Hasta La Gadget!

Wacom’s drool-worthy new tablets certainly made us lament our lack of artistic skill when we saw them online, but do they pass muster up close and personal? We just got a chance to play with both the Companion Hybrid, the one with Android, as well as the full-fat Companion (the one with Windows 8), and we thought we’d show you how they behave. Naturally, in order to do that, we had to unleash our creative side, so be warned — we may need to throw an artistic hissy fit after the break. %Gallery-slideshow81823%

Filed under: Tablets

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So we know all about Amazon’s new Kindle Paperwhite, but those press images don’t really do the trick, do they? Weirdly, we had to travel all the way to Berlin, but we did manage to get our hands on the new device. As we said before, there aren’t a ton of aesthetic changes here. Thankfully, we had our last-gen Paperwhite in hand, and quite frankly, we couldn’t really tell the difference — until we picked it up, that is. Gen two of the Paperwhite is noticeably lighter than its predecessor.

Longtime Paperwhite users will be able to tell you that the minute they hold it in their hands. Another obvious clue: the giant Amazon logo on the soft-touch rear. Granted, we’re probably picking nits here (especially yours truly, someone who carries his own Paperwhite around in a case), but the older Kindle logo was a bit more tasteful. We did really appreciate the front lighting in the earlier generation — and then Kobo came along with the Glo. Since then, things haven’t really been the same.%Gallery-slideshow81815%

Update: Amazon wanted us to let you know that the version of the Kindle we had a chance to look at is specifically intended for the European market.

Filed under: Amazon

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Jabra’s Solemate was a sneaker-themed alternative to Jawbone’s Jambox, and now the company wants to hoover up those customers who want a slightly smaller Bluetooth speaker. The Solemate Mini promises all of the usual acoustic bells-and-whistles despite only being the size of a coke can, packing an eight-hour battery as well as a line-in, Bluetooth and NFC connections. Users will able to pick one up in a choice of red, yellow blue or black — color choices that’ll also come to the bigger model in short order. At the same time, the company is upgrading its Sport headphones with a shock-and-sweat-proof design as well as an FM radio. The Solemate Mini will launch globally for £99 (we expect dollar prices to be in the same ballpark), while the Sport+ earphones will retail for $79.99 with three months’ free subscription to Endomondo Premium thrown in as a happy little extra. %Gallery-slideshow81816% %Gallery-slideshow81820%

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

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Are you thinking about getting a new timepiece to adorn your wrist? If you have answered in the affirmative, then you would surely want to check out the Samsung Galaxy Gear which was just announced at IFA 2013 earlier yesterday. In fact, the smartwatch might be the new trend when it comes to portable devices – remember how the tablet exploded overnight with the introduction of the Apple iPad, creating a new niche market? Perhaps the smartwatch might be the next “tablet”, so to speak, and here we are with more details about the Samsung Galaxy Gear that is set to arrive in store shelves from September 25th onwards.

If you already own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone or tablet, then you would definitely want to check your bank balance as to whether there is enough left behind to pick up the Samsung Galaxy Gear when it arrives (which has touted a 199 Euro price tag so far). The Samsung Galaxy Gear will let you remain connected to your existing Samsung Galaxy devices, where it notifies you of incoming messages, including calls, texts, emails and alerts, while serving up a preview of those messages in addition to creating the opportunity for users to accept or discreetly ignore those messages.

Should you need to pay more attention than just give a quick glance, all you need to do is pick up your Samsung Galaxy device, and the Smart Relay feature will instantly reveal the full content on the screen. Talk about being efficient, no? Not only that, there is an integrated speaker which enables you to conduct hands-free calls straight from the Gear itself, all the while maintaining connections to your mobile communications without having to disrupt your daily routines. I would say that this signals the beginning of self-proclaimed Dick Tracys around, where you can also use your voice to draft messages, create new calendar entries, set alarms, and check the weather – all right on the Galaxy Gear itself via S Voice.

Press Release
[ Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch set to rock and roll copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Samsung once again throws the floodgates to a gazillion devices open by unveiling the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 at the ongoing IFA 2013 event at Berlin, Germany, and this time around, the 2014 edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 will bring even more goodies to the table. For starters, the 10” display will be candy to your eyes as it features a WQXGA Super clear LCD (2560×1600) resolution, which will be accompanied by an octa-core 1.9GHz processor (this is only for the 3G or WiFi-only version), with 3GB RAM to boot. All of those improvements have been introduced without adding in extra bulk to the form factor.

Boasting four times the pixel density of the original Galaxy Note 10.1, this latest 2014 model would deliver a premium content viewing experience. Not only that, it comes with a magazine style user interface so that you are able to organize your favorite resources in an easy to use dashboard, before accessing that particular content for a stylish reading experience. It does not matter whether you are viewing videos or reading magazines and e-books, the new Galaxy Note 10.1 will be able to deliver an immersive media consumption experience.

Other than that, new design characteristics such as a warm and textured back cover with stitching have been thrown into the mix in order to inspire a sense of elegance and sophistication. Multi-taskers will also fall in love with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, where it sports Multi Window so that one is able to run separate instances of the same application, all the while using the enhanced S Pen in order to drag and drop content from one window to another.

The Pen Window would allow you to simply draw a window of any size on the screen, while being able to instantly access unique in-application features including YouTube or calculator. Theoretically speaking, once you have the 2014 edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, your productivity ought to shoot through the roof.

There will be three connectivity options available – WiFi Only, WiFi and 3G, WiFi and LTE, where it will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities with a microSD memory card slot. It will arrive in two color options of Jet Black and Classic White, and while pricing details have yet to be determined, we should see it hit retail stores from Q3 onwards.

Press Release
[ Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 unveiled, delivers upgrades to an already popular tablet copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]