There’s lots of discussion about the potential of drones and Hex is a new Kickstarter project that aims to bring the technology and opportunities that drones afford to anyone.
The Hex is essentially a (small scale) helicopter that can be modified, hacked and soldered into whatever kind of flying device that its owner desires. Hex is controlled using an app for iOS and Android devices, and it supports Bluetooth 4.0, auto-stabilization and more.
The project has been listed on the crowdfunding site for less than a day but already it has more than doubled its $10,000 target. Users can donate a minimum of $39 for a basic quadcopter set — with shell and propellers — while the highest packages are priced at $1,999 and $2,999, and include custom-designed copters and entry to the beta testing program.
The most obvious use for Hex — which graduated the hardware-focused HAXLR8R incubator — is to turn it into an airborne photo and video camera drone. Indeed, on that point, there’s a headset peripheral which can link up to the camera to provide what is probably a very cool and immersive ‘flying’ experience on the ground.
The first Hex copters are slated to ship to backers on December 1. At this point, the team is still to finalize the beta of the app, the BlueTooth communication system, control method and more.
➤ Hex: A copter that anyone can fly! [Kickstarter]
Headline image via Thinkstock , other image via Hex
Here are the first hands-on photos of the leaked G Flex, LG’s curved-screen smartphone
Product renders of the much-rumored G Flex , LG’s take on a flexible-screen phone, have already been released — and now photos of the device itself have surfaced on The Verge .
The photos come from journalist Federico Ini at Argentinian broadcaster Telefe Noticias, which managed somehow or other to obtain a device for a hands-on video .
We understand that the G Flex, which packs a 6-inch screen and is now said to have a 13-megapixel camera, will be released next month, with Ini telling the Verge that it will be launched in South Korea first.
An LG spokesperson says there are no further details on the G Flex to be shared right now.
➤ LG’s curved-screen G Flex smartphone revealed in photos and video [The Verge]
Images via The Verge, headline image via David Becker/ Getty Images
AT&T is taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S4, $639 upfront or $199.99 on a two-year contract
The 16GB version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available to pre-order on the AT&T website, both in the White Frost and Black Mist color schemes for $199.99 on a two-year contract. A SIM-free version will set consumers back a hefty $639, however.
AT&T has yet to make an official announcment; perhaps to avoid an overload of pre-orders, given that we’ve already experienced some problems trying to access the webpage and complete an order. The 32GB version is also unavailable at this point.
The US carrier will be shipping all Galaxy S4 pre-orders by April 30, arriving on consumer doorsteps shortly afterwards. It’s a short gap between the launch of the HTC One, which is launching on April 19 for $199.99 as the standard 32GB model and $299.99 for the 64GB variant.
AT&T is already taking pre-orders for HTC’s flagship device, although there’s no way of knowing how much of an impact its head-start will have on sales figures.
The Samsung Galaxy S4, unveiled in March , will go head-to-head with the HTC One, as well as the next iPhone and Nexus smartphones that will inevitably be released later this year.
The device has a premium 5-inch 1080p display, set at an impressive 441 ppi. Under the hood is a quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 processor, bumped up by an additional quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 chipset. That’s a whole lot of processing power.
The Galaxy S4 comes stocked with 16GB of internal storage, although that’s expandable via a microSD card, and runs on the latest version of Android (version 4.2.2) with Samsung’s TouchWiz skin slapped on top.
The device also has a mighty Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery, which should do a pretty decent job of counterbalancing the smartphone’s power-hungry processors, and 2GB of RAM handling multiple apps and tasks.
Pre-orders for the device opened in the United Kingdom late last month, ahead of a public release on April 26. TELUS, Virgin Mobile and Bell opened pre-orders in Canada yesterday, ahead of a full retail launch on May 3.