Sony’s upcoming Sound Bars and A/V receivers feature Google Cast functionality, launching this May

Hot on the heels of Sony’s 4K Ultra HDTV announcement, the manufacturer is following up with a few new details on their upcoming 2015 soundbars and A/V receivers. While not normally Android-related news, a couple of Sony’s new soundbars (along with both of their new A/V receivers) feature Google Cast technology built right in, meaning you can “cast” any audio streams from apps like Google Play Music straight to the speakers themselves.

Here are the new soundbars and A/V receivers launching in May and July:

Sony Sound Bars

• HT-ST9 (July) ,500 – Comes with a wireless subwoofer and features 800 watts and 7.1 channel surround sound from seven amplifiers and nine speakers and a wireless, front-firing subwoofer with passive radiator. There are 3 HDMI inputs along with Bluetooth reception and transmission so you can enjoy music/movies with your Bluetooth headphones. Sony’s LDAC technology provides enhanced wireless listening for all music with compatible products. Sound was tuned by Academy Award-winning Sony Pictures engineers and is Hi-Res capable. Also supports Google Cast and Spotify Connect.


• HT-NT3 (July) 0 – Hi-Res Sound Bar with 2.1 channel audio and wireless subwoofer with 450 watts of power. Also incorporates Sony LDAC technology, single HDMI connection with 3 HDMI inputs, and audio streaming with Bluetooth and NFC connections. Google Cast ready.


• HT-CT780 (May) 0 – 330 watt 2.1 Sound Bar with wireless subwoofer and wall-mount. Features 3 HDMI inputs with one supporting 4K with HDCP 2.2, HDMI TV connectivity with Audio Return Channel support.


• HT-CT380 (May) 0 – 300 watt 2.1 Sound Bar with wireless subwoofer and Bluetooth/NFC support. Like the CT780, it can also be mounted on the wall.

Sony A/V Receivers

• STR-DN860 (May) 0 – Hi-Res Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver offers 7.2 channels and 165 watts of power per channel. Also comes with 4K resolution upscaling and pass-through, flexible connectivity with ten HD inputs, support for two separate powered zones, and hi-res audio compatibility. Wireless connectivity includes streaming of music with built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth reception and transmission, along with support for Google Cast, Apple AirPlay, and Spotify Connect.


• STR-DN1060 (May) 0 – 7.2 channel Hi-Res Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver offers 7.2 channels and 150 watts of power, Wi-Fi music streaming, Bluetooth reception and transmission, Google Cast for Audio and Apple AirPlay. Adjust settings, change inputs, and confirm volume levels on-screen using graphical user interface, refined remote control, or SongPal App.

In case you missed it, we wanted to remind you that of Sony’s 4 soundbars, only the HT-ST9 and HT-NT3 feature Google Cast functionality, as well as both of their new receivers. If home audio is your thing, Sony’s new products should be an interesting prospect.

[Press Release]

Sony’s upcoming 4K Ultra HDTVs powered by Android TV available for pre-order, launching this May

Sony is officially announcing pricing and availability of their upcoming 4K Ultra HD televisions powered by Android TV. We got a look at one of these models — the X900C — during CES 2015 a few months back with its ultra-thin profile. It was definitely slim up at the top, but not the bottom half where all the television’s components were. Still, we were mostly impressed by what we saw (even if Android TV didn’t take advantage of all those pixels).

All of the 2015 televisions come equipped with Sony’s new “4K Processor X1″ on the computing side of things and although they run Android TV, Sony has added some of their own software features on top. The TVs also include future compatibility with PlayStation Now for the streaming of select PlayStation 3 games using a DualShock 4 controller for input.

There are 6 total new 4K Ultra HDTV models, but only 4 of them going up for pre-order starting today. Here’s what we’re looking at:

Sony 4K Ultra HDTV

X830C (May)

• 43-inch: ,300


• 49-inch: ,600

X850C (May)

• 55-inch: ,200


• 65-inch: ,500


• 75-inch: ,000

X930C (May)

• 65-inch: ,500

X940 (May)

• 75-inch: ,000

X900C (this summer)

• 55-inch: TBA


• 65-inch: TBA

X910C (this summer)

• 75-inch: TBA

Once again, the Sony’s new 4K Android TV-powered televisions — along with their 2K TVs as well (R510C, W800C, W850C) — are up for pre-order starting today, with the exception of the X900C and X910C. Should you feel like waiting a bit, you’ll be able to purchase the televisions online in May at the Sony Store, Amazon, Best Buy or other authorized dealers across the country.

Keep in mind if you opt for one of Sony’s lower resolution 2K televisions, only the W850C and W800C series feature Android TV, the R510C does not. Check out our hands-on of the X900C down below.

[Sony]

OnePlus will be launching not one, but two phones this year

OnePlus One, the manufacturer that people love to hate, is set to have a big year. We’ve heard plenty of rumors about the upcoming OnePlus Two, but two could have a new meaning in 2015. Bloomberg paid a visit to OnePlus HQ and got some juicy details about their plans.

The report states that OnePlus will launch two phones in 2015. The OnePlus Two is set to launch in the third quarter, while a another cheaper model will follow later this year. What started as a company with just 6 employees has now ballooned to over 1,000 employees. Hopefully the extra employees will ensure a smoother rollout for this year. OnePlus can not have a repeat of what happened with the OnePlus One.

Would you buy another device from OnePlus?

YotaPhone 2 with E Ink back launching in the US via Indiegogo, price drops in UK with new white color option

The dual-display YotaPhone 2 was one of the surprise showstoppers during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. We got a hands on with the phone and loved not only its sleek minimal stylings, but its unique E Ink back. Sure, the back display was a little more clumsy in real-world use than we had anticipated, but overall we felt like it was a fresh idea and something more interesting than the higher core count most Android devices are boasting nowadays.

Today, the folks at Yota Devices are announcing a price drop for the device in the UK — now only £440 — and the introduction of an all new white color option with inverted E Ink back to match. What’s more is the YotaPhone 2 is just about ready for its US launch, well, only if it can raise enough funding through an Indiegogo campaign kicking off this July. We still don’t know how much they’ll be looking for, or once funded, how much longer it can take before the device is finally available to US buyers with support for our unique carrier bands.

It’s clear Yota Devices needs to act fast. This year we’ve seen some near perfect Android devices and when pitted against the YotaPhone 2 — with its aging hardware specs — the Russian smartphone could find itself left behind in the dust.

[YotaPhone 2 (white) | via The Verge]

ASUS ZenFone 2 officially launching in the US starting tomorrow

It’s been quite a few months since we first saw the ASUS ZenFone 2 officially unveiled at CES 2015 earlier this year. Today, ASUS unveiled the phone again, but this time they were finally ready to talk about availability. Starting tomorrow, May 19th, the ASUS ZenFone 2 will officially be available to order from major online retailers in the US and Canada, starting at 0.

If you’re looking for something a little higher-end than the 0 base model, ASUS will also has the nicely equipped 0 model which comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB internal storage, and a 13MP camera. The phone also comes in a plethora of colors — red, black, gray and silver — with weird (but very cool) 3D patterns.

It’s pretty much the best value in mobile hardware we’ve ever seen and easily undercuts the competition like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge which will run over ,000 for a similarly equipped model. The unlocked North American version of the ASUS ZenFone 2 will be available at fine retailers like Amazon, B&H, Groupon, and Newegg. Who’s buying?

HTC Aero looks to be the company’s new hero device launching later this year

Earlier this month, HTC chairwoman and CEO Cher Wang spoke during with investors during a general shareholder’s meeting about the company’s lackluster performance during the previous quarter. It was there she made mention of a new hero device her company would release at toward the end of the year, but didn’t provide any details. Of course, this sparked our interest as HTC fans who loved last year’s HTC One M8, but felt the recently released HTC One M9 missed the mark.

If recent tweets from former tipster @evleaks (Evan Blass) are any clue, this device could be known internally as the HTC Aero. Blass mentioned the phone — which is allegedly launching in Q4 — earlier this week in a tweet to Android developer LlabTooFeR ‏who provided new launch details on the HTC One M9+ (coming to European markets in Q3). @Upleaks seemed to confirm its existence and possibly that it will carry a Snapdragon 820 SoC.

And that’s where the trail runs cold. With knowledge of this new HTC hero device out there, we imagine it wont be too much longer before the leaks begin to follow. For now we can only sit and wonder what the future holds for HTC and with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and possibly a pair of Nexus devices set to launch later this year, they’ll certainly have their work cut out for them.

The Walking Dead: Michonne mini-series launching this fall

E3 is kicking off today with a series of announcements from big name video game publishers and if you keep an ear out, you’ll even find some mobile related news coming out of the show. In fact, Telltale Games announced a new Walking Dead title on their blog this afternoon. The new mini-series — The Walking Dead: Michonne — spans across 3 episodes taking place between issues #126 – #139 and centers on everyone’s favorite sword-wielding bad ass.

Telltale isn’t revealing too many specifics, only mentioning that the side-story will be launching this fall on all current and previous generation consoles (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, and PC), as well as iOS and Android. Oh, and something about requiring at least the first episode of The Walking Dead: Season Two in order to play the Michonne story.

Telltale Games CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Bruner had this to say:

“Michonne’s complexity and range make her an ideal lead for the compelling interactive drama fans have come to expect from Telltale. With this mini-series, players will experience Michonne’s challenges first-hand, and the choices they make will shape her journey.”

We’ll keep you  posted as we learn more.