Microsoft Research project uses drones to track emerging diseases
Mosquitoes are the worst — but they could also be the key to giving us a heads up about emerging diseases before they become full-blown outbreaks. That’s the focus of Microsoft Research’s “Project Premonition,” which aims to trap mosquitos and analyze their genomes to see the diseases they’re carrying. And while that concept isn’t exactly new, the method of doing so certainly is: Microsoft is using drones to autonomously identify ideal locations for mosquito traps, as well as placing and retrieving them. After that, the mosquitos will be sequenced and their massive amounts of metagenomic data will be sorted with cloud computing. The hope? To find new strains of pathogens before they begin wreaking havoc, which will help us to prepare for potential outbreaks and maybe even develop cures.
“We envision a worldwide system for collection and genomic analysis of mosquitoes, capable of detecting potential pathogens and their geographic spread, before they cause disease in the human population,” Microsoft Research’s Ethan Jackson wrote in a blog post. So far, the Project Premonition team has tested its concept in the Caribbean island of Grenada, but it’ll be interesting to see what sorts of insights they’ll find once it’s deployed further.
Source: Microsoft Research, Project Premonition
iOS 8.4 is coming, will protect against the ‘shutdown bug’
Apple began distributing fourth beta of iOS 8.4 to its developers on Wednesday that includes a permanent solution to the recently discovered “shutdown bug.” This programming glitch causes an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to automatically reboot when a string of mixed alphanumeric and arabic characters are texted to the device. And since the issue revolves around how iOS’ banner notifications handle unicode, the bug also affects third party messaging apps like Snapchat and Twitter. iOS 8.4 is expected to be out of beta and available to the general public by the end of the month, likely just before the release of Apple Music on June 30th. Until then, users can refer to this Apple Support document for a temporary workaround.
[Image Credit: Getty]
Filed under: Tablets, Internet, Mobile, Apple
Via: MacRumors
Source: Apple
Sharp first 4K Android TV lineup now available to buy
Originally announced at CES 2015, Sharp is bringing its first five 4K Android TVs to the market, ranging from 60-inches to 80-inches. This makes Sharp and Sony to be some of the first to bring fully-fledged Android TVs to the market. But, they certainly aren’t cheap.
Sharp’s Android TV sets start at $2,099.99 and top out at about $6,299.99. However, Sharp says that they’ll be a bit less in-store, with its most expensive probably maxing out at about $5,000, making the TV about $1,300 cheaper than its posted price point.
These TV packages are part of Sharp’s UE30 product line, 60-inch, 70-inch, and 80-inch sets in it. Sharp’s top tier line, UH30, will have 70-inch and 80-inch sets, which is said to feature more vivid and rich colors than its other TVs. Of course, these are the more expensive of the two.
As a cheaper solution, Sharp is also introducing four other 4K Smart TV’s, starting with a 43-inch option priced at $599. When you consider that you can get an Android TV box for as low as $70, that’s a cheap, but quality solution to get a fully-functioning Android TV going.
Phillips is said to bring only fully-fledged Android TV’s to its 2015 product line at some point this year, too.
Sharp dropping the price of its 4K TV’s are certainly making the technology more affordable. And soon enough, 4K TV’s will be just as popular as 1080p HD TV’s are today. But, now we need 4K content readily available over just a select few titles. And then there’s Sharp’s 8K prototype. When will we see content for that? It’s a long way off.
source: The Verge
Come comment on this article: Sharp first 4K Android TV lineup now available to buy
ResearchKit Now Available for iPad [iOS Blog]
Apple has released an updated version of ResearchKit with iPad support and several other new features for developers. ResearchKit 1.1 includes improved slider support, new active tasks, bug fixes, style improvements and more, with some of the changes briefly discussed during Apple’s recent What’s New in Cocoa Touch session at WWDC this week. The full changelog is listed below.
Today we’re happy to announce that we’ve tagged a new stable release of ResearchKit, version 1.1. This new version includes multiple significant contributions:
Audiometry active task (Shazino SAS) Reaction time active task (James Cox) Navigable Ordered Task (Ricardo Sánchez-Sáez) iPad support (Ricardo Sánchez-Sáez, Bruce Duncan, and others) Image Capture step (Bruce Duncan) Improved slider support (various contributors) Plus various bug fixes and style improvements Over the past few weeks these changes have had additional review for accessibility, and have been localized to all the languages iOS supports.
ResearchKit is a software framework that enables researchers and developers to create apps for iOS users to participate in medical studies. Given that ResearchKit is open source, many of the changes made in the latest version were contributed by third-party developers not employed by Apple. A commit list for the ResearchKit 1.1 update is available for developers on GitHub.
(Thanks, Ricardo!)
iOS 9 Files Hint at Front-Facing Camera Improvements With 1080p Video Support and Flash
Code hidden within iOS 9 files hints at upcoming iPhone improvements, suggesting Apple could potentially be planning to introduce a front-facing camera with flash support, the ability to capture 1080p video, and several rear-facing camera capabilities, like Panorama and Slo-Mo modes.
“CAMCaptureCapabilities” files in iOS 9 discovered by developer Hamza Sood have file names like “[CAMCaptureCapabilities isFront1080p120Supported],” which seems to refer to the front-facing camera on the iPhone. At the current time, the front-facing “FaceTime” camera is able to capture 1.2-megapixel photos and record 720p HD video.
There’s no indication that these particular file names reflect Apple’s upcoming plans for the front-facing camera, but it’s possible that these are improvements we may see in the future. The front-facing camera has always lagged behind the rear-facing camera in order to save space, but with the increasing popularity of “selfies,” Apple may choose to introduce some major upgrades to the front-facing camera in the future.
Rumors have suggested that the rear-facing camera will be gaining some major improvements with the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, so it’s a reasonable assumption that the front-facing camera may also see improvements at the same time. There have been hints suggesting the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus could see the biggest camera jump Apple’s ever introduced, adopting near-DSLR image quality.
Apple did recently acquire a company that specializes in dual-sensor cameras that produce better images and are capable of capturing 3D imagery, but it is not known if that technology will make it into the new iPhones. Apple is expected to introduce the two new devices in the fall, perhaps in mid-September, based on past release timelines.
Last chance to win a fresh device, Choose Your Own Premium Android Giveaway
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Check this deal out, and many others at deals.androidguys.com!
The post Last chance to win a fresh device, Choose Your Own Premium Android Giveaway appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Motorola acknowledges they need to improve Moto X camera
It is pretty well known that the camera has never been a strong suit of the Moto X. The significant 13 MP camera upgrade on the 2014 Moto X promoted lots of promise, but in practice it simply could not keep with the competition. It was haunted by hit or miss image quality, frustrating autofocus, and low-light struggles. And that cool-looking dual LED ring diffuser flash did not end up adding any value.
Turns out that we’re not being unfair with this negative speak either. On Twitter recently, Motorola’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Adrienne Hayes, responded to a question about the focus on the camera for future devices. Her response was “We know we need to improve here and are definitely going to ‘bring it.””
She was also asked if Motorola is planning to bring advanced manual camera controls in the future. Hayes replied with “We absolutely can and we absolutely will this year. Stay tuned!”
I’m glad to hear the priority and confidence going into the next Moto X camera. The 2014 Moto X was one of the best offerings last year, with great specs, a $500 price tag, and unique customization with Moto Maker. Sounds like Motorola is gunning for that top spot in 2015.
Are you likely to move over to a Moto X if it has a fantastic camera?
The post Motorola acknowledges they need to improve Moto X camera appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moto X (1st Gen) to receive Android 5.1 update
Owners of the original Moto X (2013) can now rejoice, as they will be receiving an Android 5.1 update soon. Motorola’s Senior Director of Software Product Management, David Schuster has announced in a Google+ post a few hours back, that they have started the Moto X (1st Gen.) Android 5.1 soak test in France and Germany with more deployment next week is its successful.
Schuster also stated that :
“In addition, we have addressed an issue we found in a previous soak test and should start full soak testing in the US and Brazil for retail later this week. If all goes well, full deployment can happen the following week.”
The talks about Moto X (2013) receiving an Android 5.1 update has been in the air for quite some time now. If everything goes out as planned then Moto X (2013) will soon be in a for a sweet lollipop treat. There is not much improvement in 5.1 over 5.0.2 , but who doesn’t like to have the latest software update on their devices?
Carrier locked variants of the device will receive the update a bit later than the unlocked versions but Schuster has promised that all devices will receive the update.
Do you own a Moto X(1st Gen.) device? Have you flashed your device or are you still waiting for the OTA? Let us know in the comments below.
The post Moto X (1st Gen) to receive Android 5.1 update appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sharp’s first Android TV-powered 4K televisions are now available for purchase
Sharp first announced its new line of Android TV-powered 4K televisions back at CES 2015, and it looks like the sets are finally making their way to retail stores. The televisions come in five different sizes from 60-inches to 80-inches, and are part of the company’s UE30 and UH30 lines. While the original press release states that the sets will sell between $1,999.99 and $5,999.99, Sharp suggests that retail stores may sell them at a slightly cheaper price point.
The UH30 is Sharp’s top-of-the-line series that boasts more ports, more vibrant colors and a touchpad remote control. These TVs are available in both 70 and 80-inch variants. The UE30 series is still extremely premium and feature 60, 70 and 80-inch variants. If you’d like a full list of specifications, head to this page.
Google’s Android TV platform is still very new, though it’s still a solid platform that will help you consume media much more easily. There are certainly other options that you should go with if you’re looking to use Android TV, like Sony’s 2015 Bravia series or even the Nvidia Shield Android TV set-top box. However, if you’re in the market for a super high-end television, you could certainly do much worse than Sharp’s new offerings.
Amazon hopes to mend its image by backing a giant solar farm
Amazon has a reputation problem. While fellow tech giants like Apple and Yahoo are considered champions of clean energy, Greenpeace and other advocacy groups regularly knock Amazon for running its servers on dirty power (like coal) and saying little about its renewable energy plans. The company is about to burnish its image in a big way, however — it just announced that it will support the construction of an 80MW solar farm in Virginia, the largest ever in the state. The eco-friendly plant will supply Amazon Web Services data centers (both present and future) on top of the local grid, so your favorite app or website might run on pollution-free computing when the farm is ready around October 2016.
Of course, this isn’t the end game for Amazon’s greening efforts. About 25 percent of AWS’ power comes from renewable sources as of April, and the solar plant will help kick that up to 40 percent by the end of next year. The challenge is simply that some of Amazon’s tech rivals are well ahead — it’ll still appear behind the curve until it’s either depending entirely on renewable power (the ultimate goal) or picks up the pace.
[Image credit: AP Photo/John Raoux]
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Amazon
Source: Amazon (1), (2)
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