Korean StarCraft pro among first foreign eSports competitors to obtain athletic visa
Thanks to support from the competitive gaming community, one of Korea’s most impressive eSports athletes has found a home in the US. Kim “Violet” Dong Hwan has ben trying to take his competitive StarCraft 2 career stateside for awhile, but a string of visa denials made his tournament schedule pretty sparse. With his country’s mandatory military service looming over his head, Hwan was facing early retirement if he wasn’t granted US-entry. Luckily that didn’t happen. Hwan’s manager rallied Blizzard Entertainment (StarCraft 2‘s publisher), Twitch.tv and Machinima execs, and over the course of seven months, they penned a 500-page application to immigration services. According to The Daily Dot, this tome included every article ever written about Hwan, translated into English.
The result? A P-1A pro-athlete visa that will allow Hwan to compete in the country for the next five years. This is only the second time an eSports competitor has gotten an athletic visa, and now, the government may view them on the same level as, say, baseball players. For the full story (including a harrowing tale of how Hwan’s house caught fire just after he sat down for a tournament) we urge you to check out the source.
[Image credit: Team Liquid]
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Kotaku
Source: The Daily Dot, Cyber Solutions Agency
Latest SwiftKey beta brings over 500 emojis to Android, makes your texts even more precious
If you’ve been aching for more emoji on your Android device, the SwiftKey team has something right up your alley. The popular Android keyboard’s latest beta brings over 500 of the adorable symbols to your device of choice and can even autopredict emjois, just like it does for regular ol’ words. What’s more, the test-version also adds a dedicated number row in case you’re one of the long-press averse. Of course, this is still a beta and your experience may vary once you side-load the APK. We tested the app on a Nexus 4 and found it was laggy to the point of being almost unusable, squashing our dreams of recreating Katy Perry’s “Roar” video like a grape.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: The Next Web
Source: SwiftKey
UK court relaxes ban on HTC One Mini despite Nokia patent win
Nokia’s recent legal victory over HTC, which imposed a sales ban on the latter’s One Mini in the UK, has ended up being quite short-lived. We’ve just learned from HTC that the Court of Appeals has suspended the injunction against the stunted smartphone, which also allows the firm to resume imports of the rest of the One family. The case is far from being closed, however, as HTC intends to “aggressively appeal the [patent] validity decision” that led to the One Mini ban, and could yet impact its bigger brethren. Furthermore, to avoid future courtroom dates, HTC says it’ll be engaging with its “chip suppliers on alternative solutions.” It’s almost certainly not the last we’ll hear from this ongoing skirmish, but however many haymakers Nokia throws, HTC just keeps bouncing back. Full statement from HTC after the break.
HTC is delighted that the Court of Appeals has granted a stay on the injunction against our products. We will immediately resume shipment of all of our devices into the UK, including the entire HTC One family. Similarly, our customers should feel confident in their ability to promote and sell all HTC devices. Even though we plan to aggressively appeal the validity decision of Nokia’s EP 0 998 024 patent, we will continue to work with our chip suppliers on alternative solutions to ensure minimal disruption to our business in the future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Nokia
Amazon now lets users send Amazon Coins as gifts
Amazon on Thursday introduced a new option which should help spur additional downloads of Android games and apps – and developer revenue. Starting today, you can buy Amazon Coins as gifts for friends and family members. These coins, which have been around for much of 2013, can be used to pay for in-app stuff like new levels, songs, power-ups, and weapons.
Many of the games offered through the Amazon Appstore use the Amazon Coin currency; more than 100,000 as of today. In fact, many of the most popular games take advantage of the coins.
To gift the Amazon Coins you simply log into Amazon, purchase them, and send to an email address. In other words, it’s like the Amazon Gift Card system, but for Android money!
To help get things going, Amazon is hosting a promotion where customers can receive up to 20% off Amazon Coins. To get in on this deal you just have to purchase before January 5. As a reminder, al Kindle Fire owners receive 500 coins with each device.
Coin bundles include: 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, and 10,000
Give the Gift of Coins This Holiday Season – Amazon Coins Lets Customers Gift Apps, Games and In-App Items to Kids and App-Savvy Friends and Family
Use Coins on over 100,000 apps and games in the Amazon Appstore
Gift Coins in bulk and receive a discount up to 20% for a limited time
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 12, 2013– (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Just in time for the holiday season, Amazon today announced that customers can purchase Amazon Coins and gift them for apps, games and in-app items in the Amazon Appstore and on Kindle Fire. Customers simply purchase a bundle of Coins on Amazon.com and an email is sent to the recipient to redeem. To celebrate the launch, customers receive up to 20% off when buying or gifting Coins through January 5. Giving the gift of Coins is a great way to introduce new customers to over 100,000 apps and games available in the Amazon Appstore, such as Angry Birds Star Wars II, Wheel of Fortune and Plants vs. Zombies. And, existing customers will love having extra Coins to use on in-app items such as new levels in Candy Crush Saga, recipes in iCookbook, or song collections in SongPop. Customers can gift Coins by visiting http://www.amazon.com/givecoins.
Amazon Coins became available for customers to purchase apps, games and in-app items in May and since that time hundreds of millions of Coins have been purchased. Here are a few fun facts about Coins:
- The top 5 purchased apps and games with Coins are Minecraft – Pocket Edition, Wheel of Fortune, Plants vs. Zombies (Kindle Tablet Edition), Bejeweled 2, and Scribblenauts Remix
- The single most purchased app using Coins is Minecraft – Pocket Edition
- The single most purchased in-app item using Coins is Get more lives! in Candy Crush
- The first app purchased with Coins was a tie between Jewel Legends: Tree of Life and Cut the Rope: Time Travel HD
- The woman pictured on the Coin was designed by Amazon and inspired by the Amazonian women of Greek mythology
“Customers love using Amazon Coins in the Amazon Appstore and on Kindle Fire to purchase apps and games,” said Mike George, Vice President of Apps and Games at Amazon. “We know that during the holidays finding that perfect gift can be hard. So, we’re making it easy for you to give the game-playing kids or app-savvy friends and family in your life just what they want – great apps and games to use on their phones and tablets. And remember, if you are a Kindle Fire owner, we automatically deposited 500 Coins in your account. So, if you haven’t used them yet, happy shopping.”
Here’s what customers have to say about Amazon Coins:
“Amazon Coins are such a simple, easy idea I’m excited for the future of it. Plus with the money you save it’s a no brainer.” – Dan, Amazon Coins customer
“I bought these Coins so I don’t have a lot of little charges on my credit card. I balance every single purchase I make, so writing down a silly 99 cent purchase my kids make can be annoying. I buy $10 worth of Coins every few months and I save 50 cents and I also don’t have to write down little purchases, so this is a win, win for me.” – J, Amazon Coins customer
“My daughter and I both have the Kindle Fire HD and the coins are a great way for us to stay on a budget. At the beginning of the month we each buy our Coins for the month.” – Devon, Amazon Coins customer
“Very good deal on Coins, I got at least 1 game paid for by Amazon and my money’s worth! Love Amazon and my Kindle.” – Nikki, Amazon Coins customer
Amazon Appstore developers will earn their standard 70% revenue share when customers make purchases using Amazon Coins. No Coins-specific changes are required for developers with apps and games currently in the Amazon Appstore. Customers can earn Coins when they purchase select apps and games and throughout the holiday season. The Amazon Appstore will have hundreds of titles that are either free or available between 50% – 90% off. The deals include popular titles like Super Why!, Where’s My Mickey, Monopoly, Angry Birds Star Wars II, NBA2K14, Wheel of Fortune and OfficeSuite Pro, among others.
The post Amazon now lets users send Amazon Coins as gifts appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sprint Moto X becomes last to receive Android 4.4 KitKat, update rolling out now
After watching Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Moto X users get their Android 4.4 updates, it appears that Sprint users are finally joining the club. Reports are coming in that Moto X devices on Sprint’s network began receiving OTA KitKat updates today, and the rollout is expected to continue over the next few weeks.
A post in the Sprint Moto X forum outlines what the update should bring, although there may be some other features or tweaks that made it into the final release.
Has anyone with a Moto X on Sprint received an update notification? Let us know in the comments!
The post Sprint Moto X becomes last to receive Android 4.4 KitKat, update rolling out now appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Instagram announces Direct, for sending photos and videos to friends
Instagram just announced a new feature for their popular image and video-sharing service, and they’re calling it Instagram Direct. In essence, it works the same way as posting a photo or video to Instagram, except that users can select specific people or groups of people to see it.
It’s essentially almost like a direct message, but with visual content in it. Users can also see when each person has viewed the photo or video. Those receiving this content can view, like, and comment on it as if it was a normal Instagram post.
Instagram Direct is live now, and an update for the Instagram app should be available in the Google Play Store. If you want to give Direct a try, make sure you check for that update!
The post Instagram announces Direct, for sending photos and videos to friends appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Fleksy’s Predictive Touch Keyboard Comes to iOS Apps with New Developer Tools
Fleksy today announced that its predictive touch keyboard is now available for iOS developers to incorporate into their apps through an SDK, allowing developers to replace the default iOS keyboard with Fleksy’s popular alternative keyboard.
Fleksy’s keyboard includes a number of features including sophisticated prediction and autocorrection, as well as swipe-based functions such as space and delete. The Verge has more on the launch:
Bringing Fleksy to other iOS apps is not without its challenges. Unlike Android, which is open to all sorts of third-party keyboard creations, Apple gives you its keyboard and nothing else. Developers can build their own special keyboards on an app-by-app basis, though it’s uncommon. Google’s done that with a handful of its iOS apps, while Wolfram Alpha’s special search app keyboard takes up nearly the entire screen with custom buttons. Although it was rumored Apple was considering opening up to third-party keyboard makers, ultimately it didn’t. But it did throw developers a bone by simplifying its software tools, says Fleksy founder Ioannis Verdelis.
“With every new version of iOS the work required on our part to build a keyboard SDK has reduced significantly,” he says. “We’re [now] doing stuff on iOS that integrates the keyboard deeper than it’s ever been integrated.”
Fleksy’s iOS SDK initiative launches today with four apps:
– BlindSquare: Combines location and FourSquare information to assist visually impaired users in their daily lives [Direct Link]
– GV Connect: Phone and SMS client for Google Voice users [Direct Link]
– Launch Center Pro: Application launcher with shortcuts for frequently accessed tasks [Direct Link]
– Wordbox: Clean and simple text editor [Direct Link]
Fleksy plans to continue work with select app developers to bring its keyboard to their apps, eventually moving to open up the program to all interested developers.
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Galaxy Note 3 Lite entering production stage?
We heard whispers of a “lite” version of Samsung’s latest flagship device, the Galaxy Note 3, just last week. Now, sources in Korea are reporting that Sammy has already begun production on this device. According to sources, 500,000 units will be produced in January 2014, followed by 1.5 million in February. These dates line up with the latest rumor, which puts the Note 3 Lite in position for a launch at Mobile World Congress.
Rumored specs for the Note 3 Lite include a 5.49-inch LCD display and an 8MP camera. These are both bump-downs from the Note 3, as is expected from a model that will launch at a cheaper price.
Reports are coming in that Samsung hopes the Note 3 Lite will comprise 30% of all Note 3 sales combined. That will be a tall order to fill, especially given that an 8MP camera isn’t considered fantastic anymore. More on this as it develops.
The post Galaxy Note 3 Lite entering production stage? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Oppo teasing Find 7 on Twitter, launching soon
Oppo has been moving up in the smartphone world in the past year or so with their Find 5 last year and the CyanogenMod-powered N1 from earlier this year. It’s no surprise that they’re not slowing down, and they’ve just begun teasing what’s likely to be their latest flagship device: the Oppo Find 7. The official Oppo Twitter account has posted a few images that give very little information, but confirm that the Find 7 is coming.
The Find 7 is expected to be a powerhouse, with rumored specs including:
- 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 display
- Snapdragon 805 processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 13MP rear camera
- 5MP front-facing camera
- LTE
- 4,000 mAh battery
Oppo didn’t offer a timetable for the launch of the Find 7, although we expect it to be fairly soon. Given the recent whispers about Samsung launching the Galaxy S5 early next year, Oppo might want to jump ahead of the curve with the Find 7. If the rumored specs turn out to be real, this device could be a major player in the Android game.
The post Oppo teasing Find 7 on Twitter, launching soon appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Fleksy will let developers bake its keyboard into iOS apps
At long last, the default iOS keyboard is no longer your only option when it comes to text input on an iOS device. That is, if the app you’re using has signed on to a new SDK released today by Syntellia’s Fleksy, a predictive touch keyboard that exited its Android beta just last week. Fleksy actually debuted a standalone iOS app over a year ago as an option for those with visual impairments, which was recently updated to 2.0 to play nicer with iOS 7. Its new SDK, however, lets developers incorporate Fleksy as an alternate keyboard in any app, a first in iOS history. So far the only programs that have confirmed Fleksy as a keyboard option are Wordbox, GV Connect, Launch Center Pro and Blindsquare. Unfortunately, users are unable to install Fleksy on a deeper OS level, so you’ll have to be on the lookout to see if any of your favorite apps get on the Fleksy bandwagon. While we wait for that to happen, iOS users can go on and try any of those aforementioned apps to finally get a feel for a freedom Android users have had for awhile now.
Source: Fleksy
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