Google’s panoramic Photo Sphere Camera app reaches the iPhone
Google’s all-encompassing Photo Spheres are no longer limited to Android users and those comfy with photo stitching software — the internet giant has just released a Photo Sphere Camera app for the iPhone-toting crowd. As before, it lets you create 360-degree panoramas just by spinning around in place. You can both share the resulting masterworks with others (including the Google Maps community) and check out others’ spheres in the Views hub. It’s overkill if you’re perfectly content with alternative panoramic apps or plain old landscape shots, but it’s hard to object to having one more way to liven up your vacation photos. Swing by the App Store to check out Photo Sphere for yourself.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: Gizmodo
Source: App Store
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Ballmer steps down from Microsoft board to focus on basketball, teaching
He was Microsoft’s 30th employee, its first business manager and CEO for over a decade. Now, after 34 years with the company, Steve Ballmer is leaving Microsoft behind. In a letter to Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s new CEO, Ballmer explained that he’s leaving the company’s board of directors effective immediately. “I have become very busy,” he explains. “I see a combination of Clippers, civic contribution, teaching and study taking up a lot of time.” It’s not a surprising development — owning an NBA franchise is a pretty big responsibility, after all — but it marks the end of Ballmer’s decades-long influence over the company. Despite his departure, the former-CEO is still invested in the company’s success, and spent most of the letter encouraging Nadella and giving advice.
“Microsoft will need to be bold and make big bets to succeed in this new environment,” he told Nadella. “Our board must also support and encourage that fearlessness for shareholders to get the best performance from Microsoft. You must drive that.” While he’s no longer a voice within the company, Ballmer still cares about Microsoft’s stock performance: outside of index funds, he still owns more Microsoft shares than anyone, he says. “I bleed Microsoft, have for 34 years and I always will,” he concluded. “I promise to support and encourage boldness by management in my role as a shareholder in any way I can.”
Nadella shot back a supportive, equally optimistic response, promising that Microsoft will thrive in “the mobile-first, cloud-first world.” End of an era? For sure — you can read the full, unabridged letter (and Nadella’s response) at the source link below.
[Image credit: NBAE/Getty Images]
Source: Microsoft
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Fandango finalizes a truce with the FTC after exposing your movie ticket data
Source: FTC
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Sound off! How do you keep your digital data safe?
We create a lot of digital content each day. Not all of it is important, but there are a few things we want to keep safe — you know, things like financial documents, vacation selfies, MP3′s from when we played in a hair-metal garage band. But what happens if your hard drive dies and takes your most sacred (and scandalous) digital memories with it? Has this ever happened to you? Head over to the Engadget forums and share your tips, tricks and strategies for avoiding a datapocalypse.
[Image credit: Jon Ross, Flickr]
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Sprint to offer ‘App Pass’, a subscriptions based all you can eat app Service
In the Sprint announcement this morning for the Sharp AQUOS Crystal there was an interesting section that out lined a “App all you want” with App Pass. I looked it over and moved along as it was separate to the device its self. In the simplest terms possible, it is a subscription based app store that is provided by a company called Mobiroo. Mobiroo has their own store front and offering that OEM’s, carriers and others like them can use on devices around the globe. Sprint is handling the bulk of the service, where as Mobiroo is just the company behind it all.
In the press release Sprint is sure to point out that the service is an exclusive to the carrier. Horray! More bloatware! Moving right along. The app will be called App Pass and will be pre-installed on all new Android devices going forward and becomes available August 29th. Current Android device owners with Sprint can find the app in the Sprint Zone app and grab it if they want to. App Pass will offer up a 14-day free trial prior to the activation of a monthly subscription. The subscription will set you back $4.99 a month, but lets you install any app you want from the hand-picked titles to install and use on up to two devices. The point being that the apps that you will have access too will include paid apps as well. Sprint mentions companies like Gameloft and Oceanhouse Media being involved. Knowing that many Gameloft games are $4.99 and up each, once could see the benefit of a subscription service vs one time purchases.
I am pretty apprehensive myself, but there is a little more to it that might make you lean towards giving it a run. Sprint will also be offering $5 per-month credit for customers to spend on in-app purchases. So, you pay $5 and they give you $5.
The official web page for App Pass, http://www.sprint.com/apppass, isn’t live yet, but it is in place.
Press release snippet details below, additional info at Mobiroo.com
“App All You Want” with App Pass
Exclusive to Sprint in the U.S., App Pass is a subscription service that allows customers to access a hand-selected catalog of premium apps and games for $4.99 per month – after a 14-day free trial. App Pass offers unlimited access to these apps and games across two devices, and additionally, customers are given a $5 credit each month to spend on in-app purchases.“Many customers find value in premium apps, but hesitate to make the purchase without knowing more about the app,” said Wayne Ward, vice president-business and product development at Sprint. “With App Pass, Sprint makes it easier for our customers to ‘app all you want’ with a curated list of popular premium apps.”
App Pass will host a curated selection of apps and mobile games from some of the world’s top developers including Gameloft and Oceanhouse Media. Select titles from other developers include OfficeSuite 7 Pro, Camera Zoom FX, Minuum Keyboard, CamScanner and Color & Draw for Kids.
App Pass, powered by Mobiroo, which develops and manages app subscription platforms globally, will be pre-installed on all new Sprint Android devices beginning Aug. 29. App Pass can also be found under the “Apps” tab of the Sprint Zone app, on supported devices, for current Sprint customers using an Android phone. After the launch on Aug. 29, Sprint customers can visit www.sprint.com/apppass to learn more and download the app. New apps and games will be regularly added to the storefront.
To receive the 14-day free trial, customers will need to open the App Pass app and then register by tapping on the menu button, then selecting ‘My Account,’ tapping on the ‘Sign up now’ button on the Featured page or tapping on the ‘download’ button on an App Details page. App Pass will not be available on prepaid devices.
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The post Sprint to offer ‘App Pass’, a subscriptions based all you can eat app Service appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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New iPhone 6 Images Depict Rear Shell and Front Panel Together for the First Time
With the iPhone 6 launch less than a month away, we’ve been seeing new images of leaked parts on a near daily basis. Multiple images of both the front panel and the rear shell of the 4.7-inch device have surfaced, but for the first time, the two parts have been photographed together, giving us our clearest look yet at Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6.
Shared by luxury iPhone vendor Feld & Volk [Instagram page] high quality images of the two parts show the glossy front panel’s slightly tapered edges melding seamlessly into the rounded edges of the rear shell for a sleek, continuous curve.
Top view of 4.7-inch iPhone 6
A side view of the two pieces together also gives us a good idea of just how thin Apple’s newest iPhone will be. Assembled, the iPhone 6 is expected to be significantly thinner than the 7.6mm thick iPhone 5s, coming in at approximately 7mm.
Side view of 4.7-inch iPhone 6
With its softly rounded corners and redesigned pill-shaped volume buttons, the iPhone 6 closely resembles the style of the iPad mini, iPad Air, and newest iPod touch. Shell images also suggest the iPhone 6 will adopt redesigned speaker holes, a round True Tone flash, an embedded Apple logo, and a relocated right-side power button for easier one-handed use.
It’s important to note that Feld and Volk’s images still depict unfinished iPhone 6 parts that are in rough condition, and Apple’s completed device will undoubtedly look even more polished.
Along with the assembled front panel and rear shell, we’ve seen virtually every other iPhone 6 part, giving us a fairly good idea of what to expect from the device. For a full walkthrough of each aspect of the iPhone 6, make sure to check out our roundup.
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4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Screen Put Under Microscope as New 1472 x 828 Resolution Emerges
Amid rumors of both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions of the iPhone 6, speculation about what resolutions Apple will use for the new devices has generated a number of different theories. The most concrete suggestion so far has been a 1704 x 960 resolution that could see the current “2x” Retina display move to an even sharper “3x” display.
A new photo from Russian luxury modified iPhone vendor Feld & Volk [Instagram page] now shows the display of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 under a microscope, with the firm telling MacRumors the panel does indeed carry a resolution of 1704 x 960.
The photograph posted by Feld & Volk does not, however, necessarily appear to agree with that claim, as it seems to show roughly 13 pixels per mm in the horizontal and vertical directions, while a 4.7-inch display at 1704 x 960 should be closer to 16 pixels per mm. The current iPhone 5s display is roughly 10.5 pixels per mm.
A potential answer to this problem arrives in another report today from 9to5Mac, which has discovered references to yet another resolution of 1472 x 828 within recent Xcode 6 beta releases.
This particular file outlines for the system where icons, by default, will be placed on an iPhone’s Home screen. This particular file, which was added in Xcode 6 beta 5 earlier this month and still exists in yesterday’s Xcode 6 beta 6, is optimized for an iPhone with a resolution of 414 (width) x 736 (height). The iPhone SDK parses hardware resolutions via “point values,” so the actual “Retina” resolution is in fact double (or potentially triple) whatever numbers the SDK presents.
While analysis quickly becomes speculative, one way Apple could use both of these rumored resolutions would be to to launch a 4.7-inch iPhone at 1472 x 828 and a 5.5-inch model at 1704 x 960. In that scenario, both iPhone 6 models would have pixel densities of 355-360 pixels per inch. This translates to roughly 14 pixels per mm in each direction, close to what is seen in the Feld & Volk photograph.
Depending on how the rumored 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes have been rounded for convenience, the two iPhone 6 panels could actually offer the exact same pixel density, slightly higher than current iPhones and allowing for efficiencies in the manufacturing process if the same technologies and production methods are used in the two new models.
Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 6 at a media event on September 9, but it remains unclear whether the company plans to show off both models at the same time, and even it does, there have been rumors that the larger model should ship up to several months later than the smaller version.
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Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 Build 13F18 to Developers [Mac Blog]
Apple today seeded Mavericks 10.9.5 build 13F18 to developers, just under a week after seeding the third OS X 10.9.5 beta, build 13F14, and more than a month after releasing OS X 10.9.4 to the public.
The beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Mac Developer Center.
It is unclear what improvements the 10.9.5 update will bring to Mavericks, but it is likely to include bug fixes and stability enhancements. Apple is asking developers to focus on USB, USB Smart Cards, Graphics, Safari, Thunderbolt, and Gatekeeper.
Along with working on improvements to Mavericks, Apple is also beta testing OS X Yosemite, which is due to be released in the fall. The last Mavericks update, 10.9.4, added several Wi-Fi fixes and improved wake from sleep reliability.
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Apple to Open New South Windsor, Connecticut Store on August 23 [Mac Blog]
Connecticut’s sixth Apple Store location is set to open on Saturday, August 23 at The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor. Rumors of a new Apple Store at Evergreen Walk first popped up in February, after a black construction box showed up at the location, between Ann Taylor and the Clarks shoe store.
The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk is an outdoor shopping area housing more than 50 different retail stores and eateries. The new Apple Store joins five other Connecticut locations in Danbury, Farmington, Greenwich, New Haven, and Stamford.
The Evergreen Walk store in July, courtesy of a MacRumors reader
Apple’s South Windsor store will open at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday, where employees will likely hand out T-shirts to the first customers to visit the new location. The store has already begun accepting reservations for workshops and Genius Bar appointments.
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Apple’s iWatch May Not Launch Until 2015
Apple may be planning to delay the launch of its iWatch until 2015, according to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Echoing several past reports that have also alluded to a 2015 launch date, Kuo suggests that difficulty manufacturing the device will lead to its postponement.
We reiterate our view that iWatch, as compared to existing products, and as Apple’s (US) first attempt at a wearable device, represents a much higher level of difficulty for the company as regards component and system design, manufacturing and integration between hardware and software. While we are positive on iWatch and believe that the advantages of the design and business model behind it are difficult to copy, we think, given the aforementioned challenges, that the launch could be postponed to 2015.
In a July report, Kuo predicted mass production on the iWatch would begin in November, with a launch coming in 2015. Kuo has suggested that the iWatch’s small form factor, its use of a flexible AMOLED screen, and its sapphire display cover have all contributed to production difficulties.
iWatch concept by Todd Hamilton, based on the Nike Fuelband
Kuo’s language in the report, which suggests the launch of the iWatch “could” be postponed, indicates that he is somewhat uncertain about the target ship date for the device. Though Kuo has a solid track record when it comes to Apple rumors, he has provided inaccurate guesses at times.
While it may seem like a 2015 launch date contradicts rumors that have pointed towards an October debut for the device, it is entirely possible that Apple will introduce the iWatch months before it is available to ship to customers. Historically, Apple has introduced some products in new categories ahead of their ship date.
The Mac Pro, for example, was introduced at WWDC in June before sales began in December. Steve Jobs also unveiled the original iPhone six months before it launched, and the iPad was shown at an Apple event more than two months ahead of its sale date.
Rumors have suggested the iWatch will contain a multitude of health and fitness sensors, measuring metrics like calorie consumption, sleep activity, blood oxygen levels, and more. It’s said to integrate deeply with iOS 8′s Health app and it may come in multiple sizes and at multiple price points.
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AIVAnet 