Amazon feature Sonic CD as Free App of the Day
Amazon are offering the Sonic CD app on their Appstore as their free app of the day and it’ll save $2.99.
Sonic CD takes you back to the traditional platform scroller that we were all used to and now you can enjoy it on your Android device for free.
Amazon change their featured app daily, so be quick and grab it before it goes back up again.
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Casino game Party Slots looks to hit social jackpot [App of the Day]
Looking to make your online casino experience a little more sociable? Party Slots by GAMEVIL looks to put social into the online casino experience with its real-time multiplayer slots game.
The addictingly fun game looks to take slots to the next-level by adding a social aspect. This allows players to cooperate and compete for party bonuses and a chance to win huge community jackpots. The goal for this specific game is to change the game from a slot machine experience into a social experience.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm for the social game market right now,” Kyu Lee, President of GAMEVIL USA
Aside from the multiplayer slots, the game also offers exciting bonus games, where users can multiply their wins with challenges like Hi-Lo and Party Poppers. With a built-in reward system, players are to earn points to obtain higher ranks and receive greater bonuses. The game also incorporates some cool social features like the ability to share likes to become a Party Slot celebrity.
With offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, and Seoul, GAMEVIL has over 350 million game downloads across multiple platforms since 2000 and is currently working with more than 70 of the top studios around the world.
Party Slots is a free to download game with in-game purchases available. You can find it on the Google Play store.
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Second Apple-Samsung Patent Trial Begins with Focus on Apple’s ‘Holy War’, Advertising Envy, and Phil Schiller
Samsung and Apple’s second patent trial started earlier this week with jury selection and opening arguments by both Apple and Samsung. Phil Schiller also took the stand as Apple’s first witness in the trial, which started in earnest on Tuesday.
Among the volume of internal documents provided in the case, The Wall Street Journal highlights emails from Apple founder Steve Jobs that reveal his commitment to beating Android, calling the competition a “Holy War” with Google.
Jobs outlined this “battle” in an October 2010 email to 100 employees prior to the company’s annual retreat. Jobs said in the email that “Apple is in danger of hanging on to old paradigm for too long (innovator’s dilemma)” and notes that “Google and Microsoft are further along on the technology, but haven’t quite figured it out yet.” This characterization is favorable to Samsung as the company attempts to involve Google and Android in the patent infringement case.
As part of its opening statement in the case, Samsung outlined its plans to share internal Apple documents that suggest Apple was taken aback by Samsung’s edgy marketing campaign that characterized the company’s Galaxy devices as “the next big thing.” (via The Verge)
“We will show you internal Apple documents, documents that haven’t been made public before, and showed how Apple was really concerned about competition from Android, and in particular Samsung,” John Quinn of law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, which is representing Samsung in the trial, told an eight-person jury. “This new, edgy marketing strategy … it drove Apple crazy.”
Following opening arguments by Apple and Samsung, Apple executive Phil Schiller testified in court on behalf on Apple, discussing, as he did in the first trial, the risks the company took as it successfully released both the iPhone and iPad before its competitors, reports Computerworld.
“We wondered what could come after the iPod,” Schiller said. “We wanted to try and invent that future rather than let it happen to us.”
Schiller also reminded jurors that Apple wasn’t always the leader in the mobile market and had a long learning curve to get where it is now.
“Apple really only had two products at the time: the Mac and iPod,” he said, reminding jurors of a time before Apple was the phone and tablet powerhouse it is today. “We hadn’t made a phone. We didn’t know about radios and antennas and all the things that make up a phone.”
Schiller remained on the stand for over two hours before his testimony ended for the day. Schiller is expected to return on Friday, with Samsung continuing to question the Apple executive when the trial resumes.
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Amazon Announces the Fire TV Media Streaming Device
In line with earlier rumors, Amazon today announced the Fire TV, a new media streaming device that will compete with the Apple TV, Google Chromecast and the new Roku Streaming Stick. The Verge is providing live coverage of the event, and we will be updating this post as additional details are announced.
The Fire TV has a quad-core processor with a dedicated graphics processor and 2GB of RAM. It supports 1080p and features dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi with MIMO for fast video downloads. Amazon claims it is three times as powerful as its competitors.
The Fire TV device will stream Amazon Prime Instant Video titles as well as content from other providers such as Netflix and Hulu. It will take the shape of a set-top box that plugs into the HDMI port of your HDTV. Pricing and availability details will be published soon.
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Spotify releases an all new design across its apps
Spotify are today releasing an update which you’ll notice will change the look of the music streaming service across all of their applications and platforms.
Called “Cat” internally, the design is said to be inspired by iOS 7 and is focused on placing emphasis on the content. That includes frosty panes, clean sharp icons, and circular album art.
“We have this metaphor of stepping into a theatre — when you dim the lights, the content comes forward,” Michelle Kadir, director of product development at Spotify, told Wired.co.uk. “We wanted to use that for ourselves and the product.”
A ‘My Music’ feature will also be focused on which contains all your music you’ve liked, starred, or added to a playlist. When you hit the plus button alongside a song, artist, or album, it will automatically be added to the new ‘My Music’ list rather than having to specify an individual playlist. Starred items will remain, however.
Spotify has been working on the new design for six months in order to perfect it and it says it sees this as a “first big step of many this year.”
The new design is rolling out starting today, and will be available across Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Mac, Windows, and Web Browser as the day progresses.
The post Spotify releases an all new design across its apps appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Switch to C Spire Wireless and the carrier will pay your ETF
C Spire Wireless has followed in the footsteps of T-Mobile and will now pay off your other carrier’s early termination fees. Switch the wireless provider and you’ll earn up to $200 credit which can be used toward future C Spire services. An additional $50 credit comes via the PERCS program if you refer any new customers. Taking incentives a step further, you can earn a bonus $100 for every third referral. Finally, you can grab up to $300 credit for trading in your old device.
The small print: Limited time offer; subject to change. Restrictions may apply. Available only to new postpaid wireless activations and additional activations from existing customers in good standing. 2 year contract required. Appropriate documentation of ETF required within 90 days of purchase.
“Consumers want simple, easy and fairly priced wireless plans and policies to match their shift to more sophisticated smartphones that perform more like small, mobile computers than traditional cell phones. To avoid the hassle and the inconvenience, many decide to stay with their current carriers even though better options exist elsewhere. Adding ETF to our arsenal gives consumers another reason to consider switching to C Spire and it removes a financial pain point and barrier to consideration.”
The post Switch to C Spire Wireless and the carrier will pay your ETF appeared first on AndroidGuys.
All screens welcome: watching sports is now easier than it’s ever been
Opening Week is upon us and Major League Baseball teams have already started their quest to win this season’s World Series, while fans all over gear up for what will hopefully be a very exciting year. And for those who can’t make it to the ballpark on a regular basis, keeping up with their favorite team has become a relatively easy feat. A few weeks ago, the MLB, NBA, NHL and others struck a partnership with Time Inc. to launch 120 Sports, with the idea being to provide an online hub that delivers sports video content in a timely manner and across different platforms. This announcement came shortly after the introduction of NFL Now, an all-new digital network that aims to immerse football fans in the ultimate viewing experience — there will be full on-demand games, highlights, analysis and a lot more to watch.
Both initiatives signal how American sports leagues are adapting to the times by introducing viewing experiences that aren’t necessarily tied to being at home. Not everyone will be satisfied with the way the content is delivered, but it’s worth acknowledging that leagues like the NFL, NBA and MLB are going the extra mile to try to give people what they want.
Of course, these services often face limitations due to contracts with TV broadcasters, which make things like showing all live games, in the case of NFL Now, practically impossible in the US. But if catching your local team playing live doesn’t matter that much, chances are you won’t be disappointed. Not all services are limited in this way, though. MLB.TV, for example, does offer regular season games to watch live, with some blackout restrictions — and the same is true for offerings from a number of other professional leagues. The blackouts might be considered a downside for some, but if you’re a transplant, these services are all but made for you. So, if you’re from California and (wisely) make the move to The Big Apple, you’ll be able to catch, say, the Oakland A’s live. As for you non-transplants, MLB does make in-market games available at least 90 minutes after each game is finished.
The limitations that come stock with these services are the result of broadcasting agreements that have been in place for years, and they will continue to be for many more to come. For instance, when questioned about the lack of live games, NFL Now General Manager Cory Mummery said to us, “The NFL is very happy with our long-standing relationships with our broadcast and cable partners, and NFL Now should serve as an additive experience to live television consumption.” Now, we shouldn’t be surprised to hear this, since the NFL’s business with US network and cable/satellite providers is worth billions and billions of dollars. Until that changes, customers shouldn’t expect drastic changes in the way the NFL, or anyone else, handles the way it delivers its games. “We are not planning to include live games at this time for our domestic users, but may consider offering some live game content to our international fans,” Mummery told Engadget.
But that’s not to say all consumers are begging for a solution. Recent market research has shown that most people still prefer to watch sports in the more traditional way: at home, sitting on the couch (with a cold Heady Topper) and a big screen in front of them. It’s not a shocking revelation by any means, but no one would deny the shift in the way people like to consume video content nowadays, whether it’s in real time or on demand, and whether it’s sports or a different type of entertainment.
In most cases, major American sports leagues already have options in place for both pay-TV customers and those known as cord-cutters. While not everyone is content with the current offerings, there are quite a few options to pick from — it’s only a matter of how much you’re willing to pay or sacrifice. For most hardcore sports fans, it’s safe to say pay-TV is likely the best solution. It’s also helpful that cable providers now have applications available for subscribers, which, in some cases, include being able to watch live TV even while being outside of your home network. Case in point: Time Warner Cable, which, depending on the package you’re subscribed to, allows you to watch live television on desktop and mobile devices, but the full lineup won’t be available unless you’re connected to your at-home WiFi. And then there are things like WatchESPN, The World Wide Leader in Sports’ internet-based channel, which has apps on almost every platform, but does require a login from a participating cable provider.
There’s never been a better time to be a fan, because it’s never been easier to keep up with the world of sports.
On the other hand, those without pay-TV don’t have many options if they want to watch live sporting events, as most applications need to be authenticated through a cable subscription. For them, Aereo might be a viable solution, since the $8-per-month service offers access to channels from most major networks, such as ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX. The only problem with this is that it isn’t available everywhere in the US at the moment, though Aereo has said it is constantly working to launch in more places as quickly as it can.
One thing is certain: There’s never been a better time to be a fan, because it’s never been easier to keep up with the world of sports. With that in mind, join us as we break down what each league has to offer in the digital age we are in.
MLB
MLB.TV: Major League Baseball’s popular service comes in at $20 monthly or $110 yearly, in exchange for regular season live and on-demand games. However, while this includes live streams, it only applies to games taking place outside of your local market. But, as we explained before, you can still watch your local team play post-original broadcast — MLB usually posts them on MLB.TV right after the game is over. You can also take advantage of multiple games (up to four) at once and a DVR feature lets you record your favorite games.
(It’s worth mentioning that the aforementioned regional blackouts only happen stateside and in Canada; subscribers outside of these countries can watch roughly all games live.)
MLB.TV Premium: The MLB’s top-tier package offers everything we just mentioned, but with a few extras. For $130 per season or $25 every month, you’ll get access to apps on iOS, Android, Apple TV and Roku, as well as those on Xbox and PlayStation consoles — yes, that means next-gen, too. MLB.TV Premium also comes with a subscription to At Bat, which costs $20 per season or $3 per month on its own.
MLB At Bat: Available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8, Kindle and even BlackBerry, the At Bat application is the easiest way for baseball fans to stay in the loop on all things MLB, with live game streams for those with a Premium subscription, radio broadcasts, a library of video archives and real-time scores from across the league. As we mentioned earlier, MLB’s At Bat is $20 yearly or $3 monthly.
The MLB is arguably leading the pack when it comes to adjusting itself to the digital era: MLB.TV is a very solid option if you can get past the local blackouts. What’s more, the quick adoption of iBeacon across ballparks shows that the league is trying to find more ways to keep moving forward.
NFL
NFL Game Rewind: Available in the US and Mexico, Game Rewind provides access to full-game replays, video archives and highlights for $25 per season. There are apps for iOS, Android and Windows 8.
NFL Game Pass: Unlike Game Rewind, Game Pass does include live games, but it’s only available outside of the US, at a cost of $25 per week or $250 for the entire season. Similarly, the NFL has apps for this service on the same platforms as Game Rewind.
NFL Now: Due to launch later this summer, NFL Now is set to be one of the National Football League’s most ambitious projects yet. While there won’t be any live streams of games, as we stated earlier, it will have full on-demand replays. Most importantly, the NFL won’t require cable authentication for access and it will be completely free of charge. It will be available worldwide, with apps on iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8, Xbox One and other “select consoles and streaming devices.”
NFL Sunday Ticket: The NFL also has Sunday Ticket, which was previously an exclusive for DirecTV customers but as of this year, is now available to anyone willing to pay a hefty fee per season — much like what DirecTV did to the NFL. Sunday Ticket Max costs $330 yearly or $55 monthly; as part of the subscription, you’ll get Red Zone Channel and out-of-market live games, which can be viewed on the web or via mobile apps. The lower-tier Sunday Ticket package is $240 per year or $40 per month, though you won’t be able to use the applications nor have access to the Red Zone Channel. Naturally, blackout rules do apply, so this might not make sense if you, say, live in New York and want to watch the Giants play in real time using Sunday Ticket.
NBA
Unlike those services from the MLB and NFL, the NBA’s model is slightly different, requiring you to purchase it through your cable provider.
NBA League Pass: The NBA options are a bit more limited. While League Pass might not be as appealing as MLB.TV or the NFL’s Game Rewind and Game Pass, it does offer access to live and archived games, albeit with regional blackouts for folks in the US. International customers won’t have to worry about this.
League Pass can be acquired for $17 per season (Sprint customers can nab it for $13/month), though this only gives you access to the smartphone apps on iOS and Android. For those looking for a lot more than that, the $60 yearly option means being able to watch live games on pretty much any device, regardless of the platform, such as iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and 4, and some cable boxes via the League Pass channel.
The Rest of the Pack
NCAA March Madness: This year, the NCAA rolled out a new version of March Madness Live, giving college hoops fans a way to never lose track of what’s happening during the tournament. March Madness Live 2014 brought the app to Kindle, expanding outside of iOS, Android, Windows Phone and desktop for the first time ever. The NCAA made it possible to stream every game, at no cost — that’s if you’re subscribed to one of the many cable partners, mind you. Regardless, March Madness Live should be used as an example by developers working for other leagues; it manages to populate lots of content, including news and social media tidbits, without turning into an unusable mess. And hey, despite the Final Four being around the corner, there’s still time to give March Madness Live a go.
MLS: For football, aka soccer, Major League Soccer launched MLS Live, which features live matches for $65 per season or $16 per month. Not surprisingly, you’ll have to deal with local blackouts here, too. MLS Live is available in the US, Mexico and Canada, and apps are present on Roku, Apple TV, iOS, Android and Windows 8.
NHL: NHL GameCenter is about the only choice hockey fans have — but it’s a good one. All season out-of-market live games can be yours for $50 a season (for now, as it’s about $170 at the beginning of the season). The same applies for international viewers, with the exception of a few countries in which the National Hockey League has broadcasting contracts. As part of the yearly fee, GameCenter provides apps on iOS, Android, BlackBerry 10 and more, plus full-game replays, highlights and DVR-like features.
Even though it won’t satisfy every fan, there are now a lot more options than before to watch our favorite leagues, teams, players, wrestlers and anything else you can think of.
NASCAR: The Fox Sports Go app is the only way you’ll be able to enjoy NASCAR races live. Other than that, NASCAR doesn’t exactly have any streaming options. Instead, there’s NASCAR Mobile, which offers live audio, stats, highlights and in-race views; and RaceView Premium, a $70-per-season feature that’s a “3D virtual video representation” of Sprint Cup races. All in all, NASCAR is the most underwhelming of them all.
WWE: The WWE took the world by storm when it launched WWE Network. For $10 a month, the WWE will give you access to every one of its pay-per-view events, which often cost between $50 and $70 each. As if that’s not enough, a WWE Network subscription comes with a ton of additional content, like an on-demand library of old and recent wrestling matches, plus interviews and behind-the-scenes videos. To complement its new network, WWE has apps on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox 360 and PlayStation consoles.
Wrap-up
It’s easy to see that these sporting entities are recognizing there’s incredible potential in delivering content in as many ways as possible, all with the understanding that they can only go so far due to the nature of preexisting legal contracts with TV carriers and networks. Even though it won’t satisfy every fan, there are now a lot more options than before to watch our favorite leagues, teams, players, wrestlers and anything else you can think of. Will there ever be something that works for everyone? So long as it makes financial sense for the parties involved, we can’t really see why this would be impossible. Sure, we’re not quite there yet, but we’re certainly getting there.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Washington Post, NYT, Survey Monkey, AwfulAnnouncing, Adweek (1), (2)
Netflix could launch in France on a technicality
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: MarketWatch
Source: Les Echos (translated)
Nokia Lumia 930 picture leak hints at a Lumia Icon for the rest of the world
There have been rumblings about Nokia unveiling a Lumia 930 in the near future, but its actual design has remained elusive. However, frequent tipster @evleaks claims to have a press image of the new smartphone… and if the picture is accurate, it’s effectively a Lumia Icon for everyone who isn’t a Verizon customer. Not that we’d be complaining too much if that’s the case, mind you. An Icon-like design would give the 930 top-tier features that include a 5-inch 1080p display, a 20-megapixel camera and a quick Snapdragon 800 processor. There aren’t any clues as to what’s under the hood just by looking at the picture, but we suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more about the device at Nokia’s Lumia-focused event this evening.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia
Source: @evleaks (Twitter)
Popular Calendar Replacement Fantastical Comes to iPad [iOS Blog]
Fantastical, the popular iPhone and Mac calendar app, is coming to the iPad. Flexibits has upsized its Fantastical 2 iPhone app, but company co-founder Michael Simmons says they didn’t just take the iPhone app and make all the bits bigger.
“The biggest feature is the user interface,” he explained to MacRumors, saying that the development team didn’t feel a need to develop new features simply because they had more screen real estate. “You don’t want to get into the business of coming up with useless iPad features just for the sake of having iPad-only features.”
Fantastical 2 for iPad has the same iOS 7-inspired look that the iPhone version has, and a very similar feature set as well. It has an integrated calendar and reminders list, a reworked calendar parser and more. The parser is the most unique feature about Fantastical. Instead of entering in a number of text-boxes and switches in a time-consuming process for each event or reminder, Fantastical users simply write in plain english: “Juli Clover’s birthday party on April 17th at 4PM Pacific at Chuck E Cheese” or “remind me to pick up milk when I leave work”.
The app then takes that text and sets all the proper functions in the calendar, significantly faster than trying to enter all that information into a traditional calendar app. The app is aware of things like time zones, and the parser is very good at setting up repeating events with odd cycles like “every third week”, something that the standard iOS calendar can’t always deal with. It also has an in-app map view if locations are entered, and users can send that address to Apple or Google’s Mapping apps.
Fantastical 2 automatically connects to calendars and reminder lists already set up in the iPad’s Settings app. Users can manually hide unused calendars or lists within the app as necessary.
Building on the award-winning app, Fantastical 2 for iPhone, Fantastical 2 for iPad takes advantage of the iPad’s roomier display. New in Fantastical 2 for iPad is the Fantastical Dashboard, a fast and easy way to easily manage your schedule in one place. Users can toggle between Fantastical’s DayTicker, half-screen week view, and full-screen week view. Also visible is Fantastical’s familiar event and reminders list, along with a calendar.
Fantastical 2 for iPad is an entirely separate app from Fantastical 2 for iPhone, meaning customers with both devices will need to buy both apps. Flexibits told us that it is working on a significant upgrade for Fantastical for Mac that will add many of the improvements from the iPhone and iPad apps, but didn’t have any more information to share on availability or price.
Fantastical 2 for iPad is available for $9.99 on the App Store for a limited time. Normal price will be $14.99. [Direct Link]
Fantastical 2 for iPhone is available for $4.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Fantastical for Mac is available for $19.99 on the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]
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AIVAnet 