You can now pre-order the LG G4 on Sprint
Starting today, residents in the United States can pre-order LG’s flagship smartphone of 2015, the G4, from Sprint for $18 per month on a two-year contract with no upfront fee or for $599.99 without a contract on a pre-paid tariff.
The G4’s full list of specifications can be seen below:
| Processor: | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 with X10 LTE |
| OS: | Android 5.1 Lollipop |
| Display: | 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440, 538ppi) |
| Storage: | 32GB eMMC ROM, microSD card up to 128GB |
| RAM: | 3GB LPDDR3 RAM |
| Rear camera: | 16 megapixels with f/1.8 aperture / OIS 2.0 |
| Front camera: | 8 megapixels with f/2.0 aperture |
| Battery: | 3,000 mAh removable |
For a limited time, customers purchasing the G4 on Sprint will receive a second 3,000mAh battery, a 32GB memory card and a battery charging cradle.
If you’re based in the US, like the sound of the LG G4 and would like to pre-order one from Sprint for delivery on June 5, hit the source link below.
Source: Sprint
Come comment on this article: You can now pre-order the LG G4 on Sprint
Android Developers: What to expect from I/O 2015
Google I/O, for those who do not know, is a software developer-focused conference held annually by Google at the Moscone center in San Francisco, California. I/O, historically, contains a lot of highly technical discussions and sessions focused on Google’s technologies like Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, and this year’s looks to be no different. There are a ton of sessions and tracks for Android developers and designers. Google I/O 2015 is a two day event, and there are multiple sessions going on simultaneously, with the exception of the keynote, which is the only event in its time slot.
Android has evolved considerably from its initial form, where it was built for mobile phones only, and now includes tablets, and now TVs and cars. We have picked out some of the most interesting and anticipated sessions, along with others that we believe every Android developer would want to check out. Some of these events will be live streamed, and can be viewed via the web.
Day 1
The very first session at I/O 2015 is the keynote, which kicks off at 9:30AM PDT (local time in San Francisco). We hope to get a preview of Android M here, although Google has been quite tight lipped about this. Due to a gaffe, we got a hint earlier this month regarding Android M at I/O. Unfortunately, the offending session has since been pulled. We can only speculate as to why Google pulled the session completely, rather than just changing the description.
We can also expect to hear a bit about Project Ara, a new Internet of Things platform code-named Brillo, and possibly Android Pay. In addition, we’ve heard rumors about Android giving users power to hand-select individual app permissions. ARM recently revealed that it has been working with Google on a new Android Java compiler, called the optimizing compiler. It is unknown if it will make it into Android M, but we are keen to find out.
While we do not expect sky divers or any stunts this year, we didn’t expect sky divers in 2012 either, so who knows!
12:00PM-1:00PM
The keynote is followed by a couple of sandbox talks at 12:30. The Android developer focused talks include:
- Notifications, Interruptions and Volumes: Coming Attractions – Android L changed the way notifications are presented to the user, and added new APIs. This is a must see if your app will notify/alert the user at all.
- Anyone can do it! Easy ways to evaluate your App’s Accessibility. Do you ensure your app is usable and accessible to users with any form or combination of physical disabilities?
- Smarter approaches to app testing. Every Android developer faces the problem of how to test on as wide a range of devices as possible for the least cost. This is a sandbox talk, so do not expect any ground breaking techniques, however, fingers crossed.
Most sandbox talks are available twice over the course of the event. If a sandbox talk you are interested in clashes with another session, visit the I/O events page to find the backup session.
1:00PM-2:00PM
We have two heavy hitters within this time slot, and both are live streamed as well:
- What’s new in Android. The description for this session is extremely chill, “This session will highlight the most exciting new developer features of the Android platform.” Do we get to see Android M here? Set your calendars, alarms, reminders etc.
- Google Cloud Messaging 3.0. While not for only Android, GCM is a free way to send data to your app on Android devices, utilizing the same services used by Google for its own apps (Hangouts, Google+).
Other sandbox talks of interest in this time period include:
- Gaming on Android TV (1:00PM-1:30PM)
- Promote your mobile app in minutes (1:00PM-1:30PM)
- Mobile app quality leaps to the cloud (1:00PM-1:30PM). This talk discusses how to run hundreds of tests in parallel on a wide range of Android and iOS devices using Google Cloud.
2:00PM-3:00PM
Without skipping a beat, there are two more live streamed sessions of massive importance to Android developers:
- What’s New in Android Development Tools. What’s new in Android Studio would be the more appropriate title. If you haven’t switched over from Eclipse/ADT to Android Studio, well, goodluck.
- Smarter monetization with AdMob and Analytics. Even if you do not monetize with Admob, you might want to check this out, and compare against what your ad network and analytics network provide.
Another interesting sandbox is:
- What’s new in the Google Play Developer Console (2:00PM-2:30PM)
3:00PM-3:30PM
Interesting sandbox talks:
- Building a real-time app in 5 minutes with Firebase (3:00PM-3:30PM). Firebase provides an API that enables developers store and sync data across multiple clients, and was acquired by Google in October 2014.
- Espresso: UI-testing for Android (3:30PM-4:00PM)
- How to create apps that families love (3:30PM-4:00PM)
4:00PM-5:00PM
There are three simultaneous live streamed sessions in this time slot:
- Material Now. Hosted by Matias Duarte, whose team designed Android Lollipop and came up with Material Design. He also led the design teams of Android versions from Honeycomb through KitKat.
- Growing games with Google. This session encompasses phones, PCs, consoles and browser based games, but should be quite useful for Android game developers even if their games aren’t cross platform.
- Making apps context aware: Opportunities, tools, lessons and the future. This session discusses how to make effective use of mobile devices sensing capabilities (GPS, Bluetooth, accelerometers, etc).
Day 2
9:00AM-10:00AM
Day 2 kicks of with
- A little badass. Beautiful. Tech and human. Work and love. ATAP. The title of this session is, frankly speaking, quite badass, and the speakers include Regina Dugan and Peiter Zatko. This session is anticipated to run into 10:15AM.
Sandbox talks within this time period include:
- Android Application Architecture (9:00AM-9:30AM)
- Bringing Material Design to life on Android (9:30AM-10:00AM)
10:00AM-11:00AM
- Finding success with family-friendly apps on Play (10:00AM-10:30AM)
- Promote your mobile app in minutes (10:30AM-11:00AM)
11:00AM-12:00PM
- Helping Moonshots Survive Contact with the Real World This session is hosted by Dr Astro Teller of Google labs, and discusses the challenges faced when taking an idea/innovation out of the lab, and into the real world.
- Grow your app via new word-of-mouth tools from Google (11:30AM-12:00AM)
12:00PM-1:00PM
- Android Developer Tools: Deep dive into Performance & Build Tools. (12:30PM-1:00PM)
1:00PM-2:00PM
- Developers connecting the world through Google Play. As an android developer, the play store is most likely your primary app distribution channel. This talk is hosted by Ellie Powers, who leads the Google Play developer products team. Watch this to get an idea where Google Play is heading, especially with the new Family friendly app descriptions.
2:00PM-3:00PM
- Android Wear: Your app and the always-on screen. Even if your app has no Android Wear component currently, understanding the constraints faced when developing for Android Wear can help you decide how/what features of your app can be served through a Wear device.
- Real-time analytics for mobile and IoT (2:30PM-3:00PM)
3:00PM-4:00PM
- Reach more gamers by going local (3:30PM-4:00PM). Tailored for game developers, this session focuses on using Google Play Games to engage and connect with players.
4:00PM-5:00PM
- Speechless at I/O. If you have no idea what Speechless is, check out this What is Speechless? video on YouTube. After so many serious, technical sessions, unwind to this. Or go watch cute kitten videos for a while.
For now we can only speculate on what surprises and features Android M brings. We can also postulate hypothesis, such as Android M is not ready and will not be unveiled after all, that’s why we can no longer find the Android for Work Update session. The only thing certain for now is that Google I/O 2015 is only days away. Have you booked some days off work yet? Or will you be following the sessions from your desk? What are you anticipating most at this year’s event? Do you think we missed any crucial Android developer focused sessions/talks? Let us know in the comments.
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LG G Watch R will receive Wi-Fi connectivity in Q3
Google released a giant update to Android Wear about a month ago, which just started rolling out to all Wear devices last Tuesday. Among many other notable features like gesture support and a more refined contacts/app menu, the update to Android Wear 5.1.1 also brings Wi-Fi support. This allows your Wear device to receive notifications as long as your phone and watch are both connected to a Wi-Fi network. The problem is, the only watches with built-in Wi-Fi support are the LG Watch Urbane, Motorola Moto 360, Sony Smartwatch 3 and Samsung Gear Live. We’ll soon be able to add one more device to that list, according to LG.
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In an official statement issued to Android World, LG is working on a maintenance update that brings Wi-Fi support to the G Watch R that will be released sometime in Q3. From LG:
The original LG G Watch was not designed with Wi-Fi in mind and will not have this capability even after the Android Wear update. LG G Watch R will require a maintenance release after the patch update to Android Wear-access Wi-Fi networks. LG engineers are preparing the patch now for availability in the third quarter.
This is certainly great news for folks who own a G Watch R, but it’s still unfortunate that LG didn’t include Wi-Fi support earlier. We’ll be sure to let you know when we hear more about the new update.
Apple Watch Orders Estimated to Average 30,000 Per Day in U.S. After Initial Surge
An estimated 2.5 million Apple Watch orders have been processed in the United States in the first five weeks of availability, according to Slice Intelligence (via Quartz). Extrapolating from the e-receipts of about 14,000 online shoppers who use Slice’s services, more than half of the orders placed so far came on April 10, the first day of pre-orders, with the Apple Watch averaging 30,000 orders per day since.
Daily Apple Watch order estimates in U.S. (first-day orders of nearly 1.5 million omitted)
As Quartz points out, the Apple Watch saw a notable rise in order interest on April 24, the day most initial Apple Watch pre-orders that weren’t high in demand, like the Leather Loop or Black Sport band, began arriving to customers. Social media posts and word of mouth that day no doubt helped Apple receieve a few extra orders, and it reaches back up to around 40,000 on a few days in April and May, but otherwise Apple’s new wearable has seen a steady decline in order numbers since its launch date, according to the e-commerce shopping firm.
Even with the steep decline following the start of pre-orders, Apple Watch sales are easily outpacing early sales of the iPod and iPhone, and slightly topping those of the iPad, although Apple’s continually increasing user base since the debut of those devices gives the company momentum for each subsequent product family launch.
Slice Intelligence’s Apple Watch update today comes a few weeks after providing a break down of initial pre-orders for the wearable, which pegged 62 percent of customers as having pre-ordered the Apple Watch Sport and an unexpected popularity of the Space Gray case and Black Sport band. As with that data, a few factors should be taken into account when looking at Slice Intelligence’s order estimates, including its data being limited to the United States and the relatively small pool of customer receipts examined.
Today’s report also falls in line with KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s prediction of the Apple Watch order demand beginning to slow down following a high launch period. Although Apple has yet to announced any sales numbers for the Apple Watch and doesn’t plan to break the device out into its own reporting segment in financial results, the Apple Watch’s entry into the company’s upcoming brick-and-mortar retail locations in June could help boost the wearable’s sales figures.
Lizard Squad member pleads guilty to harassing women gamers
The co-called Lizard Squad have established that they’re pretty terrible people, but one of the members has hit a sad new low. A 17-year old Canadian has pleaded guilty to 23 separate offenses against mostly young, female gamers, including extortion and criminal harassment, according to the Tri-City News. The teenager (who can’t be named because of his age) outed victims’ financial information online, placed false orders for services and repeatedly swatted victims, among other crimes. He reportedly targeted most of his victims on Twitter and while playing League of Legends.
In one high-profile incident, he called in a false police report on an Arizona student “claiming he had shot (her) parents with an AR15 rifle,” according to the article. As a result of that incident, police removed several members of the family at gunpoint and the victim eventually withdrew from University out of fear for her safety. The perpetrator harassed others elsewhere with a similar modus operandi, mostly targeting female gamers who spurned his friend requests.
The user — who went by the handle “obnoxious” on LoL — was caught when he posted an eight-hour swatting livestream on YouTube. He was arrested some eight days later thanks to tips to local authorities in British Columbia and admitted to numerous offenses, including harassment, extortion and uttering threats. He’s been ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric examination, and sentencing will continue next month.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Eurogamer
Source: Tri-City News
Watch how the Navy plans to deploy its tiny Cicada drones
Cicada, the Navy’s palm-sized, sensor-laden drone, has no propeller or engine. In fact, it looks like a child’s plaything. So, how will they get to their destination? Well, the Navy plans to drop them from either a balloon or a bigger drone — in this case, its testers used both. During a 2011 demo and test flight in Yuma, Arizona, the Navy attached Cicadas to the wings of bigger drones, which were, in turn, attached to balloons. Once the balloons reached 57,000 feet, they let go of the big drones, which flew until they were within 15 feet of the Cicadas’ landing locations. The tiny drones then dropped and glided to their landing spot, thanks to their preprogrammed GPS coordinates. In all, the Navy did eight rounds of testing that day in Yuma, and you can watch one of the drops in action below the fold.
Filed under: Misc
Escort website operator is going to prison for 13 months
Eric Omuro, the operator of RedBook, has been sentenced to 13 months behind bars. RedBook or MyRedBook.com was a popular website that hosted ads for Bay Area sex workers, as well as forums where both clients and escorts can review each other. A lot of other websites (including Craigslist) also cater to prostitutes, but authorities targeted this particular one last year for an unknown reason, taking down the domain to be replaced by a notice from the FBI:
This domain name has been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as the result of a joint investigation by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.
This domain name is subject to both civil and criminal forfeiture. This seizure is based on probable cause to believe that this domain name was involved in money laundering derived from racketeering based on prostitution in violation of state and federal law.
Property, including domain names, involved in violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, is subject to civil and criminal forfeiture to the United States pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 981(a)(1)(A) and Section 982(a)(1).
At the same time, Omuro was charged not only with the “intent to facilitate prostitution,” but also with 24 counts of money laundering. Since he pleaded guilty in December, he’s now forfeiting $1.28 million in cash on top of the 13-month sentence as part of his plea deal. According to Wired, he is the first website operator to be convicted of facilitating prostitution.
Prior to being shut down, RedBook allowed escorts to post ads (even ones with explicit photos and language) for free, which clients could browse for no charge. Those who wanted their postings more prominently featured had to pay for the placement, while clients could shell out an optional $13 per month fee to access detailed reviews by fellow johns. The website’s demise lost Bay Area sex workers a lot of clients. But it did prompt some of them to get together and teach each other how to use Tor and encrypt text messages, Wired said, since the government presumably has their info now.
[Image credit: Getty/microgen]
Filed under: Internet
Via: SFGate
Source: US Department of Justice
‘Shenmue’ and ‘Streets of Rage’ tunes are headed to vinyl
When it comes to classic Sega games, they don’t get much bigger (or better) than Shenmue and Streets of Rage. They were released more than eight years apart and on completely different consoles, but they share an important trait: incredible sound. Now, as Polygon reports, a London-based record label called Data Discs is planning to release both soundtracks on vinyl later this year. They’ll be priced at £19.99 (roughly $31) and pressed on 180 gram vinyl, complete with lithographic artwork prints. The company is also working with Streets of Rage composer Yuzo Koshiro to remaster the tunes from the side-scrolling beat ’em up, ensuring fans get the best experience possible on their turntables. Pre-orders start on May 30th and there are “exclusive editions” for those who spend their cash early, however the first wave of records isn’t expected to leave the warehouse until September.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Polygon
Source: Data-Discs
DirecTV launches a kid-friendly video app
DirecTV saw what YouTube and Netflix were doing with their kid-focused apps, and decided that it, too, wanted a piece of that action. After many months of toil, the company has busted out DirecTV Kids, an iOS app that lets your rugrats consume content from your cable package at no extra cost. Designed for 5-10 year-olds, the offering lets your kids watch shows anywhere, and can be used on up to five devices at once. It’s available for free from the App Store, and is likely to be a bit safer than YouTube’s rival, at least as far as parental groups are concerned.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, Internet, HD
Source: DirecTV Kids
Tinder sneaks ads for albums into your dating profiles
There comes a point in every zeitgeisty app’s life when it wonders if it should stop eating nothing but Doritos and having those drunken one-night stands and become a mature, serious business. We’ve already seen Snapchat evolve from a way to distribute pictures of your genitals to a news broadcast system, and now Tinder is seriously considering becoming a music promoter. The dating app has just signed a deal with Interscope Records to promote the new album from Russian DJ Zedd.
If, during a swiping session, you come across Zedd’s come-hither gaze and swipe right, you won’t get a message telling you that you’ve got a match. Instead, you’ll be offered a link to download his latest album for $3.99, compared to the $7.99 it’s currently priced up at on Google Play and iTunes. It’s not the first time that Tinder profiles have been used for viral marketing purposes, since the makers of Ex Machina had one of its lead characters chatting unwitting users up in the run-up to its US release.
It’s also not the first time that Tinder and the music business have gotten cosy with each other in a short period of time, either. Earlier this year, it hosted the world premiere of Jason Derulo’s Want to Want me, even if the singer scored a public-relations own goal by admitting he didn’t use the app.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet
Via: The Guardian
Source: AdWeek
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