Want a girlfriend? Just buy a Samsung Galaxy Gear

So our cell phones can be used for pretty much anything: finding movie times, uploading YouTube videos, GPS navigation, and of course, the occasional phone call. But can a smartphone and some cool accessories that pair with it help you get a girlfriend? Samsung says, “Absolutely.”

The non-Samsung user is displayed as hapless. He drops his skis and his cell phone from the ski lift, fumbles with and breaks a glass of wine while reaching for his phone, and cannot get over his clumsiness (probably his punishment from the Universe for not buying Samsung) enough to win the girl’s heart. Mr. Samsung is smooth like a panther because he doesn’t need to take his phone out of his pocket as he commands his watch to do all of the work, leaving his hands free for wooing. The girl is super impressed with our leading man as he takes pictures and videos of her snowboarding, looks up info on wine, finds his phone after dropping it, and plays music, all from the comfort of his wrist.
Check out the film. It’s beautifully shot, if a bit awkward and too long.

CyanogenMod team releases demo video for Oppo N1

To say that CyanogenMod has made some waves this past year would be an understatement. The team started as a community of hackers that provided fast and more feature-packed custom ROMs, which retained the stock Android look free of-charge. Now, after being asked by Oppo to release a special edition of their mods for their newest phone, Cyanogen is fast becoming a recognizable power in the Android world, and the first video on their official Youtube page shows off their very own edition of the Oppo N1.

The video showcases all of the features that set apart Cyanogen’s build of Android from other versions. Advanced camera options, a better privacy guard, the option to control CPU behavior, added themes, and other features are all laid out in the video. There is no out of the box root access, which is understandable as the phone will not pass the Android Compatibility Test suite, but don’t be surprised if Cyanogen creates a one-click app for the device that will be readily available.

If you’re excited about picking up the CM edition of the N1, then head to either Amazon or Oppo’s siteon December 24th. As this is a niche device, there won’t be many available.

If you want to see the CM Edition N1 in action, check out the video below:

Analyst: It’s mainly smartphones that shipped with NFC in 2013, this would change in 2014

The majority of the products that shipped with NFC on board during the past year were smartphones, a new research claims. The latest data from ABI Research says that 4 out of every 5 NFC-enabled devices are smartphones.

Near Field Communicatio usage, or NFC as it’s more popularly known, has recently been on the rise. From making contactless payments through pairing seamlessly devices to even transferring small chunks of data, the short distance radio communication standard is being adopted in various electronic gadgets. More so in smartphones, as it seems.

The smartphone industry has also seen a rise in the number of NFC featured devices shipped and in 2013 alone, there is an increase of 129%. Furthermore, according to the analysts, the usage of this type of communication is expected to skyrocket in the next few years.

In 2014, numerous other device groups should make better use of the NFC technology such as computing gear, speakers, appliances, printers, digital cameras, and various other peripherals.

Smartphone Champions League Round of 16, Matchday 1

With the Round of 32 part of our Smartphone Champions League now over, it’s time to turn our heads to the Round of 16 where things get more and more interesting by the day. You can check out the results from Matchday 4 to see the which smartphones went through in the opening round and which had to go home after their very first game.

Today we have the first batch of eight handsets who survived the Round of 32. In the Matchday 1 of Round of 16 we’ll see some ferocious battles. There are the Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One, Nokia Lumia 1020 vs Motorola Moto G, Sony Xperia SP vs Nokia Asha 501 and Sony Xperia Z1 vs Sony Xperia Z.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 was victorious against the iPhone 5, but the HTC One has proven to be one tough contender snagging a win against the LG G2. Now, both titans of the Android world clash and only one will survive. Which one will it be?

Apple releases new iPhone 5s holiday ad: ‘Misunderstood’

Apple has released a new holiday ad for the iPhone 5s with a Christmas theme. The ad shows an extended family getting together to celebrate Christmas under one roof.

The ad features a boy who is shown being busy on his phone, while everyone around him is taking part in the festivities. This is a common sight now that we see everywhere, with people having their faces buried in their smartphones even when they are in the company of others, being socially reclusive. However, in this video, that’s not really what is happening.

Well, you should really watch the video to find out what is really happening and why the ad is titled ‘Misunderstood’. As usual, Apple has delivered yet another brilliant ad that you can connect emotionally with and also shows you what the product is capable of doing.

Now that you’ve watched the ad, you can also watch this video that was featured in it and is shot entirely on the iPhone 5s’ camera.

24K gold plated Xbox One showcased

Recently, we have seen gold plated iPhone, HTC One and a couple of other smartphones go up on sale. Now, we have a special edition of Microsoft’s Xbox One gaming console, which is covered in 24 carat gold.

Harrods, a popular high-end retailer in the UK has showcased the gorgeous looking gaming console. The impressive handmade gadget is up for grabs for £6,000 (about $9,774).

Apart from the inclusion of real gold, the hardware specifications of the Xbox One remain identical to the international edition. The Xbox One comes with a customized octa-core CPU made by AMD and features a 500GB hard drive, 8 GB of RAM and BLU-ray drive.

If you just can’t stand the thought of having the same console as everyone else out there and you have a heap of cash to burn, then you can head on to the Harrods store and walk away with the gold Xbox One.

‘Assassin’s Creed Pirates’ for iOS and Android game review

It’s not uncommon for developers to release a companion game on mobile whenever they release a major title on the consoles. These mobile versions often share the same name but offer nowhere near the same experience, with a different, watered-down version of the story and gameplay found on the console version.

Following the release of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Ubisoft has released a companion game called Assassin’s Creed Pirates on iOS and Android, with a Windows Phone 8 version coming later. Other than the pirate theme, the mobile game doesn’t have a lot in common with its console counterpart. But is it still fun to play? Let’s find out.

Gameplay

While Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is a third person action adventure game, Assassin’s Creed Pirates can best be described as a pirate ship simulator. You don’t really control any humans directly in the game and you never really leave your ship.

You start life as a prisoner on a pirate ship but your fortunes change and you quickly move up to become the captain of your own pirate ship. The story is told through comic book style static characters with text appearing below them and you have to tap on the screen to go through the conversation.

The game starts off with you battling other pirate ships in order to loot them. When you initiate a battle with another ship, you switch between alternate attack and defense mode. During attack mode, you have to aim your cannon at the other ship and fire when it is in firing range. After one strike, your cannons take a while to get ready for another attack. During that time, the other ship attacks. Before it attacks, you are shown its firing range where it’s attack would be focussed and you can press the dodge buttons on either side of the screen to quickly steer your ship out of the attack zone.

Once you attack the other ship a few times and manage to successfully dodge all its attacks, the enemy ship goes down and you can then plunder its treasure. As you progress through the game, you face bigger and multiple ships, that longer to take down and have much stronger attacks.

Most of the game involves battling pirate ships to loot them but often you have missions where you have to fetch an item for someone or race your ship through checkpoints before the timer runs out. Often these objectives have special objectives where you have to finish them before a certain amount of time or without taking any damage for additional cash.

The money you get can then be used to purchase new ships or crew members. Getting crew members gives you perks, such as a boost mode for your ship or a loot zone perk that loots every crate around the ship.

The gameplay in Pirates is a bit like the recent NFS games. You have a map of the ocean and you see missions strewn about it. You can either sail there yourself (it’s an open world) or you can draw a line on the map between your ship and the mission and your ship would reach there automatically. As you play more missions, more area of the map gets unlocked.

A major part of the game involves steering your ship. You tap a button to hoist the sails that let you adjust the speed of the ship. You can swipe at the bottom of the screen to steer it around. You can either steer the ship around in first person mode from behind the wheel or zoom out and see the ship from outside (but can still control it).

Overall, the gameplay is quite fun. Steering the ship around is definitely fun and not something you get to do in a lot of games. It is executed fairly well and the bobbing of the ship up and down with the waves in first person mode especially looks remarkably realistic and makes you want to sail around aimlessly, taking in the stunning visuals of the game. Speaking of visuals…

Graphics and Sound

Assassin’s Creed Pirates looks absolutely stunning. Considering a huge portion of the visuals is the water, you’d expect the water to look good and Ubisoft has absolutely nailed it in this game. This is by far the best looking water I’ve seen in a mobile game so far and it looks incredible. Little things from the shimmer of the sun or the moonlight as it bounces off the ripples on the surface of the ocean to the realistic bobbing of the water surface and the ships on it look superb. Add to that gorgeous lighting effects and detailed ship models and you have a game that takes your breath away the first time you play it.

The sound in the game is equally good. The main theme music, first of all, is really good. The background sounds such as the creaking of the ship, the sound of the cannons and the waves are all done very well. There are also some pirate songs between missions that are also pretty good.

Verdict

Assassin’s Creed Pirates provides a novel gameplay experience that helps it stand out from the sea of me-too titles coming out these days, especially from big developers. The gameplay is fun, the visuals are stunning and it’s just an all-round enjoyable experience. Well worth the price of admission.

Rating: 8/10
Pros: Unique and interesting gameplay, gorgeous visuals
Cons: Gameplay can get a bit repetitive later

Download: iOS | Android

24ct gold-plated HTC One hands-on

The 24ct gold-plated HTC One which we got to spend quality time with, is even more exclusive than the18ct, MOBO awards celebrating version we saw back in October. HTC will make only two units the 24ct gold-plated One, compared to five 18ct devices.

At a quick glance, the 24ct HTC One looks a tad more subtle than its 18ct sibling, thanks to its matte finish (the 18ct version is glossy, thus even more blinged-out). Head inside to check out our extensive photo gallery.

It is needless to say that the 24ct gold-plated HTC One is anything but understated in the flesh. The device makes just about any handset, including the regular HTC One, look ordinary.

24ct gold-plated HTC One live photos

The 24ct gold-plated HTC One is valued at more than $2,500. The amount is significantly less than the $4,400 which the 18ct version commands. This is due to the fact that the 24ct device is only gold-plated, whereas its 18ct relative has the precious metal used in its construction.

The above said, the 24ct appears a lot more usable on a daily basis. Its matte finish deals well with fingerprints, thus making the device handle a lot like a “regular” HTC One. In comparison, the 18ct version was extremely prone to fingerprints.

The duo of 24ct gold-plates HTC One devices will be given away during the HTC in NYC sweepstakes. If you are in the United States, you can enter the drawing over here.

In case you are after a gold HTC One, but you don’t live in the States, don’t despair. You can check out the newly released, mass-market Gold HTC One, or the Gold Genie version.

Torque Audio t103z in-ear headphones review

The Torque Audio t103z in-ear headphones take a different approach to acoustic customization compared to their competitors in the premium establishment. Rather than try to do it all in terms of sound, the t103z headset offers patent-pending interchangeable valves, which change its sound characteristics on a hardware level.

Designed and engineered in Los Angeles, California, the Torque Audio t103z in-ear headphones are the company’s first product to the market. Read on to find out what it’s like to live with them on a daily basis!

Retail package

In a manner befitting a premium headset, the t103z comes with a well-appointed retail box. Inside it, you will find the headset, three interchangeable torque valves with a tool to install/remove them, a carrying case, four pairs of ear tips, a clip for attaching the headset to your clothes, as well as a user manual.

The retail package of teh t103z

As far as essential accessories go, there’s nothing missing in the retail box of the t103z. Even a picky user will be hard-pressed to find something to frown at.

Design and build quality

The Torque Audio t103z in-ear headphones sport a look which cuts a fine line between casual and premium. The headset features a blend of metal and orange polycarbonate throughout which, combined, give it a pleasantly distinctive visual character.

Torque Audio t103z live photos

The above said, the t103z looks really nice in the flesh. In addition to the eye-catching color scheme, the headset features a host of fine details. They include an etched in the metal Torque Audio logo, as well as quirky font to distinguish the left and the right headphone.

Build quality is exceptional. In addition to looking good, the metal and polycarbonate used in the headset’s construction leave little doubt about its ability to handle daily wear and tear.

The remote control and L-shaped audio jack are also finished in aluminum, thus well-sorted for heavy use.

Ergonomics

The Torque Audio t103z headphones are comfortable to live with. The interchangeable ear tips ensure that everyone will find a good fit.

When wearing the Torque Audio t103z, I noticed that the headset is a tad heavier than the typical in-ear model. This is due to the predominantly metal construction of the headphones, including their interchangeable TorqueValves.

The three-button remote is easy to operate – the middle button sits slightly below the other two, so changing songs and picking up/hanging up phone calls on iOS devices is hassle-free. The volume buttons unsurprisingly do not work on Android devices – only the middle button will.

The headphones’ cable is tangle-free – right in line with the expectations for their segment.

Sound

This is where things get really interesting. Thanks to the interchangeable TorqueValves, users are essentially presented with three different pairs of headphones once they open the box of the t103z. On every occasion, a 10mm, 16 Ohms, high-velocity, full bandwidth dynamic driver sits in charge of sound output.

The trio of bundled TorqueValves come in an aluminum tray which doubles as an installation tool – it tightens the valves to the headset. Each set of valves is color-coded – red stands for neutral sound, yellow for bass-dominated experience, while black puts the accent on the highs.

The red-colored TorqueValves are the ones you will probably use the most. Also known as reference valves, they provide neutral sonic experience which the user can modify via the EQ settings of his/her device.

Yellow-colored TorqueValves stand for bass-heavy sound experience. They work exactly as advertised by bringing softness across the entire range and head-pounding bass at high volume. I found them really pleasant to use, though they are likely not going to be the primary choice for a committed audiophile.

The black-colored valves are focused solely on bringing out crisp highs. As expected the lows are all but gone when the black TorqueValves are in action. Therefore, I reckon that their use will be required only in specific situations.

Torque Audio will bring an extra trio of TorqueValves with fancier sound profiles in Q1 2014. They will be sold as an additional accessory.

Final word

Well-designed, solidly-built, and providing unique sound experience. The Torque Audio t103z in-ear headphones are a great first product of the young company.

The sonic experience is memorable as well. The bundled TorqueValves are certain to provide the right sound for every user. The upcoming additional valves on the other hand, add further to the overall appeal of the headset.

The Torque Audio t103z headphones are priced at $179.95. If you are on the market for premium in-ear headset and your budget allows it, I suggest you take a hard look at the t103z. You can find the headphone online in specialty stores such as B&H.

Facebook Messenger app gets a complete overhaul

Facebook has released an update to the Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android that brings with it a complete overhaul of the UI. The design clearly looks like it was made for the new iOS 7 but carries over to the Android version as well.

At launch you’ll notice that the older dull gray and Facebook blue colors have been replaced by bright white and a brilliant blue combination. There are no more gradients and drop shadows anymore and the UI has a clean, flat UI that is consistent with the rest of iOS 7.

The new app makes it easy to see who is online and who isn’t. It also lets you send messages to people who are not on Facebook over SMS but you will have to sync your contacts with the app for them to appear in your list. Most of the other features remain the same.

The new design is available on both iOS and Android and even though it is optimized for iOS 7 it still looks great on Android. I’m hoping the main Facebook app also gets this updated UI shortly as it is long overdue. You can download the Facebook Messenger update from the links below.

App Store • Play Store

Facebook releases official app for Windows 8.1

Although Windows 8 has always had Facebook integrated in the OS Facebook has now released a proper app for those who are into that sort of thing. The app is being released on the same day as Windows 8.1 and is only compatible with the new version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system.

As you can see from the screenshot, the app looks similar to the web version of Facebook, but has a flat look to blend with the general UI design of Windows 8.1. It also supports Snap View so you can run it alongside other apps and with Windows 8.1 now improving the Snap View functionality by letting you adjust the size the apps take and having up to four apps on the screen simultaneously, this is going to come in handy.

The app is rolling out across regions so even if you’re running the preview build of Windows 8.1 you may not be able to download it right now but give the link below a try anyway.

Source • Download

Twitter updates iOS and Android apps, brings new UI and photo DMs

Twitter has rolled out version 6.0 update for its iOS and Android mobile applications, which bring with it some big new changes. The most obvious one is the redesign on both versions, unique to their platform. The iPhone version gets a new white themed bar at the bottom unlike the black on the previous version. The ‘Connect’ tab has been replaced with ‘Notifications’ (essentially the same thing) and ‘Discover’ tab has been replaced by ‘Messages’.

Twitter is pushing their Activity and Discover section in a big way with the latest updates, that show you activity of the people you follow and other people on Twitter respectively. On the iPhone, you now swipe on your timeline to go to the new sections, indicated by the three dots at the top.

These are even more prominent on the Android update, loses the previous ‘Connect’ and ‘Me’ tab completely in favor of ‘Discover’ and ‘Activity’. The interactions have now been moved into the Notifications section indicated by the bell icon on top, along with buttons for DMs, Find People, Search and menu button. The new tweet button has been replaced by a permanent text field at the bottom with convenient shortcuts for adding a photo from gallery or taking a picture using the camera. While these are convenient, coupled with the buttons within the tweets it makes the Android version look severely cluttered due to the overload of buttons (at any point of time there will be at least 20 buttons on the screen at once, counting those in the tweets).

Another major new feature is the addition of sending photos in direct messages. Something shockingly missing until now, the latest update catches up with the times and now lets you send photos in your DMs. Currently, only these two apps support this feature (the website will show the image but not let you send it). None of the third party Twitter apps will let you send or show the images right now.

Other changes include improved search function, Safari Reading List support on iOS and the ability to mark an account as favorite so you can get push notifications every time you tweet (this was there before as well, they just changed the UI; great for stalkers).

While the v6.0 is available on iPhone, iPad and Android, the iPad version does not get the new UI found on the other two, although it does have most of the other features, such as photo DMs.

You can download the respective versions from the link below.

App Store • Play Store

Angry Birds Seasons gets its latest Christmas expansion pack

December is officially upon us, and that means another Angry Birds Seasons expansion pack.

The latest Christmas expansion, called Arctic Eggspedition, adds 25 new levels, one for each day until Christmas.

The expansion includes new snowy and frosty backgrounds, as well as Christmas trees, Santa hats and all sorts of decorations to get you in the festive spirit.

Each day a new stage will be revealed, but if you’re impatient you can get all 25 (plus 4 secret) stages for an in-app purchase.

If you have Angry Birds seasons the new expansion should update through the iOS or Android app store. Otherwise, get it here (iOS | Android).