Apple Reportedly Integrating NFC Technology into iPhone 6
Apple is gearing up to incorporate Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 6, according to a report from BrightWire citing sources familiar with the matter. The report also notes that Apple has struck a deal with China UnionPay to integrate the banking company’s services into Passbook and elsewhere.
Apple is likely to incorporate a Near Field Communication (NFC) payment function in the next generation iPhone and has reached an agreement with China UnionPay on a mobile payment service, according to a source close to the matter.
…In addition to NFC payment, the two companies will also work together on another mobile payment solution that can be used for purchases in Apple Stores, added the source.
Integrating NFC into the iPhone 6 would be a bit of a surprise move by Apple, as the company’s head of marketing Phil Schiller stated in 2012 that the technology was “not the solution to any current problem.” Notably, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted last month that Apple would integrate NFC chips into the next-generation iPhone alongside a host of other features.
The news also comes as Apple is pursuing plans to develop a mobile payment solution, which will be possibly tied to the Touch ID fingerprint sensor currently found in the iPhone 5s and reportedly headed for the iPhone 6 and next-generation iPads. It is also possible that Apple combines its existing Touch ID fingerprint scanner and NFC technology into the home button, as the company filed for a patent detailing such a system last September.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 6 in two sizes of 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches later this year, with the smaller version of the phone launching ahead of the larger model. Aside from a larger display, the iPhone 6 will likely feature a thinner profile, a faster A8 processor, and an improved camera in the form of image stabilization. Apple is also said to be negotating with carriers for a $100 price increase on the iPhone 6.
Google Calendar gets some color in a new update
Google Calendar app just got some much requested functions. After you update your Google Calendar app you’re going to be able to customize events and add some color to your calendar directly from your smartphone.
Google has redesigned time and date pickers which should make adding that special event in your calendar even easier and more pleasant to do. Along with redesigning the event scheduling, the application now allows you to mark your meetings with different colors which should help organizing different stuff in your calendar much more enjoyable and quite frankly more productive.
It’s also easier to schedule repeating events in this version of Google Calendar. You can now set repeating events any day of the week, month, or every x number of weeks, it’s completely up to you, Timezone picker has also been redesigned in order to make it easier to find the region you’re looking for.
This update is available for all android 4.0.3 devices and above. You might not be able to install it immediately but it will become available soon on Google Play
SOURCE: Android Blogspot
The post Google Calendar gets some color in a new update appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Velur Icon Pack Review: You can’t spell ‘lurve’ without ‘Velur’
The Velur icon pack caught my eye the instant I saw it teased on Google+. Designer Viktor ‘Vertumus’ Vucinic is probably a familiar name thanks to his extremely popular icon pack, Cryten, and he teased Velur quite some time ago to his followers. What definitely had me enamoured were the borders that are colour matched to the contents of the icon, which makes for a really unique effect. Thankfully, Velur has now been officially launched, and we’ve been lucky enough to take a nice, close look at it in our icon review video:
A very unique icon pack indeed. At the time of posting, the Velur icon pack has over 1600 icons included as well as the 43 HD wallpapers, which is a gargantuan effort to get all of these included, and probably one of the more well-endowed icon packs I have seen at launch. As you might expect, Viktor is constantly updating the pack with icon requests and working on new projects, so be sure to circle him on Google+ here.
If you’re interested in picking up the icon pack, it’s currently up on the Play Store (link below) for $1.49 USD. Let us know what you think about Velur in the comments.
Icons: Velur Icon Pack
Price: $1.49
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Google Play Music for iPad found lurking inside iPhone app
If you’re a Google Play Music fan and have been limping along with the iPhone version on your iPad, you may already have the big-screen version without knowing it. That’s because the iPad bits are already baked in to the iPhone app, according to 9to5 Mac. In fact, you can even activate it now just by changing a setting called “UIDeviceFamily” from 1 to 2, though your iPad will need to be jailbroken (which is currently impossible on iOS 7.1.x). Google Play Music has been a success since it launched on the iPhone in November — likely helped by a month of free music — so a pending app redesigned for the iPad’s larger screen wouldn’t be a surprise. In fact, when contacted by 9to5, a Google rep thought the app was already out, meaning it might just be awaiting the nod from Apple.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Apple, Google
Source: 9to5 Mac
New LG G Pad Series tablets in 7.0, 8.0 and 10.1-inch variants: looks like Samsung was onto Something
Not many people will admit that Samsung is right about its market strategy; with device coming out of their ears, it feels like Samsung is often trying to get its fingers into too many pies. However, it looks like Samsung might have been right about the tablet market, at least implicitly, with LG announcing new LG G Pad Series tablets in 7.0, 8.0 and 10.1-inch variants, which will replace the outgoing G Pad 8.3 and come in the same sizes that Samsung is launching its Galaxy Tab 4 tablets in.
Speaking about the new line of tablets, Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile, says that they have rethought their G Pad series:
“Unlike smartphones, tablets are not one size fits all. So we designed the G Pad Series for a diverse target audience, some who prioritize portability while others want the best multimedia experience possible.”
Or in other words, the G Pad 8.3 should not have been their only tablet entry last year. With the market share that the G Pad 8.3 did garner, LG is hoping to build upon that with their new tablets which will feature trademark LG user experiences like Qpair 2.0 (a feature introduced on the G Pad 8.3) and Knock Code. Prices and specifications have yet to be announced, however we aren’t expecting anything too posh as these tablets are likely competing with Samsung in the mid-range tablet market.
What do you think about LG’s strategy to launch three new tablets in familiar fashion? Would you consider getting one? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: LG Newsroom via engadget
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YAFI Yet Another Flat Icons Pack Review: a pack that’s actually quite Unique
You may remember we covered the launch of a icon pack titled YAFI Yet Another Flat Icons a few weeks ago. In it, it promised flat icons with fantastic colours, shadows and impressively customized icons. Well, we’ve finally had the chance to take a closer look at yackovksy‘s icon pack in our icon review video:
As you can see, not just another flat icons pack. As I mentioned in the video, there is a demo pack of icons you can try out for free; it only has 85 icons in it, but it should give you a very good idea of whether you want to buy the full pack (Play Store link is below). Also, yackovsky’s wlpapR app, which links straight into YAFI’s dashboard app, is also available on the Play Store for $1.38 USD in which you can get all kinds of neat wallpapers exactly like the ones here.
The YAFI Yet Another Flat Icons Pack currently comes with over 1000 icons, with many more on the way through regular updates, so make sure to follow Jacek Malinowski on Google+ for updates about YAFI and his other ongoing projects.
Icons: YAFI Yet Another Flat Icons
Price: $2.08
Icons: YAFI Demo
Price: Free
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LG G Watch Featured in New Fancy Video
New Smartwatches featuring Android Wear will be hitting our wrists fairly soon, and LG wanted to remind us about their new LG G Watch. It was announced the same day as the Moto 360, and even though it seemed that people were preferring the 360 over the G Watch, the G watch still looks pretty sexy. LG just released a new promo video featuring their new smartwatch, and they pulled out all the stops in this one. Spiffy special effects really give the G Watch an elegance to it, and it might sway people towards it from looking at the Moto 360. So check out the new video and let us know what you think about it.
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G Watch promo video gives us another peek at LG’s Android-powered wristwear
We’re not expecting to find out all about LG’s “G Watch” smartwatch (and new top of the line G3 phone) until the end of this month, but if you needed another teaser then here it goes. A short promo video for the device doesn’t introduce much in the way of details, but if you want to see its Android Wear software in motion or a few 360-degree rotations of its “timeless” metal body, this will suffice. LG is still promising to the “define the smartwatch” with all-day comfort and readiness for anything on a single charge despite an always-on screen, all in a water- and dust-resistant shell.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, LG
Source: LG Mobile (YouTube), LG
New medical gel grows bone tissue exactly where you need it
Repairing seriously damaged bones is normally a delicate art; while you want to regrow bones quickly, you also have to carefully manage that growth to produce the right shape. Thankfully, Rice University has created a gel that makes it easier to produce only the bone tissue a patient needs. The material kickstarts bone regeneration using a patient’s stem cells, but it also dictates where that growth occurs by forming a scaffold that degrades only when tissue takes its place. Effectively, doctors just have to fill an area with the gel and wait for nature to do the rest. The technique should initially be useful for repairing skull damage, but it’s likely to be handy for both less vital operations and cosmetic surgery — don’t be surprised if doctors can eventually give you a facelift by reshaping your cheekbones.
[Image credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University]
Filed under: Science
Via: Geek.com
Source: Rice University, Biomacromolecules
FCC may revise the new net neutrality rules, but it’s unlikely to satisfy critics
After pushback from a number of internet companies and even calls from within the FCC to delay a vote on the proposed new net neutrality standards, an FCC official has confirmed Tom Wheeler is making some changes. Detailed in a report by the Wall Street Journal, the (heavily criticized) general approach with the ability to sell faster delivery for some web content will be the same, but according to an unnamed official, will include language to make sure the FCC would have to make sure any deal doesn’t put nonpaying companies at an unfair disadvantage. That will probably not meet the bar sought by most net neutrality advocates, and the updated rules are also said to stop short of calling for the reclassification of internet providers as common carriers under Title II.
That said, the redrafted proposal will call for comment on the issue of reclassification, whether or not the paid prioritization deals should be banned entirely, as well as two proposed alternatives submitted by Mozilla and law professor/coiner of the term net neutrality/former senior FTC advisor Tim Wu. Wu suggested in a column on Friday that the chairman should firm his proposal by completely banning any kind of fast lane or degradation of traffic, but without initially attempting to reclassify the ISPs as the more heavily regulated “common carrier” title, or Title II. His argument is that passing tougher rules under the FCC’s existing authority (but with reclassification as a backup) would not only get the job done, but could ward off political or legal challenges altogether since any challenge could result in tighter regulation, which the ISPs would like to avoid.
According to the FCC official, the chairman’s proposal holds the same aim that he has claimed it does all along: putting new net neutrality rules in place as soon as possible to replace the ones struck down earlier this year, and avoiding a long legal battle. As always, your comments to the FCC on this issue can go to its inbox at openinternet@fcc.gov, or directly to chairman Wheeler. At this time, the vote is still scheduled to take place during the FCC’s meeting on Thursday, and if the draft is approved, then the public will finally be able to really look it over and comment on what it contains.
[Image credit: T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images]
Source: Wall Street Journal
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