The Piper smart hub monitors and manages your home for £119
“Connected home” gadgets are all about giving you greater awareness and control over what’s happening in your crib. Most “internet of things” products for the home at targeted to specific uses, such as remote surveillance or heating control. Piper is slightly different, in that it attempts to tie all types home automation and security together into the one control centre. The device initially launched on Kickstarter where it achieved its funding goal three times over. Now, almost a year later, it’s ready for a European retail release.
The Piper hub itself plays host to a 1080p camera with a fish-eye lens for home monitoring, and various sensors that keep track of motion, temperature, humidity and light. It also packs a microphone, a 105-decibel siren, and a loudspeaker through which you can broadcast your voice remotely over Piper’s companion mobile apps. With a focus on security and environmental observation, the main hub can be one of up to five per home. What makes Piper way more useful than the individual product alone, though, is that it communicates with all manner of other sensors and peripherals using the Z-Wave wireless standard.
These can be anything from other security-focused accessories, like door sensors and locks, to lighting, power and heating controllers. The brain itself connects to the internet via WiFi and all of its functions, including those of the Z-Wave devices, are controlled via Piper’s Android and iOS apps. Furthermore, you can view live footage and recorded clips from the camera, talk to any current visitors and view long-term records from any of the on-board or paired sensors, among other things. In addition to pushing notifications to your smartphone based on trigger criteria you’ve created, you can also set up scheduled events and more complicated rules like “turn living room lights on if motion is detected.”
The idea is that Piper is both a standalone device with various uses and a platform for you to realise all kinds of home automation and security scenarios. There are plenty of Z-Wave devices around to make them happen, and the hub itself will be available online from July 15th for £119 in the UK or 146 euros elsewhere per Piper (no subscription fees thereafter).
Filed under: Cameras, Household, Internet
Source: Piper online store
Showtime’s Anytime TV service starts streaming on your Xbox 360
If you’re hanging on to an Xbox 360, you now have an easy way to catch up on Nurse Jackie or Penny Dreadful without reaching for the DVR remote. Showtime Anytime has finally reached Microsoft’s previous-generation game console, letting you stream both live and on-demand shows so long as you already get Showtime through a conventional TV provider. It won’t please cord cutters any more than earlier Anytime releases because of that limitation, but it should be handy for a bedroom TV. And don’t fret, Xbox One owners — there’s an app coming for the newer system later this year, so you won’t be Showtime-free for much longer.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Showtime Press Express
HTC update roadmap for Android 4.4.4 leaked
For those set on keeping up with the latest firmware but found often frustrated with the pace at which OEM’s release their updates can get an idea of how quickly they can expect to receive Android 4.4.4 for their HTC handsets.
Including devices such as the HTC One M7 and HTC One M8, the leaked schedule shows when such devices can expect to get Android 4.4.4.
The roadmap shows some devices will be kept up to date, whilst others are forgotten as we have so become used to in the Android world of recent years.
Any surprises in there for you?
Source: XDA
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FTC Accuses T-Mobile of Knowingly Charging Customers for Fraudulent Services
The United States Federal Trade Commission today filed a complaint against T-Mobile, accusing the carrier of charging customers for unauthorized SMS subscriptions that delivered information like horoscopes and celebrity gossip at prices up to $9.99 per month.
T-Mobile reportedly collected 35 to 40 percent of the amount charged to consumers, at times continuing to bill customers even after it was clear the charges were fraudulent. According to the FTC, T-Mobile made “hundreds of millions of dollars” using these tactics.
The FTC suggests that the charges were unauthorized because of the high volume of T-Mobile customers seeking refunds. The company has allegedly received a high number of consumer complaints since 2012. T-Mobile is also said to have made it difficult to detect the charges, as a summary bill did not show a third-party charge or a recurring subscription. T-Mobile bills also made it “nearly impossible for consumers to find and understand third-party subscription charges.”
After looking past a “Summary” section as well as an “Account Service Detail” section, both of which described “Usage Charges” but did not itemize those charges, a consumer might then reach the section labeled “Premium Services,” where the crammed items would be listed.
According to the complaint, the information would be listed there in an abbreviated form, such as “8888906150BrnStorm23918,” that did not explain that the charge was for a recurring third-party subscription supposedly authorized by the consumer.
T-Mobile also failed to provide full refunds to customers after the charges were discovered. The FTC is asking for a court order to prevent T-Mobile from continuing to charge customers for fraudulent services and to provide full refunds for its “ill-gotten gains.”
T-Mobile has not yet commented on the FTC’s complaint, but the company’s outspoken CEO, John Legere, will undoubtedly have a response.
In recent months, T-Mobile has worked hard to distinguish itself from other mobile phone carriers with its “UnCarrier” initiatives designed to disrupt traditional mobile service. The company has uncoupled device costs from service costs, introduced a Jump upgrade plan, provided unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 countries, offered customers up to $350 to switch carriers, and announced plans to allow customers to “test drive” the service.
Aperture Replacement ‘Photos’ to Offer Image Search, Editing, Effects and Plugins
Last week, Apple announced that the company would be discontinuing their Aperture photo management software to focus development on the new Photos app that was introduced at WWDC. Details on Apple’s new Photos app, however, remains scarce, leaving Aperture users with a lot of uncertainty.
Ars Technica was able to get additional information from an Apple representative, who indicated that certain professional-grade features would be coming to the new Photos app:
When asked about what Aperture-like features users can expect from the new Photos app, an Apple representative mentioned plans for professional-grade features such as image search, editing, effects, and most notably, third-party extensibility.
Some of these editing features are already depicted in the screenshot that Apple released of Photos at the time of the announcement:
Click for Full Size Screenshot
The screenshot shows an adjustments panel with settings for Light (Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, Brightness, Contrast, Blacks), Color (Saturation, Contrast, Cast), Black & White (Hue Strength, Neutral Boost, Photo Tone, Grain), Definition, Vignette, White Balance, and Levels.
Apple has promised that existing Aperture users will be able to import their libraries into the new OS X Photos app. Photos is expected to be released early next year.
Vine’s loop counts tally plays in six-second increments
Until now, Vine’s stats only indicated likes and revines for those carefully crafted six-second masterpieces. With an update rolling out today, Twitter’s video app tacks on a real-time loop count tallying plays across both mobile and embedded footage the web. There’s also a redesigned feed with larger videos and polished likes and comments. In the activity tab, new items are easily recognizable alongside the older stuff, and notifications are now included for post milestones (100 likes, for example). The new version is headed to both Google Play and iTunes, so both Android and iOS users will be able to snag the latest.
Source: http://blog.vine.co/post/90463642406/introducing-loop-counts
Breakout, Centipede and Asteroids, now in your Denny’s app
Denny’s — or as Denny’s and no one else calls it, “America’s Diner” — has partnered with Atari to create…interesting versions of classic games Breakout, Centipede and Asteroids. The games are free, and available now in both iOS and Android app stores via the Denny’s app. Whether you can stomach what they’ve become in the transition — from classic games to a “retro, remixed promotion” for a trio of new dishes at a chain of diners — is the question you’ll have to ask yourself. Breakout becomes “Take-out”; Asteroids becomes “Hashteroids”; and Centipede becomes “Centipup.” There’s a trailer too that’s only slightly soul-crushing.
We couldn’t help but share these game descriptions as well, straight from whoever at Denny’s was hired to write madness.
- Hashteroids – You’re aboard the SS Denny’s Condiment Transport ship and the mission is clear: deliver 40 tons of condiments to the 4th planet in sector 7d.
- Centipup – Once upon a time, a young boy named Danny came across a bottle of syrup and with just a slight squeeze the bottle’s sticky contents had the power to turn anyone or anything into a fried egg.
- Take-out – A wall made entirely of delicious Denny’s breakfast items appears blocking all the take-out orders from their rightful owners. The only way to feed customers is to break down that wall!
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Handhelds, Tablets, Software, HD
Source: iOS App Store, Google Play Store, Atari
T-Mobile will sell the US’ first Windows Phone 8.1 device on July 5th for $99
If you’ve been waiting for a US-friendly device that ships with Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box, you can stop twiddling your thumbs. T-Mobile is launching Nokia’s Lumia 635 (aka the Lumia 630 with LTE) this month for $99 up front, or $7 per month — not bad for a phone with Cortana and other features that aren’t officially available elsewhere right now. Just when you’ll get this spiritual successor to the Lumia 521 will depend on how you like to shop. Your first chance to buy the 635 is on July 5th, when you can tune into the Home Shopping Network to get one on a prepaid Simple Choice plan; after that, you’ll have to wait until July 9th to order it online, or July 16th (the 18th for MetroPCS) to find it in a store. It’s not the Lumia 930 that many power users crave, but it may fit the bill if you’re looking for the cheapest way to get into Microsoft’s latest mobile ecosystem.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia, T-Mobile
Source: T-Mobile
Amazon Deal Center is a one-stop shop for discounted Kindle Fire apps
Looking for a deal? Amazon’s trying to make it a little easier for you. The company just announced on its developer community that the Amazon Appstore is getting a new section: Deal Center. The feature is exactly what it sounds like — a central location that lists discounted apps and special offers, such as apps that give customers Amazon Coins with purchase. Amazon says the deal page was designed to help developers broaden their customer base, and developers don’t have to do anything special to be featured in the Deal Center, it’s mostly automatic. If you installed the Amazon Appstore manually, however, you’re out of luck: Deal Center is only visible on Kindle Fire HDX and HD devices, at least for now.
Source: Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S5 GPE still missing, but making the rumor mills Again
Back in April a keen eye caught an image issue on the device section of the Google Play Store for the Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE device. The image had been updated, or inadvertently changed, to depict an image of the Samsung Galaxy S5. It stayed that way for a while before the situation was sorted out. One month later in May the S5 GPE was spotted clearing through the Bluetooth SIG process. Just a few weeks ago nearly every GPE device in the Play Store went by the wayside as “out of inventory.” Leaving only the HTC One M8 and the Nexus devices available for order. It would seem that a new round of Google Play Edition should be on the way, especially a Galaxy S5 variant.
Per the usual, @evleaks has shared and confirmed that one is coming still. However, no one knows when. It is interesting to note that the image shows both hardware and software buttons at the bottom. The previous Galaxy S4 GPE offered just the hardware buttons. It could be just a crappy image manipulation with a stock screen placed on a Galaxy S5 body, but with the other information like the image swap on the Play Store (which had both hardware and software keys) and the Bluetooth SIG certification, we are pretty confident that a Galaxy S5 does exist. We have to wonder if Samsung will be offering both hardware and software key options similar to the OnePlus One. Although, this is Samsung we are talking about, so they could just be screwing things up all together.
What are your thought? Regardless of the image, would a Galaxy S5 GPE appeal to your wallet at all?
Source: @evleaks via 9to5Google
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