How would you change the 13-inch, mid-2013 MacBook Air?
Meet the new boss, broadly the same as the old boss. Except this variation of Apple’s thin-and-light mobile PC was packing Haswell, Intel’s power-sipping wonder chip, capable of giving the 2013 MBA its 12-plus-hour battery life and nippy speed. When we sat this down in front of Tim Stevens’ hands, his only grip was that the device was lacking a retina display, although we’re probably still a year or two away from that taking place. Still, we imagine plenty of you out there picked up one of these devices, so why not hop on the forum and tell us if you’d have taken a MacBook Air with a four-hour battery life in exchange for some pixel-dense goodness.
Source: Engadget Product Forums
Google is giving non-profits its latest satellite maps
Non-profit groups don’t often have the luxury of using satellite maps to gauge their progress clearing landmines or saving trees. Getting fresh imagery is typically expensive, if it’s an option at all. Google’s recent acquisition Skybox wants to fix that with Skybox for Good, a new program that gives non-profits up-to-date satellite photos to help track their work. It’s just in beta testing at this point, but a handful of partners are already using the data to see how they’re boosting education, protecting the environment and repopulating previously mine-laden areas. The icing on the cake? You can see these maps yourself — Google and Skybox are publishing all the images on Google Maps under a sharing-friendly Creative Commons license, so you’ll know exactly how these noble causes are faring.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Skybox, Google Maps Engine
Austin’s airport uses WiFi to gauge how long you’ll wait in security lines
If you’re a frequent flyer, you’ve probably panicked after realizing that a long security line could make you miss your flight. You might not have reason to worry at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, though, since the travel hub is now taking advantage of Passpoint roaming on Boingo’s WiFi networks to estimate security line wait times. The system works by detecting passengers’ WiFi-equipped devices as they swing by security checkpoints, creating a catalog of interval data. With a few months of information, Boingo can almost always predict how long you’ll be stuck in the queue — yes, even during the holiday rush. Austin’s approach doesn’t require that you sign into Boingo (it’s just checking for basic hardware identifiers), and Bluetooth beacons supplement the coverage.
Don’t expect see this everywhere, at least not for a while. The underlying technology is only in testing at three airports, and Austin’s is the first to actually show the predictions. It also doesn’t provide data in real time, so an unruly passenger could throw everything off. The WiFi data could be useful for much more than security if it proves a success, however. Boingo tells ITWorld that the data could help airlines tell you when to leave for the airport, locate the facility’s wheelchairs and even tell you when there’s a line for the washroom. While this won’t help you catch a break if you’re really, truly late, it may help you relax when there’s plenty of time to spare.
[Image credit: Dion Hinchcliffe, Flickr]
Filed under: Transportation, Networking
Source: ITWorld
Material Design showing for mobile web searches
Google has been rolling out changes to many of its apps and services in preparation for the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop. The latest area to see Material Design is mobile web search. Users of Chrome for Android are reporting that the new Android guidelines are appearing with fresh animations.
Prior to this, Google was said to be running a task through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service testing the changes. Now, those changes are starting to appear. You do not need Android 5.0 for anything to be activated. It will reflect for everyone, but it is just a matter of when.
Let us know in the comments when you start seeing Material Design for your mobile web searches.
Via: Android Police
Come comment on this article: Material Design showing for mobile web searches
Samsung releases two Galaxy Note 4 ads focusing on the camera and S Pen
A new pairing of Galaxy Note 4 advertisements are rolling out now. They highlight two of the biggest selling points for the massive Samsung device. The first aims to prove how powerful the Galaxy Note 4′s camera is while the other is all about the S Pen. A wide range of events and uses are covered by the ads. Both end by asking whether or not you know how to Note.
Hit the break to watch the ads.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Samsung releases two Galaxy Note 4 ads focusing on the camera and S Pen
LG G3 scheduled to receive Android 5.0 Lollipop by end of year
Word is trickling in regarding when the flagship phones of 2014 will receive Android 5.0 Lollipop. One of the devices we have been waiting to hear about is the G3. There has been next to nothing stated about when it would get a taste of Lollipop. Luckily, an LG representative went ahead and gave a general expectation. The representative said that the G3 would receive Android 5.0 by the end of this year.
This is for the international version of the G3; therefore, owners of carrier versions in the United States should expect it in early 2015 just like everyone else owning another device.
Via: GSMArena
Come comment on this article: LG G3 scheduled to receive Android 5.0 Lollipop by end of year
Google Search updates messes with alarms, turning them off in some cases
This could prove to be a little troublesome for users of alarms within Android. The latest update to Google Search seemingly breaks the hands-free alarms and timers. Before, hitting the “Set alarm” and “Set timer” button was not necessary but now some are required to do so. If not, the device will not set anything and notify you when it should. The reason we say “some” is because there are users experiencing the issue while others are not. It is a spotty bug. The Google Search app is also having a problem setting these alarms and timers for dedicated clock apps.
So this is a public service announcement to go and check your alarms. Otherwise, you may not get up for work tomorrow morning. Not that you would want to do that, right?
Via: Android Central
Come comment on this article: Google Search updates messes with alarms, turning them off in some cases
Amazon’s Fire TV is doing much better than its phone
This week Amazon announced it would take a $170 million hit due to the struggling Fire Phone, but there’s no sign of issues with the Fire TV. Amazon isn’t sharing any sales numbers so all we know for sure is that its selection of apps and games has grown to over 600, more than triple the number available at launch. NBA 2K15 is coming soon, but for now the apps and games used most include Amazon Instant Video (of course), Netflix, Hulu Plus, Asphalt 8: Airborne and Minecraft: Pocket Edition. When we reviewed the Fire TV in April it came off as a powerful platform with some initial rough edges — now that it has a better selection of original apps and exclusive content with shows like Transparent, it may be in a position to stand out from the crowd (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast).
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon (1), (2)
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