AW 4.4 code suggests Android Wear may eventually support iOS
The features offered by the Apple Watch and Android Wear are actually quite similar in many ways, but one big difference is compatibility. The former works only with the iPhone, and the latter only with Android devices. Could this situation ever change? It is already starting to happen, at least for Android Wear.
Last month, developer MohammadAG, known primarily for his work on developing Xposed Framework modules, found a workaround that allowed Android Wear to receive basic notifications from iOS. Yesterday, the developer expanded on this by finding a way to let Android Wear users answer iOS calls from their watch, no jailbreak required.
Of course, a third party developer finding workarounds for Android Wear functionality on iOS isn’t the same as getting full support from Google. Could Google ever officially bring Android Wear support to our iOS-using friends and family? A new tweet from MohammadAG suggests that Google may already be working on it.
#AndroidWear 4.4W (didn’t check 5.0) contains iOS related code(!), class name AncsHandler. I guess that confirms they’re working on it.
— MohammadAG (@MohammadAG) March 18, 2015
Of course the presence of iOS related code doesn’t necessarily mean that Google has immediate plans to offer iOS compatibility for Android Wear, but anything is possible. With cheaper pricing, similar features, and more hardware options, Android Wear could have a real edge over Apple Watch if it came to iOS. Furthermore, if Apple users enjoyed the AW experience, they could theoretically be lured into switching to Android as a result.
What do you think, should Android Wear support multiple operating systems, or is it in Google’s best interest to only support Android?
Modern Combat 5 switching to free to play model
Back in July Gameloft released Modern Combat 5, and with it brought the announcement that there would be no in-app purchases, with $7 giving you the entire game experience. A few months later, IAP purchases were introduced, but at least they were only optional and didn’t break the game experience. While MC5 players were probably hoping that’s as far as Gameloft would take it, today the developer announced that they are shifting to a free-to-play model in the latest update.
As you’d expect, the free-to-play shift comes with more restrictions, namely you’ll now have an energy meter that limits how many missions you can go on over a period of time. There’s also a credit system being added into the game, too. What about those that already paid full price for the game? Gameloft will be giving these players unlimited energy for life, Veteran status, 200 credits and “some other goodies”. Aside from bringing a free-to-play experience to the game, the update will also introduce a new support solider class, additional weapons, and a new multiplayer mode that focuses on capturing zones found in certain areas in each map.
So why the sudden change? First, it’s Gameloft, so there’s that. Second, it’s likely the game wasn’t doing nearly as well as past titles, and so developers likely hope making a change to free-to-play will garner the game more attention. The update has yet to roll out for Android users (it is live on iOS), so if you still want a chance to get veteran status and other freebies, you’ll want to pick it up for its current price of $3.99 before the update lands.
Google X’s Astro Teller admits that Glass was not ready
Prior to the shutdown of the Glass Explorer program, Google X’s Astro Teller explained that wearables are not easy to embed into consumers’ lives. He event hinted that the company shift its focus away from Glass shortly before the shutdown. Now, with the device’s successor looming, Teller has commented on why Glass’ first outing failed.
Teller believes that experiencing failure at the start of a product’s life makes it easier for cleanup than doing so later on. Everything remains cost-efficient and simple to alter. He does note that a “mistake-free learning environment” does not exist anywhere. All companies have to deal with mistakes and challenges with their products.
The biggest issue for Google Glass was consumer perception and launching too quickly. The company wanted to get hardware out to the public when it should have waited a bit longer. And, when people learned about Glass, they become concerned with the device’s privacy. Teller had the following to say about the release of Glass:
“We learned a lot on the technology front. Many things like the battery were big obstacles. [Also] to understand how to talk about these things in the real world and figure out how new social norms could be built.”
Teller admits that the company brought so much attention to the device that it became too much for it. Google wanted “to say to the world this is an early prototype.”
Source: ABC News
Via: TechnoBuffalo
Come comment on this article: Google X’s Astro Teller admits that Glass was not ready
SoCal’s first ‘water coaster’ is driven by magnets
It’s not just the Circle K, strange things are afoot throughout San Dimas, California — like the wacky 1000-foot-long, magnetically driven “water coaster” recently installed at a local Raging Waters park in the midst of a debilitating statewide drought. Dubbed the Aqua Rocket, this unusual attraction — the first such ride in all of Southern California and one of just two dozen throughout the US — combines the motion of conventional roller coasters with the sloshy fun of waterslides.
Since neither water nor the ride’s four-person rafts are naturally capable of travelling uphill, the Aqua Rocket relies on a series of hydromagnetic linear induction motors to generate an undulating magnetic field. Metal plates embedded in the base of each raft interact with this field, propelling riders up and over the ride’s trio of “continuous rocket incline zones” — it’s the same principle of electromagnetic attraction and repulsion that enables the US Navy’s railgun prototype.
The Aqua Rocket may be the first such attraction in the Golden State but it’s far from the first in America. These rides have actually been around for the better part of two decades, the very first of which — the appropriately named Master Blaster — debuted in 1994 at Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas.
[Image Credit: Raging Waters]
Via: Los Angeles Times
Source: Raging Waters
‘Launcher’ Returns to the App Store After Apple Relaxes Policies
Back when iOS 8 first launched, Launcher was one of the first apps to take advantage of the new widgets allowed in the Notification Center, and it introduced shortcut functionality that let users launch an app or complete a task like calling a specific person with a single tap.
Apple approved the app and allowed it to exist in the App Store for over a week, but then the company made the decision to remove Launcher from the App Store, calling it a “misuse” of widgets. Since then, Apple has gone on to make a series of questionable decisions about widgets, banning apps for similar widget offenses and then later changing its mind.
Up until now, Apple has not reversed course on Launcher, but that didn’t stop Launcher developer Greg Gardner from continually resubmitting different variations of the app in the hopes of creating something Apple would find acceptable.
Earlier this month, a limited version of Launcher gained App Store approval (a version with only calling, emailing, messaging, and FaceTime access), and when Gardner asked for clarification on why that was acceptable when his original app was not, Apple reviewers opted to revisit the first Launcher app and stated that its functionality was now acceptable.
According to Gardner, he did not have to remove any of the original Launcher features to get it re-approved in the App Store. Apple reportedly told him that when a new feature first launches, they are conservative about what they allow, but restrictions sometimes relax over time. “That is what appears to have happened in this case,” Gardner told MacRumors.
Due to Apple’s decision reversal, Launcher will be available for download again beginning today. It’s already propagating in some countries, and will be in the U.S. App Store tonight.
Launcher has retained all of its original functionality, which means users can download the app and use it to set up shortcuts that will appear in the Today view of the Notification Center. Available shortcuts are organized into four sections: Contact Launcher, Web Launcher, App Launcher, and Custom Launcher.
With the Contact Launcher, it’s possible to create shortcuts to call someone, email someone, FaceTime someone, get directions to a specific place, Message someone, and more. The Web Launcher sets up shortcuts that will automatically launch a specified URL, and the App Launcher lets users open a specified app and works with both Apple apps and third-party apps. The Custom feature lets users create buttons for any installed apps and any other URL schemes.
Launcher also offers a few new features, including a much-requested option to make the icons smaller and hide labels for a more compact look within the Notification Center.
Launcher can be downloaded from the App Store for free, and the pro version is available as a $3.99 in-app purchase. [Direct Link]
Everything you need to know from WinHEC 2015
The return of the WinHEC conference has been an eventful one with a huge amount of news coming out of the Shenzhen, China venue relating to Windows 10. From details on when the next version of Windows will launch, to a new hardware testing partner in Xiaomi and a bunch of details on what’s going to be inside Windows 10, there’s a lot to take in from the first day of the conference.
But fear not, we’ve got you covered. Hit the link below to catch up on all of the news from WinHEC 2015!
Researchers can now 3D-print nose cartilage in 16 minutes
Doctors have been employing 3D-printed tissue for years now. But even though the hype around 3D bioprinting has raised expectations that it will save lives and shorten donor wait lists, fully functional printed organs are not feasible yet. While we won’t be seeing blood pumping printed hearts any time soon, getting a new nose could become easier.
Professor Marcy Zenobi-Wong’s team of researchers, led by Matti Kesti, at ETH Zurich’s Cartilage Engineering and Regeneration laboratory, has found a way to bioprint a joint or nose cartilage that is designed to grow with the body over time. Current cartilage transplant procedures rely on two-dimensional cell generation that doesn’t evolve as the patient’s joint regains function in the future. 3D bioprinted cartilages, on the other hand, are expected to reproduce and become a part of the body’s mechanism.
In the case of reconstructive surgery on a smashed nose, a digital 3D model is created while a biopsy removes cartilage cells from the patient’s body — knee, ear or even pieces of the busted nose. The cells are then spawned with suitable biopolymers, either extracted from seaweed or generated by the human body, to create a hydrogel consistent with the suspension of the printer. The biopolymers act as a shaping mold for the cells until the cartilage cells in the body break them down. Over time, according to the research team, it would become virtually impossible to differentiate between the transplant and the original cartilage in the body.
“We hope that in the future our technology could be used to overcome the need for cartilage donor tissue,” Kesti told us. “The bioprinted cartilage piece could be printed based on the patient defect and need so that the personalized shape and size is regained.”
Even though this technology has the potential to personalize medicine and create body-replicating magic, bioprinting and research is an expensive and exhaustive process that prevents cellular 3D printer cartridges from being widely available in hospitals just yet. “The potential of 3D bioprinting in future is that it is the ultimate technology to regenerate patient specific shape of tissue or even organs,” says Kesti. “There is no better way to make the shape than 3D printing so it is worth investigating the technology.” His lab, equipped with a majestic bioprinter that can create a cartilage in roughly 16 minutes, is now ready for pre-clinical trials. If the cellular concoction becomes a viable option for human trials, it could make bioprinted cartilage implants far more successful than their silicone counterparts.
[Image credit: Cartilage Engineering & Regeneration Group, ETH Zurich]
Source: ETH Zurich
OnePlus One will get a price increase in Europe on March 25th due to exchange rates
Due to the declining value of the euro, the OnePlus One‘s price will increase in Europe beginning Wednesday, March 25th. OnePlus explains that due to the euro’s instability, many manufacturers tend to launch devices in the region for higher prices. OnePlus ultimately opted not to raise the price of its “flagship killer” when it launched, resulting in the company actually selling devices at a loss in the EU.
Beginning March 25th, the 16GB Silk White variant will be available for €299 (up from €269), and the 64GB Sandstone Black variant will be sold for €349 (up from €299). The company explains:
We sincerely wish that we had an alternative option here. We explored all possible avenues in an attempt to avoid any changes, but as a startup with exceedingly-slim margins, our current euro prices simply aren’t sustainable.
Now, these changes don’t go into effect until next Wednesday, so you can still buy the smartphone at the cheaper price until then. Even though you’ll need an invitation to purchase the phone, OnePlus is holding an open sale promotion on Tuesday, March 24th if you can’t get your hands on an invite. Moreover, OnePlus confirms that official accessories won’t be affected by the price increase.
European readers, does this affect you in any way? If you were thinking about buying the device, what are your thoughts now?
T-Mobile announces new Un-contract and Carrier Freedom plans
In addition to announcing Un-carrier for businesses, T-Mobile also had something for regular customers of its network. Starting March 22, the carrier will kick start the Un-contract, which is its own version of the contract system.
The carrier however reassures customers that it won’t be the same as a conventional contract, thus explaining the name. With Un-contract, T-Mobile mentions that users can keep their existing Simple Choice plans untouched for the duration of their stay with the carrier. The carrier also promised that those on its unlimited data plans can be assured that the prices will not go up for at least two years. The offer is available to all existing T-Mobile Simple Choice customers.
T-Mobile also announced something known as Carrier Freedom, where it offers up to $650 per line (on up to a 10 total lines) for those switching from another carrier like AT&T or Verizon. All you have to do is take the smartphone to T-Mobile where you will receive the trade-in value immediately. The remaining balance such as ETF and payments will be paid off by T-Mobile upon submission of the bill from your original carrier. The outstanding amount will be given to you in the form of a T-Mobile prepaid card.
The CEO of T-Mobile, John Legere said – “We’re the Un-carrier. Everything the carriers do, we un-do,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “The other guys have been throwing out all kinds of desperate, short-term promotions to suck you in and lock you down − only to jack up rates later. We’re not playing that game. The Un-contract is our promise to individuals, families and businesses of all sizes, that − while your price may go down − it won’t go up.”
Source: T-Mobile
Come comment on this article: T-Mobile announces new Un-contract and Carrier Freedom plans
‘Project Spartan’ will be in the next Windows 10 preview build
Microsoft has confirmed that “Project Spartan”, the code name for their next-generation web browser, will be included in the next preview build of Windows 10. That build should be released to members of the Fast update ring sometime in April.
AIVAnet 