BBC’s iPlayer revamp goes live for everyone
The BBC unveiled a heavily redesigned iPlayer web client a couple of months ago now, but if you ignored the prompt to opt-in and see the new UI for yourself, we’re afraid you can’t fight change any longer. Today, the BBC’s taken the fresh-faced iPlayer layout out of “preview” mode, thereby retiring the old interface and ushering users to embrace the new one. Aside from looking different, there’s now a greater onus on finding new content to watch, and between the launch of the new iPlayer and now, the BBC’s already added more ways to filter programmes within the category and favourites tabs. Redesign virgins are best off jumping in and checking it out, and if you’re sad you didn’t get to say goodbye, the updated apps for set-top boxes and other TV-connected gear are still in preview mode, and the Android and iOS apps are still just like you remember them until they get made-over in “the coming weeks.”
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, Software
‘Alien’ designer HR Giger dead at 74
Yesterday the world lost the man behind one of the most memorable movie villains of all time. HR Giger, the Swiss-born artist who designed the “Xenomorph” monster for the film Alien, passed away at age 74 after suffering injuries from a fall. While he’ll be best remembered for visual effects in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece, Giger was also a prolific surrealist painter and sculptor — one of his large-format paintings was even the inspiration behind the famous Alien character. Giger’s received numerous awards throughout his career, including induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame last year. Sci-fi, cinema and art fans won’t be forgetting his work any time soon, but now’s a better time than ever to check out this documentary about the making of Alien.
[Image credit: Cinephelia and Beyond]
Filed under: Misc
Source: BBC
Engadget giveaway: win a health and fitness bundle courtesy of Withings!
Beach season is upon us and you probably want to turn some heads, but being fit is about more than just looking good. You should be taking care of yourself and the right set of gadgets can go a long way towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle. With that in mind, the folks at Withings have offered to give two lucky Engadget readers a trio of smart devices for some fitness steez. The Pulse O2 activity tracker can help quantify movement, track sleep patterns and even measure your heart rate after a workout. While the Smart Body Analyzer scale can provide data on weight loss and even air quality in your surroundings. To round out that holistic regimen, there’s the new Withings Wireless Blood Pressure monitor. All you need to do is head on down to the Rafflecopter widget for up to three chances at winning this health-forward bundle. With all those barbecues on the horizon, we could all use a little push to burn some extra calories.
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. Two winners will each receive one (1) Withings Pulse activity tracking device, one (1) Withings Smart Body Analyzer scale and one (1) Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Withings and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until May 14th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Filed under: Announcements
Microsoft lowers Xbox One price to $400 without Kinect
Is the $500 asking price of Xbox One too rich for your blood? Turns out you’re not alone, and Microsoft’s responding: the price of the Xbox One is dropping to $400, and the company’s dropping Kinect from the box as well. Starting June 9th, the Xbox One will be sold in a second bundle sans Kinect (a standalone version of Xbox One’s Kinect will be available “this fall,” should you wish to add one later on). It’s not clear if the $500 model that currently exists will continue to exist after June 9th, though it is clear why Microsoft made today’s move: sales numbers. Though the Xbox One is doing well at around 5 million units, it’s lagging behind Sony’s PlayStation 4 to the tune of several million units.
“There’s a lot about Kinect that I really love,” Xbox head Phil Spencer says in a video released alongside the news. “We’ve also heard from people that they just like to play games with a controller in their hand.” Spencer and co. are painting today’s news as a response to consumers — the blog post is titled, “Delivering More Choices for Fans,” even — but it’s hard to see it as anything other than a straight business decision. Microsoft’s initial coming out for Xbox One was held up by three pillars, one of which was going “all-in” on Kinect. Today’s news rolls back that pillar.
It’s not a question of people using Kinect, apparently. Microsoft says that over 80 percent of Xbox One owners are “actively” using Kinect. The other 20 percent are assuredly stewing in anger over saying “Xbox On” six or seven times without it working.
Today’s news is the latest walkback from Microsoft’s initial vision for the Xbox One, unveiled last May in a day-long Redmond, Wash. event. The price cut is just one of two major announcements from Microsoft’s Xbox division today: the long-running Xbox Live service is taking a variety of services out from behind its paywall (known as an Xbox Live “Gold Membership”), making them free to all Xbox One and 360 users.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and other services now open to all on Xbox One, Xbox 360
In a move that bucks the standard set by Microsoft itself back in 2005, both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 will drop the requirement for an Xbox Live paid membership to access services like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. Microsoft announced this morning that it would be streamlining its offerings and bringing its prices and structure more inline with those offered by Sony. That means not only cheaper hardware, but also abandoning the need to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription for access to apps and streaming media. It’s a move that certainly makes sense given that sales of the Xbox One are several million units behind the Play Station 4.
Until now, if you’ve wanted to watch Netflix on your Xbox you’ve needed to cough up for Live as well. That’s another $5 a month (at least) for the privilege of enjoying your existing subscriptions — something that never really sat well with many consumers. Reducing the total cost of ownership is one of the key ways to suck in new users. To compliment its efforts on the media front, Microsoft is also bringing Games with Gold and Deals with Gold to the Xbox One in early June. That means free games every month and steep discounts on titles like Ryse: Son of Rome. Now that the playing field seems a little more level (at least in terms of cost) the next-gen console wars will boil down to just a few things: exclusive games, additional functionality and marketing.
Wanna know the full breakdown? Microsoft’s made this handy chart to help out:
Syrmo teaches you to skate better, captures your sick tricks
Skateboards have seen their share of electronic add-ons lately, but most are designed to take the effort out of cruising around. But leveraging some tech to conquer 360° kickflips and other tricks sounds far more interesting, especially when failed attempts pile up and you could use a helping hand. A trio of skaters armed with hardware and software skills have finally tackled the problem, and their solution is Syrmo. It’s a device that fits under your board’s trucks and adds motion tracking, Bluetooth and internal memory to to your otherwise low-tech deck, which you can sync with the companion app. The software aims to capture 3D-rendered replays of tricks coupled with stats on height, air time and distance — letting you see if that ollie was really as high as you thought. In addition to skimming through the day’s progress, it plans to provide social, geo-location and automated video editing features. Those high-drama moments when the board’s in mid-flight can be automatically enhanced with slow-motion effects and trimmed into easy-to-share video clips. The Kickstarter page is live if you want to cruise on over to show your support. Who knows, Syrmo may just take some of the pressure out of learning to land those flips.
Filed under: Peripherals, Software
Details uncovered for Samsung’s 13.3-inch tablet, and Super AMOLED tablets
More info has surfaced on the rumours that Samsung are developing three new Tablet devices, two of which have AMLOED screens but all three will have a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) screen resolution with 3G and WiFi versions in the pipe line.
Codenamed “Chagall”, this first device could be the Galaxy Tab S with its super AMLOED screen being 10.5″ in size and running with either flavours of the Exynos 5 chipset which are reported to boast 1.9GHz four Cortex-A15 cores or four Cortex-A7 cores. To help with keeping the device running smoothly, 32-bit dual-channel 933MHz LPDDR3e RAM is on the list along with graphics being handled by an hexa-core Mali-T628 GPU.
The final two devices with the codename of “Klimt” & “Warhol” will be of similar spec as the first but will see “Klimt” with a super AMOLED screen of only 8.4″ in size. Meanwhile the “Warhole is set to be more impressive with its, possible LCD and not AMOLED, 13.3″ screen size which could see it be a high-end Samsung device something along the lines of a Galaxy Tab Pro.
Android 4.4 KitKat will be power all three Tablets with Samsung’s software customisation.
SOURCE: gsmarena.com
The post Details uncovered for Samsung’s 13.3-inch tablet, and Super AMOLED tablets appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Editor’s Picks: 15 Android apps you should know (May 10)
The Editor’s Picks, formerly known as APPTEASERS, is a collection of apps and games that are new to Android, recently updated, discounted, etc. Whatever the case, we think they’re worth exploring and are willing to bet that many of you would enjoy a few of them.
We understand that we won’t get every single app that crosses our path but we hope to filter things a bit and pass them along to you, dear reader. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ as we showcase different apps over on our social network streams.
Most of what’s highlighted in this category is comprised of our App of the Day selections. Be sure to click through to read our individual posts for more details and descriptions!
PLEASE NOTE THIS ARTICLE IS SPREAD OVER THREE PAGES
Twisted Adventure: Little Red Riding Hood
Mechanics really straightforward; tap to jump. You’ll be hopping from one round, spinning platform to the next and you’re always moving forward. It’s not rocket science but it does get harder – and fast. Bats and other shadow animals will try to stop you so you need to think on your toes.
We simply love the graphics and game play of this one and think you’ll appreciate it. The music reminds me of something out of a Danny Elfman score (Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands) and really adds a layer of atmosphere. The the whole game spans 60 levels with a goal to collect and free as many items as possible. If you’re fan of trying to achieve three stars or perfect scores you’ll find high replay value here. – READ MORE
IQTELL
Employing a combination of David Allen’s Getting Things Done principles and some secret ingredients, IQTELL promises to deliver a consistent “inbox zero”. You’ll find it merges an assortment of tools and services such as Gmail, calendars, Evernote, projects, and more.
Users can log into the system through a variety of account types but we’re pretty sure you’re most focused about Gmail. With that in mind, you can also start from scratch with an IQTELL account. – READ MORE
Glove
So your contract is up and you’re ready to switch to a new carrier, eh? Or, maybe you’ve gotten so aggravated with your providers data speeds that you’re ready to call it quits. Before you sign any long-term agreements or commit to a particular wireless carrier, try out Glove.
Using crowdsourced data the app is able to determine which network gives you the best reception. Not only does Glove make a recommendation but it even hands the user off to the carrier, making it easy to switch. – READ MORE
Flipp
If you are a shopaholic then Flipp is a must-have-app for you. It’s an app that aggregates retail flyers from all of your favorite local stores such as Target, Macy’s, Sports Authority and Dollar General. Combined, this list is available on your smartphone; making it easy for you plan your shopping.
Offering digital flyers from at least 190 local stores in the US and 80 local stores in Canada, Flipp is an app that will literally innovate the way you shop. If you are interested, download it by clicking the link below. – READ MORE
MTV Artists
If you’re anything like we are, then you know that browsing Google and Wikipedia tirelessly when researching a musician or band can get pretty difficult. With MTV Artists, though, you have everything at your immediate disposal. They’ve taken everything and compiled it into one go-to app for anything related to your favorite musician or band.
MTV Artists lets you use Sound ID, and even a lyric search to find that one song that’s been on your mind since you heard it at a friend’s house or on the radio. It also lets you search through an abundance of free music videos/songs to stream, biographies, and even live concert pictures of the particular artist. You can get it at the Play Store for free, and be an expert on any musical artist in minutes! – READ MORE
The post Editor’s Picks: 15 Android apps you should know (May 10) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Case for Larger 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Model Surfaces with Dimensions
While there have been numerous renderings, cases, and physical mockups of the rumored 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in recent weeks, there has been considerably less attention paid to the even larger 5.5-inch model, which is said to be released several months after the 4.7-inch version.
New photos showing what appears to be simple cases for both the 5.5-inch and 4.7-inch iPhone 6 models, paired with physical mockups, have been shared by Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate]. The images show the larger 5.5-inch “iPhone Air” along with the 4.7-inch version, providing a scale comparison and approximate dimensions for both handsets.
The larger case obtained by Nowhereelse.fr is identified as being for the “iPhone 6s” and reportedly measures 157 mm long, 81 mm wide and 7 mm thick. This model is slightly larger than the 4.7-inch model, which measures 138×67 mm and is 7.0 mm thick. The dimensions for both of these cases closely match design drawings published by MacFan earlier this year, which are the foundation for most recent renderings and mockups.
Both cases also show similar physical features, including a rear cutout for the camera and a cutout for the usual mute switch and volume buttons along the left side as well as a new cutout along the right side reportedly for a relocated power button.
These photos follow many recent images of cases and physical iPhone 6 mockups, including one crude mockup showing the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6. High-quality physical mockups of 5.5-inch device have yet to be seen, but users with access to a 3D printer can print their own mockup using 3D files based on the MacFan schematics.
Both versions of the iPhone 6 are expected to include a thin profile similar to the iPod touch fifth generation, a faster A8 processor, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and an improved camera that may include either optical or electronic image stabilization. The 4.7-inch version may launch as soon as this fall, with the 5.5-inch version arriving several months later.
iOS 8 Likely to Bring Split-Screen Multitasking to the iPad
Apple may advance the functionality of the iPad by adding a new split-screen multitasking feature to the tablet in iOS 8, reports 9to5Mac. The option would allow iPad owners to use two apps simultaneously on a single screen in landscape mode, a function frequently touted by Microsoft as an advantage for its Surface tablets over the iPad.
Besides allowing the operation of multiple apps at the same time, the feature also may allow users to share data such as links and images between apps. The integration of this sharing functionality suggests Apple may open up support for XPC services in iOS, making it easier for developers to share content between apps.
In addition to allowing for two iPad apps to be used at the same time, the feature is designed to allow for apps to more easily interact, according to the sources. For example, a user may be able to drag content, such as text, video, or images, from one app to another. Apple is said to be developing capabilities for developers to be able to design their apps to interact with each other.
The multitasking feature, which is said to work in landscape mode only, is likely to land in the 9.7-inch iPad, with its extension to the smaller iPad mini unclear at this time. It may also be a critical feature for the rumored iPad Pro, which may ship sometime in 2015 with a 12-inch display.
AIVAnet 