ARCHOS set to unveil series of connected devices at CES 2014

From Connected Home to Connected Self ARCHOS is bringing a ton of new products to CES 2014

This year at CES ARCHOS plans to take the wrapping off even more connected objects for Androiddevices. With everyone looking to automate their lives and control anything they can from their devices ARCHOS has some big plans for the upcoming year. Connected Home is one of the newest things from ARCHOS and this brings a ton of features and functionality right into one place.

Whether accessing through the Android application, or a customized 7 inch tablet that they have designed to sell, you will be able to program various tasks for different scenarios. Some examples would be turning on a light, recording video, or both as soon as one of the motion sensors is triggered. ARCHOS has designed these Bluetooth Low Energy devices with some serious style and kept the size of them extremely small, so they won’t become eyesores in your home. Some of the devices they will have available will be a mini cam, movement tag, motion ball, weather tag and a smart plug.

In addition to Connected Home ARCHOS plans to unveil a Weather Station at CES which will give weather information about the indoors and outdoors. The Weather Station will be able to provide CO2 levels, humidity, temperature, atmospheric pressure levels and much more.

To make the leap into the personal fitness space ARCHOS has planned a few new connected health devices as well. As a brain to all their fitness stuff they will have a Connected Self Application which all the accessories will report information to. With a blood pressure monitor, connected scale and an activity tracker ARCHOS hopes that you will go all in with their systems.

With CES just a week away it won’t be long until we get to check all of these out for ourselves, so stay tuned for more information right from the show floor!

ARCHOS Unveils Complete Selection of Connected Objects during CES 2014

Industry’s most comprehensive ecosystem of connected devices for home and self on display at Central Hall Booth 9844

Denver – December 30, 2013 – ARCHOS, a pioneer in Android™ devices, invites you to stay connected anywhere and everywhere with the industry’s most comprehensive selection of connected objects for home and self, including a weather station, home camera, activity tracker, blood pressure monitor, smartwatches and more.

Capitalizing on the company’s extensive experience on mobile devices and Android, ARCHOS’ selection of well-designed connected objects offers an affordable solution aimed at enhancing connectivity at home and improving personal health and well-being.

ARCHOS connected objects are compatible with both Android and iOS platforms, provide real time information monitoring from anywhere and utilize Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity to ensure extended use without the need of recharging. Completely wireless and easy to pair, ARCHOS connected objects are miniaturized and styled to blend into your home environment.

“Mobile devices have become the center of our life and our demand for instant access to information creates the need for even more interconnectivity,” says Loic Poirier, CEO of ARCHOS.  “ARCHOS’ new lineup of connected objects exemplifies the ability to share and access information and represents our vision of creating a universe where all devices complement and work together.”

ARCHOS Connected Home

Accessing the ecosystem from anywhere in the world and from any iOS or Android platform, users can retrieve data or command actions using the ARCHOS Smart Home App or the custom-designed Smart Home Tablet – a unique gateway that combines Android with multiple connected objects.  ARCHOS’ proprietary app and 7” home gateway give users the ability to customize actions based on different scenarios or triggers such as turning on the light and recording video as soon as a motion sensor is activated.

Archos approach to this new solution is based on key principles such as sleek design and small accessories (the cam is the size of a pin pong ball), use of Bluetooth Low Energy for long lasting battery life, easy set-up of each connected objects and easy pairing with the Home Gateway and user’s phones or tablets.

ARCHOS’ ecosystem of Connected Home Objects, including a mini cam, motion ball, movement tag, weather tag and smart plug, adhere to the tenet that innovative solutions should be easy to use, unobtrusive and efficient.

 

 ARCHOS will also unveil a Weather Station during CES 2014.  The ARCHOS Weather Station provides both indoor and outdoor information including CO2 levels, humidity, temperature, atmospheric pressure and environmental noise levels.  Similar to the Smart Home App, a proprietary Weather Station app will showcase home and national weather information while recording, tracking and graphing all data for historic comparison and analysis.

ARCHOS Connected Self

The ARCHOS Connected Self App will serve as the backbone application for all connected self devices and will provide key metrics for quick health assessment, display graphs to track activity over time and enable up to 8 different users to set goals to increase motivation.  ARCHOS’ selection of Connected Self products on display during CES 2014 include:

ARCHOS Connected Scale – this elegant scale recognizes 4 difference users, measures body shape based on mass and height, tracks body fat mass to help users lose weight intelligently and is equipped with onboard memory to prevent data loss between synchronizations.

ARCHOS Activity Tracker –  this stylish activity tracker monitors daily footsteps, calories burned and automatically displays time when synchronized with a smartphone.  Recharges using USB connector and is equipped with a battery life of up to 7 days.

ARCHOS Blood Pressure Monitor – Easy and quick to use blood pressure monitor equipped with memory for over 40 different measurements also displays heart beat information.  Comes with irregular heart beat detector and can filter data by time period (morning, day, night).

ARCHOS’ entire selection of connected objects will be on display during CES 2014 at Central Hall Booth 9844.  ARCHOS will also be unveiling a selection of smartwatches starting at under $50.  ARCHOS smartwatches embrace simplicity and function, feature a pebble-like design and will be compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

For more information about ARCHOS and its entire selection of Connected Devices, visit us during CES 2014 at Central Hall Booth 9844 or at www.ARCHOS.com

About ARCHOS

ARCHOS, a pioneer in the portable audio and video player market, and now specializing in Android Tablets and Smartphones, has repeatedly revolutionized the market for consumer electronics since 1988. Today, ARCHOS offers its own line of Android Tablets and Smartphones, as well as a full line of OEM devices. In 2000, ARCHOS launched the Jukebox 6000, the first MP3 player combined with a hard disk. In 2008, ARCHOS launched the first generation Internet Tablets, and then the first ever Android powered tablets in 2009. In 2013, ARCHOS launched its first generation of Smartphones with the ARCHOS Platinum series. ARCHOS has offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. ARCHOS is quoted on Compartment C of Eurolist, Euronext Paris, ISIN CodeFR0000182479. Website: www.archos.com.

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Editors' top accessories: Jerry's picks for 2013

A few things to make your Android experience even better

Everyone loves accessories for their Android phone or tablet. Maybe you need a case because you know you're going to abuse your new phone a little bit, or just want to try a different look. Or maybe you want some headphones or a speaker to get better sound from the little gadget that holds your music (or music subscription). Or, you found the perfect gadget to compliment your Android, and just had to have it.

We get it. Accessories for portable electronics are a huge business, and just about anything you can think of is out there waiting for you to buy it. We get a chance to look at a lot of them throughout the year, and each of us listed a few that we thought were standouts. Jump past the break and have a look at what I thought were the best accessories of the year.

Galaxy S4 S View cover

I’m not a big case guy, but I do worry about scratching the big piece of glass on the front of my phone. I also loathe screen protectors and the plasticky feel they usually impart to the touch screen, so I’m all-in when i can buy a flip cover style case for my phone or tablet. Having one that lets me check the time or swipe to answer a call is an added bonus.

• Buy the Galaxy S4 S View cover ($44.95)

Motorheadphones

I like my headphones loud and big, so the Motorizer over-the-ear set is a perfect fit for me. Tuned for clarity in the mid-range and treble, they make my kind of music scream very nicely into my ears, and being endorsed by Lemmy is icing on the cake. Extra touches like removable braided cords and call / volume controls on the short cord are also a big plus. Besides, they come with a Motorhead sticker!

• Buy the Motorizer over-the-ear Headphones ($126.95)

Incipio FIXIE Universal Tablet Stand

Want to know a super-serious blogger secret? Tablets and big phones are horrible to take pictures of without getting lens distortion. You have to try and hold things just so, and get just the right settings or you come out with a picture that’s not even close to rectangular. That’s why I picked up one of these FIXIE stands, but I’ve found myself using it every day, too.

Your tablet sits at any angle you can imagine right on your desk, easy to reach and easy to use. The FIXIE stand is one of those products that makes you wonder how you ever got along without it.

• Buy the Incipio FIXIE Tablet Stand ($34.95)

Motorola TX550 SonicRider Wireless In-Car Speakerphone

This was a happy accident. I switched cars, and needed a Bluetooth speaker. Target had a damaged box Sonic Rider from Motorola in the clearance bin, and I jumped on it. I’m really pleased with it, and glad that I did.

It pairs with two devices, recharges fast, lasts what seems like forever on a charge and most importantly is crisp and clear sounding to both parties. If you’re looking for an inexpensive Bluetooth speakerphone, give it a shot.

• Buy the Motorola SonicRider Speakerphone ($54.95)

Arkon Smartphone Grip Tripod Adapter

Inexpensive, adjustable for most “normal” phones (up to 5-inches or so) and works great. That’s how I would describe this Arkon tripod adaptor. It holds your phone steady, is small and stays out of the way of the controls, and attaches to any standard tripod.

Nine times out of ten, when I’m going to dig out the tripod, I’ll be using a “real” camera. But that tenth time, when i want to use a smartphone, the Arkon tripod adapter is exactly what I’m looking for.

Protip: Paired with a Gorillapod in your gear bag makes sure you’ll be able to grab a decent picture anytime, of anything.

• Buy the ARKON Smartphone Tripod Adapter ($9.94)

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Belkin releases an all new Miracast Video Adapter

Take content from your device to your TV with Belkin's new adapter

Belkin has just announced a brand new Miracast Video Adapter.  The adapter, the manufacturer claims, will allow you to stream content from your Android smartphone to your HDTV with virtually no setup. To get up and running all you will need to do is plug the new device in the back of the TV and start streaming from a supported device.

Features of the new unit, the F7D7501, include —

• Mirrors smartphone screen onto HDTV to wirelessly display content
• Full 1080p HD resolution for a full, rich picture
• Plug-and-play installation and setup, connects directly to HDMI port
• Small, compact design keeps it hidden in use
• Compatible with Android devices running Android 4.2.x or higher

The Belkin Miracast Video Adapter is available now, priced at $79.99, and Belkin will be hoping it'll fare better than competing Miracast adapters. Will you be purchasing one of these for yourself or a loved one? Shout out in the comments.

Source: Belkin

Press Release

Miracast Wirelessly Displays Video from Android Phones Directly to an HDTV

Playa Vista, Calif. – December 11, 2013 – Belkin, creator of people-inspired technology products, today announced its new Miracast Video Adapter, a small HDMI dongle that wirelessly displays content from an Android phone directly to an HDTV. Miracast mirrors the screen of your Android smartphone, enabling you to enjoy any of your phone’s content, including movies, TV shows, video clips, photos, games or apps, in full HD with plug-and-play simplicity and without messy cables.

"With so much of our lives embedded in our mobile devices, it’s only natural that people are looking for more ways to share content from their smartphones with family and friends, said Mike Chen, vice president of Belkin’s networking division. "Miracast makes it easy to share rich content, in full 1080p resolution, on your large HDTV so you aren’t crowded around a tiny screen.”

With a compact, low profile the Belkin Miracast Adapter tucks neatly out of the way while in use and is easily transportable for sharing content on-the-go. It plugs directly into the HDMI port of any HDTV and uses a small USB cord connected to the TV’s USB port for power. For TVs with hard to reach HDMI ports, The Miracast Adapter also comes with an extension cable for easier attachment.

Belkin Miracast Video Adapter (F7D7501)

• Mirrors smartphone screen onto HDTV to wirelessly display movies, photos, games or apps
• Full 1080p HD resolution for a full, rich picture
• Plug-and-play installation and setup; dongle plugs directly into TV’s HDMI port
• Small, compact design keeps it hidden in use

Compatibility
Miracast works natively with Android devices running Android 4.2.X or higher, including the Samsung Galaxy S3/S4, Galaxy Note 2 and 3, HTC One, Google Nexus 4/5 and Kindle Fire HDX. Full device compatibility is listed here or check with your device manufacturer.

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Nokia patent trial ends with ban of HTC Android device sales in Germany

HTC to appeal decision as Google works to invalidate the patent altogether

Nokia has snagged yet another patent victory against HTC in German court today. Following a trial hoping to prove that HTC's Android-powered phones infringed Nokia's patent for transferring data over NFC or Bluetooth (that'd be Android Beam), Nokia walks away with a complete sales ban of all of the Taiwanese company's products in Germany. Nokia is not required to license patent EP1148681 as it isn't required for basic functions of the phone, but we can think Nokia would be willing to accept some money to stop further bans. 

Understanding that Nokia's litigious efforts may be of harm to the entire Android ecosystem, Google has been working to invalidate the patent to keep these kinds of bans from happening. Additionally, rumor has it that Motorola and Nokia are in talks to license the patent in the meantime. As we would all expect,HTC will be appealing the ruling to try and put its devices back on sale in one of the most important European markets.

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Sony QX-series camera cases for Xperia Z Ultra unveiled

Lens camera cases for Z Ultra coming to Hong Kong in January

When Sony announces its QX10 and QX100 "lens camera" attachments for smartphones, it also debuted special attachment cases for the Xperia Z and Z1, allowing the accessories to be easily clipped to the back of the device. Now it seems there's one in the works for the 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra too, as evidenced by reports from Engadget Chinese. The lens camera case for Sony's largest smartphone comes in black and white versions and will sell for HK$238 (around $30) when it launches in Hong Kong next month, the site reports.

Since the dimensions are the same, it's likely the case will also fit the Google Play edition Z Ultra, though there's no word on international availability just yet

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2020: My Country Review - Build a futuristic city on Windows 8

A few months back, Windows Phone Central revealed that Game Insight would be releasing a sequel toMy Country on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. The California/Russia-based publisher couldn’t announce a release date at that time, but at least we knew that 2020: My Country would be their next game for mobile Windows platforms.

At last, 2020: My Country is here on Windows 8 (but not RT); the Windows Phone version should follow shortly.

Like the first My Country, 2020 is a complex and comprehensive city simulation game. Think closer toSim City than Kingdoms & Lords. This one takes things into the near future, throwing a few sci-fi elements into the mix. It’s still free to play, which has its ups and downs.  Read on for our review on this new Windows 8 game.

City founder

After launching the game, players are thrust directly into a tutorial - no title screens here. You begin with a small section of city to call your own. The player’s first order of business is to construct an office building. Everything takes real-time to build, but spending a little energy causes tasks to finish instantly. You shouldn’t run out of energy during the tutorial phase, so just hurry things along.

After erecting the building, you’ll need to hire an entrepreneur to run the place. But you can’t just hire a building manager outright. First you’ll need to collect a handful of resources that the professional will need – in this case, a cell phone, briefcase, and folder. To get these and other items, just hop over to one of your other buildings and complete a task. Materials randomly drop after finishing these short tasks, so you might need to repeat the process a few times until you get the goods.

After hiring a professional to run the building, players can then select contracts for the business to work on. Initially you’ll have only one contract duration to choose from, but raising a business’s star rating will unlock longer and higher paying contracts. Whenever the contract wraps up, collect the money it produces and start a new one.

Making money and progress

Other types of edifices such as residential buildings just produce money on their own schedules with no need to choose a contract. After reaching level 6 (the end of the tutorial), players can perform short tasks at any building at any time in hopes of finding materials – or just to earn extra money. Collecting money from any building also causes a VTOL aircraft to come along and drop XP and more money for the picking.

Perform a building’s tasks enough times to raise the place’s star rating and earn a free spin at the upgrade wheel. Depending on where the wheel lands, players can win upgrades to the location’s money production or environmental rating, and even free money, energy, and premium game dollars. Or you might get unlucky and not win anything. The wheel minigame provides a fun little reward for leveling up a town’s buildings.

Like other city builder games, players always have one or more missions to work on. Some involve erecting new businesses or houses, while others might have you purchase upgrades for buildings or clear out space for future developments. Standard stuff, but cute animations like people rushing to a store or celebrating with fireworks instill more personality than you might expect. Events like UFO crashes, fires, and floods also keep things lively while giving players more things to do.

Social features

Let’s face it. There is no point in pouring countless hours of your life into a city building game unless your friends can see what you’ve built. Luckily 2020 does not disappoint in that all-important area. The game allows you to build a friends list from both Game Insight’s servers and Facebook.

I believe that makes the social features platform agnostic, so Windows, iOS, and Android players should all be able to interact with each other. The only catch is they actually have to accept your invites before you can visit them. Speaking of which, send me a friend request if you're playing! My username is EastX.

Upon visiting a friend’s country and remarking at how much nicer yours is than hers, you can also interact with your friend’s buildings. Each time you select one, both you and your friend will gain money or XP for your trouble. You’ll also get social points, which contribute towards unlocking unique goodies for your town.

Finally, players can send one gift per day to each of their friends. Daily gifts include materials and even professional workers, all of which are quite handy. Get a few friends to play and you’ll have an easier time of things.

Graphics and performance

2020 gives players so many things to do and systems to manage that it can get confusing at times, especially early on. The Windows 8 version makes things more confusing than necessary with tiny text and icons that are spread much too far apart. I expect things probably look right on low-resolution screens like the Dell Venue 8 Pro’s, but definitely not on my notebook's 1080P display.

The previous My Country on Windows 8 was also poorly optimized for high resolution displays, and things haven’t improved here. The tiny text and icons are particularly strange because the iPad version (which also runs at a beefy resolution) has adequately sized UI elements. Why not scale them properly on Windows 8 too?

On the other hand, the game does have a few graphical options that will allow it to run better on low-end hardware. You can adjust the pedestrian density from high to low to off, and even turn buildings completely off. Doing the latter will replace buildings with colored panels, which can also be handy just for taking stock of your country or cutting down on clutter. In short, 2020 should be perfectly playable on the more affordable Windows 8 tablets.

Currencies and energy

The currency and In-App Purchase (IAP) systems could also lead to player dismay. 2020 has too many currencies going on for its own good: game dollars, country bucks, gold coins, reputation, and energy. Country bucks are the main premium currency; you can buy game dollars, gold coins, and energy with them. I still don’t know what gold coins do...

Most processes in the game require energy to perform, whether it’s the actions that buildings offer, constructing a business, or speeding up a process’s completion time. The energy mechanic doesn’t annoy too greatly except for when you’re trying to earn a rare material from a building. You might have to perform a building’s action ten or more times to find the part you need, which can easily drain more energy than your meter holds. In those instances, it might be tempting to just buy the rare item with country bucks.

Wish list

One of the most important features in free-to-play games with In-App Purchases is undoubtedly cloud save support. Nobody wants to pour money into a game only to lose all of their progress when they switch devices or whatever. Sadly, 2020 has no cloud save support. A game like this would be great to play on multiple devices - phone, tablet, and PC. Keeping the user's save data on the device and nowhere else really cuts into the potential to enjoy the game anywhere. Game Insight needs to get onboard with cloud saves and never look back.

Unlike the first game, 2020 does not support Windows RT. Hopefully Game Insight plans to provide RT compatibility in the future. We'll check with them.

Overall Impression

There are about a million city building games out there on phones and tablets. Each game needs a little something to grab players’ attention, and then something to hold onto it and keep them playing. The last genre entry I reviewed, Kingdoms & Lords, accomplished the first part with its PVP battle system. But it totally dropped the ball at long term play value; there just wasn’t enough game there.

2020: My Country first stands out by offering a more fully-developed simulation than typical mobile games. It also packs a ton of content, with numerous missions, buildings, and ways to interact with those buildings. Like all of these games, you’ll need to be able to stomach the time mechanics in order to enjoy this one past the tutorial phase. Perhaps that’s fitting – you can’t build Rome in a day, even in the year 2020.

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Autocar India comes to Windows Phone, Automobile enthusiasts rejoice

Vrooom! Autocar India, one of the top auto magazines in India, arrived on Windows Phone this month. The app brings latest automotive news, comprehensive reviews, videos, and exclusive photo galleries. Autocar India is the Indian edition of popular weekly British automobile magazine, Autocar - The world's oldest car magazine.

Autocar packs a lot of content and multimedia, and has some neat features as well. While you can obviously share each article, photo, or blog post via Windows Phone’s share functionality, the app also has a fine Live Tile which shows the latest headline from Autocar India.

The app features several interesting sections like a quiz, some trivia, and a directory. There’s an ‘Ask Autocar’ section where you can submit automobile questions for the Autocar team to respond. The app also lists helpline numbers of all automobile companies in major cities which can be clicked to call from within the app.

Autocar India app has a nifty utility called My Car Diary. My Car Diary is a personal scrapbook where you can add details about your car, set alerts for insurance premium reminders, and save pictures

If you are an automobile fan, Autocar India is a must download, and a maybe a pin to your Home screen. Grab it free from the Windows Phone Store for Windows Phone 7.x and Windows Phone 8 for your daily dose of automotive dope on the go.

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4Blend HDR, a high dynamic photography option for Windows Phone 8

4Blend HDR is the latest Windows Phone 8 photo app to enter the HDR ring.  The app has a simple layout, several filter options beyond the basic HDR, and taps into the Nokia Imaging SDK.

HDR, short for High Dynamic Range, photography is a process where multiple images are taken of the same subject at varying exposure values.  These images are then stacked on top of one another to offer a greater range of tonal detail.  HDR images seems to have a little more pop, sometimes in dramatic fashion.

4Blend HDR does a nice job of adding a creative flair to your Windows Phone photography but there is a little fine-tuning needed before 4Blend HDR can shine.

When you first launch 4Blend HDR, a series of introductory screens will appear to walk you through the app.  Once you swipe through the intro screen (or just tap the Back button to skip), the app’s viewfinder will appear.  The viewfinder has your filter choices running along the left side, your camera/HDR settings along the top and your shutter button resting on the right side of the viewfinder.

4Blend HDR Viewfinder

There is a three-dot menu that will give you option to access to 4Blend’s settings, to toggle between the rear and front cameras, view the intro screens, and to send feedback to the developer.  Settings allow you to save all the pictures taken to build the HDR image, turn on the capture after manual focus feature, turn on/off the Rule of Thirds grid, and set the microphone sensitivity (for voice commands).

Filters include Basic HDR, Color Boost, Cartoon, Sketch, Milky, Auto Levels, Blur, Lomo, Sepia, Solarize, Stamp, Negative, Contrast, Brightness, Temperature, Tint and Red.  Just tap and highlight the thumbnail to choose the filter.  Filters can be stacked for added effect.  Just be careful, the highlight is a faint gray that does not stand out much.  It is easy to stack filters by mistake.

4Blend HDR's ISO Settings Wheels

4Blend HDR captures three images at varying exposure settings then stacks them to make one image.  You can control some of the camera settings from the top of the viewfinder.  Camera settings include:

• Gamma
• Focus
• ISO
• Shutter Speed
• Exposure Compensation

You also have a voice command option that when enabled will let you activate the shutter by voice.  There is not a specific command to take a picture and I did find that background noises would activate the shutter from time to time.  It is a nice concept just needs a specific trigger word to avoid accidentally triggering the shutter.

When you tap on a setting to adjust, a pinwheel will appear (much like what we see with Nokia Camera) to make your adjustments by.  The ISO, Shutter Speed and Exposure Compensation will have three pinwheels, one for each image captured.

4Blend HDR Handheld Photo Sample - Alignment issues

When you press the physical shutter button or the on-screen shutter button, 4Blend HDR will caution you to hold the camera steady and will then capture the images.  As with any of the HDR photo apps, we recommend using a tripod to avoid any camera movements.  Keep in mind that part of the imaging process includes aligning the separate photos.  While you can use 4Blend HDR handheld, without a tripod, any slight movement can screw this alignment up and foul up your final image.

Once the images are taken and the processing complete you can review your image with the options to delete or share the final image.  When you are ready to capture another image, tap the back button to pull up the viewfinder.

4Blend HDR Photo Sample

4Blend HDR lacks the ability to set the image resolution with the final image sized at 3072 x 1728 pixels at 96 dpi.  Image quality was nice but you will probably need to tweak the HDR settings a little to get that HDR pop.  Maxing out the Gamma setting created some dramatic effects and the filters definitely give 4Blend HDR a creative touch.  I would not mind seeing a little boost in contrast in the final product but you can always increase the contrast with a little post-processing.

4Blend HDR Gamma Setting to the Max

While 4Blend HDR makes a nice impression, a few issues hold this app back.  For starters, a stability issue causes the app to crash when first launched.  You also have a bug that hampers any other camera app from launching smoothly after you use 4Blend HDR.  Until these glitches can be ironed out, patience is the key to using 4Blend HDR.

I also would not mind seeing the filter selection highlights being more noticeable and hidden when not needed.  The viewfinder is a little on the cluttered side that gives you a 4:3 aspect ratio view.  The image is captured at 16:9 ratio and the clutter makes it tough to frame your picture with any accuracy.

4Blend HDR Photo Samples - Stacked Filters

4Blend HDR definitely has potential but just needs a little work.  HDR imaging apps can be challenging to develop and we have seen our share of these apps needing a few updates after the initial launch to start hitting on all cylinders.  In discussing the app with the developer, they are currently working on updates to improve stability that should pass certification any day. It is our understanding that additional updates are in the works to fine-tune and add new features to 4Blend HDR.

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