PS Vita (2013) Announced: Slimmer Design, Bigger Battery, Six Color Options [VIDEO]

With its PlayStation 4 due for release in a couple of months, Sony could be forgiven for being a little preoccupied. In fact, we’d even forgive the Japanese firm from almost forgetting all about its portable games console, at least in the short term. At a press conference today though, Sony showed that it’s not just well aware of its portable machine, but is also working to make it as popular as possible.

Officially announced just now, Sony’s new update to its existing PlayStation Vita is pretty much more of the same, but with some aesthetic changes. The first thing people will notice is that the new, improved Vita is 15% lighter and 20% thinner than the original model. We wouldn’t have called the old Vita big and heavy, but any slimming down is always welcome in a mobile device of this ilk.

This iteration of Sony’s portable console also now features a micro-USB port for charging, which means that the cable you got with your smartphone will likely charge the Vita just fine, assuming you didn’t get an iPhone of course! The change to micro-USB is a welcome one, seeing as we’ve got so many of the cables knocking around our homes already. It also means that we don’t need to get one of Sony’s proprietary charging cables just to get juice into our Vitas. Yay!

And for those who like color options, the new PS Vita comes in a variety of different color options, six to be exact. The colors include black, white, yellow, olive green, blue and pink.

Perhaps the most controversial change is the decision to dump the original OLED screen in favor of an LCD solution. The OLED screen was one of the selling points for the Vita when it was first announced, so the decision to move to the cheaper LCD is an interesting one indeed. We’ll have to see the new Vita in action before we decide whether the change makes too much of a difference or not.

The new Vita goes on sale in Japan on October 10th with a price equating to around $190 and is WiFi-only but does pack 1GB of internal memory

No word yet on when this refreshed Vita will be on sale outside Japan, but we’ll keep our ears to the ground for an update.

Xbox Music App For iPhone And Android Released, Free Streaming Now Available On Web Version

Microsoft has finally launched iPhone and Android apps for Xbox Music, a service that lets users stream unlimited music for a monthly subscription.

Today’s release also adds free streaming option to the web version of Xbox Music which was first launched in July this year.

Now available on Xbox, Windows 8, Windows Phone, iOS (iPhone only, native iPad version not available as yet), Android and web (for OS X and other platforms), Xbox Music is now shaping up into a compelling offering with 30 million music tracks on offer for streaming, cross platform compatibility, and free access to anyone with a desktop web browser.

Some of the basic features of the iPhone and Android app includes: streaming ad-free music, adding songs, music, albums and playlists to Collection and access them on other devices, create and sync music playlists across multiple platforms, radio stations and more.

While the Xbox, Windows Phone and Windows 8 version offers the ability to download tracks for offline playing, the just released iOS and Android versions doesn’t. But Microsoft is promising the support for offline playing coming soon in a future update to the said apps.

The subscription to Xbox Music Pass costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year and is required to use the apps. Free 30 days trial is available for first timers. You can navigate tomusic.xbox.com to subscribe to the service. Those of you who already have the subscription to Xbox Music Pass can download the iPhone and Android apps from the links given below to start streaming music.

(Download: Xbox Music for iPhone, Xbox Music for Android)

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and also our Android Apps gallery to explore more apps for your Android device.

Leaked Photos Of iPhone 5C Logic Board Shows Only Minor Changes [IMAGES]

It may be unadulterated chaos at times, but there’s little doubt that iPhone announcement weeks are some of the most exciting and interesting that we face. A culmination of weeks and often months of guessing, calculating and wishing always comes down to one glorious moment when we get to see a new iPhone for the first time.

This year is unique in that we will see two new iPhones be announced on the same day. With Apple set to unveil the flagship iPhone 5S at the September 10th event, it’s perhaps the lower end iPhone 5C that will be of most interest to us. It may technically be last year’s sheep in this year’s wolf’s clothing, but it’s going to be quite the striking package when it’s assembled. Assuming the rumors and leaks are accurate, of course.

Speaking of leaks, new photos have appeared online showing what appears to be a logic board from the unannounced iPhone 5C. Looking rather similar to the iPhone 5S parts that have leaked before, the new shots show a board with shielding that prevents prying eyes from seeing just what markings the chips are adorned with underneath. All the mounting holes seem to be in the same place as those iPhone 5S leaks, too, so fitting in with leaked cases and shells that have suggested the same thing already.

Apple is set to announce both the flagship iPhone 5S and the cheaper iPhone 5C on this coming Tuesday. With the iPhone 5C coming in a range of striking colors and essentially being an iPhone 5 in a new body, buyers of the budget-conscious device will not only get a very good smartphone on the inside, but also one that will grab attention on the outside.

We’ll find out in a couple of days just what the folks in Cupertino have been working on for the last twelve months, and we’ve got a sneaky suspicion that whatever it is, it’ll sell in the millions.

(via Nowhereelse.fr)

iOS 6.1.4 Jailbreak With Cydia Running Successfully On iPhone 5 [IMAGE]

Evasi0n jailbreak which brought forward the first ever untethered jailbreak solution on devices running iOS 6.x was patched by Apple in iOS 6.1.3/6.1.4 firmware releases. Last week we reported that an untethered 6.1.3 jailbreak was indeed possible, but was not publicly available since it needed some work. Today, we have even more good news, this time for those running iOS 6.1.4 on the iPhone 5.

iOS 6.1.4 was released back in May for iPhone 5 users only and it brought forward a minor bug fix. The small update, which weighs in at 11.5MB, was unjailbreakable, until now.

Developer Winocm, who achieved the untethered jailbreak on iOS 6.1.3 last week, tweeted out an image today of iOS 6.1.4 running Cydia on an iPhone 5. Details as usual are scarce at this very moment. We can only assume that progress is being made and Winocm’s exploit is indeed capable of jailbreaking iPhone 5 on the aforementioned firmware.

Cydia on iOS 6.1.4 (GSM iPhone 5)

For those who are eagerly waiting for an untethered jailbreak, and are completely uninterested in Apple’s new flat icons in iOS 7, it is highly recommended that you ignore any software update at this point for your iOS device and wait for further confirmation on the progress being made on the untethered iOS 6.1.3 / 6.1.4 jailbreak.

Cydia on iOS 6.1.4 (CDMA iPhone 5)

If you’re already running iOS 6, all the way up to iOS 6.1.2, you’re on the greener side of the fence. You can jailbreak iOS 6 using Evasi0n on all iOS devices capable of running the said firmware.

We will keep you updated as soon as we hear more regarding this, so stay tuned.

Update x1: Published to a Ghostbin share, Winocm has now offered up some of the code required to make the jailbreak work for iOS 6.1.4, and we’ve heard reports of people managing to do just that. The downside here is a rather large one though – it’s not like most public jailbreaks.

Cydia on iPhone 4S, iOS 6.1.3

Anyone wanting to download an executable and have their iPhone jailbroken in seconds is out of luck we’re afraid. Instead, Winocm’s code is just part of the magic required to get Cydia installed on an iPhone, and users will have to use their own kernel exploits in order to get the ball rolling. That’s obviously no mean feat, so we don’t think that this is going to be the start of a jailbreaking phase where everyone rushes out to get their iOS 6.1.4 devices jailbroken. Still, it’s a start.

Even with iOS 7 just around the corner, many people would be happy to stick with the last 6.x release if it meant that they could keep their beloved jailbreak, and Winocm seemed to have all the answers. Today, he shared those answers, but they’re not quite all you’ll need.

Former Nokia Employees Create Newkia With The Aim To Build Android Phones

Nokia has been one of the leaders in smartphone innovation for a long time, before the Finnish giant lost out to iPhone and Android, so much so that the whole hardware division of Nokia was acquired by Microsoft just a few days ago. I have personally always strongly believed that Nokia would’ve done well to keep up with the changing market trend and combined their remarkable hardware with Google’s open source Android to make the perfect smartphone. While that never happened owing to the company’s partnership with Microsoft, it might come true now, as Nokia’s Asia Pacific (former) CEO, Thomas Zilliacus, has spun off a new company from Nokia with the aim to do just that.

The new company, named Newkia (pun might be intended), comprises a slew of other former Nokia employees who have one goal in mind – build better Android phones. Zilliacus claims that he’d been aiming to buy out Nokia for a while now, but had never been able to raise the required funds on his own, and certainly never enough to outbid the Redmond giant. However, now, with the start of his own Newkia, he believes they’ll be easily able to raise enough capital, owing largely to the fact that a lot of potential investors see a lot of future for a combination of Nokia-standard hardware with Android’s open source nature.

Newkia’s plans aim towards making the company functional and productive by 2014, which can potentially imply a Newkia device out and about in the market as early as summer next year. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but it doesn’t hurt to speculate.

The interesting aspect to the whole story is the fact that technically, Microsoft’s acquisition remains restricted to Nokia’s hardware manufacture division, exclusive of Nokia’s patent portfolio. The Redmond company holds licensing to use Nokia’s patents, sure, but at the same time, with the current conditions of the deal, cannot prevent other companies from licensing those as well. This could mean that we would one day see an Android phone touting Nokia’s PureView technology, which is unarguably the best camera on a smartphone to date.

Historically, it has always been the case for even manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, who have, at some point, tried their luck with Windows Phone, to gain more success with Android over WP. What remains to be seen is whether Nokia would license such high-end patents to a potential direct competitor of Microsoft past the deal that has already taken place. We’ve seen weirder things happen in the past, so who knows. Time will tell.

(via: Cnet)

iPhone 5C Render Running iOS 7 Gets Virtual Hands-On Treatment [VIDEO]

We are now less than 72 hours away from the iPhone 5S and 5C announcement, and while it’s understandable that all the fuss will no doubt be about the new flagship handset coming out of Cupertino, it’s arguable that the most interesting device that we expect to be announced on Monday is the new budget iPhone.

Set to be dubbed the iPhone 5C, presumably due to its choice of colors, the new handset is basically an iPhone 5 in new clothes if the rumors are to be believed. The iPhone 5 is still one of the best smartphones on the market as far as we’re concerned, so the idea of it being a budget device in a couple of days is blowing our minds a tad.

Throw in some lovely looking colors and what is quite possibly going to be a more palm-friendly chassis than the iPhone 5/5S body has turned out to be, and we find ourselves more interested in seeing what Apple has in store for those not wanting to splash the cash on a premium handset this September.

So, with all that in mind, we sat down all gooey-eyed to watch a new rendered video which depicts what the iPhone 5C may or may not look like when it’s running iOS 7 as well as a collection of popular apps. We’ve got to say that it looks stunning in the video, and if the colors look as good in real life as they do on YouTube, then we can’t wait to cast our eyes upon them.

Created by Maxim Khoroshev, the video is well worth a watch, especially if the iPhone 5C holds any kind of intrigue for you, just as it does us. That’s not to say we won’t be in line for an iPhone 5S in a couple of weeks – it just means we’ll look at the 5C while we’re waiting to pay!

As mentioned before, the new Apple smartphones will be announced at Apple’s September 10th iPhone event.

Thanks, Den for sending this in!

Android 4.4 KitKat Contest Now Live! You Can Win The New Nexus 7 And Play Store Credit, Here Are The Details

As most of you will know by now, the next version of Android is to be called KitKat, and the maker of the popular sweet snack has just unwrapped its contest as part of the promotional collaboration. Hitherto, the landing page has simply displayed a KitKat themed page, but now, the competition is very much up and running. With one thousand Nexus 7 2013 tablets to be won, and a plethora of other prizes including Google Play Store credit and KitKats, it’s definitely not a competition to be missed.

To get involved, competitors must purchase KitKat bars featuring the Android mascot (as pictured below), inside which will be a special code. By entering the code into the special landing page over on the Hershey’s Web site, entrants then find out if they have won something.

Of course, most will be looking to grab the new Nexus 7, which is by far the most appealing prize on offer. But still, $5 of Google Play credit is not to be baulked at, and with some 150,000 lots of credit available to competition winners, you could tot up quite a handsome sum for use to purchase apps, games, music, and other such niceties found over at the Big G’s content portal.

The decision to name the next version of Goolge’s mobile OS as Android 4.4 KitKat is rather bizarre, to say the least, and with the mobile industry completely fooled into thinking it was about to tuck into some Key Lime Pie, Android KitKat represents another bump containing perhaps rudimentary updates. At this point, Google hasn’t released any details aside from the release bracket, but it will certainly be interesting to see what the search giant has in store – especially so soon after the roll out of Android Jelly Bean 4.3.

The Nexus 5 is also the subject of much coverage at the moment, and is expected to be announced very soon, but until we hear anything official, you’re best off picking up few KitKat bars and hoping to get in among some of the good prizes available. Plus, KitKats are good. Not as good as the all-new Nexus 7 with its uber-sharp display, I grant you that, but still delicious nonetheless!

Coming back to the contest; once you’ve grabbed hold of the aforementioned Android-themed KitKat bar, head over to: hersheys.com/kitkat/android/ and enter your code to see if you’ve won anything or not.

Good luck!