Amazon makes Kindle documents available via Cloud Drive
If you have any documents (or e-books acquired in a “non-standard” way) stored on your Kindle, now you can access them anywhere via Amazon Cloud Drive. Starting today, documents uploaded to your e-reader via your browser, mobile device or email will automatically be stored in a new “My Send-to-Kindle Docs” folder within Cloud Drive. Unlike previous document uploads that were automatically converted to Kindle format, new additions will be saved in the cloud in their original format. That means you’ll be able to edit the Word doc for your book on show ponies (might we suggest a working title of Pageant Ponies: America’s Real Beauty Queens?) from your desktop seconds after catching a typo. With the move, Kindle owners can combine their existing 5GB of free cloud storage with the 5GB offered to Cloud Drive users for a total of 10GB of space. You know what that means: plenty of room to store sequels to your equine masterpiece once you hit it big.
Image source: Flickr/Zhao!
Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, Amazon
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Amazon Cloud Drive
Here’s how to chat with Windows Phone’s new assistant outside of the US
Don’t despair that Windows Phone 8.1′s signature virtual assistant, Cortana, doesn’t officially work outside of the US — as it turns out, there’s a fairly easy way to try it in other countries. Pocket-lint notes that early adopters can chat with Cortana by choosing US language, region and speech in their phone settings. Provided you can live with American spelling across the interface, everything works as expected — you can find local shops, call friends and set reminders using only your voice. You’ll still have to wait until later in the year to get a truly localized version of Microsoft’s digital companion, but you can at least see what all the fuss is about right now.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Pocket-lint
Yahoo Wants to Be Apple’s Default iOS Search Engine
Yahoo is working on two internal projects to optimize its mobile search and monetization in order to convince Apple to make Yahoo the default search engine on iOS reports Re/code.
The WSJ reported last year that Apple and Yahoo had been in discussions of how to integrate Yahoo’s services more prominently in iOS, beyond powering the Weather and Stocks apps.
The report says Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is preparing detailed presentations to present to Apple executives showing what its new mobile search product could look like. There are a pair of internal projects, code-named “Fast Break” and “Curveball”, that are part of Yahoo’s redesign of its mobile search engine.
That has not happened as yet officially — it’s just the big honking goal of the Yahoo effort, said sources. Still, several said Mayer has already buttonholed a few Apple executives on the topic, including its powerful SVP of design Jony Ive, who knows the former Google exec well.
“This is the aim of the whole effort here, to grab the pole position in iOS search,” said one person working on the effort. “It will take more than pretty pictures though to convince Apple to give up Google, given its focus on consumer experience being top-notch. But Marissa wants it very badly.”
Currently, Yahoo and Microsoft are in the midst of a 10-year search and advertising partnership, something Mayer is trying to get out of. At the same time, Microsoft’s Bing provides the backend for Apple’s Siri web search feature. Google is the default search engine in the Safari iOS browser, with Yahoo and Bing available as user-selectable options. Apple already replaced Google’s Maps app with its own mapping application as default.
According to the Re/code report, a new and expanded agreement between Apple and Yahoo is not imminent — Apple has yet to be pitched on the new products. Instead, it’s part of a longer term play to bring the two companies closer together.
Lumsing 11000 mAh 5-Port Power Bank Review; Yes, Lots of Power
With summer right around the corner I think it is time for many of us to start thinking about how we are going to keep our devices charged up on these longer than normal days. If you are anything like me, then you venture out of the house during the colder, and shorter, winter months for work or food. Beyond that, you stay home quite often. With the weather warming up and the days getting longer, you are going to inevitably be spending more time away from the safety of a power outlet and your chargers. That means it is time to start thinking about how to keep all your gadgets and gizmos charged while camping, riding the trail, boating or just sitting somewhere in the great outdoors. External power banks, (battery banks, power packs) are one solution that a person can use to stay powered up and we have one here from Lumsing for you guys to take a look at.
What’s in the box
- Lumsing 5-port 11000 mAh power bank
- 2 USB cables
- 5- Charging tips
- Carrying bag
The Lumsing 11,000 mAh power bank measures in at 3.7 x 3.15 x 1.10 -inches ( 93.98 x 80.01 x 27.94 mm) and weighs in at 0.63 lbs ( 290g).
The outer casing is a hard plastic that feels durable. I squeezed it pretty hard to see if it flexed and it didn’t. On the front you find 5 USB ports stacked on top of each other. Each port offers a different amp rating aimed at charging specific devices. The ports are 0.5A, 1A, 1A 2.1A and 1.3A. In that order too.
On the front of the unit you find your charging port to power up the 11,000 mAh battery. You will also find your power/battery check button and 4 blue LED lights. In typical fashion, each light represents a 25% increment of the 11,000 mAh battery. The maths come down to 2750 mAh per light.
The contents in the box offer up 2 micro USB cables. One that is 2 feet long and one that is a foot. You also get 5 micro USB converter tips that can be placed on the end of the cables to charge other devices. I recognize the older 30-pin Apple charger and the mini USB, but the other 3 eluded me, and the documentation and website fail to mention what they are for.
How does it perform?
Performance is always a good question when it comes to external battery banks. Each user, device, and situation is different. In my case I keep things set to a fairly consistent base. I use Battery Monitor Widget on 15 minute charge intervals on my Sony Xperia Z. The Xperia Z has a 2330 mAh battery built-in. That is important because with smaller batteries you will charge quicker, where as larger batteries will appear to charge slower. In this case I ran through the 2.1A port, the 1.3A port and the 1.0A ports. The results are as expected.
You can see where each charge was started and switched over. The 2.1a started at 2:06 and I pulled it at 2:20, almost 15 minutes. It charged up the Xperia Z 12%. The 1.3a went from 2:20 to 2:35 and pulled in 11% and the 1a charged from 2:35 to 2:47 and charged 9%. Yes, the last one was cut short by a couple minutes, however the charging rates are still valid.
What I liked about the Lumsing 11,000 mAh Power Bank
having 5 ports is pretty nice, especially with a family of devices that tend to travel often. Many of the more popular battery banks offer 1 or 2 ports, but if you have a couple things that need charged up on the go, you usually end up carrying two or more battery banks. Being able to charge my phone, my wife’s phone, tablet, headphones and a Bluetooth speaker in one location is pretty nice. Particularly if we are camping and need to keep things organized and together.
What I didn’t like about the Lumsing 11,000 mAh Power Bank
It isn’t so much a dislike really, as it is just not needed in my life. I am referring to the various amps per port. If you have, and plan to need, to charge various devices, Nintendo DS, MP3 players or a PSP, then it is invaluable that you can charge each one with its intended amps to not ruin anything.
Overall thoughts
11,000 mAh should quite easily charge up my Xperia Z from dead to full a minimum of 4 times. Actual math comes out to 4.72, but one needs to take into account the drain and strain your device puts on it while it charges, if you are using it while it is charging and if you have other devices plugged in also.
The battery bank size, 11,000 mAh vs cost ratio is pretty good too. The Lumsing 11,000 will only set you back $25.99 and comes in white or black with free Prime shipping.
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Sony continues to trim the fat, dumps Square-Enix stock
The PlayStation 4 may be leading home console sales, but that doesn’t mean Sony’s bank account is in the black. The company has made a minor habit of garnishing its quarterly earnings reports with notable losses, and it’s been selling off assets (including its own headquarters) to help balance its budget. Its latest liquidation is the company’s 8.25 percent stake in Square-Enix, the outfit behind jRPG hits like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The ¥4.8 billion ($46.9 million) Sony expects to pocket from the sale is only a dent in the $1.1 billion it estimates it lost last year, which leaves the sale of Sony’s other headquarters and its VAIO PC business to help make up the difference. This might mark the end of Sony’s financial support for Square-Enix, but gamers shouldn’t be worried: The game developer has a long, loyal history with the PlayStation brand.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Ford’s Skyline concept is like a private jet for the road
If you had $40 million to spend on a ultra-lux vehicle, you might opt for a (pre-owned) Gulfstream V. VIPs on a tighter budget could instead pick up this decked-out Ford van, which comes complete with incredibly comfy leather seats, a Crestron home (or van) automation system, a 52-inch drop-down projection screen with Kaleidescape media server, and plenty of other goodies like maple flooring, a bar with fridge, multi-color LEDs around the roof, individual reading lights (like you’d get on that private jet) and integrated WiFi. You can even add a set of matching luggage.
Don’t expect to roll up to your neighborhood Ford dealer and drive one of these home, though. It’s an in-house concept for now, though you can probably commission an after-market dealer to build something similar. Ford’s not talking pricing, but considering the on-board modifications, you might be looking at close to seven figures if you wish to whip up a state-of-the-art creation of your own. See (and hear) what that kind of money can buy you in our hands-on video below.
Filed under: Transportation
Bing’s home page gets personalized info cards, just like Google Now
Google Now brought its personalized info to the web last month, and now Bing is looking to get in on the card-based action. Microsoft’s search engine has added the aforementioned bits to its home page, displaying news, weather, flights and stock info according to interests plugged in to your settings. Once the initial setup is sorted, you’ll be notified across all Bing-powered services of status updates — including Cortana. While other trackable topics are in the works, it remains to be seen if Bing will peer into Outlook to keep track of your daily itinerary in the future.
Via: TheNextWeb
Source: Microsoft
AT&T welcomes Volvo to its connected-car fold
Volvo’s already got game when it comes to the connected car, what with its grocery delivery concept and vehicle-to-vehicle communications system. But this year, the automobile manufacturer is joining the AT&T flock to bring even faster in-car wireless services to its Sensus Connect infotainment center, courtesy of the carrier’s Single SIM platform. Customers in the US and Canada who purchase a model from Volvo’s 2015 lineup (like the new V70 seen above) will gain access to Volvo On Call, which lets you tap into tire and fuel level notifications, roadside assistance and the like, right from Volvo’s iOS app. Sound awesome? If so, you can splurge on a new ride as early as this summer. Unless you’re holding out for Apple’s much cheaper CarPlay option, of course.
Filed under: Transportation, Wireless, Internet
Source: AT&T
Humble Bundle 5 brings slew of top Android games for cheap, includes The Cave, The Room Two and more
The next best thing to free games are game sales and for the next 12 days, you can get a bundle of great Android games for whatever you want to pay.
The Humble Mobile Bundle 5 is back with Bag It!, R-Type II and Aralon: Sword and Shadow, but if you pay more than the average price, which at the time of writing this is $4.96, you also get The Cave, The Room Two, Carcassonne and more games that are coming soon.
We’ve written about The Humble Bundle in the past and if you’re not familiar with it, instead of paying a set price for the set of games, you actually get to choose your own price and can even choose how the money is divided up to charity and the developer. The charities include Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child’s Play Charity. If you choose to pay more than the average price, you get more games.
If you pay just $4.97, you are already saving a ton of money since Aralon, The Cave and Carassonne all cost $4.99 each on Google Play.
All of the games included with the Humble Bundle also are 100% DRM-free and the bundle is exclusively for Android devices.
There’s also a Humble Bundle app for Android to help you download your new games and keep them updated, or you can download the APKs.
VIA Humble Bundle
The post Humble Bundle 5 brings slew of top Android games for cheap, includes The Cave, The Room Two and more appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google’s ‘Project Tango’ Smartphone Uses Apple’s PrimeSense Technology
Earlier this year, Google unveiled “Project Tango,” an experimental smartphone that incorporates 3D sensors to allow users to map indoor and outdoor environments.
Reports suggested that the smartphone’s 3D capabilities were powered by the Movidius Myriad 1 3D-sensing chip, but as it turns out, Project Tango is also powered by Apple technology. Alongside two Myriad 1 vision co-processors, Project Tango utilizes a PrimeSense Capri PS1200 3D imaging system-on-a-chip [PDF], technology that Apple acquired when it purchased PrimeSense late last year.
The unexpected PrimeSense chip was discovered in a teardown of the Project Tango smartphone by iFixit that was posted this morning.
This appears to be PrimeSense’s new Capri PS1200 SoC 3D imaging chip, unexpected for a couple of reasons:
Just last year, Apple bought PrimeSense, manufacturer of the Kinect’s 3D vision hardware. Speculators assumed we would be seeing this hot new hardware in an upcoming iOS device, with intent of mapping 3D spaces. Looks like Tango beat Apple to the punch with their own tech?
Google’s Project Tango smartphone is one of the first mobile devices to use the diminutive Capri 3D sensor and it offers a glimpse at what Apple could possibly do with the technology in the future.
Project Tango is essentially a mapping tool, capturing the world around each user to provide directions, dimensions, and environmental maps. Google also has plans to use the technology to create immersive augmented reality games and apps that merge the digital world with the real world.
According to iFixit, Project Tango works very similarly to the original Microsoft Kinect, which also used technology developed by PrimeSense. Tango displays a bright grid of dots that are captured by IR sensors to build a depth map.
Along with the Capri 3D chip and the Myriad vision co-processors, Project Tango incorporates four separate cameras to capture its environment. Amazon is said to be working on a similar device that incorporates multiple cameras for 3D mapping and with Google and Amazon both working on 3D projects, it is reasonable to assume that Apple is also experimenting with the technology.
There have been no hints that Apple intends to incorporate PrimeSense technology in the upcoming iPhone 6, but motion control capabilities similar to the Kinect have been rumored for the next-generation Apple TV set-top box, so the first Apple device to use PrimeSense technology may very well be the Apple TV. Project Tango proves that PrimeSense’s 3D chips are ready for mobile devices and it is likely that the company is continuing development on its Capri chips, improving the technology for possible inclusion in future iPads and iPhones. 
AIVAnet 