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Zynga launches free Hanging With Friends Game for Android

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<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="181" mce_src="http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/1973/hangingwfriends540x302.jpg" src="http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/1973/hangingwfriends540x302.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="324" />Zynga makes some of the best game apps out there and the company has announced a new free offering that you can get on the Android Market right now called Hanging With Friends. The app is a social game twist on the traditional Hangman game that we have all played at one point. The game play has friends taking turns to create and guess words to stump other players.</div>
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The app allows the player to choose an avatar and then join in the game to see who can hang on longest. Rather than a noose, the game has the avatars with balloons in their hands. To survive to the next round the player has to guess properly and avoid losing all their balloons.</div>
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There are also strategic lifelines to help and other crucial hints in the game. There are also instant replays that let players study how the others play. The game is cross platform allowing Android users to play with iOS users. They can find other players using their existing With Friends account and use Facebook.</div>
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Zynga launches free Hanging With Friends Game for Android

Zynga makes some of the best game apps out there and the company has announced a new free offering that you can get on the Android Marke...

VLC media player for Android out soon

VLC media player for Android out soon

VLC Media Player for iPhone and iPad was one of the best apps released in 2010 for Apple's smartphone, with an Android version of the po...

What Is the iWave Media Player?

iWave Systems Technologies has been creating embedded hardware and software since 1999 and the iWave digital video-audio recorder/player is one of their products. The company is headquartered in Banglaore, India. The iWave media player is hardware that records and plays video and audio files. You can also download directly from analog and digital cameras to the recorder/player. Using hardware such as the iWave recorder/player that functions independently of a <a href="">computer</A> for storing files saves a great deal of space that would normally be taken up on a computer, as video and audio files tend to be quite large. Often, when a user attempts to download video or audio files to their computer, they find they also need to download specific software to read the file. The advantage of the iWave is that it is already capable of reading many file types. The media recorder player has four input receptacles: universal serial bus (USB) port, Camera in, storage disk (SD) card slot, and five-volt power supply port. It also has four button controls and an LCD viewing screen. The complete user guide with diagrams for the iWave can be found on their website. <a href="http://www.ehow.com/facts_7697633_iwave-media-player.html">Source</A>

What Is the iWave Media Player?

iWave Systems Technologies has been creating embedded hardware and software since 1999 and the iWave digital video-audio recorder/player is ...

Samsung to launch 4-inch Galaxy Player at CES

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/images/galaxyplayer.jpg-200-200.jpg"> Samsung is set to launch a new 4-inch screen Galaxy Player at CES 2011, according to latest reports. Samsung Hub claims that the new Galaxy Player will be unveiled in Las Vegas next week. Samsung's new Player at CES The Samsung fansite claims that the new Samsung Galaxy Player will feature a high res 4-inch LCD display with an 800 x 480 resolution. The Galaxy Player is said to be running Android 2.2, with Samsung's additional TouchWiz layer, if the screenshots shown on Samsung Hub are anything to go by. The new Galaxy Player will feature a 1GHz CPU, and feature a 3.2 megapixel camera on the back as well as a front-facing camera, all powered by a 1200mAh battery. Samsung is already said to be planning access to Android Market for the new mini Galaxy Player. Expect a lot more on Samsung's new Galaxy Player from CES 2011 in Las Vegas next week. <a href="http://www.techradar.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Source</A>

Samsung to launch 4-inch Galaxy Player at CES

Samsung is set to launch a new 4-inch screen Galaxy Player at CES 2011, according to latest reports. Samsung Hub claims that the new Galaxy...

Review: Krell S-350a CD player

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/Hi-Fi%20Choice/HFC%20341/HFC341.krell.s350_main-200-200.jpg" /> 
Krell not only epitomises the American high end, the company practically invented it: the brand is quintessentially macho, solid, muscular and aspirational, as well as being reassuringly expensive with build quality that often seems utterly, and gloriously over the top. 
The very idea of a budget Krell range is a kind of oxymoron, but even Krell is not immune to what's happening in the wider world. If ever the time was ripe for an affordable range of Krell products, the current global economic slowdown has provided the perfect opportunity. 
The real thing 
Tested here is the entry-level Krell S-350a, which is a CD-only player. The closely related S-350av adds DVD playback (upscaled to 1080p) and the claim is that it does so without compromise to CD playback performance. 
We discovered it performs as we describe below, as a CD player that is already built around a DVD mechanism. Put a DVD in the player and see for yourself. 
As a CD player, the S-350a is straightforward. It has all the usual search and repeat modes, a neat and very simple backlit LCD display and you can extract the analogue audio signal in single-ended or balanced forms, using XLR sockets on the back. 
But the player will deliver electrical digital outputs in (optical) TOSLINK or (electrical) S/PDIF form and it will also accept external digital signals, again both optical and electrical. It will even accept high-resolution signals – up to 96kHz anyway, which is the limit for the connector types used. 
<img alt="Krell s-350a cd player" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Hi-Fi%20Choice/HFC%20341/HFC341.krell.s350_connect-420-90.jpg" width="420" /> 
The player is also equipped with 12V trigger in and outputs and an RC-5 input, which can be used to integrate the player with system controllers from AMX, Crestron and the like. It's also equipped with an RS-232 socket for external comms, but there is no HDMI output and the AV version of the S-350 is limited to composite and S-video, which will hamstring the player as a high-performance video source component. 
Internally, the S-350a is well specified, with a massive power supply section and solid build quality. It is also compatible with CD-DA, CD-R/RW and MP3 CD media. Having being made outside of the USA was not used as an excuse for second-rate construction. 
Unlike previous generation Krell products, dating from their introduction in the early '80s, the S-350a is made in China, though the design comes as usual from the Krell R&D labs at Krell HQ in Connecticut. 
The player takes advantage of hardware developments that were originally introduced to service the computer market. The most obvious of these is the player's slot-loading mechanism, which is becoming increasingly common instead of the more traditional loading drawer. 
We first saw samples of Chinese made Krell components two or (perhaps) three years ago at CES – the world's largest consumer electronics shindig in Las Vegas – where we found Dan Agostino (co-founder and then CEO of Krell), with some prototypes, exuding a child-like enthusiasm about the fact that he was able to send the Chinese factory a set of drawings and circuit diagrams and within a few months receive back, as if by magic, a fully sorted and working product. 
<img alt="Krell s-350a cd player" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Hi-Fi%20Choice/HFC%20341/HFC341.krell.s350_tech-420-90.jpg" width="420" /> 
As far as we know, the products he had at the time never appeared on the market. They were tryouts. But he was clearly impressed with what was possible and the importer sent us an sample of the matching S-300 amplifier to try out with the review player, which provided the perfect opportunity to see how they would interact. 
Krell's bells 
The S-350a is shockingly heavy – the only way to explain the 11.4kg deadweight in a CD player is the inclusion of a typically Krell scale power supply with a massive torroidal transformer of a capacity more appropriate to an amplifier than a CD player – though unusually robust external metalwork is also part of the equation. No one could reasonably claim that the player is anything less than immaculately built and presented. 
As usual with Krell, the S-350a has a plethora of small control buttons, far too many to take in at a single glance, which for many will make operation using the supplied remote control more natural. But in its favour, the native control set is positive and gives good tactile feedback through the fingertips. 
The dimmable backlit LCD display is clear and uncomplicated, though it tends to switch to the negative when viewed from oblique angles. 
The player handles discs quietly and without so much as a hint of temperament, in fact, the only features we missed and would have liked to have seen were a headphone socket and, perhaps, CD Text. 
Taking all the plusses and minuses into account, including sound quality which is discussed separately, this player represents exceptional value. It is not just the most affordable way of joining the exclusive Krell owners' club, this is a player that delivers, well beyond what might have been expected. 
Even and articulate 
The S-350a was supplied for test with a sample of the matching S-300 integrated amplifier and the prognosis is unequivocal; they work brilliantly, separately and together. Both units – the CD player and the matching amplifier – achieve a very high standard, much higher, in fact, than we had anticipated. 
There are some obvious mechanical elements of the performance available from this player (and indeed the matching S-300 amplifier) that come across clearly at an early stage. The midband, for example, is very smooth, even and articulate, and essentially free of the flatness and lack of perspectives endemic with many lesser players, as well as some of Krell's early disc-playing hardware. 
By the same token, the treble sounds well integrated and highly detailed and the bass is more full-bodied than many earlier generations of Krell players. Discs are handled efficiently, with rapid track access and virtually no sound from the internal mechanism, or the spinning discs themselves. 
The additive result of these factors is that the Krell is easier to listen to for extended periods and is more believable, too. 
Overall it does a fine job of CD replay and it extracts a commitment and passion that is unusual from compact disc. Imagery is handled in an unusually three-dimensional way. Image depths are fully painted-in and the players bass is particularly deep and potent, too. 
We were particularly impressed by the way it handled such material as Mary Coughlan's Moon Over Bourbon Street, which came across with such obvious depth and such exquisite world-weariness, it was almost too much to bear. 
The top end is clean, with a convincing sense of air and space, which was shown clearly with a range of recordings, including the exquisite purity of Christianne Stotijn's mezzo in Brahms' Alto Rhapsody and Mahler's Rickert-Lieder from an Onyx album originally given away as a freebie magazine cover-mount. 
This album usually reproduces well. The difference here is that the Krell made the best of what was clearly a well-conceived recording and performance, by adding a sense of air and presence that other replay systems often fail to resolve. This is the difference between plain good sound quality and a performance (with the emphasis on that word) that causes the hairs to rise on the back of the neck. 
This album also demonstrated another element of the Krell: it's ability to create a very precisely delineated stereo soundstage, with properly fleshed-out depth and a beautifully articulated sense of scale and spaciousness. But this is certainly not limited to this one recording, or even a select group of them. 
There was a similar quality in musically unrelated material, one example from many being the album Raising Sand from the improbable combination of Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. It was even more apparent, or at least more dramatically so, with some more obviously heavy duty material, including a Signum Classics live recording (in London's Royal Festival Hall) of Schoenberg's massive oratorio Guerre-Lieder. 
The player's ability to bring off testing recordings like this without sounding excessively dense or congested, yet without loss of weight or impact, marks the S-350a out as special. 
By comparison, many other broadly comparable players tend to sound flat and are difficult to become involved in, but lack of involvement was not a factor with the Krell. 
Straightforward and practical 
The S-350a speaks for itself. This is a straightforward, practical player that supports balanced audio and is well-enough endowed to drive compact disc a long way towards the limits of the format. 
The DVD version of the player (which costs considerably more) is less convincing. Yes, the ability to upgrade the player to full DVD status is a neat trick, but it won't handle Blu-ray discs and it won't talk down an HDMI pipe, which ultimately makes this version of the player of limited value. 
The minor criticisms described elsewhere in this article – no headphone socket and no CD Text – are far outweighed by what it does and does well as a dedicated audio player. It looks as if the switch from West to East with this range has done little to upset the Krell reputation. 
 
<table class="ps-sellers-table crts"><tbody>
<tr><th class="seller-col">  </th> <th class="rating-col"> <a class="" href="">Seller rating</a> </th> <th class="condition-col"> <a class="" href="">Condition</a> </th> <th class="taxship-col"> <a class="" href="">Tax and shipping</a> </th> <th class="total-col"> <a class="" href="">Total price</a> </th> <th class="price-col"> <a class="" href="">Base price</a> </th> </tr>
<tr class="sellers-alt " id="seller0"> <td class="seller-col"> <a href="http://www.hideflifestyle.com/krell-s-350a-cd-player.html">HIDEF Lifestyle</a> </td> <td class="rating-col"> <a href="http://www.google.com/products/seller?zmi=hideflifestyle.com&q=Krell+S-350a+CD+player&hl=en&ei=lA8LTf3rCImeiwTDkqGtCg&sa=X&ved=0CAkQlQgwADgA"> </a> 43 seller ratings </td> <td class="condition-col"> New </td> <td class="taxship-col"> No tax + Free shipping </td> <td class="total-col"> $2,500.00 </td> <td class="price-col"> $2,500.00 </td> </tr>
<tr class="" id="seller1"> <td class="seller-col"> <a href="http://www.neweggmall.com/Product/2017628540/product.html">NeweggMall.com</a> </td> <td class="rating-col"> No rating </td> <td class="condition-col"> New </td> <td class="taxship-col"> </td> <td class="total-col"> </td> <td class="price-col"> $2,500.00 </td> </tr>
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Review: Krell S-350a CD player

Krell not only epitomises the American high end, the company practically invented it: the brand is quintessentially macho, solid, muscular ...

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Creative outs Android Zen Touch 2 MP3 player

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/gadgets/images/creative-zen-touch-2-200-200.jpg"/>Creative has announced the arrival of its latest MP3 player – the Android-toting Creative Zen Touch 2.The Zen Touch 2 was announced alongside the company's <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/portable-computing/hands-on-creative-ziio-tablet-review-904936">ZiiO Android tablets</a> and uses Android 2.1 to power the OS.Now, we know what you are thinking – one look at a picture of the Zen Touch 2 and it looks remarkably like a phone.It even has GPS, Bluetooth, an accelerometer, FM radio, and a microSD card slot but it hasn't got 3G connectivity or any other phone gubbins so you would look like a plank if you tried to make a call on it.It is a pretty useful PMP, though, which has been coupled with a web browser and a 2MP camera.The Creative Zen Touch 2 has a UK release date of December with pricing as follows: £149.99 (8GB with GPS), £159.99 (8GB with GPS or 16GB without GPS).<img alt="Creative wp-300" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/gadgets/images/Creative_WP-300_Left_15cm-420-90.jpg" width="420"></img>Creative has also announced it is bringing a new pair of Bluetooth headphones to market.The Creative WP-300 Bluetooth headphones are apt-X codec enabled, have a range of 10 metres, use Neodymium drivers and are said to be lightweight.Price-wise, these will be available for £89.99.<img alt="Creative t6" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/gadgets/images/Creative_T6_Satelite2-420-90.jpg" width="420"></img>Finally, Creative also showed off its new wireless audio surround sound system. Called the Creative ZiiSound T6, the setup is Bluetooth compatible uses Creative's proprietary apt-X technologies and can be made into 5.1 surround via a wired USB connection.The ZiiSound T6 has a UK release date of December and will retail at £349.99.

Creative outs Android Zen Touch 2 MP3 player

Creative has announced the arrival of its latest MP3 player – the Android-toting Creative Zen Touch 2. The Zen Touch 2 was announced alongs...