Apple Halts In-Store Pickup Option for Apple TV in Online Store, Still Available for Shipping [Mac Blog]
Apple has seemingly halted in-store pickup for the Apple TV in its online store, as none of the company’s U.S. locations are providing the option. Notably, the Apple TV is still listed as shipping”within 24 hours” on the company’s online store, and is still being offered with a $25 iTunes Store gift card as a part of an ongoing promotion.
Currently, it is unknown as to why Apple halted the pickup option for the Apple TV. It is entirely possible that the inability to schedule an Apple TV for in-store pickup is an outage or error on Apple’s part. While mostly unlikely, it may also indicate that Apple is gearing up to release an updated Apple TV, which has been heavily rumored for quite some time.
Czech website Letem Svetem Applem (Google Translate) claimed last week that European Apple resellers have stopped receiving their supply of Apple TVs, however no other sources have indicated that stock has been running low. In the United States, retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon still show the product as “in stock”.
Previous rumors have suggested that the next-generation Apple TV would be a major product for Apple, featuring set-top box features that interact with live and on-demand content, gaming capabilities, Siri integration, and more. However, a report from The Information this past July claimed that the new Apple TV would be delayed until 2015 due to negotiation difficulities between Apple and cable companies. Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue stated earlier this year that it was “complicated” solving problems with TV, adding that Apple is continuing work on the subject.
Thanks, Kyle!
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SoundCloud gets ads, but will soon let you pay to get rid of them
Often billed as the “YouTube of music,” SoundCloud has become the number one choice for up and coming artists looking to share their tracks with the world. However, despite boasting a userbase that’s four times bigger than Spotify’s, the startup has found it difficult to turn that activity into revenue. The company hopes it can change that with the launch of a new Premier tier for “On SoundCloud” that will bring ads to the service, and also allow artists and record labels to start monetizing their music.
The launch shouldn’t come as a surprise. In July, the company was rumoured to be cutting deals with major record labels in order to help get “On” off the ground. According to the New York Times, things haven’t really progressed with the bigger players, mainly due the complex nature of the company’s music platform. SoundCloud is home to a huge number of remixes and mashups, and Universal, Sony and Warner Music are pushing to get their share of royalties from those additional tracks. Despite the setback, SoundCloud will use licensing agreements to begin delivering ads, starting in the US, and will direct most of the revenue back to performers or providers.
While you can expect to see or hear the “occasional” ad from Red Bull, Jaguar and Comedy Central in the near future, SoundCloud says it is working on a subscription option to make them go away. However, the company hasn’t made it clear whether premium account holders (people who already pay to upload their tracks) will be served ads. With Google readying the launch of “YouTube Music Key,” with paid access to full artist catalogs, concert footage and remixes, SoundCloud could soon feel the full force of the real YouTube for music. Good news for labels, but also fans — as long as they’re willing to put up with ads or put down cash for a subscription.
[Image credit: Thomas Bonte, Flickr]
Via: New York Times
Source: On SoundCloud
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Sony’s secretive new idea division is trying to turn around ’20 lost years’
It’s been tough times for Sony, and it’s very much aware of it. While we hear all about the company cutting loose unsuccessful parts (whether it’s PCs or e-readers), the other side of the coin is ensuring Sony can make another hit. Nikkei has done a deep dive (in Japanese and paywalled, unfortunately) on the electronics manufacturers’ bid to drum up new business ideas. The next Walkman or the next PlayStation could well come from the New Business Creation department, first suggested by employee Shinji Odajima last April.
He was then appointed head of it. “There’s still plenty of employees in Sony looking for a challenge.” An initial meeting for new business idea ‘auditions’ was set to house 300 employees in June: over 800 turned up. Odajima has now received over 200 ideas — though he’s not sharing those with anyone just yet.
Unlike other parts of the giant Sony machine, the new division isn’t a top-down affair: Odajima-san’s focus is squarely on its younger employees. “Renewal is supremely important for Sony. If we don’t challenge, engage with our youngest…” He left the sentence there.
“We want to start something new, we just don’t know how…”
The department has held idea auditions once every three months. While the company continues its own internal plans and projects, it offers a chance for employees to get their new ideas out there, when they might have typically been lost in the mire of bureaucracy and complexity of a company like Sony. The aim is for the section to act as an incubator for fresh ideas — and fresh blood within the organization.
“We want to start something new, we just don’t know how…”, “Who can I present my new ideas to?” These were the things the new head was hearing from employees. Odajima built up a base of around 200 young hires, beginning with informal lunchtime meetings — most attendees apparently brought homemade bento lunches.
But why hadn’t Sony been able to birth new ideas in the lost 20 years, as Nikkei phrases it? Apparently, it was the hangover from those prior hits : “We were mired in an innovation dilemma”. Late to flat-panel TVs, beaten by Apple on flash-storage music players are both offered as missed opportunities.
Sony’s incoming PlayStation Now service is an example of the not-all-that-Sony ideas it’s hoping to foster. A console-free gaming service apparently wasn’t an easy sell to senior Sony executives at the start, who feared it would destroy its console business. Sony Computer Entertainment’s Shuuzo Kikuchi had a frank (and well, correct) response:
“SCE isn’t a business there to sell console. It sells games and content, that’s the essence of it. Delivering gaming from the cloud could be a very important part of this.”
“People might have negative things to say about us, but I don’t take much notice of that,” declared Odajima. The department’s final idea screening will happen at the end of the month — then it’s time to transform those chosen few into businesses and see what works.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Home Entertainment, Sony
Source: Nikkei (Japanese, paywall)
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LG G3 vs. HTC One M8 vs. Samsung Galaxy S5
Today, LG debuted it’s newest newest global flagship phone, the G3. The Android smartphone is a followup to the LG G2 from 2013, which had an unique design which moved the power/lock button and volume controls from the sides of the phone to the back of the device, below the camera lens. The G3 sports that same design, but with a more polished look, complete with a brushed metallic body (available in five colors) and a more mature-looking Android operating system.
The G3 packs the high-end specs we’ve come to expect in premium phones, and it’s perfectly poised to go up against it’s top Android competitors, the HTC One M8 and the Samsung Galaxy S5.
With similar eye-popping screens, powerful processors, and capable camera lenses available on all three devices, deciding on which one is best for you really comes down to the extra features, design, and personal brand preference. The LG G3 is no slouch when it comes to extras, with the Knock Code security feature, a front-facing camera designed specifically for selfies, and a high-capacity battery.
Check out the chart below to see how the phone’s specs stacks up against its competition, and let us know in the comments below which phone comes out on top for you.
LG G3
HTC One M8
Samsung Galaxy S5
Size
5.7 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches; 5 oz.
5.8 x 2.8 x 0.4 inches; 5.6 oz.
5.5 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches; 5 oz.
Screen
5.5 inches; 2,560×1,440 pixels; 538ppi
5 inches; 1,920×1,080; 441ppi
5.1 inches; 1,920×1,080 pixels; 431ppi
Operating system
Android 4.4
Android 4.4
Android 4.4
4G LTE
Yes
Yes
Yes
WiFi
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
NFC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
4.0 Low energy
4.0 Low energy
4.0 Low energy
RAM
3GB
2GB
2GB
IR Blaster
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fingerprint scanner
No
No
Yes
Rear camera and recording
13-megapixel; 4K HD video
4-’Ultrapixel’; 1080p HD video
16-megapixel; 4K HD (1080p HD default)
Front-facing camera
2.1-megapixel; 1080p HD video
5-megapixel; 1080p HD video
2-megapixel; 1080p HD video
Processor
2.5GHz quad-core; Snapdragon 801
2.3GHz quad-core; Snapdragon 801
2.5GHz quad-core; Snapdragon 801
Battery
3,000mAh, removable
2,600mAh; embedded
2,800mAh, removable
Capacity
32GB
16GB, 32GB
16GB, 32GB
Expandable storage
Yes
Yes
Yes
Notable extras
One-watt speaker with amp
BlinkFeed, BoomSound
Fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor
US Carriers
T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon
Color options
Metallic white, black, gold, red, and violet
Gray, silver, rose gold
Black, white, blue, and copper
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New Research Claims iMessage Accounts for 30% of Mobile Spam Messages
iMessage is responsible for more than 30% of all spam messages on mobile devices, according to research done by security expert Tom Landesman and anti-spam company Cloudmark (via Wired). The researcher notes that there are multiple reasons as to why the platform has become a prime choice for spammers, stating that iMessage’s reach across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac along with its accessibility have made it easy to target users:
That fusion of the desktop and mobile world makes it particularly easy for scammers to write a Mac OS script that can send messages to all types of devices just as fast as Apple will allow. “It’s almost like a spammer’s dream,” says Landesman. “With four lines of code, using Apple scripts, you can tell your Mac machine to send message to whoever they want.”
With iMessage, spammers can send unwanted messages to a user’s associated emails and phone numbers if enabled. The ability for the desktop Messages client to verify numbers with the iMessage network has also made sending spam to confirmed users easier, along with the fact that signing up for the service can be done with just an email. The researcher further notes that iMessage’s read receipts feature (which can be turned off) allows spammers to better generate a list of verified users to spam based on activity.
Apple has made a few moves to combat spam in iMessage over the past year, adding a rate-limit for sent messages after some iOS developers experienced a denial-of-service prank, and adding a spam reporting tool. However, that tool remains a bit complicated to use, as it requires users to send Apple an email containing the screenshot of the spam message, the email or phone number it was received from, and the date and time.
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Bing Maps spices up more than 100 cities with 3D and Streetside views
Bing Maps just got much, much better if you’re tired of looking at plain old satellite pictures. Microsoft has just added either 3D maps, Streetside views or both to more than 100 cities, many of which you’ll definitely recognize. You can now see what it’s like on the ground near the Chicago Theater or San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge; if you have the Bing Maps Preview app for Windows, you can go on a 3D flight through famous places like Disney World or the Las Vegas Strip. You’ll want to hit the source link for the full upgrade list, but most of the additions are in the US. If you’ve wanted to tour America from the comfort of your couch, you’re going to have a field day.
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
Source: Bing Blogs
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Sky’s new program guide will recommend you new shows to try
If Sky has a problem, it’s that there’s simply too much material for anyone to quickly and easily find what they want in a short space of time. In a world where people are very comfortable just choosing the first thing that Netflix recommends for them, it could become a very serious issue. That’s why the company’s latest software update for its Sky+ boxes is designed to ensure you’ve always got something new to watch. The first new feature is smart series link, so if you’ve previously told your box to record every episode of a TV series, that instruction will carry over to subsequent seasons. That way, you’ll never miss the premiere episode of a returning show, even if you don’t have access to your setup for some reason.
The second is a new recommendation engine that hunts through your planner and picks out alternatives depending on what you’ve recorded. In Sky’s example, if you’ve got The Following on your hard-drive, then it’ll suggest other gritty crime dramas like Luther, Hannibal and Criminal Minds that might be to your taste. The Sky Store and Sky Movies sections have also received face lifts, now showing you the DVD cover art of particular titles, which was probably prompted by the rise of services like Netflix.
Despite the growing popularity of Netflix, Amazon Instant and even the company’s own Now TV, Sky still has plenty of love to show its live TV offerings. The entertainment category, for instance, has taken over the lifestyle section, and there’s now a new tile that’ll send you straight to any live sports that are being broadcast. Other amendments include HDMI One Touch, so when you hit the Sky button on your remote, the connected TV will also activate, improved viewing card pairing and combined SD/HD options so you can pick and choose your preferred definition when downloading shows. The update is rolling out progressively to all 8 million Sky+HD customers in the next few weeks, with everyone expected to receive the new software by “winter.”
Filed under: HD
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If you can’t tell editorial from advertorial, there’s a browser plug-in for that
Google product engineer Ian Webster believes sponsored articles should be more easily identifiable (as they should be!), so he built the AdDetector plug-in in his spare time to make that happen. More and more publications turn to sponsored content or native ads these days (even Tumblr does it), but some of them just add disclaimers at the very bottom of the page or small, easy-to-miss bylines. Webster says the problem is that bad native ads depend on you, readers, not knowing that they’re, well, sponsored. So, he designed the plug-in to plaster large red banners on paid article pages whenever it detects unfortunately small sponsored disclaimers, in order to boost transparency on the web. He also hopes that by making paid articles more obvious, sponsors would make an effort to put out better content. You can install AdDetector (and make sure this post wasn’t sponsored) for Chrome and Firefox from Webster’s website.
Filed under: Internet
Source: AdDetector
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Seven phones and a Nexus: Motorola preparing several handsets for release soon
If you thought Motorola didn’t have enough going on lately with the release of the Moto X+1 and Moto 360 expected next month, it seems likely they’re going to be even busier towards the end of the year. TKTechNews is reporting that Motorola might have up to 8 devices preparing for launch before Christmas, one of which is the widely anticipated “Shamu” Nexus 6. The devices include a new DROID, DROID Turbo, DROID Maxx, Moto X+1, Moto G, Moto X Play, Moto S and the Nexus.
Most interesting about this report is that some of these devices may not even come to market depending on the performance of another device. Key among these dependencies is the fact the DROID Turbo may not be launched if the Moto X+1 does well and that the Moto X Play and Moto S may be interchangeable depending on which screen size is preferred. It’s also postulated that the Moto S, a 5.9-inch beast, will serve as the basis for the Nexus 6 regardless of if it is dumped in favour of the Moto X Play. No exclusivity for any of the devices has been specified, which is good news for everybody, but no prices were hinted at.
I’m a bit hesitant to believe this claim, simply because it assumes Motorola would be willing to dump a line of devices on such short notice after presumably developing them for at least a few months before that. Also, we’ll never really know what plays out behind Motorola’s doors except for which ones make it through, but I guess the real moral of the story here is to be ready when Christmas comes to pass if you’re looking for a Motorola handset.
What do you think about this rumour of the eight Motorola devices? Let us know your opinion.
Source: TKTechNews via Phone Arena
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The post Seven phones and a Nexus: Motorola preparing several handsets for release soon appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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This year’s ‘Call of Duty’ is coming to everything but the Wii U
If you were looking forward to playing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on the Wii U this fall, well, we have some bad news. It turns out that publisher Activision has made the decision that Nintendo’s latest console won’t see the futuristic shooter at all. On Twitter, a fan recently asked co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, CoD:AW‘s developer, if the title was coming to the Wii U and Condry replied that that wasn’t happening, and that his team is focused on launching for the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. “That was an Activision decision,” he wrote. This is despite the fact that CoD has appeared on the Wii U for the past two years and that a version of Advanced Warfare is coming to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which are similar in horsepower to Nintendo’s HD console.
This is a pretty big statement from Activision, and it echoes a similar, recent sentiment from Ubisoft: releasing Mature-rated games — even those in blockbuster franchises — on the Wii U isn’t worth the investment required. Even though CoD historically breaks entertainment-sales records on launch day for other platforms, a vast majority of Nintendo’s audience simply isn’t interested.
@1422644 no, no WiiU. That was an Activision decision. We are focused on XboxOne, PS4, and PC.
– Michael Condrey (@MichaelCondrey) August 20, 2014
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
Via: Gamespot
Source: Michael Condry (Twitter)
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AIVAnet 