T-Mobile Nexus 6 updating to Android 5.1 build LMY47M
T-Mobile today announced that it’s started rolling out the Android 5.1 Lollipop to its Nexus 6.
However, perhaps more interesting than the rollout itself is that the build that T-Mobile lists for its Nexus 6 rollout, LMY47M, appears to be newer than (or at least different from) the 5.1 builds that we’ve seen so far.
Pebble pledges $1 million to development of smartstraps for Pebble Time
With the announcement of the Pebble Time, Pebble also briefly touched on what they’re calling “smartstraps.” These smart watch bands are basically just a platform so developers can create smartstraps that do different things and add a little functionality to the base Pebble Time.
Today, the company has opened a million dollar fund towards the development of these smartstraps and they’re showing off a few different early ideas from what others have already been working on. Pebble will be taking money from that fund to help back Kickstarter projects for smartstraps, so if you have an idea for one, get to work on a prototype.
The first concept is from Xadow, and it creates a completely modular watch band that you can swap out for things like NFC readers, barometers, and heart rate monitors, which should definitely add some length to the lifespan of the Pebble Time.
The second prototype is from Spark, and it might be a solution to a problem that doesn’t quite exist. The Spark Electron is a module that takes a SIM card so your Pebble can connect to mobile networks. On the bright side, you’d be able to use your Pebble without being tethered to Bluetooth’s relatively short range, but I’m not sure many people would pay their carriers extra per month for that convenience.
Regardless, these are the kinds of things Pebble hopes developers do for their smartstrap platform. With this new fund, it’s pretty likely we’ll see more of these by the end of the year.
source: Pebble
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This factory robot is small, precise and human-friendly
Picture a typical factory robot in your head and you’ll probably see a cold, unsympathetic arm performing relatively simple tasks. You may want to shake that image soon, though. Rethink Robotics has taken the wraps off of Sawyer, a smaller sibling to its earlier Baxter model that’s built for handling high-precision tasks that most machines can’t handle, such as testing circuit boards. The one-armed robot is designed to be as people-friendly as its predecessor, with a touchscreen for a face and software that lets you teach it by guiding it with your hands. The big improvements are in the arm itself. Sawyer is using new actuators and joints that make it smaller, faster and more precise, which should help with assembling or verifying lots of tiny parts.
You probably won’t be buying Sawyer yourself, since it’ll cost a hefty $29,000 when it ships in the summer. However, it could be a big deal in the electronics world, where manufacturers have been looking for ways to replace more overworked factory employees with automatons. Sawyer can not only handle duties that were once difficult for robots, but adapt to new challenges — the combination of learn-by-doing code and force-sensing joints helps it deal with the imperfect conditions of assembly lines. There’s a degree of irony to introducing a human-aware robot designed to replace humans, but that’s fine if it means that more people can take jobs they’d actually like.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Rethink Robotics
Cloud Raiders for Windows Phone gets war dragons and more in latest update
Cloud Raiders, the highly popular fantasy free-to-play action-strategy game from Game Insight, got updated today for Windows Phone with a bunch of new content and improvements. That includes the addition of dragons to the game.
Apple issues security update for OS X 10.10.2
Apple has released a security update for OS X Yosemite 10.10.2.
Apple did not specify the content update, saying only that it is recommended for all users, and improves OS X security. You can download Security Update 2015-003 from the Updates section of the Mac App Store, or as a separate download from their support site. Apple should post more about the update in this support article shortly.
WhatsApp updated in the BlackBerry Beta Zone with multiple bug fixes
It would seem as though beta testers for WhatsApp are really good at finding bugs. A new build, available in the BlackBerry Beta Zone right now, aims to squash several rather large bugs that have been found in the app. Everything from navigation issues on the Classic to some OS 10.3.1 specific bugs have been marked as fixed in this release, so if you’ve had some issues with the previous beta or even the BlackBerry World release, you just might want to give this build a go. Have a look at the full changes.
Atari releases a fitness app that aims to motivate you with games
Atari, the widely popular video game pioneer, has just entered the fitness market with its new app, Atari Fit. The new application, which is out now on Android and iOS, aims to motivate players to work out by offering points to unlock classic Atari games.
The goal of this fitness app is simple: follow daily tips and exercise routines the best you can to raise your fitness level. The higher your level increases, the more points you’ll earn towards playing games like Pong, Super Breakout and Centipede. You can compete to climb up the leaderboards, workout together with friends from across the world, and even race against other like-minded fitness folks.
The app includes over 100 fitness exercises including full-body circuits and running programs, which are certified by Michael Porter, a National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer. The app can connect to Google Fit, Runkeeper and Facebook to help build your fully functional log-book, which will help you increase your Atari Fit experience level. It also tracks your distance, speed and calories burned while exercising.
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Here are a few more notable features the app offers:
- Track wearable health and fitness devices such as Fitbit and Jawbone by connecting to Google Fit and earn in-game rewards.
- Post accomplishments to Twitter and Facebook at the end of every workout, detailing achievements and personal bests and making fitness fun with friends. See your friends and encourage each other to workout!
- Motivate and challenge yourself by following daily tips and a multitude of exercise routines or custom programs while tracking distance, speed, pace and calories burned.
We’re not sure if Atari’s motivation structure is capable of starting a fitness revolution, but the idea is certainly a nice change of pace. Note that since this is a brand new app, there are quite a few release date bugs so far. A handful of users are having trouble connecting to their Runkeeper and Google Fit accounts, so hopefully Atari can get those ironed out soon. If you’d like to try the app out for yourself, head to the link below.
Google wants you to ‘wear what you want’ with new Android Wear ad
Google’s new Android Wear commercial — part of the search giant’s “Be together. Not the same” campaign — showcases the many different varieties of smartwatches available with Android Wear.
New iMovie for Mac Update Provides Look at Potential of Force Touch Trackpad [Mac Blog]
While Apple updated iMovie for Mac on March 9 with Photos integration and noted it in the “What’s New” section, Apple did not mention it also gained additional support for the new Force Touch Trackpad. The new feature was first found by freelance film editor Alex Gollner (via Wired) and is described in an Apple support document.
When dragging a video clip to its maximum length, you’ll get feedback letting you know you’ve hit the end of the clip. Add a title and you’ll get feedback as the title snaps into position at the beginning or end of a clip. Subtle feedback is also provided with the alignment guides that appear in the Viewer when cropping clips.
Gollner notes that the new feature allowed him to “feel” his way around iMovie’s user interface, which means that he could do certain tasks without looking at the screen. He goes on to say that the new feature feels like a sign of the future for Apple devices, with users being able to feel their way through UI elements that he calls “bumpy pixels”.
iMovie for Mac is available in the Mac App Store for $14.99. [Direct Link]
Google releases extended version of Wear What You Want (Party On) Android Wear commercial
Last week, Google released a short commercial promoting Android Wear and how you can” Wear What You Want”, as in circular or round. That spot was only about 15 seconds long, but today they are treating us with the full 60 second spot.
The theme is exactly the same, but you get a few more dances and you get to hear a little more of “On The Regular” by Shamir. Check out the full video after the break.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Anyone notice any unreleased watches? Looks like the LG Watch Urbane and Huawei Watch made an appearance.
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