Upcoming Moto Mod to support interchangeable lenses

Some of the currently available Moto Mods

It seems like Motorola’s Moto Mod portfolio is getting some really cool additions this year. A Reddit user, who has seen the development of upcoming Moto Mods first-hand, spilled some juicy details about the upcoming Moto Mods.
According to this Redditor, Motorola is developing a new camera mod, a speaker mod, a projector mod and even a drone mod for the Moto Z-series of phones.

Upcoming Moto Camera Mod

Redditor claims that the upcoming camera mod will support interchangeable lenses from manufacturers like Sony, Canon and Nikon. This will be huge deal, given that this mod will massively increase the scope of photography from the Moto Z phones. No specifics are known as this point, but this camera mod will most likely be quite bulky and expensive.
To remind you, Motorola already offers a camera mod from Hasselblad, which adds 10x optical zoom support and a xenon flash.

Upgraded Moto Projector Mod

Motorola’s existing projector mod is reportedly getting an upgrade. The new mod will be 35% brighter than the existing mod as well as pack an even bigger battery. The existing Moto Insta Share Projector Mod offers 50 lumens of brightness and includes an 1100 mAh battery.

Moto LCS Mod

The LCS stands for low-cost speaker. As the name suggests, this will be an affordable speaker mod for the Moto Z-series. There is already a $80 JBL speaker mod in the company’s portfolio, but this upcoming mod will most likely be cheaper than that.

Drone Mod

Lastly, this very weird Moto Mod basically attaches a drone to the back of the phone. This drone can fly, take photos and fly back on its own. It is clear if a controller is going to be in tow or everything is autonomous. This mod was said to be coming soon, but the manufacturer backed out at the last moment, so its fate is unclear at this moment.
No other details about any of these upcoming Moto Mods are available right now, but hopefully we will hear from the company soon.

Audiobooks officially launched in Google Play Store

Audiobooks officially launched in Google Play Store

Google has announced the launch of the audiobooks in its Play Store. Although mostly known for hosting Android apps and games, Google Play is the search giant’s storefront for all of its content offerings like Movies, TV shows, Music, eBooks, and Magazines.
In a blog post today, Google revealed that audiobooks are rolling out today in 45 countries and nine languages. The audiobooks will be accessible to the users across Android, iOS and the web with Google Play Books, as well as on Google Assistant-powered devices, like the Google Home. However, the Google Assistant support will only work with English-language audiobooks right now. The Play Books app will also support casting of audiobooks on Chromecast as well as playback on Android Wear and Android Auto. The audiobook playback will also sync across devices, so you can just pick up where you left off no matter what device you’re using.
“With audiobooks on Google Play, you can turn your time stuck in traffic, on the treadmill, or waiting in line into reading time,” Google wrote in the blog spot.
Unlike Amazon’s Audible, which includes subscription as a key component, Google is going to sell individual audiobooks. According to Google, most of the popular titles are being offered for under $10 (at least for the time-being). For markets where Google currently offers Family Library, the users will be able to share their purchased audiobooks with other family members for free.
Google also notes that like eBooks, the consumers will be able sample the audiobooks before purchasing them by selecting the preview option.
To celebrate the launch of audiobooks in Google Play, the search giant is offering promotional pricing on many audiobooks. So, if you are into audiobooks, it will be a good time to grab a few for cheap.
Although India seems to among the supported countries, the audiobooks page us currently coming up empty for me in Google Play, but it may change in the few hours or by the morning.



Update: The legal view on VPN use in the UAE

Samsung to launch a smart speaker in first half of 2018: Report

It seems the South Korean tech giant Samsung is getting ready to join the likes of Google and Amazon by launching its own smart speaker in the market. According to a report in the Bloomberg, the company is planning to introduce a Bixby-powered smart speaker in the first half of 2018.
Samsung’s upcoming smart speaker will reportedly focus on audio-capabilities and smart home devices management, similar to what the most premium smart speakers offer these days. It will use the company’s own voice-assistant Bixby, which is currently offered as a part of select Galaxy smartphones. Although Bixby is a direct competitor to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, it hasn’t got the best reviews and is probably the worst of the bunch.
Bloomberg also notes that Samsung’s smart speaker will synchronize with Samsung’s other devices like phones and TVs as well as work with the company’s SmartThings platform.
A prototype of the smart speaker in testing by the company is said to be between the size of Amazon Echo and Apple HomePod. It sports matte black colour, however the company may offer the final product in multiple colour options. The prototype doesn’t feature any kind of a screen, but there are lights on the top for visual feedback. No other specifics are known at this point.
The smart speaker may be released in multiple markets around the world with a price-tag around $200, but these plans are fluid at the moment and may change.
Samsung’s plans to release a smart speaker haven’t been a complete surprise. The company executive DJ Koh has revealed in August this year that Samsung is working on a smart speaker without giving out any details.
I hope to hear more about Samsung’s smart speaker plans at the company event in Mobile World Congress next year.
The post Samsung to launch a smart speaker in first half of 2018: Report .

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Harman Kardon Allure smart speaker with Alexa goes on sale in India

Samsung-owned Harman Kardon has introduced its first smart speaker with Amazon Alexa voice-assistant in India. The new Harman Kardon Allure carries a price-tag of INR 22,499 and is now available via invitation from Amazon India. It is not the first Alexa-powered smart speaker to be released in India. Amazon had earlier launched the Echo lineup in the country in October this year, followed by a quiet roll-out of Eufy Genie AK-T1241211 Smart Speaker. In total, there are now five officially available Alexa-powered smart speakers in the Indian market. Coming back to Allure, this smart speaker was originally unveiled at the IFA trade fair this year. Apart from being a good wireless speaker, it can also pretty much do everything that Echo devices can do, except Echo to Echo calling. The Harman Kardon Allure comes with 360-degree sound and built-in subwoofer. It also packs built-in 4-microphone array with advanced noise cancellation technology. “We’re excited to launch this much sought-after product in India. Ever since its launch at IFA in August – we have seen tremendous interest and demand for the Harman Kardon Allure from our Indian customers,” said Sumit Chauhan, Vice President – Lifestyle Audio Division at Harman India, in a statement. At this point, there are no direct competitors for the Allure in India, but it won’t last very long as boAt, Riva Audio, BPL and Onkyo are getting ready to enter the smart speaker market in the country next year. All these manufacturers will be launching their Alexa-powered models. Harman Kardon Allure specifications 360-degree omni-directional sound Built-in subwoofer Far-field voice recognition Up to 24-bit/96kHz HD audio streaming Bluetooth wireless music streaming Designed to control IoT devices Transducers: 1.5″ x 3 Sub-woofer: 3.5″ Dimension (W x D x H): 6.6″ x 6.6″ x 7.7″ The post Harman Kardon Allure smart speaker with Alexa goes on sale in India .

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