Amazon Fire TV success celebrated with special Sling TV offer
Amazon has announced Sling TV is being added exclusively, at least for now, on their Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices. Sling TV joins FOX Sports GO and Flappy Birds Family with exclusive launches on Amazon’s streaming content devices. Amazon also announced selection of their devices by content providers has grown five time since launching in April 2014.
Vice President of the Amazon Appstore Steve Rabuchin describes the growth of games and apps on Fire TV as “tremendous.” To celebrate the growth and exclusive launch of Sling TV, Amazon is offering a free Fire TV Stick with the purchase of 3 months of Sling TV or $50 off a Fire TV, which is normally $99.
You can read the full press release from Amazon below.
Now Available On Amazon Fire TV: Sling TV, FOX Sports GO, and More
Amazon Fire TV selection up 5x since launch
Starting today, customers who purchase 3 months of Sling TV can now get a Fire TV Stick for free
Other popular game additions include Crossy Road, Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series, OlliOlli and Always Sometimes Monsters
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 12, 2015– (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced that Fire TV’s selection is up 5x since its launch in April, with 2015 best-of-CES Sling TV now available for download as well as other popular services and games such as FOX Sports GO, TED, WSJ Live, Crossy Road, and Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series.
“The growth of apps and games available on Amazon Fire TV has been tremendous since launch—selection is up 5x since April, and many popular titles such as FOX Sports GO and Flappy Birds Familyhave launched exclusively on the Fire TV platform,” said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President Amazon Appstore. “We’re especially excited to be one of the first platforms to launch the Sling TV app—we think Fire TV and Fire TV Stick customers are going to love it.”
To celebrate the launch of Sling TV—a $20 per month, Internet-based television service delivering live sports and entertainment from channels like ESPN, TNT and TBS—customers who purchase 3 months of Sling TV can now get a Fire TV Stick for free or opt for $50 off a Fire TV (normally $99)—order today at www.amazon.com/slingtvoffer.
Since April, multiple apps and games have launched exclusively on the Fire TV platform including apps such as FOX Sports GO, Flappy Birds Family, Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series andMinecraft Pocket Edition. In addition, publisher Devolver Digital has exclusively launched popular games on Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick that have previously only been available for console and PC gaming including Luftrausers, Always Sometimes Monsters, and OlliOlli. Devolver Digital will bring six more games exclusively to Fire TV devices in the coming months including Gods Will Be Watching,Not a Hero, and Titan Souls.
Here’s what developers are saying about the platform:
“The response since we announced Sling TV at CES has been overwhelming, and we’re excited to officially launch the service on a great platform, like Amazon Fire TV,” said Sruta Vootukuru, director, business development and operations, Sling TV. “Fire TV customers now have access to live sports, lifestyle, family, and news channels—all for $20 per month.”
“Adding FOX Sports GO to Amazon Fire TV is a great next step in enhancing our distribution and connecting with more sports fans,” said Clark Pierce, FOX Sports, Senior Vice President, Mobile and Advanced Platforms. “We’re thrilled to make FOX Sports GO available on Amazon Fire TV and expand our roster of platforms.”
“Working with many indie developers, we are always thinking about how we can expand the reach of their games,” said Harry Miller, Co-Founder at Devolver Digital. “Bringing our games to Amazon Fire TV was a no brainer, as it brings our much loved and unique indie games, to the large global audience that Amazon reaches.”
“Customers of all ages have loved playing Crossy Road on their mobile devices, but we wanted to allow them to play the game with a controller in the hand and take the fun to the biggest screen in their homes – the TV in their living room,” said Matt Hall from Crossy Road developer Hipster Whale. “Fire TV is a fantastic platform that was easy to develop for and allowed us to quickly achieve our goal of getting this game to the living room.”
Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick plug into your HDTV for easy and instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, SHOWTIME, low-cost video rentals, and much more. They also bring photos, music, and games to the living room. Learn more about Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick at www.amazon.com/FireTV and www.amazon.com/firetvstick.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.
Source: Amazon.com, Inc.
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Fleksy gets updated to version 5.2, brings new Extensions, bugfixes, and a Valentine’s Day theme
Fleksy has just announced an update to their popular keyboard replacement app, bringing it to version 5.2. This update includes bugfixes, a tweaked Themes tab, the ability to sync shortcuts with the cloud as well as a couple of new additions to their recently announced Extension function.
The first new Extension is called ‘Hotkeys’, and this allows you to specify a button that, when pressed, will insert a custom item which can be anything from an emoji, symbol, email address or even a frequently used phrase. You can choose to customize up to 7 different HotKeys, and it promises to be pretty useful. The other new extension is called ‘Color Pops’ that allows you to choose which color ‘pops’ when you press a key. Other improvements include automatic language updates when your device is charging and connected to WiFi.
Finally, if you’ve been trying to find a way to make your typing experience on your Android handset a more romantic experience, Fleksy has got you covered. On February 14, they are giving all their users a free Valentine’s Day theme, as well as releasing a new Extension called Heartpops, which will ‘pop’ a heart every time you press a key. If you’d like to give Fleksy a try, just click the link below to install the app on your device.
Source: Fleksy
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Here’s what a Galaxy Note Edge coated in 24K gold looks like
What could be more inviting than the standard Galaxy Note Edge? One plated in 24K gold, of course. Earlier today, a bunch of pictures appeared online showcasing the design of the Vietnam-exclusive handset, which has had its side frame, earpiece grill, volume rocker, and rear camera ring coated in gold.
Hit the break for the full gallery of photos.
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HTC Zoe updated for Lollipop with new highlight engine
HTC has released an update to the HTC Zoe highlights video app. Like so many apps getting updated now, the big visual change users will notice is the support for Android Lollipop and Google’s Material Design. As part of that support, HTC added in support for the Nexus 6 smartphone and the Nexus 9 tablet.
HTC took the opportunity to slide in a brand new highlight engine at the heart of the app. According to HTC, the new highlight engine enables new themes, new effects and transitions, and higher quality video. HTC also makes it possible to download and save Zoes to your device instead of everything living in the cloud.
HTC indicates they have revamped the Discovery Feed to help users find local content. As usual, the app updates also included performance enhancements and stability fixes. You can get HTC Zoe by using one of the Google Play download links below.
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Samsung Galaxy S 6 will feature noticeable software changes
When the Galaxy S 6 is unveiled at MWC 2015 in a few weeks, the software behind the handset will be very different than any Samsung device before in history. Practically every Samsung device released to date has been filled with pre-installed apps from both the company itself or third-party providers. The company is known for its inclusion of ‘everything but the kitchen sink.’ The Galaxy S 6, though, will change that.
The upcoming flagship handset, according to SamMobile, will be free of an unspecified amount of pre-installed apps designed by Samsung; however, it is unclear which apps are not going to be pre-installed and which will remain. Of course, Samsung will presumably make them available in the Play Store for those that want to keep things within the company’s ecosystem. Either way, it seems like the many of the “S” range of apps (like S Health and S Voice) will not be found on the Galaxy S 6 upon powering it for the first time.
Instead, buyers of the handset can expect to see Microsoft services pre-installed — OneNote, OneDrive, Office Mobile (with subscription), and Skype. Satya Nadella is proving his commitment to other platforms by having the Galaxy S 6 showcase Microsoft services.
Here is a breakdown of user interfaces noted by SamMobile:
- Samsung’s default keyboard app supposedly looks more like a mix between the keyboard on the Galaxy Tab S and the iOS keyboard.
- More theming options are available
- All Samsung’s apps are more colorful
- You can select between 4×4, 4×5 and 5×5 icon layouts for the app drawer
- The app drawer no longer supports endless cycling through the list of apps (meaning you can’t go back from the last page to the first without going back through the previous pages).
- The music app still runs in full-screen mode at all times
- The dialer app looks “green as grass”, or that’s what we were told.
Source: SamMobile
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In pictures: Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones
You want to see what the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones looks like, right? Well, we’ve literally just finished installing on our first batch of devices, but while we’re picking through it all we’ve got a bunch of images to show off what the new OS looks like.
From the new look Start Screen, to Cortana, Settings and more besides, check out our first look pictures in the gallery below.
Yezz to produce Project Ara modules
Yezz, a small mobile phone producer, has announced that they will collaborate with Google’s Project Ara to produce modules for the forthcoming device. Yezz does not specify any particular module they plan to produce for Project Ara. In their announcement, they indicate that they will establish “a viable module marketplace that will allow for optimum customization” which may be an indication Yezz will produce a variety of modules.
Yezz says they will have their first prototype modules for Project Ara on display at MWC 2015.
source: Yezz
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Expedia buys Orbitz to expand its online travel empire
Looking to extend its reach with folks who book travel reservations online, Expedia is snatching up the competition with a quickness. Today, the web-based travel agency announced that it’s purchasing Orbitz for around $1.6 billion, so the most popular option in the US for searching flights, hotels and more on the web gains the business of the third-ranked site. The sale also includes CheapTickets, ebookers and Hotel Club in addition to a couple of B2B brands. “This acquisition will allow us to deliver best-in-class experiences to an even wider set of travelers all over the world,” said Expedia’s president and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Expedia just nabbed Travelocity last month for $280 million, and it already owned Hotels.com and Hotwire — all popular destinations for globe-trotting bargain hunters.
[Photo credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Via: USA Today
Source: Expedia
Xiaomi plans to launch US e-commerce site this year
Xiaomi is a rising star, particularly in the eastern markets. But what about the western world? Many us in the tech universe have been anticipating the eventual launch of Xiaomi products in the western world, and at a special meeting in San Francisco Xiaomi revealed to the media (AA’s Josh Vergara included) that this day may soon be approaching.
Before you get too excited, yes Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra publicly stated that they are planning to bring the “Mi.com” e-commerce site to the US market later this year, but the launch of phones or tablets isn’t in the pipeline. Instead, Xiaomi’s many peripherals will be the focus, such as headphones, power packs, fitness trackers and devices like the MiKey.
While selling accessories isn’t as big of deal as a phone launch would be, you have to start somewhere.It’s also worth noting that Xiaomi has been pretty aggressive with pricing of said accessories in its current markets, so hopefully this low pricing scheme translates over to the United States’ Xiaomi e-commerce website as well.
Wondering when we can expect to see the store? Unfortunately, there’s no timeline set. Xiaomi says the US e-commerce launch will happen whenever it’s ready. Baby steps, we suppose. What do you think, excited to see Xiaomi stepping into the US market, even if it’s in limited form at this stage?
Apple Promotes Games Without In-App Purchases in App Store
Apple today made one of its weekly updates to the App Store, adding a new featured category that highlights “Pay Once & Play” games in the App Store. As noted by MacStories, the section includes a list of popular game titles that do not include in-app purchases. The new feature has appeared in European App Stores already and should be making its way to other countries as the weekly update propagates.
“Pay Once & Play” offers a range of titles that are organized into the following categories: Recent Releases, Blockbuster Games, and App Store Originals. Some of the featured titles include Thomas Was Alone, Minecraft – Pocket Edition, Hero Emblems, Threes, Blek, and Goblin Sword.
Games and apps with in-app purchases have gotten Apple into trouble on multiple occasions over the past few years, leading to a 2011 lawsuit and a $32 million settlement with the FTC after children racked up hundreds of dollars in purchases without parental knowledge.
Apple has made several changes to the App Store since the original lawsuit was filed. Apps with in-app purchases are clearly labeled, Apple obtains express permission for an in-app purchase in the form of a pop up, and it notifies users that making an in-app purchase authorizes additional in-app purchases for 15 minutes.
Most recently, Apple changed the “Free” wording on purchase buttons to “Get” to make it clear that apps with in-app purchases are not truly free.
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