Mohu Channels wants to give cord-cutters a unified menu
Not interested in paying a cable bill? You’ve certainly got options — but between disparate streaming services, set-top boxes and your over-the-air digital antenna, managing all your content can be a bit of a hassle. Mohu is trying to fix that. The company is traditionally known for its paper-thin Leaf antennas, but it also recently funded a Kickstarter for Mohu Channels: a internet-connected tuner designed specifically for cord-cutters.
On the surface, Mohu Channels is a program guide for OTA TV, scanning your area for local stations and filling out a schedule based on what it finds. A good antenna can net you plenty of content, sure, but there’s so much more online — which is why Mohu is designed to convert any website into a channel. Naturally, the device will offer native apps for services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, YouTube and more. Channels, apps or websites can be added, dropped or customized by users, who will be able to control the entire setup with both their smartphone and a keyboard-equipped remote. The device’s Kickstarter is already funded, but the final product should be ready in June. Need an antenna to get started? No worries, Mohu announced the Leaf Metro today: a half-sized addition to its thin-antenna line with a 25 mile range. Check it (and the Mohu Channels Kickstarter) at the source links below.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Kickstarter, Mohu
Intel dives into the Internet of Things, but still has a weak PC market to deal with
If you set foot in Intel’s CES booth this winter, you probably sensed a theme: the company is deeply, almost manically, focused on The Internet of Things. Sure, Chipzilla was showing off some tablets and phones, along with a shelf full of Ultrabooks, but the highlights of the show were all a little more unusual. Think: a light-up “smart mug,” headphones that can monitor your heart rate. An internet-connected baby onesie, for crying out loud. It was obvious the company was a bit obsessed, and now it’s clear why: the Internet of Things is currently the most promising piece of Intel’s business.
Take the company’s first-quarter earnings, for example, which just came out today. Intel’s revenue from PCs, normally its biggest money maker, dipped 1 percent. At best, you could say the computer business is flat but really, “decline” is the more accurate word — the PC industry faced its steepest-ever drop last year. Meanwhile, revenue for mobile products (read: phone and tablet chips) plummeted 61 percent. Yikes.
But The Internet of Things — now that’s a bright spot. Sales there were up 32 percent from the year-earlier period. We know, we know: that’s partly because the Internet of Things simply wasn’t, uh, a thing last year. But the numbers do suggest that where there’s demand for some sort of “smart” object, Intel has a strong chance of getting one of its chips inside. That’s good news for Intel, but maybe not good enough: even with a booming smart coffee-mug market, connected objects still account for just 3.8 percent of Intel’s overall sales last quarter. How long will it take smart baby onesies to catch up before Intel doesn’t have to use PCs as a crutch? And what’s the deal with that tanking mobile business, anyway? We’ll let you chew on that while we wait for Intel to host a conference call. We’ll update this post if we glean any new details.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Household, Tablets, Intel
Source: Intel
Get This Look: Sixth Sense
We’re huge fans of changing the home screen around a bit and creating a new user experience for our Android. So much so that we present our ongoing series of Get This Look posts. In a nutshell we show you a new layout, app, widget, or icon set for your Android handset and tell you which apps you’ll need to mimic the feel.
Some of these are a little easier to create than others and many of them can be tweaked to no end. The following details are but the ingredients to which you can create your own delicious Android dish; your results will vary. Which is awesome! If nothing else, this is a great way to discover new apps, widgets, icons, and more!
Sixth Sense by Greg Mapes
Why we love this look:
Quite simply, it’s because it helps deliver the new clock widget that comes with the HTC One M8. Instead of coughing up a couple hundred dollars for a new device you can install these at no cost at all. Not that we don’t recommend that phone; she’s a beauty with brawn.
You can download three different versions of this widget; black, grey, and white. Note that while this only works with Zooper installed, it does play nice with a number of launchers. Your widget size setting may vary depending on what sort of grid layout you’re using so play around a bit!
What you’ll need:
- Zooper Widget Pro
- Sixth Sense
The post Get This Look: Sixth Sense appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Tech21 Impact Shell: HTC One (M8) Review
Today the nice folks at Tech21 have graced us with a their new Impact Shell for the all new HTC One M8. The case comes in three different colors: black, red, and purple and cost about 35 dollars. I know what you’re thinking, “35 dollars, that’s alot of money for a case”, however Tech21 has proven time and time again that their products are worth the cost, as seen in the S4 case review. Without further adieu lets break it down:
The Good:
- Case feels great and looks great without adding bulk
- All buttons and ports are easily accessible
- The case is lightly opaque (see through), if you like that kinda thing
- Offers some grip, so it’s not going to slide around much
The Bad:
- 35 bucks!
Judgement:
Overall, the case doesn’t attract any pesky dust particles and it slides easily out of my pocket without getting hung up. The best thing about the Impact Shield is the size of it. It fits the One like a glove and hardly adds any bulk to the phone. The Impact Shield is a must have and if you just picked yourself up a new HTC One M8, 35 dollars is a cheap insurance policy to keep your device looking good and protected.
If you’re still debating about getting an HTC One, cruise over and check out our review here. If you already have your’s check out the gallery below of the Impact Shell.
The post Tech21 Impact Shell: HTC One (M8) Review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Roku 3 update lets you search for movies and more with a smartphone
Roku baked its comprehensive search feature into its mobile apps last month, but only folks who used it with the firm’s HDMI Streaming Stick have been able to enjoy life without wielding a remote to hunt and peck for letters. Starting today, however, more of the outfit’s hardware is getting some love: an update is trickling out to Roku 3 devices that’ll enable the search feature with the apps. Since the company expects the software rollout to wrap up by April 22nd, it may be a while before your own box gets updated. Other Roku models are expected to snag the upgrade in the following weeks. Until then, you can use the clicker to hunt for content by actors, directors and show titles. Like an animal.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Roku Blog
HotelTonight app now lets you preview room availability seven days ahead
HotelTonight’s namesake feature is also holding it back: You can only book a room beginning at 9AM on the day of check-in. If you’re planning to arrive during a major event, say, in Los Angeles during E3 or Rio during Carnival, landing without a confirmed room can add to the already stressful travel process. But the folks at HotelTonight have a good idea of whether or not you’ll be able to find a room, and the team’s now ready to share that info with you. Now, when you open up the iOS app, Look Ahead will let you preview room pricing and availability for the next seven days. The app will even give you a heads up if there’s an event in town, so you can be aware of higher than normal rates, or opt to change your plans to avoid the crowds. Look Ahead is available today in Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, DC. You’ll need to have an iPhone to take advantage, but expect the feature to hit Android soon.
Filed under: Software
Source: TechCrunch, HotelChatter
Google’s Project Ara developer conference is live, watch it here
Google’s modular smartphones have come a long way since that kooky Phonebloks concept video went viral last year, and now the company’s digging deeper than it ever has before at its first Ara Developer Conference. Couldn’t jump on a flight to Mountain View? Never fear — Google is streaming it, and you can watch the whole thing right here. Here’s the rub, though: as the name implies, the event is meant to get would-be module developers familiar with the process of designing and making physical bits that pop into a phone that seems yanked from the pages of a pulp sci-fi novel. That means it’ll be a perhaps a little heavier on the technical detail than one might like, but we’ll be keeping out eyes and ears open for all the spiffy details you should know about.
Filed under: Mobile
Source: Project Ara
Play: Blizzard’s easy going collectible card game, Hearthstone
Blizzard’s best-known for its RTS franchises and insanely popular MMORPG World of Warcraft, not to mention the Diablo series. With fans of the publisher’s prior work kept sated and docile by sequels and expansions, Blizzard’s turned some of its attention to other genres, like the early stage MOBA Heroes of the Storm, and the card-based game we’re talking about here: Hearthstone. Hear the words “card game,” and it’s hard not to think of the deep mechanics of Magic: The Gathering that may appear inhospitable to newcomers, like starting to watch LOST half-way through the third series. One of Hearthstone’s main strengths, however, is accessibility.
Basically, there are two types of cards, representing spells and minions that fight for you. Stronger cards — like bigger, badder minions — cost more resources (called mana) to play than lesser ones, and resources become more plentiful each turn, creating a nice crescendo effect as games naturally progress towards a conclusion. During duels, you also take on the persona of one of several hero characters from the Warcraft universe with a persistent, low-cost ability. Each hero starts with 30 health points, so lose those, and it’s game over. That’s all you really need to know to get going, and matches take roughly 5 to 10 minutes, too, giving it that pick-up-and-play vibe, making it a great time killer and easy to revisit. A single-player campaign is also in the works.
It’s simple to get your head around, and there’s fun to be had right from the get-go, but it doesn’t take long to understand specific strategies and card combinations to make you feel satisfied you’re “getting it.” You can take it as seriously as you want, though, from playing the stock, hero-specific decks against the computer or human opponents, to crafting a custom deck and attempting to climb the ranks. There’s also an entertaining game type called Arena, where you build decks by choosing one card at a time from random sets of three, then battle others who’ve gone through the same process. To play a round of Arena though, which lasts until you lose three times, you need to spend in-game or real money (gasp!).
Yes, Hearthstone uses the dreaded free-to-play model, with extra card packs also costing cash, in-game or otherwise. We’d argue you shouldn’t be put off by this, though. The easily achievable daily challenges keep this editor’s Hearthstone account healthy enough, and you can earn cards for your collection by leveling up heroes and slaying foes in Arena mode. Many have gone out of their way to prove you don’t need to pay to win, either, creating formidable strategic decks using only basic, free cards. The game’s recently exited an extensive open beta period, meaning Blizzard’s happy with the current state of card balance. And, further to the Windows and OS X releases, an iPad client has also started rolling out to select territories ahead of a wider launch, so now is as good a time as any to see if Hearthstone’s your bag. And why not, it’s free?
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Hearthstone
MLB 14 The Show: The Joystiq Review
The term “simulation” is appropriate for MLB 14: The Show, but not just because of its beautiful presentation, a defining trait of the series that’s become a benchmark for other sports video games. Rather, MLB 14: The Show earns its simulation stripes by continuing the series’ tradition of challenging players with mechanics and statistics that mirror the real sport. While MLB’s gameplay has changed little this year, no matter what option players select for pitching, fielding and hitting (we’ll get to that later), they will fail or succeed as regularly as athletes do in the big leagues.
Yet much like the faithfully-recreated and wildly differing batting stances of hitters in the game, MLB 14: The Show truly makes its mark in the baseball sim series by being one thing: dynamic.
Click here for more
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony
Source: Joystiq
The Galaxy S5’s fingerprint reader can be fooled by fake digits
It looks like the iPhone 5s isn’t the only smartphone whose fingerprint reader can be fooled by fake digits. SR Labs has just posted a video (shown below) showing that Samsung’s just-launched Galaxy S5 is susceptible to the same trick: as long as you have a good photo of a latent print (such as one from the touchscreen), you can create a mold that passes for a real finger. The lab also claims that Samsung’s approach may ultimately be less secure than Apple’s, since you’re not forced to enter a passcode under certain conditions (such as a reboot) and can use the fingerprint to make PayPal transactions.
You may not have much reason to panic, though. As with the iPhone, the GS5 vulnerability requires the skill, resources and time to create a fake finger. The odds are low that a street thief will get past your phone’s defenses, or that a talented hacker will get in before you’ve had a chance to remotely wipe your content. PayPal also tells us that it’s easy to block any unwanted payments, since the fingerprint isn’t linked to your account. Even with these caveats in mind, SR Labs’ demonstration remains a friendly reminder that biometric security isn’t foolproof — if intruders are determined to get at your data, there’s a good chance that they will.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Via: 9to5 Google
Source: SRLabs (YouTube)
AIVAnet 