Flipboard launches direct sharing on iOS, makes magazines from your friends’ suggestions
If you’ve ever stumbled across a Flipboard article that you just had to share with the world, you’ll want to grab the iOS app’s latest update. The new version lets you share articles directly from the app, delivering notifications to friends if they’re already Flipboard readers. All shared articles now show up in a central area, and you can turn this list into a magazine if your friends have impeccable taste. Flipboard hasn’t said when Android and Windows users will get to spread the literary wealth, but we’d expect a corresponding app upgrade before long.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile
Via: Inside Flipboard
Source: App Store
Apple Forced to Change Refund Policy Under Australian Consumer Law [Mac Blog]
Apple is being forced to change its refund policy to fit under Australian consumer law after it was found to be lying to consumers about what they were entitled to by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Apple and its suppliers told Australian consumers they were only entitled to what Apple wanted to offer them when products failed, rather than what they should have been entitled to under Australia’s new consumer laws.
Under Australian consumer protection law, Apple is required to provide either a full refund or replacement for products with “major failure” and to offer free repairs, refunds or replacements for products with “minor faults”. Apple is also responsible for non-Apple products sold in Australian Apple Stores. Apple’s warranty practices and AppleCare packages must offer services in addition to Australian consumer law, rather than replacing them.
Instead, the ACCC found that Apple was telling Australian consumers they were only entitled to a full refund if the product was returned within two weeks rather than the two years under Australian law. Apple was also apparently telling consumers they could only get a full refund or replacement on products within a year of purchase, rather than two years. Finally, Apple was saying it was not responsible for non-Apple products they sold and only offered store credit rather than full refunds or replacements.
In response, Apple will start reassessing all claims about faulty products purchased over the past two years starting on January 6, and will provide customers with new warranty benefits once reviewed. The older claims will take 90 days to review, with the ACCC potentially taking further action if Apple does not follow through. In addition, Apple will publish a note on its website detailing Australian consumer rights and stock ACCC consumer rights brochures in their retail stores. They will also retrain its staff and resellers.
Apple has run into trouble with its warranty practices in the past. In March, Apple adjusted its policies to fit under Australian consumer law as well. Apple has also faced fines over AppleCare practices in Italy and lawsuits from other countries in the European Union.
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The ManDroid Show: Galaxy S5 in Two Variants and Eye Scanner? Oppo Find 7 to Have 2k Display!
It is time for that MaDroid Show madness that you crave. Well hopefully you crave it at least. Galaxy S5 is on the rumor mill again, and it looks like Samsung has taken a page out of Apple’s book. It’s a pretty smart idea though. Oppo Find 7 is getting a leg up on the competition when it comes to screen quality, but I am sure the rest of the flagships will follow. Enjoy the show!
News Topics
Galaxy S5 rumors
Oppo Find 7 to have 2k display
Padfone X shows up in benchmarks
Xbox 360 Time Warner Cable app finally gets video-on-demand
It’s been a long wait for Xbox 360-faithful wanting Time Warner Cable video-on-demand through their console, but the feature has finally arrived with some 5,000 promised titles (there’s good news for Roku users too, where TWC TV has added VOD to go along with that new YouTube app). If you somehow still aren’t entertained, well maybe chatting with other TWC customers via the app’s messaging feature will do the trick. This seems a tad redundant when the 360′s native messaging client is a few button presses away, but we dig having another way to spoil the latest New Girl for our pals.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Xbox Wire
Dish and Sprint to trial fixed LTE broadband in Texas
Dish may already be testing wireless broadband in Virginia, but it’s not content to stop there. The TV provider has just partnered with Sprint on an upcoming trial of fixed LTE service in Corpus Christi, Texas. Both companies are shy on details, although they expect to use both indoor and outdoor routers when the test run begins in mid-2014. Service will expand to more areas in the future, although Dish and Sprint aren’t being more specific; we’ve reached out for further details. Whatever they do next, the experiment is good news for those who want more (or at least faster) rural broadband in the US.
Filed under: Wireless, Networking, Internet, Sprint
Source: Dish
Kindle for Android adds Collections to help organize your e-library
If you’ve bought quite a library of Kindle books for yourself, you might have a chore scrolling through the lot to find the one you want. Thankfully for Android users, you can now organize your reading material into Collections with a new Kindle app update. What goes into a certain Collection is entirely up to you — you may group them by genre, type or whatever category strikes your fancy. As you’re choosing which book goes where, you can filter them by author or title, and unlike your physical library, a single book can be assigned to multiple Collections. Just like your reading progress, those Collections can be synced across multiple devices as long as you’re logged in. The Kindle update brings a number of other goodies to the table as well, like accessibility support for Android’s Talkback and Explore By Touch features so you can flip a page simply by reading aloud and the ability to toggle publisher fonts on or off. You’ll also now be prompted to offer a star rating for a book once you’re done reading it. So if you’re a die-hard Kindle fanatic with an Android device, snag the update and lord it over your Collection-less iOS brethren while you still can.
Source: Google Play
Mac and iOS users can now gift iBooks
Your chances of buying tangible gifts for the holidays may be fading fast, but your digital options are now wider than ever. Apple has just enabled full gift support on the iBookstore for both iOS and Mac users; you can buy someone a specific book rather than giving them iTunes credit. As with apps and media, it’s simple to either time the gift delivery or attach a message. An iBook may not be quite as elaborate as a present under the tree, but we doubt that many iPad-toting readers will mind.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile, Apple
Source: 9to5 Mac
[Download] Minor Ingress Update to v1.42.1
In its second release in three days since coming out of Beta on Dec 14, Ingress has updated the scanner to v1.42.1. This update includes (per Play Store description):
- Updated OPS tab design.
- Special support for the Founder’s medal.
- Reduced memory usage.
- Bugfixes.
Check out the new tab design.
As always, updates are rolled out periodically to agents. If you haven’t received the notification yet and have ants in the pants for it naows, you can download the APK HERE.
BLU unveils two budget Android phones with 3G on more North American carriers
BLU Products’ unlocked smartphones have only been truly useful in North America when using bigger carriers like AT&T and Rogers, but the company is giving us a few more choices today. Its new Advance 4.0 and Studio 5.0 II both support HSPA+ data on smaller networks like T-Mobile, Solavei and Wind Mobile; if you want to jump to a cheaper provider, you won’t have to give up 3G in the process. The handsets are otherwise modest. Both Android 4.2 devices come with a dual-core 1.3GHz MediaTek processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of expandable storage, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a front VGA camera. You’re mostly left deciding between the Advance 4.0′s 4-inch TFT display and the Studio 5.0 II’s 5-inch IPS panel. Whichever phone you choose, it won’t cost much. BLU is offering the Advance 4.0 today for $89 outright, while its Studio 5.0 II cousin sells for $139.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: PR Newswire
Source: BLU Products (1), (2)
Daily Roundup: Samsung’s sound lab, the gadgets of 2013, HFR movies and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Samsung is reshaping its identity, one note at a time
Samsung treats sound as key to its identity — a melody or a water drop is as important as the company logo. But why does the company feel that way, and what is it doing to improve its audio experience? We visited its Sound Lab to find out.
On the Gadget Table: the products that defined 2013
The past year has been chock-full of technology launches, ranging from game systems to smart eyewear to tablets. Which ones will we still be talking about next year, however? We’ve brought back a classic Engadget Show segment, On the Gadget Table, to reminisce about the most memorable devices of 2013.
The Desolation of Smaug shows Peter Jackson still hasn’t perfected HFR
Peter Jackson pioneered high frame rate (HFR) movie-making techniques with the first part of his Hobbit movie trilogy, but his approach left plenty of room for improvement. The Desolation of Smaug promises to fix that with a more film-like quality. We went to the theater to learn whether Jackson has solved HFR’s technical woes.
Microsoft will have a new CEO ‘in the early part of 2014′
Microsoft said that it would find a replacement for Steve Ballmer by August next year, but we likely won’t have to wait that long. The crew in Redmond now expects to have a new CEO in early 2014, and it’s down to 20 candidates for the top spot.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Home Entertainment, Software
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