iWatch Mass Production Might Start in November
Thus far, rumors have pointed to Fall 2014 as the potential launch date of Apple’s rumored iWatch, with some analysts predicting September as the likely launch window for the device and others reporting mass production would begin in July. KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo had predicted that the iWatch would enter mass production in late September, but is now revising his production to late November instead, due to the difficulties of the project.
Traditional watch-style iWatch concept by Gábor Balogh
We believe developing the hardware and OS of iWatch will be a much more difficult task than for Apple’s existing products.
Kuo points out that the iWatch uses many new hardware technologies, like a flexible AMOLED screen, a sapphire crystal cover and a much smaller form factor with higher waterproof standards than other highly advanced Apple devices. Additionally, Kuo notes that redesigning iOS for the iWatch may also be proving a difficult challenge for Apple.
Apple has reportedly been aiming to debut the iWatch at an October event, and has recently hired former Nike FuelBand team members and TAG Heuer’s sales director leading up to the expected launch. While there aren’t any reports on what the actual device may look like, there have been reports that there could be “multiple versions”, which could include watches with up to 10 sensors and a 2.5-inch screen. Apple has also been meeting with athletes to test out the device’s fitness capabilities.
With Apple aiming to debut the iWatch in October, it’s likely the Cupertino company launches the device well after its debut when production is in full swing, similar to the launch of the Mac Pro. Alternatively, Apple could launch the iWatch in limited quantities and increasing them once production fully ramps up.
Final ‘Halo 3’ Easter egg is actually a birthday wish
Okay, so you’re probably wondering why we’re talking about Halo 3 almost seven years after it originally released. That’s natural, it’s essentially a lifetime in the world of tech and video games. Well, here’s the deal: Halo 3‘s developers at Bungie were super-keen on tucking all manner of secrets away within the game and apparently the final one has only just been found. As Beyond Entertainment tells it, a few members of the Halo YouTube community have been following the breadcrumb trail of clues that Bungie’s been leaving for the past few years, and this Easter egg is a bit more personal than monkey people hidden in the game’s opening jungle level. In fact, it’s a birthday message for former senior-engineer Adrien Perez’s wife.
The catch is that this only appears on December 25th (or on a console with the system clock set to Christmas Day), and only after clicking in both analog sticks on the Xbox 360′s controller during a level-loading screen. Let’s be realistic, though, you probably traded the game in for pre-order credit at GameStop a long time ago — maybe even for that Halo 4-themed Xbox 360. In that case, we’ve embedded video of the action just below.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: BeyondEntertainment, Polygon
Source: YouTube
Bop.fm playlists don’t care which music service you use
You use Spotify, your brother is an Rdio guy and your girlfriend is all about Beats. So sharing playlists is basically a no-go. Bop.fm’s goal is to break down those walls by aggregating freely available music from a variety of sources. At the moment that list includes Spotify, Rdio, Beats, YouTube and SoundCloud, though you can only import playlists from the first two. When you sign up for Bop it detects what other services you’re connected to, and automatically plays back a track from wherever it’s available — even if that’s only as a video as YouTube. Of course, no music service is complete without its share of celebrity endorsers, so Bop.fm has enlisted Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and Paul McCartney to share playlists.
Filed under: Internet
These high-tech headphones will livestream your next gig
Let’s face it, most headphones pack a pretty short features list, and the majority of us are just fine with that. There’s wired and wireless, on-ear and over-ear, with all of them coming at a range of prices and catering to varying sonic sensibilities. We’ve seen social-minded cans pop up as of late, and now, a new offering looks to pack even more into a set of headphones. SoundSight packed in a 1080p camera, six microphones, voice control and an accelerometer into its wireless set. Not only does the audio add-on capture video from the wearer’s point of view, but it also offers livestreaming capabilities from the stage or studio.
Thanks to the companion app for Android and iOS, you can wrangle edits before broadcasting on social networks of your choosing. The smartphone-based toolbox enables adding music to clips when you need to swap out the audio, futzing with filters and sorting recording controls. If you’re concerned about having to hold your head just so to get a good angle, don’t be: the camera portion is mounted to the outside of the earcups, rotating 270 degrees so allow for proper adjustments. In addition to the requisite 3.5mm cable, a USB option is also included to those who favor that connection.
Remember we mentioned these are wireless? Won’t all of that extra stuff drastically cut into the battery life? Well, the company claims that with all of those features activated, you can expect around four hours of action from the 800mAh cell, getting bumped up to 18 hours when only the active noise cancellation is switched on. That may not be enough to broadcast your entire day, but it should certainly last for an entire set. The 1080p camera can capture 720p video at 30 fps, with Bluetooth streaming clocking in with 640p at 24 fps. If having all of that tech in one place sounds too good to pass up, SoundSight goes up for limited pre-order tomorrow at $349, with an official launch coming in next spring at the full $499 retail price.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
Source: SoundSight Headphones
Apple Cuts Some iTunes Song Previews From 90 Seconds to 30 Seconds
Back in 2010, Apple extended iTunes song previews from 30 seconds in length to 90 seconds on songs longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds, to give users a longer listening period before making a purchase.
It appears that some songs have now reverted to 30 second play lengths rather than 90 seconds, with many popular songs offering previews that are only 30 seconds in length on both the mobile and desktop versions of iTunes.
For example, previews of all songs on Sia’s new album are only 30 seconds despite all of the songs being longer than the 2 minutes and 30 seconds, a length that used to result in a 90 second preview. Many other popular albums are also demonstrating the same short 30 second previews. Coldplay’s entire discography, for example, has only 30 second previews instead of the 90 seconds of preview time that was previously available.
According to one MacRumors forum user, some songs that are only available for 30 second previews were available in 90 second lengths just hours ago. User complaints on Twitter also suggest that the shift is recent.
As early as a few hours ago these were all 90 seconds! If you remember, Apple made a big deal about switching to extended previews, now a lot of songs are reverting back. Seeing more 30-second previews now than 90-second on most albums I’ve checked.
Though most songs at the current point in time seem to be limited to 30 second previews, there are some exceptions. Certain albums continue to offer 90 second previews, as do all of the songs listed on Apple’s Top Charts. For example, Leela James’ album “Fall for You” continues to offer 30 second previews, suggesting the shift may be limited to certain artists or labels.
Back when Apple first made the switch to 90 second song previews, it experienced some delays due to licensing agreements, and it is unclear if licensing has once again become an issue. It is unknown at this time if the shift to 30 second previews is a simple glitch or a more permanent change.
(Thanks, MichaelSD!)
Engadget Daily: Google’s 3D-mapping tablet, Cuphead’s hand-drawn world and more!
Today, we take an in-depth look at Google’s 3D-mapping tablet, virtually tour Adam Savage’s man cave, explore the hand-drawn world of Cuphead and learn about a potential new purpose for plain copper wire. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Two years to Tango: the race to finish Google’s 3D-mapping tablet
Two years. That’s exactly how much time Google’s ATAP division was given to develop Tango, a first-of-its-kind 3D-mapping tablet. Read on as Brad Molen digs into the project’s ambitious start and race toward the finish line.
Cuphead: Bringing 1930s style to 21st century games
Cuphead, you say? At first glance, this upcoming, hand-drawn 2D shooter might appear to be a long-lost game from the 1930s, but it’s only meant to look that way.
Tour Mythbuster Adam Savage’s collection of collections with Street View
Mythbusters fans, it’s your lucky day. Thanks to Google’s indoor Street View, you can virtually tour serial tinkerer Adam Savage’s San Francisco workshop in all its gadget-filled glory.
Researchers get record broadband speeds out of old-school copper wire
You know those old, colorful cables in your telephone line? They might not be so outdated after all. Researchers from Alcatel Lucent’s Bell Labs claim they’ve achieved a world record of 10Gbps through standard copper wire.
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Filed under: Misc
Amazon asks the FAA for permission to play with its drones outside
Keep laughing at Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery video if you want to (cough, Netflix), but the company is moving forward as though it’s serious. Bloomberg points to a letter filed today with the FAA asking for permission to take its unmanned flying machines out of their test facility, “to do what
thousands of hobbyists and manufacturers of model aircraft do every day.” The FAA is still putting tight controls on the commercial use of drones, but Amazon Global Public Policy VP argues that one day its Prime Air drones will be as common a sight as mail trucks on the road are today. He says that the company’s indoor tests in Seattle have brought its “highly automated” small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS, for short) to ninth-gen vehicles — CEO Jeff Bezos told shareholders it was on the 5th and 6th gen in April. They can travel at 50mph carrying 5 lb packages (which covers 86 percent of Amazon’s deliveries) easily, and have been tested for agility, flight duration, redundancy plus other factors. The FAA has yet to respond to the petition, but who knows, maybe soon area residents can keep an eye on the sky and go Blu-ray hunting.
Filed under: Transportation, Amazon
Source: Regulations.gov (PDF), Bloomberg
OnePlus Two “Lettuce” is in the works?
This might sound a bit insane considering OnePlus One is still a relatively new device. People are still struggling to get their hands on invitations in order to buy that phone. OnePlus One is as high-end as they get and the sequel is allegedly already in the works.
Usually we’d just say “hell no!” to a rumor like this, but considering the source it’s worth a peek. @evleaks has a great track record as we’ve said numerous times and this time the leaker posted the following sentence on his page:
“OnePlus One:Bacon::OnePlus [Two]:Lettuce”
This is a huge tease by @evlekas. According to him OnePlus One’s codename was “Bacon” while the OnePlus Two’s is “Lettuce”. Unfortunately we don’t get any more information here, that’s it. As I’ve said, this is one huge tease when it comes to OnePlus One’s sequel, nothing more. It’s up to you if you’ll believe it and we’ll make sure to pass along new information as it comes to us.
Source: @evelaks
The post OnePlus Two “Lettuce” is in the works? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Bic boils down the world’s handwriting into one average typeface
As time marches on and the world grows smaller, we’re left with the understanding that we – you, me, and folks across the globe – are more alike than we realize. Except, you know, when it comes to handwriting. To commemorate selling billions of pens you’ve seen countless times in your life, Bic has set out to create what it calls the Universal Typeface: a series of characters created by basically averaging thousands of writing samples from people across the world.
You can check out the typeface in its current state right here, but be warned: Bic is taking submissions through August so what you see now isn’t necessarily the final product. If we’re being honest, the Universal Typeface doesn’t look entire like one of the handwritten examples you’d find one of those of hit-or-miss-but-mostly-miss free font sites. What’s perhaps more interesting is seeing how the “average” look of a letter differs from country to country; Japan’s capital “G” has a distinct, free-floating tail, while India’s is one single line with an aquiline hook. And Egypt’s “G”? it barely has that tell-tale tail at all. You can drill down to compare between genders and occupations too, but (as Smithsonian Magazine points out) the differences are far less satisfying. Itching to add your own chicken scratch to the mix? Feel free to contribute, but you’d better not mess with Antarctica’s brilliant E unless you actually live there.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Smithsonian Mag
Source: The Universal Typeface
iTunes Extras now available on Apple TV, will launch with iOS 8 in the fall
Apple’s iTunes Extras feature has offered customers a behind-the-scenes look at rented movies for some time, but up until now it only existed on the desktop. Thanks to an update that went out today, you’ll now be able to view iTunes Extras on your Apple TV. To get the additional content, your device must be running software version 6.2, which was released last week. The iTunes Extras material, including deleted scenes, images and director’s commentary, will automatically be added to your previously purchased HD movies. Additionally, movie studios will now be able to add more content to extras at any time. This update is good news for film buffs who use Apple’s set-top box, but it still leaves iPhones, iPads and iPods devices out in the cold. That will change when the company releases iOS 8 this fall, though, so iTunes Extras is slowly making its way to every important platform.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Apple
Source: iTunes Extras
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