Reuters: Facebook’s getting into the healthcare business
With Google and Apple both launching health-related products earlier this year, it’s not surprising that Facebook’s conjuring up its own — according to Reuters, anyway. The news agency says Facebook has been talking to medical industry experts and is in the early stages of building a research and development team for mobile apps and tools. In addition to possible health apps, the company’s also reportedly creating online support communities to connect users afflicted with the same illnesses. That’s apparently a product of employees’ observation that people tend to look for advice about their ailments on the social network. While Facebook has long been looking into offering healthcare apps and services, what drove it to take things seriously was its wildly successful organ donor status launch in 2012. Sure, people might have just signed up to donate their organs for the bragging rights, but at least that launch day caused registrations to skyrocket to 13,054 from the daily average of 616.
Filed under: Misc, Mobile, Facebook
Source: Reuters
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Fruit Ninja gets a new lease on life after Halfbrick Studios drops a huge update
Fruit Ninja – now that’s a name we haven’t heard in a long time. The break out game 2010 won hearts (and fingers) with its simple, but extremely addicted gameplay and was one of the games you could expect most people would have had on their smartphones. That’s much less likely now in 2014, however that might be about to change. Halfbrick Studios has just announced a huge update to the game which adds brand new features and all new focus on blades and dojos which now give you abilities. Check out the trailer:
At the heart of it, Fruit Ninja is obviously the same game, but it’s nice to know Halfbrick have still been working at it all these years and it’s nice to see a pretty big update to give the game new legs. It might not rekindle its breakout success of 2010 again, but it’s probably worth downloading the new update for old time’s sake. If you’re wanting to try it out, you can find a Play Store link down below:
Source: Halfbrick Studios
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iPhone 6 Plus Reportedly Accounting for 60% of Total iPhone 6 Device Shipments
The iPhone 6 Plus is expected to account for 60% of total iPhone 6 device shipments as sales of the device are exceeding initial expectations, reports Digitimes. The information comes from industry sources observing parts shipments to longtime Apple suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron.
Foxconn is said to be responsible for the production of the iPhone 6 Plus, while Pegatron is in charge of the iPhone 6. While parts shipments to both suppliers were even as the launch of both devices neared, Foxconn appears to have received more parts shipments for the iPhone 6 Plus as of late.
Apple announced last month that it opening weekend sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus topped ten million units, although the company did not specify how that number was divided between both units. Shipping estimates for new iPhone 6 orders remain at 7-10 business days, while the iPhone 6 Plus is still showing a shipping delay of 3-4 weeks.
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Yogurt bacteria could replace colonoscopies for cancer detection
Let’s face it: colonoscopies are pretty unpleasant. But what if you could eat a spoonful of yogurt to check for cancer rather than enduring that procedure? MIT professor Sangeeta Bhatia is working on engineered bacteria that detects colorectal cancer. After the nanoparticles pass through the digestive system, a urine sample shows results on a reactive paper — similar to that of a pregnancy test. In addition to being much less invasive, the high-powered yogurt method doesn’t require a lab full of equipment, making it an attractive alternative for poor locales. Here’s to hoping scientists figure out a better way to get through a root canal next.
[Photo credit: Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images]
Filed under: Science
Source: MIT Technology Review
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Tesco launches the £129 Hudl2: bigger, better, faster
A popular supermarket chain isn’t the first place you’d expect to find an own-brand tablet, but with its low price and a prime spot next to the beans, Tesco’s Hudl has sold over 750,000 units since launch. While plans to also enter the smartphone racket have been put on hold, today Tesco’s spilled all the details on its second-gen slate: the Hudl2.
The first thing you’ll notice is that Tesco has stayed with what works. The Hudl2 shares a similar design with its predecessor, but is a little bit bigger. However, the bezels are vastly smaller, giving it a more premium look. It comes with a toughened 8.3-inch Full HD touchscreen, and a thinner chassis that ships in a variety of eight different colours: black, blue, purple, red, aqua, pink, orange and white.
Like the original tablet, Tesco’s Hudl2 undercuts many of its rivals at £129, and you can also bring that cost down by trading in some of your Clubcard points. While the device is being unveiled today, you’ll have to wait until October 9th to get your hands on it (although pre-orders will open the day before). Inside, there’s a 1.83GHz Intel Atom quad-core processor (which Tesco says makes it three times faster than the original) and 2GB of RAM, stock Android 4.4 KitKat, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.2-megapixel front facer, Dolby-optimised rear-facing speakers, dual-band Wi-Fi, 16GB of internal storage (with a microSD slot taking it up to 48GB) and according to Tesco, a battery that’ll last around 8 hours on a full charge.
Recognising that customers are buying Hudls for their children, Tesco has included a new range of child-safety tools. When they first turn on the tablet, parents will be asked to set up features that can block sensitive content or restrict the amount of time that a child plays on the Hudl 2, to the point where it’ll turn itself off when it’s time to go to sleep. App access can be locked down in up to seven profiles, protecting young eyes from the darker downloads on the Play Store.
Read more: Tesco’s Hudl2 vs. Hudl: what’s changed?
Tesco is also ramping up the number of accessories it offers with its tablet. This year, Tesco is offering up to 64 tablet and case colour combinations for the Hudl2, including the wonderfully-named Perky Purple & Red and Dreamy White & Bluespotted cases, as well as coloured on-ear and in-ear headphones, screen protectors and stylii.
You’ll be able to turn every £5 of Clubcard vouchers into £10 towards the hudl2 and its accessories, bringing the price down to just £65. That’ll make it a much more attractive proposition when you’re traversing the aisles during your weekly shop. Tesco will also continue to sell the original Hudl for £99, but the company says when stock is gone, it’s gone.
Via: BBC News
Source: Tesco, Hudl Store
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Recode: Apple wants to make Beats subscriptions cheaper
Ten bucks — that’s what many on-demand music streaming services like Rhapsody and Spotify cost per month. But — according to Recode – Apple thinks $10 is too damn high, so it’s already talking to music labels in an effort to bring Beat Music’s price down and entice users to choose it over its rivals. Back when an Apple exec shot down rumors that the company’s sunsetting Beats Music, Recode said that while the service will stay, there might be major changes coming — this cheaper pricing might be one of them. It’s now up to Cupertino to convince these corporations (it’s reportedly sussing out a new set of rights with music labels, even as you read this) to sign on the dotted line. Unfortunately, you won’t be seeing any of these big Beats Music upgrades until next year, so you’ll have to pony up a few more $10 bills for now.
Source: Recode
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Tesco’s Hudl2 vs. Hudl: what’s changed?
The Hudl2 has finally been unveiled. Sticking to what it knows, Tesco has retained much of what made the original Hudl unique, but it’s now bigger, thinner and a lot more powerful. Wondering how the specs compare to its predecessor, though? Well, we’re glad you asked because we’ve laid everything out for you below.
| Hudl2 | Hudl | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (on contract) |
£129 | £99 |
| Processor | 1.83 GHz Intel Atom quad-core | 1.5 GHz Rockchip quad-core |
| Memory | 2GB | 1GB |
| Display | 8.3-inch 1920 x 1200 LCD | 7-inch 1440 x 900 LCD |
| Pixel Density | 273 ppi | 243 ppi |
| Storage | 16GB (plus 32GB microSD) | 16GB (plus 32GB microSD) |
| Primary camera | 5-megapixel/1080p video | 3-megapixel |
| Secondary camera | 1.2-megapixel/720p video | 0.8-megapixel |
| WiFi | Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n | Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Battery life | Up to 8 hours usage | Up to 9 hours usage |
| Weight | 410 grams / 14.46 oz | 370 grams / 13.05 oz |
| Dimensions | 128 x 224 x 9.15mm | 128.8 x 192.8 x 9.9mm |
|
Colors |
Black, Blue, Purple, Red, Aqua, Pink, Orange and White. | Black, Blue, Red and Purple |
| Details accurate as of launch. | ||
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Nexus 6 Spotted in the Wild?! Android L Hits the Galaxy S5! – ManDroid Daily
The ManDroid Daily is here, and the Nexus 6 ball keeps on rolling. The new Nexus phone was spotted in the wild apparently, and someone was also kind enough to create some pretty renders of the phone. Android L shows up on the Android L, courtesy of SamMobile, so give all that a look down below, and enjoy the Daily.
Android News
Nexus 6 caught on camera
Nexus 6 renders
Android L on the Galaxy S5
Oppo N3 showing new swivel camera
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Facebook promises better vetting for its social experiments
Facebook came under a ton of fire this summer when it revealed that it’d manipulated some peoples’ news feeds in an experiment to track mood changes. Well, The Social Network took note and has recently announced it’s changing how experiments will be performed and from here on out, Zuck and Co. will give researchers clearer guidelines to follow. Meaning, in part, that if a study drills down on a particular demographic or relates to something its users would consider “deeply personal” (i.e. feelings or moods), before the research begins it has to go through what Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer calls an advanced review process. That review process will be handled by senior-level employees from the social behemoth’s engineering, research, legal and privacy-and-policy teams.
Every employee regardless of position will undergo a bit of learning on the research process during the outfit’s six-week training seminar, too. But wait, there’s more! Facebook has also setup a portal that hosts its research projects for all to see. From here, at least, it looks like the company is keeping its promise to not repeat the same mistake twice.
[Image credit: Alamy]
Filed under: Internet, Software, Facebook
Source: Facebook, Research at Facebook
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Twitter hands MIT your public tweets, along with $10 million
Twitter has just awarded MIT’s Media Lab with $10 million (to be completed over the course of five years) to pore over, analyze and scrutinize every public tweet ever made, all for the sake of science. This new MIT project called Laboratory for Social Machines (LSM) will study patterns of online communication through social media. The researchers then plan to build data visuals and develop mobile apps and other tools (such as one that journalists can use to monitor trends), based on what they learn from studying the social network. According to Bloomberg, one of the project’s major plans is to look into social media’s power to generate negative energy a lot better than it does positive energy.
This isn’t the first time Twitter has offered its users’ content to researchers — back in February, the company launched the Data Grants program, which scientists can access for free. Even before that, many researchers came up with their own methodologies to dig up tweets for an assortment of reasons, such as to track earthquakes or to figure out which restaurants to avoid. Also, if you didn’t know, the company has been selling public tweets to advertisers and marketers for quite a while now. The difference this time is that Twitter’s handing over millions on top of its tweet compilation, something that’ll immsensly help MIT’s Media Lab, which has a current operating budget worth $45 million.
Filed under: Science
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AIVAnet 