Daily Roundup: Xperia Z1 Compact review, Facebook Paper and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Facebook unveils Paper for iPhone
Earlier today Facebook introduced yet another news aggregator into the world. Dubbed Paper, this (as of now) iPhone-only app promises a distraction-free layout with curated news from well-known sites and “emerging voices.” Follow the link for more information.
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact review
Sony’s new Xperia Z1 Compact smartphone might be smaller than the original Z1, but its internals are nearly identical. Starting at £440 in the UK, this handset brings the same waterproof housing, 20.7-megapixel camera and quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 chipset as its older sibling. Click through for our review.
Lenovo’s Motorola deal and American manufacturing
Lenovo’s swift purchase of Motorola raises many questions about its footprint in the smartphone marketplace. But what about Moto’s employees? Click on through as Engadget’s Terrence O’Brien breaks down how the deal could affect Moto’s US manufacturing.
Satya Nadella reportedly the next Microsoft CEO
Microsoft has yet to announce a successor to previous CEO Steve Ballmer, but if a report from Bloomberg is true, Microsoft Cloud VP Satya Nadella might be next in line. Follow the link for more.
Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 Build 13C48 to Developers [Mac Blog]
Apple today seeded build 13C48 of OS X 10.9.2 to developers, marking the fourth beta iteration of 10.9.2. The release comes a week after the third OS X 10.9.2 beta, build 13C44, and a little over a month after the first OS X 10.9.2 beta.
The update is available to registered developers through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store as well as through the Mac Dev Center.
Apple continues to ask developers to focus on mail, messages, graphics drivers, VoiceOver, VPN, and SMB2. Earlier betas of OS X 10.9.2 began allowing Mac users to block people on iMessage and FaceTime, as can be done in iOS 7, and also introduced FaceTime Audio.
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Have a favorite music streaming service? Sound off, people of Engadget
Wrapping your head around all the various options for streaming music can be overwhelming. How do you choose between Spotify, Rdio, Beats Music, Rhapsody, Google Play Music All Access or any of the other services out there? Engadget Forums member daninbusiness is here to help, and he’s done a great job breaking down the pros and cons of each music provider that he’s used. But one man’s opinion does not a consensus make, y’all. What’s your go-to choice for music? How would you persuade your friends that the benefits of Spotify far exceed those of Rdio? Sound off in the forums, folks, your wisdom is needed.
Filed under: Internet
Analyst Skeptical About Imminent Launch for 12.9-Inch ‘iPad Pro’
A rumored 12.9-inch iPad may still have significant development time left, according to an analyst at IHS, a supply chain research firm. According to CNET, IHS analyst Rhosa Alexander said there were a number of different larger panels, that could be potentially be a larger iPad, floating around display manufacturers — but not in volumes necessary for an imminent launch.
“Some manufacturers over the last six months have received sample quantities of a larger panel. They’re playing around with a product that could possibly be an iPad-related product,” she told CNET in a phone interview.
“Various sizes are being reported with 12.85 inches being one of the sizes,” she said.
Mockup of 12.9-inch iPad next to iPad Air and iPad mini
Alexander went on to say that IHS did not see significant shipments of any of the larger panels, and suggested that there may not be a market for iPads larger than the current 9.7-inch model. “We have to get a lot further down the line in terms of seeing really strong indicators from Apple that such a product exists, and we’re just not at that point.”
Samsung launched a 12.2-inch Galaxy tablet earlier this year with some reviewers saying the device was not very portable and awkward to hold for long periods of time.
According to a research report from Evercore analyst Patrick Wang, Apple’s larger iPad may be aimed at the enterprise market. Recent rumors have indicated that the 12.9-inch iPad will launch no earlier than the third quarter of 2014.
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Zynga Acquires Company Behind ‘Clumsy Ninja’ App [iOS Blog]
Zynga today acquired NaturalMotion, the company that developed the Clumsy Ninja app, for a total of $527 million in cash and stock. Clumsy Ninja, which was released in November of 2013 after a long development period, was highlighted by Apple during the iPhone 5 media event in September of 2012.
Following its initial debut, the app and the company behind it received a lot of attention for the natural movement styles of the ragdoll ninja character.
Founded by Torsten Reil, a former evolutionary biologist, NaturalMotion specializes in high quality games that use realistic animations, which is a bit of a departure from Zynga’s typical game style.
Along with Clumsy Ninja, NaturalMotion has also released several other iOS apps, including Jenga, Icebreaker Hockey, and CSR Racing. According to Zynga CEO Don Mattrick, NaturalMotion will expand Zynga’s creative pipeline and bring next-generation tools to the company.
NaturalMotion expands Zynga’s creative pipeline, accelerates our mobile growth, and brings next-generation technology and tools to Zynga that will fast-track our ability to deliver consumers more hit games. Bringing Zynga and NaturalMotion together is a bold step in the right direction at the right time.
Combining NaturalMotion’s strengths with Zynga’s ability to develop breakthrough social features while sustaining live games over time, offers us a huge opportunity to redefine the gaming industry and deliver consumers blockbuster entertainment experiences.
Alongside the acquisition of NaturalMotion, Zynga also announced that it is laying off a total of 314 employees, or 15 percent of its workforce, as part of a cost reduction plan that is expected to save the company up to $35 million. During 2013, Zynga saw $873.3 million in revenue, but ultimately had a net loss of $37 million.
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Chromecast, Google Play, Nexus 5 and Google Wallet had a very good 2013
The numbers are out, confirming that, yet again Google’s rolling in the dough. And on its Q4 investors call, Google informed us that, while ads still butter its bread, other sources of income are growing in importance — non-advertising revenue essentially doubled in 2013, with $1.65 billion coming in the last three months, not counting Motorola, of course. That increase is due partly to a strong holiday season this year, powered by sales of Nexus devices (particularly the 5) and Chromecasts, and the Play Store continuing to move more apps and games.
Nikesh Arora, Google’s senior VP and chief business officer, said that consumers’ general shift toward mobile platforms has helped drive the Play Store’s economics upward, and that in turn is driving many more folks to opt into Google Wallet. When asked how many Wallet users and credit cards Google’s got, Arora played coy. “It’s a number that we’re happy with,” but if you “take a look at the number of Android users out there,” you can get a sense of the scale of the opportunity. Needless to say, it seems that Arora is feeling bullish about the prospects of both Wallet and the Play Store in 2014.
Oh, and before you go thinking that Nest will aid in the Nexus hardware lineup’s upward trajectory, don’t. Google CFO Patrick Pichette said that the goal of the acquisition is to help Nest scale up its market reach worldwide and that Mountain View will bring its vast resources to bear to make it happen. So, don’t expect to see any Nest-ified slates or phones anytime soon.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo aims to offer S-Pen experience without flagship specs
We’ve seen the Galaxy Note series get larger and larger as time passes, but this is the first time we’ve seen the Note actually get smaller. The Galaxy Note 3 Neo has now been officially unveiled by Samsung Poland and will come in two flavors — 3G and “LTE+,” and the latter offers connectivity on higher-speed Category 4 networks (up to 150Mbps down/50Mbps up). The two share a lot of similarities, but there are a couple key differences as well: as you might expect, the LTE+ model is the more specced out of the pair and offers a hexa-core processor consisting of two 1.7GHz Cortex-A15 cores and four 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 cores. The 3G (HSPA+ 21Mbps) version, on the other hand, will enjoy a quad-core 1.6GHz processor of unknown make.
So what’s important about the new Neos? Both versions of the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean device feature a 5.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED panel with full S-Pen capability, which means you’ll be able to take advantage of Air Command, S Note, Multi-Window and other pen-related functions; in other words, it’ll be a less expensive version of the Note 3 for those who want the functionality without the absolute top-of-the-line features. It even comes with the same leatherlike back cover as its flagship counterpart (shown below).
The 162.5g Neo is 8.6mm thick, is compatible with Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch and comes with a pretty decent array of specs: you’re looking at a 3,100mAh battery, 8MP rear camera/2MP front-facing camera, 2GB of RAM, IR, NFC, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 16GB internal storage and microSDXC capacity up to 64GB. Not too shabby for a “Note 3 mini” of sorts, although we’re not sure what the price is at present time. Samsung says we should expect a global rollout next month (except the US and the UK, if the company hasn’t changed its mind) in our choice of black, white or green.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Google
Via: PhoneArena, SammyToday
Source: Samsung Poland (translated)
Intel’s AppUp is shutting down
Intel is shuttering the virtual doors of its PC app store, AppUp, on March 11th. Launched in 2010, the store was designed to be a Windows app superstore in the new age of Ultrabooks, and came preinstalled on a number of Atom PCs.
In 2012, the future looked promising for AppUp, which was getting a new user every 56 seconds. Microsoft’s App Store launched that year, however, overshadowing the smaller storefront. With the end of AppUp, Intel says it has its eyes on the future, and plans to spend time “developing new and exciting PC innovations.” Let’s hope that means more things like the Edison PC it showed off this year at CES.
Most apps will keep on trucking after the store closes, however some programs will stop working mid-2015. If you’ve paid for apps, you can score a full refund by filing a claim by December 14th 2014. Check out the source link for more details.
Filed under: Laptops, Software, Intel
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Intel
Major League Baseball Rolling Out Thousands of iBeacons for Opening Day
Next week, Major League Baseball will begin rolling out thousands of iBeacons in ballparks around the country according to a source familiar with the plans who shared them with MacRumors.
The league is looking to have twenty parks outfitted with roughly 100 iBeacons each by Opening Day at the end of March. Boston, Milwaukee, San Diego, LA Dodgers, and San Francisco are among the teams that will have iBeacons installed.
The iBeacon deployment is one of the largest rollouts in the world, aside from Apple Retail’s 254-store effort. MLB will be using iBeacons sourced from Qualcomm.
The iBeacons will work with primarily with MLB’s At The Ballpark app, demonstrated at Citi Field last fall. The app should be updated by Opening Day with iBeacon support.
Functionality will vary by ballpark, with individual teams having significant input and control over what users will see. There are a number of potential use cases including point of interest information, concessions, loyalty and rewards programs, shopping, and more. Specific scenarios have yet to be determined for each ballpark and teams will share more information as it gets closer to Opening Day.
Separately, the NFL is rolling out a limited number of iBeacons at MetLife Stadium, the Super Bowl venue for this year, and in Times Square. The beacons will mostly be used to help users get to entry gates and to find Super Bowl-related tourist attractions in the area.
At The Ballpark already includes extensive ticketing functions introduced last year. Ticketing is fully integrated in the app and users can see all tickets they own, a significant perk for season ticket holders. Tickets can also be transferred from user to user, allowing ticket holders to send unused tickets to friends and family. With iBeacon, the app will be able to offer ticket holders precise directions to the appropriate gate and to their seats. Users can work end-to-end within the app: buying tickets, showing them at the gate, and then using the app to find their seats.
The main purpose of the iBeacons, according to our source, is to improve the fan experience — not make money. The league is taking a “longer range view” and iBeacon isn’t designed to drive revenue in a direct sense. “Time is more valuable than money”, so MLB wants to make the fan experience “as efficient as possible”. It is looking to eliminate time wasters like waiting in line at the will call window, and it doesn’t want fans wandering the ballpark looking for their seats.
However, there is a significant revenue opportunity to be found. iBeacons allow fans to signal their intent, whether it’s browsing for merchandise, looking for food or something else. It allows ball clubs to be more proactive at fulfilling fan needs and “it’s better for you as a fan”. At The Ballpark already includes a loyalty and rewards component, but with iBeacons, clubs could proactively send a push notification to fans thanking them for their tenth visit to the ballpark and directing them to a nearby concession stand for a free hot dog.
The precision of the iBeacon’s location determining ability varies depending on both use case and subsequent placement of the iBeacon hardware. Determining installation locations for iBeacons within a major league ballpark is a major undertaking. If installed properly, the app will be able to determine things like whether users are physically in a store versus looking in the window, or if they need to move to a different row in a particular section.
MLB is also working to bring reliable Wi-Fi to all thirty ballparks, as well as working with all major carriers to improve cellular reception inside the facilities. Currently, many fans have difficulties using data or making calls, particularly during particularly exciting moments in the game. iBeacons can currently trigger any content — videos, photos, text — that are preloaded in the app, but for optional items like video clips triggered by plaques at Monument Park in Yankee Stadium, having reliable Wi-Fi would be a significant improvement to the fan experience.
The Bluetooth LE protocol used by the iBeacons is not subject to connectivity conditions, so users should be able to get directions to their seats or other content already stored within the app regardless of the status of their cellular connection.
Fans looking to get started with MLB iBeacons should download free At The Ballpark app to their iPhone and then sign up for a free MLB.com account to get started. Users need to install At The Ballpark and specifically opt-in to receive messages from iBeacons, preventing unwanted notifications. [Direct Link]
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Engadget HD Podcast 383 – 1.30.14
The rumor mill has been grinding away this week, providing juicy bits of Apple and Amazon news for Ben and Richard to chew on. Netflix also announces its new ‘post-play’ feature, which prompts the crew to request a sleep detection feature. While a Kinect-type solution may seem invasive, it would be great for knowing when you konk out so it could stop episode playback. You won’t be catching any Zs during this show, however, with Q4 updates on major manufacturers, discussion about the upcoming Super Bowl and the Fantasy Football league results. So hop on down to the streaming links below to catch the latest episode of the Engadget HD Podcast.
Hosts: Richard Lawler, Ben Drawbaugh
Producer: Jon Turi
Hear the podcast:
10:27 – TiVo reportedly lays off industrial design team, sees its future in DVR software
16:31 – New Apple TV may include a revamped interface, more kinds of content
22:43 – Rumors suggest Amazon’s game console project is still alive
29:35 – Netflix ends 2013 with 44 million subscribers, will keep experimenting with pricing
36:07 – Netflix ‘post-play’ feature that automatically jumps to the next episode is now optional
47:28 – Time Warner Cable customers can now stream on-demand shows from A&E Networks
49:40 – Google offers Fiber to more Provo residents, to expand coverage area throughout 2014
50:15 – Samsung profits drop slightly, but it’s still seeing increased demand for phones, tablets
52:46 – LG shrinks losses thanks to strong TV sales, promises new flagship phone next month
55:37 – Blu-ray discs may soon get billions of colors with new encoding tech
58:36 – Must See HDTV for the week of January 27th: Super Bowl XLVIII, State of the Union Address
Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS – AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.
[RSS – MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator.
Contact the podcast:
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