Join the Windows 10 for phones discussion in the Windows Central forums
The Windows Central community is buzzing right now with the release of the very first Technical Preview of Windows 10 for phones. There’s a lot to talk about from which phones can get it, through new features, right into what we’d like to see happen in the future. We’re still getting our heads around it all, but there’s plenty of great discussions to be had, and there’s no better place to have them than in the Windows Central Forums.
File Explorer in Windows 10 for phone video tour
If there is one thing people love to have – even on a phone – it is a File Explorer. Microsoft previously gave us an app called Files for Windows Phone 8.1, but Windows 10 for phone takes it a step further with a real, Modern File Explorer app for desktop and your phone.
Tune into our video tour of this app, including its features and functions. The app is demonstrated on both the Lumia 830 (AT&T) and Lumia 635 (T-Mobile).
Apple rejecting App Store screenshots that do not comply to 4+ age rating
Apple has started to enforce an App Store rule that requires all screenshots on the store to comply to the 4+ age rating standard, and is removing apps that depict violence or feature guns in their screenshots. According to the App Store guidelines document:
The App Store has parental controls and requires all apps to bear age-appropriate content ratings. While violence, etc. has always been permitted in apps, Apple has always required that all app metadata — title, description, icon, and screenshots — be kid-proof with the lowest rating. […] It’s right there in the rules: 3.6 Apps with App icons, screenshots, and previews that do not adhere to the 4+ age rating will be rejected.
Pocket Gamer noticed that Tempo (image above) featured a blurred gun in its App Store screenshots to adhere to the ruling. However, other action games such as Modern Combat 5: Blackout still have guns highlighted in their screenshots:
Gunslugs 2 developer OrangePixel also found that an update to the game was rejected as the screenshot for the game depicts “violence against a human being.” The issue has since been fixed, and the game is now live with the update (and the same screenshot).
Source: App Store (Tempo); Via: 9to5Mac
Deal Alert: Purchase three months of Sling TV and get a free Fire TV Stick or Roku Stick
With the recent launch of Sling TV, many users have been second-guessing their current cable package. Sling TV brings a number of popular channels to your mobile device including ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and many more, all for only $20 per month. If you think this is a good deal already, the deal is about to get even sweeter.
If you prepay for three months of Sling TV (totaling $60) Amazon is throwing in either a free Fire TV Stick ($39 value) or Roku Stick ($50 value). If you’re looking for something a little more powerful, Amazon will give you either $50 off the Fire TV ($99 value) or Roku 3 set-top box ($100 value).
The streaming sticks offer the most bang for your buck, though choosing one of these options may hinder you from experiencing the more powerful and smooth performance of set-top boxes. If you can’t decide which device to choose, our very own Kevin Nether checked out the best media streamers money can buy. Unfortunately, our favorite media streamer, the Google Chromecast, doesn’t have support for Sling TV quite yet.
If you’re interested in trying the streaming service, now is a great time to do so. Spending $60 will get you significant discounts on some of the best media streamers out there. Oh, and try not to wait on this offer. All promotional codes given out must be used by June 5th, so don’t forget! To take advantage of these offers, head to either one of the links below to grab the deal.
Save on the Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick
Save on the Roku 3 or Roku Stick
Your PlayStation account is ready to grow up when you do
What does upgrading a PlayStation Network sub-account to a master account have in common with buying lottery tickets? Well, now both are things you can do when you turn 18. That’s right: You won’t have to start a new account (or lose any of those platinum trophies) to get an unrestricted connection to game-broadcasting, messaging and PSN Store spending limits. For now, you have to handle the process via the Sony Entertainment Network website, but the PlayStation Blog says that it’s en route to the PlayStation 4 as well. Xbox Live has had this feature for awhile, of course, so it’s nice to see Sony’s listened to its community and followed suit. Naturally, if you’re a parent and don’t think your kid is ready for unfettered access to everything PSN offers, Sony’s quick to note that this is in no way mandatory. Given some of the things we’ve seen and heard while playing online with adults, that’s almost positively one for the “win” column.
Source: PlayStation Support, PlayStation Blog
Buyer’s Guide Valentine’s Day Edition: Discounts on iPad, iPhone, Apple Accessories, and More [Mac Blog]
With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, retailers are offering some decent discounts on the iPad and the iPhone, and there are some deals on the MacBook Air and the Retina MacBook Pro.
Many online sites are also giving customers limited time site wide deals on a range of Apple accessories in honor of the holiday, so if you need a last minute gift, make sure to check out this week’s Buyer’s Guide.
iPhone
Target is offering a $30 discount on its stock of Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, dropping the price of the entry-level 16GB iPhone 6 to $169.99 (with 2-year contract).
All iPhone 6 and 6 Plus purchases will also come with an additional $30 Target gift card. The promotion expires on February 14.
iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3
Target is offering a $50 Target gift card with the purchase of any iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3, along with a $20 discount on the purchase of MS Office 365. iPad Air 2 prices start at $499 and iPad mini 3 prices start at $399.
The gift card with purchase deal will be available until 11:59 PM PT on February 14.
Best Buy is offering a straight $50 discount on its entire stock of iPad Air 2 models dropping the price of the entry-level Wi-Fi only 16GB iPad Air 2 to $449. Best Buy is also offering $50 off its 16GB iPad mini 3 models, both cellular and Wi-Fi, dropping the price of the entry-level Wi-Fi only model to $349.
B&H Photo is also offering discounts of up to $50 on its stock of iPad Air 2 models and discounts of $10 to $30 on its stock of iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 tablets.
Retina MacBook Pro
– 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (Adorama) – $1,189, $100 off
– 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $1,399, $100 off
– 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,599, $200 off
– 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Adorama) – $1,769.99, $230 off
– 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB – (Adorama) – $2,219.99, $280 off
MacBook Air
– 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama)- $819, $50 off
– 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $999, $100 off
– 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo (Adorama) – $919, $80 off
– 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $1,099, $100 off
Non-Retina iMac
– 21.5-inch 1.4Ghz/8GB/500GB (Adorama) – $1,019, $80 off
– 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) – $1,189, $110 off
– 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $1,399, $100 off
– 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $1,689, $110 off
– 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $1,799, $200 off
Mac Pro
– 8-core 3.0GHz/32GB/512GB/FirePro D700 Mac Pro (MacMall) – $6,149, $650 off
Apps
As always, there are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We’ll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.
Board game Ticket to Ride is available for $2.99 this week, down from $6.99. Note Rocket sketchpad is available for free, down from $1.99. WeatherPro is available for $0.99, down from $2.99. Pomodoro Time is available for free this week, down from $1.99. Those Days is available for free, down from $2.99.
Apple Accessories
Groupon is selling the Griffin GuitarConnect Cable for iOS devices for $19.99, down from $29.99. The ‘Prep Pad’ Smart Food Scale and Nutrition Tracker is available from StackSocial for $112, down from $149.
Beats by Dre Solo2 headphones are available for $159.99 from Groupon, down from $199. StackSocial is selling the Sesame 2 Wireless Auto-Lock for Mac for $29.99, $10 off the regular price. A refurbished Mophie powerstation duo or PRO is available for $39.99 from Groupon, down from $99.
MacMall is selling a refurbished LaCie Rugged 1TB Thunderbolt hard drive for $89.99, $110 off the regular price. MacMall also has a refurbished 2TB Quadra LaCie hard drive for $119.99, $80 off the regular price.
Fluxmob, a site that sells super portable Bolt 3,000 mAh portable batteries is offering 20 percent off site wide through February 15. iPhone accessory maker Speck is offering 20 percent off site wide through today with the promo code SWEETHEART.
Incase is offering a 40 percent off coupon code for its online store when signing up for the company newsletter. Cablejive, a site with a range of iPhone chargers and cables, is offering 20 percent off site wide with the coupon code LOVE.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. 
Xiaomi launching Mi Store in US, only to sell headphones and fitness tracker
Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi, creator of popular devices like the Mi Note and Mi Redmi, will be making its first steps in the United States market. Unfortunately, though, it’s not to bring us any devices from the Mi line.
Instead, US customers will be able to purchase items from Xiaomi’s accessory products, like headphones and its Mi Band wearable fitness tracker.
Hugo Barra, who recently left Google to join the Xiaomi team, told CNET about the store: “The amount of effort required to bring those products [phones and tablets] to market is significant. We just have to move at the right pace, so we’re accelerating our entry in a sense by bringing simpler products.”
There’s still no time-table on when we might see Xiaomi’s Mi smartphones or tablets find their way onto the US market.
Source: CNET
Come comment on this article: Xiaomi launching Mi Store in US, only to sell headphones and fitness tracker
Dell announces a new “schoolyard tough” Chromebook and Android tablet
Dell has just announced two new education-oriented devices: a new version of their popular Chromebook 11, as well as an Android-powered tablet called the Dell Venue 10. Both devices are made to withstand bumps, drops and spills that are part of a student’s everyday life. Both the Chromebook and the tablet feature a rubberized trim to absorb shock if a student were to accidentally drop them.
The new Chromebook 11 features an 11.6-inch anti-glare display with 1366 x 768 resolution, and the option to choose between a normal or touchscreen display. It also comes with a liquid-resistant keyboard and touchpad, a front-facing HD video webcam, and a 2.16GHz Intel Bay Trail-M Celeron processor. It comes with 16GB of on-board storage, 2GB or 4GB of RAM, and a battery that can last up to 10 hours on a single charge. The Chromebook 11 will also feature an “activity light”, which will allow teachers to “monitor student activity and facilitate more meaningful interactions, such as orchestrating student groups or facilitating quick quizzes and polls.” It even has a new 180 degree hinge design that will reduce stress at the hinge of the device.
The Dell Venue 10 will have a 10.1-inch HD display and will run Android 5.0 Lollipop. Teachers also have the option to purchase a reversible keyboard to go along with the tablet. The keyboard can be positioned five different ways, including a clamshell position for test scenarios and to use as a laptop, tent and stand positions to promote collaboration and sharing, and a slate configuration for keyboard storage while in tablet mode. Teachers can also purchase an optional active stylus to go with each tablet. The Dell Venue 10 will be one of the first tablets to be certified with Google Play for Education, which will allow teachers to instantly transfer data to students using NFC. Unfortunately, we don’t have exact specifications for the Venue 10 quite yet, so we’ll be sure to update this post when more specs surface.
The Chromebook 11 is now on sale for $249.99 through Dell’s website. The Venue 10 tablet will go on sale starting at $329.99 sometime in the Spring. If you’re interested in the keyboard, the tablet/keyboard combination will run you $379.99.
Windows 10 for phones will remind you of appointments even as you’re shutting it down
Here’s a neat little feature that Microsoft has slipped into the new Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones. In Windows Phone 8.1, shutting down the phone gives you the simple, albeit pleasant “goodbye” message. But when you shut it down in Windows 10, you’ll get a little reminder of your next calendar appointment.
iCloud beta now lets anyone create an Apple ID and use Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for free
Good news for people wanting to use Apple‘s productivity software: starting tonight, anyone, with or without a Mac or iOS device, will be able to create an Apple ID and sign in to the iCloud beta website to start using Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for free.
When users visit beta.icloud.com, they will be presented with a banner at the top of the page prompting them to create an Apple ID. Afterwards, in addition to gaining access to Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, the free accounts will also grant 1GB of free cloud storage to users.
This is a great way for Apple to extend its services beyond its own devices, as now even PC users can start using the company’s productivity suite. It is important to note, however, that this currently only works from the beta version of the iCloud website. If you’d like to give it a shot, hit up that source link below to get started.
Source: iCloud Beta
AIVAnet 