Hands-on with Samsung’s vastly improved Tizen OS
Samsung’s device lineup may still be heavily dominated by Android, but change is in the air. Tizen, the open-source OS it jointly develops with Intel, now powers the company’s three new Gear wearables, and smartphones are coming later this year. We got the chance to play with Samsung’s latest Tizen phone prototype, which runs a customized build (version 2.2.1) of the platform, allowing us to see what’s changed since the last time we saw a Samsung developer handset. While there’s still plenty of similarities between the prototype and what we’ve seen in the past, Samsung’s worked to incorporate parts of its Android design language, particularly in the apps drawer, notification tray and homescreen widgets. Not only do they look better, each of the elements are more feature rich than before, offering users greater control over the device and making it feel like a complete platform. The company insists the platform isn’t designed to replace Android, affirming that it forms part of its “multi-OS strategy,” but given its recent wearable overhaul, we’ll never say never. Check out the hands-on video below to see what a Samsung mobile future without Google could possibly look like.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Engadget HD Podcast 387 – 2.27.14
The HD news heap has reached a toppling point, so Ben and Richard get to work sifting through all the insanity from the past week. One of the major talking points is the streaming bottleneck of Netflix’s content on various service providers. This prompts Ben to provide an overview of the labyrinthine inner workings of the internet, a tall task for anyone to attempt. In another bold move, Disney Movies Anywhere service launched recently with iTunes on board to help deliver some of its content. There’s definitely some twists and turns, so head to the streaming links below for a bit of navigational assistance on this week’s episode of the Engadget HD Podcast.
Hosts: Richard Lawler, Ben Drawbaugh
Producer: Jon Turi
Hear the podcast:
12:49 – Netflix ISP claims bottlenecks
43:23 – No, Netflix’s deal with Comcast won’t destroy the internet
55:28 – Netflix mocks Amazon Prime Air with hilarious ‘Drone 2 Home’ video
56:39 – Amazon ‘pulls a Netflix,’ revives cancelled BBC detective show
57:41 – Disney Movies Anywhere service launches with an unprecedented link to iTunes
01:04:28 – MLB, NBA, NHL and NASCAR team up on 120 Sports, a 24-hour streaming video channel
01:08:57 – TiVo’s co-founders want you to use internet video for your own TV network
01:15:14 – Aereo strikes out in Utah, preliminary injunction shuts down local service
01:15:22 – Aereo wins a grace period from injunction, keeps Denver and Salt Lake City open
01:15:47 – Sony laser pico projector module beams out focus-free HD images
01:16:55 – Sony to shutter two-thirds of its US stores
01:18:32 – Plex’s new Chromecast features let you watch more content, better than ever before
01:19:48 – Xbox One Media Remote arrives in early March for $25
01:22:32 – PlayStation 4 moves just shy of 350K units in first two days at Japanese retail
01:23:15 – Crowdfunded Veronica Mars movie will hit theaters and your living room simultaneously
01:25:14 – Mike Judge’s upcoming HBO comedy ‘Silicon Valley’ gets its first trailer
01:26:20 – Must See HDTV for the week of February 25th: Oscars, Gravity and Game of Arms
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:
Amazon is reportedly working on a music-streaming service
Amazon does much more than dominate the online-shopping space. With its Prime instant video service, complete with original series and exclusives, the company has taken on Netflix — and it looks like challenging Spotify and other music services is Amazon’s next step. According to sources who spoke with Re/code, the company is currently in talks with music labels to offer a subscription-style service. The news is hardly surprising, but it’s unclear when exactly an Amazon music-streaming platform would arrive.
According to one “label source,” the company’s demand for deeper discounts is holding up its talks with labels. When the back-room negotiations come to a conclusion, though, the cost of buying those music rights will likely be worth it, especially considering hints that the annual Prime subscription could increase by up to $40. In theory, at least, customers would be more likely to shell out that fee if they received more bundled features like free music streaming. However, Re/code makes a good point in noting that many Prime subscribers aren’t even aware that they have access to instant video, so perhaps a streaming service would help Amazon highlight the privileges of Prime membership — if the music service is bundled with Prime at all, that is.
Source: Re/code
Some Early Mac Pro Orders Won’t See Promised February Delivery
Just hours after Apple began taking orders for the new Mac Pro back in December, shipping estimates slipped to “February”. However, Apple will not meet that deadline for a number of customers.
One customer told MacRumors that an Apple representative told him earlier today that his 6-core unit, originally ordered on January 7, “will not ship in February as originally stated” and instead “will be shipping in 5-7 business days and will be reflected in the on-line shipping status early next week.” Some Mac Pro buyers on the MacRumors forums have been notified of similar delays. The delay puts deliveries in the first or second week of March.
The reader told us that he received two emails at the beginning and middle of the month promising delivery by the end of February, however, both those emails turned out to be incorrect. Here’s the text of one from February 17:
We’d like to give you another update on the status of your Mac Pro order.
Your Mac Pro is still scheduled to ship in February. We’ll send you an email notification with the delivery date and tracking information once its on its way.
For the most up-to-date delivery information, visit Order Status on the Apple Online store. If you have an iOS device, you can check your order status using the Apple Store app for iPad or iPhone.
We appreciate your patience and look forward to getting the new Mac Pro to you as soon as possible.
Current U.S. Apple Online Store orders for the Mac Pro have an expected ship date of April.
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What to expect from the first generation of Ubuntu smartphones (hands-on)
The Ubuntu Touch smartphone OS has come a long way, but it still has further to plod before it’s ready for market – all Canonical will tell us that it hopes to see an Ubuntu phone before the end of this year. Nevertheless, now that some phone manufacturers are on board with the project, we’ve been able to play with a couple of prototypes: One was just a non-functioning handset from a Spanish company called BQ, showing off plain but solid build quality reflective of a mid-tier device. The other was more interesting – a re-purposed Android handset from a second Ubuntu partner, Meizu, which makes light work of the operating system and interface. The UI itself hasn’t changed a great deal since we last tried it, and neither has the underlying mission, which is to create an OS that extends seamlessly across phones, tablets and PCs, with virtually the same apps running on each type of screen. Check out the hands-on video below to get a better of what Canonical is aiming at, or — if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty — try the new dual-boot developer preview for yourself on an Android handset.
Matt Brian contributed to this report.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Rent a New York City apartment by the hour for… well, it’s up to you
Sometimes, New York City can be unbearable. Sometimes, you just need a break. Breather wants to offer you that break, in a variety of “beautiful, practical spaces” that are available by the hour. Think of it like a rentable, temporary office. Sound good? Head right here to check it out!
…
Okay, are those folks gone? Now let’s get down to what this is really about: rentable sex spaces. That’s what we’re talking about here, right? Gothamist arrived at the same conclusion as us, and asked Breather’s City Manager Packy McCormick what gives. He claimed that, during a months-long beta period, there were no signs indicating Breather being used as such. “It just doesn’t happen,” he said. In fairness, the spaces aren’t exactly strewn with mood lighting and waterbeds; they have standard office fare (WiFi, desks, power outlets — unsexy stuff) and get cleaned after each use by Breather staff.
We got on the phone with CEO Julien Smith for more; he spoke with us from his mobile phone in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood — no coincidence, as that’s where Breather is headed in the “next couple of months.” NYC service will also expand out from Manhattan into the outer boroughs in the same time frame, with plans for Boston and other major cities in the future.
Smith also offered details on how this potentially risky proposition works, and…it sounds surprisingly slick. Breather doesn’t own all the apartments it rents, but through “all kinds of different options” (revenue sharing, for instance, or renting) it’s cultivating a portfolio. Don’t think of it like AirBnB by the hour, as the service intends to be something very different. Smith contextualized it in light of Starbucks, which offers a meeting space/office for the price of a coffee:
“Some places are worth spending time in more than others, especially for the price. Starbucks is always the lowest option. We have to offer a higher value than that.”
At $25/hour and a free first hour, it does sound like a convenient option for, uh, whatever it is you’re doing in there. But it’s probably sex, right? Come on.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Software
Source: Gothamist
AllCast gets new look, support for Muzei Live Wallpaper
A new update hitting AllCast today sees the integration of one our of favorite Live Wallpapers for Android. Yes sir, this Chromecast app now ties into to Muzei, a gorgeous, if not flexible, wallpaper. The 1.0.6 release also gets a “major UI redesign” which looks much more in line with Google’s aesthetics. The change log itself is quite long; fixes, patches, and other tweaks for the most part.
- Major UI redesign
- Muzei support
- Chromecast fixes
- Playlist fixes
- Possibly fixed video thumbnail crash fix on Samsung
- Chromecast icon update
- Set app to free while bugs are fixed
- More Crash fixes
- MKV fixes
- Long click audio to add to playlist
- Crash fixes
- Fix Chromecast seek
- Chromecast support is now available and in beta! (Requires new Google Play Services 4.2.34)
- Better song info when playing music on DLNA or Roku
- Power/wake leak fixes
- Better photo support for DLNA
We’re really loving the direction of AllCast and think it’s fast becoming the preferred client for casting your local media files.
via ChromeWatching
The post AllCast gets new look, support for Muzei Live Wallpaper appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Adds Kendrick Lamar, Supporting Acts to iTunes Festival SXSW Lineup [Mac Blog]
Following yesterday’s addition of Soundgarden to its SXSW concert lineup, Apple has now announced that Kendrick Lamar will also perform during the iTunes Festival [iTunes Store Link], headlining on March 12. Joining Kendrick Lamar will be ScHoolboy Q and Isaiah Rashad.
With the addition of Soundgarden and Kendrick Lamar, Apple’s SXSW iTunes Festival lineup is complete with the following acts scheduled (times listed in CST):
March 11
10:00 p.m. – Coldplay
8:30 p.m. – Imagine Dragons
7:30 p.m. – London Grammar
March 12
10:00 p.m. – Kendrick Lamar
8:45 p.m. – ScHoolboy Q
8:00 p.m. – Isaiah Rashad
March 13
10:00 p.m. – Soundgarden
8:45 p.m. – Band of Skulls
8:00 p.m. – Capital Cities
March 14
10:00 p.m. – Pitbull
8:45 p.m. – ZEDD
8:00 p.m. – G.R.L
March 15
10:00 p.m. – Keith Urban
8:45 p.m. – Willie Nelson
8:00 p.m. – Mickey Guyton
Apple first announced the SXSW concert series last week, as an expansion of its long-running iTunes Festival in the UK. The festival will offer five nights of music, beginning on March 11 at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas.
While the SXSW concerts are presented for free, tickets are given to attendees on a lottery basis. Live and on-demand streams of the shows will be available through the iTunes Store on iOS devices and computers, the iTunes Festival app on iOS devices, and Apple TV.
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Moov’s fitness tracker works as a personal trainer to improve your workouts
There are quite a few fitness trackers out there now that all do exactly the same thing: monitor how much you move. While there are tons that can tell you you’re not moving around enough, there isn’t really anything out there that focuses on the quality of your movement over the quantity of it. That’s where the makers of Moov are hoping to fit in to the fitness space; their $59 device aims to work as a personal trainer of sorts, helping your improve you workouts
The easiest way to describe Moov is as a wearable Leap Motion. The waterproof disc can be worn on your wrist like a watch or strapped around your ankle or arm, and can capture movement. While you’re working out, it pays attention to how you’re moving, and offers real-time suggestions on how to improve. For instance, when you’re running, the app might suggest you shorten your stride or tell you that your landing is too hard — something that could ultimately cause an injury. Moov also notices things like your shoulders not being directly over your hands when you’re doing pushups, or even that your not kicking fast enough when you’re swimming laps.
When the device ships this summer it will support five different workouts: running, weight training, cardio boxing, swimming, and biking. We had the opportunity to see the running and cardio boxing workouts in action, and walked away fairly impressed. With just the small sensor on a wristband, Moov was capable of letting us know our running form could use some work, and gave us tips on how to throw the perfect jab. The cardio boxing demo in particular felt a lot like other fitness games we’ve seen like Let’s Dance, in that it suggested movements and then awarded points based on how well we were able to perform them. The difference of course, is Moov is handling all that with a watch and an iPad.
At launch, Moov will be iOS only, but an Android version is expected to follow three months later. The plan is to add support for more workouts over time, and then sell each new workout as an additional purchase, similar to how you might buy a new title for your PlayStation. Other titles in the works include yoga and martial arts. Ultimately Moov will retail for $120. In order start production, the company is crowdfunding its initial run of devices, and offering a discount for early adopters — $59 for one device, and $99 for two. Those who get their workout buddies to buy one as well can score $5 off the purchase price for each referral.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: Moov
Facebook discontinuing its Messenger for Windows app on March 3rd
It looks like Facebook is getting a jump on spring cleaning. Three days after shuttering its @facebook.com email service, the company said it’s killing off Messenger for Windows. Though the Windows desktop app won’t be discontinued until March 3rd, Facebook has already removed it from the downloads page. Meanwhile, current users have been receiving notifications letting them know the app won’t be supported after Monday. Incidentally, the move comes days after Facebook confirmed that Messenger is about to arrive on Windows Phone. We guess Zuckerberg & co. can only handle so many Windows-branded apps at a time?
Filed under: Internet, Software, Facebook
Via: SlashGear
Source: The Next Web, Facebook
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