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20
May

Android Wear 5.1.1 for the LG G Watch and LG G Watch R are rolling out from today






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We heard last week that Android Wear 5.1.1 was starting to be rolled out, first with the ASUS ZenWatch. Of course, the LG Watch Urbane was the first watch to have this latest build of Android Wear, but all other Android Wear devices have had to wait around patiently, until now. Next on the list of updates is Android Wear 5.1.1 for the LG G Watch and LG G Watch R, who has been confirmed to have started receiving the update as of today.

Android Wear 5.1.1 for the LG G Watch and LG G Watch RFor those wondering why their Sony SmartWatch 3, Moto 360 or Samsung Gear Live have yet to get the update, this is because the LG G Watch, LG G Watch R and ASUS ZenWatch all do not possess Wi-Fi functionality (which the other devices do) meaning their version would have been easier to develop – we’re not expecting too much more of a delay before Android Wear 5.1.1 is rolled out to the rest of the devices. For those of you who do have a LG G Watch or LG G Watch R, if you aren’t seeing the update today, don’t panic – as is commonplace with Android updates, they are staged and could take a few days before they reach your device.


Do you have a LG G Watch or LG G Watch R and have the update? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Source: Android Police

The post Android Wear 5.1.1 for the LG G Watch and LG G Watch R are rolling out from today appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

20
May

Layout from Instagram is out on Android today for all your collage-making needs






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We’re honestly still surprised when apps from social media companies are released only on iOS before an Android version saunters onto the scene shortly after. Even so, we’re not complaining that Layout from Instagram is out on Android today, two months after its counterpart was launched on iOS. If you haven’t heard about Layout from Instagram, it’s essentially a collage-making app which allows you to take any of your photos and make them into collages using customizable templates.

It’s an interesting choice for an app from Instagram as we would have thought this functionality would be best built into the Instagram app itself, but what do we know. From my brief experience trying out the app today, it’s pretty well made in general (if you’re used to Instagram) though there are a few niggling issues, as always. If you’re the type of person who’s been hanging out for a collage app, Layout from Instagram would not be a bad place to start. If you’re interested, hit the link below to get to the Play Store and download the app for free:

Layout from Instagram (Playboard) | Layout from Instagram (Play Store)


What do you think about Layout from Instagram? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Phandroid

The post Layout from Instagram is out on Android today for all your collage-making needs appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

20
May

ZTE launches Nubia Z9 Mini in India for Rs. 16,999 exclusively via Amazon


Nubia Z9 Mini Black (5)

The Indian smartphone market is fiercely contested, with new handsets released almost daily. Today sees ZTE launch its Nubia Z9 Mini smartphone exclusively via Amazon India for Rs. 16,999 (+-$266). Let’s have a look at what the Nubia Z9 Mini offers in return.

Nubia Z9 Mini Black (3)

Specifications:

  • Metal and glass body
  • 5-Inch IPS Full HD display (Sharp) 441ppi and Corning Glass 3 protection
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-core @ 1.5GHz (64-bit)
  • Adreno 405 GPU
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16GB Internal storage
  • MicroSD card support (up to 128GB)
  • 16MP Rear-facing camera with ISO and flash
  • 8MP Front-facing camera
  • Dual-SIM and LTE support (150 Mbps)
  • FM Radio
  • 3,000mAh non-removable battery
  • Dimensions: 14.1 x 0.8 x 7cm
  • Weight: 145 grams
  • Customisable rear panel
  • In the box: Handset, charger and data cable

With its metal and glass construction, the ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini is attempting to offer a smaller smartphone with premium construction. And for the most post it would appear to have succeeded. The sticking point could be that price of Rs. 16,999 ($267), which could prove a little too costly. Let us know what you think of the Nubia Z9 Mini in the comments below.

Nubia Z9 Mini Black (7)
Nubia Z9 Mini Black (9)
Nubia Z9 Mini Black (10)

 

Source: Amazon
Via: PhoneArena

Come comment on this article: ZTE launches Nubia Z9 Mini in India for Rs. 16,999 exclusively via Amazon

20
May

Chrome adds MIDI support for browser-based music composition


Chrome lapel pin

Let’s say you went all out for Rock Band 3 and bought a MIDI drum kit and the game’s keyboard peripheral, haven’t used them since, but hate to put that stuff on Craigslist. With the new Chrome update you can use ’em to make beautiful music in your web browser with the Web MIDI API. As VentureBeat notes, this means that websites can access digital instruments and you’ll be able to compose tunes without needing any special software. Most (possibly all) of the musical browser experiments we’ve seen thus far rely on your computer’s keyboard to create audio — like Typedrummer, for instance — so this should make things pretty easy for folks more accustomed to traditional instruments. Oh, and as previously reported, support to bring legacy websites into the HTTPS fold are in place as well.

[Image credit: stshank/Flickr]

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Via: VentureBeat

Source: Chromium

20
May

Toyota wishes the Prius was a ‘Final Fantasy’ chocobo


In Japan, Toyota has a history of tapping classic Japanese role-playing games to sell its latest vehicles. The company has previously used the music from Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter in its TV ads, and now it’s leveraging Final Fantasy to promote the petite Aqua Urban-X (known as the Prius C in the US). As Kotaku reports, the unique commercial shows three yellow cars tearing around the countryside, while the Chocobo Theme plays jubilantly in the background. For fans of the franchise, it’s a clever nod to the beloved flightless bird, which often feature in the games as mythical modes of transport. But how many Final Fantasy fans are in the market to buy a new car? Probably not many — Toyota is presumably banking on the idea that such an iconic Japanese franchise will be recognisable to even the most casual of video game enthusiasts. It’s certainly more effective than this terrifying Mercedes-Benz ad featuring Nintendo’s popular plumber.

Filed under: Gaming, Transportation

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Via: Kotaku

Source: Toyota

20
May

Spotify gains control of music at Starbucks thanks to multi-year partnership


Spotify-logo

It used to be that when you went to Starbucks, you could pick up a card that gave you a free iTunes download, but it seems that will be coming to and end soon, which is no bad thing if you are an Android user. This is because Starbucks and Spotify have just entered into a multi-year agreement that will see the music subscription service become an integral part of the Starbucks experience. This partnership will see the 7,000 Starbucks locations in the U.S. linked with the approximate 60 million (global) Spotify subscribers, creating a ‘first of its kind ecosystem’.

So what is this partnership all about? Let’s have a look at the basics:

  • Partnership coming to U.S. first, followed by Canada and the UK shortly after
  • Starbucks 150,000 (US) employees or ‘Partners‘ to receive complimentary access to Spotify Premium
  • Baristas to influence the in-store playlist at Starbucks locations
  • Playlists to be made available to Spotify subscribers via the Starbucks Mobile App
  • Spotify Premium subscribers to earn ‘Stars as currency‘ via My Starbucks loyalty program, enabling them to earn free drinks.

Baristas, or Partners as they are called by Spotify and Starbucks, will be able to influence playlists through unspecified tools provided by Spotify. If you are worrying that your morning coffee will be rudely interrupted by a barista adding death metal to the mix, I would wager that your fear is unwarranted. I say this because the press release states that the barista can only influence the playlist, which sounds like they will only be able to choose a song from an approved selection of tracks, hopefully.

This is an interesting move by Spotify, as it attempts to fend off challenges from competing products such as Google Music, Tidal, Apple, etc. And as for Starbucks, it’s a great way to stay relevant and to finally acknowledge Android users. We have the full press release below.

 

 

Full Press Release:

May 18, 2015

Partnership Connects Starbucks 7,000 U.S. Company-Owned Stores, 10M-Member My Starbucks Rewards Loyalty Program and Spotify’s 60M Users to Create First-of-Its-Kind Music Ecosystem 

MSR Members and Spotify Users to Earn “Stars as Currency” for Subscribing to Spotify Premium

Popular Starbucks Music Made Available for Everyone on Spotify

Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) today announced that it has entered into a letter of intent with leading music streaming service, Spotify®, to establish a multi-year relationship that will link its 7,000 company-operated stores in the U.S. and 10 Million My Starbucks Rewards® loyalty members with Spotify’s more than 60 Million global users to offer a first-of-its-kind music ecosystem.  This interconnectivity will allow Starbucks MSR members unique access to Starbucks music on Spotify, the ability to influence in-store playlists as well as opportunities for Starbucks MSR members to earn “Stars as Currency.”

“For over forty years, music has played a vital role in Starbucks Third Place experience – inspiring our partners and customers in unexpected ways that have helped to shape the global pop culture.  And we are delighted and honored to bring Spotify directly to our customers,” said Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks. “Throughout its history, Starbucks has worked closely with the music industry, offering a variety of artists a platform for their work. By connecting Spotify’s world-class streaming platform into our world-class store and digital ecosystem, we are reinventing the way our millions of global customers discover music.”

Through a phased rollout later this fall in Starbucks® U.S. company-owned locations, followed shortly thereafter in Canada and the United Kingdom, the agreement specifies that Starbucks and Spotify will collaborate on a next generation music ecosystem. As part of the agreement, Spotify Premium will be promoted in these stores.

Coming first, Starbucks 150,000 U.S.-based partners (employees) will receive a Spotify Premium subscription, followed shortly thereafter by partners in Canada and the U.K. This fall, Starbucks partners can help shape the in-store music programming using tools provided by Spotify. These partner-influenced playlists will then be accessible on Spotify via the Starbucks Mobile App so that customers can stream music anywhere, anytime from their mobile device.

In addition, Spotify users will enjoy opportunities to obtain “Stars as Currency” for My Starbucks Rewards loyalty program. This will represent the first time that Starbucks loyalty program stars can be accessed by a third party for the benefit of Starbucks MSR members and Spotify users. Spotify will also include a dedicated section on Spotify featuring new playlists from Starbucks and its most popular music from the past 20 years, available to all Spotify users.

“Starbucks has a rich music heritage and customers who are passionate music fans which makes us incredibly proud to be their music partner,” said Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify. “Spotify has powered more than 25 Billion hours of listening around the world so far, and we’re looking forward to creating unique in-store music experiences while also making more than 20 years of popular Starbucks music available to both Starbucks customers and Spotify’s 60 Million global music fans.”

“We plan on building one of the most robust digital ecosystems of any retailer in the world.  Given the evolution of the music industry and the proliferation of streaming technology, it was natural that we would partner with Spotify in offering our customers a new way to engage with their favorite music,” added Kevin Johnson, president and coo of Starbucks.  “Starbucks ability to innovate with partners such as Spotify, creating new ways and platforms to engage with our customers, will afford us unprecedented interconnectivity across all of our capabilities, and provide new access points for Spotify as they continue to grow globally.”

For more than four decades, Starbucks has built a differentiated Third Place experience with music at the heart of its coffeehouse culture. In 1994, a dedicated entertainment team began selecting original CDs spanning a diversity of musical genres and geographies. This program has spotlighted the extraordinary careers of legendary artists such as the late John Lennon, Aretha Franklin, and Bonnie Raitt, among many others. Bob Dylan, Yo-Yo Ma, the Rolling Stones and Ray Charles are among the legends who identified their favorite recordings for Starbucks Artist Choice series.  Starbucks seasonal CDs have celebrated moments ranging from Valentine’s Day to summer road trips to holiday festivities.  Starbucks has also become a champion of emerging artists such as John Legend, Madeleine Peyroux, and Fleet Foxes, introducing customers to these musicians at an early point in their careers.

 

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.  You can learn more about the Starbucks Reserve™ Roastery and Tasting Room here: www.Starbucks.com/roastery

 

 

 

 

 

Come comment on this article: Spotify gains control of music at Starbucks thanks to multi-year partnership

20
May

Kickstarter campaign for what could be the world’s fastest charging battery pack


lumopack
We all accept, rather begrudgingly, that battery life is still an issue. And at the moment there is little we can do about it. Some of us have turned to portable battery packs which we carry around in case we need to charge our phones. There are lots of battery packs out there, and some of them have impressive capacities. However many of them take an age to charge-up. But what about a battery pack that in just 9 minutes can take on board enough power to fully charge a phone like the Samsung Galaxy S6?

If you want to support this Kickstarter then you can pledge $69 and you will get a LumoPack from the first batch at a 35% discount.

Thanks to a new Kickstarter campaign that could soon be a reality. The LumoPack is a new fast-charging external battery pack which can store a full charge for a large smartphone in just 9 minutes. For phones with smaller batteries the LumoPack’s charge time will be even less!

The key stats about this battery pack are: It has a 6000 mAH capacity, which uses Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF) technology, more about that in a moment; it uses a 140W charger which means it can be fully charged in 30 minutes and store a full charge for a Galaxy S6 in just 9 minutes; the battery can sustain this level of performance over 1000 charge cycles, that’s 2-3 times the current industry standard.

What about this for a scenario. You get a call and your friends are coming to pick you up in 15 minutes, you just got time to get yourself together. But you look at your phone and it has around one third charge left. Will it survive the evening? Maybe not. So you quickly plug in the LumoPack, and before your friends arrive it will have power to charge your phone.

lumopack-mof

So what is this Metal-Organic Frameworks? MOF are a new class of materials that when used on the LiCoO2 cathode can enhance a Lithium-ion battery’s capacity, power, and longevity. The material is used as an advanced form of coating to increase the stability and performance of the LumoPack’s battery. The coating works as a protective and scavenging layer, which results in faster charging capabilities and increased cycle performance.

If you want to support this Kickstarter then you can pledge $69 and you will get a LumoPack from the first batch at a 35% discount. If you pledge $79 you will get a LumoPack plus a on-the-go carry case and some phone cables. The LumoPack is expected to ship in October of this year.



20
May

LG reaffirms commitment to two flagships this year


LG-G4-Hands-On-aa-(8-of13)

With the G4 only just out of the gate, it seems a little soon to be talking about a successor. However, speaking in Taipei, LG Electronics says that another flagship smartphone is still planned for the second half of 2015, as the company seeks to boost sales in Taiwan and around the globe.

LG is hoping that sales in Taiwan will increase by 30 percent from last year once both of its flagships are on the market. As of April, LG had managed to shift around 220,000 units of its last-gen handsets in the country and the company estimates that sales of the G4 will reach 300,000 in the next twelve months. Globally, the company is aiming for around 10 million G4 sales this year. However, we’re still none the wiser about the second flagship that LG hopes will boost sales, or even if it will ever be released outside of the Asian market.

Back in March, LG had said that it was planning to release another smartphone that “stands above the G series”, leading to speculation that the company could be preparing a competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy Note series. However, a dual-flagship business model is nothing new to LG, last year’s G Pro 2 was a high-end device, although some rumors suggest that this line-up may be scrapped. Interestingly, LG says the specifications for its second flagship this year still have not been finalized, suggesting that the development team is still testing out various options.

What would you like to see from LG’s second flagship this year, or is the G4 already exactly what you’re looking for?

More on LG’s flagships:

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20
May

The French are coming… for Time Warner Cable


Time Warner Profits Rise 14 Percent

Ever since Comcast was scared off buying Time Warner Cable, a slew of other firms have been eyeing up the business for a purchase. The latest to throw a beret into the ring is French telecoms firm Altice (us neither), which Reuters and the Wall Street Journal claim has eyes on America’s No. 2. The outfit is already attempting to make it big here after announcing that it’s purchasing Suddenlink, a regional cable company operating in a handful of states, including West Virginia, Texas and Louisiana, at a cost of $9.1 billion.

The two papers think that a deal for Time Warner won’t be as easy to pull off, since it’s believed that the company has nowhere near enough cash left in its war chest. The firm will also be facing stiff competition from Charter Communications, which missed out on picking up TWC after making a $61 billion bid in January 2014. Whatever happens, it looks as if we’re going to have another few months where everyone tries to buy everyone, to no-one’s satisfaction.

[Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty]

Filed under: Internet, HD

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Via: WSJ, Reuters

Source: Altice (.PDF)

20
May

YouTube gamers are getting their own ‘Minecraft’-inspired figures


Tube Heroes

If you head down to your local toy store today, you’ll likely find that the shelves are dominated by video game packs and figurines. Franchises like Minecraft, Disney Infinity and Skylanders mostly dominate proceedings, but their popularity also encourages rivals to cash in on the latest craze. One such toy maker believes that fusing YouTube and Minecraft could be the answer, so it’s created a new range of “Tube Heroes” toys that immortalize some of the video service’s most popular gamers as Minecraft-like figures and plushies.

The lineup is small, but the YouTubers on show, including AntVenom, AshleyMarieeGaming, ExplodingTNT and CaptainSparklez, are there on merit, mostly due to their antics playing Mojang’s indie hit. Tube Heroes isn’t supposed to launch until May 22nd but packs have already made their way to some Toys R Us stores and, ironically, have already had the review treatment from some YouTube toy reviewers. If you, like me, have children who can’t get enough of Minecraft and watching other people play it, now might be the time to hide all evidence that Tube Heroes exists, or admit defeat and start saving.

Thanks, David!

Filed under: Gaming

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Via: TubeFilter

Source: Tube Heroes

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