UN study shows atmospheric CO2 increases reach 30 year high
Aside from paying someone to scream “this is a problem” into everyone’s faces, there’s not much more that the UN can do to tell us that we’re heading towards an environmental catastrophe. The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization has found more proof of our forthcoming doom, showing that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose faster between 2012-2013 than any other year since 1984. If the rate doesn’t slow down, then the levels will reach 400 parts per million in the next two years – a figure well in excess of the 350ppm that most climate scientists believe is “safe.”
For the first time, the WMO has also looked into the acidification of the oceans, and how this is hampering their ability to absorb carbon. Historically, the oceans would have been able to shoulder some of the burden, but acidification prevents it from doing so, which means atmospheric carbon will increase at an even faster rate. The advice at the end of the report is the same as ever: unless we cut CO2 emissions and generally clean up after ourselves, we’re going to be in big trouble. UNESCO’s Wendy Watson-Wright probably says it best in her closing remarks, bluntly stating that “we are running out of time.”
Via: Washington Post
Source: WMO
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Tesco shelves its smartphone plans to focus on Hudl 2 tablet
Tesco makes its own affordable range of everyday products for penny-conscious consumers, and last year the supermarket extended this concept to tablets. The Hudl slate wasn’t just cheap, but also the perfect vehicle for showcasing Tesco’s various streaming services. Despite a few hardware teething problems, the Hudl has gone on to sell over half a million units, prompting the commission of a sequel earlier this year. Alongside the Hudl 2, Tesco also said it would launch an affordable Android smartphone, but now the chain’s announced those plans have been shelved while it focuses on the new tablet, which is due out “in the next few weeks.” As Robin Terrell, Group Multi-Channel Director at Tesco explains, since the plan was revealed “the mobile market has become even more competitive,” leading the supermarket to “put the phone on hold.”
Where Tesco previously saw space for “an affordable, quality 4G handset,” it’s clearly no longer confident it can deliver a competitive product. Since it announced the phone, of course, we’ve seen the arrival of several budget handsets that fit that description, like the Moto G with 4G and Lumia 635. Perhaps it’s also a case of Tesco being too ambitious with its hardware. Former CEO Philip Clarke said the Hudl phone would be comparable to Samsung’s Galaxy S5, which makes us wonder whether hitting the right price point was simply unachievable. Clarke was all but sacked recently, leaving new head Dave Lewis with the task of clawing back lost market share. While Terrell states he decided to put the phone on hiatus in early July (before the new CEO stepped up), the move fits nicely with Lewis’ plan to refocus on being the best supermarket around. We doubt money-hungry projects like creating a own-brand smartphone fit with this policy, and it could mean the team at Tesco Labs might have to spend less time on fun stuff, and more stacking shelves.
The Hudl tablet line is surviving for now, however, and the next one is launching imminently. Terrell has spilled a bean or two on the upcoming device, saying it’s “improved on just about every area of its predecessor, from screen size to speed, design and accessories.” He also said the sequel has the potential to “take its place as customer’s primary tablet,” but regardless of how much more powerful it ends up being, we expect the price will remain the slate’s most important spec, and its biggest selling point.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile
Via: Marketing Week
Source: Tesco
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Amazon Prime Instant Video finally comes to Android
We’ve been waiting for what seems like forever, but today’s the day that Amazon finally lets Android users watch video on the go. The company has updated its core shopping app to bake-in Prime Instant Video, enabling users to catch digital re-runs of The Sopranos whatever device they’re rocking. The updated app also now lets customers access every part of Amazon’s online retail catalog, so they can pick up a kitchen appliance or two in line at the DMV. The app is available for free on Google Play, with 5GB of free cloud photo storage with Amazon Cloud Drive thrown in as a sweetener.
[Thanks, Anthony]
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Amazon
Source: Amazon (Google Play US), (UK)
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Alleged iPhone 6 Geekbench Results Reveal 1.4 GHz Dual-Core A8 Chip, 1 GB of RAM
Over the weekend, Weibo user zzray showed off an apparently working 4.7-inch iPhone 6, offering a first look at the device. Now, the user has also posted more information about the device (Google Translate, via GforGames), including results from a Geekbench 3 test that reveal a 1.4 GHz ARM processor and 1 GB of RAM for the device.
The results show that the iPhone 6 scored a 1633 on the single-core test and a 2920 on the multi-core test, which is greater than the 1305 single-core and 2347 dual-core Geekbench 3 scores for the 1.3 GHz A7 chip on the iPhone 5s. This also contrasts a previous report, which claimed that the A8 chip would top 2 GHz while remaining dual-core.
The data also displays 1GB of RAM, which is the same amount of RAM included on the iPhone 5s. A wiring schematic said to be from the iPhone 6 that surfaced last month also indicated that the device would have 1 GB of RAM.
iPhone 6 shot (left) compared to iPhone 5s (middle) and LG G3 (right)
The user has also posted a photo from the iPhone 6 and compared it to the same shot taken with iPhone 5s and LG G3. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is said to come with an improved camera module which is said to offer faster focusing speeds and power efficiency. Other leaks have pointed to the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 featuring an optical image stabilization system.
Apple is expected to reveal both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 alongside the iWatch at a media event scheduled for today at 10 AM. MacRumors will have live coverage of the event as it unfolds.
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Apple to Provide Live Video of Today’s Special Media Event on Apple TV
Ahead of today’s special media event, Apple has once again made its “Apple Events” channel available on the Apple TV.
Image credit: MacStories
Apple will also be streaming the event live on its website, as users will need to be running Safari on Mac/iOS or have QuickTime 7 on Windows in order to watch the stream.
Apple is expected to unveil the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 alongside the iWatch, and will likely provide updates on iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite.
Apple’s keynote kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, and MacRumors will also be providing a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler-free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.
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Sony’s sold over a million PlayStation 4 consoles in the UK
With over 10 million worldwide sales, Sony’s PlayStation 4 has enjoyed a very solid start. It’s consistently outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One, and in the UK, it’s already become the company’s fastest-ever selling console. In an interview with Eurogamer, Sony UK boss Fergal Gara revealed that it took the PS4 just 42 weeks to reach one million sales, beating the PlayStation 3 and the PS2 to the same milestone by four and eight weeks respectively. By contrast, the Xbox 360 took a total of 60 weeks, while Xbox One figures remain undisclosed.
Although impressive, the PS4’s race to one million only ranks it as the second fastest-selling home console ever. The top spot actually belongs to the oft-forgotten Nintendo Wii, which notched its first million sales in just 38 weeks. Like this editor, many UK gamers chose Sony when it introduced The Last of Us: Remastered — we wouldn’t be surprised if the same happens again now that the white PlayStation 4 and Destiny bundle is on sale.
Source: Eurogamer
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Sprint and T-Mobile fight to buy back your old devices
With the new iPhone making its debut later and other phones coming out in the next few months, you’re probably already looking for the best way to trade in your old device for a new one. Sprint and T-Mobile both want your business really badly, it seems, so now they’re trying to one-up each others’ — and everyone else’s — buyback programs. While the Now Network has long paid up to $300 for old gadgets, the company will now start matching any higher trade-in price you get from the other three major carriers, in an effort to offer the best deal possible. But Big Magenta won’t go down without a fight: in case you get a better buyback pricing from another carrier, the company will not only match it, but also add $50 on top of the total amount to make the deal sweeter.
As Sprint pointed out in is press release, though, T-Mobile only lets you trade in one device per line and only when you’re buying a new one, whereas its buyback program accepts up to three eligible devices at once. Choosing between the two then depends on how many devices you’re trading in, which one will pay you the most and when you’re turning in your old devices: Sprint’s new policy starts immediately, but T-Mobile’s will start on September 17th and is only available for a limited time. Your move, AT&T and Verizon.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Sprint, T-Mobile
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Documentary chronicles the sounds of console gaming’s early years
When it comes to video games, more often than not audio gets the short shrift because, well, you can’t see music in a screenshot. It’s with that in mind that Red Bull (yes, that Red Bull) is putting together a documentary series about the scene surrounding classic Japanese video-game music called Diggin’ in the Carts. The first episode focuses on the early days of the industry at Namco Bandai and Nintendo and features interviews with, among other luminaries, the first person in charge of game music for the Mario company, Hirozaku “Hip” Tanaka. Tanaka would go on to produce the iconic scores for Balloon Fight and Metroid, as well as design the sound chip for the first Game Boy. This premiere episode, embedded below, also showcases just how early soundtracks were composed. Spoiler: it involved more wave-forms and soldering than it did keyboards and drum machines. Interested in seeing more? A new clip is scheduled to release every week for the next month-and-a-half.
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Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Kotaku
Source: Red Bull Music Academy
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How do you say ‘Ay caramba’ in Mandarin? The Simpsons are going to China
There many, many things blocked and banned in China, including Google and Twitter, but apparently, The Simpsons isn’t one of ‘em. According to Variety, Fox and Chinese online video platform Sohu have agreed to stream The Simpsons (yes, that same series that’s been poking fun at American culture and its all-American family for decades) in China. Their deal includes the latest season which will air later this September, but it’s unclear how many episodes will be available in the country — and if episodes that reference China will even be shown at all. Instead of dubbing over the characters’ iconic voices, they opted to air the show in English with Mandarin subtitles. One can’t help but wonder how they’ll translate all the pop culture references, so don’t be surprised if you see a Simpsons bad translation blog out of the mainland in the future.
Via: Motherboard
Source: Variety
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Mayo Clinic to Reportedly Help Present iOS 8’s Health App at Apple’s Media Event
Minnesota-based medical group Mayo Clinic will be at Apple’s special media event tomorrow to demonstrate how iOS 8’s new Health app can benefit medical professionals, reports the Star Tribune. The paper states that Mayo will show how data from the Health app can flow into a sophisticated management system of a major health center.
Apple and Mayo Clinic have reportedly been working together for two years. The medical group’s CEO Dr. John H. Noseworthy was quoted as saying that Apple’s Health and HealthKit development tools have the potential to “revolutionize how the health industry interacts with people” when both were introduced at WWDC this past June.
Last month, Apple was also said to be in talks with health providers at Mount Sinai, Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins, and Allscripts to roll out HealthKit to their facilities. According to sources close to the discussions, Apple has been positioning HealthKit and its Health app as an all-in-one solution for medical professionals to store patient data for easier access and to improve diagnostics.
Apple’s media event kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, and MacRumors will have full coverage of the event as it unfolds.
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