Google Play Music for Android now lets you take radio stations offline
If you thrive on Google Play Music’s radio stations but would love if they kept playing while you’re away from an internet connection, congratulations — Google has just granted your wish. An Android app update rolling out today lets you pin whole stations to your device, guaranteeing a fresh set of tunes when you’re on that WiFi-less flight. The upgrade also allows you to remotely manage the devices that can access your collection, and a “play next” command will queue up a song that you just have to hear. The new Play Music software doesn’t appear to be widely available just yet, but those who refuse to wait can download the installer from Android Police.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: Android Police
Source: Google Play
RIP: China’s Jade Rabbit rover dies on the moon
After facing a series of troubles since its arrival on the moon, China’s Jade Rabbit rover has been officially pronounced dead. China News Service broke the story earlier today, stating that the Chinese explorer, also known as Yutu, “could not be restored to full function.” Jade Rabbit reportedly suffered mechanical problems last month, on January 25th, and was consequently never able to work properly again — it was due to “the complicated lunar surface environment.” This is a huge blow to the future of China’s space program, one that aims to have an Earth-orbiting station and land a human on the moon within the next decade. Rest in peace, Yutu.
Filed under: Misc, Transportation, Alt
Source: ECNS
Yahoo adds ‘Listening Space’ to Aviate
Yahoo has added its first major new feature to the Aviate launcher since its acquisition in early January. Available immediately in the latest version of the app is a tool known as Listening Space. What does it do? Well, it’s smart stuff, really, and centers around listening to music.
Plug your headphones into your Android phone and Aviate instantly opens your Listening Space…Once a song starts playing, Aviate detects the song you’re listening to and surfaces bios and recent tweets from the artist, upcoming shows nearby, and the ability to listen to top tracks in Spotify.
Want to get involved with the private beta? Cool, all you have to do is download the app and use the code “MUSIC.” Aviate works on devices 2.3 and up but requires 4.0 in order to utilize Listening Space. Samsung Galaxy users are advised to update to Android 4.3+ for the best experience.
The post Yahoo adds ‘Listening Space’ to Aviate appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Headphone and wireless speaker deals of the week: 2.12.14
Whether you prefer those on-the-go tunes to bump from on-ears, in-ears or a wireless speaker, today’s smattering of discounted audio tech covers all of those bases. There’s a range of price options too, suiting those that happen to be on even the tightest of budgets. The lowest Engadget Global Score on today’s list? That would be 84. Pretty solid. So, dive in on the other side of the break and take a gander at a collection that’s eager to outfit your streaming habit.
Just window shopping? No worries. Join us and add the gadgets you’re shopping for to your Want list; every time there’s a price cut in the future, you’ll get an email alert!
Jawbone Big Jambox
Price: $215
Regular Price: $300
Engadget Global Score: 88
Buy: Amazon
If you don’t mind your Bluetooth speaker draped in white, you’re in luck. Jawbone’s larger wireless option sees an $85 price cut — so long as you opt for the White Wave color pattern. While it does pack improved sound quality over its smaller sibling, it isn’t quite as easy to pack away for a day trip due to that increased stature. However, the current price tag is on par with the 90-day low and you can see how those two models measure up using our Compare tool.
Logitech UE Boom
Price: $180
Regular Price: $200
Engadget Global Score: 84
Buy: Amazon
Unlike the Jawbone entry on today’s deals roundup, four color options are available on the UE Boom that’s also nabbed a $20 discount. Black, blue, green and red hues are included in the mix — which is a bummer if you happen to favor the pink or white schemes. Here, you can expect solid performance for such a compact unit, keeping portability at the forefront. Willing to hold out a bit longer? Our Price History tool shows an additional savings of $40 twice in the last three months, so we could be seeing that $140 price tag return.
Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear
Price: $200
Regular Price: $230
Engadget Global Score: 90
Buy: Amazon
Sennheiser’s Momentum On-Ear headphones take several cues from the pricier leather-clad Momentum over-ears, like its overall comfort and classic design. In fact, we were so smitten with the aesthetics here that we saw fit to include the pair in Distro’s Eyes-On section last year. Create your own Compare and see how these cans fare versus the best available options right here.
Klipsch Image S4i
Price: $55
Regular Price: $100
Engadget Global Score: 85
Buy: BuyDig
Fancy in-ear headphones for listening on the go? Klipsch has had a firm grasp on those accessories for quite some time and this Image S4i set is no exception. Great sound quality, respectable noise cancellation and a comfy fit all arrive at less than $100. There’s an in-line remote too — if you’re into that sort of thing. While the $45 price cut is attractive, we’re seeing a bit more savings in the past 90 days.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
NYC’s first touchscreen subway maps are ready to guide you through the boroughs
It’s been a long, long time since New York City revealed its plans to implement a smart maps solution across its subway system. But despite a few delays here and there, it looks as if the project, lead by design firm Control Group and the MTA, is finally beginning to bear fruit. As Gizmodo reports, the first batch of touchscreen subway maps are now ready to be used in some parts of The Big Apple. So far, MTA has installed 18 of these 47-inch panels within Grand Central Station, but the idea is bring them to more underground platforms in the next few months.
After spending time using one, Gizmodo describes the maps software as “sluggish” and “choppy,” but that’s not to say the kiosks don’t do what they’re expected to — which is to be a helpful tool for commuters. For example, you can easily find how to get from point A to point B, as well as see when the next subway train is due to arrive at the station, among other things. And hey, even though this won’t be for everyone, we have no doubt it’ll come in handy for quite a few people.
Filed under: Displays, Misc, Transportation
Source: Gizmodo
White House unveils guidelines for protecting critical systems against cyber attacks
The US government clearly knows a thing or two about internet security when it deals with (and dishes out) cyber attacks on a regular basis, and it’s now ready to share that wisdom with others. The White House has just announced the Cybersecurity Framework, a set of voluntary guidelines that organizations can use to fend off digital assaults on critical infrastructure, like power plants. The NIST-developed Framework tells newcomers where to begin, even if they’re outside the US, and it can help experienced outfits educate their partners. American organizations that want further help can also sign up for a program that gets them in touch with federal agencies. The guidelines don’t represent surefire protection, but they could reduce the chances that hackers will find gaping holes in the US’ virtual defenses.
Filed under: Internet
Via: PCWorld
Source: The White House
Analyst Predicts ‘iAnywhere’ OS X and iOS Combo Platform Despite Apple’s Public Dismissal
Apple is working on a platform that combines OS X and iOS to boost iPhone and iPad sales, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz (via CNET). He believes that a combo operating system, which he has termed “iAnywhere,” would work in tandem with an iOS device docked to a secondary display, running as a full-blown computer.
“While not a new idea, our global tech research team believes Apple could be on the cusp of introducing a new category with iAnywhere, a converged MacOS-iOS operating system that allows an iPhone or iPad to dock into a specially configured display to run as a computer,” Moskowitz said. “In our view, this category would be a leapfrog event, potentially jumpstarting iPhone and iPad growth as well as peripherals and cloud-based software and services sales.”
Other PC and smartphone manufacturers have experimented with dual operating systems and other hybrid solutions. Samsung, for example, introduced the ATIV Q, an Ultrabook capable of running and switching between both Windows 8 and Android 4.2.2. Motorola experimented with a docking solution for its Atrix 4G phone, but no manufacturer has thus far combined a dock with a converged mobile/desktop operating system.
Motorola’s Atrix Dock
Moskowitz believes Apple could introduce iAnywhere sometime in the next 12 to 18 months, but during a recent interview with MacWorld, Apple executives Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi explicitly said that convergence between iOS and OS X was an “absolute non-goal” for the company.
“To say [OS X and iOS] should be the same, independent of their purpose? Let’s just converge, for the sake of convergence? [It’s] absolutely a non-goal,” Federighi said. “You don’t want to say the Mac became less good at being a Mac because someone tried to turn it into iOS. At the same time, you don’t want to feel like iOS was designed by [one] company and Mac was designed by [a different] company, and they’re different for reasons of lack of common vision. We have a common sense of aesthetics, a common set of principles that drive us, and we’re building the best products we can for their unique purposes.
While Schiller and Federighi noted iOS and OS X would share a common sense of aesthetics and design principles to make it easier for customers to switch between iOS devices and Macs, the two operating systems would remain distinctly “different in those things that are critical to their essence.” Given the executives’ strong stance on convergence, it seems unlikely the company has plans to debut the iAnywhere system Moskowitz has outlined.
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25 gorgeous wallpapers for your Android (February 2014)
Looking to change up your Android home screen? It doesn’t get much easier than swapping out the wallpaper; it’s one of the quickest ways to breath new life into the mobile experience.
We’ve gone through Google+ and other wallpaper resources to put this gallery together for you. What you’ll find below is a mixed bag with no real theme. In a nutshell we simply liked what we saw, saved a copy, and present them to you here.
As widgets and icon packs continue to get better all the time, some of these wallpapers will make for a gorgeous backdrop.
Please note that we do not claim ownership of any of these images. If you see something here that should not belong or is your own work, please let us know. We don’t want to get anyone in trouble and will be happy to swap the image out for something else.
Click here to see our other wallpaper articles.
The post 25 gorgeous wallpapers for your Android (February 2014) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
LG G2 Mini Teased on LG’s Facebook Page, Feb 24th Announcement Date
Mobile World Congress is fast approaching and now is the time for various company’s to start teasing what they will be unveiling. We see everything from little hints in press invites to meetings, to teasers on YouTube to images posted through their various social channels. While they don’t always lead to what we suspect sometimes, they are usually pretty darn close. LGs photo that went up on their Facebook page hints at a new device and then shows it. Obviously the image is hinting towards the LG G2 Mini.
The image offered up a tag line of “Experience the MINI.Mobile World Congress. 2014-02-24″. It is pretty clear that LG will be showcasing the LG G2 Mini in just 12 days. Not a lot is really known about this little guy though. Talks put it at a 4.7-inch display, which would be mini compared to the 5.2-inch big brother. The image does show that it will have a fingerprint scanner on the back.
I just hope LG doesn’t go the route that many of the other mini variants have. I can live with a screen resolution and battery reduction, but I would like to LG pack in the same hardware to a smaller frame like Sony did with the Z1 compact.
Source: Facebook Via 9to5Google
Oyster now offers all-you-can-read children’s books, including Disney titles
Got a kid with an insatiable appetite for books? You may want to sign up for Oyster, then. The subscription e-book service has just launched a children’s section, giving young readers all the titles they can handle. The deal also brings Disney Publishing to Oyster’s catalog, so little ones can keep up with the adventures of Mickey and crew on their iPads. Parents who want to foster digital literacy at an early age — or just need a fresh source of bedtime stories — can learn more at the source link.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet
Source: Oyster
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