Storehouse comes to the Android platform with latest release
Storehouse is an app designed to help users share photos and videos by creating a web page to share a collage, album or tell a story. The idea is to make the presentation of images a little bit richer and have a little more context than the simple sharing available through most methods and platforms. The problem with the app up until now is that it was not available for Android users. Developer Storehouse Media changed that this week with the release of the Android version of the Storehouse app.
When creating a page, users can select photos and videos from their camera roll, which the app will then use to automatically generate the page. Storehouse gives users the ability to add up to 50 photos or videos. If a user happens to not be happy with the automatically generated layout, they can do things like resize content using handles on the items or drag and drop them to a new location. Storehouse also lets users add text to the page.
Once a page is ready to be shared, and they are kept private until a user is ready, Storehouse can provide a link that can be sent by SMS or Email. Storehouse also gives users the ability to embed their creations on blogs or share them through social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Users can even setup shared spaces so friends can contribute content.
You can get Storehouse from the Play Store using the download link below.
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Android 6.0 update headed to the unlocked HTC One M8 soon
Unlocked HTC One M8 owners will be happy to hear that Marshmallow is on its way! Mo Versi, HTC’s VP of Product Management, took to Twitter today to reveal that testing for Android 6.0 had been completed successfully. That said, the update to Marshmallow will be pushed out to unlocked One M8 owners within 24 hours.
Here’s the official statement from Versi:
HTC One (M8) unlocked owners! Great news, all testing has been complete and the update for Marshmallow will be sent out within 24 hours. Thx
— Mo Versi (@moversi) December 2, 2015
While HTC hasn’t always been the fastest company to bring the latest and greatest of Android to its devices, it seems to be stepping up its game on timeliness since the One A9 debuted.
If you’re an unlocked One M8 owner, be sure to keep an eye out for the update, as it should be coming your way fairly soon. As per the norm, you can check for the latest updates manually by heading into Settings > About Phone and tapping that check for update button.
Be sure to sound off in the comments when you begin receiving it!
source: Mo Versi (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: Android 6.0 update headed to the unlocked HTC One M8 soon
Samsung’s new mid-rangers borrow features and design cues from the Galaxy S6
Samsung just took the veils off the 2016 Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5, and Galaxy A7, its new upper mid-range devices featuring design and functionality borrowed from the top of the line Galaxy S6.
The Galaxy A (2016) series is the sequel to the Galaxy A3 and A5, that Samsung announced last October and released in December 2015. The original Galaxy A devices marked a departure from Samsung’s usual focus on plastic by featuring metallic unibodies. Now the Galaxy A (2016) series continues on the same path with a Galaxy S6-inspired design featuring aluminum frames and glass backs.
Samsung Galaxy A5
But the Galaxy A5 and A7 (2016) take more than design cues from the flagship Galaxy. The two devices include functionality that just a couple years ago were reserved for the rarefied elite of the ecosystem: cameras with optical image stabilization, fingerprint sensors, and Samsung Pay integration. Only the A5 (5.2-inch, Full HD) and the A7 (5.5-inch, Full HD) offer these perks. The smallest member of the family, the 4.7-inch A3 is less endowed, but its specs are still decent. This confirms reports from last month about the migration of certain features down Samsung’s mid- and entry-level range.
All three Galaxy A (2016) devices feature AMOLED panels, 13MP rear cameras (with double tap to launch), and 5MP frontal ones, LTE, microSD, and Android 5.1. The A7 features an octa-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz, paired with 3GB of RAM. The A5 comes with the same processor, but just 2GB of RAM, while the humble A3 features 1.5 GHz quad core processor and just 1.5GB of RAM.
Samsung only announced that the Galaxy A (2016) series will become available in China from this month. The launch in other markets from around the world will come in the new year.
Thoughts on Samsung’s new Galaxy A series?
Leak gives us our first look at Marshmallow for the Galaxy S6
Samsung is apparently right in the middle of its testing phase leading up to the Android 6.0 Marshmallow release for its Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 smartphones and some newly leaked screenshots show that Samsung has quite a few changes planned for its TouchWiz interface.
Coming from a Chinese preview build running on the Galaxy S6, the screenshots show that Samsung is continuing to flatten down the look of its user interface and seems to have made some major changes to its notification bar. The background and icons take on a white rather than blue theme this time around, and this vision looks to extend to a selection of Samsung’s apps and menus as well.
The leak also suggests that the Android Marshmallow update will bring a manual camera mode to Samsung’s Galaxy S6 as well. We can see new options to manually configure the camera shutter speed, ISO, exposure and white balance have all been added into the app’s interface, which is sure to please the photographers out there. It’s worth noting at these features are already available in the Note 5 version of Samsung’s flagship range.
The Galaxy S6 Marshmallow update is expected to arrive sometime next month. What do you think about Samsung’s new look with Android Marshmallow, is it better than the company’s Lollipop design?
App review: LinkedIn gets major overhaul
NIRUT RUPKHAM / Shutterstock.com
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say “social network for professionals”? Most people will instantly think of LinkedIn, but it has been a while since their app hasn’t looked very… professional.
In fact, the mobile app has looked quite outdated and unintuitive compared to modern efforts from other networks for a while now. But LinkedIn plans to close the year with a flourish by remodeling its application from the ground up. The team has been hard at work and the new design has just rolled out globally.
The real question is: did they succeed at creating a well-designed, modern app that harnesses the power of LinkedIn’s 396 million members? Continue reading to find out.
Design and UI
This will obviously be where the main changes rest. It is a redesign, after all. But the nature of today’s changes make this more than a simple change in looks. We will start by talking about the aesthetics, though.
There are obvious differences between the new and old versions of the LinkedIn app. You will notice that the new application is much more colorful, dynamic and light. LinkedIn got rid of the dull black and darker blue hues, introducing a color palette that offers a much more colorful and modern feeling.
I would almost go as far as saying it has a touch of youthfulness, but in a very subtle, elegant way. The colors still look professional, playing with brighter blue and white tones that are very easy on the eye. And yes, the black colors are gone, something that makes the app look much less heavy.
Do you remember those old, ugly buttons that seem to be from 2013? Well, they were from that year, and those are gone too. The app has adopted an icon design that is simplified and is more in line with Google’s Material Design guidelines. They are flatter and much more minimalist. And what’s best is that they are prevalent throughout the app, not lost in a labyrinth of content.
Everything now seems to be within a couple taps away, something that will definitely make dealing with your professional contacts simpler than ever. We can mostly thank this to the sections LinkedIn has decided to put in what we will call the tab bar (the row on of icons on top).
The 5 “core areas”
These tabs keep all your content, information and options within a touch or two away. It’s also a great way for LinkedIn to successfully organize the app by sections, which include 5 “core areas”: Feed, Me, My Network, Messaging and Search.
Pretty simple, right? Let’s go through them and tell you a bit about them, as well as what new features they bring to the table.
Your Feed
This is where all your public social activity is going on. In here you will find all of your contact’s posts, as well as any content relevant to your interests and professional field. What’s new here is that LinkedIn now gives you a certain control over what you want to see in your feed. Over time, you can select what you like and don’t like here, something which will allow LinkedIn to more intelligently choose the posts displayed. In addition, a couple buttons for sharing posts and photos have been included.
Me
This is pretty much where you go to polish your profile and deal with all things related to your personal activity. From here you can edit your profile, look at your account settings, see who has been viewing you, see recent comments and more.
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Messaging
Emails can get clogged and cluttered. At least that is what LinkedIn believes. This messaging section offers a much more casual and simple way to communicate with your professional contacts. It works as expected, and even includes a floating action button to begin new threads. Simple and clean!
My Network
This is where a lot of the magic happens. The My Network section keeps you updated on things that go beyond posts. Did someone get a promotion? Did they celebrate a birthday? Maybe you have a meeting with one of your contacts. LinkedIn will remind you through here. The network will even recommend people you may know.
Search
LinkedIn is very proud of its new Search section, and for good reason. It’s said to be 300% faster and much smarter. It benefits by finding results as you type, so you don’t even need to press enter (or finish the search query) before what you are looking for shows up before your eyes.
LinkedIn Apps
There is also a LinkedIn Apps section that offers shortcuts to other apps from the company. These include Job Search, Pulse, SlideShare, Lynda and Lookup.
Conclusion
Though some say this app looks much like Facebook‘s, I have to say LinkedIn probably did a slightly better job. It helps that this social network is much simpler, but I do believe the application redesign is also a success.
The main thing to assess is whether the app is intuitive or not. Is everything where you would expect it to be? How much did you have to think about finding where something is located? I found that I pretty much already knew how to use this app. Everything is in plain view, bright and colorful.
Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock.com
The app even integrates swiping from side to side, as well as sliding content away from the screen, giving it a much needed dynamic touch the previous app iteration lacked. So yes, the app is very intuitive, and it also helps that it’s pretty good-looking.
Is it perfect? Nothing is. I will complain about that Settings button, which I do believe should have been more consistent throughout the app. In fact, it should have gotten its own icon in the top row, instead of being hidden in the Me section. Otherwise, I do believe LinkedIn took the right steps to provide a pleasant experience and take its networks where it needs to go. This update is big, and I am loving it.
Check out other great app-related coverage at AA:
But check it out for yourself and hit the comments to let us know what you think! Do you agree with me, or are you less excited about the redesigned app?
HTC One M9 and M8 should receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow sometime soon
Android 6.0 Marshmallow has already been available on Nexus devices for some time now, and it’s finally starting to make its way to other Android smartphones across the board. Some variants of the LG G4, Moto X Style and 2014 Moto X have already gotten the update, and so has the Google Play Edition HTC One M8.
Soon after Google announced Android 6.0, many OEMs came out to say which of their devices would be updated. This includes HTC, which said that the One M8 and M9 would see Marshmallow before the year’s end. Well, now that it’s December, are you wondering if HTC is on schedule with these updates? According to some leaks and various bits of speculation floating around the web, it’s looking like the Taiwanese company is right on schedule. Taking a look at Mo Versi’s Twitter, he’s recently responded to many folks asking when their phones will be updated. And although there’s no exact date for the rollout, Mr. Versi says that both the unlocked One M9 and M8 will still get the update this year, with carrier variants following close behind.
@if326 It’s coming, unlocked version will be this year and carrier versions early next.
— Mo Versi (@moversi) November 21, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
@Luke_Balicki @if326 Yes, it is. Thanks.
— Mo Versi (@moversi) November 23, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
When will the carrier versions get updated, you ask? Again, we don’t have an exact date, but Mr. Versi did say that Sprint’s One M8 is expected to get updated on January 4th. Additionally, popular HTC leaker LlabTooFeR on Twitter earlier today said that the Marshmallow update will likely roll out to the European One M8 in the next two weeks or so.
Final M8 Android 6.0 and Sense 7.0 update for Europe will be available in about 2 weeks. It will be in build range 6.12.401.x …
— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) December 2, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Now, it’s pretty difficult to tell when exactly all of these updates will begin rolling out, but at least we have a pretty good idea that HTC is still on schedule. We’ll be sure to let you know if we hear anything more from the company regarding these updates.
See also: Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates roundup – November 20, 2015
United Airlines to Equip 6,000 Customer Service Representatives With the iPhone 6 Plus
United Airlines today announced a plan to equip its customer service representatives in each United States-based hub with Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus. The airline said that the plan will allow each rep to assist passengers’ needs faster while giving them access to “additional operational information” without needing to search for outside help.
“Our employees told us they needed better tools to serve our customers, especially during severe weather and busier travel times,” said Jon Roitman, United’s senior vice president of airport operations. “We have seen great success with the custom-made tools on the iPhone 6 Plus and believe expanding the use of a smart phone device with other applications is a great investment in our employees.”
Estimated to begin in 2016, United will distribute an iPhone 6 Plus — 2014’s 5.5-inch display iPhone — to more than 6,000 of its representatives across the United States. The new initiative will let the company’s reps print boarding passes and baggage tags before departure, and even help customers find alternative flight options. Future enhancements to the program will bring fully-realized check-in opportunities and enough well-rounded features to give customers “much of the same functionality as traditional airport kiosks.”
Previously in June, United distributed iPhones to its flight attendants in an effort to provide better customer service in-flight to passengers. That initiative was announced a year ago, so today’s customer service representative program will probably see a similar six month gestation period before launching.
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One of Apple’s favorite developers just left the Mac App Store
Bohemian Coding has pulled its popular design app Sketch from the Mac App Store. In a blog post, it cites numerous reasons for the switch, “many of which in isolation wouldn’t cause huge concern.” The main culprits are the time between an app update being submitted and approved, a lack of upgrade pricing options and the technical limitations imposed by Apple’s guidelines on sandboxing. Anyone that’s bought the app previously will be able to download the app from the Sketch site to continue receiving updates.
Source: Bohemian Coding
6 incredible high-tech urban farms
By Cat DiStasio
Farm life typically calls to mind sprawling fields of plants in neat rows, dotted with bent-over bodies and heavy diesel-guzzling equipment. The world is rapidly changing, though, and so too is the face of agriculture. As the world’s population booms and many people move to cities, a new generation of farms are sprouting up in bustling urban centers. New agricultural techniques are bringing crop yields indoors and, in some cases, underground in an effort to produce more food on a faster timeline with less energy and space. Read on to learn about some of the world’s coolest indoor farms that are taking over the agricultural landscape leaf by leaf.Slideshow-344754
Samsung kills its camera and camcorder business in the UK
First it was laptops and Chromebooks, now it’s cameras and camcorders. In a statement to TechRadar, Samsung has confirmed that it’s quietly abandoning both product categories in the UK. Why? “Sustained decline in demand,” according to the company. That means you’ll no longer see its DSLR-inspired NX1 or its sleek, mirrorless NX500 on store shelves.
Source: TechRadar
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