‘Rock Band’ creator wants to bend your mind with Samsung’s Gear VR
You may have tried VR, but have you ever totally, like really got into it, man? Harmonix, the creator of Rock Band and Dance Central wants to crank Samsung’s new Gear VR headset to 11 with an app called Harmonix Music VR. Details are sketchy, but the idea is to don the Oculus-powered device and start playing your favorite tunes. From there, the app will analyze the music and create a “high-resolution event sequence that drives the reactive elements in your virtual world.” In layman’s terms, we think that means it’ll generate “trippy visualizations.” Harmonix also used the words “vibrant” and “dreamscape,” so we’re pretty sure it’s going after a certain burgeoning market segment. It’ll arrive alongside Samsung’s Gear VR later this year, with pricing to follow.
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Starbucks’ iOS app lets you hail an Uber to get your caffè latte
Uber wants to make sure you always hail one of its cars on your way to get a pumpkin spice latte, so it has latched itself onto Starbucks for iOS. The coffee shop has just updated its app to show a special Uber button, just like the one on Google Maps, a couple of weeks after the ride-sharing service released a free API to a bunch of partner companies, including United Airlines, Hyatt Hotels and TripAdvisor. This button launches Uber from within the app, so you obviously need to have both software on your device for the scheme to work. That’s not such a bad deal, though — you might suddenly need it for a ride or to get lunch delivered to your doorstep… assuming Uber’s not banned where you live.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Mobile
Via: TheNextWeb
Source: iTunes
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Calling all makers — the deadline for Insert Coin submissions closes in 20 days
Before you party with us and RJD2 at Expand NYC in November (which is free, by the way!), you may first want to finalize those hardware designs. The deadline for Insert Coin entries is fast approaching, and you wouldn’t want to miss the chance to win up to $25,000 to fund the project of your dreams. We’ll only be accepting submissions until September 26th, after which we’ll choose 20 contenders and whittle it down to 10 semi-finalists by your vote. These lucky 10 will receive $1,000 in travel stipend, so they can showcase their creations at the Expand show floor. We’ll then let our panel of judges and you, our readers, decide which masterpiece (or two, if your tastes differ greatly) deserves a financial boost and time in the spotlight.
As we’ve mentioned in the past, the Readers’ Choice will take home $15,000, while the Judges’ Choice will get $10,000 to use however they want. So, make sure to read our Insert Coin submission guidelines in between putting those final touches to your work, and then fill out our entry form to make it official. Hope to see you in New York!
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Apple Already Preparing to Seed Carrier Partners With iOS 8.0.1
With still a few days to go until Apple’s media event where it will undoubtedly announce its launch plans for iOS 8, the company is already preparing to seed its carrier partners with an iOS 8.0.1 update for testing, according to BGR. Details on the update are unknown, as is a release timeframe, although last year Apple released a launch-day iOS 7.0.1 update for the iPhone 5s and 5c to fix a few bugs on those devices.
Visits to MacRumors from devices running iOS 8.0.1 on Apple’s networks
MacRumors has seen a significant increase in iOS 8.0.1 web log activity coming from Apple’s networks over the past couple of weeks, although the first signs of the version appeared as long ago as mid-July.
The last developer release of iOS 8 came one month ago in the form of iOS 8 beta 5, with the company likely holding back further seeds as it finalizes the software for its upcoming hardware. A sixth beta was reportedly seeded to carrier partners a couple of weeks ago, but with much more limited distribution for that release, developers have not had access to dig into it to look for new hints about the next-generation iOS devices.
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Apple Rolls Out Refreshed iTunes Connect Web Portal for Developers [iOS Blog]
Apple late yesterday rolled out its overhauled iTunes Connect web portal with a new visual design and improved features to help developers manage the sales and marketing of their apps, books and other media. Apple first introduced the new iTunes Connect at WWDC 2014 and is rolling out the interface ahead of the expected fall launch of iOS 8.
The web-based tool has an iOS 7-inspired flat design that is similar to iCloud.com and brings the site in line with the iTunes Connect iOS app [Direct Link], which was updated earlier this year.
Besides visual changes, the latest version of the web portal also includes an improved My Apps management section and a “Resources and Help” tab for troubleshooting media distribution and payment issues. The “Users and Roles” section also was updated to make it easier to manage both iTunes Connect and Sandbox users. Developers and other media producers can check out the changes at the iTunes Connect website.
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Apple’s TestFlight Beta Testing Service Gearing Up Alongside iTunes Connect Revamp [iOS Blog]
Earlier this year, Apple acquired Burstly, the company behind the popular TestFlight service for managing beta testing of iOS apps, and at WWDC in June Apple announced it would be relaunching TestFlight with iOS 8 as an integrated service for developers and testers.
With the redesigned iTunes Connect web portal launching yesterday, the service is now including references to TestFlight and the company has made public a link to a universal iOS app [App Store] to allow users to install beta apps.
TestFlight allows app developers to invite you to beta test their apps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Once you join a developer’s beta test through their email invitation, TestFlight makes it easy to install or update to new bet versions as they become available.
Beta testing apps has never been easier
– To receive your beta test invitation, all an app developer needs is your email address
– You will receive beta invitations in your inbox
– Accept the invitation to open TestFlight and install the app
– TestFlight will then notify you when new versions are available
– Tap to upgrade to the latest version and keep testing
The app requires iOS 8, and Apple will likely make a more thorough unveiling at next week’s media event where it will announce the public launch date for iOS 8.
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Speakasy? Personal? T-Mobile plays it coy for Un-carrier 7.0 event
T-Mobile has scheduled its next Un-carrier event for Wednesday, September 7 where it plans to announce, well, something. It’s not clear what we might get out of T-Mobile and its promise of “This time it’s personal.” Factor in a password of “Speakeasy” and we might assume some sort of custom-picked plan, options, or rate choices. Of course, that’s pretty vague for us to even type, let alone imagine.
John Legere and the T-Mobile team invite you to join us in San Francisco on Wednesday, September 10 at the T-Mobile store at…
We’re anxious to see what merits a standalone event just so quickly after rolling out some new initiatives over the last few weeks. Just recently we saw them add new streaming music service providers to the list of Music Freedom and more data for its Simple Starter option. What could be so big that it would call for more than another press release? Thoughts? Sound off below if you’ve got an idea.
The post Speakasy? Personal? T-Mobile plays it coy for Un-carrier 7.0 event appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Barclays wants you to give it the finger instead of a PIN
PINs, passwords and authentication codes: they’re a troublesome security solution that we’d love to see the back of. The bankers at Barclays know this, so they’ve looked to biometrics in a bid to banish them forever. Today, the company announced that it’s teaming up with Hitachi to launch a new fingerprint reader capable of scanning and recognising the unique vein patterns a customer’s hand. It’ll let you scan your finger to quickly access your online bank accounts and authorise payments, reducing fraud in the process. Hitachi’s Finger Vein Authentication Technology does the hard work and is said to be significantly harder to spoof because it’ll only work if the scanned finger is “attached to a live human body” (no finger-lopping movie plotlines happening here). Barclays’ Biometric Reader will roll out first to business account holders from next year, but staff at UK branches may ask you to put your best finger forward in the very near future.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Source: Barclays
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The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is smaller, lighter and more elegant than the GS5
With a 4.7-inch 720p display, 6.7mm profile, 115g (4.06 ounce) weight and aforementioned design language, the Alpha is tight, light, slim and classy. Since it’s a little smaller than most modern-day flagships and comes with straight sides and chamfered edges, it’s very easy to hold onto without losing my grip or feeling uncomfortable. The sides are also mostly flat until they approach the corners, where they curve slightly outward.
Despite the new design, the removable back still looks more like the Galaxy S5 than the Note 4; the latter has more of a leather-like appearance, whereas the Alpha’s polycarbonate back uses a series of very tiny divots. The back itself is flat except where it slopes inward toward the edges. The phone will come in five different colors, and some definitely look better than others; this is one of those times in which the gold version actually looks a little better than the black one, since some of the front and back colors blend better with the sides than others do. The 12MP camera (not quite as high quality as the GS5 or Note 4) sits in the top middle, with an LED flash and heart rate monitor module to its left.
With a smaller screen, the lower-resolution display is completely fine; everything looked crisp and sharp. It also comes with the same fingerprint scanner as the flagship phones. The only thing that truly concerns me with the Alpha right now is the 1,860mAh battery, which is quite limited for today’s standards (its battery is significantly smaller than the GS5’s). It also doesn’t come with external memory, so the 32GB internal storage will have to do.
The Alpha will come in two versions, much like many of Samsung’s other phones: An octacore Exynos 5-powered option, which comes with four 1.8GHz Cortex-A15 cores for higher performance and four 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 cores for smaller tasks, and a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 version. Both options will come with 2GB RAM. Samsung uses this two-model setup often, in which the Exynos model is typically sold in Korea and other select countries, while the Snapdragon model goes to the remaining regions like the US and Europe.
With a few exceptions, the Alpha seems to look like another Galaxy S5 mini of sorts, but with better specs and more elegant design. While Samsung is still keeping quiet on pricing — it’ll likely be dictated by region and carrier — it’ll likely be higher-priced than many of its competitors. If it manages to be competitively priced, however, the Alpha could easily become a hit among shoppers who want something more on the classy side without getting a monster-sized phone.
Photos and video by Zach Honig.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, Google
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Rebecca Minkoff’s smart bracelets place emphasis on style and luxury
Some fashionistas wouldn’t be caught dead wearing certain smartwatches, okay? That’s why you see all these fancy wearables pop up these days, including a handful of new offerings from American designer Rebecca Minkoff. Her collection’s comprised of two high-tech, high-fashion bracelets like Intel’s MICA, as well as a golden phone charger, made in collaboration with luxury phone casing maker Case-Mate. Each bracelet has its own function, so it wouldn’t be redundant to wear them both: the $120 gold chain-linked one connects to your phone via Bluetooth and alerts you of calls and texts from chosen contacts. The $60 studded leather bracelet, on the other hand, transforms into a lightning cable that connects to a USB cable for times when you badly need to charge.
Minkoff’s the latest designer to cross over to tech from the fashion industry, following in the footsteps of Diane Von Furstenberg who designed stylish frames for Google Glass, Tory Burch who teamed up with Fitbit to create a special Flex tracker, and Ralph Lauren who recently launched a smart shirt for athletes. We’ll likely hear more about these bracelets when Minkoff launches them today at New York Fashion Week, though they seem pretty straightforward, so it may be best not to expect more features.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile
Via: Stylelist
Source: Rebecca Minkoff
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AIVAnet 