Imgur mobile app gallery gets a redesign in new update
Imgur on Monday released a new update to the application, bringing with it a complete redesign, making the app look much more appealing than it had before.
The most noticeable redesign is the gallery. Imgur went back to the drawing board with it to bring users a more mobile-focused gallery. Now, they’ve launched the update, saying its focused on what matters most, “images, content, and community.”
Imgur has also improved the way uploads are handled, allowing users to create new posts on Imgur with their Camera app, saved images, and etc.
If you haven’t gotten the update yet or want to download the app, be sure to scan the QR code down below or hit the download link!
Come comment on this article: Imgur mobile app gallery gets a redesign in new update
SoundHound introduces ‘Hound,’ a new conversational digital assistant
If you’re looking to move away from the Google Now search assistant, which is receiving some major updates in the near future, SoundHound has a solution for you. Yes, SoundHound. And, they call their digital assistant simply “Hound.”
For now, you can only use the digital assistant if you’ve received an invite from SoundHound. However, from the preview below, Hound seems like it could prove to be a potentially excellent search assistant within the market of other big players, such as Siri, Cortana, and Google Now.
Hound does work in a similar way to other digital assistants. You can ask it for the weather, place phone calls, send text messages, find directions, and etc. But, where Hound plans to standout from the crowd is the ability to have a normal conversation with it. No more fumbling around with silly keywords–it’s just like talking to another person.
It’s actually quite impressive. See it in action for yourself in the promo video below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
If you’re interested in requesting an invite, just hit the source link below. What do you think of Hound? Could this be a potential game changer within a sea of digital assistants?
source: SoundHound
Come comment on this article: SoundHound introduces ‘Hound,’ a new conversational digital assistant
Showtime’s Standalone Streaming Service Set to Premiere on Apple TV
A new report from Variety today suggests that Showtime’s parent company CBS is putting the final touches on a standalone streaming service for the premium cable network, with rumors pointing to an official announcement either later today or sometime on Thursday.
Variety says that CBS will reveal a partnership with Apple and the Apple TV that will be the exclusive home of the Showtime online-only service, similar to HBO NOW’s initial exclusivity window on Apple TV and iOS devices. CBS still plans for other online partners to be announced in the future, according to “industry sources.”
No name or price model was detailed yet for the Showtime service, but as pointed out by Variety, the move would fall in line with the company’s announcement last fall of a $6 per month streaming service that presented access to the network’s library of old and new shows. With Showtime cable subscriptions aligning closely with that of HBO, the new service would undoubtedly fall in the ballpark of HBO Now’s $14.99 per month charge.
Magic Leap will release its software development platform “soon”
Magic Leap, the Google-backed augmented reality company, is getting one step closer to bringing developers and filmmakers on board with its secretive platform. Yesterday at MIT Technology Review’s EmTech Digital conference, Magic Leap’s chief creative officer Graeme Devine announced that the startup has built a software development kit, and that it supports both the Unity and Unreal game engines. It’s not really a big surprise that the SDK will support both Unity and Unreal, since these two game engines have been crucial in the development of the virtual reality tech we have today. No specific timeframe was given regarding the release of the platform, but Magic Leap recently tweeted that it would be released “soon”.
@zaphodgjd announces SDK that supports @unity3d & @UnrealEngine at @techreview is done – releasing soon…
— Magic Leap, Inc. (@magicleap) June 2, 2015
The company has opened up a new Developers section on its website, where devs can sign up for the SDK when more information surfaces. From Magic Leap’s site:
Using our Dynamic Digitized Lightfield Signal, imagine being able to generate images indistinguishable from real objects and then being able to place those images seamlessly into the real world. Imagine what experiences you could create if you had this ability. Imagine how this would completely transform how people interact with both the digital and real-worlds. Imagine you being one of the first to help transform the world forever. For the time being, we’re being a little tight-lipped in what we’re communicating publicly, but under the appropriate non-disclosures, we’d love to talk possibilities.
Magic Leap has overall been extremely quiet about its platform. The first real glimpse we got of the company was the video attached above, which shows off a first-person shooter being played inside someone’s office. This is supposedly a very early prototype of what the company is building.
Magic Leap got its start last October after Google invested $542 million in the augmented reality startup. And according to TechCrunch, Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz explains that the company is “out of the R&D phase and into the transition to real product introduction”. He also says that the company spent a portion of its overall $592 million in funding on a 300,000 square foot pilot manufacturing center in Florida for its “photonic lightfield chip”.
There’s certainly a possibility that we could get more details on Magic Leap’s tech at E3 this year, but nothing is for certain as of now. We’ll be live at E3 from June 16th through the 18th, so we’ll be sure to bring you coverage if it becomes available.
Motorola offers ATRIX HD customers Moto X discount for lack of KitKat update
As a show of good faith, Motorola is offering ATRIX HD smartphone owners a $100 discount to put towards the purchase of a new Moto X Pure Edition, after the handset failed to receive a promised update to Android KitKat.
Motorola’s David Schuster took to Google+ to make amends for the situation. The offer means that disgruntled customers can grab a new Moto X Pure Edition for $399. The company is also offering the Motorola Whisper Bluetooth headset for $49 along with the Sol Tracks for $99.
Originally, ATRIX HD owners on the AT&T network were promised an update to KitKat a long time ago, but AT&T and Motorola were unable to follow through on their promise.
Given the ATRIX HD’s age and lack of updates, I’d be surprised if many users were still actively using the phone. Unfortunately, a clause on the offer webpage states that customers must still have an active AT&T line with the phone, so you can’t nab yourself the discount on a Moto X if the handset has been sat at the bottom of your old gadget draw.
Customers have until Tuesday June 30th to fill out the form for their discount code and then the ability to apply their code will expire on Wednesday July 15th, which isn’t necessarily a lot of time. If you want to grab your discounted Moto X, you have to fill out this form to receive your promotional code for use on Motorola’s website.
Of course, the ATRIX HD isn’t the only smartphone to have seen promised updates fail to materialize, but the company’s gesture might appease a few of the remaining ATRIX HD owners. Is anyone out there planning to capitalize on Motorola’s peace offering?
Huawei P8 Lite Hands on and First Impressions
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The wonderful change in the Android smartphone world over the past year or so is the fact that the adjective “budget-friendly” is no longer indicative of a lack of quality in key aspects such as design, build quality, and performance. While understandably not at the level of the current crop of flagships, the devices in this category are surprisingly not that far behind, but are far more affordable and easily accessible.
2015 has already seen some great entrants in this segment, and Huawei is hoping to make a lasting impression as well with their latest low-cost smartphone, which the company just announced at an event in New York. Before diving into a full review, we go hands on and give you our first impressions about the Huawei P8 Lite!
Design
Like most devices with the Mini, Compact, or in this case, Lite moniker, the Huawei P8 Lite is essentially a scaled down version of its flagship namesake. The P8 Lite retains the design language of the original with its flat rectangular design and unibody construction. The body is made entirely of plastic instead of metal though, which is likely a contributing factor to its low-cost nature, but the device still feels very well put together. Keeping with the signature design elements of the P-series, the P8 Lite is also quite thin, featuring a thickness of just 7.7 mm, with the narrow side bezels making for a device with a very comfortable handling experience.
The plastic is mostly smooth, with just a slight ridged texture on the back that helps with the grip. There’s also a gold frame with a faux brushed metal finish that extends a bit beyond the front and back panels, to give it a more elegant appeal. The power and volume buttons are on the right side and within easy reach, and the ports are all at their typical positions, with the headphone jack up top, and the microUSB port, flanked by the single speaker unit and microphone, found at the bottom.
Display
The Huawei P8 Lite comes with a 5-inch LCD display with a 720p resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 294 ppi. This display may not stand out in the crowd, but it certainly gets the job done. Most content looks sharp, colors appeared nice and vibrant, and brightness didn’t seem to be an issue in the short time we got to spend with the device. Smartphones in the mid-range segment do tend to feature larger displays in general, so it’s great to see a relatively compact device in this category as well.
Performance and Hardware
Under the hood, the Huawei P8 Lite packs an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, backed by 2 GB of RAM. This processing package is what powers most current mid-range smartphones out there, and has proven itself to be very capable, which is something that should continue here. The device should comfortably handle everyday tasks, and multi-tasking should also be a breeze. Huawei’s Emotion UI is also one of the more fluid takes on Android, and should contribute to the overall smooth performance of the phone.
16 GB of on-board storage can be further augmented by up to 32 GB via microSD card. The device also comes with a standard suite of sensors and connectivity options, including 4G LTE support that will allow for access to high speed internet on the T-Mobile and AT&T networks in the US.
The device packs a 2,200 mAh battery, which is non-removable, a trend with most modern day smartphones. This battery should be more than enough to keep the P8 Lite running for an entire day, given the fact that it is powering a lower resolution display, but of course, more thorough testing will be required before we can draw any conclusions.
Camera
The camera on the rear is a 13 MP sensor, with a 5 MP front facing camera for all you selfie lovers out there, and Huawei is promising optimal picture quality even in low light. The camera software will be very familiar for anyone who’s used a Huawei device in recent past, with just a few modes like photo, video, and beauty available, that can easily be toggled through just by swiping on the display. There’s also an all-focus mode which lets you adjust the point of focus after the fact, which may not be a particularly groundbreaking or new feature, but is still very handy to have.
Software
In software, the P8 Lite will be shipping with Android 4.4 Kitkat, but Huawei says an update to Lollipop is coming, albeit with a time frame that is still to be determined. The Emotion UI 3.0 can be found on top, which also isn’t the latest iteration of Huawei’s software, even if the differences between this and the current iteration are quite negligible. All of the features that you might expect like one-handed mode, easy mode, and a built-in theme engine to tailor the experience to your liking are all still present here. Huawei’s UI does change a lot of the Android experience, but it does so without being overwhelming, with many of the features actually being more useful than gimmicky.
Gallery
Pricing and Final Thoughts
The best part about the Huawei P8 Lite is, of course, its price point. Available at an extremely affordable $250, the device is primed to take on the slew of great mid-range smartphones we’ve seen this year, including the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 and the Asus Zenfone 2. The Huawei P8 Lite will be available for purchase starting today directly from Huawei, as well as other retailers, like Amazon.
So there you have it for our first look at the Huawei P8 Lite! The budget-friendly smartphone space is getting more and more competitive, and Huawei’s decision to throw their hat into the ring makes a choice even harder to make. If you loved the original P8 but wished that it was more affordable, the Huawei P8 Lite is certainly your best bet, and looks to be very promising so far.
Deal: Striiv Fusion Activity & Sleep Tracker for only $59.99, 39% off
Wearables are just now making their way to the mainstream, and it can be very difficult to decide which one suits your needs best. If you’re looking for an all-in-one fitness/sleep tracking wearable, we’d suggest trying out the Striiv Fusion, which is currently 39% off in the AA Deals Store.
The Striiv Fusion Activity & Sleep Tracker features a sleek, minimalistic design that’s comfortable to wear for the entire day. The Striiv Fusion touchscreen is very easy to use while you’re on the go, delivering essential personal stats such as steps taken, calories burned, distance traveled and number of minutes active. It will also tack your sleep and duration, and will be able to wake you up with its vibrating alarm. What’s more, you can receive text messages, emails, incoming calls, weather notifications and much more, just like most other wearables out there. The screen is made out of ion-hardened glass for added protection, and you’ll receive three different colored bands with your purchase, as well.
If you’re interested in this awesome wearable, we’ve got quite the deal for you. Right now in the Android Authority Deals Store, you can pick up your very own Striiv Fusion Activity & Sleep Tracker for just $59.99, which is 39% off the suggested retail value. Be sure to head to the link below before your time runs out!
Deal: Buy a Huawei smartphone, get $200 in free goodies for a limited time
Just hours ago, Huawei unveiled its new budget mid-range device, the Huawei P8 Lite. We’ve already gone hands-on with the new smartphone, and overall we’ve been very impressed with the handset so far. The device is already available for purchase in the U.S. on Huawei’s website, but before you buy, there’s a pretty nice deal you should know about first.
Read more: Huawei P8 Lite hands-on and first impressions
For the next 72 hours only, Huawei is giving interested buyers a chance to save around $200 with the purchase of a new smartphone. If you buy the new Huawei P8 Lite, Ascend Mate 2 or Snapto, the company will instantly take $50 off your entire order. Additionally, your new smartphone will come with a Net10 SIM card along with $50 of free service which includes unlimited talk, text and 3GB of high-speed data. That’s not all, though. You’ll also receive a free Huawei Bluetooth dual stereo speaker ($99.99 value) and a free snap on case for the P8 Lite if you decide to choose the company’s newest smartphone.
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Overall, that’s $200 worth of goodies that you’ll receive for free, as long as you decide to buy within the next 72 hours. If there’s any chance that you’re going to buy the P8 Lite or any other handset listed above, you may want to take advantage of this deal before it’s too late. Be sure to head to the link below if you’re interested!
NFL teams with Yahoo for first free Internet live-stream of regular-season game
The National Football League inked a deal with Yahoo to be the league’s exclusive partner to deliver the first-ever live stream of a regular-season NFL game – for free over the Internet – to users worldwide.
Under the pact, Yahoo will provide live streaming video of the NFL’s International Series game in London on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015, between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Internet-media company will offer the game on multiple properties and devices, including Yahoo, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Screen and Tumblr, which collectively reach about 1 billion users per month.
The London matchup has lower value for TV networks, given that it will air starting at 9:30 a.m. ET. Still, the move marks a new step for the NFL in finding digital distribution partners for its most-valuable content – live games.
The NFL has, through broadcasting partners including NBC and Fox, offered the Super Bowl free to Internet users in the U.S. But the Yahoo pact is the first regular-season game to be available to a national audience on a digital platform.
“Through this partnership with Yahoo – one of the world’s most recognizable digital brands – we are taking another important step in that direction as we continue to closely monitor the rapidly evolving digital media landscape,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer added, “We’re thrilled that the NFL has chosen Yahoo for this historic opportunity. It marks a significant change in the way users can access this amazing content.”
Meanwhile, the NFL will make the Bills-Jaguars game available in the teams’ local markets via CBS affiliates, televising it in Buffalo on WIVB-TV and in Jacksonville, Fla., on WTEV-TV.
Filed under: Misc
Somebody’s already making a movie about the Sony hack
Mere months after a series of red lights began flashing in Sony’s IT department, a film covering the event has already been greenlit. The Hollywood Reporter believes that a documentary about the studio-toppling event is to be helmed by the creators of Netflix’s award-winning The Square, Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer. There’s already a suggestion that the pair will discard the notion that North Korea was behind the attack, investigating the likelihood that this was, instead, an inside job. It’s slightly fortunate for the duo, who were already researching a documentary concerning cyberattacks and digital warfare. The flick is still at an early stage of production and no studio has yet to agree to distribute it, but we’d think Sony would be a receptive host — after all, they’re certainly likely to make some money out of everyone’s morbid curiosity.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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