Future Office for iPad update will let you print your documents
Although the Office for iPad suite is relatively full-featured, it won’t print hard copies. That’s a glaring omission even in this increasingly paperless era, we’d say. Not to worry, though: Microsoft tells PCWorld that printing support is coming as part of future app updates. The company hasn’t said just when those upgrades are due, but Office general manager Julia White promises to “iterate very fast” on the fledgling productivity software. In the meantime, don’t toss out your conventional PC — you may need it to print out that next contract or term paper.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Microsoft
Source: PCWorld
Study shows which Android and iOS versions are most likely to crash apps
If you’ve ever argued that your new smartphone is more reliable than what you’re replacing, you now have some evidence to back up your claims. Crittercism has posted a study showing that apps running in newer versions of Android and iOS (such as KitKat and iOS 7.1) are considerably less likely to crash; you’re practically inviting headaches if you stick with a phone running Gingerbread or iOS 6. The research also suggests that the Galaxy S 4 and iPhone 5 are the most trustworthy devices, while tablets of all kinds are relatively crash-happy. The findings aren’t shocking when both Apple and Google have both spent years fixing bugs, and it’s notable that the study only covers crashes with third-party apps — they don’t address first-party software glitches. Still, this data is as good an excuse as any to upgrade an aging handset stuck on an old platform.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Google
Via: GigaOM
Source: Crittercism (DocumentCloud)
‘Cyberathlon’ will see disabled athletes compete in powered exoskeleton races
Massive sporting events like the Olympics are becoming increasingly tech-charged, but the games themselves remain unchanged for the most part. A new event called Cybathlon, however, wishes to fully integrate technology into its events, for what’s billed as “The Championship for Robot-Assisted Parathletes.” Due to be held in Switzerland in 2016, races will feature “pilots” outfitted with powered limb prosthetics, exoskeletons and wheelchairs that can be either commercial products or research prototypes. There will also be a bike race for competitors with muscle stimulation devices, and a fully computerized event pitting brain-controlled avatars against each other on a virtual track. While there”ll be medals and glory for some, it’s hoped Cybathlon will raise awareness of assistive tech and encourage development in the area. Nothing like a bit of healthy competition to moisten an engineer’s brow.
Filed under: Robots
Via: BBC
Source: Cybathlon
Philips introduces first UHD TV with Android
This is not the first time we are going to see a TV with Android but for first time, we are going to tell you about an Ultra HD TV powered by Android. Presenting, the Philips 8809 series with a 4K display; a 55-inch television with 3840×2160 pixels, hexa-core processor and Android 4.2 in core. Also, if 4K is too much for you, you can also get quad-core Philips 8109 and 8209, which features a 1920×1080 resolution in choices of 48 or 55 inches, and also powered by Android 4.2.
Talking about some other good things about it, the Philips’ Ambilight technology sets the colors behind and around the TV to match the display, the mood, or even your room. Android will allow you full access to Google Play, which means you can play any game on your TV, and also Google Chrome browser is there as well, so this TV might make you say goodbye to your tablets and laptops. Also, it has gesture control, voice recognition, remote control via smartphones or tablets, screen mirroring, recording, and dual channel display.
It is supposed to hit European and Russian markets in Q2 2014, although we don’t know when will it hit the US market.
Do you think Philips’ Smart TV will give hard time to Samsung or any other brand? Let us know in the comment box below.
via: Engadget
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Kingston DataTraveler microDuo answers a desperate need
The Kingston DataTraveler microDuo is an amazing little device that answers a desperate need. At first glance the device looks like an ordinary thumb-drive, but upon closer inspection, you can flip back the plastic cover on the end to reveal something that is so awesome, I dare-say it’s…
That’s right, a MicroUSB tip which can be inserted into and read/written to by any current device with USB OTG functionality. I don’t know if you’re like me, but when I switched from a Samsung to a Nexus device, I was extremely apprehensive about losing the peace of mind I felt by using MicroSD cards. Sure I’ve had USB OTG cables for about as long as they’ve been around, but who wants to carry that around everywhere? Not this guy.
This is one of the best feeling little USB sticks I’ve owned as far as durability goes. Usually when I get a new thumb drive I know will primarily be residing in my pocket, I just know that after a month or two, it’s going to be falling apart, I don’t feel that way at all with the microDuo. The actual device is made of metal and even the flip-open MicroUSB cover is made from a sturdy-feeling plastic, which isn’t at all brittle.
For speed, I was able to transfer 1 GB of photos from my phone to the drive in just under 2 minutes, and about the same speed pulling the photos over to the computer.
In short, go get one of these. They’re fantastic, and relatively cheap for the peace of mind they offer.
The 16 GB and 32 GB versions are MSRP’d at $15.95 and $29.95 respectively.
Anyone interested in something like this? Let us know after this message from our sponsors.
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AT&T releases specs for upcoming ASUS PadFone X
Back in January, we reported that AT&T will exclusively release the ASUS PadFone X in the US, and now AT&T is finally back again with something new for us regarding the PadFone X. On their official blog, AT&T published the whole information about the specs of the PadFone X, check it out below:
Size
- PadFone: 143.93 x 72.46 x 9.98 mm (150g)
- PadFone Station: 250.4 x 172.25 x 11.63 mm (514g)
Operating System
- Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Display
- PadFone: 5”, 1920 x 1080 (441PPI)
- PadFone Station: 9”, 1920 X 1200 (252PPI)
Camera
- PadFone: 13MP Pixel Master + 2MP front-facing
- PadFone Station: 1MP front-facing
Processor
- 2.3Ghz quad-core
Baseband chipset
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
Internal Memory
- 16GB (2GB RAM)
Memory Card
- microSD™ slot in smartphone extends external memory up to 64GB
Wi-Fi
- WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Bluetooth®
- BT 4.0
GPS
- GPS/aGPS
Battery/HAC
- PadFone : 2,300mAh
- PadFone Station: 4,990mAh
About the release, AT&T said they “ are one step closer”. So we have no idea how long that step will be, but I think AT&T should release it as soon as possible, because the competition is not getting any easier. Will you grab the PadFone X? Let us know in the comment box below.
Source: AT&T
The post AT&T releases specs for upcoming ASUS PadFone X appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Federal Judge Grants Class Action Status to E-Book Pricing Lawsuit [Mac Blog]
A federal judge has granted class action status to a group of plaintiffs suing Apple over its antitrust collusion with publishers to increase the price of e-books, reports Reuters. The judge, Denise Cote, is the same judge who oversaw the antitrust case against Apple by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Judge Cote has been accused by Apple of overstepping her judicial authority by giving a court-appointed monitor wide authority at Apple to interview and make changes at the company. Apple requested that the lawyer chosen to serve as the monitor be disqualified, saying he had over-stepped his bounds by asking for lawyer-less meetings with key Apple executives and board members. That request was denied at appeal.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said the plaintiffs had “more than met their burden” to allow them to sue as a group. She rejected Apple’s contentions that the claims were too different from each other, or that some plaintiffs were not harmed because some e-book prices fell.
Some have estimated that Apple could owe as much as $500 million after being found guilty in the Federal antitrust case, with more judgements possible in this class-action suit if the plaintiffs are successful.
This class action suit applies only to consumer plaintiffs in the states where the governments have not already sued Apple. Previously, 33 states and territories sued Apple on behalf of their consumers, seeking more than $800 million in damages.
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Engadget Podcast 390 – 3.28.14
It helps if you’re born Luckey, but if you also work hard at building Oculus Rift, the rewards are apparently somewhere in the ballpark of $2 billion dollars. Not Dr. Evil levels, to be sure, but you could certainly equip a school of dolphins with lasers, or buy a ton of dogecoins. If you haven’t guessed, Joseph and Ben focus on Facebook’s recent announcement to purchase Oculus VR. Terrence is on hand, but seems to be resting his eyes and mumbling something about sheep. In contrast, Ben is feeling well rested, although he has spent most of his vacation playing learning how to play Dark Souls 2. While he displays the smug smile of someone who’s finally cracked that nut, Joseph pilots the podcast through a series of bizarre dream sequences. Oh, and if you want to get up to speed on the week in tech news, you’ve come to the right place for that, too. As for details about accelerated custard, we can’t help you there, but everything else you need to know is down below at the Engadget Podcast streaming links. You’re welcome.
Hosts: Terrence O’Brien, Joseph Volpe, Ben Gilbert
Producer: Jon Turi
Hear the podcast:
05:24 – Facebook is buying Oculus VR for $2 billion, plans to ‘unlock new worlds for all of us’
07:41 – Palmer Luckey says Oculus’ future ‘just became crystal clear,’ but Facebook’s impact is still murky
38:12 – Notch cancels Minecraft for Oculus Rift, but other developers still have interest
40:11 – Can Oculus survive the Facebook effect?
48:10 – The new HTC One review: a great phone, even if no longer a game-changer
Subscribe to the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
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Download the podcast:
Contact the podcast:
Connect with the hosts on Twitter: @terrenceobrien, @jrvolpe, @realbengilbert
Email us: podcast [at] engadget [dot] com
Filed under: Podcasts
Japanese phones will soon get alerts for inbound missiles and other attacks
The Japanese get phone alerts for natural disasters, but they have more than that to worry about these days with an occasionally belligerent North Korea just a stone’s throw away. Accordingly, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency says that it will soon warn phone owners when there’s a hostile missile launch, a terrorist attack or a similar human-made threat to their region. The new alerts will use the disaster technology from before, so residents won’t have to worry about software upgrades when the warning system takes effect on April 1st. Locals hopefully won’t ever see the system put to use, but it’s good to know that it exists.
[Image credit: Ignat Gorazd, Flickr]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: Jiji Press, The Verge
Source: FDMA (PDF)
Amazon shaves up to $40 off Kindle Fire HD tablets for limited time
Amazon on Friday announced a limited-time promotion which sees them slashing up to $40 off the Kindle Fire HD tablet. What’s more, the HD X models have their own discounts as well, with $30 off the 7-inch and $40 off the 8.9-inch version. What’s the reason for such a deep discount? Looks to be something related to the NCAA March Madness tournament. Whatever it is, we’ll take it! There’s no indication as to how long this one will last so hurry up and hop on the sale if you’re thinking about it. These sort of things tend to go quickly.
- Kindle Fire HD 7-inch $129.99 $40 OFF
- Kindle Fire HD X 7-inch $199 $30 OFF
- Kindle Fire HD X 8.9-inch $199 $40 OFF
The post Amazon shaves up to $40 off Kindle Fire HD tablets for limited time appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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