Aereo chief: ‘We have decided not to oppose the broadcasters’ petition before the Supreme Court’
Big media may have thought its deep pockets and love of ceaseless litigation would break Aereo’s bank and spirit, but the cloud-based DVR company’s striking back at its broadcast rivals with a surprising twist. In a statement released just today, Aereo head Chet Kanojia said that his company would “not oppose the broadcasters’ petition for certiorari before the United States Supreme Court.” Kanojia echoed much of what Cablevision itself expressed in a white paper earlier today, saying that he believes the end goal of this court battle could ultimately strike down a 2008 ruling in favor of Cablevision’s cloud DVR tech which laid the groundwork for many of the cloud-based services we enjoy today.
Though Aereo and Cablevision sit on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to retransmission fees, both parties agree innovation is integral and the broadcasters’ suit, if successful, could reverse much of that technological progress. For Aereo’s part, the potential Supreme Court case could also provide a much needed light at the end of the tunnel — a final ruling in a recent string of lower court victories that would free up its resources and allow the company to pursue nationwide expansion unburdened. That’s if the Supreme Court even decides to hear the case, as that decision that won’t come until sometime in 2014.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Aereo Blog
Microsoft joins the FIDO Alliance to put an end to passwords
The FIDO Alliance is on a roll: it already has support from heavyweights like Google and Lenovo in its quest to eliminate password-based sign-ins, and it’s now bringing Microsoft into the fold. The software pioneer is taking a seat at the Alliance’s board of directors, where it will help shape open authentication standards. Microsoft isn’t revealing what it would like to do with FIDO at this early stage, but it’s easy to see the company improving both its verification methods and Windows’ support for biometric readers. There are still gaps in the Alliance’s membership — Apple and Samsung aren’t involved, for instance. Still, Redmond’s involvement makes it clearer than ever that the group will have a lot of say over our future digital security.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Microsoft
Source: FIDO Alliance (PDF)
IFTTT now lets iOS users automate their location
IFTTT (If This Then That) is a handy online service capable of connecting various apps and devices together and running automated tasks (or “recipes”) that you’d normally find mundane and time-wasting. It’s been around for a couple years and has built up a strong network of different services ranging from social networks like Instagram and Twitter to Cloud services like Dropbox and Box.net, and plenty of stuff in between. One thing that’s been missing, however, is the ability to automate your location; fortunately, IFTTT is introducing the iOS Location Channel to fill that void (well, for iOS devices anyway).
The new channel leverages location information from your GPS, cellular, WiFi or iBeacon data and uses it as a “trigger” — something that initiates an automated action. For example, you can instruct IFTTT to send a text message to your loved one as you’re arriving at your destination, or get an email when one of your Foursquare friends checks in somewhere near your apartment. If you use a Philips Hue, have it do a crazy light show to announce your upcoming arrival. There’s plenty more ideas where that came from, but you’ll have to go take a look at IFTTT’s full listing of services and come up with a few clever recipes of your own as well.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Apple
Source: IFTTT
Twitter for Mac Gains Updated Design With Photo Previews and Revamped Profiles [Mac Blog]
Twitter for Mac was today updated to version 3.0, adding several new features plus a revamped look and feel to bring it more inline with the Twitter for iOS app.
The app has gained display previews for Twitter photos, along with a detailed view for Tweets that offers photos, other Tweets in the conversation, and favorite and retweet counts. Profiles have also gained a new look, with a profile banner header that includes more detailed information on each user.
This release comes with a number of enhancements and changes.
More visual and engaging timelines
– Previews of Twitter photos will be front and center in Tweets. To see more of the photo, just click. If you want to disable previews, just go to preferences and uncheck “image previews.”Get more from Tweets
– Check out the tweet detail pane to see the conversation around a tweet as well as favorite and retweet counts.Beautiful profiles
– Profiles now show header photos to display the unique personality of every user. Learn more about them by seeing who they follow and are followed by, their lists, and their custom timelines.Updated design
– We’ve refreshed the overall look and feel of the app.
Prior to today’s update, Twitter for Mac’s last major update was in April of 2013 to add Retina support and improvements to photo sharing. Before that, the app went without an update for nearly two years.
Twitter for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]
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The HTC One 2/M8 3D Concept Takes Video Form
The HTC One is considered by most the best smartphone that hit the market this year. Even if you hate HTC, or you hate the Sense UI, you still can’t say that it is truly the best built phone to date. I love the HTC One, and many would argue that I’m just an HTC fanboy and will love everything HTC puts out. Couldn’t be further from the truth, because I absolutely hate the pain it is to unlock the bootloader and get S-Off on the devices, and I am thinking my next phone will be a Nexus or a Moto X.
With that declaration though, comes a 3D concept video of the successor to the HTC One, and if the phone is anything like it is displayed here in this video, maybe I won’t jump the HTC ship quite yet. The HTC One 2, which will probably be among us as early as Q1, gets a 3D mock-up video, and the specs sound magical. A 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 5-inch 2k display, 3GB or RAM, Android 4.4, Sense 6, and a 4000mah battery. Did that make your mouth water? Let’s just say the blood in my head rushed elsewhere when I watched the video for the first time. The design is pretty similar to the original HTC One, but this time we get a matte black color and it just looks so pretty.
So check out the 3D concept video below. Hopefully some of the specs end up being true for the HTC One 2. Let us know what you think of it.
Samsung Galaxy S III LTE starts to see Android 4.3 Update
Samsung has been on a roll as of late getting updates to Android 4.3 to its various flagship devices. The original Galaxy S III devices around the globe and on various networks have been seeing their updates roll in slowly over the last few weeks, with some minor tweaks and updates hitting from various carriers. However the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE version was not part of those roll outs. Obviously due to the difference in the radios on the device. A report coming out from SamMobile is now pointing towards an update for the LTE variants. Starting off with the international versions of course.
In typical fashion the roll out will hit various regions at various times. Then there is the carrier version here in the states. Hopefully those of you sporting an LTE variant won’t have to wait too much longer for your official update. The Android 4.3 update brings in quite a bit of changes, but most notable is the inclusion of Samsung Galaxy Gear support, Samsung Knox, move-to-sd and much more. Just take a read of some of the things to expect –
CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ANDROID 4.3 UPDATE
– GALAXY GEAR Support
– TRIM Support (Makes the device much faster)
– Core UI elements updated to the ones on the Galaxy S4 (Galaxy S4′s theme all over)
– New Samsung Keyboard
– GPU drivers have been updated (Higher GPU benchmark scores)
– New Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message
– New Screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo
– Daydream
– KNOX included
– Driving mode
– Actionable notifications
– Move-to-SD-card feature
– New Camera mode : Sound and Shot
– New Additions in Notification Centre
– Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the Galaxy S4)
– Implementation of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)
– New Samsung Apps: Calculator, Clock, Contacts, Gallery, Music
– Full screen Samsung apps
– New S-Voice (from Galaxy S4)
– Found more? Tell us about them in the comments below!
If you are impatient, you can head to your device settings > more > ABout Device > Software Update > Update. The update should also be availabel vie Samsung KIES if you choose to open the software and plug your device in.
Anyone out there seeing this update showing up? If so, where are you located so others in your area might take notice and snag theirs too.
‘Cover’ the Innovative New Lockscreen App Lands in the Play Store
The innovative lockscreen app, Cover, has now made its way into the Play Store in beta form. If you guys haven’t heard of Cover yet, then I would suggest checking out my review about it that I did for app of the week. Cover was actually developed by some former Google employees, so you know they know the Android system pretty well.
Cover will throughout the day change depending on the time of day, or depending on your location you are currently at. Like some other apps out there, Cover will figure out which apps you use the most while in these certain locations, and will display them on the lockscreen for quick access. The peak view feature is almost reminiscent of Blackberry’s layered UI, but it is still pretty cool to utilize. So if you want give the lockscreen a try, head into the Play Store and download it. It is free, so try it out and let us know what you think about it.
SwiftKey Beta 4.5 update rolls with All-New Emoji Support
SwiftKey has made an announcement for the SwiftKey Beta program today that many are sure to enjoy. The update moves the popular Android keyboard replacement to v4.5 beta. It is a public beta, so everyone that wishes to give it a whirl is more than welcome to do so.
In this release you find support for more than 500 emoji’s across five various categories: people, objects, nature, places and symbols. In this classic emoji, you will get a popup panel so you can choose what you want to add to your message. The buck doesn’t stop there though, there is also emoji word matching. Based on the word you are typing, you will be presented with relevant emoji’s to add to the message without having to search for it on your own.
Emoji word match:
As you type one of hundreds of keywords, you can opt to be offered emoji predictions in the candidate bar. For example, typing “Santa” will offer you a Christmas emoji in addition to word predictions, just tap the emoji image to select.Fun examples include: “sleepy”, “pizza”, “broken”, “cheers” and “kiss”. Also, if you start typing a time of the day, such as 10pm, you may be greeted by the relevant clock symbol.
That is probably the best use of emoji support I can think of. I hardly ever remember to use them. Maybe this will help spice up my communications.
To top things off, there is now the added support of an option number row. Finally.
All of these new addition in the 4.5 beta version are easily turned on and off still leaving you in full control over your keyboard experience. If you want to pick it up then point your browser over to SwiftKey and download the apk.
Nokia releases Motion Tracker beta for Lumia 1520 owners looking to get up and go
With the number of gadgets that have contributed to our sedentary lifestyles, it’s always nice to see a piece of technology bent on getting people up and moving. After teasing the app a few months back, Nokia’s finally debuting Motion Monitor — well, the beta version, at least. The app’s currently only available to Lumia 1520 owners, as the handset maker notes that its feature set needs that specific hardware to function as intended. Once installed, the app is always on in the background, tracking your movement, an act the company says will have little impact on power consumption. You’ll be able to view your activity on a timeline, by day month or year. You can also check out activity as a live tile on the lock screen.
Looking to ramp up your movement ahead of the holiday? You can try out the beta now in the source link below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Nokia
Via: WPCentral
Source: Nokia Beta Labs
The next game from Braid’s creator supports the Oculus Rift
After indie game darling Braid‘s mass popularity, creator Jonathan Blow didn’t go crazy and buy a Lamborghini or something. He started a game studio instead, to create his next big thing: The Witness. Blow was on-stage at Sony’s big PlayStation 4 announcement event back in February (that was this year!), where he announced The Witness as headed to the PlayStation 4 as a “console exclusive” — a coup for Sony’s PlayStation 4 after Braid initially debuted exclusively on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in 2008.
Since that announcement, Blow’s been in development mode. The Witness was featured at Sony’s PlayStation 4 review event, as well as trade shows like E3 and Gamescom, but he and his team have otherwise been pretty quiet. A few weeks ago, however, Blow posted a duo of enticing images (one of which is seen above) with the headline, “What could it mean??” The internet answered with the logical response: “Jonathan Blow possibly teasing Oculus [Rift] support for The Witness. This game seems like a perfect fit.” is Reddit’s headline. Surprising no one, The Witness — at least the PC version — will support the Oculus Rift.
“The main work we are doing is not for the Oculus,” Blow told Engadget. “But then, since we are doing 3D it is not that big a step to support the Oculus also, so we are implementing support for it.” In other news, apparently The Witness will support 3D televisions! It’s not clear how the headset will interact with the game in terms of gameplay input, but we’re thrilled enough by the thought of exploring The Witness‘ first-person open-world using the Oculus Rift. And hey, maybe there’ll be a consumer version in sight by the time The Witness launches in 2014!
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD, Sony
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