Google Launches ‘Google Play Movies & TV’ App, iOS Chromecast Users Gain Alternative to iTunes
Google today released Google Play Movies & TV for iOS, allowing iPhone and iPad users to watch movies and TV shows that have been purchased on Google Play. In addition to providing a way for iOS users to stream Google Play content directly to their devices, the app is also a boon for Chromecast users, as it will let them stream movies and TV shows purchased from Google Play to the device.
Watch your favorite movies and shows instantly on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from wherever you are. Buy or rent movies by visiting Google Play Store on any computer and watch them from any device over Wi-Fi using the Google Play Movies & TV app.
Limited content for iOS users has been an issue for Chromecast since the device was first launched in July. Designed to compete with the Apple TV and Roku set top boxes, Chromecast users on iOS have been restricted to movie and TV content from apps like Netflix and YouTube that have implemented Chromecast support, while Android users have had prior access to movies and television shows from the Android version of Google Play Movies & TV. Other apps, like HBO GO and Hulu Plus have implemented Chromecast support since the device was launched, but it still lacked a comprehensive alternative to iTunes.
With the addition of Google Play Movies and TV to iOS, Chromecast users have a much larger library of content to access, which puts the device more on par with the Apple TV. The Apple TV has long had support for iTunes, which gives users the opportunity to purchase movies and television shows. Chromecast users, like iTunes users, can now access a service that provides a wide range of movie and TV show downloads.
iOS users cannot purchase content directly within the Google Play Movies and TV app due to Apple’s restrictions, so movies and and shows will need to be purchased on the Google Play Store on a computer before the content can be accessed within the iOS app to be streamed to a television.
As noted by Gizmodo, content sent to Chromecast from the Google Play Movies and TV app will be in full HD, but content viewed on an iPhone will be limited to standard definition. There are a few other drawbacks with the app as well — content can only be streamed over Wi-Fi and there is no option for offline viewing.
Google Play Movies & TV joins Google Play Books and Google Play Music as the third Google Play app available on iOS.
Google’s Chromecast can be purchased directly from Google for $35 and it is also available from a number of third party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Google Play Movies & TV can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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Dodge NSA Surveillance with the Android Powered ‘Blackphone’
Humans are so dependent on technology to get through the day, some of us wonder how we were able to manage in the past. With that dependence though, we have sacrificed one crucial part of our lives. Privacy. Privacy is one of those things we claim we all want, yet we post our lives away on various social media platforms. But then there are many of us that try to be as private as possible, but in trying to do so, we still have to utilize the messaging tools that are made available to us to communicate with our fellow humans. Sadly, this means someone with certain powers at their disposal, can peak in on those private moments.
So in comes the Blackphone. A new Android powered device, that is set on keeping those NSA boys out of our business. The phone was developed by Silent Circle and Geeksphone, and it runs a version of Android called PrivatOS. The OS is specifically designed to hide our digital footprint, and the company claims that you can make calls, send messages, and transfer files, without anyone eves dropping in. The company plans on showing off more about the Blackphone at MWC in Barcelona this year.
If you want hear more about the new phone, check out the video below to hear the developers talk about what they are setting out to do with the phone.
Source: Droid-Life
Adafruit shows how to make your own touchscreen camera using Raspberry Pi (video)
Do you like the idea of building your own digital camera, but want something a little more sophisticated than Ikea’s cardboard cam? Adafruit will be happy to help you out. It has posted instructions for making a point-and-shoot using little more than a Raspberry Pi, its matching camera module and Adafruit’s PiTFT touchscreen. The resulting device won’t rival any modern point-and-shoot for quality, but it’s truly usable — you can even slap on a WiFi adapter to upload shots to Dropbox. Whatever your experience with DIY photography, you’ll find everything you need to know at the source link.
Filed under: Cameras
Via: Raspberry Pi
Source: Adafruit
NASA wants to put your name on a spacecraft headed to an asteroid
Forget those dime-a-dozen “name a star” gifts — wouldn’t you rather put your name on a spacecraft that advances human understanding? NASA certainly thinks you do. It’s teaming up with the Planetary Society to etch your name on chips inside its OSIRIS-REx probe, which will head toward the asteroid Bennu in 2016. While it’s doubtful that any aliens will read your microscopic claim to fame, it’ll certainly get the grand tour. The spacecraft will spend 500 days around the asteroid before heading back, and both the decommissioned vehicle as well as the returning sample capsule will have your ID. You can register your name today for free; just be prepared to wait years for the payoff.
Via: NASA
Source: Planetary.org
iOS users can now buy, rent or stream content from Google Play
Apple’s iTunes has long been the de facto virtual storefront for iOS users looking to buy or rent digital content, but now Google’s elbowing its way into that tidy ecosystem. The search giant just dropped an iOS version of its Google Play Movies & TV app onto the App Store, giving users an alternate media library to browse. The service will also allow users to purchase films and TV shows from the desktop and view them from any iDevice. Just don’t get too jazzed about the Chromecast streaming side of things. We’ve seen the service hiccup more than we’d like in our time using it. Your mileage may vary, but don’t say you weren’t warned.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, HD, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: iTunes
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