Netflix has rolled out a new update today for its Android applications, which brings with it a number of bug fixes, together with other features. One new feature rolled out in the update now adds Facebook sharing to the Netflix Android applications. Enabling users within Latin America, Canada, the UK and Ireland to benefit from a little sharing.
Other new features include improved audio/video syncing for tablets and phones, as well as new software volume controls for tablet users. One of the major issues that has been rectified with the new update was the issue that some users where experiencing with split pictures. The update now resolves this split picture and flickering issues on select tablets.
You can download the new Netflix Android application to instantly watch TV shows & movies streaming from Netflix, directly from the Android Market now for free. It supports Android 2.2, 2.3, 3.x, and 4.x in the USA, Canada, and Latin America.
The Motorola Droid 4 goes on sale in the US later today, and Motorola has released a bunch of videos showing the new Droid 4 in action, one of which you can see below.
The Motorola Droid 4 is available for $199 when you sign up to a new two year agreement from Verizon Wireless, and it features a slide out QWERTY keyboard and Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread.
Other specifications on the Motorola Droid 4 include a 4 inch qHD multi-touch touchscreen display with a resolution of $540 x 960 pixels, processing is provided by a dual core 1.2GHz processor, plus 1GB of RAM.
It also features an 8 megapixel camera, 16GB of built in storage and a microSD card slot which can take up to 32GB cards. It also comes with 4G LTE, WiFi and it can be used as a mobile hotspot for up to eight different devices.
There are lots more videos of the Motorola Droid 4 in action, including ones showing many of the devices features over at Motorola’s YouTube channel.
At the sound of “Bottle Opener Case” I cringed for my iPhone; I figured it was just a quirky gimmick begging to destroy my iPhone. I was wrong. The Opena Case is a solid iPhone 4/4S case with nice protection, sturdy construction, and superior bottle opening skills. It even looks awesome.
The Opena Case (Australian for “Opener Case”) is the only iPhone case on the market with a slide-out bottle opener. The case itself is just one piece. The plastic enclosure is very tough and durable. With some pressure, iPhone snaps right in. All corners are covered with iPhone’s top and bottom ports completely exposed. There is a cutout for the volume buttons and the lock button. The lock button, headphone jack, and charging port are all very accessible while the lock button and toggle switch are recessed and trickier to access.
From the inside of the case you can see the slide-out bottle opener mechanism. There is a slot running down the back of the case where you use your finger to slide the opener out the bottom of the case. The finger hole beautifully lines up with the Apple logo, when recessed. When the opener is slid down the apple logo is again exposed. It’s a really neat design that highlights your Apple (as if people don’t know it’s an iPhone)
The bottle opener snaps securely into place when it’s recessed or extended out. When it’s extended, you can use your phone/case as leverage for opening those tight-lipped bottles. It works perfectly. When recessed, the bottle opener would never slide out on it’s own. The sliding mechanism is very sturdy and tough, as is the actual opener. This is apparent from just holding the case in-hand. It’s got a nice heft to it. It’s not an unreasonable amount of weight and it’s comfortable to hold. The raised contours in the back of the case gives it an ergonomic feel. Our only gripe with design is that the smooth plastic can be a bit slippery.
Roku has announced that its range of media players are now available in the UK, with two different versions available the Roku 2 XS and the Roku LT, with prices starting at £49.99 for the Roku LT and £99.99 for the Roku 2 XS.
Both of the two streaming devices come with up to forty different channels of streaming content, and Roku has just signed a deal with the BBC to bring their BBC iPlayer to Roku devices here in the UK.
“Roku recognizes the importance of region-specific programmes so today we are excited to announce the addition of BBC iPlayer to our platform,” said Clive Hudson, vice president and general manager for Europe at Roku. “This is among the first of many significant content partnerships for Roku in Europe and we look forward to making additional announcements in the coming weeks.”
We can probably expect Roku to add some of the other popular streaming services in the UK like the iTV player, and Channel 4′s 4OD service.
Speck has two great new book-style cases out for the Kindle Fire, the FitFolio and the WanderFolio. The FitFolio for Kindle Fire is available in a choice of three colors, including a bright red, cyan, or black. The case operates the way so many iPad cases do in the way that it’s a book-style folio with a cover can that be folded back. This way the FitFolio can be used to prop up the Kindle Fire for a low angle for typing, as well as a stand for watch movies.
The FitFolio case itself is very form fitting and securely holds the Kindle Fire in place via a custom-fit polycarbonate cradle. But besides for the polycarbonate cradle, the rest of the FitFolio is made of a vegan leatherette material. Fortunately, despite not being made of real leather, the vegan leather material looks well made. The case is also lined with a with super-soft padded micro-suede, to help keep your Kindle Fire’s display both safe and clean. A two way bungee cord is used to keep the FitFolio case closed.
The WanderFolio for Kindle Fire is very similar to the FitFolio in form-factor and materials. However, it has a special ace up its sleeve because it features 2 card-sized pockets and 2 larger pockets for stashing money, credit cards, etc, essentially transforming the case into a wallet too. This way you can grab your Kindle Fire and just go. The WanderFolio is unfortunately only available In black.
[Gallery not found]
Both the WanderFolio for Kindle Fire and FitFolio for KindleFire are well made cases and smartly designed. They manage to provide ample protection for your Kindle Fire and should protect the device from the daily grind, and that includes bumps, scruffs, and minor drops. Our biggest issue with these cases is that they are a bit on the bulky size, and add a bit of heft to the Kindle Fire. Also, the polycarbonate material used for the cradle makes the case look a bit cheap. That said, these are both solid cases that are super practical and while managing to look pretty sophisticated. It doesn’t hurt either that they are reasonably priced.
The WanderFolio retails for $39.95 while the FitFolio retails for $34.95.
The Good: Practical designs provide multiple angles for the Kindle Fire, cool color choices for FitFolio, both cases provide plenty of protection and are well made, reasonable pricing
The Bad: Not made of real leather, cases are a bit on the bulky and heavy side
I’ll skip the obvious anti-mainstream hipster jokes, and get to the point – this camera is for the old at heart who love the beautiful imperfections that arise from using low-tech gear. Lomography cameras are basically analog cameras that produce pictures rife with blurring, odd coloring, and light leaks. The result is an Instagram photo minus the Instagram.
This particular camera looks like it’s been pulled straight out of a certain 1990s Will Smith movie, with a brassy, steampunk feel to it. The giant flash bulb brings back images of the paparazzi of yesteryear, which will definitely be reflected in the technical quality of the pictures generated. But, to each their own, and if this style of photography is your thing (and there are certainly some mesmerizing lomography photos out there), you might as well do it in style.
The La Sardina Belle Starr is on sale from the lomography site for about $250. There are bundles including film for the camera, as well.
Samsung announced recently that they will be releasing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Note before the end of quarter one, which would mean the end of March at the latest.
Now it would appear that we may have a possible date on when both of these devices will get the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update, the 1st of March.
The news comes from industry insider Eldar Murtzain how has said that the Android 4.0 update will land on this date and will be available as an OTA update and also through Samsung’s Kies software.
Android 4 aka ics for sgs2 will be officially available from march 1(depends from country/operator). Update over the air or using kies
We haven’t had any confirmation from Samsung as yet that this will be the official release date of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II as soon as we get some more details we will let you guys know.
