NASA’s New Horizons captures images of mysterious spots on Pluto
As the New Horizons spacecraft preps for its inspection of Pluto on July 14th, NASA provided a status update with some interesting info. First, new color images show a series of spots along the dwarf planet’s equator. The evenly-spaced spots are about 300 miles (480 kilometers) in diameter, or about the size of the state of Missouri. Due to the spacing and size, scientists are unable to determine their origin for the time being, but that could change as New Horizons moves in for a closer look. Another thing researchers will be looking for as the spacecraft makes its approach? Clouds. Should Pluto have them, they can be used to track the speed and direction of the planet’s winds.
Finally, researchers using telescopes on the ground and NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory confirmed that Pluto’s atmosphere didn’t freeze. For years, it was believed that the planet’s atmosphere would freeze onto the surface and disappear before it could be closely examined. Using the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instrument, New Horizons is already gathering data on the environment around the planet. The tech is designed to relay data to scientists on the ground info about Pluto’s escaping atmosphere by detecting ions. With those details, it can also be determined how quickly the atmosphere is escaping. The spacecraft is less than 9.5 million miles (15 million kilometers) from the Pluto system and its working just fine, so in less than two weeks, we should have some pictures look more like the artist rendering above.
Filed under: Science
Source: NASA
Play ‘Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’ on your Wii U
At long last, you can play one of the best Legend of Zelda games (often considered the best) on your Wii U. Nintendo has released a Virtual Console version of Ocarina of Time for its latest TV console on the eShop, giving you an easy way to relive Link’s classic time-traveling adventure without taking your dusty old Nintendo 64 (or original Wii) out of storage. You might not relish the thought of plunking down $10 for a 17-year-old game, especially if you’ve already bought it twice, but it beats watching a groundbreaking title fade from memory.
Source: BusinessWire, Nintendo
Plex urges users to change their passwords following recent forum hack
If you’ve ever signed up to be a member of the Plex forums, now may be a good time to change your password. Plex yesterday announced that the servers on which its blog and forums are hosted have been breached, leaving IP addresses, private messages, email addresses and encrypted forum passwords vulnerable. The company says that only forum members are affected, and everyone’s credit card and other payment data is completely safe.
Because of this data breach, the Plex team is strongly suggesting that everyone change their passwords. If you happen to visit the website while logged in with an affected account, you’ll automatically be redirected to the Change your password screen. The company sent out an email this morning to warn affected users of the attack. The email reads:
Dear Plex User,
Sadly, we became aware this afternoon that the server which hosts our forums and blog was compromised. We are still investigating, but as far as we know, the attacker only gained access to these parts of our systems. Rest assured that credit card and other payment data are not stored on our servers at all.
If you are receiving this email, you have a forum account which is linked to a plex.tv account. The attacker was able to gain access to IP addresses, private messages, email addresses and encrypted forum passwords (in technical terms, they are hashed and salted). Despite the password encryption measures, we take your privacy and security very seriously, so as a precaution, we’re requiring that you change your password.
Be sure to choose a strong password, never share it, and never re-use passwords for different accounts! Even better, use a password manager (1Password, for example) to manage a unique password for you. Access to your Plex account will be blocked until you do so.
Please follow this link to choose a new password.
We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but both your privacy and security are very important to us and we’d rather be safe than sorry!
We will post more detailed information on our blog shortly. Thanks for using Plex!
The Plex Team
If the company reveals any more information about the attack, we’ll be sure to update you. In the mean time, be sure to change your passwords.
Chevrolet intros “Active Phone Cooling” system to keep your smartphone from overheating
If you’ve ever played music or charged your smartphone in your car on a hot summer day, you’d know that it doesn’t take much for your mobile device to heat up quickly. And now that vehicles are starting to come with wireless charging pads built in, that will only add to the overall toastiness of your device. That’s why Chevrolet has created a technology called “Active Phone Cooling”, which is essentially an air conditioner built specifically for your smartphone.
Read and watch: Beyond Android: a look at the Chevrolet Volt battery
The new system will be implemented on vehicles that come with wireless charging on board, including the 2016 Impala, Volt, Malibu and Cruze. The idea behind the tech is quite simple – your phone sits on a small wireless charging pad underneath a vent that shoots cold air on your phone. It’s simple, and from the sounds of it, quite effective.
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Active Phone Cooling will only operate when the driver turns on the HVAC system, so you’ll need to have the A/C on in order for it to cool your smartphone. It should be noted that each one of these vehicles support both PMA and Qi wireless charging standards, so you’ll be able to use the new tech with any smartphone on the market that supports wireless charging.
Leaked Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus Cases Give Us an Idea on Design
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We recently found out that Samsung plans a super-sized version of the Galaxy S6 Edge, simply calling it the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. New leaked photos have hit the interwebs that display cases for the S6 Edge Plus, as well as the Galaxy Note 5 giving us an idea on the designs.
When it comes to the S6 Edge Plus’s case, it doesn’t look much different from the regular version. The Galaxy Note 5 case on the other hand shows us cutouts on the bottom indicating a spot for the S-Pen. These images come from MobileDirect, a Romanian accessory company and we thank them for the leakage.
Let us know your thoughts about the images above. Who’s getting that Galaxy S6 Edge Plus?
Source: Phonearena
The post Leaked Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus Cases Give Us an Idea on Design appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
CoolStream Duo Bluetooth receiver review
One of the hardest things about switching to an Android phone from an iPhone is that you’ve already invested so much into the apps and accessories, and switching to Android means having to start over. The Coolstream Duo alleviates a little of that pain, by allowing you to connect to iOS centric devices via Bluetooth.
Coolstream Duo overview
The device itself features a 30 pin iPod/iPhone connector, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an internal battery, and an on/off power switch. The internal battery and 3.5mm jack are nice features because they allow you to remove the Coolstream Duo from it’s appointed dock and take it on the go for wireless Bluetooth audio streaming in your car or to your favorite pair of wired headphones or even your computer speakers at work. Unfortunately, the one thing they don’t allow for is to use the device for hands-free calling. This is strictly designed to stream audio.
Coolstream Duo setup
The device is super easy to get up and running. First and foremost, you need an iPod/iPhone dock. I had to fish mine out of a box in the garage. I hadn’t used it in a couple of years because I have to mount it under a cabinet and I’m pretty sure my landlord doesn’t want me drilling holes in his cabinets. Once you have your dock ready, plug the device into the 30 pin connector and leave it on the dock for at least 3 hours to ensure that the battery gets a proper charge. When the device is fully charged, you can expect 5 continuous hours of battery life. Once the device is plugged in, search for Bluetooth devices from your phone and select the Coolstream Duo. The device will pair automatically without any need to enter a pin number. Now you’re ready to stream your music. Just open up your favorite music app and enjoy.
Coolstream Duo use
The one downside to the Coolstream Duo is that you are unable to control the music through the dock. You’ll have to control the music from your phone. In my case, that’s ok. At home, I always have my phone handy and I have a very short commute to work. I rarely change the song that I’m listening to in the car. You may, however, take issue with it. The best part about the Coolstream Duo is that you can now use your Android device with your old iOS equipment.
What we liked
- Bluetooth on iPod docks
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Battery life
What could be better
- Ability to change a song through dock
- Needs a microphone for handsfree calling
- A micro USB auxiliary charging port would open this up to more buyers
Coolstream Duo overview
If you have an old iPod 30 pin dock or even a 30 pin charger, then the Coolstream Duo is a great option to bring life to your non-Bluetooth equipped iPod docks and headphones. If not, then it’s probably best to look at your other options. You can purchase the Coolstream Duo for $29.99 from their website or on Amazon, where it has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on over 830 reviews.
Do you have a Coolstream Duo? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
The post CoolStream Duo Bluetooth receiver review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
CyanogenMod teases new Gello browser
Yesterday a member of the CyanogenMod team teased Google+ followers with news that a new mobile browser is close to being released by the team. Named Gello, the browser is based on Chromium open-source code and Joey Rizzoli says the new browser will be open-sourced as well. There are a lot of third-party browsers out there, but developing their own means CyanogenMod could provide their own alternative to Chrome in their ROMs as well as on devices from Cyanogen or their partners.
The new Gello browser appears to come with a healthy helping of customizations and features. If these features make it to the official release, users will be able to control items like tab animations, site-level privacy and security, rename downloaded files and select where they are saved to, and save sites for offline reading. The Gello browser also appears to have a night mode and an immersive mode. Gello may have an ad blocker built in as well.
There is no official release date and apparently Gello will only be able to work on newer, more powerful mobile devices. You can check out a video demonstrating the new browser below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Joey Rizzoli (Google+)
via: Android Police
Come comment on this article: CyanogenMod teases new Gello browser
Android 5.1.1 rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos
Owners of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos are reporting that an update for their device taking it up to Android 5.1.1 has started to hit their devices as an over-the-air update. The Galaxy S6 Duos is a dual-sim version of the Galaxy S6 and is only available in a limited number of markets around the globe. Despite the limited numbers, owners will be pleased to see that Samsung did not leave them behind.
Like the Android 5.1.1 update on their other devices, Samsung includes a variety of UI enhancements, improvements to security and performance, and support for advanced camera features, although those require a third-party camera app to take advantage of them. The update also includes a parallax wallpaper effect.
Users can wait for the OTA notification to show up on their device or try to update using Samsung Kies.
source: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Android 5.1.1 rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos
Check out how much your phone is worth with the new Swappa Price app for Android
If you’ve ever tried to buy or sell a used mobile device and wanted to refrain from using eBay, odds are you’ve checked out Swappa. If you aren’t sure what I’m talking about, Swappa is a website that will tell you how much your smartphone, tablet or smartwatch is worth just by filling out some simple criteria. Up until now, the service has only been available on the web. But that changes today, now that the new Swappa Price app is available on Android.
Swappa Price does just what you’d expect. It not only gives you a realistic valuation of your used device, but will also keep you in the loop with monthly price updates. You can sell and purchase gadgets based on carrier, whether the device is unlocked or not, and more. It should be noted that this app is only here to estimate a price for you; if you need to make a transaction, the app will quickly take you to the Swappa website to do so.
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In terms of overall functionality, the app is pretty bare bones. It’s simple, features a great use of Material Design and provides enough information for what most people are looking for. The best part? The app is completely free and features no ads whatsoever. If you’re interested in checking it out, head to the Google Play Store link below.
San Francisco is serious about Airbnb regulation
Since San Francisco is all about startups, it’s no surprise that the city changed its laws to accommodate one of its most successful: Airbnb. Last year, officials passed the so-called “Airbnb law,” legalising short-term rentals of private property with a lot of caveats. Hosts complained that the new rules were inconvenient, so the city is creating a new taskforce to make the regulations easier to follow and catch those breaking the law.
To recap, the rules limit whole-home rentals to 90 days per year, and apply to all short-term rentals (“Airbnb law” is just a nickname). They require hosts to have a business license, register with the Planning Department, pay hotel tax, and occupy the property when not renting it out for at least 60 consecutive days. Hosts also need to keep rental records to show they’re meeting the regulations.
According to the San Fransisco Chronicle, only 700 (out of over 5,000) properties on Airbnb have registered with the department so far, leaving over 85 percent technically breaking the law. Because of this, a revision to the law is being drafted that will “streamline” registration and make it easier to crack down on the worst offenders. The first steps to this simplification are happening soon: business licenses are going to be available online, and the in-person visit required to complete the process will no longer necessitate appointments — you can arrange one if you like, but you’ll also just be able to walk in. In addition, two revisions to the law are going to be discussed. One is said to impose stricter rules and fines for those breaking them, while the other is apparently less strict. Both, however, will tighten up the regulations considerably.
It’s hoped that by reaching out and improving the registration method, more hosts that are essentially acting within the law (apart from paying the relevant fees) will register, leaving the taskforce to focus on weeding out the real offenders. It’s already sent out violation letters to 15 hosts, but it’s not (yet) targeting those who simply aren’t registered. Instead, it’s focused on “bad actors” that are renting out multiple properties illegally. It’s argued that these “hosts” are negatively impacting the city’s housing market, taking valuable property that could be occupied by residents and renting it out short-term for a huge tax-free profit.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
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