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Plair hands-on redux: Wireless video streaming HDMI dongle  We didn't really get to see the Plair in action when we last saw it at CES, but luckily, it's here with us at Expand 2013! This time round we have a better understanding of what makes this $99, micro-USB-powered HDMI dongle so special: not only can you beam native video clips from your mobile device (through an iOS or Android app) or your desktop Chrome browser's extension to it, but the Plair can also grab the video source from your current page in Chrome and then stream the clip independently -- as in once the video's started, you can shut your computer down and still keep the stream going on your TV! You can actually see this demonstrated in our video after the break, where we streamed an episode from NBC's Saturday Night Live website through a WiFi network (but the Plair can also create its own hotspot for direct WiFi connection, which is handy for avoiding slow hotel networks)

Fake Google Glass pre-order site spotted  f you intend to make the Google Glass your next tech buy and are looking to pre-order it, you may want to hear about the latest buzz around.  Folks at Sophos' Naked Security recently spotted a comment on one of their articles that led them to a rather genuine-looking Google Glass pre-order website (googleglass-presale.com). Someone by the name "YIN" with a Brazilian email address left a comment (in Chinese language) on an article, and the translated message read, "This service is available for sale. I've done my part." When the researchers visited the link given in the mail, they found themselves on a "professional-looking website". The post notes, "Judging by the WHOIS information, it's run by a guy in Brazil - and he's only just created it. Of course, it's very possible that the WHOIS information for this site has been populated with bogus information - and the pe

WickedLeak launches quad-core Wammy Titan II for $200 (Rs 13,990) W ickedLeak has launched its new phone, the Wammy Titan II, that is set to be an upgrade to the original Titan. Along with a host of other upgrades, the Titan II will have an upgraded quad-core processor, as opposed to the original’s dual-core processor. The Wammy Titan II will come out of the box with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and the company has stated in its press release that it will be upgradeable to Android 4.2. The smartphone is currently available for booking on WickedLeak’s website and the delivery is set to start from March 21. The phone is priced at Rs 13,990. The WickedLeak Wammy Titan II is an upgrade over the original Titan Here are the key features of the WickedLeak Wammy Titan II: 5.3-inch IPS display with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels 3G, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot GPS with A-GPS Bluetooth 12 megapixel camera, 5 megapixel front-facing camera 4GB internal memory expandable up

Xiaomi Box launches in a three-city trial  The Xiaomi Box has had an arduous road to travel before it could go on sale: Chinese regulations reportedly kept it in limbo until local broadcaster iCNTV stepped in this January to get the ball rolling once again. The end is in sight now that a limited trial is set to start on March 19th. Changsha, Hangzhou and Shanghai will get about 10,000 total units of the Android media hub, whose price is dropping from the originally chosen ¥399 ($64) to an extra-frugal ¥299 ($48) . The price slash could well make the set-top box that much more alluring, especially when it's still poised to give both Android and iOS users some media sharing love. Could you please hurry up your release plans, Xiaomi?  

THX sues Apple over speaker patent   Audio titan THX has filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that Cook and Co. infringed a patent it has for technology regarding narrow profile speakers with enhanced sound output that can be built into electronics. According to the court filing, versions of the iPhone, iPad and iMac are culprits that rely on the tech in question. Apple Insider notes that the new, slender iMacs seem to use a design similar to one described by THX, which includes channeling audio down a slim duct. Though THX is out to stop the infringement or collect damages from Cupertino, both companies could settle their differences before the affair escalates into a full-on courtroom brawl.

HP and Samsung offer setup-free printing on the Galaxy S 4, with others to follow  Mobile   As ubiquitous as wireless printing has become, there remains the occasional hoop to jump through for printing from mobile devices if you don't happen to have either a special app or iOS gear that supports AirPrint. HP and Samsung are teaming up to remove many of the headaches for the Galaxy S 4: when the phone launches in April, it should have setup-free WiFi printing to almost 200 HP inkjets and LaserJets, as long as any given printer is either on the same network or is otherwise accessible through direct printing. Don't expect ubiquitous support, though. Beyond being limited to the one phone, you'll have to stick to some of its preloaded apps, including the browser, contacts, email client, photo gallery, Polaris Office and S Note. It's far from a truly universal solution, then, but the two partners are at least promising zero-setup printing on both th

 If you've been lusting after Apple's latest tablet offerings but couldn't muster the funds to snag one, you just might have your chance now. Seemingly a rite of passage for Apple products, the Cupertino company is now offering the iPad Mini and the 4th-gen iPad for slightly cheaper prices as refurbs. Depending on the model, they're on sale for anywhere from six to ten percent off. For example, the 16GB 4th-gen iPad sans LTE is now $449 after a $50 discount, while an LTE-free 32GB Mini is $389 after a $40 discount. Not every single iteration is in stock at the moment -- the base 16GB Mini isn't listed, for instance -- but we're sure the inventory will be filled out soon enough. Have a peek at the source to see if you can score yourself a sweet deal on a bonafide Apple tablet that's almost as good as new.

  N ext up in our countdown of the Hottest 100 gadgets on the planet are the B&W MT-60D speakers B&W is bringing its award-winning sound to home cinema with these M1 satellite speakers and PV1D subwoofer, comprising the MT-60D package. The satellites are small enough to sit discreetly in the lounge, but powerful enough to make the ‘shooting aimlessly into the jungle’ scene in Predator scare the hell out of the neighbours. New drive units and redesigned innards make sure of that. They’re flexible too: coming with floor stands, wall brackets, or you can put them on a shelf. You can also fine tune the PV1D sub until you’ve got perfect sound, thanks to controls on the side.

Folks with an eye for unusual design likely had their interest piqued by Samsung's "Timeless Gallery" TV stand, but now a new Philips television is stepping into the living room limelight. Dubbed the Philips DesignLine, the rig hides an LCD display behind a seamless glass pane with a black to transparent gradient that supports itself by leaning against a wall. The TV operates at 1,400 Hz and packs a dual-core processor, WiFi and support for 3D (in 1080p, naturally) and MiraCast. In addition, the DesignLine boasts the firm's Ambilight tech on three sides, which beams out lights matching the color of what's displayed on screen. It'll be available in in 46- and 55-inch flavors in Europe and Russia by way of TP Vision during Q2, but there's no word on price or when it might travel overseas. Hit the jump to catch a video of it in action and watch its creators talk shop.

Today was a very exciting day of many of us. Samsung finally announced its Samsung Galaxy S 4 device that’s set to dominate the world of Android. The device features top of the line specs, including a 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor (Exynos 5 Octa CPU internationally), 5-inch 1080p display, 2GB of RAM, 13MP rear-facing camera, and more. Samsung has also announced a series of accessories to protect your future smartphone with, as well as a few accessories that will allow you to fully utilize its S Health app. Samsung will be releasing 4 types of cases for the Samsung Galaxy S 4. There’s the pouch that will protect your S 4 from the dangers that exist inside of your pocket or your purse. There’s the standard Flip Cover that was introduced with the Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II. There are the protective cases that come in a variety of colors, so you can both personalize and protect your S 4 at the same time. Finally, there’s the S View cov

Samsung's Galaxy S 4 gets torn Now that we've officially seen the Galaxy S 4 unveiled in a Broadway-like production, why not take a look inside it? Chinese outlet IT168 , which gave us a peek at the flagship earlier today, couldn't resist tearing one open just before the handset's official reveal. What went under the screwdriver in this instance was a 3G-only China Unicom version of the GS4 packing dual SIM slots and the expected Exynos 5 Octa CPU, 2GB of RAM, 13 megapixel camera and 2,600mAH battery. Hit the neighboring source link for the entire set of glamour shots of the disassembled smartphone.

Samsung elects two new co-CEOs    Samsung Electronics just announced it's switching to a multiple-CEO system, pushing up Presidents Boo-keun Yoon and JK Shin (who we just saw on stage at the Galaxy S 4 press conference) in recognition of their strong performance. Vice Chairman, Chairman of the Board of Directors and current CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon isn't leaving the position he attained last summer however, and will continue to oversee the company's component business. Meanwhile, Yoon will continue his job overseeing the consumer electronics division that makes TVs and appliances, while Shin runs the IT and mobile phone business. Letting each run their own ship seems like an odd move, however we suppose when you're raking in $8 billion+ in profits in a quarter, you can afford to try a few different things, and they're still looking up to Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee. Still, there was a time when each unit operating so independently was seen as a pr

Samsung Galaxy S4 Out. with 8-core CPU   Samsung Electronics Co on Thursday premiered its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, which sports a bigger display and unconventional features such as gesture controls and will spearhead its effort to challenge Apple Inc on its home turf. The phone is the first in Samsung's highly successful Galaxy S-series to make its global debut on U.S. soil, and represents another bet that consumers prefer larger screens. The S4 which Samsung preceded with a marketing blitz that drummed up industry speculation reminiscent of some of Apple's past launches - will be available globally in the second quarter. Samsung said all major U.S. service providers will sell the phone but it kept mum on exact dates and prices. The company was more than willing to share some of the latest Galaxy phone's capabilities: it can stop and start videos depending on whether someone is looking at the screen, flip between songs and photos at the

A Mouse That  scan documents  Too   A company called IRIS has unveiled a new mouse that is significantly different from most mice on the market called the IRIScan . The mouse works like a normal pointing device allowing you to control your cursor on the screen of your computer. It also has a built-in scanner on the bottom allowing you to scan documents and images as you move around the page. The mouse works in conjunction with optical character recognition software and if you use it to scan a document that content is turned into an editable document in Microsoft, Excel, or another program. The mouse has a scanning resolution of 400 dpi. The scanner is activated when the user clicks on the scan button and swaps the mouse in any direction on the paper document. As the mouse is swiped around the page, the document text and images appear instantaneously on the computer screen. The software running on the computer stitches the image back together so you don’t have to swipe in

Amazon Drops 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD Price, Launches in Japan and Europe While we’ll probably never know how many Kindle Fires Amazon actually sells, (maybe it’s one million, maybe it’s one million and four), the online retailer  announced Wednesday  it is cutting the price of its 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD Wi-Fi by 30 bucks to $269. The 4G version falls from $499 to $399. But wait! There’s more! The big Fire HD is now available in Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and the land of tapas, Spain. According to Amazon vice president Dave Limp, the company has lowered production costs and is putting some of that dough in your pocket. “As we expand Kindle Fire HD 8.9 to Europe and Japan, we’ve been able to increase our production volumes and decrease our costs,” he said. “Across our business at Amazon, whenever we are able to create cost efficiencies like this, we want to pass the savings along to our customers.” While saving 30 clams is always nice, cutting th

T ypically, with any electronic gadget you buy, you will get a one-year warranty from the manufacturer. In case there is a glitch in your device, a software malfunction or any other problem during this period, the warranty will ensure that the same is taken care of without you having to shell out a single penny. However, if you have noticed, it’s usually after a year that problems actually start creeping in, and that’s when you may need that warranty the most. Also, the warranty provided by the manufacturer doesn’t cover any damage to screen, accidental damage or even liquid damage. And there are no prizes for guessing that these damages top the list of woes of smartphone or tablet owners. So wouldn’t it be nice if you had a warranty plan that would cover these areas too?    Fortunately, recognising this need of the smartphone owners, several third party vendors have entered the field and are offering what is called as extended warranty.  How it works?  You can avail t

Brain-Scanning Cat Ears  People think That Limitations Our bodies have, but just Imagine if we had Organs That Do not exist, and That Could Control NEW body? Created NEW human Organs That We use a brainwave sensor. Necomimi That tool is the NEW Communication AUGMENTS the human bodies and Abilities.This cat's ear shaped machine Utilizes Brainwaves and Expresses your Emotional State Before You start talking. Just put on Necomimi and if You Are concentrating, this cat's ear shaped machine Will Rise. When You Are relaxed, your NEW ears Lie down. If Are You concentrating and Relaxing at the same time, your ears NEW Will Rise and Actively move. In general, this Demonstrate Ability Professional sports players the most. What Will Happen Their feelings show even WHEN WHEN People They Do not Express Them? Interesting? Ashamed? Scared? In the beginning, people may feel strange, however people quickly become accustomed to controlling their new ears with their brainwaves. Right now

Boxee Tie up With Walmart: The War for Your Living Room Just Got Real Everybody wants to hang out in your living room. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon — they all want to be there. Some already are. All of them are already on your other screens — the tiny one in your pocket, the medium-sized one in your bag, the big one on your desktop. But the biggest prize, the huge screen in your living room, is still very much up for grabs. Still, it ain’t a full-scale war just yet. Google TV has utterly failed to catch on. Microsoft’s newly revamped Xbox Video is, well, newly revamped. Amazon Instant Video is still geared more towards tablets and apps than televisions and entertainment centers. And for now, at least, Apple TV remains a hobby, if a “beloved” one. But an announcement from Boxee — until now a minor player, at best, in this market — is a signal that the living room wars are on. Walmart is going to carry Boxee TV this holiday season. And not just carry it. Walmart is going to

Lomography's Smartphone Film Scanner has reached that moment that every crowdfunding project strives for, but often seems elusive: everyday sales. The peripheral is now sitting in stock at an ordinary, post-Kickstarter $59 price. As you'd expect, the functionality remains what we were promised earlier in the year. Slot in an iPhone, or certain Android smartphones, and scanning 35mm film or a slide is just a matter of lining things up and snapping a photo with the phone's camera. Anyone who's sitting on a treasure trove of old photos -- or is just holding on to that film SLR for dear life -- can shop for the scanner at the source link.

Last spring, Page and Co. retired iGoogle, Google Mini and other services as part of a 'spring cleaning' initiative to help it better focus its efforts, and another clean-up round has just begun. This time around, Google Reader and seven other services are getting the axe, bringing the firm's total of features closed since 2011 to 70. Mountain View says it's sunsetting the feed reader because it has "declined," and that turning it off will allow it to pour its energy into fewer products. Reader will keep the lights on until July 1st, and diehard users will be able to keep their data and subscriptions by using the outfit's Takeout tool. Other products being put out to pasture include the company's Building Maker, Cloud Connect, Apps Script's GUI builder and five UiApp widgets, Search API for shopping and the CalDAV API (for developers who aren't whitelisted, that is). The internet giant also announced -- and confirmed our fears -- t

What is purported to be a dual-SIM equipped engineering sample of Samsung's Galaxy S IV a few days ago in pictures and video on a Chinese forum, and now it's back for a better look. The new pictures show off what's measured as a 1080p 4.99-inch display with an embossed home key and cross-hatch textured plastic back cover (already cracked on this unit). Engadget Chinese came through with a translation, and the specs listed on  it168  claim its Exynos 5410 is a 1.8GHz 8-core CPU unit, with PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU. The i9502 weighs in at 138g and measures 7.7mm thick, packs 2GB of RAM and 16GB ROM storage with a microSD expansion slot and has a 2600mAh battery. Also revealed are a few more software tweaks, with the Smart Stay eye trackingthat had previously been outed, plus a feature (pictured after the break) that lets users hover their fingers over the display to produce a Galaxy Note II S-Pen stylus-like effect. Check out another picture after the break or an entire sli

Thanks to Twitter's API changes that cut off the number of users for third party efforts, official app support has become more important and now there's one built for Windows 8. Available in the Windows Store now in 22 languages, it brings the Home / Connect / Discover / Me tabs found in other official apps, plus support for Windows new UI features like snap view, the search charm and Live Tiles. Support for the share charm means you can tweet from any Windows 8 app by swiping from the right edge, which also provides access to search. Windows Phone 8 users should recognize much of the design from the recently updated mobile app, especially in the minimized snap view. Despite the inclusion of social networking feeds in the People Hub, a dedicated app should make accessing the service much easier, although Twitter's design has left quite a bit of blank space to work with. Hit the Windows Store link below to load it up on your x86 or ARM Windows-powered device and let

Galaxy S4 graphics to be powered by new PowerVR chip I t does seem like the graphics in Samsung’s upcoming flagship—the Galaxy S4—will be powered by a PowerVR GPU. Imagination Technologies has released a  press release  that announces that its PowerVR SGX 544 GPU has been used in Samsung’s 5410 Octa chip that is said to power the Samsung Galaxy S4. The GPU has two variants—the tri-core 544MP3 and the quad-core 544MP4. Reports around the Internet state that the former will be powering the Galaxy S4. More information will undoubtedly be revealed during the upcoming official announcement.   Earlier this month, some  leaked Antutu benchmark test results  suggested that the S4 would be powered by the Exynos 5 Octa chipset which Samsung had unveiled during CES. According to the test scores, the CPU is clocked at 1.8GHz with a 4+4 core setup. With all that power, the phone is set to top the charts. And that’s very much the case. Compared to a Nexus 4, which is powered by a Snapd

Use Your Smartphone as a 3-D Scanner Three-dimensional scanners are expensive – thousands of dollars for industrial models.Now there’s a 3-D scanner for your phone, which does many of the things industrial models do for only $300. The app, Moedls, runs on an iPhone and iPad and uses a consumer-quality laser, a turntable and a simple box to do professional-level 3-D scanning. It was invented by John Fehr, an inventor with a number of Kickstarter projects under his belt, including a  magnetic catapult  and a  levitating magnet sculpture .Fehr told Tech News that one of the hardest parts to get was actually the turntable. “It’s hard to find a platform that turns slowly and steadily enough,” he said. Before finding a manufacturer in China he tried using one from an old record player. A user sets up a phone on a tripod and then puts the object she wants to scan on the turntable. A small laser light points at the object and lights up a thin slice of it. The laser light functio

The  Volkswagen 1-litre car  is a two-person  concept car  produced by  Volkswagen . The 1-litre car was designed to be able to travel 100 km on 1 litre of  diesel fuel  (280 mpg  240 mpg ), while being both roadworthy and practical  To achieve such economy, it is produced with lightweight materials, a  streamlined  body and an engine and transmission designed and tuned for economy. The concept car was modified first in 2009 as the  L1  and again in 2011 as the  XL1 , with limited production of the XL1 slated to begin by late 2013. The XL1 takes the traditional elements of speed – exotic materials, a hyper-efficient drivetrain and a wind-tunnel-honed body – to deliver the most aerodynamic, fuel-efficient vehicle in the world. And just like other supercars, it’s a rolling compromise, with barely enough space to seat two and a 12.7-second 0-to-60 mph time that makes a Prius seem like a Porsche. Volkswagen rolled into Geneva with the production version of the XL1 after more than

 The winner of the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search was announced today. Sara Volz is a 17-year-old high schooler whose project involved growing algae under her bed, something that earned her the $100,000 prize as well as #1. What makes the algae special? It contains high oil content for cheap biofuel. Volz is from Colorado Spring, Colorado, and was praised heavily for her work, which is said to be the result of years of effort and of a special passion for the topic that extends beyond mere rote work. According to one of the judges, Volz is well versed in many areas of science, and likewise knowledgeable of advanced mathematics. She beat out more than 1,700 other entries. The Chairman of the judging panel, who is also a University of Illinois professor, David Marker had this to say: “It’s something she’s worked on for years, and that shows a certain passion and drive that you don’t always see in heavily mentored projects. And what really set her off was tha

Virtual Library Brings Books to NYC Subway The New York City subway might be the last place you’d expect to check out a library book, but that could soon change if some students from  Miami Ad School  have their way. Max Pilwat, Keri Tan and Ferdi Rodriguez have an idea to that would turn NYC’s metro cars into virtual libraries as a way of encouraging the public to visit the physical branches of the  New York Public LIbrary . Their proposed  “Underground Library”  project would let subway passengers peruse virtual stacks on the walls of the metro car. Using near-field communication (NFC) technology found in smartphones, commuters could scan book titles that appear on advertisements inside the car. The first ten pages of the book would be be free of charge, then a map would pop up to direct users to the nearest library branch so they could finish what they started and check out the book. As of now, the Underground Library is still only a conceptual campaign, but the students ho

Not long after we got our hands on the  Galaxy Note 8.0  at  Mobile World Congress , the 3G global version has finally made its way through the FCC for certification . We already saw the  WiFi model  come through in January, but this one has those all-important 800/1900 MHz 3G bands that'll have you web browsing with your stylus while you're out and about; as long as you have an activated SIM anyway. As a reminder, the Note 8.0 sports a 1.6GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor, WiFi a/b/g/n radios, 2GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, GLONASS, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and a 4,600mAh battery. This is certainly not the one that'll be offered by stateside carriers however, as we'll get an LTE variant instead.  Still, if you want an eight-inch tablet that also doubles as a phone, its FCC approval takes that dream one step closer to reality. In the meantime, feel free to hit up the documents at the source to suss out the information yourself.

Rumour:  iPhone 5S to come with  fingerprint reader The rumour mill is abuzz with news of potential features of the new iPhone. The latest in line is that it's expected to offer a fingerprint sensor and NFC capabilities.   According to a report by  China Times , via  Mac Rumours , Apple has selected Taiwanese chip maker Chipbond for sourcing a number of components for the iPhone 5S, including the touch display driver and hardware to support fingerprint sensor and near field communications (NFC) functionality. The report suggests that Apple will integrate the fingerprint sensor with NFC driven mobile payments to strengthen security, which remains a major concern for the company. Apple had acquired mobile security firm AuthenTec, last year, in a deal valued at about $356 million. AuthenTec makes security software and chips including chips for fingerprint recognition and near-field communication (NFC) for mobile phones that it licenses to companies like Samsung. After the deal, a

Looks like Mr. Eddie Fier, the man we  hope   is CEO of   Edifier , is planning to wade into the   Jambox-wars   with this Bluetooth speaker-cum-speakerphone. The iF335 Bric Connect bonds with your devices over Bluetooth and auxiliary inputs, pumping out 12 watts of RMS power over a pair of 70mm drivers. It's available from today for $99.99, assuming you can still type after the unremitting hilarity of our Eddie Fier / Edifier gag earlier. SPECS: Total power output:                               RMS 6W x 2       THD + N (testing level):                       10% Signal to noise ratio:                           ≥85dBA         Frequency response:                          40Hz - 20kHz  Distortion:                                              ≤0.5%   Input sensitivity:                                    450mV±50mV (iPod) Audio input:                                            Bluetooth, Auxiliary     Adjustment:                                           Wireless r

Samsung is going to launch the Galaxy S4 on Thursday. That much we’d bet our mortgage on, but there may be more than just a new smartphone on show at the company’s New York event. There could be a smartwatch too.  We’ve already seen what may be screenshots from a Samsung smartwatch named the Galaxy Altius. If genuine, these images suggest the Altius may have a tile-based proprietary operating system rather than Android. There’s also been talk of a 1.5in screen with a 500 x 500 resolution, which would be very sharp indeed (that’s a pixel density of 471ppi; the iPhone 5, in comparison, offers 326ppi). Also, if the images are genuine the suggestion is that the Samsung smartwatch must be close to being ready for launch. There was nothing at Mobile World Congress a couple of weeks ago – so perhaps Samsung was keeping it back to unveil alongside the Galaxy S4. After all, a smartwatch generally needs a smartphone to buddy up with, latching onto the phone via Bluetooth and sharing it

Samsung Galaxy S4 video leaks ahead of Thursday's launch We've already seen alleged photos of the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the wild, as well as a shadowy official picture courtesy of Samsung itself. But now a rather convincing Galaxy S4 handset has been caught strutting its stuff on camera. The Galaxy S4 looks to sport a similar design and build to its predecessor – albeit with a larger 5in full HD display – assuming that the video is genuine. And before you cry out in outrage, we're assuming that the extra SIM card slot (found in the Chinese variant) is the reason for the S4's thicker-than-normal body.  Everything else appears to be in order, with Samsung's brightly coloured TouchWiz interface making a brief appearance – so we can pretty safely assume that we all now know what the Samsung Galaxy S4 will look like. Unless, of course, Samsung has craftily released a series of staged leaks to throw us off its scent... So, what camp will you be entering? Have t