CyanogenMod 11.0 M7 released; based off Android 4.4.2
The next version of CyanogenMod version 11.0 M7 has hit the download servers, which has been based off Android 4.4.2. The changes are shown below:
* Common: Theme Chooser UI Overhaul * Common: Calculator app redesign (courtesy Xlythe) * Common: Performance Profiles * Common: Improved theming performance on low memory devices (~512MB RAM or less) * Trebuchet: Move settings to new slide-out panel * Trebuchet: Consolidate settings for home and drawer options * Media: Add FFMPEG support (expanded media format support) * Bluetooth: Improved support for new car audio systems and docks * Various small bugfixes, global and device-specific
Despite Android 4.4.3 being available, this release is still based off the earlier version, with the changes introduced in the 4.4.3 update being merged into CyanogenMod for nightly releases, which are now being distributed. It will be the M8 version of CM next month which incorporates the changes introduced in Android 4.4.3 in the next stable release.
SOURCE: CyanogenMod
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O2’s discounted SIM-only plans offer 4G from £11 per month
It’s become a race to the bottom over who can provide the cheapest 4G tariffs. Today, O2 altered its one-year SIM-only plans, which now means its 4G tariff of 500MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts costs just £11 a month. Jumping up to 3GB, 6GB or 8GB of data (with unlimited minutes and texts) will set you back £20, £25 and £30 per month, respectively. In comparison, the monthly damage on similar EE plans for 1GB, 2GB and 4GB are £17, £20 and £23 respectively.
The operator has “reworked” some of its 30-day SIM-only plans, too, which now start at £15 for 500MB data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts. The same amount of data, albeit with 1000 minutes, is £17 on EE. More data-thirsty customers can choose O2′s top package, with 5GB and unlimited everything else for £27 a month. If you’re still on plain old 3G and are looking for something faster, make sure you take your existing data usage into account and choose your 4G plan accordingly — services like Netflix could wipe out those caps in a day.
MIT reactor gets a second shot at producing unlimited clean energy
Nuclear fusion is the holy grail of scientists (and politicians) as it could produce limitless free energy without nasty consequences like meltdowns and radioactive waste. Though nobody’s been able to build a reactor that produces more energy than it consumes (except arguably one time), scientists are still trying, with three experimental reactors currently in operation in the US. One of those, however, has been in the Obama administration’s cross-hairs: MIT’s Alcator C-Mod reactor. The White House decided to chop that program back in 2012, calling it too small, outdated and a vanity program for MIT, according to the Boston Globe.
Instead, the White House wanted to divert funds to the promising ITER tokamek fusion reactor. Though located in France, US researchers would have a direct line to the massive project, which aims to help transition fusion from the experimental phase to a practical reactor. Once MIT found out that its own reactor would be cut, however, it mobilized its lobbying arm, and convinced local congressman Michael Capuano that it was worth saving. He recruited a group including Senator Elizabeth Warren, which pitched other other representatives on the merits of the project. They emphasized the patriotic angle by showing a map with hundreds of subcontractors in 47 of 50 states which supplied the project.
In the end, the Senate decided to throw $22 million MIT’s way to keep the project alive until 2016, while chopping ITER funding by $25 million. One skeptic pointed out that such funds would be used by MIT for a five week experiment by 12 graduate students. “This would be $1.5 million per student.” Still, the reactor has now been re-started with a ceremonial button push by Senator Warren — check out the entire saga at the Globe right here.
[Image credit: Chris Bolin, Wikimedia Commons]
Filed under: Science
Source: Boston Globe
UK to introduce new road laws allowing the use of self-driving cars
Not to be left behind by developments in the US, the UK government is set to rewrite road laws to allow self-driving cars on Britain’s roads. According to Mail Online, science minister David Willetts has already opened discussions with the Department for Transport to help British companies develop their own driverless cars and encourage the world’s car companies to do the same. Willetts’ comments come just weeks after Google showed off its new self-driving prototypes that don’t come equipped with a steering wheel, mirrors or pedals. As we’ve noted before, laws covering driverless cars are still new, with only a few US states, including California, Nevada, Michigan, Florida and the District of Columbia, giving them the green light (but require someone to sit in the passenger seat, at least for now). The UK government aims to follow suit, allowing researchers at Oxford University, who have pioneered a cheaper version of Google’s self-driving tech, to legally test different driving scenarios on (hopefully quiet) British roads.
Filed under: Transportation, Google
Via: The Independent
Source: Mail Online
Rovio spins Angry Birds Stella off into her own franchise
The newest series in the Angry Birds franchise is coming soon and will not only engage all, but will celebrate female heroism.
Rovio recently took to its company blog to announce Angry Birds Stella, a new chapter that will feature Stella, Poppy, Willow, Dahlia and Luca, who share a common love for adventure and fun, but yet have colorful personalities that sometimes clash. Rovio said that the spinoff also features a good bird gone bad, Gale, who wants to rule the birds’ island habitat.
“The wonderful spirit of these fearless friends will shake things up across games, animations, books, consumer products and other fun content under the Angry Birds Stella brand.”
The new game won’t be available until September along with products.
Stella and her friends aren’t just going to be in games this fall – November sees the premiere of their very own animation series on ToonsTV! The first season will have 13 six-minute episodes, each one an inspiring tale of adventure, heroism and friendship. Episodes will air every week on ToonsTV, and the series will also make its way to TV and VoD services worldwide.
The Las Vegas Licensing Expo takes place from June 17-19 and marks the launch of the first Angry Birds Stella consumer product lines, including Hasbro TELEPODS figures – powered by Retoy – that combine digital and physical play. There will also be plush toys, apparel, accessories and other exciting products. The first Angry Birds Stella books, offering even more insight into the story and characters, will become available from September onwards starting in selected markets.
The post Rovio spins Angry Birds Stella off into her own franchise appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung orders less Galaxy S5 parts for Q3
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is a relatively new smartphone, which was released in April, and there are already reports that Samsung is cutting down on parts orders for its flagship phone.
According to supply chain sources in Taiwan, Samsung is concerned about the iPhone 6′s arrival and thus is going to cut its orders for Galaxy S5 parts by 25%. In Q2 21 million units of Galaxy S5 were ordered and for Q3 Samsung is planing “only” 15 million units. While this seems kind of reasonable we certainly didn’t expect it, but it may turn out to be a good bet.
Galaxy S5 is not the only Samsung smartphone that is going through this process, Samsung is going to do the same thing with the Galaxy S4, though different numbers are in play. 6 million units of S4 were ordered in Q2 and allegedly Samsung is going to cut that down to 5 million for Q3.
This might not be connected to the iPhone 6 though. It might have something to do with the leaks regarding Galaxy F, which should be Samsung’s premium smartphone made out of metal. This alleged smartphone is leaking like crazy lately so we wouldn’t be surprised, even though it has been leaking on and off for a while now.
What do you think of all this, which scenario is more likely?
VIA: PhoneArena
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More leaked photos of the Samsung Galaxy F show us more of that brushed aluminium Back
We’ve been hearing about a more ‘premium’ version of the Samsung Galaxy S5 for some time now. Initially thought to be called the Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime, the device has become better fleshed out over the last week with the official name of the device tentatively confirmed as being the Samsung Galaxy F. This latest leak from Phone Arena shows us the Galaxy F, this time photographed candidly showing us a general shot of the front and back of the device. As we have seen, the back cover appears to have a brushed aluminium finish, however with each additional photo, the more I suspect this is actually a plastic cover with faux metal finish; only time will tell.
According to Phone Arena’s tipster, the Galaxy F will have a 5.3-inch Quad HD display, and although the photographed unit has a Snapdragon 801, the final product will have the Snapdragon 805. On the design front, the tip also says that the Galaxy F, despite the larger screen, is actually smaller than the Galaxy S5 thanks to thinner bezels, and the corners of the device are rounded slightly more too. Like the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy F is apparently going to have a dust and water-resistant IP67 rating. As always though, these leaks should be taken with a grain of salt with no official word on whether this device exists let alone when it will be released.
What do you think about the design of the Samsung Galaxy F? Are you interested in the Quad HD smartphone from Samsung? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Phone Arena
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Just in time for the World Cup: Google Now is able to track national soccer team Results
Unless you have been hiding under a rock, many of you will know that the FIFA World Cup 2014 is going to get under way in just under a week, with the whole world’s gaze focussing on Brazil when 32 teams of the best footballers on the planet vie for soccer‘s most prestigious trophy. Naturally then, it’s good news that Google Now is able to track national soccer team results.
Whether this feature has been added recently or has been around for awhile isn’t exactly clear, however it’s here now. Much like for other sporting teams, searching for your national team in the sports submenu will give you the option to select your country’s team to presumably give you updates whenever your team is playing or results are just in; as always, remember that you can hide the scorecard in case you’re planning on watching the game later. It’s unclear where exactly the scorecard links will redirect you to, but I personally hope it does a better job than the NBA results which direct you to a generic page of all the daily scores.
Who’s excited for the World Cup in Brazil? Who are you supporting? Share your World Cup fever with us in the comments below.
Source: Android Police
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Apple Stock Splits 7-for-1, Opens at $92 With All-Time High Just Over $100
This morning, Apple’s stock underwent a 7-for-1 split, awarding 6 additional shares to each shareholder of record at 5PM PDT on Friday. Simultaneously, the price of the stock has been divided by 7 and should open around $92 after closing on Friday at $645.
Apple’s all-time high stock price, reached in September 2012, is $705 or $100.72 post-split.
Apple’s stock has split on three previous occasions, on a 2-for-1 basis, in 1987, 2000 and 2005. Apple has said that it wanted to make its stock “more accessible” to a wider variety of customers, but Apple could also be aiming for inclusion in the Dow Jones Industrial Average index. The Dow is price-weighted, meaning Apple’s previous stock price of nearly $700 would have resulted in an significant reweighting of the index and a $92 would put it in the right price range for inclusion.
As the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, with a market cap of more than $550 billion, Apple could be a logical addition for the index. It would join a number of other high-tech companies listed including Cisco, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, AT&T and Verizon.
Apple went public on December 12, 1980 for $22 per share. Accounting for its four stock splits, Apple’s stock cost roughly $0.39286 per share at IPO, giving a return of roughly 23,400% over 33.5 years.
VLC for Android is getting Chromecast support Soon
VLC Player is a a pretty household name by now with the media player being one of best and most popular on PC. It’s mobile compatriot apps are not yet quite as widely accepted, however things may be about to change as it has been confirmed that VLC for Android is getting Chromecast support soon. Interestingly, the VideoLAN development team had only initially mentioned Chromecast integration for the Windows, Linux, Mac and iOS versions of the player, however the Android version was confirmed soon after that.
Perhaps ironically, especially given that Chromecast is a product of Google, VideoLAN has said that Chromecast support would only be coming to the Android app after the iOS version. This is somewhat predictable though, as the Android app is still in beta, iOS having gotten preference, though it looks like the PC version is likely also going to be delayed somewhat due to a lack of SDK support. However, it has already been mentioned on the Play Store page that the next major revision of the app will remove the beta tag.
What do you think about VLC for Android getting Chromecast support? What do currently use for playing your media? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Android Police
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