Apple Watch Sightings Picking Up Ahead of Official Launch
With just three months to go until the Apple Watch’s April release, Apple is hard at work field testing the device, and hundreds of Apple engineers, employees, and testers are wearing the Apple Watch on a regular basis to help Apple iron out last minute bugs and issues.
Due to the large number of employees testing the device, Apple Watch sightings in the wild have become more common over the course of the last few weeks. On the MacRumors forums, readers are aggregating photos and stories of device sightings, giving us an in-use look at the device that will be attached to many of our wrists in just a few short months.
One of the first major Apple Watch sightings occurred several weeks ago, when Vogue Editor Suzy Menkes snapped a photo of someone wearing the device. Rumors and speculation have suggested the arm in the photo could belong to Marc Newson, the designer who now works at Apple part time alongside Jony Ive.
Image via Suzy Menkes
A second less-clear image of what is likely an Apple Watch was shared on Twitter earlier this week, with the photo being snapped in San Francisco’s Marina area.
Image via RaceJohnson
If you happen to live in the Cupertino area, it’s quite possible you might run into an Apple employee who is wearing one of the watches. VentureBeat‘s Mark Sullivan recently shared a story of an Apple Watch he spotted while commuting on Caltrain. Sullivan got a bit more than a glimpse — he had the opportunity to see the Apple Watch in action for several minutes and his account on how it was used is a great read for those who want to learn a bit about how it integrates into daily life.
According to Sullivan, the man’s Apple Watch “looked proportionate” to his wrist and had a traditional look that didn’t “scream for attention.” Sullivan saw a text reminder pop up on the screen, accompanied by a map, and he got the impression that the Apple Watch had become an essential part of this person’s life.
I want one, and I didn’t even really see much of what the thing could do. But I got the distinct impression that the Watch has already become integrated into the daily life of this user. I could see it as a powerful personal assistant that’s always just an arm’s lift away to help you make sense of the minutiae of daily life: the schedules and reminders and appointments and social media and everything else we all have to process every minute of every day.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said earlier this week that the Apple Watch is on track to launch in April, but he did not offer a narrower timeframe that would hit at when the release could come during the month. As we creep closer to April, though, we can expect to see a lot more of the Apple Watch in the wild as employees continue testing the device.
Three Sony Xperia model numbers appear online, one likely belongs to the Xperia Z4
Things are not great at Sony. The company has been reevaluating its divisions and just announced it would cut jobs from the mobile division. Despite all of this, the company must continue doing business. And, since the mobile division remains in Sony’s hands, the Xperia Z4 is coming. Three model numbers belonging to Sony Xperia handsets have appeared on the Indonesian Postel Regulatory site and one of them seems to be the flagship phone.
The three model numbers (as seen above) are E5333, E6533, and E2353. The second model number listed is believed to be the Xperia Z4 because of how it aligns with last year’s Xperia Z3. The Xperia Z3 had D65XX. Clearly, the only difference between the two is the first letter and “E” comes after “D” in the alphabet.
The E5333 could be a mid-range handset as it is similar to the Xperia T2 Ultra (D53XX). And the E2363 seems to be a revamped version of the Xperia M2 (D23XX).
A launch for all of these devices is possible at MWC 2015.
Source: Xperia Blog
Come comment on this article: Three Sony Xperia model numbers appear online, one likely belongs to the Xperia Z4
Cricket Wireless bumps up its data allotments, as low as $35 for a 2.5GB plan
Cricket is already one of the best prepaid options out there for those of us in the United States, offering discounts for multiple lines, auto-pay discounts and pricing that includes taxes and all other fees without any surprises. Now they are getting even better, as the AT&T-owned prepaid carrier is increasing the data allotment for its plans.
Under the new structure, Basic is raised from 1GB to 2.5GB while retaining the same $40 a month pricing and Smart is still $50 but is raising from 3GB to 5GB. The $60 Smart plan remains at 10GB just like before. For those that really want a ton of data though, Cricket now offers an advanced tier for the same $60 a month as the Smart plan for a “limited time”, giving you a massive 20GB of data a month. The only catch with this later plan is that it isn’t eligible for Cricket’s “Group Savings” program. It is also worth mentioning all these plans can be had for $5 less if you simply sign up for auto-pay.
As for the phones you can use with these plans? While any unlocked GSM device compatible with AT&T’s network will play nicely, Cricket also has a wide variety of phones on offer with the best deal being the Moto G 4G LTE for $25 after mail-in rebate. For more details, check out Cricket’s announcement of their new data/plan options or visit their website.
Google’s 3D-sensing Project Tango is no longer an experiment
Yet another project is graduating from experiment to proper part of Google. Only two weeks ago, Glass left the confines of the Skunk Works-like Google X and became its own division headed up by Nest co-founder Tony Fadell. Now Project Tango, the 3D-sensing and -mapping concept, is moving on from the ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) labs to become a part of the company proper. Unfortunately what that means for the technology or what products it might eventually end up in isn’t exactly clear. Will the next Nexus sport a depth-sensing IR camera? Maybe. Or perhaps they’ll be used to build more advanced home automation and home monitoring tools for Nest. All we do know is that Tango will live on, even if the name “Project Tango” eventually fades away.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Tablets, Google
Source: Google ATAP (Google+)
Google will accept Glassware despite Glass being paused
Two weeks ago, the Google Glass Explorer program was shuttered. The entire future of Google Glass was questioned and existing owners of the smart glasses expressed concern over software support. Fortunately, developers will still be able to submit Glassware to make available on MyGlass.
Here is the statement a Glass representative provided to 9to5Google:
For now, you can still build Glassware, submit it for review, and after a successful review, release it on MyGlass. It’s never a wasted effort to experiment and innovate with a new form factor. There’s so much to learn with a new paradigm for computing such as Glass and the best way to learn is to build something and test. That said, it’s too early to say exactly what the developer experience will be like for future versions of Glass. We’re still building platform components and polishing the overall user experience, and it’s safe to say you’ll need to make some changes.
Google clarified yesterday in its fourth quarter earnings report that the team working on Glass will be rethinking their strategy. Rather than dropping Glass altogether, Google is merely pausing the project in its current state and composing a new approach before moving forward.
Via: 9to5Google
Come comment on this article: Google will accept Glassware despite Glass being paused
How to view WebM video on your iPhone or iPad
Google’s WebM video file format has become nichely popular in the years since its debut. As a royalty-free alternative to H.264 standard, it’s used for high-quality-but-low-bandwidth videos on sites like YouTube, Reddit, 4chan, and the like. I’m not going to get into the reasons why people might prefer WebMs to gifs, MP4s, MKVs, or FLVs; frankly, I see it as a personal/site-specific preference. But here’s the thing: those people who desperately want to view WebMs on their iPhone? They run into a bit of a snag when using a mobile web browser.
Because Apple’s QuickTime player codec doesn’t support WebM. That means no WebM videos in Safari, no WebM videos in Chrome (which uses the same WebKit-based rendering engine on iOS), no WebM videos in any third-party browser or any app integrating a web view.
But don’t woe over WebM just yet: There’s a third-party app to save you from your troubles.
As long as you know the URL of your WebM video, you can open it in or download it in PentaLoop’s free PlayerXtreme HD. It reminds me a lot of VLC for an iOS device: The app claims to be able to play a veritable cornucopia of different video formats, including .mkv, .vob, .wmv, and yes — WebM.
I didn’t thoroughly test the PlayerXtreme HD’s competency in all of these formats, but it certainly played .webm videos back with little trouble. All you have to do is follow these steps:
- Find the WebM video you want to view and open its URL in a new tab.
- Tap the “Open In” link in the Safari window.
- Select Open in PlayerXtreme.
- Enjoy your WebM video!
That’s all there is to it. (You can alternatively directly paste a URL into PlayerXtreme, but that requires a $3 in-app purchase to unlock its pro features.) Hopefully this tip helps those of you looking to watch some WebMs; if you have a different or better way, drop it in the comments!
- PlayerXtreme – Free, $3 in-app purchase for direct URLs – Download now
‘Vine Kids’ for iOS Launches With Streamlined Interface and Focus on Kid-Friendly Content [iOS Blog]
Six-second video sharing service Vine today announced Vine Kids, an app that skews towards a younger generation and is meant to act as a hub for kid-friendly content that may be harder to discover on the original app.
In the announcement, Carolyn Penner, Head of Communications and Marketing at Vine, states the idea for the app came from a colleague’s daughter and her infatuation with the video-clip sharing service. The idea came to her during Vine’s “Hack Week,” a period where the company encourages employees to set aside normal duties and begin brainstorming and working on brand-new ideas.
The easy-to-use app doesn’t require an account for a user to follow anyone else, offering a newsfeed-style curated list of six-second videos picked by the Vine team that kids can easily swipe left and right through.
We’ve seen for ourselves – and heard from parents, siblings and others – that kids love Vine. So, we built Vine Kids, a simple new app that gives young children a fun way to watch Vines. Through adorable animated characters, kids can watch videos that are appropriate for a young audience. Swiping right or left shows a new Vine, and you can tap the screen to hear quirky sounds.
Acquired by Twitter in the summer of 2012, Vine has seen a handful of updates over the years, slowly adding more functionality to its camera suite and social features. The Twitter-owned service met a few scandals early-on when a sexually explicit Vine accidentally became an “Editor’s Pick” on the service, violating Apple’s terms of service.
Vine Kids is available to download for free from the App Store. [Direct Link]
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week
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Sponsor: ETheme Launcher
[Price: Free]
Our sponsor this week is ETheme Launcher. It is a launcher that boasts over 2000 themes, 200 fonts, a light feel, and more. It comes with a home screen set up to help you get to your apps quickly with additional home screens available if need be. It also comes with a lock screen and new themes every week. It’s free with no in app purchases if you want to check it out!
Welcome back the newly redesigned Google Play Weekly show, now called Android Apps Weekly! We hope you enjoy the new format. Here are your headlines for this week!
- Google finally addresses WebView security issues and their advice is pretty simple: It’s broken, don’t use it.
- Dish’s SlingTV web TV service is now available via invite with a public release slated in a couple of weeks.
- Law enforcement is asking Google to shut down Waze because it allows people to “stalk police”.
- The Marriott Android app has apparently left credit card info open to hackers for years. It’s now been fixed.
- Former Opera CEO has announced a new web browser called Vivaldi with a lot of features.
- Rolling Stone Magazine is publishing their entire archive to Google Play via the Newsstand app.
- Spotify is running a promo to give people 60 days of free Premium Service. They’re also now partnering with Sony to create PlayStation Music.
- With only a few days left, Humble Bundle 10 has added three new games to the Bundle. Act fast!
Here are some of the big Android app updates that took place this week!
- Google Search on mobile is getting an update to bring us gloriously gorgeous movie information.
- Plex updated with a new UI, casting your camera roll to a Plex client, and a new purchase model.
- Twitter now allows Direct Messages (DMs) with up to 20 people at once and has in-line clip sharing (think Vine).
- Snapchat releases a new feature called Discovery which is essentially a mashup of a news feed and Snapchat.
- Hotspot Shield VPN updated to bring three new protection modes for improved simplicity.
And here are the new Android apps releases this week!
Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Tablets
[Price: Free]
Microsoft has released Word, Excel, and Powerpoint for Android tablets after a year of hearing us complain about not having it. The basic functionality of each app is free to use but to get the full experience, you’ll need an Office 365 subscription. So far, each app seems to work pretty well but do keep in mind that these are early releases and improvements are likely right around the corner.
You can pick up Microsoft Word by using the button below.
Download Microsoft Excel from Google Play here.
Download Microsoft PowerPoint from Google Play here.
Facebook Lite
[Price: Free]
Facebook has released a new lite application that is intended for devices with spotty connectivity and lesser specs. The interface is very scaled down although it is noteworthy that the messaging is built back into the main app here. Otherwise, it’s a basic Facebook experience without too many frills. It’s only available in some countries and on some phones but you can get the APK for yourself by clicking here.
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps or games news, let us know in the comments!
HTC to add Turquoise and Yellow variants of the Dot View case with the One M9
The HTC One M9 is expected to be unveiled on the 1st of March. And while we’ve heard plenty about the smartphone and its hardware specs, not a lot has been told about the accessories that it will come with.
We’re getting some word on that now with a new revelation suggesting that the manufacturer will have Turquoise and Yellow variants of the cover in addition to the standard Black/Grey variants. As we all know, color options are somewhat limited with the current iteration of the Dot View case, but it seems like that will change with the One M9.
The Dot View cover grabbed a lot of eyeballs back when it was shown off last year, so it’s only natural that HTC wants to stick with it for its future devices.
Source: @upleaks – Twitter
Come comment on this article: HTC to add Turquoise and Yellow variants of the Dot View case with the One M9
T-Mobile debuts another Super Bowl ad and a behind-the-scenes look for yet another
T-Mobile plans on doing a little marketing during the Super Bowl. They already released one spot with Kim Kardashian West, and now they have another spot promoting their new Data Stash option featuring Rob Riggle and a vulture. This one will appear during the online stream.
T-Mobile isn’t stopping there because they have yet another spot, but this one will be promoting their Wi-Fi calling feature. It will show Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman placing phone calls in unusual places. T-Mobile didn’t release this commercial yet, but they offered up a behind-the-scenes look with the two girls. T-Mobile says the they are both “Un-predictable and very Un-carrier.”
Hit the break for the new 30 second spot, as well as the behind-the-scenes look with Chelsea and Sarah.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: T-Mobile debuts another Super Bowl ad and a behind-the-scenes look for yet another
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