Android N Developer Preview 3 released

May 19, 2016

Google has released the third developer preview for Android N. The search engine giant also revealed some of the latest features of the upcoming version of the Android OS during the I/O conference 2016. The release of Android N was announced as Google’s keynote at the conference.

The company released the developer preview 1 for Android N two months ago. The unexpected launch of the developer’s version of Android N was immediately followed by new updates released a few weeks ago.

Android N developer preview 3 is currently available for Nexus 6, Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P and some other compatible devices such as Sony Xperia Z3.

Google announced that this latest edition of the mobile operating system is the most secure version so far. The developer preview 3 is quite close to being transformed into the first official beta version.

As per Engadget report, the handsets running Android N developer preview 3 could automatically download the image file in the background. In addition, the new developer preview will also install the update once the device is rebooted by the user.

For small updates, the OS will alert the user to an upcoming update. The users will be informed about the major updates under the suggestions category in the settings option. This will give more control to the users, allowing them to start update installation instantly or delay install until later.

VR mode is another new addition to the developer preview 3. VR mode allows the developers to enhance the quality of VR experiences of their applications. However, the VR mode is only accessible for Nexus P.

Android N Stands for?

Additional updates include improved performance for effects as well as graphics and smaller battery. 72 latest emojis are also included in the package.

The company has yet not decided on the final name for Android N and has sought help from the public to name the latest version of the Android OS.

Google Android Instant Apps announced

Emmanuel

May 19, 2016

Google has stated that it will soon launch a new feature on Android OS called Android Instant Apps.

Basically, the new feature lets users access apps from search engines, social media, messaging, and other deep links without the need to stop and first install the app. The announcement was made during a keynote address at the Google I/O 2016, a conference for software developers and programmers.

“Today we’re sharing a preview of a new project that we think will change how people experience Android apps. We call it Android Instant Apps, and it evolves Android apps to be able to run instantly, without requiring installation,” Google Product Manager, Suresh Ganapathy said.

Google stressed that it created the feature to ensure that people seamlessly have access to a wider range of apps.

To make sure majority of Android users get access to the feature, Google said it has made it compatible with Android Jelly Bean OS and later. This way the Android Instant Apps will reach over a billion users, Ganapathy said.

Ganapathy, in a blog post, explains that developers don’t have to build a new and separate app for Google’s Instant Apps feature. According to him, the feature is an extension of Google’s App Streaming service.

“It’s the same Android APIs, the same project, the same source code. You’ll simply update your existing Android app to take advantage of Instant Apps functionality,” he elaborated.

Google also added that the Instant App feature requires partner apps to be built with modules to function. This means users will access only the necessary modules when they tap on an app feature, and they won’t have to download the entire app.

Google also said it is working with a small set of developers for the Instant Apps, and they will gradually expand the access soon. These partners developers include BuzzFeed, B&H Photo, Medium, Hotel Tonight, Zumper and Disney.

The Android Instant Apps will be available later this year.

HP Jet Fusion 3D printers could revolutionize 3D printing

Jia Khan

May 18, 2016

HP is all set to jazz-up 3D printing with its much-awaited 3D printers. The American multinational unveiled the latest HP Jet Fusion 3D printers that are up to ten times faster than the existing 3D printers in the market and come at half the price.

Named HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution, the mechanism is quite revolutionary as opposed to the existing 3D printing technologies in the market that only produce lumps of softened plastic.

However, HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers produce nearly finished parts, ready to be incorporated into the prototypes or commercial products. These 3D printers are even capable of producing quite complex and intricate little ornaments.

HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers are speedy as well as accurate. Just like the precision of an inkjet printer, HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers put out a very small quantity of thermoplastic.

This implies more control on the design of the 3D printed product. By employing thousands of nozzles in every round, the printers can blend distinctive colors and even combine different materials in a single go.

HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers- Speedier and Controlled Design

A tray of print that presently takes twenty to forty hours of production, could now be printed in mere four to five hours at a much lower price.

The most affordable 3D printer from the HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers would be the HP Jet Fusion 3D 3200 Printer, designed for scaled-down prototyping.

Those looking for better performance should go for HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200, which is ranked for dual purposes, including prototyping as well as transitory manufacturing. Both of the devices features a suite of guiding software along with HP Jet Fusion 3D Processing Station accompanied with Fast Cooling technology.

These high-end specs and features indicate that HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers could revolutionize the current 3D printing mechanism. HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 is said to come with the price tag of $130,000, while HP Jet Fusion 3D 3200 will be priced at $155,000.

Both HP printers will go on sale next year.

HP EliteBook 1030 launches with Fanless, all-metal design

Emmanuel

May 17, 2016

Hewlett Packard has launched the HP Elitebook 1030, a new premium looking business-class notebook that comes with a 13.3 inch edge-to-edge display.

The laptop sits comfortably between the Elitebook 1020 and 1040, which are both members of HP’s premium business-class portfolio.

HP EliteBook 1030 specs and features

The new EliteBook 1030 has in two models- one features a non-touch full-HD display while the other packs a Quad-HD display with touch. There’s an additional Corning Gorilla Glass cover on the screen to offer more protection.

The HP EliteBook 1030 is really slick. It is just 15.7 mm thin and weighs only 1.16kg. It also features a “diamond-cut” all metal fanless design. In addition, the HP EliteBook 1030 has a back-lit keyboard which is spill-resistant. HP also added that the laptop can offer up to 13 hours of battery life on a single charge.

The device has some added features including HP Sure Start with Dynamic Protection which is for data protection. According to HP, the EliteBook 1030 features the “industry’s first self-healing PC BIOS with runtime monitoring.”

Users will have the option to pick from a variety of sixth generation Intel Core M Processor when purchasing the notebook.

It will however have 512GB of SSD storage and will pack up to 16GB of RAM. Added to the mix are a USB Type-C port, two Micro-USB 3.0 ports, Wi-Di, Miracast, WLAN 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 4.2. Bang & Olufsen power the speakers on the EliteBook 1030.

Furthermore, the laptop comes with a fingerprint reader, runs Windows 10 out of the box, and is designed to pass MIL-STD tests for shock, vibrations and extreme temperatures.

Pricing and availability

The HP EliteBook 1030 has been listed on the firm’s official website with a price tag starting from $1,249 (that’s roughly 250,000 naira). The new laptop will release in May, but HP hasn’t set a firm date.

Samsung announces Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016)

Jia Khan

May 16, 2016

Just as anticipated, Samsung has launched its Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016). The latest addition to the Galaxy tablet family is a new, low-ish cost tablet with a massive battery.

The latest slate has been unveiled in Germany and other European states. The tablet is also currently listed on the Netherlands website of the company. Previously, the South Korean tech giant had also introduced a 7-inches TFT display Galaxy Tab A (2016) back in March.

Specifications

In terms of specifications, Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016) by Samsung comes with a 10.1-inch WUXGA TFT display featuring a 1920×1200p screen resolution. An inspection of the innards of the slate reveal that the tablet will be fueled by an octa-core Exynos SoC working at 1.6GHz. will run on Android Marshmallow 6.0 topped with Samsung’s skin on top.

Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016) will run on Android Marshmallow 6.0 with Samsung’s skin atop it.

On the storage front, Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016) sports 2GB of RAM along with 16GB built-in storage on board that can easily be extended up to 200GB via microSD card.

For the camera, the device packs in an 8MP autofocus and LED flash supported back camera as well as a 2MP front-facing snapper to click selfies.

The device will be released in two variants including the LTE and WIFI models with a price tag of EUR 349 and EUR 289 respectively. Both the variants will feature similar specs except for the fact that the LTE version will come with SIM card and will also sport 4G LTE.

The device will be backed by a massive 7300mAh battery. The connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.2, WIFI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Micro USB connectivity and Glonass.

Samsung has yet to reveal its plans for the launch of Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016) in other markets outside Europe.

BMW’s i3 electric car is getting a bigger battery, 114-mile range

Jia Khan

May 2, 2016

BMW i3 is expected to get a bigger battery along with an upgraded mile range. When it was originally launched, the i3 came with a 22KWh battery which had the capacity to power around 80 miles of driving. The latest battery is rated at 33KWh and the German company has claimed that the bigger battery will improve the range of i3 to 114 miles.

Additionally, the BMW buyers who order the REx model of the vehicle encompassing two cylinders, 650cc engine will receive an enhanced model. The improved version of the car will feature an upgraded gas tank capacity, increased from 1.9 gallons to 2.4 gallons.

Notably, the range for the REX vehicles was recorded 150 miles, which apparently implies that the total range for the latest vehicle should be around 200 miles. However, the German car manufacturer is yet to reveal the figures.

The latest version of the car will also packs in faster battery charging. Earlier, the 22KWh battery module required 3.5 hours of charging time employing the Level 2, 240 volt charger. The latest battery requires 4.5 hours with 50% upgraded capacity.

By using the DC fast charger, the new i3 is capable of charging up to 80% in a mere 40 minutes. The recorded time is just a few minutes more than the 24 minutes required by the recent model of the vehicle. However, it is still an enhancement in charging speed per KWh.

The company has not specified its plans for the launch of the new i3 with the latest battery module in the United States. Ironically, even with all these improvements and upgrades, BMW i3 will face aggressive competition from the soon to be launched Tesla Model 3 as well as Chevy Bolt.

A more pressing question, at this stage, is regarding the purported i8 bump, as the BMW enthusiasts anxiously await the German manufacturer to officially announce the latest addition to the i8 lineup.

NASA launches new X-plane program to create cleaner, more efficient planes

Jia Khan

April 25, 2016

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, has announced the launch of the ‘New Aviation Horizons’ initiative. The program has been designed to create the latest breed X-planes.

These new crafts will consume less fuel, will be powered by green energy and will be the most efficient latest generation of X-planes.

Jim Banke, NASA Aeronautics research Mission directorate commented on the new project in his statement:

“NASA’s flight research program is on its way to creating a renaissance of an exciting era in aviation research.”

Detailing its plans, NASA revealed that the model and design of X-planes will take many years. The aircraft will also be less noisy, producing half the noise as that of the existing aircrafts.

The first contract of the ‘New Aviation Horizons’ initiative has been assigned to a team at popular aerospace, defense and advanced technologies company Lockheed Martin.

The team has started work on the design of a less noisy, supersonic passenger jet.

For around 100 years, NASA and its precursor NACA have employed experimental aircraft to improve aviation technology.

With the help of government financing, the agency has curtailed the costly R&D burden on private ventures. This has reduced the time span to commercialize the latest aviation technologies.

The plane was originally named XS-planes for eXperimental Supersonic which was then shortened to X. The X-planes are a lineup of experimental aircraft designed purely for research.

Around 56 X-plane ideas have thus far been put forward. All these designs represent the breakthroughs that NASA has achieved over the years.

Commenting on the proposed designs of the new X-planes, Ed Waggoner, NASA Integrated Aviation Systems Program Director said in his statement:

“If we can build some of these X-planes and demonstrate some of these technologies, we expect that will make it much easier and faster for U.S. industry to pick them up and roll them out into the marketplace,”

Acer Aspire S 13 ultra-slim Windows 10 Notebook and Aspire R 15 convertible announced

Jia Khan

April 22, 2016

The next@acer event organized in New York was a fun-packed exhibition of the latest gaming and hardware tools that the Taiwanese manufacturer has to offer in 2016. Acer has extended its Aspire range of laptops and launched a latest ultra-slim Aspire S 13 Windows 10 notebook.

The company has also released the latest version for its Acer Aspire R 15 convertible and included new models under the Aspire E range, Aspire F series and Aspire ES 15.

On the specs front, Windows 10 based Acer Aspire S 13 comes with a full HD 13.3-inch IPS display and is fueled by 6^th generation Intel Core chipsets coupled with up to 8GB system memory.

Users can select from Core i3, i5 and i7 chipsets. The Acer Aspire S 13 comes with an optional 54Wh 3-cell Li-ion battery and also features TrueHarmony sound and Dolby Atmos tech.

Acer Aspire R 15, on the other hand, is powered by 6^th generation Intel Core processors clubbed with up to 12GB DDR4 system memory with swift speed and reduced power usage.

The Aspire R 15 convertible comes with a metal top cover accompanied with hairline brushed finish. The bottom cover is made up of 40% glass fiber along with silver particles.

The laptop packs in the company’s ExoAmp Antenna technology that ensures enhanced connectivity along with seamless, faster wireless experience.

Acer Aspire R 15 also sports Windows 10 features such as Cortana, making the laptop safer and more personalized.

Acer also launched new Aspire E series and F series laptops that come at a starting price of $399 and $499 respectively.

As far as the price and availability of these devices are concerned, the price of both the Acer Aspire S 13 and Aspire R 15 convertible will start at $699 and they will be accessible in North America in the coming May.

Acer Predator 17 X VR-ready Notebook, Switch Alpha 12 Liquid-cooled 2-in-1 announced

Jia Khan

April 22, 2016

Acer has launched the latest Predator gaming range at the next@acer event held in NYC. The event showcased a range of high-end offerings from the Taiwan-based technology company like the Acer Predator 17 X and the Acer Switch Alpha 12.

The new Predator line consists of notebooks and desktops ready for VR, while the Acer Switch Alpha 12 is a Liquid-cooled 2-in-1.

Acer Predator 17 X

Predator 17 X features a G-SYNC 17.3-inches FHD IPS display with 1920 × 1080 pixels resolution or UHD IPS 4K display with 3840×2160p screen resolution. The device is fueled by 6^th generation Intel Core i7 SoC which can be overclocked to up to 4GHz.

Unlike other gaming laptops featuring the regular NVIDIA M line GPU, Predator 17X comes with a desktop graphics card equipped with the GTX 980.

In addition, the laptop also packs in tri-fan cooling mechanism to ensure that the gamers don’t run into the over-heating issues. The price of the Predator 17X gaming laptop begins at $2,799.

Acer Predator G1

Acer Predator G1 gaming desktop features NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan X graphics and is powered by the 6^th generation Core i7 chipset by Intel coupled with 64GB of RAM.

The device also sports 512GB SSD + 4TB HDD for internal memory.

Predator G1 gaming desktop will land in China sometime in May. However, the European and North American markets will get the latest Acer laptop in the coming June.

The desktop will reportedly be priced at $2799 for these markets as well.

Acer Switch Alpha 12

Last but not the least, Acer Switch Alpha 12 comes with a multi-touch 12-inch 10-point display with 2160×1440p screen resolution.

The device will be driven by 6^th generation Intel Core i7, Core i5 or Core i3 processors. The device will sport up to 8GB of RAM along with up to 512GB of internal storage on board.

The Acer Switch Alpha 12 packs in 1080p webcam and features a LiquidLoop cooling mechanism. The starting price of Switch Alpha 12 is $599.

Acer Chromebook 14 for Work with spill-resistant keyboard announced

Emmanuel

April 22, 2016

Acer has unveiled its Chromebook 14 for Work, a flagship notebook which sports amazing features along with a water resistant keyboard.

The device also sets the record in two different areas. First of all, it is Acer’s first Chromebook that will be compliant with Google’s Chrome for Work.

Acer Chromebook 14 for Work is also the first laptop to sport Vibrant Corning Gorilla Glass, which provides a durable glass finish that can be customized with various images.

The selling point of the laptop is its spill-resistant keyboard which meets the rugged MIL-STD 810G military standard to protect against drops, dust, temperature and humidity.

The keyboard can survive spills of up to 11 ounces (330ml) of fluids. Its unique gutter system under the keyboard and touchpad drains liquid through two drain holes to route water away from internal components and out the bottom of the chassis.

The Acer Chromebook 14 sports a compact design- it measures 330.9 x 227 x 22.4 mm and weighs only 1.45kg.

It has been tested to be able to withstand up to 132 pounds (60kg) of downward force and won’t be damaged if it falls from heights of up to 48 inches (122cm).

Acer really took its time producing the device as each of its specs will be available in various configurations.

Its 14-inch screen will come in either a 1366×768 HD or a 1920×1080 Full HD resolution depending on what the user wants.

There’s also the option for 32GB or 16GB eMMC storage and either 8GB, 4GB or 2GB of dual channel LPDDR3 SDRAM.

The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work also has a dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which is 2 to 3 times faster than older wireless technology.

In addition is a pair of standard USB 3.0 ports, SD card slot and HDMI output. It also features a USB 3.0 Type-C connection, which creates a full desktop solution thanks to the optional docking port with a single cable for additional displays, speakers and up to five more USB devices.

Acer Chromebook 14 for Work has a starting price of $349 (that’s about 70,000 Naira) and will be available in May. Acer added that its pricing and availability will vary from one region to another.

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