Fully Charged: Supercharged Kindle Fires on the way, a genius new GoPro app and the robot that can perform parkour

Updated GoPro app adds remote control and sharing features

GoPro users with Android or iOS devices should definitely get hold of the company’s new app, which opens up a wide range of new options for the HERO2 and HERO3 models of the action cam. Using a Wi-Fi connection (which means HERO2 users will require the Wi-Fi BacPac accessory), the app allows you to remotely control camera settings, monitor battery life and start/stop recording, as well as view footage and photos and share them via email, text, Instagram, Facebook and the like. The app is free and available from the usual places. The Windows Phone app, sadly, has yet to be updated. [Source: GoPro]

Next-gen Amazon Kindle Fire tablet “specs revealed”

Apparently Amazon is readying a trio of new Kindle Fire tablets – and they’re going to be mighty powerful. Boy Genius Report claims to have obtained details on the specs from “multiple trusted sources”, and they’re impressive. The entry-level 7in model will have a 1280 x 800 screen, replacing the existing model’s 1024 x 600 display. BGR reports that the 7in HD version will have a 1920 x 1200 screen, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, Wi-Fi and optional cellular connections and either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage. The 8.9in Kindle Fire HD will feature the same specs but a 2560 x 1600 screen and 8MP rear camera. These specs – coupled with a presumably affordable price tag – would make the Fire HD models incredibly appealing as alternatives to the iPad and Nexus 7. [Source: BGR]

Hong Kong man: Samsung Galaxy S4 burned down my house

Speaking of Fire, here’s something every gadget fan fears: the exploding smartphone. A Hong Kong man named Mr Du claims that his Samsung Galaxy S4 burst into flames in his hands, causing him to drop it onto his (clearly flammable) sofa; the resulting blaze, he says, destroyed his home and Mercedes. Mr Du had the phone plugged into a charger when the alleged incident occurred, suggesting that an exploding battery was the culprit; he says this was an official Samsung-branded battery. Samsung Hong Kong is investigating the blaze, and says chemical analysis of the site should determine whether or not it was a legit power plant or a dodgy third-party one. [Source: Xianguo via The Register]

Meet RHex, the six-legged robot able to climb walls

Does the idea of a robot that can climb frighten you? What about one that can leap through the air in order to navigate large obstacles? While such a robot doesn’t exist just yet, RHex XRL, a project in development at the University of Pennsylvania, is well on the way to becoming it. The six-legged creature can, by activating its legs in different sequences, perform double-jumps, flips and even drag itself onto ledges after leaping towards them. It’s still limited in its abilities – but how long before it breaks out of its masters’ labs and brings havoc to the world? [Source: CNET]

About

Tech journalism's answer to The Littlest Hobo, I've written for a host of titles and lived in three different countries in my 15 years-plus as a freelancer. But I've always come back home to Stuff eventually, where I specialise in writing about cameras, streaming services and being tragically addicted to Destiny.