Is The HTC One ‘Vogue Edition’ (E8) Really Worth Your Money?

Posted on 10/06/2014 by Jasmine Henry

As HTC prepares the launch the HTC One ‘Vogue Edition’ (E8), we ask if this smartphone on a budget is really worth the money?

Crikey, HTC have sure been busy as of late haven’t they? In the last few months the Android handset makers du jour released their flagship HTC One (M8) handset which was a powerful and very considerable rival to the Samsung Galaxy S5 which was released a handful of weeks later. It seems that they aren’t done in their efforts to sell even more of their generally quite brilliant devices at (thankfully) much smaller costs either and their latest attempt at such is via the HTC One ‘Vogue Edition’ (E8) which was also rumoured to be called the HTC One (M8) Ace and is potentially set to launch worldwide in just a few weeks. But is it worth your consideration?

In short, absolutely. Any time I point out a phone’s similarities, particularly when said phones are made by the same company, that’s usually a bad thing but with the HTC One ‘Vogue Edition; (E8) being so similar to the HTC One (M8) that launched earlier this year, that’s surprisingly not a bad thing whatsoever. In fact, it’s actually very good for both you and me (and any other potential buyer) as its specs are near identical to the former albeit for around half the cost. Both phones have 2GB of RAM on 2.5Ghz/2.3Ghz Snapdragon quad-core processors (you’ll get 2.5Ghz in China, handsets sold in other regions will get the still incredible speedy 2.3Ghz effort) and display things in wonderful 1080p HD on 5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 (441 ppi) screens. The only noticeable downgrades when it comes to the Vogue Edition is that it’s only available with 16GB of internal storage it has a 13 megapixel camera on its rear instead of a 4 Ultrapixel one (but honestly, it’s unlikely that you’ll notice too much of a downgrade) and the Vogue Edition is also rather unfortunately plastic but it’s still a fantastic option.

And that, like the majority of our purchases, comes down to the price. Off the bat, with no deals or grandiose offers the HTC One’ Vogue Edition’ (E8) will cost you just $450 which is almost half that of the HTC One (M8) or the Samsung Galaxy S5 so while I wouldn’t want to sway your purchase (it’s important to do your research before you buy after all) the Vogue Edition’s specs are those that most can live without so if I were you, I’d definitely save a few pennies and buy the cheaper handset.

Source: engadget

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, Sprint Exclusive HTC One M8 is the Phone for Audiophiles, The All New HTC One M8 is Official and Already Available

Intel to Let People Build Their Own 3D-Printed Robots

Posted on 03/06/2014 by Jasmine Henry

3D printing and robots are both huge revolutions in technology right now and now they’ll be coming together with a brand new Intel project.

3D printing is facing a huge surge of popularity right now off of the back of it’s two main benefits – it allows production of things to become cheaper and quicker than ever before. Too, robots offer a similar host of benefits, having been found in manufacturers’ production lines (controversially replacing human workers in many cases) due to the ease of use that their automation offers. So what happens if you put the two together? You get Intel’s brand new project which looks to let consumers build their very own robots via the means of 3D printing technology, which is a very intriguing pairing of two very hi-tech technologies.

Intel’s own example of their project is Jimmy. A 3D-printed robots, Jimmy is a walking, talking, dancing and tweeting robot companion who Intel say they built using the aforementioned crafting technology. To put together Jimmy and other 3D-printed robots like him, Intel are offering a $1,600 kit that provides consumers with the important stuff: a motor, batteries, a processor and wires, while the info you’ll need to 3D-print the rest of the parts will be posted online by Intel. While the cheaper kit will offer Intel Edison (the chipset that is also marketed as Intel’s ‘computer on a chip’ technology) meanwhile, the more expensive $16,000 research version with pack in Intel’s Core i5 processor.

What’s also important to note is that as the technology is open source, almost any sort of modification of the software can be downloaded, edited and shared. Has someone online found a way to make their robot dance in time to the music? If they’ll provide the files to you, you’ll be able to take that technology and perhaps you’ll be able to modify it and see your robot dance and then tweet about which song it is that they’re boogying too. The project will reportedly be available later this year so we’ll keep you posted once we know more.

Source: re/code

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, OutRunner RC Running Robot Has Potential for Breaking Speed Records, LEGO Robot Helps Its Creator Cheat at Freemium iPad Games

Acer Reveals Liquid Jade Smartphone and Liquid Leap Smartband Before Computex

Posted on 30/05/2014 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Acer Liquid Jade Smartphone and Liquid Leap Smartband

It has become a habit for tech companies to unveil their products just days before important trade shows, and since many believe that Computex will be better that CES this year, Acer took chance of the occasion to launch a new line of smartphones, a smartband and a tablet.

The five new smartphones coming from the Taiwanese tech giant, respectively Liquid E700, Liquid E600, Liquid Z200, Liquid X1, and Liquid Jade, are not as big a surprise as the Liquid Leap smartband. This and the Liquid Jade smartphone were first unveiled by the company last month, at the Touch More Connected event, but the details were scarce, to say the least. Now, ahead of Computex, Acer detailed the new products, without revealing the prices, so there are still reasons to anticipate the trade show. As far as the launch date is concerned, the company stated that it will be sometime in Q3 2014.

The Liquid Jade dual-SIM smartphone is equipped with the latest version of Android 4.4 KitKat, and according to the manufacturer, it “targets users for whom every device or accessory carried is an expression of their style and personality.” In other words, expect Acer Liquid Jade to be some sort of a style statement.

Behind the Gorilla Glass 3 screen, there is a 5-inch IPS ‘Zero Air Gap’ display with a 720×1280 pixel resolution. This is by no means revolutionary, as smartphones are slowly, but steadily stepping into 2K territory. Under the hood, Liquid Jade includes a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 CPU and 1GB of RAM. The 8GB of built-in storage confirm that this isn’t exactly flagship material, but it should still be a decent smartphone.

On the back, the Liquid Jade smartphone features a 13 MP camera with an f/1.8 aperture, 0.3 second autofocus, and 1080p HD video recording capability. Selfie-enthusiasts will be able to use the phone’s 2 MP front-facing camera to take the perfect shot of themselves. In terms of connectivity, Liquid Jade comes with 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, Micro-USB, A-GPS, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Measuring only 140.5x69x7.5mm, Acer’s smartphone is powered by a 2,100 mAh battery.

Acer seems to have an affinity for Liquid anything, as it’s been naming its mobile devices using this word for four years now. Personally, I have nothing against this nomenclature, as long as these devices have no glitches. Something makes me think that the decision to name the mobile line this way derives from Bruce Lee’s speech about how people should be like water. Maybe smartphones and smartbands should be like water, as well, in that they should work fluently.

The 1-inch display of the Liquid Leap makes this wearable the smallest touchscreen device made by Acer. On top of that, it represents Acer’s first attempt at making a wearable. Not only is this smartband capable of tracking physical activities, but it can also display SMS and call notifications. Besides that, it has controls for music, but all in all, it’s not that different from other smartbands. Liquid Leap will be bundled with the Liquid Jade smartphone in select markets.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Acer Liquid Metal smartphone and the Acer Aspire R7 notebook.

This Couple Had A Mega Elaborate Harry Potter Wedding

Posted on 23/05/2014 by Brittany High

Here are photos taken by Candice Benjamin of couple Meredith and Joshua’s wedding. As you can see it’s Harry Potter themed. Down to every last detail. Is that… Professor Snape officiating the wedding? Yes. Yes it is. Well, clearly they are super committed people. Committed to the theme, yes, but let’s assume committed to one another as well. I […]
Visit IncredibleThings.com for the full post.

Vanhawks Valour Connected Bike Helps Avoid Traffic, Stay Safe

Posted on 21/05/2014 by Jasmine Henry

After smartphones and smartwatches, a smart, connected bike has been launched that can help cyclists avoid traffic and potholes.

Oil! Let’s talk about it! Specifically how expensive it is because fuel for our cars and other fuel-burning vehicles is increasing like the temperature of the Earth as a result of that aforementioned fuel burning. But there are alternatives to private transport, if owning a car is too expensive and the public bus routes just aren’t your jam. The most popular one as of late is cycling (because God knows walking isn’t for everyone) but even if you have the legs for it, navigating busy city streets during rush hour or staying safe on the roads in general can be a hassle so with these exact dilemmas in mind, the Vanhawks Valour connected bike has made its way onto Kickstarter, offering a safer commute.

Made with matte carbon fibre, the Vanhawks Valour is both a trendy and attractive way of getting around, but the lightweight chassis of the commuter’s new favourite mode of transport isn’t its headline feature. No, instead, the key USP (unique selling point) of the bike is that it can actively keep you safe. Using sensors and “haptic detection”, cars and other vehicles are merely just an inconvenience rather than an actual threat to your safety as the Vanhawk Valour will notify you of dangers in blind spots such as to the left of your back wheel where your helmet might slightly obscure your view by vibrating the handlebars. In addition to driven dangers, various other things such as potholes are also warned against with information gathered from other Valour riders compiled, ready for your perusal.

It would probably be pretty difficult to distinguish a danger vibrate from a pothole kind of vibrate and there’s obviously a serious need for rider to be able to tell between the two which is why the Vanhawk Valour also comes with smartphone support. Using Bluetooth, potholes and even information about the best cycle routes (these will apparently be compiled from first hand experience of the roads in the location and from other riders rather than reskinned Google Maps data) will be put onto your smartphone allowing you to check it as you cycle and get to your destination safely and on time. The Vanhawk Valour is available for a pricey $1000 on its Kickstarter, but as it blasted through its goal by raising 5 times the hoped-for amount, crowdfunding won’t be the only way to pick one up in future.

Source: Kickstarter

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories Skylock Protects Your Bike, Shares Its Location on Your Smartphone, Scrooser Bike-Segway Hybrid Propels People on Concrete Waves

10 Disney Characters in a Realistic, Unhappy Ending

Posted on 15/05/2014 by Ehud Riven

Fairytales are nice, and Disney does a great job of delivering us the dream of some legendary characters. However, in real life, the same characters might end up having a less than happy ending or even existence.

Simba

Not all lion cubs become the rulers of pride rock. Some of them end up being confined in a zoo.

Winnie the Pooh

Things aren’t looking up for bears as they have less and less trees to rub their backs on.

Ratatouille

In real life, little rats don’t become the puppet masters of inspiring chefs. They often get injected with stuff so we can have medicine and cleaning products.

Belle

Not all beauty just comes naturally, although some might suggest that there’s nothing beautiful about going under the knife for something that completely cosmetic and has nothing to do with health.

Bambi

This happens quite a lot where hunters roam free without anyone holding them back.

Ariel

Oil spillage kills mermaids too.

Mulan

Swords ain’t got a chance against pollution.

Alice

You need some strong hallucinogens to come up with that kind of wonderland.

Chicken Little

Some chickens get to live free, some end up in a bucket.

Dumbo

Not all elephants get to fly away and leave the circus.

These mashups are all from the awesome Tumblr blog Unhappily Ever After

For a less depressing outcome, check out Disney characters as Hogwarts students or as university students.

Gamers Urge Nintendo To Take a Stand On Same-sex Marriage

Posted on 06/05/2014 by Federico Lo Giudice

Nintendo has a long history of priding themselves on being “for everyone”, but now a group of fans are asking them to take an active stance, after some controversy.

One of Nintendo’s most recent offerings, Tomodachi Life, is a title based on friendship, love, and partnership. Some of the in-game content is only unlocked after the miis (that is, the player’s representation of themselves in the game) get married, but the game only allows heterosexual couples to do so. A group of fans have organized themselves under the hashtag #Miiquality in order to get Nintendo to update the title and allow their relationships to happen in-game, or to straight up acknowledge its absence instead of keeping suspiciously quiet.

Movement starter Tye Marini explains that “because the game has such a huge focus on relationships, this is a problem for many LGBTQ gamers. I believe this is a significant issue that should be resolved or at least acknowledged by Nintendo, so I started a movement in hopes to convince Nintendo to add same-sex relationships to Tomodachi Life via an update, or at least ensure that it is included in a future sequel—the Miiquality movement. I believe this movement could not only potentially influence Nintendo’s stance on the issue and future game development, but the video game industry as a whole as well. If a mass audience Nintendo game like this supported same-sex relationships, it would be a huge step forward for the industry.”

Source: Kotaku

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter and read more on Walyou, The Next Nexus Tablet Could be a Product of HTC, Sprint to Begin Selling Unlocked Phones Next Year

WhatsApp Now Has Over 500 Million Users

Posted on 29/04/2014 by Jasmine Henry

As one of the most popular alternatives to paid text messages, free chat app WhatsApp now has over 500 million users.

“You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies” was the tagline that the The Social Network – the Hollywood blockbuster movie about Facebook – released with when it came out in 2010. And for the most part, that’s true. Maintaining a popular app or site and keeping all of your users happy all of the time can be a pretty tricky feat, which is why plenty of sites get just shy of the 500 million users mark, buckling under the weight of their moderate success. One such app that has jumped that shark and landed as smoothly as ever is WhatsApp, the popular texting app which has now reached 500 million users and rising.

Some of WhatsApp’s growth is down to being purchased by Facebook who trumped up a cool $19 billion to get the app under their wing. When the social media site bought WhatsApp back in February, WhatsApp’s founder, Jan Koum, spoke of the app’s “450 million monthly active users worldwide and over 320 million daily active users,” figures that they’d amassed in 5 short years. 50 million more users in just two months is nothing to be sniffed at either and Facebook are going to be particularly chuffed by this success as despite slow WhatsApp growth in the US, WhatsApp has had huge success in economically improving countries such as Brazil and India as well as mobile market powerhouses like Russia as it allows for cross-platform messaging which is handy in these regions as iPhones (and their free iMessage service) aren’t very popular. By default, WhatsApp’s success allows Facebook to grow in those regions too and so the increase in users increases Facebook’s bottom line no matter what.

Furthermore, the growth will only be aided by WhatsApp’s latest Android update which now allows users to mute group conversations for a certain amount of time. This level of functionality (and the fact that WhatsApp is available from the Google Play Store for free) will only aid its growth and see more done in terms of improvements, so we’ll keep you posted once we know more.

Source: mobilesyrup, ubergizmo

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories Facebook Expands Services With WhatsApp Purchase, Facebook Messenger For Windows To Shut Down

3d Printed Case For Raspberry Pi Themed After NES: Geek Overload

Posted on 28/04/2014 by Federico Lo Giudice

The fact that the Raspberry Pi comes so bare-bones (doesn’t even need a case!) means the only thing stopping modders is their imagination. But don’t take our word for it, check out this incredibly sweet piece that proves it!

Talk about creativiyy! Tastic007, from Thingiverse calls his case NinTastic, which is a NES-themed case with a flap that opens upward like the classic console, meant to house the powerhouse that is the Raspberry Pi. He even modded the SD card so it’d look like a NES cartridge, which is what we call commitment. The ports are all accessible from either the back or side of the “console”. See more pictures below!

If you were to decide you want your own, just check this handy tutorial at Thingiverse.

Source: Technabob

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories at Raspberry Pi-Powered Cupcade Runs Ms. Pacman and Donkey Kong and Raspberry Pi and Arduino-Based Nixie Entertainment System.

Google Mobile Ads to Promote Ads Based on Your Interests

Posted on 28/04/2014 by Jasmine Henry

Helping Google to increase revenue and for mobile users to find apps better suited to them, Google’s mobile ads will be based on user interests.

Perhaps not publicised by Amazon themselves, it’s a well known fact that much of the online retailer’s revenue is made thanks to some very intelligent algorithms. This is the code that says ‘you bought a new shirt, would you like some new trousers to go with that?’ or, ‘you bought a PS4 so maybe you’d like to buy an extra controller’. Rather than just being a grab for money, for users it is actually useful as things like this direct us towards things that we might actually want even though we didn’t specifically search for them. Too, this sort of algorithm is present in Google’s services which is why searching for dog groomers might bring up listed ads for pet food. Now, Google are set to improve how these sorts of recommendations work in their mobile ads, announcing that mobile users will begin to see suggested ads and apps related to their interests.

How the ads would work is that using a fairly comprehensive list of what you do online – whether that be the things you buy, the apps you use or even the purchases within those apps – the ads that show up as you’re browsing the web will be much more related than they were before. Previously, if you searched for something like ‘cat memes’ then various meme sites and image editors would be featured in the ads but now if you browse the web and your phone says that you’ve been using your fitness app quite regularly then you may find yourself seeing ads for dieting apps too. Not only this but you may even see ads for apps that you’ve already got, whereby clicking on them launches a relevant app that you already have installed, like the niftiest shortcut known to handsets.

The decision by Google to improve their mobile ads in this way could cause some privacy concerns as those question just what is happening with their mobile data but as the ads seem to be based on nothing that your search history or cookies don’t already disclose, there should be little to worry about. Too, it also doesn’t seem to be a case of Google disclosing that information to anyone else so for the most part, Google’s new mobile ads are a welcome improvement.