Now TV app brings Sky Sports to Apple TV in the UK
UK Apple TV owners can now access live sport following the launch of a Sky Sports app from Now TV. Already available on smartphones, tablets, consoles and its own set-top box, Now TV’s Sky Sports Day Pass lets owners of Apple’s set-top box access 24 hours of coverage from Sky’s six sports channels for £9.99. Although Netflix and Apple’s own iTunes Movies channels are live on Apple TV, Sky has not yet brought its own film and entertainment offerings to the platform. We’ve contacted Sky for comment on its future plans and will update you in due course.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, Software, HD, Apple
Android 4.4.2 For LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition Available For Download Now
I don’t know how many of you will actually have a LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition after its surprise announcement just over a week ago, but if you do, you’ll be glad to know that your Google Play edition device hasn’t been left out and has an update available to bring it up to Android 4.4.2. Following the Galaxy S4 GPe and HTC One GPe‘s lead the update itself isn’t terribly big at 52MB, but it could potentially have some very desirable improvements such as removing some glaring vulnerabilities that were uncovered in the original Android 4.4, namely the SMS DOS bug.
As with all OTA updates, it may take some time for the update to actually reach you and your LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play edition, but if you can’t wait, you can download the update via the Google servers; link provided below:
Android 4.4.2 for LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition
If you do have G Pad and you get the update, please let us know. We’d also love to hear about how you find the device itself; leave us a comment below.
Source: XDA
Samsung’s HomeSync media hub will play nice with non-Samsung Android devices
If ever a product needed to work harder to justify its price tag, it’d be Samsung’s new $299 HomeSync box. Fortunately, the manufacturer seems to be self-aware enough to make some changes: the Android-powered storage, streaming and mirroring hub will soon offer full support for Jelly Bean phones and tablets even if they’re outside of the Galaxy stable. This should allow an average household with numerous, diversely-branded devices to store and share their photos, music and videos using the HomeSync’s 1TB “personal cloud,” while also using their handsets as remote controls and as sources for mirroring via the box’s HDMI input. As things stand, however, only a handful of non-Samsung phones, like the Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, are listed as compatible over at the Google Play store, and it could be a while before the HomeSync becomes truly brand-agnostic. In the meantime, there are plenty of other mobile-friendly NAS solutions around that are worth a look.
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
Android 4.3 For Sony Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and Tablet Z Gets Certified, Update Should Be Imminent
With the update of the Sony Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra rolling out as of yesterday, we knew it wouldn’t be long before Sony updated the rest of its top line of Xperia Z products to Android 4.3. Sure enough, Android 4.3 for Sony Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and the Tablet Z was seen to be getting certified at PTCRB today, approving firmware build 10.4.B.0.569 for release. This will surely mean that the update will be incoming very shortly to those of you who have these devices, though we’ll let you know as soon as we know anything more.
While Sony might be a little bit late to the update game relative to Samsung and HTC’s flagships, I would say they look like they’re doing a better job at updating more of their devices. Who else is impressed by Sony? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: Xperia Blog
Opera’s iPad browser loses navigation buttons, gains lockscreen music controls
Since its launch in September, Opera’s iPad-centric browser Coast has struggled to remain as visible as some of its more popular mobile apps. In an attempt to breathe some life into the app, the company today dropped a new update that introduces a number of new customization, navigation and media features that set it apart from Apple and Google’s browser offerings. In version 2.0, Opera has ditched the familiar forward and back buttons in favor of the gestures it supported at launch, so expect your swiping finger to get more of a workout. The app now lets you set wallpapers using images from your Photo Roll and gives you the option to select which apps to open PDF files in, whether it be iBooks, Dropbox or another PDF-compatible app. Coast now also features its own media player, which is capable of handling music playback from the iPad lockscreen. The new update is said to make browsing speedier and more secure than before — very helpful if you need to make a quick escape from some of the nastier corners of the internet.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Via: Opera Press
Source: Coast (App Store)
Facebook confirms autoplay video ads are coming to your News Feed
They’ve been a long time coming, but Facebook’s new video ads are finally here. Confirming an earlier report from the Wall Street Journal that said they’d launch this week, the company said it will start rolling out promoted videos to a limited number of users’ News Feeds, kicking it off with mini trailers for the new film Divergent. Leaning on a model utilized by Instagram, Facebook’s video ads will automatically play when they appear onscreen — although sound will be muted on both the desktop and mobile unless you deliberately click on the video. While you won’t be able prevent the new ad units from popping up, they can be avoided with some quick scrolling, just like you did with Facebook’s other sponsored content.
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Source: Facebook Newsroom
Square-Enix Releases Original Tomb Raider for iOS Devices [iOS Blog]
Video game developer Square-Enix has released Tomb Raider I on iOS, bringing the popular 1996 action-adventure game to mobile devices for the first time. The latest adaptation of the title features touch-optimized controls with all of the levels from the original, along with gameplay that mixes gunfights and puzzle-solving adventure elements. Tomb Raider I on iOS also supports game controllers such as the MOGA Ace Power and the Logitech PowerShell.
Adventurer Lara Croft has been hired to recover the pieces of an ancient artefact known as the Scion. With her fearless acrobatic style she runs, jumps, swims and climbs her way towards the truth of its origin and powers – leaving only a trail of empty tombs and gun-cartridges in her wake. On this trail are breath-taking 3D worlds where exploration, puzzle and platform elements blend in a seamless real-time environment. A perfect chance for newcomers and diehards alike to jump back into the series’ seminal single-player action.
Tomb Raider I is a $0.99 download for the iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]
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Apple’s Best of the iTunes Store 2013: ‘Duolingo’ and ‘Disney Animated’ Win Top App Honors
Apple has released the 2013 version of its annual iTunes Store awards, which showcases the best music, movies, TV shows, apps, books and podcasts of the year.
Here are some of the noteworthy winners for 2013:
Apps:
-iPhone App of the Year: Duolingo – Learn Languages for Free
-iPhone Game of the Year: Ridiculous Fishing – A Tale of Redemption
-iPad App of the Year: Disney Animated
-iPad Game of the Year: Badland
Music:
-Best Artist: The 20/20 Experience – The Complete Experience by Justin Timberlake
-Best Album: The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
-Best Song: Royals by Lorde
-Breakthrough Album: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar
Books:
-Best Fiction: Tenth of December by George Saunders
-Best Nonfiction: One Summer by Bill Bryson
-Best Teen Novel: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson and Ben McSweeney
-Best Multi-Touch Book: Breaking Bad: Alchemy by Sony Pictures Television
This marks the first year that a language app has won App of the Year, and also marks the first time that an app from Disney has appeared on the annual list. As customary for its end of the year listings, Apple highlights various games and apps from a wide variety of categories, so it’s well worth skimming the full list for hidden gems.
Beyond the top-level awards for music, movies, TV shows, apps, books, and podcasts, Apple is featuring a number of other awards and Editors’ Choice selections across various genres and categories for the content types.
A list of previous winners are also available here: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009
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WSJ: Facebook’s autoplaying video ads launch this week
After months of rumors, the Wall Street Journal claims Facebook will finally include video ads in user’s feeds on the web and mobile devices later this week — a move we figured would happen soon now that it’s splashed other autoplaying videos all over the place. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the Journal claims Facebook will announce the change later today, with the first ads rolling out on Thursday. Previous rumors have put the run time for ads at 15 seconds or so — a fit for Instagram video — and this rumor even says movie studio Lions Gate will be among the first using it, pushing mini trailers for its upcoming movie Divergent.
So, why is Facebook reportedly tossing in one more thing for you to quickly scroll past? Because it can charge advertisers much more for video ads, which will play whether or not users click on them (like user videos, they’re silent unless clicked), letting it grab some of the money usually marked for TV campaigns. Previous rumors claimed the hold up in bringing video ads to the social network is because they loaded too slowly, so it would appear that hurdle has been cleared — we’ll see if load times are enough to keep users from running to other services once their feed looks like a sponsored version of Vine.
Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Facebook
Source: Wall Street Journal
Samsung’s Galaxy GamePad brings precision Android controls to Europe first
Well, that took awhile. Remember the first-party gamepad Samsung trotted out at the Galaxy S4 unveiling? It’s finally ready for release — in Europe. The months of extra development don’t seem wasted, at least: The revised pad sports a new facade that thankfully discards the odd Xbox 360/Wii hybrid look that the prototype flaunted, and there’s a rechargeable battery pack too. What’s more, the outfit says that the controller can handle devices from 4-inches to 6.3-inches running Jellybean and up. The controller’s “play” button will also launch the company’s new Mobile Console app on certain Samsung devices; a sort of virtual game shelf, if you will. At launch, that button promises to foster a list of some 35 compatible titles, with Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame leading the pack. We’ve reached out to Samsung for pricing and North American availability and will update this post if we hear back.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
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