Minigore 2: Zombies - Now on OUYA.

Mountain Sheep's popular iOS title Minigore 2: Zombies is now on OUYA. I wouldn't usually report on a game being release on Play, but it's kind of a special case. The Minigore series has been an iOS gaming staple and to see a game of its stature released on Discover is exciting news. Hopefully this will pave the way for more popular iOS developers to port their titles to the OUYA - Let's keep our fingers crossed for an Oceanhorn release.

Omate TrueSmart Smartwatch close to $500k fund

The standalone smart watch we backed is getting hotter, the stage 2 pledge goal is almost hit with just over 3 weeks left on the clock.


We are keen to get the watch with Sapphire Glass on the display, so if you are sitting on the fence - go and pledge. Not only is it a fantastic bargain, its a very versatile watch.

Wish List

If only we can get some proper swimming apps that can count strokes and laps ?!

Jawbone Up type features would be fantastic. 

What else are we missing here ?

Kickstart Update

The current touch screens using mineral crystal scratch proof. Note that mineral crystal is a very good material that most watches use these days. It is an important part of watch design that somehow older generation Smartwatches missed. We have heard from plenty of friends already how their old smartwatch is now very much scratched, less than a year of use - what a pity. (Do watch out and think twice when you are considering one of those older generation smartwatches). So with TrueSmart, we wanted to make sure Smartwatch 2.0 will never have such problems again - scratch-proof was a core element of the design brief from the very first day. 

Then came the opportunity to offer everyone Sapphire Crystal - an opportunity we couldn't resist - the best and most premium scratch-proof protecting the grandmaster of timepieces incl. Rolex, Omega, Hublot, Tag Heuer, Tissot etc.


Even though the $500K stretch goal is within reach, please help get it in faster - tell everyone about how proud you are to be funding and supporting the very first Smartwatch 2.0 with Sapphire Crystal. The earlier we confirm the stretch goal is in, the earlier we can go ahead with the preparation of Sapphire Crystal.

Ok - we did that right !?

Go and pledge here - Omate Kickstart

Sony Smartwatch 2, what does it do ?

Why do Sony suck at adverts ? 

Sony have a long history of great products, and up until the turn of the millenium they were pretty good at making adverts interesting for their range of Walkman, Playstation 1, HiFi, The Playstation "Do Not Underestimate" was one of the best adverts of its generation. Mini Disc adverts around 1997 were great too, it showed a man using the Mini Disc players features, wasn't so hard was it Sony !?

Mad

Then they went stark raving bonkers.


Sony tried to be the picasso of adverts, hired Ronald McDonnald instead of saatchi & saatchi and ended up with the most consumer confusing adverts in history... remember the stupid dancing clowns for the PS3 ?

No ? well it was rubbish, and as a reminder - here it is.

Smartwatch 2

Which brings us to 2013 and the new incoming Sony Smartwatch 2.


The first Smartwatch was a good 'Beta' of sorts, wasn't really tempted with it due to price and features (plus it had waterproof issues) also it looked bland and boring, and would only be cool in a nerd convention, dressed as a superhero.

It just wasn't sexy.


Sony are already in a market that doesn't have Samsung, Apple or Google in, and you would think their new incoming watch would have an advantage. Great adverts, being first to market etc means they should be able to shut out the opposition. Expecting Sony to go sexy with this replacement for the dull smartwatch.

So time for an advertising assault like.no.other or more make.believe ? 

Features ?

This is the only confirmed infomercial Sony have pumped out, can you tell us the issue here. We can think of a few. 

Erm, what does it do !? What makes this better than the last one ?!

Come on Sony you can do better than this and not leave it to the world of Bloggers and various review sites to get your point across.

Seems like the goal is open and Sony are hoofing the ball into Row Z. Samsung, Apple and Google will be on the pitch soon. 

Google Nexus 4, everything must go

Google have announced a 25% price drop on the Nexus 4 (depending on your math), presumably in an attempt to get rid before the next version comes out. Not a bad buy at $199/£159. May take advantage of a trip to San Diego next month and pick one of these up!

Moto X cost only $221 to make

Our friends over at allthingsd.com posted a report today that showed the Moto X cost very little to build. In today’s tear down, the report finds that the Moto X costs about $221/ £168 to make. 

That’s a little more than the Galaxy S4. Which in comparison means the hardware costs does not = power, since the Galaxy S4 has higher specs and costs less to make, maybe some questions over the price !?


We don't think so because Motorola have changed the architecture of the handset and a considerable amount of development has gone into the phone - rather than throwing hardware at the handset hoping it will all work.

Also isn't the Samsung made in China ?! We would also argue the build quality on the S4 is suspect. 

We still haven't seen the off plan / contract costs but if they are in the $500 / £350 mark then thats a good price for this handset due to its optimisation and customisation features.

Motorola to party like its 1999 - Droid 5 incoming

Remember the keyboard slide out phones that seemed to be in the hands of most Americans ?! 

Well Motorola does and the Google company is going to give the Droid 4 a new update in the shape of the .... Droid 5.... wow what a name !

The slide out keyboard is a feature dare I say it - I prefer to a touch screen, because I like to feel the physical click of a button. Its not as easy to typo, and since the problems of the Droids 2 and 3s nasty keyboard experience were sorted in the Droid 4, the 5 should have been tweaked a that little more - close to perfect dam it.

Is this the last of the Motorola pre Google phones Larry Page wasn't too kind about ? If so then this could be the last of the Droid xyz we will ever see, and if it has the 'Droid' name then it will be Verizon exclusive in the US - which would 'suck'. The world needs to have at least one slide out keyboard Android.


There is no internet chatter regarding the Droid 5's release date or pricing -- or what carriers / networks that will offer the the device. Guessing this will remain in the US (as above) and won't make Europe either. - No further news but given that in-the-wild photos are already surfacing, it should only be a matter of time before more details come to pass.

The Walking Dead coming to OUYA

YES Rejoice - Telltales fantastic award winning GOTY - The Walking Dead is heading to OUYA. On the Telltale Blog the dev posted this :-

"Exciting times ahead... Telltale is partnering up with the good people at OUYA to bring The Walking Dead to OUYA! 

All 5 episodes in The Walking Dead: Season One AND the 400 Days DLC will be available on OUYA at the same time later this year. Even better, the whole of Episode 1 will be completely free to try! We're not planning to stop there either – Season Two of the game will be on OUYA as well.

We have an OUYA set up in the office and the team's been discovering tons of great games from developers large and small, trying out a bunch of games we wouldn't normally be able to trial. We're all thrilled to add The Walking Dead to the mix on this platform!"

Brilliant ! We cant wait (we can really cos we played Season one on the Playstation 3) 

However to support indie console and devs, the entire lot will be purchased on the OUYA.

Remember the best way to keep this console alive and improve it, is to invest into its ego system, without it and your support it will die.

Source : http://www.telltalegames.com/community/blogs

Chromecast local streaming hack 'broken'

The Aircast app which allowed local content to be streamed on the Chromecast has been broken by a recent update. Damn, just when I was about to invest in one of these for the kitchen-diner. Apparently Google say it wasn't deliberate but I bet their friends at the MPAA are happy about it.

No Droid for Nokia ?! Why not ?

Nokia seem to be on a roll, the company has started to make headway into business with their new agreement with Delta Airlines, Air attendants to be decked out with Nokias to perform in flight selling - those lucky trolley dollies.

Stronger than expecting earnings and Lumia selling well in Italy and a few other countries have seen Nokia actually knock iPhone off the sales charts - ok the new iPhone is round the corner so sales always dip this time of year but its still quite an achievement. Investors are happier (not Happy) that things have started to pick up. Samsung are of course runaway leaders here, sporting Android.

Does Nokia need Android to kick on ?

Nokia shipped 61.1 million phones and its market share plummeted to 15.8% last quarter from 22.5% in Q2 last year; 61.1m is a large number and even at 15% its a decent market share. Microsoft will be quick to point out that they have come from nowhere to keep Nokia afloat almost within two years.

The best thing for Nokia is to adopt Android, Nokia do make some fantastic hardware and while their old handsets are falling out of peoples hands and being replaced with Android handsets, many resent losing the Nokia brand because they are loyal. So why lose them at all. Its clear from the market share customers are moving away from the hardware - just the same as some are attracted to Windows but there is an imbalance.

Without Android the Nokia brand while still has some relevance today, could stay as an also ran. Just in the last year it has fallen (in market share) while Microsoft has used them well to meet its own gains where it has failed miserably before. Only one winner there. 

Nokia adopt Android and stop being Microsofts trojan horse.

Budget handsets for the cost of a Bhuna ?

India has an interesting handset market, Apples stupidly high prices just don't cut the mustard there so midrange Android phones very do well. Sony have had some success there as have HTC, Sony has also released some India only bits of hardware - annoyingly so too.

There is a great flurry of incoming handsets from Indian manufacturers, while support and warranty might be an issue (not to mention Insurance) you can import them low cost.

Since the local currency is on its ass, there are some bargains to be had. Talking of which.

Bargain

Xolo has announced a new Android handset to their range with the launch of the Xolo Q1000S, the handset will come with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

The Xolo Q1000S features a 5 inch HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, processing comes in the form of a quad core 1.5Ghz MediaTek processor and it also features 1GB of RAM.

Other specifications on the Xolo Q1000S include front and rear facing cameras. On the front of the handset is a 5 megapixel camera, on the back there is a 13 megapixel camera it also comes with 16GB of built in storage.

The Xolo Q1000S will be launched in India in the next few weeks, it will retail for the equivalent of $300/ £250

Sony have the Xperia L and M in that kind of target price range, and cost a little more - neither has a quad core CPU or camera on the front or back of that spec.

We haven't found a decent importer for the phone yet but once we do, We will update here - so check back.

Who cares about Ubuntu Edge?

No, I'm serious. Was there anyone interested in this? We've seen the Indiegogo campaign to raise $32m for this fall flat, sort of, on its face. I was an Ubuntu fan until it started to get a little bloated around 11.x and it is no longer a distro of choice given its top-heaviness. The prospect of using this on a phone was not particularly exciting.

Does the failure represent an inappropriate use of crowdfunding? By comparison, Mozilla pressed ahead with their OS and now has manufacturers who are selling a device. The only difference here is that they funded their offering themselves and did not attempt to engage directly with those who may have been interested in their product. Perhaps if they had taken the Edge route, they too would have failed to make their target.

Given the overall dominance of Android and the 11000+ devices presently running this OS, and other competitors in the market who have faltered or failed (Micro$oft), what real chance does the Edge now have when you also factor in the apparent lack of interest?

GTA V - The Soundtrack breaks cover

Lookin forward to GTA V ?! Us too, and we are looking forward to the soundtrack we can blast in our cars / helicopters / spaceships / F18 Hornets.....


So what can we expect ? - here is a list we have managed to scrounge from various sources

West Coast Classics
N.W.A. - Appetite For Destruction
N.W.A. - Gangsta Gangsta
2pac - ambitionz az a ridah
DJ Quik - Dollars and Sense
C Walk - Kurupt
Snoop Dogg - Gin N Juice
Snoop Dogg Dr. Dre - Still D.R.E
Snoop Dogg Dr. Dre - The Next Episode
King T - Played Like A Piano
Geto Boys - Mind Playin' Tricks
Tha Dogg Pound Ft. Mack 10 - Nothin' But The Cavi Hit
Too $hort - So You Want To Be A Gangster
Mc Enit - straight up menace
Kausion - What You Wanna Do (Ft. Ice Cube)
Ice Cube - You Know How We Do It

Classic Rock Stations
Foreigner - Dirty White Boy
The Cult - Rain
Steve Miller Band - Rock 'N Me
Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Julian Lennon - Too Late for Goodbyes
Greg Kihn Band - The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)
The Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
Kano - Can't Hold Back (Your Loving)
Rick James - Give It to Me Baby
Queen - Radio Ga Ga
One Way - Cutie Pie
Evelyn "Champagne" King - I'm in Love
Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time
Stevie Wonder - Skeletons
Kleer - Tonight
D Train - You're the One for Me


Punk Station
The Weirdos - Life of Crime
The Germs - Lexicon Devil
Youth Brigade - Blown Away
Black Flag - My War
Descendents - Pervert
Circle Jerks - Rock House
T.S.O.L. - Abolish Government/Silent Majority
Suicidal Tendencies - Subliminal
Fear - The Mouth Don't Stop (The Trouble with Women IS)

Hip Hop Station
Kendrick Lamar - A.D.H.D
YG - I'm A Real 1
Kelly Rowland - Work (Freemasons Remix)
The Game - Ali Bomaye (Explicit) ft. 2 Chainz, Rick Ross

Dance Music Station
Modjo - Lady (Hear Me Tonight)
Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
Corona - The Rhythm of the Night.
Aphex Twins - Windowlicker
The Blackout ALlstars - I Like It

Soulwax FM 
Mim Suleiman - Mingi
FKCLUB - The Strange Art (ID Remix)
Matias Aguayo - El Sucu Tucu
Joe Goddard feat. Valentina - Gabriel (Soulwax Remix)
Daniel Maloso - Body Music
Green Velvet & Harvard Bass - Lazer Beams
Zombie Nation - Tryouts
Goose - Synrise (Soulwax Remix)
Tiga - Plush (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
Pulp - After You (Soulwax Remix)
The Hacker - Shockwave (Gesaffelstein Remix)

Unknown 
Amerie - 1 Thing
Rihanna - Only Girl
Waylon Jennings - Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
Jay Rock Feat. Kendrick Lamar - Hood Gone Love It
Ogden's Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces
Hackman - Forgotten Notes
Britney Spears - Gimme More
The Dogg Pound - What Would You Do
The Game - Ali Bomaye ft. 2 Chainz, Rick Ross
Bernard Wright - Haboglabotribin'
Taana Gardner - Heartbeat (Club Version)
Zapp - Heartbreaker. Pt. 1, Pt. 2
Chief Keef - Love Sosa (Not 100% on this song.)
Fergie - Glamorous ft. Ludacris
Aaron Neville - Hercules
Muse - Madness
Ab-Soul – Illuminate (Thank you xl2onald)
All Saints - Pure Shores
Mis-Teeq - Scandalous
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Inner Circle - Bad Boys (hahaha, perfect song.)
Marlena Shaw - California Soul
Outkast - Elevators (Me & You)
Regulate - Warren G and Nate Dogg
Jane Child - Don't Wanna Fall In Love

Omate TrueSmart Watch goes long.

The next big Kickstarter project has been doing great guns, exceeding its target and going into production for sure. 

We liked it so much, we have backed the project with our own cash.......

Neat and waterproof this interesting project has been approved for Google Play Store access, yes on a smartwatch ?! The OS looks a little like the Moto Actv, but its far more functional.

Kickstart for this awesome project is still open - for $189 you can jump on board before the 27 days is up. With a retail of $299 the kickstarter price is a bargain....Interested ? read on here Omate TrueSmart at Kickstarter. 

Their latest update is as follows :-

Welcome to Omate TrueSmart. Our first official Update - Must start with a BIG THANKS to everyone for such a great Kickstart. 

Your funding has helped us start production preparations already, that's the first good news. The funding goal has been secured. Now, the Omate Team is focusing on Time-To-Market and is dedicated to deliver the TrueSmart on time and on quality - Developers in October and Users in November.

The second good news is: :

Omate TrueSmart will be shipped with Google Play apps store included.

There has been a consideration that not all apps in the Google Play apps store may give the best experience on the wrist. We may still consider having an additional App store or other methods such as a directory or list to help users spot and get Apps that have been tested to be a great experience with the Omate TrueSmart. This would also allow us to help Developers highlight and promote their TrueSmart / Smartwatch apps (or Smartwatch version of their apps).

With Google Play apps store support, users and developers would have the ability to try and tests all kinds of apps - the World's largest collection of Apps. Powered by a Dual-core 1.3GHz processor and a full Android 4.2.2, a new world opens that no other Smartwatch has done before. We hope this will stimulate ideas, discussions and interaction for the better of TrueSmarrt / Smartwatch app environment. It is about time (pardon the pun) for Smartwatch 2.0

A shout out to all supporters who have contributed to this discussion of Google Play apps store here on the Project or on our Google+ community (+Omate TrueSmart). Together we shall make Omate TrueSmart the TrueSmart aka Smartwatch 2.0 aka The People's Smartwatch - Thanks!

See you in the next Update and in the community.

Zombie Driver HD hits OUYA

One of our favorite indie games comes to OUYA, having been on the Playstation Network / XBL for a few months - which we had a blast with, its good to see this game come to the OUYA as it does sell the console nicely. 

If you're not familiar with the game, its a top down mission based racer - think a little bit GTA 2 and Retro Racer with some Zombie and boss battles fun thrown in for good measure.

Its not an easy game to get into but once you do it's very rewarding, bosses are crazy big, action is mad and frantic plus and most of all - its fun

The gameplay and graphics are exactly the same as the PS3 / PSN version, button layout identical.

Grab this gem on the OUYA, or PSN.


Whats in Zombie Driver ?! See below.

- Story mode with 31 missions, sub quests and bonus objectives in a huge, free roaming city, including:

        *Epic Boss fights with enormous mutated zombies
        *Defending key targets against huge waves of zombies
        *Racing against time to rescue survivors
        *Transporting dangerous cargo
        *Spraying anti-zombie repellent around town
        *13 different vehicles to drive including a firetruck, bulldozer or even a tank

- Blood Race mode with 30 unique events offering the best arcade racing experience in 3 distinct game types:

        *Race - classic racing spiced up with guns and loads of zombies
        *Eliminator - take down as many vehicles as you can before the time runs out
        *Endurance - there is a bomb on your car and its ticking. Race through checkpoints to extend your time

- Slaughter mode with 7 survival arenas featuring enormous killing sprees and a dynamic upgrade system

- 9 different upgrades which can transform even an innocent Taxi into a Chariot of Death.
- Miniguns, flamethrowers, rocket launchers or even dual railguns.
- Vicious zombie types including even zombie dogs.
- Advanced, dynamic combo system with tricks and hordes of zombies to try it on.
- PhysX by NVIDIA

Want to know more - head over to the Zombie Driver HD website

News Round up - BBM, Sleepy Pandora, Google Now, Playstation 4 gets a date, Sony Z1.

BBM, Sleepy Pandora, Google Now, Playstation 4 gets a date, Sony Z1.

Here are a few of the stories we liked from the world of Gadgets and stuff.

BBM is almost here, does anyone care ?!

The long awaited release of BBM draws ever closer, 5 years too late but better late than never. Why RIM have sat on their backsides on this for this length of time is just crazy. Whatsapp has grown to such a size that BBM is rendered useless anyway.

No word on the cost of other platforms outside of Blackberry OS but all will become clearer in the following weeks.

The user guides for both the Android and iOS BlackBerry apps were posted onto BlackBerry’s website and explained the mobile messaging apps features, functions and how to get started. These guides have now been pulled from the website, however a quick sniff around on the Internet will have them for your reading pleasure. Who wants to read a manual on BBM ?!

Pandora Adds A Sleep Button to its App

News to make you sleep, Pandora have added a sleep function so you can doze off while listening to the online Radio service. Would love to see this added to Google Music All Access, come on Google make it happen.

Although putting a spin in it, Pandora payout every time you listen to something, so could be a sneaky attempt to save cash. Dodge !

Google Now Updated

Google Now has added a new set of cards to its search app, now (in the US at least) with more useful information without you even needing to, well Google.

The Google Search function is already able to suggest nearby restaurants and give you traffic and transport updates based on your weekly commute, but according to Googles blog, Google Now will also help you hire a car on vacation, find your gig tickets.

Going to a concert or event? Google Now will bring up your ticket when you get there, as well as other useful information like the venue’s website and suggestions for local restaurants.

A fun new feature called Reminders has been added, with a “Remind Me” button added next to the search results for your favourite bands, film actors and TV shows. Selecting the option means you will be sent reminders through Google Now for any new albums, film releases or upcoming  TV episodes. Not sure how many of these work in the UK, but in the US its great.

Playstation 4 Release date and PS3 -> PS4 upgrade plan.

Exciting times, at Gamescom - Sony had a great presentation and noted the release of the PS4 will be in November. 15th for the US, 28th for UK & Some Euro countries. Sony have already sold 1 million PS4s in pre-order alone, and growing fast.

Sony have announced that gamers that buy Battlefield 4, Assassin’s Creed IV, Call of Duty: Ghosts, or Watch Dogs on Playstation 3 will be able to buy the Playstation 4 digital version for a “significantly discounted price” once it becomes available, presumably when the PS4 launches on November 15 in North America.

Sony Z1 Honami on its way

September 4th will be the day we get to see this sexy beast de-cloak.

It sports 4k video, 800 snappy CPU and a 20MP camera - Sony tweeted "smartphone everyone's been talking about," which the rumor control  unanimously agrees is the Xperia Honami or Xperia Z1. Today UK's EE retweeted that message, which is a strong hint the carrier will offer the Xperia Z replacement.

PPSSPP Android Update, OUYA version coming soon.

Henrik Rygaard's popular Playstation Portable emulator, PPSSPP, has recently been updated to support proper control mapping, auto-configuration for devices like the Nvidia Shield, greater speed boosts for games, among many other improvements. So that's great news for for the sideloaders, but what's even better is the official OUYA release slated for late-August. The emulator has made great strides since its Android release last November, and an OUYA release is a great next step to take.

Download PPSSPP

Have OUYA gone a little DOYA ? Adverts that fail - OUYA Respond

Here's an actual OUYA ad I think? I'm not sure. It's kind of gross and very Klasky Csupo in terms of animation. Not sure if this is how OUYA should go marketing-wise, but at least its different.

*Update:* I'm certain now that I don't like it. It's needlessly-vulgar and feels like an impressionists take on Internet-centric animation, but unlike similar channels like Egoraptor or Fox ADHD, this isn't entertaining! It also fails as an advertisement, not explaining anything about the OUYA or why it's great. 


EDIT : "Genny" the OUYA Rep has responded to the video with this ....

Hi Everyone, a statement on the video: "This is not our official ad. We are experimenting with animated content and posted this video briefly to get feedback from our community. Stay tuned for our official video."

IHAG Blog would like to know how this experiment got to YouTube and the public in the first place. 

by James Mapley

Full XBMC Release for OUYA announced

Rejoyce, a full XBMC Build for the OUYA has been released - if you don't have it installed then go and get it now. 

One of the best supported media tool out there right now, with many add-ons which can bring your media to life. 

Not to mention Nav-X, which also runs via XBMC.


Check the OUYA store for the download. Once downloaded you can follow the guide to install the wizard we posted here on IHAG yesterday.

We are not sure if this an official release, however the controller mapping is most welcome, however the build has been reported to crash now and again.

XBMC Wizard for OUYA and Android Updated

XBMC Hub have updated the XBMC Wizard for OUYA and Android - a whole host of new video add-ons are working and a few tweaks. The Wizard was updated on the 16th so if you have seen it already then ignore this.

Full instructions of how to install the Wizard can be found on the XBMC Hub Blog here. Anyone, even a total idiot can do it, so don’t sweat the small things and go right ahead, nothing to worry about. It will however overwrite your existing configuration (not necessarily a bad thing for most), so be warned beforehand.

(there is an update for Xunity, follow the new installer - here)

Video Addons

• 1Channel for XBMC
• Dailyflix
• EarthCam
• IceFilms for XBMC
• IWO – I Watch Online
• Mash Up
• Much Movies
• FilmOn for XBMC
• Project Free TV for XBMC
• PutLockerTV
• Simply Movies
• Sports-A-Holic
• SportsDevil
• The GiddyUp Network
• TubePlus for XBMC
• ustvnow for XBMC
• Veetle for XBMC
• YouTube

Music Addons

• Broadcastify
• Digitally Imported
• Radio
• XBMCHUB Music

Program Addons

• Navi-X Media Portal
• XBMCHUB Maintenance Tool
• XBMCHUB Wizard

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Social Sharing

We have updated IHAG to contain Google+, Facebook and Delicious sharing. Since moving from Tumblr the traffic to IHAG has increased 22%, so we are pleased to have moved to the wonderful Blooger by Google. 

You can now enjoy us across all you social media and news RSS, that link for our RSS feed is :- "http://ihaveagadget.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss"

Dont forget our home page is http://ihaveagadget.blogspot.co.uk/

Sky Sports Pub Challenge app hits Google Play Store (and iOS too)

UK TV provider Sky (part of News Corp) has released a new Sky Sports Pub Challenge app for Android on the Google Play Store. Get it here

There are games, trivia and money to be won on the app which is giving the chance to win £20,000 at the end of the season - assuming you jump through the hoops the app sets out.

The software also includes a built-in pub finder to help fans locate their nearest drinking  establishment with a Sky Sports license.

"We're expecting Sky Sports Pub Challenge to be a big hit with people who like to watch the big games with friends down at the pub," said Sky business manager David Rey.

"The quizzes, polls and predictions really bring out people's competitive side and with prizes like weekly Barclays Premier League tickets, monthly rewards of up to £2,500 and a grand end-of-season cash prize of £20,000, it's a rewarding and sociable way for people to get into the action and make the most of match days down at their local pub."

Chomecast Arrives in UK

Chromecast has arrived in IHAG towers, shipped it to the UK as we previously said we would, glad it managed to skip through customs without attracting any VAT which was well received. 

So whats in the box ?

Well not much at all. The Chromecast unit itself which is the size of large USB stick, obviously it has an HDMI port, and a micro USB in the back for a power supply to plug into.

The power unit and USB cable are supplied as standard. We had to swap out the US power supply and change it for a UK one, any Android 5v 850ma output supply will do. You could use a USB port from your TV if you have one too.

Set up is a easy as ...

Plugging in the device - visiting the website https://cast.google.com/chromecast/setup and downloading the set up program, here is where it gets interesting. 

Chromecast has a set up WIFI built in, your PC will attach to it, you give Chromecast the WIFI settings to your local network. Then your are done. You PC will re-attach to you local network and look for the Chromecast. 

Once done you will be invited to download the Cast extension into Chrome Browser if you are using it. It should look like this.

Limited Apps - Unlimited usage

So far there are a few apps that work, Netflix, You Tube, Chrome work with the unit, as does various video relay off an Android device. To start just visit the page you want to cast then click the Google Cast plug in.

iPlayer, ITV Player etc

We tested BBC iPlayer, (all the other UK streaming sites too) from within the browser and some flash sites. All seem to stream pretty well to the device, and you can also browse the net and show the tab to the screen.

Sky Go 

We are testing Sky Go now to see if this works. Currently receive a weird error which we will update shortly on. However we have just learned Sky Go doesn't work on Windows 8. So you might want to try this out yourself. Obviously this would be a great workaround for Multiroom, saving £10pm from your bill.

Smartstream from PC to US HBO / CBS / FOX etc

We recommend stream-via which you can signup to here. Streamvia using their very clever smartstream to the US to watch US services. As with Sky Go and iPlayer - visit the sites you want to stream, click the Google Cast in the top right of your browser, and away you go.

All the major networks streamed to the Chromecast some with fantastic results others just OK, 

Since smartstream doesnt use VPN, its DNS routed, you can keep on the same local network as your Chromecast. Of course this wouldn't be the case under VPN conditions.

Android

Just useful for playing local content from the Play Store and your own videos, music etc. You Tube and Netflix get a tick in the box here. 

Overall Very Good - with potential, at $35 its a bargain !

Its not quite direct streaming, but it is effective. You wont see the mouse flying around the screen either so don't expect use it for gaming because it wont have that kind of response. 

Very handy and we hope to see apps more make use of Chromecast, especially on Android / Chrome OS

If you are in the UK you will not see the app in Google Play store, however you can download it from us, as covered before. http://ihaveagadget.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/importing-chromecast.html 

OUYA Cheapcast

If you have a rooted OUYA then you can download Google Play - Cheapcast and use that as another Chromecast. We hear that some users have a problem with it dropping out but we haven't experienced it yet. We found to have the same experience as the Google hardware. 

Look out - its a Honami wave of new phones.

Excited for the new incoming Sony Honami which looks set to be announced, washed ashore sometime in September - the spec sheet is almost pornographic in nature. The price will be just as obscene too, although will it be more expensive that the ridiculous prices Apple charge for an off plan iPhone, we doubt that. 

Import

In the UK at least no Moto X - however you can import one from welectronics.com at a cost of $800+ which is around £600, plus you will be asked to pony up another 20% in VAT when it lands on your doorstep. No choices in colour or config, so its black or black. Motorola have said some Euro bound handsets later this or early next year.

On the subject of Motorola, the new Ultra HD is also at welectronics.com which can be had in black or a very nasty red. This replaced the RAZR HD which didn't make it to the UK either. Guessing Verizon / Vodafone deal stopped it.

We have covered the arrival of the LG G2 - which impressive as it is maybe too close in spec for the Nexus 5, which rumor whores have been enjoying the tugowar between stories of this and that manufacturer. Exciting having 2 phones coming to the market from LG whatever. Talking of LG, the LG G Pro again a handset that never made the UK can be had for a reasonable £350 / $500 negrielectronics.com

Sony Ultra Z is here but who wants a screen or handset that big, goes beyond practical - maybe fine for home or sat nav/GPS purposes. 


Which handsets are you looking forward to !?