NVIDIA’s Tegra Note 7: A Great Gaming Device For $200

NVIDIA Tegra Note 7

NVIDIA has recently surprised us by unveiling its very own tablet with Tegra 4 inside. Finding a good tablet is nothing difficult nowadays but finding an affordable one with good specs can be difficult. Google’s Nexus 7 has been doing a good job as a $200 tablet so far but now NVIDIA is ready to compete with the $200 tablet with its Tegra Note 7.  We saw Tegra 4 in a handheld gaming console called “Shield” before but now it’s time to see how NVIDIA presented the Tegra 4 in its own device.

Nexus 7 alternative

Hardware

The Tegra Note 7 doesn’t look attractive comparing to the Google Nexus 7. The front looks too plain while the back looks busy because of its three-segmented look. There are total 6 open places, microSD card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-HDMI port, micro-USB port, a holder for optional smart cover and the stylus holder.  The colors look washed out when you compare it with the sharp display of Google’s 7-inch tablet.

7-inch tablets are currently ruling the market and NVIDIA is now ready to be a part of this market with its 7-inch Tegra Note 7 that features 1280×800 IPS LCD Display. The tablet includes a quad-core Tegra 4 chipset as mentioned before blocked at a single core clock of 1.8GHz. The tablet took advantage of the latest NVIDIA tech called DirectStylus and comes with a Stylus unlike the Google Nexus 7. Moreover, the tablet weighs 320g which is huge comparing to other 7-inch tablets. The Tegra Note 7 is wider and thicker than the Nexus and is heavy too. However, NVIDIA wanted to focus more on the gaming part so let’s see if they managed to do so by making it less elegant or not.

Nexus 7 alternative

Software

The NVIDIA tablet comes with Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 out-of-the-box and also promises to release Android 4.3 update next month. When users take out the Stylus, they will see two new apps, a drawing app or a note-taking app. The best part of this stylus mode is its human touch disabling feature. You can disable human touch when drawing so that your touch doesn’t ruin your drawings.

The tablet is also preloaded with apps from the maker itself and a special camera app aside from the Stylus apps. The Google KitKat update (4.4) is also on the way so its great news for Android lovers as lots of existing Android devices won’t receive a KitKat upgrade. Other notable features are 5-megapixel rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front camera, 1080p video capture support, 1GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.

Performance

As mentioned earlier, NVIDIA tried to focus more on the gaming part and it really shows when you spend some time with the Tegra Note 7. The high-end Tegra 4 chip with 1.8GHz Cortex-A15 cores manage to handle apps and games faster than the Nexus 7. You will notice the difference when loading apps and performing your usual tasks. Its battery life is also not bad. You can expect to play games for 4-5 hours, watch standard videos for minimum 9 hours and expect to pass 2-3 days without charging if you don’t use your tablet every now and then.

The stereo speakers on top of the device works perfectly when watching movies or playing games. It’s not good enough to give better performance in noisy environments but there are always headphones to help you in such places.

Overall, if you are looking for a good tablet to play games or if you look at the device hardware-wise, it’s good. If you are ready to overlook the cheap build quality, you can give the Tegra Note 7 a try.

Nexus 5 (LG G2) : Specs, Release Date, Leaked Images and Rumors

LG is currently working on their next flagship device titled as G2 and rumor has it that this flagship device is going to be the next Nexus device, the Nexus 5. The company has recently confirmed that they are going to drop the Optimus title from the phone and it will be called LG G2. Let’s see what the first smartphone from “G” family has to offer. We don’t have any official details yet so we are going to have to depend on the rumors and leaks for specs and other info.

Nexus 5 Specifications

Google Nexus 5

According to the announcement,s leaked specs and images the LG G2 is going to feature a big 5.2-inch FullHD display with about 423 ppi, a 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait 800 processor(confirmed), 13 megapixel camera, 2GB of RAM, LTE radio, dual-speakers and a big 2,540mAh battery. The 800 Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset is currently the most powerful mobile chipset available now and was unveiled at the CES 2013.

nexus 5 images

We heard earlier that the device will feature 3GB of RAM and Google Android Key Lime Pie but now the latest rumor’s say that the device will feature 2GB of RAM instead of 3GB and will run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. But don’t worry as the Jelly Bean 4.3 could be ready by that time and will also receive the Key Lime Pie update soon if not out of the box.

The 13-megapixel camera is expected to feature optical image stabilization, face detection, HDR, full HD video recording and the 360 panorama mode.

Design

nexus 5 unveiled

The Big LG G2 is expect to come up with the latest Zero Gap tech which means less bezel and more space for screen. However, if the leaked pic’s by are real, there won’t be a button on the front of the phone and users have to depend on the on-screen buttons. The volume rocker keys are repositioned in the back of the device to make the phone look key-less. The latest flagship device from LG will be bigger than the Samsung Galaxy S4 and will be also loaded with the most powerful mobile chipset currently available.

Both LG and Google are silent about this matter so we are depending on @evleaks’s leaked pictures which looks quite real.  The internal storage of this smartphone is still a mystery and there won’t be any microSD support.

Release Date And Price

We are expecting to see the device on August 7’s press event in NYC. LG is planning something big for August 7 and we believe it’s going to be their next flagship device. However, Google’s 5th birthday is coming in this October so there’s a chance that Google will launch their next Nexus device this October.

The price of the new Nexus 5 is expected to reamin unchanged: $299 and $349 for 16GB and 32GB model respectively. That’s all we have got about the LG G2 (the rumored Google Nexus 5 device) so far. Feel free to share your thoughts and expectations for the upcoming google device in the comments section below.

Guide to Lock and Unlock Bootloader of Google LG Nexus 4

Google LG Nexus 4Unlocking a Bootloader is basically  the first step if you want to know inner secrets of your device. Whether you want to flash a custom ROM on your device or you are a developer and want to know more about the device you are going to make application Unlocking bootloader is a first step. Sometimes it is easy to unlock it while some phones can even make you sweat even while unlocking it. This year’s Google Nexus device is made by LG and below is a quick guide to unlock and relock bootloader of the device.

Warnings:

  • Do all the stuff on your responsibility. We are not responsible for any damage to your device.
  • This guide is purely for LG Nexus 4 don’t try at any other device

Requirements:

  • LG Nexus 4
  • System running Windows
  • Fastboot. Download from here.
  • Now Extract the Fastboot Zip file for easy guide keep extracted file in C:\
  •  Make Sure battery of the device is at least 60% otherwise it may run in between the process.
  • Backup all of your data otherwise you may lose all.

Instructions:

  • Switch off your device.
  • Go to fastboot mode by holding Volume up+down and power button Simultaneously.
  • Connect your device to your computer via USB cable. Now the drivers will begin to install wait for it to finish.
  • In your computer go to Command Prompt. If it is Windows 8 just simply right click at left bottom corner of desktop and you will see option for RUN.
  • Now go to C:\Windows\Program Files\Android SDK\Platform Tools
  • If all goes well then you will see that your phone is recognized by computer.
  • Then after entering command “fastboot devices” your phone’s serial number should appear in Command Prompt.
  • To unlock bootloader enter command “fastboot oem unlock”   then click YES on your phone and it is done.

nexus-4-bl-unlock-ss (1)

  • To relock bootloader enter command “fastboot oem lock” and phone is reboot once when you will click YES on device.

nexus-4-bl-unlock-ss

  •  Your device will reboot after both processes. 

Source

Motorola X Phone visits FCC, Looks Like Early leaks

Here is a quite surprising and head cracker move for all other companies that have been fighting to make their device faster than one another, Motorola’s X Phone model number XT1058 made a visit to the FCC recently as reported by TechCrunch.. Motorola was earlier bought by Google for Billions and since then they have not even released a single device yet.

whatisthis

There are the sketches of the device and they closely resemble the earlier leaked X Phone which was leaked by @EvLeaks earlier this month. Phone is found to be of AT&T carrier and had LTE bands of the carrier.

If we closely look at both the devices in above pictures we will notice similarity in both Motorola Logo one and sketchy one such as position of camera, flash. Even the speaker grill is at same place also the position of Logo of device. Also the placement of headphone jack and even Lock/Unlock button is same.

Chromebook

All we have to do is wait for Google’s annual I/O developer conference which is rumored to show off the refreshed Nexus 7, a new chat system rumored as Babel, new Google Maps, New refreshed Nexus 4 probably 32GB as a new smartphone will probably is not for this year. Android 5.0 notebooks, a Google smartwatch and a Google TV is also expected this year.

Google-Smartwatch-3D-render-concept

5 best tablets under $200

Tablets are getting very popular nowadays and are working as an alternative to notebook and laptop for full web browsing experience, watching movies and playing games. It is easy to find good and budget friendly tablets now and here we are going to talk about 5 great tablets that are available for under $200.

Google Nexus 7

5 tablets under $200

Nexus 7 is the perfect $200 7-inch tablet with almost everything you expect to see in your tablet. The tablet comes with Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB internal storage, 4,325 mAh battery and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system for buttery smooth performance. This thin, light and portable tablet is good enough for playing all the games available for Android tablets, watching movies and to enjoy full web browsing experience. This great budget tablet supports 8 hours of HD video playback, 10 hours of web browsing or e-reading and 300 hours standby time. If you are interested to buy the 3G version, you have to pay an extra $99.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD

Amazon Kindle Fire HD

is another 7-inch budget friendly tablet that comes with attractive HD display, Dolby audio with dual-driver stereo speakers and ultra-fast Wi-Fi. The second generation of Amazon’s Kindle Fire offers 7-inch HD LCD display, Dual-core 1.2GHz OMAP 4460 processor, optional 16 GB or 32GB storage on device and battery offers 11 hours of continuous use.

It’s great for watching movies, reading and surfing the web. However, if you want to enjoy big games like The Bard’s Tale and Shadowgun THD smoothly in your Android tablet, you should go for a Tegra 3 tablet.

Barnes & Noble Nook HD

Barnes & Noble

Nook HD is a good $200 from Barnes & Noble that offers brilliant HD display and extra-long battery life that supports up to 10.5 hours of reading and up to 9 hours of video. The 7-inch screen supports HD 1440×900 display which is bigger than Kindle Fire HD, 1.3Ghz dual-core processor (more powerful than Kindle Fire HD), Wi-Fi, 4,050 mAh Li-on battery and optional 8GB storage. However, it’s a tablet under $200 that supports expanding storage using Micro SD card slot.

This budget friendly tablet runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich but it’s heavily customized.  Moreover, you won’t find any Google apps inside the tablet and it struggles when playing heavy games or apps. Nook HD is not the best tablet available under $200 but you are going to love it if you love Barnes & Noble products.

Acer Iconia Tab A100

5 tablets under $200

Acer Iconia Tab A100 is an old 7-inch tablet that offers HDMI-out and expandable memory option like Nook HD. This tablet offers a full Android Ice Cream Sandwich experience and also features NVidia Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel camera and Wi-Fi. The tablet comes with Honeycomb out-of-the-box but is upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0

5 tablets under $200

If you are a Samsung fan, you can try the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. The tablet offers a nice Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich experience, dual cameras, PLS LCD capacitive touchscreen, Dual-core 1GHz processor and Jelly Bean operating system. It’s better than the Kindle Fire HD if you want the extra features like microphone, Bluetooth and expandable storage. It was available for $250 earlier but now it’s available for $200 in some places.

5 Tablets to Look for in 2013

We saw some surprising tablets last year including the Nexus lineup (Nexus 7, Nexus 10) and the Asus Transformer Pad. We are expecting to see some magical tablets this year too so let’s take a look at the 5 tablets we should look out for this year.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Galaxy Note 8.0 leak-580-90

We saw some leaked photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 recently via SamMobile and according to inews24.com, JK Shin, Samsung’s mobile chief has confirmed that the new Galaxy device will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress next month. JK Shin didn’t confirm the rumored specs, but we can expect to see 8-inch 1280×800 display, 5 megapixel back camera, 1.3 megapixel front camera, 1.6 Quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16/32GB optional storage and the Note lineup special, S-Pen.

The new Galaxy Note device will feature Jelly Bean 4.2 out-of-the-box and 4600mAh battery. We don’t know if the leaked image is real or not but we can expect to see the real device next month.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z

tablet z

Sony announced the 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z recently after unveiling its smartphone cousin at the CES. It’s the thinnest and lightest 10.1-inch tablet with attractive features like 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon chip, 1080p screen with Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 6,000mAh battery and NFC and LTE support.

Like its smartphone cousin, this tablet also features 8.1-megapixel camera with Sony’s latest Exmor R technology for amazing pictures. You will find Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box and it will be available in two different colors, black and white. We don’t know anything about its availability or price.

Razer Edge

razer edge

The Razer Edge is a 10.1-inch Windows 8 based gaming tablet from Razer. We recently saw this PC gaming tablet in CES with the Gamepad Controller dock. The Razer Edge Pro gaming tablet comes with an Nvidia mobile graphics card for smooth gaming, Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and optional 128GB or 256GB SSD. There is another version with Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB SSD. You can buy the pro version for $1,299 and the simple Razer Edge for $999.

If you are a hardcore gamer, you can buy the gamepad controller dock for $249.99 and the keyboard dock with illuminated keys for $199.

Vizio 10-inch Tablet

Vizio-10-inch-Tablet

Vizio’s 10-inch tablet is another amazing tablet we saw in CES this year. The tablet features 2560×1600 display in its 10.1-inch screen, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, 32GB of Storage, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and front and rear cameras. But the most attractive feature of this Vizio tablet is Nvidia’s latest Tegra 4 processor for pushing the extra pixels.

We don’t know when this device is coming or its pricing details yet.

Google Nexus 7.7

Nexus

LG is currently working on two Nexus devices and the rumored Nexus 7.7 tablet is expected to be one of them.

The tablet is expected to feature a 7.7-inch display like it’s title suggests with 1920×1200 resolution, Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 720p HD front and rear camera and optional 8/16GB of Storage. Moreover, the tablet is expected to feature Android’s upcoming OS, Key Lime Pie. We don’t have any solid information yet so we have to depend on these rumors for now before any official announcement.

Top 10 Droolworthy Tech Gifts of 2012

Christmas is near and it is time to look at the top 10 droolworthy tech gifts of this year. All the products are presented in random order here.

iPhone 5

iphone5-front-back

I am not really a big Apple fan, but when I think of droolworthy tech gifts, this is the first thing that comes in my mind, iPhone 5. Apple broke sales record with iPhone 5 by selling more than 5 million units in the first three days. The latest iPhone features a 4-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT screen, 8-megapixel camera, 1.2GHz Dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. You can grab one today for $649 (without contract)

Samsung Galaxy Camera

galaxy camera

If you love the point and shoot feature of cell phones but want this feature in a real camera than Samsung Galaxy Camera is just what you are looking for. This Android camera features 16-megapixel camera, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, Jelly Bean operating system, 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 processor and 1650mAh battery. This cool camera is available for $500.

MacBook Pro 2012 with Retina Display/Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

yoga macbook

If you are thinking about a luxurious tech gift, you can go for a MacBook Pro 2012 with Retina Display or Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga if you prefer Windows operating system. Apple’s MacBook Pro with Retina Display features Quad-core processor, integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 processor and a battery that can get up to 7 hours on a single charge. Apple MacBook Pro price starts from $1190. The IdeaPad Yoga is a cool 13.3-inch Ultrabook that can be used as a full laptop keyboard or a tablet with multitouch feature. The IdeaPad Yoga price starts from $999.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

samsung-galaxy-note-2-smartphone-android-jelly-bean-s-pen-270x167

Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the successor of Galaxy Note made an impressive result on the market and is the latest flagship device of Samsung. This phablet offers 5.5-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 1.6 GHz Quad-core processor, 8-megapixel rear camera, Android OS 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, 3100mAh battery and S Pen stylus. It’s available for $700 (without contract).

iPad 4

ipad 4

Tablet is one of the hottest tech gift categories of this holiday season and the iPad 4 can be the perfect tablet holiday gift for your dear and near ones. The latest iPad features 9.70-inch IPS LCD screen, Apple A6 Dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel camera and comes with a price tag of $499. You can also think about purchasing iPad Mini or Google Nexus 7 if you are looking for something budget-friendly.

Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 4 Console

halo 4 console

The Xbox 360 320GB Limited Edition Halo 4 consoles can be the best Christmas gift for Halo fans or gamers. This game shattered sale records and enjoyed a $200-million opening day. The customized console is available for $399.99 and includes two customized controllers, the Halo 4 game (Standard Edition), a 320GB hard drive, a wired headset and a token for downloading custom Halo 4 contents.

Bose Quiet Comfort 15

bose quiet comfort

Bose QuietComfort 15 is known as one of the most popular noise cancelling headphones and it can be a really cool tech Xmas gift for music lovers. It’s very comfortable and comes with effective noise cancellation technology. Bose QuietComfort 15 is available for $299.

Nexus 4

nexus4-9

Nexus 4, Google’s fourth Nexus-branded Android smartphone can be also considered as one of the most-wanted Xmas gift of this year. This cool phone offers 4.7-inch WXGA True HD IPS Plus screen, 1.5GHz Quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro with Krait processor, 8-megapixel camera, 2GB of RAM, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and 2100mAh battery to power up all these things. But the most attractive part of this device is its price tag, $349 only.

iPod Touch 5

iPod touch 4

Apple’s fifth-generation iPod Touch is more than just a music player and can be a great gift for this Christmas. You can use it as a handheld gaming console, portable media player or just a music player. The latest iPod Touch features a 4-inch LCD screen, Apple A5 Dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and 5-megapixel rear camera. You can grab one today for $299.

3M Streaming Projector

3m

The 3M Streaming Projector is small, portable and offers ample picture quality. This small 4.3×4.2×2 inch projector comes with streaming content service feature, Roku streaming stick. Its poor battery life and loud noise of the fan can get annoying but for people who love portability, this $299 projector is surely a nice Christmas gift.

Google unveils another Nexus phone, larger tablet and 3G Nexus 7

Google Nexus Tablet Phone

Apple has recently released the iPhone 5, a new 7-inch iPad called “iPad mini” and iPad 4 and now Google is ready to compete with Apple with a new Nexus smartphone made by LG called the Nexus 4, an iPad-sized tablet called the Nexus 10 made by Samsung and 32GB Nexus 7 with 3G option. The search engine giant rolled out these three new devices last week with the latest version of Android operating system, Jelly Bean 4.2. The company unveiled them in an official blog post as the special event was canceled as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Let’s see if these devices are really worth adding to your holiday shopping list or not.

Google Nexus 4

The Google Nexus 4 made by LG is here to replace the aging Samsung Galaxy Nexus so let’s see if the latest Nexus smartphone is offering a massive upgrade or not.

Google Nexus 4The LG Nexus 4 is actually heavier than the old Nexus smartphone at 139g while the iPhone 5 is only 112g. The new Nexus smartphone offers 9.1mm thickness while the old one was 8.94mm and the iPhone 5 is only 7.6mm. However, the iPhone 5 features only a 4-inch LED-backlit IPS screen with 326ppi and 640×1136 pixels while the Nexus 4 features a larger 4.7-inch True HD IPS Plus screen with 318ppi and 768×1280 pixels. If you compare the LG Nexus 4 with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it’s not really a massive upgrade. But if you compare it with the iPhone 5, LG Nexus 4 is clearly the winner here.

Now it’s time to see what these devices are offering under the hood. The Nexus 4 offers a major hardware upgrade with an outstanding 1.5GHz Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is still capable of handling the apps released nowadays but Nexus 4’s hardware is one of the best by today’s standards. I am not comparing the LG Nexus 4 with the iPhone 5 as the old Nexus phone is still good enough to compete with the latest iPhone.

Both the Nexus devices offer a pure Android experience. However, the LG Nexus 4 will be the first smartphone to offer Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with new and upgraded features. Other notable features are: 8MB rear-camera, 1.3MP front camera, SlimPort-HDMI, Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi and a 2100mAh to power up the device. Where the latest smartphone really shines is its affordable price tag. The Google Nexus 4 will be

Nexus 10 Tablet

available in the Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, UK and US on November 13 for $299 (8GB) and $349(16GB) unlocked version.

The Nexus 10

After the huge success of Nexus 7, Google is ready to enter in the 10-inch tablet market with the Nexus 10. Apple is also ready with the new iPad 4 so let’s see if the Nexus 10 is ready to compete with the pricey iPad 4.

The Nexus 10 is Google’s first 10-inch tablet and is the second tablet in the line of Nexus tablets. As Samsung is the manufacturer behind the Nexus 10, this tablet features a different design to the previous Nexus 7 made by Asus. The iPad 4 and Nexus 10 are not available in the market yet so I am just going to compare the specs of both devices here. The Nexus 10 comes with a complete 10-inch WQXGA screen with 2560×1600 resolution and 300ppi while the iPad 4 features a 9.7-inch IPS LED screen with 2048×1536 resolution and only 264ppi. Both iPad 4 and Nexus 10 have good processor but the Nexus 10 comes with 1.7GHz processor while the processor used in the iPad is only 1.4GHz. Moreover, the Nexus 10 features 2GB RAM instead of 1GB RAM, two NFC chips, a front facing sensor with more MP and still weightsless than the iPad 4.

Nexus 7

If you are not worried about your budget, the iPad 4 is available with three different storage options,16GB, 32GB and 64GB with optional 3G. On the other side, Google is only offering Wi-Fi versions at the moment with 16GB and 32GB storage options. The Nexus 10 is available for $399(16GB) and $499(32GB) and the iPad 4 prices start at $499 so the Nexus 10 is clearly the winner here.

3G Nexus 7

After lot of rumors and speculation, the Nexus 7 3G is finally here with bigger storage. And that’s not all; the 16GB ‘Wi-Fi only’ version is now available for only $199 and the 3G 32GB Nexus 7 will be available for $299. People who are not interested to buy the 3G version can look for the Nexus 7 32GB Wi-Fi only version in a range of retailers.

How to fix: Android Samsung Galaxy S2 not recognized on Linux

Problem:

I was facing problems connecting my Samsung Galaxy S2 on Ubuntu, which is particularly annoying bearing in mind the total lack of support by Samsung for Linux (even Kies is of no use). Strange enough, it works flawlessly on Windows 7, where it recognises it instantly and I can transfer files between my phone and computer.
When I plug it into my Linux machine, it is recognised and I can see the contents of the root of /sdcard and the SD card but I cannot access the contents of any file or folder as all the folders are empty.
When I connect my phone to USB there is no “mount USB” option but just MTP application in the home screen. [Read more…]