WhatsApp returns to Windows Phone with new features in tow
Windows Phone users worried that Whatsapp’s devs might be enjoying their Facebook money too much to fix the app can now rest easy. Whatsapp is now back on the Windows Phone Store after a couple of weeks’ absence, and it even comes with new features, including chat backgrounds, better privacy settings and the ability to customize notification tones. Its devs pulled the app from the store after a lot of users reported having serious issues with update 3 for Windows Phone 8 that permanently disabled notifications or caused persistent errors. Just as Microsoft’s Windows Phone guy Joe Belfiore promised on Twitter, though, Whatsapp’s back and ready for more cross-platform messaging.
[Image credit: Luis/Flickr]
[Thanks, Manthan]
For those w Q’s on Whatsapp: they pinged us about an issue that popped on notifications, we’re working with them on a fix. More info soon
– joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) May 22, 2014
Filed under: Misc, Mobile, Microsoft
Via: Neowin
Source: Windows Phone Store
Apple to Announce More Plans for iBeacon Technology at WWDC 2014
Apple will unveil more plans for its iBeacon technology at the start of this week’s WWDC 2014, reports The Wall Street Journal. In addition to new details about the technology, the company will promote iBeacon by placing transmitters throughout the Moscone Center while offering sessions for developers on how to better implement the technology into their apps and services.
An Estimote Beacon
It is not known what exactly Apple has in store for the technology, but it is possible that the company could announce a more prominent role for iBeacons in iOS 8, new partnerships with companies, and more. iBeacons could also see integration in Apple’s highly rumored mobile payment service.
First introduced during last year’s WWDC, iBeacons enable iOS devices to wirelessly communicate with physical beacons through Bluetooth, as the transmitters are able to deliver relevant information to apps and services when a user is physically nearby. Apple implemented a new iBeacon “Made for iPhone” specification in February, signaling a more significant role for the technology in its devices.
iBeacon technology has also been used by a number of companies in a variety of ways since the end of last year. Shopping app Shopkick and Macy’s partnered to integrate the technology into stores to assist consumers, while Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association have used the technology to provide enhanced live experiences.
Apple has also implemented iBeacons into its own retail locations to deliver messages about picking up online orders and store events, although early experiences with the technology were mixed. The technology has also been featured in the UK, where a cafe and London’s Heathrow Airport have integration iBeacons to notify users of promotional deals.
In addition to new details about iBeacon at WWDC 2014, Apple is also expect to unveil iOS 8, OS X 10.10, a new home automation platform, and perhaps some new hardware.
Apple will be live streaming the event both on its website and on the Apple TV. MacRumors will also be providing a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.
Funding push would put Reading Rainbow on phones and game consoles
LeVar Burton had no trouble crowdfunding Reading Rainbow for the web; now, he’d like your help bringing it to living rooms and pockets everywhere. His team has announced a $5 million stretch goal that, if reached, will port his literary initiative to mobile devices, game consoles and set-top boxes. Yes, that would return the program to TV (if not quite in the traditional sense) after an eight-year hiatus. The goal would also expand free student access to from 1,500 classrooms to 7,500. Burton already has over $3 million as we write this, but there’s still some distance to go — if you’re interested in putting Reading Rainbow on your kid’s Android tablet or Xbox, you’ll want to make a pledge at the source link.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Internet, HD, Mobile
Via: Polygon
Source: Kickstarter
Huawei’s WiFi is ten times faster than yours
Don’t look now, but the speedy WiFi router you just bought may already be old hat. Huawei has tested WiFi based on a future standard (802.11ax) that can hit 10.5Gbps — about 10 times faster than what you typically get out of an 802.11ac connection today. The trick, the company says, is making more efficient use of the airwaves. The new technology is smarter at allocating wireless spectrum, juggling data between multiple antennas and cutting back on interference. Huawei doesn’t even have to switch to ultra-high frequencies to make the magic happen; its approach works on the same 5GHz band that many WiFi networks already use.
You’re still a long way from picking up a 10-gigabit router at the local electronics shop. Huawei estimates that super-fast routers might not hit the market until 2018, and that’s assuming that both the 802.11ax standard and matching chipsets are ready. Don’t despair at being stuck with “only” single-gigabit wireless for four years, though. An updated 802.11ac spec (802.11ac-2013) is expected to launch in 2015 with 7Gbps speeds, so you’ll soon have plenty of bandwidth to spare.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Wireless, Networking
Source: Huawei
Google I/O 2014: What to expect
Now we’re in June, our attention naturally turns to the event scheduled for the 25-26th of the month, and with Google I/O 2014 only a few weeks away, what has the company got in store for us?
We take a look at some of the more likely headlines that we think the rumours have been solid enough to predict, those that could and would be nice to happen, to those which we probably won’t be seeing Google announce at their Keynote.
Google I/O is usually reserved for major operating system releases as it’s the perfect chance to showcase the new features and also demonstrate the new API’s and system-level components to developers. Codenamed ‘Moonshine‘ internally at Google, but expected to be called Android 5.0 Lollipop staying true to the dessert inspired naming convention, the next version of Android seems all but due given that Android 4.4 KitKat was released back in October 2013 and we’ve been in the 4.x naming convention since Ice Cream Sandwich back in 2011. It seems only fitting that the next release of Android finally sees us into the 5.x numbering scheme with a major update to support Android Wear.
However, with Sundar Pichai, Google’s new head of Android, going on record saying Google I/O was “not a time when we have much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system”, you have to wonder if Android 5.0 will be on the agenda, and for that matter any products at all. Likelihood 6/10
What a better way to mark a new major version of Android than two new tablets? We’ve already heard a device codenamed Flounder appearing on various leaked documents which is heavily believed to be a new Nexus 8 tablet, but what about Google’s other tablet, you know the one that hasn’t been updated since October 2012?
We expect that Android 5.0 will be heavily geared towards optimisations for tablets and Google is stalling the next Nexus 10 to showcase the new optimised software with an updated version of the 10-inch device. HTC are expected to be the manufacturer of choice for the Nexus 10 2014 edition with LG looking to put their mark on the Nexus 8.
It seems almost certain given the leaks we’ve seen that a Nexus 8 will appear at Google I/O, with hints that a free one might be given out to the attendees. As for the Nexus 10, it would appear Google are holding out for perfecting the optimisation of Android for tablets, which although moving forward over the last few versions of Android, is nowhere near where it needs to be. Likelihood 8/10
Whilst a new Nexus phone device will happen in 2014, unfortunately it won’t happen at Google I/O. The last Nexus 5 phone was released in November 2013 with the Nexus 4 October/November 2012, and it looks like Google will be sticking with the pre-holiday shipping window of the Nexus 5 2014 edition. Likelihood 2/10
This is one that could really go either way, as rumours have pegged Android TV as something that exists but Google will be very wary of how much of a flop their Nexus Q was. Rather than attempt hardware and software, Android TV will take a leaf out of it’s name and instead offer a platform for hardware manufactures to use, much like Android Wear and the Android OS.
Whilst the Google Play Store has all the ingredients it needs to offer a media-rich offering for TV’s, Android TV will most likely be delayed by licensing deals with the cable companies. It wouldn’t make sense for Google to make a Chromecast competitor; the Android TV will most likely overlay TV guides and information for content, taking the TV experience one step further to work in unison with, or potentially replace, your cable box. Likelihood 5/10
Google has already teamed up with a number of car manufacturers including Audi, Honda and Hyundai to integrate Android into a handsfree media entertainment console at the center of your car. However, we’ve seen very little of what Android has to offer when it comes to the car, expect a brief look at their implementation at Audi during CES 2014.
Expect to see a heavy focus on Android in the Car at this years Google I/O 2014, with potentially even some demos of how far the Open Automotive Alliance has come since CES 2014. Likelihood 8/10
This is expected to be the big focus of Google I/0 2014. With the platform in its infancy, and many manufacturers already gearing up their smartwatches for the platform, expect to see a big developer push to get supported apps ready for the platform. In addition, it is extremely likely that now Google has had time to polish off the edges of Android Wear, that we could see a live demo on Android Wear and potentially even a prototype device.
Whilst Android Wear is a given focus for the developers conference, could Google surprise us with undercutting every manufacturer and releasing a Nexus smartwatch running Android Wear? Very possible. Much like their Nexus brand of phones and tablets, it makes every sense for the company to offer up a Nexus smartwatch, and also beat everyone else to market. Likelihood 10/10
We’ve heard varying reports when it comes to Android Silver: some are actually calling this the next Android 5.0 release, whereas others believe the Android Silver program will be a high-end locked down heavily Google influenced and controlled line of smartphones and tablets. However, we’ve been hearing that Android Silver isn’t expected to land until early 2015 so believe that it’s separate to Android 5.0 and will instead form the beginning of an elite line of hardware that meets Googles specifications, update cycle, and experience, to be used in their retail presence to advertise the Android brand. Likelihood 4/10
A big part of Android 5.0 is an app codenamed Google Babble which aims at unifying its various chat services which include Talk, Hangout, Voice, Messenger, Chat for Google Drive and Chat on Google+. The aim is to enable VoIP calls in the Hangout app using your Google Voice number, as well as amalgamating its various other chat services into a single app.
If not part of Android 5.0, then this one seems like a dead cert anyway. Google has already blended SMS into the Hangout app, and it seems a unified app is simply the way Google want to go. Likelihood 9/10
Google’s entry into the home automation market was canned with mentions of Android@Home from their at-the-time partners website disappearing overnight, and the companies declining to comment.
Speculation was sparked again when Google acquired NEST, prompting thoughts that Android@Home was back in business. This isn’t the case, and it makes no sense to try and rebrand NEST. The footprint they have in the home automation market will for the foreseeable future be represented solely by NEST, and Google I/O will certainly not bring any developments to that. Likelihood 1/10
Is Glass ready for the mainstream? Google teased wide availability of the Google Glass with their one-day event where anybody could order a Glass in the US, but was this a retail experiment to gauge interest in the device, or simply a way of shifting stock? Whilst it doesn’t look likely that Google will already have another hardware to their Google Glass to 3.0, perhaps we will see an update to the wider availability of the Glass program for the Glass 2.0 at Google I/O. Likelihood 3/10
Think we’ve missed anything that you have a feeling will make an appearance at Google I/O? Drop us a comment in the section below.
The post Google I/O 2014: What to expect appeared first on AndroidGuys.
The Big Picture: Preparing for the Moon
During the Apollo program, NASA sent many of its astronauts to Hawaii’s Big Island for field training in the run up to missions. The surface of the Moon isn’t an environment that’s easy to replicate, and the volcanic island chain’s barren, rocky terrain is as close as it gets on earth. The picture above shows astronauts from Apollo 17 — the last manned mission to the lunar surface — test driving the Moon buggy in 1971. It’s one of a series of recently rediscovered images documenting these training exercises, which can be viewed in its entirety here.
Via: Phys.org
Source: Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems
Covered Banners on Upper Floors of Moscone at WWDC 2014
Apple’s WWDC Keynote kicks off tomorrow, and while we’ve posted about iOS 8 banners and OS X 10.10 banners, there are also covered banners on the upper floors of Moscone that we neglected to point out.
Appleinsider points out the existence of the covered banners, but only were able to get poor quality shots from afar.
In the two levels above, Apple has additional banners, but they’re still covered up. While the floors aren’t accessible to outsiders (or even registered attendees yet), is has been possible to catch a sneak peak in previous years by trespassing on the top floor of the Fifth and Mission parking garage, which is technically closed.
TheVerge, however, was able to get a peek of one in their WWDC photo gallery.
Covered banners aren’t unusual at WWDC, and will show technologies and features that are introduced in the Monday keynote address. We already know Apple will be featuring iOS 8 and Mac OS X 10.10 at the show.
Apple is offering a live video stream of the Keynote on Monday. We’ll have live text and photo updates here on MacRumors, as well as live Twitter updates at MacRumorsLive.
Apple Expected to Introduce Health Tracking App and Smart Home Toolkit at WWDC
The New York Times reports that Apple will be delving into two new areas on Monday — connected health and the smart home.
At WWDC 2014, Apple is expected to introduce a new health tracking app that will track statistics for health and fitness. Author Brian Chen cites an anonymous source “briefed on the product”
The health app will initially pull data from third-party fitness and health-monitoring hardware, the person said, but it will most likely be able to connect with a smart watch that Apple is widely expected to release this year.
Apple has also been rumored to be announcing their efforts in the connected smart home. On this front, Chen reports that Apple may introduce “tool kits for developers” to make smart home integration easier for developers and consumers. This initiative was previously described as a “Made for iPhone”-like certification.
Both of these products have been rumored in the lead up to WWDC, but last minute rumors and reports frequently leak out in the hours and days before the keynote. Apple’s WWDC Keynote kicks off tomorrow at 10am Pacific. We’ll provide live coverage here at MacRumors.com.
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