Bumpy ride for Apple at expense of LG, ASUS tweets
Apple usually receives accolades for the design of their devices, from computers to phones to tablets. However, the new Apple Smart Battery Case is raising some eyebrows as it seems to stray from the typical clean lines produced by the company. The accessory also provided LG and ASUS some fodder to take some potshots at Apple in some tweets.
The Apple case does not bring much new to the market that third-party vendors are not already providing. It packs in an external battery that can be used to extend the life of the device between charges. In doing so, Apple introduces a distinctive bump to house the battery itself within the case.
LG takes a shot at Apple by calling out the bump and offering a moment of silence for anyone who has to deal with it. They contrast the bump and the case with the LG V10 that is sleek and only offers “goosebumps” thanks to its design.
A moment of silence for those experiencing a bumpy ride. Life's Good. #TheHump #LGV10 pic.twitter.com/OX9i4Bo4UE
— LG Jordan (@LGJordan) December 9, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Meanwhile, ASUS focuses more on the lack of innovation the battery pack brings. They go so far as to point out the battery pack does not even provide users with the battery life available from the built-in battery of the ASUS Zenfone Max.
You don’t need that extra pack when you have the maximum power in one. #ZenFone #Max pic.twitter.com/McjMJbzij5
— ASUS (@ASUS) December 9, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
source: LG (Twitter), ASUS (Twitter)
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Product Hunt App for iOS Updated With ‘Popular’ Feed, Podcast Player and Live Chats
Popular product discovery site Product Hunt is today updating its iOS app, adding new features to bring it in line with the Product Hunt web experience. The Product Hunt site itself was updated with a more visual look a few weeks ago, which is now coming to the Product Hunt app.
Moving beyond tech, the app now offers an “Explore All Categories” option that lets users see products that are trending in categories like books, games, and podcasts. There’s also a new “Popular” feed that surfaces a range of content including products and collections, organizing it into an Instagram-style visual layout.
Product Hunt for iOS is gaining Live chats, letting users view, subscribe to, and participate in the Live chats hosted on the site. Upcoming chats will be conducted with people like Quora co-founder Charlie Cheever and Braintree founder Bryan Johnson.
It’s now possible to listen to podcasts posted and upvoted by the Product Hunt community directly within the Product Hunt iOS app, thanks to a new built-in podcast player, and users can also follow and create curated collections of products, games, books, and more, directly within the app. The app’s search tools are also being expanded with Apple Spotlight integration, and it offers support for 3D Touch with Home screen Quick Actions for searching, accessing live chats, viewing the popular feed, and more.
For those unfamiliar with Product Hunt, it’s a community-based website that lets people post and discuss new and interesting products. While it originally focused on technology-oriented products, it has expanded to encompass other categories like books, games, and podcasts.
Product Hunt can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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GoPro Updates iOS App With Streamlined Design and Apple Watch Integration
GoPro today announced an update to its iOS app that will bring Apple Watch integration to users of the popular outdoor recording hardware. The new Apple Watch features will give users access to a GoPro camera’s controls, letting them preview their shot, toggle between capture modes, begin and end recording, and even add HiLight tags to important moments in a video.
Also introduced in the 2.11 version of the GoPro app is the ability to browse frame-by-frame through a video and capture still images from it. The company has streamlined media browsing in the app as well, with easier-to-discover photos, videos, HiLights and clips, along with some expanded iOS abilities that make “nearly everything” available on the Apple version of the software that was previously restricted on mobile.
New and Improved:
+ Now compatible with Apple Watch: Preview shots, control your camera, and add HiLight Tags all from your watch.
+ Pull still images from videos: Quickly flip through a video frame-by-frame to find that epic moment and download a high-quality still image.
+ Find your media faster: Locate that awesome shot by filtering your media to display only photos, videos, HiLights, or clips.
+ Nearly everything is viewable on iOS: Enjoy your shot on the spot with a generated preview that allows you to view high frame-rate video on your phone.
The GoPro App is available to download from the App Store for free [Direct Link].
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Adidas has a ‘Speedfactory’ in Germany staffed by robots
Adidas, like most big companies, brought most of its production to China and other Asian countries in recent years. Now, it wants to bring production back closer to its German headquarters in order to cut down on shipping costs and be able to restock shoes more quickly, so the corporation built a factory in the country — one staffed mostly by robots. This facility called the “Speedfactory” will start by making 500 pairs of running shoes for the brand in early 2016. From what we can tell, these are new models with machine-knitted uppers and springy, bubble-filled polyurethane foam soles. There will still be around 10 people helping the manufacturing process during the factory’s pilot phase, but it will eventually be fully autonomous.
This doesn’t mean Adidas is abandoning its Chinese and Vietnamese suppliers, though: the company’s head of technology innovation Gerd Manz told Reuters that this is a separate business model. The sports apparel maker wants to build more Speedfactories around the globe, but they’ll supplement their current suppliers instead of replacing them. Adidas is cooking up more services to offer in the future, as well, such as the ability to make customized shoes for buyers the same way it does for athletes. It’s also exploring unusual ways to manufacture shoes, including 3D printing them from recycled ocean waste.
[Image credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Source: Reuters
ICYMI: Self-cleaning fish tank, satellite launcher and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Anyone with goldfish is going to be into this fish tank that claims to clean itself. Virgin Galactic is testing mid-flight satellite launches with a converted 747. And a teenager built a flamethrowing UAV and how could that go wrong?
Mildly more family-friendly, a hoodie with embedded LEDs and the ability to do ‘spells’ is up on ThinkGeek which is something almost any nerd would be into.
If you see any interesting science or tech videos, please share with us! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
GoPro brings Apple Watch control to its cameras
While it’s possible to control a GoPro camera using a smartphone or remote, the company just added a device option that might be simpler: the Apple Watch. You can now use the wearable to start and stop recording, review clips and add “HiLighted” moments to clips, as shown below. GoPro also updated its iOS and Android apps, helping you extract still photos more easily and filter media to display only photos, videos, tags or clips. All of that is a boon for folks who chronically share GoPro’s mini-movies on social media, and the Apple Watch feature will be particularly useful to one-man-band producers.
Those early Teslas might not be too reliable
A survey of 327 Tesla owners conducted by Plug In America has revealed that there may be a serious issue with the drivetrain on the 2012 and 2013 Model S. As reported by Green Car Reports, the component is likely to conk out after just 60,000 miles, forcing drivers to go back to the firm for a replacement. The Model S was first produced in 2012, so it’s only at this point that people have been using it long enough to test its durability after a sustained period of use. It’s not the first time that questions have been raised either, since Consumer Reports dropped its recommendation for the ride back in October.
At the time, Elon Musk responded to the news by saying that many of the issues that Consumer Reports highlighted were resolved in later versions. Those problems that were found in the early models were also covered by Tesla’s generous warranty packages, so people weren’t taking a bath on repair fees, either. Now, the plural of anecdote is not data but it does look as if there’s an issue that early adopters will have to deal with. Tesla has already responded to the piece, saying that it’s swift to resolve issues and that its customers are still some of the most satisfied on the road.
[Image Credit: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg via Getty]
Source: Source Data, Green Car Reports
Samsung’s Smart View app makes it easier to share content with its Smart Televisions
Many of us own smart televisions, but one of the greatest pains is sharing content to them from a smartphone or tablet. It just never seems to work as you think it should, with many TV and smartphone companies coming up with their own, sometimes proprietary, solutions that often don’t work well (or at all) with other brands. Samsung Smart TV owners will have experienced some of this frustration, which makes the Smart View app an interesting proposition with Samsung adding support for other brands as well as other operating systems.
Samsung’s Smart View app is available for Android, iOS, and even the Windows operating system on your PC, allowing you to share videos, photos, and music from your smartphone, tablet or computer directly to your Samsung Smart TV. The app is available in Beta form on selected Samsung Smart Televisions at present, with a full roll-out planned for early 2016.
If you haven’t bought a Samsung Smart TV recently, you’ll be pleased to find out that the Smart View App will work with a range of models built from 2011 onwards. All you need is to make sure your TV and smart device are operating on the same WiFi network.
Supported Samsung Smart TV’s
- 2011 LED D7000 and above, PDP D8000 and above.
- 2012 LED ES7500 and above, PDP E8000 and above.
- 2013 LED F4500 and above (except F9000 and above), PDP F5500 and above.
- 2014 H4500, H5500 and above (except H6003/H6103/H6153/H6201/H6203).
- 2015 J4500, J5500 and above (except J6203)
Your smartphone or tablet should be running Android 4.1 or above, or iOS 7.0 and above. PC systems should be running Windows 7 and above, along with the following recommended specifications: Intel Core 2 Duo @2.0GHz, 2GB of RAM and at least 1024 x 768 resolution.
The Smart View App is in beta form at present, with Samsung inviting feedback from users before it moves to the mainstream. You can download the Smart View app from the Play Store link below.
Source: Samsung
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T-Mobile tempts Verizon customers to switch with a year’s free Hulu and 50% off selected accessories
It would seem that T-Mobile is once again gunning for Verizon. Back in May, it was with the #NeverSettle promotion that allowed Verizon customers to experience the Un-carrier network via a trial. Now it’s enticing Verizon customers with the lure of a year’s subscription to Hulu and a 50% discount on financed accessories if they switch to T-Mobile’s Simple Choice postpaid plan. With no trade-in necessary.
This ‘Holiday Gift‘, as T-Mobile calls it, is available for Verizon customers who switch to the magenta network between December 11 – 17. Eligible accessories for the 50% discount range from smart watches, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, fitness trackers, among others.
T-Mobile’s outspoken president and CEO, John Legere, isn’t one to miss an opportunity to prod one of his rivals, and here he says that:
“Verizon customers put up with a lot of sneaky tricks from Big Red these days. Overpriced data, shocking overage penalties and no early upgrade option – just to name a few. So while Verizon spends billions of dollars on TV ads screaming that ‘better matters’, we are going to show their customers why the Un-carrier is better with a real gift.”
Besides a year’s free Hulu plus subscription and the 50% discount on financed accessories, Verizon customers will also be able to take advantage of T-Mobile’s Unlimited LTE video streaming via the Binge On service. And, if the Verizon customer is still mid-contract, they will qualify for T-Mobile’s Carrier Freedom service to help cover Verizon’s Early Termination Fee’s (ETF’s), with up to $650 on offer per line. Tempted?
Source: T-Mobile
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Walmart Announces Apple Pay Competitor ‘Walmart Pay’ for iOS
Walmart today introduced its own mobile payments service called “Walmart Pay” built into its Walmart app on iOS and Android. The new Apple Pay competitor will roll out in select Walmart stores in the U.S. this month, followed by a nationwide launch within the first half of 2016.
Walmart Pay’s QR code-based checkout process will involve opening the Walmart app, selecting Walmart Pay, activating the camera, scanning the code displayed at the register and waiting for the cashier to finish bagging your items. An electronic receipt will automatically be sent to the Walmart app.
The new payments solution will only work in Walmart stores and supports any major credit, debit, pre-paid or Walmart gift card. Walmart says that 22 million customers actively use its Walmart app each month, placing it among the top three retail apps in the App Store and Google Play.
Walmart is among a handful of retailers that have refused to support Apple Pay since its U.S. launch in October 2014. The retailer is instead one of over a dozen retailers committed to the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) consortium and its yet-to-launch rival payments service CurrentC.
Walmart’s future plans to support Apple Pay or CurrentC remain undisclosed, but the company’s senior vice president of services Daniel Eckert said Walmart Pay allows “for integration of other mobile wallets in the future.”
“The simplicity and ease of Walmart Pay comes not only from how it works, but also in how it’s been built,” said Daniel Eckert, senior vice president, services, Walmart U.S. “We made a strategic decision to design Walmart Pay to work with almost any smartphone and accept almost any payment type – even allowing for the integration of other mobile wallets in the future. The result is an innovation that will make the ease of mobile payments a reality for millions of Americans.”
Walmart App is free on the App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch. [Direct Link]
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