Favorites of MWC 2015 | The Friday Debate Podcast 007
MWC was incredibly busy but the guys got together to talk about their favorite things from the show. Youtube reviewer Lanh Nguyen joins Josh with the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief Darcy Lacouvee as they recount various happenings like HTC’s announcements and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Along the way, they reminisce about the beautiful and busy city of Barcelona, Spain, and even speak about video games. Darcy brings his business acumen to the podcast and gives us (and you) a look at some phone company inner workings.
It’s not often that the Android Authority guys can get together in a room and just hang out – so we hope you enjoy one of these opportunities via the Friday Debate Podcast!
The Friday Debate Podcast – discussing topics in Android every week.
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Recorded on March 6, 2015 – Hosted and Produced by Joshua Vergara
VSCO Cam updated to version 3.2 – lets you copy and paste your edits to various photos
The popular photo editing app, VSCO Cam, has been updated to version 3.2 and brings forth a couple of new features and updates. The biggest update to mention would be the ability to copy and paste edits that you have made to a photo and apply it to any other photo that you wish. This new feature should be a godsend to avid VSCO users as editing a large batch of photos could be made easier and quicker.
The update also includes TIFF image import and various performance improvements such as editing times. QR code and a download link will be provided after the break!
Do you guys use VSCO? If not, what’s your favorite photo editing app?
Come comment on this article: VSCO Cam updated to version 3.2 – lets you copy and paste your edits to various photos
Analyst video roundtable: Bajarin, Dediu, Thompson on Apple Watch and new MacBook
What do some of the smartest minds in tech think of Apple’s latest announcements?
As soon as Apple’s Spring Forward event was over, and the demo area calmed down, I had the chance to talk to a few of the industry analysts in attendance. They graciously shared their thoughts on the Apple Watch, round two, and the all-new MacBook.
Ben Bajarin of techpinions.com.
Ben Thompson of stratechery.com
Thanks Ben, Horace, and Ben!
Apple Announces ‘ResearchKit’ Aimed at Medical Research [iOS Blog]
Apple SVP of Operations, Jeff Williams, today announced “ResearchKit”, a new open source software framework in the vein of HomeKit and HealthKit that will turn an iPhone into “powerful diagnostic tools for medical research.” The new software aims to assist doctors and scientist gather data at a faster and more accurate rate via the accessibility of the iPhone.
Williams mentioned multiple conditions that ResearchKit will be aimed at, including: Parkinson’s, Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, Asthma and Breast cancer. Apple also promised it “will not see your data” when reiterating on Privacy of the new ResearchKit app.
“iOS apps already help millions of customers track and improve their health. With hundreds of millions of iPhones in use around the world, we saw an opportunity for Apple to have an even greater impact by empowering people to participate in and contribute to medical research,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations. “ResearchKit gives the scientific community access to a diverse, global population and more ways to collect data than ever before.”
When given permission, ResearchKit will attain user data like weight, blood pressure, glucose levels and asthma inhaler use, most measured thanks to third-party devices and apps. The service will also give researches a more streamlined experience in recruiting and gaining data from study participants, allowing users to answer surveys and input data right from the app.
ResearchKit will be released next month, and those first five apps mentioned by Williams at the conference are going to be available today.
Follow the rest of our March 2015 event coverage for the latest Apple Watch information.
Apple Announces 12-Inch Retina MacBook With Revamped Trackpad, Starting at $1,299
At today’s “Spring Forward” media event, Apple announced its much-anticipated ultra thin 12-inch MacBook, with prices starting at $1,299. The new notebook, which features a 12-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2304 x 1440, offers a full Mac experience in the lightest and thinnest Mac form factor to date
The 12-inch MacBook is separate from the company’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines. It weighs 2 pounds and is 24 percent thinner than the existing MacBook Air at 13.1mm. It’s available in three iPhone and iPad-style colors: gold, silver, and space gray.
With the new MacBook, Apple has introduced a redesigned keyboard, featuring a new butterfly mechanism for the keys to make them both more stable and more precise. The edge-to-edge keyboard offers keys with 17 percent more surface area and a redesigned feel.
“Apple has reinvented the notebook with the new MacBook, and at just two pounds and 13.1 mm, it’s the thinnest and lightest Mac ever,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Every component of the MacBook reveals a new innovation. From its fanless design, ultra-thin Retina display and full-size keyboard that’s 34 percent thinner, to its all-new Force Touch trackpad, versatile USB-C port and breakthrough terraced battery design, the new MacBook is the future of the notebook.”
Apple’s new MacBook also includes a completely revamped trackpad, with built-in Force Touch. Force Touch can detect the amount of pressure placed on the trackpad, introducing a whole range of gestures. For example, a hard press using Force Touch brings up a Map in mail, or a Wikipedia entry in Safari, much like right clicking does now. The trackpad also includes haptic feedback, giving users tactile feedback from the trackpad when using it. The trackpad is customizable, letting users choose how much pressure is required to initiate a force press.
The 12-inch MacBook uses an Intel Core-M processor that starts at 1.1GHz with Intel HD 5300 graphics. It has entirely silent operation because it’s the first MacBook to use a completely fanless design. Internally, the logic board is 67 percent smaller than the logic board in the MacBook Air, and Apple’s designed new custom-shaped batteries for the device to eke out as much battery life as possible.
According to Apple, the new MacBook has an “all-day battery” life at 9 hours of web browsing and 10 hours of iTunes movie playback.
To allow for its ultra thin design, Apple has used a single USB-C port in the MacBook, which combines several functions into a one port: power, USB data transfer, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA capabilities. The MacBook does not use the traditional MagSafe charging method that’s available in other MacBooks.
The entry-level MacBook is priced at $1,299 and includes a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, 8GB of memory, 256GB of flash storage, and Intel HD graphics 5300. There’s also a 1.2GHz version with 8GB of memory and 512GB of flash storage available for $1,599. There will be additional configure-to-order options as well.
The new MacBook will begin shipping on Friday, April 10 through the Apple Online Store and from Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. 
MacBook Air and 13″ Retina MacBook Pro Updated to Improve Speed and Battery Life
Following the announcement of the brand new line of MacBooks, Apple today revealed a slight update to its MacBook Air and 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro lines.
Both the 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air models will be upgraded to 5th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, Thunderbolt 2, and Intel HD Graphics 6000.
Today the popular 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, 11-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Air all received significant upgrades,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The 13-inch MacBook Pro has been updated with the latest processors, more powerful graphics, faster flash, longer battery life and the all-new Force Touch trackpad. We’re also bringing the latest processors and graphics, and faster Thunderbolt 2 to the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air, as well as up to two times faster flash to the 13-inch MacBook Air.”
The 13″ MacBook Pro will receive the brand new Force Touch trackpad introduced on the new MacBook today at the Spring Forward event. Other new additions to the Pro lineup include: 5th-gen Core i5 and i7 processors with Turbo Boost Speeds up to 3.4 GHz, 2x faster flash, “faster integrated” Intel Iris Graphics 6100, and an improved 10-hour battery life. There was no mention of an update to the 15″ MacBook Pro line at today’s event.
The updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines can be purchased starting today on Apple’s online store, Apple’s retail stores, and various Apple authorized retailers.
Follow the rest of our March 2015 event coverage for the latest Apple Watch information.
Apple Watch Sport Pricing: $349 (38mm) to $399 (42mm) [iOS Blog]
Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday at the “Spring Forward” media event in San Francisco announced that the Apple Watch Sport will start at $349 for the 38mm, while the larger 42mm model will cost $399.
It was also recently discovered that the Apple Watch Sport will be the only edition to include two bands in the box, as noted on Apple’s online store page for the active lifestyle-focused edition. The bands will be for two different sized wrists: one small-medium band, and one medium-large band.
The specific pricing for each Apple Watch Sport model:
Follow the rest of our March 2015 event coverage for the latest information.
Stainless Steel Apple Watch Pricing: $549 to $1049 (38mm), $599 to $1099 (42mm) [iOS Blog]
Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday at the “Spring Forward” media event in San Francisco announced that the stainless steel Apple Watch will cost between $549 to $1049 for the 38mm model, while the larger 42mm model will cost between $599 to $1099, depending on the band chosen.
A variety of bands are available for the stainless steel Apple Watch, including a Sport Band, Classic Buckle, Milanese Loop, Leather Loop, Modern Buckle and Link Bracelet. Available color options include white, black, midnight blue, bright blue, soft pink, stone leather, brown and space black. The specific stainless steel Apple Watch pricing for each model:
Follow the rest of our March 2015 event coverage for the latest information.
Gold Apple Watch Edition Costs Between $10,000 to $17,000, Available in Limited Quantities [iOS Blog]
Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday at the “Spring Forward” media event in San Francisco announced that the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition will cost upwards of $10,000, and will be available in limited quantities. At the low end of Apple Watch Edition pricing, the 38mm 18-Karat Rose Gold Case with White Sport Band costs $10,000, and at the high end is the 38mm 18-Karat Yellow Gold Case with Bright Red Modern Buckle for $17,000.
The specific Apple Watch Edition pricing for each model:
Follow the rest of our March 2015 event coverage for the latest information.
Apple Watch Launches April 24, Price Ranges From $349 to Over $10,000
Apple announced on Monday that the Apple Watch will be available in nine countries beginning April 24, with pre-orders starting on April 10. The first wave launch countries include the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. Apple Watch will be available for purchase by reservation at Apple Stores, online and at select authorized resellers in China and Japan.
“Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before.”
Apple Watch Sport will cost $349 for the 38mm model and $399 for the 42mm model, the stainless steel Apple Watch will range between $549 to $1099, and the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition will cost between $10,000 to $17,000. Customers will be able to preview and try on the Apple Watch by booking an appointment at the Apple Store, or by visiting Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Isetan in Tokyo or Selfridges in London after April 10.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced during the “Spring Forward” media event that the Apple Watch will have 18 hours of battery life on a single charge. Bands will retail for between $49 and $449, with additional magnetic chargers costing $29 for a 1-meter cable and $39 for a 2-meter cable. A new bands and accessories page on the Apple Online Store lists all of the available add-ons for Apple Watch.
AIVAnet 