Apple TV Updated with Revamped Channel for Upcoming iTunes Festival at SXSW 2014
In preparation for this week’s iTunes Festival at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2014, Apple has expanded its Apple TV lineup to include a revamped iTunes Festival channel that allows users to live stream the concert’s shows as well as view lineups and artist information.
The channel showcases artists who will be performing at the festival such as Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay, and Keith Urban, complete with artist bios and concert showtimes. Direct iTunes links to artist albums are featured as well, along with full details on opening acts.
Apple also updated its iTunes Festival app for iOS last week, which introduced a new design and a revamped icon. Apple announced last month that it would be expanding its iTunes Festival to the U.S. for the first time, as five shows will be held from March 11-15 at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas as a part of the film and music-focused SXSW event.
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[LEAK] Flip cover case for the All New HTC One leaks out, as well as suggestion of a Google Play Edition
We’ve all seen the Samsung S-View cover and everybody’s attempts to recreate this flip cover case in one way or another. While this kind of case is tried and true, we’ve been waiting to see if someone can do something original and thankfully, it looks like HTC has. Evleaks leaked earlier today the above image which appears to show a flip cover case for the All New HTC One, but instead of having a window to show notifications, this particular flip cover case looks like it uses holes in the cover to give a dot matrix-like read out. It’s a very intriguing idea and there’s a lot that can be shown on such a read out; it’s obviously not as precise as having a window to your screen, but it can be very useful for just getting general notifications or the time.
A few hours later, evleaks also posted this picture, which appears to show the previously mentioned flip cover case but in different colours. The original tweet that these cases were leaked in also had the following comments: “look for M8 to arrive as a Google Play Edition“. That’s not so much a surprise as the HTC One was also made into a Google Play Edition, but for those of you who like your devices with stock Android, you’ll be happy to know you can go that route with the All New HTC One.
What are your thoughts on this type of flip cover case? And would you get the All New HTC One Google Play Edition? (that’s quite a mouthful) Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Source: Twitter (1), (2)
[LEAK] Could the LG D850 be the LG G3?
LG has been getting its fair share of rumours this past month, being linked to the Google smartwatch, the next Nexus smartphone, as well as suggestions its next flagship, the LG G3, coming out as soon as mid 2014. This latest leak, courtesy of evleaks, isn’t going to settle the boat one bit; the leak says that a certain LG D850 is “coming to AT&T”. Evleaks also provides us with the model numbers of other recently released LG phones including the LG G2 (D800), the Nexus 5 (D820) and the LG G Pro 2 (D830), which raises the question: could the LG D850 be the LG G3?
It certainly looks likely, particularly given all the rumours surrounding the device so early into the year, though that’s not to say it will happen either. Whatever the truth is, we’ll likely be hearing a lot more about it closer to May or June this year as that’s when the LG G3 was rumoured to be released.
What do you think about this leak? Is the LG D850 the LG G3, or is it another device entirely? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: Twitter
Electronic Arts is exploring virtual reality
When you’re the CEO of the second largest video game publisher in the world, people have a tendency to take what you say seriously. Case in point, Electronic Arts’ Andrew Wilson recently revealed his company’s plans for virtual reality. At a South by Southwest panel, Wilson said that his company is less focused on the technology of VR, and more interested in exactly how people consume it. As he sees it, we interact with games in three different ways: leaning back, leaning in and looking over — relating to console, PC and mobile gaming, respectively. With VR, he thinks there will be a fourth: getting in. He says that this could happen either via a headset or even a hologram popping up from your living room floor, and he’s pushing his team to explore it.
Think of this along the lines of Amazon (hypothetically) announcing that it’d accept Bitcoin for payment and you’re on the right track; that there’s another major player in the VR space helps validate the medium. While this could all be taken as pie-in-the-sky speculation, the fact that EA is clearly invested in the virtual reality isn’t anything to write off — just look at what the company’s done with mobile gaming.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Polygon
Aereo’s not for sale… not now, anyway
It’s a bittersweet day in Austin, Texas for Aereo. The company’s remote DVR service, which allows users to stream or record over-the-air broadcasts, just launched in the city this week against the backdrop of SXSW, making it Aereo’s fourth market in the state. But there’s a storm cloud hanging over this celebration; a recent legal hiccup with the state of Utah that saw it shutdown service in Denver, CO and Salt Lake City, UT. Aereo, however, is no stranger to this courtroom drama. The company’s been engaged in a copyright battle with broadcasters that’ll either cement it as content licensee (along the lines of a Netflix), and potentially cripple its business growth, or as provider of cloud DVR storage. It’s a fight Aereo’s waging all the way to the Supreme Court and has so far been winning, except for today.
The timing, then, for an intimate chat with Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia here at SXSW couldn’t be better. Kanojia kicked things off by immediately addressing the service disruption in Utah and Colorado saying, “That’s why it’s raining.” All joking aside, Kanojia’s aware the Supreme Court’s decision could have grave consequences for Aereo’s future, but shrugged off concerns of a possible legal defeat. “I haven’t thought about it, ” he told us, “I don’t focus on it.” That could just be willful denial on Kanojia’s part, but his company does have other pressing concerns to focus on, like continued market expansion and back-end service improvements.
Legal issues haven’t been the only blemishes on Aereo’s record.
Aereo’s currently halfway through its phase one rollout, a plan that should eventually see the service rollout to 22 markets in total. But the company’s approach to expansion has changed. Kanojia explained that, initially, Aereo sought out key markets by “looking at [the] demographic mix in general … the ones with the youngest digital population and access to broadband.” Now, however, the company’s growth is largely centered on the number of people that’ve pre-registered for the service.
Legal issues haven’t been the only blemishes on Aereo’s record. The recent Oscars telecast was an embarrassing black eye for the company, as a portion of subscribers that attempted to tune in live were met with a service error and those with recordings were treated to abbreviated playback. “It was a pure tech fault on our part,” Kanojia said, pinpointing the failure on a “system crash in the first three minutes [of the show].” He’s aware the company can’t afford to weather more incidents like this and, as a result, has chosen to prioritize changes on the backend to ensure consistent service quality over the introduction of additional social-minded functionality. To that end, two updates to Aereo’s app will be released in the coming weeks — one this month and another in mid-April — to address these scaling issues.
Don’t expect the Aereo app to hit next-gen gaming consoles like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One anytime soon. Kanojia’s team is spread a bit too thin at the moment to service those platforms, though he didn’t rule them out either, telling us development is just “not there yet.” Instead, the company’s going to focus on bringing its app to the growing stable of Smart TVs.
Why would I ever want to sell something that is extremely valuable?
And then there’s the question of Chromecast support. Kanojia’s already publicly stated that a compatible app for Google’s dongle was in development, but it’s been some time since that announcement. Good news is on the way, though, as Kanojia told us that Chromecast app should be released “in the next couple of weeks.”
Aereo’s upcoming Supreme Court battle hasn’t put a damper on speculation that the company could be acquired. Rumors have even singled out cable titan Time Warner as a possible suitor. But Kanojia maintains that he’s not interested in selling. “We’ll do what’s the best thing. If.. the supreme court says your core functionality is above reproach… that you’re legal, then it’s an extremely valuable company. Why would I ever want to sell something that is extremely valuable?” It’s hard to argue with that line of reasoning, but Kanojia’s also not outright dismissing the possibility. He told us that if Aereo ever found itself unable to “deal with the bigger forces on a standalone basis,” the company would seek out a partner to help it take on the industry’s Goliaths.
That’s the worst case scenario for Aereo, though. As Kanojia told us quite plainly, his team’s current goal is simply to grow Aereo as big as possible while still maintaining its independence. “We didn’t start this to sell. I hope I never have to sell.”
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless, HD
Nexus 6 Already Being Talked About?! All New HTC One Spotted…Again! – The ManDroid Show
Another Saturday, and another late ManDroid Show. Trying my best to get these out on time, or at least the scheduled day I set for myself. The Nexus 6 is already being talked about which just shows you how the tech world is. It isn’t about what’s current, it’s always about the next thing. Enjoy the show!
News Topics
Nexus 6 already being talked about
All New HTC One spotted again
HTC Desire 310 added to HTC’s line
Tumblr goes retro by letting you post with a phone call
Forget trying to be retro-cool by replacing your digital music with vinyl — that’s so 2013. Tumblr believes that this year’s trendsetters will use its throwback dial-a-post service instead. You can now make an audio post on the social network by calling a toll-free number; all you have to do beforehand is link your phone’s digits to your account. Will Tumblr’s new feature be a gimmick for most users? Absolutely. However, there’s definitely an appeal if you’re on a spotty data connection or want to get around online censorship. And besides, it’s probably your first opportunity in years to dial the internet.
Filed under: Internet
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Tumblr
NYT Now is a mobile news platform with a dedicated staff curating stories
SXSW is a veritable playground for journalists, with panels catering to media professionals and — most importantly — no shortage of free food. We’re not surprised, then, that The New York Times chose Austin as the venue for an announcement this week. Perhaps “tease” is more apt than announcement, though, since we aren’t allowed to capture any pictures of the upcoming NYT Now app at this time (the bar menu above was the only documentation we’re permitted to publish).
Set to launch “very soon,” NYT Now features curated contented from the Times, and unlike the publication’s current algorithm-powered mobile app, it boasts a dedicated staff responsible for hand-picking stories and repackaging them for consumption on your phone. Expect shorter, more visual stories, with bullet points and minimal paragraphs to get to the core of a story quickly. In addition to articles from the paper, NYT Now will feature an “Our Picks” tab that highlights content from around the web curated by Times editors. There’s also a “Save for Later” section, which lets you bookmark articles. Based on our cursory preview of the app on iOS (it will eventually come to Android), we find the interface compelling; the main page highlighted a recently updated documentary, and curated picks included a well-sourced piece from ABC about the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.
Clifford Levy, the head of NYT Now, told us the Times is hoping to reach “a new generation of subscribers” with the new app, while executive editor Jill Abramson said she hopes Now will be a “gateway drug” to full subscriptions. It’s a subscription-based model, with the fee set at $8 per month, though that cost includes access to the full versions of any stories featured on the app. If you want access to all articles on the desktop rather than the curated selection, you’ll still have to fork over the $15, though current digital subscribers will get access to NYT Now gratis. The publication’s reps are being tight-lipped about the app’s launch details, but look for it to drop soon. In the meantime, enjoy the Times’ SXSW soiree cocktail list (we have it on good authority that the Lady Baltimore was quite tasty).
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Filed under: Software
IBM puts Watson in charge of its SXSW food truck, we taste-test (video)
We know Watson has some Jeopardy skills, but putting IBM’s supercomputer in the kitchen? That’s a little different. Here at SXSW, the company’s set up a “Cognitive Cooking” food truck in partnership with the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE). Using Watson’s recipe system, which combines three elements (ingredient, cuisine and type of dish) to create unconventional new fare, chefs here in Austin are churning out delicacies such as ceviche fish and chips and Vietnamese apple kebabs.
ICE creative director Michael Laiskonis, who was on hand making IBM’s take on fish and chips today, says Watson is able to identify compatible ingredients that chefs may not consider — such as mushrooms and strawberries, which share similarities on the molecular level. Florian Pinel, a software engineer at IBM, walked us through the recipe-generation process, asking us for an ingredient (we chose saffron), and then giving us options for cuisine and type of dish. The result? Azerbaijani Saffron Cake, with cherry plum, pistachio and cloves. Watson’s truck will serve the most popular recipe of the day, so vote for ours here so we can subject SXSW to our culinary whims. Oh, and check out the scene at the food truck in the video below.
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Filed under: Software
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