Airbus to build the world’s biggest satellite constellation
The OneWeb startup founded by Richard Branson’s Virgin and Qualcomm, has announced that it has awarded European aerospace giant Airbus a multi-billion dollar production contract for internet-beaming satellites. The company aims provide connectivity to underserved communities around the world through an enormous constellation of small satellites — each one only weighing about 150kg and costing under $500,000 to produce. Of the 900 units that Airbus is contracted to create, 700 of them will be launched by 2018. Once in orbit they’ll create a constellation 10 times larger than any other satellite set currently in orbit. The other 200 will be held on-planet as replacements and backups. Airbus will reportedly produce 10 initial satellites at its Toulouse manufacturing facility before moving the operation to an undisclosed American facility for the remainder of the program.
[Image Credit: Alamy]
Filed under: Science
Via: Reuters
Source: Airbus
Amazon doesn’t want states regulating courier drones
If you thought Amazon was already fighting tooth-and-nail for permission to fly delivery drones in the US, you haven’t seen anything yet. The internet shopping giant has warned a House oversight committee that states and cities “must not be allowed” to regulate unmanned aircraft that get the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval. There should be only one set of rules for airspace, purpose and qualifications, Amazon says. It’s not hard to see why the company would be nervous — it could be very tricky to run a nationwide courier drone service if some states have strict requirements or ban these services entirely.
It’s not certain how the committee will respond to the demands. With that said, Amazon is likely to keep up the pressure as long as possible. Remember how Jeff Bezos’ crew were desperate to avoid charging state sales taxes, and did so only when they had no real choice? Yeah. Amazon may well continue its struggle so long as there’s any chance of establishing a single American rulebook for robotic shipments.
Filed under: Robots, Transportation, Amazon
Source: Reuters
LG G4 will come with an extra battery and microSD card until June 30
LG announced today that they are continuing the promotion where the company is giving away an extra battery and microSD card with the purchase of an LG G4 until June 30.
Keep in mind that this promotion extension is specifically for the United States. The promotion was originally set to end on June 21.
If anything, this campaign is subtle jabs at other manufactures that have gone the way of Apple, refusing to offer support for external storage and a battery replaceable by the user.
While it’s sad to see external storage slowly become extinct on flagships, the battery issue isn’t much of a problem, considering that charging technology is getting better and better.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Either way, consumers still get to reap the rewards of LG’s campaign until June 30. Are you picking up LG’s latest flagship?
source: LG
Come comment on this article: LG G4 will come with an extra battery and microSD card until June 30
BitTorrent’s Shoot handles big file transfers between mobile devices
Sharing photographs and videos between Android, iOS, and Windows devices can be quite the hassle. Actually, even sharing those files within the same mobile operating system can be difficult. The company that aims to make the process easier with its new app, Shoot, has plenty of experience in file sharing. BitTorrent’s Shoot takes photos and video selected by the user and transforms them into a QR code. Friends, or anyone nearby, can use that QR code to download the files for themselves.
BitTorrent allows the first three sends for free and then asks for a one-time purchase of $2.99 to send anything more. Receiving, though, is always free.
Hit the break for the gallery, download links, and launch video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: BitTorrent
Come comment on this article: BitTorrent’s Shoot handles big file transfers between mobile devices
UE Roll – a round, water resistant, fun Bluetooth speaker for $99.99
I believe we can all agree UE makes some of the coolest looking portable Bluetooth speakers around. These accessories offer intricate, colorful designs and will stand out wherever you go. They are very unique, but I will have to say their latest product is likely the most interesting of the pack.
This is the UE Roll, a circular speaker that will definitely turn some heads. It measures 135 mm in diameter and 40 mm in height, so it is not exactly tiny, but small enough to carry around. Its strap helps you easily attach it to anything for easy handling. Because this is meant to be a speaker you carry around, it does offer 9 hours of battery life and Bluetooth wireless connectivity with a range of up to 65 feet.
So far my favorite feature is that you can use a couple UE Rolls together, though. Users can simply access the UE official application and team up with their friends to play music together, using both speakers simultaneously. And because the UE Roll offers 360-degree sound, the experience should be as immersive as they get.
It’s said to come with quite the sound quality, as well. We have to test it before passing judgement, but the specs sheet mentions volume raises to 85 dBA and it features a 108Hz-20kHz frequency range, which is nothing to scoff at.
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Oh, and the darn thing is waterproof! It is certified with an IPX7 rating, which means you can submerge it as deep as 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.
There is no denying the UE Roll is qute awesome, if you ask us. But as it goes with all UE speakers, this thing won’t exactly be cheap. It is priced at $99.99 and you can buy it straight from the Ultimate Ears website right now. It will also come to other retailers this month in the USA, Europe and Asia.
Who is buying?
Nissan turns old electric car batteries into fixed energy storage
Mercedes and Tesla aren’t the only electric car makers giving their batteries something to do besides getting you from A to B. Nissan is teaming up with Green Charge Networks to repurpose “second-life” (read: used) batteries from Leaf EVs as commercial energy storage. Much like the batteries you can buy for your home, the lithium-ion packs will help offices save money (and ideally, the environment) by storing cheap energy. Companies can charge up overnight to avoid painful peak electricity rates, for instance, or reserve power from solar and wind farms that would otherwise go to waste. The Leaf-based tech will see its first use at one of Nissan’s own facilities this summer, but we’d expect it to spread to other businesses in short order.
Filed under: Misc, Household, Transportation
Source: Nissan, Green Charge Networks
Cortana for Android beta set to launch in July
Microsoft earlier announced that its digital assistant, Cortana, would be coming to Android and iOS platforms. Now, the Redmond-based company has revealed a timeline for when the Cortana beta for Android will begin.
In July, Microsoft will launch the Cortana digital assistant beta for Android. But, we’re not exactly sure when in July, though we’re leaning towards the day when the company officially launches its Windows 10 operating system on July 29.
Keep in mind that the digital assistant won’t have nearly as many features as it does on Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10. Aside from that, and similar to the Hound digital assistant, probably the most impressive thing about Cortana is being able to talk to the digital assistant in natural language over weird technical commands. Microsoft says:
“On your Android phone you can ask Cortana to remind you to walk the dog at 8pm in the evening, and then when you’re watching a movie your Xbox will interrupt playback to let you know it’s time to take the dog out.”
Microsoft is working hard to focus on Windows 10 as a service, and the quote above demonstrates that its trying to accomplish that across all of its services, even on products it doesn’t own, such as Android and iOS.
Are you trying out the Cortana beta come July? I know I am. Sound off in the comments!
source: Microsoft
Come comment on this article: Cortana for Android beta set to launch in July
Square Enix announces Lara Croft GO, launching later this year
Square Enix announced adventure puzzler Lara Croft GO today at E3 2015. Mobile seems to have taken the stage at E3 this year, and Lara Croft GO seems to be just as impressive as all the other titles we’ve seen come to fruition.
Interestingly enough, Lara Croft GO takes on a similar naming convention as Square Enix’s hit game, Hitman GO, which launched last year around this time.
We haven’t seen much gameplay just yet, but graphics seem to be impressive, which has been evident in most mobile titles announced at E3 this time around.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Square Enix hasn’t revealed any exact details about availability and pricing yet, but you can probably expect to shell out a couple bucks. As for a launch date, you can expect to see this turn-based puzzler later this year.
Be sure to check out the rest of our E3 2015 content here.
source: Square Enix
Come comment on this article: Square Enix announces Lara Croft GO, launching later this year
Apple Watch Now Available for Purchase in Apple Retail Stores in Australia
We reported this morning that Apple Watch shipments had begun arriving at Apple Stores in the United States ahead of the imminent launch of in-store availability, and it now appears that in-stores sales of the Apple Watch will indeed begin tomorrow, on June 17.
It’s now after 10:00 a.m. on June 17 in some parts of Australia, and Apple Stores in the country have begun offering in-store Apple Watch reservations and pickups. In the Australian online Apple Store, when selecting a watch, there’s now an option that says “Interested in buying in-store?” with a link that allows buyers to check reservation availability.
After choosing to select a reservation, there’s a drop down menu that shows nearby Apple Stores, letting users see whether a particular Apple Watch is in stock. If a watch is in stock, the site displays a green checkmark and the next available reservation time. Making a reservation requires a phone number to be entered, allowing Apple to text a unique registration code. After receiving a code, buyers have 30 minutes to complete a reservation.
Apple Watches that are not in stock are listed as unavailable for in-store pick-up, with Apple providing instructions to check stock levels again at 8:00 a.m. each morning, when inventory for the day is updated.
With the Apple Watch now available in-store in Australia, it’s likely that all first wave launch countries will be seeing in-store sales starting as June 17 rolls around in each location. The reservation process will likely be the same as the process that’s currently available in Australia, so potential Apple Watch buyers in the United States should check stock levels right at 8:00 a.m. local time.
Stock levels of each watch remain unclear, but in Australia, many stores appear to have a mix of Sport and Stainless Steel Apple Watches available. Many of the more limited Apple Watches, including those in Space Gray and Space Black, are not currently available, nor are those with limited bands like the Modern Buckle and the Link Bracelet. It’s likely that stock levels in the United States will be similar.
(Thanks, Ian!)
CloudPlayer can play your music straight from Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive
Still on the search for the perfect cloud music streaming service? The new DoubleTwist app CloudPlayer may be the right one for many of you. At least I know I fell in love with it right away, as it’s not really a cloud service in and of itself. It harnesses the power of other cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive to bring one of the most flexible and full-featured music apps around.
As its name entails, CloudPlayer allows you to play music straight from the cloud. It just needs to access one or more of the services mentioned above and scan your library. I downloaded it and it’s crazy easy. I was literally up and running in like a minute, with all my music ready to play.
The feature to sync with your cloud storage service definitely closes the deal, but CloudPlayer is not going to stop surprising us there. I meant it when I said this is one of the most flexible and full-featured music apps out there. CloudPlayer supports both Chromecast and AirPlay. It can also play your high-quality tunes, as it is compatible with FLAC and ALAC. It’s all DRM-free and DropBox users can grant music library access to one family member. You can even download the cache for your music and play it offline!
I can’t think of a music application that doesn’t fall behind when compared to CloudPlayer… at least in terms of cloud features and wireless support. In fact, I will start using it over Google Play Music. I am a huge Google Drive fan and pretty much my whole PC is synced to it. There’s really no need to upload my music to both Google Play Music and Google Drive. In fact, I never knew why Google needs to keep them separated.
If you are like me, there’s no need to worry anymore. CloudPlayer is one hell of an app!
So the service is great, but what about the app?
I have not been using this app for an extended period of time, so I can’t give you an elaborated opinion just yet. What I can tell you is that I have encountered no issues so far. It is also super easy to navigate and understand. Simply slide your menu out from the left and all your categories will be there. From here you can also opt to turn off online access to save data, after which only your local and downloaded songs will show up.
There’s also a search button to find your music and albums are displayed with well-sized icons. It manages to look good and stay simple. That’s all an app needs in order to be a winner by my book.
Access the settings and you can sync/scan your cloud services, choose album art settings, reset the app and more.
Price?!
To good to be true? Well, it would be if the app was completely free… but it’s not. You can download it and test its premium features for 7 days, but access will be limited after that trial period. DoubleTwist is charging $4.99 to unlock premium features like cloud streaming, an awesome equalizer and Chromecast/Airplay support. Then again, these are really the features that make CloudPlayer stand out, so if you are signing up you should pay up.
It’s definitely no cheap application, but I can’t think of a better way to spend $4.99 right now. Are you guys as excited about CloudPlayer as me? Hit the comments and let us know how you feel about it!
AIVAnet 
