Medium overhauls its collaborative publishing platform
Medium’s management unveiled a radically redesigned publishing platform on Thursday including a host of new formatting and production features. These new writing tools include the ability to include Twitter-style @-mentions, additional text formatting options (including drop caps to start paragraphs) and a slick “TK reminder” that prompts users before publishing that they’ve forgotten to finish a thought and left a TK reminder in the text. Additionally, the company is rolling out a mobile publishing app for both iOS and Android, as well as a developers API so that the CMS can be integrated into other sites and apps. Medium has also made it easier to import existing blogs and publications into its custom domain system. Even the company logo received an refresh.
Source: Medium
Singapore Post trials island-hopping delivery-by-drone program
You thought the USPS had it tough with all that rain, sleet, snow and hail they have to deal with? Try delivering mail throughout the Malay archipelago, the world’s largest island chain. However, the Singapore Post thinks it may have a solution: Fly parcels between islands on the backs of UAVs. To that end, the mail service recently trialled the concept by successfully shipping two items from mainland Singapore to neighboring Pulau Ubin.
The 2km flight took just five minutes to complete and delivered both a letter and packaged shirt. The customized drone is based on the Pixhawk Steadidrone platform. It can handle up to a half kilo of cargo and fly as far as 2.3 kilometers. The Singapore Post collaborated with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore to develop the delivery system.
“Although it will be a while before it is viable for drone mail delivery to take off in Singapore, taking into consideration commercial and safety factors,” IDA Managing Director Jacqueline Poh said in a statement. “This first step by SingPost and IDA demonstrates what Singapore is trying out with our Smart Nation vision – to have the various parts of our ecosystem collaborate, experiment with new ways of doing things, and in the process, literally aim for the sky with new technology.”
Source: Channel News Asia
Cyanogen to continue working with YU even after stock Android phone’s release
A partnership currently exists between Cyanogen and Micromax’s Indian-based YU brand. The agreement formulated at the close of 2014 gave Micromax exclusive access to Cyanogen’s software in India to be implemented in future YU phones. But the Yuphoria that was released earlier this year shipped with stock Android, leaving behind any traces of Cyanogen OS. Fear not, though, as Cyanogen says everything is fine and the two parties will continue to working together.
Here is the statement from Cyanogen issued to Android Police:
We have a great partnership with YU, and happy to announce that Cyanogen OS 12.1 will be powering YU’s upcoming flagship – Yutopia. We’ll also be rolling out the latest 12.1 update to Yureka / Yureka Plus very soon. It doesn’t always makes sense for us to support every device in a partner’s portfolio, and there are one-off model variations. We want to put the unfounded rumors to rest.
So past phones will be updated to the latest version of Cyanogen OS while also being pre-installed on the upcoming Yutopia. Clearly nothing is seemingly wrong with Cyanogen and Micromax’s relationship.
Via: Android Police
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Benchmark scores leak for new Samsung chip believed to be the Exynos 8890
Sources are reporting a new image that surfaced on Weibo appears to show benchmark testing results for the Samsung Exynos 8890. The processor is based on a new CPU architecture that Samsung has been working on codenamed Mongoose that not only improves performance, but efficiency as well. The Exynos 8890 is supposedly going to be one of three chips available in the Galaxy S7 when released next year.
According to the image, the Exynos 8890 posted a score of 2,294 points on a single-core test and 6,908 points on a multi-core test using the Geekbench tools. These scores were generated when running at 2.3GHz and on the multi-core test, are close to earlier scores generated in some preliminary testing. The chip was also tested in Power Saving mode with scores of 1,710 points and 4,896 points and in Ultra Power Saving mode with scores of 1,100 points and 3,209 points in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively.
Fore comparison, the Exynos 7420 has generated scores of 1,486 on a single-core and 4,970 on multi-core while the Apple A9 processor posted scores of 2,487 and 4,330 respectively.
If Samsung is able to produce the Galaxy S7 with this chip and meet other demands for long-life and reasonable temperature control, they should have a smartphone that ranks as one of the best performing on the market.
source: Weibo
via: Tech Times
Come comment on this article: Benchmark scores leak for new Samsung chip believed to be the Exynos 8890
Google, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo to assume liability for accidents involving self-driving cars
The idea of a self-driving car is brilliant but there is definitely risk involved with the operations of such vehicles. After all, this is still an automated machine. So the makers of self-driving cars are going to need strong legal teams for when things go wrong; however, select manufacturers are ready to assume liability for accidents that involve these vehicles. Google, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo are three of the brave companies ready to face potential disasters.
Last weekend, during a 60 Minutes report, CBS News mentioned that both Google and Mercedes-Benz are not going to shy away from accidents involving self-driving cars:
Google and Mercedes told us, if their technology is at fault once it becomes commercially available, they’ll accept responsibility and liability. But all involved expect fewer crashes as the technology evolves.
And today, Volvo Cars’ Håkan Samuelsson is expected to take a similar stance while speaking in Washington, D.C. at the “A Future with Self Driving Cars — Is it Safe?” seminar. He will also cover the issue of vehicles being hacked. Samuelsson already commented yesterday on the status of self-driving cars in the United States:
“The US risks losing its leading position due to the lack of Federal guidelines for the testing and certification of autonomous vehicles. Europe has suffered to some extent by having a patchwork of rules and regulations. It would be a shame if the US took a similar path to Europe in this crucial area.”
“The absence of one set of rules means car makers cannot conduct credible tests to develop cars that meet all the different guidelines of all 50 US states. If we are to ensure a smooth transition to autonomous mobility then together we must create the necessary framework that will support this.”
What does this all mean? Google, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo all realize that accidents are bound to happen with or without a computer operating a vehicle.
Source: CBS News, Volvo
Via: Jalopnik
Come comment on this article: Google, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo to assume liability for accidents involving self-driving cars
Motorola’s Moto X Style finally reaches India, Flipkart starts sales next week
Today, India sees an addition to the choice of phones available throughout the country. Motorola’s flagship Moto X Style (which is known at the Moto X Pure Edition elsewhere) has launched in the country.
The price of the Moto X Style in India is ₹29,999 (or $450) for 16GB and ₹31,999 (or $485) for 32GB. Flipkart will begin selling the handset exclusively on October 15.
Flipkart will be running several promotions celebrating the Moto X Style’s arrival through October 20. Customers can trade-in their current phone for a discount on the Moto X Style while a lucky group of one hundred will receive 100% cashback. Others might receive MakeMyTrip discounts and Flipkart gift vouchers.
Via: NDTV
Come comment on this article: Motorola’s Moto X Style finally reaches India, Flipkart starts sales next week
Verizon Customers on Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans Face $20 Price Increase
Verizon customers with grandfathered unlimited data plans, which the carrier stopped offering to new customers in 2011, face a $20 increase in their monthly bill starting November 15, according to CNET. The monthly cost of unlimited data will rise from $30 to $50 as a result.
The rate increase is yet another move by Verizon to encourage customers to move from unlimited data plans to tiered data plans. Less than 1% of Verizon customers still have an unlimited data plan, according to a company spokesperson, but those remaining few are often stubborn about switching.
Verizon customers with unlimited data plans are required to pay full retail price for smartphones, although grandfathered subscribers do qualify for the company’s monthly installment plan for new devices.
In the United States, Sprint and T-Mobile are the two largest nationwide carriers that continue to offer unlimited data plans. AT&T stopped offering unlimited data to new customers in 2010.
Wi-Fi Calling Now Available for AT&T Users
AT&T has flipped the switch on Wi-Fi calling, making it available to customers with eligible plans that are running iOS 9. MacRumors has received tips from customers who were able to activate Wi-Fi calling and we were able to activate the feature on our own iPhones. A number of readers in our forums are also having success activating Wi-Fi calling.
Wi-Fi calling is a feature that lets calls be placed over a wireless connection when cellular connectivity is poor, functioning much like an AT&T M-Cell does now. It’s similar to Apple’s own FaceTime Audio feature, which also routes calls over a Wi-Fi connection.
AT&T customers can turn on Wi-Fi calling by going to the Phone section of the Settings app and toggling on the Wi-Fi calling feature. From there, there are a set of steps to walk through, including entering an emergency 911 address.
Customers who want to use Wi-Fi calling need to have AT&T HD voice features enabled, along with an Internet connection. Wi-Fi calling can be used for voice calls within the United States, Puerto Rico, and United States Virgin Islands at no charge. Long distance global voice calls will be charged standard long distance rates.
Once the setup process is complete, customers are receiving notifications letting them know the Wi-Fi calling feature will be available after a short activation period.
AT&T promised to launch Wi-Fi calling alongside iOS 9, but last week announced the feature was delayed due to its inability to get an FCC waiver that would temporarily allow the carrier to forgo offering support options for deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. On Tuesday of this week, AT&T finally received the waiver that it needed to move forward with Wi-Fi calling.
Lightroom for iOS Now Available to All Users, No Longer Requires Creative Cloud Subscription
Adobe updated its lineup of mobile apps earlier this week, and among those updates was a new version of Lightroom, the company’s iOS-based photo editing app. As part of the recent update to Lightroom, Adobe quietly made the app available to all users, removing the need for a subscription to Creative Cloud.
Prior to this week, the free Lightroom app was dependent on the desktop version of Lightroom and it required users to have one of Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription plans. Signing up first on Lightroom used to activate a trial Creative Cloud account, giving iOS users only a limited amount of time to use the app. Now restriction free, Lightroom can be downloaded by all iOS users at no cost and used to manage and edit photos on iOS indefinitely.
The Next Web was the first to highlight the change to Lightroom, and the site spoke to Adobe’s director of product management for digital imaging Tom Hogarty who said Lightroom has been a popular choice for mobile users. Adobe is likely hoping the change will draw potential subscribers to Adobe’s other apps.
We’re seeing alot of people come in first on Lightroom mobile, so now we’re allowing people to use it locally on their local assets, their local photos and videos on their phone and tablet for as long as they like.
More and more people are adopting the phone as their primary camera, taking the DSLR out less and less, and we’re seeing the same thing with the use of Lightroom. Some users are creative pros who are aiming for efficiency, but many others are just consumers who love photography.
Lightroom for mobile devices has many of the same capabilities that are available for the desktop and it’s a powerful editing tool on iOS devices. It includes one-touch improvement tools and more advanced adjustments for fixing problems like insufficient lighting or unwanted objects.
The recent update to the app adds a new haze removal feature that’s useful for removing haze in landscaping photos, and it includes a targeted adjustment to that allows colors in a specific area to be tuned. It also offers an in-app Adobe camera, integration with Photoshop Fix, and better organizational tools.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for iPhone is available for free from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for iPad is available for free from the App Store. [Direct Link]
You might have to wait until November for the new Apple TV
While Apple previously said it would officially launch the revamped Apple TV this month, you might not actually see it until November, reports 9to5Mac. Sources tell the site that the new set-top box won’t be hitting Apple stores until next month, and while it may still pop up for online orders later this month, online shoppers will probably have to wait until November to receive it, as well. Though it was unveiled alongside the iPhone 6S and iPad Pro, the new Apple TV feels like the most interesting Apple device this season. That’s probably because we’ve been waiting so long for a legitimate upgrade to the 2012 Apple TV (it’s hard to imagine it took Apple that long to add 1080p) support. The new set-top finally adds an App Store, and it runs a new operating system dubbed tvOS (an iOS spinoff). It also comes with a an upgraded remote that adds a touchpad (no more clicking that darn circle pad) and voice control.
[Photo credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Source: 9to5Mac
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