Samsung announces Windows 8-optimized Series 7 Touch monitor

Samsung is wrapping up 2012 by announcing two new monitors: the Series 7 Touch (SC770) and the Series 7 (SC750). The 24-inch Series 7 Touch is Sammy's first multi-touch display made for Windows 8, and it features a resolution of 1,920 x 1080 with 178-degree viewing angles. It also sports an adjustable stand that can tilt up to 60 degrees. The 27-inch Series 7 doesn't support touch input, but it boasts the same 1080p resolution and can pivot 90 degrees so users can view content in both landscape and portrait modes. Both models will hit the market in the first quarter of 2013 -- Samsung hasn't released pricing info for either, but both will be on hand at CES next week. You can check out the press release after the break.

Samsung Galaxy S IV rumoured to launch with S Pen

If you thought you’ve heard it all about the highly anticipated Galaxy S IV, you may want to read this one. Phone Arena reports that the Samsung Galaxy S IV may launch with an S Pen, making it the first handset in the series to boast of that functionality. Rumours first surfaced on Korean website Enuri, and to substantiate things a little more, the report adds that this bit of information has been allegedly confirmed by a quote from Samsung. The S Pen is one of the Note's noted functionalities and the report suggests that by including this in the S IV, the company is looking to 'unite its Note series with the flagship S IV'.     May launch with an S Pen It was reported just recently that the Galaxy S IV will not be released at the Consumer Electronics Show 2013, but instead at an event after CES. It was widely speculated that Samsung would be launching its next flagship smartphone at CES 2013 after the company released a teaser trailer that tells the world to get ready for "Something New". However, it appears that at CES 2013, Samsung will instead focus on televisions and a range of other electronic products, the CNET report stated citing sources. None of these announcements pertain to any significant smartphone news.  If the last rumour about the Samsung Galaxy S IV is to be believed, it may feature an unbreakable screen. In fact, reports suggest that if this is true, it could turn out to be a major selling point of the smartphone—considering the converging form factor. The South Korean giant has been a popular name in the development of displays. Mark Newman, an analyst with Stanford Bernstein, recently stated that Samsung will eventually go for unbreakable and flexible displays. "Either the Galaxy S IV or S V will have unbreakable and even possibly flexible and foldable displays by 2014. That's going to be a game-changer." UBS analyst Nicolas Gaudois said, "Looking to the first half of 2013, we see evidence of Samsung likely accelerating the release of the Galaxy S IV - compared with May (this year) for the Galaxy S III. We believe preparations for volume manufacturing of unbreakable plastic substrate displays continue. All in all, we could see a strong products push in the high-end in the first half, followed by other releases." Interestingly, reports in the past indicated that the Galaxy S IV will probably have a bigger and better display, quad-core processing power and a 13 megapixel camera with picture density improving to 441 pixels per inch (ppi), which is a big improvement over the Galaxy S III's 306 ppi and better than the iPhone 5's 326 ppi.  For Samsung to use a 13 megapixel camera on its upcoming smartphone, the handset would require more processing power as well as extra RAM, presumably 2GB. If Samsung does use such a camera on its smartphone, then one would be able to capture images at a resolution of 4208 x 3120 pixels. Apart from the one about the camera, another rumour states that it will feature a 2GHz quad-core Exynos 5450 processor. It is reported that this chipset will be faster than the one used on the Nexus 10 tablet that was recently introduced by Google; it will be made on a 28 nm process.

Next-gen BioWare games to use Frostbite 2 engine

Everybody, including both the developers and the players, is eagerly awaiting the next generation of consoles. According to Gameranx, the latest issue of Game Informer has revealed that the titles that BioWare developers for the PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox will be running on DICE's Frostbite 2 engine. This was revealed through an interview when Aarynn Flynn, General Manager of BioWare Edmonton, was asked if BioWare's next games will be using Frostbite 2 engine. Flynn said, "I think so. When we look at Frostbite and the success we’re having with it with Dragon Age 3 and the support we’re getting from teams around EA, it’s fun being a part of an organization and community that’s doing good work with that technology." The Frostbite 2 engine will see big use in the next gen Back in November, a screenshot of BioWare's upcoming Dragon Age III was leaked online. The screenshot had originally popped up at the Bradford Animation Festival. While the screenshot only stayed on screen for three seconds, a fan took a picture and posted on the BioWare forums. Alongside showcasing the screenshot, Director of Art and Animation at BioWare Neil Thompson talked about making the game in the Frostbite 2.0 engine, created by DICE. “That is Dragon Age: Inquisition,” he said. “It's the first time anyone has seen a frame of it outside BioWare studios.” Thompson also answered a question about how the use of Frostbite 2.0 is affecting the development of Dragon Age III. “Mass Effect was done on Unreal of course,” he replied. “Dragon Age was done on the proprietary engine Eclipse. I think anyone who played Dragon Age 2 would agree that engine was starting to creak a little bit by the time that was released." “Obviously Frostbite is the Battlefield engine built by DICE. It's a beautiful, beautiful engine. And what we've found is an improvement with DA3, is the artists who were really battling with the Eclipse engine have just embraced Frostbite. The work they're doing now is stunning." He continued: “It makes my job easier because then it's all about discussing the aesthetic and what you want to achieve. When you're a character artist or an environment artist you're focusing on a small aspect of the greater whole of the game. As an art director you're concerned about the whole, the frame and everything it contains and how everything sits and the consistency. An engine like Frostbite allows you to focus more on that rather than the technological challenges of just getting the damn thing to run.” Dragon Age is set in a dark fantasy universe that is more or less a deconstruction of typical high fantasy, like Lord of the Rings. The world is under threat by an evil subterranean race known as the Darkspawn. Sometimes, the Darkspawn tend to form armies and attack the surface world en-masse. This event is known as the Blight and is one of the worse things that the surface races have to face. In response to the Blight, the Grey Wardens were formed. The Grey Wardens is a group of the best fighters and spell casters in the world and its specific job is to combat the Blight.

Verizon's NFL Mobile App Gets Slightly Less Terrible With Free Tablet Streaming For Verizon FiOS Subscribers

We've lamented the various restrictions on NFL Mobile's streaming audio and video before: the fact that it costs extra even for games on public broadcast, the fact that you can't use it with HDMI output, and most of all, the fact that it's only available on Verizon. Today the app gets a little less restrictive, at least assuming that you use Verizon FiOS for your home Internet connection. The latest update indicates that FiOS subscribers will be able to access NFL Mobile live streaming on their tablets for free. I guess they figured that they've got enough of your money.The update text reads as follows: "Now Verizon FiOS customers can enjoy Live video on Android Tablets." We don't have a connection to test, but we suppose that means that WiFi tablets are fair game for streaming, so long as you have a FiOS account.

First CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Come To Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Wi-Fi, T-Mobile, Verizon), And 10.1v

If you're still toting Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, good news – CyanogenMod let loose a flurry of new nightlies for the device today, all carrying the CM 10.1 moniker, meaning owners of Samsung's ten-inch Tab from 2011 can enjoy a stock Android 4.2 experience with some key improvements. Among those receiving the new nightlies are the Wi-Fi only Tab (p4wifi), Verizon and T-Mobile connected variants (p4vzw and tmo), the p4, and even the p3, which is the Galaxy Tab 10.1v.If you've been waiting to get a taste of Android 4.2 with CyanogenMod enhancements on your Tab 10.1, just hit the appropriate link below and grab the nightly.

LG details LCD, plasma HDTV lineup for 2013: 4K, Miracast, NFC, WiDi and more

As LG continues its slew of CES pre-announcements, it's revealed details about the new HDTVs it will be showing off in Las Vegas next week. Predictably, they include three lines of plasma models (fewer than previous years, but still kicking) in 42- to 60-inch sizes, and new LCD HDTVs in various levels of trim and sizes from 22-inches up to 60-inches. Most notably, this year all of its new LCDs are LED, as it's kicked the old CCFL tech to the curb. LG has already detailed upcoming changes for its voice/gesture Magic Remote control and a couple of Google TV models, however other new features for 2013 include an "On Now" recommendation system that learns what you watch and offers relevant selections from live TV and video on-demand services. Expect new tie-ins to be announced with both streaming and local TV providers to help fill out the selection around the world.
Hardware-wise, new feature boxes checked this year include NFC, thanks to a new "Tag On" sticker smartphones and other devices can easily pair with. Getting content from mobile devices to the display will also be easier thanks to Miracast andWiDi support, and MHL ports will be readily available as well. LG's FPR 3D tech isn't going anywhere, and Smart TV features should be speedier than ever thanks to CPUs with a promised 120 percent speed boost, and 300 percent faster GPUs. As seen in the pics, the design has also been altered slightly with a new stand that both swivels and rolls, plus a reduced bezel size.
If you're looking for the latest and greatest however, LG will be showing off the 84-inch Ultra HD 4K set it just started shipping and the 55-inch OLED display we're waiting for. No word yet on shipping dates or price for any of the new models, but as we surmised from LG Display's plans, we should see a couple of 55- and 65-inch Ultra HD TVs appear before the year is out. There's a couple more pictures of the new HDTVs in the gallery plus a press release with all the details after the break. Beyond that, HD Guru has a model-by-model breakdown of the available information -- we'll check back with our in-person impressions in a few days.

Samsung reportedly launching Tizen-based phones on NTT DoCoMo in 2013

According to Japan's Daily Yomiuri, NTT DoCoMo is parterning with Samsung to develop phones running the open-source Tizen operating system, with the first handsets reaching the market next year. According to the Yomiuri, other mobile carriers are also getting behind the development of Tizen because they "fear the hegemony" of Apple and Google. We've heard about Tizen as far back as September of 2011 -- this Linux-based (and Intel-backed) software came about when Nokia's MeeGo OS bit the dust, and we've already seen evidence of a Tizen-based Galaxy S III.