Google releases two Project Fi videos to help you check your data usage, manage calls and texts
We’re sure you’ve heard the news by now – Google has launched it’s very own wireless service, Project Fi. Constantly alternating between Sprint and T-Mobile’s networks and Wi-Fi hotspots around the nation, Project Fi aims to give you a viable option if you’re not too keen on signing up with one of the Big Four. While the new wireless service offers a few great features, it can be a little difficult to understand exactly how data plans, talking and texting works on the provider. So to help customers make sense of it all, Google has released two new video guides that should provide some useful information.
The first of which is a guide to checking your data usage. The interesting thing about Project Fi is that you won’t get charged for data you don’t use, unlike most other carriers in the U.S. You pay for a certain amount of mobile data at the beginning of the month, and get reimbursed for the data you didn’t use at the end of the month. So to help folks choose the right data budget on the new service provider, they released this video:
Project Fi: Guide to Checking Data Usage
Another neat feature Project Fi brings to the table is the ability to call and text your friends and family through Hangouts without the need to have your Nexus 6 in-hand. To do so, simply install Hangouts on your Nexus 6, sign in with your Google account attached to the Project Fi network, and make sure you’re signed in to Hangouts on any other device from which you’d like to make calls and send texts. This can get a little confusing for users, which is why Google put out this video:
Project Fi: Guide to Talk & Text Across Devices
More information will likely surface over the next few weeks regarding Project Fi, so we’ll be sure to let you know when we learn more. But for now be sure to head over to our announcement post to get the basics on Google’s new wireless service.
First Apple Watch Deliveries Begin in Australia
It’s now April 24 in Australia, and Australian customers who pre-ordered Apple Watches are beginning to receive their watch deliveries, according to numerous posts on Instagram, Twitter, and various Internet forums, including the MacRumors forums. Unboxing videos and early first impressions should begin trickling out soon.
Image via melfirbank
Customers in other first wave launch countries will begin receiving their shipments as soon as local delivery companies open for the day. After Australia, orders in Hong Kong, China, and Japan will go out, followed by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Apple Watch orders in the United States will start arriving at approximately 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Apple Watch orders began shipping out earlier this week. Initial shipments seemed to be limited to customers who pre-ordered early, but later in the week, customers who originally had 4 to 6 week shipping estimates were surprised with early shipping times. Apple has said that many customers can expect to see their Apple Watches arrive earlier than expected, but an April 24 delivery date remains in question for some orders, as there are customers who pre-ordered early and have not yet received shipping information.
Apple will not be carrying the Apple Watch in its retail stores tomorrow as orders have been limited to online only, but several high-end fashion boutiques around the world have a limited amount of stock for purchase. These stores are located in Tokyo, London, Paris, Berlin, and Milan.
Developers Who Won Apple Watch Purchase Lottery Receiving Emails With Order Instructions [iOS Blog]
Earlier this week, Apple began sending out emails to iOS developers, offering them a chance to purchase a 42mm Apple Watch Sport with a Blue Sport Band guaranteed to ship by April 28, 2015. Apple had a limited number of devices to provide to developers, and used a lottery system to determine who would get the chance to purchase one of the available watches.
Developers who registered for a chance to buy one of the watches with a guaranteed delivery date and won the lottery have just begun receiving emails with purchase instructions. Apple is asking winners to complete a purchase by 5:00 p.m. local time on April 27 to take advantage of the shipping date.
It’s not known why Apple only offered 42mm Apple Watch Sport models with Blue Sport bands, but it can be assumed that the combination may have been one that the company had an ample supply of. Apple is providing developers with watches in an effort to give them devices to test Apple Watch apps on.
A guaranteed April 28 ship date means developers who purchase one of the available devices will receive an Apple Watch just a few days after customers who pre-ordered receive theirs.
Hulu’s Turner deal gives it Adventure Time, Venture Bros. and more
Hulu is about to be your go-to destination to catch up on the adventures of the Venture Bros. and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The streaming service announced a deal with Turner Broadcasting that adds Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TBS and TNT titles to its library on May 1. The animation-heavy agreement brings Adventure Time, Dexter’s Laboratory, Robot Chicken, Black Jesus, NTSF:SD:SUV and other shows from Cartoon Network. TNT dramas The Last Ship and Murder in the First will eventually be followed by additional shows from TNT and TBS. Kid-friendly Cartoon Network shows will be available ad-free in the Hulu Kids section. The service recently secured ratings juggernaut CSI and animated series South Park to help it compete against Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
Source: Hulu
Twitter Highlights serves up the day’s best tweets
Unless you’re constantly checking Twitter, there’s a very good chance you’re going to miss something cool. To help keep you from missing those very important tweets, Twitter introduced Highlights for Android. The feature notifies you up to twice a day about tweets Twitter believes are relevant to your interests. Twitter curates Highlights by looking at the popular accounts and conversations among the people you follow, tweets from people close to you and what’s trending nearby. Users can also see the day’s important tweets by tapping the new icon above the timeline that resembles two stacked cards. To turn on Highlights, navigate to Settings>Account Handle>Mobile Notifications and check the Highlights box. The feature is Android only for now, but Twitter says it will consider bringing it to other platforms in the future.
Introducing Highlights. Get the best of Twitter every day, sent to your Android device: https://t.co/9ZUWgX9lcC pic.twitter.com/sYuu7YUO4D
– Twitter (@twitter) April 23, 2015
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Twitter
Xbox revenue dips 24 percent thanks to Xbox One price cut
In the three months leading up to March 31, 2015, Microsoft reported a 24 percent drop in revenue from its Xbox division compared with last year, attributing much of the decline to sales of an “increased mix of lower price Xbox One” consoles. Microsoft cut the price of the Xbox One from $500 to $400 (and it ditched the Kinect) in June 2014, and it’s knocked off another $50 since. The corporate Xbox arm includes both the Xbox One and Xbox 360, and Microsoft did not separate sales of each console in its Q3 2015 financial report. Hardware revenue overall was down just 4 percent, boosted by Surface tablet sales, which were up 44 percent over last year to $713 million.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Latest SwiftKey beta update brings new ‘SwiftKey Hub’ menu and small UI enhancements
The newest update to the SwiftKey beta channel will bring a ton of new improvements to the already advanced keyboard app. We already know that SwiftKey is gaining Dashlane integration to help autofill your passwords, and now the SwiftKey team has outlined a few more features that will be present in the new update.
Most notably, the keyboard is gaining a new settings and content menu called the ‘SwiftKey Hub’. Located in an easy-to-access place, the Hub is split into three different screens: Personalize, Store and Settings. The Personalize menu includes your cloud settings, SwiftKey Support and social sharing options. The Store obviously houses a number of different themes for you to choose from, and the Settings tab gives you access to… your keyboard settings.
In addition to the SwiftKey Hub, the update also brings a new layout to the Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Marathi languages, enabling you to type more quickly when using these keyboard layouts.
If you’re interested in checking out the latest SwiftKey beta, there are a few hoops to jump through first. Head here to join the SwiftKey beta Google Group and select “join this group”. Then head to this link to become a tester. After that, download SwiftKey beta from Google Play, and you should be all set.
If you decide to download the app, let us know how you’re liking the new improvements!
500GB NVIDIA Shield is real, but not for consumers
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A flurry of posts went out a few hours ago that showed the newest NVIDIA Shield that is set to launch in May having a 500GB variant for $299.99. Seeing the headlines got me to clicking about since the release device is slated for $199 with 16GB of storage for $199.99.
I would have no issue spending $100 for such a massive jump in storage. Obviously the listing brought about a ton of questions like is the additional bump a Solid State, Hybrid or standard hard drive. Flash storage in that size would be pretty expensive. Unfortunately the price listing is apparently a mistaken listing that should have never been made view-able to the general public and has since been corrected. Releasing the following statement to the press about it:
“A SHIELD partner development kit was erroneously listed on our website today as a product. For clarification, NVIDIA has not launched a 500 GB SKU for SHIELD. The website has been updated with our announced SHIELD product, available soon at $199.99″. – Nvidia
Being a bit of a conspiracy nut, I refuse to believe it was an accident. Rather a marketing tool to get the device, prior to launch, back in the eyes of the public and consumers. It is possible that they could bring something out shortly with a bit more storage, but I doubt a consumer variant would see 500GB for $300. With the size of Android games heading into the 3-5GB file range it would make a lot of sense for a “gaming” box to give users plenty of room to hold more than one or two. NVIDIA
Source: Droidgamers
The post 500GB NVIDIA Shield is real, but not for consumers appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Microsoft’s Surface sales are on the upswing once again
After a very slow start, Microsoft’s Surface finally seems to be hitting its stride. The company made $713 million from Surface sales last quarter, a 44 percent jump over last year, according to its latest earnings report. And yes, it’s attributing much of that to the Surface Pro 3, which also saw strong sales during the previous quarter. While any bump is good, it’s easy for Microsoft to report revenue growth when it’s starting from a low point. Apple sold around $9 billion worth of iPads during the last quarter, for comparison. It’s also worth noting that the company’s third quarter doesn’t include sales of the new Surface 3, which doesn’t ship until next month. It’ll be interesting to see if that model ends up helping its Pro sibling come next quarter. Before the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft’s Surface sales weren’t exactly pretty — at one point it had to write off nearly $900 million in unsold units.
During the company’s earnings call today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella noted that 64 percent of Surface Pro 3 users also use One Note. That’s not surprising, since that device’s stylus integrates directly into OneNote. Nadella pointed out that the Surface Pro 3’s OneNote penetration is also nine times that of any other touch notebook.
Microsoft’s Devices and Consumer group, which the Surface is a part of, saw an overall revenue bump of 8 percent compared to last year. It was also helped by strong Office 365 growth (up 35 percent, reaching 12.4 million subscriptions), Bing advertising gains (21 percent), and a 30 percent bump in Xbox Live usage. Oh yah, and it sold 8.6 million Lumia phones, down from 10.5 million from the holiday quarter. It was a different story for Xbox revenues, which fell 24 percent from last year, mostly due to price drops for the Xbox One.
Filed under: Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Amazon Web Services is a $5 billion business
Even though Amazon Web Services has taken off in recent years to become the cloud computing solution of choice for businesses, not much was known about how much money it was bringing in. Now, however, we do. In its first quarterly earnings report today, Amazon has reported the financials for its AWS division for the first time, stating that it is a “$5 billion business and growing fast.” In Q1 alone, AWS brought in $1.57 billion in revenue, which is up from $1.1 billion this time last year (in previous Amazon reports, this info was simply filed under a mysterious “Other” column). On the whole, AWS seems to be one of a few operations within Amazon that is profitable, with about $265 million in profits in Q1. Despite that, however, the online retail giant still reported a net loss of $57 million overall for the quarter.
Filed under: Amazon
Source: Amazon
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