A Closer Look at Apple’s New iPod Touch Colors and Features
Apple earlier this week introduced the sixth-generation iPod touch, featuring a new A8 chip and M8 motion coprocessor, 8-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera and Bluetooth 4.1, in six colors: blue, gold, pink, red, silver and space gray. 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models are available through the Apple Store and Apple Online Store for $199, $249, $299 and $399 respectively.
Apple’s new sixth-generation iPod touch in blue and pink
The video below submitted by MacRumors reader Jacob Zacks takes a closer look at the new iPod touch colors and features. The existing silver color from 2012 has been complimented with space gray and gold models that match the new MacBook lineup, while the new blue and pink colors are much brighter and deeper than the fifth-generation iPod touch. The sixth color is (PRODUCT)RED and remains unchanged.
iPods have declined in sales and popularity since the iPhone was released, but the portable media player still fills a niche and was long overdue for an update. The sixth-generation iPod touch’s most important new feature is the jump to an A8 chip, which delivers up to 10 times faster graphics performance and ensures the device will be capable of running iOS 9 and future software updates.
A recent benchmark test clocked the new iPod touch’s A8 chip at 1.10GHz per core, slower than the 1.39GHz per core the iPhone 6 runs at, and confirmed it has 1GB of RAM. The new iPod touch is also the first iOS device to include the Bluetooth 4.1 specification, which is more reliable and offers less interference with LTE bands, improved power management and better data transfer.
Apple’s new iPod touch no longer has a loop attachment on the back
Whether this is the last significant update to the iPod lineup remains to be seen, but for now the iPod touch lives on with a vibrant lineup of new colors and under-the-hood improvements. Apple Stores have begun receiving in-store stock of the new iPod touch this week, with Personal Pickup now available in the U.S., and all models and storage capacities currently ship within 1 business day on the Apple Online Store.
BT’s new 4K sports channel will cost £15 a month
As promised, BT is bringing the first 4K live sports channel to UK TV screens next month, and it’s finally let us in on how much it’s going to cost. BT Sport Ultra HD will begin broadcasting August 2nd, kicking off proceedings with an FA Community Shield footy match between Arsenal and Chelsea. There are only a couple of other events throughout August — three Premier Leagues clashes and the Silverstone MotoGP — that’ll be available in 4K, but plenty more football, rugby and racing will be shown on the channel during their respective seasons. But how much is watching penalty box divers in unparalleled detail going to cost you? Well, BT’s introducing a whole new tier to its TV offerings to accommodate the new channel. The “Entertainment Ultra HD” package includes the BT Sport Pack, all Freeview channels, 47 “premium” channels, access to catch-up services, as well as BT Sport Ultra HD for £15 per month.
For comparison, the most expensive package right now is “Entertainment Plus” at £10 per month, so you’ll effectively be paying an extra £5 on top of that for 4K sport and 22 additional premium channels. It’s not simply a case of plumping for the TV package, though, as it’ll only be available to BT Infinity broadband subscribers. Infinity plans start at £9.75 per month (plus £17 line rental) for an up to 38Mbps connection, but BT has said you’ll need “a fast enough line” to support the 4K channel, so it may simply not be available to everyone. The Entertainment Ultra HD package will go on sale online on July 24th, at which point we might see an internet/TV bundle appear that takes some of the sting out of the investment.
The requirements don’t stop there, though, as naturally you’ll need a new set-top box that’s capable of receiving 4K broadcasts. This is where the new 1TB Ultra HD YouView+ box comes in. From YouView’s announcement, it appears to have the same feature set as existing YouView boxes, but with the extra ability to process 4K streams. Unfortunately, it’s no freebie, and Entertainment Ultra HD customers will have to fork over a £44 installation charge.
That’s a lot of pound signs and a lot of necessary subscriptions, but alas, these are the hoops one must jump through to get access to the UK’s first 4K sports channel. BT is offering some restitution, however, in the form of a £500 voucher to put towards the purchase of an LG 4K TV — just in case that’s the final missing piece of the puzzle you haven’t thought about yet.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Ultrasound can help wounds heal faster
It might sound a bit like quack medicine, but researchers from the University of Sheffield have proven that sound waves can help accelerate the skin’s healing process. In particular, the team has discovered that the vibration low-intensity ultrasound transmits through the skin can activate pathways that fibroblast cells can use to migrate to the wounded area. Those cells are play a crucial role when it comes to the body’s ability to repair damaged tissue. That’s similar to how a cat’s purr — its frequencies, that is — can stimulate the regeneration of bones.
The researchers believe the technique will benefit bedridden folks frequently suffering from bedsores and even diabetic patients with seriously painful cases of skin ulcers typically solved by amputating affected limbs. During their experiments, they found that wounds on diabetics and old mice healed 30 percent quicker; even better, it has no side effects, since it doesn’t do anything other than activate your own cells. In fact, the study’s lead author, Dr. Mark Bass, said that because ultrasound “is relatively risk free, “the technology could be “in broad clinical use within three or four years.”
[Image credit: Handout via Getty Images]
Filed under: Science
Via: Popular Science
Source: University of Bristol, Journal of Investigative Dermatology
WSJ: Hulu’s working on a premium tier with no ads
Would you kick in a few extra bucks to watch Hulu without those grating pre-roll ads, because it might become an option pretty soon. Anonymous tipsters have told the Wall Street Journal that the company is working on “Project NOAH,” which stands for “NO Ads Hulu,” a new pricing tier that ditches ads outright. The people familiar with the matter haven’t gone into specifics, but suggest that the offering could be priced between $12 and $14 a month, a fairly big leap from the $7.99 a regular subscription costs. Then again, considering that the Showtime add-on is a further $8.99 a month, we could easily imagine a premium Hulu package that went for a round $20.
The move is designed to Hulu better compete with its rivals, Netflix and Amazon Prime, both of which are proudly free of commercials. When rumors surfaced that Netflix was even considering adding commercials, there was plenty of uproar and the company was quick to issue a strong denial. Hulu could also do with raking in a little more cash since it splashed out the better part of $180 million for the streaming rights to Seinfeld.
The paper also reports that there’s some resistance to the ad-free tier coming from Hulu’s corporate parents. It’s suggested that these media companies feel resentful to Netflix for making people expect to binge TV shows without having to pause for a message from a sponsor. That’s a fact that puts plenty of executive noses out of joint, since they feel that ads remain a key component of the TV landscape (because: money). As a sop, it’s believed that Hulu will use its audience data to target relevant products to people since, you know, you only resent paying for the privilege of watching an advert if it’s for something you’re not likely to buy.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: WSJ
Inbox by Gmail receives new Snooze feature
Google’s Inbox by Gmail may now be available to all but that hasn’t stopped the updates coming. Inbox has just received a tweak to its Snooze options, which makes the system more flexible and convenient.
You are now able to quickly snooze emails and their notifications that contain dates or times until a more appropriate time. The smart thing is that Inbox now offers a quick suggestion, rather than having to set the time yourself. For example, you can snooze emails about products shipping until the day they are due to arrive, or offset emails about a reservation until an hour before you set-off. The little GIF below gives an example of how this feature works.
The simplified Snooze feature is accomplished via a simple one-tap option that automatically offers suggestions for when to snooze until, which is based on the email’s content. The feature should work for the majority of messages regarding package tracking, restaurant and event reservations, calendar invites, flight and hotel reservations, and car rentals.
If you haven’t tried out Inbox already, you can download the app for free from the Play Store with the button below.
Google’s profit jumps thanks to mobile and YouTube ad revenue
Yesterday, Google declared its financial results for Q2 2015, posting an impressive 11 percent increase in profits year over year. Further details have come to light which suggest that mobile and YouTube have been big winners this year for Google.
Specific numbers weren’t given out in the report, but Google CFO Ruth Porat states that the gap between mobile and desktop advertising revenue has continued to shrink. Mobile search results have apparently been a leading contributor to advertising revenue in the past year.
Much of the growth appears to have come from emerging markets, where mobile is the primary method of connecting to the Internet for many users. In 10 countries Google has noted that more searches are placed from mobile than from PC devices.
Overall, paid advertisement clicks have seen growth of 18-percent year over year. Paid clicks on Google websites saw a 30-percent year over year and 10-percent quarter over quarter increase.
It’s not just search results showing improvement, YouTube ad revenue has continued to grow, particularly in the mobile space. Porat pointed out that mobile YouTube watch time has more than doubled, which has helped to offset the falling cost per click. The number of companies placing YouTube advertisements has increased 40 percent and the average amount that a company spends is up by 60 percent.
YouTube is becoming an even bigger earner for Google, and services such as game streaming could attract new audiences.
Other Google services are also apparently playing a role in increasing the company’s mobile presence. Google Play is continuing to grow thanks to “deep linking”, which sees in-app ads link to other downloads. Google Play is also showing strong growth as a mobile gaming platform, which has become a hugely profitable industry.
Along with a boost to Google Photos and Android Pay, Google’s investments into additional mobile services appears to be paying off.
HTC launches the Desire 820G+ in India for INR 19,990
Following the successful release of its latest dual-SIM smartphone in Taiwan, HTC has today launched the Desire 820G+ in India, where it’s available to purchase from the company’s online portal for INR 19,990 ($315).
The 820G+ is a capable mid-range device, packing a 5.5-inch 720p display, a 1.7GHZ MediaTek MKT6592 octa-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 13-megapixel camera.
Unboxed, the handset will run the latest build of Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC’s Sense 7 custom user interface plastered over the top. It is, however, expected to receive the much-anticipated Lollipop update in the not-too-distant future.
If you’re based in India, like the sound of the Desire 820G+ and would like to picking one up — hit the source link below.
Source: HTC
Come comment on this article: HTC launches the Desire 820G+ in India for INR 19,990
Samsung and Apple in advanced talks to join e-SIM launch
One of the things we do when we get a new smartphone is to check whether it will accept the SIM card used in the previous device. Current SIM cards are ‘locked’ to a specific carrier and sometimes a different sized SIM card than previously used is required by the new device. Those requirements could become unnecessary when the e-SIM becomes available in the relative near future though.
The e-SIM is an electronic SIM that removes the need for a physical SIM card to be present in the device, this would mean that consumers could switch between carriers with much less hassle, theoretically at least. Of course, for the e-SIM to make it to the consumer would require many, if not most, of the world’s top handset makers to be on board. Both Apple and Samsung are believed to be in advanced talks to join the e-SIM standard.
The mobile telecom industry association, GSMA, is apparently close to announcing an agreement for an e-SIM standard that would be implemented on mobile phones.
“We have got everyone back on one point, with Apple and Samsung agreeing to be part of that specification,” said Ms Bouverot, Chief Executive of the GSMA. “We have been working with them and others to create an industry solution for machines and will agree a solution for consumer electronics.”
Major carriers such as AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Whampoa, Orange, Telefonica, and Vodafone are expected to support the e-SIM plans, with all parties heading for a common architecture. The e-SIM is expected to be made available in 2016 at the earliest.
Source: Financial Times
Come comment on this article: Samsung and Apple in advanced talks to join e-SIM launch
Sony E5606 leaks packing a Snapdragon 808 chipset
According to a new report out, Sony is preparing to launch a second smartphone alongside its much-rumored Lavender next month. The handset has been internally codenamed the E5606 and is expected to launch under the branding ‘C5 Ultra’.
The report also contained a full list of the E5606’s specifications, which you can see below:
- 5.8-inch Full HD display (1920 x 1080 pixels)
- Snapdragon 808 chipset
- 3GB of RAM
- 16-megapixel rear-facing camera
- 8-megapixel front-facing camera
- Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
It certainly looks like this device is set to pack some pretty serious power under the hood, but, for now, none of these rumors have been officially confirmed, so best take them with a pinch of salt.
Are you eager for Sony’s announcement of the Lavender and E5606? Be sure to let us know your thoughts down below.
Come comment on this article: Sony E5606 leaks packing a Snapdragon 808 chipset
AT&T finally starts rolling out the Lollipop OTA for the HTC One M9
A day later than scheduled, AT&T has finally begun rolling out the long-awaited Lollipop update to its carrier-branded variants of the HTC One M9 located in the United States. In terms of added functionality, the upgrade brings the latest build of the Android operating system to the handset, together with a multitude of bug fixes and stability improvements.
Hit the break for the full changelog.
- OS Upgrade – Lollipop 5.1.1
- Security Enhancements
- Improved User Interface
- Stability Improvements
- Further Improvements to Performance
- Enhanced Features
As usual, the upgrade is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device to hit your unit, you could always search for the update manually.
To do so follow the steps below:
- Open the “Settings” app
- Tap on “About Device”
- Hit “System Updates”
- Select “Check for updates”
Come comment on this article: AT&T finally starts rolling out the Lollipop OTA for the HTC One M9
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