Ridley Scott is producing a followup to ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’
There was a time when the name Ridley Scott had film – and especially SciFi – fans salivating at the mouth. Unfortunately, after Gladiator, it’s been mostly downhill, with Prometheus leaving a particularly sour taste. That’s why you’re entitled to be more wary than excited at the news that the Blade Runner director has signed up to produce a SyFy Channel miniseries of Arthur C. Clarke’s 3001: The Final Odyssey. If you’re unfamiliar with the 1997 sequel to 2001, 2010 and 2061, the novel concerns Frank Poole – the astronaut HAL sets adrift in 2001 – floating in space. Once revived and returned to Earth in the future, he finds a land where the monoliths now pose a threat to mankind’s continued existence. We would tell you more, but that’d defeat the point of them making the TV version, wouldn’t it.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Via: CNET
Source: Slashfilm
Apple Watch Pricing to Reportedly Start at $500 for Stainless Steel, $4,000 for Gold
French Apple website iGen.fr is reporting [Google Translate] that pricing for the stainless steel Apple Watch may start at $500, while the gold Apple Watches’ pricing could start between $4,000 and $5,000. iGen.fr has been reliable in the past, most recently reporting the dimensions of both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
While Apple had announced that the Apple Watch would start at $350, which was widely assumed to be the price of the aluminum model, and estimates pegged the price of the gold Apple Watch at prices as low as $1,000 or as high as $5,000, there has been little information regarding the pricing of the stainless steel option.
The site’s sources also indicate that Apple still aims to release the Apple Watch by Valentine’s Day 2015, which somewhat echoes an earlier report that said the company would be “lucky” to release the device by that timeframe. iGen.fr also mentions that manufacturers and resellers are preparing as if the Watch would release in mid-February 2015. Previously, Apple Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts said the Watch would release in Spring 2015.
Google and LG will license each other’s patents for the next decade
Samsung isn’t the only Android device maker getting cozy with Google’s patents, apparently. LG has just entered into a cross-licensing deal with Google that will let the two companies use each other’s patents (including new ones) for the next 10 years. The two sides are coy about just why they’ve forged the long-term pact, although there are few possibilities. For a start, one or both sides may simply want to borrow the other’s features — a blanket agreement eliminates the chances of lawsuits and simplifies the licensing process. There’s also a chance that Google is using the deal to guarantee that LG won’t stray too far from the official Android strategy. It’s not certain that this is the case, though; unlike Samsung, LG hasn’t been in a rush to replace Google software and services with its own. Whatever the motivations, it’s doubtful that these companies will duke it out in the courtroom any time soon.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG
Source: LG Newsroom
Sharp’s night vision camera records color even in total darkness
Say goodbye to the days of monochrome night vision footage, folks. Sharp recently unveiled an infrared security camera that captures color 720p video, even in absolute darkness. The trick is an imaging sensor that uses near-infrared for illumination; unlike virtually every other competitor, this camera doesn’t have to resort to conventional lights (and thus give itself away) to get a vivid picture. The device will likely be limited to corporate and government customers when it goes on sale in late November, but it could have a big impact on your safety. Building managers will soon have an easier time identifying intruders, not just spotting them — while the technology might not stop a break-in, it should increase the chances of catching thieves before they strike again.
Filed under: Cameras
Download and install latest Google Calender 5.0 APK (Material Design)
Google has just promoted Google Calender to Material Design! In Google Calender 5.0, you get a completely redesigned app along with Gmail and Google Now reminder integration. This is all right in align with what we reported yesterday.
The widget is also redesigned with Material Design in mind and a whole lot of other goodies inside! You can explore the new app yourself and any Android 4.03+ device.
The latest official Google Calender 5.0 APK can be downloaded by clicking here.
Why Download?
If you’re the type of person who likes to stay on the cutting edge of software then you’ll want to get your hands on the file. And, given software updates can take days or weeks to fully roll out, this ensures you’re moving up in the line.
What’s the Risk?
We’ll only share files or links to files that we feel can be trusted. Google does a great job of signing apps, checking them for malware, and protecting users. If you’re not sure whether you want to download the app at this time, simply wait for your update to arrive. No harm, no foul.
The post Download and install latest Google Calender 5.0 APK (Material Design) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Nexus 9 factory image is now available with LRX21L build
This week is Nexus week as the latest round of devices are shipping to consumers. To coincide with this, the factory images for such devices are being posted by Google. Right now, the Nexus 9 factory image is available on with the latest build of Android 5.0 Lollipop (LRX21L).
At the time of this post being published, the Nexus 9 is the only device with its factory image for Android 5.0 uploaded. We will let you know when others, like the Nexus 6 or Nexus 5, get their factory images added.
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: Nexus 9 factory image is now available with LRX21L build
Google Calendar 5.0 available now with its Material Design makeover [APK Download]
We heard yesterday that Google Calendar that was going to get its Material Design makeover soon, and today we’re glad to say we have an APK that will make that happen for you. Google Calendar 5.0 has been found and brings to you all the fun features that were featured in the introduction video that Google posted up yesterday. In case you missed it, here it is again:
If you want to get your hands on Google Calendar 5.0, and we have a feeling that you do, you can download the APK from the link below. Note that the APK is apparently only compatible with devices with Android 4.0.3 and higher, though if you are running something with a version lower than that, presumably part of the 18% as per Google’s latest distribution numbers, then we salute you.
Google Calendar 5.0 APK download
Let us know you are finding the new app in the comments below.
Source: Android Police
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ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('‘);
//]]>
The post Google Calendar 5.0 available now with its Material Design makeover [APK Download] appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
SoundCloud inks its first major label deal, eyes streaming service in 2015
After rumors swirled for months regarding SoundCloud’s pending licensing deals with major labels, Warner Music Group is the first to sign on. As part of the agreement, the German audio-streaming site will shell out funds each time one of the labels’ songs are spun. What’s more, it seems the crux of the deal was that SoundCloud would guarantee it’d be launching its own subscription service — which is said to happen during the first half of 2015.
The label will get a kickback when parts of its catalog are used in mashups too, but it doesn’t have to open its entire library for access. Warner also nabs a small stake in the site, a stipulation that was reported to be somewhere between 3 and 5 percent back in the summer. Right now, SoundCloud and its apps are free, but pack in ads to bring in revenue from its 175 million monthly users. Artists who upload their work in bulk have to fork over a monthly fee, but that’s for sharing only, as musicians don’t see any money in return. Lastly, it seems that talks with both Universal Music and Sony are on-going, per the Wall Street Journal report.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Source: Wall Street Journal
‘Destiny’ and the 9.5 million ‘registered users’ number
Activision is the most profitable game publisher in existence. The company’s behind the Call of Duty franchise, the Skylanders franchise and many more. You know World of Warcraft? Activision owns the company that makes it, Blizzard Entertainment. The company’s latest big release is Destiny — a $500 million bet that Activision’s making on the studio that previously created the Halo franchise (Bungie Studios). The game launched on September 9th across four platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg says the game was “profitable from day one,” but the company’s yet to release up-to-date sales numbers. Instead, it’s offering a “registered user” statistic: 9.5 million. But what does that actually mean? That’s a good question. Hirshberg offered the following clarification during a quarterly financial call this evening:
“To date we have over 9.5 million registered users — of course there’s a relationship to sell through, it’s not exact. Because some people have more than one identity, but obviously that’s directional.”
Okay, what?
There are two ways to interpret Hirshberg’s explanation, and those interpretations hang on one particular bit of language in the statement. “Some people have more than one identity” is the problematic bit — is Hirshberg referencing folks who have more than one Xbox Live/Sony Entertainment Network login? Or is he referencing how many player characters have been created within Destiny?
These two interpretations come with starkly different outcomes. Should he mean the former, the correlation between 9.5 million “registered users” and sales of the game aren’t completely divorced. After all, there are only so many folks who purchase the same game on multiple platforms. We can pretty safely assume the actual unit sales of Destiny wouldn’t be very different from the “registered users” number if this is what Hirshberg is referencing.
But if he means the latter, that 9.5 million number could shrink pretty dramatically in terms of unit sales. Each copy of Destiny enables three character creation slots. It doesn’t cost anything extra to create extra characters (other than time, of course), and part of the appeal of Destiny is trying out different character builds. It also doesn’t help that there’s a relatively low level cap in the game thus far, meaning multiple characters is the way that many are extending their gameplay experience.
Thus, if “registered users” means “all created characters,” the correlation between that 9.5 million number and actual copies of the game sold to human beings is pretty weak. To the extent that the number could be divided by a factor of three, in fact. That’s a huge difference!
We’ve asked Activision for clarification and will update this should we hear more. That said, Activision not outright stating Destiny sales (for the second month in a row) says a lot unto itself.
Google expands Play Movies and TV app to eight new countries
Earlier today, Google expanded its Play Movies and TV streaming service to an additional eight new countries — Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Hungary, Iceland, Macedonia, Malta, Slovenia and Taiwan. However, there have been some reports suggesting that the service is not yet live in all the above locations.
For those unaware, the Google Play Movies and TV app allows users to rent or purchase films and TV shows’ from a library full of the latest titles.
This expansion follows an update to the service that was pushed out last year, which enables real-time information cards to show details of the current movie or TV show the user is streaming.
The information cards provide facts about actors, music, and related films. Any Android tablet running Ice Cream Sandwich has access to the information cards, so if you live in one of the newly supported countries and have only just received access to the Play Movies and TV app, be sure to check it out!
Come comment on this article: Google expands Play Movies and TV app to eight new countries
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