Apple Seeds First iOS 8.4 Beta to Developers
Apple today seeded the first beta of iOS 8.4 to registered developers for testing purposes, just five days after releasing iOS 8.3 to the public. The beta is available for download from the iOS Developer Center.
iOS 8.3 introduced several new features like diversified emoji, an updated emoji picker, new Siri abilities, and Wireless CarPlay support. It is not clear yet what updates iOS 8.4 will bring, but it has been rumored to be the update that will include Apple’s new music service.
Huawei Releases Trailer for Honor 4X Mid-Range Phone
Huawei has released an intense, bombastic trailer for its freshly announced Honor 4x mid-range smartphone that harkens back to The Last Starfighter and Battlefield Earth. Or those promos that run before the start of a film at an AMC theater with those weird, red spherical robots. You may think you’ve seen every possible way of promoting a phone, but you were wrong. Huawei is right.
The unfortunately named Honor 4X has just gone up for presale in Europe, where it’ll sell unlocked for a cool €200 (about $211 at today’s dollar-friendly exchange rates), and like most Huawei phones, there’s a lot of bang for the buck to be had.
Starting on the outside, users are treated to a 5.5-inch 720p (267ppi) screen, and a 13MP front shooter and 5MP rear-facing camera. That lower pixel density should result in less drain on the beefy 3,000mAh battery.
Inside, there’s a 64-bit octa-core in-house Kirin chipset, 8GB of (thankfully) expandable storage, dual-SIM slots, and LTE.
The mid-range market has exploded in recent years thanks to the likes of upstarts Huawei and Xiaomi, as well as some noble offerings from recently immigrated Motorola and others.
Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think. Will you be visiting eBay and other importers to get your hands on one of these stateside?
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source:Phone Arena
Come comment on this article: Huawei Releases Trailer for Honor 4X Mid-Range Phone
IBM’s cognitive computer will help solve your health problems
Just because you can collect a lot of information about your health doesn’t mean that you can easily make sense of it. How do you connect the dots between, say, your smartwatch and your medical records? IBM thinks it has the answer: it’s launching Watson Health Cloud, a platform that uses the company’s cognitive computer system to help companies and doctors make decisions based on data that might otherwise prove daunting. They could recommend a change in your prescription, for example, or outline your surgery recovery plans.
Appropriately, IBM is teaming up with a handful of companies to both scoop up more data and provide those all-important answers. If you’re using iOS gear and the Apple Watch, the info you collect in HealthKit and ResearchKit can help Watson with decisions; Johnson & Johnson is helping with a coaching system for surgery, and Medtronic is working on extra-personalized diabetes treatment. Don’t be surprised if your physicians ask a machine for advice the next time you’re faced with a complicated health problem.
Source: IBM
Apple Responds to Concerns About Apple Watch Launch: Deliveries Could Arrive Sooner Than Estimated
Over the weekend, MacRumors reader Andrew Turko sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook sharing his thoughts on the launch of the Apple Watch and its limitation to online orders only, and he received a response from Apple’s executive team that sheds some light on Apple’s concern over its launch plans and the potential for Apple Watch devices to ship out ahead of their prospective shipping dates.
Many people have been concerned with the long wait times for the Apple Watch, which saw shipping estimates slip for many models less than an hour after it became available for pre-order. All models sold out in less than six hours, and orders placed today won’t ship for months. There are a lot of buyers who are facing delivery times than span into June, July, and August, but Apple believes that some of these orders could ship out earlier than their estimated shipping dates.
The Apple executive team member that spoke to Andrew referenced long wait times for earlier devices like the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, noting that shipping estimates were often much longer than actual wait times and suggesting that the same thing might happen with the Apple Watch.
[Apple] said that June preorders will most likely ship sooner than June. Of course he didn’t make any promises, but that’s the reason Apple is announcing such an extended ship date after all – to avoid disappointment through false guarantees.
Andrew’s email focused on Apple’s decision to advertise April 24th as the Apple Watch launch day despite the fact that it won’t be purchasable in store on that date, a point that stood out to both Apple’s executive team and Tim Cook, who personally read the email.
“I think it’d be silly not to believe that there will be queues lined up around the globe on launch day if the “online exclusive” information regarding the (false) advertisement of a launch day isn’t spread soon and fast.”
The email echoed some of the problems Apple executives are debating, and Andrew was told the discussion over in-store stock on launch day and the advertisement of the 4/24 launch date for the Apple Watch are being considered by Apple with “great concern.” Apple said it doesn’t want people lining up at stores if there’s no stock available to purchase.
Due to supply constraints and the desire to provide the best purchasing experience for customers, Apple has so far decided that all Apple Watch orders must be placed online. There will be no walk-in Apple Watch purchases available on April 24, unless the company’s plans change. Andrew was told Apple’s plans are not final, but it is unclear if Apple would be able to sell Apple Watch units in-store on launch day given the significant supply issues.
The executive Andrew spoke with said Apple “cares deeply” about the launch experience and hopes to improve the way people wait in line through the new Apple Watch reservation system. Online-only reservations are new territory for Apple in the United States, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the company could revert back to traditional sales methods if its Apple Watch sales experiment does not work out.
Andrew’s full email can be read on the MacRumors forums, as can more detail on the response that he received from Apple.
Karalux offering 24k gold plated versions of Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
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Are conventional phones too normal for you? Did your mouth drop when the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were announced, but you couldn’t get one due to the fact they were not covered in gold. I mean, what would your friends in Dubai say if you should up with a normal Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone? Well, thankfully for you, Karlux, a Vietnamese gold-plating company, has announced that they will cover your Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge in 24K gold for only $400. That is relatively cheap for being able to have the bragging rights of saying that your phone is coated in gold. If you don’t already own the device, then you can purchase the device, gold-plate included, for $1300 if you want the Samsung Galaxy S6 or $1500 for the S6 Edge. Make sure to tell us in the comment section if you plan on snagging yourself one of these golden beauties.
Source: Android Authority
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TrulyMadly, the popular dating app in India, arrives on Windows Phone
TrulyMadly is a popular dating app in India. Quite similar to Tinder, the biggest USP of TrulyMadly is profile verification via Trust Score and matchmaking. The app focuses on introducing two right single people and ensures that it does not spam any users profile and only suggests verified and relevant matches for a user, based on his/her preferences.
The app has recently landed on the Windows Phone Store. The first release had some issues, and a quick update has taken care of those while bumping up to version 1.1.
Two new games added to Humble Mobile Bundle 11
Humble Mobile Bundle is a must have for people looking to get games on the cheap. Its “pay what you want” system lets you pay whatever amount you want and even distribute the spendings between charities, developers and the makers of Humble Mobile Bundle as you please.
Today, the Humble Mobile Bundle 11 gets two new games, namely – oh my giraffe and Skullpogo. These games can be acquired by new users if they pay more than the average of $4.32 (at the time of this writing). Other games like 80 Days, Kingdom Rush Origins and Riddick: The Merc Files are also included in this bundle.
With Humble Mobile Bundle, customers are promised to get more titles in the future, so you won’t be limited to just these games. Hit the link below for more details.
Source: Humble Bundle
Come comment on this article: Two new games added to Humble Mobile Bundle 11
Samsung’s new ad showcases the wireless charging potential of the Galaxy S6
Samsung has just posted a 30 second spot for the Galaxy S6 featuring renowned UK based artist Rita Ora. This ad focuses on the wireless charging potential of the smartphone wherein the artist sets her phone down on the Samsung wireless charging pad.
This is a rather short video unlike what we’ve seen from Samsung in the past, but good enough to showcase the wireless charger’s potential. Samsung posts a disclaimer at the bottom of the video that the average charge time from 0 to 100% on a wireless charger is 180 minutes or 3 hours. So it’s not as convenient as using the fast charging technology which can be accessed from the AC adapter supplied by Samsung.
The company has offered wireless charging pads for free to customers who pre-ordered the device in the U.S., so quite a bunch of users already have their hands on the accessory. Do you like the convenience that the wireless charger brings?
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: YouTube
Via: Phone Arena
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s new ad showcases the wireless charging potential of the Galaxy S6
Musicians and Congress join forces in fight for royalty reform
Fair artist compensation from internet radio and streaming services is quite the hot topic of late, and now members of Congress are joining the debate. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, alongside the musicFIRST Coalition, introduced the Fair Play Fair Pay Act today that would end regulations that don’t require terrestrial radio stations to pay royalties to artists and labels. As it stands, those AM/FM stations available in your car only pay licensing fees to songwriters and publishers. Organizations like ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) handle those agreements, collecting fees every time a copyrighted song is played on the radio or during a public performance. For its part in managing those agreements, ASCAP brought in over $1 billion last year.
“Artists, musicians, producers and radio services alike deserve better,” Nadler explained. “The Fair Play Fair Pay Act fixes this broken and unjust system by making sure all radio services play by the same rules, and all artists are fairly compensated.”
If you think that this will doom smaller local stations (like I did at first), the proposed measure requires stations that earn less than $1 million a year in revenue to pay $500 annually. For nonprofit public, college and other non-commercial broadcasters, the fee would be $100 per year — religious and talk stations being exempt from any payments. Obviously, larger radio companies like iHeartMedia (858 stations in the US) would have to pay more. The bill also aims to nix the “below market rate” that satellite radio broadcasters currently pay, requiring it and traditional radio to shell out the same rates as internet radio services like Pandora and others.
“It’s a question of basic economic fairness, but it is also a matter of fair competition between music services.”
“It’s a question of basic economic fairness, but it is also a matter of fair competition between music services,” said musicFIRST Executive Director Ted Kalo. “Let the best services win — fair and square, on the depth of their playlists and the quality of their products.” Kalo’s organization aims to make sure artists and creators are paid fairly for their work, no matter where it’s played.
Gloria Gaynor performs at the Grammy Awards after-party in February.
In addition to the leveling rates across platforms, the bill would also require digital services to pay royalties on music recorded before February 15th, 1972. If you’ve been streaming albums like Miles Davis’ 1970 jazz masterpiece Bitches Brew via your go-to streaming service, not a penny of royalties has been paid to the artists or labels. The topic has already been debated in court as members of the ’60s group The Turtles sued SiriusXM over payments, even though the band’s catalog isn’t copyright protected. As you might expect, older musicians, singers and songwriters are quite vocal about supporting the bill — with names like Gloria Gaynor and Cyndi Lauper lending a hand.
[Image credits: Paul Morigi/WireImage for NARAS (Jerrold Nadler); Michael Tullberg/Getty Images (Gloria Gaynor)]
Filed under: Misc
Source: musicFIRST, Congressman Jerrold Nadler
Apple Sued Over Copycat Artist Work in ‘Start Something New’ Campaign
Pop artist Romero Britto today filed a lawsuit against Apple over its “Start Something New” campaign, for using Craig & Karl artwork that allegedly mimics the design style that Britto is famous for. The lawsuit, levied at both Craig & Karl and Apple, accuses the two artists of violating the Britto trade dress and targets Apple because Britto became aware of the copycat art through Apple’s recent promotion.
Apple uses a Craig & Karl image featuring a patchwork hand on a bright yellow background on one of the iPads in the graphics used to promote the “Start Something New” campaign, and there’s a profile of Craig & Karl on the company’s website describing how the image was made on an iPad Air 2 using iOS apps.
Apple also featured the Craig & Karl image heavily in retail stores, leading people to contact Britto with the false impression that he had created the artwork, where he discovered that the two had been making art similar to his own for years.
As with any Apple campaign, the Start Something New Campaign had massive exposure and breathless press coverage, and many of the media profiles prominently featured the Infringing Apple Image. Plaintiff was inundated with reports of the Start Something New campaign and the Infringing Apple Image. These reports ranged from, for example, incorrect congratulations on Mr. Britto’s new deal with Apple, to consternation from business partners in potentially collaborative or competing product categories, to inquiries from collectors wanting to know if the image they saw in the Apple store or on the Apple website was by Romero Britto.
Britto’s work is fairly well-known and on display in dozens of locations around the world. He’s also worked with multiple different brands on major advertising campaigns, with all of his work featuring bright colors, strong lines, and simple designs.
According to the lawsuit, Britto’s specific Trade Dress is “strong, fanciful, non-functional, and inherently distinctive,” composed of vibrant color combinations, the juxtaposition of different patterns, bold black outlines, and “uplifting, bright and happy visual themes.” A quick visual comparison of Britto’s work next to Craig & Karl’s does indeed reveal similarities between the two.
https://www.scribd.com/embeds/261742894/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-fwv3N2s413q6ZKAkb39d&show_recommendations=false
Britto contacted Apple and asked the company to cease using the Craig & Karl images, but he did not receive a response, leading him to file a lawsuit. Britto is asking for damages and attorneys’ fees, along with an injunction that would require Apple to stop using the artwork and Craig & Karl to stop producing artwork that mimics his style.
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