May 30, 2014

OpenElec vs CrystalBuntu for AppleTV 1

Hey folks, been busy with normal life and have taken side jobs which hinders me from keeping my blog updated. Anyways back to my normal vs blog. This time i tested OpenElec and CrystalBuntu on my old AppleTV 1st Gen (ATV1 - Silver). 

I upgraded my ATV with CrystalHD card and removed internal wifi card. I am currently using Edimax 300Mbps card which is great compared to internal draft n card which runs at half the speed. I must say 720p videos run flawless, and 1080p from hard drive run great w/o stuttering.

Now back to OpenElec vs CrystalBuntu.

OpenElec 3.2.4 & 4.0.x (catered to various devices)
Pros: 
- Faster Bootup time.
- OpenElec system settings.
- Support for Wi-Fi (we all hate wires, but wired is faster unless you tweak your Wi-Fi).
- up to date XBMC Software.
- Fast shutdown.
- CrystalHD support.
- Faster Scroll through list

Cons:
- slight lag at interface
- Slow playback - this happens when you start a movie it takes approx. 15-20 (for OE 3.2.4) to nearly 1 minute (OE 4.0.2) to stream 720p video.

CrystalBuntu 2.x (catered to AppleTV1 and possibly Raspberry Pi in future)
Pros:
- CrystalHD Support
- Little to no lag at interface.
- Faster Playback (playing HD movie takes approx. 3-5 sec to start).
- Stable XBMC build.

Cons: 

- takes longer to boot up to OS/Interface
- no native support for Wi-Fi only for Wired. You have to rely on addon (network manager - outdated) to connect to Wi-Fi.
- Drops Wi-fi connection over the time and requires either reboot or reinsert USB Wi-Fi Adapter.
- CB2 takes longer to shutdown (i know these devices are meant to stay on, but still).

I would say it is a tie in between both, however I prefer CrystalBuntu since i have option to hardwired (Cat 6), this gives me slightly stable/faster connection. I also have edge over playing movies faster than OpenElec.
If you do not have any option to go with Wired Connection, i'd suggest sticking with OE 3.2.4 for now until OE 4.0.x sorts out playback issues with ATV and various other devices.

Next i will try to bring vs thread for Raspberry Pi 512MB Model OC'd to 950 to 1000Mhz (xbian vs OE).

April 2, 2014

FireTV Set Top Box by Amazon - $99

amazon
FireTV
Amazon.com is officially entering the streaming video set-top box competition.
The online retailer-turned tech company and content provider announced its new Amazon Fire TV product today at an event in New York. The $99 device is available for order now on Amazon.com.

Amazon Fire TV is a tiny box that connects your HDTV to a world of online entertainment. With a huge selection of TV episodes and movies, voice search that actually works, plus exclusive features like ASAP and Amazon FreeTime, it’s the easiest way to enjoy Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, low-cost movie rentals, music, photos, games, and more.

 

March 31, 2014

Raspberry Pi - XBMC

Finally got my hands on Raspberry Pi Board. I always wanted to buy one unit to test it out, but me being always busy with spending money on other stuff didn't get me down to pi board. So now i have it in my possession, i have installed OpenElec XBMC utilizing SD Card. I have read if you split the storage to USB Stick, it works a lot better. I will be trying that shortly. I have ordered plenty of stuff for my Pi Board, once it arrives i will post pics of unassembled then an assembled version of it. I must say with all the tweaks, XBMC runs pretty good and stable. I am able to stream videos without any issue.

Update: I will be picking up 2 more units. I am thinking of making one firewall and nas server. I will post tutorials of how it is done.

JS

February 26, 2014

Google Watch Prototype Leaked

A few days ago, we published a story about Google's possibly upcoming smartwatch. Current rumors suggest that the watch may be ready in time for Google I/O, and that it might be made by LG. We also mentioned that we had heard of a Motorola prototype previously - a prototype that may have been scrapped in favor of a new design from the manufacturer who made the Nexus 4 and 5.
We've decided to put a few of our cards on the table and give readers a peek at the Motorola prototype that never became a real product. According to our anonymous source, the device was allegedly going by the name Google Watch, with the official code name Gem, and fell into the Nexus category of devices. Whether a future watch will keep the codename Gem is uncertain.
It's important to note that what we are looking at here is a prototype, not a finished product. The photos we have are of a model believed to exist in 2013. It is likely that, had this become a real product, consumers would have seen significant hardware and software differences. First, let's look at the photos.
image image
What we can see in the first photo is most of the device - the rubberized band (which looks like it has a pin for detachment), a square display with a sizeable bottom bezel, a rocker of some sort up top, and a button on the lower left face of the device. There's also a capacitive back button on the front face, opposite a Motorola logo.
The second photo shows a brief snippet of a settings screen. This screen is presumably not final, as Date & Time are below the trigger for Developer Mode. We're not sure what "3 Bit mode Apps" is referring to, and without seeing any other parts of the interface it's hard to draw any conclusions. One possibility is that 3 Bit mode would allow apps to display in 8 colors, and that the rest of the interface would be monochrome. Again though, without seeing more it's impossible to say.
What we also see, though, is that the rocker buttons have symbols embossed on them. On the left is a running human figure, and on the right is what looks like a microphone icon. They're a bit hard to make, but here's the rocker enlarged:
image
Again, without seeing the actual interface or testing out the watch for ourselves, it's hard to say how these would behave, but assuming one is a running man and the other is a microphone, it would make sense that one would put the device into fitness mode (whatever that may entail) and the other would trigger a voice Search. Google Now integration would (hopefully) be a given.
Here's one more image, showing (as a commenter rightly points out below) that the piece at the end of the band which snaps into the holes in the band flips out to reveal a USB connector, used for charging the device.
image
If you find the blurrycam image hard to look at, I've made a basic drawing of the device:
image
Motorola Mobility has confirmed via Twitter today that the manufacturer is working on a watch that will be available "this year."
Whether Motorola is continuing to develop this prototype or working on a completely new concept after leaving Google we can't be certain. But the fact that Motorola is evidently working on its own watch to debut this year may just lend some credibility to rumors that Google is now working with LG on its own watch effort.

Source: androidpolice

February 18, 2014

VH1 app now available for Android

VH1 has released their app for Android this afternoon, finally bringing the popular iOS program to hundreds of millions more eyeballs.
The app will play your favorite shows from the VH1 network, like Basketball Wives and Couples Therapy, as well as content like musician interviews and mash-ups from the VH1 blog. There's even some music tucked in there with VH1 Divas and the upcoming summer music festivals.
In addition, VH1 says there will be exclusive content for the Android app, like the re-release of VH1’s original movie CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, as well as a full episode preview of the next episode for Basketball Wives: LA after its season 3 premiere tonight.

February 11, 2014

ARM Announces New Mid-Range Designs, MediaTek Already Has Chips Ready To Go

ARM technology powers the vast majority of mobile devices in the world, and the company has just announced some new designs to continue that tradition. The ARM Cortex-A17 is a new mid-range CPU core that offers improved speed and efficiency for budget devices. That's not all – there is also a new version of the Mali GPU for a complete price-conscious package.
Cortex A12 
Mali-T720MP-LG
The Cortex-A17 is not meant to replace the A15 – that's still the flagship CPU core design from ARM. The A17 is a mid-range part that should give chip makers a better option than continuing to use older A9s, the limited A12, or just a bunch of low-power Cortex-A7 cores. Cortex-A17 supports full-system coherency for ARM big.LITTLE with the CCI-400, which means it can operate alongside low-power cores like the A7. ARM licensees will also have the option to integrate the Mali-T720 GPU with this and other CPUs. The Mali-T720 GPU is a "cost-optimized" GPU that supports Open GL ES 3.0, OpenCL, and RenderScript.
This seems like a design that would be right up MediaTek's alley, and indeed the company has announced a chip that will use the A17. The MT6595 will be an eight-core chip – four A17s and four A7s. The A7 cores will the the LITTLE half of the big.LITTLE configuration, and the MT6595 will support Heterogeneous Multi-Processing (HMP). That means all eight cores can operate at the same time. This system-on-a-chip will also have built-in LTE, which could be a big deal in mid-range phones and tablets.
ARM expects Cortex-A17 to be big in 2015, but MediaTek is going to start producing the MT6595 in the next few months, and is targeting devices for late 2014.

February 7, 2014

Kernel Source Released For Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 (SM-P900) by Samsung

The new Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 might be really expensive, but you know what isn't? The kernel source. That's available for download on Samsung's open source site right this minute.

The download clocks in at 1.1GB and contains all the open source KitKat bits that will ship on the tablet, specifically the SM-P900 variant. This download isn't really of much use to regular consumers – it's more of a developer goody bag. But developers tinkering with a product is actually good for everyone in the long run. 

February 6, 2014

Google Search v3.2 Fixed Broken Hotword Detection

An update to Chrome beta a few weeks ago came with the bizarre side effect that hotword detection no longer worked in the Google search app or in the Google Now Launcher (GNL). The next version of Chrome beta didn't do anything to fix it, either. Well, Google Search to the rescue – yesterday's big search update seems to have fixed hotword detection.

After the update, the mic icon is again filled in the Google search bar, indicating the app is listening for the "Ok Google" hotword. And indeed, it works. We've checked this out on a few devices, and it appears to be legit. So now you can go back to talking to your phone normally, just like every other day. 

February 5, 2014

iPhone 6 Specs Leaked

KDB Daewoo Securities has revealed what they believe to be the specifications for the upcoming iPhone 6.

As reported before, the firm expects Apple to release the iPhone 6 in two different screen sizes. Here are the specs for each...

5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Specifications:
● Apple A8 (64-bit) processor
● 5.5-inch Retina display
● 2272x1280 IGZO display
● 510 pixels per inch
● 2GB of RAM
● 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB storage options
● 8MP Camera
● 3.2MP FaceTime Camera
● 1,800mAh battery minimum
● Facial Recognition, Fingerprint Scanner
● Wireless charging (induction)
● iBeacon Mobile Payments

4.7 or 4.8-Inch iPhone 6 Specifications:
● Apple A8 (64-bit) processor
● 4.7 or 4.8-inch Retina display
● 1920x1080 IGZO display
● 440 pixels per inch
● 2GB of RAM
● 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB storage options
● 8MP Camera
● 3.2MP FaceTime Camera
● 1,800mAh battery minimum
● Facial Recognition, Fingerprint Scanner
● Wireless charging (induction)
● iBeacon Mobile Payments

The screen sizes line up closely with previous rumors. DisplaySearch predicted 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays; however, they had specified resolutions of 1600x900 and 1920x1080, respectively. Reuters reported that Apple is looking at introducing a 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch iPhone.

February 3, 2014

Apple's iWatch - Rumor

It has came to attention that when Apple reveals its first smartwatch product, there's going to be a heavy focus on health and fitness, but there might also be a way to charge the wearable without plugging it in, according to a report from The New York Times. Inductive charging came in a wave of smartphones last year, including Google's Nexus 4 and Nokia's Lumia 920 range, although we don't often see it in anything smaller than a phone (or camera) form factor. Apple, however, is looking into cramming the same technology into its iWatch, or whatever it eventually calls its debut wearable.

Electromagnetic fields are generated from a charging base, which are then picked up by metal coils and transformed into for-real electricity that charges your device. The Cupertino company is experimenting with other new charging methods too, although these are apparently years away from consumer products. Sources close to the matter also mentioned the inclusion of a solar layer beneath the device's display, while the company has also looked into kinetically charging its wearables -- something that is already used in many modern (non-smart) timepieces.

February 1, 2014

Corsair Graphite Series 230T ATX Mid Tower Case

Newegg.com has Corsair Graphite Series 230T ATX Mid Tower Case (Black) for $59.99 - $20 rebate = $39.99 with free shipping. Thanks Discombobulated

Price Comparison: Our research indicates that the Corsair Graphite Series 230T ATX Mid Tower Case (Black) is $40 lower (50% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting at $80. - Steveb3163

Deal Editor's Note: For an in-depth review, head over to HardOCP and PC Magazine - Slickeals

January 31, 2014

Sony Upgrades QX10 and QX100 Lens with Higher ISO and 1080p Video Recording

Sony pushed out a firmware upgrade for both smartphone lens attachments and they are now capable of recording clips with a higher resolution (1,920 x 1,080) than before (1,440 x 1,080). It also bumped up the clip-ons' max ISO settings from 1,600 to 3,200 on the QX10 and from 3,200 to 12,800 on the QX100, which is extremely good for nighttime photography. People with the more expensive QX100 also get an extra shutter speed mode for their devices. Unfortunately, firmware is not OTA, therefore friends; you will need a Windows (XP/Vista/7/8) or a Mac computer to perform an upgrade.

January 30, 2014

iOS 7.0.5 Released.

iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models sold in China were suffering proper network provisioning, hence iOS 7.0.5 was just released by Apple via Software Update to resolve network provisioning issues.

Saurik (Cydia Dev) mentioned jailbreakers should stay away from this update, as it will break it from working.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222


Apple Patents Pressure-Sensitive iPhone And iPad Displays

Appleinsider reports US patent and trademark office published an Apple patent describing a device with built-in pressure sensors which will provide detection of gestures outside touch regions. These sensors are mounted in the corners or under the LCD Panel. It is also noted that new device will allow for detection of gestures coming from beyond the touch-sensitive regions of the display, so you could have swipes recognized as coming from the bezel for instance.

Other benefits would include the ability to better detect and discount thinks like a palm resting on the display, or a thumb that’s on-screen and yet just being used to support or hold a device, rather than as part of a touch input gesture. Already, Apple’s iOS displays are among the best when it comes to accidental touch detection, but this system would make that even better, which could potentially allow for further reduction of bezel size, for instance, or even making it possible to determine different kinds of input based not only on how many fingers are used, but on the force of the press.

Source: AppleInsider

Sony debuts Slimmer PSP Vita in UK for £180, Pre-Orders going in Today!

Fellow Gamers, Speculation indicates Sony to release PSP Vita (PCH-2000) in UK. This particular model is believed to be the late-2013 PSP Vita iteration. It is thinner, lighter and with better battery life than its predecessor. It also carries new LCD panel instead of OLED. MSRP is noted as £180 (around $300) is a significantly high for a portable gaming device which costs around 18,980 yen; around $185 in home land. Pre-orders for the device start today, with the proper launch penned in for February 7th.

Source: product-review.com

January 29, 2014

3D Carbon Fiber Printer



We have seen various 3D Color Printers and those that can print an entire house. We have also seen those that can be used to print book covers. Until now we haven’t seen a printer that can print parts for cars or motor cycle. Well 3D Printer market caught up and good news for auto and motorcycle enthusiasts is that for $5,000 they will be able to get your hands on a 3D printer that is able to print carbon fiber. 3D Printer named Marked One by Mark Forged claims to be first 3D printer that is capable of printing Carbon Fiber with aforementioned price. This printer isn’t relatively expensive if especially if you plan on printing carbon fiber parts for auto mobiles and bikes.
Carbon fiber is known for performance part due to light weight. Carbon fiber products are well utilized by race cars and motorcycles. According to the specs, the Mark One will be able to print a maximum size of 305 x 160 x 160mm. It is also capable of printing other types of materials, such as fiberglass, nylon, and polylactic acid, although it should be noted that only one material can be printed at a time due to the printer’s design. 

CEO of Mark forged claims that the printer will be available soon for sale, but no specified date is given.


Source:  Digital Trend

Olympus Unveils 50x Superzoom with Unique Crosshair Sight

Olympus unveiled the Stylus SP-100 with a 50x optical zoom lens. It laos tackled one of the biggest issues in using such cameras “losing a moving subject”. This Camera is equipped with "eagle-eye" dot-sight located just above the viewfinder. This helps projecting a target onto a semi-transparent mirror below the flash (Photo is located below). This helps you keep your eye on your subject while zooming in/out.

Some of the specs include are as follow.
  • 1/2.3-inch 16-megapixel CMOS sensor
  • TruePic VII processor
  • 7fps burst speed w/ small 6 frame buffer
  • 24-1200 (50mm equivalent) f/2.9-6.5 lens
  • 3-inch 460K-dot LCD
  • 920K-dot EVF
  • Of course 1080/60p Full HD video
 This camera will go for retail in March for approximately $400.

Olympus


Source: Ubergizmo

January 28, 2014

Pebble Steel is shipping!

Earlier this year at CES 2014, Pebble Steel was announced by Pebble Smart watch company and pre-orders were taken. Earlier today Pebble that the steel watches are on their way to the buyers. The tracking numbers will be also emailed to the buyer as their order ships.

For some of thinking to buy, Pebble steel is the same as the first generation pebble, but now it has a stylish new design that looks like regular watch. It comes in matte black and brushed metal finishes with your choice of metal or leather bands. It's $249 versus just $150 for the plastic Pebble.


watch



 Source: pebble blog