Google Hangouts v2.1.311 Update Rolling Out [APK Download]
It is that happy time of the week where we all expect Google to push out updates to a wide range of their apps that we all use and love. So far this morning we have seen a small bug fix and performance update go out for Google Drive and an update for Google Hangouts. The new Hangouts update moves it v2.1.311 from v2.1.224. It isn’t a milestone update with a ton of new features, at least not that I can tell. The only significant visual change that I noticed is a drop down menu to change which account you are using.
Seems to me that this used to be there before, but as you can see in the screenshots above it wasn’t present in the previous version of the app. Also the settings for your accounts has changed. Now it gives you all your accounts in one list to change the settings for each. (as seen below. New on the left, old on the right.)
I did notice one other minor change, one Emoji got a color change from orange to white. Not a big deal really.
Head to the Play Store and check and see if the update is waiting for you and pick it up. If it isn’t and you just can’t wait, then hit the link below to pick up the APK and install it on your own.
[Update] Well, that didn’t work out so well now did it. I didn’t notice the change account on the previous version that was on my other phone because I just flashed it and only signed in with one email address.
Google Hangouts v2.1.311 APK download
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Pelican Announces Rugged Case for the Already Rugged Samsung Galaxy S5 Active
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is the tougher variant of the Samsung Galaxy S5 with all the same specs minus the finger print scanner and adds a tough shell plus three physical buttons. Even the most rugged of devices can’t always stand up to the tests the most rugged users out there can put it through. One of the roughest and toughest case manufacturers out there agrees and have produced a new case for the Galaxy S5 Active, meet the Pelican ProGear Voyager.
“By its nature, the Galaxy S® 5 Active smart phone finds itself with those living a more adventurous lifestyle,” said David Becker, Vice President of Sales, Consumer Electronics, at Pelican Products. “The Pelican ProGear™ Voyager case is built to protect your smart phone from whatever adventure life throws at you.”
The case is built with 360 degrees of protecting in mind and is engineered to military (mil-spec) standards. It is a 4 piece case made with polycarbonate, energy-absorbing Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) and polyurethane rubber. The case also comes with a scratch resistant screen protector that fits over the screen and under the front part of the case. As an added bonus, it also comes with a spring-loaded belt clip holster that doubles as a multi-position stand for watching flicks.
The Pelican ProGear Voyager is available for purchase in grey/black and white/grey color combos for $50 through AT&T’s webstore.
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Apple TV May Gain Deeper Integration With iOS and Macs via Continuity
Developers who have installed the newest iOS 8 beta, the latest version of OS X Yosemite, and the current Apple TV beta, all released yesterday, have noticed a new pop up notification suggesting the Apple TV will gain some of the Continuity features Apple introduced during its Worldwide Developers Conference.
As noted by 9to5Mac, the notifications are being received on Macs running on the same local WiFi network as Apple TVs that also have the newest software, suggesting at the least, that with Yosemite, Macs will be able to interact with the Apple TV in new ways.
It is unclear how Yosemite and the Apple TV might interact as any Continuity features between the two are not yet functional, but it is possible that a feature like Handoff could be used in conjunction with AirPlay, allowing a movie, TV show, or music to be seamlessly transferred from one device to another.
It’s also possible the Apple TV could display notifications when a phone call is incoming to an iPhone, much like the Mac and the iPad are able to do. Call notifications and on-screen caller ID are not far-fetched, as some telecommunications providers that offer TV, Internet, and phone access are able to display caller information on screen.
Continuity features like Handoff appear to require Bluetooth 4.0, a feature that is only available in the third-generation Apple TV. Yesterday’s update was only available for third-generation Apple TVs, providing more evidence that the device is likely to gain some Continuity features.
OS X Yosemite, the new Apple TV software, and iOS 8 are all expected to be released to the public in the fall after an extended beta testing period. Apple is also said to be working on an upgraded Apple TV set top box with new capabilities, which could also take advantage of Continuity features.
Evidence of iPhone 6 Atmospheric Pressure Sensor Found in iOS 8
Apple may add an atmospheric pressure sensor to the iPhone 6, according to a report by 9to5Mac. This follows on a rumor from March that suggested the iPhone 6 could include humidity, temperature and pressure sensors when it comes out this fall.
A barometer is used to measure atmospheric pressure, giving indications on current and future weather trends as well as altitude data. The report says new APIs in iOS 8 reference altitude data, including one called “isRelativeAltitudeAvailable” that tells apps if a device “supports reporting relative altitude changes”. For an iPhone 5s, the API returns “no”.
According to sources at Apple, the Cupertino-company has been working on an updated version of the Compass application that includes altitude tracking, so perhaps that application, which was originally added in 2009 alongside the iPhone 3GS, is what customers will utilize to track their altitude.
iOS 8 is expected to be launched this fall alongside new, larger iPhones. The altitude and pressure sensors could make an appearance in the phone as well as new iPads that are expected later this fall.
The man who defined net neutrality is running for office in New York
Many will tell you to run for office if you really want to change the political status quo. Tim Wu, the professor who defined the term “net neutrality,” has clearly taken that advice to heart — he’s now running for lieutenant governor in New York state. As he explains to the Washington Post, he sees this as a chance for state governments to get more of a say in both net neutrality issues and telecom mergers. People aren’t happy with “concentration in the media industries and tech industry into political strength,” Wu says.
He’d particularly like to pressure New York regulators into challenging Comcast’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable. While federal law might let the takeover go ahead, the state isn’t beholden to those rules; it might just stymie the entire deal if it decides that the merger hurts consumers. Wu notes that New Yorkers are sensitive to both never-ending price hikes and telecoms that act with seeming impunity. They’ve been especially upset with Verizon, which both limited its FiOS deployment in the state and refused to reinstall some landline phone service in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
Wu is aware that he and the gubernatorial candidate he’s running with in the Democratic primary, Zephyr Teachout, are “underdogs” compared to incumbent Andrew Cuomo. All the same, he believes that there’s at least some chance of victory. He also sees Teachout as a good match — she’s interested in a company-independent approach to supporting the state economy, so it only makes sense that she gets help from a net neutrality advocate that won’t play favorites. Whether or not the two beat the odds, they may at least draw more attention to telecom policies that are frequently relegated to the sidelines in political debates.
[Image credit: Stanford Center for Internet and Society, Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Washington Post
Scientists use lasers to understand how water stays liquid below its freezing point
We only remember a few things from science 101, but we’re reasonably certain that water boils at 212 degrees (Fahrenheit) and freezes at 32. Scientists at Stanford’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, armed with a Linac Coherent Light Source X-Ray Laser, however, have shown us otherwise. Should you be armed with such a device, the normal rules of physics no longer apply, and — for the first time — it becomes possible to observe water right down to its molecular level, even while it is supercooled as a liquid to minus 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
Although supercooling water has long been possible, it’s been mostly impossible to observe and understand what happens during this process. One of the key things that the SLAC team has discovered, by using the X-Ray laser, is that water is able to, for want of a better word, “sweat.” As they sent chilled droplets down a vacuum chamber into the eye of the laser, they observed that some droplets rapidly evaporated, allowing the rest of the water to enter its supercooled state. What’s the point in all of this? The atmosphere absorbs different levels of solar radiation depending on if the water is in a crystalline or liquid state. Being able to understand how much of each is floating around the earth at any one time is key to being able to predict levels of climate change — and, hopefully, finding a way to prevent it.
[Image credit: Greg Stewart / SLAC]
Filed under: Science
Twitter now lets you share gifs on the web, Android and iPhone
And there was much rejoicing.
Starting today, you can share and view animated GIFs on http://t.co/wJD8Fp317i, Android and iPhone. http://t.co/XBrAbOm4Ya
– Twitter Support (@Support) June 18, 2014
Filed under: Internet
Source: Twitter Support (Twitter)
Apple discounts the books Amazon refuses to stock
If you head over to iTunes and look for book pre-orders at $9.99 or less, you may notice something strange: they’re all Hachette titles. That’s no coincidence — Amazon is delaying shipment on Hachette books right now, a negotiating tactic it calls an “essential business practice.” Authors and publishers think otherwise, with one referring to it as “extortion” that’s “illegal when the Mafia does it.” As Re/Code pointed out, however, it’s ironic that Apple is offering cut rates on Hachette books, considering it was found guilty of conspiring with the publisher to raise prices. Apple has since settled class-action suits that resulted from that judgement, though it won’t have to pay if it wins its appeal against the DoJ. Either way, Apple is set to profit by selling buzzy new titles like J.K. Rowling’s well-reviewed Silkworm, since Amazon has essentially kneecapped itself. Let’s face it though — Apple also likely enjoys razzing the book industry’s 800 pound gorilla.
Filed under: Internet, Apple, Amazon
Via: Forbes
Source: iTunes
Live from Amazon’s phone announcement in Seattle!
Look, Amazon didn’t exactly hide the fact that today’s mystery product announcement would be its long-rumored 3D phone. But with the exception of the occasional picture, the company did a decent job of keeping its new handheld device out of the public eye. Now Amazon’s ready to show off the new Kindle Fire phone (or whatever it ends up being called), and we’re here to bring you the news as it happens. Enjoy!
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Google, Amazon
Amazon announces the Fire Phone
Yep, it’s a phone alright. Amazon officially unveiled the Fire Phone today at a special press event held in Seattle. Consistent with the rumors, Amazon’s first ever phone has a 4.7-inch Gorilla Glass display with a HD resolution screen (we’re assuming it’s 720p).
Developing…
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Amazon
AIVAnet 