Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2 ‘Geek’ bundle includes free Xbox controller and games
If you’ve considered the Surface Pro 2 to be more than just a portable workstation, then Microsoft’s latest tablet bundle might pique your interest. In collaboration with online culture show Geek & Sundry, the company has quietly pushed live a new gaming deal on its virtual store in the US and Canada that throws in $105 worth of free games and accessories. For $899, the price of the base 64GB Surface Pro 2 model that’s already included, you’ll also get a wireless Xbox 360 controller and two games: Farming Simulator 2013 and a premium pack for free-to-play WWII flying simulator War Thunder Mustang. To be clear, neither title will ever vie for any gaming awards, but you can’t argue with free, right? Microsoft intends to run the offer until May 1st or until stocks run out, whichever comes sooner, so if you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to grab yourself a Surface Pro 2, now might be the time to click in.
Filed under: Gaming, Tablets, Software, Microsoft
Via: Ubergizmo
Source: Microsoft Store
Chromecast support coming to BT Sport on Monday
BT Sport has confirmed that it will be adding Chromecast support as of Monday and by doing so will be one of only two UK digital broadcasters to support Google’s streaming device alongside the BBC iPlayer.
BT customers are able to view the channel using the App on their smartphones and tablets and will now be able to stream the content to the big screen using Google’s Chromecast.
Pete Oliver, managing director of Consumer Commercial and Marketing, said: “Chromecast has been a tremendous success in the US and we feel it could take off in the UK as well.
“We are already delivering BT Sport via our App and we are seeing some impressive viewing figures, which demonstrates that customers appreciate this option.”
You should notice the cast button appear from April 7th in the BT Sport App on both Android and iOS.
The post Chromecast support coming to BT Sport on Monday appeared first on ChromeWatching.
Read the rest at the source, ChromeWatching.com
The post Chromecast support coming to BT Sport on Monday appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple buys tech that could take Siri offline
Apple has sort-of-confirmed that it recently snapped up another small company, called Novauris. The firm specializes in speech recognition and has historical ties to the core technology and patents underpinning Siri. TechCrunch reports that Novauris’s experts are already working inside Apple to improve its voice assistant, but no one really knows exactly what they’re up to. One of Novauris’s big strengths has been locally-processed recognition, which doesn’t rely on distant servers, so it’s possible that Apple wants Siri to accomplish more without a data connection. (Apple’s current Siri partner, Nuance, can also do offline processing, but Apple hasn’t been able to bring that technology in-house.) We’re just speculating, of course, but this is a function that no voice assistant has really mastered so far (although others are definitely working on it), and it’s even more important now that iOS is getting into the car.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Source: TechCrunch
Google’s Project Loon balloon goes around the world in just 22 days
One of Project Loon’s hot air balloons just completed a journey ’round the world, but unlike Vernes’ Phileas Fogg who took 80 days to do so, Google’s creation took but a mere 22 days. That far exceeds Mountain View’s expectations (the team thought it would take around 33 days), all thanks to data collected by previous test flights. You see, the folks behind the project make sure to assess and use those findings to continue improving their balloons. In fact, this model (called Ibis-167), which had to brave particularly strong winds, might not have made it if not for the changes the team made.
The team writes on the project’s Google+ page:
Since last June, we’ve been using the wind data we’ve collected during flights to refine our prediction models and are now able to forecast balloon trajectories twice as far in advance. In addition, the pump that moves air in or out of the balloon has become three times more efficient, making it possible to change altitudes more rapidly to quickly catch winds going in different directions. There were times, for example, when this balloon could have been pulled into the polar vortex – large, powerful wind currents that whip around in a circle near the stratosphere in the polar region – but these improvements enabled us to maneuver around it and stay on course.
Project Loon is one of Google X Lab’s (the company’s more adventurous outfit also responsible for Glass) brainchild, which hopes to offer hot air balloon-powered internet connection someday. Until then, the team will continue doing more test flights — the Ibis-167 is already on its second journey, clocking the project’s 311,000th mile — to ensure the hardiness of their balloons.
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Google
Via: CNET
Source: Project Loon
The former lead for Uncharted is heading up a new Star Wars game
One of the talents that helped define the last generation of console games has a new home. Amy Hennig, the creative director and lead writer of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and its PS3 sequels recently joined the team at Visceral Games (best known for the Dead Space series), where she’ll serve as creative director for its in-development Star Wars title. This comes after she abruptly ended her decade-long tenure at developer Naughty Dog early last month.
At first, the idea of Visceral working on a game set in that galaxy far, far away almost suggested something in the vein of survival horror, given the studio’s pedigree. Hennig’s hiring throws a bit of a curve-ball to expectations, though, especially with her expertise in creating a believable group of rag-tag adventurers; her style is pretty much a perfect fit for Star Wars. We likely won’t see this game for awhile yet (especially considering DICE’s in-the-works Battlefront sequel was teased last year), but this news is almost enough to make us forget that the travesty of Dead Space 3 ever happened.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Joystiq
Source: EA
Samsung promises truly flexible electronics sooner with graphene breakthrough
Graphene. It was going to reinvigorate the electronics industry. Better than silicon, flexible yet more durable than steel and with high heat conduction, it all sounded like The Dream for thinner components and wearables.. but it kinda faded away. Well, it’s back, according to Samsung. In a partnership with Sungkyunkwan University, it reckons it’s solved the tricky issue of manufacturing “large area, single crystal wafer scale graphene,” or simply: big, thin sheets of it. Manufacturing methods in the past have reduced the electric and mechanic benefits associated with the material — one reason it’s taken so long to be commercialized and, you know, appear in for real, for sale things. Samsung’s involvement should mean it could actually happen.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Science, Samsung
Source: Samsung
T-Mobile offers BlackBerry subscribers $100 credit toward any other phone
T-Mobile head honcho John Legere’s assuring its BlackBerry-toting subscribers they’ve got nothing to worry about despite the companies’ falling out. But, just in case they are worried (or just want to try other platforms), he’s also offering them a $100 credit toward any device. Legere made the announcement in an open letter posted on T-Mo’s blog, where he also reminded folks they can stay with the carrier and still use BlackBerrys if they bring their own unlocked devices.
While the $100 credit gives subscribers the chance to give other phones or platforms a try, they can also use the money to get a Q10 or a Z10, assuming they didn’t take advantage of that controversial $250 trade-in promo last time. The offer’s good until the end of the year, but those who prefer upgrading from an older BB phone to one of the Canadian company’s newer offerings might want to decide soon. T-Mobile’s license to sell BlackBerry devices in the US will expire on April 25th, and it doesn’t look like BB CEO John Chen is changing his tune.
PS: Legere also mentioned that T-Mobile has more in store for BlackBerry subscribers: “Stay tuned for another Un-carrier offer that gives you more value and even more reasons to stay with America’s fastest growing wireless company.”
Hey, I hear ya. You want the newest #BB devices with @TMobile. Tell @Blackberry and #Chen you’re unhappy with his decision! #BBSpeakUp
– John Legere (@JohnLegere) April 3, 2014
Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, Blackberry, T-Mobile
Via: CNET
Source: T-Mobile
Sprint will pay you to switch from a rival carrier to its Framily plan
T-Mobile may have stolen the spotlight earlier this year by paying customers to switch, but it looks like Sprint is cooking up a similar deal in response. An S4GRU leak has revealed a Sprint promo that will pay you to switch from a competitor to the carrier’s Framily plan between April 4th and May 8th. Much like T-Mobile’s offer, you’ll get up to $350 to cover early termination fees at the provider you’re leaving; you’ll also get up to $300 in service credit if you trade in your old phone at the same time. While we doubt that the month-long campaign will do much to reverse Sprint’s losses, it might just give fence-sitters a stronger incentive to change networks.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint
Via: Android Central
Source: S4GRU
Fingerprint Scanners on iPhone 5s and Galaxy S5 Compared in New Video
Apple debuted its Touch ID fingerprint sensor in September of 2013 with the iPhone 5s, making it the first major smartphone to include fingerprint recognition technology. Samsung followed with its own version of a fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy S5, which is slated to be released on April 11.
A new YouTube video from Tanner Marsh compares Touch ID on iPhone 5s with the fingerprint scanner of the upcoming Galaxy S5, walking through the process of setting up fingerprint recognition on both devices and comparing and contrasting some of the available functionality.
The two fingerprint scanners are quite different, with Apple’s Touch ID utilizing a round home button that captures a motionless fingerprint while Samsung’s sensor is activated using a swiping motion that scans the finger from base to tip using a rectangular home button.
iPhone 5s users may be familiar with the setup process of Touch ID, which includes placing each finger on the home button multiple times in order to register a fingerprint from multiple angles. Samsung’s setup is a bit different, involving multiple swipes downward on the screen over the home button.
Early reports suggested Samsung’s fingerprint sensor was somewhat inaccurate, and the video depicts some of the same problems with fingerprint recognition. Marsh notes that he has to swipe directly over the center of the home button for a fingerprint to register and describes how the sensor on the S5 is hard to use with a single hand.
It seems like it’s sort of hit or miss unless you swipe directly over the center of the button, covering most of it with your finger. Moreover because you have to swipe starting from the bottom of the touchscreen it makes the process nearly impossible with one hand.
As for the iPhone 5s, because the device essentially captures multiple scans of your finger in various positions you can literally unlock it from any orientation including upside down, left, right, or diagonally. It doesn’t matter. It will almost always recognize your finger.
While Samsung’s fingerprint sensor appears to have some issues, Apple’s Touch ID faced its own problems early on, including “fade,” or the increasingly erratic performance of the fingerprint sensor over time. iOS 7.1, released in March, solved the issue, bringing much-needed improvements to Touch ID’s fingerprint recognition capabilities.
Apple also faced significant scrutiny over both hacking and privacy concerns after the launch of the iPhone 5s, leading it to publish multiple documents detailing how the feature works, assuring users that only mathematical representations of fingerprints are stored in the A7 processor’s Secure Enclave, which is walled off from the rest of iOS.
Samsung may face some of the same scrutiny following the April 11 release of the Galaxy S5, especially as the company has plans to allow developers access to the feature.
Samsung’s S5 will also be compatible with PayPal’s mobile payment app, allowing users to authorize PayPal payments with a fingerprint, a feature that could also cause concern with some users. Apple has plans to enter the payment arena with its Touch ID fingerprint scanner, but has yet to do so.
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Tiny Thief is now available for free on Google Play
Tiny Thief was one of the first games to come out of Rovio’s publishing label, Rovio Stars, and it was met with mixed opinions. It was a desperately good-looking mobile title with adorable, illustrated animations throughout the game with thought-provoking puzzles, however it seemed a bit slim on features and levels given it cost $3.99 (you can read our full review of the game here). Thankfully, that last issue is no longer a problem as Tiny Thief is now available for free, and this time it looks like it is free for good.
Tiny Thief was briefly free for a limited time over Christmas, however it looks like the team behind it has decided the freemium model is a more viable one as although the game is free, it now features in-app purchases, presumably for acquiring more levels. If you want to take advantage of this new deal, be sure to visit the Google Play Store page (links below).
What are your thoughts on Tiny Thief? Are you going to pick it up? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: OzBargain
Game: Tiny Thief
Price: Free
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