Microsoft Snip annotates screenshots with voice notes and scribbles
Screenshots come in handy when offering feedback and comments on any number of things. To lend a hand with that process, Microsoft has a new app for Windows that’s up to the task. The software is called Snip, and in addition to capturing parts of your screen to share among your friends and colleagues, the app also lets you mark up the snaps. With both voice notes and stylus scribbles, Snip gives you two options for getting that point across. When you’re done, you can paste the image into another app (they’re copied to the clipboard by default), distribute it as a web link or save it to your device as a video (MP4). When you lend your voice to the captures, the app automatically turns them into videos. And yes, they can be embedded on the web should the need arise. If you’re looking to give it a go, the app is available in beta form now from the source link below.
Filed under:
Software, Microsoft
Via:
The Verge
Source:
Snip
Tags: app, microsoft, microsoftsnip, notes, screenshots, snip, software, windows
Google Chrome may ease auto-playing video headaches
Let’s face it: audio and video that automatically plays on a web page is pretty annoying. To help remedy the headache, a new feature in Google Chrome’s Dev Channel won’t play those items on tabs that you’re not looking at. If you click a link for the latest Hunger Games trailer and bounce back to your inbox while it loads, you won’t have to struggle to find the mute switch on the preceding ad. The content will still preload (if the developer opts to), but it won’t play until that particular tab is in the foreground. That should ease the panic of finding the sound or catching a glimpse of an item you’d really rather not see soon enough — in Chrome at least.
Via:
François Beaufort (Google+)
Source:
Chromium
Tags: autoplay, browser, chrome, google, googlechrome, tab
SmartHalo turns any bike into a smart bike
Bike lovers may have something to get excited about this week, as a new product just surfaced on KickStarter that aims to make bicycles more tech-friendly. SmartHalo is a new device made for the avid bike rider, and it looks like it’s packing some great features. It’s a relatively small, circular device (the Kickstarter page claims it is about the size of a hockey puck) that attaches to the handlebars of a bike. The companion smartphone app gives users access to all kinds of features, including activity tracking, navigation, security warnings, and more. The app connects to the device via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
SmartHalo is constructed from military-grade materials, and the team behind it says that it secures to the bike with “tamper-proof screws,” meaning it won’t be easily stolen. On the top are low-energy LED lights that form a circle (there is also a single light in the center) around the edge. This makes the basis for the ring of light that gives the rider contextual directions, warnings, notifications for phone calls, and more. In addition, the device recognizes when your smartphone is out of range, and will sound an alarm if it detects excessive rattling of the bike. The SmartHalo team apparently thought of everything, including a morse code-esque tap pattern that the user can program into the device. If the alarm sounds, and the user’s smartphone is dead or out of range, they can just tap their pattern on SmartHalo to disable the alarm. Also built in is a smart night-light, which turns on automatically when the sun goes down, and turns off when the smartphone app is out of range to conserve power.
Probably one of them most interesting features is the navigation function of SmartHalo. Using the app, users can navigate to a location, and SmartHalo will provide directional lighting, including lights for turns and even u-turns. City bikers will especially enjoy this feature, since looking down at a smartphone every few seconds causes excessive distraction on busy city streets. The device is sporting a 2,000 mAh battery that can supposedly last at least three weeks on a charge, which will be a relief for bike owners who don’t want another device they have to charge every night. Of course, it has been weather-tested, since it will be kept outside most of the time.
SmartHalo has already been fully funded on KickStarter. After only three days, the project has hit over $100,000, doubling the $50,000 funding goal. The estimated delivery to backers is May 2016, which will be a long wait for some users. At the time of this article, the cheapest reward package available (that gets you a SmartHalo device) is the “$131 or more” package. Keep in mind that SmartHalo is not based in the U.S., so American backers will have to pay an extra $15 with that package, making it at least $146.
Source: SmartHalo KickStarter, Mashable
The post SmartHalo turns any bike into a smart bike appeared first on AndroidGuys.
LG Nexus 5 2015 may be more affordable, leaked specs suggest
We’ve been hearing whispers about the reboot of the LG Nexus 5 for some time, and it looks like we may be getting a peak at what will be under the hood of Google’s latest pure Android device. According to a leak, the 2015 Nexus 5 will bring a 64-bit hexa-core Snapdragon 808 to the table, along with 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 418 GPU. Also on board will be a 5.2-inch 2K display, a 13MP camera powered by a Sony sensor and the same OIS we saw on the LG G4. Of course, the device will be LTE-capable as well.
The use of a Snapdragon 808, which is not an octa-core processor like we’ve seen in the recent flagship devices, and the 13MP camera falls into the more mid-range category as well. This could mean that Google will attempt to market it as a more affordable device. The original Nexus 5 launched at just $350 off-contract, so we may see its successor launch at around the same price. For pure Android enthusiasts and developers, this new Nexus may be the best alternative to the Nexus 6, which many users griped was too large.
Source: Phandroid
The post LG Nexus 5 2015 may be more affordable, leaked specs suggest appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Acer Liquid Jade Z and Z410 are two new budget options for the US market
As several carriers say goodbye to contracts in the US, we’re already seeing the unlocked phone market start to grow. While some consumers who go the off-contract route are going to be perfectly fine with spending $400, $500, $600 or more — others will be looking for more affordable options. That’s why we are now seeing so many OEMs throw their budget offerings into the ring here in the states. The latest contender is Acer with the Liquid Jade Z (left) and Liquid Z410 (right).
The most affordable of these options is the Z410, a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6732M powered device with either 1GB of RAM and 8GB storage or 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. Other specs include a 4.5-inch 960×540 resolution display, 2MP front shooter, 5MP rear shooter, a 2000 mAh battery, and Android 4.4 KitKat-powered software. Pricing starts at $129, or is $20 more for the 2GB RAM/16GB storage configuration.
A bit further up the ladder we find the Liquid Jade Z, which offers a MediaTek MT6732 running at 1.5GHz and the RAM/storage configurations as the Z410. One of the bigger differences with the Jade Z is the upgrade to a 5-inch 720p display, and a better camera package with a 13MP rear cam and 5MP front cam. The battery here is also 2300 Mah, and unfortunately we are still stuck with KitKat as well. Pricing begins at $229, or $20 more for the higher-end configuration.
Let’s be honest, there are plenty of phones with similar or better specs for about the same price points, though neither of these devices are particularly bad — just not impressive either. The Jade Z is available right now with the Z410 coming in September.
Deal: learn to make apps with the Hot Java Android 6.0 Coding Bundle for $29
Gone are the days when you had to go to school for years just to learn how to put together a mobile application. Though going through that process still helps, there are now online courses and tools that can give you the skills required to start your new coding career.
Want to learn how to make great Android apps, games and more? The AA Deals Store has an offer on some great courses to get you started, and for very cheap! You can now buy the Hot Java Android 6.0 Coding Bundle for only $29. That would be a 95% discount over the $657 price these courses originally cost! The bundle includes over 60 hours of training and 5 classes that range between $67 and $199 in value.
Here are the courses and their real value:
- Learn Android Lollipop Development – $199 value
- The Complete Java Developer Course – $197 value
- Learn How to Reskin, Upload & Publish an Android Game – $97 value
- Play Framework Development with Java – $97 value
- Reskin Games for App Stores (No Coding Required) – $67 value
The only requirement is that you have internet access. Users will also need an Android device for the first class (real or virtual).
Join the developer party, guys! Once again – this bundle is only $29. You have nothing to lose, yet so much to win. And remember, you could share this deal through your social networks for the chance to win $10, so the deal may get even better. Just click the button below to get all the details.
Ditch carrier contracts with these smartphones
Carriers are expensive, and they’re only getting worse. Two-year contracts are on their way out in favor of device payment plans, thanks to revolutionary initiatives from T-Mobile. These payment plans, however, are essentially the same thing as the two-year contract options, only more expensive.
It looks cheaper on surface level, but carriers are making up for those lower prices through additional charges, upgrade fees, and so on. That begs the question: how can you ditch your carrier and save thousands of dollars on your phone bill?
It’s common knowledge that we’re paying out thousands of dollars for our smartphones over the course of a two-year contract, but, unfortunately, it’s hard to break way from that since many off-contract phones just don’t offer a premium package similar to that of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ or LG G4.
While that may be true, there’re now some devices out there that do offer that same premium quality.
Google Nexus 6
Google’s Nexus 6 features a 6-inch 2560 x 1440 AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 805 chipset, a 2.7GHz quad-core Krait 450 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel camera, and it comes in 32/64GB storage sizes. As with all Nexus devices, it’s running the latest version of Android Lollipop, and will receive quick and timely updates.
Starting at $499, it’s a steep price, but that’s the only price you’ll be paying for this premium package. No contracts, no device fees, and so on. It’s 100% yours and you can take it to any of the big four carriers in the United States to find yourself the cheapest data package.
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3
Alcatel OneTouch’s Idol 3 features a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS LCD display, a Snapdragon 615 chipset, a quad-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 and quad-core 1GHz Cortex-A53 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and it comes in 16/32GB storage options with microSD support up to 128GB.
As far as performance goes, it’s definitely up there with the Google Nexus 6, especially with how clean Alcatel OneTouch left the software on this device. It’s also significantly cheaper at $249 while still offering a premium package.
Be sure to check out our review here.
Motorola Moto G
The Motorola Moto G (2015) features a 5-inch 1280 x 720 IPS LCD display, has a Snapdragon 410 chipset, a quad-core 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 processor, a 13-megapixel rear camera and comes in two options: 8GB of storage with 1GB of RAM or 16GB of storage with 2GB of RAM. The device also supports microSD cards up to 128GB.
Prices start at a meager $179.99 for this mid-range unlocked device, and while it may not have the sheer processing power of a higher-end phone, do you really need all that power for your basic smartphone tasks?
Be sure to check out our review here.
Making the leap
Making the leap to the off-contract life can be difficult, especially if you’re in the process of a two-year contract or device payment plan. Early termination fees or paying off the remainder of your balance can be expensive all in one chunk, especially if you want to purchase a new, unlocked smartphone immediately after.
You have two options: wait your contract out or bite the bullet and pay that lump sum. In doing the latter, you’ll save a lot of money on all sorts of fees, interest, and so on, but you won’t notice the affects of this saving for a few months down the road.
If contracts or device payment plans aren’t an issue for you, the obvious first step is to pick out and buy a smartphone.
Setting up your new smartphone
Setting up an unlocked device is extremely easy. In most cases, if you have a SIM card already, you can just pop your old one into your new smartphone, given that it’s the same size. On AT&T, I swapped the SIM out of my LG G3 and put it in the Idol 3–it worked right away, no setup involved.
If you don’t have the correct size SIM card, it’s as simple as heading to your chosen carrier’s website and ordering one of the correct size.
It may be a bit trickier to get it to work on a CDMA carrier like Verizon, however, the company has recently made it an easier process. Unfortunately, you still have to be cautious when bringing your own device to Verizon, as many phones don’t have all the necessary CDMA and LTE radios to work properly with the carrier. The same goes for Sprint.
Closing
The Wall Street Journal reported in 2012 that the average household spends $1226 annually on smartphone plans, and that’s no doubt increased in the past three years. I personally spend around $350/mo on my smartphone plan with AT&T, and by going off-contract, you could be spending as little as $30 per line, no matter what carrier you choose.
Prices do vary depending on how much data you need, but it still ends up being cheaper than a contract or device payment plan, as most prepaid plans for smartphones are without all of the added fees.
While it doesn’t look like much, over the next few years you could see thousands of dollars in savings. And for many of us, that couple thousand could go to things much more important.
Come comment on this article: Ditch carrier contracts with these smartphones
ICYMI: User-generated Golf ads, motocross bionics and machine gun traps
Today on In Case You Missed It, Volkswagen releases a new commercial for its Golf R that changes depending on what sound effects the viewer makes. We also take a look at a bionic knee from “Monster” Mike Schultz designed for Moto-crossing lower-leg amputees. The Mythbusters find out if Walter White’s machine gun trap could actually work (hint: omfg, does it ever) and a Parakeet learns to speak droid because Star Wars just won’t go away.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd. And if you just want to heap praise on your handsome guest host, feel free to hit him up @mr_trout.
Tags: bionics, breakingbad, Golf, icymi, incaseyoumissedit, ItsATrap, knee, M60, machinegun, motocross, mythbusters, traps, volkswagen
Dell revives the Alienware 18, upgrades its smaller gaming laptops
It’s a rare, satisfying feeling when a community rallies together to ask a company to bring back a discontinued product and it actually works. Today is one of those days: Dell announced at PAX that it’s bringing back the Alienware 18 — the most powerful portable gaming machine the company’s ever made. The revived 18-inch rig is being touted as a ‘special edition’ and will pack in a 4th Generation Intel i7 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, a 1TB HDD (with an optional 512GB SSD) dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M or 980M graphics, depending on the configuration. Too big? Too much? No worries — Alienware is refreshing its 13-, 15- and 17-inch laptops, too.
These updated laptops are packed to the brim overdue hardware updates, including support for PCIe SSDs with 4GB/s transfer speeds, updated Killer wireless and ethernet controllers, and a USB Type-C connector with USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3 support. The Alienware 13 will also be getting a larger 62Whr battery. Dell isn’t saying much about the line-up’s CPU options right now, but the company typically keeps pace with Intel when it launches next-gen processors. All three models will be rocking NVIDIA’s latest GTX GPUs except the Alienware 15, which will optionally ship with the AMD Radeon HD R0 M395X, instead.
The Alienware team is adding PCIe SSD support to its X51 desktop unit, as well as slots for DDR4 RAM and a new CPU liquid cooling system — but that’s not what makes the refreshed tower interesting. No, that would be the X51’s newfound support for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier, a separate chassis that lets gamers hook desktop-class graphics cards up to Alienware laptops. So, why is Dell adding AGA support to a desktop? To accommodate larger graphics cards: the X51’s case is just barely large enough to cram in a NVIDA GTX 960. If you want something like the Geforce GTX Titan X, you’ll need a Amplifier.
Finally, Dell announced its first two gaming-centric computer monitors, an $800 27-inch display with NVIDIA’s G-Sync II technology and a 144Hz refresh rate, and a $400 curved 27-inch display optimized for a “wrap around” viewing experience. There’s no word yet on the screens’ native resolutions, but Dell says they’ll be available in September and October, respectively.
Enough news for you? No? Then check out Dell’s website for more details — the laptop’s product pages should be available for your viewing pleasure right now.
Filed under:
Gaming, Laptops, Dell
Tags: Alienware, alienware13, alienware15, alienware17, alienware18, alienwaregraphicsamplifier, alienwarex51, dell, gaming, gaminglaptop, gamingpc, pax, pax-prime
‘Rapture’ game soundtrack pulled from out-of-touch UK charts
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is a post-apocalyptic game with a difference. Instead of a nuclear wasteland, you’re tasked with exploring an idyllic, but empty town in the middle of the English countryside. There’s little dialogue, but the sweeping soundtrack sets a wonderfully melancholic tone. Composed by the game’s director Jessica Curry, these original tracks are excellent examples of modern classical music. And clearly they’ve resonated with people — earlier this month, the soundtrack placed eighth in the UK’s “Official Classical Artist Albums Chart.” Curry and the rest of her studio, The Chinese Room, were delighted. That is, until it disappeared from the chart the following week.
Very sad that the UK official charts have withdrawn my Rapture score from the classical charts- think it would have hit no. 1 this week 
— Jessica Curry (@jessicacurry2) August 25, 2015
According to the UK’s Official Charts Company, its inclusion was a mistake. The rules for this particular chart, which were drawn up in partnership with the classical music industry, state that original soundtracks performed by single and various artists are ineligible. The decision applies not just to Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, but to all video games and movies. Curry and The Chinese Room have been voicing their disapproval on Twitter — the developer has called it “bullshit” and “snobbery in action.” Fans of the game have, understandably, leapt to their defence and even Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, has called the decision “unfortunate.”
So @officialcharts denied the Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture OST by @jessicacurry2 it’s rightful chart placement. Just snobbery in action.
— The Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom) August 25, 2015
To make matters worse, the Official Charts Company has made another blunder in the Official Classical Artist Albums Chart. In this week’s listings, The Complete Harry Potter Film Music by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is ranked 29th. Just like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, this is an original soundtrack. A spokesperson for the Official Charts Company told us: “It’s an error. It shouldn’t be in there either and will be corrected (taken out) this Friday. We’re already aware of it.” For fans of the game and Curry’s music, however, its inclusion has only added to their sense of anger and frustration.
@ChineseRoom @officialcharts That’s ridiculous. How is original music composed for a game any different from music composed for a film?
— Foucauld Escaillet (@MisterFooks) August 25, 2015
But even once the Harry Potter soundtrack is removed, the greater question remains: why are original scores ineligible? We’re yet to hear a definitive answer. Whatever the reason, it means these albums are represented elsewhere; in the Official Soundtrack Albums Chart and the Official Classic FM Chart, which is a combined classical chart published on the radio station’s website. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture features in both, but you could argue that the level of recognition they offer isn’t quite the same. To confuse matters further, the Official Charts Company has told Eurogamer that it considers Curry’s record “a bona fide classical album.” That’s why it features prominently in the Classic FM Chart — but again, this doesn’t explain its ineligibility for the Official Classical Artist Albums Chart.
No matter where you stand, the reality is that this decision doesn’t affect the quality of our favourite soundtracks. It’s just a shame all classical music can’t be treated equal — whether it’s written specifically for an album, or to accompany a movie, TV show or video game, it either fits the genre or it doesn’t. If you think these composers are being treated unfairly, the best course of action — as always — is to support their work with your wallet.
https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/182090636&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=falsehttps://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/154085103&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false
Filed under:
Gaming
Source:
Jessica Curry (Twitter)
Tags: classicalmusic, EverybodysGoneToTheRapture, jessicacurry, OfficialChartsCompany, OriginalSoundTrack, ost, soundtrack, thechineseroom
AIVAnet 