IBM Expands MobileFirst for iOS Lineup With Eight New Apps [iOS Blog]
IBM on Tuesday announced the continued expansion of its MobileFirst for iOS enterprise portfolio with eight new workplace apps ranging in specialty from healthcare, insurance coverage, and retail sales (via AppleInsider).
The majority of this week’s expansion lies in the healthcare field, with four of the eight new apps focusing on apps aimed at assisting healthcare professionals with more easily manageable patient and hospital data. They range from basic patient data file management to curating a list of current and completed tasks required of nurses working any given area of a hospital, and even an app that allows doctors and nurses to continue evaluating and administering diagnoses while a patient is at home.
The Hospital Lead app offers head nurses a dashboard of employee delegating tools.
The remaining four apps cover new areas for the IBM and Apple partnership, like the industrial products field, and old ones, seeing its retail and insurance lineup bolstered with new solutions.
Travel and transportation gets a new app, as well, called Ancillary Sale, which allows flight attendants to sell seat upgrades, food, beverages, and merchandise to passengers with the ease of Apple Pay. The app also remembers individual passenger preference, so flight attendants can recommend items on current flights based off of the purchases a user made on previous flights.
Apple and IBM first announced the workplace-focused partnership back in July, with the first round of ten apps hitting last December. Since then, the companies expanded slightly in early March with three new enterprise apps for the travel and transportation, retail, and financial fields. Every app in the collection is built exclusively for iPhone and iPad, with highly secure software that can be deployed, managed, and customized to fit every business hassle-free.
Visit the official websites of both Apple and IBM for more detailed looks at all of the old, and new, MobileFirst for iOS apps released over the past few months.
Verizon Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and One M9 pre-orders start today
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9 have been available for pre-order for days now from AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, with the latter handset even starting to ship out to customers already. Late to this pre-order party is none other than Verizon, though today they are finally jumping in as well. You can begin pre-ordering the HTC One M9, Samsung Galaxy S6, or Galaxy S6 Edge immediately with all three phones expected to land in the hands of consumers starting April 10th.
The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will be offered in black, white, or gold — though the later of these colors won’t actually arrive until a bit later, with the 32GB model hitting April 21st and the 64/128GB versions on May 1st. Contract pricing for the Galaxy S6 will be $199.99, $299.99, or $399.99 for the 32, 64 and 128GB models, respectively. Off contract pricing is set at $599.99, $699.99, and $799.99. As for the Galaxy S6 Edge? It’ll cost $299.99, $399.99, or $499.99 on-contract for the 32, 64, and 128GB models with off-contract pricing at $699.99, $799.99, and $899.99.
Turning to the HTC One M9, the handset will be offered in gray or the silver/rose gold color option. Pricing will be set at $199 on-contract for the 32GB model, or $599 outright.
Anyone planning to order the M9 or the Galaxy S6 (and/or Edge) from Verizon? To pre-order, head to one of the following links below:
Tidal’s ‘High Fidelity’ test rewards audiophiles with half as much free trial
Tidal windmilled its way into music streaming relevance this week when it relaunched under the stewardship of its new owner, Jay Z. Apart from strong celebrity endorsement, Tidal’s main selling point is a $20 premium tier offering lossless (non compressed) audio/music. To convince you over to that pricier package, Tidal has a test: listen to five songs, switch between the regular and high quality versions, and pick which one you think warrants the extra $10 a month. The prize? Two weeks free trial to Tidal. The problem is… you can get a 30 day trial just by signing up?
The test isn’t new — it’s been on the Tidal site since last year. We’re suspecting it hasn’t been updated since (hence the “prize” of half as much free trial). The challenge pits a 1,411 kbps lossless / FLAC version of a song against a 320 kbps AAC copy, you simply choose which one sounds best. When the Engadget team took the test, our results varied from 2- to 5/5. I got 3/5 — slightly better than guessing– or given the odd number of choices, I was lucky on one of them. I re-ran the test and got 5/5 by simply swapping the two choices I got wrong (this only works some of the time).
Perhaps it’s the timing (look at the date), but ironically, this test could steer people to the lower cost service if they struggle to tell the difference. After all, why pay more? If you find out you do have golden ears (or just good luck), will it be enough to to make you pony up? This group of people ripe for conversion seems potentially small. Especially as most people that want a non-compressed service will already have made that decision — they don’t need a test to convince them.
Take the test for yourself, and see how you do. Right now, it feels like the punchline to a terrible joke: first prize? Two week’s supply of our product. Second prize? FOUR week’s supply…
Filed under: Internet
Opera Browser Beta update brings 64-bit support, Chromium 42 codebase and other improvements
When it comes to Android, you have a ton of options to choose from when deciding which browser to use on your smartphone or tablet. Opera is a name that been around for quite a while, and it has pushed an update for its Opera Browser Beta app with some must-have features that will help it keep pace with the competition.
We have the change log below as well as the download link and QR code. While there are no major improvements, the small changes and fixes as a whole should be noticeable if you are a long-time Opera user.
Change log:
- Tab synchronization: new view for synced tabs, new layout in Tab manager
- Improved Text wrap
- 64-bit support
- New progress bar
- Opera Turbo replaces Off-road mode
- Upgrade to Chromium 42
- Various stability and usability improvements.
Come comment on this article: Opera Browser Beta update brings 64-bit support, Chromium 42 codebase and other improvements
Xiaomi launches Pink Mi Note and budget ranged Redmi 2A for its 5th anniversary
The Xiaomi Mi Note has just received a new pink variant as the company celebrates its fifth anniversary on the 6th of April. This will feature a slightly toned down hardware, thus making it slightly cheaper as well. The only change here is the cutting down of RAM from 3GB to 2GB, which translates to roughly $16 in savings, bringing the overall device cost to $274.
This comes after the company unveiled the Mi Smart Scale yesterday for as little as $15, which could pair with Mi Fit app on Android and iOS.
The company has also announced a new variant of the Redmi 2 known simply as the Redmi 2A which comes with a Leadcore LC1860 quad core chipset with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz. This is used in place of the Snapdragon 410 SoC that was shown off with the Redmi 2 back in January this year. This handset is available for the local equivalent of $97 (599 CNY), which makes it one of the most attractive budget offerings in the market today.
There are no changes in terms of hardware apart from the SoC, so you can expect to find the 4.7 inch 720p display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, Android 4.4 KitKat, an 8-megapixel camera and a 2,200 mAh battery.
Via: Phone Arena
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Korean carrier offering free Galaxy S6 to faithful Samsung users
South Korean carrier SK Telecom is now offering the Galaxy S6 for free to users who still own the original Galaxy S from 2010. It will also offer a free Galaxy S6 to customers who have bought every model of the Samsung flagship since the Galaxy S.
On top of that, the carrier will also let these customers make free phone calls for a full year, further rewarding customers for their continued loyalty with Samsung. It is said that over 17,000 Galaxy S smartphones are still in use in South Korea.
It is said that the country has 1,600 users who bought all 13 models of the Galaxy S series since its launch. There are reportedly 2,400 users who have bought more than 10 models of the Galaxy flagship.
It will be interesting to see if Samsung will reward customer loyalty of people outside South Korea with a similar promo. But at this point, it seems to be a Korea only offer.
Come comment on this article: Korean carrier offering free Galaxy S6 to faithful Samsung users
Here’s Microsoft’s MS-DOS Mobile welcome pack
Well played, Microsoft. Well played.
Time to party like it’s 1981.
Roundup: the best tech-related April Fools’ hoaxes
It’s that time of the year, folks. Outlandish news, imaginary products unveilings, and outrageous announcements – tech companies are trying to one-up each other with the wildest April Fools’ day hoaxes. Some have even jumped the gun by a day, or in the case of OnePlus, by a few weeks.
If you don’t have the time or patience to sift through all the fake news today, we’re doing the hard work for you. Here’s what transpired so far.
Chrome Selfie
The Google Chrome team thinks it’s too damn hard to share what you really feel when you read the news online. So it’s fixing things with a new feature available now in the Chrome for Android app. Chrome Selfie lets you take a selfie, along with a screenshot of whatever your reading, and send it to whomever you want. Handy! All kidding aside, we can totally see some cash-flush venture-funded startup trying to make this into a real product.
Google Panda
Google Japan thinks the best way to spur the adoption of Google Now is to put Google’s virtual assistant in a cute and fluffy panda body. They even got bigwig Chris Yerga to introduce in on stage at a press conference where Android Authority has, somehow, not been invited.
Google Panda has three main functions: cuteness (“soft, rounded design”), mobility (it hugs you!), and durability (fluffy fur absorbs shock! if only smartphones had fur as well…). More about the groundbreaking new Google Panda here.
Google party horn keyboard
Typing is too hard! How about if, instead of pushing inconvenient keys, you could spell out words by blowing into a party horn? Not satisfied with Panda alone, the Google Japan team is introducing a Bluetooth-enabled party horn that will make tedious key pushing a memory.
Google Smartbox by Inbox
“Introducing a new way to interact with the mail you love. The good old-fashioned kind of mail that you touch with your hands… and smell with your nose.” Thank you Inbox team!
Moto Selfie Stick
Hipsters of the world, rejoice. You will definitely appreciate Motorola’s new product: handmade, leather-bound, custom selfie sticks. Because when you have to embarrass yourself with a selfie stick, you should at least do it in style.
T-Mobile Pets Unleashed
Your carrier hates puppies! So put it in the doghouse and switch to T-Mobile, where Pets Unleashed lets your favorite furry friends get their paws on their dream devices, starting at five bucks a month. What would your pet do with a smartphone or tablet, you ask? Easy – swipe through Pet Tinder, use FitPet, and watch zebra porn. Yes, really.
MS-DOS Mobile
Microsoft has had a hard time with its mobile operating system, so it’s going back to basic with MS-DOS Mobile. Black and white text has never looked so good! Launch apps or send messages, with a simple text command!
Reddit invasion
Visit r/Android today, that bastion of all things blessed by Duarte (okay, that’s r/AndroidCircleJerk actually) and you’ll be in for a nasty surprise. At least r/Apple users are probably just as confused.
Imagination PowerVR Vogue GPU – it can run Crysis!
“Yeah, but can it run Crysis?” That perennial favorite question of trolls everywhere now finally has a resounding “Yes!” answer, thanks to Imagination. The chip designer just unveiled a mobile GPU that can run Crysis, and only that. Look at those graphics! Plus, more cool features like Vogue magazine caching, the Romulan API (will “further decrease the efficiency of graphics and compute on modern GPUs, providing no control over GPU acceleration for minimized performance and absolutely no predictability”), and a 1000-bit CPU.
com.Google
com.Google is like Google.com, but backwards. That is all.
Samsung Exynos ExoBoost
You can’t ever have too many cores in your phone, am I right? If you feel inadequate in this department, Samsung Exynos is here to help you, with the new ExoBoost, a line of add-ons that give your phone some extra processing oomph. Again, this is something quite a few people would buy.
Updating with more silliness as it comes! Missed anything? Tell us in the comments.
Selfie sticks are banned at Coachella and Lollapalooza
If you’re heading to either music festival this year, you can leave that selfie stick behind. Both April’s Coachella and Lollapalooza in July have added the rods to their prohibited item lists. At Lollapalooza, the rules stipulate no “GoPro attachments like sticks, selfie sticks & monopods.” Coachella said that “Selfie sticks / narsisstics” won’t allowed in, showing a healthy lack of self-awareness… and spelling skill.
As NME notes, the telescopic sticks have already been banned at multiple music venues, which can now add to the no-selfie stick list of major museums and Premier League football stadiums. The ban should help the non-stick carrying public enjoy public events and spaces a little more. The blowback has started, but it’s probably not going to stop the selfie… or the sale of associated peripherals.
Source: NME, Coachella, Lollapalooza
OnePlus launches the DR-1, the world’s smallest remote controlled drone
So OnePlus has finally unveiled the DR-1 (or GameChanger if you will) and as Rob predicted here, it is indeed an April Fool’s Day joke. If you are desperate to own something with OnePlus branding there is a limited quantity available for purchase.
The OnePlus DR-1 is a tiny quadcopter that has a wingspan of just 70mm (2.75 inches) and it comes with a gamepad type controller. Automatic 4-axis flips can be performed simply by flicking one of the thumbsticks. The DR-1 has a flight time of between 5-8 minutes and can be fully recharged in 20 minutes.
Specifications:
- Weight: 12.5 grams +-2.5grams
- Size: 70 x 28mm (30mm blade diameter 4 rotors)
- 3.7V100mAh Li-Po battery
- Charge Time: 20 minutes
- Flight Time: 5-8 minutes
- In the box: DR-1 Drone, USB cable, 4 x spare rotors, user manual, controller.
The one surprise for me, considering that OnePlus is a smartphone manufacturer, is that you can’t control the DR-1 with your handset. Maybe I’m just expecting too much of a company that struggles to keep its self-imposed deadlines. The latest of which is the recently delayed release if its OxygenOS firmware for the OnePlus one that was due on March 27th. Anyhow, I digress.
The OnePlus DR-1 drone can be purchased for $20 (£15) from here with a shipping time of between 3-15 days. Am I the only one that thinks that this was a lot of (unnecessary) effort for an April Fool’s Day joke?
Click here to see our round-up of the rest of the April Fool’s Day gags.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: OnePlus
Come comment on this article: OnePlus launches the DR-1, the world’s smallest remote controlled drone
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