ASUS could drop dual-OS devices following pressure from Google and Microsoft
One of the more interesting laptops we saw at this year’s CES was a split-personality hybrid from ASUS — the Transformer Book Duet TD300, shown above. According to the Wall Street Journal, however, plans to launch the device during the first half of this year have been shelved due to resistance from both side of OS camp, i.e., Microsoft and Google. The WSJ report tallies with an earlier rumor from DigiTimes, and it also claims that sales of two of ASUS’s existing dual-OS products, the the P1801 and P1802 all-in-one PCs, are to be suspended due to Microsoft’s “new policy” of not supporting dual-boot systems. On the other hand, none of this really jibes with rumors from the smartphone side of the market, where Microsoft is reportedly willing to try anything in order to boost the popularity of the mobile version of Windows.
Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Microsoft, ASUS, Google
Source: Wall Street Journal (pay wall)
Nokia’s Refocus camera app is now available to all Lumia owners on WP8
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Nokia’s “shoot now, focus later” photography app, Refocus, required a PureView hardware to run, because until now it’s only been available on PureView-branded phones. As it turns out though, the app has just been made compatible with all Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8, including ones with down-to-earth camera modules. It works by means of a “focus sweep” — you hold your phone steady for a couple of seconds while the camera scans the scene ahead at a range of different focal lengths and then combines these into a single dynamic image that lets you adjust the focus and background/foreground blur later. If you’re reading this on a Lumia, the source link below should take you where you need to go.
Chromecast Android app prepped for upcoming international rollout
Google’s Chromecast has been very well received so far — and thanks to the SDK, becoming more useful with better support from music, video and photo apps — but without international availability, it’s tricky to get a hold of if you don’t live in the US. Previous indications pointed to a UK launch this month, and things are lining up to make that happen. First, Google’s Sundar Pichai mentioned the HDMI dongle would come to “many more countries” in coming weeks during his SXSW Interactive appearance. Next, the Chromecast control app on Android received an update making it available in 50 new languages. Android Police dug into the updated file itself, finding references for “TV offers” and possible 5GHz WiFi support. Finally, Liliputing points out a tweet by an employee of UK retailer Curry’s, with a pic claiming to show a stack of Chromecasts that have just arrived, albeit without an exact release date or associated retail info.
Looks like Google Chromecast will be available to buy in UK stores very soon! @androidcentral @kngbn97 @PaulOBrien pic.twitter.com/Hj2Y9r2hwH
– Ray Carmichael (@Rage06) March 13, 2014
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Google
Via: Liliputing
Source: Android Police, Google Play
Google Updating the Play Store to v4.6.16, Download it Now
It is about time! Not that it has been years or anything, but 3 months between Play Store updates is a long time in tech, like years. The Play Store version is moving from 4.5.10 up to 4.6.16 and it packs in a few things of interest.
With the huge issues that Google faced thanks to unruly children on obsessive download and purchasing rampages, they update aims to offer a solution. Now you can set the “Required Password” option to prompt for ALL PURCHASES. This will let you kill off the every 30 minutes setting and force the password to pop up anytime real money is involved. Won’t help much if your kid guesses or knows your password though.
The Settings and Help selections are finally moved from the overflow triple dot button and now reside in the side slide out tab.
In-app purchases are shown in App permissions before you install the app.
It also appears that there is a slight tweak to add buttons, names are now bold and it looks like the G+ profile in the Play Store has a Ring around the profile image.
you can sit back and kick it for the staged roll out, which can take a week or two sometimes, or you can head over to Gappsearly and pick up the APK now.
Source: Android Police
Plex adds adds free Chromecast support for all, media shuffling and camera uploads to iOS
If paying for beta access to new features isn’t your bag, the folks at Plex have some good news for you. The media outfit’s announced that not only is beaming your content to Google’s HDMI dongle free now (if you’ve purchased the app), but iOS fans can join the music and photo party too. But wait, there’s more: the update also lets web users and iDevice owners shuffle, reorder, remove and add content to a media queue with some pretty neat filtering options. There isn’t an ETA for availability on other platforms, however.
Plex Pass subscribers have a new toy too: iOS camera uploads. The feature is pretty self-explanatory (photos are background-uploaded from your device to the Plex servers), but, if you don’t have an Apple TV, it’s likely one of the easier ways to put your pictures on the living room flat-screen. Can you hear that? It’s the sound of the Chromecast-app floodgates creaking open — on Apple’s mobile OS, even.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile
Apple adds a dedicated selfie section to its iOS App Store
A new App Store section. Not the app store section we needed, but the app store section we deserved.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac, @Viticci (Twitter)
Source: iTunes
Zuckerberg responds to ‘frustrating’ reports of NSA spoofing Facebook, while the agency denies them
<img alt="President Barack Obama talks on the telephone with President Francois Hollande of France to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in Key Largo, Florida, March 8, 2014.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
” data-caption=”President Barack Obama talks on the telephone with President Francois Hollande of France to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in Key Largo, Florida, March 8, 2014.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
” data-credit=”Official White House Photo by Pete Souza” src=”http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/adam/6fa6aa74f9010a59eadfd8a340120877/13011820434_7172e92e64_o.jpg” data-mep=”170631″ />
Yesterday a report from The Intercept exposed NSA documents apparently showing how it could infect “millions” of computers with malware and even masquerade as a Facebook server. Now, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the NSA have both published responses, with decidedly different takes on the situation. Zuckerberg took to the site to discuss how important trust is on the internet, calling the reports confusing and frustrating, and said he called President Obama directly (pictured above speaking to President Francois Hollande of France last week) to express those feelings. While he waits for “true full reform,” he says Facebook is working on making its services more secure with encryption, secure protocols for traffic, and helping others resolve issues in their services.
Meanwhile, or perhaps in response to Zuck’s direct call, the NSA’s Public Affairs office posted a statement (PDF) calling the reports inaccurate. According to the agency: “NSA does not use its technical capabilities to impersonate U.S. company websites. Nor does NSA target any user of global Internet services without appropriate legal authority.” Check out the full statement and see how it compares to the documents published yesterday for yourself, but after the last year or so of leaks, it’s pretty tough to just take the NSA’s words at face value.
[Image credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza]
NSA’s response to recent allegations about malware – http://t.co/9N8THr3roS.
– NSA/CSS (@NSA_PAO) March 13, 2014
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Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Source: Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), NSA (PDF)
Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 Build 13D17 to Developers [Mac Blog]
Apple today seeded build 13D17 of OS X 10.9.3 to developers, one week after releasing the first OS X 10.9.3 beta, build 13D12. The beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store as well as through the Mac Dev Center.
Apple is currently asking developers to focus on Graphics Drivers and Audio. As was discovered last week, 10.9.3 adds new support for 4K displays, offering “Retina” resolutions that improve readability. The beta also includes a 4K display option for 60Ghz output from the Retina MacBook Pro.
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PlayStation 4 tops US console sales in February, but Xbox One narrows the gap
It looks like Sony’s commanding lead in next-gen console sales didn’t last long in the US. The NPD Group reports that the PlayStation 4 was the top-selling game console in the country this February, but only just — the Xbox One managed to get over 90 percent of the PS4′s sales volume. Microsoft says that it sold 258,000 units of its flagship, which suggests that Sony moved roughly 287,000 PS4s. Neither of these figures compare to what we saw during the systems’ launch windows, but they’re very healthy. Total hardware sales were up 42 percent year-over-year, and 44 percent over January. While Nintendo isn’t divulging its numbers, it may have performed relatively well when analysts saw “double-to-triple digit increases” in month-to-month sales for most consoles.
Software was another story. Overall game revenue was down 11 percent in February, and the aging Xbox 360 was the platform of choice for six out of the top 10 releases; the PS4 and Xbox One rarely fared better than second place. The decline isn’t surprising, the NPD Group says, since game sales are “expected” to taper off as the old generation makes way for the new. That transition should happen relatively quickly. Titanfall is considered an early system seller for the Xbox One, and high-profile releases like Watch Dogs may help Microsoft and Sony alike.
NPD Group: PS4 is #1 again for the month, and cumulative sales, in the United States. Thanks for your support!
– PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 13, 2014
Oh, and NPD says the PS4 led hardware sales, but only by a narrow margin. Xbox One unit sals were 90% of PS4.
– Ian Sherr (@iansherr) March 13, 2014
Filed under: Gaming, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Source: PlayStation (Twitter), Xbox Wire, Ian Sherr (Twitter)
Twelve South Introduces ‘Rutledge’ BookBook With New Leather Coloring Technique [Mac Blog]
South Carolina-based accessory maker Twelve South has introduced a new version of its popular BookBook MacBook case called the Rutledge. Though it has the same basic design as previous BookBook for MacBook cases, the company is proud of a new leather coloring technique that it developed that involves adding and removing color multiple times to enhance the natural look of the leather.
It’s so unique that the company’s leather expert didn’t think it could be done when they began developing the process. Also new is a case specifically designed for the 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina Display, which is 7% smaller than it’s non-Retina brother. Twelve South is introducing a new version of the classic BookBook to fit that machine as well.
BookBook Rutledge Edition is the most distinctive version of our unique BookBook family. The Rutledge is tailored from premium leather and each mesmerizing cover is a unique work of art. No two look exactly alike. Like our other BookBook models, this beauty features two hardback covers, a rigid spine and a velvety soft padded interior to protect your MacBook. While the case protects your MacBook, the design protects your unique sense of style. The Rutledge Edition is available for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
The Rutledge ($100), made in India, is aimed at a slightly more premium market than the standard BookBook ($80). It is available from Twelve South’s website in four different sizes for the 11″ MacBook Air, the 13″ MacBook Air/Pro, the 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina, and the 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina.
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