Google Play for Education comes to student Chromebooks
If Google really is on a quest for global domination, as some folks loudly proclaim, then it’s wisely starting its efforts in the classroom. In addition to attracting schools to its Chrome OS platform, via low-cost Chromebooks, it’s now also offering them access to the “Google Play for Education” hub through those devices. This hub contains apps, books and videos that are especially tailored to kids plowing through their primary and secondary education in the US, and it was previously only available to those who had a school-provided Android tablet.
Via: TNW
Source: Google Enterprise Blog
Claimed 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Rear Shell Shown in Video With iPhone 6 Mockups, iPhone 5s
Japenese blog Mac Otakara today published a video showing what is claimed to be the rear shell from a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 alongside the iPhone 5s and several iPhone 6 mockups. Similar to earlier photos, the Mac Otakara shell includes a complex internal structure and cutouts for the camera, flash and Apple logo.
In line with previous rumors, the shell is significantly thinner than the iPhone 5s and has all of the anticipated cutouts for the iPhone 6, including a mute switch and elongated volume buttons similar to those on the current iPod touch. The shell also houses a cutout for a SIM card tray and possibly the power button, which may be moved from to the top edge to the side to make it more accessible when using the larger phone single-handed.
Apple may unveil both the 5.5-inch and the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 simultaneously, with September 19 as a possible launch date. Based on Apple’s past releases, a media event to introduce the new hardware would come roughly a week and a half prior to that date. Both models are said to include a faster A8 processor and new camera options that may see the 4.7-inch version ship with an advanced lens and the 5.5-inch version exclusively use optical image stabilization to improve photo quality.
iOS 8 Beta 3 Reportedly Not Launching Until Tuesday, July 8
The third beta release of iOS 8 will not occur until Tuesday, July 8, according to a report from BGR. That timeframe would mark a three-week interval following the release of the second beta last week.
Apple commonly begins seeding versions of its major new iOS versions on roughly two-week intervals, moving to three-week intervals later in the testing period as work progresses. For example, with iOS 7 last year, the second and third betas arrived two weeks after their predecessors with the fourth beta shifting to a three-week interval. Apple did, however, then follow that with several intervals of around a week as it pushed out an urgent bug fix.
iOS 6 followed a similar pattern without the interim bug fix, seeing a two-week interval leading up to the second beta before quickly shifting to three-week intervals for the third and fourth betas.
BGR has a good, but not perfect, track record in predicting iOS beta releases, so it seems likely that there will be no iOS 8 beta release next week.
‘OK Google’ voice commands are coming to your Android lockscreen
“OK Google.” The phrase is slowly working its way across Google’s mobile and web services, but the touchless control is about to get even better for many Android users. Previously limited to just the homescreen on Android 4.4 KitKat devices and anywhere on the Moto X (thanks to its always-on listening chip), the voice-activated command will soon be enabled on any screen, including the lockscreen, on your smartphone or tablet. That’s not all, either: Google’s also including a new Audio History feature that learns the sound of your voice to increase the accuracy of your searches.
The features come as part of an update to the Google Search app, which is currently rolling out slowly to devices following Google’s I/O keynote. Google is making the feature available on a phone-by-phone basis, meaning that even if you are able to grab the relevant app file, you still might not be able to use it. If you are eligible, however, all you have to do is navigate to your Google Now settings and enable the options inside the “OK Google Detection” menu.
[Image credit: Droid Life]
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Droid Life
Source: Google Search (Play Store)
Apple drops iPod touch prices, adds a dash of color and iSight camera to 16GB model
Apple has finally brought parity to its iPod touch line, which before treated the 16GB model as some sort of necessary, but unwanted, entry point for the family. It only came in one color, didn’t have a camera and seemed a tad overpriced at $229. Today Cupertino finally rectified this long standing wrong. For one, the smallest model now clocks in at a reasonable $199. More importantly though, it finally comes in the same rainbow of hues and sports the same 5MP iSight camera as its bigger brothers. While clearly the 16GB version got the most love today, the 32GB and 64GB models have some news to report of their own. The middle child is now only $249, while the biggest of the three siblings is now only $299 — that’s $100 less than its original price. The new prices and colors are available in the Apple store now.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Apple
Source: Apple
This robot bakes the world’s most expensive flatbread
You wouldn’t expect robots to be into baking, but we’ve seen more than a few examples of the two coming together. Rotimatic is the latest smart kitchen appliance that wants to take the effort out of making Roti — hot flatbreads. It was invented by Pranoti Nagarkar, who found making Roti by hand so tiresome, that she built the device to save her having to do it herself. It works by pulling together flour, oil and water from three hoppers, mixing them into a dough and baking it into bread in under two minutes.
Admittedly, you’re buying a device that does one job, but at least you can tweak the options to decide upon the thickness, baking duration, quantity of oil and type of flour on the built-in LCD. It can also work out if the consistency of the dough is correct as it’s making it, and if it’s feeling a little off, can add ingredients to correct the problem before cooking. It all sounds impression but, unfortunately, advances in technology come at a price. For the lucky first few hundred pre-order customers, the Rotimatic will be available for $600, with all of the latecomers being asked to spend $1,000 on the hardware. We can’t imagine too many people shelling out that sort of cash just to save a few minutes in the kitchen, but if you’re sick to the back teeth of rolling your own flatbread, and you eat enough to justify that sort of investment, you can make your orders from now.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Rotimatic
Damon and Affleck revive ‘Project Greenlight’ filmmaker search on HBO
We’re going to bet that everyone has probably daydreamed of making a movie at least once in their life. To help those Scorsese flights of fancy come true, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are back in the saddle of HBO’s Project Greenlight, the reality series that follows a film project from start to finish. Compared to the show’s initial run (in the early 2000s, before options like Red Digital Cinema or YouTube were popular), though, this will be a bit different. The duo (along with a cadre of production talent) is only looking for directors for this season — scribes need not apply — and wannabe Finchers must submit their three-minute-or-less clip via the show’s Facebook page. Should your sample get accepted, you’ll have to endure the typical day-to-day of a director: dealing with prima donna actors and heat from the studio, staying on schedule and hopefully not deviating from the budget. Sound like the gig for you? Then get cracking: the submission window runs from July 24th to August 8th this year.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Project Greenlight (1), (2)
Where to buy the LG G3
The G3 is LG’s latest flagship, and as far as we’re concerned, the best handset the Korean company has ever made. It also officially launches for the UK market today. Despite the G3 having top-of-the-range hardware including a frankly insane 5.5-inch Quad HD display (2,560 x 1,440), LG hasn’t yet managed to build a mobile brand that’s as popular as some of the big players. As such, carriers and retailers aren’t all as keen on the G3 as they are on, say, the perpetually advertised Galaxy S5. There are still plenty of ways to get your hands on one, however, whether you’re looking for a new contract, pay-as-you-go device or an unlocked model.
| Three | O2 | Carphone Warehouse | buymobiles.net | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest contract (with upfront) | £38 (£29) | £13 (£530) | £33 on O2 (£50) | £30 on EE (£60) |
| Cheapest contract (no upfront) | £35 | £38 | £38 (O2) | £33 (EE) |
| Pay-as-you-go | £500 | £530 | – | – |
| Unlocked (SIM-free) | – | – | £480 | – |
As you can see, it’s only really half of major UK carriers and retailers that’ve decided to stock the G3, although Vodafone did say it was interested at one point — lesser-known online retailer buymobiles.net also gets an honourable mention for its £33 per month contract option on EE’s network, which demands no upfront payment. In terms of MVNOs, only giffgaff has the G3 on offer for just under £20 per month with a £50 one-off payment, or for £479 on pay-as-you-go. The usual suspects Clove and Unlocked Mobiles (as well as Carphone Warehouse, of course) have SIM-free models in stock (Clove’s also bundling every handset with a free wireless charger), but the cheapest place to get an unlocked unit is Currys, of all places, where they’re going for £479. That’s cheaper than the least expensive pay-as-you-go deal, so make sure you don’t go buying a carrier-locked model when you can actually save money opting for a SIM-free device.
Filed under: Cellphones, LG
Android TV announced by Google
As you no doubt know by now, Google’s developer conference I/O kicked off yesterday with the keynote address. While I was unable to attend the conference in person I did watch the live stream on my computer. And, as many of you understand, one of the numerous announcements that Google made was Android TV – an evolution of the less than popular Google TV. Here is a quick run down of things that you may find important in the next-gen attempt at Google play for TV.
Android TV is in an attempt to unify Smart TVs under one OS and use the same API so that it is easier to get apps onto your TV. Another important point is that there is one SDK to write apps for all Android forms factors. With Android TV, you can search through your TV shows and movies easily using your phone or smart watch. You can also control your TV using a physical controller.
Controlling a smart TV with a smart phone might not be such new news to you; you might be wondering “Is that all they got?” Well no. Google has really worked hard putting together this Android TV experience for you. In addition to standard things that are becoming the standard with smart TVs, Android TV is backed with Google’s own Play Store. With the Play Store, you get the Play Games. In the keynote, they demonstrated how you can also use your Android TV to play games with your friends. They show one guy playing with a controller hooked up to the TV against another guy playing on his tablet.
Another feature of the Android TV is that it comes with Chromecasting built in. This means that you can use your Android TV the same you would use a TV with a Chromecast plugged into it. It also has Screen Mirroring which means that whatever you see on your device screen will display on your TV! You can cast anything and everything with the push of a button.
You can learn more about the Android TV from the keynote video itself here. They start discussion about the Android TV at 1:45:10
The post Android TV announced by Google appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Launches New 16GB iPod Touch for $199, Drops 32/64GB Models to $249/$299
Following our report from earlier today, Apple has launched its new entry-level 16 GB fifth-generation iPod touch, while also cutting the price on the current 32/64 GB iPod touch, offering them for $249 and $299, respectively. The new iPod touch is available in six different colors with a rear camera and a lower price tag of $199.
The 16 GB model now offers the same features as the larger capacity models, although the Loop wrist strap is sold separately on the 16 GB model and included with 32 and 64 GB models.
The fifth-generation iPod touch originally debuted in October of 2012 with a $299 price tag, but Apple expanded the lineup with a lower-cost, silver-only 16GB model that shipped without a rear camera and lower price point of $229. This new $199 16GB model replaces the $229 model in Apple’s iPod touch lineup.
AIVAnet 