LG shows off its new LG G3 Beats for the mid-range

LG G3 Beat Side view
The LG G3 Beat, the G3's slightly smaller sibling
The LG G3 Beat, the G3’s slightly smaller sibling

It’s starting to become a tradition for companies to launch a “mini” version of their flagship targeted at the mid tier range and LG is no exception when it comes to its G3.  called the LG G3 Beat for Asia (they’re calling it the G3 S for the Europe market), this scaled down tyke of a smartphone is LG’s shot at the mid-range market.

Considering it’s target market, don’t expect the exact same mind-blowing specs that its older and larger sibling, the LG G3, has. Instead you can expect some decent hardware for a phone of its ilk. First up in the power department. The G3 Beat gets a quad core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor backed up with 1GB of RAM and like the G3 it comes with Andoird 4.4.2 Kit Kat. There’s only an 8GB capacity version and the main camera is uses an 8-megapixel, Laser Auto Focus sensor instead of the 13-megapixel OIS version the G3 has. Calling the G3 Beat a “mini” version though is also slightly misleading since the screen size isn’t that small either. What’ you’re getting instead is a 5-inch screen device, just without full HD since the resolution maxes out at 1280 x 720p. Even the battery gets scaled down a little with a 2540mAh cell.

Considering the market that the G3 Beat is targeted at, we have to say that is some decent specs. Now all we have to see is just how much it’s going to cost and considering the pressure Chinese brands like Xiaomi are putting on the mid-range phone market in terms of price, quality and value, LG might just want to step-up their game here.

The LG G3 Beat (left) and G3 (right) side by side comparison

The big questions of course would be WHEN are we getting it followed by how much. For the former we know that South Korea is launching it on 18 July (which is tomorrow) and will be begin its global rollout Europe and the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) countries in the weeks that follow. As for the latter, well you’ll only know once it close to reaching the targeted launch countries. Hopefully Malaysia is going to be one of them. However considering the “no show” of the LG G3 a good two months after its global launch here, we’re starting to think that eventuality might not come at all.

Source: LG Newsroom

 

Garmin brings in new fitness gadgets into Malaysia

Garmin wants Malaysians to get fit with their new fitness gadgets

Garmin is going to get you off your lazy butt and get into shape with their new fitness gadgets. Of course it takes more than just a fitness gadget to get you fit and fine (hey its still 90% effort). With Garmin though, these new devices ought to help you a little be it for cycling with their Edge 1000 cycling computer, or running with their Forerunner 15 GPS watch. With these two devices making it slightly easier, there shouldn’t be an excuse to lose those love handles should it? Effort and motivation aside, these new devices are now here in Malaysia and this is what you can expect from them. The Garmin Edge 1000

Time to "pedal up" with the new Garmin Edge 1000
Time to “pedal up” with the new Garmin Edge 1000

For most cycling enthusiasts, the Edge series isn’t really a stranger so the new Edge 1000 shouldn’t be much of a stranger. Launched as the successor for the Edge 810 and 510, the Edge 1000 sports a whole range of upgrades from its predecessors. This includes larger and sharper display, added connectivity like Wi-Fi and LiveTrack software. All of this is crammed into a device profile that is slimmer than its predecessors. Want that extra Edge, so to speak? There’s also a performance bundle that comes with a new HRM 3 heart monitor and upgraded cadence and speed sensors that now use an accelerometer instead of magnets for better accuracy. Users can even pair the Edge 100 with the Garmin VIRB camera as well as the Garmin Vector pedals The Garmin Edge 1000 is available at RM2199 for the device itself and RM2599 for the version with the Performance bundle. The Garmin Forerunner 15

The colourful Garmin Forerunner 15
The colourful Garmin Forerunner 15

Running more of your thing? Then the Forerunner 15 might be a bit more up your alley. The successor to the Forerunner 10, it’s the supposedly the most affordable running watch from Garmin. So what do you get? It’ll track your pace, calories, personal record and, if you get the optional heart rate monitor, check just how your ticker’s doing. We know how much some runners are just obsessed about their training regiment and with the GPS features it has, the Forerunner 15 can not only map their runs, but also see their current pace with lap and average pace options. Need to check how well you did in previous runs? The watch will store personal records of your runs and even allow you to customise its data fields.  Not running? Then you can still use it as a daily activity tracker as it counts your steps. It even has a signature feature, an idle alert, telling users when they’ve been sitting still far too long. That’s a great feature, especially if you need reminding to get off your butt after a long period of inactivity. You don’t have to worry about battery life either since the watch’s battery can last up to five weeks in activity/normal watch mode and up to eight hours on GPS tracking mode. And with a 5 ATM water rating (up to 50 meters), you won’t have to worry about sweat doing the Forerunner 15 in. Heck you can even bring it go swimming with you. The Garmin Forerunner 15 comes in a selection of five colours and is available at RM650 for the watch only and RM850 for the Premium Heart Rate strap bundle. The Garmin fēnix 2

The Garmin  fēnix 2. The GPS for the all rounded sportsman
The Garmin fēnix 2. The GPS for the all rounded sportsman

More of an all rounder? Than the fēnix 2 is more your style. This outdoor GPS watch’s predecessor was targeted mainly at the outdoor trekker sets but now the  fēnix 2 has been designed to not only appeal to them but other also runners, cyclist and swimmers. You get the whole bunch of sensors on this watch; there’s an altimeter, barometer, 3-axis compass, and it even provides a built-in navigation and guidance software called TracBack. It can even estimate a user’s maximum volume of oxygen (VO2) level to evaluate how fit the user is. Need to know your recovery time after a workout? The  fēnix 2 can even calculate that for you. How’s that for for a fitness watch. Did we mention it looks pretty sweet on the wrist too? Like most of the Garmin watches you’ll get two prices for the  fēnix 2. RM1399 for the watch only and RM1550 with the Performer Bundle which comes with the HRM-Run heart rate monitor. So with these gadgets in tow, there shouldn’t be any reason or excuse to get off our lazy butts and get fit and fine. Time for us to do the same thing… maybe after this last sandwich.

[Video] Disney’s BIG HERO 6 Trailer 2

From the creators of Frozen & Wreck-It Ralph comes Big Hero 6, an action-packed comedy-adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada. Hiro turns to his closet companion, a Michelin-man-like robot named Baymax, in a mission to save the world.

Project Ara: Google starts offering developer boards

Project Ara

Project Ara

Revealed in more detail at the recent Google I/O, Google‘s ground-breaking modular smartphone platform Project Ara, gets an official lift-off. Google has opened its doors to developers for its first development boards.

Maxis lets you “Raya dengan Gaya” with RM100 off on all its devices

Maxis is offering RM100 discounts off all their devices
Maxis is offering RM100 discounts off all their devices

It’s time to have some Raya cheer and Maxis is giving you a chance for some of it with some pretty decent discounts on the devices they’re carrying.

Sony enters the selfie game a bit belatedly with the Xperia C3

The so called PROSelfie Xperia C3 from Sony
The so called PROSelfie Xperia C3 from Sony
The so called PROSelfie Xperia C3 from Sony

Oh Sony, Sony. A bit late to the game aren’t you? Well no matter. Selfie-ing is still an in thing and it’s better late than never right? And if Sony is to be believed, maybe being late isn’t such a bad thing, especially if you’re going to be the best. That seems to be the case with their new Sony Xperia C3 which Sony is labeling the “Best Selfie Smartphone” in the world.

So let’s see what it’s packing that makes it the “Best Selfie Smartphone” in the world. It’s pretty obvious that Sony is going with some pretty souped up imaging/camera features for this smartphone for the narcissistic. The back camera of course packs what would now be a standard 8MP Exmore RS sensor. Not that much of a standout since it’s about what you’d expect from most mid-range smartphones. Since this IS a selfie smartphone though, it’s the front camera that’s the highlight.

What the C3 packs in front is a 5MP sensor that comes with a 80-degree field view. It even comes with a front “soft” LED flash. And to add to it’s selfie credentials, Sony is packing the C3 full of selfie-taking apps. There’s other additional features that make the front camera such a selfie-taking machine. It has a Superior Auto mode that recognises four different scene types and automatically adjusts its settings for better shots and lighting situations. There’s also a Potrait Retouch V.2 feature that’ll automatically adjust your selfies in real-time before capturing an image. How’s that for some over-narcissistic features.

Of course your other imaging features usually reserverd for the back, main cameara are also available for the front camera as well including Timeshift-Burst (just in case you want multiple selfies) and AR Effect (what’s a selfie without some fun effect thrown in?). Heck even the HDR mode can be activated for the front camera.

The cameras are all good and all but it still smartphone so we’re also curious about what it’s packing in terms of power. For a mid-range phone, it is decent enough. Processor wise you’re getting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 305 GPU, supported by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It’ll be pointless if the screen wasn’t up to spec either so the X3 does come with a decent 5.5-inch 720p display which also features Sony’s Triluminos display for mobile and Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2. 

As for your baery life, the C3 comes with a 2500mAH battery, which is decent enough though with it also being LTE enabled, you might want to be packing a powerbank with you.

So when can we expect this PROSelfie smartphone (as Sony would call it) to be available? It’s expected to be out globally in August though an exact date for our local roll out isn’t clear yet.

Source: Sony Mobile

Motorola G LTE is coming to Malaysia

The Motorola Moto G LTE
The Motorola Moto G LTE
The Motorola Moto G LTE

The refreshed version of Motorola’s really value Moto G is coming over to Malaysia really soon courtesy of Brightstar.

When the Moto G was launched in November last year, it wowed everyone with it’s really value pricing. All skepticism that us here in Malaysia wouldn’t be getting a similar price was put to rest when it hit our shores earlier this year, and at a pretty decent price of RM698 for the 8GB version and RM798 for the 16GB version.

So with the updated version of the Moto G, what can we expect? Specification wise, it’ll still retain almost everything the original Moto G had. So everything from the Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM, a 4.5-inch 720p display, 5MP rear camera and a 2070mAh battery still remains the same. So what the heck do we get in this refresh anyway you might ask? Well just one simple addition, which is LTE connectivity. And will we still be getting the same value for money price? Well at RM799, it only costs RM1 more than the 16GB version of the Moto G so it might seem so. However that price isn’t for a 16GB LTE version. Instead it’s for the 8GB LTE version as there isn’t a 16GB version. Not much of an issue though with the microSD slot it comes with. As for the RM100 more you’d have to pay for LTE, considering it’s still a sub-RM1000 LTE enabled phone, we think it’s still a decent enough buy.

And in case you’re wondering about accessories, you’ll also be able to get the Flip cover and Cover shell as well, both going  for RM129 and RM69 resepctively. When is the Moto G be available? It’s hitting our shore on July 11, so get your wallets ready.

Source: Amanz.my

The International 2014 prize pool is now a whopping US$10 million

The International is the biggest DOTA 2 tournament that is held yearly
US$10 Million in prize pool money. It's good to be a professional gamer now
US$10 Million in prize pool money. It’s good to be a professional gamer now

Who says it doesn’t pay to be a professional gamer. At least in the field of DOTA 2, they pay off looks mighty tempting.

The International, the holy Mecca of all DOTA players worldwide. Every year the prize pool has steadily increased and this year, competing players might just hit the mother lode if they win. With a whopping prize pool of US$10 million, it’s the biggest amount of money ever seen for a competitive eSport event.

But it’s not ending at that amount yet. With another 2 more weeks to go before they end the Compendium sale, Valve could still raise more money for the tournament. If you head over to the DOTA 2 Compendium page, you’ll notice that they’ve already reached the full stretch of their goals. Don’t be surprised though if more goals were added since there’s still a whole month before the tournament starts.

Looks like eSports has certainly come a long way since its early days and hopefully this will continue on in subsequent years to come.

You gotta watch this: New Jupiter Ascending Trailer

Chaning Tatum Jupiter Ascending Poster

This year is shaping up to be a pretty good year for geeks out there, at least movie wise. With what seemed like a huge bunch of Sci-fi themed movies hitting the big screen, we were really hyped up for a rolling good summer. Unfortunately, one of the more anticipated Sci-Fi movies this year, Jupiter Ascending, which was scheduled for a July 25 release this year was pushed forward half year later to February 2014.

Google shows off project Ara at I/O

Imagine not needing to buy a totally new smartphone every time some new tech comes out. A faster processor? Better camera? No problem, just switch out those hardware from your phone with new ones. Well at least that’s what Project Ara do and in the recent Google I/O it looks like that concept might be edging closer to reality with a somewhat working prototype (and by working we mean it actually turns on) being shown off.

project-ara-prototype-design-600x336

Well actually working is a bit of a stretch as the phone only managed to boot up momentarily and then freeze at the Android logo before going any further. That being said, it still managed to work, and given the complexities involved in the concept, at least Google has show that a modular smartphone is possible… once they actually get the kinks worked out.

And it seems that Google is pretty confident that they’ll work out those kinks pretty soon as they’re saying a developer preview of Project Ara would be ready by the end of the year. Of course what’s a platform if there isn’t going to be any developers?

To up the ante and make Project Ara a lot more attractive, Google is even offering up a US$100,000 prize and a trip to Ara’s next developer conference for any developer who builds a working module that, as they would put it, “lets a phone do something that a phone has never done before”. Now that’s a pretty juicy bit of prize though we’re pretty sure if the concept really take off, US$100,000 might just be a small drop in an ocean of profits these concept will be able to turn over.

Source: Extremetech