[Rumour] HTC could announce its ‘One’ smartwatch in February
Whether or not HTC will launch a smartwatch has been an ongoing saga for quite a while. We get excited when a rumour says that the launch of an HTC wearable is imminent, we are disappointed when we hear that the wearable has been delayed or is even flat-out denied. Today’s rumour says that the beleaguered Taiwanese handset maker will reveal its ‘One’ smartwatch in February next year.
HTC fans, you'll finally have One watch to call your own come February.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 3, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The rumour comes courtesy of the seemingly back-in-the-game serial leaker, @evleaks, or Evan Blass if you prefer. He claims that the ‘One’ watch will be announced in February, which lines up nicely with the Mobile World Congress being held in Barcelona between February 22-25. The ‘One’ smartwatch has previously been known under its codename ‘Halfbreak‘, and is believed both run Android Wear and feature a circular display with a 360 x 360 resolution.
With less than three months to go until the expected announcement, I’m sure we will hear more about HTC’s ‘One’ smartwatch in the coming weeks, hopefully it won’t be news of further delays or a cancellation of the device. Do you think HTC will actually release a wearable device this time round? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: @evleaks (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: [Rumour] HTC could announce its ‘One’ smartwatch in February
Hawaiian court nullifies Thirty Meter Telescope’s building permit
The Thirty Meter Telescope’s story has been so full of trials and tribulations, a producer might just find a way to turn it into a soap opera. On Wednesday, the Hawaii Supreme Court has canceled the TMT group’s permit, which gives them the right to build the gargantuan telescope atop the Mauna Kea volcano. According to the court, the Board of Land and Natural Resources should not have given the project permission to go forward before it had the chance to hear the side of a group petitioning against its approval. If you recall, the various universities and institutions from the US, Canada, China, India and Japan that make up the team had to wait for over a decade and overcome numerous hurdles before construction began in 2014.
Source: AP
Marshmallow coming to unlocked HTC One M8 within 24 hours
Those who own HTC’s One M8 devices in the US have a reason to cheer – the sweetness of Android 6.0 Marshmallow is coming very soon to their handsets.
HTC’s VP of Product Management, Mo Versi, took to Twitter to announce that the unlocked units of the company’s erstwhile flagship phone will begin receiving Marshmallow within 24 hours.
“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 (Sic)”
Mo Versi
Versi also revealed that those who own carrier versions of the One M8 will have to wait a bit longer for Marshmallow as HTC is “working with all of them (carriers) closely” to roll out the update out “as soon as possible.”
It is surprising that HTC’s latest flagship – the One M9 – is still waiting for Android’s latest software, while its predecessor is already getting Marshmallow. We must remind you that HTC had previously mentioned that users of the One M8 and One M9 in the US will be able to upgrade their phones to Android 6.0 before the New Year.
Source: Mo Versi (Twitter)
The post Marshmallow coming to unlocked HTC One M8 within 24 hours appeared first on AndroidGuys.
MIT researchers want to put a sharp 3D camera in your smartphone
3D cameras, like many modern bits of technology, have been brought into consumer hands through the wonders of miniaturization, but the result are often compromised when it comes to image quality and detail when compared with more expensive equipment. Fortunately, MIT researchers have discovered a technique to vastly improve the detail captured by these small sensors, potentially increasing the resolution by up to 1,000 times.
The technique works by using a polarized light filter, you might recognise the term from 3D movies, combined with a depth sensor, such as Microsoft’s Kinect, to calculate the surface orientation of an object from light measurements. These calculations are pretty intensive, but can be done in real-time using GPU components like the ones found inside games consoles.
The researchers suggest that not only does this technique vastly improve the results from small low-quality sensors, but that it also produces 3D models that can be more accurate than many machine-shop laser scanners. See the example below.
The team states that this technology could eventually be built into smartphones, potentially allowing for quick 3D capture and printing of objects in your own home. Such a design would need grids of filters over the sensor and wouldn’t give us the full high resolution pictures that we’re used to, but that’s not really a problem if you’re after a quick 3D model.
Perhaps a more immediately useful application is in self-driving cars, where camera modules can be larger and the use cases are more practical. Not only would additional detail increase the amount of data available for processing, but it could also help avoid interference from the weather. Of course, cost is going to be a key factor if this technology is ever to find its way to consumer products.
Would you want a 3D camera inside your future smartphone?
[Deal] Amazon’s All-New Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD is reduced to just £65 in the UK
Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t deals to be found in the run-up to Christmas. Amazon UK slashed the prices of its Fire Tablet (keep an eye out for Brad’s upcoming review), Fire TV Stick and Echo devices last week, and this week the company is one of a selection of retailers discounting the all-new Fire TV 4K.
Instead of the usual price of £79.99, you can now buy the all-new Fire TV 4K for just £64.99, giving a saving of £15. Besides the obvious choice of buying it from Amazon, if you can’t wait for it to be delivered you can pick it up from the following outlets:
- Currys/PC World
- Argos
- John Lewis (Update: out of stock)
If you’ve waited to pick up Amazon’s newest Fire TV, which boasts the ability to stream 4K content as well as improved internals, this could be as good a time as any to do so in the UK. It isn’t known when the promotion will end, so if you are thinking of buying it as a present, for someone else or even yourself, it’s probably best not to spend too much time pondering. Let us know if you pick one up in the comments below.
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Amazon’s All-New Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD is reduced to just £65 in the UK
Honor 7 owners in the UK can now sign up to beta test the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop is yesterday’s news since the release of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with many of us hoping our smart devices will receive an update to this latest and greatest version of Android sooner, rather than later. Or never, as the case may be for some. Selected owners of Huawei’s Honor 7 will be happy to find out that they can get an early taste of Marshmallow goodness on their device in the coming weeks by signing up for the Honor 7 Android 6 BETA test.
Signing up to the Marshmallow BETA test is pretty straightforward, all you need to enter is your name, email address, your handset’s IMEI number (dial *#06# to get your IMEI number), and the build number of the software your phone is currently running. If selected to take part in the BETA test, your Honor 7 will receive the Marshmallow update in the form of an OTA. Which makes it nice and simple, with no need to connect the handset to a computer to manually flash the firmware, which can be a nerve-wracking experience at times. You can sign up for the Honor & Marshmallow BETA test right here.
Besides being based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the Beta firmware will also include EMUI 4.2. If selected, the OTA should reach your handset in the next couple of weeks. This sign-up is for UK Honor 7 owners only, the rest of Europe will follow later today with separate sign-up forms for each respective country. It should be noted that is a Beta test, and as such, there will be bugs, glitches, and maybe even some crashes. If selected to take part, it’s your job to give feedback to the manufacturer. Are you signing up for the beta test?
Source: Honor UK (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: Honor 7 owners in the UK can now sign up to beta test the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update
MouseMingle is a dating site for Disney lovers
MouseMingle promises a whole new world of online dating — one that could make you feel like you’ve got a chance for the first time in forever, since it connects you with fellow die-hard Disney fans. The website was created by Dave Tavres, a former Disneyland Railroad engineer who told Los Angeles Magazine that he’s having a tough time finding women who love Disney as much as he does. “Niche dating sites are more common these days,” he said. “There’s a dating site for pot lovers and JDate for Jewish people. The first time I saw Farmers Only I thought it was a Saturday Night Live sketch.”
Source: Los Angeles Magazine, Mouse Mingle
Canadian Mounties launch a national cyber crimes unit
Following 40 percent jump in digital incursions between 2011 and 2013, the Canadian government has announced the formation of a national cyber-crimes unit. The 40-member unit will be comprised of a mix of officers and civilian technicians. It will be responsible for investigating everything from online scams and bullying to child exploitation and human trafficking. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has already set aside C$30 million over the next five years to fund the group and expects the new unit to be fully operational by 2020. The RCMP is also reportedly developing a separate intelligence unit to proactively address potential threats.
[Image Credit: Getty Creative]
Source: Reuters
Ford is bringing Siri to 5 million SYNC-enabled cars
Most modern Ford cars come installed with its bespoke infotainment system called SYNC, allowing drivers to make calls and listen to various music streaming apps while keeping their eyes on the road. The system already lets some owners remotely start their car, but it will soon also offer services from an important partner: Apple. Starting today, owners of a Ford vehicle purchased in 2011 or later can download a new software update that will add Siri functionality to their SYNC interface.
Via: Ford Media Center
Source: Ford Owner Portal
Recreate the old-school internet with this web browser emulator
Sure, you can visit the Internet Archive if you want to see a website the way it looked years ago, but it won’t recreate the feel of browsing that site when it was fresh. What if you want both? That’s where the new Oldweb.today tool might save the day. It not only grabs an archived version of the website, but gives you a choice of old browsers for the visit. If you want to know what the Space Jam movie page looked like in an era-appropriate version of Netscape Navigator, you can do it.
Source: Oldweb.today, Rhizome Blog
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