Hasta La Gadget!

With the advent of Google Glass and the continued development of platforms like the Epson Moverio and Vuzix Smart Glasses, head-mounted wearables are getting a lot of attention these days. Atheer Labs is a small company looking to catch that wave of interest with a new set of intelligent spectacles and a novel way for folks to interact with them. What you see above is company founder Sleiman Itani wearing Atheer’s prototype device that delivers 3D augmented reality and implements what the company calls a “natural human interface.”

The hardware is still very much in the prototype stage, and the unit we saw was clearly a hand-built affair. It packs a pair of displays, a rechargeable battery, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, plus an accelerometer, gyro and an IR camera into it’s relatively bulky frame — so it’s not not exactly a form factor ready for retail shelves. However, because of that bulk, it can function as a standalone device (it runs an an open source OS that runs Android apps), though it also has the ability to offload some processing to a smartphone.

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This week Google and LG have made the unicorn of the Nexus lineup – that being the White Nexus 4 – a reality. Here at SlashGear we’re taking the time to unbox and have a closer look at the device and its brand new Bumper Case as it makes its way to online stores and eventually into the retail space in the USA. And yes, it’s basically the same package: it’s just white.

One of the only big differences between the original Nexus 4 and this white iteration is the makeup of the band around the edge. While the original Black version has a slightly grippy feel to it, this White is a bit more slippery. This might be just the bit you were looking for if you’re all about the shine over the ability to hold on to your phone.

Otherwise this machine works with the same guts as its Black affiliate: 4.7-inch display at 1280 x 768 pixel resolution, IPS LCD technology covered with a pane of Corning Gorilla Glass 2. Dimensions of the device remain 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm with a weight of 139 grams, and the back works with the same 8 megapixel camera as specified in Google’s own listing of the original Black.

Inside you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, this just a step down from the Snapdragon 600 found in the Samsung GALAXY S 4 and the HTC One. Android 4.2.2 is here on the device right out of the box, while we do expect updates to Google’s mobile OS sooner than later.

Also in the package we’ve gotten is Google’s white iteration of their own Bumper Case. This case acts as a protector between your Nexus 4 and the ground and acts as a bit of a bonus grip that you might not otherwise have with LG’s preference for slippery, slippery plastic. This device will be available from Google soon, and it’s unknown at the moment whether or not T-Mobile – or other carriers in the future, for that matter – will be carrying this color in stores.

BONUS: As you may have already noticed, the videos above have been filmed with Google Glass – or #throughglass, if you prefer. This adds to a collection of features filmed with Google Glass that will be continuing to expand through the future here on SlashGear, another of which was our 2014 Lexus IS Prototype Test Drive earlier this week – stay tuned for more!

White Nexus 4 Hands-on and Unboxing is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Verizon version of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has arrived – and it’s surprisingly clean. While the Samsung Galaxy Note II came with a strangely placed Verizon logo on its home button, this device keeps with the common look on its outsides. On the other hand, inside, there’s a slightly different situation going on.

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 works with a 5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixels Super AMOLED display, that coming in at 441 PPI. This machine is 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches and weighs in at 4.59 oz, coming with a hard plastic back and a pane of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 up front.

On this smartphone’s right side you’ll find a power button in the upper 1/3rd region, while on the left side in the same place you’ll find the volume rocker. The front works with capacitive back and menu buttons and a physical home button, while the back works with a 13-megapixel camera and a single LED flash.

This iteration of the device has a collection of style differences inside compared to the version on other carriers. Little bits and pieces, like moving the toggle for Blocking Mode from the notifications icons collection and pushing it to “My Device” in settings. Apps have been taken away and added too, of course, most of them coming directly from the carrier itself.

Some other apps that are missing from the Verizon version – for whatever reason – are ChatON, Samsung Apps, and the Samsung Optical Reader. It would seem that Verizon has told Samsung that they’ll need to keep their app store out of the mix in favor of Verizon’s, while it’s unclear why the Optical Reader has been axed. ChatON is anybody’s guess.

Below the fold you’ll notice some of the changes that do take place on many Verizon phones vs AT&T, starting with a long press on the device’s Home button. Holding down the GALAXY S 4′s Home button will bring up a selection of apps being used for easy switching – this being a standard since Android 4.0 Jelly Bean. Below this, though, Verizon has opted to use text to signify Task Manager, Google, and Close All, where AT&T’s model – and others – show icons instead.

Stick around while we review this device and its Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor as well as its dual-recording abilities with front-facing 2 megapixel camera. For those of you that can’t wait, have a peek at SlashGear’s Samsung GALAXY S 4 Review from its initial release earlier this year – April to be more precise.

Verizon Samsung GALAXY S 4 Unboxing and Hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s true that cheap affordable Android tablets are a dime a dozen at most trade shows these days, but here at CTIA 2013 we stumbled upon something that caught our eye — a 7-inch dual-core tablet running Jelly Bean that costs just $65. The Maxwest TAB-7155DC aka. Ippo Y88 measures 182 x 122 x 10mm (7.16 x 4.8 x 0.39inch), weighs 187g (6.6oz) and comes in several hues (black, white, silver, red, blue and pink).

It features a 7-inch 1024 x 600-pixel capacitive multitouch LCD, an Infotmic IMAPx820 SoC (1GHz dual-core Cortex A5 CPU with Mali 400 GPU), 512MB of RAM, 4GB of built-in storage, dual VGA cameras (front and back), WiFi b/g/n and a 2800mAh battery. The screen isn’t covered in glass and there’s no sign of any Bluetooth or GPS radios, but then again, what do you expect for $65? You”ll find a power / lock key, DC socket, micro-USB port (with on-the-go support) and mini-HDMI output on the top edge, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack, volume rocker and microSD card slot on the right side. A microphone and speaker round things up in back.

The tablet runs a mostly stock version of Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.1, to be specific) and includes the usual assortment of Google apps along with access to the Play Store. Performance is adequate — not buttery smooth but perfectly usable. Build quality and materials are surprisingly decent for the price (the plastic is color-through), but the display leaves a lot to be desired (viewing angle are poor and the acrylic covering the screen is scratch-prone). Then again, it’s only $65, right? Check out the gallery below for our rose-colored hands-on with this inexpensive tablet.

Filed under: Tablets, Google

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File this under “things we could have sworn already existed.” Microsoft just announced two mice, the Sculpt Mobile Mouse and Sculpt Comfort Mouse, and believe it or not, this marks the first time Redmond has made a pointing device with a hotkey for the Windows 8 Start screen. In addition to bringing up the Start Menu, you can use it return to the desktop, all without having to hit the keyboard. While the Mobile Mouse has just the Start key and a scroll wheel, though, the bigger Comfort Mouse takes things a step further: the button there doubles as a capacitive surface you can swipe to toggle through open programs in Windows 8. If you swipe that strip the other way, you can also bring up a list of open applications running along the left-hand side of the screen. Note: the Comfort Mouse’s Start button is located on the left, meaning it was clearly designed for righties. Or, you know, someone with a strong left pinky.

Some other differences: the Mobile Mouse requires a dongle, whereas the Comfort uses Bluetooth. Oh, and the Comfort has a more ergonomic shape, too, but you probably gathered that just by glancing at the name. Expect the Mobile version to go on sale first — it’ll hit shelves later this month for $30. The Comfort model will arrive in June, with a higher MSRP of $40. In the meantime, we’ve got some hands-on photos (heh) for you to check out.

Filed under: Peripherals, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft