YouTube will now play vertical videos in full screen portrait orientation
If you are filming something ALWAYS remember to turn your phone sideways into landscape mode to give a proper 16:9 picture ratio. This way the video will look good on mobile devices, computers, TV screens, literally anywhere. However with the introduction of cameras on phones many people forget to do this which results in horrible to watch vertical videos. However things are about to change for the better.
YouTube 10.28 is getting a new feature that has been on the want list for quite some time. Portrait videos will now play in full screen portrait mode. That means no more needing to turn your device sideways and having huge black bars on either side. Just sit back and enjoy the video like it was supposed to be watched.
This is what watching a portrait filmed video used to look like. You would see the video and switch to full screen and have an awful viewing experience.
With the new changes it will now look like this which is so much better.
Source: APK mirror
Via: Android Police
Come comment on this article: YouTube will now play vertical videos in full screen portrait orientation
Microsoft announces short message app Send
Microsoft has announced the latest creation to come out of their Microsoft Garage unit, a new app called Send. The app is meant to serve as a tool for “brief, snappy communications” where an email is overkill but use of an IM or SMS app may not be feasible. Initially Send will work for users who have Office 365 business or school email accounts, although Microsoft expects to make it more widely available to other Office users in the coming months.
Send functions sort of as an add-on for Outlook as that is where it gets contact information. Although full email messages are not available in Send, when users make use of Send those messages will eventually show up in Outlook along with normal email messages. This would be useful for those environments where users need to keep a record of all communications.
To streamline things, Send does not use a subject line or things like signatures from formal email. Instead, it functions more like an instant messaging platform for quick, succinct messages. Microsoft says one of the benefits is that contacts are based on emails rather than a data point like a cell phone number. Microsoft also includes a quick reply function so that users can fire off a quick “On my way” or “I’ll get back to you” response without having to type it out.
Currently Microsoft is only releasing the Send app for iPhone users in the U.S. and Canada. They indicate support for Android and Windows Phone devices will be coming soon.
source: Microsoft
Come comment on this article: Microsoft announces short message app Send
Apple Releases Second iOS 9 Public Beta
Apple today seeded a second beta of iOS 9 to public beta testers, nearly two weeks after beta testers received access to the first public beta. Today’s public beta offering has a build number of 13A4305g, which means content-wise, it’s the same as the fourth iOS beta that was seeded to developers yesterday.
Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program and already have the first public beta installed can update over-the-air.
The beta includes the return of Home Sharing for Music, which was removed in iOS 8.4, and it’s the first beta that supports Apple’s new iPod touch. Other changes include a new look for Handoff in the app switcher and a bug fix that once again allows the volume buttons on an iOS device to serve as a shutter for the camera. A full list of changes in the beta can be found in our iOS 9 beta 4 tidbits list.
Key Silk Road witness gets 2.5 years in jail
One of the reasons that Silk Road was so popular and dangerous was because it enabled people who would have otherwise never dealt drugs to become Scarface-like kingpins. That’s the tale of Michael Duch, an IT consultant who has wound up being sentenced to two and a half years in prison for dealing heroin. Duch agreed to testify against the site’s founder, Russ “Dread Pirate Roberts” Ulbricht in exchange for a lower sentence, and told the court how easy it was to make anything up to $70,000 a month from home.
“I saw the relative ease that came with it,” Duch told the court earlier this year (as reported by Wired), adding that “it seemed like something I could get away with.” The New York native was, at the time, battling his own addiction to heroin, but built up a lucrative business after buying a $6,000 brick of the stuff from a dealer in New Jersey. He would then parcel up the drugs into small quantities and ship them all over the country, at a hugely-inflated price. By making a deal with prosecutors, Duch has managed to avoid a possible two-decade sentence behind bars — and he’ll also receive credit for the 21 months that he’s already spent in custody.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Reuters
Almost a fifth of online Brits are enjoying content illegally
The UK government is increasing its efforts to clamp down on online piracy, and now we know the reason why: illegal downloads and streaming are on the rise. Research commissioned by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) shows that the number of people accessing content illegally has risen from 17 to 18 percent since 2013. (That equates to roughly 7.8 million Brits pirating at least one item over a three-month period.) Nine percent of internet users aged 12 and above admitted to downloading or streaming music illegally at least once between March and May 2015. Six percent confessed to pirating a movie and seven percent revealed they had watched TV shows illegally. These figures are mostly consistent with the last batch of research conducted by Kantar Media two years ago — only TV programming has shown change, rising by one percentage point.
The research also looks specifically at the people who have been downloading and streaming content. Twenty-six percent of music listeners admitted to using an illegal source; for TV shows, the figure had risen slightly from 18 to 21 percent. However, in the group of people that had downloaded or streamed movies, only 25 percent said they had used an illegal source — a sizeable drop from the 33 percent reported in 2013.
Meanwhile, the use of legal services seems to have plateaued. Thirty-nine percent of internet users said they had used legal services exclusively, down from 40 percent in 2013. Furthermore, the number of people using a mix of both legal and illegal sources has remained at 12 percent. In the group of respondents who had been downloading or streaming, 69 percent said they had been using legal sources exclusively — down from 70 percent in 2013 — and the number using a mix was unchanged at 22 percent.
These trends can be coupled with an uptick in online media consumption. The research shows that 62 percent of respondents had been using the internet to access either music, films, TV shows, books, games and software. That figure is up from 56 percent in 2013 and indicates a sizeable swing towards both legal services (Netflix) and illegal alternatives (Popcorn Time). Unsurprisingly, the UK government seems intent on tackling the latter. It’s considering harsher penalties for online pirates and has seized modded Android consoles designed to pipe movies, TV shows and sport into people’s living rooms illegally. If they keep cracking down, it just might impact the figures that are reported in 2017.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Intellectual Property Office
Unlocked phone shootout: Meet the Huawei P8 Lite and Oppo R7
It used to be, not too long ago, that buying an unlocked smartphone online from some unfamiliar Chinese OEM was a sure-fire recipe for frustration. The thing is, the bar for no-contract phones has gotten so high within the past two years or so that you could easily ditch the common flagships down at your local carrier store and live the unlocked life with a great device you’ve never even heard of. To test that wallet-friendly hypothesis, I took a pair of unlocked Chinese smartphones that either are or soon will be available stateside. Say hello to the $250 Huawei P8 Lite and the $400 Oppo R7.
I’ll admit, it might seem a little unfair to compare the P8 Lite to the notably more expensive R7, but the two have more in common than you’d think. Consider the processors thrumming away inside them: They both have octa-core Snapdragon 615 CPUs clocked at 1.5GHz, although the pricier Oppo comes loaded with 3GB of RAM compared to 2GB on the P8 lite. Their AndEBench results bear out those silicon similarities too, as they’re basically neck and neck as far as synthetic benchmarks go (though real-world results vary a little) Oh, and both of them obscure Android 4.4.4 — yes, these are KitKat phones — almost completely with their own pervasive custom interfaces. That said, the differences here just can’t be ignored.
First up, the P8 Lite. It’s a lower-end version of the flagship P8 (which I’m told won’t make it to America any time soon). Indeed, you’d have a tough time telling the two apart at first glance. Huawei’s design language is applied almost uniformly to both phones, so that the only visual giveaway here comes in the form of a patterned plastic chassis instead of a slick aluminum one. The less-premium construction was one easy way for Huawei to keep costs down. Its choice of screen was another: The P8 Lite has a 5-inch 720p display flanked on all sides by a dark bezel to fool you into thinking it’s a bigger edge-to-edge panel. That sort of visual trickery might not be too bad if the actual screen we got was otherwise notable, but really, it’s just adequate at best. Colors tended to come off bluer than they should, and everything feels just a little too dim even with brightness cranked all the way up.
Oh, and despite having some up-to-date silicon powering things, my week saw a few moments of pronounced flakiness; some letters would pop up twice while I was pecking out texts, and other times the space bar didn’t seem willing to follow orders. If there was a saving grace, it was the 13-megapixel camera, which offered up solid, mostly pleasant shots — provided there were enough photons flying around. Things got noticeably dicier when the sun sank behind buildings in the distance, but hey, that’s par for the course with low- and mid-range camera modules. All told, the P8 Lite doesn’t aspire to much, and it doesn’t achieve much either. The screen is fine; performance doesn’t leave me hungry for too much more; and the impact on your wallet will be minimal.
It’s pretty neat, then, that the Oppo R7 felt like a natural step up — the sort of device Huawei could’ve made if it didn’t skimp on the parts so much. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that the $400 Oppo R7 felt like a more premium phone, but it was anyway. Bear in mind: My last real experience with Oppo came in the form of the high-end Find 7 series, which felt light and insubstantial because of their all-plastic bodies. Seriously, I can’t get over how good this thing feels. The closest analogue I can think of is HTC’s old-school Windows Phone 8X, since both phones have edges that taper off to fit neatly in your palm. That’s some high praise from yours truly: The 8X is my all-time hand-feel champion. In fact, I’m starting to think Google would do well to give Oppo some Nexus-making responsibilities.
While Huawei’s approach to Android was downright inoffensive, it took me a little longer to get used to Oppo’s custom ColorOS interface. Still, the whole thing feels decidedly foreign, from the lack of a separate app launcher to the insistence that users be able to apply loads of cutesy themes. My favorite theme so far? Naturally, the one starring a feisty anime pig (it’s apparently one of the month’s biggest hits). Meanwhile, swiping to the right from the home screen brings up a fixed panel with dedicated music controls. You can swap this screen out with one devoted to photos if that’s more your thing, but I find these extraneous bits mostly useless. Good thing you can kill them entirely.
Now that I’ve wrapped my head around it, Oppo’s approach feels like the one to beat here. Its Android skin is sleeker, runs better (although that’s mostly due to the extra gig of RAM) and still includes plenty of surprisingly smart add-ons. Double-tapping a sleeping screen rouses the phone LG style, for instance, but drawing a circle on it quickly fires up the 13-megapixel camera resting high on the phone’s back. Speaking of the camera, most of the photos I took were brighter and more evenly exposed than the ones squeezed out of the P8 Lite, and the more sumptuous 5-inch 1080p AMOLED only helped. Oh, and the pièce de résistance? A built-in GIF mode that does exactly what the name suggests. The R7 also packs an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter (compared to the 5-megapixel module on the P8 Lite), which produced selfies that were more than adequate to appease my awful vanity.
Throw in a bigger 2,320mAh battery and a VOOC charger that’ll take the R7 from bone-dry to fully charged in about an hour and you’ve got a phone that pulls ahead of the P8 Lite in almost every way that matters. The only real dealbreaker is the cellular radio in the R7: It doesn’t support US LTE bands like Huawei’s phone does, so you’ll be stuck on those HSPA+ airwaves for the foreseeable future.
So, is it worth $150 more than the P8 with its similar processors and lack of US LTE? If you’re considering getting into the unlocked-phone game, there’s a decent chance it’s because of the cost involved and paying upfront for devices like these is still relatively rare in the states. Still, I’d hesitantly pull the trigger on the Oppo over the Huawei if given the choice: It’s more attractive; the camera fires off neater photos; and the battery is made to be a better daily companion. I’ve lived this past week with only limited access to LTE anyway, and to my utter shock, I didn’t really miss it all that much. I know, I’m wondering what the hell happened to me too.
Edgar Alvarez contributed to this story.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Dear Veronica: Is tech rejection our future?
This week, we kick things off with the poll results from last week’s episode. You guys had some strong feelings about kids and cursing!
Next, my friend and Sword & Laser co-host Tom Merritt (of Daily Tech News Show) weighs in on a question about the anti-technology generation. Will our future spawn reject technology fully, or embrace it even more completely?
And hey, if you feel like you’re a little too plugged-in, I share my tips for logging off. Just make sure you watch this video before you do! Send your questions to me veronica@engadget.com or on Twitter using the hashtag #DearVeronica. See you next week!
Filed under: Apple
What it’s like to use Samsung’s Tizen-based 4K TV (in a non-4K world)
It’s not easy getting a massive 65-inch TV inside a Brooklyn apartment. But, oh, is it worth the trouble. In this case, I’m talking about the Samsung JU6500, a 4K (3,840 x 2,160) smart TV powered by the company’s newly minted, homegrown Tizen OS. Unless you were dead-set on Android TV, the set comes with most everything you would want in 2015: support for Ultra High-Definition media, access to entertainment apps and an actually reasonable price point. Although it’s listed at $2,800, you can get one for around $2,100 from retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, Adorama and Samsung’s own site. Unfortunately for the company, its JU6500 seems expensive compared to Vizio’s cheap 4K series — which makes the buying decision harder for people who want a UHD TV.
Beyond that, the JU6500 delivers stunning picture quality, with bright colors, deep blacks and true whites, while a contrast enhancer gives you a sense of depth when you’re looking at the LED display (think: a bit like 3D). Additionally, there’s a quad-core processor, 120Hz refresh rate, four HDMI inputs, three USB ports, Bluetooth, Ethernet, WiFi and DTS Premium Sound 5.1. At 2.5 inches thick and 60.6 pounds (with the stand), it’s relatively thin and light too, but then again, most high-end TVs are nowadays. You’ll also find video and music apps, an upscaling feature that takes 720p and 1080p content to near-4K resolution and PlayStation Now, Sony’s game-streaming service. What you won’t see here, however, is a 3D mode; Samsung says that’s an omission it made to keep the cost down.
Running down the spec sheet, Samsung’s JU6500 easily stands out as a top-of-the-line TV. That’s because it is. Watching movies and shows and playing video games on it is a pleasure; everything looks and sounds crisp; totally immersive. I’m not just talking about enjoying 4K content, either, which is obviously one of the main strengths of this TV. To give you an example, I started watching HBO’s The Wire again, and it’s as if I had never seen the show before — the remastering helps, naturally, but I also watched it on my 42-inch, 1080p TV and the experience wasn’t as enjoyable. The same goes for gaming on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Wii U; graphics look incredible on everything from FIFA 15 to Battlefield Hardline, Titanfall and Mario Kart 8.
One of the few times I felt disappointed was while using PlayStation Now. Granted that wasn’t the TV’s fault. Even though I have internet speeds capable of handling the streaming service, the visuals from PlayStation 3 games don’t cut it anymore. This is particularly true on a 65-inch device, where you can easily notice just about every dropped frame — and that happens often on PlayStation Now. If you’re willing to deal with this, you can still have plenty of fun playing old-school titles, including Batman: Arkham City and the Uncharted series. The TV’s streaming functionality also extends to smartphones, since Samsung lets you pair it with some handsets for AirPlay-esque features.
It’s also worth noting that, since the day I’ve had it (close to a month now), the JU6500 has lost its cool on me a few times. In more than a couple of occasions, it froze as I tried to stream a 4K movie via Amazon Instant Video. The same happened while I was browsing Samsung’s smart TV app store, becoming unresponsive and requiring a hard reboot (read: disconnecting the power and plugging it back in). Sure, bringing it back to life isn’t hard, but you shouldn’t have to worry about that with a $2,000-plus, high-end TV.
For the most part, though, the JU6500 presents a seamless experience, and that’s thanks to the work Samsung’s done on Tizen OS. The menu system is simple and straightforward, allowing you to quickly find any setting you may want to change, like your picture and sound modes as well as network connectivity and power options. On the big screen, Tizen OS relies on a card-based system that never lets you feel lost as you’re browsing the menu. Say you end up jumping into the wrong option; you can easily get back to the previous window by simply clicking the left arrow. If you’ve ever used a TV (smart or otherwise) with a tedious menu, then you’ll definitely appreciate this.
Speaking of Amazon Instant Video, you’re going to need it if you want to get the most out of this (or any) 4K TV. At the moment, that’s one of the few applications actually offering UHD content, and even then, its selection is quite limited. The others are Netflix and M-Go, a video app developed in part by Samsung, both of which have a small library of 4K movies and TV shows to stream and buy or rent, respectively. Amazon does deliver its latest original series in 4K (Bosch, Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle and Alpha House), but Prime members also get access to some movies at no cost. Netflix’s 4K programming, on the other hand, includes House of Cards and Breaking Bad, as well as films like Philadelphia, Jerry Maguire and The Smurfs 2.
Want to buy movies or TV episodes instead? Don’t fret — Amazon has you covered there as well. But do keep in mind they won’t be cheap and that, again, you won’t have many options to choose from. For example, one of my UHD purchases was Pineapple Express, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco — which costs $25, whereas the Blu-ray is $10. Still, you get what you pay for. In general, there are too many details in the 4K picture quality that can’t be ignored, such as a facial pore on Franco’s face you wouldn’t normally see in the 1080p version. Here, it’s exposed for your viewing pleasure. That’s not to say 1080p video doesn’t display well on this UHD TV; the upscaling feature works great across the board, like when you’re watching Blu-rays or streaming content from non-4K apps such as HBO Go or Hulu Plus.
Ultimately, what holds back the JU6500 isn’t its hardware or software, but rather the shortage of Ultra High-Def content currently available. The good news is that, if you spend the money on it right now, you’re setting yourself up for the future — everyone’s working hard to make 4K a reality, so it’s only a matter of time before the technology becomes the norm.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung
Last Chance: Choose Your Own Android Phablet Giveaway
It’s time to leave the kid’s table and upgrade to something a bit formidable. With today’s Choose Your Own Android Phablet Giveaway, we’re giving you the chance to step up to the major leagues.
One winner will choose between a Google Nexus 6, LG G4, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, OnePlus Two or an LG G Flex 2. All brand new and ready to impress anyone who might feast their eyes upon it. One of these phone/tablet hybrids is already be calling your name. Can you hear it?
There’s no purchase necessary and no complicated forms to fill out. All you’ll have to do is visit our giveaway page and submit an entry for your chance to take home a free big-boy toy. It’s as easy as that. Plus, sharing with your friends via social media gains you more entries. Good luck!
Check this deal out, and many others at deals.androidguys.com!
The post Last Chance: Choose Your Own Android Phablet Giveaway appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Unique Widgets app review
I don’t think I’m the only one that sometimes gets bored of their current screen setup and puts some effort into sprucing it up. I mean this is Android after all, we are fortunate to have the openness and ability to do so.
Specifically, I’ve recently been wanting to add a nice-looking, customized clock/weather widget and have stumbled upon Unique Widgets, by 6thSolution. Having had a joy playing around with all the different options, I want to rundown how it could fulfill your itch to tinker and express yourself.
Features
Upon opening the Unique Widgets app, you’re welcomed with weather information. Scroll to the right for more details.
Swiping from the left of the main page presents you all that the app offers.
The theme store is a database of different types of clock and weather images to use in your widgets. They’re all free, so not sure why it’s called a ‘store’. It is important to note that there are a whole lot more clock themes than there are weather. I’m not sure how often 6thSolution plans to update the lists.
There’s even a nice-looking and informative battery monitor.
All the extras thrown into the Unique Widgets app are great looking and have a Material Design-esque feel. However, I feel like everyone has their own solutions for weather and battery statuses, and I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort. But it certainly doesn’t hurt anything.
Usability
Unique Widgets isn’t meant to be over-complicated. To set a widget, go into the Widget Center of the app or do it the old-fashioned way, through your system’s widget menu. Essentially the options are clock-only, weather-only, a variety of different clock and weather formats, and a power widget.
When you choose a format, you’re taken to the widget customization area. You then swift through what aspect of the widget you want to customize. I’ve labeled them below:
On the top left corner you have a randomizer, if you’re feeling lucky. Once you’re done with your modifications, simply click on the check mark to place the widget.
Customization
The magic of the app is how much customization it allows of little details in the widgets.
Here’s an example of me throwing random stuff on the screen:
On the layout section, I like the multitude of combinations. However, the level of customization doesn’t reach to let you play around with the widget’s layout manually. The clock and weather appearances have loads of options, due to the theme store. I love that there is simple and advanced sub-menus in the color palette section. There are 28 different predefined color combinations. If you don’t like a particular color, just click on ‘Advance’ and change it.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Unique Widgets offers a range of eye-candy to fit into the current theme you’re looking for, and which compliments Material Design nicely. And the fact that there’s a theme store means that the library of options can grow.
Unique Widgets goes for $2.39 on the Play Store, check it out via the link below.
The post Unique Widgets app review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AIVAnet 