Xbox One to launch in China this month after all
Having just discovered that Halo’s Master Chief is actually Chinese, we were about to call out the irony of the Xbox One’s delayed launch in mainland China, but now we have some good news. According to our brethren over at Engadget Chinese, Microsoft has just confirmed that its latest console and Kinect sensor will be on sale in China on September 29th, which means local gamers will be able to enjoy them over the week-long national holiday commencing on October 1st. Alas, only 10 games — including Forza Motorsport 5, Dance Central: Spotlight and Neverwinter — have been approved by the authorities in the first batch, but the company claims that over 70 titles are already “in development.” There’s still no word on what caused the original delay; our guess is Microsoft initially felt there aren’t enough approved launch titles, but there’s always the grey market, of course. Sony, your move now.
Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Source: Engadget Chinese
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Apple’s App Store Usage Numbers Suggest 46% Adoption Rate for iOS 8
Roughly a week after its initial release, iOS 8 is now installed on 46% of devices connected to the App Store, according to the latest numbers posted on Apple’s App Store developer support page (via iClarified). The numbers also indicate that 49% of users are using iOS 7 while 5% of users are on older versions of iOS.
Earlier this month, Apple’s analytics indicated that 92% of devices connected to the App Store were using iOS 7, while 7% were using iOS 6 and 1% were on earlier versions of the mobile operating system. In December 2013, iOS 7 usage was at 74 percent, which jumped to 78 percent later that month. In late January, iOS 7 usage was at 80% and then scaled to 85% in March.
iOS 8 was released last Tuesday and brought several new features like Continuity, third-party keyboards, interactive notifications and more. However, a number of users have experienced a variety of problems with the operating system’s initial release, including irregular battery drain, slow Wi-Fi, app crashes, and more.
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Huawei’s just bought an internet-of-things startup
Whenever we talk about Huawei, it’s normally within the context of the company’s growing smartphone business. What we don’t talk about as much is the Chinese giant’s massive networking operation — but it’s this department that’s making a big entry into the Internet of Things. Huawei has announced that it’s buying Neul, a Cambridge-based startup that specializes in building low-power wireless sensors for monitoring in various industrial and medical applications. Neul is probably most famous for having built the UK’s first smart road, a 50-mile chunk of highway designed to monitor traffic flow and avoid congestion. Huawei has pledged to use its vast resources to turn Neul’s Cambridge HQ into an “internet of things stronghold” which, we’re sure, will go down really well with those people who refuse to deal with the company on security grounds.
Filed under: Wireless
Source: GigaOM, Business Weekly
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Lyft snaps up company that makes carpooling with strangers more efficient
Lyft, it seems, is going to be getting a bit bigger and, perhaps, a touch better. The not-a-cab outfit has recently acquired a stranger-based carpooling company by the name of Hitch. The service itself will shut down, but TechCrunch says that the startup’s founders will be putting “some of what” they had built for their own company into Lyft Line’s brand of ride-sharing. So long as the tech (a proprietary rider-matching engine, from the sounds of it) means that Line can be a viable alternative to Uber’s surge pricing, it should work out pretty well for everyone involved. Just remember: the Golden Rule applies to strangers regardless of venue — no matter how, ahem, unique they might be.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Mobile
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Hitch
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Sony will focus on high-end smartphones to help right the ship
In case you haven’t heard, Sony is in a little bit of strife. After having a resoundingly successful 2013, Sony’s financial success has taken a turn for the worse, recently posting a 180 billion year “impairment” – their words, not ours – due to poor performance by its Xperia devices, particularly the smartphones. As a result, Sony has had to let go about 1,000 employees to help its situation and the changes haven’t stopped there. According to sources in Taiwan, Sony will focus on high-end smartphones and essentially downplay its mid to low-end offerings to try and recover some of its losses.
Sony had been well positioned to consolidate its position in the top 10 of all smartphone manufacturers, however its latest performance could eventually see it drop out the tail end of those 10. Its poor performance has been blamed on a recent surge in Chinese manufacturer activity and an inability to get a foothold in the U.S. market, something which should not be unfamiliar to our American readers. This is a very similar downturn to what happened with HTC not too long ago after it tried to dip its fingers into too many pies. HTC has since recovered much of its former glory – Sony looks to have taken the first steps that HTC took after it reported huge losses and will take some time to properly recover, possibly when it is time for the Xperia Z4 to launch.
What do you think about Sony’s new strategy of just focusing on high-end smartphones? Let us know your opinion.
Source: Sony, DigiTimes via engadget, Phone Arena
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Google Chrome plugs into iOS 8 app extensions
Enjoy how Chrome and other apps share data back and forth on Android? Now you can get that feeling on iOS, since Google has updated Chrome to take advantage of the app extensions supported by iOS 8. That doesn’t mean you’ll be able to install any of Chrome’s desktop extensions — it just means links can be shared directly to any other apps on your iDevice, as long as they also support the feature. The update is rocking “iOS 8 compatibility” but no tweaks for the extra size of the iPhone 6 family have appeared yet.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: Chrome (iTunes)
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Apple Debuts New Ads ‘Huge’ and ‘Cameras’ Starring Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake
Apple today debuted two brand new ads called “Huge” and “Cameras”, focusing on the larger sizes of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and all of the new features of the highly praised new camera in both devices. Both ads once again feature Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake having some banter.
The first ad, “Huge”, has Fallon and Timberlake talking about how big the new phones are. While Fallon points out “huge” new features like the Health app while Timberlake repeatedly points out how the phones are literally “huge”.
The second ad, “Cameras”, has the duo talking about the camera features like time lapse, 240 frames per second slow-motion video and image stabilization for video while using their voices to vocally represent what each app does.
The ads are the third and fourth in a new series of ads starring Fallon and Timberlake. Earlier today, Apple announced that the company sold 10 million iPhone 6 models over the weekend.
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Plex is getting more expensive — unless you sign up right now
Already a subscriber to media outfit Plex’s services? Good news: when the company raises its prices at the end of the month, you won’t be affected. For everyone who signs up for the firm’s Plex Pass subscription come September 29th, however, the price of poker goes up. Monthly fees will raise from $4 to $5 and annual renewals will jump from $30 to $40. Hard to complain too much with those. The biggest change comes to lifetime memberships, as the associated fee is doubling. So, should you want to get in on unlimited access to the Pass for the rest of your life and only pay $75 for the privilege (instead of $150), you have less than a week to do so. The increase, Plex says, is in part due to new features and premium content that it’s going to unveil in the coming months — designing an entirely new app doesn’t come cheap.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
Source: Plex
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Google Now’s latest trick is finding you a cheaper flight
Google Now has been showing off alternate info for when your flight’s been delayed for a bit, and as of late the app’s looking to take another bite out of air transit frustrations: keeping an eye on ticket prices. Poking around on Google Flights for a trip will drop a card into the search giant’s digital assistant now and will alert you when prices change based on your recent destination or itinerary searches. It’s sort of like what Airfare Watchdog does, but is possibly more convenient. As pointed out by by Android Police, however, it doesn’t look like searching for a flight on the likes of Kayak or Travelocity will trigger the same activity.
From the looks of it, Mountain View’s aiming to provide end-to-end help for your trip, from sidestepping traffic jams en route to the airport to finding diversions at your destination. It’s worth noting, though, that it’s still entirely on you to roll out of bed to make that red-eye to wherever you’re going — not even Google can guarantee that’ll happen. Should you need proof that the new functionality exists, we’ve embedded Android Police‘s screengrabs below.
[Image credit: Greg Adams Photography]
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Transportation, Mobile, Google
Source: Android Police
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Android M Already Talked About?! Android L Spotted on Build in Chromium! – ManDroid Daily
Happy Monday my Android friends. Okay, that statement doesn’t make sense. There is no such thing as a “happy” Monday, but the ManDroid Daily is here. Android M is already being talked about on the developer side, which makes sense given they are ahead of what is out there. Android L on the other hand was spotted on a Nexus 4 owned by a Googler who posted the build in Chromium. It’s almost here guys. Enjoy the Daily!
Android News
Android M
Android L on a Nexus 4
Why Google chose HTC for Nexus 9
LG sets record
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AIVAnet 