Microsoft buys popular Android keyboard Swiftkey
Microsoft has confirmed that it has agreed to buy London-based Swiftkey. Shortly after, the popular AI based Android keyboard was swift to confirm that it would be joining the Microsoft family. The deal is reported to be worth $250m, although financial terms were not disclosed by either company.
Swiftkey was started in 2008 by co-founders Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock. The two have grown the company into a monster both on Android and iOS, after taking in only $20m in funding over the course of the company’s lifetime, a relatively small amount. The co-founders, who own “substantial minority stakes” will each make about $30m each.
“This acquisition is a great example of Microsoft’s commitment to bringing its software and services to all platforms. We believe that together we can achieve orders of magnitude greater scale than either of us could have achieved independently.“
While Swiftkey is huge among third party keyboards on iOS and Android, it’s not currently available on Windows phones. The Windows first party keyboard does emulate some of the same features, but it’s now seemingly inevitable that Swiftkey will be a big part of Windows going forward.
Already installed on 300m devices worldwide, Swiftkey has continued to innovate despite the lack of a solid business model. Swiftkey Neural, which is currently in Alpha, “is an experimental keyboard app that uses artificial neural networks to predict and correct your typing.” The company has also developed a language model that helps astrophysicist Stephen Hawking communicate.
There’s no word on how this will affect the Android application and keyboard in the short term, but this is another in a long list of acquisitions from Microsoft, many of them Android apps. In a little over a year, Microsoft has purchased Wunderlist, Acompli, and Sunrise.
I’m personally a user of Sunrise, and I’ve seen nothing but positive things from the app since the Microsoft purchase. The app still continues to work perfectly and new features like subscribable interesting calendars have been expanded.
While this isn’t concrete proof of the future of Swiftkey, it’s hard to believe that Microsoft would do anything to alienate its largest group of users, Android phone owners.
Sources: Swiftkey, Microsoft, Financial Times
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Registration for Nintendo’s first mobile ‘game’ begins February 17
We’ve known for awhile now that Nintendo has plans to release a handful of mobile games in the next few years, and the first of which is slated to arrive sometime in March. While we still have no exact release date for the title, called Miitomo, we now have some new information regarding a registration date. Interested players will be able to register for the game beginning Wednesday, February 17th. To register, you’ll need to sign up for a Nintendo Account using your Nintendo Network ID, one of your various social network accounts or email address. If you register, you’ll be among the first to know when Miitomo becomes available in March.
Miitomo will launch in the following countries: the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Miitomo will launch in 16 countries in March 2016
For those unaware, Miitomo is much less a video game than it is a “social experience.” You’ll be able to use your Mii character to communicate with friends in a social setting, share your experience using a new Mii Photo feature, and even purchase new clothes for your characters.
The video game company says its new My Nintendo rewards program will also launch alongside Miitomo in March. Nintendo says this new service will be “much more than a traditional rewards program”, where it’s actually more of a service that rewards users for interacting with Nintendo products and other services in a variety of ways. According to Engadget, the rewards users can receive will be separated into two tiers: Gold Points, which can be earned from buying Nintendo games, consoles and digital content, and Platinum Points, which you’ll earn by logging into your My Nintendo account, playing games on your phone and other non-transaction based methods. Platinum Points can be spent on wallpapers and other downloadable content, while Gold Points can be used as discount vouchers for buying more Nintendo stuff. My Nintendo will be available in the same 16 countries as Miitomo in March.
We’ll be sure to update you when registration goes live. Will you be signing up, or are you taking a pass on Nintendo’s first game?
Podcasts are showing up in Google Play Music for some users
Yesterday, HBO’s Bill Simmons tipped the arrival of podcasts in Google Play Music this month, and the launch appears to be close at hand. In fact, Android Police reports that podcasts are showing up inside the app for a few users. Google revealed its plans to bring the episodic audio content to its app back in October, but there was no word on a launch date or how they would work with the existing software. Thanks to an apparent server issue during the test phase, we now have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
As you might expect, the Podcast section looks like the rest of Google Play Music. Shows are arranged in a card-like interface with artwork and detailed descriptions. On the show screen, there are controls for playing the most recent episode, subscribing or reading all of the info on the podcast. If you opt to subscribe, the app will ask you if you want to automatically download the five most recent episodes or receive notifications when new material is posted.
When you begin playing an episode, the interface offers those skip ahead and skip back 30 seconds buttons that are a must alongside the usual play/pause and skip controls. There are some other features we’d like to see in the final version (like playlist controls), but the integration looks pretty straightforward. We just hope the selections aren’t limited to a collection of popular shows. Podcasts will also show up when you search from the main menu, so you don’t have to navigate to the dedicated section in order to hunt for one. There’s still no word on when this will go live for everyone, but it looks like Mr. Simmons may have been correct after all.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Android Police
Greenify update adds Aggressive Doze mode and Shallow Hibernation in v2.8
Greenify, the app that lets you tell your apps when to go to bed, has just been updated to v2.8 with some very cool new app doze features. Aggressive Doze mode is a new feature for Android Marshmallow that doesn’t require root and there’s also Shallow Hibernation mode, which does require root. Both experimental features add even more value to the best app hibernation solution around.
See also: Android 6.0 Marshmallow features
In typical Greenify fashion, Aggressive Doze mode lets you force a Marshmallow device into Doze Mode much more quickly than it would otherwise occur. The best thing is that this is a non-root feature. Typically the best Greenify features are reserved for root users but this one works for all devices on Android 6.0 and above.
The next experimental feature, Shallow Hibernation, does require root privileges, but it is very cool. Shallow Hibernation is an all-new hibernation mechanism that puts apps to sleep without killing them.
Shallow Hibernation basically means that when an app is closed, its last state is preserved ready for your next interaction, just as it would be when you normally switch apps. The difference is that Shallow Hibernations tops the app from running any background processes when you’re not actively using it.
There are some other updates too: non-root hibernation now dims the screen, foreground apps never hibernate, Greenify is now Smart Lock compatible and there’s some other stuff in there too. A previous update added non-root auto-hibernation for Android 4.1+ devices, but the method required a non-secure lock screen setting which isn’t exactly advisable just to save some battery life.
Do you use Greenify? How do you manage wake locks and background processes?
Samsung’s Safety Truck concept starts testing in Argentina
If you’ve ever driven behind a slow semi-truck on a tight, two-lane road, you’d get the appeal of Samsung’s Safety Truck. It’s equipped with a camera up front, which sends a live feed to four weatherproof video monitors on the back. That lets you see what’s ahead of the truck so you can plan when to safely pass it. It’ll also give you a heads up on potential obstacles that could make a truck brake suddenly. Samsung unveiled the Safety Truck as a concept last year, but today it announced that it’s testing it in Argentina, which sees plenty of accidents every year involving cars trying to pass trucks.
While the current test is only a pilot program, Samsung says it’s working on expanding the Safety Trucks throughout the rest of Argentina, and potentially the world, in four months. While it’s not the most high-tech solution, it’s a very practical answer to a fairly common driving problem.
Source: Samsung
The Fitbit Alta is a new fashion-forward fitness tracker with interchangeable bands
Fitness trackers vs. smartwatches – would you rather have detailed and accurate activity tracking information, or would you rather have a wearable that looks more like a fashion accessory? Oftentimes users need to choose one or the other, sacrificing form for functionality or the other way around. But with Fitbit’s new fitness tracker, you might not need to make that decision any more.
Fitbit has just unveiled the Alta, a new fashion-focused fitness tracker that aims to be much more than a rubber band on your wrist. The standard Fitbit Alta comes with a rubber strap which is perfect for exercising and activity tracking. If you feel more inclined to wear the Alta when you’re out and about, though, you can do so without worrying about it clashing with your outfit, as this new wearable can also be used with a premium leather or metal strap. The leather bands come in Graphite and Blush Pink color options and go for $59.95 a piece, while the stainless steel metal bracelet runs $99.95. If you just want the standard fitness tracker, you can get it in Black, Blue, Plum and Teal color options for $129.95.
As for the tracker itself, you can expect all of Fitbit’s wonderful software features, such as SmartTrack, which automatically recognizes your activity and records it in the Fitbit app, and moving reminders, which will vibrate the tracker every so often to ensure you’re achieving at least 250 steps every hour. Fitbit says the Alta will be able to last up to 5 days on a single charge. Unsurprisingly, it’s also sweat, rain and splash proof, though it’s not swim proof.
You can pre-order the Fitbit Alta by heading to the link below, and you can expect your tracker to arrive sometime in early March. You can also pre-order a stainless steel band for $99.95, a leather band for $59.95, or an extra rubber band for $29.95. Thoughts? Will you be picking one of these up anytime soon?
Order Dominos Pizza through your Echo during the Super Bowl
Domino’s Pizza revealed Wednesday that its customers will be able to order a pie through their Amazon Echo and track the order from oven to doorstep without ever leaving the couch. To do so, you’ll need to enable the Domino’s skill within your Alexa app and by linking your Echo account with your Domino’s Pizza Profile. Once the accounts are paired, you can tell Alexa to either reorder the last pizza you got or ask for your designated “Easy Order” pie. To track the progress of your pizza’s preparation, just enter the phone number on the order and Alexa will tell you how it’s coming along.
Pebble Update Introduces Custom Messages, Health Improvements
Pebble today announced multiple updates for its line of Pebble smart watches, introducing new messaging options and new health features for Pebble owners.
Pebble owners who use iOS devices are now able to reply to incoming text messages with custom messages instead of the standard canned responses. Custom text replies are available to all iOS users who have text replies enabled from a compatible carrier.
Pebble Health, the fitness tracking app Pebble introduced in December for Pebble Time watches, has a new API that lets Pebble Health stats be added to apps and watch faces. The health tracking feature is also more accurate and is able to show distance in kilometers or miles.
New Pebble Time Firmware 3.9 introduces incoming MMS messages with descriptive icons and text, and it introduces speed improvements for Pebble Time and Time Steel. There’s also an improved Watch-Only mode, which introduces better power saving options when the watch battery is critically low.
The update is available through the Pebble Time iOS app, available from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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Sony’s Dual Camera to See Inclusion in Devices From ‘Major Smartphone Players’
Sony, the manufacturer behind many the camera sensors used in Apple’s iOS devices, recently confirmed that its dual-lens camera platform will be featured in devices from “major smartphone players” in 2016. The information was shared by Sony CFO Kenchiro Yoshida during the company’s recent Q3 2015 earnings call and was highlighted by Xperiablog.
Sony’s camera technology is used by a wide range of smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, and Yoshida declined to name specific companies that would take advantage of Sony’s dual-lens camera platform. Dual-lens technology has previously been used in smartphones such as the HTC M8, but it may soon become a more popular option following rumors that Apple plans to incorporate a dual-lens system into its iPhone 7 Plus.
iPhone 7 mockup with dual-lens camera system (Image: Computer Bild)
Apple is said to be planning to use dual-lens technology it acquired from Israeli camera company LinX in the iPhone 7 Plus, but Apple may still be incorporating Sony sensor components into its camera module. Apple is also said to be testing dual-lens camera samples from a range of manufacturers in Taiwan, Japan, and China.
According to Yoshida, dual-lens camera systems will be coming from multiple major smartphone manufacturers this year, but because of slowdowns in the high-end smartphone market could impact production, 2017 will be the year when the dual lens camera platform really takes off.
Well, for next year, our so-called dual lens – dual camera platform will be launched by, we believe, from major smartphone players. However, as I said previously, recently, our smartphone market is growing and particularly, our high-end smartphone market is now slowing down. So, that may impact the demand or production schedule of dual camera smartphones by the major smartphone manufacturers. So, we believe the real start, the takeoff of smartphone with dual lens camera will be in the year of 2017.”
Rumors have suggested Apple is planning to incorporate a dual lens camera system into the iPhone 7 Plus to differentiate it from the iPhone 7, which will continue to offer a more traditional single-lens camera. Should Apple follow through with its plans, its first dual-lens system will debut towards the end of 2016, likely in September.
The launch of the iPhone 7 is still multiple months away, but details about the new device have been steadily trickling out. Yesterday, MacRumors shared information on the device’s design, which is expected to be similar to the iPhone 6s design but with a flush rear camera and no antenna bands across the back. Other rumors suggest it will have improved water resistance and no headphone jack.
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New activity tracker Fitbit Alta now up for pre-order
Fitbit has opened pre-orders on their site for the latest activity tracker they are adding to their portfolio, the Fitbit Alta. The new device is a low profile device similar to some of their earlier models with a minimal screen so it can be worn in a more discrete manner than some other recently released devices like the Fitbit Blaze or the Fitbit Surge. The Fitbit Alta will sell for $130 and is expected to start shipping in March.
Although the Fitbit Alta is small in size, the device is packed full of features including most of the new capabilities Fitbit has been adding to their platform. Like any competent activity tracker, the Fitbit Alta will track steps and distance throughout the day as well as calculating active minutes and calories burned. Fitbit includes their SmartTrack feature that automatically recognizes and logs exercise time and activities with no input from the user. The Fitbit Alta will also provide reminders for wearers to get up and move if they have been inactive for a while.
Along with the auto-detection of exercise activities, the Fitbit Alta will track sleep automatically. Users can also set alarms that will vibrate to wake users peacefully. Although the screen is small, users can still access notifications for calls, texts, and calendar alerts from their connected smartphone. The Fitbit Alta uses an OLED display that can be activated with a tap.
One issue Fitbit is trying to respond to based on user feedback is the lack of bling for other activity trackers. To address that, Fitbit has created a system for the Fitbit Alta so that the bands can be changed. Initially, there will be eight bands available, including three rubber bands that will run $30 each, three leather bands that will run $60 each, and a stainless steel band that will run $100.
With the small size, one feature that did not make it into the Fitbit Alta is a heart rate monitor, so users looking for that feature will need to opt for something else. If users do not want to go through Fitbit directly, they can place pre-orders with a variety of retailers like Amazon, Best Buy or Dick’s Sporting Goods starting tomorrow. You can hit the source link below if you are ready to place an order now.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Fitbit
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