This is what you’ll see when Google removes ‘Forgotten’ search results
It was only a matter of time until it happened, but Google has now started removing search results from its listings as part of the European Commission’s “Right to be forgotten” ruling. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company started implementing the blocks earlier today, weeks after it first started allowing individuals to request that the search giant remove listings that turned up against searches for their own names. Google says it has begun notifying successful applicants that their requests have been accepted, and we’re already noticing some high-profile searches are displaying removal notices.
The inclusion of this warning is notable: Instead of removing all traces of a result, it maintains a level of transparency and highlights that the company has complied with the law. However, anyone who has performed a search against a particular person’s name will instantly know they are trying to bury information they don’t want seen. You could say this highlights the absurdity of the ruling, in that the original content still resides on a news site or blog, just waiting to be found using a Google search engine hosted outside of Europe.
Via: Wall Street Journal
Three reminds Vodafone patrons they can still cancel their contracts for free
Vodafone decided in May to tell everyone it was committed to never increasing prices mid-contract, and Three was quick to highlight its identical policy — one that’s shared across the industry thanks to Ofcom regulations that state any customer can ditch their contract without penalty should pricing go up during the term. Vodafone then announced that same month it would be upping the cost of charges incurred when going above your monthly allowance of calls, texts and data. While the increases don’t technically affect monthly contract pricing, they still meet the Ofcom criteria thats allows customers to exit their contract scot-free. And, with the new overage charges coming into effect on June 28th, anyone that wants to take advantage of the easy out needs to tell Vodafone they’re leaving within the next few days.
Ever the opportunist, Three has taken to its blog to remind Vodafone customers they still have time to “break up” with their current carrier. Employing the comedic talents of Rufus Hound, Three has even commissioned an emotional parting letter you can use as a template to terminate your contract. Sure, it’s try-hard, please-go-viral PR complete with a recommended Twitter hashtag, but you’d be forgiven for getting a kick out it anyway. And, to be fair, the template will save you a bit of time if you’re too lazy to write a break-up letter of your own.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
The three faces of Android Wear, compared
Google made much ado about the debut of Android Wear at its I/O conference keynote, and few would doubt that this is a potentially sea-changing move in the wearable space. However, the company didn’t do much to address the differences between the first smartwatches using its brand new platform. How are you supposed to know which wearable suits you? That’s where we can help out. We’ve taken a good look at this first batch — LG’s G Watch, Motorola’s Moto 360 and Samsung’s Gear Live — to see how they compete. And it’s a closer fight than you’d think. While all three have their charms, you’ll be making some sacrifices no matter which model you choose.
LG G Watch
In many ways, LG’s G Watch is the template for Android Wear, the basic design that everyone will try to equal or beat. It has an unassuming steel chassis, a square display and a distinct lack of party tricks. Those aren’t necessarily knocks against it — if you’d rather not be flashy, this is the smartwatch for you. It also has a bigger battery than the Gear Live (400mAh versus 300mAh), so you could be looking at a longevity champ.
Having said all that, there are some worrisome points. Besides the fairly plain looks, it has a lower resolution (280 x 280), a thicker body (10mm) and a higher price ($229) than the Gear Live; if you only care about the raw numbers, you’re paying more to get less. And since LG’s rivals haven’t provided firm battery life estimates, we won’t know if the G Watch’s claimed 36-hour runtime is above-average for some time to come.
Samsung Gear Live
Design-wise, Samsung’s Gear Live strikes a balance between the plain G Watch and the posh Moto 360. It’s slimmer (8.9mm), sharper-looking (320 x 320) and more stylish than LG’s model, but not nearly the conversation starter that Motorola’s timepiece promises to be. It’s the only game in town if you’re a fitness maven, though; like its Gear 2 siblings, there’s a heart rate sensor that will let you know if your exercise is on track. At $200, the Gear Live may also be the cheapest of the lot.
You may want to see how the battery life works out in real life before you pull the trigger. Samsung is touting “all-day” usefulness, but it’s not saying how many hours you’ll get in practice. There’s a distinct possibility that LG or Motorola could come out ahead.
Motorola Moto 360
The Moto 360 has been the most buzzed-about Android Wear watch to date, and for good reason. In terms of style, there’s no contest — the round display and luxurious materials not only make this the best-looking Android Wear device so far, but the only one that could pass as a conventional watch at first glance. Motorola has also been far more eager to embrace third-party watch faces, some of which already use the circular layout to good effect. So long as you don’t mind a huge frame that would make Flavor Flav proud, it could easily be the frontrunner.
That is, so long as the specs pan out. Most everything about the Moto 360′s hardware is currently a mystery — Motorola still isn’t willing to divulge the battery life, performance, price or storage. There are hints that the exotic form factor could lead to a price tag around $249 or higher, and that big screen may be power-hungry. If you’re reluctant to risk making any major compromises in the name of fashion, we’d recommend waiting until more details emerge this summer.
Meet Adidas’ new smartband: the miCoach Fit Smart
It looks like Adidas is ready to launch a new fitness tracker called the miCoach Fit Smart, judging by leaks at the FCC, LegalForce and retailer Keller Sports. Product shots from the latter show a hybrid of Nike’s Fuelband and Adidas’ own miCoach Smart Run, with an LED dot display like the Fuelband rather than the Smart Run’s color LCD display. However, the Fit Smart does retain a more watch-like profile with a new, quick-locking band of some kind. It’ll clearly monitor your heart rate as well, perhaps via infrared with the green sensor pictured on the back of the device. The FCC page shows that it’ll pack Bluetooth 4.0 LE, aka Bluetooth Smart to communicate with your mobile device.
It’s also worth noting that Adidas was announced as one of Google Fit’s launch partners at I/O 2014 last night, suggesting it will feed data back into Google’s open health platform. We can’t help but notice the naming similarity as well — it’s the first time Adidas has used “Fit” in a wearable. We’ll have to wait for it to arrive officially to learn the rest of the story, but with Nike scaling back on Fuelband development, Adidas looks poised to pounce.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: FCC, Keller Sports, LegalForce
Roku’s remote control app comes to Windows Phones and tablets
This is not a great day for developers of the various third-party Roku apps available at the Windows Store. It’s an excellent day, however, for those who’ve been waiting on a free remote control app direct from the company itself. The app is compatible with Windows Phones as well touchscreen Windows 8 and RT tablets, but it’s not designed for mouse n’ keyboard setups. Just like the iOS and Android versions, it’ll scan your network and (hopefully) find all your players and channels, at which point it’ll act just like a regular remote, although it does appear to be missing the new enhanced search function found elsewhere. One other thing you might find lacking is the ability to stream your own choice of web files (.mov, .mp3 etc.) to your Roku box — you’ll still need an unofficial app for wild stuff like that.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Windows Phone Store, Windows Store
Google Search update rolls out, “OK Google” hotword now works from any screen.
With Google I/O in full swing and a mass of exciting new products and features are being announced, the company are not letting this get in the way of getting updates pushed out to its current Android OS.
One of the latest updates see Google Search 3.5.14 arrive which brings two very major enhancements, the first of which giving the ability to use the “Ok Google” hotword from not only any screen on your device but also running apps and the lock screen.This is nothing new for users of the Moto X as this has been a key feature of that phone since it launched but it should come as a welcome addition for the rest of us.
Along with the new hotword detection, the update also gives Google Search an Audio History feature which will learn the sound of your voice and the pronunciation of words to help make searches more accurate, although this feature could raise some privacy concerns, Google will let you opt out if you like.
Both implementations can turned on by diving into the settings in Google Now once you get the update but if you can not wait, the folks over at Droid-Life have a download link for the apk.
Source: droid-life
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Costco is now selling iPads and iPhones, with a patchy selection
Costco has a rough history with Apple products; the big-box chain sold Apple goods for a while, but pulled them in a huff after it was denied a chance to sell the original iPad. Time must have healed those wounds, then, since the retailer is now selling iPads and iPhones. There are some solid bargains, depending on what you’re looking for. The iPhone 5s for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon is selling for $78 on contract, a full $120 lower than the regular sticker; you can also lop $100 off the price of Verizon-ready editions of the iPad Air (now $520) and iPad mini with Retina display ($420).
Good luck tracking down exactly what you want, however. T-Mobile gear is only available through some Costco kiosks, and the only iPhone 5c on tap is a 16GB blue model for AT&T (which, strangely, sells for more than the higher-end 5s). Likewise, you’ll have to shop elsewhere if you want a cellular-equipped iPad for AT&T or Sprint. But hey, it’s a start — and if you don’t mind getting Apple gear when updated models are likely just a few months away, you’ll save some change.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9to5 Mac
Source: Costco (iPhones), (iPads)
Ofcom makes switching fibre broadband suppliers cheaper and easier
From July 1st, it could become a whole lot easier for you to switch between superfast broadband suppliers. After setting out its original guidance back in May, communications regulator Ofcom has gained approval from the European Commission to set new targets for BT. Currently, if you switch from one fibre-optic provider to another, Openreach (the company that controls BT’s phone and broadband infrastructure) will enforce a £50 connection fee against your new ISP, which can be passed down to you. Ofcom’s new rules will cut that wholesale fee down to just £11, shielding you from that value-added cost and allowing new companies to launch their own superfast services for less. Ofcom has also slashed the minimum-term contract between BT and ISPs from one year to just one month, and will force BT to fix line errors within two working days of you notifying them, if weather permits. Those small changes could make a big difference, especially if you’re looking for a cheaper short-term broadband supplier.
Filed under: Household, Internet
Source: Ofcom
Knitgadget: High-tech yarn can control devices and play tunes
See the glove in this video? It’s made of conductive yarn that’s 80 percent polyester and 20 percent stainless steel, which gives it the power to control electronic components. In fact, its creator, Royal College of Art student Yen Chen Chang, wired it so that it functions as a wearable musical instrument that’s both a keyboard and a guitar. This glove is but one of Chang’s unusual creations designed to control devices without the use of buttons and touchscreens, though. He also covered a huge ball with the magical yarn to control a juicer — the harder you squeeze the ball, the more juice you get. Then there’s the mat that controls a small electric fan when you rub it, and a thin strip of knitted material that can dim and brighten a lamp when you pull on it.
How does the technology work, you ask? Well, when you rub, pull or stroke the crocheted material, the stainless steel component experiences changes in conductivity. These fluctuations are then measured by an Arduino board and conveyed to the devices, which in this case are the juicer, fan and lamp. Chang believes his yarn has a future in wearable computing and dreams of working with sportswear companies that make knitted footwear in the future.
Filed under: Misc
Via: Wired
Source: Yen Chen Chang
Apple Planning to Launch New $199 16GB iPod Touch With Rear Camera, Multiple Colors
Apple appears to be planning on launching a new 16GB fifth-generation iPod touch, according to a source that spoke to MacRumors. The new iPod touch would be a 16GB version of the current 32/64GB iPod touch, coming in six different colors with a rear camera and a lower price tag of $199. Separately, iGen.fr reports that they have heard that a new iPod touch will indeed be launching on Tuesday of next week. Their source did not directly corroborate the pricing and specs, but did say it was a single model only, and not a revision of the entire iPod touch line.
Apple initially launched the 32/64GB fifth-generation iPod touch in October of 2012 with a $299 price tag, but later added a lower-cost silver-only 16GB iPod touch that stripped key features like a rear camera to lower the cost to $229.
As time passes and technology advances, component prices often drop, which may be why Apple is planning to bring feature parity to its iPod touch lineup nearly two years after the original launch of the fifth-generation iPod touch.
Apple’s fifth-generation iPod touch has been lauded for its ultrathin design and its bright colors, but spec wise, the product is inferior to the current iPhone 5s, with only an A5 chip and a 5-megapixel iSight camera, which may be another reason Apple is launching a lower-cost version of the device.
It is unclear what will happen to the existing 16GB iPod touch, but Apple could choose to lower the price of that device even further or discontinue it in favor of the new version with a rear camera.
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