Apple Introducing New Apple TV Box in April for Holiday Launch, Still Talking With Time Warner Cable
Apple is planning to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box in April according to Bloomberg, but the report says Apple would not begin selling the box for months. Apple is also in talks with content providers including Time Warner Cable to provide TV shows and other media. The new box is said to include an upgraded processor and a revamped interface. The current Apple TV UI is getting a bit unwieldy as the company has continued to add new content channels over the past year.
Time Warner has been in talks with Apple for well over a year and the company has said it would be willing to give control of the customer-facing user interface over to Apple. Bloomberg reported last July that Apple and Time Warner were close to a deal.
Apple is aiming to have the device available for sale by the Christmas holidays, though the release date could change because the company is still in the process of securing new agreements with programming and distribution partners, said two people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private.
Earlier this week, a reference to new Apple TV hardware was discovered in an iOS 7 beta release and rumors have suggested that a new Apple TV could see added support for apps and Bluetooth game controllers in the next few months. At the end of January, the Apple TV received new prominence on the Apple Online Store, suggesting the platform could be developing into more than just a “hobby”.
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Developers We Love: King.com
Developers We Love is an ongoing series of posts designed to help discover great Android apps and games. We use the column to highlight both big name developers as well as small, indie outfits. Typically, we’ll opt for those who have released a number of titles before considering them for coverage but this is not a hard rule.
While you may already be familiar with some of these developers, new Android or smartphone users might not. Our aim here is to put companies on your radar so you can enjoy great content!
Who: King.com
Chances are very good that you’ve played one of their games; nearly everyone we know of is familiar with Candy Crush Saga. Around since 2003, these guys have been getting bigger and better in pretty much every aspect. While they were once synonymous with Facebook gaming, we’re finding it harder to avoid them with each game release.
Sure, everything’s a Saga, and the mechanics are stupendously simple, but just try walking away from them after few rounds. If there’s a developer that’s sucked up our free time over the last year or so it’s definitely King.com. Colorful, fun, and safe for the whole family, you’ll be immediately hooked. The games are free to download with in-app purchases and other options to enhance the experience.
Start Here
Take your pick, but we’re willing to bet you’ll go with Candy Crush Saga. And why not? You’ve been hearing about this one for much of the last year or longer and there’s just no way you can’t beat your mom’s high score.
Don’t take our word for it, there literally millions of downloads for some of these games. Read through the reviews and you’ll find high average ratings and great user feedback.
The post Developers We Love: King.com appeared first on AndroidGuys.
VSCO Cam app for iOS adds more ‘community’ features in a bid to take on Instagram
The VSCO Cam app has developed a pretty dedicated following of serious mobile photographers. Over the summer Visual Supply Co. even unveiled a minimalist publishing platform called VSCO Grid. But ties between the two were… let’s say, weak. An update for the iOS version finally rectifies the situation, by fully integrating VSCO Grid. Most notably it adds the ability to follow people and browse a feed of your friends’ most recent photos, taking the first tentative steps into social network territory. You can obviously search out friends on your own, but VSCO also serves up a collection of curated artists it thinks are worth tracking.
The update to 3.0 isn’t all about the “community” though; the camera and editor themselves have received a few nice tweaks. There’s a new Tilt & Level tool that makes sure your pics are perfectly aligned, both vertically and horizontally. The crop tool has been updated for a “smoother, more accurate experience,” and the details view for photos has added pinch-to-zoom support, for really digging into the nitty-gritty of your compositions. You can also now set the app to automatically save images to the iPhone’s Camera Roll and turn off location tagging if you’re paranoid about your privacy. For now the update is iOS only, but Visual Supply Co. promises the new features are coming to Android in the near future.
Source: Visual Supply Co., VSCO Cam (iTunes)
What Samsung is saying about the Galaxy S 5
Samsung isn’t going to make a big song-and-dance when it finally reveals its next flagship smartphone, at least not literally. When it announced last year’s Galaxy S 4, the company put on a pretty grand show in New York. However, that isn’t to say the current darling of Android is keeping everything a secret when it comes to the Galaxy S 5. In fact, the company has shared a surprising amount about what to expect, without us even getting close to the rumor mill. And, because Samsung makes the majority of its smartphone components in-house (processor, screen and battery) many of these announcements are made from the sidelines, months in advance, then not-so-miraculously appear (eventually) in the company’s mobile devices.
Last year’s Samsung flagship didn’t scream that it was truly a new phone in its own right … something that Samsung’s Mobile EVP, Lee Young Hee even admitted.
Broadly, Samsung’s said that it’s had a “back to basics” rethink on its next smartphone — a good idea given that the GS 4 really didn’t fall far from the Galaxy S tree. Slimmer, faster and sharper are all good, but last year’s flagship didn’t scream that it was truly a new phone in its own right. It’s even something that Samsung’s Mobile EVP Lee Young Hee, admitted in an interview with Bloomberg. “It’s partly true that consumers couldn’t really feel much difference between the two products from the physical perspective.” With this year’s model, she added, “mostly it’s about the display and the feel of the cover.” So that’s the front and back, right? At its most asinine, it could simply mean the GS 5 will pillage the faux leather effect that’s now the standard on both Samsung Android tablets and its Note 3 series. Samsung’s already transplanted the look to a limited-run Galaxy S 4, but it’s the mention of changes to the screen that’s got us a little more enthused than last year.
Samsung’s Galaxy Round was the first curved-screen phone, but it felt more like a proof-of-concept than a must-have smartphone. Software utilization of the odd curvature didn’t really sell the concept, and (especially compared to LG’s G Flex) distribution outside of Korea was (and still is) a rarity. Will the next smartphone follow up on the Galaxy Round’s shape or take the curved-screen notion somewhere that’s a little more, well, useful? When Samsung first introduced its smartphone-centered curved-screen technology, it was with a new concept family: Youm.
Will the next smartphone follow up on the Galaxy Round’s shape or take the curved-screen notion somewhere that’s a little more, well, useful?
This family of devices with wraparound (even folding screens) was very much a conceptual, fuzzy future-facing promotion, but the devices looked nothing like the Galaxy Round. The in-the-flesh demo model shown after the CES announcement offered a more realistic, handy way of utilizing curved-screen technology, scrolling notifications subtly along the edge of the device. Samsung is heavily invested in curved screens, and it could be the best weapon it has to differentiate from (most of) the Android pack — it just needs a better reason to exist in a smartphone.
Going on Samsung’s prior track record, screen changes are more likely to result in another increase in resolution. At Samsung’s own Analyst Day back in November (a rare event for the company), it detailed a wide-ranging roadmap of where its components business is heading, including what it’ll be bringing to its mobile devices in 2014. Let’s temper these points though: new features and upgrades mentioned could well appear in another device that’s not the GS 5. (Gotta hold back something for the Note series too, right?)
Samsung’s President of Device Solutions Stephen Woo said that Samsung’s first (and less easy-to-understand) WQHD screen will appear in mobile devices this year. It’s not 4K — although that’s on the roadmap for 2015 — but it’s still a substantial resolution bump. At 2,560 x 1,440, that’s nearly twice as many pixels as a 1080p panel found on the Galaxy S 4. A resolution bump like this, however, could well be imperceptible to most eyes on a screen less than six inches across. As mentioned earlier, the company presented these slides without a definitive model in mind. It would, however, make sense when it comes to Samsung’s useful Multi Window feature, which allows the ability to “float” an app in a window above another app, or even split the screen between two apps (e.g., full 1080p video and space enough to write an email while you watch.)
The presentation didn’t stop there, however. It also touched on a new camera sensor, promising a 16-megapixel ISOCELL sensor inside a mobile device sometime this year. Samsung’s detailed its cheaper 8-megapixel cameras with the same technology, with the new technology promising to enhance light collection and reduce noise, improving color reproduction on the way. If the Galaxy S 5 came with this incoming sensor, not only would it be an upgrade from the GS 4′s 13MP camera, it would even match the photography-centric Galaxy S4 Zoom, at least on pixel-count.
We’ve heard a lot about the hardware, and not so much about the software. As Samsung continues to rein in its ever-growing lineup of Galaxy tablets and phones into a more cohesive unit, the Galaxy S 5 will likely fit right in the center of that. It gets vaguer as to what that user experience will encompass, however. Samsung’s latest Galaxy Tab Pro and Note Pro tablets showed off a new Flipboard-ish Magazine UX, which coexists alongside the more standard, icon-heavy Android home screen.
However, Google has been pushing against such divergent design and UI choices for a while. A substantial patent deal between the makers of Android and Samsung, as well as those reportedly “broad agreements” done alongside it, mean we’re not sure what we’re going to see on the Galaxy S 5′s home screen.
The company said in a statement concerning its relationship with Android that it would continue to “provide differentiated and innovative service and content offerings.” Here’s hoping incoming software additions are more like Multi Window and less like Smart Pause… and that Samsung’s got something on its new phone more surprising than some redesigned icons. Less than two weeks to go until the reveal.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Bloomberg, Samsung Analyst Day 2013
Toyota recalls 1.9 million Prius hybrids to fix flawed software
Toyota has shipped over 3.5 million Prii since the first models hit streets in 1997, and now it wants more than half of them back. The company announced today that it’s recalling 1.9 million hybrids (713,000 of which are in North America) thanks to a nasty software issue that could affect cars made between March 2009 and February 2014.
The glitch may cause parts of the car’s hybrid system to overheat and malfunction. That would normally put the car into a failsafe mode where it can still be driven with reduced engine power, though it’s possible it could shut down entirely. The bug was first reported back in 2011 but, miraculously, it doesn’t appear to have caused any accidents yet. You can check to see if your Prius is one of the afflicted on Toyota’s recall site and schedule an appointment at your local dealership. Thankfully, you wont waste your whole day in the waiting room: a spokesperson told Automotive News the update process only takes about 40 minutes.
Via: Reuters
Source: Toyota
Nokia Lumia Icon coming to Verizon February 20th for $200 (hands-on)
Yes, Windows Phones are finally keeping up with the Joneses. Thanks to the latest update, smartphones running Microsoft’s mobile OS can now have top-of-the-line components. We got a good taste of how this feels with the Nokia Lumia 1520 (spoiler: It’s pretty dang good), but most people would prefer flagship specs in a smaller phone. Enter the Lumia Icon, a loaded 5-inch WP8 device exclusive to Verizon that goes on sale in black and white colors February 20th for $200 with a two-year contract. (It’ll cost $550 at full retail or Edge pricing.)
The Icon comes with nearly all the same specs as the Lumia 1520: a 1080p display, 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 20-megapixel PureView rear camera (with optical image stabilization, a 1.2MP front-facing webcam, a Gorilla Glass 3 screen, Qi wireless charging, NFC, dual-band WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0 + LE. Unsurprisingly, the 2,420mAh battery is smaller, and we hope it can efficiently manage the high-def screen and quad-core processor without a huge drain to the battery.
Aside from the battery and smaller screen, the Icon is an exclusive to Verizon, as evidenced by the three carrier-specific logos on the front and back. And while we wouldn’t be surprised to see a 5-inch 1080p Lumia device hit the rest of the market at some point, it probably won’t look like the Icon. The phone sports straight aluminum sides and a curved back fashioned out of matte polycarbonate. In many ways, the setup reminds us of the Lumia 925, which features rounded metal sides and the same plastic back; the Icon is 0.5mm thicker, but it also doesn’t have a distracting camera hump like the 925 has. We’ll offer more impressions below, but not before showing off a gallery of images and a brief walk-through video.
Before we go any further, it’s important to acknowledge the display — the first 5-inch 1080p ClearBlack panel to show up in a Windows Phone. Nokia opted for an OLED screen instead of LCD this time around — the 1520 features the latter, while the 1020 and 925 use the former — and it boasts a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. In addition to a sharp picture, it brings fantastic viewing angles, 500 nits max brightness and an incredibly low-glare screen (similar to what we saw on Nokia’s Lumia 2520 tablet). While the Lumia 1520 screen was beautiful, we found ourselves champing at the bit to play with a similar HD display in a smaller size — and we were impressed as soon as we saw it.
Another aspect of the Icon worth mentioning is its four-microphone setup for directional audio. The Lumia 1520 had this as well, but it’s great to see it becoming a standard on Nokia’s latest devices. With a pair of mics in the back and another pair in the front, it allows you to hear audio from the situation in front of you while filtering out the extra noise going on in the background. And speaking of audio, the external rear speaker is placed near the bottom end, right where the flattest part of the back begins to slope gradually to the edges; Nokia assures us that audio won’t sound muffled because the back is curved, however, so we’ll have to save our conclusion for the official review in a few days.
When viewing the front or back of the Icon straight-on, you’ll notice that the metal sides ring around the perimeter, which we presume serve as protection from most impacts. Those same sides are also connected to the back by a small chamfer. The top and bottom edges are nearly symmetric: The bottom features a centered micro-USB fast-charge 2.0 port and you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack in the same spot up top (though there’s a metallic tray for your nano-SIM just to the left, which throws off the symmetry a bit), and each port is flanked by the phone’s gray antennas.
It’s a solid device with good materials, to be sure, but there are a couple things to watch out for. Since the metal plays a prominent role in the phone’s design, you probably won’t last a full two years without at least a few minor dings and scratches on the side (if not much worse) — if you’ve used the iPhone for an extensive period of time, you may already know what we’re talking about. Additionally, if you don’t typically like blocky phones, the Icon won’t appeal to you — it’s essentially a thinnish block with a little bubble in the back. On the flip side, it’s easy to hold and you won’t ever feel like it’s going to slip out of your hands, but it’s certainly something worth noting.
We’ll have a full review ready for you in just a few days, so stay tuned.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia, Verizon
Verizon reportedly launching ‘More Everything’ plans with higher data caps, lower pices
The Nexus 7 arriving on Verizon Wireless apparently isn’t the carrier’s only big news this week. @VZWnews just tweeted that “#More is coming,” teasing an announcement for tomorrow. According to a tipster, Verizon will launch so-called More Everything plans with additional data and reduced prices for Edge customers. Plans with 8GB or less of data will be discounted $10, while those with 8 gigs or more will be reduced by $20. For those unfamiliar, Edge is Verizon’s trade-in and upgrade program, which lets you pay off the cost of a phone over the course of your two-year contract.
Share Everything plans will reportedly become the new More Everything plans, and they’ll get a boost in data caps in the process. Those plans will also allow for unlimited messaging anywhere in the world. Finally, More Everything plans will apparently also include 25GB of free cloud storage. We’re hardly the first to say it, but it certainly looks like the carrier is feeling the heat from T-Mobile and other telcos competing for customers with price-cutting offers. We’ll have #More details on the announcement tomorrow, so keep an eye out!
[Thanks, anonymous!]
Filed under: Cellphones, Networking, Mobile, Verizon
Via: Android Police
Source: Verizon Wireless (Twitter)
Apple Likely to Slim Down iPhone and iPad with Thinner and Lighter Backlights
As Apple continues its quest to make its iOS devices thinner and lighter, the company will take advantage of advancements in LED backlighting technology to shift to thinner components for the iPhone 6 and upcoming iPad models, according to a report from LEDinside, a division of research firm TrendForce.
The report notes that a thinner design will see Apple shifting from 0.6 mm thick side-view LED backlights to 0.4 mm thick modules, but also questionably claims that the iPhone 6 will arrive in June. The iPhone 6 is generally expected to arrive in the same September-October timeframe seen in recent years.
According to sources from Apple supply chain, the iPhone 6 is likely to be released in June 2014, and will have larger monitor size of 4.7”. Industry insiders also projected the iPhone 6 will have a much lighter frame, which will lead to upgrades in LED backlight specs. In the previous generation, the iPhone used 0.6t side-view type LED, in contrast the new iPhone will probably be adopting 0.4t side-view type LED.
Apple has been rumored to be increasing display size for the iPhone 6, and while LEDinside‘s report only mentions a 4.7-inch model, a number of other claims have included an even larger model at 5.5-5.7 inches. Larger displays will undoubtedly lead to larger device bodies, but that extra height and width could give Apple more room to spread out components and reduce device thickness from the current 7.6 mm of the iPhone 5s, and thinner backlights could aid that goal in an industry where fractions of a millimeter count.
LEDinside claims that similar changes are coming for the iPad, particularly with a rumored 12-inch model. According to the report, new iPads will see their backlights shift to 0.6 mm thick modules from the current 0.8 mm components.
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LG teases G2 Mini for Mobile World Congress 2014
As Mobile World Congress approaches quickly, the rumors are in full swing. This time it’s LG with the announcement confirmed for the G2 Mini.
According to a recent Facebook post from the official LG profile, the G2 Mini will be announced at MWC on 02/24/2014.
That’s about all the info that the post gives us for now. We have previously heard some rumored specs for the device, but not much. It should be sporting a 4.7 inch, 720p display, with an 8MP rear-facing camera.
Hopefully the jump from the G2 Mini to the G2 will be more like the Sony Z1 Compact to the O.G. Z1. When Sony made the Compact a smaller version of the Z1 without sacrificing any specs, it was a big change from what we’re used to. “Mini” phones tend to take a hit in specs, not only screen size, so we’ll have to wait and see as more details arise.
Stick around for more news about the G2 Mini and other MWC news!
Source: LG (Facebook)
The post LG teases G2 Mini for Mobile World Congress 2014 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Europe pushes for a less US-dominated internet
The European Union is more than a little jittery about a US-centric internet after learning the extent of the country’s mass surveillance. Accordingly, the European Commission has proposed a whole host of measures that would shift control to the international community. It wants a firm schedule for globalizing internet infrastructure, more power for the Internet Governance Forum, fewer conflicts between countries’ internet laws and a venue for improving transparency policies. The regulator doesn’t want to give too much clout to any one group, though — Commission VP Neelie Kroes prefers a “multi-stakeholder” approach that lets innovators move at their own pace. The proposal still needs support from both the Council of the EU and the European Parliament before it can take effect, but it could give Europe a united front when it’s pushing for changes in internet policy.
[Image credit: The Council of the European Union]
Filed under: Internet
Via: Reuters
Source: European Union
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