Chrome Remote Desktop: An answer to your desktop access needs
Google has released an innovative new app that allows you to access your PC or Mac from your mobile device. This app is absolutely free and is accessible over WiFi, LTE, and 3G. It runs buttery smooth on a solid connection so 3G is not suggested unless you desperately need to send that important file you forgot to yourself.
Google has made it very simple to set up. If you already have Google Chrome for desktop all you need is to download the app for Chrome and then download the app for Android or iPhone.
Google has also hit all areas with this handy app making it available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. When you have finished the required downloads the app on your PC or MAC will ask some basic questions so that you can allow access to your mobile devices. Once you have gone through the set up and created your pin your PC will show up on the mobile app.
Google has really covered almost all bases with this app the only back draw to it is there is no way to disable the keyboard and mouse while you access. This is inconvenient in a work environment allowing other users to access your machine while you’re away and or seeing what you’re seeing. It is suggested to use a tablet and a mobile keyboard with trackpad. All in all though I give this is a very good app, allowing you to access any set up computer for free and fluidly, and we suggest you check it out.
The post Chrome Remote Desktop: An answer to your desktop access needs appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Report Claims Apple Will Launch 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 in August, Larger Model in September
A new report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News (via Reuters) claims that Apple will unveil and launch the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in August, with a larger 5.5-inch or 5.6-inch model to be released in September. The report also notes that Apple will produce 80 million iPhone 6 units this year, with Apple suppliers Foxconn and Largan Precision aiding with assembly and camera module production, respectively.
An August launch of the iPhone 6 would be a different strategy for Apple, as the company has typically released prior versions of the iPhone in September or October. The news also contrasts prior reports claiming that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will launch in September, with the 5.5-inch version not launching until later this year or early 2015 due to issues with the device’s battery life and display technology.
In addition to a larger screen, Apple’s next-generation iPhone is expected to include a thinner profile, a faster A8 processor, and an improved camera. Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also claimed last month that Apple is negotiating with carriers to raise the price of the iPhone 6 by $100.
Bitcoin is now approved for political donations
If your local politician starts soliciting donations in Bitcoins, don’t be surprised: the US Federal Election Commission just approved the cryptocurrency for political contributions. Now, politicians and political action committees (PACs) can accept Bitcoin, so long as donors list their names, addresses, occupations and confirm that they own the coins they’re sending over. Recipients can’t spend those contributions as Bitcoin, though: they first have to convert the money into US dollars and then deposit everything with the rest of their campaign funds. If the cryptocurrency donations aren’t instantly converted through a payment service, the recipients will have to declare their value based on the day’s exchange rates… and we all know how quickly those rates can fluctuate.
Wondering why the FEC considered recognizing Bitcoin donations in the first place? That’s because it was specifically requested by a PAC called Make Your Laws. The FEC’s yet to iron out the details, though, and while one commissioner claims there’s a $100 limit per donor per election, Chairman Lee Goodman says otherwise. The FEC head says the group actually classifies Bitcoins as in-kind donations, similar to works of art. If that’s indeed the case, you can spend up to $2,600 per politician and up to $5,000 per PAC of your choice for every election instead of just a hundred bucks.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Reuters, The Register, Arizona Daily Star
The 13 billion-year evolution of the universe, crammed into a four-minute video
Now you’ve got the basics of the universe down, try a dreamy tour through 13 billion years of stars and the space between them all. That’s what Nature’s offering, courtesy of MIT and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Prior attempts to scale and visualize everything ever were apparently hampered by a lack of computing processing power and the outright trickiness of the physics involved. The Illustris Project eventually took five years to craft and is apparently made of 10 billion minute cubes inside a virtual box measuring some 350 x 350 million light-years. It’s not the first history of everything simulation, but it’s the fanciest looking one — watch the whole thing after the break. Astronomer Michael Boylan-Kolchin adds, in a commentary of the study: “If this all sounds somewhat complicated, do not be fooled: It is extremely complicated.”
Source: Nature, CFA Harvard, Illustris Project
Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine in Talks to Join Apple as ‘Special Adviser’
Just a couple hours after the Financial Times reported that Apple was in talks to acquire Beats Electronics, the New York Post is reporting that Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine is in talks to join Apple as a “special adviser” to Tim Cook on creative matters.
Beats Electronics boss and veteran music industry executive Jimmy Iovine is in talks to join Apple as a “special adviser” to Tim Cook on creative matters, two sources close to talks tell The Post.
Iovine is also the chairman of Universal Music Group’s Interscrope Geffen A&M music labels, though his contract is set to expire at the end of 2014. However, it’s not clear if this is part of the potential purchase of Beats Electronics or separate from that deal.
Iovine has strong contacts in the music industry, allowing Apple to potentially leverage him for potential future negotiations with music labels. This would make him a strong addition even if Apple doesn’t purchase Beats.
If Iovine does join Apple, Iovine would be the second high profile executive to join the company after former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts. The Beats CEO also has a history with Apple, having pitched Steve Jobs on a subscription music service and meeting with Apple executives about Beats Music before it launched.
3D printing might save lives
Sure, 3D printers can make guns, but it can also be used for good: for instance, its capability to create whatever you want gives it a bright future in humanitarian efforts around the globe. Oxfam (an organization that seeks to eradicate poverty) agrees, that’s why it has partnered with online 3D printables platform MyMiniFactory for a mission in Lebanon. Their first collaboration? To find a printable water-efficient hand wash system for Syrian refugees who fled to the country in order to lower instances of diarrhea and other diseases. Here’s how the partnership works: MyMiniFactory will accept design submissions from anyone, and then select a few to email the Oxfam team. The org will then print and test these designs onsite, and then email MyMiniFactory on how to tweak them and make them better. Sadly, not every org out there comes with a 3D printer in tow, but a lot of humanitarians recognize the technology’s benefits and hope to take advantage of it soon. With the advent of more affordable 3D printers, that’s looking more and more possible. So, we wouldn’t be surprised if organizations start lugging around printers instead of actual equipment to produce everything from housing to medical supplies in the future.
Filed under: Misc
Source: MyMiniFactory, Oxfam
Motorola is on a roll as another device name surfaces, the Moto G Cinema
One of our favorite leaksters and tipsters, Mr. @Evleaks, is always up to his crafty trickery. Over the last few days we have caught wind of the Moto X+1 with a AT&T tagged in and a -$400 line. Now we get to find a new device name floating about that points to another Moto G variant. The screen grad provided simply offers up Moto G Cinema. The remaining information in the screen grab is pretty generic simply pointing out that Motorola has the How-To’s, Forums, Live Support and more to help you get the most out of the device.
We could speculate until our brains and fingers hurt about the Cinema being a larger screened low-cost device between the current Moto X and Moto G price tag and specs, but none of that has any truth behind it. It is likely another variant of the Moto G that will be landing in another country that currently doesn’t offer it. That would be our best, and most logical, guess right now. 9to5Google points out that the term “Cinema” is more widely used in countries like the UK and could be bound for a launch in that direction and not something stateside. With a Motorola event scheduled for May 13th in London, it certain seems like the best guess for now. We will have to wait a few more days and see what Motorola ends up doing.
Source: @Evleaks G+
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Sprint HTC One Max owners see some Sense 6 and Wi-Fi calling in newly released Update
Good news for Sprint customers sporting the HTC One Max today. Seems an update is rolling out your direction that brings in some HTC Sense 6 to the phablet-ish device. Sense 6 is is what you find on the newer HTC One M8, in case you were wondering. The update swallows a ton of data at 537.07MB’s. So you might need to move a few things around before downloading it.
Sense 6 is the biggest news in the update, but you can also expect to find the Extreme Power Savings mode, color coded themes for easy navigation, personalized font style, a new interface for the camera and gallery apps, image match to find photos faster, POI (points of interest) location in map view and various improvements to BlinkFeed. On Sprint’s support page we also found that the update includes Wi-Fi Calling.
Sprint fails to mention Sense 6 as part of the update, but you can see the version numbers are the same. On a second Sprint Support page I found the update listed again. Same version number, but still lacks Sense 6 information and sticks to Wi-Fi calling. It also says the update is available for customer initiated requests and won’t start rolling on its own until May 13th.
All that means is you should pop into settings and check for updates if you want to grab it now. Otherwise it will be a few weeks. Make sure you have a good Wi-Fi connection, over 50% battery life and some time to kill to get it installed.
Source: Sprint 1 / 2 | Img via @LlabTooFeR
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California’s smartphone kill switch bill passes a second senate vote
Perseverance pays off, it seems. Just weeks after California’s senate shot down a bill that would require a remote kill switch feature on smartphones, the legislature has passed an amended version of the same would-be law. Senate critics dropped their opposition after changes were made to both give companies more time to implement the technology and explicitly left tablets out of the regulation. Apple and Microsoft are also onside after initially objecting to the measure, too. There’s still no certainty that the kill switch will become official and let you disable a stolen phone from afar, but it’s now a realistic possibility — much to the chagrin of big US carriers.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Scientists create ‘semi-synthetic’ living cells with extra DNA letters
It turns out that your biology teacher (and a certain 1997 sci-fi flick) got something wrong — DNA isn’t necessarily limited to four letters. Scripps Research Institute scientists tell Wired that they’ve created living cells which include two artificial letters (that is, nucleotides) in their genetic code in addition to the naturally occurring A, C, G and T. The researchers’ primary obstacle was making sure these nucleotides cooperated with the enzymes that copy and transcribe DNA; after that, it was just a matter of getting some E. coli bacteria to accept and propagate the newly augmented sequences.
It could be a long while before we see any practical uses of the breakthrough. It’s expensive to create the necessary precursor molecules, and it’s not yet possible to get cells making those precursors all on their own. Should the processes become cheaper and easier, though, extending DNA could be helpful for testing the effects of medicine on certain gene combinations. It could also be used to deliver gene therapy; you could have tailor-made DNA that combats specific problems. Whatever comes next, it’s now obvious that nature has a pretty limited vocabulary.
Filed under: Science
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