are a ton of smartphone users out there who prefer using something that actually fits in the palm of their hand. Unfortunately, those folks don’t have a flagship Android device to call their own, but Samsung is hopeful that its latest 4.3-inch beauty, the Galaxy S4 Mini, will at least suffice as a solid middle-tier option. But will shoppers be bothered by the fact that it lacks many of the top-end components we enjoy on devices like the Samsung GS4? Our friends at Negri Electronics, who are selling the device for $520, were kind enough to let us have some one-on-one time with the petite handset. Read on to get our take.
Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung
Sometimes photographers amaze us with their ability to uniquely reflect the world around us and get a look at it from a different angle. Other times, they depict images so disgusting or banal that it’s impossible to understand why so many consider their photographs masterpieces. The art market is inscrutable, especially when it comes to photography. The following ten photos, ranked by worth, sold for millions of dollars at auctions over the past few years.
| |
It’s not hard to imagine LG bringing a new wave of devices with “G” at their brand head now that the company has made clear they’re keeping the one-letter titles. What’s unclear is the full expanse that the company hopes to cover with the array of trademark filings appearing this week, all of them coming from KIPO. The Korean Intellectual Property Office doesn’t always indicate which products will be appearing in the wild worldwide, but in this case, LG may have a big push incoming.
What you’ll find at KIPO is more than just the LG GPAD, explored a bit earlier today by SlashGear as well. You’ll also find the following, each of them appearing one on top of the other as LG lets the whole collection hit filings at once. Note that SlashGear has added the possibilities – the titles alone come from LG.
GPad – Android tablet
G Watch – Android smartwatch not unlike Motorola’s MOTOACTV
G Glass – software-based connection with Google Glass
G Link – wireless mirroring and/or cloud sharing service for LG devices
G Band – Wearable aetheletic device not unlike the Nike Fuelband
G Hub – LG-centric app store and/or hub connecting to Google Play for media
It’s not hard to see how these bits and pieces might be inspired by Samsung’s own set of devices and apps. Now we’ll have to see how quick they catch up with those systems that’ve been running for months, or in some cases, years.
Now we’ll see if LG decides that these products can be created and made press-ready quick enough for the August 7th event that’ll have the LG G2 standing proud as the company’s next-generation hero smartphone. Will this be the birth of another one-hero strategy, proven strong by the likes of companies such as HTC with the HTC One over the past half-year? Let’s see it happen!
Thanks for the tip, Florian!
VIA PockeDroid
LG G Watch leads the wearables way as Glass tips Google integration is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
