Prepare for The Force Awakens with ‘Star Wars: Uprising’ on Android and iOS
Star Wars: Uprising has made its way to the Play Store in anticipation of the upcoming Disney-made Star Wars film, The Force Awakens. The game can be downloaded for free in the Play Store, and initial reactions are quite positive.
Star Wars: Uprising is the RPG prequel to The Force Awakens, which aims to get people up to speed before the film comes out this winter. Players can engage in Sector Battles to “dictate the expansion of in-game content,” create their own heroes and crew, participate in real-time co-op, and explore both classic and new worlds.
Participating in Sector Battles will unlock new planets, special gear for your hero, higher level caps, and even unlock unique crew members. As we get closer to the film’s launch, Star Wars multimedia is becoming commonplace, with Electronic Arts getting ready to release their own Star Wars game, Galaxy of Heroes, soon.
Click here to view the embedded video.
The game is a free download and will be enjoyed by Star Wars fans around the world. If you haven’t picked it up yet, be sure to hit the download link below.
Come comment on this article: Prepare for The Force Awakens with ‘Star Wars: Uprising’ on Android and iOS
Vodafone launches app-free WiFi calling
Following EE, O2 and Three, Vodafone is finally ready to launch its own WiFi calling service. It’s rolling out nationwide over the next few weeks and will be available to anyone with a Vodafone Red, Red Value or Red+ plan — provided you have a compatible device, that is. So if your home is trapped in a “not-spot,” or you frequently use the London Underground, people can still get a hold of you — avoiding a string of missed call notifications when you next stumble upon some coverage. Like EE, Vodafone’s service will kick in automatically and doesn’t require a separate app. Once your account is activated — presumably Vodafone will send you some sort of alert — it’s just a matter of enabling it in your phone’s settings. Our main concern now is device compatibility. Vodafone says it’ll be supported on “a number of leading smartphones,” which hopefully means more than a select few.
[Image Credit: John Phillips/PA WIRE]
Filed under:
Wireless
Source:
Vodafone
Tags: vodafone, wifi, wificalling
Wrist sensor logs the devices you use and your power consumption
MagnifiSense is a high-tech wristband developed by University of Washington researchers. Unlike fitness trackers, though, it doesn’t log the number of steps you’ve taken or calories burned: it takes note of the electronics and appliances you personally use to keep track of your power consumption. During their tests, the researchers found that the sensor can correctly identify and differentiate 12 devices from each other, including electric toothbrushes, lamps, laptops and even cars. It’s able to tell them apart by “listening” to the electronic radiation they generate. According to lead researcher Edward Wang, electronics actually produce distinct sounds similar to “vocal cord patterns,” so “a blender ‘sings’ quite differently than a hair dryer.”
Wang and his colleagues believe that they can develop more applications for MagnifiSense: it could, for instance, monitor what devices a nursing home resident switches on. That way, an attendant can come in and check if he believes the user forgot to turn off the stove or any other appliance that could explode or cause fire. As you can see above, the current prototype looks too chunky for actual use, but the team plans to scale the technology down in the future. They’re hoping to create a version that’s small enough to be embedded into a watch or a slimmer band. We imagine that could lead to commercially available wearables, which can remind people to conserve energy and make it easier for roommates to divvy up electric bills more fairly.
Filed under:
Wearables
Via:
Gizmag
Source:
University of Washington
Tags: carbon-footprint, universityofwashington
3D-printable files of TSA master baggage keys are out for download
If you never trusted your luggage lock much to begin with, then you’re going to warily look at it in suspicion from now on. Some security enthusiasts took that photo of TSA’s master baggage keys that The Washington Post published and turned them into 3D-printable CAD files — in fact, they’ve recently uploaded them on GitHub, making them freely available to everyone. The person who released the files told Wired that while he tried to be as accurate as he could, he didn’t exactly expect the keys to work. Thing is, at least one of them did work: Bernard Bolduc, who describes himself as a “Unix wizard and security geek” on Twitter printed out a key and tried it on his TSA-approved lock.
The result? He told Wired it took him one try to open the lock even though the key was made of common PLA plastic using commercially available printer. He didn’t even have to tweak the design in any way. We can assume that the rest of the files can be used to print out keys that can open other types of locks that the TSA uses to check baggage at airports. Sure luggage locks were never really lockpick-proof, but it’s still unfortunate how the agency made it even easier for thieves to open travelers’ suitcases.
OMG, it’s actually working!!! pic.twitter.com/rotJPJqjTg
— Bernard Bolduc (@bernard) September 9, 2015
[Image credit: Getty/Zoonar RF]
Filed under:
Misc
Source:
GitHub
Tags: 3dprint, security, tsa
New Horizons offers a closer look at Pluto’s desolate surface
When NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft shot past Pluto, the agency released some stunning photos to celebrate the occasion. The last couple of months have been quiet, however, because the spacecraft has only been sending back data collected by its energetic particle, solar wind and space dust instruments. While this has led to some new discoveries, many of us have been itching to see a little more of the icy dwarf planet. Well, good news! NASA now has a fresh batch of photos for us to drool over. The most eye-catching one is a mosaic (above) that shows what the planet would look like if you were stood 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) above the equator. Looking north-east, you can see a cratered region called Cthulhu Regio and some icy plains named Sputnik Planum.
Slideshow-318731
The complete set offer a detailed look at possible dunes, valleys, and nitrogen ice flows that NASA thinks erupted from some of the dwarf planet’s mountainous regions. “Seeing dunes on Pluto — if that is what they are — would be completely wild, because Pluto’s atmosphere today is so thin,” said William B. McKinnon, a deputy lead on the New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team. “Either Pluto had a thicker atmosphere in the past, or some process we haven’t figured out is at work. It’s a head-scratcher.” New Horizons began sending these photos and other data back to Earth on September 5th. It’s an agonizing process — because the craft is so far away, it can only send data at a rate of 1 to 4 kilobits per second. NASA hopes to publish new, unprocessed photos every Friday, so hopefully these are just the first of many memorable Pluto snapshots this year.
[Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute]
Filed under:
Science
Source:
NASA
Tags: nasa, newhorizons, photos, pluto, spacecraft
Say goodbye to grime and fingerprints with dbrand’s Galaxy Note 5 skins
Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 5 is a beautiful blend of metal and glass, with smooth lines and a pristine finish… Well, it’s pristine when you first take it out of the box, because the minute you begin using the Note 5, you will notice the one big drawback of that eye-catching mirror finish: it’s the ultimate fingerprint magnet.
If you bought a Note 5 (the Silver and Gold models, in particular), you have a few options to deal with the constant grime from the back. You can ignore it or just pretend it doesn’t bother you (hey, we don’t judge). You can carry around a cleaning cloth, or convert your sleeve into one. You can hide that beautiful phone into a case. Or, you can apply a custom skin from dbrand and forget you ever had to worry about fingerprints and grime.
dbrand is well-known for its selection of vinyl skins for electronic devices, from gaming consoles to smartwatches, including skins for Samsung’s top smartphones. The latest addition is a range of Galaxy Note 5 skins in 18 different styles, that you can mix and match using dbrand’s intuitive online interface.
Applying a skin to your Note 5 can really change its appearance. You can go for a plain matte finish or replicate the look of the Note 4 with a leather-textured skin. Or you can go flashy and pick a carbon fiber or metallic texture. All skins are precisely cut and you can mix textures to make sure your Note 5 stands out.
Using a skin is a great way to avoid smudges, but it has some practical benefits as well – skins protect against scratches and they help with grip. And when you want a change, it’s easy to take them off and start over.
dbrand skins for the Galaxy Note 5 are available for $10 for the back (including a matching camera skin) and $8 for the front (with or without capacitive keys cutouts). Pro tip: try adding a little color accent by picking up a standalone camera skin for just $1.
Check out all the Galaxy Note 5 skins in the dbrand store
[SPONSORED POST]
ICYMI: Homo sapien ancestor, AR Pokemon game and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: We are pumped about the discovery of a previously unknown homo sapien ancestor who looked ape-like but still cared enough to bury its dead. Color blind people who have long struggled with watching TV will have the option of buying a device that has a chipset designed to boost colors for their needs. And Pokémon is rolling out an augmented reality game that combines a bluetooth ball with GPS in your phone to hunt the little rascals down in virtual real life.
From the cutting room floor: This bluetooth device will alert parents’ smartphones if babies have been left in their carseats and is worth sharing with friends.
And just because we think the video is cool, please join us in being mesmerized with some fun dominoes action.
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:
Cellphones, Misc, GPS, Meta, Science, Internet, Software
Tags: AugmentedReality, babytech, colorblind, colorblindTV, disabledtech, dominoes, engadget, engadgetdaily, engadgetdailyshow, engadgetvideo, homesapien, homonaledi, icymi, InCaseYouMissedIt, Pokemon, PokemonGo, techfordisabilities, video
Samsung announces Galaxy J2 in India for Rs. 8,490
Samsung is very keen to secure a major share of the booming Indian smartphone market and so has just announced its new affordable Galaxy J2 handset in the country. The tech giant developed the Galaxy J2 specifically for this market at its research and development centre located in India.
The Galaxy J2 features a 4.7-inch AMOLED display with a 960×540 pixel resolution. The handset is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Exynos 3475 SoC, which is paired up with 1GB of RAM and a 2,000mAh battery. As for storage, the phone only comes with 8GB of space, but will accept 128GB microSD cards if you need more. Camera specs are a little basic, with just a 5 megapixel shooter on the rear and a 2 megapixel sensor on the front.
The J2 comes with 4G dual-SIM support, a particularly popular feature in India. Samsung has also incorporated a new Ultra Data Saving Mode, which is powered by Opera Max’s data compression technology. This boasts up to 50 percent data savings when downloading video, a 40 percent saving when using social apps and up to 30 percent less data while browsing the web, which is useful in locations without a blazing fast LTE connection. We have seen a similar implementation of Opera Max’s tech in Xiaomi’s new MIUI 7 operating system.
The Galaxy J2 is designed with a faux leather back and a metallic edge. The phone will be available from a variety of retailers in black, white and gold color options from September 21, with a Rs. 8,490 price tag. What do you think?
OnePlus apologizes for delays in the OnePlus 2 launch
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
Co-founder of OnePlus, Carl Pei, has taken to the OnePlus forum to post a heartfelt apology to OnePlus fans, partners, and really everybody, for the delays in the OnePlus 2 launch. Despite promises of an improved system and more invites, the OnePlus 2 has proven to be just as, if not more, elusive than its predecessor, the OnePlus One. OnePlus has only just started shipping out invites for the device “in meaningful quantities” this past week, which in case you’re wondering, is about a month after the device was due to start becoming available. Pei’s post starts with a simple truth: “We messed up the launch of the OnePlus 2”.
“With the OnePlus 2, we made rosy plans. We were more confident, and prepared a lot more inventory. We told our users it would be 30-50x easier to get invites, and they needn’t worry. Yet, we only began shipping in meaningful quantities this week, nearly a month after our initial targeted shipping date. You can talk all you want, but in the end, flawless execution speaks much louder than unfulfilled promises.”
“Truth is, hardware is extremely hard. There are so many things to consider, like cash flow, inventory, supply chain and production. Every step of the way, there are landmines for the uninitiated and uncareful. This is a reflection and not an excuse.”
“In fact, there are very few excuses in this world that are valid. We simply messed up again and apologize for that. We don’t plan on making further promises for future launches, and will instead focus on showing the world how we’ve improved through our actions.”
While we’re not doubting that Pei and OnePlus are truly sorry for once again stuffing up the release of their product, you can’t really say they didn’t bring it upon themselves with all their teasing and hyping of the OnePlus 2. While being honest is always a good thing, we just wonder how many more chances OnePlus’ fans are going to give them before all the goodwill is gone – there’s only so far that cheap prices will go if your brand is unable to deliver year after year. What’s the saying? Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice…
What do you think about the delays in the OnePlus 2 launch?
The post OnePlus apologizes for delays in the OnePlus 2 launch appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
iPad Pro Features Improved Storage Controller for Desktop-Class Performance
Apple’s new iPad Pro is powered by a 64-bit A9X processor that delivers up to 1.6 times faster performance over the iPad Air 2, with up to twice as fast graphics. Apple also says the tablet has up to 80% faster performance and up to 90% faster graphics over portable PCs.
Apple’s website notes the underlying technology behind the iPad Pro’s desktop-class performance is a new storage controller that increases read and write speeds so that large files, such as 4K videos or RAW photos imported from an HD camera, can be opened much quicker (via AppleInsider).
The A9X chip is capable of processing data so quickly, it demanded a new memory architecture. iPad Pro features a revamped storage controller that helps deliver performance better than some desktop computers. This increases read and write speeds, so you can quickly open even the largest files. Like the big 4K movie you just edited or all the RAW images you imported from your HD camera.
iPad Pro launches in November in Silver, Space Gray and Gold, starting at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model will cost $949 and a Wi-Fi + LTE 128GB model will cost $1,079. A new Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard will launch alongside the tablet for $99 and $169 respectively.
AIVAnet 