We’re on Periscope! Follow us for live Android goodness
Hey, are you on Periscope? All the cool kids are. And you’re reading Android Authority, so you’re probably one of the coolest kids around. Come join us!
Wait, what is Periscope exactly?
Let’s back up a little. Android Authority is now on Periscope. But what is Periscope? It’s a service owned by Twitter that lets you broadcast video (with sound) in real time. Just whip out your device, fire the app up, and start broadcasting anything. It’s a very simple, but incredibly powerful concept.
Just think about it: we all carry around high-quality cameras and have access to fast wireless connections. The capabilities of an entire TV crew from a couple decades ago are now at your fingertips. It’s up to you how you use them. From citizen journalism, to the exploits of your cats, you can broadcast anything, live and with zero effort. That’s empowering.
Where do I sign up?
Okay, if you want to give it a try, you can install Periscope for free from the Play Store. You can use your Twitter account (or sign up for a new one). From there, it’s easy. You’ll see a list of live feeds from the people you follow (if there are any at the moment), some global feeds, and some suggested contacts.
Starting a broadcast is as simple as tapping the red action button on the lower right side. Don’t worry, you can decide exactly when to start casting and whether to make the cast private or public.
Whom should I follow?
Glad you asked 
Follow Android Authority, your source for all things Android.
- @AndroidAuthority
And follow the personal accounts of (some of) our team members, Android heads and all around great guys:
- Jayce: @jayce_broda
- Gary: @garysims
- Josh: @joshsalutes
- Nirave: @nirave
- Joe: @ThatJoeHindy
- Lanh: @LanhNguyen1
- Jimmy: @jimmywestenberg
- Bailey: @bstein
What will you broadcast?
All Android, all the time! Here are some of the things you can expect to see in our live broadcasts.
- Device unboxings
- First impressions
- Q&A’s
- Live event broadcasts (IFA, MWC, Google I/O, etc.)
- Other Android goodness
That sounds cool. I’m in!
Glad to hear it. Feel free to comment on our broadcasts or just “heart” them. You can also hear from us on YouTube, Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, Vine, and Twitch! See you soon.
Ford gets serious with self-driving and 3D printing tech
Ford’s new Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto must be doing well. The autonomous driving technologies the company’s been developing in the facility, which are all part of its “Smart Mobility” plan announced at CES this year, are entering advanced engineering and implementation phase. For starters, the company will work on making its sensing and computing technology viable for actual use. It will also bring Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection that’s already loaded on Ford Mondeos in Europe to a Ford vehicle in the US by next year. More importantly, the Detroit-based automaker plans to install driver assist technologies across its product lineup within the next five years. Those technologies include park assist, lane-departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
In the manufacturing side of things, Ford has partnered with Carbon3D, a startup from Redwood City, which developed an impressively fast 3D-printing technique. As we reported in the past, solid objects can emerge from a pool of resin within minutes using the Terminator-inspired method. According to Ford Group VP Raj Nair, Carbon3D’s technology will allow the company “to quickly create automotive-grade parts for product design prototypes.” But from the sound of it, the automaker’s also considering 3D printing production parts in the future.
The automaker has software news to share, as well: first, it’s following in the footsteps of its peers and bringing its app to smartwatches. It’s already confirmed the application for Android Wear, but there’s no word yet on whether it’ll be available for the Apple Watch. Second, the company has announced that it’s launching its SYNC 3 entertainment system with conversational voice recognition and sensitive touchscreen in North America on the 2016 Ford Escape, Fiesta, F-150, Mustang and Transit.
Ford, by the way, has also officially launched the 2016 F-150 truck at its Further with Ford event in Palo Alto. In addition to SYNC 3, the truck comes with pro-trailer backup assist to make it easier to navigate into narrow parking spots. Finally, the automaker has introduced its new split-view camera feature, which allows drivers to see around corners.
Filed under: Transportation
SEC investigates financial hackers attacking biotech firms
The Securities and Exchange Commission doesn’t usually investigate cyberattacks, but it’s making an exception this time to hunt for a group of hackers known as FIN4. The group reportedly breaks into companies’ email accounts to find corporate secrets and info, such as mergers, that can be used to game the stock market. According to Reuters, the agency has asked at least eight companies for detailed accounts of the security breach they experienced in the past few years in an effort to find the suspects. Security company FireEye Inc. first published a report about the hackers back in 2014, where it revealed some of the tricks they used to steal info. One of them is phishing for executives’ and lawyers’ log-in credentials through fake Microsoft Outlook home pages. They also use confidential info they dig up to persuade market insiders to divulge more secrets.
FireEye manager Laura Galante clarified that it wasn’t their phishing method that made the hackers a serious threat, though. “What was insidiously brilliant,” she said, “was that they could inject themselves into email threads and keep gleaning information. They really knew their audience.” FIN4 has reportedly been around since 2013 and has targeted over 100 companies thus far, 60 of which belong to the medical, biotech and healthcare fields. These markets tend to fluctuate rapidly, so anyone who knows the latest acquisition, new product announcements and the like could earn some serious dough — if they play their cards right.
That and the fact that the hackers seem to be fluent in English are the reasons why FireEye believes the team is based in the US or in Europe. The members must have a deep understanding of how the markets work in those locations, otherwise any info they steal is useless… unless they sell it to someone else.
[Image credit: Alamy]
Filed under: Misc
Source: Reuters
UK Apple Pay transactions won’t be limited forever
When Apple finally confirmed it was launching Apple Pay in the UK, questions over how it would operate immediately surfaced. Between supporting banks and retailers, it became clear that transactions will be capped at £20, the same limit that contactless bank cards enjoy, putting a downer on people’s plans to use Apple’s NFC payment service for a weekly shop. After staying relatively quiet since the launch, Apple has finally spoken about the matter, launching a new FAQ to clear up what exactly will happen when the July launch rolls around.
As we know, Apple Pay will work with the contactless terminals used by thousands of retailers all over the UK. That means the large majority customers will be forced to stay under the £20 limit, which rises to £30 in September, if their iPhone or Apple Watch comes into contact with an older machine. Apple Pay is built to work beyond those limits, it’s just that not all retailers will have upgraded their hardware to support a technology known as “Consumer Device Cardholder Verification Method”.
If a shop has this payment processor in place, it’s as simple as holding your iPhone or smartwatch to a contactless terminal and using Touch ID to authenticate the transaction. Despite being ahead of the US for so long in terms of contactless payments, it’s going to take a while for UK retailers reach parity with their American counterparts. However, it’s very likely that some of Apple’s launch partners will have already taken those steps, ensuring you can buy a coffee, send some letters or grab a cheeky Nando’s without worrying about whether it comes in under the limit.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9to5mac
Source: Apple
#ICYMI: A cockroach robot, new half-boat drones and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: The tiny robot that’s modeled after cockroaches because science is disgusting; the family-friendly tech gadget to teach your two-year-old to call her grandma, if only you didn’t have to install the corresponding app on your Mom’s phone; and Parrot’s new drones include a hydrofoil option, for the sailors who know how cool that is. (If you don’t, check out this physics explainer for how a hydrofoil gives speed and rad points.)
From the cutting room floor: We wanted to do a story on Instagram revamping its app to let you more easily follow trends just so I could do a fakecation visual joke– but a producer voted me down. Is it so wrong that I long to be on a beach with a giant pineapple drink, even if it’s Photoshopped?
Let the team at Engadget know about any interesting stories or videos that you stumble across by using the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Misc, Peripherals, Robots, Tablets, Transportation, Science, Internet
Cheero Ingress Power Cube review
Battery life is a big problem when it comes to our devices. We use them a lot and, as a result, our devices don’t last very long, sometimes dying as early as noon day. Most of the time we’re lucky enough to be only a few feet away from an outlet, but what about the time where we’re not and it’s imperative to have our smartphones on?
That’s where portable battery chargers come in, and Cheero’s Ingress Power Cube seems like a perfect fit. Not only does it have a small form factor for splendid portability, but it has enough juice to charge your smartphone from dead to full four times over, depending on how big the battery is on your smartphone. And that’s just a small part of what this charger is capable of.
I can guarantee that you’ve never seen anything like the Ingress Power Cube.
Design
The design is where the Power Cube excels. It takes on a wicked Ingress theme, which is an augmented reality game from Google’s Niantic Labs.
On the front of the device, there are two USB ports — a 1amp and a 2.1amp solution. Next to the USB ports is a micro-USB input port for charging the portable battery. On the left hand side is the power button to turn the Power Cube’s charging on or off. You’ll know when it’s on because the whole top of the device will light up.
Next to the power button is a small radio button, allowing you to switch between colors while the Power Cube is powered on. On top of the device you’ll see an Ingress logo that illuminates when powered on. There is an indicator on the bottom right showing you how much juice is left in the Power Cube.
While the device is very well crafted, I’m scared of even dropping it because I know it will bust into pieces. It looks gorgeous, it feels nice in the hand, but you can tell durability isn’t the Power Cube’s forte. That’s especially a concern for Ingress players who are out and about with it trying to keep their devices charged while they fight for the Enlightened. And that is the crowd Cheero is targeting, so it is a slight concern, but nothing to worry about in standard use.
Portability
Portability is another area the Power Cube excels at. It’s small enough where it can fit in your backpack or car without taking up much space or being noticeable. It can also fit in your pocket comfortably and easily, which is handy if you’re ever out playing Ingress and need to charge up your smartphone on the fly.
Battery
Here’s where we get to crux of this device. The Ingress Power Cube has a 12,000mAh battery packed inside, which could potentially give you up to four charges from 0% to 100%. That figure highly depends on how big the battery is in your smartphone or tablet.
Either way, it should most certainly give you enough power to get through the day, and in most cases, it doesn’t take very long to charge your device from dead to full. Using the 2.1amp port, I was able to go from dead to full in a little over an hour. If you’re in a rush, and only have a half-hour to throw your device on the wire, it should bring you to 50% no problem. And with it’s excellent portability, you can easily charge in the car on the way to a meeting.
The big downside is that if you’re charging two devices at a time, one out of the 1amp port and another out of the 2.1amp port, the Ingress Power Cube will begin to overheat and turn itself off after just a few minutes. In other words, you’re locked into using only a single port for charging, which is a huge disappointment if you own multiple devices.
Conclusion
The price is actually really good for the quality you’re getting. At $43.99 from Cheero on Amazon, you’re getting a decent portable charger with a gorgeous design.
The only real big disappointment with the charger is not being able to charge two devices at the same time. But, unless you absolutely the need to be able to do that, I wouldn’t let that minor flaw stop you from picking up the Ingress Power Cube.
If anything, it’s a gorgeous charger, and it’s nice to have on-hand in case you’re just not able to get to an outlet before your device dies or need those on-the-go charging capabilities.
Come comment on this article: Cheero Ingress Power Cube review
Apple Music Lands Over 20,000 Indie Labels as Beggars Group and Merlin Sign Deal
Apple Music has signed two major indie music rights holders Beggars Group and Merlin Network, which represent over 20,000 indie labels and distributors, reports Billboard. The licensing agencies agreed to sign up for Apple Music after Apple changed course and agreed to pay artists on a per-stream basis during the streaming music service’s three-month trial period.
“I am pleased to say that Apple has made a decision to pay for all usage of Apple Music under the free trials on a per-play basis, as well as to modify a number of other terms that members had been communicating directly with Apple about,” said Merlin CEO Charles Caldas. “With these changes, we are happy to support the deal.”
Beggars Group is a British company that distributes labels 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records and XL Recordings among others, representing artists such as Adele, Arcade Fire and Radiohead, and helping along the careers of Basement Jaxx, M.I.A, The Prodigy and others. Merlin is an aggregator of several smaller labels that have represented music groups such as The xx.
Billboard obtained a copy of the full Apple Music letter sent to Merlin Network members:
Dear Merlin Member
I am pleased to say that Apple has made a decision to pay for all usage of Apple Music under the free trials on a per-play basis, as well as to modify a number of other terms that members had been communicating directly with Apple about. With these changes, we are happy to support the deal.
As you know Merlin has not historically had a direct contract with Apple. Apple has direct deals with our members, and that continues to be the case. Therefore, the amendments referred to above will apply to your existing direct agreements, and the amended contract will shortly appear on iTunes Connect. However, Apple has indicated that in the future they are open to engaging with Merlin as a central point of communication and negotiation for our membership.
Apple has a long standing, deep rooted relationship with the music community and has always helped ensure artists get paid for their work. We think Apple Music provides artists with a business model that’s good for the long term and we look forward to its launch on June 30.
We would remind you as ever that each member must make its own independent decisions in relation to Apple Music and its business in general.
Apple Music has also been endorsed by independent music advocate group Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), an agreement reached just hours after the Beggars Group and Merlin deals, according to Billboard. WIN was established in 2006 to address the business, creative and market access issues faced by indie artists and the larger independent music sector.
Android 5.1 firmware leaks for the HTC One M9
While Samsung has been hot on updating its latest flagship smartphones to Android 5.1 Lollipop, we’re still waiting on an update for the HTC One M9. However, it looks like one is likely on the way soon, as and the first custom ROM using new firmware is already available for download.
The ROM comes courtesy of developer LlabtooFeR and is based on the 2.7.401.1 firmware for the One M9, giving us a sneak peak at what we can expect come an official update.
So what’s new? Well, there’s a new native display color control to start with, which allows users to adjust the color temperate of the display, if they so wish. Android’s multi-user support also makes its way over with Android 5.1 and there are several UI changes. You can spot the Do Not Disturb mode and use of alarms in the screenshots below, which also now appear alongside the regular volume slider. There are also some new animations throughout Sense 7.
Of course, being a custom ROM means that One M9 users will need to have an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery installed on their handset before they can test out the firmware. Additionally, the developer notes that the ROM is only meant for One M9 devices with S-OFF.
You can grab the download link and find instructions in the source link below. Given the Android 5.1 firmware leak, an official update from HTC shouldn’t be too far away.
Amazon makes it more expensive to get people to do stuff for you
Mechanical Turk, Amazon’s “human intelligence task” marketplace is about to get slightly more expensive. For the first time since 2005, the company is going to increase the cut it takes from each transaction, upping the figure from 10 to 20 percent. Amazon is justifying the change by saying that it’ll use the extra cash that it raises to improve the service to the benefit of both requesters and workers. It’s probably not going to go down too well with “Mechanical Turks” based in countries like India, who are effectively seeing their wages drop by 10 percent. As the Wall Street Journal reports, there’s also plenty of consternation from one of the site’s biggest customers: university researchers.
If you’re unfamiliar with the premise, Mechanical Turk is a marketplace for small jobs that can’t be done by a computer. For instance, you can get a person to describe the contents of a thousand images, verify the quality of a local map or write thousands of fraudulent reviews to boost the profile of your product — paying just a few cents for each one. This has come in useful when computers have difficulty batch-processing data as well as in academic studies where they need information from hundreds of people at a time. Unfortunately, these tasks are going to be hit even harder since tasks involving 10 or more people will be subject to an additional 20 percent commission. The changes will take effect on July 22nd, so if you’ve been putting off that transcription task, you’d probably better get started sooner rather than later.
Filed under: Amazon
Via: WSJ
Source: Mechanical Turk, Amazon Pricing
Climb ‘El Capitan’ with Google’s first vertical Street View
Google has taken us to some high places before, but it just gave Street View users a climber’s-eye-view of a sheer cliff for the first time. Amusingly, it chose to kick off the project at Yosemite’s “El Capitan” rock face, which, if you’ll recall, is the name of arch-rival Apple’s latest OS X version. We doubt it was a ‘dig,’ however, since the vertical 3,000 foot formation is the most famous rock climbing site in the US. To get the images, Google partnered with with Lynn Hill (the first person to free-climb El Capitan’s treacherous “Nose”), speed-climbing champ Alex Honnold and Tony Caldwell, who recently conquered the brutal “Dawn Wall.”
After figuring out how to wrangle the cameras up the hill, the group created several different Street View routes. The first one features multi-view images of all the climbers situated on famous spots on the the cliff face. Another shows the entire vertical route of the Nose, after Honnold “pretty much ran 3,000 feet up with photographer partner Brett Lowell.” Other views were taken by Caldwell on the ultra-challenging “Dawn” wall when he was figuring out how to rig Google’s camera equipment.
Finally, the group created the Yosemite Treks page, letting you work your way 3,000 feet up El Capitan’s nose and see the sights along the way. There’s also climbing information and tips about “hand jams” and other info from all the experts. I gave it a spin myself, and the spectacular, vertigo-inducing images are some of the best I’ve seen on Street View. To check it yourself, start here.
Source: Google
AIVAnet 