Google Play Books updated with notable new features
If you love reading books and you are also into technology, then I am sure you are familiar with Google Play Books -Google’s very own book store for Android. Google has now updated the application and the update 3.1.17 is slowly rolling out, and it brought some new features to the app.
The most exciting feature is that it will allow users to upload books directly from their devices. Have a look on all the features:
- Books open more quickly and smoothly.
- Upload EPUB or PDF files to your library from your phone or tablet. From email or Downloads, touch the file to open it and choose Upload to Play Books.
- Improved look and feel of highlights and notes.
- Lower brightness settings, for better reading in low light.
- Read any book in landscape view.
- Dismiss recommended books in Read Now.
- Additional improvements in performance, stability and accessibility.
Are you a Play Books fan? What are your thoughts about the new update? Tell us about it in the comment box below.
Source: Play Store via AndroidPolice
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Rovio celebrates 4th birthday of Angry Birds with 15 new ‘Birdday Party’ levels
Yes, as difficult as it may be to believe, Angry Birds is celebrating its fourth birthday. The series of games, which shows no signs of slowing, has evolved into cartoons, racing games, and even officially licensed Star Wars titles. Today, however, there’s an update to the one that started it all.
As part of the Birdday Party update, Angry Birds gets 15 new levels and is now hovering around the 500 level mark. We’ve been incorrect and premature in the past when we wondered if the franchise was ready to call it a day. Here, four years later, things are moving along better than ever. Props to the Rovio team for their continued efforts!
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Apple TV Roundup: Apple’s Plans for Television
Following last week’s addition of an iPhone 6 roundup, MacRumors today is publishing a new Apple TV roundup covering not only Apple’s current set-top box and rumors for future enhancements, but also long-running rumors of a dedicated Apple television set.
While Apple has been busy increasing the amount of content available through the current Apple TV, there is still uncertainty about timing for new television-related hardware from the company. A dedicated Apple television set has been rumored for a number of years, with Steve Jobs having been quoted in his 2011 biography as saying “I finally cracked it” with regard to a television interface concept, but signs continue to suggest that release is not yet imminent.
Apple has also been rumored to be working on Kinect-like motion control for the Apple TV, and Apple’s acquisition of PrimeSense, the company behind the original Microsoft Kinect motion control technology, last month has continued to fuel that speculation. But whether that technology will make its way into the next Apple TV as part of a radical revamp or if the next-generation box will primarily be an iterative update based on improved internals remains to be seen.
Continue reading our full Apple TV roundup…
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The Nokia Normandy is rumored to be an Android device
According to a recent report by The Verge, Nokia has an Android device nearly ready for consumer release.
What’s interesting is that Nokia has forked Android, similar to how Amazon uses it, to create a customized operating system. The move gives more control over the experience, differentiating it from other Android devices, while still allowing most Android apps to work on the device.
The photo above was originally leaked back in November by @evleaks. The Normandy name is only a codename for this low-end Android device.
All of the time and effort into creating an Android variant may be for nothing, as Microsoft is likely to axe the project once its purchase of Nokia’s handset division is complete.
What do you think, would you want to use a forked version of Android on some Nokia hardware?
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Spotify announces free mobile services and full Led Zeppelin catalog
It’s a big day for Spotify as the streaming music service on Wednesday announced a new free mobile experience. Available immediately, both smartphones and tablets can take advantage of a new streaming service that includes on-demand music.
The new mobile Spotify app experience allows users to:
- Your music: Listen to the playlists you create, and to those from the people you follow
- Your favorite artists: To listen to a specific artist, just hit shuffle play to listen to their entire catalogue – no settling for one track every 20 minutes from the artist you want
- Discover great new playlists: Listen to playlists for every mood, genre, or moment in time
As if that wasn’t enough, there are 20 new markets picking up Spotify availability, bringing the total to 55 markets around the globe.
Oh, and then there’s little bit about a band called Led Zeppelin. Yes, Spotify now has the exclusive rights to the entire catalogue, spanning decades. Starting today, and rolling out over the next few days, Spotify listeners can come to expect the following albums.
- Wednesday, December 11 – Led Zeppelin (1969) and Led Zeppelin II (1969)
- Thursday, December 12 – Led Zeppelin III (1970) and Untitled fourth album (1971)
- Friday, December 13 – Houses Of The Holy (1973) and Physical Graffiti (1975)
- Saturday, December 14 – Presence (1976) and In Through The Out Door (1979)
- Sunday, December 15 – The Song Remains The Same (1976), Coda (1982), BBC Sessions (1997), How The West Was Won (2003), Mothership (2007), and Celebration Day (2012)
Not too shabby, eh?
Music for everyone
Spotify now free on mobile and tablet
The best free music experience in the history of the smartphone. Available now
Spotify now available in 55 markets
From today, Spotify gives you access to millions of songs across your mobile devices for free. Listen to all your playlists, discover new music, or simply sit back and dig into your favourite artist’s entire back catalogue. And with Spotify launching in 20 new markets today, it’s never been easier for more people across the world to discover and play more great music.
Available to all today – Spotify’s new free mobile experience lets you shuffle play:
- Your music: Listen to all the playlists you’ve created and playlists from the people you follow. Spotify lets you discover new music, save, shuffle and share.
- Your favourite artists: Want to listen to a certain artist? Just hit shuffle play, sit back and listen to their entire catalogue. Don’t settle for something similar. Don’t settle for just one track from the artist you want to hear every 20 minutes.
- Discover great new playlists: Going for a jog or to the gym? We’ve got the playlist to help you go the extra mile. We know you just want the perfect music for a specific moment in time – and we’ve got you covered. There’s something for every mood, genre or moment.
We also know how much our users love to use their tablets for music at home. Unlike mobile devices, it turns out that tablets are becoming the new desktops. Tablets are where people lean in, search and build playlists.
So, starting today, iOS and Android tablet users can enjoy the same great free Spotify experience that they’ve grown to love on their computer. Any song or album, on-demand at your fingertips.
“Today we’re giving people the best free music experience in the history of the smartphone and the tablet,” said Daniel Ek, CEO & Founder at Spotify. “Whether you’re going to the gym, or having a party with friends. Just sit back and let Spotify serve you great music for every moment of your life.”
Spotify Premium continues to offer the ultimate listening experience with on-demand, ad-free access to your music in high quality, offline mode and effortless control of your home audio with Spotify Connect. Spotify is also available in its ad-supported, free version on all devices.
Spotify is available to iOS and Android users right now, and can be downloaded in the App Store and Google Play.
Did we mention it’s free?
The post Spotify announces free mobile services and full Led Zeppelin catalog appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Led Zeppelin comes to Spotify
Now THIS is the news we were waiting for from Spotify. A little Coda to today’s Spotify event in New York City — one of the great rock bands of all time is coming to the streaming service. As CEO Daniel Ek put it, “I can’t wait to get the Led out.” Free is all well and good, but what’s a streaming service without a little Houses of the Holy? Dazed and confused about where to begin? The company’s created a handy little playlist. Though, for the record, old Led Zeppelin I isn’t a bad place to start.
Filed under: Software
Spotify adds 20 new markets
All right, all right, it’s no Zeppelin, but still another bit of good news from today’s Spotify event in NYC. The streaming service announced that it will be launching in an additional 20 markets, bringing the total number up to 55. The includes a number of countries in Europe and South and Central America. All of the aforementioned free offers will be available at launch. There are, as follows, in alphabetical order (it’s just easier that way): Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Malta, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Slovakia and Uruguay. Phew.
Filed under: Software
Why the UK’s Department of Health is spending millions of pounds on mobile gaming
Today sees the release of The Walk, an iOS and Android game backed by the UK’s Department of Health. It’s the second release in a collection of apps funded as part of the UK’s Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). The first — StepJockey, an app that lets you map, locate, rate and log the calorific expenditure of staircases around your city — came out on Monday. All five apps in the program encourage you to move more, or change negative habits. Can an app improve your life? At the very least, we’re guessing the Department of Health — having just spent £2 million on this round of investment — thinks so. This is part of a growing trend, that could see government agencies in the UK taking a leaf out of Silicon Valley’s book when it comes to solving (health) problems. Read past the break to find out why it’s putting so much money on third-party digital initiatives.
Your mission is simple, ensure safe transit of a package from Inverness, to Edinburgh — and in the process save the world. Only one problem: a terrorist attack has rendered all motorised transport unusable — you’ll have to go on foot. That’s the premise behind The Walk. The concept isn’t complicated — encourage players to preambulate in the real world as part of an apocalyptic game narrative. Your phone’s accelerometer tracks your movements, unlocking levels and hours of story-telling audio which drive the plot along. Simple, fun, effective. The game’s predecessor (Zombies, Run!) uses similar mechanics, and currently encourages over 750,000 would-be Shauns (or Eds) to escape pursuing Zombies whenever they go for a jog. By lowering the requirement to walking, it’s hoped almost everyone can benefit this time. The focus is on increasing general daily movement, rather than dedicated, prescribed and sometimes prohibitive training routines.
There’s no question the theory is simple: apps that encourage activity, or responsible drinking, could cut down on healthcare requirements through prevention, negating the need for cure. In turn, it could also take a bite out of the estimated £8 billion that obesity and alcohol related diseases cost the UK’s health service each year. More interesting, is that the Department of Health is funding external mobile start-ups and indie developers at all. We asked it why, and were told it’s just as much about nurturing innovative ideas (where they can compete with more conventional fitness apps such as Nike+, MapMyFitness and Adidas miCoach) as it is about encouraging lifestyle change.
The motivation might initially be the potential (and hard to quantify) savings through a healthier public. But using apps to achieve this is an idea the US government is curious about also. The UK’s Department of Health claims it’s also about the broader goal of encouraging jobs and economic growth. By supporting projects like The Walk or StepJockey – apps that otherwise might not have the resources and reach that government backing can allow — it hopes they stand a better chance of gaining traction with the public. Perhaps most significantly, though, the government is encouraging left field thinking, about problems that the larger sport brands have typically thrown money at internally, namely how to get us to move more (and buy their products to do so).
The Department of Health isn’t just funding apps, either. It’s currently also offering a £3.6-million prize-pool for technology-based kidney care solutions. The criteria simply being that it must be able to be used in either the home, community or in secondary care. This is a move we’re more used to seeing in silicon valley, such as Google’s approach to bug finding/fixing, but with perhaps slightly more far-reaching outcomes for humanity as a whole. For Six to Start (the company that developed The Walk), however, the backing is validation of an idea. For the advocates of gamification, it’s rare vindication by the government, and for global brands like Nike/Adidas? It’s a bit of a kick up the butt. For us? We’ve just taken our first steps into The Walk, but already we can see how apps like this could encourage the general public to at least think about adding in a few more daily footsteps. Unarguably in the right direction, too.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Source: Department of Health, The Walk (Google Play), iTunes
Apple TV adds Watch ABC, Crackle and Bloomberg apps
Not to be outshined by Google’s announcement that more apps were joining the Chromecast revolution, Apple TV today made its entertainment repertoire a bit richer. As 9to5Mac points out, Cupertino’s tiny box is now giving viewers access to applications including Bloomberg (which will be streaming news 24/7 as well as offer on-demand content), Watch ABC, Crackle and, for Korean speakers, KORTV. These new additions show that Apple is getting increasingly passionate about its hobby, as over the past months we’ve seen more and more apps and features become available. It’s worth mentioning that being able to enjoy these in full depends on the country you’re in and whether you have the proper cable subscription. So, power on your Apple TV and let us know in the comments how you’re liking the fresh content thus far.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac (1), (2)
Death of Underage Worker Sparks More Accusations of Labor Violations at Pegatron
Chinese labor rights group China Labor Watch (CLW) is calling for answers from primary Apple supplier Pegatron after the death of five young workers in recent months, highlighted by the passing of a fifteen year old factory worker due to pneumonia related causes in October, reports The New York Times. The laborer, Shi Zhaokun, was able to secure a job at a Pegatron factory producing the iPhone 5c by presenting a fake ID stating that he was 20, reportedly working a total of 280 hours in his only month at the company.
Apple’s supplier responsibility statement bars employees of supplier companies in China from working more than 60 hours a week; so does Chinese law. But Mr. Shi worked 79 hours in his first week, 77 in his second and 75 in his third, all apparently in violation of the law, according to documents provided by his family.
Pegatron said that the work logs the family kept are records of when the young man clocked in and out, and may not include breaks. The company said his hours did not exceed the legal limit.
A Pegatron spokeswoman said that the death of the worker was “not related to the workplace environment“, while Apple has not officially commented on the incident. In July, China Labor Group alleged numerous safety and workplace violations at Pegatron, including the unethical holding of worker pay and identification cards, as well as poor living conditions within the factory including tight living quarters and packed cafeterias. Apple replied to the allegations, confirming various labor violations and vowing to investigate the incident.
Recently, Hong Kong-based Apple supplier Biel Crystal was also accused of workers rights violations, with a nonprofit watchdog labor group stating that the company made employees work forced 11-hour shifts without adequate compensation for injuries sustained on the job.
Apple announced in July that it was forming an academic advisory board for its Supplier Responsibility program, saying that it wanted to ensure “safe and ethical working conditions wherever its products are made.” Apple has also published Supplier Responsibility Progress Reports every year since 2007, tracking the ethical progress of its suppliers in order to bring transparency to its product manufacturing process.
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