First Impressions of Photos for OS X: ‘Vast Improvement’ Over iPhoto
Following the release of the first OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 beta to developers this afternoon, the embargo has lifted for media outlets to publish their first impressions and hands-on reviews of the all-new Photos for OS X app. Below is a roundup of some of the more interesting comments and opinions about Photos for OS X, which combines iPhoto and Aperture into one for OS X Yosemite.
The Wall Street Journal describes Photo for OS X as a significant improvement for users in the Apple ecosystem, adding that the app is less confusing to use than iPhoto thanks to an improved iCloud-based approach. It also found Photos for OS X to have snappier performance than iPhoto based on the Apple-provided demo notebook.
“If you choose to turn it on, all of your Apple devices feed all their full-resolution photos into iCloud, making them all available over the Internet to the Photos apps on all your Apple devices. […] You can see the advantage to all this when you edit photos. With iCloud, any change you make on one device will show up moments later everywhere else.”
Wired was also impressed with Photos for OS X, describing the software as a “vast improvement” over iPhoto and praising its new built-in photo editing tools. It believes that, while some professionals might opt for Adobe Lightroom and other tools, Photos for OS X is an ideal photo management and editing solution for most Mac users.
“Advanced users, particularly those operating on 5K iMacs or Mac Pros, may be happier eventually switching to Adobe Lightroom—though most of them probably have done so already. But for most of us, particularly recent Mac converts and people who may not fancy themselves serious photographers, Photos is a welcomely humble way to approach image editing.”
Even further praise of Photos for OS X was provided by Re/code, which described the software as a “huge improvement” over iPhoto with easy-to-use editing tools and seamless iCloud syncing. Its hands-on impressions found Photos for OS X to be lacking some advanced editing tools found in Aperture, however, noting that some users might opt for professional software.
“While Photos offers some advanced settings like white balance and level, it lacks some of the professional-level tools found in Aperture. For example, it doesn’t have brushable or curve adjustments and doesn’t support splitting and merging libraries. And you can’t add custom metadata fields in the app.”
The Verge went hands on with Photos for OS X and walked away impressed, noting that it handles large photo libraries much better alongside more powerful photo editing, sharing and syncing options. As with other publications, it found Photos for OS X to be more suitable for beginners than professionals.
“iPhoto was never one of Apple’s most beloved products. Every year, it seemed slower and less connected to the phone — the place where most photos are taken. Photos for OS X does a lot of things right, but mostly it’s just fast and tightly integrated with your other devices. It feels like a big step forward, even if feels overdue.”
Yahoo Tech claims that much of Photos for OS X will be a familiar experience for most Mac users, noting that power users will be impressed with the several photo parameters that can be adjusted. The review finds that Photos for OS X gives up some iPhoto features, however, including flags, star ratings, events, round-trip editing in other apps and sorting albums by keyword, title and rating. Many professional options from Aperture are also missing.
“If you’re happy with iPhoto and Aperture now, you should feel no hurry to switch over when Photos comes out this spring (as part of the free Yosemite 10.10.3 update), unless you want that iCloud Photo Library feature. Which would be understandable. […] Someday, yes, there will be some OS X version that can’t run today’s iPhoto and Aperture at all. But that’s years away. In those years, Apple has plenty of time to bring Photos’ feature list up to code, and you can freely keep using iPhoto and/or Aperture and Photos, side-by-side on the same Mac.”
Overall, Photos for OS X appears to be a significant improvement for users migrating from iPhoto, but a step down in functionality for those coming from Aperture. A number of other publications have shared first impressions and hands-on reviews, including CNET, Engadget, Macworld, Mashable and SlashGear. Photos for OS X will be available as a public beta soon ahead of a Spring launch as a free update on OS X Yosemite.
More purported One (M9) leaks: gold version and accessories
We’re positive that the One (M9) is coming on March 1 to Barcelona, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from HTC’s next masterpiece. But – thankfully – there are still details trickling in, like this image showing the back of the M9’s alleged gold version, that surfaced on China’s Weibo.
There isn’t much new to say about the shot – we see the same square camera module with rounded corners, the well-known One series style, and no trace of depth sensor in sight. There’s a chance we’re looking at a prototype component or something else, but judging from the many leaks showing the same general appearance, our money is on this design being real.
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The same source also shared what appears to be a version of the Dot View smart case adapted for the One (M9), though, save for the different camera cutout, it looks very similar to last year’s model.
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The prolific conveyor of HTC inside info @upleaks recently published some tidbits about the upcoming flagship’s accessories, which will reportedly include:
- HTC DotView 2 (more abundant than M8’s) – HC M231/232
- Clear Case – HC C1153
- Stand Case – HC K1150
- Waterproof Case(has IP68 rating) – HC C1152
- Waterproof Headset – RC E250
- HTC BoomBass with WiFi support
- Screen Protector – SP R230A
@upleaks also “confirmed” that the device will be marketed as the One (M9), though for what it’s worth, it was @upleaks who first stated that HTC would drop the M9 name in the first place. Alas, things change.
Do you look forward to the new M9? Or are you hoping for more radical changes?
Transformers: Battle Tactics makes its way to the Play Store
Transformers: Battle Tactics, the free-to-play online battle arena title, has made its way to the Google Play Store. The game allows you to play as over 75 different characters from the Transformers series, including Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Megatron and many more. The aim of the game is to create a group of either Autobots or Decepticons that can defeat the opposite team.
The most important features to take away from the game are listed below:
- Compete in live real-time PVP showdowns with players from around the globe while earning rare TRANSFORMERS characters, valuable resources, and prestige at the top of the leaderboards
- Collect iconic TRANSFORMERS characters while teaming up AUTOBOT and DECEPTICON characters side-by-side.
- Calculate strategic decisions by leveraging unique TRANSFORMERS character modes to take control of the battlefield in any situation and obliterate the enemy.
- Link TRANSFORMERS characters to create powerful Combiners to deal devastating damage in battle!
- Connect with friends to form leagues and seek advantage over the competition. Earn powerful rewards and placement at the top of the leader boards.
This game is quite fun. It’s a standard turn-based action game, so if you aren’t a fan of the genre, you’ll probably want to pass on this title.
The biggest thing we should point out, though, is that the game might be free-to-play, but there are tons of in-app purchases. You can buy bundles of either cybercoins or gold which range anywhere from $4.99-$99.99. Be careful if you let your kids play this one… we don’t want any $100 charges on your account! Head to the Play Store link below to download Transformers: Battle Tactics for free.
Download Transformers: Battle Tactics from the Google Play Store
Unknown Verizon LG device surfaces online with model number VS986
An announcement for the LG G4 is right around the corner, so it makes sense that models of the device will start showing up in databases online. Not too long ago we saw an LG device with a 3k display and the model number LG VS999 that we haven’t seen an equivalent for on other carriers. Verizon’s G3 model was the VS985, so it lined up. Today, though, another device with a different model has popped up that muddies things up a bit.
A new device with the model VS986 has appeared online, which is extremely close to the model of the G3. The G2′s model was the VS980, so this new model seems to fall closer in line with what LG and Verizon typically go with, but anything’s possible.
Since the VS999 had a 3k screen as opposed to the rumored 2k screen on the AT&T variant, it makes sense that this new VS986 would be the Verizon G4, but there are plenty of possibilities. The VS986 could be an incrementally upgraded G3, which Verizon has done in the past, and they could end up getting an uber high-resolution G4. The VS986 could be the G4, and the VS999 could be a bigger, better LG phone with a 3k screen that’s either exclusive to Verizon or something that we haven’t seen for other carriers yet. Or, the simplest answer, the VS999 could be completely fake and the VS986 is all we should be worrying about.
Anyone want to take a guess at what’s what with these model numbers before LG makes things official?
source: My LG Phones
Come comment on this article: Unknown Verizon LG device surfaces online with model number VS986
Sony Pictures co-chair steps down months after massive hack
The hacking of Sony Pictures may not have stopped The Interview from being released, but now the Deadline reports the studio has announced co-chairman Amy Pascal will step down. Pascal has been with the company since the 80s when it was just Columbia Pictures, and her profile notes Sony had 95 movies hit #1 since 2000 under her leadership. In November news broke that Sony Pictures had suffered a crippling hack, disabling computers and locking employees out of the network for days, and what followed got even worse as information leaked out in bunches.
A group calling itself the ‘Guardians of Peace’ doled out the personal information of current and former employees (including famous actors and directors), private email conversations between Pascal and other execs with embarrassing and racist comments concerning the likes of President Obama, Kevin Hart and Denzel Washington, salary information that revealed pay discrepancies between male and female stars, and copies of then-unreleased movies like Annie. Now? The Interview is on Netflix, North Korea and the US government are trading barbs about who is responsible for the whole mess, Pascal is moving on to launch a new production venture at the studio and there’s a new trailer for Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. Seriously.
[Image credit: Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Sony
Source: Deadline, LA Times, The Hollywood Reporter
Microsoft’s Xbox division leaked five years of plans in 2012, from Xbox One to HoloLens
Covering Microsoft can be comical. The enormous, multinational company is notoriously prone to leaks. Here’s a short highlight list from our vast library of leak posts about Microsoft:
- Microsoft’s fitness wearable, Band
- The Xbox One game console, in development kit form, on eBay of all places
- Cortana for Windows, the voice-based search engine
- Former CEO Steve Ballmer’s entire CES 2010 keynote speech
While that list of all stars is impressive unto itself, there’s a far more interesting leak that happened way back in June 2012. A 56-page business presentation was uploaded to document-sharing service Scribd — the document outlined four years of Xbox plans, the vast majority of which have now played out. From Kinect 2.0 shipping with Xbox One to HoloLens (then known as “Project Fortaleza”), essentially the entire recent history of Xbox was exposed nearly three years ago.
Up front, let’s start with the official (non-)statement from a Microsoft spokesperson — we were given the statement just after the HoloLens announcement, thus the “last Wednesday” reference:
“While I can’t comment on past rumors or speculation, I’m excited that last Wednesday, we unveiled holographic experiences on Windows 10 as well as the world’s first holographic computing device running Windows 10, Microsoft HoloLens.”
That’s essentially the same thing Microsoft said back in 2012 when the info leaked; the document, a PowerPoint presentation, appears to be from 2010. There is now beyond sufficient evidence to confirm the document’s legitimacy, from project names outed in LinkedIn profiles to real life simply playing out. Five years out, the years-long plans for Xbox were startlingly spot-on.
WHAT’S IN THE DOC?
Let’s start in 2011, where the document’s roadmap starts. In 2011, Microsoft planned on launching something called “XTV,” which sounds an awful lot like the flood of streaming apps that started arriving on Xbox 360 in 2008 with Netflix and in 2011 with Hulu Plus. The doc describes XTV as a “TV App Store” — a section of the Xbox 360’s online store, which exists to this day, filled with apps from TV channels and streaming services, as well as stuff like YouTube. Consider this the first “X” in Microsoft Leak Document Bingo.
On the docket for 2012 was the launch of “Xbox 361″: a “low-cost Xbox 360.” It looks like Microsoft moved that up to summer 2010, when the lower-priced Xbox 360 S model launched. It indeed came in a low-cost model ($200 with 4GB of flash storage), well below the price of the $300 S model that launched earlier that same year (with a 250GB HDD, thus the price difference).
Also scheduled for 2012 was an evolution of Microsoft’s “XTV” initiative into a “pay TV service,” including HDMI passthrough (the ability to plug your cable TV box into your game console). That never happened on the Xbox 360, but it sounds a lot like what eventually became the messaging for Xbox One, a console that includes HDMI passthrough.
Moving into 2013 and beyond is where things start to get far more interesting. The announcement of an “Xbox 720″ with “Kinect V2 sensor” is on the list, and some early goals for the new console are given in broad terms: six times the performance of the Xbox 360, backward compatibility with the previous console, always on/low-power ability and “full” XTV (the evolution of Microsoft’s TV/streaming solutions on 360).
The document is largely focused on this next console and sensor (what became the Xbox One), as well as one more big hardware announcement: HoloLens. The alternate reality headset Microsoft announced a few weeks back was originally planned for announcement in 2014, and it’s been known by a few different names (“Kinect Glasses”, “Project Fortaleza” and “Screen Zero” all show up in several places on and off the document). I’d wager it’s had a few other names since — every time I’ve asked Microsoft reps about Fortaleza since this document first leaked in 2012, they’ve clammed up and said nothing.
Back when this document was created, the plan was to introduce Fortaleza in 2014, to be used in conjunction with your Xbox 720 and Kinect V2. Here’s how the doc sells it:
“Full immersion entertainment experiences in the living room. The game has broken out of the screen and is all around you.”
That idea has clearly evolved, as HoloLens — a very, very similar concept to what’s described as Fortaleza in this document — is now Windows 10-focused. The device is used with the Windows 10 holographic interface, and none of the demonstrations I tried employed an Xbox One, games, or the latest Kinect. It’s also far from where the document envisions HoloLens to go by 2015.
The next year’s plan brings us current to 2015; it includes a mobile version of Fortaleza with 3G/4G connectivity, and the ability to play your Xbox games anywhere you want to play them. That latter bit is actually, kinda sorta, happening (it’s only “anywhere” if you consider “devices powered by Windows 10″ to be “anywhere”).
Given the fact that the announce of Microsoft’s augmented reality glasses didn’t happen until just recently, and the only launch window for them is “within the Windows 10 timeframe” (whatever that means), don’t expect a casual wireless experience anytime soon from HoloLens.
For anyone crying foul that HoloLens is untethered: yes, but don’t expect to see people casually walking around in public with it. The device is intended for home and office use; this roadmap advertises, “Hands free/Heads Up ambient experiences ‘on the go.’” The concept behind the mobile version of Fortaleza was to, “Drive mobile disruption via ‘always connected’ Glasses.” It wouldn’t be surprising to discover just such a thing is in the works somewhere at Microsoft.
“XBOX 720″ IN 2010
Beyond how completely bananas it is that all of this leaked years before most of it occurred in real life, it’s crazy how much of the big picture vision for the successor to the Xbox 360 actually came to fruition. Here are some bulletpoints from the document:
- Next-generation Kinect gaming: “A new more accurate Kinect sensor with dedicated application and system resources enables a whole new generation of Kinect experiences. Experience full fidelity next generation graphics with a full body high precision sensor.
- Four-person Kinect play: “Play together with the whole family. Kinect v2 means better playspace recognition, no controller required and everyone playing together.”
- One box for all entertainment: “Simplify your world with one box that delivers all your entertainment, including next generation gaming, linear TV, movies, music, applications and more.”
- “Second-screen” experiences (SmartGlass): “Your entertainment keeps getting better with Xbox 720 by instantly expanding the experience to all your companion devices. Your phone, laptop, slate are seamlessly integrated into 720 experiences.”
There’s of course a bunch of stuff in the document that didn’t happen, from backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games to a $300 price point (the Xbox One launched at the whopping price of $500).
I’d love to point you to the Scribd page where the document was hosted, but you’d just find the same thing that’s been there for months: “This content was removed at the request of Covington & Burling LLP”. That’s a corporate law firm which represents Microsoft, just in case there was any doubt left that this is most certainly an official leak — one of the crazier ones I’ve ever seen.
Filed under: Cameras, Gaming, Peripherals, Wearables, Software, HD, Microsoft
Google Play Music updated to version 5.8 [APK Download]
If you haven’t noticed already, then there’s an update to Google Play Music waiting in the Google Play Store bringing the app to version 5.8.
Here’s what’s new:
- Navigation drawer now full-height
- Bio and history on artist page
- Back/previous button now on notification (lock screen and notifications), previously only in expanded view
- Library tabs are orange to match the header
- Library scroll bar now starts above the tabs
- Songs UI in My Library now a much more attractive card
- The entire header and tabs hide now when scrolling
- New slide-up animation when selecting playlists
- In the artists tab if there isn’t an artist hero image, it will now use album covers instead of a grey icon
You can grab the APK and sideload it directly using this link.
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The new Photos app for Mac included in pre-release build of OS X 10.10.3
The all new Photos app for Mac, which Apple first announced and demoed at WWDC in June 2014, is now available in a pre-release version of OS X 10.10.3. The download can be accessed available by approved testers and developers.
The new Photos app has been made to replace the current iPhoto software for Mac. Apple has also posted more info on the new Photos app, which will be officially released sometime later this spring:
The beautiful all-new design of the Photos app uses Moments, Collections, and Years views to automatically organize your photos and videos by time and location. With dramatically more screen space devoted to your photos, you can easily scan your entire library at a glance and quickly find the content you’re looking for. A new, streamlined toolbar puts the right controls at your fingertips, giving you instant access to the photos you’ve shared, the albums you’ve made, and the projects you’ve created. And you can even use gestures to browse your entire photo collection with just a touch.
The pre-release version of OS X 10.10.3 is also available to download for developers via the Mac Dev Center.
Apple Seeds First OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite Beta to Developers With Mac Photos App
Apple today seeded the first beta of OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite to developers, just over a week after releasing OS X 10.10.2 to the public. OS X 10.10.3 includes the much-anticipated Photos app for Mac.
The new is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and should be available in the Mac Dev Center soon.
Recent rumors questioned the removal of mentions of the Photos app for Mac from Apple’s website, suggesting it might be delayed, but today’s beta release indicates that it is still on track for an early 2015 launch.
Deal: 12 months Premium access for EverNote, LastPass, Wunderlist and more for 67% off
Interested in taking your mobile productivity to the next level? The AA Deals Store has a new Five-Star Productivity Pack on offer that gives you access to 12 months of Evernote, Wunderlist, Last and Pocket Now for just $59.99.
For those that have never used any of the above apps, here’s a brief rundown of what to expect:
- Pocket Premium lets you save articles and videos for viewing later from your mobile device’s app or any device through a web browser. There’s also library backups of the links you save, and much more.
- Wunderlist Pro lets you share to-lists with friend and family, converse about the tasks through a comments section, and discover new things through public lists. There’s also reminders so you never forget to finish your lists.
- Evernote Premium lets you organize notes, reminders and more. You can not only record notes, photos, PDFs and presentations, you can access from both mobile and desktop, and communicate with others through the Work Chat function.
- LastPass Premium let’s you look stuff up on the go from any computer, phone or tablet and automatically syncs to all your mobile devices. There’s also password filling in apps and browsers, simplified collaboration for paying bills and completing projects — and so much more.
On top of giving you access to the four services mentioned about, the bundle also includes a 3-month subscription to Dropbox Pro, which gives you 1TB of cloud storage space. Additionally, the AA Deals Store is throwing in an 8-week subscription to the New York Times. Combining all these offers together, you get what is said to be valued at $180 worth of services — 67% off.
Already subscribe to any of the services above? While the Dropbox and New York Times offers are for new customers only, existing customers can use this offer for any of the four 12-month services above and the additional year will start whenever your current subscription expires.
AIVAnet 