Scientists can trace your ancestors to within 30 miles using DNA
You might know where your forebears lived a few generations prior, but how about the exact village they came from — 1,000 years ago? Thanks to DNA sequencing, it’s now possible to find that out in many cases according to researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK. The aptly-named GPS or Geographic Population Structure tool was modeled using more than 100,000 DNA signatures called AIMs (ancestry-informative markers). Since those are often typical to geographic regions, the researchers were able to pinpoint where subjects came from, even if they moved around later (see the video below). During a Sardinian study, for instance, a quarter of the test subject were located to their exact villages and the remainder to within 31 miles. You can even try it for yourself by getting a simple DNA test from 23andme or ancestry.com (for $100-200), then uploading the results to the GPS tool.
Via: Gizmag
Source: The University of Sheffield, Nature, Prosapia Genetics
HTC One Mini 2 leak reveals no depth-sensing camera
When a Swedish carrier leaked the existence of an HTC One Mini 2, we weren’t exactly shocked, given the timing of the original One Mini’s arrival. We now have alleged pictures of said device courtesy of @evleaks and it fails to surprise in appearance either, looking nearly like its bigger sibling. However, judging by the render, the One Mini 2 (yes, that’s apparently the name) lacks the HTC One M8′s depth-sensing Duo Camera — meaning it’ll lack selective focus and other fancy effects. While there are three color choices (white, gray and champagne), no other features or specs are mentioned. However, prior leaks suggest a 4.5-inch, 720p screen, microSD slot and quad-core Snapdragon 400 CPU. Oddly, this image leak doesn’t line up with another supposed press render from a few days ago, so we’d counsel skepticism until it’s officially launched.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Source: @evleaks
Scientists reverse aging in mice by giving them young blood
Plots from The Simpsons are rarely prophetic, but it appears as if, just as it did for Mr. Burns, the blood of the young could help to stave off the signs of aging. Competing teams at Harvard, Cambridge and the University of California have found that pumping the blood of juvenile mice into elderly rodents saw the latter suddenly able to run much faster, had more blood vessels in the brain and had much clearer thinking. Harvard researchers subsequently isolated a protein called GDF11, which helped both the operation of hearts and brains. Given the limits of the study, the teams are cautious about what this could mean for human biology, and there’s plenty of trials still to be done, but maybe it’d be wise to start being nice to any juvenile relatives you’ve got — you never know when you might be asking them for a transfusion.
Iran censors move to block WhatsApp because it’s run by ‘zionist’ Zuckerberg
There’s a tug of war going on between political factions in Iran, and once again it’s internet users who are likely to bear the brunt of it. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Iranian censors have suddenly decided to ban citizens from using WhatsApp, in direct defiance of more progressive government ministers who say they’re against such a move. There’s no concrete evidence that any block or filtering is in place yet, and even President Hassan Rouhani has tweeted his objection to it, but Iran’s “Committee for Determining Criminal Web Content” has reportedly called for the popular messaging service to be prohibited on the basis that it’s now “owned” [sic] by the “American zionist” Mark Zuckerberg (who’s background is Jewish).
Aside from the well-worn premise of anti-zionism (whatever that means, exactly), a simpler explanation might be that WhatsApp is considered a threat to Iran’s conservative establishment, in much the same way as its parent company is. After all, both Twitter and Facebook were banned in 2009 after being used to organize mass protests against the hardline former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A rival messaging service, WeChat, was also recently banned in Iran, despite having no obvious connection to Jews, Israel or zionism.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: Haaretz
The real HTC One mini 2 press render has been revealed, still shows only one rear Camera
Yesterday, we posted an article that appeared to leak the design of the rumoured successor to the HTC One Mini, the so-called HTC One mini 2. What we didn’t know was that the picture was in fact a photoshop hoax (see the picture in question here), but thanks to leaker extraordinaire, evleaks, the record has been set straight today. In an image tweeted earlier today, we see three coloured variants in the HTC One mini 2 press render with a slightly different design to its bigger brother, the HTC One M8.
While the photoshopped photo from yesterday wasn’t far off, we do see some subtle design differences between the mini 2 and the M8, in particular the single rear camera and the single LED flash. Any further changes to the design are even more subtle, like the slightly less prominent BoomSound speakers, but it’s notable that the black bar below the screen is still present. We’re expecting hardware specifications which aren’t unlike those from the Motorola Moto G, but the price and availability of the phone probably won’t be known till after the device’s launch later this year.
What do you think about the real appearance of the HTC One mini 2? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: Twitter via Phone Arena
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HD Widgets 4 Brings in a Complete UI Overhaul – APP OF THE WEEK
HD Widgets 4 is now rolling out to the world, and hopefully you have grabbed yourself the newly designed version. HD Widgets has been one of those apps that has been around for awhile, and some how Cloud.tv has kept it relevant throughout the years. I have used it since the very beginning, and with this new update, I have become even more impressed with it.
HD Widgets 4 brings in a completely new UI, and it was one of the sexiest UIs out there. When clicking on your widget, and if you are using the Colorform widget, you get a colorful UI in that Colorform looks, and it now gives you the weather throughout the day. Before you would just get the highs and lows of the day, but they finally brought in the temperatures throughout the day, which makes planning travels even better. I have always been a fan of the Colorform look because I dig the minimalistic look to it, and somehow they made that even better. How did they make it better? Color. You don’t just get a white icon anymore, you can actually change it from the plain white icon, to having some color in it, for instance, having the sun orange, and the moon purple. It’s those little changes that go along way.
The UI brings in that slide-out UI that is becoming the standard in the Android ecosystem, and they made the background a little transparent because, why not? You guys need to head over to their G+ community to become a beta tester so you can be given all the elegance that I talked about in this post, and in my video run-through below. Click the provided links to become a tester, and let us know just how much you are loving the new update.
Play Store Link
HD Widgets Community
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The top 3 Android apps to get you ready for the NFL Draft 2014
The NFL Draft 2014 is due to start on the May 8th which means American football season is going to be on us again very soon. So in anticipation of the NFL festivities starting, we’ve listed the top 3 Android apps you should have to get you psyched for the NFL Draft and the NFL Season.
1. NFL Mobile
No list about NFL apps can be without the NFL’s official mobile app. Having only recently been updated to include features to help you track the NFL Draft 2014 including a Draft Tracker and guest drafts as coined by expert pundits.
Once the Draft starts, you’ll also be able to live stream the proceedings and when the real season starts, you’ll be able to use the app for live scores, your fantasy teams, and much more. Oh, and if you’re a Verizon customer, you can subscribe to some more Premium Features which give you even more bonus material.
You can pick up the NFL Mobile app on the Play Store for free (links below).
Application: NFL Mobile
Price: Free
2. NFL Game Pass
Yes, you could say it’s cheating to include the second official NFL app on the Google Play Store, but you won’t have the full experience of the NFL unless you’re watching it with the NFL Game Pass app.
While the app itself is free, you do need to purchase a subscription to watch the live-streamed games; the preseason subscription is currently $39.99 USD and there will be plenty more subscription options once the season starts.
Application: NFL Game Pass
Price: Free (with Game Pass subscription)
3. NFL Pro 2013
And of course, to round out our top 3 list is a game, specifically NFL Pro 2013. They might be last year’s players and teams, but there’s no better or more widely played NFL game on Android. And best of all, it’s free-to-play.
NFL Pro 2013 gives you a very broad experience of NFL, ranging from letting you control players in first-person perspective to even letting you take the hands-off approach and managing a team’s performance. If there’s any game to get you in the mood for the NFL 2014 season, NFL Pro 2013 is probably going to be it.
Application: NFL Pro 2013
Price: Free
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FTL: Faster Than Light on Android could be a future possibility according to designer Justin Ma
FTL: Faster Than Light was the surprise indie game story of 2012 whereby indie developer Subset Games managed to produce a game that was so addictive and engaging for its players that it has warranted an iOS version and an updated Advanced Edition release earlier this year. It’s not often that indie developers hit gold like this in an industry that is increasingly thriving with indie projects, but in an interview with Pocket Gamer, designer Justin Ma and Subset Games intend to use their success to help launch their future projects which could include FTL: Faster Than Light on Android.
While Ma says that “we’re really PC guys at heart” and that I doubt we’ll start a project with touchscreens in mind”, they’re surprised at the sales performance of FTL on iOS despite its higher pricing than most other games on the App Store. In that same vein, Ma says that “we’ll be looking into the possibility of getting FTL onto Android tablets” which is definitely something I think we’d all love considering how popular FTL has been on every platform it has touched. As for whether Subset Games is planning a sequel to the game that shot them into the limelight, Ma says “I wouldn’t entirely discount the possibility, but it’s definitely not something we’ll be diving into any time soon.”
Would you be interested in FTL: Faster Than Light on Android? Have you played the game on PC or iOS, and what did you think of it? Share your experiences with us in the comments.
Source: Pocket Gamer via Phone Arena
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If you want to make an Android phone with Google, here’s some of the rules
Before large (and even larger) sums of money were asked of Samsung and Apple, the legal brawl between the pair kept dragging a third party, Google, into the discussion. A big part of this was the Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) between the internet company and Samsung which laid out how the latter would support the former in patent claims. Now the spotlights on this agreement, with a recent class action suit claiming that parts violate antitrust laws. Recode‘s uploaded the agreements between Samsung, HTC and Google, which touch on some of the rules of making an Android smartphone.
According the paperwork, If manufacturers want to use a single Google app on their forthcoming Android phone, then you have to install all of them. Even Google Play Newstand. Other (obvious) points outline that Google must be the default search engine (we’re shocked), and that the search box (and some apps like Google Play, then Android Market), be “at least immediately adjacent to the Default Home Screen”. And if you’re a smartphone maker willing to forgo Google Maps, Gmail and the rest, well, there’s always that open source version.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Google
Via: Recode
Source: Samsung’s MADA, HTC’s MADA
How would you change Nokia’s Lumia 620?
When Nokia launched the Lumia 620, it looked as if the company had perfected the formula for what an entry-level smartphone should be. The hardware and performance was great despite the slow internals, Windows Phone 8 worked well and it was priced to move. A year later and the Moto G may have supplanted this as your go-to budget device, but we want to know your feeling on what the last 12 months with the 620 has been like. What do you love, what do you hate, and what would you change?
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
Source: Engadget Product Forums
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