Verizon and AT&T opening experience shops within Best Buy stores
Best Buy seems to be all about that store-within-store model the past years. The popular tech retailer already has experience shops for Apple, Samsung and Microsoft in place, and now it seems like a couple new companies are about to join the fun. These are a bit different, though, as they are not really manufacturers – the 2 new partners are wireless carriers.
Verizon and AT&T just announced they will be putting together their very own experience stores within 250 Best Buy locations across the USA. This will all be done before the end of the year, and Verizon states they will be launching 100 of these shops by the end of this month (September).
But why would Verizon and AT&T want something like this? Don’t they already have their own little section at the wireless services section? Yes, they do, but both companies have more focused plans for this new business opportunity. Sure, they will promote their brand and try to sell their own smartphone services too, but the goal is to try to show customers how they can improve their connected lifestyles.
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These larger carriers have expanded their business to become smart device power houses. Walk into any of their stores and you will find smart home products, wearables, IoT devices and more. This is what Verizon and AT&T are aiming to showcase at their new dedicated areas within Best Buy stores. And they are very clear about their intentions here.
“The Verizon Experience in Best Buy is geared to showcase connected lifestyles – such as wearable tech, computing on the go and connected home – and the devices and plans that make these lifestyles a reality. Just like in our own Destination and Smart stores, the specialists in the Verizon Experience stores at Best Buy are trained in a hands-on environment so they can provide real-world examples to customers when talking about our new simplified plans and devices.” -John Colaiuti, vice president of national distribution at Verizon Wireless
“By the end of 2015, 250 Best Buy locations across the country will have a new AT&T space to further help customers personalize their connected experience – and AT&T will be front and center of this exciting time.” – Andy Shibley, senior vice president of national retail at AT&T Mobile
Get ready for some fun time with Verizon and AT&T at your local Best Buy stores! It’s only a matter of time before these start popping up.
Verizon and AT&T opening experience shops within Best Buy stores
Best Buy seems to be all about that store-within-store model the past years. The popular tech retailer already has experience shops for Apple, Samsung and Microsoft in place, and now it seems like a couple new companies are about to join the fun. These are a bit different, though, as they are not really manufacturers – the 2 new partners are wireless carriers.
Verizon and AT&T just announced they will be putting together their very own experience stores within 250 Best Buy locations across the USA. This will all be done before the end of the year, and Verizon states they will be launching 100 of these shops by the end of this month (September).
But why would Verizon and AT&T want something like this? Don’t they already have their own little section at the wireless services section? Yes, they do, but both companies have more focused plans for this new business opportunity. Sure, they will promote their brand and try to sell their own smartphone services too, but the goal is to try to show customers how they can improve their connected lifestyles.
#gallery-1
margin: auto;
#gallery-1 .gallery-item
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 50%;
#gallery-1 img
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
#gallery-1 .gallery-caption
margin-left: 0;
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
These larger carriers have expanded their business to become smart device power houses. Walk into any of their stores and you will find smart home products, wearables, IoT devices and more. This is what Verizon and AT&T are aiming to showcase at their new dedicated areas within Best Buy stores. And they are very clear about their intentions here.
“The Verizon Experience in Best Buy is geared to showcase connected lifestyles – such as wearable tech, computing on the go and connected home – and the devices and plans that make these lifestyles a reality. Just like in our own Destination and Smart stores, the specialists in the Verizon Experience stores at Best Buy are trained in a hands-on environment so they can provide real-world examples to customers when talking about our new simplified plans and devices.” -John Colaiuti, vice president of national distribution at Verizon Wireless
“By the end of 2015, 250 Best Buy locations across the country will have a new AT&T space to further help customers personalize their connected experience – and AT&T will be front and center of this exciting time.” – Andy Shibley, senior vice president of national retail at AT&T Mobile
Get ready for some fun time with Verizon and AT&T at your local Best Buy stores! It’s only a matter of time before these start popping up.
EPIX enables mobile downloads for offline movie watching
Joining the likes of Google Play Movies and iTunes, streaming content provider EPIX announced on Tuesday that it will allow subscribers to download movies onto their mobile devices for later playback, whether or not there’s an available internet connection. The feature will reportedly be available on iOS and Android devices as well as Amazon’s Kindle, beginning this month. Available titles will include The Hunger Games, James Bond and Star Trek. There’s no word on limits to how many titles subscribers will be able to concurrently download or how long they’ll be able to keep each one.
Filed under:
Internet
Source:
Business Wire
Tags: Amazon, Comparison of Android devices, downloads, hungergames, iOS, iTunes, jamesbond, Kindle, Star Trek, streaming
Uber sets up shop in Las Vegas
Well that didn’t take long. Less than a day after the Nevada Transportation Commission authorized Uber and Lyft to operate in the state, Uber announced on Tuesday that it is expanding its Uber X ride-hailing service into the greater Las Vegas area. Users will be able to travel anywhere between Summerlin, Nevada in the Southeast clear on up to Henderson in the Northwest (though that trip will cost an estimated $63-84). A trip from UNLV to Downtown, however, will only set you back around $15.
Huge. News. Learn More http://t.co/KV6od4Roya pic.twitter.com/DhvWWVIcjR
— Uber Vegas (@Uber_Vegas) September 15, 2015
Filed under:
Transportation, Internet
Source:
Uber
Tags: Downtown, LasVegas, Nevada, ridesharing, Uber
Google OnHub teardown reveals a curious, complicated WiFi router
If you think Google’s OnHub router looks like a strange machine on the outside, wait until you get a look at the inside. DIY repair outfit iFixit has torn down Google’s first WiFi access point (technically TP-Link’s), and it contains some components you definitely aren’t going to find anywhere else. The OnHub’s signature, congestion-fighting antenna looks more like a set of crosshairs than any kind of networking gear, and there’s another diamond-like antenna for focusing signals in specific directions. You’ll also find wires that dangle like “tentacles,” and a heat sink that pulls warmth through the circuit board.
Not surprisingly, this one-of-a-kind design isn’t exactly easy to take apart — even iFixit faced a challenge navigating its complicated structure. Also, you could be looking at a costly (or at least tricky) fix if you break an antenna connector or a port. While you aren’t that likely to deconstruct your router in the first place, the teardown shows that clever design comes at a cost.
Filed under:
Peripherals, Networking, Google
Source:
iFixit
Tags: google, ifixit, onhub, router, teardown, tp-link, wi-fi, wifi
Target takes on Amazon with same-day grocery delivery of its own
Amazon may already offer grocery delivery, but Target is looking to take on the online retailer when it comes to same-day drop-offs. To power its grocery delivery effort, Target is teaming up with San Francisco-based startup Instacart, a company what already works with Costco, Whole Foods and others. Unlike AmazonFresh that requires a $299 annual fee, Instacart’s pricing starts at $4 per order and varies depending on size. Google’s food delivery service, Google Express, is also set to begin testing a grocery option in two US cities this year, so the options for shopping from the couch could continue to grow. Right now, the service will only be available in Target’s home city of Minneapolis and there’s no word on when, or if, it’ll expand to other areas.
[Image credit: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images]
Filed under:
Internet
Source:
Bloomberg
Tags: delivery, groceries, grocery, grocerydelivery, instacart, samedaydelivery, target
EPIX launches offline movie viewing
As more networks and services move into the streaming content market, EPIX has announced a move that it hopes will help set it apart from the competition. Starting next month, EPIX will enable subscribers to download movies to their mobile devices for viewing at a later time, even when an Internet connection is not available.
EPIX claims they are the first network to provide this capability to their subscribers. “The EPIX goal has always been to provide our subscribers with next level enhancements, elevating how they can access content across devices,” said EPIX president and CEO Mark Greenberg, “consumers now have guaranteed content mobility.”
The EPIX portfolio includes hit franchises like The Hunger Games, James Bond and Star Trek. EPIX has been a frontrunner when it comes to making their content available on a variety of platforms as part of a “TV Everywhere” strategy. They have been the first network to offer content on devices like the XBox 360, PlayStation 3 and 4 and on Roku devices. EPIX was also the first network to offer all of its content online at EPIX.com.
Check out the full press release below and let us know in the comments if you use the EPIX app or service or may consider it with this announcement.
EPIX Offers Ability to Download Movies to Watch Offline
First Network to Deliver True TV Everywhere Experience with Offline Viewing on Phones & Tablets
Provides Access to Watch Top Hollywood Movies without an Internet Connection
NEW YORK NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Premium entertainment network EPIX announced that it will offer subscribers the ability to download hit movies directly to their mobile devices, allowing them to watch where they want, when they want – even without access to an internet connection. A leader in multiplatform entertainment, EPIX will be the first network to deliver offline viewing directly from its mobile apps, available across Kindle Fire and all Apple and Android mobile devices and tablets including iPads®, iPhones®, and Samsung and Nexus devices. The new offering will be available this month to all EPIX subscribers, launching with a marketing campaign in partnership with affiliated distributors.
“Working with them to capitalize on technology to create more ways for our customers to watch is a great way for us to add value together.”
“The EPIX goal has always been to provide our subscribers with next level enhancements, elevating how they can access content across devices,” said Mark Greenberg, EPIX President and CEO. “By creating a network first, true TV Everywhere experience, consumers can now download a movie from our library and watch it anywhere, anytime, even without a Wi-Fi connection – while waiting at the airport, traveling by train, commuting to work, or even on a camping trip. Consumers now have guaranteed content mobility.”
The new download feature will offer EPIX’s biggest titles on demand, including hit movie franchises The Hunger Games, James Bond, and Star Trek, original documentaries and music and comedy events featuring marquee talent including Katy Perry, Craig Ferguson, Louis CK, Mark Maron and more.
“From its creation, EPIX has focused on providing their premium movies and original programming to customers in as many ways as possible,” said Mike Angus, Time Warner Cable’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital. “Working with them to capitalize on technology to create more ways for our customers to watch is a great way for us to add value together.”
EPIX has pioneered the development and proliferation of “TV Everywhere” since its founding in 2009. It was the first premium network to provide multi-platform access to its content online at EPIX.com and was the first premium network to launch on XBox 360, PlayStation® 3 and 4, Android phones and tablets, Windows 8.1 and Roku® players. EPIX is also available to authenticated subscribers on hundreds of devices including Xbox One, Chromecast, Apple® iPads® iPhones® and Android devices and smart TV’s including Sony, Sharp, Philips and more. With this announcement, EPIX is the only premium service providing all its programming on all platforms and delivering more movies than any other premium network, with thousands of titles available for streaming and soon download directly to their devices.
About EPIX
EPIX is a premium movie and original programming entertainment service delivering the latest movie releases, classic film franchises, original documentaries, comedy and music events on TV, on demand, online and on devices. Launched in October 2009, EPIX has pioneered the development and proliferation of “TV Everywhere.” It was the first premium network to provide multi-platform access to its content online at EPIX.com and was the first premium network to launch on Xbox, PlayStation®, Android phones and tablets, and Roku® players. EPIX is also available across Chromecast, Apple® iPhones® and iPads®, Android TV and more and is the only premium service providing all its programming on all platforms, delivering more movies than any other premium network, with thousands of titles available for streaming.
EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM). Through relationships with cable, satellite and telco partners, EPIX is available to over 50 million homes nationwide. For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX), Google+ (http://plus.google.com/+EPIX), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/EPIX) and Vine (https://vine.co/EPIX).
Come comment on this article: EPIX launches offline movie viewing
Google takes cat videos to the next level
Let’s face it. The internet loves cats. If you don’t believe me, Google search cat videos. Even in the early days, the internet was rife with cat GIFs and memes.
Nowhere else was this more true than in Japan. Cats permeate Japanese culture. From mangas and animes to Japanese pop bands, you can find cats everywhere in the Japanese culture.
So it’s no suprise that the Android game Neko Atsume (Cat Gathering) has clawed it’s way to the top of the Japanese charts.
For those who are not familiar with Neko Atsume, it is a game where you attract and save stray cats by leaving offerings for the virtual felines. Apparently it’s hard to even paws the game for even a minute.
To celebrate the developers success, Google decided to scratch together a live action version of the game at the world’s first cat cafe in Osaka Japan. They streamed the entire tail tale live on MewTube YouTube yesterday. However, if you hissed missed it you can can watch the entire 11 hour 10 minute and 35 second broadcats broadcast here.
This is just another example of Google helping developers find success in the marketplace. What do you think? Are you going to paws your day to watch some or all of Google’s nyantastic cat video? Let us know in the comments below.
The post Google takes cat videos to the next level appeared first on AndroidGuys.
How to Play Android Games on a PC
Maybe you want to prop up your terrible Clash of Clans team by running an alternate account on your laptop. Maybe your addiction to Candy Crush Saga has grown to the point that your poor phone’s battery life just can’t hack the kind of binges you need nowadays to get your fix. Maybe you really just want to feel more immersed in Angry Birds by playing it on your unnecessarily large 34-inch monitor.
Whatever twisted motivation brought you to this page, you’re here because you want to learn how to play games designed for Android on your PC, and I’m here help you bring your idea to life. So break out your brain in a jar and make sure your lightning rod is appropriately adjusted: let’s make this unholy merger happen.
Now, there are several methods that you can use. You could theoretically install the Android software development kit which comes with an (admittedly very slow) Android emulator. Alternatively, you might use Manymo to embed a pretty slick Android emulator right in your browser. Another option is to grab a copy of Android-x86, which is getting better and better with each new version release and now only has a very small chance of unleashing an eldrich abomination if it’s configured incorrectly. There’s also AmiDuOS, though that particular solution does cost $15 for the Lollipop license or $10 for the KitKat version.
There are certainly a number of ways to get the job done, but we’re going to go ahead and suggest that you give either Genymotion or BlueStacks a spin. Both are excellent Android emulators that run in Windows and have access to the Google Play Store. Each has a fairly substantial user-base with BlueStacks’ being somewhat larger and Genymotion’s being somewhat more aggressively evangelical. Even better, both are super simple to setup.
For those looking for one of the easiest to set up, Bluestacks remains one of our favorites, so we’ll focus on the specifics of using it. BlueStacks is an agile little app that allows you to run the Android apps you love on either Windows or Mac. It uses a revolutionary Cloud Connect capability that lets you “push” application data from your Android to your computer or from your computer to your Android.
Not keen on Bluestacks? Andy is arguably “the best” for those looking for a deeper Android emulation experience (and it is based on GenyMotion actually), but it is also a bit more complicated to setup. You can learn more about it here, and how it compares to BlueStacks.
For those interested in giving BlueStacks a try, you simply need to follow a few simple steps:
Step 1: Install BlueStacks
Grab BlueStacks from their website and begin installation. It’s a lean, small application that doesn’t require much interaction during installation. Really the only decisions you have to make are whether or not to receive notifications from BlueStacks and whether you want to opt into their reward program, which provides giveaways on a daily basis.
Step 2: Build Your Home
After you install BlueStacks, you will be routed to your Home Screen. This is where you’ll find all of your installed apps. Using the mouse to simulate a touch screen is pretty straightforward. Don’t forget that you’ll need to click and drag to mimic swiping gestures. “Swipe” left to access your list of apps. Of course for those with touchscreen PCs, you’ll be able to use this for even easier navigation.
Step 3: Setup the Google Play Store
Now that you’ve got BlueStacks up and running, you’ll need to login to your Google Account to ensure that everything is synchronized between your devices. This will also enable you to download apps from the Play Store.
Try downloading any app to start this process. A wizard will walk you through setting up BlueStacks to interact with your established Google account. In a nutshell, you’ll just need to sign in to Google with your account or create a new one. Easy as pie.
Step 4: Configure App Sync
Technically this is an optional step, but you’re probably going to want to set this up. BlueStacks’ Cloud Connect feature allows you to make sure that both your devices are in sync, and it reduces the amount of time you spend downloading and configuring apps on one device that you’ve already set up on the other.
In the Configure Cloud Connect wizard, provide your email address. BlueStacks will send you an email containing instructions that you can access from both your Android device and your PC. This will involve installing the BlueStacks Cloud Connect app on your Android and using a PIN number to sync the two devices.
Step 5: Get Your Apps
Even if choose not to sync your apps with Cloud Connect, you can still use BlueStack’s app search to install games from the Google Play Store. BlueStacks actually searches three app markets simultaneously: Google Play Store, Amazon, and 1Mobile. While the App Search function may look a little different than you’re used to, rest assured that you’re in the right place.
After you find the game you want and have installed it, simply head back to your home screen just like you would on an Android device to run it. Be aware that BlueStacks is still under development, and not every game will work on it, but a surprising number of them will.
Step 6: Non-touch Controls
There are some gestures that come more intuitively on a touch screen than can be emulated with a mouse and keyboard. If you’re not using a Windows 10 computer with a touch screen, for instance, how are you going to pinch to zoom in and out? Whenever you boot up an app that requires such controls, Bluestacks will briefly display what keys will serve to simulate these gestures. For many games, zooming in and out is assigned to the up and down arrow keys respectively.
You can also use gamepads with BlueStacks. My personal go-to gamepad is the good, old fashioned wired Xbox 360 controller, but I’m a man of simple tastes. This can be perfect for old game emulators, but the moment that you realize that you’re playing an SNES emulator for Android on a laptop running an Android emulator while using a controller meant for an Xbox can make you really start to reconsider the decisions you’re making in your life. Don’t go too far down the rabbit hole!
Conclusion
So that’s the basics of running BlueStacks to play Android games on your PC. If you have a different method that you prefer, like Genymotion or Andy, let us know why it’s your favorite in the comments!
Ultimate Ears’ new UE BOOM 2 might be the wireless speaker you’ve been waiting for
The UE BOOM Bluetooth speaker has been a fan favorite for many years, but it’s no secret that the line could definitely use a refresh. Today that changes, as Ultimate Ears have just announced the newest in its line of mobile speakers, the UE BOOM 2. Judging from the image attached above, you can see that the UE BOOM 2 looks very similar to its predecessor. But once you look at the spec sheet, you’ll quickly notice that most of the upgrades can be found under the hood.
The UE BOOM 2 features the same materials as the UE BOOM, but fans of the speaker will be happy to know that it’s now waterproof, thanks to its IPX 7 rating. Ultimate Ears says it’s also drop-proof from up to five feet, which is a nice touch.
It’s also 25 percent louder than its predecessor and features a longer wireless connection range up to 100 feet. The UE BOOM only offered users a 50-foot Bluetooth range, so it’s really great to see the company making improvements in this area. The UE BOOM 2 now features playback controls for skipping through tracks. This was a feature noticeably missing from the UE BOOM.
When it comes to battery life, Ultimate Ears is claiming the BOOM 2 can still achieve about 15 hours of playback time on a single charge, just like its predecessor.
If you happen to use the UE BOOM 2 application for Android, you’ll be able to pair the BOOM 2 with another Ultimate Ears speaker. Ultimate Ears says new updates will be sent out wirelessly through the app, so more features will make their way to the speaker in time.
The UE BOOM 2 is already available for purchase from Ultimate Ears’ website in Cherrybomb, Yeti, Phantom, GreenMachine, Tropical and BrainFreeze color options for $199.99. If you’re interested, head to the link below for more information.
AIVAnet 