NVIDIA rolls out an update to the Shield Tablet to fix color reproduction issues
A few users found that colors were muted on the screen after the last Shield Tablet update, which NVIDIA acknowledged as a bug. The chipset vendor has now rolled out an update to address the issue.
Samsung Galaxy S 6 themes to change icons, status bar, sounds, and more
In a few days, the highly anticipated Galaxy S 6 will be unveiled for the world to see. The wait comes to an end on Sunday and we will see premium design met with scaled back software. The software side of things will have just two Samsung apps being pre-installed. Like the Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5, the Galaxy S 6 will also have themes.
Themes will provide owners of the Galaxy S 6 with personalized touches. Samsung, according to SamMobile, will allow users to make changes to “icons, color bar, voice tones, background image and background color in the menus.” This is in addition to the custom fonts that Samsung currently offers in a limited capacity.
Everything will be downloadable from the new Theme Center; however, it is unknown whether or not third-party themes are going to be accepted.
Source: SamMobile
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Privacy advocates want the FTC to investigate Samsung’s smart TVs
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) wasn’t convinced when Samsung explained that its smart TVs aren’t actually eavesdropping on people. In fact, the privacy group has just asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the South Korean company has really been recording people’s living room convos. If you recall, Samsung stirred up controversy earlier this month due to the phrasing of its privacy policy, which stated that “some voice commands may be transmitted (along with information about your device, including device identifiers) to a third-party service that converts speech to text or to the extent necessary to provide the Voice Recognition features to you.” The outcry that ensued forced Samsung to clarify that its smart TVs can only hear what you say if you push a designated button.
While “listening” to spoken words is par for the course for a device that uses voice commands, EPIC believes it still warrants an investigation. “The key point is that Samsung is not just recording voice commands to operate the TV, as many would expect,” EPIC director Marc Rotenberg told The New York Times. “The company is capturing all voice communications, including conversations between people in the room.”
In the official document it filed, the group wrote:
This complaint concerns certain business practices of Samsung Electronics, Ltd. that adversely impact consumer privacy in the United States. As set forth in detail below, Samsung routinely intercepts and records the private communications of consumers in their homes. Consumers who have learned of this practices have described it is as both “unfair” and “deceptive.” Samsung’s attempts to disclaim its intrusive surveillance activities by means of a “privacy notice” do not diminish the harm to American consumers. It is incumbent upon the Federal Trade Commission to take action in this matter, and to enjoin Samsung and other companies that engage in similar practices, from such unlawful activities.
In addition, the privacy group says Samsung violated the FTC Act by claiming it encrypts voice recordings before sending them to third-party services. The company admitted later on that it doesn’t actually encrypt recorded voice commands or their transcriptions. EPIC also accuses Samsung of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits collecting information from minors. The group has compiled all its complaints against the electronics company, along with comments from researchers, journalists, ordinary internet users and other privacy advocates in its official investigation request.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Samsung
Source: The New York Times, EPIC
Pebble SDK 3.0 developer preview released with support for Pebble Time features
Hot on the heels of the launch of its highly successful Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time, Pebble has just released the first developer preview of the 3.0 update to its SDK which takes advantage of the wearable’s new features.
We go hands-on with the cool new features on 6tag 4.0
The official Instagram app for Windows Phone hasn’t seen an update since March last year. It’s still lacking features offered by the official apps on iOS and Android. The good news is that 6tag, a popular third-party Instagram app for Windows Phone, continues to add new features that are absent from the official one. With latest version 4.0 update, you can adjust filter strength, play with five new filters, and edit existing posts. Want to see it in action? Check out our hands-on video.
‘Fable’ going free-to-play on Xbox One and Windows 10
Now you can add “price” alongside “gameplay” to the list of aspects that separates Fable Legends from its forebears. That’s because the game’s launching as a free-to-play title on Windows 10 and gratis with an Xbox Live Gold subscription on Xbox One. What’s it all entail? A lot of similar bits if you’ve paid attention to how free-to-play stuff typically works (microtransactions for cosmetic items, for example), but with a few unique wrinkles. The official FAQ stresses that you’ll be able to play the game from beginning to end without spending any real cash, and that all quests and storylines will be free — same goes for “everything that affects gameplay.” There’s a possibility that some customization options won’t be purchasable with the in-game currency you earn, and with its rotating system for playable characters, you have the option to permanently unlock a favorite character with cold hard cash, too.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft’s stepped into the F2P market, but it’s possibly the highest profile example of it to date. Happy Wars and Project Spark didn’t exactly set the world ablaze (neither did F2P elements that invaded the likes of Forza Horizon and its sequel) so it’ll be interesting to see just how well this does. The PlayStation 4 had its own share of F2P games at launch, too, but when the Xbox One will have a title with a DC Universe Online-level of success is anyone’s guess. But, now that the latter’s developer is free to make games for basically anyone, that could happen sooner rather than later.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Fable Legends (1), (2)
Pebble SDK 3.0 developer preview released with support for Pebble Time features
Hot on the heels of the launch of its highly successful Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time, Pebble has just released the first developer preview of the 3.0 update to its SDK which takes advantage of the wearable’s new features.
The new SDK allows developers to craft and update their Pebble apps with the new features of the Pebble Time, such as the color screen and built-in microphone, in mind. Pebble gave a rundown some of the more notable features in version 3.0:
- Support for 64 colors which all have a name!
- A brand new animation framework
- PNG and Animated PNG support in the SDK
- Detecting which platforms you are building for at compile time
- Much more to come!
Pebble notes that apps that were built for the current version of the wearable are compatible with the 3.0 SDK with only minor changes required. Additionally, developers will also enjoy increased available memory (up to 64kb) and an unchanged screen resolution.
The release of the SDK comes in the wake of news from earlier today that the Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time has already surpassed the record-breaking funding of the original Pebble watch with 29 days left to go.
For much more, interested developers can check out Pebble’s blog post, along with an in-depth look at the new SDK from the source links below.
Source: Pebble Developer Blog, Pebble SDK 3.0
Sundar Pichai discusses Google’s future with Google Wallet, Google Plus, and the Chinese market
Sundar Pichai, Google’s senior VP of products, was recently interviewed by Forbes about the direction the company is taking in key areas. He discussed Google Wallet, how Google plans to utilize Android in the Chinese market, and where Google’s own social network was heading. It was a pretty interesting interview that shed some light on some of Google’s intentions and more or less confirmed some rumors we’ve been hearing.
When it came to Google Wallet, Pichai said he was pleased with Google Wallet, but he said that the company needed to figure out how to get those mobile payments functional on as many points of sale as possible. This definitely suggests that Android Pay will make an appearance at Google I/O this year, as that’s exactly what it’s designed to do.
When asked about Google+, Pichai noted that Google had already split G+ up using Hangouts and Photos, but Google was looking into bringing the Google+ Stream into its own, further splitting up the different products. That’s a departure from how the social network started, but it keeps in line with how the company has handled it recently.
China is an odd topic for Google, mainly because of how hard it is for the company to remain successful there. Android is already fairly prevalent, but Google misses a big chunk of revenue from China because of the distinct lack of Google services on many Android handsets sold in the country. Pichai didn’t have any concrete answers on how to turn that around, but he did say Google sees China as a huge opportunity for growth and it was something they were very serious about staying on top of.
To check out the full interview, hit the link below.
source: Forbes
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Sprint to off the LG G Pad F 7.0 for free on two-year contract on March 13th
If you’ve been considering adding a tablet to your monthly cellular plan, Sprint will soon be selling LG’s G Pad F 7.0 on a two-year contract. The tablet comes equipped with LTE radios for Sprint’s network and is the first LG tablet that the carrier has offered. The tab is free on a two-year contract, and it runs just $10 a month on Sprint EasyPay.
The G Pad F sports a Snapdragon 410 CPU and a 7-inch IPS display, so while it’s not a top-of-the-line device, it’s not a bad deal for what it costs. With LG’s Q Pair, you can even sync the tablet with any Android phone to mirror notifications like texts and calls to the tablet, so you can effectively replace your phone with this in a pinch.
For the full press release from LG, hit the link below. You’ll be able to order the tablet beginning on March 13th.
source: LG Mobile
Come comment on this article: Sprint to off the LG G Pad F 7.0 for free on two-year contract on March 13th
Verizon will finally sell the Nexus 6 on March 12th with Android 5.1 and VoLTE
Verizon hasn’t been in any kind of a rush to release the Nexus 6 on their network, but it looks like the wait is almost over. Most Verizon stores are getting promotional materials for the device that are slated to go up on March 11th with a March 12th launch date, which means we’re about two weeks out from seeing the phone officially active on Verizon’s network.
To make up for such a long wait, rumors are pointing at the Nexus 6 running Android 5.1 out of the box, plus it’ll be able to take advantage of Verizon’s VoLTE services. Of course, other models of the device are certainly going to be updated to 5.1, but Verizon’s variant may get the honor of saying it was the first.
If these rumors hold up, expect to be able to purchase a Nexus 6 next month. Are you still excited about the phone, or has waiting for months changed your mind?
source: Phandroid
Come comment on this article: Verizon will finally sell the Nexus 6 on March 12th with Android 5.1 and VoLTE
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