The UK is closing all of its coal power stations
The UK’s last fifteen coal power stations are to be closed within the next decade under new government plans. In an announcement, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd confirmed that in a push for more “secure, affordable, and clean energy supplies,” restrictions will be placed on all coal-powered installations by 2023, ahead of a full closure by 2025.
Source: Gov.uk
Scientists build atom-scale sub that moves at ‘breakneck’ speeds
Source: Rice University
Sky reinvents itself with the Sky Q box
Television is going through a period of transition that’s greater than almost anything that’s been seen up to this point. The inexorable rise of the internet, smartphones, tablets and on-demand viewing have combined to relegate the communal living room TV to being just another screen. That’s a problem for Sky, which for so long has offered a single box — more, if you had the cash — as gatekeeper between you and its entertainment riches. The firm knows that it’s going to have to adapt if it’s going to remain king of your viewing universe, which is why it’s launching Sky Q, formerly known as Project Ethan, the long-awaited set-top box, or should that be boxes, of the future. Slideshow-341705
Source: Sky
Mediafire launches Pool, a photo sharing app with some smarts
Mediafire is trying to make image sharing easier than ever before with an app they’re calling “Pool.”
Services like Google Photos have made it a lot easier to make images available for the public at large. From your latest sushi dinner to your most recent in-the-car selfie, all snapshots are available for sharing in just a few taps with Google Photos at your command.
But what if you wanted to engage your public even quicker? What if your social media network is more like a broad pool of like-minded individuals rather than a specific, laser-shot audience.
Introducing Pool by Mediafire, an app that makes sending your photos to the public at large as easy as tapping a button. While many services, like Google Photos, hinge on cloud storage, Pool is attempting to distance itself from such an idea by marketing itself as sharing “where you are with the people you’re with.”
It may go as a given that Pool’s success will depend largely on how widely it’s adopted. Such is the way with social media. However, if Pool works out, it would actually have some pretty interesting results. For instance, sharing photography remains something that’s almost entirely deliberate. Pool aims to make this aspect of social media very passive by allowing sharing instantaneously from the device in use. According to their website, current features include:
- Auto Suggestions: Pool makes photo sharing suggestions based on where you are and the people you’re with
- Private: Pool only shares photos with the people you choose using the proven infrastructure of MediaFire
- Cross-Platform Sharing: Pool works with iOS or Android devices
- High Resolution: Shared photos are at full resolution
- Reminders: Pool reminds you to share photos if you forget
- Activity Feed: Pool keeps track of the photos you’ve sent and received
- Save to Camera Roll: Pool saves photos directly to your device.
- Pool is not another cloud storage service.
If you’re interested in Pool, grab your own copy in the Google Play Store. I look forward to seeing how this plays out.
HTC One M9(s) has sapphire glass rear camera, MediaTek SoC, 2GB RAM
HTC apparently has a new variant of its flagship One M9 coming soon, called the One M9(s). The device makes use of some markedly different specs from the original product despite looking remarkably similar. The key is in the specifics, however, as the device has made some change-ups, namely a fresh new sapphire glass coating for the rear camera and different internals from the earlier flagship. It will launch in Taiwan on November 21st.
The HTC One M9(s) will ship with a 5-inch Full HD display, a 2.2GHz 64-Bit Octa Core MediaTek Helio X10 SoC with PowerVR G6200 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, a 13-megapixel f/2.0 BSI rear camera with sapphire cover, and a 4-UltraPixel f/2.0 front camera with Flash and Dual-LED. It will have a 2840mAh battery, and support both NFC and microSD.
The spec listing also makes note of a “Sensor Hub,” however, it is currently unclear as to if this refers to a Nexus 6P/5X-type deal or else something different entirely. Curiously missing is any indication of what Android build will be present, or the fingerprint sensor included on the M9+.
The M9(s) will be made of dual-layer double-anodized aluminum and is currently up for pre-order in Taiwan where it is going to retail for NT $12,900, or roughly $393.
What do you think? Clearly HTC decided to change from a Snapdragon 810 SoC to a MediaTek, as well as decrease the RAM from 3GB to 2GB, however there is a lower price point in-tow and the presence of scratch resistant sapphire glass for the rear camera is definitely a plus.
UK to create cybersecurity forces to fight off ISIS hackers
The UK is boosting its cybersecurity efforts after government officials learned that ISIS is planning to launch cyber attacks on various infrastructures, such as hospitals, banks and air traffic control systems. According to Reuters, the nation plans to build “elite cyber offensive forces” to fight off hackers, and it’s pouring a lot of money into the project to make it happen. Chancellor George Osborne has revealed that the UK is doubling its public spending on cybersecurity to £1.9 billion ($2.9 billion) per year until 2020. But that’s not all: the British government is building its own DARPA for cybersecurity, as well. It will take £165 million ($250 million) from the total funding to invest in projects and startups with innovative ideas. As Forbes notes, teaming up with and funding private companies is exactly how DARPA works, except the American agency also funds robotics and other types of military technologies.
Amazon reveals it’s starting Black Friday a week early
As Thanksgiving approaches Americans look forward to not only eating turkey, cranberries, stuffing and mashed potatoes, but also look forward to one of the best shopping days of the year, Black Friday. Amazon has announced that they are starting this year’s Black Friday eight days early with some unique twists involved. The deals will begin on November 20, with new deals added as often as every five minutes for eight straight days. Amazon is calling their special eight day sale the Eight Days of Holiday Deals.
There will be ten coveted “Deals of the Day” starting at midnight on Thanksgiving(Nov. 26), with ten more for Black Friday. Black Friday is regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and in 2014 $50.0 billion was spent on this day, with 133 million customers participating in the sales. Places like Amazon, Walmart and Target all play off the hysteria of Black Friday, and offer some of the most incredible deals of the year.
New twist for Amazon app users only
This year, Amazon will select 150 hand-picked Lightning Deals on everything from electronics to kitchen gadgets only through the Amazon Mobile Shopping App available on Android, iOS, and Fire OS. These deals can be found on the “App Only Deals” tab and will be released daily from 3 PM PT to 11 PM PT starting Thanksgiving through Wednesday, December 9. In addition, Prime members in 20 metro areas can use the dedicated Prime Now mobile app to enjoy free two-hour delivery on select Deals of the Day throughout the holiday season.
“Customers can truly sit back and relax with their family and friends this holiday season knowing that they will be notified as soon as the products they’ve had their eye on are about to go on sale,” said Steve Shure, Vice President, Amazon Consumer Marketing. “Year after year, more and more customers shop for deals on Amazon from the comfort of their own home, and we continue to make that process even more convenient for them. And with App Only Deals, customers will have plenty of options when it comes to scoring great deals from Amazon.”
Following are examples of some of the top deals that will be available at various times between November 20 and Black Friday at www.amazon.com/blackfriday:
Electronics:
- Kindle Paperwhite, $99.99 normally $119.99
- $30 off Kindle and Kindle for Kids Bundle
- Fire, $34.99 normally $49.99
- Fire Kids Edition, $84.99 normally $99.99
- $25 off Amazon Fire TV, normally $99.99
- $15 off Amazon Fire TV Stick and Amazon Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote
- Up to 45% off select Samsung and LG TVs, including Samsung 32” 1080p LED TV for $177.99, LG 49” 1080p LED TV for less than $370, and Samsung 75” 1080p Smart LED TV for less than $2,000
- Top-selling 60” 4K LED TV, $799.99
- TCL 55” Roku Smart LED TV, $348, normally $549.99
- Hisense 55” 4K Smart LED TV, $448 (App Only Deal) $100 savings
- 50” 1080p LED TV, $149.99 (App Only Deal)
- 40” 1080p LED TV, $145
- TCL 32” Roku Smart LED TV, $125, normally $198.88
- 32” LED TV, $75
- Acer Home Theater Projector, $299.99
- VIZIO 38” 2.1 Home Theater Sound Bar, $79.99
- $49 off SONOS 2-Room Streaming Music Starter Set
- Save 40% on Polk Audio Omni S2 Wireless Speaker
- Up to 25% off Denon HEOS 1 Wireless Speakers
- 50% off Sony Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones
- Save more than 50% on Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition Over-Ear Headphones in Black (Amazon Exclusive), normally $199.95
- More than 50% off top-selling point-and-shoot camera
- Jawbone UP3, $99 normally $148.99 and one of Oprah’s Favorite Things
- Save $100 on an Intel-Powered Dell 2-in-1 Laptop
- ASUS 15” laptop, $129
- Up to 40% off select Acer desktops, monitors, Chromebooks, and tablets
- Save more than 20% on select Samsung Galaxy Tablets
- Save up to 70% on select SanDisk memory cards and USB flash drives
- Top-selling mobile printer for less than $100
Books, Music & Video Games:
- 80% off Transformers: The Covenant of Primus
- Save more than 50% on Deathstroke Volume 1 Book and Mask Set
- Save on more than 10 autographed CDs, including Kenny Rogers, Megadeth, and more (Amazon Exclusive)
- Save 15% or more on select vinyl records
- Save $20 on Need for Speed
- Save $30 on Rock Band 4 Wireless Guitar Bundle
- $50 off Xbox One Consoles
- $50 off PlayStation 4 Uncharted Bundle
- $25 off Metal Gear Solid V
- Hundreds of PC download deals up to 70% off
Amazon Prime members will get 30-minutes early access to the majority of these Lightning Deals. So if you’re not a member it might be worth looking into a membership for $99 which includes free two-day shipping on many items. Shopping on Amazon is a great way to avoid the crowds and the cold temperatures. Enjoy your family and shop from the comfort of your own home.
Amazon has a gift guide which can be found by following this link.
Oprah Winfrey also has a selection of her favorite things on Amazon.com too.
The post Amazon reveals it’s starting Black Friday a week early appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Amazon reveals it’s starting Black Friday a week early
As Thanksgiving approaches Americans look forward to not only eating turkey, cranberries, stuffing and mashed potatoes, but also look forward to one of the best shopping days of the year, Black Friday. Amazon has announced that they are starting this year’s Black Friday eight days early with some unique twists involved. The deals will begin on November 20, with new deals added as often as every five minutes for eight straight days. Amazon is calling their special eight day sale the Eight Days of Holiday Deals.
There will be ten coveted “Deals of the Day” starting at midnight on Thanksgiving(Nov. 26), with ten more for Black Friday. Black Friday is regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and in 2014 $50.0 billion was spent on this day, with 133 million customers participating in the sales. Places like Amazon, Walmart and Target all play off the hysteria of Black Friday, and offer some of the most incredible deals of the year.
New twist for Amazon app users only
This year, Amazon will select 150 hand-picked Lightning Deals on everything from electronics to kitchen gadgets only through the Amazon Mobile Shopping App available on Android, iOS, and Fire OS. These deals can be found on the “App Only Deals” tab and will be released daily from 3 PM PT to 11 PM PT starting Thanksgiving through Wednesday, December 9. In addition, Prime members in 20 metro areas can use the dedicated Prime Now mobile app to enjoy free two-hour delivery on select Deals of the Day throughout the holiday season.
“Customers can truly sit back and relax with their family and friends this holiday season knowing that they will be notified as soon as the products they’ve had their eye on are about to go on sale,” said Steve Shure, Vice President, Amazon Consumer Marketing. “Year after year, more and more customers shop for deals on Amazon from the comfort of their own home, and we continue to make that process even more convenient for them. And with App Only Deals, customers will have plenty of options when it comes to scoring great deals from Amazon.”
Following are examples of some of the top deals that will be available at various times between November 20 and Black Friday at www.amazon.com/blackfriday:
Electronics:
- Kindle Paperwhite, $99.99 normally $119.99
- $30 off Kindle and Kindle for Kids Bundle
- Fire, $34.99 normally $49.99
- Fire Kids Edition, $84.99 normally $99.99
- $25 off Amazon Fire TV, normally $99.99
- $15 off Amazon Fire TV Stick and Amazon Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote
- Up to 45% off select Samsung and LG TVs, including Samsung 32” 1080p LED TV for $177.99, LG 49” 1080p LED TV for less than $370, and Samsung 75” 1080p Smart LED TV for less than $2,000
- Top-selling 60” 4K LED TV, $799.99
- TCL 55” Roku Smart LED TV, $348, normally $549.99
- Hisense 55” 4K Smart LED TV, $448 (App Only Deal) $100 savings
- 50” 1080p LED TV, $149.99 (App Only Deal)
- 40” 1080p LED TV, $145
- TCL 32” Roku Smart LED TV, $125, normally $198.88
- 32” LED TV, $75
- Acer Home Theater Projector, $299.99
- VIZIO 38” 2.1 Home Theater Sound Bar, $79.99
- $49 off SONOS 2-Room Streaming Music Starter Set
- Save 40% on Polk Audio Omni S2 Wireless Speaker
- Up to 25% off Denon HEOS 1 Wireless Speakers
- 50% off Sony Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones
- Save more than 50% on Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition Over-Ear Headphones in Black (Amazon Exclusive), normally $199.95
- More than 50% off top-selling point-and-shoot camera
- Jawbone UP3, $99 normally $148.99 and one of Oprah’s Favorite Things
- Save $100 on an Intel-Powered Dell 2-in-1 Laptop
- ASUS 15” laptop, $129
- Up to 40% off select Acer desktops, monitors, Chromebooks, and tablets
- Save more than 20% on select Samsung Galaxy Tablets
- Save up to 70% on select SanDisk memory cards and USB flash drives
- Top-selling mobile printer for less than $100
Books, Music & Video Games:
- 80% off Transformers: The Covenant of Primus
- Save more than 50% on Deathstroke Volume 1 Book and Mask Set
- Save on more than 10 autographed CDs, including Kenny Rogers, Megadeth, and more (Amazon Exclusive)
- Save 15% or more on select vinyl records
- Save $20 on Need for Speed
- Save $30 on Rock Band 4 Wireless Guitar Bundle
- $50 off Xbox One Consoles
- $50 off PlayStation 4 Uncharted Bundle
- $25 off Metal Gear Solid V
- Hundreds of PC download deals up to 70% off
Amazon Prime members will get 30-minutes early access to the majority of these Lightning Deals. So if you’re not a member it might be worth looking into a membership for $99 which includes free two-day shipping on many items. Shopping on Amazon is a great way to avoid the crowds and the cold temperatures. Enjoy your family and shop from the comfort of your own home.
Amazon has a gift guide which can be found by following this link.
Oprah Winfrey also has a selection of her favorite things on Amazon.com too.
The post Amazon reveals it’s starting Black Friday a week early appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Renderings Show Off Apple’s New Retail Store Alongside Chicago River
The Chicago Tribune has obtained an exclusive first look at Apple’s planned new flagship store in Chicago, which will be placed alongside the Chicago River. The new store will “echo” legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style homes, which Wright pioneered near the city.
The store will be located near the historic Michigan Bridge and include a “grand flight of stairs” that will go from street-level to a walkway alongside the Chicago River’s north bank. On the street-level side, the store will have an entry pavilion that’s 14-feet high. Pedestrians entering from N. Michigan Avenue will have to proceed downward onto the sales floor via stairs or an elevator.
The new flagship will have glass walls with a thin, high-strength carbon fiber roof. The 20,000 square-foot store will replace a vacant food court, and an Apple spokesman confirmed to the Chicago Tribune that it wants to start construction next year. The Tribune notes that the new store could be a “boon for the neighborhood”, shifting retail focus on Michigan Avenue further south and encouraging development of future architectural projects in the area.
The store is being headed by Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, Apple’s frequent architectural partner and the firm in charge of its new Cupertino headquarters. Apple is scheduled to present a proposal on the new store to the Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday, but a department spokesman told the Tribune that the presentation is a formality as the planning department has already approved the proposal. Additionally, Apple already has a deal in place with Zeller Realty Group, the owner of the territory the new Apple Store will reside on.
Apple’s current flagship store in Chicago is the four-story North Michigan Avenue store, which it has occupied since 2003. According to the Tribune, the new flagship could give Apple greater visibility in the area and higher sales. More renderings of the new store can be seen at the Chicago Tribune’s website.
Discuss this article in our forums
Google lowers minimum Android app price in 17 countries
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Apps on Google Play can get pretty cheap, but Google is now allowing apps to get even cheaper in some regions. In 17 countries, the minimum Android app price is being dropped after a successful pilot in India whose minimum price is being dropped to 10 Indian Rupees or about 15 cents. Bargain.
Google says that these pricing options have been changed to “adapt Google Play pricing options to better suit local consumers and make content more accessible”. A full list of which countries are getting the changes is below:
- Brazil: R$ 0.99 (US$0.26) — was R$2.00
- Chile: CLP $200.00 (US$0.28) — was CLP $500.00
- Colombia: COP$ 800.00 (US$0.26) — was COP$ 2000.00
- Hungary: Ft 125.00 (US$0.43) — was Ft 225.00
- Indonesia: Rp 3,000.00 (US$0.22) — was Rp 12,000.00
- Malaysia: RM 1.00 (US$0.23) — was RM 3.50
- Mexico: MXN$ 5.00 (US$0.30) — was MXN$ 9.90
- Peru: S/. 0.99 (US$0.30) — was S/. 3.00
- Philippines: ₱15.00 (US$0.32) — was ₱43.00
- Poland: zł1.79 (US$0.45) — was zł2.99
- Russia: руб 15.00 (US$0.23) — was руб 30.00
- Saudi Arabia:﷼ 0.99 (US$0.26) — was 4.00﷼
- South Africa: R3.99 (US$0.28) — was R10.00
- Thailand: ฿10.00 (US$0.28) — was ฿32.00
- Turkey: ₺0.59 (US$0.21) — was ₺2.00
- Ukraine: ₴5.00 (US$0.21) — was ₴8.00
- Vietnam: ₫6,000 (US$0.27) — was ₫21,000.00
What do you think about Google lowering the minimum Android app price? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Android Developers, Google Support via engadget
The post Google lowers minimum Android app price in 17 countries appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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