This 3mm-thick connector will let you Snap things onto your phone
People buy cases mainly to protect their precious phones, but very few offer functional versatility, and you’re often forced to give them up when you upgrade. Well, that may no longer be a problem thanks to a new minimalistic solution dubbed Snap. This attachment system starts off with a circular, low-profile female connector that’s only 3mm thick and 25mm wide, and it can stick onto any device or case thanks to its strong, commercial-grade 3M adhesive. You can then secure different types of Snap accessories with a simple twist; and when detached, the slim socket barely gets in the way.
This Indiegogo campaign is launching with two compatible accessories: an earbud wrap and a money clip. That said, the company — also dubbed Snap — hopes to eventually build up an ecosystem with a whole range of accessories, including a tabletop mount, a car mount and a bike mount (we also suggested adding a sports armband). Interested backers can head over to the Indiegogo page to grab either a Snap Wallet or a Snap Earbud Wrap for $12 each ($2 off for the first 500 backers for each), and they will ship as early as July. Snap is also offering bulk deals for distributors: $500 for a pack of 75 units or $1,000 for a pack of 200.
Interestingly, this is actually Snap’s second attempt to utilize a crowdfunding platform — it previously launched on Kickstarter, but the team then decided to move the project over to Indiegogo. Despite the abrupt change, it should be noted that the Snap’s inventor, Eric Child, has also been on ABC’s Shark Tank and successfully pitched his other cool invention, the FiberFix. As for the company’s two Utah-based founders, Craig Morris and Nate Bradshaw, they used to work at the renowned gadget accessories maker Zagg, so that should be some reassurance in the final product.
Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile
Adorable Japanese gadget saves canines from becoming hot dogs
It’s almost that time of year, y’all: dog season! “What’s dog season?” you ask? Well, duh: it’s the time of year when we spend as many waking hours as possible outside with our pooches, throwing balls and frolicking. No snark here, folks — we’ve got nothing but love for man’s best friend. And if you’re anything like us, you know that it can get awfully hot out there for an excited dog covered in a year-round fur coat. Dog lovers in parts of Japan have it especially hard this time of year, with oppressive heat and humidity dominating the summer months, which is where Petline’s Heat Index Checker for Dogs comes in. The device attaches to dog collars or cages, and monitors the environment where it’s placed. Should the situation get too hot under the collar (or cage), the device lights up and buzzes to alert owners. There’s even a human mode for monitoring your own environment.
For now, the device is Japan-only, and it arrives early next month for 4,980 yen ($50). There’s a great video of it in action right here, and Petline’s website is right here if you’re looking to grab one in a few weeks.
Being dog lovers, we also suggest keeping your pooch(es) well-hydrated, and getting plenty of shade on extra hot days. And belly rubs. So, so many belly rubs.
(Image: AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Filed under: Wearables
Via: Wall Street Journal
Source: Petline
HTC Nexus 8 rumors heating up again, points to Q3 release
For quite awhile now, we’ve heard rumors regarding the upcoming Nexus 8 tablet from Google. Not only that, but we continue to hear rumors regarding HTC being the manufacturer of the device.
According to sources from the unnamed “upstream supply chain”, Google will partner with HTC for their new Nexus tablet, the Nexus 8. The tablet will reportedly launch in Q3, which coincides with most other rumors on this topic.
While HTC making a Nexus tablet would be incredible for users, many have strong doubts. In the past, Nexus devices of all kinds have been very budget-friendly. Though not necessarily a bad thing, these devices cut corners in the hardware department. Most are soft-touch plastic, and don’t have many outstanding features, hardware-wise. The way HTC has been losing money, could they really take the chance to invest in a tablet that most likely won’t make a huge profit? Probably not, but only time will tell.
Source: DigiTimes
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Cannibalization of iPad Mini by iPhone 6 Unlikely to Negatively Affect Apple’s Overall Sales [iOS Blog]
Apple is expected to introduce a large-screened iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch model arriving this fall and a 5.5-inch version debuting early next year. Though this large iPhone may cannibalize iPad mini sales, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster does not believe this shift in sales will have a net effect on Apple, reports CNET.
In a Monday note to investors, Munster argues that many iPhone owners will accelerate their upgrade to buy the iPhone 6 instead of the iPad mini, while other customers will purchase a bigger iPhone and pair it with an iPad Air. The net effect on Apple is an equal amount of sales even though the distribution among iPad and iPhone models may change with the debut of a larger iPhone.
We note that even at a 5″ screen size, the viewable area of an iPad Mini at 7.9″ would still be 150% larger than the iPhone 6. Net-net we believe any potential cannibalization would be roughly neutral overall to the model as we believe in some situations users might accelerate their phone update instead of buying an iPad Mini and keep an old phone, while in other cases we might see consumers that purchase an iPhone 6 decide to purchase an iPad Air instead of Mini to increase the utility difference between the devices.
Similar to other analysts, Munster believes Apple will report earnings at the higher end of its own guidance for the second quarter of 2014 with revenues of $44 billion, iPhone sales of 38.5 million units and iPad sales of 21 million units. Munster predicts the current quarter, which will end in June, will be slow for Apple with only 5 percent year over year growth.
“We continue to believe that June numbers are too high given our expectation that there will be no new products in the quarter. We note that given the company’s history with guidance, the high-end of Apple’s guide is all that matters and we expect the company’s high-end of guidance to imply no more than 5% y/y revenue growth. Most importantly, while iPhone will benefit from China Mobile in the first full quarter of iPhone availability, we believe that iPhone unit sales may remain in the low single digits in Jun-13 ahead of the iPhone 6 launch.”
Apple will announce its earnings for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2014 on Wednesday, April 23. The earnings release usually is released around 4:30 PM ET following the close of regular stock trading. The conference call to discuss the earnings report is scheduled to follow at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific.
A&E, History Channel, and Lifetime Channels Added to Apple TV
Apple today has added new channels from A&E Networks to its Apple TV, including A&E, The History Channel and Lifetime. Select Apple TV owners will be able to watch episodes from popular TV shows such as Duck Dynasty, Storage Wars, and Project Runway.
These new channels on the Apple TV offer a preview to all users, but full content is only available to cable television subscribers. Currently, the service is available to customers who subscribe to DirecTV, Verizon FiOS, and Cablevision Optimum, with support for additional providers coming in the near future.
The addition of these channels is part of a larger push by A&E Networks to expand their content beyond broadcast TV. Earlier this month, the network updated both its A&E [iTunes Link] and History Channel apps [iTunes Link], letting iOS owners stream live episodes of popular shows to their iPhone or iPad. Similar to the Apple TV, this iOS-based live streaming requires a valid cable subscription.
Apple Launches ‘Better’ Environmental Campaign, Shares Glimpse of New Nevada Data Center
In advance of Earth Day, Apple revamped its Environmental Responsibility website with new content that reconfirms the company’s dedication to operate its business in a way that is best for the environment. The updated website features a new “Better” video narrated by Apple CEO Tim Cook that explains the company’s environmentally friendly values.
Keeping with this Earth Day theme, Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for environmental initiatives, also recently gave Wired an exclusive tour of Apple’s newest data center in Yerington, Nevada. Apple is close to powering all its facilities entirely with renewable energy, with its corporate office and data centers now at 94 percent and climbing.
Though Jackson can’t take credit for Apple’s renewable initiative, she monitors its progress and, perhaps even more important, spreads the word that renewables aren’t just for tree-huggers, but are serious energy sources that can take on the biggest jobs. “No one can ever claim again you can’t have a data center that runs on 100 percent renewable,” says. “Once those proof points are out there, it makes it easier for policies to follow.”
Though the company uses wind and hydroelectric power in its other facilities, Apple is relying on solar power in it Nevada facility. This design mirrors its Maiden, NC data center, which uses two 100-acre solar fields to produce a total of 50 megawatts. Apple is now building out these solar arrays in Nevada on a 134-acre field, which will generate approximately 20 megawatts of power when it is completed in 2015. The remaining power for the plant will be supplied by geothermal energy.
Yes, China employs censors to watch nothing but porn
For the first five minutes, we imagine getting paid to watch adult material would be rather interesting. After that point, however, we’d probably spend the bulk of our day quietly updating our resume. If we didn’t, then we’d probably wind up as broken and sickened as Chinese civil servant Chinqui Liu. Since all media is censored in the nation, China employs people to watch anything up to 330 clips of grumble per day. Liu, a former policeman, is also on-call a lot of the time, just in case the local authorities plan a midnight raid on a back-room DVD store selling prohibited materials and he needs to check the discs over. The 59 year-old has said that the job has left him physically ill, unable to eat for days and thrust his marriage into jeopardy. So what’s the lesson here? That you should always be careful what you wish for, and that the mechanics of censorship can be weirder than anything you imagine.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Rocket News 24, Kotaku
Source: Xinhua News (Translated)
Domino’s Pizza lets customers pay via Google Wallet
Domino’s Pizza on Monday announced that customers can now order and pay for their pizza using Google Wallet. The payment system has been integrated into the mobile ordering application for Android. What’s more, anyone who places an order of $10 or more using Google Wallet as the method of payment before June 15 will receive a free order of Domino’s new Specialty Chicken.
“This is yet another way Domino’s is using technology to improve our customer experience. Google Wallet is a great technology that allows customers even more flexibility and convenience when it comes to paying for their Domino’s orders.” -Patrick Doyle, President and chief executive officer.
The post Domino’s Pizza lets customers pay via Google Wallet appeared first on AndroidGuys.
You can now pay for your Domino’s Pizza with Google Wallet
Domino’s has already made it pretty easy to order your favorite pizza using your smartphone, but today things are getting even simpler for US Android device owners. Today the company confirmed that it’s added Google Wallet to the list of supported payment types in its Android app, allowing you to complete an order using the same details you’d typically download apps or rent movies with. If app-based ordering wasn’t already affecting your impulse spending, dispatching a deep dish with even fewer screen presses might be a blessing or a curse.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Domino’s
Source: Domino’s Pizza (Google Play)
Apple to End Support for AIM iChat Logins on Older Versions of OS X Starting June 30 [Mac Blog]
Apple has announced in a recent support note (via ZDNet) that it will end AIM iChat login support for users running versions of OS X below 10.7.2 Lion on June 30, 2014.
The change will affect those who use their mac.com and me.com addresses as AIM IDs to log into iChat on older systems, as users running compatible versions of OS X Snow Leopard and OS X Lion can upgrade to OS X Mavericks for free.
Meanwhile, users running OS X Leopard are directed to purchase and upgrade to Snow Leopard and then install OS X Mavericks for free. If a user cannot upgrade to a newer version of OS X, then the creation of a new AIM ID on AOL’s website will be required along with the need to repopulate a new contacts list.
iChat was discontinued in favor of Messages, which has been the default instant messaging application on the Mac since its first appearance in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. According to the latest data from Net Applications, Apple’s newest operating system, OS X Mavericks, holds a 51% share on all Macs, while the share of systems running older versions of OS X affected by this latest change is 19%.
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