iOS 9 will delete apps to make room for system updates
Early adopters of iOS 9 beta 2 have discovered a new feature that will temporarily delete apps from overloaded devices when there isn’t enough space to install system updates. Many users with the smaller 8GB and 16GB iPhones reportedly had difficulty fitting the last upgrade onto their mobile devices. And while iOS 9 is only a fraction of the size of iOS 8 (they’re 1.3 GB and 4.3 GB, respectively), Apple is clearly trying to nip similar complaints in the bud this time around. The new feature will of course reinstall the deleted app once the update has completed — plus, presumably, any user data that was deleted along with the app itself.
Source: MacRumors
T-Mobile readying “Un-Carrier Amped” for Thursday
On Thursday, T-Mobile has plans to debut another aggressive strategy called “Un-Carrier Ampled” to tackle the competition. The carrier has yet to detail the new strategy but T-Mobile does say that several of its existing moves will be expanded upon this week, becoming “even bigger, even better, even ballsier” than before. The amping up will take place across the few weeks.
What do you think T-Mobile’s “Un-Carrier Amped” strategy involves? Let us know in the comments.
Source: T-Mobile
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Google’s Play Music radio is now free for everyone with ad-support
Google took to its official Android blog to announce that Google Play Music radio is now free for everyone, only with ad-support. Those interested in the service were required to pay a $9.99 monthly All Access fee after a 30-day trial.
This move may come as a surprise for some, but it’s actually a great business move, considering that Apple Music is coming into the fray this fall. Google hopes that you’ll like its free, ad-based service so much, you’ll subscribe to it ad-free for $9.99/month.
Click here to view the embedded video.
The ad-supported version is available on the web, starting today. However, Android and iOS versions won’t be updated until later this week.
source: Google
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Instagram’s Explore page and search functionality get redone
Instagram’s update that arrived this afternoon does not bring any sort of overhaul to the user interface but it does include a retake on the Explore page and the app’s search functionality. Instagram made these changes to its app because there are more than 70 million photos and videos shared on its service daily. People want to see what is happening nearby and around the world in real-time. The service now curates content in the Explore page for users.
Immediate and effortless are two words that Instagram used to describe the new Explore page. The app now updates the page automatically, organized by both trending topics, locations, and tags. Selecting any of them cues a wealth of content from the Instagram’s massive user base.
The updated Explore page is only live in the United States, but Instagram will bring it to the rest of the world once the experience is perfected.
For search functionality, the service focused on offering everything in one place — people, places, and tags. There seems to have been a focus on location with the new Places Search. Type in the name of any location and Instagram will send you there on a map with top and recent posts for an rich, authentic experience.
Source: Instagram
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Tales from the Borderlands Episode 3 will make its way to Android on June 25th
Telltale Games revealed that Episode 3 of the popular Tales from the Borderlands series would be released to the masses “a few days after E3 ended”, though we weren’t exactly sure what day the game would launch. Now that E3 has wrapped up, the popular video game publisher has announced that Episode 3 will make its way to Android devices this Thursday, June 25th.
The next episode in the series, entitled “Catch a Ride”, focuses on none other than Rhys and Fiona as they continue their journey to open one of the Vaults of Pandora in hopes to score some untold riches. Here’s a brief synopsis of the third episode:
After a dizzying escape from a very-near-almost-certain-death scenario (involving statuesque buttocks), Rhys and Fiona find themselves looking for another piece of the puzzle that will lead them to the untold riches of Vault key ownership. Lost in the mysterious jungle of an Atlas terraforming facility, Fiona finds help from an unexpected mentor, Rhys continues to share brain-space with the disembodied mind of a dead dictator, and love is in the air. Pursued by the ruthless criminal ‘Queenpin’ Vallory, and with very little help from Vaughn’s accountancy skills (or stellar abs), getting anywhere near the Vault will be entirely up to you.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the series, Tales from the Borderlands features Telltale’s iconic point-and-click gameplay style, as well as quirky characters and a rich storyline. Take a look at the launch trailer for Episode 3 attached below:
Episode 3 is available from today for the Playstation 4, 3 and PC/Mac. The game will make its way to the Xbox 360 and Xbox One on Wednesday, June 24th, then to Android and iOS devices on Thursday, June 25th. It will be available via an in-app purchase, just like the other episodes in the series.
Dawn Of The Sniper hits the Play Store
Dawn Of The Sniper is an exciting new game from seasoned Canadian developer Brutal Studio. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, you will have to defend the remaining humans from incoming zombies. You do this by getting as many headshots as possible, just make sure you don’t accidentally take out the humans.
This action-packed game has all the makings of a hit. You can purchase new sniper rifles and upgrade their performance by completing objectives within each mission and also by sharing your progress to social media, rating the game, and by following the developers on social media.
Getting headshots will bring you closer to making a ‘Perfect Run,’ so train hard because anything other than a headshot will not kill the zombies quickly. To help you, the game provides a scope feature so that you can zoom in on your target. This is particularly helpful when a zombie is in the process of killing one of the precious humans. Without the scope, moving the sight is very difficult so this game takes skill.
Unlike any other game I’ve seen, Dawn Of The Sniper warns you about in-app purchases upon first opening the game. Luckily, the in-app purchases don’t seem absolutely necessary in order to do well in the game. Overall, Dawn Of The Sniper is a fun game that you should definitely try out for yourself. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.
Android Authority is now on Twitch!
It’s the year 2015 and mobile gaming is as robust and exciting as it has ever been. To be frank, most tech and gaming websites haven’t really been giving the mobile gaming platform a lot of attention. That’s going to change soon and we’re going to be a part of it.
We would like to formally announce that Android Authority is now on Twitch! There are a lot of ways to show video games to people. You can write about it with screenshots and do video reviews. However, let’s face facts, the best way to see if a video game is any good is to see it being played and that’s what we want to do.
Download the Twitch app on Google Play!
To be perfectly honest, we were going to wait to announce it until we had a few more kinks worked out. To our immense surprise, the industry as a whole is getting as excited about mobile gaming as we are and that’s great. The best way to Twitch is synonymous with the best way to game: strap in and go.
Our next stream will be starting tonight at 6:30PM EST and we’ll be playing Kingdom Rush: Origins. We’ll have a button below that goes to our official Twitch page or you can find it yourself by going to http://twitch.tv/androidauthority. If you get there early, check out the Past Broadcasts tab where you can watch our stream from yesterday where we took a look at Chaos Rings III by Square Enix.
Google X unveils wristband with medical patients in mind
Google X, the uber awesome research division of Google, has unveiled a new wristband that is built to help medical professionals keep better track of their patients. What this means is that patients, who normally are not too keen with using a plethora of devices to monitor their health, will only have to use one simple device.
The wristband does not have an official name, as Google does not plan to make this available to average consumers, but it will hopefully be a great future asset to the medical industry. The wristband will be capable of recording copious amounts of data such as pulse, heart rhythm, skin temperature, and light and noise levels. Things that our current smartwatches, with all their fancy sensors and whatnot, cant do.
“Research at Google is unique. Because so much of what we do hasn’t been done before, the lines between research and development are often very blurred. This hybrid approach allows our discoveries to affect the world, both through improving Google products and services, and through the broader advancement of scientific knowledge.“
There is still no word as to when we can expect the wristband to hit the streets, but Google is busy trying to find a manufacture and health professional to work with. Not a hard task, as Google is a mighty entity and there is sure to be a nice amount of groups that would love to test out Googles latest product. In the meantime, make sure to follow the link below for further information and to marvel at how advances our society is quickly becoming.
Source
The post Google X unveils wristband with medical patients in mind appeared first on AndroidGuys.
NASA tests sense-and-avoid system for commercial UAVs
NASA’s testing a sense-and-avoid system that will allow fully-autonomous, commercial UAVs to operate in civilian airspace. The trials are being held at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in California as part of the agency’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System (UAS-NAS) project.
“Our team is working toward solving our common goal of overcoming the challenges of integrating UAS into the National Airspace System; a topic that has increasingly proved its relevance as several industries across the country identify the need to fly UAS.” UAS-NAS project manager Laurie Grindle said of the project’s initial flight tests, held last June. “Completing these recent flight tests has brought us one more step toward accomplishing that goal.”
The first phase of the new tests will involve NASA operating its repurposed Predator drone, now named the Ikhana, that’s been equipped with the upgraded sense-and-avoid system. NASA plans to fly other aircraft along scripted routes that will stray into the Ikhana’s flight path, forcing it to either issue an alert or swerve to avoid the potential collision. “Our researchers and project engineers will be gathering a substantial amount of data to validate their pilot maneuver guidance and alerting logic that has previously been evaluated in simulations,” Heather Maliska, Armstrong’s UAS-NAS deputy project manager, said in a statement.
The second phase of the tests will take place in August. That will utilize a Beechcraft T-34 outfitted with new control and communications modules which should allow the plane to both fly itself and communicate with air traffic control without human intervention.
Source: NASA
The best of Public Access Vol. 2: Robot friends, flaming Macs and more
Last week, you took us to the dark side of customer support with your worst IT nightmares, and at least a couple of your stories felt like the opening scenes of a Sci-Fi thriller. Carl Zetie took us back to the days of minicomputer, into a medical lab where he was surrounded by radioactive material, and Ed Zitron recounted his mysterious experience with a combustible MacBook. In a more emotional, if not less dramatic retelling, Brandon Côtés shared his robotic aspirations as a child suffering from anxiety.
P.S. The homepage is coming soon! in the meantime you can check out the latest from Public Access right here. Not a member? Apply, and keep the weird alive.
Some of the best stories to come out of Public Access last week focused on either faulty gadgets or devices that were out of reach. In the week ahead, we want you to focus on the work horses of your technological arsenal. Whether you’re an Android devotee or a die-hard Apple fan, tell us about the gadgets you use most often and why you chose them. We can’t live without our daily drivers, but there are some tools (and weapons) that we hope we never have to use. Of course, that hasn’t stopped an army of nerds from outlining there post-apocalyptic fallout plans in great detail. If and when the zombie takeover robot reckoning comes, what will you do to stay alive?
I for one, will be holed up in a liquor store, gripping tight to my weapon of choice, Gin, and listening the soothing tones of Mariah Carey Unplugged until the last warm breath passes from my lips.
RECOMMENDED READING
“Running DOS and only able to display only two colors (black and light brown) it nevertheless opened up a whole new world for me. And that world went by the name of Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards.”
Read the rest of Love and PCs: 256 colors!!!!! by Alexander Hohenthaner
“I suffered from severe anxiety as a child which brought challenges to making friends-and isolation leading to depression later in life-but even as a kid, the idea of a smiling robot companion always warmed my heart and, to this day, still conjures up a hope in me of peaceful companionship without the fear of rejection. Kind of like my cat, except able to hold a conversation.”
Read the rest of I dream of robots – and a quest for curiosity by Brandon Côté
“I’ve always been around computers since I was born, and I was always getting into trouble with them. From repeatedly pressing the reset button to using up an entire colour inkjet cartridge by printing one picture repeatedly, it wasn’t too long before my parents broke down and let me have a computer of my own …”
Read the rest of A Tale of Two Pentiums by Sean Ellis
“One day, I was walking out to get something from the shops, and plugged in my laptop to charge it.
I did so, turned to put my shoes on and saw a tiny little trail of smoke rising from my laptop’s plug. This fast became a much larger, more scary plume with real fire and I immediately unplugged the cable from the wall and the laptop and for some reason threw it across the room onto the couch. I then realised the couch might get burned, ran over, and threw it onto the carpet. Once I realised that too may get burned, ignoring the fact that it was now not actually combusting, I put it in the fridge.”
Read the rest of IT nightmares: What Apple Did When My Macbook Caught Fire by Ed Zitron
“So dressed up like doomed extras from a plague movie on the SyFy channel we passed through a positive pressure airlock into a modestly sized lab that looked as computer-safe as you could possibly wish. A few of our minis sat on benches around the room, floppy disks shelved alongside them. Small, anonymous capsules about the size of a medicine bottle sat on top of the computers and disk boxes.”
Read the rest of IT nightmares: The hot zone by Carl Zetie
YOUR DOSE OF INSPIRATION
Show and Tell: Your daily drivers
Everyone has their very own, very specific technological proclivities. Whether you’re an Android devotee, an Apple fan, or Windows por vida, tell us about the gadgets you use most often and why you chose them. And don’t forget to include a photo to show off your gadget arsenal in all its glory.
File under end of days: Your post-apocalyptic fallout plan
You know you’ve thought of it. What happens when AI surpasses human intelligence and the robot reckoning is finally upon us? What happens if the Walking Dead becomes a reality? When the end-of-days comes and it’s every human for herself, what will you do to survive? Where will you go and what tools will you use to stay alive? Will you lay down and die or fight for your life? What is your post-apocalyptic fallout plan?
AIVAnet 