Hasta La Gadget!

RealNetworks is trying something a little different with its attempt at launching a cloud service in a very competitive market. It’s combined its upgraded player app with 2GBs of free cloud storage, allowing users to move videos across devices, stream or download them and beam them out to compatible TV sets (via Roku). The new service also means you can share “long videos” from your Android / iOS device to any other video-capable device, and the end-user won’t need to download an app to play it. This is possible through RealPlayer’s new ‘SurePlay’ tech, which auto-formats outgoing videos to the suit screen-size, available bandwidth and storage space of receiving devices. There’s no shortage of compatible hardware, either. Alongside apps Google’s mobile OS and iOS, videos can also be shared or viewed through Windows PCs, Roku TV units and, in fact, any device that can use a web browser. If 2GB sounds a little tight, subscription plans will start at $5 per month for 25GB, and up to $30 per month for 300GB, for those that really can’t stop sharing. We’ve added RealNetwork’s Consumer-facing Matrix (read: price chart) after the break.

Filed under: Internet, Software, HD, Mobile

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A welcome bit of news for globe trotters, as Apple is widening the safety net of AppleCare+ to include hardware repair or replacement while abroad. According to a leaked support document obtained by Sonny Dickinson, replacement coverage for the iPhone will become effective on September 27th. Separately, customers may also initiate repairs of the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple display and Apple TV while traveling. This move follows a recent expansion of AppleCare+ within western Europe, and easily beats Apple’s previous requirement that customers initiate repairs in the same country where AppleCare+ was first purchased. As an important caveat, Apple isn’t guaranteeing that model-specific replacement hardware will be available in all countries, but this is a step in the right direction.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: @SonnyDickinson (Twitter), 9to5Mac, Apple

HTC just can’t catch a break, it seems: Reuters claims that the company now faces a One mini shortage due to both “design difficulties” with the casing as well as other, unnamed factors. The site’s sources didn’t explain the shortfall in detail, although we likely can’t chalk it up to popularity. Analysts weren’t expecting HTC to ship more than 200,000 One minis per month, which suggests that any supply problems would hurt the firm’s bottom line. We’ve reached out to HTC for comment, and we’ll let you know if it can confirm or deny its manufacturing woes. In the meantime, we’d suggest buying the full-sized One if you can’t find its tiny counterpart in stores.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

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Source: Reuters

It’s time to set the record straight: the original Xperia Z, launched back in February, was a decent phone. A solid phone. It was as if Sony had suddenly paused its chaotic schedule of handset releases in order to take stock of what Android users actually want: things like 1080p, microSD and a premium look and feel. And yet, the Xperia Z failed to be compelling. It wasn’t just its subpar battery life that held it back. It was also the lack of a standout feature, which caused the phone to be buried amidst all the news of the GS4 and the HTC One — and also by the announcement of the Lumia 1020 Windows Phone, whose camera suddenly made Sony’s pokey, 13-megapixel module look like old technology.

That’s why today, just seven months later, we’re looking at a new flagship: the Xperia Z1 (codenamed Honami, and not to be confused with the Xperia ZL), with a far more boast-worthy camera and some other subtle-but-important enhancements. Buyers of the Xperia Z may understandably be displeased at being left behind so soon, but — as much as we feel for them — we’d hazard a guess that they don’t constitute an especially large population anyway. In contrast, the Xperia Z1 should have much greater mainstream appeal. Read on to discover why.%Gallery-slideshow84026%

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony

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Line is all about stickers. Or adorable mascots. Or stickers of said adorable mascots. But this time around, it’s looking to tap into that rich Vine vein of short video-clip sharing. Initially on iOS (but Android will get the feature soon), you can now craft a 4-10 second short, with the ability to add your own choice of music in the background. The Snap Movie (that’s what Line’s calling it) will then play, on loop, forever, on your own timeline within the app. The update also expands users’ photo and video-sharing capacity too and you can now make up to 100 albums (each housing 100 photos). If you’re not exactly sure how those mini-videos are going to work, Line’s been kind enough to offer up a free tutorial — and check out a Line-sanctioned video example after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

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Via: TNW

Source: Line