In today's world of unibody design, some smartphones and tablets are missing out on expandable storage options. But SanDisk thinks it has the answer.
SanDisk is well known for its SD and microSD cards, but the firm is looking to do something a bit different with its new device - the Connect Wireless Flash Drive.
The Wireless Flash Drive connects to your handset via Wi-Fi and allows you to wirelessly steam media to your smartphone with the help of an app. You can also save data from your device to the drive.
USB, but not as you know it
As well as that, it works as a conventional USB stick, so you can plug it into your computer to transfer files on and off the drive - although it's technically a microSD card slotted into the stick.
A key feature of the Wireless Flash Drive is the ability to stream three separate HD videos at the same time to different devices, which would be great for families trying to keep kids quiet on a long trip. In total, eight devices can be connected to the drive at any one time.
The four hours of streaming provided by the battery isn't quite so stellar, but if you're just using it to save photos taken on your phone, we've been assured it'll last much longer.
Is the price right?
We were a little disappointed to find out that it doesn't support larger microSD cards (we'd have liked to stick our 64GB card into it), but you can use other manufacturer's 16GB and 32GB offerings as well as the bundled SanDisk one.
If you fancy picking up a Connect Wireless Flash Drive you'll need to fork out £41.90 for the 16GB version, or £49.90 for the 32GB, which feels a little on the steep side to us.
Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10 users are out of luck though - the application required for use is only Android and iOS compatible for now.
Nokia has finally confirmed its big-screen blower for those that like to spend a little less on their handsets.
As we've seen in countless leaks over the past few weeks, the Nokia Lumia 625 is a phone designed for the lower end of the market, coming in with a 4.7-inch screen. However, while that display is large, it will only be available in a WVGA (800x640) resolution, which positively pales in comparison to the 1080p screens adorning the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4.
The screen is an LCD option, compared to the OLED ClearBlack displays used on other Lumias, and has a resolution of 201ppi underneath the Gorilla Glass 2 protection.
Designed to bring 'affordable 4G' to the masses, the phone is also packing a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 chip, albeit with only 512MB of RAM, to offer a decent experience at a low cost for a Windows Phone 8 device. It will be coming with the Amber update, which enables the low-power Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
There's only 8GB of internal user memory, but continuing in the confusing style of Windows Phone handsets there's a microSD slot available for up to 64GB of storage of your own business. Hey, we're not going to pry.
Battery life is taken care of with the 2000mAh power pack on the rear; remember that Windows Phone 8 is much kinder on its juice than many other Android handsets, so should last as long as a unit running a 2500mAh battery.
However, that means it's going to be a little heavier in the pocket to allow for that larger battery pack, tipping the scales at nealry 160g for a phone that measures 133.25 x 72.25 x 9.15mm.
Clever little snapper
It's also coming with Nokia's Smart Camera technology from the outset - while it will only take seven shots in burst mode at 1MP level (compared to the 10 higher-res options on handsets such as the Lumia 925) but will come with all the features that app brings, such as action shots and object removal.
The camera in 'normal' mode will be a 5MP snapper with a front-facing VGA option for the horrid trend of self-portrait photography, plus the other lenses seen on Nokia phones, such as Cinemagraph and Panorama modes.
The Nokia Lumia 625 release date has been set for September this year, and in the UK will be coming on EE, Vodafone, O2, Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse, with a wide range of colours (orange, bright green, yellow, white and black) all set to debut together. Plus you can also change the shells yourself, if you're so inclined.
And the price will be pretty competitive, as Nokia believes it will be offered for £200 or €220 before taxes, making it a real option in the middle of the market.
We've long been gathering the hints and rumours about the LG G2, speculating on its unveiling, and now the company itself has said that the flagship device will be revealed at an event on August 7 in New York.
The new LG G2 website has confirmed our previous predictions, stating: "The LG G2, a phone inspired by you, unveils itself on August 7, 2013."
With a widget counting down to the August 7 "unveiling", it states that the event in New York will be streamed live on the website.
The site also has a couple of promo videos to check out, though they don't feature much of the actual handset - just giving us a clear shot of its back, allowing us to see the camera and the volume buttons uniquely placed below it, surrounding the flash.
The website and video also states that the handset is "learning from you". We really aren't sure what to make of that, but with the powerful Snapdragon 800 sitting inside, the possibilities have us excited.
More blips!
There's still a fortnight left, so why not check out some other TechRadar's blips in the meantime.
Shuttleworth wants to put Ubuntu into orbit (credit: NASA)
Before Mark Shuttleworth took off for space 11 years ago, he had an idea that made some seasoned folks at NASA uncomfortable.
"I was sitting down with my counterparts in Star City [Russia] and we were talking about laptops," Shuttleworth recalled during an interview with TechRadar this afternoon.
"The laptops that were certified to fly on the Space Station, they were P166s, and this was 2001. I said, 'I think we can fly the latest laptops.'"
The Canonical founder's suggestion was met with hesitation - after all, careers are on the line for decisions that send anything into orbit - but after testing Shuttleworth was permitted to bring three of the then-latest laptops to the ISS.
"For me, it was mission critical that I take these machines into space, but I was in a position to take more risk. We ended up with three great laptops that became the next certified model of laptops on the Space Station.
"There's nothing dumb about NASA, but by bringing a different perspective to risk and experimentation, it moves things forward faster."
Risk rewards
Shuttleworth offered this space travel anecdote as an analogy for the Ubuntu Edge, a "superphone" Canonical announced today along with a $32 million (about £20.8m, AU$34.5m) Indiegogo campaign.
The phone industry, he said, has a low risk appetite when it comes to products: Like sending an unfamiliar machine into space, putting a more experimental handset on the market can have shattering consequences for the people involved.
The $32 million phone
"[The Edge] is a concept car that people can drive off the lot," Shuttleworth said, turning to another analogy. "It's a test of the future, because the phone industry really can't do this. Not because it's not smart enough or doesn't have the resources, but the mechanism is such that they can't do it."
In the hours since it was announced, the vibe as been "very positive" for the the campaign and the phone that will dual boot both the Ubuntu for smartphones OS and Android.
"I think we've even beat out the royal baby on Twitter - though we'll be in labor for 30 days."
Canonical has a month to reach the multimillion dollar amount needed to get the Edge into users' hands. As of 4:10 p.m. PT Monday, the ticker was at $2,012,912.
"It's crazy and bold, but that's what it takes to bring a new device to market," Shuttleworth said of the figure. "We're really finding a new way to get phones to enthusiasts, and I'm really excited about that."
Living on the Edge
As appealing as its specs are, the Edge isn't meant to be a mass market device. It's aimed at enthusiasts, early adopters and enterprises, those that are willing to take the risk in "cracking those next generations," while also fronting $830 (about £540, AU$897) for a phone that won't be ready until May 2014.
Though the specs aren't finalized, the Edge is leaning towards housing 4GB of RAM, a multi-core processor and 128GB of storage - resources it can call on when plugging into a PC.
Joined at the tether
"The point of the Edge is to break new ground - in this round we really want to stretch the RAM and storage of the device. We're trying to cross that chasm between phone and PC and be the superphone."
"This round" is a key phrase - if the Indiegogo experiment works, Shuttleworth said Ubuntu phone campaigns might become a regular occurance.
"In the second generation, we could invite companies that have interesting sensors or capabilities that they've tried in the lab but not in the field. We could have this happen on an 18 month or so clip to chip away at the leading edge of possibility," he effused.
Shuttleford said Canonical has held off selecting the Edge's silicon because "we want to have a very good read on what the next-gen will be. We want to see real world benchmarks and give our backers a say in that sort of macro decision."
The phone is a grass roots effort in the same vein as Ubuntu itself, and though it can be hard to discern the right path among thousands of voices, Shuttleford has faith in the crowdfunding and crowdsourcing process.
And while it seems like an outlier and even a rebel, from its specs to its funding, he called the Edge "non-threatening" to phone makers. Canonical might even put the device out under another brand's name, if it ends up working with a design manufacturer and "if that's what our backers want."
Ubuntu's version of the UI
Ubuntu unfolds
Edge is grabbing the headlines today, but Canonical is plotting putting Ubuntu on four other devices - two mid-range and two high-end - for release next year. The devices will be for the mass market, meaning more conservative specifications, and conversations with potential phone maker partners are already underway.
The platform is still young, but Shuttleworth said it will be "interesting to see how [Ubuntu] translates" as computing evolves to areas like augmented reality and as it becomes "a platform for framing what's possible." When asked if he could see Ubuntu powering wearable tech, he offered a hearty "sure."
The future, from the founder's perspective, is appropriately wide open. But the company has the next 30 days to worry about first.
"If it succeeds, it's fantastic, and then it will be a lot of work," Shuttleworth said of the Indiegogo campaign. "If it doesn't work, I hope that what we'll have done is raise awareness of the crowdfunding mechanism to drive innovation.
"If it's greenlighted, we'll tap into a much bigger brain trust than myself or the others at Canonical. We'll have broken the speed of sound, broken out of the atmosphere, but won't yet be in orbit."
It seems like Nokia has its work cut out for itself.
Right after tweeting there would be "something big" revealed tomorrow, notorious leak artist @evleaks struck back with their own tweets.
We already speculated that the Nokia 625 would be the prime topic of discussion and it seems @evleaks agrees.
The Twitter account posted not one, not two, but three images of brightly stacked phones, with two pictures containing phones noticeably sporting "6:25" as the time.
So bright and shiny
Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not
The suspicious time image may seem like a far stretch but leaks of the Nexus 7 2 have taken a similar route in attempting to convey Android 4.3.
Though, the incessant amount of images of the purported Lumia 625 seem to strongly suggest this may not be a coincidence.
Surprisingly, a price tag and specs have not been tweeted alongside the pictures, but TechRadar has previously reported that the Lumia 625 will likely pack a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 5MP rear camera and front facing VGA.
At this point, however, guessing is really just a countdown until tomorrow when Nokia lets us know what's really going on.
