Satechi Announces Type-C Hub Adapter for MacBook
Apple’s 12-inch Retina MacBook eschews all ports and traditional charging methods for a single USB Type-C port, which is used for charging and to connect peripherals to the machine. With just a single port to work with, hub solutions are a must for anyone who wants to attach more than one accessory at once and use older accessories that aren’t compatible with USB Type-C.
Popular Apple accessory maker Satechi is today announcing a new Type-C Hub Adapter, which expands the capabilities of the USB port on the MacBook. The small hub, which plugs into the side of the MacBook, includes three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a Micro SD card slot, and an SD card slot.
The Type-C Hub Adapter is available in gunmetal, silver, and gold, three colors that are designed to match each shade of the Retina Macbook. When plugged in, the thin adapter sits flush with the MacBook, and a green light comes on when it’s in use.
It should be noted that the USB-C hub does not include a second USB Type-C port for passthrough charging, so while the hub is in place, the MacBook won’t be able to charge through its USB-C connector.
Satechi’s Type-C Hub Adapter is available from the Satechi website and from Amazon.com for $34.99.
Apple Releases Documentation to Help Publishers Prepare for Apple News Format
Apple has released an Apple News Format Reference in the iOS Developer Library that provides developers with technical details on how to prepare for the upcoming release of Apple News Format, which allows news publishers to create customized layouts with iOS fonts, rich photo galleries, videos and animations optimized for iPhone and iPad.
Apple News Format will allow for all news publishers to have customized layouts with rich graphics and other content, rather than basic articles being pulled straight from an RSS feed, as initial selected partners have had since iOS 9 was released. Apple has shared a direct download of example articles as a guideline.
Apple has also released an Apple News API Reference that explains how publishers can use the Apple News API to integrate Apple News with their existing content management system to access a rich suite of tools for measuring user engagement with published content. Apple also updated its News Publishing Guide with new Delivering Content and Managing Content sections.
Apple News Format is still listed as “coming soon” on Apple’s website.
(Thanks, Eric!)
Sunrise team helps Microsoft overhaul Outlook mobile client
Near the beginning of 2015, Microsoft went out and acquired the company behind the popular Sunrise Calendar app. As the end of October approaches, the fruits of that acquisition are starting to show up in the form of an overhaul of the Outlook mobile app on both iOS and Android, with a Windows phone update pending. According to Microsoft, the Sunrise team has been rolled into the Outlook product team where they will help bring a “fresh approach” not just to the calendar portion, but the entire user interface for the app. The bad news for fans of the Sunrise Calendar app is that Microsoft plans to end-of-life the product once all features are fully integrated into Outlook.
For the Android version of the Outlook app, the update should start rolling out in early November bringing a Material design interface to mobile devices. Microsoft says the addition of Material elements brings a more cohesive experience to the app, whether users are working with email, contacts or the calendar.
Within the email portion of the app, users will find contact images to the left of email headers, more prominent icons identifying read and unread messages, event invitations, and emails with attachments. The calendar view has received a significant overhaul to the UI thanks to the Material elements and more information is shown about events. Even drilling down into specific events or contact details reveals the influence of Material on the Outlook app.
If you want to give the Outlook app a try on your Android device, use the Play Store link below. Microsoft says they have around 30 million active users of the Outlook app on mobile devices, so you will not be alone.
source: Microsoft
Come comment on this article: Sunrise team helps Microsoft overhaul Outlook mobile client
Google Play Games enables recording and sharing of game action
I remember a time in the past when it was frowned upon to post videos of gaming action forcing users to find a variety of workarounds. Things have changed though and now over 144 billion minutes of live game streams and recording activity are viewed on YouTube each month. Google appears to have figured out that instead of fighting against the current of mainstream culture, they should take advantage of it and hop on board. Today they announced a new feature for the Google Play Games app that will enable users to record and share gaming moments along with commentary.
In the games app, users will find a new record button is available to them. Once launched, users can select from either 720p or 480p recording. They can also choose to just record what is being shown on the screen, or utilize their front-facing camera and device microphone to add commentary. When finished recording, you can trim up the video and then directly upload it to YouTube.
Google says the ability to record gameplay will be rolling out to U.S. and U.K. customers over the next few days and will be expanded to other countries and markets over time.
Let us know in the comments what game you want to record and share with this new feature.
source: Android
Come comment on this article: Google Play Games enables recording and sharing of game action
Nintendo set to unveil its first mobile game tomorrow
Nintendo will be unveiling its first video game for smartphones tomorrow, October 29. This news comes a day after Nintendo reveals its Q3 2015 results, indicating that the company needs to find new ways to bring in new business. And mobile games might just be the sweet spot Nintendo is looking for.
“We will talk about details tomorrow,” said Nintendo’s new chief executive, Tatsumi Kimishima. Nintendo has, in the past, been reluctant to jump in the mobile game space, but they’re rushing into it with open arms now. The company earlier announced that it would be launching five mobile titles by 2017, with the first to hit mobile ecosystems this year.
There’s no telling what Nintendo could announce. At this point, Nintendo says they will be entirely new games built from the ground up after expressing its disappointment in ports from one platform to another.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean Nintendo is giving up on consoles. On the contrary, the company already has a next-generation system under development, and we might even see some more details on that during tomorrow’s mobile game announcement, Kimishima indicated.
This could be a great new journey for Nintendo if executed correctly. We’re excited to see what they have to unveil tomorrow!
source: Wall Street Journal
Come comment on this article: Nintendo set to unveil its first mobile game tomorrow
Huawei hires a former Apple director to design its phone software
Huawei has been kicking up the quality of its hardware design as of late (see the Mate S and Nexus 6P as proof), but software? Not so much, unless you believe that knuckle gestures are the pinnacle of ease of use. However, it might be close to improving its reputation on that front. The Chinese mobile giant has hired former Apple creative director Abigail Brody as its chief user experience designer, which puts her in charge of interfaces for many Huawei devices. The firm is even creating a US design studio in the process, in case there was any doubt as to how serious it is about the new hire.
Via: CNBC
Source: LinkedIn
BeeLine brings easy GPS navigation to your bike
It’s easy to get navigation on your bike through dedicated GPS or a smartphone cradle, but that doesn’t mean that navigation is easy. How are you supposed to pay attention to turn-by-turn directions when you’re busy dodging potholes? BeeLine thinks it can help. It’s crowdfunding a navigation device that purposefully simplifies your directions down to an arrow and the distance left to go — it’s like a compass that points only to your destination. You don’t have to squint at the display to figure out where you’re going, and there’s no pressure to follow a specific path when you’re content to take a leisurely route. The puck-like design is small enough to clip on to your keys (and thus less likely to be stolen), and its e-paper screen helps the battery last for a month’s worth of riding.
Source: Kickstarter, Beeline
British scientists create a ‘tractor beam’ of ultrasonic sound
A team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Sussex have developed the world’s first functioning sonic tractor beam able to operate outside of a lab environment. The device uses 64 miniature speakers to generate high-amplitude, ultrasonic sound waves. These waves create an “acoustic hologram” (read: force field) capable of moving pea-sized objects without physically touching them. Adjusting the output of individual speakers allows the researchers to move, rotate and hold items at will.
Source: University of Bristol
Samsung Galaxy View announced, we go hands on
Tablet displays are getting ever increasing in size and with the new Samsung Galaxy View, Samsung is aiming to take the biggest leap yet. Featuring an 18.4-inch display, the GalaxyView is the largest ever Android device made but did Samsung really need to push the boundaries?
At an exclusive preview at Samsung’s London Gear S2 Galaxy Studio, we checked out this larger-than-life tablet, which Samsung says is the perfect device to bridge the supposed gap between tablet and television.
The Korean OEM believes that the Galaxy View’s 18.4-inch display can successfully do this and is billing its tablet as your ‘portable’ media device. The suggestion that the Galaxy View is portable is only partly true as it is designed to be easy-to-carry but given its large size, it certainly isn’t portable in the sense that you’d carry it on public transport. That being said, Samsung has designed a carry case for it, in case you feel inclined to do so.
The display offers 1920 x 1080 pixels’ resolution and on paper, this equates to a measly 119 pixels per inch density. Despite this low density, the Galaxy View display is quite immersive and definitely better in person than the specs suggest. One thing that is certain however, is that the display is large and when Samsung says it’s the largest Android tablet ever (which isn’t technically correct), they certainly mean it.
Running on Android Lollipop, the Galaxy View comes with the standard Android interface coupled with a few new features designed for the large display. By far, the most interesting of these is the new visual video-centric UI, which brings content from third party service providers directly to your fingertips. There are a few preloaded providers with several more available to download and there really does seem to be something for everyone. Whether it’s watching the latest videos uploaded to YouTube or catching originally programming from Netflix, there’s a lot of video available at your fingertips.
The design of the Galaxy View is such that the integrated stand features two modes; one lets you prop the display up while the other puts the display at a comfortable angle. While this is useful, a particular downside is that the stand is fixed at either of the positions and can’t be stowed away when not needed. In particular, the design definitely doesn’t lend itself to stowing away the tablet when you’re not using it.
Under the hood, the Galaxy View has an interesting set of specs: Samsung has thrown in a 1.86GHz octa-core Exynos 7580 CPU, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage and microSD card expansion and optional LTE connectivity. One of the biggest concerns about such a large device is the battery life and Samsung says the battery will offer up to 8.5 hours’ video playback but as always, it’ll need further testing to find out how much battery it actually offers.
Samsung clearly believes that there’s a need for a large screen device between tablets and TVs and while 18.4-inches may seem unnecessarily large, it’s the ideal size for someone who needs a media device that can be carried but isn’t a small tablet display. There’s no doubt that the Galaxy View is a niche product but dependent on pricing – which hasn’t been revealed yet – it could yet make its way onto several Christmas shopping lists.
If you don’t have a TV or other large-screen media device, the Galaxy View may be perfect for you but even if you don’t have a need for one, the specs would suggest that this won’t be too expensive at launch. If Samsung prices it at around $200-$250, the Galaxy View would a great device to have in your home, for when you need a large device that can be otherwise stowed away. However, the company is yet to confirm actual pricing but we’ll update this with further information when we know.
After many leaks, the Galaxy View is finally official but do you think there’s a need for such a large tablet? In a similar way to the Galaxy Note, will we see the Galaxy View spawn an entirely new category that companies compete fiercely in? Do you plan to buy the Galaxy View? Let us know your views in the comments below guys!
Buy it and (try to) break it: Motorola promotes Droid Turbo 2’s ShatterShield display
Now that smartphone specs have started to plateau, OEMs are finding themselves tinkering with the finer points of their products. Case in point, with this year’s Droid Turbo 2, Motorola has made it a proper priority to supplement the screen from smashes. Billed as a “ShatterShield” display, the company’s first advertisement for the new product shows viewers exactly why the new buzzword is sure to tickle your fancy.
The advertisement begins with a statistic that “1 in 3 phones suffer from screen crack” thus setting the tone for what you are about to watch. As we mentioned in our official announcement post, the 5.4-inch QHD display has screen technology with some fascinating features. In fact, it consists of five different layers:
- Rigid aluminum core
- AMOLED flexible display (can absorb shock and bend rather than break)
- Dual Touch layer (so if one breaks, it will still work)
- Interior lens
- Exterior lens
See also: How does Motorola’s new ShatterShield technology work?
Motorola wants potential customers to know it stands by this seemingly un-smashable screen by providing an impressive four year warranty on screen-related issues.
The Droid Turbo 2 is, in many ways, a mash-up between the Moto X Style (Pure Edition) and the Moto X Play. We’ve already gone hands-on with the device, and you can check out our first impressions by following this link. What are your thoughts on the awe-inspiring advertisement? Has the company came up with some truly terrific technology, or do you still think there will be some users who report cracked screens?
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