Hasta La Gadget!

On May 7, we saw a leak showing the Google Maps redesign, with Google showing it off officially a little over a week later. That update has since been rolled out for desktop to those in the beta, and is now being pushed to those running Android 4.0.3 and higher. Thus far the Google Play store has been updated with the new change log, but it might be a bit before you see the actual update come your way.

Says the change log on Google Play, the update is “gradually” rolling out to Android 4.0.3 and higher over the next few weeks, while those who are running older versions of the mobile operating system will need to head over to Google to find out what versions their device will run. Google points users to a link on Google Play, but it currently leads to a 404.

The updated Maps features “enhanced navigation,” which encompasses dynamic rerouting, incident reports on situations in your area, and live updates on traffic. In addition, the exploration options have also been updated with this app, including a changed up means of browsing for locations, as well as discovery new places in various categories.

The new experiences feature is specific to tablets, allowing users to explore inside certain buildings. There’s also the 360-degree Street View, the ability to garner tailored recommendations, pull up past searches, save your favorite locations, and more. Google advises that not all features are available in certain countries, however.

According to those who have already nabbed the new version, there have been some changes that not everyone is happy with, among them being the elimination of offline maps and Latitude. Some are reporting that they can’t access their saved notes and maps after updating, as well, while others are having trouble locating offline options.

SOURCE: Google Maps

Google Maps update starts rolling out for Android 4.0.3 and higher is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sennheiser has announced some new additions to its MOMENTUM line of on-ear headphones, this time with pastel colors rather than the black headphones it currently offers. The redesign is aimed at those seeking fashionable accessories, and has been launched in conjunction to images taken by photographer Alexander Gnädinger and three fashion bloggers.

The new headphones are being offered in lighter pastel shades than other headphones in the line, among them being blue, green, pink, and an ivory-like color. The colors are designed to be “subtler” than some of the more bold fashion-oriented audio accessories offered by other headphone makers. This is to fit better with current fashion trends, says the company.

As part of the advertisement campaign for the company, the headphones are being showcased in photographs taken under the direction of fashion bloggers Luke Todd, Haleigh Walsworth, and Anna Frost. Said the photographer, Alexander Gnadinger, “It was very interesting to work with the three different bloggers, to look at them, learn from them, work with their style and then jointly create a personal portrait, related to fashion, music and the new Sennheiser headphones.”

The earpads and headband for these new MOMENTUM offerings are made from what Sennheiser calls a luxury material – Alcantara – also used by some automotive upholsterers, for reasons being attributed to durability, softness, and allowing for air flow. The earpads are designed to help isolate the audio being listened to from ambient sounds from the environment. Meanwhile, the sliders are made from stainless steel.

Sennheiser states that the design-centric focus of this new line of headphones does not impact the audio quality offered by it, however, assuring customers that audio is the same quality as offered by its other products. Says the maker, the audio produced by the MOMENTUM pastel offerings is “rich, detailed, and with a slight bass emphasis.”

SOURCE: Sennheiser

Sennheiser unveils “fashionable” MOMENTUM on-ear headphones is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Buffalo is releasing the portable battery “BSMPB08CA” for digital cameras in late August.

3 regular digital cameras can be charged up with the 2,200mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery built-in. Other than a digital camera, the portable battery is compatible with devices with a microB terminal such as a smartphone, iPod, game device etc.

Price: ¥3,465
Color: black, white, pink
Size: 72×25×30mm
Weight: 67g

AT&T has announced the arrival of the BlackBerry 10.1 update for BlackBerry Z10 owners, who can head over to the carrier’s software update page now and nab the latest software. The announcement was made on Twitter, which has a link directing users to a software update page that does not, at the moment, appear to actually have a download option for the Z10.

The update will be appearing as an OTA option as well, however, so take solace in that. The BlackBerry Z10 was announced earlier this year when RIM rebranded itself as BlackBerry, rolling out the devices and unveiling BB 10 at a time when it struggles to reinvent itself and draw back in much-needed consumers. This particular update has been long awaited by subscribers.

The Z10 features a 4.2-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 768, while there’s a 2-megapixel camera above it and an 8-megapixel camera around back. Inside, users will find a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 processor alongside 2GB of RAM, as well as 16Gb of storage space and a microSD card expansion slot (up to 32GB).

As far as connectivity goes, the Z10 features Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 a/b/g/n, quadband LTE, UMTS/HSPA+ and GSM/EDGE. This accompanies an integrated mobile hotspot feature that allows users to share their 4G connection. The battery, meanwhile, is a fairly small 1800mAh that gives somewhere in the range of 11 hours of talk time on a 3G network.

According to the folks at CNET, this update will bring AT&T Z10 owners quite a few new features, among them being an HDR camera mode, support for Skype, BlackBerry Hub PIN-to-PIN messaging, unlocking with the power button when at the start screen, pasting phone numbers into the dialpad, an option for disabling individual app alerts, and more.

SOURCE: Twitter

BlackBerry Z10 on AT&T scores BB 10.1 update is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Xcute 3770H77 WH-LTD is Unitcom’s latest slim desktop PC for the mass market that sports a 3.40GHz Intel Core i7-3770 processor, an Intel H77 Express Chipset, an Intel HD Graphics 4000, an 8GB DDR3 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD Super Multi Drive, a 300W power supply and runs on Windows 8 64-bit OS. The Xcute 3770H77 WH-LTD is available now for 77,800 Yen (about $767). [Product Page]