Microsoft's Lumia 830 offers PureView imaging at a lower cost

by Brad Molen

Microsoft Devices, formerly known as Nokia's phone division, is no slouch when it comes to its device lineup. Lately, it's been focused on refining the top and bottom of its Lumia Windows Phone lineup, but the phone maker came to IFA in Berlin with a couple of devices to freshen up the middle of the pack. The company's strategy: Bring the PureView brand, which has typically been associated with Nokia's premium phones, to a more affordable price point on the Lumia 830. In fact, Microsoft bills the 830 as "the affordable flagship." The device looks very similar to the Lumia 930 in that it comes with the aluminum frame and polycarbonate back. While it uses the PureView name, the rear camera's 10MP resolution isn't quite as good as the 930 or 1020, but it's understandable given the lower price point. Still, the device will come with plenty of extra software enhancements to improve the experience.

Nokia Lumia 830 hands-on

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The device will ship with the Lumia Denim update, which is Microsoft Device's specially packaged version of Windows Phone 8.1.1 (Update 1). That refresh comes with a new version of Lumia Camera, which comes with faster shot-to-shot and pocket-to-picture times and several other enhancements to the imaging experience.
One interesting feature in the new Lumia Camera is the ability to take two pictures: One with flash and one without. When editing the final image, it offers a slider that lets you change the flash effect up in the picture. In other words, if the flash was too bright, but the image is too dark without the flash, you can now tweak the end result to somewhere in between.

As for the hard specs, the 830 comes with a 5-inch 720p display, Gorilla Glass 3, slightly curved (2.25D) glass, a 2,200mAh battery and a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400. At first glance, it's hard to discern the 830 from the 930, largely due to the aluminum sides. However, it's actually quite a bit thinner than its bigger brother, at 8.5mm, and the PureView camera module mimics the circular black one on the Lumia 1020. It also comes with a removable polycarbonate back. Even though it's a thinner device, it's still just as easy to hold and looks sleeker than the 930.
Fortunately, the 830 retains the hardware shutter key prevalent on the other PureView devices. It's on the lower-right side of the phone, which on this particular device sits right where my pinky finger rests. This makes the holding experience slightly awkward, but I imagine it'll be easy to get used to altering my grip a bit after enough time using the device.
The 830 will come in green, orange, gray and white and start shipping globally this month at 330 euro.

Tags: hands-on, ifa2014, lumia, lumia830, microsoft, mobilepostcross, nokia

FBI offers help to game developers suffering harassment, death threats

There's been a swell of online harassment, and the authorities have noticed.

by Casey Johnston 

The FBI offered its assistance to the International Game Developers Association (IDGA) back in July to help with what the organization sees as a growing tide of harassment of game developers, according to a report from Polygon. IDGA Executive Director Kate Edwards said the FBI approached her during Comic-Con in San Diego to let her know "the FBI's capability."

Edwards told Polygon that the FBI noted a rise in activity in the online harassment of game developers. Over the last year, BioWare senior writer Jennifer Hepler left her job after getting death threats from fans, and Adam Orth, a Microsoft creative director, got a "tidal wave of vitriol" for tweeting his support of always-online devices. Since the FBI's meeting with the IDGA took place, developer Zoe Quinn has been harassed over personal details aired by her ex-boyfriend, and a flight carrying Sony Online Entertainment CEO John Smedley was diverted after getting a bomb threat from a gaming hacker group. On Tuesday, thousands of developers released a signed petition "asking for tolerance and acceptance in the larger gaming community."
In addition to keeping in touch with the FBI, Edwards said the IDGA is creating a special interest group for mental health issues surrounding harassment. Last week, the IDGA released a statement condemning the personal attacks that had taken place over the last several weeks against Quinn, her supporters, and supporters of Anita Sarkeesian, who received death threats over her latest video about tropes of women in video games. "We call on the entire game community to stand together against this abhorrent behavior," the statement reads.

iWatch

Ahead of Apple’s September 9th event that will include the introduction of Apple’s first wearable computer, along new, larger iPhones, The New York Times has profiled the existing wearable market. The juiciest bit from the story? A purported quote from Apple design chief Jony Ive, relayed by another Apple designer. Said Ive, referring to the existing watch market, “Switzerland is in trouble.”
Here’s the full section:

According to a designer who works at Apple, Jonathan Ive, Apple’s design chief, in bragging about how cool he thought the iWatch was shaping up to be, gleefully said Switzerland is in trouble — though he chose a much bolder term for “trouble” to express how he thought the watchmaking nation might be in a tough predicament when Apple’s watch comes out.

So, it appears Jony did not actually say “trouble.” He said something “bolder.” Perhaps “screwed” ? :D
Apple’s watch, we first reported, will have a strong sense of fashion in addition to fitness. We’re expecting the device to have a fair-sized display along with wireless charging, a variant of iOS, integration with Apple’s new HealthKit and HomeKit services, the ability to make NFC-based mobile payments by touch, and of course, several medical-grade sensors for monitoring a user’s pulse, hydration, heart rate, and other fitness/health data points.
This also could explain Apple’s recent hire of a Switzerland-based watch company’s marketing head. It also turns out that, if the Ive quote is true, Swatch could have a lot more to worry about than just a trademark.

Apple

By Shaun Nichols

Apple has yet to formally introduce or set a release date for its next iPhone, but that hasn't stopped rabid fans of iStuff from queuing up for Cupertino's next shiny release.
Customers in New York have already begun camping out in front of the company's flagship store for the honor (and attention) of being the first in line to acquire a phone that the company has yet to confirm exists.

The punters, who according to CNBC paid $2,500 to acquire the pole position for the next iThing, are named Jason and Moon Ray (yes, Moon Ray. We're not making that up.) and along with a pair of paid line-sitters are seeking to break a "record" of 18 days of iWaiting.

This, again, for a device which Apple has yet to even introduce, let alone give a release date or price, though if the $2,500 fee to get into line was any indication money won't be an issue for the pair.
Apple has sent out word of a September 9 special event in California which is likely to include the unveiling of a new iPhone. The latest rumors suggest the company will in fact be showcasing two new iThings, though a larger-screened device may not actually be in the hands of consumers until next year. Let's hope our line-sitters aren't holding out for that model.
The event may also bring the unveiling of a long-awaited Apple smartwatch device, useful for when you find yourself stuck on a New York sidewalk for weeks on end waiting for a phone you could have pre-ordered and received on the same day in the comfort of your own home.
iPhone release queues are nothing new. Since Apple first launched the original Jesusphone in 2007, punters have lined up days ahead of the release in order to get their hands on the latest bit of Cupertino kit.
With the new model yet to even be unveiled by Cook and Co., and with pre-orders for release day delivery becoming the norm, however, the need to actually camp out for a shot at buying the iPhone has long since passed and at this point it's more an attention-getting maneuver by bored fanbois than anything else (in the case of the Rays, promoting a mobile app).
Thus far, the line-waiting seems to be a New York phenomenon. A quick trip to the Union Square Apple store near Vulture West HQ didn't turn up any early sitters, possibly because ongoing street construction limits available sidewalk space. We're sure that come release day, there will be more than a few punters kicking around outside the store.