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Motorola's Moto X

Thursday, 30 May 2013 14:36 Written by Jason

Motorola has announced plans to start building their next flagship phone, the Moto X, in Texas. This would make it the first ever smartphone assembled in the U.S. which is probably a good selling point (even though assembly is a minor cost in relation to buying all the components). Motorola is of course owned by Google, but it will be interesting to see if other phone makers will follow suit down the road. Time.com has the story.

Cellphone pioneer Motorola announced Wednesday that it’s opening a Texas manufacturing facility that will create 2,000 jobs and produce its new flagship device, Moto X, the first smartphone ever assembled in the U.S.

The company has already begun hiring for the Fort Worth plant. The site was most recently unoccupied but was once used by fellow phone manufacturer Nokia, meaning it was designed to produce mobile devices, said Will Moss, a spokesman for Motorola Mobility, which is owned by Google.

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Windows 8.1

Thursday, 30 May 2013 14:28 Written by Jason

We've been hearing rumors about Windows 8.1 (formerly code named Blue) for a bit, but now some more details about what to expect are coming out. In 8.1 you will be able to finally boot directly to your desktop as well as a few more customization options will be available among other "updates". Microsoft is expected to release a preview version at their developers conference next month if you just can't wait until later this year when it goes live to the public. AllThingsD has more details.

Windows 8.1, due out later this year, will offer new options to personalize the lock and home screens, more deeply integrated Bing search as well as a new version of the Internet Explorer browser. Files can also be saved to Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud storage service.

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Nokia Joining the Android Team

Wednesday, 29 May 2013 04:37 Written by Regina "Tigger" McDougall

It looks like Nokia might be putting Android on some of their devices in the future. Previously, Nokia signed a "Windows Only" deal with Microsoft, but that's not turning out very well. I had a Nokia phone that ran the Symbian OS - the E71 and it wasa a great phone for the day. As Symbian ended it's life, people moved to other devices and operating systems. I did love that phone and maybe I'll be rocking a Nokia phone in the future. It's interesting to see other companies come on board with Android as Google's mobile OS continues to climb.

The decision to put all of Nokia’s eggs in the Windows Phone basket lies with Stephen Elop. Formerly one of the heads at Microsoft Office, Elop is Nokia’s under-fire Canadian CEO who has oversaw a poor take-up of his former companies operating system on Nokia’s devices, and shareholders are not happy whatsoever, and Elop could be out the door soon.

Source: AndroidHeadlines

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If You Can't Beat 'Em...

Wednesday, 29 May 2013 04:16 Written by Regina "Tigger" McDougall

According to a very recent interview with Tim Cook, Apple could be humbling themselves and will start sharing some of their "exclusive" Apps with Android. They are willing to port over some of their top Apps to the Android team and I'm sure are looking at ways to increase their sales, rather than embracing the monster that is Google right now. This is a surprising move regardless.

While it may seem far-fetched that Apple would consider following BlackBerry Messenger's footsteps and bring some of its apps to Android, it turns out that such a move isn't out of the question. "We have no religious issue with porting an Apple app to Android," said Cook in response to whether iCloud should branch out to other platforms. "If it made sense for us to do that, we would do that. You could apply that to every area of Apple."

Source: Engadget

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Xbox One: Which Generation Is It For?

Tuesday, 28 May 2013 07:09 Written by Regina "Tigger" McDougall

The Xbox One has been announced, but not launched at this point and still many people are wondering who exactly is this console for? During the Microsoft presentation, they talked about TV almost as much as gaming and this could make it appeal to older generations as well. Your mom and dad may be on board and be motivated to get an Xbox One even if they aren't gamers. This console could bridge generations and close the gap between gamers and their parents (or grandparents).

The evidence is clear. The first images of the Xbox One presentation were not of young, overly excited gamer-types straight out of a television commercial casting call, but of graying establishment figures, from Bill Gates to game designer Cliff Bleszinski to J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg.

Source: CNET

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Google Glass Goes Android

Tuesday, 28 May 2013 06:55 Written by Regina "Tigger" McDougall

Google Glass will soon be able to be on your phone as an app. I'm personally not likely going to review this app myself as I don't need the whole world knowing my every movement. I do value privacy. Still, this idea could work, but you have to keep in mind of the following.

You sadly won’t get the full augmented reality glass experience, unless you duct tape your phone directly to your forehead (please don’t do that!) However, you do get a cool glimpse into the software that makes the whole experience possible.

I'm sure there area few things that could be updated and tweaked to make it perfect. Time will tell.

Source: AndroidHeadlines

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WTU Episode #213 - WIndows 8 and Xbox One Unsatisfaction

Tuesday, 28 May 2013 02:19 Written by Benjamin "Zeus" Heide

We have just posted up Episode #213 of Weekly Tech Update. In this episode we are discussing Gamestop stock takes a dive following the Xbox One announcement, Windows 8 is top at customer unsatisfaction and the Xbox One faces off against the PS4. We have those stories and more. . . Below are the show notes.

Download Episode #213
Show Notes
Subscribe to the feed.
Subscribe in iTunes!
Subscribe in Zune Marketplace!

Another Awkward Moment

Wednesday, 29 May 2013 04:09 Written by Regina "Tigger" McDougall

Remember the big mockery that Apple endured when it launched the iPad? Some of us are still getting over that. Now there is a rumored iPad Maxi. That will create a lot of awkward moments when a guy tells his friends, "Hi, I just bought the iPad Maxi!" How awkward will that be? Apple is pushing things and couldn't be much more odd. Apple says in a statement that they are making a tablet that's much bigger than its 10" version, and we're guessing it will be about 12.5". They say it's aimed toward students and should replace their analog notebooks. Pretty soon we'll need backpacks to carry our tablets around in the near future.

ETNews' report claims that the rather terribly named iPad Maxi is in development, with Apple talking to Korean suppliers. However, the idea seems odd at best, given that the iPad already seems to work in the niche suggested by the website, and that the iPad Mini — a smaller iPad — has seen massive popularity since its launch in November last year — and especially since Apple has a contract with Foxconn for its iPad manufacturing needs.

Source: CNET

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Google Music Uploading Instructions 101

Tuesday, 28 May 2013 07:00 Written by Regina "Tigger" McDougall

Google Music - formerly known as Google Play - is a great service that allows you to upload and stream 20,000 of your favorite songs. If you need instructions on how to upload your music from your smartphone to Google music using DropBox, there is some help available. If you have a Dropbox account, you're already half way there. Take a look, follow the steps and you'll be enjoying your music in the cloud.

Once the download completes, double click the file and let it install on your computer. After it’s installed, it’ll ask you to log in using your Google account. Do that, and then select “upload songs to Google Play”.

Source: TalkAndroid

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Android App Pick - Tupsu

Tuesday, 28 May 2013 06:09 Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 May 2013 06:22 Written by Regina "Tigger" McDougall

We have just posted up another Android App Pick of the Week and this week we are spending a few moments unwinding. Tupsu is a fun game that doesn't require a lot of time to play, but is still very challenging and fun. Think of it as World of Goo meets Deep Impact. I'm sure you'll have more fun than a barrel of virtual monkeys.

Enjoy!

Samsung ATIV 500T Smart PC Review

Monday, 27 May 2013 14:18 Written by Jason

We have just posted our review of the Samsung ATIV 500T Smart PC. This is a Windows 8 tablet that docks with a keyboard offering you great flexibility at an affordable price. The ATIV 500T is powered by an Intel Atom processor, so it's not a powerhouse, but it can easily replace an entry-level laptop and give you a lot of great tablet features - all while coming in at about the same price as a Microsoft Surface RT - and this is full Windows. Please check out our review for all the details.

I was pretty happy with the dock that comes with the ATIV 500T. The keyboard is comparable to other Samsung laptops and has a nice feel to it. The dock feels solid and the latch that holds the tablet into the dock seems like it is decent enough to take a little abuse (I would obviously recommend against dropping the entire unit if possible). Once docked, the entire assembly functions just like a laptop and hinges closed like a regular laptop would.