Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Update Arrives In Asia

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The last day of the year proved to be a fortuitous one for all new Samsung Galaxy S3 mini owners in Asia. New owners of this smartphone have reported, from Indonesia and Vietnam, that they have received the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update right out of the box. In fact, it was as recent as last month that the Galaxy S3 mini arrived with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, so to see it hit Android 4.1.2 is a pleasant way to end 2012 and usher in 2013.

The difference in the version number might be minimal, but there is a whole lot more “meaning” behind it as majority of the updates included in Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean by Samsung to its Galaxy range have also seen the inclusion of its highly recommended Premium Suite.

Premium Suite is a name that consists of the entire slew of new features, including the addition of Page Buddy, Multi Window support, Paper Artist, Group Cast, Smart Rotation, a new customizable notification panel, and a new gallery app among others.

Too bad folks in the US will not be able to enjoy the Galaxy S3 mini, as this smartphone will not be sold there by Samsung as part of a deal with Apple, where Cupertino has agreed to drop the Galaxy S3 mini from its patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung in that part of the world.

Are you a proud new owner of the Galaxy S3 mini in Indonesia or Vietnam, or even if you aren’t living in either country, have you seen a whiff of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on your device, and love all that it offers?


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Monday, January 28, 2013

Surviving 21/12/12 With Your Android Smartphone

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We all know that the world did not end today, as you are sitting comfortably in front of your computer (or tablet and smartphone), reading this article on just what your Android-powered smartphone is able to do when the apocalypse comes. First of all, don’t just own any Android-powered device, try to get something that has a large screen - the larger, the better. The Samsung Galaxy S3 would be a good bet, and the Galaxy Note 2 (as seen above) might be even better. I will get to the reasons after the jump.

For starters, you ought to have some sort of protective case for your smartphone/phablet to make sure that your device is able to last as long as possible, in addition to the all essential solar-powered charger. Once equipped with those, then you are more or less good to go. Some of the stuff you can do with your Android device over the apocalypse would be as follows...

Store as many e-books as possible, including at least one survival book just in case you end up in a less than ideal situation. Of course, having your favorite storybooks would also keep you occupied should you end up all alone on an island, or trapped in some corner, somewhere.

Other essential software would be a note taking app to jot down your thoughts and write your memoir (not connected to the cloud, as all communications networks might be down, and for a long, long time, too), in addition to a slew of games (various genres would be great, and long, drawn out ones like RPGs are ideal to help kill time. After all, you can never quite tell how long it will be before life returns to a semblance of normality, right?).

As for why you need a larger display, the simple reason is this - you might need to use it as a flashlight, or you can download one of those flashlight apps from the Google Play store beforehand that uses your phone’s camera flash as a flashlight. Otherwise, the large display would do well to offer some light in pitch black situations.

As for the bigger physical dimensions, when you couple that with a durable protective case, it could work as a crude weapon to knock someone over the head without compromising your smartphone’s structural integrity. Should you find yourself stranded on an island and want to eat some shellfish you caught for dinner without any rocks in sight, the volume and weight of the smartphone would make for a decent “hammer” to help you get to the sweet, succulent flesh within without doing a number on your pearly whites.

Of course, I am quite sure that there are far other innovative uses that you can think of for your Android-powered smartphone. Would you care to share some of them in the comments below?


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Samsung GT-N5100 (Galaxy Note 7) Benchmark Appears

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The Samsung Galaxy Note family is one that has yielded surprising results since its inception, and you can say that it has certainly grown from strength to strength, with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 being quite the success. Well, an upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note tablet is certainly in the works, where sometime in late october, there was a DLNA certification that pointed in the right direction, followed by a User Agent Profile (UAP) that touted a 1280 x 800 resolution count on the Samsung GT-N5100 (or Samsung Galaxy Note 7) as it is known. Fast forward to this month, and the Samsung GT-N5100 appeared on the Nenamark2 benchmark site, followed by an appearance on the GLBenchmark site this time around.

The clever use (or should we say, logical) of "N" designates a Note tablet, and the 7-inch display makes this known for the moment as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, although it remains as an unannounced device on an official basis.

There is nothing quite like a little bit of sleuthing around to uncover additional details about the Samsung GT-N5100, and it seems that the Galaxy Note 7 will run on a 1.6GHz Samsung Exynos 4412 processor, where it is accompanied by a resolution count of 1280 x 800 pixels with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on board. This would mean it has a similar resolution to that of the Google Nexus 7, resulting in a pixel density of 216ppi.

We do hope to hear more about the Samsung GT-N5100 (Galaxy Note 7) in the immediate future, considering how CES 2013 and MWC 2013 are just around the corner in January and February, respectively. It looks like the 7” tablet market is heating up, so much for it being dead upon arrival, Mr. Jobs.


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5 Everyday Pieces of Clothing With Shocking Health Risks

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Samsung 5.5-Inch Flexible Display Headed For CES 2013

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Samsung has been dealing with flexible displays for some time now, or at least, toying with the idea of releasing such technology into the mass market, but they might have made an important inroad with their subsidiary, Samsung Display showcasing a couple of flexible displays at CES 2013 next month. The first of these two flexible displays will target smartphone users, sporting a rather generous 5.5-inches of viewing real estate at 1280 × 720 HD resolution, while the other would be a massive 55-incher for television use.

Now, many of you would be thinking, just what do flexible displays have to do with Android? Everything! You have Android-powered smartphones and tablets, and if Samsung Display perfects this technology, we could be looking at a revolutionary change of the mobile phone industry in terms of design and use. Remember the Nokia 3210 that proved to be iconic in its time as it was the first model without them pesky antennas? Think of how your smartphone use would change if it came with a flexible display.

Samsung maintains that these flexible displays can be bent, but if you were wondering whether you could be an electronic ninja by rolling them up like scrolls, think again - that is just impossible (at this juncture). Perhaps Samsung will tell all at CES 2013, which is happening a mere three weeks plus away, and would there be a prototype device to wow the crowd?

What you see at CES 2013 will just be a component instead of a finished product that is ready to rock and roll in the mass market. Something tells us that the folks at the Samsung Display booth there will need to get ready plenty of cloth to rub those flexible screens free of thumbprints.


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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Countdown to the End: Gaslight

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As I mentioned in the last part of this series, you never know what the end of the world is going to look like. It could end up being a Mad Max style wasteland, a lush and desolate tropical paradise, or an infinite cover of ice and snow.

It only makes sense that after the apocalypse, advanced electricity will be gone and right along with it all the luxuries that it provides. Anyone who survives will have to find a new way to live. That includes creating makeshift machinery and tools. Personally, I like to think that it will be available thanks to several other energy sources.

Gaslight Banner

This is where the steampunk genre comes in. Most of us fell in love with the genre with Fallout 3, or Fallout: New Vegas, but they aren’t the only steampunk titles around. Both of those games saw you vying to survive in a world that has been destroyed by a nuclear holocaust.

However the world ends, playing steampunk games is a good way to practice for what comes after.

Gaslight is a steampunk inspired strategy game that puts an emphasis on RTS style gameplay. It mixes a little bit of city-building simulation tactics with RPG elements. The bottom line is that it’s incredibly fun to play, albeit quite a bit challenging.

Gaslight City Building

You’re not on present day Earth in Gaslight; instead the story takes places in a fictional world called Eastland. Your job is straightforward and unembellished, build your post-apocalyptic city the best you can while also defending it from the dangers of this new world.

You’ll need to create an empire entirely from scratch, and that includes outfitting an army. You don’t have to do it alone though because you can play cross-platform with friends on Android and iPhone devices.

This is a realtime strategy game, which means that after every structure that you build, every resource you craft, and every unit you make you will have to wait a certain amount of time for the operation to complete. This process is no different from any other city building game like Paradise Island, Smurfs Village or The Oregon Trail: Settler.

Where Gaslight differs from all of those other city building titles, is the conquest mode and individual battles. When a battle takes place, you enter a turn based strategy mode where each opposing team takes turns to attack one another. The conflict usually plays out against a visually appealing backdrop, which just adds to the atmosphere.

Gaslight Battles

Keep in mind, this is the type of game you play in spurts, especially considering most of the time you are spent waiting for resources to renew or build, you won’t want to play Gaslight nonstop. It’s perfect for the times when you want to be productive in real life, and then take five to ten minute breaks.

Of course, if the world actually does end on Friday, then games like this won’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

Still, Gaslight is a excellent way to practice for the potential apocalypse. It teaches you how to handle military units, rebuild a city from scratch, and to generate resources. It’s free to play, and you can get it in the Google Play store.

Check it out, you might be surprised with what you get. In the meantime, I’m going to stock up my bomb shelter with Spam.


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Countdown to the End: Death Dome

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Whether you call it the T-virus, the Z-virus or the M-virus it makes no difference, they all have the same thing in common. Every one of those viruses transform human beings into something sinister, something primal.

Zombies are played out, so I’m glad this next game doesn’t actually do the whole zombie apocalypse thing.

The game for today is called Death Dome. It’s a post-apocalyptic hack and slash that has a lot in common with Dragon Slayer. In fact, if you’ve played Dragon Slayer then you already know how Death Dome plays, considering they use the same battle mechanics.

Death Dome Battling Behemoths

The “M” virus… Most people who showed symptoms were dead within days…but others weren’t so lucky. Mutations were showing up all over the city. The infected were quarantined in a bio-dome force field that encased the city of Palamira. Some called it a “safe zone”, but most know it as the Death Dome. The M virus grew stronger inside the Death Dome and eventually became strong enough to live on its own without a host. Strong enough to become…The Behemoths!

It goes without saying that Death Dome story takes place after the world has been ravaged by the M-virus. You play as a Phoenix, a strong woman who has been affected by the M-virus mutations. The common goal is to eliminate all the mutated baddies, and behemoths so that you and the rest of the survivors can escape the Death Dome.

The main gameplay in Death Dome is the hack and slash battles that you will participate in. Just like in Dragon Slayer, you attack enemies by slashing the screen in different directions with your finger. You can also dodge attacks, deflect them and block. By blocking, parrying or dodging at the appropriate times the enemies, you are facing become more vulnerable. When they’re exposed, you’re free to attack them with a whole slew of combos.

A battle in Death Dome

As you battle, you also build up a unique energy bar called Flux. Once your Flux capacity reaches 100%, you can unleash a Flux attack (very original terms here). A Flux attack essentially allows you a few seconds to unleash attacks on your enemies while they are stunned, and at the end you can perform a powerful finishing attack.

Obviously, Death Dome isn’t just about the intense hack and slash battles. Before each enemy appears, you are given a few seconds to scavenge the levels for coins and resources. This is done by tapping continuously on an icon that displays on the screen.

Scavenging Levels in Death Dome

Behind the scenes, you can upgrade armor, weapons, and equip unique charms to gain special abilities and statistics. Leveling your character is fairly straightforward, as each level you achieve more HP is automatically added to Phoenix.

Upgrading Pheonix in Death Dome

Like the other games I’ve talked about in the Countdown to the end series, Death Dome is free. That also means that the in-game segment sees a freemium sales model. There are portions of the game that will require you to grind for extended periods of time to get enough money so that you can buy better equipment to progress. That is, of course if you don’t want to spend any real world cash for in-game currency.

Dragon Slayer uses the same exact freemium model for digital goods, so if you’ve played that game then you know how Death Dome operates.

Personally, I think the battles are compelling enough to warrant the long hours of grinding that is required to advance. For others, this may not be the case.

Still, it’s hard to deny the usefulness in Death Dome. It’s a brilliant way to prepare for the impending apocalypse. You can chop and cut all kinds of baddies with weapons like a stop sign, and shields like a car door. While this may not be the most realistic form of equipment ever included in a game, it clearly teaches you to utilize your surroundings and take advantage of whatever resources you can.

Of course, you’re not actually scavenging for any resources in Death Dome so you’ll have to build up those skills another way.

The post-apocalyptic world in Death Dome

If you'd like to give Death Dome a try, you can find it in the Google Play store.

Death Dome Trailer


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