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The Galaxy Note III may feature an Exynos 5 Octa chipset, 3 GB of RAM and a 5.99-inch FHD display.
MyDrivers.com has managed to unearth some rumored specifications and a rather fingerprint-smeared image of the Samsung’s Galaxy Note III. The upcoming phablet will feature reportedly be powered by a Samsung Exynos 5 Octa chipset paired with a Quad Core 2.0 GHz ARM Cortex A15 + Quad Core 1.7 ARM Cortex A7 [Ed: We don't know if this is a bad translation or if Samsung actually put two SoCs on the same chipset instead of fabricating its own CPU].
Also included in 3 GB of memory, 32 GB of internal storage and a 5.99” Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. As we’ve come to expect with Samsung’s mobile devices, the Note III will feature a microSD slot, a removable battery, S-Pen support and ship with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean running the company’s TouchWiz UI.
The device is rumored to be formally unveiled at IFA 2013 which takes place in October 2013.
We're getting quite used to celebrity endorsements in the smartphone space. Between Jessica Alba and Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10 and Alicia Keys, or Zoe Deschanel and the iPhone/Siri, it's not at all unusual to see a famous actor or single pushing a specific brand of smartphone or smartphone technology. Unfortunately, Kobe fans looking for a piece of the latest Kobe-approved product may have to wait a while, as it seems this phone might be China-only for now.
Lenovo has recruited basketball legend Kobe Bryant to plug an upcoming device. Engadget points to a new behind-the-scenes spot featuring Bryant that hit the web this week.
The ad sees Kobe bouncing a basketball around set before plugging the Lenovo P780. A commercial for the device (this one from Lenovo's own YouTube channel) suggests that this phone is based on an Intel CPU. Other rumors include a 5-inch display and a 4,000mAh battery.
Check out the official ad below, or head over to Engadget for the behind-the-scenes look at the shoot.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Ubisoft’s next big action-adventure stealth title, is set to see the return of Sam Fisher.
The game is massively anticipated, especially by die-hard Splinter Cell fans, after players complained about the action-oriented approach the Splinter Cell series took with Conviction.
Ubisoft is also aware that over the years the franchise has lost a bit of its shine, and Splinter Cell isn’t as popular as it once used to be. Recently in an interview with Eurogamer, Ubisoft Montreal Managing Director Jade Raymond also revealed the same, but stated that this is so because of the complex nature of the series.
"But Splinter Cell still really is a thinking game. It's really about being intelligent and taking that time in the first phase to plan out how you're going to do things, and understanding the elements, and even planning your gadgets and your load-out and being smart about it,” she stated. “That's where you get the thrill, but it's a different way of playing than most games on the market these days."
However, Raymond strongly believes that the latest game in the series will be the best one, because it does not have an action-oriented approach, compared to its predecessors.
As far as Blacklist’s storyline is concerned, fans will see Sam Fisher returning as the leader of the newly formed Fourth Echelon that reports directly to the President of the United States. The game starts six months afterConviction, with the Fourth Echelon looking forward to stop any and all current operations that are being conducted by Third Echelon and their agents.
However, during this assignment, as many as 12 terrorists initiate an ultimatum called the Blacklist, which is a countdown of increasing terrorist attacks on the United States.
Michael Ironside, the one man who’s played the role of Sam Fisher ever since the beginning of the series, tells us more in the video below:
Splinter Cell: Blacklist, as revealed by others involved with developing or publishing the game, is going back to its roots and bringing all that players actually expect from a normal Splinter Cell game – thought-provoking stealth tactics.
And stealth, this time, also involves hiding bodies and being rewarded for certain moves. However, the game is maintaining Conviction’s speedy game-play alongside the mark and execute feature. Basically everything that involves a perfect Splinter Cell gameplay.
In another interview with MCV, Raymond stated: “Believe it or not, of the thousands of people surveyed, the players who rated Conviction’s new action-oriented features the highest were in fact players who had played two or more other games within the series.”
“When creating Blacklist, we were inspired by the roots of the franchise and we have paid extra attention to fan feedback from both Conviction post-launch results and regular playtests of Blacklist throughout development.”
The gameplay itself is said to be a treat for the fans. Sam Fisher, this time around, is more agile than he ever was, assisted by a new feature called Killing in Motion. Killing in Motion allows Sam to strike with deadly precision by marking and executing multiple enemies in one quick move.
While the player tries to make the best of the situation and the environment, he will be helped by some cool new gadgets that include the likes of a micro tri-rotor drone and a newly improvised snake cam.
Blacklist play styles include Assault, Panther and Ghost, with a new difficulty mode called Perfectionist. Perfectionist will not allow players to see through walls with Sam’s sonar goggles. Also Mark & Execute feature will not work here.
For the classic fans, gadgets such as the sticky shocker and Sam’s well-recognized tri-focal goggles also make a return.
Community developer Zack Cooper has more to share on Blacklist with creative director Maxime Beland in a video:
Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the seventh installment of the series, and is set for an August 2013 release for PC, PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. The Wii U version of the game has also been announced.
Windows Phone 8 app downloads up 100%, developer revenue up 140%
Good news if you’re a Windows Phone 8 user and developer, Microsoft announced last week that app downloads on the Windows Phone 8 platform are up 100% since its launch. Furthermore, revenues paid to developers for paid apps has increased 140% since the launch of Windows Phone 8. While percentages should be taken in the correct context, as these percentages may look a lot better than the actual numbers. However, it is still good to see that Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform is finding a way to carve out a place in a market where there’s Android, iOS, and the rest.
Microsoft also announced that they are expanding payouts to developers in six new countries. Developers in Afghanistan, Iraq, Montenegro, Serbia, Timor-Leste, and Ukraine are now eligible for payouts for their paid apps from the Microsoft Dev Center. These additional six countries bring the total countries eligible for developer payouts up to 122. Microsoft also added 15 more carriers for carrier billing since August 2012, and now 25 carriers across 19 countries support carrier billing for Windows Phone 8 app purchases. Recently Nokia announced that over 5 million Lumia smartphones have been sold, an encouraging sign for Nokia who has bet the future of the company on Windows Phone.
While these numbers and updates still have a long way to go to even come close to Apple or Google’s app downloads and developer support, it is good to see Microsoft is moving in the right direction for loyal Windows Phone owners. One our biggest complaints with Windows Phone has been the lack of quality apps from quality developers, and hopefully these newest figures may entice a few talented iOS or Android developers to release a WP8 version of their apps. But with Apple approaching its 50 billionth app download, Microsoft has still got ways to go, and a lot of developers to entice.
Practice makes perfect, and GTA V's trio of protagonists will have plenty of opportunity to improve their criminal talents.
When Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas tried its hand at RPG elements, results were ... mixed, at best. As it turns out, fans of the open-world crime sandbox genre weren't terribly enthused about directing their in-game avatar to hit the gym regularly and balance his diet. These mechanics were absent from GTA IV, but Rockstar seems to have learned a few lessons (possibly inspired by action-RPGs like Skyrim) and designed a new skill progression system for the upcoming fifth entry to the series. Despite this new system sounding like it belongs in a swords-and-sorcery type of setting, skill progression and special abilities may just enhance the classic formula.
GTA V's three protagonists each have their own set of skills. Retired mobster Michael is handy with a gun, while automobile aficionado Franklin is better at driving and Trevor's military experience makes him an ace pilot. Each of these skills, among others, will improve with use. Each character's strength, stamina, lung capacity, and stealth skills will also get better over time, allowing players to further specialize each character or balance them into jacks of all trades.
Each of the lead characters is distinguished even more by a unique special ability. Michael can slow the action into Max Payne-esque bullet time during firefights. Franklin uses a similar slow-down effect when driving to pull off tricky maneuvers, and Trevor can activate a rage mode where he inflicts more damage and becomes resistant to enemies' attacks.
Michael, Franklin, and Trevor are more than just character classes with names, though. In their down time, each of them has their own life that they'll be tending to while you aren't actively controlling them. Switch characters at any given moment, and you could find your new active character at home watching TV or preparing to jump out of a helicopter, or anything in between. During missions, switching perspectives will allow you to dynamically jump between different aspects of a carefully-planned heist, or simply flank an entrenched enemy with one character will another keeps them busy. It's a novel way to make sure the player is never more than a button's press away from a fresh scenario, while bringing a layer of tactics to group firefights.
Between these new details and what we already know, Grand Theft Auto V is shaping up to be Rockstar's most ambitious project yet. It also makes me that much more disappointed that the main story can't be played through in three-player co-op, though Rockstar has its reasons.
Grand Theft Auto V is planned for a September 17 release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
With the release of Iron Man 3 on the immediate horizon, we look closely at Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr.
5. He has a moustache - Adolf Hitler. Joseph Stalin. Saddam Hussein. Osama Bin Laden. Emperor Ming. Dick Dastardly. Captain Hook. Miles Mayhem. Without exception, there literally has not been a person in the history of mankind who had a moustache who wasn’t evil. Women almost never wear them. Superheroes pretty much never grow them. Would you trust Superman if he had a tache? Not even Wolverine dares attempt one. The only exceptions are the Green Arrow and the Comedian from Watchmen, who really was more rapist-sadist-murderer than hero. But Tony Stark doesn’t give a damn about any of this. He rocks a ronnie. And he looks good. Morally and aesthetically.
4. He didn’t get involved in a contest when choosing his name - SUPERman! because I’m like, super, you know? If the name of DC’s favourite son wasn’t so deeply ingrained in our psyches and in popular culture, we would think that name was pretty stupid upon hearing it. And there are worse: Captain Marvel. Mr Fantastic. Wonder Woman. The Incredible Hulk. The Amazing Spiderman. Tony Stark meanwhile opts for Iron Man. The most rubbish of the metals. The most common on earth. It’s soft. It rusts. His suit’s not even made of iron, it’s a gold titanium alloy. It’s not really even a suit, its made up of 2million tiny individual cells held together by a force field. But, as Tony said, Iron Man ‘sounds provocative’. And as Ozzy Osbourne said, ‘Gold-titanium alloy man’ just didn’t have the same ring to it.
3. He shuns anonymity – Whether it’s a mask, a cowl, a hood or, um, a pair of glasses coupled with a slightly different hairstyle, superheroes are cowardly types who like to hide their identities. Sure they talk about protecting their loved ones, like Peter Parker trying to ensure either Mary Jane or Aunt May doesn’t get kidnapped AGAIN this week, but they’re really just afraid of getting hassled by the paparazzi. Sure, he wears a full helmet, but everyone knows Tony Stark is Iron Man thanks to his hilarious reveal via press conference. An excellent Marvel Comics story arc called Civil War tackles the issue quite seriously (or as seriously as universes such as Marvel’s can get) in which an act requiring superheroes to reveal their secret identities and register themselves as WMDs divides the world’s heroes, Iron Man leading the for side and Captain America against, and they end up kicking the superhero out of each other.
2. He has no superpowers – Superheroes, by definition, are supposed to have super powers. Otherwise, they’re just heroes, like firefighters and cops and blood donors and whatnot. But occasionally, one manages to sneak into the pantheon without having any super human abilities at all. Batman is a prime example. He’s a member of the Justice League, up there with omnipotent aliens like Superman and omnipotent jewellery wearers like the Green Lantern, yet he’s just a mortal man. Theoretically, you or me could achieve the same station in life (if the Justice League were a real thing). Batman’s just a guy who’s really rich and really smart and stuff, but essentially he’s just a man, which is what makes him so endearing. Just like Tony Stark. Just a super rich, super smart dude. And while his suit is all the flash, his best attribute is really his intelligence.
1. He’s a jerk – Despite having two identities, superheroes are are frequently very one-dimensional. You tolerate and sit through the boring ‘human’ bits until they finally pull their costumes on and start kicking someice (if you know what I mean). Tony Stark meanwhile is just as enjoyable to watch as Tony stark as he is as Iron Man, if not more so. Hilariously cocky, and so self-involved it belies his intellect. Here is one of the richest men in the world with an empire built of defence technology, a weapons monger who is indirectly responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands, and who needs to be kidnapped by the people his instruments of death have been incinerating before he realises ‘OMG – weapons have the potential to hurt people. And hurting people is wrong. sad face. I’m not making weapons for these bold boys anymore. ‘Now wait here where I strap on my suit of weapons and watch me blow stuff up!’ ‘PS I’m awesome.’
Mysterious LG smartphone appears online, might be Optimus G2
A mystery LG smartphone has popped up online with no details about the phone. Posted by evleaks on its Facebook page, the phone might be the company’s Optimus G2 smartphone, or an upcoming successor to Optimus LTE 2.
The phone represents a design shift for the Korean manufacturer as we have not seen something like this from the company in a long time. There are a few hints of Nexus 4 like design but that is all which looks familiar.
There are no front capacitive or physical buttons on-board, indicating that the company is going to use virtual buttons. The leaked benchmarklisting of Optimus G2 had also showed the presence of virtual buttons – suggesting that this leaked image can turn out to be of Optimus G2. However, we will like to wait for more information before coming to a conclusion.
Evleaks also posted a close-up shot of the top bezel showing front camera and a little of that weird looking ear-piece.
The display seems to be more than 5-inches, but given the fact that part of screen real estate will be used for virtual buttons, the final usable display space will most likely be close to 5-inches only.
We expect to see more such leaks in the coming days to get more information about the phone.
