Review: Kyocera DuraForce tough smartphone

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

This is the Bear Grylls of smartphones and while its middling specs are more than enough for most applications, build quality and design really make this the only tough Android smartphone worth considering for serious outdoor and construction applications.

The tough-smarphone market isn't all that big. Aside from great looking devices that happen to be dust and water resistant like Sony's Xperia Z line, we also get tough variants of existing smartphones like the recently reviewed Samsung Galaxy S5 Active. These devices pale in comparison with smartphones designed from the ground up for use in extreme conditions. Kyocera's DuraForce isn't a slim phone pretending to be a tough device, it is clearly a bruiser that's built to survive.

Click to read more ...

Eggtronic adds Qi wireless charging to HUB IT

Here’s one more reason to consider getting a HUB IT Sync & Charge Station: Qi wireless charging support. Eggtronic introduced a Qi wireless charger cartridge for Hub IT. It joins other different cartridges such as those for micro USB devices, Apple lightning, Galaxy Tab, and the like. The Qi wireless charging cartridge will work with all devices that support the Qi standard. You can even add more Qi wireless cartridges to recharge more devices at the same time.

HUB IT delivers a sleek and compact power source package with a 2.5A powerful output per port at a speed of up to 5Gbps. This high-speed seven-port desktop syncing and charging station has three USB 3.0 SuperSpeed ports and four retractable cartridge connectors, which can be changed and upgraded with the latest connection format. The HUB IT cartridge connectors are available on Amazon.

Microsoft Xim lets you share smartphone photos on larger devices

Microsoft updated its Xim app to let you share photos on bigger screens. It will let you beam slideshows on connected devices such as Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Xbox One. Just make sure you’re connected to the same wireless network of those other devices and you’re good to go. If someone

Xim was created to share images with friends on their own devices through a temporary cloud-based slideshows they can access. They don’t even have to be in the same room. Now, if you’re together, instead of looking at it through one device, you can view in on your big living room TVs. The update is available for Windows Phone as well as iOS and Android.

Source: Engadget

Google updates Inbox to improve Android Wear and tablet support

Google is bringing a new significant update to its invite-only email app, Inbox. Right now, Inbox supports Android Wear better. It lets you reply to emails, view, and label or move incoming messages. Aside from improved Android Wear support, the app has also been updated to support tablets. It gets a new look and works better with larger screens. Suggestion typing has also been improved for better accuracy and to help you create Reminders quicker. Like other Google apps, it is a staged roll-out so wait for a bit before the update comes to you.

Source: Android Headlines | Download: Google Play Store (Free)