A new Kickstarter project from Lomography lets photographers use their smartphones to immediately scan and edit film.

It’s no secret that mobile devices have enhanced the way users take, edit and share photos, but a new Kickstarter project may have taken that idea to the next level. The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner lets photographers scan, edit, and print 35mm film using their smartphone.

The scanner features a direct light panel that illuminates the film strip and is compatible with iOS and some Android devices. It works with a free integrated Lomoscanner App that allows photographers to perform functions such as editing negative scans into positives, stitching panoramic shots, and animating 35mm analogue movie shots via the LomoKino.

The Smartphone Film Scanner isn’t the size of your typical photo scanner – it’s a portable device catered to suit the smartphone it hosts. It may not be able to slide into your pocket, but it can certainly fit in your bag for on-the-go scanning and editing. It also works with different kinds of 35mm film such as color negative, color slide, and black & white.

“We are Lomography and we go completely crazy for all things analog,” reads the project’s Kickstarter page. “The Smartphone Film Scanner was conceived as a way to offer photographers and enthusiasts a quick, easy and portable way to scan 35mm films.”

Using the scanner is relatively simple: just slip the film into the back of the device, switch on the embedded backlight and capture a photo of the negative by using the Lomoscanner app. After the image is digitized, you can perform any of the functions mentioned above or share the photo through social media.

The Smartphone Film Scanner is exclusively available through Kickstarter, and Lomography promises some discounts and deals for early pledgers. The project was just launched on the Internet crowdsourcing platform on Monday and already has 603 backers. Of its $50,000 goal, Lomography has already garnered the majority of its funds at $38,439. That’s a pretty successful start for a company claiming to launch its first Kickstarter project.

No pricing information for the Smartphone Film Scanner has been revealed at this time, but the device is expected to launch in March. Check out the demo video at Lomography’s Kickstarter page to learn more about how the portable scanner works with your smartphone.

An analyst has estimated that Microsoft may have only sold one million units of its Surface tablet.

Microsoft took its first step into the tablet industry this past year with its Surface for Windows RT, but the company may have a long way to go if it wants to rival Apple, Google and Samsung in that arena. The sales estimates for last quarter are in, and experts say that Microsoft may have only sold one million Surface tablets during the holiday season.

As a result, Microsoft’s fiscal second-quarter earnings could amount to less than initially expected due to low demand of the Surface tablet, Bloomberg reports. This number comes from UBS analyst Brent Thill, whose projections slightly exceed those of Detwiler Fenton’s from last year. The brokerage firm suggested that Microsoft would sell less than one million units in the last quarter of 2012, aiming at a 500,000-600,000 range. Detwiler Fenton referred to Microsoft’s strategy as “in disarray,” but did say that Surface sales could improve in the second half of 2013.

Thill attributes this estimate to a “gloomy sentiment” lingering after the holiday shopping season, as he cited in his research report on Monday. He also cut his earnings per share projection for the quarter to 78 cents, marking an 8 cent drop.

“Surface Pro is the more promising model,” Thill wrote, according to Bloomberg.

Microsoft is likely to launch its Surface Pro at the end of the month, but has yet to specify a launch date. Back in November the company confirmed that it will hit store shelves in January, but didn’t reveal when. Unlike the Surface for Windows RT, the Surface Pro will come equipped with Microsoft’s full Windows 8 operating system.

This means that it will have the ability to run both legacy and new Windows apps – a feature that the current Surface model doesn’t have. In addition, the Surface Pro comes with Intel’s i5 Ivy Bridge processor while the Surface for Windows RT runs on an ARM-based processor.

Although Surface for Windows RT sales may not be what Microsoft had expected, this could be attributes to its limited retail presence. For the majority of its shelf life the Surface was only available through Microsoft’s own stores, some of which were implemented only as temporary holiday locations. The company also sold its first self-branded tablet online before rolling it out to major retailers such as Staples and Best Buy at the end of 2012.

As a point of reference, Apple’s iPad was projected to reach sales of up to 14 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012.

In its most recent paperwork, Samsung has urged judges to maintain their decision against Apple’s proposed sales ban on the Galaxy Nexus.

The year 2012 may be over, but patent wars between Apple and Samsung are as fresh as ever. In the most recent debacle in a slew of ongoing legal battles, Samsung has urged a U.S. appeals court to uphold its decision to deny Apple’s proposed sales ban on the Galaxy Nexus smartphone, according to Reuters.

This follows a decision in October in which a three-judge panel blocked Apple’s request for a sales ban on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus handset. Apple has asked all nine active Federal Circuit judges to change their mind, but now Samsung appears to be strongly advocating the decision.

The process of reconsidering a ruling, known as “en banc” review, was deemed unnecessary by Samsung in this case because Apple did not provide enough evidence to show a “casual nexus” between its patented search capability and iPhone sales, reports Reuters. In turn, Apple probably won’t be able to justify a ban on the Galaxy Nexus, as Samsung reportedly said in its court filing last Friday.

The Korea-based electronics manufacturer also argued that the ruling against Apple cited “well established” reasoning that doesn’t conflict with U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

Those looking to purchase a Galaxy Nexus-branded smartphone in the near future shouldn’t worry, as a sales ban seems largely unlikely. Legal experts believe that Apple’s chances of persuading the courts to rule in their favor are slim, according to Reuters. Apple’s grudge against Samsung has been seen by some as an outlet for Apple’s own battles with Google, since Galaxy smartphones run on the search engine giant’s mobile operating system Android.

This ongoing mobile feud with Samsung could be an indicator that Apple is feeling the heat from competing smartphone sales. Although its line of iPhones has seen great success, recent rumors have hinted that the company may consider launching a low-cost smartphone or an iPhone in different screen sizes. Android and Samsung own a majority of the mobile market because they offer variety – a strategy that could be holding Apple back in the smartphone industry.

Representatives from Apple and Samsung refused comment to Reuters as of Monday, and the two companies are scheduled to appear in a federal court in San Jose, Calif. in March 2014.

Turn on the Nintendo Wii U and wait upwards of two hours for firmware to download. Then wait an additional minute and a half each time you switch apps. The new console could certainly run smoother, and Nintendo’s president promises it will.

The Nintendo Wii U’s got some growing up to do yet. It doesn’t have very many games unique to the platform, its social network Miiverse is still populated by a small but growing community, and its services like Nintendo TVii don’t have their full range of functionality yet. That’s fine. Modern game consoles are, after all, more like modern PCs and mobile devices than the consoles of yore. They are evolving tools changed through updates delivered over the internet. One problem holding the Wii U back, though, is the fact that it doesn’t work very smoothly at a basic level. In fact, it doesn’t even come with the firmware it needs to work out of the box and it won’t for months to come. It takes almost 90 seconds to switch between apps and to load some content on the console. Nintendo promises it’s working on it.

Speaking with Nikkei Business on Sunday, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that people are generally satisfied with the console besides its sluggish performance and that the company is working on fixing those issues.

“People realize the importance and benefits of having a personal screen that works in conjunction with the TV the more they use it,” said Iwata, “Setting aside the dissatisfaction some purchasers have with start-up and software change speeds, which we will improve.”

In a world accustomed to the instant gratification offered by gadgets like the iPhone, it’s no wonder that some customers have grumbled about the Wii U. The truth is that the console is not so bad. If you’re already sitting in front of a television to play a game, waiting another minute for the game to load isn’t really that big of a deal.

On the other hand, Nintendo really needs to improve the efficiency of its digital distribution. Downloading ZombiU, a large retail game, from the eShop took over 6 hours and that was after three aborted attempts where I was met with an error message after downloading completed. The whole process took over 24 hours. If Nintendo’s Wii U is going to be a success, its service needs to be improved more badly than its basic operating speeds.

Following meetings with representatives from the NRA and games industry, Vice President Joe Biden offers assurances that violent video games are not being viewed as the root cause of gun violence in America.

Last week we brought you word on a task force created by US Vice President Joe Biden in response to the December 14 shooting tragedy which occurred at Newtown, CT’s Sandy Hook Elementary School. At the time Biden was scheduled to meet later with unnamed representatives from the video game industry as well as top NRA lobbyist James J. Baker. Those meetings were conducted toward the end of last week, and this morning the White House issued a YouTube video of Biden discussing what he’s learned.

You can find that clip embedded at the bottom of this text, but the most thematically crucial part (at least for us) of Biden’s message lies in his attempts to soothe the nerves of the gaming public. We don’t actually learn much about the government’s gradually-forming plan to combat rampant violence from Biden, but he does his best to reassure gamers that his task force’s efforts are not to be seen as a government attempt to attack violent games. These meetings were purely a learning experience, Biden claims, and the Obama administration is a long ways from deciding how best to tackle this issue.

“We know that there is no silver bullet. As one of my friends said, [there is] no seat belt we can put on to ensure we will not be in this circumstance again,” Biden states. “We know this is a complex problem. We know there’s no single answer, and quite frankly we don’t even know whether some of the things people think impact on this actually impact on it or not.”

“So I want you to know you have not been ‘singled out’ for help,” Biden said, patting EA CEO John Riccitello on the shoulder.

“I come to this meeting with no judgment. We’re looking for help. I understand that a few of you here are researchers, assessing the impact, if any, on behavior. We’re anxious to see if there’s anything you can suggest to us.”

Well that’s helpful, but wouldn’t this all be more comforting if Biden were meeting with groups other than games creators and the National Rifle Association? It absolutely would, and that’s why Biden’s task force has been doing just that. According to Biden, his group has polled a number of organizations, including law enforcement officials, civil rights groups and interfaith communities (despite America’s endlessly hypocritical “separation of church and state” clause).

Normally this is where we’d find a seam and start picking apart whatever the topic might be, but in this case it seems as if Vice President Biden has a decidedly realistic, pragmatic view on this entire “media violence” topic. “There’s no measure that I’m aware of to be able to determine whether or not there’s a coarsening of our culture [via media] in a way that is not healthy,” Biden states. “I don’t know the answer to that question. I’m not sure what kind of impact it would have or wouldn’t have on the kind of events we’re looking at.”

Though we were promised player versus player combat in the initial version of Diablo III, Blizzard has seen fit to keep it from us. At least until the next patch makes it debut.

In the run up to the release of Diablo III, players hoped against hope that the game would recapture the magic of Diablo II while also adding a number of modern accoutrements. The latter effort was a success, and Diablo III features a number of clever, innovative features. However, it does not feature one of Diablo II’s most beloved aspects: player versus player combat (despite the fact that we’ve been promised PvP battles in Diablo III since before it hit store shelves).

In usual Blizzard style, Diablo III’s PvP combat has been missing from the game so far not due to negligence, but instead because Blizzard Entertainment is intensely strict about its “it’s done when it’s done” design mantra. The company has made enough money from massive hits like World of Warcraft and the StarCraft franchise that publishers (read: Blizzard parent company Activision) no longer give the firm strict deadlines, and instead rely on Blizzard’s development chops to eventually deliver content that will inevitably attract millions of gamers. This has been a successful strategy for all of Blizzard’s modern releases to date, and thus it should come as little surprise that the company is taking its sweet time in rolling out Diablo III’s PvP gameplay options.

Fortunately, it seems we won’t have to wait much longer. This morning Blizzard unveiled a preview of Diablo III’s upcoming 1.07 patch, which includes player versus player combat. Have a look at the pertinent details:

How it Works:

• To duel another player, you’ll need to speak with Nek the Brawler at the inn in New Tristram
• Speaking with Nek will take you and your party to the Scorched Chapel, a new zone designed specifically for player combat
• This zone has custom geometry and features four different areas: the church, the graveyard, the river, and the lake
• Dueling currently supports up to four players in a Free-For-All format, which means you can battle your friends either one-on-one, three-player FFA, or a full four-player FFA

According to Bloomberg, Dell is in buyout talks with at least two private-equity firms. The talks could result in the largest consumer tech acquisition of our time, and further signals the end of the PC.

How the mighty have fallen. Dell, the third-largest PC maker in the world, is allegedly in buyout talks with at least two private-equity firms in an effort to go private, according to sources with Bloomberg. The news comes as a reminder that the once-unassailable PC business is dying, succeeded by increasingly popular smartphones and tablet devices.

Ironically, Dell’s shares surged fifteen percent thanks to the rumors, and currently sit at around $12.28 a share.

The news comes as little surprise to industry observers, as Dell has struggled in recent years to keep up with computing trends. The 28-year-old company lost a third of its value last year, losing ground to the likes of Lenovo in the already waning PC market. More recently, Dell opted to leave the smartphone business entirely, unable to sufficiently invest in hardware and software ecosystems like its more deep-pocketed rivals: Apple and Amazon.

Buyouts of this size are rare in the industry. According to Bloomberg, Dell has contacted several banks in order to finance a deal. The talks are still private at this point and may still fall through if financing isn’t found. However, Michael Dell’s ownership of 15.7 percent of Dell’s shares promise to make the process easier. With a market value of $18.9 billion since its last valuation on January 11, a successful acquisition would rival HP’s purchase of Compaq for a cool $19 billion back in 2002.

It’s a stunning turnaround for a company that once mocked Apple during the latter’s own dark days. Michael Dell once told a group of IT professionals at 1997’s Gartner Symposium that Apple should shut down and gives its money back to the shareholders. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, it’s unclear what direction Dell will take if it goes private.

The Pebble is real, and we got a private hands-on session over at CES to prove it. Well, was it worth the wait?

Kickstarter poster child Pebble smartwatch made its debut at CES 2013 after facing a summer of shipment delays. Worry not, backers, the Pebble is officially headed your way starting January 23.

We got a sneak peak at the line of smartwatches and its capabilities are as promising as the project made it sound. Available in five face colors (the clear one is an exclusive developer’s edition) and two strap colors, the Pebble features an e-paper LCD display with a refresh rate that makes it load faster than E Ink readers. It charges with a custom magnetic conductor which keeps the product completely waterproof. In a single, two-hour charge, the watch is estimated to last up to seven days on average use.

At demo, we noticed the room was blasting Red Hot Chili Peppers, and you can control the music straight from the Pebble. “We imagine the Pebble as your smartphone’s companion,” Pebble Head of Operations Rahul Bhagat says. You can’t store music in the Pebble, but you can use it to play, pause, skip and restart songs. Whenever you receive text messages, Twitter mentions, pings, pretty much any notification you’d ordinarily get on your phone, you’ll receive a slight buzz from the clock face. The Pebble’s 144 by 168 pixels screen can read up to 160 characters of a message, and you can use the right hand side buttons to navigate up and down, and tap the accelerometer-infused screen for temporary backlight.

Another cool feature is, of course, the actual time-telling part of the clock itself. The Pebble comes preloaded with three clock interfaces, and the developer community can share their custom-designed editions. The Big Time interface is our personal favorite since it does a good job showcasing the e-paper screen’s smooth refresh rate. At the moment, the Pebble is compatible with devices running iOS and Android. While there are no indicated plans to develop for Windows Phone or Blackberry, Pebble is interested in working with other technology such as IFTTT to daisy chain commands – such as sending notifications to your smartphone and Pebble when the weather forecasts snow.

For a gadget that’s jam packed with features, the watch is surprisingly light. I’d imagine that the silicone strap could get annoying if you get sweaty, but that’s what you have to endure for waterproof accessories. Alternatively, if this bothers you, you could switch out the strap for any ol’ band as long as it measures 22mm.

In our quick hands-on with the Pebble, we found the watch to be extremely responsive. It boasts a speedy load time, fun app development possibilities, and just as Bhagat suggests, a neat companion to your smartphone for those who can’t be bothered to reach inside their pockets and constantly check for updates. If you didn’t pre-order during the product’s Kickstarter session, you still have time before the next few weeks’ shipment date at $150 apiece.

The 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards nominees were announced on Monday, reading like a who’s who of every other best of list that came out in December. The AIAS’ awards do reveal, however, how dramatically the video game industry evolved last year.

The gaming awards season rolls on! On Jan. 7 the 2013 Independent Games Festival announced the finalists for its main categories, honoring games like Terry Cavanagh’s Super Hexagon and other indie hits of 2012 like FTL: Faster Than Light. While the IGF Awards are a highlight each year at the Game Developers Conference, their counterpoint is the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ D.I.C.E. Awards, doled out to the best and brightest across the industry from small indies to major publishers. The AIAS announced the nominees for this year’s D.I.C.E. Awards on Monday morning and the list bears good news for 2K Games, Ubisoft, and Telltale Games.

The Game of the Year category features most of the same titles that have populated other lists, including Digital Trends’ own. Up for the honor are Gearbox’s Borderlands 2, Telltale’s The Walking Dead, thatgamecompany’s Journey, and Firaxis’ XCOM: Enemy Unknown, giving publisher 2K Games two spots on the list including Borderlands. Ubisoft’s late-2012 entry Far Cry 3 also makes the cut.

Thatgamecompany, Telltale and Ubisoft also both made the shortlist for the Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction award for Journey, The Walking Dead and Far Cry 3 respectively, but joining them are Giant Sparrow’s The Unfinished Swan and Arkane’s Dishonored.

An increasingly important category at the D.I.C.E. Awards is the Mobile Game of the Year category, but this list bears few surprises and, with one exception, ignores many of the more promising independent games to his mobile platforms. Ubisoft’s Rayman Jungle Run, Big Fish’s Fairway Solitaire, the Zynga-published Horn make up the disappointing list. Independent studio Robot Entertainment and its addictive strategy game Hero Academy stands out amongst the other nominees.

Most telling in terms of demonstrating just how dramatically the video game industry changed in 2012 is the Outstanding Innovation in Games category. Those game prominent in the Best Game and Best Direction categories are also accounted for here, namely The Walking Dead, Journey, and The Unfinished Swan. Joining them is Capybara and Queasy Games-developed Sound Shapes. The outlier in this category is Nintendo’s Wii U flagship NintendoLand. NintendoLand stands apart not because it’s nominated in the other categories its competitors dominate, but because it is chiefly a disc-based retail game. All of the others are digital-only releases (though The Walking Dead and Journey received disc-based releases well after they came out.)

Regardless of who wins, the 16^th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards prove that a game’s distribution, whether digital or retail, no longer defines it.

In an effort to boost its ongoing Kickstarter project, the creators of Axis Game Factory have opted to offer prospective funders a free prototype of the game to try at home for free.

Last week we brought you word on a new Kickstarter project dedicated to funding Axis Game Factory. Though not a game per se, Axis Game Factory is something of a simplified suite of development tools aimed at offering users the chance to create their own video game adventures.  You can find a solid description of the program’s feature set in our earlier article, or by visiting the official Axis Game Factory Kickstarter page. 

The idea of Axis Game Factory is attractive on its own, but it’s difficult to get a feel for a project like this merely from text descriptions and screenshots. Realizing this, developer Heavy Water has decided to give those who might fund their project a bit of a sneak preview of the final product. As of this past weekend, Heavy Water began offering totally gratis access to a pre-final prototype build of Axis Game Factory to anyone who wants it. Yes, even if you have no intention of contributing to the program’s Kickstarter project you can still try the thing out.

Assuming this interests you, there are a few minor hoops to jump through. Though open to everyone, this prototype test isn’t technically what we’d describe as “public.” There’s no sign-up website to visit, nor a special email list to discover. Instead, you’ll need to send an email to support@axisgamefactory.com. Include your full name and email address within the message, and according to Heavy Water you will shortly thereafter be added to the prototype test.

Unfortunately, this is where we reach the prototype’s biggest hurdle: It’s localized to Heavy Water’s headquarters. As a result, those who try out the prototype will be forced to do so at the company’s “internal testing facility.” This facility is located in San Diego, California, so if you aren’t local to that area or willing to travel, you may not want to bother sending off the aforementioned email.

The rest of you though ought to attempt to get in on this test as quickly as possible. Space doesn’t seem limited at the moment, but with only 21 days remaining on the Kickstarter countdown and $382,396 dollars left to raise, we’re suddenly concerned for the future of Axis Game Factory. Hopefully, for Heavy Water’s sake, this public test will serve to amplify interest in the project. If nothing else, it could hypothetically lower the barrier to entry for games development, and that’s always a positive.

The newest portable scanner from Canon is ideal for digitizing receipts, business documents, and any paper that’s spilling out of your kitchen drawer.

When you think of a scanner, you probably imagine a large standalone device that sits on your desk. As scanners have become an integral component of multifunction printers, standalone units have become niche products and aren’t in demand by consumers as much as they used to be. But one type of standalone scanner is still popular: the small, portable scanner like the one Canon just added to its “Scan-tini” lineup. 

The $230 imageFORMULA P-208 “Scan-tini” is great for digitizing your receipts, bills, business cards, and anything you want to get rid of in paper form. Only about 2-inches wide and a bit longer than a sheet of paper, the P-208 is powered via USB, so there’s no heavy power supply to weigh you down. The slim form factor and light weight make it easy to pack into a laptop case for on-the-road business scanning. The bundled Canon CaptureOnTouch software lets you scan directly to cloud applications including Evernote and Google Docs. Also included is optical character recognition (OCR) software to turn scanned documents into files that can be edited in a word processor, which is a huge time-saver for anybody who has ever had to manipulate text.

If you use the P-208 with Canon’s recently announced WU10 Wireless Adapter and Battery Pack, you can transmit scanned files wirelessly to Windows and Mac PCs, as well as to smartphones and tablets by using the additional free Canon CaptureOnTouch Mobile app.

With 890,000 Nintendo Wii U consoles sold over the past two months, Nintendo’s off to a stable start with its fledgling machine. The problem, though, it that Wii U owners seem to not be buying very many games.

After two months on shelves, the Nintendo Wii U is still finding its balance. Sales of the console have been disappointing to analysts, but at 890,000 sold worldwide inside of two months, that’s not too terribly shabby. Nintendo’s problem, however, isn’t that no one is buying the console. It’s that nobody is buying the games just yet.

On Jan. 7, as Nintendo and others began to discuss holiday sales details, a number of analysts including Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter and Stern Agee’s Arvind Bhatia expressed concern about the Wii U’s attach rate, or the number of games people buy when the purchase the console itself. Bhatia merely said Wii U software sales have been “low.” Now Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz is providing a more detailed perspective on Nintendo’s worrying software sales.

“Software sales for the Wii U remained well behind launch levels for the original Wii and Gamecube in December,” said Creutz in a research note to investors, “Totals for the November-December period were -43 percent lower than software sales for the Wii [during the same launch period] and -50 percent lower than those for the Gamecube.”

There are mitigating factors to consider when looking at the Wii U’s low attach rate. Unlike with Wii and Gamecube, all Nintendo Wii U games available at retail are also available as downloadables through the Nintendo eShop, so Nintendo is selling games not factored into the retailer checks that analyst data comes from.

Still it’s clear that the Wii U didn’t release with a game that readily appeals to the gaming enthusiast audience that Nintendo relies on for early console sales. The Nintendo Wii debuted alongside The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess in 2006 and the Gamecube saw the release of Super Smash Bros. Meleewithin month of releasing in 2001, and both franchises have enormous pull with core gamers.

New Super Mario Bros. U, a new entry in a series that has been enormously successful for Nintendo in recent years, sold just 580,000 copies in December. The Wii’s Twlight Princess, on the other hand, sold 1.5 million copies in December 2006 (albeit with the help a version for Gamecube as well.) NintendLand and New Super Mario Bros. U simply weren’t the first-party Nintendo games that tend to draw in the company’s usual early supporters. The same problem caused slow adoption of the Nintendo 3DS when it released in March 2011.

Oracle responded to the Java security breach identified last week with a patch to fix two vulnerabilities. Here’s where you can get the update.

Java made headlines last week when researchers identified a security flaw in the software that allowed hackers to remotely execute malicious code in the wild. On Sunday, Oracle announced on its software security blog that it released a new security alert to repair two problems in the application. Security Alert CVE-2013-0422, which can be downloaded here, will prevent against two vulnerabilities that were remotely executable. The company’s post confirmed that the flaws were only present in Java 7 versions and did not impact Java on servers, Java desktop applications, or embedded Java.

The other change in this latest patch is that Java’s security settings will now be set to “high” by default. The more restricted setting means that a computer owner needs to directly authorize the execution of any unsigned or self-signed applets. That means a user will be notified if a malicious site attempts to run an applet and can shut down the execution before it attacks the machine. The Java Control Panel, released in update 10 of the latest Java version, can also let users turn the software on and off from their browsers.

While the patch download will secure your computer against this new attack threat, the discovery of last week’s zero-day vulnerability has led some tech experts to renew their calls to abandon Java entirely. The zero-day vulnerability is just the latest security flaw of that type to appear in the software, which is a common part of both work and home computing for many people. Users were encouraged to disable the app until the patch appeared from Oracle, but it seems unlikely that even this new security weakness will lead to a serious drop in the program’s pervasiveness.

According to InformationWeek, Oracle is slated to release another patch on Tuesday. Be prepared for lots of upkeep this week if you are a regular Java user.

Image via Roger Price

As the excitement accompanying CES dies down, we outline seven smartphones the debuted there and find what makes them unique. It’s a dog-eat-dog world for Android devices and manufacturers need all the help they can get.

The first major trade show of the year is over (CES), but judging by the lack of smartphone announcements by industry leaders like Samsung and Apple, it is clear that the divas need a stage of their own. Choosing to ignore the throng of tech reporters waiting for a substantial story, the biggest players will be waiting to unveil products at individual events in the coming months. However, when you’re a smaller fish in a great big pond, the Consumer Electronics Show is a great opportunity to show off your goodies to a huge audience and that’s exactly what companies like Lenovo, Huawei, and ZTE decided to do.

Do these “smartphone underdogs” have what it takes to compete with the reigning champs? Lets find out.

Huawei Ascend Mate

Without being able to pick the brain of Huawei’s design team, it’s safe to assume the Ascend Mate is the company’s attempt to top Samsung’s gargantuan Galaxy Note. You don’t have to be genius to see that Huawei desperately wants a piece of the luxury Android pie currently being hogged by Samsung and this latest gamble just might work, assuming the Ascend Mate is actually usable. We had some face time with the device during CES and though the device is absolutely massive – it makes the Galaxy Note look regular-sized – there just might be a market for it. It may seem crazy, but there are people who think the Note isn’t big enough.

Plus, Huawei absolutely packed the Ascend Mate with features like software changes to improve one-handed use and a quad-core processor. It feels pretty balanced in the hand, not too heavy or bulky and those of you with medium-to-large hands should have no trouble holding it one-handed. That being said, with a 6.1-inch screen, two hands is better than one. The display looks great and features enhanced sensitivity (you can use it with gloves). Huawei has, unfortunately, placed a skin over Android but it doesn’t seem to be too disruptive. Finally, there’s a 4050mAh battery on-board that should last for two to three days.

On paper, the Ascend Mate seems like a worthy adversary to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2, but it is hard to tell whether the public can stomach an even larger smartphone that won’t be fitting in anyone’s pant pocket. There is also Huawei’s budget-oriented reputation to consider, it won’t be easy to shake that in the eyes of the consumer and show the world that it can handle a higher-end device.  

YotaPhone

If you haven’t heard of the YotaPhone before now, we can’t hold it against you but it certainly wants to be noticed. The attention-grabbing feature this time around is a dual-screen design. Yes, we have seen this rather gimmicky design used in the past to varying degrees of success but Yota has taken it in a fresh and distinct direction that actually makes a lot of sense. The YotaPhone comes with a 4.3-inch HD LCD (1280×720 pixels) on the front and a similarly sized eInk display on the reverse. Other specs include a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 12MP camera.

First impressions from various tech sites seem positive as reviewers are impressed by the device’s build quality, a well-designed implementation of the dual screens, and some not-awful changes to stock Android. Undoubtedly, the most obvious change is the absence of the Back, Home, and Search buttons. In their place, Yota decided to implement touch gestures instead. Swipe to the right for multitasking, left to reach the homescreen, and half-left to go back. The other big change is the way the OS interacts with the rear display. Yota says it will share the API soon, but in the meantime it is developing a handful of apps to take full advantage of the second screen like an RSS Reader, Twitter client, and to-do list. For now, the eInk display is best used as a storage space. Images can be sent to the back of the device by swiping from the bottom to the top of the screen. Yota suggests using this feature to keep your boarding pass close by at the airport.

Since it takes almost no battery to display an image on the rear, Yota has some fun with it by displaying silly messages and adding a bit of whimsy to the smartphone space. Open the camera app and “Smile for the camera!” will appear in clear view of your subjects. Similarly, a message stating “I’m out of battery, please charge me.” when you’re running out of juice. It’s fun, its unique, the YotaPhone just might make a mark.

Lenovo IdeaPhone K900

Known for stellar laptops and above average tablets, it seems only natural that Lenovo should expand its brand and pursue the smartphone angle. For some reason, however, Lenovo has been unable to break into the Android mainstream in the same way that manufacturers like Motorola and LG have been able to. It doesn’t seem to be for a lack of trying either as this certainly isn’t the first smartphone by Lenovo.

The latest, the K900, has the guts to get the glory. It’s packing a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display, Gorilla Glass 2, 13MP camera with dual flash, and the latest Intel mobile chip, the Clover Trail+. But we all know that it takes more than great hardware to impact the Android market, notorious for being flooded with handset options.

Fortunately for Lenovo, the K900 looks gorgeous and comes in four different colors for its stainless steel and polycarbonate body. The back has four exposed screws that lend an industrial vibe, lending a sense of durability. The game changer here though is the chip inside: Clover Trail +, Intel’s second shot at powering smartphones. Early speed tests have it clocked in at almost double the competition, but this could all change once the next-gen Qualcomm and Tegra chipsets are released.

ZTE Grand S

Another device that’s joining the race to perfect 1080p on a smartphone. On paper, the ZTE is impressive with a 5-inch, 1080p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, Android 4.1, and a 13MP camera. We weren’t impressed when we tried it out on the show floor, however. Our unit was laggy and didn’t keep pace with other 1080p competitors. It doesn’t help that ZTE backed it up with a measly 1,780mAh battery either.

ZTE would like you to believe the “world’s first” (for a 5-inch 1080p device) 6.9mm thinness is enough to make a sale. It is impressive for sure, shrinking a phone with such high-end parts into a really thin package should be applauded. But without an exclusive feature, ZTE will probably continue to be a more niche-oriented manufacturer. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a compelling device, because it is, but there are too many other Android makers playing a similar game. 

Sony Xperia Z

It was recently discovered that Sony wants to focus on high-end devices to achieve the sort of reputation currently associated with Samsung and Apple. With that in mind, we’d say it is off to a great start. The specs speak for themselves: a 5-inch HD display, 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, 13MP rear camera, 2330mAh battery, and Android 4.1. With that kind of power and a stunning display, Sony actually stands a chance at becoming a superior Android manufacturer.

Out of all the smartphones announced at CES 2013, Sony has the best chance of succeeding thanks to its extremely positive image in the tech work at large with stellar camera technology and cutting-edge televisions. Thankfully, Sony has finally learned to draw on its strengths and has deposited some technologies from its other areas of expertise into the Xperia line up. The camera has Sony’s Exmore R sensor (allowing for HDR video) and then there is the inclusion of Mobile Bravia Engine 2 in the display for enhanced brightness and clarity. On top of all that, the device is waterproof.

Like we have said before, Sony has yet to differentiate itself from the pack. Churning out passable phones that, though nice, don’t offer anything definitively better than the competition. This year, however, Sony may have struck the perfect chord between enhanced performance and luxury design. Plus, we really like that power button.

Vizio Phone

Now that Vizio has mastered televisions and started a fairly successful PC line, it is really taking the smartphone division to new heights. After failing to find a foothold within American carrier politics, Vizio has turned its sights to China where it is easier for the company to sell phones direct to consumers. However, since the pair of devices Vizio announced are looking mighty fine, it’s a shame we won’t see them stateside – at least not in the near future.

Early hands-on impressions are finding that the 5-inch model has a laminated display that looks too good to be real. Otherwise, it is a fairly standard high-end device featuring 1080p resolution, 1.5GHz Qualcomm process, and 2GB of RAM.

The real excitement comes with the lower end model that supports two different SIM cards, a feature that frequent travelers will surely lust after. Both phones have a design reminiscent of the HTC One X, matching the phone in build quality as well.

Pantech Discover

While the rest of the smartphones populating this list are aiming for a higher price point by focusing on top-of-the-line hardware and trendy features like 1080p, Pantech seems content to rule the entry level. It already has a great reputation as a budget-friendly manufacturer and the Discover is taking the company to a whole new place. The Discover is sporting a 720p, 4.8-inch display, 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 13MP rear camera and 2MP front, NFC, a 2100mAh battery, and Android 4.0.

For the price ($50 on an AT&T contract), it is hard to ignore this absolutely crushing handset when it is packing high-end internals at a really low price. Clearly the Discover plans to ride the road to success by appealing to the pocketbook. Design-wise, Pantech has done a nice job as well, bringing a curvaceous profile to the Discover that gives it a unique look.

There are also a few software enhancements on board like the Easy Experience option (a mode to help first-time smartphone owners navigate the interface) and AT&T’s DriveMode app (auto-replies to texts when you’re driving). If low price and high quality are anywhere on your wish list, the Pantech Discover should be right near the top of your list.

What do you think about the “Smartphone Underdogs” of 2013? Does anything stand out to you as a must-have Android device? Hash it out below.

CCP Games wants your help in testing its upcoming hyper-ambitious MMO Dust 514, and you’ll get your chance to aid in this effort come January 22.

CCP Games announced this morning that its upcoming MMO Dust 514 will enter open beta testing on January 22. “The launch of the DUST 514 Open Beta is another step towards our long-term vision for CCP and EVE,” writes CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson in today’s announcement. “But this is just the beginning. As we have done with EVE Online, in the coming weeks, and for years to come, we will continually improve upon and add to the DUST 514 experience, as well as add deeper integration between the two games and their communities.”

In case you’re unfamiliar with Dust 514, it’s probably for the best that we explain why specifically CCP Games would mention its other MMO, EVE Online, in today’s press release. Dust 514, while being a standalone first-person shooter, is also directly linked to EVE Online. The two games take place in the same fictional universe, and barring any insurmountable technical hurdles, the two games are slated to interact with one another once both have officially been released to the public. More specifically, once completed, both EVE Online and Dust 514 will occupy the same online space, allowing players to jump directly from EVE’s interstellar spaceship combat to Dust’s shooter mechanics at will. Now you understand why Dust 514 is such an ambitious project. 

The above news isn’t all that CCP has to share today. In addition to revealing Dust 514′s upcoming public beta test, the company also revealed that those who join the test will effectively be beginning their Dust 514 career at that time. CCP has no further plans to reset characters found on Dust 514′s beta test servers, so any battles you win, foes you slay or experience you earn during the beta test will carry over to the game’s eventual, official release. 

So far there’s no word on any additional caveats CCP might have in store for prospective beta testers, but we expect more word to emerge shortly. Actually, we expect CCP to make this process as simple as possible. We’d be very surprised if signing up to join the beta was any more complex than filling in a single screen of pertinent information, and the idea that CCP would find some way to charge people to join the beta is just totally uncharacteristic of the firm. If anything, joining the beta should earn players some tangible reward once the game is officially complete. Don’t quote us on that, as we have no inside info on this topic, but CCP’s past history seems pretty reliable, so we’re going to assume that the company will remain true to form and present the Dust 514 open beta as both a useful test and a handy instrument with which to drive hype among prospective players. We’ll bring you more information on the beta as it emerges.