RealNetworks have just released their popular RealPlay media player app on Google Play and is now out of beta and available as a free download for Android devices. This media player supports music, video and a bonus feature — viewing photos on your Android devices. When listening to music, the device lets you customize the interface to suit your taste and preference. The app also supports 9 languages and features an intuitive and user-friendly interface with widgets, last FMscrobbling, metadata editing, and more. The app is available in a free version with the following features: - Music, videos and photos all in one place
- Available in nine languages
- Optimized graphics for high-res devices
- Playlists
- lastFM scrobbling
- Voice commands for search
- Control playback when phone is locked
- Sharing on popular social media sites
- Move application to SD card
- Set your favorite song as a ringtone
- Headphones controls
- Auto bookmarking of videos
- Home screen widgets to control media
- Access any file format your device supports
If you want additional features and capabilities, the following are available through in-app upgrades: - Graphic equalizer with ability to save custom settings
- Metadata discovery using the Gracenote database
- Manual metadata editing
- Cross fading for a seamless music experience
- RealAudio and RealVideo (rmvb) support
- No advertisements
With all those features listed, it seems that this media player is at least worth a look. Who knows? It might become your favorite media player. Go check it out and tell us how you find the app by leaving a comment below. Via [Google Play]  
Vodafone UK has announced their latest smartphone offering, the Smart II. But before you shy away from this as yet-another budget priced and entry level spec’d smartphone, keep in mind this one is coming as a limited edition model. Yes, a limited edition Vodafone Smart II. The handset was designed by an art student named Gaby Sahhar and will be a limited run of 1000. The handset will be available beginning on August 16th and will be found in select Vodafone shops. And of course, online. As for the price, a contract-free £70. And for those who need the extra bit of convincing, a purchase of the handset will also get you two-for-one ticket into the Tate Modern or Tate Britain from now until the end of January 2013. Finally, as for the specs, the Vodafone Smart II will be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and have hardware features to include a 3.2-inch (480 x 320_ HVGA display, 800MHz processor, 150MB of internal storage, a 2GB microSD memory card and a 3.15 megapixel camera with flash. Via [Vodafone Blog] and [AndroidCentral] 
 
Acer has officially announced their latest notebook offering, the TravelMate P243. The notebook has been announced for the US market and will be available beginning this month. More specifically, the TravelMate P243 has been announced for the US-based “business professional” market. But that aside, the TravelMate P243 is a 14-inch notebook and comes with a starting price of $699.99. The features include a 14-inch ComfyView LCD LED backlit display with a resolution of 1366 x 768, 3rd generation Intel Core i5 processors with Turbo Boost Technology, up to 8GB of RAM (4GB standard) and up to 500GB of hard drive space. Some of the other perks include a spill-resistant keyboard, a fingerprint scanner, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a hi-def webcam and built-in microphone with the Acer Video Conference solution. That being said, those interested will be able to find the TravelMate P234 notebook with authorized Acer resellers. Lastly, those willing to grab last years model in an effort to save a few bucks, the TravelMate P243 with 2nd generation Intel Core i2 processors can found for $599.99. Via [Engadget]   PURE One Flow From what I have seen of the products from UK-based radio manufacturer Pure, I was excited to try the One Flow Portable Internet and FM Radio unit ($149.99), coupled with the Pure Music service, which will be available in the U.S. later this year. The small, lightweight, portable unit allows the user to listen to FM stations, Internet radio, podcasts, iPod/MP3, music streamed from a computer as well as Pure Sounds, which features a series of nature sounds, lullabies, white noise and even a sweeping broom sound. From the "Home" screen, the user can choose to listen to The Lounge, Media Player, FM Radio or Auxiliary input. The Lounge is where most of the excitement is—where you can find loads of radio stations as well as Pure Music. The system was easy to configure. I was able to find my favorite local FM stations and set favorites, and I was also easily able to connect the unit to my home network to access The Lounge. Radio stations are categorized by style, including Country, Hit Radio, Punk Classics, Top 40, Absolute 70s, Absolute 90s, and many more. You can also search from A to Z or search for a specific type of channel. The One Flow unit, powered by the Lounge, also can be registered online, so you can organize your favorite stations via the unit or online. This was helpful as I explored new stations—what I selected on the One Flow unit was reflected on my online account. When listening to mainstream radio as well, the user can choose to buy any track they wish by using the "tag" option on the screen. The purchased tracks can then be shared to any music service, such as iTunes. (Please note that the "tag" option may have a different designation once available in the U.S.) I really enjoyed the Pure Music service on the One Flow. There are millions of tracks available (according to the company). I was able to search for an artist/group and listen to entire albums at a time—yes! While I cannot speak for the entire catalog of artists, I am making a judgment that popular, established artists will be found easily. For example, I searched for one of my new favorite groups, The Lumineers, but the system did not recognize them. There is a subscription fee of 4.99£ for Pure Music, which may hold some people back, depending on how much they value the service. Personally, I love that I can decide what I want to listen to at a specific time or browse the many stations all with one system. And with the synchronization between the Pure Music online account, through The Lounge, you can also search and create playlists online, which I find very helpful because of one particular issue I have with the One Flow. My biggest problem with the One Flow unit itself was the user interface. The unit features an LCD screen, Home button, Back button and toggle buttons for Volume and Select. You need to use the toggle buttons, for example, to search for artists/groups by spelling their names, scrolling through the alphabet on the screen. When most of today's gadgets feature touch screens, this seemed a slow and cumbersome process. That said, Pure does have a touch-screen product, the Sensia, which would solve this problem. While the sound is not over-the-top spectacular, I thought it was more than sufficient for my needs, listening while relaxing, cooking and exercising. I also like that it is portable, so it is very easy to travel throughout the house. Additional features of the One Flow unit include two alarms, a sleep timer and kitchen timer, headphone socket and optional Pure ChargePAK E1 rechargeable battery pack.  
While I am still happily using Sparrow on OS X and iOS, I understand that at some point it will be beneficial to switch to another client for my email needs. You know, just to have an app that is in active development. That being said, we are aware that there are currently several alternatives that are currently available. But on that note, there is also one that is still in the process of being developed. And while this app does not yet have an estimated release date — it does appear to have some promise. Anyway, without any further adieu, that app is called .Mail and it comes by way of a developer named Tobias Van Schneider. Anyway, it seems that Van Schneider originally began this as an idea to redesign the classic email client. Thankfully, that idea turned (is turning into) reality. As mentioned, there is not any estimated release date at this time. Heck, there is not even an alpha or beta release available. Van Schneider also noted that the .Mail app will not be free. But on that note, it was stated that the .Mail app “won’t cost more than a good hamburger with bacon, fries and a good beer.” Initially the .Mail app is being developed for OS X, however an iOS client “will probably be next.” Taking that a step further and there was mention of a Windows app because, well, “the windows market is in an urgent need to a nice mail client.” Some of the features of the .Mail app will include “easy to use” Actionsteps, centralized attachments and integrated notifications. These three are further described as; - Actionsteps solves the flagging problem, where every email you know that you need to respond to is of equal importance.
With Actionsteps you have a great tool that just complement your existing GTD workflow. Just one click and you added an Actionstep with a priority. Read the full concept for more information about how Actionsteps work. - Imagine finding every attachment someone sent you, sorted by date or name directly in your email client? It’s similar to the "All your files" functionality in your OSX Finder.
It comes in handy quite often, because you have all your attachments in one place, even if they haven't been downloaded yet. Then you can drag and drop your files to wherever you want. - We're getting a lot of Notifications these days. Basically we like the push character, we just don't like it in our inbox.
So .Mail takes a Notification email out of your inbox and automatically turns it into a little notification. This means you still have the push message, but it's not mixing up with your real and important emails anymore.
Finally, in terms of the progress. The developer has noted that more than 22,000 people have express their interest in two weeks time. Read, signed up for the email newsletter. But perhaps more important, the progress of the app. On that front, it looks like the first email has been sent and received, the centralized attachments view is mostly completed, Actionsteps are already implemented and working pretty good and they are working on performance, notifications & transitions now. And while all of that sounds good, it was noted that there is “still a lot to do.” Via [dotmailapp] and [TNW]  
There is some interesting news regarding the Microsoft Surface tablet that you may want to pay close attention to. The Surface, running Windows RT, is rumored to launch on October 26 for just $199. Clearly, Microsoft plans on competing directly with the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 in order to gain market share for its Surface tablet but new Windows OS. Microsoft recently held a tech conference known as TechReady 15 in which the company detailed the launch information in a closed-door meeting to the attendees. While the Surface probably costs significantly more than $199 to manufacture, Microsoft hopes to generate revenue through media sales and increased attention on the Surface tablet. Until October, I doubt Microsoft will release any official information regarding a target launch date or price point for its Windows RT Surface tablet. However, we will keep our eyes peeled for any further leaked information. Via [Engadget]  
If you are a US Cellular customer and have been considering adding any additional lines to your account — now may be a good time to move forward on that. The carrier has recently announced that all additional lines will be free through the rest of the year. This news comes for their newly launched promotional Family Plan which includes two lines with unlimited minutes and messaging for $99.99 per month. Bottom line here, you can add-on lines three (up to six) and not have to pay for those lines for the rest of 2012. Of course, beginning in 2013, the bill will kick in so keep that in mind. The one catch here, you will need to add those additional lines before October 18th. Otherwise, in addition to the free additional line offer, US Cellular has announced another promo. This latest offer involves the Samsung Aviator and Alcatel ONE TOUCH Premiere smartphones as well as the Samsung Mobile Hotspot. In this offer, “customers who purchase any smartphone can get a 4G LTE Samsung Aviator, Alcatel ONE TOUCH Premiere or 4G LTE Samsung Mobile Hotspot for free.” The one catch here, the ONE TOUCH Premiere and the Samsung Mobile Hotspots are free AFTER a $50 mail-in rebate.  
The PS3 will get a proper YouTube app once the PlayStation Store updates at some point today. It’ll be located under the “My Channels” section of the XMB as a free download. YouTube says this app has been optimized for the PS3 and large televisions. Based on the screenshot that was posted on the YouTube Blog, we know this app will look nothing like the desktop website or the apps for iOS and Android. However, we’ll still be able to sign in with our Google accounts to pull down our subscriptions. Another added feature is the ability to use a smartphone as a YouTube remote. This feature will let us navigate the PS3 YouTube app with the phone and beam videos to the big screen. Via [YouTube Blog]  
Some good news for those rocking an LG Optimus 4G LTE smartphone with Bell Mobility — you have a new dessert ready and waiting. Simply put, Bell has announced the immediate availability of the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. Bell notes that for “optimal performance” users should have software version LG-P930-V20e. In order to check that, navigate to Menu -> Settings -> About phone to check. The software version number will be listed towards the bottom. Otherwise, it does not appear as if this update will be coming over-the-air. But thankfully, Bell does offer a thorough set of step-by-step directions. You can find those on the “How to update the software on my LG smartphone using a computer” page on the Bell support pages. Via [Twitter @Bell_Mobility]  
As was tipped earlier in the month, Bell Mobility has officially launched the Motorola ATRIX HD LTE smartphone. Those interested can grab the handset from Bell for as low as $49.95 on a three-year agreement. Otherwise, the no-term price is a not-quite-as-friendly sounding $599.99. But regardless of which price you choose to pay, the specs are the same. The ATRIX HD LTE is (as the name would imply), an LTE capable smartphone. The handset is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has goodies to include the Motorola SMARTACTIONS as well as Corning Gorilla Glass for a scratch-resistant display and a Kevlar fibre back covering for added durability. In terms of the hardware, the ATRIX HD LTE has a 4.5-inch (720 x 1280) HD display with Color Boost, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, DLNA, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video recording. Via [Bell]  | |
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