While Pioneer did announce at CES 2013 that its AppRadio 2 smartphone-powered in-dash unit would support the iPhone 5, the company was hush on any additional updates. Now, however, it has finally unveiled AppRadio 3, which is set to arrive in two models oh-so-descriptively named SPH-DA110 and SPH-DA210. Both retain the same functionality as the AppRadio 2 but add compatibility with MirrorLink enabled devices, thus expanding AppRadio‘s repertoire of supported products. Other notable features include integration with Siri Eyes Free for iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 owners, Google Voice Search for those with compatible Android phones, Bluetooth audio streaming and an enhanced touchscreen interface that allows easier access to smartphone features like apps, music and making calls.

As with its predecessor, the AppRadio 3 has a 7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) capacitive display, a built-in AM/FM tuner and dual pre-amp outputs. The SPH-DA210 model also includes a CD/DVD mechanism if you still have those dinosaur age discs lying around. The SPH-DA110 and SPH-DA210 will be available in July for around $399 and $499 respectively, while smartphone connectivity cables range from $30 to $60. If you’re thinking of making an upgrade to your current head unit, have a closer look at the gallery below or check the press release after the break.

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

See the original post:
Pioneer’s AppRadio 3 adds MirrorLink, Siri Eyes Free and more

It’s well over a year since the GTX 680 came out, but given how that card was a strong contender it may feel too early for an upgrade. NVIDIA knows the score, which is why it’s made a particular point of pitching this year’s card at owners of the GTX 580 instead. Upgraders from that GPU are pledged a 70 percent lift in performance, which is about double the gain a GTX 680 owner would see. On the other hand, something more people might notice — if NVIDIA’s slides prove to accurate — is a 5dBA drop in noise pollution, as well new a approach to fan control that attracts less attention by varying revs less wildly in response to load. This is surprising given that most of the extra performance in this card stems from more transistors and greater power consumption, but that’s what we’re told. Feel free to hold out for our round-up of independent reviews or read past the break for further details.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, NVIDIA

Comments

See more here:
NVIDIA releases GeForce GTX 780 for $649, claims more power with less fan noise

After a series of rumors about the HTC First not selling too well in the States, we’ve now heard that the customized Facebook / Android handset won’t be coming to the UK. Mobile News initially reported that UK pre-orders will be cancelled and we’ve just confirmed this with our own sources, who said that it was Facebook itself who made the decision, rather than HTC or either of the European carrier partners (EE and Orange). We’ve reached out to HTC and EE for confirmation and will update if we get a response.

Update: We’ve just heard back from EE, who confirmed the rumor and attributed Facebook’s decision to “customer feedback” that resulted in a need to improve the Facebook Home interface before spreading it to further markets:

“Following customer feedback, Facebook has decided to focus on adding new customization features to Facebook Home over the coming months. While they are working to make a better Facebook Home experience, they have recommended holding off launching the HTC First in the UK, and so we will shortly be contacting those who registered their interest with us to let them know of this decision. Rest assured, we remain committed to bringing our customers the latest mobile experiences, and we will continue to build on our strong relationship with Facebook so as to offer customers new opportunities in the future.”

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Comments

Read the original here:
Facebook won’t bring HTC First smartphone to the UK after all (update: due to bad feedback in the US)

With Hong Kong boasting pretty much the fastest average internet speed on this planet, it’s no surprise that the city is also one of the first to launch commercial 150Mbps LTE Cat 4 service — just right after SingTel’s launch in Singapore earlier this month. Announced yesterday by CSL (who operates both one2free and the more premium 1010), its FD-LTE network takes advantage of the recently acquired 5MHz extended spectrum, in order to increase the capacity of 2600MHz from 2 x 15MHz to 2 x 20MHz. This upgrade is what enables Cat 4 download speed of up to 150Mbps on this band as of yesterday.

The company’s 1800MHz spectrum will also get an upgrade from 2 x 10MHz to 2 x 15MHz in June, followed by another jump to 2 x 20MHz towards the end of the year. You’ll find a live demo video (courtesy of RingHK) showing the performance difference between Cat 3 and Cat 4 after the break, with CTO Christian Daigneault claiming he’s seen a speed increase of up to twice as fast in the lab.

Filed under: Wireless

Comments

Source: Engadget Chinese, RingHK (Chinese), Huawei

The rest is here:
Hong Kong’s CSL upgrades to LTE Cat 4 network, offers Huawei’s 150Mbps mobile hotspot (video)

As we’ve mentioned before, 5G WiFi, aka 802.11ac is a good thing, unless you hate speed and range. After launching its integrated BCM4335 chip on flagship handsets like Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One, Broadcom has announced new 5G WiFi combo chips for lower-end smartphones, PCs, notebooks and tablets. Budget handheld devices can now be equipped with the BCM4339, which Broadcom says brings the same performance as its top-end mobile chip while integrating power and low-noise amplifiers for easier integration. Meanwhile, the BCM43162 is targeted at desktop and notebook PCs with direct support for the Microsoft’s Windows OS. Customers are now sampling both chips, and Broadcom expects volume production in the second half of the year — another possible reason to put off that notebook purchase a bit longer.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets

Comments

Here is the original post:
Broadcom to bring 5G WiFi to the masses with entry-level combo chips