Mereja

Author: Catherine Shu

  • Samsung Briefly Posts Galaxy S4 Mini On Its Apps Site, Adding New Credence To A Summer Release

    Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

    Samsung has yet to officially confirm the Galaxy S4 mini, but the smartphone’s brief appearance on the company’s app store earlier today backs up rumors of a summer launch. The listing was spotted and screencapped by TGspot (link via Google Translate) before it was removed.

    The Galaxy S4 mini appeared with the model number GT-I9195 as part of a line-up of Samsung smartphones on the company’s app store site. The handset is a smaller, cheaper version of Samsung’s fastest selling phone, which recently hit 10 million channel sales less than a month after its international launch on April 26.

    Samsung has positioned the Galaxy S4 as its iPhone challenger and a smaller version may help attract new customers who were previously but off by the phablet‘s 5-inch screen. Though Samsung has yet to announce a release date for the Galaxy S4 mini, a summer date would give it a head start over Apple’s fall lineup of new products, potentially including the iPhone 5s.

    The appearance of the smartphone on Samsung’s apps site is the latest leak backing up rumors of the phone’s imminent release. Two weeks ago, photos purportedly showing the Galaxy S4 mini were posted by Sina Weibo user PunkPanda, who has leaked authentic photos of unreleased Samsung devices in the past. The photos appeared to confirm previously rumored specs, including a 4.3 inch gHD display and a 8-megapixel rear camera.

  • Jawbone Releases Android UP App, Makes Wristband Available In European Apple Stores

    jawboneupblue

    Jawbone announced today that its app for UP, the company’s movement-tracking wristband, is now available as a free download for Android on Google Play. The $129 UP was previously only compatible with iOS. The wristband can also now be purchased in European Apple stores, and will be made available in Asia and Australia next month.

    “We are excited to expand the UP community by introducing support for Android, 11 new languages for iOS, and product availability in more than 25 additional countries around the world,” said Travis Bogard, Jawbone vice president of product management and strategy, in a statement.

    When coupled with its app, the UP wristband allows users to track their sleep, movement, food, and mood. Apple Stores in Asia and Australia will begin carrying the gadget next month, along with other retail locations in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

    While Android users can now use Jawbone UP, the company says it currently has no plans to release the UP app to BlackBerry 10 or Windows Phone.

  • LovePalz, The Real-Time Virtual Sex Toy For Long-Distance Couples, Will Launch On March 29

    LovePalz

    LovePalz, the virtual sex gadget designed for long-distance couples, has finally set a launch date for both its products and Web-based control center. On March 29, you can get your hands (and other parts) on Hera and Zeus, the two devices designed by Taipei-based company Winzz.

    The titillating wireless gadget has been generating buzz since announcing pre-orders in September. Winzz says that they received over 5,000 pre-orders within two months, back when the LovePalz set of two devices was available for $94.95 each. Now that the pre-order special has ended, each piece, called the Hera and the Zeus, is available separately for $189. Despite the higher price, Winzz reports that they have sold 1,800 items since February 28.

    Lovers can control their LovePalz devices during a cybersex session by using the LovePalz Web site, which also has a mobile version. A spokeswoman told me that the company is still working on launching a LovePalz iOS app, but progress has been delayed because of the App Store’s restrictions on selling adult-themed content.

    The Hera resembles a dildo, while the Zeus is like a sleeker, high-tech version of the infamous Fleshlight. (The names are interesting because although ancient Greek deities/husband-and-wife Zeus and Hera were often separated by long distances, that’s because Zeus was off having sex with everyone in the universe besides Hera).

    Both toys have multiple pressure and speed sensors that work without buttons and allow partners to feel what each other is doing to them in real time. The devices are waterproof, rechargeable, and are engineered with an air pump and automatic piston. Why, you ask? Well, the air pump means the Hera toy can “get bigger when you are bigger,” as the LovePalz Web site puts it, and the air pump allows the Zeus to “tighten up.” The company ensures users that it has tested the air pump many times to make sure “the speed is ideal and stops when it’s getting too tight,” so there will be no news headlines screaming “LovePalz, the genius of penis explosion.”

    The LovePalz’s painstaking engineering sets it apart, but there have certainly been other virtual sex toys. The Virtual Hole and Stick set (yes, that was its real name) was designed back in 2007 as one of the earliest “teledildonics” products. Web site HighJoy bills itself as “the premier online destination where you can find the necessary tools that allow you to control another’s personal massager over the Internet.” Other virtual sex toys have been a bit more one-sided, like the RealTouch, which allows users to interact with porn.