Hasta La Gadget!

E Ink — the tech behind a large number of e-readers on the market today — is starting to make its way onto smartphones. We’ve seen it on reference phones as well as devices like the YotaPhone and even the iPhone and Galaxy Note II (in the form of a case), and now a largely unknown company is rather unexpectedly seeking to harness E Ink tech for its latest flagship. That manufacturer, interestingly enough, is Alcatel OneTouch. Taking advantage of the magnetic docking ports on the back of the brand new 6-inch Hero, the company has designed a prototype flip cover with an E Ink screen on top. This offers the obvious functionality of reading e-books in traditional fashion without having the display drain massive amounts of power, but as you can see in the image above, its engineers are exploring other use cases such as a full lock screen with a dynamically changing weather widget, and we figure the sky’s the limit. While press releases seemed to indicate that the accessory will see the light of day, company reps told us that it is still just a prototype and they’re not certain if it will make it out to the market. Whatever may happen down the road, it’s great to see E Ink coming alive on smartphones in different ways. Check out our gallery and a brief video below.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Okay, you have to admit: there might actually be something to this whole large smartphone business, started by Samsung two years ago at this very trade show. Not only has the trend not gone away, nearly every major OEM is hopping on the bandwagon. Alcatel OneTouch is interested in joining the party, and it’s entering the field with a doozy aptly called the Hero, a 6-inch behemoth with a full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display and a few tricks up its sleeves. It’s relatively easy on the hands, with a curved back and a decent thickness of 8.5mm. In fact, compared to the Acer Liquid S2 (another 6-inch smartphone announced at IFA), it’s 6mm narrower, 7.5mm shorter and 0.5mm thinner — great news, especially since we felt pretty comfortable with the S2 during our hands-on.

In many parts of the world, Alcatel OneTouch is still an unknown, despite the fact that the manufacturer has a reputation for pushing out up to a dozen handsets at one time. While this is still very much the case this week, we’ve noticed that the company has put a much higher amount of focus on quality. The Hero doesn’t remind us of a cheap KIRF or knockoff phone. Instead, we came away much more impressed with the phone’s look and feel than we originally expected. Continue past the break for more of our thoughts and the Hero’s features.

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About a week and a half ago we talked about the official unveiling of the awesome new GoPro HERO3 action camera. The camera was up for pre-order when we mentioned it last time with an estimated ship date to be somewhere around the middle of November. GoPro has now announced that the camera was now officially available for purchase in its three main versions.

The HERO3: Silver Edition is available right now and has all the same features as the HD HERO2 it replaces – and more – including 11 megapixel still photo capability, up to 1080p HD resolution video, and adds integrated Wi-Fi. This camera sells for $299.99. The HERO3: White Edition offers five-megapixel picture resolution, up to full HD video recording, and has integrated Wi-Fi for $199.99. This camera is a direct replacement of the original HD Hero. As with all GoPro cameras, there is a vast array of mounts available to suit just about every recording need.

The top-of-the-line HERO3: Black Edition ships starting on November 14th for $399.99(USD) and includes the Wi-Fi Remote accessory that normally sells for $79.99. That remote accessory allows you to turn on the camera and start recording even if the camera located too far away from you to reach physically. That is a big deal if you use one of these cameras for motorsports where deeply bolstered seats and racing harnesses make movement very difficult within the vehicle. The HERO3′s resolution is pretty incredible, with full 1080p/60 and even a 4k mode (only 15fps, though.)

All these new features make my original HD HERO look pretty lame.

GoPro owners have had a long wait, but the company’s iOS remote app (Android “coming soon”) is finally available and ready to work for those possessing both an HD Hero2 camera and WiFi BacPac accessory. While the hardware will cost you the app itself is free, and adds capabilities including remote control of all of the camera’s settings, monitoring of battery life and storage space, date / time sync with your mobile device, live remote preview so you can see what you’re shooting in real time and also access to GoPro’s Photo of the Day / Video of the Day channels. Along with the app, GoPro is releasing the Protune firmware update that will let cameras record at a higher 35Mbps bitrate, 24fps and adjust the video for a different cinematic look.

Still, it is a v1 release and while our reader Khena reports it’s stable, it does have some rough edges. Currently you can’t access or view any recordings already stored on the camera or control more than one camera, although GoPro says those features are coming, while other gripes include delay between the camera and the app’s “live” viewfinder that can be as much as five seconds and the inability to preview the ProTune settings while recording. That’s a bit frustrating after the wait for the app to arrive, but in an action camera market suddenly teeming with competition, they may be enough to keep GoPro fans from switching to another any time soon. Check out a quick tutorial video and press release after the break, or hit the link below to grab the app from iTunes (make sure your camera and BacPac are updated to the latest software first.)

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading GoPro iOS app is finally available, adds live viewfinder and remote controls for action cameras

Filed under: Cameras

GoPro iOS app is finally available, adds live viewfinder and remote controls for action cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 06:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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