Dany Genius G5: Affordable and Decent Dual SIM Tablet [Review]

For those who aren’t familiar, Dany is a name from consumer electronics business since 2001. In fact I remember buying a Dany TV device some 10 years ago.
Audionic, a popular audio equipment brand selling portable and multimedia speakers, is also part of Dany Technologies.
Dany launched its very own Android “Genius Tablets” few months ago but its only now that they are massively marketing them.
You might have seen TVCs lately featuring renowned cricketer Wasim Akram promoting Dany Genius Tablets.
We got our hands on Dany G5 Dual SIM tablet (read phablet) — priced at just Rs. 12,900

Design & Build Quality:

The first thing you will notice about this tablet is its design as it takes most of the elements from HTC One and One Max.
The second noteworthy thing is Dany G5′s unconventional size. The slim body is all plastic, but the aluminum, leather feel and the build quality is remarkable.
Dany G5 is very light weight and just 8.9mm thin.

The front side on Dany G5 is dominated by a 6.5 inch capacitive touch screen with a SVGA resolution (190ppi density), which feels a little squeezed.
The screen isn’t IPS and doesn’t feature any protective coating, so a screen protector is recommended.
Above the screen there is 2-megapixel camera along with proximity sensor that divides the big speaker design. Actually there are two speakers in the upper part (an ear-speaker and a loudspeaker). Another loudspeaker is located below the screen along with a microphone incorporating the same speaker design.

There is nothing on the right of Dany G5 tablet, on the left side we have power/unlock key and volume rocker. The place is very odd but the raised key design makes it very easy to press them. Micro-USB port and 3.5mm headphones jack are located on the top.


The backside of Dany G5 has faux leather appearance, although it doesn’t feature stitches as seen on Galaxy Note 3.
There is a 5-megapixel fixed focused camera along with LED on the top along with a lid-covered micro-SD card slot. The Dany logo can be seen in the middle.
The backplate isn’t removable except the bottom portion, which reveals two SIM card slots. One takes Mini-SIM and the other takes a micro-SIM (you can use micro-SIM in both).

Operating System:

Dany G5 comes with Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 out of the box. There is no bloatware and no fancy UI customizations. This device runs pure (vanilla) Android, except the bootscreen and the app drawer icon is changed with Dany logo.
Dany G5 comes pre-installed with Play Store and other Google apps as well as popular social media applications and book reading software.

The company promises to provide OS upgrades and bug fixes in the future, We would love if they upgrade it to the latest Android KitKat 4.4 in the near future.
Performance:
Genius Tab G5 is packed with mediocre hardware featuring MediaTek MT6572 dual-core processor, Mali 400 GPU and 1 GB of RAM.
You won’t feel any lag while using basic functions on Dany G5. Browsing websites is snappy and you can easily run 4-5 applications at a time without any compromise on performance.

I’ve tested it by playing resource hungry 3D games on it and Dany G5 does a very good job. You won’t feel any lag in the games but don’t expect high graphic details.

Other demanding applications like Maps, Facebook & YouTube also run flawlessly. You can play 1080p videos on this device and can make VoIP calls over Skype & Viber. The front camera can also be used for video conferencing.

Genius Tab G5 can also take SIM cards so you can use it as phone too. The regular calling is nice and clear and the signal reception is also good. Though it doesn’t support 3G.

Battery

Dany G5 is equipped with a 2800mAh battery, which gives decent backup. Heavy users can get 1 day out of it and for normal users the battery can stretch up-to 2 days.
Other than the charger provided in the box you can charge it via USB cable from your Laptop or any other tablet/phone that supports OTG function. It takes almost 3 hours to charge fully. The unit we got had some kind of bug in the software, as it didn’t pop up any notification when the battery was low.
Camera & Video:
This tablet has a primary 5-megapixel (fixed focused) camera with single LED flash and a secondary 1.9-megapixel camera on the front for video calling.

As you would expect from a low-end device, the camera on a Dany G5 isn’t extraordinary. The image quality is mediocre and colors are little washed out.
On the other hand, the camera interface on Dany G5 is very simple, there are not much options to play with. You can take 5 or 3 megapixel photos with the primary camera and record 720p videos. The front camera has a maximum VGA resolution for the videos. You can use both of them for video calling.
A 4x digital zoom is present, but resolution deteriorates as you start to zoom the scene.

LED flashlight can also be used as a torch, there is no dedicated app but you can find many on the Play Store.
Have a look at the sample images:

5-megapixel fixed focused primary camera

Image taken from secondary (front facing) camera

Price & Availability:

Dany Genius Tab G5 is available at all major computer & mobile shops across Pakistan for a price of Rs. 12,900. The tablet is available in two colors; black & white (I recommend you getting the black version).
The accessories box including, the leather case, screen protector, headphones and cleaning cloth can be bought separately. It comes with one year international warranty of Dany Technologies.

Verdict:
The built quality of the tablet is good, it’s easy to handle and not so heavy. As compared to “Chinese Tablets” or other local brands it has better performance and ability to be used as a phone. There’s a need of improvement in the screen and camera departments but considering its price you have to make some compromises.

It provides a decent battery backup and you can run almost any application on it. The software is highly optimized as there are no crashes and no bugs. So if you are looking to buy a low cost tablet as your daily driver, you should also consider this device.

Genius Tablet G5 is the new edition in Genius Tablet family. Now move fast and play hard with your own Genius Tablet G5 Mobile phone and Tablet PC together. With G5 now you can experience multitasking with perfect multi touch. Its Dual SIM, Dual Camera and Dual Core features make it a perfect user companion.

- See more at: http://www.vmart.pk/dany-genius-tab-g5-dual-core-dual-sim-pakistan.html#sthash.PItOIBRF.dpuf

Genius Tablet G5 is the new edition in Genius Tablet family. Now move fast and play hard with your own Genius Tablet G5 Mobile phone and Tablet PC together. With G5 now you can experience multitasking with perfect multi touch. Its Dual SIM, Dual Camera and Dual Core features make it a perfect user companion.

Dual Core
Genius Tablet G5 is powered by 1.3 GHz Dual Core Processor along with 1GB RAM and 8GB Built-in Memory that ensures fast processing to perform multitasking. It assures running of your favorite software on fast track with long battery life.

Dual SIMs
Genius Tablet G5 offers Dual SIM access keeping in view the modern user’s needs that allows two SIM’s functionality at a time.



Dual Camera
Genius Tablet G5 is equipped with Dual Camera i-e 2.0 MP Front Camera to capture best picks from online video chat and 5.0 MP Rear Camera to catch the best shots of great moments.


Genius Design
With ultra-portable design, light weight and sophisticated White color G5 is best partner of its user.


Genius Display
G5 is furnished with stunning 6.5 inches display screen and 5 multi touches technology.


Genius Connectivity
With G5 world is right in your palm by providing splendid internet connectivity, web browsing and gaming fun through Wi-Fi connectivity.



DANY Genius Reliability
DANY not only offer one of the best featured tablet PCs but it allows 1 year Warranty to its valuable users.
Specification

CPU	1.3 Ghz Dual Core
Sim Support	Dual Sim
Distance Sensor	Yes
RAM	1GB DDR 3
GPU	Arm Mali 400 MP
Screen Resolution	480 x 800 with 192dpi
Multi touches	5
Camera	Back camera 5.0 Megapixel
Camera	Front camera 2.0 Megapixel
Android	4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Internal Storage	8GB Built-in, upto 32GB Extendable
Proximity Sensor	Yes
Light Sensor	Yes

- See more at: http://www.vmart.pk/dany-genius-tab-g5-dual-core-dual-sim-pakistan.html#sthash.PItOIBRF.dpuf

Genius Tablet G5 is the new edition in Genius Tablet family. Now move fast and play hard with your own Genius Tablet G5 Mobile phone and Tablet PC together. With G5 now you can experience multitasking with perfect multi touch. Its Dual SIM, Dual Camera and Dual Core features make it a perfect user companion.

Dual Core
Genius Tablet G5 is powered by 1.3 GHz Dual Core Processor along with 1GB RAM and 8GB Built-in Memory that ensures fast processing to perform multitasking. It assures running of your favorite software on fast track with long battery life.

Dual SIMs
Genius Tablet G5 offers Dual SIM access keeping in view the modern user’s needs that allows two SIM’s functionality at a time.



Dual Camera
Genius Tablet G5 is equipped with Dual Camera i-e 2.0 MP Front Camera to capture best picks from online video chat and 5.0 MP Rear Camera to catch the best shots of great moments.


Genius Design
With ultra-portable design, light weight and sophisticated White color G5 is best partner of its user.


Genius Display
G5 is furnished with stunning 6.5 inches display screen and 5 multi touches technology.


Genius Connectivity
With G5 world is right in your palm by providing splendid internet connectivity, web browsing and gaming fun through Wi-Fi connectivity.



DANY Genius Reliability
DANY not only offer one of the best featured tablet PCs but it allows 1 year Warranty to its valuable users.
Specification

CPU	1.3 Ghz Dual Core
Sim Support	Dual Sim
Distance Sensor	Yes
RAM	1GB DDR 3
GPU	Arm Mali 400 MP
Screen Resolution	480 x 800 with 192dpi
Multi touches	5
Camera	Back camera 5.0 Megapixel
Camera	Front camera 2.0 Megapixel
Android	4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Internal Storage	8GB Built-in, upto 32GB Extendable
Proximity Sensor	Yes
Light Sensor	Yes

- See more at: http://www.vmart.pk/dany-genius-tab-g5-dual-core-dual-sim-pakistan.html#sthash.PItOIBRF.dpuf

Genius Tablet G5 is the new edition in Genius Tablet family. Now move fast and play hard with your own Genius Tablet G5 Mobile phone and Tablet PC together. With G5 now you can experience multitasking with perfect multi touch. Its Dual SIM, Dual Camera and Dual Core features make it a perfect user companion.

Dual Core
Genius Tablet G5 is powered by 1.3 GHz Dual Core Processor along with 1GB RAM and 8GB Built-in Memory that ensures fast processing to perform multitasking. It assures running of your favorite software on fast track with long battery life.

Dual SIMs
Genius Tablet G5 offers Dual SIM access keeping in view the modern user’s needs that allows two SIM’s functionality at a time.



Dual Camera
Genius Tablet G5 is equipped with Dual Camera i-e 2.0 MP Front Camera to capture best picks from online video chat and 5.0 MP Rear Camera to catch the best shots of great moments.


Genius Design
With ultra-portable design, light weight and sophisticated White color G5 is best partner of its user.


Genius Display
G5 is furnished with stunning 6.5 inches display screen and 5 multi touches technology.


Genius Connectivity
With G5 world is right in your palm by providing splendid internet connectivity, web browsing and gaming fun through Wi-Fi connectivity.



DANY Genius Reliability
DANY not only offer one of the best featured tablet PCs but it allows 1 year Warranty to its valuable users.
Specification

CPU	1.3 Ghz Dual Core
Sim Support	Dual Sim
Distance Sensor	Yes
RAM	1GB DDR 3
GPU	Arm Mali 400 MP
Screen Resolution	480 x 800 with 192dpi
Multi touches	5
Camera	Back camera 5.0 Megapixel
Camera	Front camera 2.0 Megapixel
Android	4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Internal Storage	8GB Built-in, upto 32GB Extendable
Proximity Sensor	Yes
Light Sensor	Yes

- See more at: http://www.vmart.pk/dany-genius-tab-g5-dual-core-dual-sim-pakistan.html#sthash.PItOIBRF.dpuf

Genius Tablet G5 is the new edition in Genius Tablet family. Now move fast and play hard with your own Genius Tablet G5 Mobile phone and Tablet PC together. With G5 now you can experience multitasking with perfect multi touch. Its Dual SIM, Dual Camera and Dual Core features make it a perfect user companion.

Dual Core
Genius Tablet G5 is powered by 1.3 GHz Dual Core Processor along with 1GB RAM and 8GB Built-in Memory that ensures fast processing to perform multitasking. It assures running of your favorite software on fast track with long battery life.

Dual SIMs
Genius Tablet G5 offers Dual SIM access keeping in view the modern user’s needs that allows two SIM’s functionality at a time.



Dual Camera
Genius Tablet G5 is equipped with Dual Camera i-e 2.0 MP Front Camera to capture best picks from online video chat and 5.0 MP Rear Camera to catch the best shots of great moments.


Genius Design
With ultra-portable design, light weight and sophisticated White color G5 is best partner of its user.


Genius Display
G5 is furnished with stunning 6.5 inches display screen and 5 multi touches technology.


Genius Connectivity
With G5 world is right in your palm by providing splendid internet connectivity, web browsing and gaming fun through Wi-Fi connectivity.



DANY Genius Reliability
DANY not only offer one of the best featured tablet PCs but it allows 1 year Warranty to its valuable users.
Specification

CPU	1.3 Ghz Dual Core
Sim Support	Dual Sim
Distance Sensor	Yes
RAM	1GB DDR 3
GPU	Arm Mali 400 MP
Screen Resolution	480 x 800 with 192dpi
Multi touches	5
Camera	Back camera 5.0 Megapixel
Camera	Front camera 2.0 Megapixel
Android	4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Internal Storage	8GB Built-in, upto 32GB Extendable
Proximity Sensor	Yes
Light Sensor	Yes

- See more at: http://www.vmart.pk/dany-genius-tab-g5-dual-core-dual-sim-pakistan.html#sthash.PItOIBRF.dpuf

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New ozone-depleting gases found in atmosphere

PARIS: Worried scientists said Sunday they had found four new ozone-destroying gases in the atmosphere, most likely put there by humans in the last 50-odd years despite a ban on these dangerous compounds.

It is the first time since the 1990s that new substances damaging to Earth's stratospheric shield have been found, and others may be out there, they said.

"Our research has shown four gases that were not around in the atmosphere at all until the 1960s, which suggests they are man-made," the team from Europe and Australia wrote in the journal Nature Geoscience.

They analysed unpolluted air samples collected in Tasmania between 1978 and 2012, and from deep, compacted snow in Greenland.

"The identification of these four new gases is very worrying as they will contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer," added a statement from the team.

"We don't know where the new gases are being emitted from, and this should be investigated."

Three of the gases are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) -- a group which includes chemicals traditionally found in air-conditioning, refrigerators and aerosol spray cans but banned under the Montreal Protocol.

The fourth is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), part of a closely-related group of compounds which replaced CFCs but are being phased out.

More than 74,000 tonnes of the four newly-identified gases had accumulated in the atmosphere by 2012, said the team.

This is very small compared with peak emissions of CFCs in the 1980s of more than a million tonnes per year.

- Riddle of the source -

"However, the reported emissions are clearly contrary to the intentions behind the Montreal Protocol, and raise questions about the sources of these gases," the team wrote.

Two of the gases, one CFC and the HCFC, are still accumulating.

Previously, seven types of CFC and six of HCFC were known to contribute to ozone destruction.

CFCs, the main cause of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, are man-made organic compounds made of carbon, chlorine and fluorine.

They were phased out from 1989, followed by a total ban in 2010.

HCFCs, CFC-like compounds which also include one or more hydrogen atoms, are less ozone-damaging but contribute to climate change by trapping more of the Sun's heat in the atmosphere.

The ozone layer comprises triple-atom oxygen molecules that are spread thinly in the stratosphere.

It plays a vital role in protecting life by filtering out ultraviolet rays that can damage vegetation and cause skin cancer.

In high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, where the ozone layer is damaged or subject to seasonal fluctuations, people are advised to cover exposed skin and wear sunglasses.

Possible sources for the new gases include chemicals used for insecticide production and solvents for cleaning electronic components, said the researchers.

Concentration differences between the samples suggested the dominant source was in the industrialised Northern Hemisphere, they added.

Study co-author Johannes Laube from the University of East Anglia's School of Environmental Sciences said the ozone layer stopped thinning from the late 1990s and there were signs of it starting to recover.

"As many ODSs [ozone-depleting substances], and especially CFCs, take a long time to break down once released into the atmosphere, it will be many decades until it will fully recover," he told AFP.

"Provided we do not have further unpleasant surprises."

Martyn Chipperfield, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Leeds in northern England, said the low concentrations of the four gases "do not present concern at the moment."

But, he added, "the fact that these gases are in the atmosphere and some are increasing needs investigation."

source:DAWN news

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Tribo-electric,' the buzzword of the future?

PARIS: Out at sea, gentle waves provide power for thousands of homes. In cities, dancefloor moves generate electricity for nightclubs. In the countryside, hikers use leg power to recharge their phones.

It is an alluring goal of clean, reliable power free from geo-political risks -- and scientists in the United States said Tuesday it lies within reach, thanks to a smart way to harvest energy called tribo-electricity.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology said they had built a simple prototype device that converts stop-start movement into power.

Waves, walking and dancing -- even rainfall, computer keys or urban traffic -- could one day be harnessed to drive sensors, mobile gadgets or even electricity plants, they contend.

Zhong Lin Wang, a professor of materials science and engineering, described the invention a "breakthrough."

"Our technology can be used for large-scale energy harvesting, so that the energy we have wasted for centuries will be useful," he told AFP by email.

"Tribo-electric" is a modern term with ancient roots -- from the Greek word for "rub."

Its electricity is created from friction between two substances causing a charge of electrons to be transferred from one to the other.

It commonly happens, for instance, when plastic-soled shoes are in contact with a nylon carpet, causing the snap of static discharge when one's hand touches a metal doorknob.

Because tribo-electric is so unpredictable, it has been generally shunned as a power source.

The preferred method has been magnetic induction -- a turbine driven by nuclear- or fossil-powered steam or water.

But, in a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, Wang's team said they had overcome key hurdles to converting a haphazardly-generated electrical charge into current.

Their prototype comprises a disc about 10 centimetres (four inches) across, designed to show the potential from a small, portable generator moved by ambient energy.

Inside are two circular sheets of material, one an electron "donor" and the other an electron "receiver," brought together through rotary movement.

If the sheets are separated, one then holds an electrical charge isolated by the gap between them.

Sandwiched between the two discs is a third disc with electrodes, which bridges the gap and helps a small current to flow.

At a top speed of 3,000 revolutions per minute, the device generated 1.5 watts.

This gave it an energy efficiency of 24 percent, three times greater than piezoelectric, the previously best source of mechanical electricity harvesting -- and as efficient as magnetic-induction turbines.

It can run on a gentle wind or tap water, or "random jerky motions," including human movement, to provide the rotation, Wang said.

"As long as there is mechanical action, there is power that can be generated."

The prototype used copper for the rotator and gold for the electrodes in lab tests, but these could easily be substituted for low-cost synthetics, he said.

The team is working on ways to scale up tribo-electric energy for harvesting power from the ocean. (AFP)

 

 

 

 

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Cookbook returned to library after 21-plus years

LAWRENCE: More than two decades after a cookbook was checked out of a Kansas library, it's just now been returned.

6NewsLawrence reports a copy of "The Versatile Grain and the Elegant Bean: A Celebration of the World's Most Healthful Foods" was placed in a Lawrence Public Library return box one night this week. The book had been checked out on Sept. 24, 1992.

Library official Kristin Soper speculates the borrower misplaced the volume and came across it just recently. The maximum late fee in 1992 was $3; it's now $4.50.

"The Versatile Grain and the Elegant Bean" contains more than 300 recipes from around the world. Reviewers noted in 1992 that its publication coincided with growing U.S. interest in healthy cooking.

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Potent new painkiller stokes alarm in US

WASHINGTON: A potent new painkiller hit the US market this week, despite warnings from top experts that the drug may deliver a deadly setback in America's battle with opioid addiction.

Zohydro ER can contain 10 times the amount of hydrocodone as the most popular prescription painkiller, Vicodin, and is easily crushable so it could be snorted, bearing none of the recent safeguards added to pills like OxyContin (oxycodone).

In a nation where some 15,000 people die annually from prescription painkiller use, the drug's approval has raised alarm among doctors, lawmakers and relatives of those lost to overdose.

Two senators have launched an investigation into practices by the US Food and Drug Administration, amid allegations that pharmaceutical companies eager for a chunk of the $9 billion painkiller market may have paid to influence regulators' decisions.

"It's almost unheard of," said Andrew Kolodny, president of the group Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing.

"For FDA to approve a drug that is going to make a serious problem worse, it is pretty shocking."

Zohydro was approved in October 2013, even though a panel of FDA-convened experts voted against 11-2. The FDA is not obligated to follow the advice of its advisory committees, but it typically does.

An FDA spokesman told AFP the decision was made "after careful consideration," and "the product's benefits outweigh its risks when used as intended."

Zohydro contains pure hydrocodone in a range of doses, including time-release options that are much stronger than competitor products.

It does not contain acetaminophen, which can cause liver damage and death in high doses and is included in most other prescription opioids.

The drugmaker, California-based Zogenix, said in a statement that the "acetaminophen-free formulation of extended release hydrocodone is an important therapeutic option for certain chronic pain patients."

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Finally, Marvel's ready for you to hear its comics (scoop)

Marvel upgrades its subscription app with a long-promised smart soundtrack and DVD-style video commentary, after spending a year laying the foundation for a more multimedia-friendly comics reading experience.

• 
  

Starting with the popular story Captain AmericaL The Winter Soldier, Marvel is adding "adaptive audio" to some of its digital comics.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

It's a fallacy of the superhero genre that a new costume accompanies every power boost the hero earns. That's also the case with a major upgrade to Marvel Unlimited, the preferred (and only) subscription-based comics reading app for fans of Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America.
Scheduled to be announced on Sunday afternoon's Marvel panel at South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, Texas, and currently live in Apple's iTunes Store, the new version of Marvel Unlimited looks a lot like the old version of Marvel Unlimited. Don't let that fool you, though, as the changes could present a way forward for smarter integration between traditional comics and multimedia features.

A year in the making, the new version of the app comes with three important changes: transitions from one panel to the next are faster and smoother, there's now adaptive audio, and Marvel AR's DVD-style extras are now included in its digital comics for the first time.
While the added features might turn off more traditionalist comics readers, Kristin Vincent, Marvel's vice president of digital products, said that the goal was to make digital comics feel more digital without losing their essential nature.
"We knew we had something conceptually," she said of last year's adaptive audio announcement by Marvel at SXSW, "but we weren't sure how it was going to work with comics. We wanted to figure out how we could tell stories in new ways."
Arune Singh, executive director of TV Communications at Marvel, described the change as one that could alter how the company makes its comics available electronically.
"The way we used to paste comics together on the page in production, so far we have been pasting comics on our iPad," he said. "Now, we have adaptive audio."
The features can also be disabled in the Options panel. Because Marvel Unlimited is a subscription-based app, the features have been added at no extra cost. To entice new readers, Marvel has dropped the cost of subscribing for the first month to $0.99, if you sign up by March 14 with the promo code SXSW99. Normally and thereafter, Marvel Unlimited costs $9.99 per month, or $69.99 per year.

The DVD-extras added commentary of Marvel AR videos now comes to Marvel's digital comics.

The overhaul to the comics reader has swapped out HTML5 for native iOS code, so page turning and panel transitions are smoother. The update to the Android app is "so, so close," Vincent said. Both were done as work-for-hire by Chaotic Moon, Marvel's long-standing partner on Marvel Unlimited.
The big new feature, though, is that Marvel is finally making available to its readers what it calls "adaptive audio." It's similar to a background soundtrack or movie score, but it detects when you move from one panel to the next and plays themed music appropriate to each panel. It can also gauge how quickly the reader is changing panels and will adapt the score to suit the pace of the reader, says Marvel.
The music plays from when the comic loads, starting with the book's cover, and then adding in adaptive elements such as the pinging sonar of a submarine when viewing a panel of a submarine and mines.
The adaptive audio, which is only available on Captain America: The Winter Soldier storyline at first, probably owing to the extra time required to create the score for each comic. Vincent said that other comics will be added, but added that Marvel wants to hear from its fans on what they think of the debut.

More traditional fans can disable the new features through the options panel.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

"I think we have the best fans in the world, and the most vocal fans in the world. We're always watching the metrics," she said. "We look for what people are sharing in the social space. We're very in tune with our fans, or at least try to be, and move where they move."
Marvel's previous partners on the adaptive audio, CORD and Momentum, are no longer working on the project. In their place, Marvel has signed on Melbourne, Australia-based Firelight Technologies' FMOD, which also is used in video games such as Crysis, Bioshock and Guitar Hero, and contracted with Emmy-nominated composer David Ari Leon's SoundMind Music. SoundMind is no stranger to Marvel, having also worked on Marvel cartoons and motion comics.
Marvel AR, or augmented reality, videos have been available previously only to people who bought the printed comic. You would then have to hold your phone or tablet over an AR-enabled panel to activate the video, and it would show you a behind-the-scenes look at the comic, often interviews with writers or artists, or the process of developing the page.
Marvel has begun integrating that AR content into Marvel Unlimited with 20 videos related to the first issue of author Jonathan Hickman's Avengers series from 2012. The company plans to move its current 1,400 videos to Marvel Unlimited, Vincent said, as well as adding new videos.

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Microsoft, HP blaze business tablet trail

The HP ElitePad 1000 inside its 'security jacket.' It is one of the first tablets to run 64-bit Windows 8.1 on Intel's quad-core Bay Trail processor.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard) Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft think the tablet is more lean forward than lean back. Are they right?
The PC has one (at least) distinct advantage over Apple. Windows 8.1 isn't a mobile operating system like iOS. In other words, the same 64-bit Windows 8.1 that runs on a brawny desktop PC now runs on featherweight 8-inch and 10-inch tablets.
And that may be a good thing because the tablet is in dire need of new markets, with predictions that the rate of growth will drop sharply in 2014.
"As consumer shipments slow in many markets, commercial (business) shipments will grow as a percentage of the overall mix," IDC said earlier this week.
Enter new HP ElitePad 1000. The tablet design itself isn't especially unique, but the array of accessories that come with it, are.
All are aimed at making it a tablet for productivity -- aka doing work. Those add-ons (PDF) include a productivity jacket, a docking station, a security jacket, and expansion jacket, just to mention a few.
And it's one of the first to run 64-bit Windows 8.1 on Intel's quad-core Intel "Bay Trail" processor, which, until recently, ran Windows in 32-bit mode.
"The pressure for 64-bit, even in tablets that might not have 4GB of DRAM, is pretty strong because IT organizations want to standardize on 64-bit images and 64-bit apps," Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64, said in a recent interview with CNET.
"Intel tended to characterize the first generation of (32-bit) Bay Trail tablets as consumer-oriented," he said.
Microsoft, for its part, has been making 64-bit tablets for a couple of years now in the form of the Surface Pro. It led the way, for instance, on the tablet-as-a-PC concept with its Touch Cover and Type Cover keyboards.
But only with the Surface Pro 2, announced last fall, has Microsoft been able to make a convincing argument that it's also a tablet.
The power-efficient Haswell processor gives the Pro plenty of battery life, while still offering the 64-bit Windows desktop OS.

And like HP, its accessories are aimed at business. The Surface Pro docking station isn't unlike the docking stations HP has been offering on its business laptops for years.
So, maybe 2014 will be the year of the business tablet -- as the growth rate of Apple's popular tablet slows.

source::Cnet

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Samsung Galaxy S5 accessories emerge online

Seoul: As Samsung officially unwrapped the flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy S5, now device’s official accessories emerge online.

Mobile accessory site MobileFun, indicate that there will be several variations of cases and covers for the Galaxy S5. The first such accessory is a Protective Hard Case Cover Plus, which is made out of plastic and is meant to be a rugged case.

While it isn’t much to look at, it will protect the Galaxy S5 against the daily wear and tear. Considering that the Galaxy S5 is set to cost over $800, you’re going to need one of these. The protective case will cost 25 Euros.

The next accessory is an S View Wireless Charging Cover, which comes with a cut-out that allows you to view the screen. You will have the ability to answer calls, look at the time and view incoming notifications without having to flip open the cover.

The cover also works with wireless charging, so you can wirelessly charge the Galaxy S5 without removing the cover. The S View cover will cost around 67 Euros and will be available in white and black colors. An S View cover without wireless charging functionality will also be available for 55 Euros and will feature more color variants.

A Flip Wallet Cover that doesn’t feature a cut-out but has room to store your cards will be available for 37 Euros. These cases will likely be available once the Galaxy S5 launches next month.

source::thenewstribe.com

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The room where the internet was born

From the outside, room 3420 at UCLA's Boelter Hall campus looks rather nondescript - housing what looks like a large typrwriter and a cupboard stuffed with old electronics.
However, this is in fact the birthplace of the internet - and where the first message was sent from.
On October 29, 1969 at 10:30pm,  Leonard Kleinrock and his team sent a message to Stanford University using what we know know as the internet - only to find in crash after two letters.

THE BIRTH OF THE INTERNET

While a grad student at MIT, Kleinrock developed a mathematical theory of packet switching, where data is broken up into 'packets' that can be exchanged over a network to allow users in multiple locations to access them.
The research was spotted by the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA—later named DARPA), which wanted to use it to distribute academic papers.
It wanted to test a network, and a contract was awarded to a team of computer engineers at Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN), who built the Interface Message Processor, which was similar to the routers still used today.
The first node was placed at UCLA. the second at Stanford.

the first message was supposed to be 'log in', but their first success also spelled their first failure – the system crashed after the 'L' and 'O' were transmitted.
About an hour later, having recovered from the crash, the SDS Sigma 7 computer sent a full 'login'.
The first permanent ARPANET link was then established on November 21, 1969, between the IMP (interface message processor) at UCLA and the IMP at the Stanford Research Institute.
By December of 1969, four nodes were permanently installed at UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, University of Utah, and University of California at Santa Barbara.
By 1975 there were 57 IMPs. By 1981 there were 213, and it has continued to explode inpopularity ever since.

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A detailed view of UCLA's Interface Message Processor (IMP) is pictured in a storage closet, where it had been stored for over 20 years, at 3420 Boelter Hall in UCLA

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A detailed view of UCLA's Interface Message Processor (IMP) is seen in a storage closet, where it had been stored for over 20 years, at 3420 Boelter Hall in UCLA

'How many revolutions can you think about where you can see—within a few feet!—where it began? This machine is where the internet breathed to life, spoke its first words,' Leonard Kleinrock, the computer scientist for whom the Kleinrock Center for Internet Studies is named, told Gizmodo.
However, Kleinrock admits the machines were almost lost.
There are currently only two IMPs still in existence.
UCLA's IMP was replaced by new technology in 1982 and moved to a staff break room.

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The tiny mention of the project in the University paper was the only mention of it at the time

He also managed to save a SDS Sigma 7 computer, the refrigerator-sized machine that was used to host that first message.
The restored room was first opened in 2011, after being converted to a computer lab for current students, and was restored by the original team - who even matched the paint for photographs.
'We didn't know what we were doing,' says Kleinrock.
'We didn't even take a photo.'
The only mention of the world-changing experiment was a small item in the school paper.

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UCLA's Interface Message Processor (IMP) is pictured in the birthplace of the Internet, at 3420 Boelter Hall, the original location of the first ARPANET node at UCLA in Los Angeles.

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Professor Leonard Kleinrock, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at UCLA is shown next to UCLA's Interface Message Processor (IMP)

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A plaque placed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is pictured at the birthplace of the Internet

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A visitor compares modern-day 3420 Boelter Hall, the birthplace of the Internet, with an archival photograph during the grand opening of the Kleinrock Internet Heritage Site at UCLA in Los Angeles, California October 29, 2011. The first message to pass over the ARPANET was sent from 3420 Boelter Hall on October 29, 1969 led by UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock and his team. The ARPANET evolved into the Internet we use today. REUTERS/Fred Prouser (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS TELECOMS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTR2TEKP

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A visitor attends the grand opening of the Kleinrock Internet Heritage Site and Archive in 3420 Boelter Hall, the birthplace of the Internet at UCLA in Los Angeles, California October 29, 2011. The first message to pass over the ARPANET was sent from 3420 Boelter Hall on October 29, 1969 led by UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock and his team. The recreated lab features a replica of the Sigma 7 computer (L), a teletype (C) similar to one used to communicate with the SIGMA 7 computer, which was connected to UCLA's Interface Message Processor (R). The ARPANET evolved into the Internet we use today.

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This is the power distribution unit on the Interface Message Processor, taken at the grand re-opening of the original Boelter 3420 lab at UCLA, the birthplace of the Internet

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