New photo app is all Selfies, all the time
We know what you’re thinking, but a new app called Selfies is actually kind of fun, considering that it’s a barely-promoted one-off from Automattic (the company responsible for WordPress). It told TechCrunch that Selfies was in development for eight weeks or so as part of the Gravatar universal avatar app before it became a separate thing. Trying the app showed that its basic-ness is part of the kick, since it let us post our own pic right after logging on. (We also found it to be a little rough around the edges with a few crashes.) Right now, there’s just a single public feed showing ever photo, but the company has plans to filter the best content soon. You can try it now for yourself, but only on Android — the company narrowly picked that platform to launch it first thanks to a user poll.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Software, Mobile
Via: Techcrunch
Source: Selfies
This floating 3D video shows ‘Star Wars’ holograms are closer than we think
Thanks to Princess Leia’s famous Star Wars plea, true holograms rank just behind flying cars as tech we want, nay deserve to have in our lifetimes — and Tupac-style flimflam won’t cut it. Now, an exhibition from artists Chris Helson and Sarah Jackets whimsically called “Help Me Obi” projects objects as large as 30cm (12-inches) in space. Visible from any angle in the room, the subjects include a newborn baby and NASA’s Voyager 1 space probe. The creators are quick to point out that the machine doesn’t create a true hologram, but rather a “360-degree video object.” We take that to mean that it’s more like a floating 3D movie that looks the same from any angle, rather than a true holographic object you can study from all sides. Since they’re seeking a patent, Helson and Jackets are coy about exactly how it works, but say that there’s nothing else quite like it (that they know of). If you’re in the Edinburgh, Scotland area between July 31st and August 30th, you can judge for yourself at the Alt-W exhibition.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Science, Alt
Via: CNET
Source: Helson and Jackets
Yezz Andy A4 Smartphone Review
It’s not all about the big hitters when it comes to smartphones, sure the likes of Samsung and HTC knock out some really great hardware which become the must have phone and receives the rave reviews but what about the budget smartphone ? The affordable handset market is worth $50 billion and is big business… Read more »
The post Yezz Andy A4 Smartphone Review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Microsoft Launches New Cortana vs. Siri Ad Showing Off Context-Aware Reminders
Microsoft today launched a new commercial comparing its new Cortana virtual assistant to Apple’s virtual assistant Siri, demonstrating how the former is able to perform contextually-aware tasks using a number of services.
Titled “Happy Anniversary”, the commercial shows Cortana and Windows Phone 8.1 running on the Nokia Lumia 635 as the narrator makes commands related around a wedding anniversary. First, the narrator asks Cortana to remind him to wish his wife a happy birthday he next time she calls, as the voice assistant schedules a reminder around the call. Meanwhile, Siri does not comply to the request.
The narrator then asks Cortana to remind him to get roses when he comes near any flower shop, while Siri once again does not comply. Finally, Cortana automatically gives a traffic reminder prompting the narrator to leave before traffic delays, as Siri finishes by saying “Now that is a smart phone.”
This is the first time that Microsoft has demonstrated its new Cortana voice assistant against Siri, however the company has used Siri’s voice to poke fun at the iPad in the past. Cortana was originally announced in April alongside Windows Phone 8.1, as Microsoft touted the virtual assistant’s ability to tie reminders and tasks around people and locations. Notably, a Windows Phone manager said last month that the company wants Cortana to be “pervasive” among mobile platforms, perhaps indicating that Microsoft could expand Cortana to iOS and Android.
Apple Close to Acquiring Radio Streaming Service Swell for $30 Million
Apple is close to acquiring talk radio curation service Swell for about $30 million, reports Re/code. Swell’s iOS app launched last year and allows users to listen to streaming audio from iTunes, NPR, ABC, ESPN and others through a design that emphasizes simplicity.
As a part of the acquisition, Swell will shut down its iOS app this week as its CEO Ram Ramkumar and other members of its development team will join Apple. Apple will likely look to use Swell’s technology to improve its own Podcasts app, which holds a 1.5 star rating and has been widely criticized for performance issues. Users of Podcasts also experienced an outage last month, as the app constantly crashed upon opening.
Apple’s purchase of Swell follows the acquisition of “Pandora for Books” startup BookLamp in April for a reported sum between $10 million and $15 million, as the company also acquired Beats Electronics this past May for $3 billion. It was revealed in the company’s Q3 2014 results earnings call that it had acquired 29 companies since beginning of 2013, with 5 coming from beginning of March quarter, not including Beats.
Korean baseball team recruits robots as stand-ins for fans
In South Korea, the Hanwha Eagles baseball team has gained a bunch of new fans that’ll never abandon them even if they lose every game they play. After all, these new die-hard supporters are robots — stomping, chanting, Mexican waving faceless robots designed to encourage human followers to cheer the Eagles on. They’re officially called “fanbots,” and they’ll occupy three rows in the bleachers during a game, toting LED placards that display fans’ (the flesh-and-blood ones) text messages for the team.Those screens that take the place of their faces? They also have a purpose: to display fans’ faces as they watch the game remotely. It’s definitely unusual, but the Eagles can use all the support they can get as they don’t exactly have a good record. And who knows — these fanbots could end up converting non-believers and getting more actual human supporters to show up at their games.
Filed under: Robots
Source: BBC, The Korea Biz Wire
How well do Uber drivers rate you?
Uber’s car service lets you rate your drivers, but it also lets them rate you. The customer might always be right, but some customers are simply jerks — and the system lets drivers know what they might be in for. Until now, there’s been no way to draw out your customer rating from the app, but with a little Javascript magic, courtesy of Aaron Landy, you can cajole Uber’s mobile site into spitting out your rating, out of 5. Log into Uber’s mobile site, then open the console (for Chrome: View -> Developer -> Javascript Console from the drop-down menu), and paste some javascript code in. The browser will reload, and you’ll need to paste the code again. Another reload, and a popup will offer up your user details and your passenger rating. The hack might even the odds a little: drivers have been able to see how passengers have ranked their rides for a while. It’s like leaving feedback on eBay all over again.
Only thing holding me back from a perfect 5 is that one driver who got a ticket and took it out on me.
– Sarah Silbert (@sarahsilbert) July 28, 2014
4.7 
RT @engadget: How well do @Uber drivers rate you? http://t.co/SWKftogyER pic.twitter.com/9xrGrVk1L0
– John Colucci (@johncolucci) July 28, 2014
Want to know the really super easy way of seeing your Uber rating? Ask your next driver to show you. Mine’s 4.3 apparently
– Kadhim (@kadhimshubber) July 28, 2014
5.0. The gold standard. How well do @Uber drivers rate you? http://t.co/fQgGLhdAxl
– Mat Smith (@thatmatsmith) July 28, 2014
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Source: Medium (Aaron Landy)
Why the Apple iPhone 6 may cause other phones to get slightly more Expensive
It’s probably somewhat of an understatement to say that many of us in the Android community couldn’t care less about what happens to Apple‘s latest rumoured device, the Apple iPhone 6. Unfortunately, its existence might have an undesired side-effect on the rest of the smartphone market, and it seems to stem from the fact that Apple has allegedly placed an order of 70-80 million iPhone 6s to be made in anticipation of its launch. While that in itself isn’t the issue, it’s the effect that it’s going to have on the contracted manufacturers that is going to affect many corners of the Android world.
Media in China have allegedly said to expect a 5-10% price increase on flagship devices due to Apple’s large order. The increase in price is reportedly going to be caused by contracted manufacturers needing to make iPhone 6′s with the limited resources they have; consider Foxconn, which manufacturers parts for not only Apple, but Sony, Motorola, Nokia and many others. Is seems this would inevitably push supply of these other devices lower, resulting in a price increase. Clearly I’m no economist, but Apple’s huge order looks like it is definitely going to have some kind of effect on the smartphone market, but it’s unclear whether manufacturers are happy to bear the brunt themselves or pass the costs onto buyers.
What do you think about the possibility of a price hike due to the manufacture of the Apple iPhone 6? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: udn.com via Phone Arena
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
The post Why the Apple iPhone 6 may cause other phones to get slightly more Expensive appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
How would you change the BlackBerry Q10?
BlackBerry was slow to see the danger of touchscreen phones, which meant that BlackBerry 10 was a year or so too late to arrive. When it did, however, the company launched the all-touch Z10 first, alienating the keyboard-loving faithful that clung to BlackBerry in its darkest days. But when the Q10 finally came, our Tim Stevens found it to be painfully average — and the subsequent year hasn’t been kind to either the device or the company. But lets talk about the hardware itself, talk to us about your experiences and what, if anything would you change? While you’re thinking that way, why not try writing a review of the device, too? Just hit the “Review Device” button and you can add your voice to that of our critics.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: Engadget Product Forums, Engadget Reviews
Apple Stores to Allow Customers to Purchase iPhone Through U.S. Carriers’ Early Upgrade Programs [iOS Blog]
Apple Retail Stores will soon allow customers to purchase an iPhone through U.S. carrier early upgrade programs including AT&T Next, Verizon Edge, and T-Mobile Jump, reports 9to5Mac. Apple is aiming to implement the new initiative right before the launch of the iPhone 6 this fall, as both Genius Bar workers and store employees will receive training on the program from Sunday, August 10 to Thursday, August 28.
Currently, Apple Store customers are only limited to purchasing an iPhone through a regular two-year contract at subsidized pricing or unlocked at full-price. All three early upgrade programs allow customers to upgrade their phones more frequently as the complete cost of a device is split into monthly payments which are rolled into the standard bill each month. Verizon and T-Mobile allow customers to upgrade their phones twice every year after six months of payments, while AT&T customers can upgrade once every 12 months after a year of payments.
The move also comes after Apple Stores began allowing customers to add pre-paid or month-to-month plans when purchasing full-priced, unlocked iPhones in June. Apple CEO Tim Cook noted last year that 80 percent of iPhones are sold at third-party locations while 20 percent are sold by Apple, adding that it was a figure he would like to improve. Apple has launched a number of other programs in its retail store to boost in-store sales, which included an event this past May encouraging iPhone 4 and 4s owners to update to a newer device.
AIVAnet 