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.
The AP adds 550,000 old newsreel clips to YouTube
The Associated Press has teamed up with British Movietone to share more than a century’s worth of newsreel footage with the denizens of the internet. The pair will upload more than a million minutes of archival clips to YouTube with the intention of creating a “view-on-demand visual encyclopedia” for the world. The 550,000-plus stories range from footage of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake through to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It’s not the first time that a news organization has used YouTube to take its archives online. Last year, British Pathé uploaded more than 85,000 newsreel clips from between 1896 and 1976 to the site. Users can feel free to embed the clips in whatever story they’re working on, but we assume that re-editing the work isn’t permitted. Which is a shame, because we were hoping for some cheeky dance remixes of the footage of Prince Charles getting frisky at the Rio Carnival. Which, for no reason at all, we’ve embedded below…
Filed under: HD
Via: The Guardian
Source: AP
Immigrating to the US was hard, but tech will make it easier
When I arrived in the US just after New Year’s Day in 1999, I didn’t think I would stay. I came here for school and fully expected to return to Malaysia after I was done. Except I didn’t. I met my future husband, found new friends, stumbled onto an exciting career and I knew, deep in my heart, that there was no way I could leave. So I began the long and arduous process of making this country my home. Finally, on February 22nd, 2010, I became a citizen of the United States. The entire process cost me hundreds of dollars, required multiple trips to the immigration office and had me filling out lots and lots of forms. I kept thinking the entire time that there had to be an easier way. It turns out the US government thinks so too.
Last week, the White House released a report entitled “Modernizing and Streamlining our Legal Immigration System for the 21st Century” after a month-long assessment on how current visa applications work. In it, the White House outlined the problems in the existing immigration system and offered a series of recommendations and guidelines on how to improve the process going forward. Not only were the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department involved, but also the White House called on the US Digital Service team — which was created late last year to salvage Healthcare.gov — to bring the entire process to the electronic age.
Indeed, it’s already started. Earlier this year, the government launched myUSCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services), an online platform that sees you through the immigration process easier and faster than ever before. It provides helpful information about what steps you need to take and offers different ways to apply depending on your qualifications. The idea here is that with the help of US Digital Service, myUSCIS will eventually be the primary portal where visa applicants and would-be immigrants can manage their entire online application process, from start to finish. Some changes have already taken place. For example, Form I-90 — the application to renew your green card — can now be filed fully electronically. As of May of this year, over 40,000 people have filed Form I-90 this way.
A small sampling of the correspondence I received during my immigration process
But it’s not just about reducing paperwork. Last week’s White House report focused on improving and streamlining the process as a whole, thus reducing complexity and making it more user-friendly. For example, applicants currently have to pay fees several times — there’s a separate fee for the initial visa application and for the green card itself (also called the USCIS Immigrant Fee). Instead of paying them separately, the White House proposes that applicants be able to pay all of it at once: “Paying multiple fees should be as simple as buying multiple items in an online shopping cart. Separating the fees for different processes should happen entirely on the back end.”
Additionally, according to the study, many immigration documents change hands no fewer than six times among different offices, adding unnecessary complexity. Going forward, the White House hopes to cut down redundancy by implementing a better back-end technology and creating a “cross-agency digital services team” so that users no longer need to shuttle documents back and forth. There are plenty more recommendations in the report. They include suggestions for a “Known Employer” program to expedite certain immigrant worker applications, improved opportunities for foreign investors and the simplification of humanitarian relief efforts.
When I was first looking to apply for a green card (which I had to get before becoming a citizen), I was overwhelmed by the number of different steps involved, particularly because of all the forms and required documentation. I had to fill them out by hand and make sure to address them to the appropriate USCIS office (there are different filing addresses depending on which state you live in and depending on which form you’re sending). Most of my friends who did this hired an immigration lawyer to help them. I didn’t have the money for an attorney, so I just did all of it myself, looking for advice from books and websites and keeping meticulous notes (I have two filing boxes full of correspondence and documentation). I can’t imagine how much harder it is if you’re a non-English speaker or if you don’t have the time and money to go through it all.
US consulates in Montreal, Buenos Aires (Argentina), Rio de Janeiro, Frankfurt (Germany), Hong Kong and Sydney are already testing some of the report’s recommendations in new immigrant visa pilot programs. Of course, it’ll likely take months if not years to see any real changes to our broken and convoluted immigration system. But it’s all still a good sign that, at the very least, the days of immigration forms filled out in triplicate will soon be behind us.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Misc
Via: Wired
Source: White House, White House
ICYMI: Jedi sword fighting, Chrysler car hacking and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: A Chrysler with a smart entertainment system was proven to be hackable and the company is releasing software to patch it. A martial arts company in Singapore is teaching swordplay with light sabers. And a new MIDI device for musicians will let them sync work over Bluetooth.
Today’s bonus shows a robot crow that can shoot lasers and release fog, like a crow in your worst Westeros dreams.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under: Misc, Meta, Peripherals, Transportation, Wireless, Internet, Software
According to a Sprint document, the Galaxy Note 5 could have a MicroSD card slot after all
So…there’s been much discussion of late about Samsung’s rumoured decision to omit MicroSD card support for its upcoming Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus handsets. Opinions are polarized, with some fans of the Note series saying they will look elsewhere for their next phone, while for others (myself included), the lack of MicroSD card support isn’t something we care about (the lack of removable batteries is another matter though). At this point, I think most of us have pretty much accepted that MicroSD card support will not be present, right? But, hold your horses because now there’s a chance that Samsung has decided to include it after all.
This alleged turnabout comes care of a document from the US carrier, Sprint, detailing a Samsung smartphone with model number: SM-N920P which is widely held to be a Galaxy Note 5 model. In the document, one line states that 32GB of internal storage is included, with “external memory slot” and the word “Yes” next to it. The document then goes on to state that the slot will allow users to expand storage by up to 128GB. If true, and it’s a big if, it will be interesting to see how Samsung has got around the performance gap between MicroSD cards and the UFS 2.0 technology it was believed to be using. Most of the other specifications mentioned in the document seem to be correct when compared to the earlier rumours.
Except for a couple of things…the Sprint document says that the device will have 3GB of RAM, where we’ve had previous rumours confirming that the Note 5 will indeed carry 4GB of RAM. It’s also been accepted that the Note 5 will be powered by one of Samsung’s own Exynos processors, but the document mentions Qualcomm.
There are a few explanations for these apparent discrepancies. One is that the Sprint document is wrong about MicroSD card support and that someone has just copied and pasted some of the specs from the previous model, the Note 3. Another could be that Samsung has decided not to use UFS 2.0 with the Galaxy Note 5 for some reason. Thirdly, it might be a carrier variant, which, considering that it’s a leaked document from a US carrier, does give it some credibility. US carriers are renowned for wanting slightly different versions of Android smartphones. Lastly, some of the specifications could merely be placeholders in a document that was never meant to see the light of day.
So, them’s the choices, what do you think of this alleged u-turn of Samsung’s to include MicroSD card support? Do you have theories of your own about why slightly different specifications are mentioned? If the rumour is correct that the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus will be announced on August 13th, we (thankfully) don’t have long to wait to be put out our misery. Until that day arrives, though, you can expect the leaks to become even more plentiful.
Source: Tablety
Via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: According to a Sprint document, the Galaxy Note 5 could have a MicroSD card slot after all
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