XBMC’s Kodi media player officially hits the Play Store
Kodi’s media player got a name change last year and now it has something even better — official Android status. The app formerly known as XBMC is now available on the Google Play store for all takers. It actually arrived to the store last month in beta form, but prior to that could only be sideloaded on Android. Version 15 (codenamed Isengard) now supports Android 5-specific features like 4K and variable refresh rates on certain Android TV devices, like NVIDIA’s Shield. Another new trick on all platforms is “adaptive seeking” that lets you search material faster by tapping a key several times.
There’s also new audio and subtitle lists, an updated add-on manager, improved video queuing and better live TV closed-captioning. It has other minor tweaks and fixes (check the source), and the XBMC foundation said that the next release would support DirectX 11. You can grab the app now on Google Play, but just remember that Kodi is a deep app, so leave yourself some time (and possibly some help) to get it working.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment
Source: Kodi
Forever 21’s ‘Thread Screen’ displays Instagram pics using fabric
Most companies seek out the latest displays for high-tech billboards, but Forever 21 has decided to take a different route for this particular Instagram project. For the past year-and-a-half, the folks at connected hardware maker Breakfast New York have been building a “Thread Screen” for the company. It’s called that, because well, it’s literally a screen made of 6,400 mechanical spools of multicolored threaded fabric. Those spools have five-and-a-half feet of fabric each, divided into 36 colors that transition every inch-and-a-half. They move like a conveyor belt, stopping at the right hue based on what picture they’re displaying — an infrared even scans the finished product to make sure each spool is displaying the correct color.
According to Breakfast NY, which also created a smart street sign among other installations in the past, the machine weighs 2,000 pounds and has over 200,000 components. It’s a gargantuan display, and you’ll get the chance to control it from today, July 22nd, up until July 28th. When you post a photo on Instagram and use #F21ThreadScreen as a hashtag, the device’s accompanying software will take your image and optimize it for the screen’s 80×80 resolution. You’ll then get an edited video of your picture as the Thread Screen transformed to display it — check out this editor’s profile photo being ran through the system below to see an example of what you’re getting. If you’re curious about other people’s photos, though, you can also visit the project’s official website. F21 and Breakfast are live streaming the machine as it displays photo after photo for 24 hours from now until the project ends.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Breakfast New York, F21 Thread Screen
British pensioner’s central vision restored with Argus II ‘bionic eye’
Second Sight’s Argus II bionic eye has already helped hundreds of patients around the globe with a rare disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP) to see again. And yes, that includes several Americans who’ve gotten the system after it was approved by the FDA in 2013. Now, doctors at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital have proven that it also works on another kind of degenerative eye disease: age-related macular degeneration (AMD). They’ve recently attached an implant onto the retina of Ray Flynn, an 80-year-old retiree who had lost his central vision due to the condition. Unlike retinitis pigmentosa, which could occur in anyone regardless of age, macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of blindness in adults 30-years-old and above. Also, AMD takes away a person’s central vision, while those with RP usually lose their peripheral sight instead.
That implant, by the way, is but one part of the Argus II system. It works in conjunction with a tiny eyeglass-mounted camera that captures the surroundings. The footage the cam takes is converted into signals, which are wirelessly transmitted to the implant and stimulate a person’s remaining retinal cells. That causes the cells to send images to the brain. The doctor’s didn’t know if the system would work, as it had only been tested on RP patients up until that point. Thankfully, everything went well.
While the technology can’t bring back Flynn’s original high-def vision, he can now at least discern objects in front of him. Head doctor Paulo Stanga told the BBC that Flynn has been “seeing the outline of people and objects very effectively” ever since the implant was switched on back on July 1st. His brain will be even better at detecting and interpreting shapes and patterns in time, whereas prior to the operation, he couldn’t even see anything in front of him. “Before when I was looking at a plant in the garden it was like a honeycomb in the center of my eye,” he told The Telegraph. “That has now disappeared. I can now walk round the garden and see things.”
The Manchester Royal Eye team will outfit four more AMD patients with the system as part of its clinical trial. Sure, an even better bionic eye might emerge someday, but we’ll bet those other four testers would prefer seeing outlines and shapes right now than nothing at all.
[Image credit: Second Sight]
Filed under: Science
Source: BBC, The Guardian
6 shape-shifting homes that give new meaning to the word ‘transformer’
By Cat DiStasio
Some cars have removable rooftops; some computers turn into tablets; and some houses can transform into entirely different structures at the press of a button, the flip of a switch or the wave of a hand. From expanding apartments that maximize tiny footprints to robotic homes that double in size, read on for six unique dwellings that can change shape, size and function at a moment’s notice.
Microsoft Send brings chat-style messaging to Outlook emails
To help ease the burden of email, Google created Inbox, and now Microsoft is looking to lend a hand, too. With Send, you can keep it brief for those times when “in-and-out email” is all that’s needed. It’s less about organization and more like an IM-like option for your inbox. The app provides the short convos that text or IMs usually afford, but allows access to your email contacts and stores all of the threads in Outlook for later reference. In other words, you can quickly send a “meet me downstairs” to a colleague without having to make a phone call or send an email with a subject line, etc. There’s also a Quick Reply tool with some pre-entered responses to save you even more time — things like “on my way” or “I’ll get back to you.”
Send only displays the short emails that were created/received in the app, so all of those longer messages remain in Outlook or your app of choice. On the back end, though, Send messages are treated like regular work correspondence, and built-in tools for IT departments are there, too. For now, Send is only available on iOS in the US and Canada, but it’ll arrive on Windows Phone and Android in the near future. You’ll also need an Office 365 business or education account to give it a go, which means a lot of us will have to wait for wider availability “in the coming months.”
AT&T Activation Fee for Contract Customers Rising to $45, New $15 Fee for ‘Next’ Customers
Beginning August 1, AT&T will raise its activation/upgrade fee for customers signing up for a one- or two-year contract, alongside introducing a specific activation fee for all AT&T Next and Bring-Your-Own-Phone customers.
According to sources speaking with Droid Life, the new contract upgrade fee will increase from $40 to $45, while the activation cost for Next and BYOP customers will be $15. If true, AT&T will have the highest activation fee amongst its competitors. Other carriers, like Verizon, sit around a $40 upgrade fee cost currently.
With the uptick in price for the carrier’s contract activation charges, AT&T is changing its installment plan option, AT&T Next, from a no-cost-to-start service to requiring a $15 activation fee. The same $15 charge will be placed for customers interested in activating a new line of service with the BYOP program, which lets customers save money on their yearly contracts by bringing in a phone purchased elsewhere to avoid paying full-price.
It appears that AT&T will grandfather in existing AT&T Next customers who have a plan with the company prior to August 1, and won’t be charged the $15 fee on their next upgrade. However, the carrier noted that this policy is “subject to change,” meaning existing Next customers may be facing the $15 charge sometime down the line of their upgrade cycle, if not immediately after the changes take effect.
Best podcast apps [2015]
Podcasts are a great source of entertainment, information, and education. Whether you want to know about the latest happenings in Hollywood, what’s going on in technology, or just learn a new topic like economics, podcasts are the perfect medium.
Things can quickly get unorganized and chaotic quickly when subscribing to a lot of podcasts. That’s why you need a good app that can keep track of all your subscriptions while keeping things neat, organized, and easy to access.
In my search for a new app to keep track of my legion of subscriptions, I’ve come across some phenomenal ones from the Play Store for my Moto X (2013). A few are solutions that keep the perfect balance between organization and elegance, featuring the astronomical beauty of Material Design, and others keep functionality and usability at the core, not worrying so much about eye candy.
Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts is unique because it strives to keep up with trends in the industry. Not only does it feature Material Design, but the amount of features are vast in order to enhance your experience with the podcast player and overall functionality.
Pocket Casts allows you to dynamically speed up podcasts and boost the audio through its internal audio effects. It lets you sync and backup your subscriptions and settings between Android and iOS devices. Some podcasts can even be backed up to the cloud.
It also includes things like sleep timers, themes, video support, tablet support, great ways to connect with new content, and additional features that let you easily import and export your subscriptions.
Pocket Addict
Pocket Addict is another favorite, as it does more than managing your audio and video podcasts. This app also functions as an RSS feed for all of your favorite news outlets. You can subscribe to podcasts through the Pocket Addict library; however, the app makes it impeccably easy to import your podcast subscriptions from iTunes.
If you’d rather skip the import process, Pocket Addict also has a method for you to search the iTunes database. Pocket Addict might not have a lot of eye candy as far as the UI goes, but it does what it sets out do and executes very well.
Podcast Republic
Podcast Republic isn’t the most simple and beautiful place to house your podcast subscriptions, but it features unmatched organization. You’ll find awesome features like offline playback to reduce data consumption, playlist support, Chromecast support, Android Wear support, and, of course, its own built-in media player.
There’s also a lot of support for customization, whether that be configuring the settings to meet your needs, swapping between light and dark themes, or even customizing a gorgeous home screen widget.
DoggCatcher
DoggCatcher takes on a Google Now card-like design, and has an array of features to enhance your podcasts. It has Chromecast support, customizable playlists, offline playback, smart categorization, a home screen widget for easy playback, and much more.
As per the norm with these types of applications, DoggCatcher has its own audio player. But what really sets it apart from the others is the ability to serve personalized recommendations, connecting you with unique and interesting podcasts you may have not heard of before. DoggCatcher keeps things fresh and entertaining.
Podcasts To Go
Podcasts To Go is an up-and-coming and podcast aggregator and player, featuring a neat and aesthetically pleasing user interface for easy and fast browsing. It has your standard features: smooth playback, ability to search through the iTunes database, and subscribe by RSS.
The app is constantly being updated with new features, bug fixes, and small improvements. There’s also no ads cluttering the screen, which improves the user interface a lot. For being in beta, it’s an impressive solution only bound to get better with feedback provided by users.
BeyondPod
BeyondPod doesn’t have the most appealing or seamless UI, but it has hundreds of thousands of free audio and video content. You can listen to your regular podcast subscriptions, or you can listen to local radio stations, and even big names in the industry such as BBC, NBC, CNN, and ESPN.
What makes BeyondPod unique is the amount of content they offer and just how easy it is to access that free content. Aside from that, BeyondPod has your standard podcast features, however, there is a Lite and Pro version. Upon setting up the app, BeyondPod gives you a 7-day trial for the Pro package, giving you a taste of all it offers, such as Chromecast support, device synchronization, and more. If you’re not interested in Pro, you can stay on Lite and continue to access all the same, free content.
Player FM
Player FM is your standard podcast player, featuring a handful of helpful user features and smart ways to deliver new and interesting subscriptions to you. When we look for podcasts, we’re seeking to either be entertained or learn something new, and Player FM excels in connecting you with that rich content.
Furthermore, Player FM does have a clean and seamless UI, making it easy to access your subscriptions. Player FM is a free download, however, it only allows up to twenty podcast subscriptions before you need to buy the premium version for full access.
Wrap Up
House your podcast subscriptions on an Android device leaves you with plenty options. There are some that also do a phenomenal job at connecting you with new content that is similar to your interests, based off of what you’ve listened to before. Podcasts are a joy to listen to, and the perfect podcast app makes them even better.
What are your favorite apps to keep your podcast subscriptions under? While you’re at it, tell us your favorite podcasts!
Come comment on this article: Best podcast apps [2015]
Sony provides a schedule for Lollipop updates
Sony has finally started rolling out the Android 5.1 Lollipop update for a few of its devices. The company has also announced somewhat of a schedule of when other devices will be receiving the update. The devices that will be receiving the Lollipop update first are:
- Xperia Z3
- Xperia Z3 Compact
- Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
- Xperia Z2
- Xperia Z2 Tablet
Of course, there is no specific day as to when these devices will begin receiving the update, however, Sony’s done their part for their users. The actual seeding of the update will depend on the carrier and location.
As for some of the changes that Sony is bringing to these devices, they have provided a change-log, which shows off the biggest improvements:
- Increased customisation options – so you have even more control over the way volume, silent modes and your alerts function
- Brand new LinkedIn integration – be more productive with intuitive contact synchronisation in your Calendar
- Camera improvements – with faster, more accurate Superior Auto Mode focus for great images, regardless of conditions
- Enhanced enterprise support – with our latest Xperia in Business features for work
- SmartWear integration – selfie snapping made that bit easier, with SmartWatch 3 as a remote shutter button
If you own a device that isn’t in the first round of updates above, Sony still has you in mind. Owners of the Xperia Z1
Let us know if you’re excited to see Sony paying close attention to all of their devices, and making sure that those devices are updated as much as possible.
Source: Sony
The post Sony provides a schedule for Lollipop updates appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sony officially launches Concept for Android OS beta in Sweden
The other day, we heard a few mumbling about a new “Concept for Android” scheme being prepared by Sony, which is promising a “fresh take on the Sony user experience”. Today, Sony has officially announced the project and has launched a beta scheme for residents of Sweden.
Sony’s Concept for Android is a new work-in-progress operating system designed for its Xperia devices, which is based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. The concept OS is a stripped back affair when compared to Sony’s most recent interpretation of Android, not that we’d call Sony’s current software particularly bloated anyway. It has a more stock Android look and feel, as you can see from the screenshots below, and whittles down Sony’s input to only its most popular apps and features.
As part of the launch, Sony will be giving 500 Xperia Z3 handset owners the opportunity to take part in a closed beta, but you have to live in Sweden to be eligible. The idea behind the small beta is to gain valuable consumer feedback on the OS, patch up bugs and collect opinions. Sony is also trialling the concept to see if its new OS and various tweaks might make sense for different markets, devices and users in the future.
If you fancy getting involved in the beta, you can read up on the T&Cs and register your interest on this website. You will have to hurry though, 500 places is a very limited beta.
Successful applicants will be notified in the coming weeks.
LG denies Google investment rumor that sent its stock soaring
Here’s an interesting story out of South Korea today: LG had to issue a statement to refute “market speculation” about Google acquiring a stake in it.
Reuters, CNBC, and the Korea Herald report that rumors about Google possibly buying a large stake in LG Electronics have sent the company’s stock soaring as much as 14 percent in early trading. The frenzy faded after LG spokesman Ken Hong called the rumor “complete speculation,” though LG’s stock still ended the session up 3.07 percent, on the background of a slightly negative evolution of the market as a whole.
It’s not clear where the rumor originated, but according to it, Google would buy a massive 35% stake in LG Electronics, worth around $2.2 billion. That would make Google LG’s largest shareholder, but according to the rumor, Google would not participate in the management of the electronics maker.
Again, the rumor was emphatically shut down by LG, but just for the sake of the discussion, why would Google be interested in buying a share in LG? It’s hard to say. Google definitely has the money to invest in LG (or buy it out altogether) – the company announced last week that it’s sitting on a $69.8 billion cash pile.
What’s not clear is what benefits Larry Page’s company would draw out of the investment. LG has been one of Google’s closer OEM partners in the past years, launching two Nexus smartphones and reportedly gearing up for a third. The Korean company is also involved with Google’s more exotic hardware projects, like the 3D-sensing Project Tango. But that doesn’t look like enough to warrant Google getting closely involved with LG. It’s been just a couple of years since the tech giant unloaded Motorola after all. So unless Google has some secret hardware plans, this rumor looks like (almost) complete fiction right now.
It wouldn’t be the first time that wild acquisition rumors send stocks of supposed target companies flying. It happened more than once with BlackBerry for instance, most recently with Samsung.
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