BerryFlow Upstream Podcast – Graphite
Looking to get yourself caught up on the past week of BlackBerry news? Although it was an arguably light week for news as we head on into the earnings report, we still found plenty to discuss on BerryFlow Upstream such as the Porsche Design P’9983 Graphite, the new BlackBerry Care Protection Plan, BBM Protected, the design of the BlackBerry Leap and more. If you missed out on tuning in live, you can now catch the replay or download the audio below.
BerryFlow Upstream Podcast – Graphite
Looking to get yourself caught up on the past week of BlackBerry news? Although it was an arguably light week for news as we head on into the earnings report, we still found plenty to discuss on BerryFlow Upstream such as the Porsche Design P’9983 Graphite, the new BlackBerry Care Protection Plan, BBM Protected, the design of the BlackBerry Leap and more. If you missed out on tuning in live, you can now catch the replay or download the audio below.
Packing peanuts are the key to fast-charging batteries
Hate buying some new gadget, only to wind up with a sea of packing peanuts that do little more than spill on to the floor? Don’t be too quick to toss them out — they may be the key to a new generation of lithium-ion batteries. Purdue University researchers have developed a heating process that converts these shipping leftovers into anodes (where lithium ions are stored during charging) made from carbon. On top of eliminating waste, this technique should lead to batteries that recharge much faster. The carbon anodes are only a tenth as thick as their commercially available counterparts, so they don’t produce nearly as much electrical resistance.
There’s still some refinement necessary before you’re buying peanut-powered devices, mostly in terms of capacity. Lab samples last for a respectable 300 charging cycles without losing capacity, but you’d need more for hardware that’s going to be used for years. However, the approach is already practical: it’s cheap, simple and easy to implement on a large scale. It won’t be at all shocking if you can one day buy a quick-charging phone and send the packing foam back to help make more phones, rather than throwing it in the trash.
[Image credit: Joey Yee, Flickr]
Filed under: Science
Source: Purdue University (Phys.org)
Packing peanuts are the key to fast-charging batteries
Hate buying some new gadget, only to wind up with a sea of packing peanuts that do little more than spill on to the floor? Don’t be too quick to toss them out — they may be the key to a new generation of lithium-ion batteries. Purdue University researchers have developed a heating process that converts these shipping leftovers into anodes (where lithium ions are stored during charging) made from carbon. On top of eliminating waste, this technique should lead to batteries that recharge much faster. The carbon anodes are only a tenth as thick as their commercially available counterparts, so they don’t produce nearly as much electrical resistance.
There’s still some refinement necessary before you’re buying peanut-powered devices, mostly in terms of capacity. Lab samples last for a respectable 300 charging cycles without losing capacity, but you’d need more for hardware that’s going to be used for years. However, the approach is already practical: it’s cheap, simple and easy to implement on a large scale. It won’t be at all shocking if you can one day buy a quick-charging phone and send the packing foam back to help make more phones, rather than throwing it in the trash.
[Image credit: Joey Yee, Flickr]
Filed under: Science
Source: Purdue University (Phys.org)
Should you buy the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro?
The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro looks like a fine convertible laptop, but what do the reviews say?
If you’re on the fence about picking up the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, we’re here to help you out. Take a look at these expert and community reviews of the slim convertible laptop, and get a general feel for what it has to offer.
NFL player publishes math papers in his spare time
If you were an NFL player, what would you do in between games? Live the high life? Spend more time working out? The Baltimore Ravens’ John Urschel does something decidedly geekier: co-author math papers. The offensive lineman recently helped publish details of a “cascadic multigrid algorithm for computing the Fiedler vector of graph Laplacians” (no, we don’t get it either), which would be impressive for any aspiring mathematician — let alone one who spends his days crushing rivals on the football field. This isn’t his first such paper, but it’s notable that he’s keeping up his academic pursuits even after graduating from Penn State and joining the big leagues.
The publications aren’t shocking if you know Urschel’s history, mind you. As he explains, number-crunching and rough-and-tumble sports have been his passions for years. He may “love hitting people” for a living, but he also plays chess and conducts math research in his spare time. About his only major concern right now is that a nasty collision might put his studies to an end — in other words, he’ll likely keep up this seemingly contradictory lifestyle for as long as possible. Don’t be surprised if the next discovery in machine learning (one of Urschel’s fields of interest) comes from a human steamroller.
[Image credit: Larry France/Getty Images]
Source: ArXiv.org
[New Android TV App] Jamjitsu gives everyone at your party the power to add songs, videos, and photos to your playlist
Here’s a new app that’s likely to liven up your next party. Jamjitsu brings Nexus Q-type functionality to your Android TV, but offers more features. With Jamjitsu, you create a master playlist that all your friends can now connect to as well. Anyone can add music from Spotify, Deezer, Soundcloud and YouTube to the playlist. Your friends can even add photos and other (non music) videos from YouTube as well.
Now I know that at least half your guests will be sporting an iPhone, and the good news is that they can share in on the fun too since the app is also available in iTunes. The app works by everyone joining “The Party”, which then sends the info to your Android TV device. That is why iPhone users can join in since they aren’t communicating directly with your Android TV device, just the online playlist. Your guests (Android or iOS) don’t even need to be on your Wi-Fi.
Everyone will be able to see the complete playlist, but only you (the host) can pause, move, or delete a song. However guests can vote to scroll up a song in the playlist.
I should also note that in order to use Spotify and Deezer, users will need a premium account.
The app is in beta so all premium features are Free at this time, but that will likely change when it exits beta.
Come comment on this article: [New Android TV App] Jamjitsu gives everyone at your party the power to add songs, videos, and photos to your playlist
Apple Watch Makes First Australian Magazine Appearance Inside ‘Elle’ [iOS Blog]
Elle is the first magazine to feature the Apple Watch in Australia with a fashion shoot starring the publication’s in-house fashion editor Sara Smith. The multi-page style guide in the latest April issue offers women tips on how to make the Apple Watch work with different wardrobes depending on the time and place, such as during the weekend, at a cocktail party or in the workplace.
Apple continues to carefully curate the Apple Watch’s image and exercise control over the way it’s portrayed in magazines, positioning the wrist-worn device as a fashion item first and a technology device second. Apple wants the Apple Watch to be seen as trendy and sporty, perhaps in an attempt to avoid the device being viewed as overly technical and unfashionable as some people have opined about other wearables.
“For a cocktail party: Wear with a tuxedo suit and sexy heels (think Le Smoking Saint Laurent style with Alexander Wang black heels), or if you have the legs for it, a killer cocktail dress. Mix statement jewels with your watch. Try a fabulous cocktail ring and Cartier’s Love Bracelet would look great sitting side by side with your Apple Watch. It will be the perfect conversation starter at a party.”
Apple Watch has been featured in several fashion and fitness magazines worldwide in recent months, including Self, Vogue, Style, East Touch, YOHO and Fitness Magazine. The wrist-worn device will be available April 24, with pre-orders starting April 10 in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. Apple Watch starts at $349 for the Sport model, while the 18-karat gold edition will retail for upwards of $10,000.
Android Authority this week – March 22, 2015
Android fans, it’s been a big week for HTC, with everything from controversy over the alleged overheating of the M9, to the announcement of a new extended warranty program and the M9’s US release date, and ending with a bang, with the news that Cher Wang will take over as CEO. In other news, Android manufacturers continued to push out Lollipop to their devices, credible renders of the Xperia Z4 leaked out, Google announced major changes to its app approval process, Huawei sent out invites for the Ascend P8, OnePlus teased a “game changer” and a Swiss watchmaker joined Android Wear.
Inside AA HQ
After spending a lot of time with the new Galaxy S6, Josh put up his review, and it’s a thing of beauty. 17 minutes of gloriously smooth 60 fps footage walk you through all the key aspects of the highly anticipated Galaxy S6, from that eye-catching design to the streamlined TouchWiz. For even more details, check out our written review, which is choke full of beautiful shots of Samsung’s new flagship and sample images taken with the device.
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We brought you tons of videos and posts from MWC 2015, but Ash Tailor’s new “MWC -Insider’s Perspective” video is something different. Watch it to get a taste of what it is like to attend the world’s largest mobile trade show.
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There’s been a lot of talk about how the One M9 gets too hot, or, depending on whom you believe, doesn’t get that hot at all. Our advice was to wait for the full review of the M9, running final software, and the good news is you won’t have to wait much longer. Stay tuned for our up-close look at the new One M9 next week.
There’s no doubt the Galaxy S6 is the most desirable phone of the moment. So we think you’ll be happy to know that our latest Sunday Giveaway puts an S6 up for grabs. Check out the sweepstakes here.
The Friday Debate Podcast
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
Here are some interesting posts for your Sunday reading:
- Feature: You heard a lot about USB Type-C. Gary Sims explains it in detail
- Throwback: With the Galaxy S6 around the corner, Josh puts the Galaxy S5 through the test of time
- Feature: Internet of Things isn’t just another buzzword. Read on to see why it matters
- Review: Affordable devices don’t have to feel cheap, and the new Moto E is the best example
- Editorial: Simon Hill argues that Samsung should’ve made the S6 Edge its true flagship
- Opinion: Matthew Benson talks about horrible customer experiences and how to protect yourself
- Video: Ash Thought finished up his insider’s perspective of MWC, and it’s beautiful
- Review: This is the one you’ve been waiting for! Our Galaxy S6 review
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
HTC in the spotlight
- You may want to take that HTC One M9 overheating report with a grain of salt
- Peter Chou is no longer the CEO of HTC. Cher Wang takes over
- U.S. availability for the HTC One M9 begins April 10th
- (Update: coming March 21) One M9 release delayed for last minute software fixes in Taiwan
- Uh-Oh: HTC’s new warranty program offers some serious benefits (US only)
- HTC One (M7) owners, no Lollipop 5.1 for you!
Lollipop updates
- (Update: Xperia Z2 and some tablets) Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact getting Lollipop update
- Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE (GT-I9505) receives Android Lollipop in UK
- Moto X (1st gen) Lollipop soak test is under way
- HTC One M9+ arriving in late March-early April says @upleaks
- Android One users can download the Android 5.1 OTA links here
- T-Mobile Nexus 6 receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop OTA build LYM47M
Xperia Z4 first look
Play Store improvements
- Google is now manually reviewing apps that are submitted to the Play Store
- Google introduces age-based rating system for apps
Huawei Ascend P8
- Huawei sends out invites for April 15 event in London, Ascend P8 incoming?
- Purported Huawei Ascend P8 images leak out ahead of April press event
OnePlus teasers
- OnePlus teases a new “game changing” device that will launch in April
- OnePlus: OxygenOS and CyanogenMod 12S both coming by month’s end
Android Wear news
- Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer will unveil a smartwatch today – is Google involved?
- Tag Heuer and Fossil are making Android Wear smartwatches this year
- Is this our first look at the next-gen Moto 360?
Sound off
We always want to hear your feedback. Whether it’s criticism or praise, feel free to tell us what you think about Android Authority’s content, design, and community. Comment here or get in touch with us on our social channels:
Happy Sunday!
Halo 5: Guardians teaser turns out to be a fictional expose on Master Chief
Microsoft has launched a new viral marketing campaign for the upcoming Xbox One first person shooter Halo 5: Guardians. The “HUNT the TRUTH” page on Tumblr that launched a few days ago has turned into a site that will serve as the basis for an expose on the central character in the Halo series, Master Chief.
AIVAnet 