LightSail sends back photo of deployed solar sails
A series of computer problems and battery glitches make LightSail’s victorious unfurling of solar sails extra sweet. Now, we have a sailfie (*groan*) of the spacecraft with its wings proudly rolled out and a view of the sun to prove that it really did successfully deploy its wings in low-Earth orbit on June 7th. LightSail’s ground crew is even currently downloading a second image captured from the opposite side, possibly with Earth in the background. The engineers might still increase the tension of the sails in the next few days, so they could look flatter than in the picture above. After that, they’ll be analyzing the images and the sails’ tensioning results in preparation for the vessel’s first major mission in 2016, which was partly crowdfunded via KickStarter.
LightSail Test Mission Declared Success; First Image Complete http://t.co/Y1CTpk6QGd pic.twitter.com/KcgPL4zbfV
– Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) June 9, 2015
Filed under: Science
Source: The Planetary Society
Two states don’t think Universal helped Apple stifle free music
It’s no secret that both Apple and music labels are less than fond of free music streaming from Spotify and other services, but are they conspiring together to hurt these services in favor of pay-only options like Apple Music? Not if you ask the attorneys general of Connecticut and New York state. Both of them have accepted a statement from Universal Music Group swearing that it isn’t illegally blocking free tunes, indicating that antitrust regulators didn’t find evidence of collusion between UMG, rival labels and Apple.
This doesn’t mean that the folks in Cupertino are free and clear, mind you. Both states say they’re still conducting investigations into the competitiveness of streaming music, and European Union officials are also looking into Apple’s dealings. If there’s any clear sign that Apple and labels are trying to steal the thunder of free services (such as by yanking artists), you could still see a repeat of the antitrust crackdown that shook up the e-book world.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Apple
Via: New York Times
Source: New York Attorney General (PDF)
Android 5.1 Lollipop may soon roll out to the Moto X (1st Gen.)
If you’re the owner of a 2013 Moto X in the U.S., your device may get a pretty nice software update sometime soon. According to a post on Google+ made by Motorola employee David Schuster, as long as everything goes well with the current soak tests, the update to Android 5.1 Lollipop will begin rolling out to Moto X (1st Gen.) devices sometime next week.
Schuster explains:
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.
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Certainly, carrier variants of these devices may take a bit longer to receive the update, though Schuster remains confident that the update won’t see any issues. He says that Motorola is in a number of carrier labs as we speak, so if there are any issues in the current builds, they’ll likely get ironed out before next week. Additionally, full soak tests are now rolled out in both France and Germany, so folks in those regions will likely see an update to their devices sometime soon, as well.
Do you own a 2013 Moto X? Are you still enjoying it?
Motorola Moto X (2013) may see “full deployment” of Lollipop next week
David Schuster, one of the many Motorola employees that likes to be transparent with consumers, took to Google+ to provide some information regarding the Moto X (2013) and Lollipop.
Soak testing between the company’s former flagship device and the latest version of Android has begun in France and Germany. Haven’t noticed the soak test in those markets? Motorola intends to push the software update next week if everything runs smoothly.
Full soak testing in the United States and Brazil will begin later this week and Schuster says that “if all goes well, full deployment can happen the following week.” The Lollipo update is said to be in carrier labs as we speak and that could indicate a widespread release is imminent.
Source: David Schuster (Google+)
Come comment on this article: Motorola Moto X (2013) may see “full deployment” of Lollipop next week
Motorola CMO hints at a much better camera experience for the next Moto X
Motorola makes great phones, but one area they have never delivered in is the camera. The quality of images are always well below average and I just can’t user their devices because of it.
Now Motorola CMO, Adrienne Hayes has acknowledged this issue and is hinting at a major improvement via Twitter.
When asked if the camera component will be the main focal point on future Motorola devices, she replied…“YES. We know we need to improve here and are definitely going to “bring it.” Another tweet reveals their intention to bring advanced manual controls as well.
This is great news, but I will believe it when I see it. Motorola has touted their cameras before, especially with the first generation Moto X, but it ended up being a complete letdown. If Motorola can deliver an acceptable camera experience, I might just go back to them with my next phone.
sources: Adrienne Hayes (Twitter) (1) (2)
Come comment on this article: Motorola CMO hints at a much better camera experience for the next Moto X
T-Mobile turning on mobile hotspot features for all of its customers on June 12th
We knew T-Mobile was planning on unleashing some new promotions to kick off the summer, but it’s looking like some of those promos will actually be better than we originally thought. That’s a pretty rare thing in this industry, but hey, more stuff is always good, right?
It was leaked that T-Mobile was planning on upping the data limits of mobile hotspot usage for customers who paid for it, and that they were planning on doing away with data caps in favor of data throttling. Those things are still true, but it gets even better.
Every T-Mobile customer, whether you’re on prepaid, postpaid, or anything else, will have access to the mobile hotspot feature on their phone starting on June 12th. Those of you that were paying for a mobile hotspot will still get it, but you’ll get the increased monthly allowance.
This is probably going to be the biggest case of prepaid users gaining access to being able to tether their smartphone, and it’s all going to be unlimited. Sure, it’ll technically slow down after a certain point, but this move is huge and should sway plenty of potential customers over to T-Mobile, especially in the prepaid market.
The new features should go live on June 12th, which is just a few days away. Let’s hope T-Mobile’s network can handle that inevitable traffic increase this week.
source: T-Mo News
Come comment on this article: T-Mobile turning on mobile hotspot features for all of its customers on June 12th
Dropcam successor from Nest inbound according to FCC documents
Nest is holding a press conference on June 17th, and it’s looking increasingly likely that they’ll announce their first new Dropcam model since being acquired by Google early last year. An FCC filing for a new wireless camera from Nest Labs Inc. hints at some of the hardware that’ll be in the device.
The filing details support for Bluetooth 4.0, plus the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard that Nest offers in their Dropcam Pro model. Aside from that, the listing does also seem to indicate that the camera will have a circular, flat base, which is typical for Dropcam as it’s capable of being mounted to a wall.
We won’t know any more concrete details about the new Dropcam until it’s actually announced, but fortunately, we don’t have long to wait.
source: 9to5 Google
Come comment on this article: Dropcam successor from Nest inbound according to FCC documents
Snapchat update brings camera switch feature, a new battery filter, and SMS authentication
Ready for some new features to spice up your Snapchat selfies this week? The app’s been updated with a few new tricks and a very useful new authentication method.
The biggest change is the ability to switch between cameras while you’re shooting a video; double tapping the screen will alternate between your front and rear cameras, making it much easier to record something and still somehow work your face into the video. It’s really what we all needed.
There’s another new filter that only shows up sometimes, depending on your battery level. If you’re running on a full charge, you can let your friends know by including a smiling, green battery. If you’re at the opposite end of things, you can include a drained, unhappy battery, which should hopefully indicate to your friends that you won’t be replying to their snaps for much longer.
The last feature is actually a pretty smart move and enforces SMS authentication whenever you try to log in to Snapchat. Two-step authentication is a great privacy move, which has been a hot button issue for quite some time now. With something as private as Snapchat, this should be a welcome addition.
Come comment on this article: Snapchat update brings camera switch feature, a new battery filter, and SMS authentication
OxygenOS will not see Android 5.1 until the OnePlus 2 arrives
About two months ago, OxygenOS was introduced to OnePlus One owners. The company set out to deliver quick updates with an operating system that is “light and essential with subtle, useful features” based on Android 5.0 Lollipop. Now it is June and OxygenOS is already outdated. Guess what? It will stay that way for the foreseeable future.
Basically, owners of the One are being told to wait on OxygenOS with Android 5.1 because of the company’s upcoming device. The “small team” does not allow OnePlus to work on multiple projects simultaneously; therefore, a software update for the One will not happen until after the OnePlus 2 hits the market.
The following is what a OnePlus employee had to say on the forums site:
“The entire team is currently heads down working on the release for the upcoming OnePlus 2. We are very excited about the work we’ve done and can’t wait to show you all the new features and improvements we’ve made. We have a small team which means in order to do our best work, we need to focus. This unfortunately means that we won’t have an OTA for the community build of OxygenOS we released back in April for the OnePlus One until after the OnePlus 2 release. We will put up a new build very soon with the touchscreen fix for those of you who are experiencing this problem but we won’t have an official update until we have the resources to do a proper job.”
No surprise that OnePlus again promised to pick up the pace for updates. Personally, I have lost count of the promises made by OnePlus and their shortcomings. Sadly, they tend to always miss expectations. OnePlus will apparently continue to scale its team to operate efficiently.
OnePlus also commented on the status of Android 5.1 reaching devices with CyanogenMod. Those with Cyanogen’s software will see CM12.1 with Android 5.1 in the near future. The company said that the preview build is “undergoing factory testing and google certification” and its arrival is “soon.”
Source: OnePlus
Come comment on this article: OxygenOS will not see Android 5.1 until the OnePlus 2 arrives
[Deal] Motorola knocks the Nexus 6 to $499 through June 23
Now through the early afternoon on June 23, Motorola will sell you the Nexus 6 at a very good price. Motorola, who manufactures the Nexus 6 for Google, has knocked the price of the handset down to $499 for the 32GB model. The 64GB model has also been discounted to $549. This means that buyers of the Nexus 6 from Motorola’s site will save $150.
Does $499/$549 still feel like too much money? Then take advantage of Motorola’s financing option and pay around $28 per month for eighteen months.
The sale ends at 11:59AM ET on June 23.
[Nexus 6]
Source: Motorola (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Motorola knocks the Nexus 6 to $499 through June 23
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