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Game of Thrones’ Dragon Egg flash drives: Balerion, the nerd
Archos: a set of VR glasses that costs less than $30 USD
4 Amazing Product Reveals from Apple’s iPad Event
Sony SmartWatch 3 Is Now Available on Google Play for $250

Game of Thrones’ Dragon Egg flash drives: Balerion, the nerd

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 11:03 AM PDT

Game of Thrones made a season long point about just how valuable dragons are, but we bet even that value pales compared to that of information.

Game of Thrones has inspired all kinds of merchandising, and of course flash drive units are amongst them. In this case, the units are shaped as tiny dragon eggs, with a diameter of 0.8? and a lenght of 1 1/3?. These eggs pack 8 GB, which isn’t enough for a whole season of the HBO hit show in 1080p, but plenty to carry around information. You can get yours at ThinkGeek for $29.99 USD.

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Archos: a set of VR glasses that costs less than $30 USD

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 06:00 AM PDT

It would seem Facebook with Oculus and Sony with Morpheus are the big players in the VR space, but along comes Archos with the lowest entry price yet.

Virtual reality is not here quite yet, although its arrival seems imminent. Facebook, Samsung and Sony seem to be leading the race thanks to their very solid upcoming efforts although all of them are very early prototypes, models, or projects. As things stand now, save for a couple honorable exceptions, virtual reality seems to be more set in the near future than the present, yet that doesn’t mean people aren’t working to get it to the masses. That is exactly what Archos is attempting to do, by releasing their own headset priced at $29.99, the cheapest set yet.

The Archos is meant to be paired with a smartphone, ideally a 5? model capable of displaying 1080p and sporting a quad-core processor into the headset (so, basically, a Nexus 5?). The phone and Archos headset are then strapped to the user’s head who will now be ready to enjoy the joys of the virtual world. It would seem the multimedia contents are not here just yet, but the fact that companies are willing to bring virtual reality to the masses sets us off for a fantastic start.

Via Technabob

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4 Amazing Product Reveals from Apple’s iPad Event

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 05:00 AM PDT

After their September event saw the reveal of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple’s October conference showed us new iPads, iMacs and more.

Oh Apple, you sly old dogs you. When their September event began, they promptly threw down the gauntlet and challenged each and every one of their competitors to step up to the plate. Apple’s freshly announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones would be more powerful than ever before, have a better battery life and would even be optimised for mobile game developers. Those are some beefy specs to trifle with.

Despite the Bendgate controversy, both iPhones have gotten off to a stellar start, having sold over 10 million units across the globe after just three days on sale. Hoping to achieve similar sales success with a new line of iPad, the company hosted a similar event yesterday. So, to make sure that you’ve got every piece of important info from the show, we’ve put together a handy facts round up for you to pore over.

1. iPad Mini 3

While the tagline of the iPhone 6 Plus might be ‘bigger and better’, with the iPad Mini line of tablets Apple is keen to downsize.

Now on their third iteration, the newly announced iPad Mini 3 is essentially just the iPad Mini 2 but with a different name. Both tablets are 8 inches, the iPad Mini 3 isn’t any lighter or thinner than its predecessor and all of the technical specs are the same. It has the same battery life, processor and there’s no discerning technical reason to purchase one.

So what’s new for the iPad Mini 3? The TouchID fingerprint scanner.

Used to purchase things with Apple Pay (which will only be available in North America at launch), TouchID also has the benefit of unlocking your tablet and having extra security for your peace of mind. But, this single feature adds $100 to the iPad Mini 3′s price (the cheapest version of the Mini 3 is $399). When it launches next week you’ll be better off skipping it and forking out for the cheaper iPad Mini 2 instead.

2. iPad Air 2

Also out next week is the iPad Air 2. Going for a similar ‘bigger doesn’t always mean better’ stance, the iPad Air 2 is just 6.1mm thick, a whopping 18% thinner than the iPad Air that came before it.

That thinness doesn’t mean that Apple has skimped out on tech specs either as the tablet is packing some incredible power. The iPad Air 2 will have the A8x chip and will be the first device to do so. As a result, the Air 2 will be a great deal faster than the two iPhone 6 devices (which have the A8 chip instead) and will surely make a noticeable difference. Don’t expect this extreme power to drain too much either as Apple says it has 10 hours of battery life.

The final back of the box feature is its TouchID sensor. Coming just in time for Apple Pay which is set to go live on Monday, the iPad Air 2 has that iconic ring around its home button.

The iPad Air 2 goes on sale next week and the Wi-Fi only model will cost $499.

3. Retina iMac

Think those iPad screens are too small for you? You might be interested in the Retina iMac instead then.

As the name suggests, Apple’s brand new desktop is all about those shinier, far better looking visuals. Not only is its 27-inch display ideal for watching movies and TV shows, that screen is also 5K (a 5210 x 2880 resolution) which is the world’s highest resolution display, says Apple.

Its innards are quite good on paper too. Boasting a 3.5GHz Intel i5 processor (although a 4GHz Intel i7 configuration is available too) and 8GB of RAM, things are kept speedy whilst its AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and its 1TB fusion drive means that there’s more than enough power and space to run the latest gaming blockbusters.

All of this comes at a price though as the Retina iMac starts at $2,499. It starts shipping next Thursday.

4. Mac Mini

For anyone who wants all of the Apple Mac brilliance but at a fraction of the cost, the updated Mac Mini might be a better option.

Essentially being a iMac hard-drive without a screen, the latest version of the Mac Mini comes in three different flavours. The best (and most expensive of these) has a 2.8GHz dual-core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM which should run rather speedily. It also packs Intel Iris Graphics and a 1GB Fusion Drive which again, should be perfect for running games.

This version of the Mac Mini is priced at $999 which may seem like a bargain in comparison to the Retina iMac. However you will need to purchase a screen (or you could plug it into your TV via a HDMI cable), a mouse and a keyboard so you should factor this into your budget if you plan to buy one.

The new Mac Mini is available now.

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Sony SmartWatch 3 Is Now Available on Google Play for $250

Posted: 19 Oct 2014 01:53 PM PDT

Officially unveiled at IFA 2014, more than a month ago, Sony SmartWatch 3 has finally found its way to Google’s Play Store, sporting a $249.99 price tag.

Sony’s smartwatches might not be exactly revolutionary, but the fact that they’re still around means that plenty of people are buying and enjoying them. The Japanese company already has a lot of experience in building wearables under its belt, having reached now the fifth generation of smartwatches.

The waterproof SmartWatch 3 SWR50 comes with a 1.6″ 320 x 320 transflective LCD display. Unlike its predecessors, the 5th-gen Sony SmartWatch by Android Wear, which explains why Google has decided to feature it on Play Store.

In terms of technical specs, Sony SmartWatch 3 comes with a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. Had this been a smartphone, the specs would have been mediocre, at best. However, these numbers are more than enough for a wearable. The 420mA battery should keep the device up and running for up to two days of normal use.

As far as the sensors are concerned, SmartWatch 3 comes with all the usual suspects: ambient light sensors, accelerometer, compass, gyro and GPS. This makes the wearable quite versatile and will give app developers a lot of flexibility when creating software for it.

Sony SmartWatch 3 is available with vividly colored exchangeable wrist straps. Four colors are offered (black, white, green and pink), for a variety of occasions. However, I wouldn’t call this a dress watch, as the strap makes it obvious that it was built for fitness. For that purpose, it works either as a smartphone companion or as a standalone device. When working out, this wearable should be great if used in tandem with Bluetooth headphones, as you no longer have to carry around your heavy smartphone.

Even though it is available on the Play Store, Sony has not disclosed the official launch date for the other retailers. Considering that the Play Store is not available everywhere, it’s hard to believe that Sony would make this wearable exclusive there. To be frank, the device is underwhelming, so the $250 price tag really seems unjustified. Why are Android Wear devices getting more expensive, instead of becoming more affordable? They don’t seem to be built differently from their cheaper alternatives, so that certainly doesn’t explain it.

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