Apple will soon be contracting with GlobalFoundries in the backwoods of New York to have them produce A-series logic chips for iPhones and iPads, GlobalFoundries sources close to the the Albany Times Union have tipped. This represents a major expansion on the part of Apple to include more companies in its chip manufacturing, all of […]
We have heard whispers going around that Samsung is already working on a next generation flagship device which will be part of the Samsung Galaxy family, where it will continue from where the Samsung Galaxy S4 left off. Assuming you are one of the latecomers to the smartphone scene and have just picked a Galaxy S4 for yourself, it would bode you (and your freshly minted device) well to purchase some sort of protective case for it, too. Assuming you have gone through the entire lot during your window shopping period and did not find anything suitable, how about checking out the $39.99 Q Card Wallet Case?
Sometimes, less is more, and with the Q Card Wallet Case, it is said to be stylish despite being extremely simple. This is a premium soft-touch pocket case for the Samsung Galaxy S4, where it will also be able to hold up to a trio of cards in addition to cash. Not only that, it will come with a lay-flat screen guard and Natural Throw buttons, making it like you very own wallet, now how about that? The soft-touch finish ensures that the case can be easily pulled out of your pocket. If you are a huge fan of music, then the inclusion of Direct Channel Audio will help amplify music and audio forward.
[ Q Card Wallet Case offers additional protection for the Samsung Galaxy S4 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
It’s sad to say, but writing utensils are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Everything is becoming more and more digitally based, and we just don’t need a pencil or pen handy any more. Of course, you can’t really know when inspiration for a new doodle is going to strike. While you may not want to carry around a pen in your pocket, that doesn’t mean you can’t have one on you without having it be obtrusive.
The Jackpen will make sure you can jot down a note or start a new drawing at any time. This is a teeny, tiny pen that literally plugs in the the headphone jack of your smartphone. You can store it by plugging it in upside down. These are merely simple ball point pens, but they are wonderfully convenient.
Not only will they let you write to your heart’s desire, but they will also keep dust out of the jack. They come in a variety of color combinations, and are three to a pack. They cost around $7 for a set, which seems pretty expensive. Especially when you think about how much ink is in one of these. While the instructions say to put it in the jack and to write with your smartphone, it might be a bit awkward and painful for your hand over time. Even if you take it out completely, it will almost be too tiny to get a hold on. It could be useful, but it will be kind of annoying.
Available for purchase on Jackpen, found via technabob
[ JackPen makes sure you can doodle whenever you want copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
There are only a few things we worry about when it comes to a power outage at night. One would be light, and the other is keeping our gadgets charged so we can wait it out until everything else turns back on. Of course, you don’t really need a lot of light to function, but some people are afraid of the dark, and want a little more peace of mind from things that go bump in the night.
While it is a good idea to have a lantern handy during emergency situations, you don’t really need to go overboard when you’re looking for a light source. The Rechargeable Spotlight & Power Pack is a flashlight for giants. It almost looks as though you could use this in a lighthouse. Thankfully when power lines are down, the grid is normally back up and running in an hour or two, so you wouldn’t need it for long, but you will certainly have a lot of illumination.
The head of it can swivel so you have the option of aiming light wherever you need it most. It is capable of a high beam, but you’ll want to keep it running lower to get it to go for the full 69 minutes it can handle on one charge. If being a powerhouse of light wasn’t enough, this thing is also a power station so you can charge your smartphones or other hand-held devices. There is a shoulder strap to make it easier to carry and it costs around $100, but seems like a bit of overkill.
Available for purchase on improvementscatalog, found via thegreenhead
[ Rechargeable Spotlight and Power Pack copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
When we get about three quarters through our day, most of our gadgets are starting to gasp for breath. By the end of the work day, they’ll be at 1% or worse if we don’t take any action. While it’s best to have a charging option available at your desk, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a backup battery handy.
It’s the only lifesaver for those times when your phone dies completely en route home. We can’t have our only source of entertainment dying before the drive or public transit hop home. The thought of that long drive without the sweet sound of tunes is just too hard to handle. The SwitchEasy Tanks will not only give your phone a boost, but will charge it 4 times over.
These look quite similar to scuba diving tanks, and provide your phone the necessity of energy it needs much in the same way tanks would provide us an essential item like air. These have a 6000 mAh capacity, and have white LED indicators to show you the amount of juice it contains at the present. You’ll need to plug in your device via USB, and it boasts using a 2.1A USB which should mean fast charging. This sort of backup battery normally will cost upwards of $50, so it should come as no surprise that this carries a $70 price tag. It has rubber bumpers, which I assume means it can handle a drop or two, but I wouldn’t try to test the theory.
Available at SwitchEasy, found via awesomer
[ SwitchEasy Tanks Battery will get you through the day copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
The world was introduced to a rounded display smartphone not too long ago with the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Round, and hence, it is no surprise to read that there is yet another smartphone manufacturer who hails from South Korea to rival the Galaxy Round. This time around, it would be LG who would be up to the task, introducing the LG G Flex that ends up as yet another milestone for LG. This is their first smartphone that has been curved, and it will also incorporate proprietary innovations from other LG companies when it comes to both the display and the battery, making it a smartphone unlike any other that you might have seen in the past. Not only that, the LG G Flex is touted to arrive with a new user experience that will take advantage of the curved form factor.
The vertically curved design of the LG G Flex is said to reduce the distance between one’s mouth to the microphone (hmmm, this is starting to look familiar, as though it was inspired by Nokia’s “banana” phone back when Nokia was the 800 lbs gorilla in the world of phones) whenever you hold the handset against the ear, just like how traditional telephone handsets were designed. Thanks to the curvature arc which has been optimized for the average face, on paper, it delivers improved voice and sound quality. The curved form will be able to increase the sound level by 3dB compared to typical flat smartphones, while ensuring a more reassuring grip. I am quite sure it will also set off the habit of twirling your handset on a flat surface such as a table whenever you are in a meeting.
Not only that, the LG G Flex will also arrive with the Rear Key that first made its debut in the LG G2. There will no no buttons on any of the sides to make sure that you would not turn off the handset by accident, and you will also be able to use your index finger to adjust the volume level whenever holding a conversation without blinking an eye.
Other hardware specifications include a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, a 6” HD curved P-OLED display, a 13-megapixel shooter behind with a 2.1-megapixel front facing camera, 2GB RAM, 32GB of internal memory and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean in tow.
Press Release
[ LG G Flex announced, brings another rounded display smartphone to the world copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Well, well, what do we have here? Yet another high end smartphone that has hit the market? This time around, it is the Android flag that is being flown high, thanks to the folks over at Google who have partnered with LG. Hopefully following the successful footsteps of its predecessor, the LG Nexus 4, the LG Nexus 5 would be the first smartphone in the world that will run on the Android 4.4 KitKat mobile operating system. Not only that, this particular handset would come with its fair bit of features, in addition to being the slimmest and fastest Google Nexus phone to date.
Just what kind of hardware will the LG Nexus 5 come with? For starters, it will feature a stunning 5-inch Full HD IPS display, which should be more than enough for the average as well as power user to enjoy an unrivaled visual experience. You will be able to choose from 16GB or 32GB capacities, depending on what your need is at the moment, and has been touted to be the perfect combination of powerful performance, functionality and convenience.
The camera modules in smartphones these days have become more and more complex, and they might just be a decent replacement for your point and shoot camera. Of course, it will not come anywhere near the quality of DLSRs and hybrid cameras, but at the very least it does have some pretty decent performance. For instance, the Nexus 5′s camera will feature LG Innotek’s acclaimed optical image stabilizer technology that was originally seen in the LG G2. It has been mated to an 8-megapixel shooter with longer exposures, less blur and less noise, making it an ideal replacement for point and shoot cameras in dim light situations.
Apart from having the honor of running Android 4.4 KitKat, the LG Nexus 5 will also come with a speedy Snapdragon 800 processor and 4G/LTE connectivity, a 445 ppi Full HD IPS display, 2GB RAM, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, and a 2,300mAh battery, not to mention wireless charging capability and NFC connectivity. Expect it to arrive in black or white shades as it hits your particular region.
Press Release
[ LG Nexus 5 finally makes its debut copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Let us have a show of hands here – how many people were impressed with the introduction of TouchID from Apple with the announcement of the new iPhone 5s? I am not quite sure about you, but that does seem to be a rather minor change to the smartphone that actually revolutionized the way phones are used. However, it is more of an evolution than a revolution this time around, but will the idea actually catch on with other hardware manufacturers that are in the smartphone and tablet game? Perhaps, or perhaps not. One thing is for sure though – Pantech, the South Korean hardware manufacturer, has lined up several new phablet models – the IM-A890S, IM-A890K and IM-A890L, which will be marketed as the Vega Secret Note.
These will begin to sell in operator stores all over South Korea, if not already. First of all, the IM-A890S that is already available, will follow in the footsteps of the Pantech Vega LTE-A that was launched in August earlier this year. The three handsets that we mentioned above will make up as the Fingerprint Cards’ (FPC’s) first launch in phablet devices.
According to Mr. Lee, leader of the Component Development Team of Pantech, “We have received very positive feedback on the finger sensor and its associated secure applications in Pantech Vega LTE-A and we are happy to deploy this important feature on our phablet product line-up. Our finger-sensor-enabled products are compatible with the new Korean payment service called Bartong, also being launched in October.”
Fingerprint Cards AB (FPC) are the ones that come up with the biometric components as well as technologies that will rely on the analysis and matching of an individual’s unique fingerprint in order to verify the person’s identity. The technology is made up of biometric sensors, processors, algorithms and modules which can be used individually, or in combination with one other. It would be interesting to see whether other future Pantech devices will feature a similar technology, and will Android-powered smartphones, phablets and tablets challenge the existing supremacy of TouchID?
Press Release
[ New phablets rely on finger sensors as a new feature copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
While smartphones are great, I kind of miss picking up a land line receiver and having a long-winded conversation. You can’t wedge an iPhone in between your shoulder and under your ear the same way, and it has a knack for slipping out and escaping to the ground. There just isn’t a justifiable need for home phones anymore as we all have one in our pocket. While we don’t want to pay two separate phone bills, it would be nice to have the handset option available.
The Ribbit nods to the past while making sure it still fits into our modern world. This is a charging dock that has both a wireless handset and works as a speaker. Your phone or tablet can charge away while you’re off discussing the weather with mom and dad in the other room. Of course, right after that’s over you can let your music resume and get back to the secret dance party you were having.
This won’t take up much space, and only comes in a dark grey and orange color combination. The handset will need to charge up at least once or twice a week (depending on how much you like to talk), and can last for 6 hours of use with 35 hours of standby time if it’s all juiced up. There is a USB charging cable included, and there are volume controls as well as a noise reduction system. This will cost you about $50, and would be perfect for a home office, or trying to make your personal phone look more professional at work.
Available at DreemCheeky
[ Ribbit Smartphone Dock is a wireless handset and speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Motorola has announced that it’s new research and development team, called Project Ara, is developing an "open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones". In other words, it wants your phone to come in bits.
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