Police target the man identified as ‘Bitcoin creator’
Australian Federal Police raided the home and offices of Craig Steven Wright, the man named in Gizmodo and Wired reports as the possible mind behind Bitcoin. A dozen officials entered a home he was renting and offices registered to him, telling a Reuters reporter they were “clearing house.” They also directed any questions to the Australian Tax Office, which has yet to comment. Wright has had previous run-ins with tax officials, and Wired reported that he may possess Bitcoins “easily worth a nine-figure fortune.” However, the Guardian reports that the raids are unrelated to any possible role that Wright had in creating the crypto-currency.
Reuters spoke with the owner of the home, who said the Wright was renting it but planned to move to England on December 22nd. He added that Wright had a “substantial computer system” that required a three-phase electrical setup for extra power. Several police officers involved in the search wore uniforms identifying them as computer forensics personnel.
BREAKING: Australian police also raiding the offices of reported bitcoin creator Craig Steven Wright aka Satoshi Nakamoto
— Jane Wardell (@TheJaneWardell) December 9, 2015
Wired’s revelations that Wright is the man also known as Satoshi Nakamoto stem in part from a leaked transcript of his meeting with Australian tax officials in February of 2014. Known to be a libertarian, he complained that “I did my best to hide the fact that I’ve been running Bitcoin since 2009.” In another leaked email, he said “I cannot do the Satoshi bit anymore … my pseudonym is more popular than I can ever hope to be.”
However, previous attempts to identify Nakamoto failed dramatically, and both Wired and Gizmodo admit that the documents could be fake. Wired pointed out that several emails were edited after they were sent to insert information implying that Wright developed the crypto-currency. “Either Wright invented bitcoin, or he’s a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did.”
Source: Reuters
Instagram brings 3D Touch-style feature to Android
The ability to detect pressure in touch screens and turn it into functionality: whether you see it as a gimmick or not, we can’t deny we do need more layers of interaction to make smartphones flow better. We love our long presses and and right clicks, but these are input methods we haven’t bee exploiting to their fullest in the mobile universe. Sure, you can move apps around and pull up menus, but that can’t be it… right?
See also: Apple iPhone 6S Impressions… from an Android user
The good news is it’s not so hard to replicate this feature, even if Android’s ability to recognize force and do something with it is not evolved yet. It can still be imitated with a long press. That is exactly what Instagram did with the Android version of the app (7.13.0).
In Apple’s implementation, Instagram is able to show a preview of an image when pressing harder on photo icons within the Search section. It works similarly in the newest version of the Instagram Android app, but you don’t have to press harder…. just press longer.
See also: 15 best Android apps of 2015
The feature seems to work like a charm, but as it goes with these updates, they roll out periodically. You could either wait a around for the Google Play Store to push it to your device or you could opt to manually install this APK file.
What do you guys think of this added functionality, though? I feel like it still needs to evolve and become more adopted by the community. At this point it seems people are a bit confused by it. But that is why I am not too upset that Apple is making it mainstream first. Keep in mind the iPhone maker is not good at introducing new technology, but they certainly have a talent for making it popular.
Ancestry kills its desktop software, moves to online subscriptions
Ancestry.com has announced that it’s getting rid of its desktop software options at the end of the year. The company is reacting to what it sees as the “declining desktop software market” (and that pesky smartphone and tablet user boom), adding that it will allow the company to better provide support and updates to users. Its Family Tree Maker software will cease sale on December 31st 2015, but will continue working until January 1st 2017. This will include its TreeSync service that links to the web service — important if you still want to keep scouring your lineage for that all important (yet tenuous) link to royalty.
Source: Ancestry
New Swiftkey update delivers Pinyin, typing enhancements, and an Emoji makeover
Everyone’s favorite third-party mobile keyboard just got a little bit better – especially for Mandarin speakers. Today on their blog, SwiftKey announced that Android users just received a pretty substantial update that adds Pinyin support, changes the way the keyboard anticipates your keypresses, and remodeled their Emoji panel to give users a cleaner, more aesthetic experience.
SwiftKey has been supporting Chinese language input since the beginning of 2015. Although users were given seven different input methods for Simplified Chinese, Taiwan Traditional Chinese, and Hong Kong Traditional Chinese, many were left yearning for traditional Pinyin support. Now SwiftKey users are free to appropriate the QWERTY layout to type away Pinyin input to their hearts’ content.
See also: 15 best Android apps of 2015
For speakers of all languages, the developers also improved typing performance. SwiftKey is famous for its predictive word selection abilities, but the app also learns to what extent where you intend to touch the keyboard is at a variance with where you actually touch the keyboard. By paying attention to your mistakes, SwiftKey slyly adjusts the hitboxes of keys to make your mistakes less and less frequent.
This recent update improves on the method, but it has also reset your keypress model – the data used to adjust the keyboard. If your typing feels sloppy over the next few days, don’t give up on SwiftKey quite yet. It just has to relearn your clumsy typing habits.
Finally, this latest update overhauled the way Emoji are displayed in their panel, making it easier to quickly pick the image you want out of the crowd. It will also retain the last Emoji category you were previously using, hypothetically decreasing the number of swipes between you and that perfectly composed hieroglyphic text message. Users will also be able to choose between light and dark themes. Sounds perfect for those slated to receive the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update that includes over 200 new Emoji.
If you’ve already got SwiftKey installed, you can expect the update to hit your phone any moment. If you want to cut the suspense, or if you’re just someone wanting to give the keyboard a spin, you can download it in the Google Play Store by clicking the button below.
Are you a SwiftKey user, or do you have another keyboard you prefer? Let us know in the comments!
Android Marshmallow increases its Android Distribution share to 0.5%
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Google has released its Android Distribution numbers for this month, and Android Marshmallow has shown some sizeable growth. After recording a population of 0.3% last month, Android Marshmallow has grown to 0.5%, which seems like nothing, but considering the total population of Android that’s included is close to a billion devices, that’s a a pretty huge number of smartphones and tablets that are now enjoying the latest version of Android. It’s still going to take some time for Marshmallow to gain sizeable traction, but plenty of manufacturers have queued up their updates for the near future – let’s hope they come before the new year.
Other notable changes include Android Lollipop increasing its share from 25.6% to 29.5%, while KitKat, Jelly Bean and Ice Cream Sandwich all saw their share decrease this month. And for those interested, Gingerbread and Froyo are still hanging around with 3.4% and 0.2% respectively.
What do you think about the Android Distribution numbers for December? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Android Developers via Droid-life
The post Android Marshmallow increases its Android Distribution share to 0.5% appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Android 6.0 coming to some Moto X Pure Editions in the US
Android 6.0 is coming to some Moto X Pure Editions in the US. The update should be heading out to Verizon, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular soon according to Motorola’s Davis Schuster.
Also, Motorola has started soak testing the Android 6.0 update in Brazil and India for the Moto X Play, plus, Moto X Force in Brazil.
This afternoon we have started to fully rollout Android Marshmallow 6.0 on 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen) with the following carriers; Verizon, Sprint and USC.
In addition, we have started the soak test period in Brazil and India retail for the 2015 Moto X Play and in Brazil retail for the 2015 Moto X Force.
No word on AT&T and T-Mobile’s Moto X Pure Edition Android 6.0 update just yet, unfortunately.
Source: David Schuster (Google+)
Come comment on this article: Android 6.0 coming to some Moto X Pure Editions in the US
CBS exec says Apple’s streaming TV plans are ‘on hold’
The other half of the rollout for the new Apple TV has always been a rumored streaming TV service. It wasn’t present for the device’s launch, and now CBS CEO Les Moonves (who has previously been good for a quote or two on Apple’s TV plans) says the project is on ice. Speaking at the Business Insider Ignition conference in New York the exec claimed “They’ve had conversations on it, and I think they pressed the hold button.” According to Bloomberg a source said Apple has suspended its plans, and will go ahead with the Apple TV as a platform for content available via the App Store.
The new Apple TV seems built to take on conventional cable and satellite TV bundles for streaming live channels, but for now owners can expect to navigate a segmented experience of different apps, often with their own logins. Moonves went on to say that he believes “it will happen,” through Apple or someone else, and suggested a price point of around $35, with users having more of an opportunity to opt for the channels they want to watch.
As internet TV providers provide services that compete squarely with traditional TV, Amazon just announced the option to tack Starz, Showtime and others onto its Prime video service. Dish Network has Sling TV streaming a bundle of channels while PlayStation Vue is rolling out to more areas with a wider selection of channels and DVR features, but at a slightly higher price. Tim Cook and Apple’s advertising campaign promise that the future of TV is apps, but it doesn’t feel that way to me, even with the new remote’s Siri-powered universal search. Without a truly new video experience to go along with its hardware, the new Apple TV is a lot like the old one.
Source: Business Insider, Bloomberg
Google Store kisses the Nexus 6 goodbye
It is a new era for Google. One in which users don’t have to opt for a supersized smartphone just to get the Nexus experience. The Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X have come to complete the equation with a couple form factors, varied prices and different levels of performance. The time for the Nexus 6 to die was imminent, and Google has pulled the chord today.
See also: Nexus 6P and 5X vs the competition
In what appeared to be a very quiet move, the Nexus 6 has disappeared from the Google Store. There is no available comment or announcement from the Search Giant, so we are not sure if this is really a permanent thing, but I would probably bet on it.
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This gets some of us a bit melancholic. Regardless of whatever inconveniences it may have brought, it was a special phone. Made by Motorola, it introduced a great design and build quality that didn’t need anything fancy to offer a solid experience. It also happened to be the first Nexus device to come at this (nearly) 6-inch size. And though its initial price was a bit high, it was worth every single penny.
I say it was a great smartphone with one compromise… a large one (yes, I am talking about the size). It will be sad to see it go, but better things are coming… and some are already here! Oh, and if you are really having a hard time saying goodbye, you can still get the 32 GB Nexus 6 from Amazon for only $349.99!
Yahoo reportedly gets serious about selling its core business
The company isn’t saying anything at the moment. If it does go ahead with a sale, though, it won’t exactly be a ringing endorsement of CEO Marissa Mayer’s strategy to date. She promised to “reset” Yahoo’s focus back in October, but that probably won’t be much comfort when the firm has dealt with evaporating profits and a string of acquisitions that did little to turn things around. If there is a deal, it won’t be surprising if there’s a change in leadership at the same time.
[Image credit: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images]
Via: Reuters
Source: CNBC, New York Times
End texts with a period if you want to seem like a jerk
It appears as though those among us who use proper punctuation when texting look like big jerks. A new study out of Binghamton University says that text messages appended with a period come off as kind of rude. Computer Mediated Communication (email, texting, instant messages, etc..) lacks any sort of the context clues of face to face communications methods, so to see what the period meant in terms of CMC, the researchers had a small group of undergrads rate conversations that were framed either as handwritten notes or text messages.
“Even though most of the important social and contextual clues were missing, the sincerity of the short messages was evaluated differently depending on the presence or absence of a period,” a statement from Binghamton reads. When a period was present in short exchanges, the students rated that message as less sincere.
What’s more, according to The Washington Post, a separate study suggests that exclamation points are apparently more sincere than not using any punctuation to end a sentence. Keep in mind, however, that 126 undergrads aren’t nearly enough to be considered a representative sample by any means. Regardless, the anecdotal evidence is enough to make me feel self conscious about using correct grammar and punctuation while texting!
Via: The Washington Post
Source: ScienceDirect, Eurekalert
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