Angry Birds Developer Rovio Reports First Major Profit Decline in 2014 [iOS Blog]
Finnish developer Rovio, creator of the Angry Birds games and all of the subsequent spin-offs, yesterday reported the company’s first big decline in profits since the original Angry Birds game launched in 2009 (via VentureBeat).
Though the company’s mobile gaming business did see a slight 16 percent rise in revenue, a huge drop in Rovio’s licensing business, which includes the various toys, t-shirts, and action figures related to its games, was the true culprit of the company’s decline last year. Not to mention other mega-hit franchises, like Candy Crush Saga, slowly taking the once-dominant spotlight of Angry Birds.
The first official image from the upcoming Angry Birds movie.
The company’s revenue dropped to €158.3 million ($170 million) in 2014, from €173.5 million ($185.6 million) in 2013. Likewise, Rovio’s operating profit also fell last year to €10 million from €36.5 million in 2013 and €76.8 million in 2012. Rovio CEO Pekka Rantala hopes a steady release of new games and a renewed focus on advertising will pivot the company in the right direction for 2015.
“2014 results show that steps in the game portfolio, free to play competency building and advertising are going in the right direction. I am confident that with new simplified organisation and clearer vision, we will be back to the path of growth in 2015,” said Pekka Rantala, who took over as chief executive last fall, in a statement.
Rovio launched six new games in 2014, no doubt helping to bump up its mobile gaming revenue, with more than 600 million new game downloads for the company. It’s also already launched two new games in 2015, Jelly Jam and Angry Birds Stella POP!, which Rantala hopes will keep the brand’s momentum going through the first half of 2015.
Although it’s not to be released until the summer of 2016, Rantala also points to the buzz surrounding the Angry Birds movie as a boon to the company’s wilting licensing business. The company will produce the movie, which is set to star Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Maya Rudolph, and Peter Dinklage.
Rovio no doubt hopes for the film to pick up the slack where Angry Birds Toons, Rovio’s 2013-launched animated kids TV show, has failed to increase the company’s licensing business year-over-year. Rantala notes that the film already has received “very positive reactions from major retail and license partners as well as from consumer focus groups”, which he and the company predict will translate into booming licensing deals in the coming years.
Lumia Camera and Lumia Camera Classic apps both receive small updates
Microsoft has pushed out new updates for both the Lumia Camera and Lumia Camera Classic apps for Windows Phone Lumia users today, but there’s no change log for either app. This likely means they include bug fixes.
NASA starts testing a more precise landing technology
NASA wants to visit celestial bodies we’ve never been to before, so it has started testing a precise landing system that will first be used for future trips to Mars. The engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory used a rocket called Autonomous Descent and Ascent Powered-flight Testbed (ADAPT) to perform two test flights back in December. ADAPT, by the way, was created as a reusable test rocket that launches and lands vertically. In both instances, it had to reach an altitude of 1,066 feet before it started its descent and the two-part landing system kicked in.
The first part, called the Terrain Relative Navigation technology, has a sensor named the Lander Vision System (LVS). It can maneuver a spacecraft to a precise location even without GPS by taking pictures of the terrain while descending. The system can then compare those photos to images it’s saved onboard to determine where it is and touch down as close to the planned landing site as possible. This works in conjunction with the second part of the landing system, which is an algorithm called G-FOLD. That one does onboard calculations to determine which trajectories “obtain the maximum performance from every kilogram of propellant.” And yes, the system can do all these by itself, with no human input.
This landing system is necessary if NASA plans to visit new planets, moons, asteroids or comets. See, for a spacecraft to be able to land on unfamiliar territory without touching down on rocky or dangerous terrain, it has to be able to find a good location on its own. The agency is hoping that this technology’s the solution to that issue, though two successful tests probably aren’t enough for NASA to start using it on actual missions just yet.
[Image credit: NASA Photo / Tom Tschida]
Filed under: Science
Source: NASA
Droid Turbo to jump straight to Android 5.1 according to Motorola Software Engineer
If you own a Motorola Droid Turbo on Verizon, you’ve probably been waiting patiently (or not) for the Android 5.0 Lollipop update to hit your device. Verizon doesn’t have the best record when it comes to Android updates, but we have some news (good and possibly bad) after the break.
First the good news. According to comments made on a (now deleted) Google Plus conversation by the Motorola software engineer, Luciano Carvalho, the Droid Turbo should be updated straight to Android 5.1. It would seem that Verizon has decided against wasting resources updating the Droid Turbo to an already obsolete version of Android. Another reason for skipping the earlier versions of Lollipop is that Android 5.1 has Voice Over LTE (VOLTE) support baked in.
Verizon demands VoLTE support and 5.1 brings it to the platform. Basically it… Porting all the VoLTE changes to 5.0 and then switch to the AOSP solution on 5.1 would be a huge waste of resources.
Now we get to the possible bad news. The decision to skip straight over to Android 5.1 could mean that the update will take longer to be pushed out to the Droid Turbo. Why? Well, Lollipop 5.0 was released last year, but the Droid Turbo is still making do with KitKat 4.4 some 5 months later. So it’s probably best to expect the Android 5.1 update in the coming months rather than weeks. Still, at least the Droid Turbo is getting a Lollipop update, it just might be a little later than hoped for.
Source: Google+
Via: Droid-Life
Come comment on this article: Droid Turbo to jump straight to Android 5.1 according to Motorola Software Engineer
Burton, Swarovski, Montblanc, and others are making premium Galaxy S6 accessories
Samsung has a long history of collaborating with luxury brands for accessories and even limited editions of its devices. The most recent example is Montblanc, which introduced ultra expensive styluses and covers for the Galaxy Note 4.
For the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge, Samsung is really emphasizing design and how the S6 is “uniting the worlds of fashion and technology.” So it should come as no surprise that Samsung is doubling down on partnerships with fashion brands, including Burton, Swarovski, Montblanc, and Rebecca Minkoff, as well as artist Romero Britto.
Snowboarding gear specialist Burton is creating “vibrant protective covers inspired by two of the brands most popular print designs.”
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Swarovski has collaborated with Samsung before; unsurprisingly, the company is launching a “colorful series of premium, protective, crystal-embellished covers that reflects the different shades of glass in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.”
Montblanc is offering “leather made cases and flip covers designed in the Montblanc manufacture in Italy.” While Rebeca Minkoff’s contribution is “a playful and subtly edgy flower print protective cover and leather pouch”
Finally, Romero Britto is behind the “unique, clear covers” you can see below.
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Samsung says these accessories will be available from its store come the release date of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge on April 11. Joining these premium products in the store will be a slew of more reasonably priced accessories for the two devices, ranging from battery packs to a multitude of covers.
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How much would you be willing to spend for a design from your favorite brand? Are you even remotely interested in these accessories?
Huawei sends out invites for April 15 event in London, Ascend P8 incoming?
Huawei has begun sending out invitations to a press conference that will be taking place in London on April 15th, which was initially hinted at by Huawei back in January. The event will begin at 3pm GMT (11am EDT) and the company is expected to announce its new high-end Ascend P8 smartphone. Huawei has launched its previous Ascend P smartphones in Europe.
Specifications have been kept close to Huawei’s chest, but rumors are pointing to 5.2-inch handset with a full HD (1920×1080) resolution display. Huawei is also expected to include its in-house 64-bit octa-core Kirin 930 CPU, which is built from four Cortex-A57 and four A53 CPU cores and a Mali-T628 MP4 GPU on a 16nm process. Other anticipated hardware includes 3GB or RAM, 32GB of storage, a 13MP OIS rear camera and a 2,600mAh battery.
A dual rear camera rumor also appeared last month, which would allow photographers to re-adjust the focal point of a picture after it has been taken. This feature is similar to what Samsung, HTC and LG have offered in previous handsets. A fingerprint scanner could also feature on the P8. A focus on new build materials is also expected during Huawei’s P8 announcement. We’ve previously heard rumors suggesting a metallic frame with a ceramic back and buttons.
The Huawei Ascend P8 will supposedly be priced at around ¥2999 ($480), which would easily undercut the current batch of flagship smartphones. We should know more about price, availability and specifications come April 15th.
Amazon expands its Prime Now one-hour delivery service to Baltimore and Miami
Amazon today announced the company is expanding its one-hour Prime Now delivery service to two new US cities – Baltimore and Miami.
Those who purchase goods from the online retailer in these new locations are now able to take advantage of one-hour delivery on select essentials. The Amazon Prime Now service is available between 8am and 10pm in both cities, with two-hour deliveries available for free and the one-hour service in select zip codes for $7.99.
Should you rock Amazon Prime membership, you’ll be able to enjoy unlimited free two-day shipping, as well as other membership benefits. Amazon notes that its delivery services will expand to more cities throughout this year.
See the press release below for more details.
- Free – Download Now
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 19, 2015– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that Prime Now has expanded to Baltimore and Miami. The ultra-fast service, which initially launched as a benefit for Prime members in Manhattan, offers one-hour delivery on tens of thousands of daily essentials through a mobile app.
“Customers in Manhattan and Brooklyn love Prime Now—it means you can skip a trip to the store and get the items you need delivered right to your door in under an hour,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations. “Since launching, we’ve seen high demand on everything from essentials like water and paper towels to more surprising deliveries like getting a customer a hard-to-find, top-selling toy in 23 minutes—we are excited to continue delivering to customers in record-breaking time.”
Prime Now is launching in select Baltimore and Miami zip codes today and will expand rapidly to additional zip codes within each city soon. All Prime members can download the Prime Now app, available on iOS and Android devices, and be notified when the service is available in their local area. In Miami and Baltimore, Prime Now is available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Two-hour delivery is free and one-hour delivery is available in select zip codes for $7.99.
Tens of millions of members around the world already enjoy Prime. In the US, membership includes unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 20 million items, instant streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes through Prime Instant Video, over a million songs and hundreds of playlists through Prime Music, free unlimited photo storage through Amazon’s Cloud Drive, early access to select Lightning Deals and access to over 800,000 books to borrow through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
The one-hour delivery service is powered by Amazon’s growing operations that utilize advanced technology to speed up order delivery times for customers. Prime Now will continue rolling out to additional cities in 2015. Learn more and download the mobile app at http://www.amazon.com/primenow.
Google Docs for Android update hides the editing icons to allow full page review
If you’ve ever used the Google Docs app, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of seeing the editing tools getting in the way of viewing a document whilst scrolling through, making it difficult to view everything you need to without those pesky icons obscuring information. Luckily, the Google Docs app is receiving an update that will solve this irksome problem. More info and the Apk download link after the break.
Today’s update to version 1.4.112.09.35 will see Google Docs allowing users to quickly open a document and browse through it without the editing tools getting in the way. From now on, when you open the document and begin to scroll down, the editing tools will vanish, allowing you to view the document on the full screen of the device. When you want to edit, all you have to do is select the blue Edit icon that appears at the bottom right of the screen once you have stopped scrolling. You should see the Google Docs app receive the update anytime from today, although if you are impatient you can just click the download link below to install the update manually.
Google Docs Apk Download (Apk Mirror)
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google Docs for Android update hides the editing icons to allow full page review
Samsung bringing 128GB internal storage to mid-range smartphones
The Samsung Galaxy S6 packed in more internal memory than any other Samsung handset before it. The company wants to bring 128GB of storage to mass market smartphones as well and has just announced a new 128GB, 3-bit per cell NAND memory chip designed for this market segment.
However, this memory module won’t be built from the same UFS 2.0 standard as the fast memory found in the Galaxy S6. Instead, Samsung’s mid-range high capacity memory will be designed to the eMMC 5.0 standard, which is still ample for the vast majority of situations.
The new Samsung 128GB eMMC 5.0 chip delivers 260 MB/s for sequential data reads. Random data read and write operations reach 6,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second) and 5,000 IOPS, respectively, which is just fine for the likes of high definition video processing.
See below for a quick general comparison, although individual chips may, and in this case, do vary from specification maximums.
The main benefits of faster UFS memory come when reading or writing large chunks of data with minimal latency, such as recording and processing high resolution slow-motion video content, which is probably outside the capabilities of most mid-range smartphones anyway. Even though the new memory may not be on the cutting edge, the extra space is bound to come in handy to store larger apps and plenty of media.
Samsung is ramping up its component development operations this year, in order to pull ahead of the competition and offset the decline in smartphone sales. Higher density memory for a broad range of devices could result in large orders from competing mobile manufacturers.
Samsung has not announced when it will be releasing its 128GB memory chips for more affordable smartphones.
Microsoft’s Lumia 430 is the cheapest route to Windows 10
If your budget is tight but you still want the new notifications and other stuff coming with Windows 10, Microsoft has your back — depending on where you live. It just revealed the 4-inch Lumia 430 Dual SIM model that’s Windows 10-ready for around 70 bucks. For such a price, you’ll get about what you’d expect: a WVGA display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 CPU, 8GB of upgradeable storage and a 1,500 mAh battery. Unfortunately, the biggest compromise is with the cameras: it has a meager 2-megapixel front/0.3-megapixel shooters that will make for passable selfies and not much else.
As the name gives away, it also packs “intelligent” dual-SIMs and is only coming to regions where that feature is desirable; namely the Middle East, Asia-Pacific regions, Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. That doesn’t mean you’re without cheap Windows Phone options in the the UK and North America, however. The Lumia 530, for instance, retails at $100-plus, but is available on the street as low as $40. There’s also the new Lumia 640 and 640XL, though those go for around $100 more. Budget models aside, however, there’s still no sign of a high-end Lumia model created by Microsoft without any help from Nokia.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
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