Apple Introduces Updated iTunes Connect Sales Dashboard for Developers [iOS Blog]
Apple has updated the iTunes Connect portal that developers use to track and manage App Store apps. The site has a new Sales and Trends section that allows developers to track sales across certain time periods, sales groups, and more, as well as estimate total revenue amounts, iMore reports.
The lack of modern, useful reporting tools has been a source of developer complaints since developers have been able to complain. Given the size and value of the App Store, and the quantity of both developers and apps, iTunes Connects deserves the attention, and more. Hopefully this is just the beginning.
Many larger developers have forgone iTunes Connect entirely because of its lack of features for more advanced analysis. App Figures and App Annie are two of the more popular app analytics platforms, with many large developers using them to track sales figures across a vast array of categories.
Apple also has an iTunes Connect Mobile iOS app, but it was not updated along side the website today. [Direct Link]
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Korg’s ‘faithful recreation’ of the ARP Odyssey analog synth is coming this September
Well folks, it looks like 2014 will see yet another synthesizer reboot. Korg announced that it’s currently working on a “faithful recreation” of the legendary ARP Odyssey analog synth that made its debut back in 1972. The name may not ring a bell, but it’s responsible for tones you’ve likely heard from artists Devo, John Foxx, Genesis and Deep Purple (as seen above) — just to name a few. For September’s release, Korg enlisted the original Odyessey’s lead designer David Friend to lend a hand with the construction. Unfortunately details are sparse, but the outfit did reveal a new version of its popular MS-20 last January, along with other analog releases in recent years. Needless to say, the bar has been set pretty high for this next installment.
[Photo credit: Fin Costello/Redferns]
Filed under: Misc
Via: Fact Mag
Source: Korg
MOSS kits let you build the robot of your dreams with color-coded cubes
The big story at this years Toy Fair was definitely STEM. That stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics — four areas of study that educational companies and bureaucracies have been pushing more students to get involved with. So it was no surprise that, as we wandered the halls of the Jacob Javits Center, we were bombarded by tinker toys, science sets and robotics kits. One of the more interesting was certainly MOSS, a collection of electronic blocks from the same company that brought us Cubelets. While the basic design certainly echos that of its stablemate, MOSS actually seems to share more genetic code with LittleBits than anything else. The system consists of a set of cubes with sensors, inputs and outputs, all color coded for easy assembly. It is possible to assemble to parts in incorrect orders (unlike with Cubelets) which is why the sets are recommended for ages eight and up.
The blocks have magnets on the corners, but don’t actually snap together themselves. Instead steel ball bearings placed in the corners secure the cubes together. Put a ball in all four corners and you’ll have a rock-solid base; go with just two and you’ve got a hinge. That flexibility is key to MOSS’s appeal. You can actually built rather large and complex creations thanks to the sizable collection of electronic components and structural pieces that give your robots personality. For example, placing four flat pieces around a wheel, attached at the joint with a single ball bearing resulted in a model swing carousel. While you might be worried that such a connection would be rather frail, it’s actually quite study. Even when we accidentally dropped a simple circuit involving a servo and a light sensor the pieces stuck together (when all four corners were secured, at least). The pieces also lock into place with a satisfying click that really inspires confidence in the build quality.
The faces of the cubes are painted green for power, blue for pass through, orange for output and brown for input. Sensors or input mechanisms such as knobs are all black. Figuring out how to assemble the blocks is pretty easy: you need a power block to start, then some form of input whose orange face connects to the brown face on an output block (eg. a motor connected to a wheel). Of course, you’re only limited by you’re imagination and the blocks in your kit. Vehicles that follow your hand movements or even card shufflers are within your reach. If you want to get really crazy, you can get an optional Bluetooth expansion module that lets you send or receive data from an iOS or Android device. The company has cooked up a couple of example apps, such as a virtual Etch-a-Sketch and a data log, and plans to open the module to developers who wish to code for their own creations.
MOSS is available for preorder now in limited quantities, with retail availability expected sometime in April or May. The basic kit with 14 modules will set you back $150, while the exhaustive Advanced Builder kit costs $480. Overtime the company will fill out the price points in between, and even plans to release branded kits with custom modules, such as the Shogun Tank kit with its Nerf canon.
Edgar Alvarez and Daniel Orren contributed to this report.
Android mirroring over Chromecast may soon become a reality
I’m assuming you’ve heard the name Koushik Dutta in the news lately? He’s the developer behind AllCast, the popular Chromecast app that lets you send pictures, music, and videos to your TV. Up until recently, the app didn’t work. A fix from Google un-broke Allcast, allowing developers to create their own apps to work with Chromecast.
Just today, a leak from Dutta revealed screen mirroring through Chromecast from his Android phone. It looks to be the easiest way to mirror your phone to your TV thus far. The mirroring looks very laggy, but that’s to be assumed – that functionality isn’t even out to the public yet. We should see more strides in Chromecast development thanks to Google releasing its SDK to developers.
You’re dream of finally getting to play Flappy Bird on your TV may soon become a reality!
The post Android mirroring over Chromecast may soon become a reality appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 Build 13C62 to Developers [Mac Blog]
Apple today seeded build 13C62 of OS X 10.9.2 to developers, marking the seventh beta iteration of 10.9.2. The release comes five days after the sixth OS X 10.9.2 beta, build 13C59, and nearly two months 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 and should be appearing in the Mac Dev Center soon.
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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‘AirPlay Recorder’ App Lets Mac Users Save Songs From iTunes Radio [Mac Blog]
doubleTwist, the company behind the popular multi-platform iTunes-compatible doubleTwist Media Player, today brought its new AirPlay Recorder app to the Mac, allowing iTunes users to capture and save streaming audio for offline use.
First introduced for Android in January, AirPlay Recorder is designed to record audio, such as streaming songs from iTunes Radio, using AirPlay. After downloading and installing the app, it will appear as an AirPlay device within iTunes and will record audio after being selected from the AirPlay device list.
The app will record any audio or radio stream played within iTunes to a “Recorder” folder within the Music folder for offline playback. Recording audio is done in real time, which means a four minute song will take four minutes to record, and a reliable Internet connection is necessary because the app checks recording quality.
Apps like to AirPlay Recorder, such as Audio Hijack Pro have been previously available, but at a higher price. The legality of AirPlay Recorder and similar apps is unclear, but according to doubleTwist co-founder Monique Farantzos, who spoke to Engadget back in January, the company is unconcerned about the app’s legal status.
“Recording has been around for decades, from audio cassettes (remember mix tapes?) to TuneIn radio’s recording feature. Given that Apple built their iPod empire on letting millions of people rip CDs based on fair use, we don’t see how they could object to this app.”
Along with Farantzos, doubleTwist also boasts Jon Lech Johansen as a co-founder, the man who released DeCSS, a computer program able to decrypt content on commercially produced DVDs. Johansen was prosecuted in Norway back in 2002 for developing the software, but was later acquitted.
doubleTwist’s AirPlay Recorder for Mac can be downloaded for free from the doubleTwist website. The free version allows users to record 10 second samples while full recording capability can be unlocked for $9.99.
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Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 leaks hint at KitKat and an even thinner design
Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z may be too old to justify buying, but don’t worry — it looks like a replacement could be just around the corner. Frequent tipster @evleaks has posted both an image and specs of what’s reported to be the Xperia Tablet Z2. The 10.1-inch slate would preserve the waterproof design, 6,000mAh battery and cameras of its 2013 ancestor, but with a much faster 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM and an even thinner 6.4mm (0.25in) body. It would also ship with Android 4.4 KitKat, so you may not be pining for an OS upgrade as soon as you open the box. There’s no mention of a ship date in the rumors, but Mobile World Congress is just a week away; we wouldn’t be shocked if Sony unveils the Z2 in sunny Barcelona.
Source: @evleaks (Twitter 1), (2)
AIVAnet 