Apple Will Release WatchKit in November for Developers [iOS Blog]
Today at its media event in Cupertino, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that WatchKit would release for developers in November alongside the Apple Watch SDK. Previously, WatchKit had still been in development and was available to a select few third-party developers like Starwood Hotels.
In November, all developers will be available to get WatchKit and the Apple Watch SDK to create their own apps for Apple Watch. Cook once again reiterated that the Apple Watch will be available in early 2015.
Apple Pay Launching This Monday, October 20 with iOS 8.1 [iOS Blog]
At its special event today, Apple announced that its Apple Pay mobile payments solution will launch on this Monday, October 20 with iOS 8.1. The company also noted that it had signed on another 500 banks to work with Apple Pay since announcing the service last month.
Apple Pay will be compatible with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and will support the Apple Watch when it launches in 2015. Apple is emphasizing safety and security with Apple Pay, as users simply hold the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus to a receiver while holding the Touch ID home button. Card numbers are stored or shared in a “Secure Element” functionality, and are never visible to Apple or cashiers.
Apple Pay will first be available in the United States and will be compatible with American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Apple also lists Citi, Bank of America, Capital One, Wells Fargo, Chase, and a number of other banks as partners.
Google’s plan for super-fast internet: tap unused airwaves
One of the problems with a tech company publicly testing anything is that you can start to hope. Hope, almost inevitably, leads to despair, and from despair it’s only a short hop to the dark side, or something. With that in mind, we’d suggest you try not to hope too hard when you hear that Google has applied to the FCC for permission to begin wireless spectrum tests in the San Francisco area. According to Reuters, the company’s looking into a rarely-used millimeter wave frequency that is capable of transmitting large amounts of data, but only if the receiving equipment is in the line-of-sight.
Google does do a lot of research, so this could just be one of its various groups (X, Nest, Boston Dynamics) doing some testing outside of the lab. If so, then this could simply be a piece of procedural box-ticking to avoid getting into any trouble with fussy regulators. Of course, the more hyperventilation-inducing theory is that Google is following through on a promise to bring wireless service to areas where it currently offers fiber optic broadband. That would fall in line with a The Information report from earlier this year, which said that the search engine was trying to buddy up with Verizon on the project.
Reuters’ cabal of experts has also suggested that this project could be used to build out a wireless broadband network that’s much cheaper than fiber. Rather than digging up roads and laying cables to each individual home, transmitters placed on the top of each building in a street could be easier and much more cost effective – enabling Google to bring its home-rolled internet to far more places in a shorter time. This last theory makes a little more sense, considering that the application was signed by Craig Barratt, the executive in charge of Google’s fiber plans. We’re not going to wildly speculate upon this too much, however, because that’s what the comments section is for.
Filed under: Google
Source: Reuters
Engadget giveaway: win a powered-up accessory package courtesy of TYLT!
Few things in today’s digitally dependent world can measure up to the panic when you’ve forgotten to charge your devices — short of leaving home without them. It’s always wise to have a backup plan, though, for when those juice levels drop and we’ve got a selection of power and connectivity minded goodies lined up for today’s giveaway. TYLT has provided a selection of its colorful, design-centric products that will keep your battery levels high and your ears happy. This package includes the ENERGI+ Backpack (which doubles as a mobile charging station), along with a variety of adapters, connectors and its TUNZ Bluetooth speaker and headphones. For those NFC-enabled commuters, there’s even the Capio universal smartphone car mount and charger. This rainbow of tech flavors is headed to one lucky Engadget reader this week, so just head on down to the Rafflecopter widget below and it could be yours.
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive a TYLT accessory package including: one (1) ENERGI+ Backpack, one (1) TUNZ Bluetooth Speaker, one (1) ENERGI 5K+ Battery Pack, one (1) ENERGI 2K Travel Charger, one (1) TUNZ Stereo Headset, one (1) CAPIO Car Mount w/NFC, one (1) Y-Charge 4.2 Dual USB Car Charger, two (2) Syncable-Duo Cables and one (1) N-FLIGHT Airplane Headphone Adapter.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. TYLT and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until October 19th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Filed under: Announcements, Cellphones, Wireless
HP calls time, will shut down webOS support on January 15th, 2015
Still hauling that Palm Pre around without a care in the world? Sorry to say but there’s a nasty surprise coming your way just after the holidays. HP has quietly announced that it’ll pull the plug on the catalog and cloud services that support webOS devices from January 15th of next year. That doesn’t mean that your hardware will shut down, but living with the gear is going to get considerably harder. Firstly, you won’t be able to purchase, download and restore apps, and you won’t be able to restore your phone from a backup either. Setting up a new device has also gone the way of all things, and if you lose your password, you won’t be getting it back. This is probably the excuse you need to buy a new phone, but don’t worry, because as long as we remember webOS in our hearts, it’ll never truly die, okay?
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, HP
Archos is launching a GearVR competitor that costs just $40
We may not know how much GearVR will cost, but we’re reasonably sure that Archos is already trying to undercut Samsung and Oculus head-mounted effort. The French company is busting out the wittily-named Archos VR Headset, a Rift-like device that’s compatible with any smartphone that measures between 5 and 6-inches. The kicker here, of course, is that the device will retail for £25 in the UK, roughly converting to $40, which would put it well beneath the – frankly insane – $200 figure an unnamed Samsung official told VentureBeat during New York Fashion Week. If you’re interested in trying one out, it’ll be available at some point in November, and we hope that the GearVR isn’t too far behind.
Facebook ‘Safety Check’ lets friends and family know you’re safe during a disaster
Facebook has just started rolling out Safety Check — its new emergency check-in feature, which enables users of the social network to quickly alert friends and family that they’re safe during times of natural disasters and crises.
The functionality was unveiled by Facebook’s acting CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, in Tokyo earlier today, and works by sending users a push notification asking them if they are safe should a natural disaster occur in the area listed as their current location. By opening the application, members can view a list of their Facebook friends in the area to see which of them have checked-in as safe.
According to Marcy Scott Lynn, global policy programs manager at Facebook, the social networking giant will determine what constitutes as a disaster worthy of a check-in by communicating with local authorities and natural disaster experts.
If you’d like to see the Safety Check feature in action, Facebook have produced a neat, little explanation and tutorial video, which can be seen below. Just hit the Play button to get started.
We’d love to hear your opinion on the new Safety Check feature. Will you be taking advantage of it if a natural disaster happens to strike in your area? Do you feel safe knowing that Facebook is constantly aware of your current location? be sure to let us know your thoughts by dropping a comment in the section below.
Source: Facebook
Come comment on this article: Facebook ‘Safety Check’ lets friends and family know you’re safe during a disaster
The Oppo N3 will have a fingerprint scanner on its back
Another day closer to the announcement of the N3 and we have another leaked photo. This time, we’re looking at the entire backplate of the device and it reveals one very important thing. The N3 will sport a fingerprint scanner. Besides that we see the new camera in all its glory. From what we know the device will feature various materials including an aerospace alloy (lithium alloy) and steel. We’re less than two weeks away from the big unveil. Of course at the rate that the Oppo N3 is “leaking,” we may know everything there is to know about the device.
Come comment on this article: The Oppo N3 will have a fingerprint scanner on its back
Google releases new Translate extension for Chrome
Google Chrome revolutionized translation tools in web browsers when it first launched, and they’re improving it today with their new Translate extension. With the new extension, instead of translating the entire page as was required in the past, you can just translate certain parts of the page by highlighting, right clicking, and choosing “Google Translate”.
The extension is available in the Chrome Web Store, and is free for use.
Source: Official Chrome Blog
Come comment on this article: Google releases new Translate extension for Chrome
NBA 2K15 for Android exclusively available from Amazon
NBA 2K15 launched today for Android, but for now, the only official way to get it on your device is through Amazon’s AppStore. It’s unclear how long it’ll be until the game is also available on Google’s Play Store. The new game has greatly improved graphics, a new MyCareer mode that has players work through a storyline for their custom-made character, and a new Pharrell Williams-curated soundtrack.
You can download the app from the Amazon link below.
Source: Amazon
Come comment on this article: NBA 2K15 for Android exclusively available from Amazon
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