Get strangers to deliver the bad news with ‘Somebody’ messaging app
If you’ve ever sat back, stared into the sky and wonder would happen if WhatsApp was taken over by a singing telegram service, then boy, today is your lucky day. Film director and artist Miranda July has teamed up with Prada sub-brand Miu Miu (nope, us neither) to design a social messaging app / publicity stunt with a twist. Instead of simply letting two people swap messages, Somebody (for iOS) finds a person in the nearby vicinity to your contact, asking them to walk over and deliver the message, in person, on your behalf. You can even add stage directions like crying or whispering, and the recipient can rate their delivery with a star rating in the same vein as Uber.
If we’re honest, there are a whole host of reasonable, legitimate objections to this. After all, giving away someone’s personal location to complete strangers is a bit weird, as is the idea that people would willingly volunteer to break up with someone on your behalf. The app does exist and is available to download, although it seems that other would-be somebodies haven’t been able to get SMS-verified yet. I’ve signed up to convey two messages in my nearby area, but so far no-one’s sent over an address to deliver the missive personally. Maybe people aren’t impressed by my lack of obvious whimsy and a Miu Miu outfit, but if I do get sent on a mission, I will let all of you know how it goes.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Apple
Via: Huffington Post
Source: Somebody (App Store), Somebody
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Nokia’s HERE Maps is coming to Android as a Samsung exclusive
Relations between Google and Samsung are already a little tense, but the Korean smartphone maker may just have elevated those frustrations a little further. Extending its existing deal to provide mapping data on Samsung’s Tizen wearables, Nokia (the part that wasn’t sold to Microsoft) today confirmed that it will bring HERE Maps to Android for the first time, giving Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners advanced access to its own Google Maps alternative.
After Nokia jettisoned its smartphone division, the company doubled-down on HERE, striking deals with a few of its former rivals, including Amazon, Jolla and, of course, Samsung. The app itself comes with many of the features you’d find in Google Maps, but also excels in some areas where Google doesn’t. A couple of examples include true offline maps, which are currently supported in 95 countries, and LiveSight, which lets users navigate to landmarks by following virtual signs on their screen. If you don’t own a Samsung smartphone, don’t fret, Nokia says that HERE Maps will come to other Android devices by the end of the year (note: you can still use Google Maps, even on a Samsung handset). The HERE Maps beta will make its way to Galaxy phones when the 3G-enabled Gear S smartwatch goes on sale, which is expected sometime in October.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Samsung, Nokia, Google
Source: HERE
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Tado hopes to put its smart thermostat in more homes with new retail partner
The smart thermostat space is plenty competitive nowadays, and securing an exclusive and high-profile retail partner seems the go-to sales strategy. Over the past few months, we’ve seen Nest buddy up with npower and Climote rebrand its thermostat for Scottish Power, not to mention British Gas plugs its own product. Now, thermostat-maker Tado’s announced it’s also found an advocate in new partner HomeServe, a specialist home insurance and repairs provider operating in the UK and other European countries. While teaming up with an energy supplier makes obvious sense, we don’t see as clear a sales channel through HomeServe, unless one of its reps is round fixing the boiler. With five and a half million customers across Europe, however, we’re sure the company will manage to flog a few Tado thermostats with location-based controls regardless.
Filed under: Household
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Nintendo is making two new versions of its 3DS portable console, arriving in Japan this October
Nintendo releases recorded video presentations, known as “Nintendo Direct,” pretty often. Usually they’re focused on games, or they highlight an upcoming season’s game releases. This morning, however, Nintendo revealed two new versions of its wildly-successful 3DS portable game console. And just like the Mario series, Nintendo’s not pulling any punches when it comes to naming conventions: the new 3DS is simply called “New” 3DS. And yes, there’s a “New” version of the larger 3DS XL, too.
As seen above, the smaller “New” 3DS has Super Nintendo-themed buttons on the right side. Just above those buttons is a new, tiny analog stick. Bizarrely, Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata compared the new analog stick to the GameCube controller’s yellow C-stick (which was rarely used in GameCube games).
Beyond the new analog stick (it’s really more of a nub, isn’t it?), NFC tech is now built-in to the 3DS, making this holiday’s Amiibo figures all the more logical. There’s also a new microSD card reader below the base panel (which is now easily swappable for new designs) — convenient! Oh, and in case it wasn’t clear from the images, the “New” 3DS models are both slimmer and taller than the previous models.
There are two shoulder buttons now on each side as well, and the cartridge slot’s been moved to the bottom front. There’s also word of a new CPU inside the new 3DS, but we’ve got next to no info about it thus far. Presumably it helps with the new “Super-Stable 3D” functionality — which Nintendo says “will provide players with an even more comfortable 3D gaming experience” — though we’ll need more info before we can be sure.
The “New” 3DS will be available this October 11th, but they’ve been announced for Japan only thus far; a press release from Nintendo says that North America and Europe shouldn’t expect the new 3DS until some point in 2015. Pricing in Japan ranges from about $150 for the smaller version to about $180 for the XL (“LL” in Japan).
In other Nintendo news, the company this morning announced release dates and rollout plans for its Amiibo NFC figurines. The first 12 (“Mario, Peach, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Kirby, Fox, Marth, Villager and Wii Fit Trainer”) are available for pre-order starting today, and there’s no solid release date given; they cost $12.99 apiece. That said, they’ll need to be available in time for Super Smash Bros. Wii U — arriving at some point “this holiday season” — as that’s the first game that’ll use them. Nintendo says that first dozen is just the beginning, and there’s “more on the way in the future.”
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Nintendo
Source: Nintendo
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MSN Messenger will finally, definitely be dead in October
Microsoft’s 15-year-old MSN Messaging service will soon be a part of computer lore. It has been shut down in most places for over a year, but Microsoft kept it running in China where it was still quite popular. However, with the advent of Tencent’s QQ, Line and other services, Redmond recently emailed Chinese users (on their Hotmail accounts, naturally) that the service would ride into the sunset on October 31st. To give you an idea of how old it is, the service was created in 1999 by Microsoft to compete against AOL’s AIM chat service (disclaimer: AOL is Engadget’s parent company). However, we doubt too many users will get misty-eyed about its demise — the only nostalgia we have is how difficult it was to get rid of.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Via: The Verge
Source: Technode
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HERE Maps for Android will be exclusively available to Samsung Galaxy smartphones for free
Google and Samsung have the weirdest relationship. The on-again, off-again nature of their partnership seems perilous at the best of times and this latest move from Samsung probably doesn’t bode well. Samsung has announced that Nokia‘s HERE Maps, previously announced to be available on Samsung’s Gear wearables, will also become available exclusively to Samsung Galaxy smartphones in the form of HERE Maps for Android for free. This is at direct odds with what Google wants, who have previously told Samsung to back off with proprietary apps which try to emulate the function of Google’s own apps. And adding an app from Android’s competitor, Windows Phone poster-child Nokia, which obviously competes with Google Maps, is surely Samsung just asking for trouble.
Regardless of what happens between the tech giants, HERE Maps for Android is definitely being released, and its timed release is scheduled for when the Samsung Gear S is released in October. HERE Maps features some pretty nifty features including offline navigation and Nokia say all of HERE’s features can be utilized without an Internet connection. This is thanks to the downloading of maps onto your phone, of which there are currently more than 200 to choose from.
What do you think about Samsung’s decision to make a Nokia product exclusive for Samsung Galaxy smartphones? Let us know your thoughts.
Source: HERE Maps via Phone Arena
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More High-Quality Photos Show 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Rear Shell with Colored Bands
New high-quality photos of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6′s rear shell have been shared by Nowhereelse.fr (Google Translate), showing us what may be a finished back from the space grey version of the device. Notably, this newest component appears to have its rear bands colored in to fit with the rest of the device, perhaps suggesting that the different color options of the iPhone 6 will feature a similar treatment.
Besides its colored bands, the rear shell shown in the photos appears to be consistent with previous looks at the component, displaying a rounded chassis, embedded rear logo, and more. The shell also appears to adopt redesigned speaker holes and a rounded True Tone LED flash, which join the typical Lightning port, headphone jack, and rear camera.
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 6 at an event on September 9, where it will also likely unveil its wearable device for the first time. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will likely launch a week or so after the event, while the bigger 5.5-inch version of the device may be held back due to production issues. In addition to a larger screen, the iPhone 6 is expected to feature a faster A8 processor, a revamped camera system, iOS 8, and near field communication (NFC) technology for mobile payments.
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Self-ordering Kiosks – How Restaurants can Utilize Technology to their Advantage
In hospitality business overlooking even the minutest detail can cost immensely. Being in such a challenging field needs special technological prowess, so you can always have the edge needed. Accurate and efficient management of the guests, table, and orders is needed to offer an enhanced dining experience to guests. The self-ordering kiosks form a precise and accurate solution that drives your business forward at jet speed.
Channeling Resources
Reducing the staffing costs, improved customer service, utilizing resources efficiently can be brought about by the use of self-ordering kiosks. The kiosks meet the needs of customers who are looking for the convenient and user friendly self-service methods adopted by rental cars, supermarket check-out, and airline check-ins.
Self-service models are being expected both by guests and restaurant employees, as managing guests at peak hours can be quite harrowing for them. Better system integration, customer service, and table occupancy can be arrived at, when the self-service kiosks are installed.
Facilitating Better Service
Customers can browse restaurant menus and order for their meals without the need of a server or any staff member. They can easily skip the steps that take up their precious time and enjoy their meal in peace. Further, paying is also easy as they can pre pay using their gift card or credit card. Self-ordering kiosks form a highly potent tool for your restaurant that increase profits by taking up less time for serving customers and reducing the labor costs too. The method is fast, secure, and easy, and all your customers will be happy and adore it. You can visit www.aptito.com to get more info.
Changing the Restaurant Atmosphere
Speed, usability, and efficiency are crucial to serve customers quickly and give them a good dining experience. The cloud based POS solutions enable an efficient and quick service, maximizing the revenue and enabling you to operate the restaurant in a better focused manner. You can also shift your attention to important aspects like providing tasty, sumptuous, and delicious food in a fast manner possible. The configuration displays are easy to understand and read, letting your staff pick out the menu items fast from a single screen.
Exceptional Features of an iPad Kiosk
With a self-serving iPad kiosk, you can enjoy the following benefits.
- Help guests decide on the type of ordering they prefer like traditional or touch screen ordering
- Streamline the food service by using an iPad menu alternative
- The digital menu board display attracts passersby, thereby increasing your prospective customers
- Easy payment options by synchronizing iPad POS software to the iPad Kiosk
- Increases customer service and reduces the burden on the staff
- The digital menu software is easy to set up and updates can be done at any time all through the day
Owning a restaurant needs a broader perspective on the entire operation so that you do not miss on the whole picture. The innovative kiosks empower you to execute even the minor details in a highly efficient manner, thus helping you make great strides in your business. Powerful insights and important information needed for improving your business is rightly provided by the kiosks.
Author Box:
David Lewis discusses about the enhancement of productivity that your business can experience with the help of self-ordering kiosks. To gain more insight and realize their importance, you can pay a visit to http://www.aptito.com.
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US researching implants that’ll help your body and mind heal itself
America’s mad science division is at it again, this time imagining a future where your body won’t need (as much) medicine to stay healthy, simply by using the resources it already has. Put simply, a person’s peripheral nervous system runs the internal organs and summons the troops to fight off infections and repair injuries. DARPA’s just received $78.9 million of funding to look into harnessing this system to develop a miniscule implant that’d not only make people healthier and less prone to disease, but could also be used to treat mental health complaints like post traumatic stress disorder in the future.
DARPA’s plan is to build implants no thicker than a nerve fiber that can then be implanted into people’s bodies. Once there, the devices would monitor the status of your nervous system, organs and overall health, keeping the system regulated by triggering responses through electrical impulses. In a way, it’s a bit like building a pacemaker for your central nervous system, except one that’s capable of helping people live with complaints like arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
According to neural engineer Dr. Douglas Weber, the eventual goal is to turn the body into a “closed-loop system,” that continually assesses itself, ensuring that as soon as any sickness is detected in an organ, the body can quickly deal with it. The upside is that patients won’t need to take medicines (which can have adverse side-affects) because they’ll rely more upon their super-charged immune systems to deal with problems. Of course, even for DARPA, this is a big ask, since current neuromodulation implants are huge and require complex surgery to install, and we doubt that the technology will shrink to nerve-fiber sizes in just five years. That said, we’ll be first in the queue if this ever becomes available – after all, we’re fairly sure this is almost the plot of Jake 2.0.
Filed under: Science
Via: Motherboard
Source: DARPA, Defense.gov (.PDF)
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Sony teases the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact in video
Not to be outdone at teasing its own devices by leaks and rumours, Sony teases the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact today in a teaser trailer that actually says a whole lot of nothing, but does contain a few frames which show the silhouette of three devices and guessing from their sizes, we’re assuming they are going to be the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact which will be announced on the 3rd of September at IFA 2014. Check out the teaser below:
I guess you could say that the video suggests these devices are designed to cope with an active (and wet) lifestyle, however the Xperia range has been waterproof for as long as anyone can remember. We’ve see the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact leaked recently, however the smartwatch that it was leaked out with is strangely absent from this trailer, though we won’t know for sure whether Sony is going to be announcing its SmartWatch 3 alongside these other devices until the event itself which is now in just a week.
What do you think about the Sony Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: YouTube via TalkAndroid
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AIVAnet 