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PowerA's Moga Power controllers charge your phone while you play (hands-on)
Since we saw PowerA's Moga Pro controller at CES earlier this year, the company has shown that it's keen to evolve its product line based on early adopter feedback. Its two latest Bluetooth Android controllers -- the Moga Pro Power and the more petite Moga Hero Power -- bring some added functionality to PowerA's lineup while building on the successes (and shortcomings) of the previous iterations. In addition to enhanced ergonomics and an improved grip, Moga's newest offerings also boast multiplayer support and the ability to charge your phone while you play. The latter might be PowerA's ace in the hole, but do the upgrades make for an even better mobile gaming experience? Read on to find out. %Gallery-196005%
Autographer wearable camera launches tomorrow for £400, we go hands-off
It's been a long time coming, close to a year, but OMG Life's clippable, er, lanyard-able life-logging camera will be available to buy tomorrow. The Autographer launches in the UK (where the company's based) and most major European countries on July 30th, priced at a rather prohibitive £400 (we're still confirming a US dollar price, but a later launch has been promised) and pitching itself as "the world's first intelligent wearable camera." We'd position it as an addition to your smartphone and/or standalone camera, like Lytro or the incoming Memoto, for those that have the cash. There's a curious appeal to it, helped by an attractive design that's predominantly plastic. We spent over three days wandering around, sometimes with it on a leather lanyard (included) around our neck, sometimes clipped to our belt or shirt pocket. For better or worse, it's a truly hands-off camera: there's really no way to frame or even time your captures. The Autographer itself chooses when to take a shot using its five sensors (monitoring changes in color, temperature, magnetometer, motion and acceleration), which means there's a hefty dose of luck involved in how your photos turn out. See whether Lady Luck was shining down on us (the sun certainly wasn't) and check out our sample images below and first impressions after the break. %Gallery-194653% %Gallery-194863%
With Cal, Any.DO hopes to bring its productivity magic to calendars (hands-on)
When Any.DO -- the brains behind the popular iOS to-do app -- announced Cal for iOS last month, we had high hopes for its take on calendar functionality. Starting today, Cal will be available for download in the App Store, but we had a chance to play with it early to see what it was all about. The app marks the company's initial foray into a full-blown suite of productivity apps (as teased in their press release below), which will include, at some indeterminate point in the future, Any.DO's own e-mail app. Any.DO is determined to hit a home run with its life-management line, but does Cal live up to the hype? Read on to find out. %Gallery-193598%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom hands-on: 10x telephoto, 100x intrigue (video)
It's easy enough to describe the Galaxy S4 Zoom, since it's essentially a Galaxy S4 Mini with a 10x zoom lens stuck on the back. But that sort of summary doesn't do it justice. When you hold the phone-slash-camera and look at the optically stabilized image captured by its 16-megapixel, point-and-shoot grade sensor, you begin to realize that -- at least for those who do a lot of snapping and sending -- this combo of components holds some serious power. Just like the first Galaxy Camera, it's all about fun and immediacy: the ability to edit, organize and share decent-quality images using Android apps and cellular data connectivity. The key advantages are that the GS4 Zoom can work as a regular phone for voice calls, and that it's just about portable enough to be used that way, whereas the Galaxy Camera was a lot bulkier. With these gains, the smaller zoom (10x instead of 21x) and lower-res screen (qHD instead of 720p) don't overly faze us, so long as the final selling price takes it all into account. Ultimately, our only hesitation is the impending arrival of the so-called Nokia EOS, likely due on July 11th, which takes a totally upside-down approach to smartphone photography and is likely to be much more pocketable as a result. Those are two devices we can't wait to put head-to-head, especially in terms of image quality, but our hands-on gallery (and impending video) might help to tide you over in the meantime. Update: Hands-on video added.%Gallery-191822%
Huawei Ascend P6 hands-on (video)
Well, we can't say that we didn't know it was coming, despite only getting officially announced this afternoon in London. Either way, Huawei's Ascend P6 is here, and we got some hands-on time with it. As one leak suggested, the P6 comes with a 4.7-inch LCD display (1,280 x 720), a quad-core K3V2 processor, 2GB of RAM and just 8GB internal storage (there is thankfully a microSD card slot). Camera-wise, reports of a 5-megapixel shooter on the front were on the money, while the rear camera is a shade above that at eight megapixels. The front-facing cam isn't the only talking point, either. At just 6.18mm thick, the Ascend P6 is potentially the slimmest phone out there (for now), but is a trim waist and the promise of improved selfies enough? We spent some hands-on time with it to find out.%Gallery-191578%
Hands-on with the Ouya destined for store shelves
The Ouya journey, according to founder Julie Uhrman, will never have a firm conclusion. But, we'd say having retail units enter production and shipping to mega stores like Game Stop and Best Buy represents at least the culmination of this particular story arc. With only a few weeks to go before the retail launch, the company brought the final console, controller and packaging to E3 for a press tour. The console itself is unchanged from the version that shipped to Kickstarter backers, except that it wont have contributor names etched on the side. The final tweaks heading into production have focused on the controller and the software. Visually the gamepad is exactly the same, but a number of small changes have be made to the various components to address feedback from early adopters and reviewers. The holes around the four face buttons have been widened to prevent them from sticking and, no matter how hard we tried, we could not get the O, U, Y or A to get wedged under the face plate. The right thumb stick also had a tendency to get caught on early versions of the controller, thanks to a small amount of glue that leaked into the area. That issue has supposedly been resolved, and in our time with the production model we had no problems with the analog stick. %Gallery-191293%
E3 2013: Hands-on with steampunkish Black Gold
The folks over at Snail Games had several computers set up at E3 this year to allow the press to play their next MMO, Black Gold. The concept is simple but relatively uncommon: steampunk vs. fantasy. I guess you can say RIFT tried its hand at the trope with its Defiants and Guardians showdown, but it wasn't taken to such an extreme. Black Gold is more like Aztec elves with magic powers vs. an apocalyptic survivalist society that's living off of steam power even though they have telephone poles. While the game has some really cool art and concepts, the pre-beta demo I got to try was sadly lacking in options. I spent about 20 minutes in the morning trying an Isenhorst human with a rifle, then spent the last hour of E3 day one with still more BG.%Gallery-191249%
Hands-on with the Delta Six gun controller (video)
Glimpses of the Delta Six have been teasing an ultra-realistic and motion-enabled gaming controller since last fall, and now that it's back on Kickstarter, we've gone hands-on with a prototype to see just how it handles. Though hardware and software tweaks have been made since it first surfaced, its creator David Kotkin says the peripheral is roughly 80 percent complete. For example, the beta version we took for a spin was only compatible with the Xbox 360, but the final product is set to play nice with the PS3, PC and Wii U, in addition to next-gen consoles via a software update. Hold the matte black prototype in your hands, and you'll notice it has a fair amount of heft to it. Its weight didn't take an immediate toll on this editor's arms, but some light fatigue was noticeable after about 20 or 30 minutes of play. The hardware is actually a stock airsoft gun that's been gutted and stuffed with Xbox 360 controller parts, a rechargeable battery and an Arduino. According to Kotkin, the faux firearm's code will be made open source, and users will be able to program it to their heart's content.%Gallery-187766%
Hands-on with the smaller, less expensive 7-inch Wikipad (video)
When the Wikipad went from 10.1-inches to just 7-inches earlier this year, subsequently cutting its price in half alongside the size reduction, the gaming-centric Android tablet went from riskily priced potential failure to affordable item of interest in one swift move. $500 for a 10.1-inch tablet with a proprietary gaming controller peripheral? With a Tegra 3, no less? That already sounds outdated, and at $500, it sounds outright crazy. Though Wikipad promises a 10.-1-inch version is still in the works, the 7-incher is headed for retail in the coming weeks, with the aforementioned Tegra 3 quad-core SoC, a 1,280 x 800 IPS screen, Jellybean 4.1, and that enormous detachable game controller (12 buttons in all!). At last week's Game Developers Conference, we had a chance to check out the latest version of the Wikipad just ahead of its retail launch -- for more on that meeting, join us beyond the break.
Kogan Agora phablet hands-on (video)
Kogan has released a budget-friendly netbook (back when netbooks existed), laptop and tablet, and now its got a new product to show us here at CES -- the Agora smartphone. It's verging on phablet territory with a 5-inch screen (800 x 480 resolution), and running the whole show is a dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor and half a gig of RAM. A 5-megapixel shooter with flash is found top-center on the back, and a 0.3-megapixel camera off to the right of the speaker grille on the front. Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich is the OS of choice here, kept alive by a 2,000 mAh battery nestled under the textured back panel. Right next to that power source is space for two SIMs (one 2G / one 3G), and a microSD slot to boost the 4GB of on-board storage (up to 64GB cards supported). Those specs should tell you that the Agora phone isn't aimed at the high end, but despite that, the build quality is solid. The square handset looks alright, too. We liked the dimpled back panel and prominent metal Kogan logo, as well as the shiny dark grey rim holding it all together. It's not exactly a Retina display, but it's not notably terrible, and performance-wise, it ranged from slick to jittery depending on how much we were telling it to do in how short a time. We'll save the Note II comparisons, as there's only stat you really need to know -- the Agora smartphone costs $149 (£119 in the UK). Pre-orders are live on Kogan's website now, and units should be hitting hands mid-February, or earlier. We're assured the launch will go ahead without a hitch (various difficulties prevented a previous attempt from reaching market). Check out the gallery and hands-on video below for more info. Kevin Wong contributed to this report.
Ion unveils cellphone accessories for home phone replacement, speakerphones
If you've cancelled your home phone service, but still yearn for handsets peppered throughout the house, Ion's Bluetooth Cordless Phone Station could fill that void. Slotting a cellphone into the base, which also functions as a charger, allows a trio of satellite handsets to make calls using the docked device via Bluetooth and DECT 6.0 tech. If design and conference calls ares on your mind, Ion's rolled also out a saucer-shaped speakerphone system dubbed Talking Point. The glossy disc connects to smartphones via Bluetooth, packs a top-facing speaker and multiple microphones for capturing audio from several directions. Also tagging along is the Phone Station Plus, which packs stereo speakers, an LCD display and condenser mic, and allows Bluetooth-enabled cellphones to use it as a speakerphone rig. Journey past the jump for the press release, glamour shots and a handful of hands-on photos. Update: We've spoken to the folks at Ion and Talking Point is estimated to arrive this June carrying a $149.99 price tag. The outfit's Bluetooth Cordless Phone Station is penciled in for a September arrival and is set to ring up at $99. As for the Speaker Phone Plus, it's already available out in the wild. %Gallery-174755%
Razer Sabertooth Xbox 360 controller ups the ante on tourney gaming, we go hands-on
Razer's Onza Xbox 360 controller is very, very nice. Sure, it's got an unbelievably long, non-detachable wire sticking out of it, but its build quality is top notch and its ultra-clicky face buttons are a pleasure to use. In the company's second Xbox 360 controller -- the Sabertooth -- Razer's focusing on the tournament gaming crowd rather than simply outfitting its Onza with "Tournament Edition" specs. That aside, the Sabertooth retains the quality we've come to expect from Razer products. Oh, and that crazy long wire is thankfully detachable! It's apparent from first glance that the Sabertooth is intended as such, given the six extra (programmable) buttons found on the shoulders and back of the controller, and the tiny OLED screen found along the bottom (allowing for the programming of said buttons). Considering that a regular Xbox 360 controller comprises 12 (!!) buttons not counting the d-pad, adding another six and an OLED screen is ... intense, to say the least. While we didn't have occasion to test the programmability, we can definitively say that the Sabertooth's other functions are just as solid as with the Onza. The analog sticks are as good or better than a standard Xbox 360 controller, the d-pad is an improvement over the Onza (which was already an improvement over the dismal d-pad included on most Xbox 360 controllers), and the triggers / shoulder buttons are appropriately springy and responsive. There's even a silly backlight for several face buttons, should you be playing video games in a cave (you can opt to turn off the backlight, too -- we certainly did). Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Neo Geo X hands-on
When the Neo Geo AES hit the scene 20 years ago, it was one of the largest, most powerful and most expensive game consoles the market had to offer, ringing in at a steep $650. Used AES machines aren't much cheaper, and modernized slim variations don't cost a penny less than the original hardware, either. A full home console might be a bit outside of the average gamer's budget, but SNK's 20th anniversary Neo Geo X hits a little closer to home: $200 for a portable handheld, 20 pre-loaded games, a faithful recreation of the original console arcade stick and an AES-shaped charging / controller dock that pipes video and audio out to a proper television. The end result? A handheld dressed up in a home console's skin. This is something we needed to see -- we spent some time with the setup to give it a once over.
Roundup: Hands-on with Apple's new hardware
You probably can't wait to play with all the newly announced Apple hardware that you heard about today, right? Well, you can't, at least not yet. Thankfully, there were plenty of people at the event who did get to go hands-on with the slim and sexy new gadgets, and they can't wait to tell you what they thought about them. Here's a peak at just what they're saying. The iPad mini Engadget: "The device itself is precisely what you'd expect it to be: a slightly shrunken iPad, with a rear that resembles the new iPod touch. It's aluminum-clad, finely polished and equipped with a 7.9-inch LCD (1,024 x 768). The volume rocker, orientation / mute switch and bottom-mounted speakers are graciously borrowed from the conventional iPad, while the rest of the exterior maintains a pretty familiar look. No, there's no touch sensitive bezel (à la PlayBook), wireless charging or USB 3.0 support -- if you were looking for breakthrough hardware additions, you'll be sorely disappointed." The Verge: "Like most Apple products, the build of the smaller tablet is excellent, easily surpassing the competition on the market. By comparison, the Nexus 7 and Fire HD feel like toys. Other manufacturers are going to have to up their game with this product in town. It's just a striking difference in materials and solidness." Mashable: "You have to wonder if Apple could have gone the extra mile and made the iPad mini a full-on Retina device. It wouldn't have taken that many more pixels to push it over the edge. But that's a common behavior for this company -- leave the next level just out of reach, ready for the upgrade (likely next year, around the same time as the fifth-generation iPad)." Ars Technica: "Indeed, it's a smaller version of the iPad, but in use, the iPad mini doesn't "seem" significantly smaller. Apple claims you can hold the device with one hand, which may be technically true for some of our larger-handed readers. For me, it was just barely doable, but still possible." The new iMac Engadget: "It's hard to overstate just how phenomenal this machine looks in the flesh. It's also unbelievably thin -- we'd be impressed if it were simply a new Cinema Display, but the fact that a computer is in there really takes it over the top. At $1,299, you'll be hard-pressed to find a sexier all-in-one (assuming you don't need an inbuilt optical drive, of course)." The Verge: "Although Apple isn't calling this panel a "Retina display," the techniques and appearance of this panel are pretty close to Retina-level: the laminated front glass and anti-glare treatments make images look like they're lying right on top of the screen, and the same scaling options you get on a Retina MacBook Pro are present in system preferences." Ars Technica: "As a current iMac owner, I did feel like the screen seemed less reflective than what I'm used to, although real world use would tell us more about the reality of that claim. Overall I was impressed by the design and wish I had the budget to replace my current machine." GigaOM: "The two models on display were top of the line and it was easy to imagine that they would be speedy. However, nothing prepares you for the hybrid Fusion Drive Apple is using in this device. Apple's iTunes by far is the worst application on my old iMac and that is why I clicked on it first. And it open almost instantly -- it felt faster than the iTunes on my flash-drive based Macbook Air" 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina Engadget: "Compared to the 1,280 x 800 resolution of the non-Retina 13-inch MBP, the new display is particularly stunning. Text has never looked more crisp, and colors are stupendously vibrant. Of course, apps, websites and graphics that haven't been optimized for Retina still look like utter rubbish, and as more Apple machines transition to these panels, the outcry is going to get even louder." SlashGear: "We've been wowed before with Retina-level graphics, and the new MacBook Pro delivers the same impact. The mode most often used isn't actually stretching things to 2,560 x 1,600, but instead offering an on-paper lower resolution but with smoother graphics all round. The result is clean icons and text of the sort you'll struggle to find on a Windows notebook." Laptop: "While other notebook-makers are busy churning out Windows 8 hybrids with touch screens, Apple is bringing its jaw-dropping Retina display to a laptop you can take anywhere. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display ($1,699) feels like the ultimate Ultrabook in person, thanks to its 2,560 x 1,600-pixel screen." So what do you think? Out of all the things that Apple revealed today, what most caught your eye? Let us know in the comments!
Formlabs FORM 1 high-resolution 3D printer spotted in the wild, we go eyes on (video)
Last time we checked in with the 3D printing upstarts over at Formlabs, their Kickstarter was doing splendidly, having over doubled its initial funding target. Well, less than a month later, and with the money still rolling in, the current total stands (at time of writing) at a somewhat impressive $2,182,031 -- over 20 times its initial goal. When we heard that the team behind it, along with some all important working printers, rolled into town, how could we resist taking the opportunity to catch up? The venue? London's 3D print show. Where, amongst all the printed bracelets and figurines, the FORM 1 stood out like a sore thumb. A wonderfully orange, and geometrically formed one at that. We elbowed our way through the permanent four-deep crowd at their booth to take a closer look, and as the show is running for another two days, you can too if you're in town. Or you could just click past the break for more.
Xbox Music heads to Xbox 360 first tomorrow, PC / tablets on Oct. 26, WP8 soon after; we go hands-on
When Xbox Music goes live tomorrow on the Xbox 360, console owners will be the first to access the Spotify-esque service from Microsoft. Well, some of them will at least -- existing Zune Pass subscribers (now an "Xbox Music Pass") and folks willing to pony up $9.99/month or $99.90/year who also have an Xbox Live Gold account gain access to Xbox Music's 30 million global song database via data stream (18 million songs for those of us in the US). Okay, okay, a free trial is available for 30 days. After that, though, 360 owners lose access unless they pay up. Then, on October 26, Windows 8 PC and tablet users get the service for free -- with or without the Xbox Music Pass -- albeit with ads laced in. Windows Phone 8 is in the same boat with Xbox folks: no song-specific streaming without an Xbox Music Pass. That won't arrive until some time "soon after" the PC/tablet version. Microsoft says the ad-supported free streaming is unlimited on PC and tablet, but that's only for the first six months, after which it becomes time limited. A bummer for sure, but Microsoft's banking on you digging the service enough to snag an Xbox Music Pass. But will you? Like with Spotify and Pandora, some basic artist info, album/song info, and images garnish playing tracks, though not all artists are created equal -- some artists had no images, while others had a detailed dossier. Microsoft says it's adding more all the time, though. Xbox Music Pass holders can hang on to tracks for offline listening as well, which show up in your library and can be added to playlists. And should you wish to listen to a "Smart" radio station based on an artist/song/album, you can employ the "Smart DJ" (previously "Smart Playlist") to create just such a station. The whole shebang is tied directly to your Microsoft login, mirroring settings and library data on all your devices (Xbox 360 included) across the cloud. That same concept applies to playback, as you can pause a song on one device and pick it up right where you left off on another. Songs can also be purchased through the streaming service with or without the Xbox Music Pass, should you really want to hold onto that Barry Manilow track.%Gallery-168341%
LG Optimus G for AT&T hands-on (video)
Well, we're finally getting a look at the US edition of LG's Optimus G and surprise, surprise, it's not that terribly different from the version we got to play with in both Korea and NYC last month. We're still looking at that stunning 4.7-inch 1280x768 True HD IPS PLUS display, a speedy Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, a hefty 2,100mAh battery and 16GB storage -- on this model, at least. But what, if anything, has changed on this Android 4.0 handset now that it's here in the US cruising along on AT&T's LTE network? Keep reading after the break to find out.
ASUS VivoTab RT 10.1-inch Windows 8 RT tablet comes to AT&T later this year, we go hands-on (update: now with video!)
The ASUS VivoTab RT is heading to AT&T exclusively this winter with 4G LTE -- that much we already knew. But how does it feel? Well, it feels like a super thin (0.33-inches) and light (1.1 lb.) Windows 8 RT tablet. The Tegra 3 quad-core processor packs more than enough power into the 10.1-inch, multitouch Super IPS screen to make swapping between apps and other such affairs a smooth snap, and 2GB of internal RAM certainly doesn't hurt in the speed department either. That 10.1-inch screen comes with ASUS' "TruVid" technology, which intends to make your viewing experiences all the more magical -- the screen looked plenty nice to us, as did media displayed on it, but perhaps not the "brilliant viewing experience" that ASUS is touting. There's still no price for the device or its non-RT cousin (not to mention those AT&T data plans), but we expect to hear more in the near future -- winter's only so long, right?
Samsung Galaxy Camera marries Android and photography on AT&T, we go hands-on (update: video!)
Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Camera is a bit of a wild card, marrying Google's Android Jelly Bean OS with a 16-megapixel camera -- heck, it's even got a 4.8-inch 1,280 x 720-pixel (308 ppi) touchscreen display. Yup, rather than offering a digital viewfinder out back like a normal digital point-and-shoot, the Samsung Galaxy Camera offers a multitouch panel; the entire back consists of that 4.8-inch screen, edge-to-edge. It's not all touchscreen, though -- several buttons (controlling a pop-up flash, power, zoom toggle, and shutter release) are also part of the somewhat bulky build. Beyond the WiFi radio built in, the Galaxy Camera also comes with 3G/4G support via micro-SIM -- which we now know at least one carrier will support: AT&T. During an event with the cellular data carrier this evening, we got our hands-on the Galaxy Camera once more (albeit now with an AT&T micro-SIM on board). That speedy 1.4GHz quad-core processor helped us along, speedily swiping through Jelly Bean's panes and launching its photo app promptly. Apps like Instagram were also on display, allowing for even nicer photos to be defiled by software filters (we kid!). The AT&T connectivity allowed us to upload photos directly to the cloud while snapping, utilizing its Auto Cloud Backup feature; image quality isn't quite professional-grade, but its no slouch either. The Galaxy Camera is, for all intents and purposes, a full-on Android smartphone ... minus that whole "phone" thing. Its heft is perhaps more than we'd like in a point-and-shoot, but that gigantic -- and gorgeous -- viewfinder out back certainly helps assuage our space concerns. The device arrives at both carriers and camera retailers this October for an unknown price. Update: We've added a second gallery with a few shots we snapped with the Samsung Galaxy Camera at the event -- forgive them if they're not spectacular. The heat of the moment! Update 2: We've added even more photos shot with the Galaxy Camera in to the second gallery below, and a quick hands-on video just after the break.
ZTE shows off new V98 Windows 8 slate, we go hands-on
Intel just outed its new Atom SoC, and at its tablet event in San Francisco today, the company had a whole slew of slates packing the Clover Trail silicon on hand. Dell's Latitude 10, the ASUS Tablet 810, Acer's Iconia W510 and W700, Lenovo's ThinkPad 2, the HP Envy x2 and Samsung's Series 5 were all there. However, it was the handsome slice of Windows 8 from ZTE that really caught our attention. Called the V98, it has a 10.1-inch, 1366 x 768 LCD on top of an aluminum chassis with a beveled edge similar to what you'd find on a white iPhone 5. Beneath that handsome exterior is the aforementioned Intel Z2760 chipset, 64GB of ROM, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (plus a microSD slot if you need more digital space). There's 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, tri-band UMTS and quad-band GSM radios, plus NFC and LTE can be had as options. It's got an accelerometer, proximity and ambient light sensors, a magnetometer and a gyro, too. An 8-megapixel camera is stuck in the back, while a 2-megapixel shooter resides round front. ZTE managed to stuff all that and a 7,000mAh battery inside a svelte 8.9mm-thin package. We got to spend a little bit of time with a prototype ZTE model, and found the hardware to be solid for a hand-built unit. Its aluminum chassis makes for quite a rigid device in hand, and the machined and polished bevel gives the V98 a very high-end look. The chromed plastic volume rocker, power button and screen orientation lock switch nestled in the plastic radio reception strip at the top of the device are decidedly less luxurious, however -- the travel of each was shallow, and the finish on the plastic appeared a bit cheap to our eyes. That said, the rotating magnetic aluminum door that reveals the SD card and SIM slots is slick -- far easier to open and close than the plastic port covers found on most other slates. There's also a 30-pin docking port on the bottom edge of the tablet, but ZTE informed us it'd be another month or so before the dock is ready for public consumption. Unfortunately, the V98 won't be available for purchase until Q1 of next year, but you can see if its worth waiting for in our gallery of shots below.
