Facebook Paper adds a trending section, hopes you’ll notice it
Remember Paper? That app for reading stuff from Facebook. It sure is pretty, but certainly has some issues in the functionality department. Well, last month it added some seemingly essential features that were missing from version 1.1, like event and birthday notifications. Today, to celebrate version 1.2, Facebook is adding support for hashtags, a trending posts section and photo tagging. Paper still isn’t anywhere near ready to replace the standard Facebook app but, now that you edit your profile or cover photo, you could rely on it for slightly longer. (Perhaps even tens of minutes!) There’s even autocomplete for friends names when you’re trying to tag them in post. Basically, Paper is coming into its awkward teenage phase. We can see the promise and the appeal — there’s glimmers of maturity beneath its awkward veneer. Perhaps most impressive is the fine grained controls that have been added for crafting and sharing updates. Switching between public and friends is just a tap away, even if you’ve already posted a missive to your wall. Between Home and Paper it’s easy to get a picture for how Facebook sees users interacting with its service in the future… unfortunately that future isn’t here yet.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Facebook
Source: Facebook
Jony Ive Speaks on Future Products, Working With New Materials
Over the weekend, The New York Times released an in-depth profile of Apple CEO Tim Cook. For that piece, the publication interviewed Jony Ive, Apple’s head of design, and now The New York Times has released a transcript of the full interview with Ive, which points towards Apple’s design philosophies, how the company has changed under Cook, and the new products that Ive is working on.
In an anecdote about Steve Jobs and the creation of small, highly focused design teams as his legacy, Ive says that Cook has continued on with Jobs’ push for innovation, nudging Ive and his team into new areas of exploration that includes all new materials.
I’ve worked for the last 15 or 20 years on the most challenging, creative parts of what we do. I would love to talk about future stuff — they’re materials we haven’t worked in before. I’ve been working on this stuff for a few years now. Tim is fundamentally involved in pushing into these new areas and into these materials.
Ive’s statement about working with new materials is incredibly vague, but rumors have suggested that Apple has been experimenting with a range of materials that have not yet seen wide usage in its devices, including sapphire crystal, which may make its way into the iWatch and the iPhone 6, Liquidmetal alloys, which the company may use for various iPhone parts, and possibly graphene, which is seen as the hot new manufacturing material.
Apple has experimented with sapphire as a cover for the home button and the camera lens on the iPhone 5s, and Liquidmetal has been used in the iPhone 3G’s SIM tool removal device, but both materials are ripe for extended usage in Apple’s future devices.
Along with hinting at future products, Ive also spoke on a recent management change that saw him taking over the software interface design team, saying that the changes made in that department are not as dramatic as one might imagine as the design teams have always worked together closely. According to Ive, titles are unimportant at Apple. “That’s not the lens through which we see our peers,” he says.
The rest of Ive’s interview can be read over at The New York Times. The full piece on Tim Cook, which has details on product development and Apple’s plans for the iWatch, is also well worth a read.
250 New Emojis Introduced Today, May See Inclusion in Future Versions of iOS
The Unicode Consortium today announced version 7.0 of the Unicode Standard, which will see the introduction of approximately 250 new emoji that could be included in future versions of the Android and iOS operating systems.
According to the Unicode Consortium, the new emoji characters are primarily derived from characters used in the Wingdings and Webdings fonts, as seen in an example image:
As noted by The Verge, Unicode member platforms like iOS and Android will need to implement support for the new standard and create pictographs to represent the emoji, which are only described by Unicode in plain text. Unicode
A full list of the new emoji names can be found on Emojipedia, which includes descriptions for each future emoji, such as “white sun behind cloud,” “man in business suit levitating,” “derelict house building,” “chipmunk,” “flying envelope,” and more.
Earlier this year, Apple began working with the Unicode Consortium to introduce more characters to its emoji offerings, adding diversity to the character set, but this update does not seem to focus on people emoji.
The Unicode update will also see the addition of new currency symbols for the Russian ruble and Azerbaijani manat, 23 lesser-used and historic scripts, plus many other symbols.
Amazon touts nearly 250,000 apps and games ahead of presumed smartphone launch
In what can only be a matter of sheer coincidence (hardly), Amazon is touting some incredible figures surrounding its Appstore. Nearly tripling in the last year alone, the selection now figures to more than 240,000 apps and games. What’s more, it’s widely available (nearly 200 countries) and continues to build steam. Developers seem to be more than pleased with the services and tools available and features like Amazon Coins only add to a high rate of user satisfaction.
Sounds like a lot of great stuff to entice new developers for that upcoming smartphone, eh?
Statistics shared by Amazon today:
- 65% of developers said that Total Revenue on Kindle Fire is the same or better than developers’ experience with other platforms.
- 74% of the same developers said that Average Revenue per App/User is the same or better on Kindle Fire than other platforms.
- 76% of developers indicated that the Kindle Fire platform helps them connect with new market segments—an important indicator that the Kindle Fire platform can be a significant source of net-new business and “reach” for developers at a time when new market segments may be difficult to find on competing platforms, the study noted.
We would expect Amazon to thump their chest a bit in the run-up to announcing their first smartphone. With all eyes on their new device later this week, the door is wide open for added revenue opportunities for developers.
The post Amazon touts nearly 250,000 apps and games ahead of presumed smartphone launch appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moto X+1 details and potential launch date surface
Motorola is getting ready for their next big device, which will be known as the Moto X+1. We now have more information and leak shots of the smartphone, courtesy of TK Tech News. According to the source close to Motorola, it will feature a 1080p display (we heard about a 5.2 inch one), 2GB of RAM, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, a better camera and a microSD card support.
When you think about Moto X, a phone with mid-range specs comes to your mind, but it seems Moto X+1 will change that perspective and the smartphone will be good enough to go head to head with big boys like HTC One and Samsung S5.
They further said that Motorola will release it in August or September.
Are you looking forward to Moto X+1 as well? Do you think it can revive Motorola’s legacy? Let us know in the comment box below.
Source: TK Tech News
The post Moto X+1 details and potential launch date surface appeared first on AndroidGuys.
‘Breaking Bad’ hits Netflix in 4K today
Are you jonesin’ for a fix of some new content to play on that fancy-dancy 4K Ultra HDTV in the living room? Netflix has some blue sugar for you, right on schedule. Breaking Bad hits the streaming service today in ultra high-def, and, with it, you’ll likely be able to count every hair in The One Who Knocks’ beard without a problem. According to Netflix’s Joris Evers, the new 4K feed is available “wherever” the service is, but that doesn’t account for whether or not your screen will actually support it.
Breaking Bad now streaming in Ultra HD 4K everywhere @netflix is available!
– Joris Evers (@jorisevers) June 16, 2014
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Joris Evers (Twitter)
Obama administration making the case for immigration reform with Nobel-winning STEM leaders
Nobel-winning biochemist Thomas Südhof isn’t necessarily a household name, but he is an incredibly accomplished gentleman with a delightful German accent. Südhof took up citizenship in the United States, he says in a video released by the White House, because he was “looking for opportunities to contribute” (seen below). As such, he’s banded together with a crew of other Nobel Prize winners from STEM fields — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — to support immigration reform.
So, why are these Nobel Laureates working with the White House on immigration reform? Biologist Randy Schekman sums it up nicely at the top of the video: “close to one-third” of the membership of the National Academy of Sciences is made up of folks who came to the United States from abroad. In so many words, many of the US’ top STEM leaders weren’t born in the US, but later came to embrace US citizenship. These Nobel Prize winners — and the White House — believe the immigration reform bill that’s waiting for the House of Representatives to vote on will entice even more STEM leaders to move to the US.
The video is part of a bigger initiative the White House is pushing to pressure the United States House of Representatives into passing the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” (PDF). Having successfully passed the US Senate last summer, the bipartisan bill is sitting in limbo while the House decides whether or not to hear it. Should the House not take up the bill for voting soon, it’ll likely be some time before any action is taken; with midterm elections this fall, hope for a vote will disappear sooner than later.
Beyond the video, the White House is publishing several blog posts that aim to, “highlight the importance and history of high-skilled immigrants to keeping our nation’s economy on the forefront of innovation,” a White House spokesperson said. We’re told that folks from the world of tech may even be involved — not exactly a first for Silicon Valley’s big names.
Regardless, consider today the kickoff for the White House’s tech and science arm getting involved in the immigration reform debate. And expect an even bigger push at this Wednesday’s first-ever White House Maker Faire; a video detailing said “faire” is just below.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin]
Filed under: Science
An adorable, Wellies-wearing robot will bum rides across Canada this summer
Humans have long wondered whether robots can be trusted, but what about the flip side of that question? Hitchbot, a project developed by researchers from McMaster and Ryerson universities, will examine how strangers interact with a bucket-shaped robot as it bums rides across Canada. With a pair of Wellington boots on its feet and pool noodles for arms, Hitchbot will be hitting the road in Halifax on July 27th.
If someone gives Hitchbot a lift, it will be able to communicate that it’s heading to Victoria, British Columbia, thanks to speech recognition and chatbot capabilities. It might even ask to be plugged into a car’s cigarette lighter for charging, or pass the time by sharing some of the knowledge it’s gleaned from Wikipedia. The robot will be active on social media throughout the journey too, with Facebook and Instagram accounts already up and running.
Spec-wise, the researchers kept their bot pretty simple, with audio, video, GPS and 3G. The bot’s torso and hat will also be wrapped in solar panels for charging. What the machine can’t do is move on its own — it will rely on helpful strangers for that. And while the little guy seems pretty darn amusing, there’s nothing preventing anyone from dismantling or otherwise harming Hitchbot. As stated in the bot’s first journal entry: “My journey’s success is reliant on those kind-hearted souls that I’ll hopefully meet along the way.” Steering clear of moose would be good, too.
Filed under: Robots
Via: CNet
Source: Hitchbot
New Retail Chief Ahrendts to Oversee Apple Store Restructuring, New Store Construction [iOS Blog]
Angela Ahrendts has plans to initiate a major restructuring of Apple’s Retail stores to promote better customer service and to streamline operations, reports 9to5Mac. At the current point in time, stores are organized into geographical regions, but Ahrendts wants to restructure, instead grouping stores based on sales volume and customer demographics.
This means that stores will now be grouped by how much of certain products they sell. This will heighten customer satisfaction and streamline Apple retail operations as now similar stores will have similar leadership and similar promotions. This move is not designed to institute John Browett-likely sales targets, but it is planned to create even more tailored experiences to individual stores.
In a letter sent to retail employees earlier this month, Ahrendts said she plans to “focus on and evolve the customer journey online and in our stores.” She wants customers to “feel surprised and delighted” by a personalized Apple experience.
Ahrendts has already restructured some of the retail executives working under her to streamline her department, and along with expressing interest in a redesign of the “end-to-end Apple Store sales experience,” she may also have plans to focus on an in-store mobile payments solution and furthering Apple’s business in China.
Ahrendts is expected to oversee the opening of 20 new Apple Stores in China through 2016, along with a new high-profile store in Italy and new locations across the United States.
G-Speed Studio 24TB RAID Storage Solution Takes on Mac Pro Design [Mac Blog]
G-Technology has introduced the new G-Speed Studio (via iLounge), a 4-bay Thunderbolt 2 storage solution configurable in RAID 0,1, 5, and 10. Taking strong design cues from Apple’s 2013 Mac Pro, the revamped G-Speed Studio features a shiny black enclosure that fits right in on a desktop also sporting a Mac Pro.
Wider than the Mac Pro, the G-Speed Studio also features smart fan technology and a plug-and-play Mac setup. With dual Thunderbolt 2 ports that can be daisy-chained, it has transfer rates of up to 700MB/second, supports up to 24TB of storage, and includes four 7200 RPM Sata III Enterprise Class hard drives.
G-SPEED Studio (RAID)- A hardware RAID 4-Bay Thunderbolt 2 storage solution. Configurable in RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10, G-SPEED Studio features Thunderbolt 2 technology for ultimate speed. With sustained transfer rates of up to 700MB/sec and the ability to daisy-chain via dual Thunderbolt 2 ports, this RAID solution ships with Enterprise Class Hard Drives and is designed to support multistream compressed 4K and 2K workflows.
The 12TB G-Speed Studio is available from the G-Technology website for $2,199.95, while the 16TB and 24TB can be purchased for $2,699.95 and $3,599.95, respectively.
AIVAnet 