If you’ve got a massive stack of CDs sitting in your closet and both want to listen to them all the time and don’t want to take the time to import them all to your computer, Sonos and Murfie have just the solution for you. In a brand new brand team-up, Murfie and Sonos have joined forces to present a “Better Together” sort of situation in which they want you to literally send them all of your CDs in the mail so they can import them to your cloud storage for you.
This service has you following three easy steps, the first of which is to send your CD collection to Murfie for free. They give you to the shipping tags, you just have to drop the boxes off in the mail. They’ll receive the CDs and import all of the songs to your Murfie library – that’s their own service which you, of course, have full access to via the web. You now also have the ability to stream your whole Murfie music library on your Sonos system.
So oddly enough, if you were already using Sonos to stream music from your computer, you might have already been doing this same combo at home. This collaboration makes the team-up official and pushes for the combo to be used – and also comes with a free trial of unlimited music streaming on your Sonos system through April 30h, 2013. Sonos is a gigantic, expandable speaker system ecosystem that we’ve had experiences with more than once – see our Sonos tag for more information.
This update also comes with a 100% guarantee that’s always been in place with Murfie – they make sure you’ve got confidence in them with assurance that if you’re ever not totally satisfied with their service, they’ll send you your CDs back right away. As it stands, you can also simply add Murfie to your Sonos Controller app right this minute – just so long as you’ve already got a Murfie account, of course.
The wireless charging pad that’s made specifically for the HTC DROID DNA was revealed today a bit more silently than the smartphone, mainly because it’s not manufactured by HTC – and because it’s not really all that new. This LG-made device will be appearing at Verizon at the same time as the DROID DNA itself for a cool $59.99 USD. This device is rather large, eclipsing the DNA by quite a bit – in other words, you’ll have a hard time missing it.
This machine simply plugs into your wall and works with the wireless abilities of the DROID DNA to power your battery at a rapid speed. Oddly it doesn’t appear that the folks at LG have made any effort to be tiny like Nokia has with their own wireless charging pad effort. Instead we’ve got a rather bulky device that appears to be more like a pillow for the smartphone than a charger.
NOTE: This device was actually announced in March of 2011 and has been on the market since this spring. It is, however, coming to Verizon here for the first time, and is $10 cheaper than it was originally offered for earlier this year at electronics stores.
This beast will be charging up the DNA’s 2,020mAh battery at least once a day, especially considering the massive display and pixel density – no to mention the brightness – on the smartphone. Charging works with Qi standard technology, a standard put forth by the official Wireless Power Consortium. This likely means that the wireless charging pads Nokia has released will work just as well as this LG solution, as they use the same standard.
For more information on the DROID DNA by HTC, have a peek at the timeline below. There you’ll find hands-on action as well as pricing and release information. You’ll also find more specifications for the device, fun facts, an FCC listing, and a partridge in a pear tree. Stay tuned for our full review of the DROID DNA as well, coming up soon!
The stakes are high, and HTC is getting serious. Verizon’s new DROID DNA by HTC is the company’s most feature-packed phone to-date, not to mention arguably the most impressive device on Verizon’s LTE network, starting with a Super LCD 2 display that may well spoil you for all other smartphones. 5-inches and 1080p HD resolution, paired with one of the fastest processors around; read on for our first impressions of the DROID DNA by HTC.
440ppi on a mobile device display is just plain crazy, but it’s the sort of crazy we could fast get used to. The DROID DNA’s 1920 x 1080 screen is not only incredibly smooth, crisp, and bright, but has incredibly broad viewing angles and minimal bezel. That helps keep the DNA relatively compact, though of course with a 5-inch panel it’s hardly going to be a small device. Still, the curved edges help blend the front with the sides, and mask some of the bulk. The “microgrill” edges are meant to remind you of a Lamborghini grille, but more importantly they’re easily gripped, as is the soft-touch rubberized back.
Under the hood there’s the 1.5GHz quadcore Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 processor and 2GB of RAM, just as we saw on the HTC J Butterfly in Japan. Android 4.1 moves incredibly smoothly, with no lag evident, and while we’ll be waiting on benchmarks, we’ve a feeling the HTC will be near the top of its game. HTC also equips the DROID DNA with a 2,020 mAh battery, though with a Full HD display we’re not entirely sure how long that will last, despite HTC and Verizon’s confidence.
All of the headline stuff from HTC’s latest devices gets wrapped up in the DNA. There’s a wide-angle front facing camera which, thanks to an 88-degree lens, means more people can fit in frame at once, perfect for those at-arms-length shots. Not one but two Beats Audio amplifiers are included – separately powering the headphone jack and the DNA’s speaker – and there’s simultaneous video and photo capture too. New to the DROID line is wireless charging (though the wireless charging plate itself is optional, at $59.99), which should help keep the DNA’s battery topped up while it’s sitting idle on your desk.
It’s not a clean sweep, however. As with other recent handsets, both Android and Windows Phone, HTC has opted for fixed internal storage only: there’s no microSD card slot to expand it. That means you’re stuck with the 16GB HTC deems sufficient, and which – after apps and the rest – there’s only 11GB free for the user. Yes, the cloud is increasingly delivering our media and sweeping the content we create off our phones and into the ether, but it’s still a short-sighted decision considering the segment positioning. HTC tells us there’s no current plan for a 32GB model or larger.
Whether HTC Sense 4+ is a positive or a negative depends on your comfort level with the company’s customized interface. It’s certainly cohesive in its well-matured state, and it pulls the DROID DNA in line with HTC’s other phones, but there are plenty of people who prefer pure Android (and the timely updates that usually promises).
HTC has had a tough few quarters, struggling to raise itself above the mass of Samsung Android devices and Apple’s perpetually popular iPhone, and the company needs a stand-out product that it can legitimately describe as a flagship. It certainly has that in the DROID DNA, with hardware that has beaten Samsung’s AMOLEDs to the Full HD punch, and wrapped up in a sleek, high-quality design.
What HTC needs to convince us is that the aftersales support is just as impressive as the out-of-the-box experience. If it insists on using Sense, then it has an obligation to deliver timely Android updates rather than let existing users languish on older versions as it struggles to balance the custom interface with the pace of Google’s innovation.
Still, there’s plenty to like about the DROID DNA, and we’ll be putting the new Verizon smartphone through its paces for the full SlashGear review. The DROID DNA itself will go on sale at $200 with a new, two-year agreement on November 21.
Welcome to the next wave of smartphone innovation: 1080p panels. At a joint launch event with Verizon in New York City today, HTC unveiled the Droid DNA, the stateside counterpart to the Japan-only J Butterfly. Made to run on Big Red’s 4G LTE network and trimmed with the carrier’s signature color, the 5-incher also enters the market as the OEM’s first phablet effort; a direct response to Samsung’s Galaxy Note. (HTC is very adamant that this is not a “phablet,” partially thanks to its lack of stylus support.) But a larger footprint’s not the only bleeding edge tech on hand here, as the device plays host to a quad-core S4 Pro clocked at 1.5GHz and buffered by 2GB RAM — something we’d only seen within the Optimus G and Nexus 4 — a 2,020mAh battery capable of Qi-compatible wireless charging, an 8-megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p video and Android Jelly Bean with Sense 4+. We had a chance to spend some time with it, so click on through for our initial take.
In life, we’re often told the best-learned lessons are those spurred by mistakes. In Jawbone’s case, its plague-riddenUp wristband from last winter turned out be a sweeping education. So much so that the Jambox-maker now refers to the launch as an accidental “beta” program; a public exercise in wearables R&D that ended in an official apology and full refunds.
Sounds extreme, but those missteps led to a ground-up reinvention for the product: the company just announced a new version of the band, which goes on sale today for $129 with necessary improvements in tow: a refined mold, reinforced water-resistance and a more robust iOS app. In advance of this v2.0 launch, we sat down with the company’s VP of Product, Travis Bogard, to find out just what went wrong with its ambitious first effort, how it got fixed and what new innovations users can look forward to this time around. So, follow along as we look back at the growing pains that spawned Up’s rebirth.
NASCAR is one of the biggest and most popular spectator sports in the nation. They sell more seats and tickets than any single sporting event, have millions of fans, go extremely fast, and the sport uses some awesome technology that often gets missed in this world of smartphones and tablets. What you see below is the FanVision Controller that makes race day even more exciting. With live video, audio, instant replays and more read on to see how impressive this race day technology really is.
The FanVision Controller is the ultimate companion for any race fan for the sheer amount of options, data, and video it provides. For more details you’ll want to check out our previous coverage and interview with a VP from FanVision. Previously if you want to listen to commentary during a race while watching it live you’d need multiple devices. With the FanVision Controller you get that and much much more all in one useful device. Since many don’t know about the technology behind NASCAR, while SlashGear was at the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup this weekend in Phoenix, Arizona, we decided to give it a quick look.
The video below will give you a hands-on look at this impressive device, although being their live is an entirely different beast all together. The FanVision provides live video and audio broadcast, 8 in-car cameras as well as front, side, and rearview options. Stats, detailed driver comparisons, official leader times (live), radio scanners to listen in on each race team and their pit crew, or even the overhead spotter. You’ll also get driver stat cards, team information and detailed breakdowns on points to win the Cup. This is truly an all-in-one solution that delivers the best of all worlds on race day.
Pretty neat right? Oh and did we mention instant replay? After seeing that crazy (and vindictive) crash by Jeff Gordon Sunday, we were able to get live instant replay within a matter of seconds thanks to the FanVision. It was quite awesome watching a live view from the hood of his damaged race car as he slid into the rest of the drivers late in the race. The FanVision employs a 4-inch display, it’s wrapped in rubber and is quite durable, and can even handle the elements on race day. The controls on the side let you pan between fullscreen and stat view, select the driver of your choice, control instant replay and anything else you’d like. Panning through the in-car cameras was a breeze, and as you saw on video there’s no lag whatsoever. This was live, up to the second, and brings racing fans closer to the action than ever before.
The interesting thing here is the use of UHF (Ultra High Frequency) radios instead of the usual WiFi or other options. With thousands of fans all with smartphones and cameras, press using WiFi, and networks recording live FanVision had to find a way to provide fast, fluid, and uninterrupted video and data. UHF, which is that old (yet stable) TV channel technology is perfect for the task. Providing an excellent viewing experience no matter where we were on the track.
Everything you look at when you’re at a race on the FanVision Controller is curated by the dedicated FanVision staff at the race. FanVision works with the cameras that are on-site and the information that comes direct from the source, updating every statistic and element as it changes.
“We’re not doing any kind of production, we don’t have people with cameras that are in the pits or in the garages or anything like that. We’re taking content directly from, as an example, in Phoenix, we’re taking the SprintVision content that’s being fed to the track. So we’re not – in essence – taking ESPN’s content. And as a matter of fact, the radio broadcast for this weekend will be MRN. So if we’re at an IFC track, it’s MRN radio, and if we’re at an SMI track, then it would be PRN radio.”
The digital scanner inside the device also had multiple options. You could simply listen to the live commentator broadcast for their input, or choose to listen to the driver of your choices crew, staff, and spotter. Even better was the “random” mode so we could hear the commentator, but get cut in and out of the racer of our choices communications with his team. Then you’ll hear the best of both sides. Listening to teams talk about why and when to pit brought an entire new level of experience to the race.
The FanVision is everything you get at home as far as video, replays, and stats, as well as an audio perspective only FanVision provides their customers, all while enjoying the event live on site. It really is a sight to see if you’ve never been. Being able to enjoy the extremely loud noise and heat from the engines roar, then plug into the world of FanVision really was a fun experience. You can rent your own at NASCAR races nationwide.
SlashGear was able to enjoy a Pace car ride reaching over 120 mph, get video from the NASCAR garage and pit, and a few other neat videos so stay tuned for more details. Oh and go Brad Keselowski!
There’s something immediately striking about Nintendo’s Wii U proprietary disc format that’s hard to notice in photos — it’s got rounded edges, both outside and in. It feels different than any other disc we’ve handled before; Tim swears he’s seen a round-edged disc in the wild, but we’ve never seen such a thing ourselves. It’s as if the folks at Nintendo took sandpaper to every edge of every disc, making them all the more friendly to the touch. It’s a little detail, but it’s a nice one.
As we learned when the console was initially announced, the Wii U’s “proprietary high-density optical discs” hold up to 25GB of data — equivalent with that of Sony’s single-layer Blu-ray format on the PlayStation 3, and much larger than the Xbox 360’s dual-layer DVD format. Of course, all logic and statistics aside, having now handled a round-edged disc, we never wanna go back. We’ve taken some super up-close photos of Wii U karaoke title Sing Party, as well as comparison shots alongside its hard-edged Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 brethren, which can be found in the gallery below.
With an update that makes one change and one change only, T-Mobile and HTC have brought the HTC One S back in its true form: red under the hood with Micro Arc Oxidation through the body. This device now matches the original HTC One S’s hardware basically top to bottom, with a body that’s not just a standard metal, but a metal that’s gone through a process which makes it essentially impervious to everyday damage. This device is also being offered by T-Mobile for an undeniable price at the moment: absolutely free.
Having reviewed the original HTC One S earlier this year as well as the HTC One S T-Mobile edition later on, we can say that this machine is just about as awesome as it gets for Android. T-Mobile’s price point is absolutely crazy considering the quality of the hardware, and as our original judgement of the HTC One S stands, this version only brings our recommendation to check it out right back up to the top. The only difference between earlier this year and now is the collection of devices that’ve been released since, and it is that which you’ll need to consider in possibly picking this unit up from your local carrier.
The insides of this device appear to be exactly the same as the original. So similar, in fact, that every benchmark we’ve tested has come in line precisely with the original device. This means, of course, that the only changes that have been made have been in the software – and the original edition’s software updates bring that device up to par with this one just the same. Instead it’s all about that main bulk of metal on the back of this device – cured with Micro Arc Oxidation. Have a peek at this video of our mini-tour of the process as it was displayed at CTIA earlier this year:
Next feel free to see the fire in HTC’s own showing on how the process takes place. This process creates a unique surface on the device, making it more durable than your average device. Don’t expect to be able to cut it with a knife and come away unscathed, but still – it’s pretty hardcore.
Have a peek at the timeline below to see our other hands-on experiences with the HTC One series over the past few months and don’t forget to consider it amongst the rest of the top-tier choices at T-Mobile this Autumn. It’s got the same Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor in it as the Samsung Galaxy S III and Android 4.0.4 right out of the box – that’s Ice Cream Sandwich.
Remember how long it took Spotify to end up in the States? The issue? Music rights, of course. Before it could make its way to our shores, the service had to strike deals with a bunch of record labels, making sure the artists, the executives and EMI janitorial staffs all get paid. Whyd, a new French music service that will be clawing its way out of beta later this month, offers a bit of a workaround to that conundrum, pulling music from sources like YouTube and SoundCloud, aggregating them into a single dynamic location. That means that all content can be brought in, from some kid playing acoustic originals in her bedroom to long time music streaming holdouts like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
Once you signed in via Facebook or created a new account, you get started with the search field at the top of the page. From here, you’ll find tracks posted by other users. Click on a track and you can watch / listen, Like it, add it or post it to Twitter or Facebook. Songs that are added pop up on the Your Tracks page, a sort of central hub for the site. Playing the tracks from here will pop up a toolbar on the bottom of the page that lets you pause, scroll through the track and skip between songs. For the sake of organization, it’s also possible to divide songs into different playlists.
Last week, EE publicly flipped the switch on its 4G network. Launching LTE in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and (parts of) Southampton. EE also plans for an additional five cities before the new year. The new phone network, composed of equal parts T-Mobile and Orange, has other plans — and they start from £21 SIM-only (starting November 9th) while phone packages begin at £36 per month. For that, the new network offers its customers 500MB of data, plus unlimited calls and texts.
The data plans scale up from there, all the way up to 8GB of monthly data, alongside a system of on-off data bundles. So being an earlier adopter comes at a very specific cost — are the wonders of a next-generation network worth it? We inserted a fresh EE 4G SIM into an iPhone 5 and now have been using it for over a week, get our full verdict after the break.
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