UK Post Office launches its own PAYG SIMs
UK customers are quite spoilt for choice when it comes to mobile networks and another player has just entered the ring, looking to carve itself out a piece of the market. The not long privatized Post Office has launched a pay-as-you-go SIM that aims offer cheaper calls and texts than some of its competitors.
Calls to UK landline and mobile numbers, regardless of network, are locked at 8p per minute. This is pretty reasonable, but isn’t necessarily the cheapest deal available in the UK. Text messages cost 10p each, while MMS costs 40p and international texts are set at 24p.
Data is also priced in the same region, costing 10p per MB. Unfortunately there is no support for 4G data with the Post Office’s SIM. This is quite surprising considering that it runs on EE’s network, which has most of the UK covered for 4G.
If you’re not a fan of paying per unit, the Post Office is also offering a selection of renewable 30 day rolling bundles. These bundles range from £5 for 250 minutes, 3000 texts and 500MB of data, all the way up to 1000 minutes, 3000 texts and 5GB of data for £20.
This isn’t the first new network to have cropped up in the UK recently. High-street retailer Carphone Warehouse now has its own low cost iD Network, which offers plans starting at just £7.50 per month with 4G networking included. The free to use FreedomPop network, which is already live in the US, is also heading to the UK in the near future, which will offer users 200MB of data, 200 texts and 200 minutes at no cost.
If you’re tempted, you can order your free Post Office SIM card online.
Hands-on with YouTube Gaming at E3 2015
Amazon-owned Twitch may dominate the market right now, but Google wants in on the gaming video action. Enter YouTube Gaming, the gaming video service launching later this summer, that we were able to try out on Day 3 of the E3 2015 show in Los Angeles.
We tested a “dogfood” (pre-release) version of YouTube Gaming on a Nexus 6, and straight from the beginning we could see it’s clearly distinct (with some resemblances) from the omnipresent YouTube. Visually, the Material Design UI features a black and orange color scheme, with a search bar at the top, a carousel showing featured content, a menu bar with links to games, channels, and feeds, and a list of current videos at the bottom.
Opening up a video reveals a tabbed interface with details, comments, and suggested content. You can also browse content by game, in which case you can see reviews, Let’s Play videos, a description of the game, popular content, and an Explore section. Or, you can follow your favorite gaming channels, including all the big popular ones, like PewDiePie, and thousands others.
Like on YouTube, there will be ads for monetization – we spotted a 15 second un-skippable ad playing before the beginning of a live feed video, though there will probably be other kinds of ads as well.
Google plans to release YouTube Gaming apps across major platforms, both for content creators and for users. Besides the Android app, we took a brief look at the desktop version of the YouTube Gaming web app running on a Chromebook, and we were really impressed with its fresh and fluid interface that was reminiscent of the Play Store design.
Users stand to win when two strong players go head to head, and from what we’ve seen so far, it looks like YouTube Gaming will be able to mount a serious assault on the reigning Twitch. Let us know your thoughts and stay tuned for more content from E3 2015!
Here are our impressions of Unkilled from Madfinger Games at E3 2015
In the final day of the gaming extravaganza known as Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3, we picked up our gear, loaded the shotgun, and started blasting our way through the zombie-infected alleys of a post-apocalyptic NYC.
Coming from Madfinger Games, the Czech developer known for the popular Dead Trigger and Shadowgun series, Unkilled is, in all but its name, the next installment in the Dead Trigger series. The first person shooter runs on the Unity 5 engine, which results in some luscious graphics and intense action, and everything is generously seasoned with zombie-themed mayhem.
The premise of the game is rather simple: you use an assortment of weaponry to take out the undead over 300 missions, with a few objectives thrown in for good measure. For instance, in some missions the target is to save someone, while others require a bit of stealth, or just some plain-old seek-and-destroy action.
Madfinger’s experience in developing first person shooters touch screen devices is visible in the controls, which are quite well optimized. One difference from the past is that the guns (ranging from melee weapons to rocket launchers) will auto-fire when you target a zombie, allowing you to focus on the aiming. This even goes to the kick you can use to push back assailants.
As with other Madfinger Games, Unkilled is a free game supported by in-app purchases. Weather that’s a positive trait or not, it’s up to you to decide. The game was announced back in March, and it was initially scheduled to launch this month. The developer told us Unkilled should be out sometime this summer for Android and iOS.
As always, let us know your thoughts!
Here’s why you can’t get Facebook’s latest photo app in Europe
Facebook has a sparkly new photo-sharing app called Moments, but you can’t download it anywhere in Europe. At least, not without employing a sneaky workaround. The reason for its omission in the App Store and Google Play is tied to politics; back in 2012, Facebook was pressured by European data authorities to remove its “tag suggest” facial recognition feature from the social network. Since then it’s never been fully restored and regulators haven’t changed their stance. This causes problems for Moments, because the app works by scanning your camera roll and picking out the faces of your Facebook friends.
In Moments, other users with the app will receive a notification and can choose to sync your tagged photos with their personal library. These shared collections then produce albums tied to locations and events. So of course, without Facebook’s facial recognition software, the app is pretty useless. Richard Allan, Facebook’s head of policy in Europe, told the Wall Street Journal that the app could only be introduced if the company reaches a new deal with Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner. “Regulators have told us we have to offer an opt-in choice to people to do this,” he says. “We don’t have an opt-in mechanism so it is turned off until we develop one.” Facebook says it doesn’t have a timeline for implementing such a feature, so who knows when, if ever, Moments will make its European debut.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Facebook
Source: Wall Street Journal
Amazon’s Marvel deal puts 12,000 comics in the Kindle store
Amazon has a virtual monopoly on digital Marvel comics, but it’s just opened up another way to get them. Kindle owners can now purchase single issues through Amazon’s store without needing the Comixology app as before. You can still get Marvel comics through Comixology, but of course Amazon acquired it last year, so the money goes to Jeff Bezos either way. All told, you’ll be able to purchase up to 12,000 back issues of titles like Guardians of the Galaxy, Daredevil and The Amazing Spiderman at the Kindle Store. Moreover, all titles will be available the same day they arrive in regular stores.
The only other place to find the e-comics is via Marvel’s own $10 monthly subscription service, but it only stocks issues more than six months old. Given the popularity of Marvel titles and Amazon’s lockdown on distribution, you may not be shocked to hear that Comixology is the top-grossing book app on iOS. On Google Play, meanwhile, it’s merely the top-grossing comic app. Hopefully Amazon will remember that with great power, comes… eh, probably not.
Via: The Verge
Source: Marvel
VR stock photos are coming to Oculus Rift
If virtual reality takes off like its backers hope, it’ll create a whole new market for panoramic content — 2D photos and video aren’t going to cut it. That’s why Getty has just launched 360° View for the Oculus Platform to offer an “engaging virtual reality experience of enchanting creative stills.” Rather than smiling people doing ridiculous things, Getty said it’s new library is about “transporting viewers to… the world’s glitziest events, sports’ major games and exotic locations around the world.” Images now available in the Oculus Store include scenes from the Cannes Film Festival and 2014 World Cup.
Once you load up the scenes, you’ll be able to pan and scan them in any direction. Getty didn’t specify exactly which tech it’s using to create the 360 degree images, but said it’s been doing it since 2012. Judging by the photo above, it looks like it’s projecting spherical scenes made up from multiple photos onto a single flat image. When the image is loaded into special VR software on a headset like the Rift, the user can view the scene from any angle and even zoom in.
Getty’s not the only company working on panoramic images, of course. Facebook has promised 360 degree videos for its Oculus platform, and third-party players like NextVR are also creating high-end video content. Samsung has also stocked its own store with 360 degree videos from various sources for the Gear VR headset. In fact, Getty’s 360° View service is now online and working with the Gear VR, and the stock photo outfit said it would also run on the Oculus Rift once it arrives for consumers early next year.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Wearables
Source: Getty Images
Cuba’s getting island-wide WiFi hotspots next month
Cuba’s making it easier and cheaper for its citizens to get online by building out an island-wide network of WiFi hotspots. According to local paper Juventud Rebelde, the nation’s state-run telecommunications company will open up internet access in 35 locations that should be available from the start of July. The move will also cut the price of getting online in half, with an hour of connection pegged to cost $2 per hour. According to Cuba’s director of telecommunications, Luis Manuel Diaz, however, that’s still too high a figure for the island’s citizens to be paying — true given that the cost of a Netflix subscription in the country is the third of the average monthly wage.
It may be 2015 but that doesn’t mean that Cubans are going to enjoy Google Fiber-style speeds straight off the bat. In fact, users will have their speed capped to “1MB per user,” which we’re taking to mean 1Mbps, although that could just be an issue with the translation. There’s also going to be come issues with congestion, since the infrastructure can only cope with 50-100 users at a time.
The New York Times believes that could be an issue since there’s a growing number of younger citizens who own smartphones. In fact, Havana’s one existing hotspot, based in the workshop of a local artist, is described as being “constantly packed.” Then again, it’s a step in the right direction as the world’s biggest tech companies see the island as a rich seam of untapped potential.
[Image Credit: AFP/Getty]
Filed under: Internet
Via: NYT
Source: Juventud Rebelde
5G network speed defined as 20 Gbps by the ITU
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has agreed on the preliminary definitions for the future 5G standard for mobile networking. A conference in San Diego to decide on the future of the standard was held from June 10th to 18th, where a 12 member delegation sat to draw up the specifications.
In terms of data speeds, the group decided that 5G compliant networks will have to provide data speeds of up to 20Gbps (Gigabits per second), 20 times faster than the 1Gbps specification for 4G. In terms of what this means for actual user speeds, customers should receive speeds in the region of 100 to 1000 Mbps, depending on a number of factors. This is anywhere from a 10 to 100 fold increase over typical 4G speed of 10Mbps.
This big increase in data speeds and bandwidth is expected to open up access to higher resolution 4K video content and holographic technology via mobile networks.
The specification also caters for future internet-of-things technologies. 5G will have to be able to provide more than 100 Mbps average data transmission to over 1 million IoT device within a 1 square kilometre radius.
As for the formal naming scheme, 5G will be called IMT-2020. IMT-2000 was the name for 3G networks and IMT-Advanced for 4G. The group will begin looking for technologies to use for the standard soon.
Korean telecommunications company KT recently unveiled its own 1.17Gbps network, which aims to bridge the gap between 4G and 5G. Its GiGA LTE network makes use of LTE and WiFi broadband network hotspots to offer faster speeds to consumers and this was an ITU consideration to help nations meet the higher bandwidth requirements of 5G. Korea is leading the way with development of 5G technologies and has had a large input into definiting the standard.
The final details for the 5G standard will be confirmed in October, following approval from the 193 ITU member countries. International spectrum for the 5G network should begin distribution in 2019, with commercialized implementations expected sometime in 2020. Although we will be treated to an early demonstration of 5G technology at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.
Jaguar adapts NASA tech to monitor drivers’ brainwaves
If you’re wondering how many projects Jaguar Land Rover’s developing in addition to its pothole and cyclist alerts, the answer is “quite a few.” In fact, the company has revealed that it’s working on several technologies, which can monitor your condition to prevent accidents, collectively called “Sixth Sense.” The most intriguing one in the list is “Mind Sense,” which was derived from a NASA tech used to enhanced a pilot’s concentration skills. Mind Sense aims to read your brain waves (amplified and filtered by software) using sensors embedded in the steering wheel. An on-board computer will then assess whether you’re alert enough to commandeer a vehicle weighing thousands of pounds. The steering wheel could be programmed to vibrate or the computer could issue a warning sound, in case you’re daydreaming or starting to fall asleep.
The automaker is also in the midst of putting together medical-grade sensors to embed in the driver’s seat, particularly for the Jaguar XJ luxury sedan. Those sensors will be in charge of making sure you’re fit to drive; it could, for instance, dim the lighting or play some music if it senses stress. In future cars with self-driving capability, it could detect whether you’re having a seizure or a heart attack and automatically take control of the steering wheel.
Jaguar wants to make sure its fancy infotainment system doesn’t distract you, as well, so it’s developing an upgraded version that can predict what you want to press before your fingers even reach it. It actually already has a prototype of a mid-air touch screen display that uses cameras to track your hands. In the future, the company plans to add ultrasonic feedback in order to trick your brain into thinking you’ve already touched the screen. Finally, the British company’s working on an accelerator pedal that provides haptic feedback. It could vibrate when you’re going over the speed limit, for example, or as a warning that you’re going to hit another vehicle.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Autoblog
Source: Jaguar Land Rover
Forget stamps, the Post Office now offers pay-as-you-go SIMs
There’s no shortage of mobile networks to choose from in the UK, but that hasn’t stopped the Post Office from throwing its hat in the ring. The iconic mail service is launching a pay-as-you-go SIM that focuses specifically on cheap calls and texts. At 8 pence for almost any domestic landline or mobile, calls are significantly cheaper than the standard rates set by Vodafone, O2 and Virgin Mobile. The new “virtual” mobile network, which is powered by EE’s infrastructure, is also competitive on the SMS front with a flat 10 pence rate. If you’re interested in data, however, you’ll probably need to look elsewhere. The Post Office charges 10 pence per MB and currently doesn’t support 4G connectivity. Even if you’re a light user, one of the company’s 30 day bundles is almost certainly better value.
In such a crowded and fiercely competitive space, it’s going to be hard for the Post Office to stand out. Focusing on a single SIM is therefore a smart move, and its high-street branches scattered across the UK means it should be easy to get the word out.
[Image Credit: Lewis Stickley/PA Archive]
Filed under: Wireless
Via: The Mirror
Source: Post Office Mobile
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