Kanye West hates in-app purchases on kids games
When Kanye West runs for president, we know what at least one item on his platform will be — and there will probably be plenty of parents agreeing.
Fuck any game company that puts in-app purchases on kids games!!!
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) October 10, 2015
That makes no sense!!! We give the iPad to our child and every 5 minutes there’s a new purchase!!!
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) October 10, 2015
If a game is made for a 2 year old, just allow them to have fun and give the parents a break for Christ sake.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) October 10, 2015
Looking forward to future kanye tweets about data overages, someone playing with the thermostat & why are so many lights on
— Desus Nice (@desusnice) October 10, 2015
[Image credit: FilmMagic]
Google search on Safari mobile to display results for iOS apps
By the end of October, you might notice that doing a Google search via Safari on an iPhone or an iPad returns results with deep links to iOS apps. That’s because Mountain View has given developers the power to do so — they simply have to add Universal Links to their iOS apps and integrate with the Google search SDK. The company first brought app indexing to Apple’s mobile platform back in May, but only the Chrome browser and the Google Search app could dig for info from within applications: Safari had no access to the feature. As we’ve mentioned, though, those Safari deep links won’t start rolling out until late October, and you can only get them when doing a query if you’ve already installed iOS 9.
Via: 9to5mac
Source: Google Developers
Only in Japan: the robot that’s a smartphone that’s a robot
RoboHon (“Robot Phone“) is the cutest smartphone ever: a (familiar looking) robot frame that fits in your pocket. It can take calls, dance, project photos, display maps and more. It’s a ‘bot with a smartphone inside. Yes, some will snort at the idea of a phone with a 2-inch touchscreen, but it’s certainly an original notion — unashamedly so. That said, is it innovative? Is there a point to it all? Does it really fit in your pocket? We’ll know better when it launches here in Japan early next year. For now, here’s a closer look in person, answering at least one of those questions. Slideshow-326984
In a battle of specs, Sharp’s new phone isn’t going to win. It’s running a special kind of smartphone software build atop Android. There’s a touchscreen, camera and 4G LTE, but it’s such a curiosity as to almost belong in a separate category all its own. The touchscreen is very small and pretty basic: There’s only space for four icons on each home screen. Sharp’s spokesman tells us this is because the primary method of using RoboHon is by talking to it; the touchscreen is a secondary interface. (You’ll still need it to confirm actions, take calls and use it in noisier places.) Soft buttons are bigger and icons are huge. It could well help the RoboHon appeal to that increasingly huge subsection of Japanese smartphone shoppers: the elderly.
There’s already a range of Swarovski crystal accessories. Seriously.
Picking up the robot-phone, it feels almost like a toy, but in a good way. It made me a little bit excited to play with it. For some reason, I just plain wanted to keep it. There’s a leatherish covering on both the soles of the robot’s lil’ booties and his ears. And like many other plainer smartphones, there’s already a range of Swarovski crystal accessories. Seriously. The emblem on the front of its chest doubles as a clip, securing it as you slide it (ridiculously, adorably) into your jacket or trouser pocket.
The arms and legs are articulated to walk and even offer up a dance if you ask politely enough. You’ll also have to brush up on your polite Japanese, because that’s all it understands at the moment. It does have a pretty decent conversational grasp, accepting different wordings and directions as needed. Voice directions encompass almost everything that the robot can do: taking photos, calling people, taking memos, responding to text messages and even projecting photos and video from the tiny pico projector lodged inside its head — including token peace-sign photos of Engadget editors that should know better.
Sharp hasn’t announced a price yet, but it’s unlikely to be cheap. Then again, there’s also nothing else quite like it.
Shovel Knight is delayed by a fortnight
Shovel Knight was supposed to come out next week — the operative phrase there being “supposed to”. However SK’s developer, Yacht Club Games, announced on Friday that the retail release for the game’s 3DS, Wii U, PS4, and PC (Europe-only) versions will be delayed by two weeks until October 30th in Europe and November 4th in North America.
Also, if you were hoping to play using physical media on your XBone, you’re going to be extra pissed because the XBox One version has been nixed outright. “We really gave it our best effort, but unfortunately, because of publishing policies on that platform that are totally beyond our control, we couldn’t make it happen,” Yacht Club Games wrote in a recent blog post. “We’re very sorry…we know there is a lot of interest – the pre-orders were really good and we thank everyone for their support!” The digital version for XBox One is still available from the Microsoft Marketplace.
Furthermore, the Vita version has also been delayed until some time in 2016. Also, the price of the boxed games will be more expensive than previously quoted, increasing from $20 to $25 retail. This move is reportedly to prevent the games from being immediately dumped into the nearest $20-and-under bargain bin. On the plus side, each retail box will include a free download code for the game’s soundtrack.
Via: Eurogamer
Source: Yacht Club Games
Preliminary list of Samsung devices that are getting Android Marshmallow revealed
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Android Marshmallow has been officially available for just under two weeks now and Android manufacturers have been slowly lining up to confirm what devices are going to be receiving an update. Samsung, despite being the largest manufacturer around, has yet to say anything on the matter, but thanks to some insider information, we have a preliminary list of the Samsung devices that are getting Android Marshmallow.
Samsung has usually had a pretty strict 18-24 month update window, and sure enough, the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 have been dropped off the list. Of course, there’s nothing to say that the list won’t change, but it’s probably a long shot. Also, we have very little indication as to when these updates will actually roll out, but based on Samsung’s previous performance, they won’t be the first of the non-Google manufacturers to get Android Marshmallow out. You can check out the full list of devices below:
| Model name | Model code | Provider |
| Galaxy S5 | SM-G900F | EUR OPEN |
| Galaxy S5 | SM-G900V | VERIZON |
| Galaxy S5 | SM-G900H | EUR OPEN |
| Galaxy S5 | SM-G900FD | |
| Galaxy S5 LTE-A | SM-G901 | EUR OPEN |
| Galaxy S5 neo | SM-G903F | EUR OPEN |
| Galaxy S5 LTE-A | SM-G906L | LG U+ |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920FD | |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920F | EUR OPEN |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920D | NTT DOCOMO |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920T | T-MOBILE |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920D | NTT DOCOMO |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920A | AT&T |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920P | SPRINT |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920V | VERIZON |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920I | |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920R4 | US CELLULAR |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920AZ | CRICKET |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920R7 | |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920T1 | T-MOBILE |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920R6 | |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920W8 | BELL MOBILITY |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920S | SKT |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920K | KT |
| Galaxy S6 | SM-G920L | LG U+ |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G9250 | CHINA |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925F | EUR OPEN |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925I | |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925Z | SOFTBANK MOBILE |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925D | NTT DOCOMO |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925J | KDDI |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925T | T-MOBILE |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925A | AT&T |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925P | SPRINT |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925R4 | US CELLULAR |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925R6 | |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925W8 | BELL |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925R7 | |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925V | VERIZON |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925K | KT |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925S | SKT |
| Galaxy S6 edge | SM-G925L | LG U+ |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G928A | AT&T |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G928P | SPRINT |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G928R4 | US CELLULAR |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G928F | EUR OPEN |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G928V | VERIZON |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G928T | T-MOBILE |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G9287C | |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G928I | |
| Galaxy S6 edge + | SM-G928C | |
| Galaxy Note 4 | SM-N910V | VERIZON |
| Galaxy Note 4 | SM-N910F | EUR OPEN |
| Galaxy Note Edge | SM-N915V | VERIZON |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N920C | |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N920V | VERIZON |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N920R4 | US CELLULAR |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N920P | SPRINT |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N920A | AT&T |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N920T | T-MOBILE |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N9208 | |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N920C | |
| Galaxy Note 5 | SM-N920I |
What do you think about this list of devices? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: SamMobile
The post Preliminary list of Samsung devices that are getting Android Marshmallow revealed appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Google is conquering in-app searches
Although the tech titan has expanded extensively from its roots, it’s no secret that Google still leans heavily on its core service as a search engine. Unfortunately for them, the mobile revolution has drastically changed the way that people locate information, and just this summer, mobile searches finally outstripped searches on personal computers in the U.S. and nine other countries.
Needless to say, this represents a pretty big problem for Google.
Nevertheless, the sultan of search has tackled this dilemma head-on. At the Code/Mobile conference this week, Google’s Amit Singhal announced that Google has now indexed over 100 billion in-app links, making them searchable. 40% of Android apps indexed in this way will now show up on mobile search results. This development may create friction between Google and Apple, who have had a lengthy search deal that is scheduled to expire in 2015. Apple is currently working to deliver a similar search feature to iPhone users that would display relevant information from the App Store at the top of mobile searches.
Related: Google aims to make your app more discoverable with App Indexing
Google demonstrating their ability to index in-app pages is an important step. Investors had previously been concerned about the growing shift from internet searches to in-app searches, and app developers needed proof that handing over their pages to Google is worth it. This is looking like good news for both parties. Optimizing search capabilities for mobile devices has long been a tough nut to crack. The traditional approach of leaning on keywords and providing relevant advertisements doesn’t work as well on mobile devices, where the smaller screen limits keyword-based ads.
Earlier this year, Google implemented a new feature that uses a panel of relevant images at the top of searches that can be scrolled through for similar content and related products. Integrating in-app content with web searches is a large step forward in making mobile searching better for users and advertisers alike.
More from Code/Mobile: Android founder Andy Rubin looks beyond mobile to artificial intelligence
5 Android Apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly!
Sponsored by CloudCal
[Price: Free / $2.45]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly is sponsored by CloudCal. Last week you may have remembered that we showed you an app called CloudTasks. Well, CloudCal is done by the same developers and the two apps actually work together well by syncing your to-do list from CloudTasks into CloudCal.
CloudCal has an awesome set of features all on its own and includes a unique month-view calendar that shows your days as clock faces so you can see how busy you are that day. It also syncs with Microsoft Outlook and Exchange along with Google Calendar. It has a unique design that includes drag-and-drop events and a slew of standard features like inviting colleagues to events and other productivity-inclined features. It’s totally free to use so give it a shot and show your support for Android Apps Weekly!
Get it now on Google Play!
Let’s get into the big Android apps headlines from this last week!:
- In an effort to help websites load faster on mobile browsers, Google has announced the Accelerated Mobile Pages project. Partners for this project include Twitter, WordPress, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and more than 20 others. Here’s hoping this works.
- Facebook has announced an interesting new thing called the Network Connection Class. Using this, Facebook will determine your network speed and show you stuff in your news feed based on what your network can handle resulting in faster load times for the News Feed.
- The latest Humble Bundle is now live and includes six games with more to come soon. Some titles include Haunt the House: Terrortown, Jelly Defense, and Fearless Fantasy. You can get three games for $1 or pay the average, which is just around $4 right now, and grab all of them. It’s also a great way to give to charity!
- Earlier this week, it was announced that Spotify is now compatible with RockScout which is an application you can use to control car stereos equipped with MirrorLink. This gives you a far more user friendly way to control Spotify while in the car.
- A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how Russia was thinking of ordering Google to unbundle Google apps from devices. Well, this week, they went ahead and did exactly that. The idea being that Google’s pre-loaded apps cause an unfair disadvantage for third party software. Google has about a month to comply or respond.
For even more Android apps and games headlines, updates, and new releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter! There we have the complete list of things that happened this last week and it includes all the stuff we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined, you can sign up using your email and we’ll send you our newsletter every Friday to keep you up to date!
Signup for our newsletter
- Android Weekly
- Apps Weekly
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out our Twitch channel. It’s been a couple of weeks since we rocked out on some games there but that’s going to change very soon. Hit the follow button and then come join us on our next stream for some video games and chit chat!
Check us out on Twitch!
AutoDash
[Price: Free]
First up this week is AutoDash. This is a custom launcher designed to be used while you’re in the car. The premise is simple as the app allows you to create a customized control panel for easy access to apps, navigation, and media while you’re in the car. It also has a few smaller features like voice recording, IFTTT integration, and song recognition. It’s a little rough around the edges right now so do keep that in mind. Otherwise, it’s totally free and could be fun to use.
Get it now on Google Play!
Meter
[Price: Free]
Meter is a fun, minimal live wallpaper that displays various system information right on your home screen. Some options include your battery, your notifications, your WiFi signal strength, and a lot more. It uses minimal style shapes to visually represent the data so it’s easy to see what’s going on at a glance. You can also manipulate the wallpaper by tilting the phone. Like AutoDash, this one is a bit rough around the edges so your mileage may vary but hey, at least it’s free!
Get it now on Google Play!
ZenWatch FaceDesigner
[Price: Free]
ZenWatch FaceDesigner is a new application from ASUS that allows you to design your own Android Wear watch faces for your ASUS ZenWatch. This is pretty fun because it’s not every day that this kind of customization is offered by an OEM for their devices and we hope it becomes a trend that other OEMs follow. Using this app, you can pretty much design your watch face however you want. Do note that it’s only compatible with the ZenWatch so everyone else will have to keep using alternatives.
Get it now on Google Play!
Showtime and HBO Now
[Price: Free]
It’s true that Showtime and HBO Now aren’t really new apps, but this last week they were released on Google Play for Android TV. If you happen to have an Android TV device, you can easily search for these apps, download them, and start watching their content. Their designs are both pretty decent considering that they’ll be on a TV and both services appear to work relatively well. Android TV just got a whole lot better thanks to these two apps.
Use the button below to download Showtime or you can click here to get HBO Now.
Get it now on Google Play!
Adobe Capture CC and Adobe Illustrator Draw
[Price: Free]
Last up this week are two new applications from Adobe. The first is called Capture CC and this app lets you create a variety of design assets by extracting information from various images. You can also turn these shapes into vector graphics, brushes, and shapes to make your design work easier. Illustrator Draw allows you to, well, draw things. This complex drawing app lets you draw with layers and has integration with a few of Adobe’s desktop applications. Both of these applications are powerful and will get better as time goes. They’re also both free to download.
To download Capture CC, use the button below. You can get Illustrator Draw on Google Play by click here.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps and games news, tell us more about it in the comments below!
Meizu’s Pro 5 delayed due to factory flood
Meizu’s flagship smartphone was supposed to hit the market next week, but today the Chinese company announced that the Pro 5 won’t be released until November. Word on the street is that this delay is due a storm in Guangdong that flooded the company’s factory.
Meizu made waves when they announced that they were posed to release the Pro 5, which is one of the first non-Samsung, Exynos 7420-powered smartphones, but now eager shoppers will have to wait another month to get their hands on the device.
See also: Meizu Pro 5 heading to India next year, Flyme OS 5.0 scheduled for more phones
The Pro 5 is a big screened device at 5.7 inches, and promises to offer solid specs at a reasonable price. The Super AMOLED display has a 2.5D curved glass screen with small bezels on both sides. The back facing camera is a 21MP Sony IMX230, and the front facing camera is 5MP. Meizu claims that the Pro 5 has phase detection autofocus, allowing it to focus on a subject in .7 seconds.
The Meizu Pro 5 uses a Exynos 7420 processor, which is the same processor used by the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus and Note 5. The 32GB model comes with 3GB of RAM, and the 64GB version has 4 gigs. Either version comes with a microSD card, so it’s possible to increase your storage capacity to up to 128GB.There is a physical home button and a fingerprint sensor on the front. The device is expected to cost 2,799 Yuan ($438) for the 32GB version and 3099 Yuan ($485) for the 64GB version.
Meizu hasn’t announced a specific release date in November yet, but if you were hoping to have it this month, you’re out of luck. So what are your thoughts? Is the Pro 5 worth waiting around for, or are you going to spring for another device in light of this delay?
More from Meizu
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AI could be the solution to catching tax cheats
The fear of AI usually revolves around the fear of an uprising and humans being attacked by our new robot overlords. Researchers at MIT and non-profit technology source Mitre have a new terrifying future for AI. Well, not that scary to most people, but something that could put a fright in the accountants of tax-cheating corporations. The researchers propose a using artificial intelligence to investigate complex tax shelters that keep companies and the rich from paying their fair share of taxes. It’s like Skynet but with a really awesome calculator and algorithms.
The IRS currently analyzes data from filed returns and looks for patterns from firms that are already under suspicion. It usually takes years to unravel the Gordian knot of accounting that surround dubious partnerships and good old fashioned tax evasion. The researcher’s propose a system that targets partnerships and looks not just at individual returns (which on their own seem legit) but the whole network surrounding those returns that add up to fraud.
Because the system is always looking for signals of nefarious company practices, it wouldn’t need to be focus on an individual source. It could just waits until a series of tax regulations are being used concurrently that usually means someone is exploiting the system for their own gain. And, the system could evolve to detect new ways tax evaders are cheating the government.
In their paper the researchers state: “Our approach is to model the co-evolutionary arms race between transaction sequences in ownership networks with their corresponding audit observables.” Which is a fancy way of saying, it can help the IRS win. Of course it has to convince the same entity that makes you fill out a mountain of forms if you buy a house. So it might be a while before AI starts making sure we’re all paying our fair share.
Source: New York Times
Elon Musk Backtracks on Earlier Comments, Says ‘I Don’t Hate Apple’
Elon Musk raised eyebrows yesterday when he called Apple the “Tesla Graveyard” in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, but this afternoon he attempted to smooth things over with a series of tweets clarifying his stance on the company.
“Yo, I don’t hate Apple,” he said before stating “it’s a great company with a lot of talented people.” Musk says he loves Apple products and he’s “glad they’re doing an [electric vehicle].”
In the interview, Musk called Apple the Tesla Graveyard after being questioned about Apple hiring some of Tesla’s “most important engineers.” Musk laughed off the idea that important Tesla employees had left the company for Apple and said people Apple hired had already been fired from Tesla. “If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple,” he said. “I’m not kidding.”
Musk also made fun of products like the Apple Watch, the iPad Pro, and the Apple Pencil, comments that he explained in a bit more detail today. In a second tweet, Musk said he wasn’t a fan of the Apple Watch’s functionality, but expects it to be a much more compelling product in the future.
Regarding the watch, Jony & his team created a beautiful design, but the functionality isn't compelling yet. By version 3, it will be.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 9, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Apple and Tesla have been at odds in recent months as Apple has entered the car business. The two companies have been poaching employees from one another for several months running, but Musk has maintained that Apple has hired away “very few people” from Tesla despite attempting to lure Tesla employees with salary increases and large signing bonuses.
AIVAnet 
