MasHD Blog

Kirsten Zastrow was nearly killed by her smartphone. Its sheer luck that the battery didn't explode in her pants the next day  On the evening of March 19, Zastrow had plugged in her Nexus S phone for the night and laid it down on her end table, the alarm set, before turning in on the couch. She had moved to the couch from her bed because she had just adopted two cats, and they had decided to turn the bedroom into their nocturnal playground. About two hours later, Zastrow was jarred awake by a loud crack. She could smell something burning. She sat up and saw a small fire on the floor, just inches from where her head was moments earlier. The flames were already about a foot high. Barely awake, Zastrow says her instincts told her to blow the fire out, which she somehow succeeded doing without setting the rest of the room on fire. With the fire out, she could turn her attention to the apparent culprit: Her now-destroyed phone, which was scattered in pieces around the room....

Talk about commitment to a cause. Not a noble cause, but still. You have to give it up for the makers of the latest Chinese clone, which doesn’t only replicate the original’s design, but also its name. Almost to the letter. The gadget pictured above is the HDC One, a pretty good knock-off of one of the hottest Android smartphones around – the HTC One. The funny thing is HDC doesn’t only make HTC lookalikes, but also clones for Samsung devices, so it’s almost like this is nothing more than an unfortunate name coincidence. HDC One’s design is no coincidence though and the thing looks a lot closer to its inspiration than the first One clone that emerged back in February – the GooPhone One . We highly doubt HDC can afford to use aluminum for the clone’s frame, but the “plastic unibody” could fool anyone into thinking this is the real deal. Naturally, once you’ll get your hands on the HDC One, you’ll be able to tell the difference, especially performance-wise. The copycat only pack...

P hotography is one  of the best forms of modern art , just  one perfect picture alone will speak almost a thousand words. Well, like most forms of art , "One" should have a skill to take that perfect shot , so if you got that  skill in your soul , join now with the HTC One photography  contest and you can get your best  photo on a billboard (while making a good sum of  £1,000 - sounds great huh ? ) . The HTC One Photography contest  is a result of a partnership between TalentHouse , and HTC , as you know , HTC is known through out the world as a company with a passion for design and a eye for photography . The competition is pretty simple  , all you need to do is sign up (by clicking the link below) and get going the HTC One handset and   your  passion for art  while interpreting one or more of the dynamic features   ( HTC Boomsound , HTC Zoe and the HTC Blinkfeed feature(s) ) into a static background using one of ...

Malicious software is nothing new to the cyber security world. So-called malware is what unscrupulous folk use to disrupt or gather sensitive data from our desktop computers. Targeted attacks with malware have been relatively unseen on smartphones, those other computers we carry around that are teeming with personal data. Now, however, security researchers at Kaspersky Labs say they’ve uncovered the first-known targeted malware attack on Android phones. The victims were specifically Tibetan activists, but the disclosure underlines the broader possibilities for targeted cyber attacks on smartphones. The attack relied heavily on social engineering, a kind of verbal manipulation, to hack into their targets’ devices. Kaspersky explains that on March 24, the attackers infiltrated the email account of a high-profile Tibetan activist, and used that account to send a spear-phishing email to their contacts list. The email looked like this: Notice that it included an attachment, calle...

If you were looking for the HTC One to be a device you were easily able to take apart for inner-bits replacement, you might not be all that pleased with the report appearing today. On the other hand, if you love it when iFixit gives a big shout out to the device you’re looking to buy for its immense durability, the HTC One might be the phone for you. It’s not going to be a device you’ll be popping open on accident, that’s for sure. With the release of the HTC One, the manufacturer has bet a whole lot on the hardware as a proving point in their history. With this release, the company known as HTC says that they’ve done the best they’re able at the moment – this is the HTC One, and it’s named that for a reason. According to iFixit, this device is just about the most difficult smartphone to tear apart they’ve come across – but that’s not all bad news for you if you’re a general consumer. The HTC One does not have a removable battery, nor is it able to take a microSD card. It’s got...

A few years ago Jupiter was hit by several chunks of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 after the comet broke apart. The massive gravity of Jupiter ripped that comet into pieces and those chunks collided with the planet. Since Jupiter has such a thick atmosphere, all we could see were the effects the impact had on the thick atmosphere. I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering exactly what the impact caused by those comets did to the surface of Jupiter underneath that thick blanket of atmosphere. We may get an idea of exactly how much damage a fast-moving comet can do to the surface of a planet next year. Astronomers say that there is a small chance that Mars could be struck by a comet in 2014. The interesting part about a potential comet strike on the surface of Mars is that we currently have probes on the ground and satellites in orbit around the planet that could gather an incredible amount of information for scientists. Another interesting fact is that Mars has no thick Jovian atmosphere t...

Android users love speed , especially in benchmarks , well in that case , the latest results from the Galaxy S4 ( Exynos Octa ) will surely put a smile on evry speed loving Android fan out there . The S4  although its still behind the Tegra 4 in terms of raw power , still managed to leave the hotshot android devices such as the HTC One and the Xperia Z in the dust with a score of 27417  on Antutu and 12726 on Quadrant  . hopefully the 27,000 benchmark  will probably end up near the 30,000 mark once the GS4 gets more software updates .

EA has released a 17 minute teaser-gameplay of the upcoming FPS game - Battlefield 4 , the Game , unlike COD  Black Ops 2 , BF4 is based on the current world . The demo starts with a group of soldiers trying to escape a Spetnaz type militia in Azerbaijan - The demo , although its played on a PC ,the game will be heading for the Xbox 360 and the good old PS3 console as well , but strangely  EA has not mentioned a word about the next Xbox and the PS4 but we are sure that they will mention it sooner or later . UPDATE -  EA has confirmed that the PS4 will be getting Battlefield 4 , but in the same time , EA confirmed that the Wii U won't be getting the game .  BF4 is now available for pre order with the cost of $70 for the Deluxe version and $60 for the standard edition  , the game will be available this fall

Copyright infringement is never a problem for Chinese phone manufacturers , apart from releasing exact clones of Apple , Samsung HTC devices , they sometimes take the name of the actual product they copied from and add it to the device as well  . Introducing the  Star S5 Butterfly  - this , as the name implies looks like a cheap copy of the HTC Butterfly (which will be succeeded by a second gen model soon ) . The specifications of the S5 Butterfly include a 5-inch 720p display, 1.2 Ghz quad-core MediTek MT6589 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage expandable via microSD, 12MP rear camera and 3MP front camera, dual-SIM support, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on-board. Of course, the specifications and build Quality  of the Star S5 Butterfly aren’t in the same league as the HTC Butterfly, but they aren’t bad at all, and it does come with the latest Android OS iteration, especially considering the fact that the device is priced at just $222.99.

Researchers have created what some are dubbing the real-world equivalent of Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, which measures in at just 0.15mm thin, a far cry from the bulky invisibility devices that have been created in the past. In addition, rather than using metamaterials like other invisibility cloaks, this one is made from copper and polycarbonate. The cloak was developed by researchers at the University of Texas in Austin, with the material being wrapped around the cylinder you see in the image above. There’s a wrapping of copper and polycarbonate, with the copper being patterned, causing scattered light from the object and cloak to be cancelled out. In this case, the cloak successfully hides objects from microwaves, such as what is used by radars. Before you get too excited at the thought of slipping into a thin sheet of invisibility and using it for various sorts of entertainment, realize that it doesn’t produce the same effect with visible light – yet, anyway. For now, ...

Google has been pushing its VP8 codec for a couple of years now, and together with Vorbis audio encoding, the two codecs are the base of the royalty-free WebM format (also known as RFC 6386) that is designed for use with HTML5 video. However, Nokia isn’t too happy that Google is getting all the attention and has decided to start making some noise. In an official filing with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IEFT), which is responsible for drafting and publishing RFC 6386, Nokia has listed 64 patents and 22 pending patents which it claims pertain to VP8. Some of the patents are for the same idea but in different geographic locations, so Nokia isn’t claiming it has over 80 patents related to VP8, however it is clear that Nokia is trying to put a stop to the codec. In comments to the FOSS patents blog, which covers software patent news, Nokia said it would not commit to royalty-free or fair licensing with respect to VP8. The Finnish company claims that Google are “attempting to fo...

Today the iPhone has finally hit T-Mobile, complete with a unique plan that allows the company to compete with even the highest-powered carriers. With the iPhone 5, you’ll be able to pay $99.99 USD down and $20 per month for 24 months – that’s the price for the hardware itself. You’ll be paying a separate amount for service, but the hardware price is that one down price and 24 months of $20 until you pay the device off – simple enough? The T-Mobile deal here is allowing you to stay away from a 2-year contract. You’ll also be able to pick up the iPhone 4S, that device coming with a $69.99 USD price with $20 USD for 24 months as well. The iPhone 4 will also be available for a shocking $14.00 down and $15 per month for 24 months. This cost structure goes by the name “Simple Choice Plan”, and again, it stands aside from your data, voice, and text prices. Those prices are also detached from 2-year plans or even 1-year plans. If you want to pick up one of these devices, you’re making a...

The Samsung Galaxy S4 won’t be out until the end of April and manufacturers are already taking a crack at it. Thanks to a tip from  Caotic.it, we found out that Chinese manufacturer Sunle has cloned the Galaxy S4, calling the creation the S400. It’ll cost around $220 USD and will be available in China starting April 5. Available in black or white, the specs are actually pretty solid: 5-inch IPS HD display at 1280 x 720 1.2GHz Mediatek MTK6859 quad-core processor 1GB RAM 8GB internal storage with support up to 32GB 8-megapixel rear-facing camera 3-megapixel front-facing camera 3G, Bluetooth, GPS Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean 2100 mAh battery As with any smartphone or device from relatively unknown manufacturers, quality is always a concern. With Samsung more popular than ever, many companies will do whatever they can to get a slice of the Android marketplace, even if that means shameless ripoffs

Earlier today a security exploit for the Xperia Z showed up, allowing unwanted users to bypass your lock screen and gain full access to your handset. This adds Sony to the list of companies which have seen some of their handsets experience a security risk by allowing people to bypass the lock screen. The exploit works by simply entering a number on the emergency call screen and browsing through a few settings. Entering *#*#7378423#*#* (or *#*#service#*#* if you were to replace the numbers with corresponding keypad letters) grants the user access to the service menu, which can be done on any Xperia phone. From there if the user runs the NFC Diag Test and then proceeds to press the home button they will appear on the phone’s home screen, will full access to the rest of the device. Usually the service menu is used to assist in diagnosing faults with a phone, and would normally return the user to the lock screen if they attempted to access the main handset, preventing unauthorized ...

The Colorfly CT781 is a brand new iPad mini clone from China that runs Android, in addition to the Goopad mini and the Onda V818  that we’ve seen a while ago. Made by Colorful, the Colorfly CT781 sports a 7.85-inch display, and while it looks like an iPad mini, it’s actually thinner than one. The Colorfly measures 6.71mm in thickness, compared to the iPad mini’s 7.2mm. The Android tablet has a bezel of only 4.90mm, while the iPad mini measures in at 5.70mm. When it comes to specs, the device offers a quad-core AllWinner A31 processor, 1GB of RAM and PowerVR SGX544 MP2 GPU and Android OS under the hood, although it’s no clear what version we’re talking about. Pricing details and launch dates aren’t available at this time, but the Colorful’s 9.7-inch tablet retails for around $177 in China, which means the 7.85-inch tablet should be even cheaper. According to DigiTimes, Colorful expects to sell as many as 800,000 Colorfly CT781 units in China. (AndroidAuthority)

Japanese manga publishing house Kodansha released the first images of "Steve Jobs," which were subsequently posted to Yahoo Japan's online bookstore , as the title's first chapter hit store shelves today in the April issue of the company's Kiss magazine, reports blog Crunchyroll. Interestingly, Kiss is a monthly Josei manga serial, or a publication targeting the young adult to adult female demographic. Reportedly recognized as the official adaptation of Walter Isaacson's authorized biography, the comic is being penned by noted manga artist and winner of the Manga Taishō and a Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, Mari Yamazaki. Told from Isaacson's point of view, "Steve Jobs" starts in 2004 with Jobs asking the biographer to write his life story. Isaacson, who previously wrote the biographies of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin, waits to start work in earnest until Jobs' wife Laurene Powell-Jobs calls to break news that the tech guru is in...

Steve Kondik, the founder of CyanogenMod, needs no introduction . This man is a star in the Android community and a true Nexus warrior . 19 months ago, in August of 2011, he joined Samsung to change the world and make beautiful mobile babies together. Today, he's a free man once again, as he announced his departure from the company via a Google+ post on his Galaxy S4 impressions minutes ago:. " On the Galaxy S4 I got to spend some quality time with the S4 (final hardware)  before I left Samsung . I'm a huge a fan of the S3 and use one everyday, so I was quite pleased with the S4. Yeah, there is no refresh of the industrial design other than a few minor things such as the edging, but the device actually feels quite a bit more solid than the S3. Specwise, this device blows the competition out of the water. There are a number of unique features that have a lot of potential (assuming Samsung is opening up an API for them) such as the touchscreen which can register ...

A source of irritation for air travelers who like digital devices continues to be the fact that most airlines force you to turn your gadgets off at certain stages of flight. The FAA has been conducting a study looking at the possibility of expanding usage for electronics on commercial aircraft during flight. According to the New York Times, the study may result in a significant change to the rules aboard commercial aircraft by the end of 2013. The New York Times cites sources working with an industry group that the FAA set up last year to study the use of electronic devices on aircraft. This agency hopes to announce by the end of the year that rules for reading devices during takeoff and landing will be relaxed. However, the source is clearly saying that the change in rules would not include mobile phones. The New York Times says that a member of the working group and an official at the FAA both confirmed this plan, but wanted to remain anonymous because they aren’t allowed to sp...

It looks like Samsung is developing a new SoC known as the Exynos 5210, which is part of their Exynos 5 Series. Details are unknown but it’s thought to feature ARM’s big.LITTLE technology in a Quad-Core structure, equipped with Dual Cortex-A15 Cores and Dual Cortex-A7 cores. The Exynos 5210 could also be just a Dual-Core Cortex-A15 SoC. There is also a high possibility that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini could use the Exynos 5210 processor. As the Galaxy S4 features ARM’s big.LITTLE technology in an Octa-Core configurations the Galaxy S4 Mini could feature ARM’s big.LITTLE technology in a Quad-Core structure. The device will have a 4.3″ Super AMOLED qHD display with a pixel density of 256ppi and based on TW Nature UX 2.0 running on Android 4.2.2. The Dual-SIM variant (GT-i9192) of the device is rumoured to feature a Dual-Core processor whereas the HSPA+ Variant (GT-I9190) variant is rumoured to feature a Quad-Core processor. The Galaxy S4 mini is expected to be launched during summer...

Well  almost a day ago , Asus released a picture of a metal box and asked us to guess what it is ..  well , we were really keen in answering and immediately drew up  some assumptions as to what is inside this ASUS  branded  Pandora's  box :D  the technically correct asumptions were -   some new graphic's card , a new ultrabook or a tablet , we were soon shocked to hear that it is actually picture of a new DVD Drive ... -_____- well played .....

Hyperkin’s upcoming RetroN 5 gaming system will allow you to dust off those old, video game cartridges you have lying around and play them once again. The RetroN 5 improves upon the old RetroN 3 by adding support for more, old gaming consoles. Like the RetroN 3, you will be able to play game cartridges made for the original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Sega Genesis, but unlike the RetroN 3, you can also play games made for the Famicom, Super Famicom, Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, and original Game Boy. The new RetroN gaming system also allows you to use your old gaming controllers with the system as well. There are 6 available controller ports. The Sega Genesis and Famicom controllers will use the same port, and the Super Nintendo controllers will be used to also control the Game Boy games. The retro gaming system will also feature Bluetooth wireless controllers that can be configured to work for any game. The RetroN 5 is basically a hardware emulator for...

Fans of the Mass Effect franchise will be very happy to hear that Bioware is currently getting ready to develop the next Mass Effect game. Casey Hudson, the Executive Producer at Bioware, stated that the game developer is planning on bringing a “fresh and new” experience to the series. He says that the game will still have the same, core aspects that made the franchise so successful, but that there will be some major new changes, perhaps revamped game play. BioWare Montreal and Hudson will be taking point on the development of the new game. The game will be released on the PC, as well as the next-gen consoles, like the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox 720. The game may not be called Mass Effect 4, because according to Chris Priestly, Bioware’s Community Coordinator, the Commander Shepard trilogy is over, so calling the next game Mass Effect 4 would be a “disservice”. Speaking of Commander Shepard, Bioware revealed some interesting statistics that showed that 82% of all Mass Effect 3 pl...

A lawmaker in West Virginia is seeking to ban the use of Google Glass, and other Google Glass-esque products, while driving. Gary G. Howell, a republican in the West Virginia Legislature, believes that Google Glass poses the same dangers, if not worse, as texting and driving. He does have a valid point, because how safe can it be to watch a YouTube video while heading to the grocery store? If the legislation passes, using Google Glass while driving would incur a hefty fine. For the first offense, you will be charged $100. Every offense following will incur an accumulative $100 charge (i.e 2nd offense = $200, 3rd offense = $300, and so on). Driving while wearing Google Glass wouldn’t be worth the risk, especially since buying the device itself will cost you a fortune. It should be noted that Howell doesn’t hate the idea of Google Glass, and in fact sees it as the future. However, he believes that using Google Glass will pose a great danger to drivers, especially the younger, teen dr...

Question -  "I want to buy a decent phone below XX,XXXX  ( some moderate amount of cash)  and i hope to use it for at least 3 years,any suggestions ? " Introduction  All  of us who live outside the Carrier Network sphere generally  have to  spend a premium to get unlocked devices so most of the time we are unable to change the handsets annually . Although a handful of people buy one phone after another , the majority are really down with tight budgets , monetary problems and even family issues where Mom or Dad wouldn't allow his/her  Son or daughter to get another handset until they grow up to a certain age . so ,if you are unable to get the latest high speed hardware and still wan't some jolly fun while staying under the budget , what are the best phones out there ? First of all , what is a affordable  Mid -Range phone ? Phones are generally categorized into 3 main groups with...

Whether or not we ever see a true Facebook Phone, HTC has plans to launch another Android handset with a special focus on the social network. More or less a followup to the HTC Status (pictured above) for AT&T, the device known as the HTC Myst has passed through the FCC with all the markings of a phone destined for the carriers LTE network. While the Myst has received its HTC approval, the filing doesn’t reveal more about the phone with model number PM33100. Previous rumors place the device as a mid-range handset featuring a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4.3-inch 720p display, and 5MP camera. The handset should run Android 4.1.2, though how it will be modified to earn its “Facebook Phone” status isn’t known. It looks like we’ll be finding out more soon, nevertheless. (Phandroid,Engadget)

Asus has been busy rolling out and announcing new devices, such as the Eagle Eye GX1000 gaming mouse launched a couple days ago and the branded GeForce GTX Titan graphics card last month. Now, according to a post made on its Google+ account, the company has another product that is about to be launched, but it wants us to guess what it is. The company posted the image you see above on its G+ and said, “Hum… What is that? Get creative! No tips this time. We’ll reveal tomorrow what this new +ASUS device is. So will you or your friends find the answer by then? GO! ;-)” Not surprisingly, a lot of the responses are about some type of laptop or netbook, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. A quick glance tells you the square’s dimensions are wrong for a laptop of any type, and there are what appear to be two small black rubber feet on the bottom of the device. Of course, there are a million other guesses as well ranging from set-top box to robotic vacuum to the tongue-in-cheek, “It’s a metal ...

Apple has just been granted a patent for a “Protective Mechanism for an Electronic Device”. The patent, which was originally filed in September of 2011, is for a mechanism that will alter the center of mass of an electronic device (in this case an iPhone) in order to protect it, or at least its vital parts from damage in case of a fall. While the mechanism seems more geared towards iPhones, it can be used for iPads or MacBooks as well. The protective mechanism works together with the device’s sensors and processor in order to determine when it should activate. The sensors can be any number of things, including the device’s gyroscope, accelerometer, position sensors, or GPS. The sensor sends a signal to the processor to determine whether or not the device is falling, and how far away from the ground it is. After performing all of the statistical aspects, the protective mechanism then activates, re-positioning the device in order to protect the device, or at least its most vital ...

Bookseller Barnes & Noble has enjoyed a crazy good start with its line of Android-powered tablets. Back in December 2011, the retailer ranked an amazing fourth place in market share thanks to its Nook Color tablet, and seemed capable of turning itself into a powerful player in the tablet business. However, market forces disrupted B&N’s plans, and after a poor 2012 holiday season, the bookseller announced a dismal 26% drop in revenues from its tablet business. In this context, the fact that Barnes & Noble will bundle a free Simple Touch e-reader with every Nook HD+ tablet sold next week should come as no surprise. As reported by Reuters, the promotion could signal an effort to reduce inventories, at a moment when B&N mulls a strategy change, or even a complete exit from the hardware business. For now, the promotion, which is for all purposes a fire sale, isn’t advertised on the B&N site, but do check back starting tomorrow, March 24. The Simple Touch e-reader,...

People throughout the world could soon be in-voluntarily outfitting their homes with indefinitely active cameras, infrared sensors and microphones if they purchase the upcoming gaming console from Microsoft. According to leaked screen captures , the new console, codenamed “Durango,” will be “Always On, Always Connected,” meaning it will require a perpetual Internet connection, in addition to a new high-fidelity Kinect Sensor, “which will be required for the system to operate,” . Being touted as a measure to ensure “software and games are always current,” the new Xbox will not allow users to play games unless a permanent Internet connection is established, according to leaked screenshots obtained by the website “Durango will implement different power states so that it can always be powered on, but will draw minimal electricity when not in use,” the grainy, leaked screenshot states, adding, “The console will be ready instantly when users want to play, and will always maintain a networ...

Archos is finally letting U.S. consumers get their hands on two of its latest tablets and the much-awaited GamePad gaming device. Starting with the GamePad, we're looking at the same device that has been around for several months, last spotted by us at CES in January. It is essentially a 7-inch Android tablet that has a full set of appropriate gaming controls around the screen. On the spec sheet, we're looking at a 1024x600 display, 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, all running with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The 97 Titanium and 80 Titanium are going on sale as well, which are solid, well-priced pair devices. The 97 Titanium sports a 2048x1536 9.7-inch display, 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, dual cameras and also running Android 4.1. The 80 Titanium is the lower-end play, at 8-inches with 1024x768 resolution, but the same processor, storage and software as its big brother. Both devices are certified for Google Play as well. Archos has made al...

After dealing with supply shortages , HTC has finally come forward with the availability schedule for the HTC One handset and according to the statement - the handset will go on sale in the UK ,rest of Europe and most Asian countries next week but   customers in the North American and Asia -Pacific regions will have to wait till the end of April to get their carrier based devices. Here’s the statement in full: “HTC has seen unprecedented demand for and interest in the new HTC One, and the care taken to design and build it is evidenced in early reviews. The new HTC One will roll out in the UK, Germany and Taiwan next week and across Europe, North America and most of Asia-Pacific before the end of April. We appreciate our customers’ patience, and believe that once they have the phone in their hands they will agree that it has been worth the wait.” Although the delay is not a issue ,but the supply dates lie in the path of the Galaxy S4 - which is considered to be it's main riva...

Looking for an Android-based iPad mini lookalike with a little more pizazz than the GooPadmini clone ? Meet the Onda V818 Mini. This is not a clone per se, but it does steal borrow iPad mini’s overall design and display size. All while keeping the price uber-low. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and start from the beginning. Who the fudge is Onda? To be frank, we never heard of the company before December 2012. And the most relevant Google search results for the OEM’s name send us to a Portuguese sportswear brand. Only this Onda is not Portuguese and it doesn’t sell sneakers. Instead, the company is based in China and does what nearly everyone does in Shanzhai Land, only with a little bit of extra style. In other words, you can’t really expect reliability from its gadgets, but you might just be surprised. And now let’s sink our teeth in Onda V818 Mini’s specs. The 7.9-inch IPS display is no Retina unit, but it’s not that bad either, boasting a 1,024 x 768 pixels resolutio...