Ustwo is making a game for Gear VR called Land’s End

We promise we’ll stop pumping out individual articles for every Gear VR game announced eventually, but for now, we’re just too dang excited. Announced via Twitter, the developers of the mesmerizing, beautiful Monument Valley, Ustwo Games, is working on a game for the Samsung Gear VR called Land’s End.

We don’t know anything about Land’s End yet, just that it’s, “a surreal trip through an archipelago of forgotten worlds.” Judging by the teaser image for the game, it will look a lot like Monument Valley. So if you’ve ever played Monument Valley and wondered what it would be like to explore the colorful landscape of the game, Land’s End may be your chance.

We were excited about the Gear VR before, but seeing this kind of developer support just hours after its announced has us dying to get our hands on one. We’ll be sure to keep a close eye on Ustwo and Land’s End’s development.

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Sony’s trying again with two new camera accessories for smartphones

The Sony QX10 and QX100 mountable camera systems for smartphones were met with less than stellar reviews. In theory, being able to attach a high-end Sony camera system to the back of your phone for taking pictures on the go is a great idea. But it didn’t quite work out as planned. Sony isn’t ready to give up just yet, however, as the company has announced two new camera systems today.

Improving on last years all-on-one system, the QX30 is a zoom lens system that again straps to the back of and connects to your smartphone. The QX30 features a 30x optical zoom, 21-megapixel sensor and uses F-stop values between 3.5 and 6.3. We’ll have to wait and see how image quality turns out, but we’re honestly not expecting a whole lot. The QX30 will be available October 5 for $350.

The QX1 is the slightly more interesting of the two camera accessories to be announced today. For $400, set to be released October 15, the QX1 is a lens mount with a 21-megapixel sensor and flash. Instead of using a built-in lens, you can use any Sony E lens, or with an adapter, any Sony A lens. It connects to your smartphone in the same way the QX30 does, again, it just uses Sony’s higher-end lenses. $400 seems like a good deal, but at that price, you don’t get any lenses. If you already have some Sony lenses or a cheap way to score some, the QX10 might be a serious replacement for more serious cameras available from the company.

The QX1 and QX30 are already available for preorder on Amazon and on Sony’s website.


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Samsung Gear VR to get first person Temple Run

Samsung’s Gear VR headset is a very ambitious accessory and shows that the company is still capable of innovation and awesome products. But hardware like this can’t succeed without good software to back it up, so Samsung has partnered with a big name in mobile gaming.

Imangi Studios is famous for its addicting game Temple Run and will be bring an entirely new version to the Gear VR. But instead of the now generic third person endless runner formula, this game will be in first person to take advantage of the virtual reality aspect. Now imagine a giant “arctic demon monkey” chasing you in virtual reality.

All we have to go on is a “coming soon” release date. And with no price or release date for the Gear VR itself, we don’t know when we will be able to get our hands on the awesome accessory. But we’re excited to see VR go mainstream. Will you be giving the Gear VR a shot? Leave a comment!

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Here’s where you’ll be able to buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge in the US

Now that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has been announced a detailed, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “where can I sign up for more information on the Note 4? When is it going to be released? Who is going to sell it?” Thankfully, we have at least some of that information to share with you.

As was to be expected, every major carrier in the US and then some is going to be selling at least the Galaxy Note 4, some the Galaxy Note Edge and others official Samsung accessories as well. Here’s what we know so far:

AT&T will be selling both the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Edge. You can already find information pages for both devices on the AT&T website. Along with the two devices, AT&T will carry some of the new Samsung accessories, like the Gear VR.

Verizon will also be selling both the Note 4 and Note Edge, and they have an information signup page located here.

T-Mobile has also announced that, yep, they will also be selling the Note 4 and Note Edge. And they also have a signup page live.

Surely Sprint users won’t be left out, right? Right. The Note 4, Edge and Gear VR are all going to be available on Sprint.

US Cellular has announced it will be selling the Note 4, and has even revealed an October release.

Exact pricing and release information is still hard to come by, but you can bet around $299 on-contract and in October are good bets.

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Sony wants to let you use your Xperia Z3 series device as a TV for your PS4

Though not as cool as a virtual reality headset, Sony has announced its own gaming related accessory to go along with its new flagship devices.

Sony is showing off a mounting accessory for attaching an Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact or Z3 Compact tablet to a PlayStation 4 controller to use with remote play. By using remote play with an Xperia Z3 device, you essentially turn your phone or tablet into a wireless TV. You can play AAA PS4 titles over WiFi, while your PlayStation does all the heavy lifting.

It might be awhile until remote play and the mounting accessory are available but they do make buying into the Sony ecosystem a little more attractive. What do you think, would you rather be able to play your console on your smartphone, or turn your smartphone into a virtual reality headset?

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Samsung tricks out Gear S smart watch with Swarovski crystals

Samsung is known for releasing some seriously fashionable devices. Well, I mean “fashionable.” Many of its devices have been given the Swarovski treatment, coated in the crystals and painted a fancy gold color, and the Gear S is no different. Underneath is a standard Gear S smart watch, featuring 3G connectivity and a 2 inch display.

While this isn’t at all attractive to me, I’m sure some people still buy it as Samsung continues to make them. If you happen to be interested in this flashy device, it’ll be available from Samsung next month. So tell us, would you wear this thing in public? Leave a comment!

Show Press Release

Seoul, Korea – September 2, 2014 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Swarovski, the global leader in cut crystal and fashion jewelry, today announced the release of the Samsung Gear S Strap, the latest addition to its “Swarovski for Samsung” collection. This exclusive collaboration represents a distinctive union of Swarovski craftsmanship and Samsung technological expertise. The stylish Gear S Strap adds a striking radiance to the Samsung Gear S, the most up-to-date smart wearable device enhancing the smart wearable experience.

​“One of the key aspects in wearable devices is providing diverse options for consumers to freely express their own taste and style,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Division at Samsung. “Our ongoing collaboration with Swarovski as demonstrated in the new Gear S Strap, allows us to stay ahead of trends and on the cutting-edge of design and style.”

​The Samsung Gear S Strap is adorned with Swarovski cut crystals that perfectly complement the chic, curved design of the Gear S. It is made with a completely new Swarovski product, Crystal Fine Mesh, just launched in September 2014. This new innovative product integrates the crystals directly into the Strap’s metal mesh making it one of the most exclusive products in the Swarovski assortment. Swarovski’s Crystal Fine Mesh is already being used by top brands in the fashion industry. This unique accessory provides Samsung Gear S users with an exclusive opportunity to revel in fresh forms of self-expression through their wearable device.

​“Samsung and Swarovski share a commitment to bringing high-quality, highly desirable products to the consumer market,” said Christoph Kargruber, Executive Vice President Global Marketing, Swarovski Professional. “Together we will continue to write the success story we began with the ‘Swarovski for Samsung’ collection.”

​The Swarovski Gear S Strap will be available on the Samsung online store and at experience stores starting in October. In addition, the “Swarovski for Samsung” collection will further expand with back covers for Samsung’s next flagship device.

For additional product information on the Gear S, please visit http://ift.tt/GHkDdM.

​About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit http://www.samsung.com.

​About Swarovski
Swarovski delivers a diverse product portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship and creativity. Founded in 1895 in Austria, Swarovski Crystal Business designs, manufactures and markets crystals, natural and created gemstones, finished products such as jewelry, accessories and lighting. The company’s film division, Swarovski Entertainment, produces artistically accomplished feature films with global box-office appeal. The Swarovski Foundation was set up to honour the philanthropic spirit of the company by supporting creativity and culture, promoting wellbeing and conserving natural resources. Now run by the fifth generation of family members, Swarovski Crystal Business has a global reach, with over 2,350 stores in about 170 countries, 25,135 employees and revenues of 2.38 billion Euros in 2012. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasive), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2012, the Group generated revenues of 3.08 billion Euros and employed 30,600 people.

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Sony details six new devices at IFA 2014

Are you ready for this? Sony has announced six, yes six, new devices at IFA today. The company is refreshing practically their entire Xperia product line, and throwing in a couple wearables for good measure.

Sony Xperia Z3

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First up on the list if the plain-jane flagship of the bunch, the Sony Xperia Z3. The Z3 comes with everything you’d expect in a modern day flagship device. 1080p display, Snapdragon 801, 3GB of RAM and more.

  • 5.2-inch 1920×1080 TRILUMINOS display
  • 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor
  • Adreno 330 GPU
  • 20.7-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS sensor, ISO 3200 in manual mode
  • 2.2-megapixel front camera
  • 3GB of RAM
  • 16GB storage
  • microSD slot with support for cards up to 128GB
  • 4G LTE connectivity
  • 146.5 x 72 x 7.3mm
  • IP65 and IP68 rated for resistance to dust and water
  • 3100mAh battery
  • Android 4.4 KitKat

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

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Sony is continuing the trend of treating their “mini” devices as fist class citizens. Much like the Compacts to come before it, the Z3 Compact is almost identical to its bigger sibling. The Z3 compact only loses 1GB of RAM to go along with its smaller 4.6-inch 1280×720 display.

  • 4.6-inch 1280×720 display
  • 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor
  • Adreno 330 GPU
  • 20.7-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS image sensor, ISO 12800 in manual mode
  • 2.2-megapixel front camera
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 16GB storage
  • microSD slot with support for cards up to 128GB
  • 127.3 x 64.9 x 8.64mm
  • IP65, IP68 rated for resistance to dust and water
  • 2600mAh battery
  • Android 4.4 KitKat

Sony Xperia E3

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You might recognize this pretty face. Despite it’s lower specs, it fits right in with the rest of the Xperia family. The Xperia E3 is Sony’s stab at an introductory level smartphone. And they do a darn good job at it.

  • 4.5-inch 854×480 IPS display
  • 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor
  • 5-megapixel rear, VGA front cameras
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 4GB of storage
  • microSD slot with support for cards up to 32GB
  • 137.1 x 69.4 x 8.5 mm
  • 4G LTE connectivity
  • 2330mAh battery
  • Android 4.4 KitKat

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact tablet

xperia z3 compact tablet

Sony is bringing the same philosophies it brought to the Xperia Z3 Compact to the Xperia Z3 Compact tablet. Sony is boasting that the tablet is ultra thin, ultra light, and made out of premium high-end materials. All while still being waterproof.

  • 8-inch 1920×1200 display
  • 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor
  • 8.1-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS image sensor
  • 2.2-megapixel front camera
  • 3GB of RAM
  • 16GB storage
  • microSD slot with support for cards up to 128GB
  • 4G LTE connectivity optional
  • IP65, IP68 rated for dust and water resistance
  • 4500mAh battery
  • Android 4.4 KitKat

Sony SmartWatch 3

sony smartwatch 3

Sony’s third entry in its SmartWatch series is its first Android Wear device. It stand out from the competition by utilizing a more sporty look. The band looks more like a rubber housing which comes in black, white, lime and pink. Specs wise it does little to set itself apart from the competition, but it will make a great accessory for your new Xperia phone.

  • 1.6-inch 320×320 LCD display
  • 4GB of storage
  • IP68 rated for resistance to water
  • GPS, accelerometer, microphone, compass
  • Charges over microUSD
  • Available in black and lime editions at launch, with white and pink straps coming later on

Sony SmartBand Talk

sony smartband talk

The SmartBand Talk is a new device for Sony. It’s essentially a fitness band with access to Sony’s new LifeLog health app suite. The SmartBand Talk comes with an e-ink display for extra long battery life, a microphone and speaker for interacting with the device, and you guessed it, it’s also water proof.

  • 1.4-inch always-on e-paper display
  • Built-in accelerometer and altimeter sensor
  • IP68 rated for water resistance
  • Black and white available at launch, more colors coming later on

Wrap up

Sony wasn’t keen on providing a ton of release or pricing information on any of the devices announced today. T-Mobile has confirmed it will be selling the Z3 this fall, but that’s all we have for now. Keep checking back for updates.

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Samsung’s Gear VR might be the coolest thing to come out of IFA

Samsung is no stranger to announcing a ton of accessories for every major device they release, but today’s special accessory announced for the Note 4 is an exception. Thanks to the Samsung Gear VR, you can turn your Galaxy Note 4 into an Oculus Rift that works just as well.

Developed with Oculus Rift, the Gear VR is a simple device that will be able to do amazing things. Think of the Gear VR as an empty Oculus Rift that is powered by your brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It uses the display and processing power of the Note 4 to immerse you in a world of virtual reality content that will undoubtedly expand far beyond the demo games and concert Samsung is using to introduce the device.

The Gear VR opens up and the Galaxy Note 4 clips into the device. In the future the Gear VR will come with Bluetooth controller support, but for now you control the device with head movements and a small trackpad. According to early hands-on reports, the Gear VR works very well. Samsung boasts that content will run in 60 frames per second, and with the ultra-high density of the Note 4′s AMOLED panel, visual problems that plagued earlier generation Oculus Rift headsets should be fixed with the Gear VR.

Right now there’s no pricing or release information available on the Gear VR, but we imagine it will be available sometime before the end of the year in time for the holiday season. We don’t know about you, but the Gear VR has us almost sold on a Note 4 by itself. What do you think of Samsung’s entry in the virtual reality race?

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Samsung introduces the new Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge

Samsung has finally taken the wraps off of its next big smartphone (pun intended), the Galaxy Note 4.

As expected, the Galaxy Note 4 should be the phablet to beat in the Android world for the next year to come. Sporting a stunning 5.7-inch 2560×1440 Quad HD display, the Note 4 boasts a 2.7 GHz quad-core or 1.9 GHz octa-core processor depending on region, 16-megapixel OIS camera, 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera, 32GB of expandable storage, 3GB of RAM, a 3200mAh fast charing battery and Android 4.4.

Of course the Galaxy Note 4 also comes with an enhanced S Pen which takes advantage of a ton of special software features made just for the Note (keep an eye out for another post with more on that).

Announced alongside the Galaxy Note 4 is a new addition to the Note family: the Galaxy Note Edge. The Galaxy Note Edge is almost identical to the Note 4 except for one important design change. The Note Edge features a 5.6-inch 2560×1440 with 160 Super AMOLED panel that wraps around the side of the Note Edge. That extra real estate is used for showing things like notification counts, so you can glance down at the side of your device and see what’s going on, and more.

Both devices have inherited the premium design philosophy of the Galaxy Alpha, with metal bands surrounding the edge of the Note 4 and Edge, and a soft touch battery cover found on the back.

Both The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge will be hitting carriers all over the world later this year.


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Android Wear ASUS ZenWatch unveiled at IFA

ASUS kicked things off at IFA today by announcing its first Android Wear device – the ASUS ZenWatch. Similar to other Android Wear smartwatches, the ASUS ZenWatch is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragfon 400 SoC, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage and features a 1.6-inch AMOLED display.

The ASUS ZenWatch is built with stainless steel and is paired with a tan leather strap and an ASUS-branded fastener. The ZenWatch isn’t as eye-catching as the Moto 360, but it does look a lot better than the first-gen devices released by Samsung and LG. ASUS has designed the ZenWatch to be splash proof, so be sure to take it off if you’re going for a swim. 

The main features of the ASUS ZenWatch are tied to the Android Wear platform, but the company has also added in a few new tricks which enhance the watch’s functionality. The watch features a build-in phone finder, desktop presentation controls and can even silence your phone by placing your hand over the face of the watch. The  ZenWatch can also act as a remove for your smartphone camera and can be customized with more than one hundred different watch faces.

The Asus ZenWatch will go on sale before Christmas and will sell for €199 in Europe, £199 in the UK, giving the watch a $260 price tag with a straight currency conversion. 


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