Podcasts for iOS adds Siri, CarPlay integration

If you’ve been an avid user of Podcasts for iOS, you’re in for a treat. A new version of the app now helps make things easier for you. Siri has been integrated into the app. You can now say “play podcasts” or tell Siri to play a specific station. The app also now has CarPlay support in preparation for the new cars coming out.

Version 2.1 also brings a quicker way to browse through your podcasts. There are new Unplayed and Feed tabs to rifle through. You can enable offline listening and tinker with the settings to let the app delete podcasts you’ve already listened to.

Source: MacRumors

HTC One mini 2 announced for Asian and European markets

The HTC One mini 2 takes many of the features and a lot of the design direction from the HTC One (M8) but scales down some specs, size and functionality to appeal to the midrange of the market. Announced for Asia and Europe (no North American variants as of yet), the HTC One mini 2 features a 4.5-inch screen, a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage but expandable via a microSD slot. Other big features are a 13 megapixel camera and a large 2100 mAh battery. The HTC One mini 2 is likely one of the more premium devices in the "mini variant" smartphone space.

Source: AnandTech

Review: Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

Sony’s latest Android tablet is a worthy successor to the Xperia Z, with unique features, an incredibly thin and light design and a gorgeous screen. But battery life is not as good as it could be.

Text and photos by Simon Cohen

The Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet ($529 16GB) is a remarkably thin and light device. At 426 grams, the Z2 is significantly lighter than the comparably equipped Apple iPad Air (469 grams) even though it has larger overall dimensions.

The chassis exterior is coated in a rubberized finish on the back and uses edge-to-edge scratch-resistant glass on the front. The sides (what little there is of them) is finished in a metal-look plastic material. Unlike the iPad, there is no metal shell.

Although this results in an amazingly light device, the problem with this design is that the Xperia Z2 gets all of its rigidity from the internal framework and the glass screen itself. Which it to say, you can actually flex the tablet without exerting much pressure at all. I suppose this isn’t necessarily an issue of quality – I wasn’t able to come even close to damaging it through normal use—but it doesn’t give you a tremendous feeling of confidence.

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Hands-on with Rogers $80 United States Talk, Text & Data Plan

Roaming charges are the result of a nasty oversight that could have been prevented.

They are often exorbitant fees that creep up like last months cold and, if not taken care of, can ruin what could have been an otherwise wonderful getaway.

You see many of us, in the rush of vacation preparation; forget to call our respective carriers to add that insurance policy.

We then proceed to scream to the high heavens when we use our devices as if we’re home and then proceed to receive a bill with charges that could likely equal the average mortgage payment.

I feel your pain.

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