UK customers will be able to catch their first glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy S6 this weekend
Samsung UK has announced that customers in the region will be able to catch the Galaxy S6 in action this Saturday (March 14) from dedicated Samsung Experience stores in the region. The company has ensured that all Experience stores in the UK will carry demo units of the Galaxy S6 as well as the Galaxy S6 Edge.
This should allow customers to make an informed decision about getting either of the two handsets before they go official next month. Up until now, users have only seen the two smartphones in pictures, so this will be a good opportunity to get up close and personal with the latest and greatest from Samsung.
The company will also have similar Experience shops set up here in the U.S. shortly, so customers Stateside will not have to wait long to get their hands on the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge. The smartphone will be simultaneously released in 20 markets, which includes the U.S., on April 10. With less than a month to go for the launch, the company has already built up enough hype and demand for the handset, with reports mentioning an increase of sales estimates from the company.
Via: Sam Mobile
Come comment on this article: UK customers will be able to catch their first glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy S6 this weekend
‘Becoming Steve Jobs’ Leaks: Tim Cook Offered Jobs a Liver, Jobs Wasn’t Interested in TV
There’s a new Steve Jobs book coming out later this month, written by Brent Schlender, a reporter who interviewed Jobs several times throughout his life, and Rick Tetzeli, editor at Fast Company.
The book, Becoming Steve Jobs, isn’t set to be released until March 24, but Cult of Mac discovered some of the contents could be read using Amazon’s “Look Inside the Book” feature and shared a few interesting tidbits that we haven’t heard before. One of the best parts is a story about Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, which took place when Steve Jobs first got sick.
When Jobs was ill and needed a new liver, Tim Cook offered to donate a portion of his own liver because the two shared a blood type. Jobs turned down Cook’s offer and later received a full liver transplant in 2009.
After discovering that he shared a rare blood type with his sick colleague, and undergoing a battery of tests at a hospital “far from the Bay Area, since he didn’t want to be recognized,” Cook offered his liver to Jobs — only for Steve to turn it down.
“Somebody that’s selfish doesn’t reply like that,” Cook says.
The book also reveals that Steve Jobs and Disney CEO Bob Iger contemplated buying Yahoo! as a way for Apple to get into the search business, and it unveils some details that contrast information that Walter Isaacson shared in his Steve Jobs biography.
Walter Isaacson’s biography was largely responsible for igniting rumors about Apple creating a literal television, but according to Becoming Steve Jobs, Jobs was not particularly interested in television, telling Jony Ive at one point “I just don’t like television. Apple will never make a TV again.”
In Isaacson’s telling, Jobs wanted to “do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones,” creating an integrated television set that’s “completely easy to use.” At one point, he even reportedly said “It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”
Amazon has removed much of the content that was offered via “Look Inside the Book,” so additional stories about Jobs and other executives will be kept under wraps until its debut 12 days from now.
With the book, Tetzeli and Schlender have aimed to explore the story of how Steve Jobs made the transformation from an arrogant young man exiled from Apple to the visionary leader that skyrocketed Apple to fame. The two authors interviewed many of Jobs’ friends, family, and inner circle, getting access to never-before-told stories. Tim Cook, Jony Ive, Eddy Cue, Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, and Robert Iger all contributed to the book.
Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber received an advanced copy of the novel, and has called it “the book about Steve Jobs that the world deserves,” with stories that are “sensational.”
A hardcover copy of Becoming Steve Jobs can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com for $21.78. There’s also an iBooks version available for $14.99. [Direct Link]
Apple Seeds Third iOS 8.3 Beta to Developers
Apple today seeded the third beta of iOS 8.3 to developers, more than two weeks after seeding the second iOS 8.3 beta and more than a month after releasing the first iOS 8.3 beta. Today’s third beta release comes just days after the public launch of iOS 8.2, which included support for the Apple Watch.
The beta, build 12F5047f, is available as an over-the-air download and through the iOS Developer Center. Apple has also released Xcode 6.3 beta 3.
Though iOS 8.2 introduced Apple Watch support, it brought only minor bug fixes and security updates to the operating system. iOS 8.3 brings more consumer-facing updates, like a new emoji picker and all new diversified emoji and skin tone modifiers. It also introduces new country flag emoji and updated emoji icons to represent the iPhone, iMac, and Apple Watch.
Along with those emoji changes, iOS 8.3 brings wireless CarPlay connectivity, support for Google 2-step verification, Apple Pay for the China UnionPay network, and several new Siri languages.
What’s new in iOS 8.3 beta 3:
Messages – There’s an option in the Messages portion of the Settings app to enable “Conversation List Filtering.” With this turned on, messages received from people who are not in your contact list will be filtered into a separate list.
Apple Watch app – Since iOS 8.2 has been released, iOS 8.3 has been updated to add the Apple Watch app to the iPhone’s home screen.
Dropbox adds PDF viewer and text search to its Android app
The folks at Dropbox continue a run of handy updates with another addition that keeps you from having to venture outside of the cloud repository’s app. In the latest version, Android users will notice a built-in PDF viewer, complete with all the sharing tools needed to distribute files. What’s more, you can now search the text of PDFs, Word documents and PowerPoint files to find the exact item you need. Looking to edit a single slide for an upcoming presentation? Swiping over to the file and entering a keyword takes you right to it. The new version should arrive in the Play Store in the next few days, and your trusty mobile device will most likely alert you when it’s available.
Apple launches public beta program for would-be iOS testers
Yes, yes, iOS 8.2 was only released on Monday, but Apple’s got you covered in case that’s just not bleeding edge enough for you. After getting plenty of apparently helpful feedback during OS X Yosemite’s public beta period over the summer, the company is (as expected) kicking off a public beta program for iOS, beginning with a non-final build of iOS 8.3 available to testers starting today.
We’re not entirely sure when Apple flipped the switch on the program, but invites to selected users have been going out for at least a few hours now. Thing is, we’re still not sure how exactly Apple’s choosing who gets access (aside from choosing members of the existing OS X beta), or even how many people will get the nod from Cupertino. Back when this whole thing was just a rumor, it seemed as though only 100,000 people would get access to the program when it finally launched. Assuming you are lucky enough to get in, the installation process seems dead simple — you’ll install a special profile that instructs your phone to pull updates from a beta software channel and, well, that seems to be about it. Just be sure not to gush about your good fortune too publicly; this is only a public beta in that you don’t have to be a developer to install these pre-release builds. Apple’s still counting on you having enough discretion to keep word of juicy features and under your hat, though really, at least one of you isn’t going to keep your mouth shut. Itching to try your luck? Can’t say we blame you — you can register on Apple’s Beta Software site and keep your fingers crossed.
[Thanks, Scott!]
Filed under: Mobile
OneNote for iPhone adds previews to help quickly find notes
Microsoft has released a OneNote update for iPhone users, which adds a way for its users to see thumbnail previews of their notes.
The new 2.10 version, now available in the iOS App Store, should make it faster for users to find the specific note they are looking for. Microsoft says:
With a quick glance at your page list, or your Recent Notes list, you can scan snippets of your notes, including visual content like photos and handwriting, which helps you quickly locate the note you want to read or edit.
In addition, the new version lets users drag and drop their list of OneNote notebooks so they can re-order them to their liking.
Microsoft also released an update to the Mac version of OneNote today. This app’s major improvement is about sharing notebooks with others. Microsoft says:
With today’s update we make it even easier to share notebooks by providing you a way to invite your contacts to collaborate on notebooks, selecting whether they can view only or edit the notebooks and remove sharing access when needed. These improvements work with notebooks you created on OneDrive and OneDrive for Business.
- Free for iPhone – Download now
- Free for Mac – Download now
Source: Office blog
New Google reference app helps developers build multi-screen apps
With the recent introduction of Android Wear, Android TV and Android Auto, Google is expanding its ecosystem to as many screen sizes as possible. With all of the new screen sizes now on the Android platform, the company is urging developers to create the best looking applications as possible, no matter what size screen. To do so, Google has created a new reference sample application called the Universal Music Player for developers to use as a reference point. The app combines a number of different features from Android 5.0 Lollipop and will show developers the recommended way to build their apps for Wear, Auto and Google Cast devices.
The application uses recently-added features like MediaStyle notifications, MediaSession and MediaBrowserService, which allows developers to easily implement browsing and playback on multiple devices while only using one version of the application. The app also shows developers how to add album artwork to the lock screen, control music playback through the Wear and Auto platforms, and much more.
If you’re a developer that’s interested in trying out the Universal Music Player, head to the GitHub link below. Or if you’d like some more information on the topic, check out the Google Developers Blog.
AkrutoSync Review
With Microsoft pretty much hating on Google with everything they’ve got (looking at you “Scroogled” campaign), most of services between the two don’t play nice. This isn’t largely a big deal since a lot of Google’s services are website-based. However, there are a lot of people that still rely heavily on Outlook, especially for business. While the Gmail app now allows addition of other emails including Hotmail, there still isn’t an easy all-in-one solution for syncing contacts and calendar from Outlook to an Android device. This is where AkrutoSync steps in. It’s not an Android app, but a Windows program that sets up and then walks you through connecting your Android device with Outlook. Overall, the app works in the background and without much hassle, but the set up process is a bit odd and finicky.
Setup
AkrutoSync does not have an Android app, but rather uses your computer’s IP address (the number that your computer uses to identify itself when using the internet) and assigns it an email address that you then add as an account on your Android (or other mobile device). The Windows program walks you through step-by-step on how to set up the program. It even provides links to walk you through the setup process on your phone. All of this is fine, and should allow even the most average of tech user to use it. The issue is if you run into a problem, as I did. When I tried to add the email address given to me by the program to add as an account on my phone, evidently I had an issue connecting, and I could not find any solution in Akruto’s documentation. Further, my computer thought the sync was set up, but nothing was appearing on my phone.
The good news is, Akruto’s support team responded very quickly when I reached out to them, and even when I ended up making a silly mistake (much to my chagrin) they were very kind, polite, and patient. A product is only as good as the people behind it, and I can say that the people of Akruto are great.
Function
AkrutoSync looks to provide an easy, painless sync solution for your Outlook calendar, contacts, and more without the need for the user to constantly check on it. In my experience with the program, I can say that they do this pretty well. Calendar and Contacts sync almost instantly. Some pictures are below.
As long as you have auto sync enabled on your phone, accessing calendar appointments and contacts should be no problem at all. There isn’t much more to say, but in this case that’s a great thing!
Value/Design
Probably the most obvious issue with AkrutoSync is that it’s design is not the best. Pictures are a little blurry, and the program is all-around a little boring. However, considering the idea of the program is to set it up and then forget about it, design is not really a priority. Function is the primary focus of AkrutoSync. The value of the program is where I struggle a bit. AkrutoSync costs $34.95 as a one-time purchase. However, with a great support team, you should be sure to get updates on a regular basis, and quick responses to any issues you may have.
Conclusion
AkrutoSync is an interesting program. With a not-great design, it is not a perfect program. However, what it lacks there it makes up for in seamless syncing, and a phenomenal support team. Overall, AkrutoSync gets 4 stars. However, I believe the room for improvement will be filled quickly.
The post AkrutoSync Review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Verizon offering Sapphire Blue Ballistic Nylon version of Droid Turbo
Verizon announced the Motorola Droid Turbo in Sapphire Blue Ballistic Nylon earlier today. It can be purchased online or in stores for $199.99 on a two-year contract or $24.99 a month for 24 months on Verizon Edge.
Also of note: customers will receive a $100 bill credit with every new smartphone activated on Verizon Edge. This also applies to trade-ins of decently functional, old smartphones for the purchase of a Droid Turbo.
The post Verizon offering Sapphire Blue Ballistic Nylon version of Droid Turbo appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Launches New iOS Beta Testing Program, Seeds iOS 8.3 to Testers
Apple today made a pre-release version of iOS 8.3 available to those who sign up for the company’s public beta testing program, giving them early access to a new version of iOS for the first time ever. The version of iOS 8.3 being distributed to beta testers is the third iOS 8.3 beta, which was seeded to developers a few hours ago.
The launch of today’s iOS beta testing program has also been accompanied by an overhaul to Apple’s Appleseed Beta testing site. Previously the language on the site was heavily focused on OS X, but a site revamp gives it a more general focus to encompass both iOS and OS X testing.
iOS 8.3 was first seeded to developers on February 9, while iOS 8.2 was still in testing. iOS 8.2 is mainly focused on the Apple Watch, but thus far, iOS 8.3 has introduced several new features including support for wireless CarPlay connectivity, a new emoji picker, support for Google 2-step verification, and Apple Pay support for the China UnionPay network.
The second beta brought all new diversified emoji and skin tone modifiers, along with new emoji for country flags and updated emoji icons to represent the iPhone, iMac, and Apple Watch. Siri also gained several new languages, including Danish, Dutch, English (India), English (New Zealand), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish.
Apple introduced its public beta testing program with the launch of OS X Yosemite, allowing more than a million consumers to sign up for and participate in the Yosemite beta. Prior to today, public beta testing was limited to OS X, but Apple appears to be ready to expand its beta testing program to iOS.
Apple has also continued offering OS X betas, most recently seeding OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 with the Photos app to public beta testers.
AIVAnet 