Homey gives your living room a voice
Too lazy to flick on a light switch? There’s a Kickstarter campaign you should check out. Homey isn’t the first crowdfunded home automation platform we’ve seen, but it is one of the most personable: the entire device is controlled by human speech. It’s designed to ape the computers on Star Trek, explained creator Emile Nijssen, which interact with the users using an artificial intelligence. Homey isn’t quite that advanced, but early demos show potential.
In a demo video, the device responds to a scripted question naturally. “Homey,” the demonstrator asks, “I’d like to connect a new lamp, please.” The white orb immediately asks the user to flick the light on, then off. Once that’s done, the lamp is paired. The device is designed to be compatible with almost any wirelessly controlled device, and has eight disparate radios covering WiFI, Bluetooth, Zigbee and infrared communication standards, among others.
The automation sphere has apps, too, which can be published by both developers and hobbyists to the device’s Labs section. The group’s founders have taken the device to Kickstarter to secure funds for manufacturing, licensing and certification. The cost of giving your home a voice? About €229 ($340). Check it out at the Kickstarter link below.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Kickstarter
Apple May Introduce 8GB iPhone 5s and Lower-Cost iMacs at WWDC
Apple may introduce a new 8GB iPhone 5s model for emerging markets and the much-rumored lower-cost iMac at next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, according to a new research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo.
As iPhone 5S is a highly popular model, we predict Apple may launch an 8GB version to boost market share in emerging markets.
Kuo notes that Apple may not announce the new 8GB iPhone 5s model on-stage at WWDC, but will possibly debut the phone around the same time.
In addition, Kuo predicts that a lower-cost iMac is likely to debut as well, following up his earlier report and rumors that were fueled after shipping estimates for the machine began to slip in Apple’s Online Store. Earlier today, references to new iMac models appeared in OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 beta before it was pulled from the Mac App Store and Developer Center.
Finally, Kuo notes that if Apple does in fact launch a smart home software platform that it will likely involve iCloud, iBeacons and Airplay. Both iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 are expected to debut at the conference as well.
WWDC 2014 will kick off on June 2 with a keynote address from CEO Tim Cook at 10 AM Pacific Time.
Flyhunter Origins will be Steel Wool Games’ first Platforming/Adventure romp on handhelds and Mobile
What happens when 60 years of animation experience comes together to make a game for handheld consoles and mobile? Naturally, you get an indie development studio called Steel Wool Games which features talents from Disney Pixar movies like Brave, Toy Story, and countless others. And their first game, which is going to be due out in Summer 2014, is Flyhunter Origins.
Flyhunter Origins features a bumbling protagonist called Zak, who works as a janitor on a Flyhunter ship called the “The Frog”. While Zak has only ever dreamed of being a Flyhunter like the ones he works for, as destiny would have it, the dangerous creatures stored on the “The Frog” escape onto Earth and is Zak’s job to become a Flyhunter and make everything right. For a better idea of how the game is going to play, check out the trailer from Steel Wool Games:
Flyhunter Origins, which is being published by Ripstone Games, is going to be coming out this Summer on “PS Vita, PC, Mac, Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Tegra powered devices”.
Who wants to be a Flyhunter? Let us know what you think about Flyhunter Origins in the comments.
Press Release
Steel Wool Games Super-fly Platform-Adventure game is landing this summer!
Flyhunter Origins will be swooshing onto PS Vita, PC, Mac, Mobile and Tegra powered devices!
May 28, 2014–Steel Wool Games and Indie Publisher Ripstone announced today that their Platform-Adventure game Flyhunter Origins will be coming to PS Vita, PC, Mac, Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Tegra powered devices this summer!
Developed by some of the finest artists and animators in the film industry –Flyhunter Origins delivers the sort of high quality cutscenes, characters and story that you would expect from a team with Steel Wool Games extraordinary credentials.
Let’s set the scene… Zak is a bumbling alien spaceship Janitor and wannabe Flyhunter from Burgarol 3. He works on board the Flyhunter Crew’s legendary spaceship; ‘The Frog’ but deep down he longs for an exciting adventure of his own. Somewhere in Earth’s orbit, while the heroic Flyhunters are deep in cryo sleep; The Frog’s cargo of super-important exotic insects from the latest hunt is mysteriously jettisoned into Space, crash-landing back on planet Earth! It seems that clumsy Janitor Zak is the only one around to save the day. Can this accidental hero swap his sweeping brush for a super-cool fly swatter and take on the role of daring Flyhunter? It’s a good job Zak’s used to cleaning up – because he’s in a huge mess! Hurry! Help this little dude complete his mission, before “The Investors” find out their expensive bugs are missing!
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Apple’s Acquisition of Beats Electronics to End Several Third-Party Partnerships [iOS Blog]
Apple’s acquisition of Beats Electronics will include the severing of several deals and partnerships that the headphone and music company has with other designers and vendors, including HP.
According to Hewlett-Packard (via CNET), which sells laptops with “Beats Audio” branded speakers, the company will cease to develop products with new Beats Audio technologies at the end of 2014. Under the terms of its deal with Beats, HP will continue to sell devices though 2015, however, with the licensing agreement terminating after that period.
A company spokesman said in an email that HP is allowed to continue developing products with new Beats Audio technologies through 2014. But it’s allowed to continue selling devices with the Beats Audio logo and technology through 2015. HP says it’s planning an aggressive lineup of new products that includes the Beats branding through 2014.
Beats will also be ending an ongoing partnership with design firm Ammunition (via TechCrunch), which has created the company’s lineup of headphones and speakers, including the Beats Studio, Beats Pro, and Beats Pill. The transition away from Ammunition will happen over the next few months as Apple takes over designing new Beats hardware, under the leadership of Apple marketing head Phil Schiller.
Apple first announced its $3 billion Beats purchase earlier this afternoon, with Tim Cook suggesting Beats was the first music subscription to “get it right,” as both Apple and Beats believe that a “great music service requires a strong editorial and curation team.”
Beats’ co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will both take on roles with Apple, with the entire Beats team serving under iTunes chief Eddy Cue.
Hands-on with the PadFone X: ASUS’ phone-tablet hybrid arrives in the US
If you’re a special sort of person — I don’t know, like a tech writer– the ASUS PadFone is old news. Since June 2012, Engadget has reviewed three versions of the phone, which comes with a tablet-like dock allowing you to transform it into a big-screen slate. For our American readers, though, it’s always been a curiosity — the sort of thing you could read about, but were unlikely to import all the way from Taiwan. Now you can finally see it for yourselves: AT&T announced earlier today that an American version, the PadFone X, will go on sale June 6th, priced at $199 on-contract. As it happens, I received a loaner unit today at a press event, which means Engadget will have a review up soon, probably closer to the on-sale date. For now, though, I’ll regale you with some early impressions of both the 5-inch phone and the 9-inch dock. Come with me if you want to live.
I’ve only had a short time to play with the PadFone X, but so far, at least, it seems much more comfortable to use in its native handset form. The phone, which rocks a 5-inch screen (small by today’s standards), is easy to hold. It’s not the thinnest handset I’ve ever held, but it’s light and in fact, I think that slight thickness might actually make it easier to grip. The 1080p display is sharp too, and the viewing angles are good enough that I was able to peek at some guy’s email from off to the side, even with me sitting a couple feet away (apologies, dude).
Design-wise, the PadFone X has more in common with ASUS’ new budget ZenFone line than it does the last-generation PadFone Infinity. The removable back cover is made not out of brushed metal this time, but instead smooth, plain plastic. It’s inoffensive, but definitely not as premium as some other flagships you’ll find on AT&T’s shelf. Clearly, then, your $200 isn’t buying design flair so much as specs. Specs and, well, innovation.
Speaking of the sort, let’s talk about that tablet dock. The screen itself measures nine inches diagonally, and there’s, of course, a phone-sized slot in the back where you slip in the handset. To be clear, the dock is a paperweight without the phone inside; even in tablet mode, the phone’s Snapdragon 800 chipset is running the show. By the way, performance throughout feels smooth, as you’d expect with such a top-of-the line processor. ASUS’ skinned version of Android KitKat might come as a bit of a surprise, especially to Android purists, but it’s hardly the heaviest skin I’ve seen.
In use, the whole thing feels heavier than your typical tablet, not least because there’s a big ol’ hump around back where the phone is. That said, the bulge also creates a natural resting spot for your hands, so it’s hard to totally knock it when the ergonomics might actually make sense. And the tablet’s resolution — 1,920 x 1,200 — is fairly sharp for a 9-inch screen. Also, the dock contains its own 4,990mAh battery — a big improvement over the 2,300mAh cell inside the phone. So even if you find the tablet mode a little unwieldy, the dock is a good accessory to have handy — you never know when you’ll need a spare battery. All told, the two combined should last through 10 hours of video playback, according to an ASUS rep (we’ll of course be the judge of that in our full review).
So far, I’ve covered just what comes in the box: the phone and the tablet dock. There will be some other accessories, though, including a set of folio cases ($80) and a Bluetooth keyboard dock ($99). Some early thoughts: You might want to think hard about the keyboard. Not only is it cramped and flimsy, like a netbook’s, but also certain fairly important keys are either hidden or hard to reach. Both the quotation mark and apostrophe, for instance, require you to hit a special Function key, as opposed to the usual left Shift button. As such, typing on it doesn’t feel natural. (Here’s a mental image for you: an old colleague, a tech editor, at the AP, peering over my shoulder, trying to no avail to help me find the apostrophe.) If I were you, I’d look into other Bluetooth keyboards before buying ASUS’. Everything else, though (the tablet, dock) has a little more promise. More on that in our full review, of course.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, ASUS
Source: AT&T
Google’s camera app now lets you shoot in different aspect ratios
Google isn’t done getting its Android camera app up to the standards set by third-party software — not by a long shot. The company is now rolling out an update to Google Camera that lets you choose the aspect ratio for your photos, not just the resolution. If you prefer a movie-like widescreen look to all your pictures, you can crop the image to match. Fans of family portraits, meanwhile, will be glad to hear that the timer has returned; also, creative types can shoot panoramas with fisheye and wide-angle lens effects. The refresh isn’t available on every supporting Android device just yet, but we’d give it a few days — it should hopefully arrive in time for your next big photo safari.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via: Android (Google+), 9to5 Google
Source: Google Play
Google Camera Moves to v2.2 and Returns the Timer Plus More [APK Download]
Happy Google app update Wednesday everyone. While in the past we have seen a number of Google apps update mid-week, it would seem Google has slowed things down a bit. Today we have only seen the Google Camera app and the Google Chrome app update. We will get to the Chrome update a bit later. The Google Camera app has been moved to v2.2.024. With the full version number bump we find a feature being returned along with a few nice new additions.
In the updated app you find the return of the picture timer, offering up 3 and 10 second options. You can see the small stop watch in the lower part of the screen on the left. Simply tap it to change he timer settings. There is a new splash screen for cropping selections and in panorama you have a new fisheye and wide angle set of choices. Android Police also makes mention that you also have an option of full frame or cropped pictures. I don’t remember there being a vertical and horizontal choice in the previous version either, but I could be wrong.
If you are hankering for the update and haven’t seen it hit your device just yet, you can download the APK and install it as normal through Gappsearly via the link below. Don’t forget though, your device needs to be sporting Android 4.4+ in order for it to install.
Google Camera v2.2 APK download
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AllCast now sends your phone’s media to anything with a Chrome browser
For Koushik Dutta, it’s not enough that his AllCast app can stream an Android device’s content to set-top boxes and other mobile gear; he now has it streaming to PCs, too. His new AllCast Receiver for Chrome lets you send photos, videos and your device screen to anything with a Chrome web browser on the local network. If you want to use your Chromebook as a makeshift TV, you can. It’s not quite as slick as sharing content between native apps, though. You can’t use the wireless headset feature with video, and screen mirroring isn’t seamless. With that said, this is still one of the easier ways put your phone’s media collection on a bigger display.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Chrome Web Store
Apple Announces $3 Billion Beats Acquisition, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre Joining the Company
Apple is buying Beats Electronics and the Beats Music streaming service for a total of $3 billion. The acquisition is the largest in Apple’s history and is the biggest move by CEO Tim Cook since he took the reins from Steve Jobs several years ago.
Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple as full time employees, with both reporting to iTunes head Eddy Cue. In an interview with The New York Times, Cook said Iovine and Dre were “really unique” and that “it’s like finding the precise grain of sand on the beach. They’re rare and very hard to find.”
Cook said that “of course” Apple could have built a subscription music service rather than buying one, just like the company could have built all the technologies that it has acquired over the years. “You don’t build everything yourself. It’s not one thing that excites us here. It’s the people. It’s the service.”
In the Times, Cook promised new features for Beats that will “blow your mind” as well as “products you haven’t thought of yet”. He promised the team would “take music to an even higher level than it is now.”
Jimmy Iovine, Tim Cook, Dr. Dre and Eddy Cue
In an interview with Re/code, Cook said that Apple felt Beats was the first subscription music service to “get it right:
We get a subscription music service that we believe is the first subscription service that really got it right. They had the insight early on to know how important human curation is. That technology by itself wasn’t enough — that it was the marriage of the two that would really be great, and produce a feeling in people that we want to produce.
[…]
But mostly, backing up — it’s because we always are future-focused. So it’s not what Apple and Beats are doing today. It’s what we believe pairing the two together can produce for the future.
Apple has seen rumors of a interest in a subscription music service for close to a decade, with Jobs saying in 2007 that customers “don’t seem to be interested” in music subscriptions. The New York Post said in 2010 that Apple was negotiating with record labels on such a service, though nothing ever came of it.
Earlier this month, Spotify reported that it has 10 million paying subscribers to its music service, showing that many customers are now interested in such a service.
The Wall Street Journal says Iovine will quit as chairman of Interscope records to work full time at Apple. Dr. Dre will continue to produce music but do “as much as it takes” for Apple. The two men’s titles will reportedly be “Jimmy and Dre”. In a letter to employees, Tim Cook confirmed that the entire Beats team will be joining Apple under Eddy Cue and noted the company’s commitment to curated content.
Both Apple and Beats believe that a great music service requires a strong editorial and curation team, and we will continue to expand what we do in those areas. The addition of Beats will make our incredible iTunes lineup even better, extending the emotional connection our customers have with music.
Eddy Cue and Jimmy Iovine will appear tonight on stage at the Code Conference.
The acquisition will include $2.6 billion in cash and another $400 million that will vest over time. Apple expects the transaction to close sometime next quarter. The Beats Music iOS app has been updated with an extended 14-day trial period and a price drop to its yearly subscription to $100 from $120.
Beats Music is a free download for the iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]
References to New iMac Models Appear in OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 Beta [Mac Blog]
Mentions of new iMac models are buried inside the OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 beta that was seeded earlier today.
There are three new resource files for power management that mention three new iMacs with model numbers beginning with 15, according to some digging done by Pike’s Universum. The current iMac line is made up of models 14,1 and 14,2.
The most interesting part is the addition of three new resources (plist) files for power management:
Mac-81E3E92DD6088272.plist / iMac15,1 (IGPU only)
Mac-42FD25EABCABB274.plist / iMac15,n (IGPU/GFX0/Apple display with id 0xAE03)
Mac-FA842E06C61E91C5.plist / iMac15,n (IGPU/GFX0/Apple display with id 0xAE03)
Rumors have suggested that new iMac models could make an appearance at WWDC next week after shipping estimates for the machine began to slip on the Apple Online Store.
AIVAnet 