GTA V

As we inch closer to the GTA V release date (September 17, for the fresh-from-the-coma fans) we're going to see an uptick in the GTA V spoilers being given to fans. There are currently a TON of new GTA V spoilers floating around the world wide web, including GTA V spoilers about the map reveal, the soundtrack and radio stations, dogs and other animals and, of course, the tantalizing mystery shed we saw in the gameplay trailer that came out on July 9. For a refresher, let's take a look at that GTA V gameplay trailer and feel that warm, fuzzy feeling from seeing a game that looks EPIC:

Mmmm ... delicious open world mayhem. Sept 17 can't get here fast enough. But, in the meantime, let's devour the GTA V spoilers feast that has been laid before us from the info in the gameplay trailer, interviews, screenshots and more.

GTA V Spoilers: The Mystery Shed

This isn't really THAT much of a spoiler, but it's enough of a GTA V spoiler for me to want to talk about it here. The Shed. I'm capitalizing the "S" in shed because The Shed is becoming important. Over on Reddit, where basically the whole internet happens, gamers have been going cray-cray over The Shed. In case you missed it, here's a pic of The Shed resting atop the enormous mountain in the above trailer

Uproxx put together a nice piece on The Shed and followed the Reddit frenzy rather nicely. Redditors speculated that The Shed is either full of parachutes, a ski lift stop or the storage unit for a jetpack. Among the funnier theories: The Shed is offering Edward Snowden asylum, it's the location of Half-Life 3 and it's the destination for the blimp.

The great thing about The Shed isn't what IS inside, it's what COULD be inside. GTA V is looking to be a MASSIVE game (more on its massive giganticness below) and The Shed has given thousands of gamers a Day One destination. I plan on trekking Skyrim-style to the tip of the mountain and trying to find out what's inside. No matter what it is I'll turn around, enjoy the breathtaking view, and then hurtle myself into a massive freefall that hopefully ends with me crushing a hooker. (the way every great freefall ends, right Eliot Spitzer? #greatreference)

So, why am I considering this a spoiler? Because it basically ruined (i.e. spoiled) any chance I have of organically enjoying my first few hours with the game. Flimsy definition of a GTA V spoiler? Sure. But it was a fun little detour, wasn't it?

Moving on!

GTA V Spoilers: Newest Map Reveal Shows Massive Giganticness

GTA V will be the biggest game Rockstar has ever produced. How big? Last year, Kotaku reported on how Rockstar was bragging that GTA V will be bigger than Red Dead Redemption, GTA IV and San Andreas COMBINED. They even ran an article with a helpful math book style graphic to give you a sense of what that scale means. But the helpful graphic from Kotaku has been outdone by the GTA V spoiler map reveals created by dedicated fans. The first map I came across in my months of following GTA V spoilers was this fan-made one that attempted to recreate the map by using screenshots and locations found in real life Los Angeles (the city Los Santos is based on).

Pretty nifty. Especially when you take a look at all the work that went into creating that early GTA V spoiler. But then fans stepped up their cartography game and decided to work on a map that showed the topographical layout of the GTA V world:

And NOW, another intrepid GTA V fan on Reddit has taken an updated version of the fan-made GTA V map and placed the GTA: San Andreas map over top of it to give gamers yet another visual representation for what's become common knowledge: GTA V IS F-KING HUUUUUGE!!!

Nokia Lumia 925 available at T-Mobile for $49.99

We’ve been waiting to hear when the Lumia 925 would finally be available in the U.S. on T-Mobile. If you live in other countries it has been available unlocked for a while, but until T-Mobile gets it we are out of luck in the States. The Verge is reporting that the Nokia Lumia 925 will be available on T-Mobile for $49.99 on July 17th.

With T-Mobile’s no contract prices you pay 24 monthly payments of $20 along with the upfront cost. The benefit is you can leave whenever you want. The Lumia 925 is the best Windows Phone available right now. It can best be described as a Lumia 920 with thinner aluminum body. $50 for the Lumia 925 is an absolutely awesome deal for a great phone. Who is grabbing one on July 17th?

Display:

• 4.5-inch capacitive touchscreen
• 1280 by 768 pixel resolution
• PureMotion HD+

Camera:

• 8.7MP camera rear,  front camera
• Dual LED flash
• PureView tech with floating lens
• 1080p video recording

Hardware:

• 32GB mass memory
• 1000MB internal memory
• 2000 mAh battery
• Snapdragon S4 1.5 GHz dual-core processor

Nokia Lumia 1020

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Nokia has just officially announced the Lumia 1020 with 41MP PureView camera. The game has been changed. We’ve heard about this phone in every way possible, and seen it in every angle possible. Unfortunately there isn’t much surprise left unless you were abstaining from the rumors.

The big deal with the Lumia 1020 is obviously the camera. There is a prominent hump on the back that holds the 41MP PureView camera. This camera is made up of 6 lenses, which allows for insane zoom for a smartphone. The camera also has optical image stabilization, backside-illuminated image sensor, autofocus, xenon Flash, 1080p video at 30 fps, and comes with Nokia Pro Camera mode. There is not a smartphone on the market that can compete with this camera.

Now for the non-camera specs. Everything else in the Lumia 1020 is very similar to the Lumia 920 and 925. It has a 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 2,000 mAh battery with optional wireless charging cover, and 1.2MP front camera. Including the camera bump the 1020 is a respectable 10.4 mm thick.

So, what about price? The Lumia 1020 will be available on AT&T on July 26th for $299. It will come in white, black, and yellow. If that seems a little expensive go re-read all the things this phone can do. You’re not just buying a smartphone, you are buying a smartphone with a DSLR stuffed inside it. Spend $300 on this phone and you won’t need to spend anything on a separate camera. Who is picking one of these up?

The Kickstand – a portable HD projector on Kickstarter

In my world of traveling and presenting, a traditional LCD projector is a mainstay. Unfortunately those buggers are both fragile and heavy for portability. It’s also a nuisance to ask a client to provide one because frequently upon arrival at a site, I find they are antiquated behemoths with a dim bulb. While I’ve considered several mini-projectors as an alternative, most of them distort beyond 6 feet (diagonally measured) and are limited in lumens or brightness.

bem Wireless (pronounced “beam”) has recently announced a cool looking Kickstarter project called the Kickstand that looks to tackle some of the issues: in particular both portability and brightness.

This unified construction appears to have a lot going for it – a built-in handle and stand; a remote that acts as a lens cover; HDMI input; and an LED DLP light source at a whopping 400 ANSI lumens (overcoming the biggest drawback to pico- and micro- projectors). The anodized aluminum complements the Apple lineup of MacBooks, and with the right adapter, even an iPad might be hooked up to it.

Yes, the Kickstand has loads of potential… but it has a long way to go in fundraising in just a few weeks.

Assassin's Creed 4 black flag preview

Call of Duty and FIFA aren’t the only annual franchise. Ubisoft has their own, and it’s called Assassin’s Creed. You may have heard of it.

Unlike the home console based Assassin’s Creeds we’ve seen so far, Ubi’s latest entry, titled Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, is doing things a little differently. It’s a cross generation game, which means not only will be available on the usual suspects, but a souped up fancy pants version will launch alongside the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year. Only happy with showing the best their game can offer, Ubisoft sat us down to demonstrate the PlayStation 4 build of Black Flag, a game boasting open waters, desert islands, jungle hijinx, and the biggest map the series has seen thus far.

Our live demo opened with one of the game’s writers playing as Edward Kenway, protagonist of , and father of Haytham Kenway, a major character in Assassin’s Creed III. Starting in a fishing village, Kenway is on the hunt for an assassination contract, targets secondary to the main mission. Unlike core missions, which usually follow a set structure and must be triggered, contracts are persistent and stay open for as long as you like. You can, for example, continue playing the game with an open contract and spot your target further down the road, taking the time to divert from your course and kill them.

Kenway eventually spots his target, and so a chase begins. Unlike Assassin’s Creed III, which had a lot of ground and tree branch traversal, Black Flag will give players more opportunities to do good old fashioned rooftop parkour, something the development team feels is something fans love about the series, especially in Assassin’s Creed II. Catching up to his target, Kenway realises he’s lagged behind for too long, as the target has boarded his ship and is now setting sail for the ocean. Being a pirate with his own battalion of scum and villainy, Kenway naturally boards his own ship to pursue his contract across the waves, culminating in a ship-vs-ship battle. The entire sequence so far all happens in real time, dynamically, with no loading screens or breaks in the action, another big focus for the latest iteration.

Anybody familiar with Assassin’s Creed III‘s ship battles will feel right at home in Black Flag, as they play much the same, tasking the player with lining up cannons and letting loose volleys of steel death. Keeping with the pirate theme, Black Flag introduces ship boarding to the naval battles, which lets Kenway and co jump to neighbouring vessels for hand-to-hand battles. After conquering your opponent’s vessel the fate of its crew is in you hands, allowing you to execute or assimilate them into your own crew, or even send them on assignments as part of a larger meta-game.

In our demo, Kenway stumbles across a treasure map, a catalyst to show off some of the open world (open ocean?) exploration. The map shows the location of a treasure hidden deep inside some old temple ruins, of which the team would not elaborate on, leaving our questioning of whether or not these temples have anything to do with The Ones That Came Before unanswered. From what we saw this didn’t seem to be the case, but we were told Black Flag would continue plot threads and dwell in mythology from the past games, so we won’t know until we play the full game for ourselves.

Arriving at the treasure’s location Kenway discovers the ruins are packed with British soldiers, requiring Kenway stealth his way in to steal the goods. We’re told that Black Flag has an increased emphasis on stealth, though the combat and countering system from the latest entries remains largely the same. Finding the treasure nets Kenway a reward in the form of a blueprint part, the culmination of many leading unlockable equipment to better Kenway’s arsenal and we’re guessing his ship. Lastly, Kenway’s exploration of the ruin leads him to a sync viewpoint. Similar to the rest of the series, these locations grant greater map visibility, though in Black Flag also act as a fast travel point. We’re guessing this is a necessity given the far bigger map compared to its predecessors.

At first glance Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag might seem like yet another Assassin’s Creed game, but it doesn’t take long to see that Ubisoft does seem to be mixing up the formula quite a bit, if just for the game world. The latter point is probably the one big thing Black Flag is doing to breath life into the series, stripping away the loading screens and compartmentalised challenges and instead offering a far bigger, open, and dynamic game world. For some gamers out there, this could be the pirate simulator they’ve long been waiting for.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag hits Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U in October of this year, while an Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC release will follow shortly after.

 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U on October 29 in the U.S., October 31 in Australia, and November 1 in Europe. It was announced on March 1, 2013 that the game will also come to the PlayStation 4, and on May 21 that it will release on the Xbox One. Ubisoft will once again partner with  to bring exclusive content to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game.Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U on October 29 in the U.S., October 31 in Australia, and November 1 in Europe It was announced on March 1, 2013 that the game will also come to the PlayStation 4, and on May 21 that it will release on the Xbox One Ubisoft will once again partner with Sony to bring exclusive content to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game. On June 21, 2013 it was announced that the Microsoft Windows version had been delayed "a few weeks"

Micromax Canvas 4 Up for Preorder!

       

The well ‘leaked’ Micromax Canvas 4 is up for pre-order already! Micromax Canvas 4, the Indian competitor to Samsung Galaxy S4 was revealed in a video by the maker on YouTube. Right after launch, the video created a buzz and an overload of excitement with leaks over the specifications and features doing rounds.

While Micromax recently put the Canvas 4 device up for pre-order, the features and specs are still tightly kept under wraps. How do we order a phone without knowing the features and specs you ask?

Well, a couple of features have been revealed by Micromax while others have been “hinted” at. The phone will come with a 13 MP camera. Samsung Galaxy S4 also comes with the same camera resolution and by revealing the camera resolution; Micromax gave away the fact of the phone being a direct competitor to Samsung’s current flagship.

Apart from knowing that Micromax Canvas 4 comes with a 13 MP camera with single LED flash, it is rumoured to come with an 8-core processor to match that of Samsung Galaxy S4. Also, as the leaked video showed the phone in black while images on the Micromax website show images of a white device, we can safely say that the phone will come in two colour variants: Black and White.

         

The phone is up for pre-order at Rs 5000.Micromax hinted that the price of the phone will be revealed on July 8, so we are guessing the phone will be launched on the same day. On unveiling the specifications, if users wish to back out and not purchase the phone, Micromax is offering a complete refund. The phone will begin shipping by 10th July as the website states. However, users get time till 15th July to cancel their pre-bookings.

There are a list of terms and conditions posted by Micromax on their website. While hopes are pinned on Micromax launching the device at a budget price of somewhere around the 20k mark, the idea of pre-ordering might be a wise move. Micromax soon realised after launching the Canvas HD that demand exceeded supply and that they had “under-priced” their phone. So while the phone soon went out of stock, prices were immediately cranked up by Rs 1000/- on re-launch.

This time, by announcing the phone much before the actual launch and also offering it up for pre-order, Micromax is bound to get a fair idea of the demand and price their product according. We only hope the expectations are not set too high and Micromax delivers this time around too!

Sony introduces the SmartWatch 2

Part two of Sony’s announcements at the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai was the introduction of the Sony SmartWatch 2. Taking a few cues from the original, this SmartWatch has been upgraded with even more of a stylish look, as well as enhanced functionality thanks to the advent of NFC. Folks can pair the SmartWatch with their NFC-enabled phones by simply making the two touch each other. The connection is maintained via Bluetooth, of course, so everything from there is a standard affair.

The SmartWatch will feature many different apps and features, interfacing with your Android phone to do things like answer phone calls, check notifications and messages, change music tracks, GPS-enabled features for runners and bikers, remote presentation control, and even the ability to control your smartphone’s camera. It also features the ability to check email, social networks like Facebook and Twitter, check your calendar and more.

As we’d heard before, Sony’s latest SmartWatch 2 has been built with dust and water in mind, meaning you won’t need to worry about a little rain in the morning or a little sand at the beach. Of course, like with any watch, we wouldn’t take the chance of doing a cannon ball with this thing attached to your wrist, but if you’re just heading into a weathered world there won’t be much to worry about.

The “watch” part of the device remains functional without a connection, so if you can’t get your Bluetooth paired up for some reason or you just don’t want to drain the battery, you’ll have basic time-telling features. You’ll also be able to access previously-delivered notifications and messages, set your alarm, and use the device as a flashlight.

With its 24mm wrist band support, the watch should be able to fit mostly any custom wrist band without fail (meaning fat-wrist people like me should have no reservations). Sony says we can expect this beautiful little thing to launch this September.

Intel’s new Haswell processor now in india

Intel has announced that laptops and desktop PCs powered by its 4th generation Core processor based on Haswell architecture are now available in India.

Haswell, which is successor to Ivy Bridge processors currently found in mainstream laptops and desktops, doesn't offer much advantage in terms of performance over its predecessors.

However, it is more power efficient and offers significantly better battery life, something that should help Intel take on the popularity of tablets in the market. Intel said that Haswell processor in laptops deliver up to 50 per cent increase in battery life in active workloads over the previous generation

The company added that due to its power efficiency Haswell will enable manufacturers like Acer, Lenovo, Dell and HP to create thinner and lighter devices that could also serve as tablets.

Intel South Asia managing director Debjani Ghosh said that Haswell processor are one of the most power-efficient chips the company had created. "The 4th Generation Intel Core processors offer the most significant gain in battery life ever achieved by Intel, up to double the graphics and significant CPU performance improvements that will deliver an exciting user experience," she said.

Leighton Phillips, director of product management & pricing at Intel Asia-Pacific, added, "today's announcement accelerates a new category of 2-in-1 computing devices delivering the best of a notebook and a tablet in amazing new form factors."

Intel said that premium ultrabooks and a few all-in-one systems powered by Haswell chips would be available in India in coming weeks. Mainstream laptops that sell for around Rs 30,000 would get the new chips in couple of months.

Other than the battery life, Intel is promising significantly better graphics performance with Haswell processor. The top end chips, which come with GT3 graphics configuration, can even match dedicated mobile graphics cards. However, most of the mainstream laptops are likely to end up with HD 4600 and HD 5000, which will offer big improvements over HD 4000 but are not likely to match the dedicated AMD or Nvidia graphics cards in a laptop.

For consumers who assemble their own systems, Intel will sell boxed Haswell processor. The top end chips, dubbed Core i7 4770 and Core i7 4770K, are already available in the Indian market with a price of around Rs 20,000. Core i5 4430, which is a mainstream processor, is more affordable with a price of around Rs 12,500.

Age of Empires coming soon to android and ios

Microsoft Corp will offer its popular “Age of Empires” game for Apple Inc’s iPhone and other smartphones through a tie-up with Japan’s KLab Inc, seeking to capture growth in a booming mobile game market.

Microsoft’s gaming business is dependent primarily on its Xbox franchise but mobile devices have been eating into the gaming industry, luring consumers away from traditional consoles.

Age of Empires gameplay

While the tech giant has released a few mobile games for iOS and Android like Wordament, “Age of Empires” is its most popular game to date to be offered beyond its own consoles.

The strategy is one that analysts argue other game machine makers such as Mario Brothers creator Nintendo Co Ltd could consider in a bid to leverage their software assets.

KLab will develop a mobile version of “Age of Empires” which will be released before the end of March, a KLab spokesperson said.

Shares in KLab were overwhelmed by a glut of buy orders in Tokyo trade on Tuesday, with its price indicated at 972 yen, 18 percent higher than its last close.

Contrary to an earlier report, the agreement is only to develop a mobile version of “Age of Empires” and there were no announcements on other titles, the two companies said.

The historical strategy game will be released worldwide in English for iPhones and Andriod-based phones, “with plans to release the game in other languages and on a Windows Phone in the future,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

Acer launches world's first 8-inch Windows 8 tab Iconia W3 @ Rs 30,499

Acer launched three new Windows 8-powered touch-enabled devices in India, in India, which the firm expects will account for about 12 per cent of its shipments in the next 2-3 quarters. Acer India Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of Acer, launched the tablet, ultrabook and notebook targeting the techno-savvy consumer with an end-to-end computing experience.

The launch includes Acer Iconia W3, which is claimed to be the world's first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet. It features a 8.1-inch display and is powered by Intel Atom Z2760 Clover Trail chipset. It comes with a 2 megapixel front and rear camera. It also has support for micro-HDMI and micro-USB ports for better connectivity.

The Acer Iconia W3 is designed with a virtual keypad sized for optimal thumb typing. The Iconia W3 will be available from Rs 30,499 onwards.

Acer India also launched its ultrabook Aspire P3, which weighs 1.3 kg and is 0.77 mm thick. It features a 11.6-inch HD display, optional Intel Core i3 and i5 processors, 4GB RAM, Intel HD graphics, a 120 GB hard drive and Dolby audio. It comes with front and rear cameras, connectivity options like Wi-Fi, bluetooth, micro-HDMI, USB 3.0. Acer bundled the device with a protective case and a bluetooth keyboard. The Acer Aspire P3 will be available from Rs 54,499 onwards.

The company also launched its premium offering, Aspire R7, which is a Windows 8 convertible laptop with a new hinge design that allows one to use the device as a laptop and a tablet.

Aspire R7 features a 15.6-inch 1080p 10-point-multi-touch display, Intel Core i5 processor, 6GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, Intel HD graphics and Dolby Audio.

It also includes an HD webcam and connectivity options like Wi-Fi, bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, USB 3.0 and card reader. The Aspire R7 will be available from Rs 74,999 onwards.

Review: I-Mego Throne Gold Headphones

Holy bass!  That was my first reaction upon putting on the I-Mego Throne Gold headphones for the first time.  I knew ahead of time that the I-Mego Throne Gold headphones were advertised as deep bass headphones, but I didn’t expect quite the bass thumping I first experienced.   Could the I-Mego Throne Gold be a bass lover’s dream set of headphones? Read on to find out!

Build Quality

I-Mego certainly didn’t skimp on the build quality of the Throne Gold headphones.  Even the fancy packaging they come in screams high quality.  The packaging includes a fancy front flap held in place by a magnet and a plastic molded holder for the headphones.

The fancy packaging the I-Mego Throne Gold headphones arrived in.

The headphones themselves certainly have a sleek look to them.  

The gold grill on the outside of the ear pads themselves is a unique, eye catching style.  The headphones feel very high quality and very durable.  While the shiny gold parts appear to be all metal, the gold grills are actually shiny painted plastic.  While I was a bit disappointed to find this out, the plastic felt very durable and strong and wasn’t creaky or bendable.

The unique and eye catching gold and black grill look of the Throne Gold headphones.

All of the movable parts from the resizable sliding headband to the flexible ear pads that bend to fit your head shape, felt very high quality and durable.  These would not be a pair of headphones that I would worry about being broken easily if I tossed them into a bag.

Comfort and Feel

I was surprised just how light-weight these headphones were when taking them out of the box for the first time.  These headphones do not feel heavy or bulky in your hand or on your head.

The ear pads themselves are a different shape than I have been accustomed to in other over-the-ear headphones I have tested out.  They have more of an oblong oval shape to them while other headphones tend to stick with a more circular shape.  This long oval shape really fits the shape of your ear snuggly and really make the headphones feel like they “grab” your ear.

The taller, oval shaped memory foam ear pads fit and gripped my ears exceptionally well and were very comfortable.

These grippy ear pads assure that you don’t have to worry about them slipping off your head and really effectively sealed out a lot of the noises from your surroundings.  This allowed me to experience a distraction free music experience in which I could hear subtle background chords, notes, and singing that I had missed in some of my favorite songs in past listening experiences.

The ear pads are made of some type of memory-foam and the headband is made of real leather stuffed with a generous amount of padding as well.  The combination of pillow-like, memory foam ear pads and the soft real-leather band made these headphones hands-down the most comfortable pair I have ever worn.  I was able to wear them for long periods with no discomfort at all.

Audio Performance

The most comfortable headphones in the world wouldn’t be worth it if the sound quality didn’t match their great feel.  The I-Mego Throne Gold headphones, thankfully, didn’t disappoint in the performance category.

As I mentioned before, I was surprised at the booming bass that flowed from these headphones upon first firing up a song when using them right out of the box.  I had to quickly reach for the volume dial and turn it way down to keep my ear drums from feeling like they would burst.

If you are considering purchasing the Throne Gold headphones, make sure you are the type of person who always likes to have the bass turned way up to the point where it becomes the focus of the music.  I heard bass chords and drumming that I never knew even existed loudly and clearly in the background of my songs.  However, sometimes the bass was so overpowering it was difficult to hear the treble notes or the lyrics of the song clearly.  I know there are some of you out there who would say, “Great!,” to that idea, but not all people fit into that category of music listeners.  I found myself needing to go into my equalizer settings to lower the bass just a hair, as I am someone who likes to hear the bass notes but not to the point of missing out on the other parts of the song.

Other than the bass, the rest of the audio quality is about what I would consider average for a pair of high-end headphones.  If you are used to low quality ear-buds or cheaper over-the-ear headphones, you definitely will notice a higher quality sound emanating from the Throne Golds.

Verdict

If you are a rock, R&B, or rap music fan who loves to turn the bass up to the point where your car rattles or your neighbors next door can feel the bumping, the I-Mego Throne Gold Headphones are going to be a pair of headphones you will want to consider.  The bass levels of these headphones blew away anything else I have tried.

If you are more of a pop, classical, or country music fan, or someone who prefers not to push the bass to thumping levels, these may not be the headphones you prefer.  Instead, you may consider the similarly priced I-Mego Throne Poison headphones which are tuned to be more balanced and to give a higher quality to vocals and acoustics.

Availability

The I-Mego Throne Gold and Throne Poison headphones are available online from I-Mego’s website for $129.99.