NVIDIA has confirmed that its upcoming Android gaming handheld, Shield, will start shipping on July 31st. The Tegra 4 testing platform was originally scheduled to hit online retailers in late June, but was delayed due to “a mechanical issue that relates to a third-party component.” Now, the company is writing to customers with pre-orders thanking them for their patience and assuring them the product will be on its way by the end of the month.
The finalized ship date puts the product within its delayed July launch window by technicality, but due to the nature of snail mail, most buyers probably won’t receive their unit until after the first of August. Frustrating for eager buyers perhaps, but at least NVIDIA’s email strikes an apologetic tone — assuring customers that the delay was a quality assurance measure. Can’t wait until the end of the month? Check out our hands-on with the final hardware right here. Didn’t pre-order? You’ll find the company’s official statement after the break.
Rovio recently announced a sequel to its Angry Birds Star Wars game, and the Finnish company was on hand to demo its latest title here at Comic-Con. Coming to Android and iOS on September 19th (and to consoles a month later), the app features more than 30 playable characters and — most notably — works with Hasbro-designed “Telepods.” If you’ve heard of Skylanders — not to mention Hasbro’s zAPPed line of add-ons for iPad games — the concept will be quite familiar: the Angry Birds Star Wars 2 Telepods give players access to additional characters and superpowers.
To get started with the Telepod figures, we simply had to place them (attached to their plastic stand) over the demo iPad’s camera. The tablet recognized the characters in just a second or two, and then we were able to play with new birds and their associated abilities (hint: more explosions). Rovio’s VP of marketing Philip Hickey says the Telepod collaboration with Hasbro allowed the company to make even Jar Jar Binks’ character interesting — and we have to admit, that’s quite an accomplishment. The Telepods will be available in stores for about $20 shortly before game launches in September.
The live-action telepods may be the upcoming title’s most novel feature, but that doesn’t mean the game doesn’t have several software-based goodies as well. You can choose to play on the dark side (“on the pork side,” as it were), and there are new two-player cooperative and two-to-four-player multiplayer modes. Be sure to check out our video hands-on after the break to see the sci-fi birds in action.
With the release of the final set of episodes in the controversial multi-season television series Breaking Bad comes an Apple iBooks-exclusive piece of media: Alchemy. This title is appearing this week with content exclusive to the book stemming from each of the show’s seasons, culminating in a full history of the Breaking Bad epic. Breaking Bad: Alchemy will also – of course – be updated after the final episode airs: August 11th.
This title is one of a rather complete set of wares set up by Sony Pictures Television in a Breaking Bad iTunes collection where they’ve also pushed the entirety of the show, music from the show, podcasts from insiders with the show, and apps – The Cost of Doing Business, that is. That same title, in a sentence encapsulating the dark undertone of the show, also sits atop a timeline of deaths in the iBook.
Breaking Bad: Alchemy – Table of Contents • Chapter 1: Catalyst – A full interactive timeline of the entire series, highlighting pivotal moments, characters and iconic props from the series • Chapter 2: Breaking Down Breaking Bad – Explores the influences of Breaking Bad and features “The Cost of Doing Business” timeline
• Chapter 3: Tweak of Chemistry – Explore the chemical compounds, devices and forces used throughout the series. • Chapter 4: Visualize This, B*****es – Dedicated to the visual style and art of Breaking Bad both within and inspired by the series
SIDENOTE: Don’t forget to check SlashGear’s Bryan Cranston interview from earlier this year to have a listen on how the show’s special effects play a part in the production of the show.
• Chapter 5: Crystal Clear – Dynamically experience the unique camera angles and color techniques cinematographers used throughout the series to achieve the visual style of Breaking Bad • Chapter 6: Amplitude – Explore the music of Breaking Bad • Chapter 7: Composition Cartel – Exclusive interviews with Vince Gilligan and executive producers, insider cues behind the special effects and production design • Chapter 8: Payoffs – Highlights the critical-acclaim of the series and provides fans continued opportunities to engage with the series
The Cost of Doing Business delivers exactly what you’d expect a fully interactive “death timeline” to deliver. Breaking Bad is certainly no stranger to the evil bits in buying and selling illicit cargo, and here in this piece of the app you’ve got interviews, show footage, and character evolution data to do full justice to each character that’s met their untimely end over the span of the show.
Also included here are “reflections” from show creator Vince Gilligan. This includes video chats, looks at 3D models, blueprints, special effects, and even camera angles on key shots.
“Breaking Bad: Alchemy is a comprehensive anthology that will allow viewers to experience and interact with the show in unprecedented ways. In the creation of the Breaking Bad book, we wanted to deliver to fans a unique and dynamic experience and unparalleled access into the production of the series that they will enjoy long beyond the final season.” – Chris Van Amburg, Senior Vice President, Marketing for Sony Pictures Television
This iBook exists as a unique offering at this time in history due to its promise of added content once its subject matter – the TV show – is done being delivered. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an app delivered before its full payload was sent out to the public, but given the relative popularity of similar “Second Screen” deliverables over the past year, we won’t be surprised to see more iBooks – and similar media – like this in the future.
At the moment the public will be able to pick the Breaking Bad: Alchemy iBook up for $7.99 USD as part of a limited-time pricing structure. Expect that amount of cash to go up once the world gets stunned into silence over the final chapter of the television show, hitting AMC on the 11th of next month.
HTC isn’t just relying on the One to turn its 2013 around: the company has the HTC One mini to help with that, a new 4.3-inch version of the aluminum smartphone. Slimming the flagship down – as well as some of the core specifications – the One mini is fronted by a 720p touchscreen where the One has 1080p, but still keeps the UltraPixel camera and Zoe photography system, among other things. We caught up with the new smartphone to see if the One’s undoubtable charms have been distilled down to a more hand-friendly size.
We made no bones about how appealing we found the original One, and in many ways the One mini is the same phone. At first glance you could mistake them for each other – at 132 x 63.2 x 9.25 mm and 122g the actual difference between the two unibody aluminum casings is surprisingly small – and the 4.3-inch screen isn’t far off the 4.7-inch of the first One.
Nonetheless, there are aesthetic changes, most noticeably the plastic frame that runs around the One mini. It combines both matte finishes – on the back – and gloss – on the edges – which is something HTC tells us prompted no small amount of discussion internally. We’re not quite convinced by it, however; considering it’s where your fingertips generally land when you’re holding the phone (which is, otherwise, nicely sized for the palm and shows exemplary build quality), it feels a little cheap, certainly in comparison to the smooth aluminum back and the toughened glass fascia.
HTC One mini gallery:
It’s a rare blip in the design, however, and in comparison to the Galaxy S4 mini for instance, the One mini is still leagues ahead in aesthetics. With the smaller size, though, you get a shrinking of power: the processor is now a 1.4GHz dualcore Snapdragon 400, paired with 1GB of RAM (versus the 2GB and quadcore of the full-sized One), and there’s just 16GB of storage with no microSD expansion.
There’s LTE and HSPA – complete with a 4G version suitable for AT&T’s bands in the US – along with WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX support, but no NFC since, HTC tells us, there simply wasn’t room for the necessary antenna. HTC BoomSound is accommodated, though, with the stereo speakers upfront, flanking the 341ppi Super LCD display, though the front camera is now down to 1.6-megapixels, and there’s no clever IR blaster integrated into the power button.
HTC One mini hands-on:
Thankfully, there’s still HTC’s UltraPixel technology, which trades megapixels for low-light performance. On paper, the 4-megapixel resolution should be underwhelming, but in practice the physically larger pixels themselves make for an impressive camera; the One mini gets the same f/2.0 aperture and dedicated ImageChip 2 processor, along with 1080p Full HD video recording and HDR video support. What you don’t get is optical image stabilization, which is a disappointment.
There’s also HTC Zoe, the company’s photography system which snaps both twenty full-resolution stills and a 3.6s Full HD video simultaneously. The HTC One mini gets the new Zoe highlight video presets included for the original One in the recent Android 4.2.2 update – in fact, it runs v4.2.2 out of the box – as well as the ability to use 30s of music from a track of your own choosing for the backing. If you opt for your own music, Zoe automatically beat-matches the transitions to the audio.
The obvious comparison, perhaps, is the iPhone 5 – something many smartphone users point to when they request a smaller device without compromising on specifications. The HTC One mini is still bigger than Apple’s phone, though (plastic ring aside) it feels on a par with its premium construction. Of course, HTC has diluted the specs somewhat, though the One mini still feels swift, with only minimal slow-down when processing the Zoe highlight reels.
HTC One vs iPhone 5:
There’ll also be various accessories to go with the One mini, ranging from flip-cases (with brightly colored internal lining) to a car kit. That works with the phone’s in-car interface, complete with larger buttons offering access to common features like hands-free calling, navigation, and media playback.
HTC One mini car-kit:
HTC tells us that the One mini is expected to begin its global roll-out in August 2013, in silver and black. There’s no word on which carriers will get the handset – nor which specific countries – though HTC tells us that North American partners will be “announced soon”. Pricing is also unconfirmed, though HTC told us it expects the One mini to come in “two price points below” the original One.
For those deciding on a tablet that’ll get them through the day at the same time as it’s able to fit in their satchel, Samsung hasn’t made things easy. With the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, you’ve got two machines with exceedingly similar specifications to decide between. What we’ve got to check this afternoon is how the two make their mark in the world – and if it really is all about the S-Pen in the end.
Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 works with an 8-inch display with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 carries the same size and pixel density – they’re effective the same in day-to-day use, while the subtle differences in software will make the tiniest of differences up-close. You’ll find the font and the shadows to be ever-so-slightly different from one another: but you’ll never notice unless you hold them up RIGHT next to one another, so no worries.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 works with 16GB internal storage with a microSD card slot for memory expansion. The Note 8.0 works with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and works with a Samsung Exynos quad-core processor internationally and in its Wi-fi iteration and a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor as carried by AT&T with 4G LTE. Meanwhile the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 works with a dual-core Samsung Exynos 4 processor.
Have a peek at how these machines fare in the benchmark scores listed below. They’re all knocked out with Quadrant Standard benchmark tests with the newest software available, Jelly Bean and TouchWiz included.
External speaker performance on both of these machines are essentially the same – they’re both mediocre if only because the speakers themselves are blowing out the sides the devices rather than the front. We must again assume it’s because thinness is more important than speaker performance as both of these devices are so extremely thin, it’d be difficult to toss a front-facing speaker anywhere. *cough* HTC One *cough*
Battery performance on both devices are essentially the same – it’s only 4G LTE on the Galaxy Note (that’ll eventually find its way to the Galaxy Tab, of course) that has any push on the battery life involved here – and it’s marginal unless you’re doing non-stop video streaming all day long.
Above: Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, and Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 (from top to bottom).
The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 comes in at 8.26 x 4.87 x 0.275 inches with a weight at 10.9 ounces. The Galaxy Note 8.0 comes in at 8.29 x 5.35 x 0.31 inches and 12 ounces. The difference is almost solely in the amount of bezel required with the Samsung Galaxy Note – likely mostly because of the grip area it provides for holding the device whilst writing with the S-Pen and to give the device room to hold the S-Pen in its back.
Cameras
While the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 is essentially a non-performer when it comes to capturing video and photos, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 brings some low-level heat. Though you’re still just working with a 5-megapixel camera at this device’s back, you’ve got autofocus and auto adjustment to lighting conditions, backed up by Samsung’s most basic edition of its new camera UI. Included here are Auto, Beauty Face, Night, Sports Shot, Panorama, and “Sound & Shot”. Have a peek at a panorama here for an example of what this device is capable of, followed by several indoor and outdoor shots.
Click panorama photo for full-sized image.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 brings on an exceedingly similar setup, bringing on photo and video abilities with its back-facing 5-megapixel camera (the same as the Galaxy Tab 8.0 here) also without an LED flash. While the Galaxy Note 8.0 has the same previous-generation camera interface as the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 at the moment, we’re expecting an update to the current generation imminently.
Software – a non-issue
When you’re deciding between the Note 8.0 and the Tab 3 8.0 based on software, you’re really going to have to focus to find the differences. Both devices are part of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 era of smart devices, so both are able to connect with essentially the same software suite of wireless sharing apps from Samsung. Group Play specifically shows how these devices are able to interact with one-another in a variety of ways that non-Samsung devices currently can’t – or at least can’t with the same finesse.
NOTE: While the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 does not feature the app “Samsung Link”, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 does. This is a situation rather similar to that of the devices’ camera interfaces – where the 10.1 uses the same camera UI and abilities as the previous generation model, the 8.0 works with a Galaxy S 4 interface, derived from the Samsung Galaxy Camera.
Both devices bring on a free 50GB for 2 years through Dropbox for cloud storage while each different release of these devices has its own perks on the side. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has a free three months of Hulu Plus as part of its benefits package, so to speak, along with a $10 card from the Google Play store through Samsung’s “Galaxy Perks” program.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 works with a variety of S-Pen specific apps as outlined in our original Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 hands-on and later our full review (as linked above). This device’s attachment to said apps is rather crucial in proving a set of selling points for this device while the Tab appears in quite a few places – though not everywhere – to be winning the race on hardware aesthetics.
Both machines work with a new enough version of Android Jelly Bean that you’ll have access to Google Now, and both machines have Samsung’s S-Voice for voice commands as well.
Cost
While the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0′s current wi-fi-only price range at $299 seems enticing compared to the last several years of $400 or more on tablets of all sizes as a standard, it’s the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0′s $399.99 (or it’s current sale price of $379.99) we’re doing battle with. If on the other hand you’ll be wanting to access mobile data with AT&T here in the USA, you’ve also got a $399.99 price tag with a 2-year contract to agree to to boot!
Of course there’s also an AT&T bundle price available at $199.99 for the Note 8.0, but then you’re still attached to a 2-year contract and you’ll have to also purchase a Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S 4 Active, or Galaxy Note II along with it. Good news is they all look rather nice next to one another.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is far more powerful than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 with a processor that’s made to handle this device as a real hero product. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 works with a dual-core Samsung Exynos 4 processor which we’ve found to be ever-so-slightly lacking in the high-level processing department – there the Tab is better suited for everyday web browsing and the occasional media consumption in the form of streaming video.
While the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 may have a slightly larger bezel and therefor appear – at first – to be the lesser of the two tablets, in every other category this machine excels. If you’re looking for the tablet that can do more, last longer, and will likely find its way into the hearts of developers longer, you’ll want to stick with the Galaxy Note 8.0 in this case. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 should only be chosen where price or availability are especially major factors.
A lot of the smartphone color options we see announced are no big deal, but there was a certain something about HTC’s metallic red One that demanded closer attention. We’ve just handled the burgundy bombshell, which has the same hardware credentials seen on the silver and black options (4.7-inch 1080p display, UltraPixel camera, Snapdragon 600 processor), but coated in a metallic “glamour red” finish just in time for summer. The color extends across the rear of the smartphone, the two speaker panels on the front and the chamfered edge that connects the two. The effect is slightly textured to the touch (more than the initial monochrome models, at least), making it a bit easier to grip, while bouncing around any ambient light that manages to hit it. That’s pretty much all there is to say, but you can scrutinize the new choice of color in our gallery below — and check our full review, because the phone’s fortunately otherwise unchanged.
We hate to say this, but the KIRF market is often a good indicator of how popular certain devices are, hence the plentiful fake iPhones and Galaxy phones in China. (Meanwhile, MediaTek is shamelessly cashing in as it ships its SoCs to those cloning factories.) Now, we’re not saying the HTC One doesn’t have any clones, but most of those we’ve seen weren’t very convincing — they were either of different sizes or had very poor build quality. But we eventually stumbled upon a pretty good fake in Huaqiangbei.
The offending device is pictured above on the left. Externally, it bears a disgustingly strong resemblance to the real deal thanks to the same 4.7-inch screen size, the same curved back, the same micro-SIM tray, the same dual-soft-key layout and even the same metallic chamfer on the front. But if you look closer or touch it even, the tell-tale signs start to show up. See for yourself in the gallery below — the fake One is to the left or on top of the real thing.
So, finally, Nokia has stopped teasing its flagship Lumia 1020 and let us event goers get some long awaited hands-on time with the thing. It’s definitely not your run-of-the-mill Windows Phone, but is that camera-centric kookiness enough to make the Lumia 1020 worth that $299 price tag? The jury’s still out on that one, but so far the 1020 definitely seems like a Windows Phone worth your consideration.
First impressions aren’t actually everything, but the 1020 is quite a looker… even if Nokia seems to be having trouble making up its mind in terms of industrial design. The Verizon-exclusive Lumia 928 features hard corners and a gently-sloping back, while the 925 (arguably the nicer looking of the two) is the first to introduce metal trim. The 1020 on the other hand sticks very close to the original design language of the Lumia 800 and 900, and that’s frankly a very welcome choice. I’d go as far to say that Lumia’s original looks are nearly iconic, but your mileage is going to vary there.
As a counterpoint, our (much less geeky) intern Eliza vehemently disagrees with me — according to her, it’s much too angular and looks like a business card. To each their own, I guess. Admittedly, the camera pod does get in the way when you pick up the 1020 thanks to its prominent protuberance on the device’s back, but it doesn’t seem like a deal breaker.
Considering just how large the 1020′s camera pod is, I expected the 1020 to be much heavier. In fact, the device was almost startlingly light — Nokia’s fondness for polycarbonate remains untempered, though I suspect the matte finish they’ve used this time around will make the 1020 a little more prone to scuffs and dings.
As is always the case when playing with these sorts of things in the field, it’s hard to really get a feel for performance, but swiping through menus and firing up applications was just as smooth as any other top-tier Windows Phone. The only bit of slowdown I noted was while fiddling with some of the camera settings, but that may just be a pre-production software issue acting up. Nokia representatives confirmed that the Lumia 1020 runs a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm chipset (though the people I spoke to wouldn’t specify which one), along with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. That’s quite a strong spec sheet for a Windows Phone, though the fact that Windows Phone 8 is generally a very lag-free OS to begin with certainly factors into the equation.
And then of course, there’s the camera. Nokia wouldn’t spend almost an entire hour talking about a camera if it wasn’t worth its salt, but the 1020′s 41-megapixel sensor really seems to deliver… the keyword there being “seems”. As you’d expect, the 1020 is a very snappy shooter, and the images it captured appeared incredibly crisp and bright on screen (perhaps to the point of mild over-saturation, but that’s really nothing new for an AMOLED display). Since none of hardware here was final though, Nokia wouldn’t allow to us transfer our photos off the 1020 for further fiddling so it’s hard to say just how good the images look on different displays or on paper.
Despite the Pro Camera app’s name, it was awfully easy to pick up after a few moments of playing. Tapping the icon brings up a series of concentric semi-circles, and sliding up and down each of lets users adjust exposure, shutter speed, iso, and focus. It’s an awfully intuitive scheme that Nokia has cooked up, especially since you’re able to immediately see on-screen what sort of effect those changes will have on the image you take. Nokia has also included a tutorial mode to give first-time users a better idea of what settings can be tweaked and how the sliding control scheme works, a welcome touch for non-photographers looking to spice up their shots.
Is the Lumia 1020 going to be for everyone? Obviously not. Can it succeed in a very competitive marketplace? It’s far too early to answer that question, but based on my time playing with it, there’s nothing there that would necessarily disqualify it from success.
Earlier today, our own John Biggs took Nokia to task for using its resources to create a device that focused on “theatrics”. I honestly couldn’t disagree more — I’m honestly no great camera connoisseur, Nokia didn’t just slap a big honking camera on a crappy phone. The hardware seems well-crafted, the Windows Phone experience is incredibly smooth, and that longstanding app gap is finally starting to close (albeit slowly). I can’t pass judgment until I actually play with the final device, but so far it seems like that camera is just icing on a cake that’s already pretty damned delicious.
Since Nokia’s released yet another phone with a big camera, we thought it’d be fun to let this Lumia 1020 meet its glorious pixel-loving forerunners. These are, of course, the 808 PureView and the N8 that bucked the trend of phone photography during their time. In terms of sensors, the 1020 comes with a new 1/1.5-inch, 41-megapixel BSI sensor, which is smaller than the 808’s 1/1.2-inch, non-BSI offering of the same resolution. Still, both chips are understandably larger than the N8’s 1/1.83-inch, 12-megapixel sensor, which may sound less exciting but was well ahead of its time. We’ll try and get some sample shots from each of these in a moment for a quick comparison, so until then, enjoy our hands-on photos below.
Check out all the news from today’s Nokia event at our hub!
The first question you’ll have about Nokia’s new Lumia 1020 is how the photos look. And yes, they’re so very sharp. But what may have been overlooked is that the rest of the phone, which is still, you know, a phone, is (almost surprisingly) on point too.
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.
