The National Football League announces NFL Now, a new digital network launching in July
Super Bowl XLVIII is just around the corner, and the NFL’s taking advantage of the week leading up to it by using it as a platform to reveal its next venture: NFL Now. Today, at a press event in New York City, the National Football League introduced a newly created digital network, dubbed NFL Now, which it says will focus on delivering a “personalized stream of content” to fans of the sport worldwide. While the online service won’t be streaming football games live — not at the time of launch, at least — it will have full on-demand clashes to offer, as well as highlights and other content produced by teams across the league. In addition to all of this, there’s also going to be an abundance of extra video from across other NFL properties, including NFL.com, NFL Network and NFL Films. And, better yet, it will be free.
However, don’t expect Now to act only as a hub for all that aforementioned stuff: The NFL says we can anticipate a ton of original programming to be available as well — though it hasn’t gone into detail about what type exactly. Once it actually gets rolling, we’re told the user experience on NFL Now is set to be extremely personalized and easily customizable. For example, users can select from a number of preferences, like favorite team and fantasy players, and NFL Now will show a stream of content based on those choices. “Eventually, no two users should get the same experience on NFL Now,” a league representative said to us. NFL Now is set to have applications on iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8, Xbox One and “across select consoles and streaming devices.”
For the hardcore NFL enthusiasts, there will be Now Plus, a subscription-based account that’s going to provide access to “premium video content and features.” Naturally, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee, though the NFL didn’t disclose how much the cost of that will be. Commisioner Roger Goodell says the NFL’s overall approach toward media “has been a key component in the growth and success of the NFL over the past 50 years.” “We fully expect NFL Now to be a big part of that initiative in the future.”
The revelation of NFL Now comes shortly after WWE announced its very own new-age network, signaling that these entities are viewing the internet as a valuable medium to deliver programming on. It’s no longer just about sitting on the couch, across from a cable box and a 50-inch TV. Will Now turn out to be a good call from the National Football League? Well, that’s yet to be determined — but we’ll begin to find out in July, which is when the service is due to be officially launched.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Make Evernote your own with its latest iOS update
Just look at those three totally different — well, kinda different — versions of Evernote for iOS above. That’s Evernote illustrating just how distinct you can make the latest version of its popular productivity app, from color themes to sections to where it syncs. Oh, and if it weren’t already apparent, the latest update brings an even more distinctly iOS 7 look to Evernote; that’s an intentional evolution, as today’s update is emblematic of changes that users requested “ever since we launched our iOS 7 redesign,” the team says. Not convinced it’s worth your precious MBs? Head below for a video tour of all the changes.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Apple
Source: Evernote
Time Warner Cable to improve network in NYC and LA, promises faster internet, more reliability, better service
TWC Maxx: the extra ‘x’ means it’s better. At least, that’s what Time Warner Cable would have us believe about its thusly named new initiative to improve the quality of its pay TV and internet offerings in Los Angeles and New York. The plan is to deliver at least 3X internet speeds for every customer except for those one the Everyday Low Price tier (which still should see a more modest speed boost).
How so? Well, TWC’s going to upgrade its network hubs in those cities. and it’s going to retire its analog channels in LA in favor of digital offerings (as it did last year in NYC) in order to free up more bandwidth for SoCal customers. The telco will also continue expansion of its free, public WiFi networks (for business customers and folks on the Standard or better plans). Folks will also have the option to schedule same-day appointments when they’re having problems. Last, but not least, TWC announced plans to continue its drive to deliver more On Demand content and to debut an improved set-top box with six tuners and increased storage capacity later in the year.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Time Warner Cable
SenseGiz seeking funding for Star, a multi-functional safety and activity tracker
There are many fitness trackers and smartwatches on the market, but how about a device that alerts your loved ones when you are injured?
SenseGiz, a company that you may not have heard of, is seeking funding on Indiegogo for Star, what it calls “the world’s first emergency identification and all in one tracker.”
The company, which has its research and development hub in India, was started by Abhishek Latthe and Apurva Shetty. Its prime focus is to design products that help keep people safe, fit, happy and empowered.
Like most fitness trackers, it has sensors to track how many steps you take, calories you burn, and keep track of your sleep patterns, but the thing that separates the Star from the rest of the competition is its integrated crash/fall-alert technology. When the device is paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth, it automatically alerts your emergency contacts “along with your GPS location” when you are in an accident. Through the app for either Android or iOS, users can set the sensitivity. At times when the alarm alert doesn’t go off, like in the instance of a non-crash emergency, there is a manual emergency contact button that the wearer can use.
Along with these unique featuers, Star can be worn as a smartband or attach as a clip to your clothing, and in addition to showing the time, it gives various notifications and alerts such as incoming calls, scheduled exercise time, social media, medication reminders, plus it can be used to control music and as a gesture control for your smartphone.
At the time of writing this, there are 13 days left in the crowdfunding campaign and the company has raised $760 of its $100,000 goal. No matter how much it raises, it will receive any funds it raises. If you’re interested, there are still over 100 early backer specials for $79, where you receive a SenseGiz Star in the color of your choice, either black, pink, blue or white, and it comes with a wristband and clip.
SenseGiz may have a long way to go until it reaches its goal, but if you do contribute, you will be backing a startup that seems to truly want to make a difference in people’s everyday lives.
The post SenseGiz seeking funding for Star, a multi-functional safety and activity tracker appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Snaps Up Several ‘.Guru’ Domain Names on Launch Day
The first of hundreds of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) began rolling out this week, and it should be no surprise that Apple is looking to protect names related to its products and brands. Among this initial batch of gTLDs being released, Apple has already secured several domains in the “.guru” family, presumably due to its similarity to Apple’s “Genius” naming for the company’s in-store support staff and recommendation features in its digital stores.
Domains in the .guru family that have already been registered by Apple and pointed to the company’s name servers include:
– apple.guru
– iphone.guru
– ipad.guru
– mac.guru
Several others including appletv.guru, macbook.guru, and ipod.guru are currently blocked from registration, presumably at Apple’s request.
The new domains registered by Apple are not yet active, although at some point the company may choose to redirect them to either its general home and product family pages or support pages. Some browsers with unified search and URL bars, including Apple’s own Safari, have also yet to be updated to recognize the new domains as URLs. Safari currently directs such entries to searches rather than attempting to access the addresses themselves unless the HTTP protocol is specifically included in the text entry.
Apple routinely moves to protect domain names associated with its business, and the rapidly increasing number of gTLDs is only complicating that effort. Among the most notable expansions, Apple in 2012 applied for control of a new “.apple” top-level domain through a program that appears to still be in progress with Apple having passed initial review last June.
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Google Wallet will make collecting loyalty points easier and noisier
Early adopters of mobile wallet services are brave enough to hand over the keys to their finances in the name of convenience. When you’re signed up to a plethora of loyalty schemes, though, inputting all these details before ditching the plastic could be quite the opposite. Google doesn’t want you burdened with such tasks, and in an impending update to its Wallet app for Android, has said it’ll introduce a new feature that adds loyalty cards with one click of your smartphone’s camera shutter. A natural progression from the recent recognition feature that adds debit and credit card details in the same way, snap a picture of your loyalty card and Wallet will do the rest. Furthermore, when you’re near a store with which you have a card, you’ll get a notification to remind you (that Google knows all). While the Android app was updated yesterday, there’s no mention of these additions, so we’ll take Big G’s word that it’s “rolling out this week.” No news on when an update could hit the iOS version of the app, but as Wallet only launched on the platform a few months ago, we’re not going to hold our breath.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Google (G+)
Leaked Samsung app aims to catalog everything you do on your smartphone
Samsung could become the latest company to jump aboard the lifelogging bandwagon with its new “Life Times” app. Judging by leaked screenshots shared with SamMobile, Samsung wants to automatically log phone and app usage on Galaxy smartphones, cataloguing photos, emails, location, music, messages and social network updates, displaying all of that data in a daily digest. Samsung’s Story Album app already offers similar features for photos, based on common details such as location and time, but Life Times appears to function more as a diary app, like Day Journal for Android or Day One on iOS.
It does, however, fly in the face of reports suggesting Samsung is working with Google to scale down its Android customizations and reduce the number of in-house apps. Given the wording used in some of the screenshots, we reserve a healthy amount of scepticism while understanding the app could also be in early development. Samsung has rolled out new apps and services with its new flagship smartphones in the past, leading us to wonder if Life Times, if it is real, could make an appearance with the unveiling of a certain new Galaxy S handset.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: SamMobile
PayPal Angling for Mobile Payment Partnership with Apple
PayPal wants to be a part of Apple’s mobile payment system and is willing to work closely with the Cupertino company to bring the initiative to fruition, claims a report from Re/code.
Three payments industry executives tell Re/code that eBay-owned PayPal has been pitching Apple on helping the consumer electronics maker bring its long-rumored payments initiative to fruition. These people, who have spoken to contacts at both Apple and PayPal, say that PayPal is essentially willing to white label parts of its payment service to be used in an Apple mobile payments system — anything from fraud detection to back-end infrastructure, even possibly down to the processing of payments.
Re/code’s sources claim Apple is capable of rolling out a mobile payment system without PayPal’s help, but they could not rule out the possibility of some type of partnership between the two companies.
Apple is allegedly focusing on the iPhone for its mobile payment system, though details on how the phone will process payments is not known. A recent patent application hints at the use of NFC and Bluetooth, the latter of which is compatible with the company’s iBeacon technology. Apple recently deployed iBeacons throughout its retail chain of stores, while retailers like American Eagle and Safeway are experimenting with the technology in limited trials.
Today’s report echoes an earlier report from the Wall Street Journal that said Eddie Cue was meeting with industry executives to “to discuss Apple’s interest in handling payments for physical goods and services on its devices.” Tim Cook also confirmed during Apple’s recent earnings conference call that the mobile payment area was “one of the thoughts behind Touch ID” in the iPhone 5s.
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Sonnet Echo 15 Docking Stations Delayed for Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade [Mac Blog]
In an email to customers, hardware upgrade company Sonnet has announced yet another shipment delay for its Echo 15 and Echo 15 Pro+ Thunderbolt docking stations. Unveiled in April 2013, the hardware is still in the pre-order stage. The latest delay is the result of a company decision to upgrade the device to support Thunderbolt 2.0. 
Following our last Echo 15 and Echo 15 Pro+ Thunderbolt Dock status update, we received very positive feedback and valuable input that confirms these products were designed with the right feature sets. However, there has been an increasingly louder chorus of requests for them to be based on Thunderbolt 2 technology. We carefully considered this input, and, combined with recent clarification of requirements for Windows Thunderbolt compatibility, we have decided to upgrade these products to use Thunderbolt 2 chipsets.
The Thunderbolt dock features a DVD or Blu-ray reader/burner, a 2.5″ or 3.5″ SATA drive bay (6 Gb/s) as well as a variety of ports for USB 3.0, SATA, eSATA, FireWire 800, audio input and output, and Gigabit Ethernet connections.
The Sonnet Echo 15 dock can be pre-ordered for $400 with a DVD drive and $450 with a Blu-ray drive. Different capacity hard drives are available as an optional add-on. The Echo 15 Pro+ starts at $550 while upgrading to a Blu-ray burner and adding space for a second solid-state drive.
(Thanks, Dan!)
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HTC: “We’ll miss our self-imposed Android 4.4 target”
HTC president (U.S.) Jason Mackenzie has penned a post on the company’s website advising that the hardware maker will miss its self-imposed target for Android 4.4 KitKat. Initially expected to arrive for the HTC One this week, it appears that the process could take another week or two before it hits the U.S. versions of the handset. As you likely guessed, the delay comes from the carrier certification aspect.
The challenge we gave our teams, in cooperation with our carrier partners, has taught us a lot that will allow us to improve on our upgrade delivery in the future. We remain resolved to provide timely updates and to be transparent about the process and status of our efforts. Supporting our customers is a major priority for us and we thank you for your support of HTC!
We have to give HTC credit for both imposing its own deadline as well as the transparency. There’s nothing worse than waiting without any clue as to what we should expect.
Read the full open letter at HTC’s website.
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