RBS and NatWest both update their mobile banking apps
Today RBS and NatWest rolled out updates for their official apps on Windows Phone, bringing both offerings up to version 3.4. The new releases introduce new designs to better reflect the respective brands, as well as general improvements to how the app is laid out making it easier for customers to manage their accounts.
Lollipop rolls out to Samsung Galaxy S5 owners on T-Mobile
Samsung Galaxy S5 owners are now reporting that Lollipop has hit their smartphone on T-Mobile. We’ve covered the Android update fairly extensively, but you should look to expect various improvements to the overall experience. The update will be rolling out OTA so fret not if you’ve yet to receive a notification.
Amazon will make a ‘The Man in the High Castle’ series
Philip K. Dick’s imagination has been juicing TV series and movies since the early ’60s, most famously inspiring Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report. It should come as little surprise, therefore, to see that Amazon’s pilot for Dick’s The Man in the High Castle was the company’s most watched pilot ever. As a consequence, the company will now commission a full series for its Netflix-esque Prime Instant Video. Of course, we just have to hope that the show is a little better than the last time someone adapted the author’s work for TV — 1999’s deeply forgettable Total Recall 2070.
It may be the most notable entry on the list, but it’s not just …High Castle that Amazon executives have waved a green-tinted torch towards. Other successful shows include an adaptation of British drama Mad Dogs and documentary strand The New Yorker Presents. In the children’s department, the company gave its blessing for full series of Just Add Magic as well as The Stinky & Dirty Show. Like the second series of Transparent, you can expect these new shows to start popping up towards the tail end of the year. So set your binge-watching schedule accordingly, folks.
Filed under: Amazon
“Let them stare” HTC says of the new HTC One, the HTC One M9
HTC has had some interesting marketing in the past to say the least, and its latest attempts in teasing its new flagship, the HTC One M9, before its announcement at MWC 2015 isn’t really bucking the trend. Posted on its UK Twitter, HTC’s teaser simply says “let them stare” with “The new HTC One” directly below […]
The post “Let them stare” HTC says of the new HTC One, the HTC One M9 appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Action Launcher 3.2 brings lots of new features
One of the most feature-rich Android launchers just got richer. Developer Chris Lacy packed into Action Launcher 3.2 a multitude of new features, tweaks, and fixes.
Among the new features in version 3.2 is Quickpage, a full homescreen that can be invoked on top of your regular homescreen with a swipe from the right. The idea is to give you access to a homescreen-like space where you can put anything from widgets for music or news, to shortcuts, and of course, Action Launcher’s own shutters. Everything is just a swipe away, allowing you to keep your screen clean, but still have a quick way to jump to a more information-heavy space. Quickpage can be customized with the Quickthemes feature.
The updates adds the ability to scale icons up and down and brings a Lollipop-style animation for launching apps, which should help alleviate the Lollipop craving of users of KitKat or Jelly Bean. Speaking of which, the settings interface is now Material-style.
Action Launcher 3.2 also lets you to back up your settings on the microSD card, applies a number of small interface changes, and fixes known bugs from previous versions.
Many of these changes have been introduced in the beta channel of Action Launcher, but now they are ready for prime time. For a full changelog, see Chris Lacy’s posting on Google Plus.
Check out Action Launcher 3.2 in the Play Store.
Facebook is working on VR apps
Facebook made it pretty clear that it had big plans for virtual reality when it purchased Oculus VR for $2 billion last year. Chris Cox, Chief Product Offer at Facebook, has announced that the company has begun working on apps for VR, but wouldn’t disclose exactly what was being worked on.
Despite a lack of fine details, Cox said that he envisioned apps that would allow users to share their current environment with other people, something that he believes could become the norm for social media in the future. Oculus and Samsung have already shown off some unique narrative VR experiences at the Sundance Film Festival this year, but developing this into a real-time experience is a bigger technological challenge. Furthermore, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg already announced plans to integrate Oculus’ VR technology into the core social experience, allowing users to share “entire experiences and adventures” together online.
However, when asked about how long it might be before we can try out Facebook’s virtual reality experiences, Cox replied that it would be “a while” yet. Not to mention that virtual reality handsets aren’t common pieces of technology available in everyone household yet either.
Do you see any potential in virtual reality based social media?
Samsung announces faster eMMC 5.1 flash memory chips
Today, Samsung announced its first flash memory chips based on the newly approved eMMC 5.1 standard. eMMC is an embedded version of the MultiMediaCard standard, which packages the NAND memory and controller into a single chip. This technology is found in all smartphones and tablets on the market today. Earlier this month, Samsung began mass producing the industry’s first combined DRAM and eMMC ePOP memory package.
Samsung states that its eMMC 5.1 chip will be available in 64GB, 32GB and 16GB densities, just like its existing eMMC 5.0 options. The 64GB eMMC 5.1 memory module features a maximum speed of 250 MB/s for sequential data reading and 125 MB/s for sequential writes. For comparison, eMMC 5.0 allows for reads at 250 MB/s and writes at 90 MB/s, so the writing speed has been improved. Furthermore, random read performance has been boosted from 7,000 IOPS to 11,000 IOPS and random write performance reaches 13,000 IOPS, up from 7,000 IOPS.
Samsung also boasts that its eMMC 5.1 chips will feature eMMC’s first command queue function, allowing for multiple commands to be queue up in advance rather than sending new commands only once the previous one has been completed. Samsung’s solution also includes “Secure Write Protection”, that ensures only designated users will be able to access secured areas of the memory.
Essentially, eMMC 5.1 provides slightly faster data transfer speeds and will smooth out performance in some situations on your mobile device, particularly when it comes to saving high definition video content and moving big chunks of data around.
Deal: get Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones for 46% off today on Amazon
Audio heads take note – Amazon’s selling the black and white versions of the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x for $129.00, which is 46% off their regular price.
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x come in black and white and pack some excellent specifications. These “professional studio monitor headphones” come with 45 millimeter drivers, swiveling circumaural earcups, and detachable cable. Highly praised by multiple reviewers, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x have also impressed Amazon buyers, as their 4.7 average review score shows. In fact, these headphones are the best-sellers in the monitor category.
- Get Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones (Black) for $129 (with free shipping)
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50xWH Professional Studio Monitor Headphones (White) for $129 (with free shipping)
At $129, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x are $110 off their Amazon list price and probably the cheapest you can find them anywhere right now.
This being a Gold Box Deal, the promo is valid until tonight at midnight PT. Happy shopping!
NBC App for iOS Updated With Selective Live Streaming and Classic Catalog [iOS Blog]
NBC today announced an update for its Android and iOS television-viewing apps that brings live streaming to select areas of the country along with a small but robust catalog of the network’s classic series offerings (via Engadget).
Following in the footsteps of the Watch ABC app that introduced to users the ability to live stream the channel on their mobile device, NBC’s new update brings a similar function to their app, with a few hindrances.
Like ABC’s app, the live streaming functionality is available only in areas where the network owns the local station, meaning some areas may not be able to fully take advantage of the new live streaming feature at all. This is in addition to the usual cable or satellite provider subscription account needed to access normal streaming functionality, as well.
What’s New in Version 3.0
* Live video stream of NBC programming available for cable/satellite subscribers in select markets.
* Expanded full-episode library of classic NBC shows available, including The A-Team, Miami Vice, Kojak, Battlestar Galactica, The Incredible Hulk, Knight Rider and more!
On the other side of the update, NBC is bringing back a handful of classic series – from Airwolf to Miami Vice and The Incredible Hulk – with full episodes and seasons available right next to their modern line-up. Unlike the current shows, these throwback episodes don’t require a satellite or cable subscription log-in to watch, so arguably anyone could download the free app and check them out.
NBC [Direct Link] can be downloaded from the App Store for free.
Qualcomm brings a slew of high-end tech to its mid-range chips
You might have a hard time distinguishing Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 400 and 600-series chips from its more powerful brethren. As is usually the case, the chip giant is trickling down plenty of higher end features throughout its product line. That leads to things like octa-core CPUs in the upcoming Snapdragon 425 and 415 (a first for that line), as well as 4K video recording and playback appearing in the new Snapdragon 620 and 618 chips. The new processors won’t really get in the way of Qualcomm’s ultra-powerful 810 chip, which will likely power most of this year’s high-end smartphones (although perhaps not Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S6). Instead, they’re yet another reminder of just how fast the mobile hardware world is innovating.
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 600 series chips will end up seeing the biggest upgrades with upgraded 64-bit CPUs; support for multiple camera sensors; and improved graphics prowess. Those chips, along with the Snapdragon 425, all include the company’s new X8 LTE modem, which provides download speeds of up to 300 Mbps and enables. The Snapdragon 415, on the other hand, is all about bringing 4G LTE down to more affordable phones.
As for availability, Qualcomm say the Snapdragon 415 should start appearing in phones during the first half of the year. All of the other new chips will show up in devices in the second half of 2015. Even if you’re not in the market for a mid-range phone, it’s hard not to be impressed with what they’ll soon be capable of.
[Photo credit: Emmaniel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Mobile
AIVAnet 