Apple Seeds Third Beta of iOS 9.3 to Developers
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second iOS 9.3 beta and two months after the public release of iOS 9.2. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11.
The third iOS 9.3 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the iOS section of the Apple Developer Center.
As a major .1 update to the iOS 9 operating system, iOS 9.3 introduces several new features. There’s a Night Shift mode to reduce the amount of blue light iOS users are exposed to in the evening by shifting the iPad or iPhone display to a warmer (yellower) color spectrum, and there are several features designed to improve the iPad for Education program, such as multi-user login.
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Multiple apps and features are also seeing updates in iOS 9.3. Apple News includes more personalized recommendations, faster updates, a landscape view on the iPhone, and support for in-line video, while Health includes a new Apple Watch-style “Activity” view and Notes has an option to password protect individual entries.
Apple Music for CarPlay offers “New” and “For You” sections for better music discovery, and a Nearby Feature in CarPlay Maps offers more information about what’s close by. Paired with watchOS 2.2, an iPhone running iOS 9.3 is able to support multiple Apple Watches, and for iPhone 6s users, there are new Quick Actions for Weather, Settings, Compass, Health, App Store, and iTunes Store.
The second iOS 9.3 beta added a Control Center toggle for the Night Shift feature, and new additions in the third iOS 9.3 beta will be listed below.
What’s new in iOS 9.3 beta 3:
Verizon Wi-Fi calling – The third beta of iOS 9.3 adds Wi-Fi calling for Verizon users, allowing them to place calls over a wireless connection when cellular connectivity is poor.
T-Mobile bug fix – Today’s beta includes a carrier update for T-Mobile users, fixing a bug that prevented apps from loading over a cellular connection.
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Apple Seeds Third OS X 10.11.4 El Capitan Beta to Developers
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.4 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second OS X 10.11.4 beta and three weeks after releasing OS X 10.11.3. OS X 10.11.4 has been in testing since January 11.
The third OS X 10.11.4 beta can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or via the Software Update Mechanism in the Mac App Store.
OS X 10.11.4 offers a couple of new features, such as the ability to support password protected notes in the Notes app, but like the recent OS X 10.11.3 update, it appears to focus primarily on under-the-hood bug fixes and performance improvements with few noticeable outward-facing changes. Almost all of Apple’s OS X updates to date have been smaller updates that improve performance rather than introduce new features.
We’ll update this post with any features or significant changes that are discovered in the third beta of OS X 10.11.4.
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Modify your code from anywhere with a subscription to Codeanywhere
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Verizon may scoop up Yahoo to join AOL in content portfolio
Last week Verizon chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam appeared on CNBC and revealed the wireless carrier is interested in acquiring at least some assets from Yahoo. The revelation comes as Yahoo edges closer to the brink of failure. Last week Yahoo’s earnings report included language indicating the company was considering alternatives that many believe include selling assets or some type of merger deal. Verizon’s interest in Yahoo could be coming at a good time for Yahoo.
Verizon has a strategy in place that involves three legs – providing connectivity, owning platforms to drive network traffic, and owning content to support the Verizon ecosystem. Last year Verizon entered into an agreement to purchase AOL as part of that larger strategy. McAdam indicated that he thinks Yahoo could be combined with the AOL assets:
“We have to understand the trends. But then at the right price, I think marrying up some of their assets with AOL and the leadership would be good.”
Based on that comment, Verizon may not be quite ready to pull the trigger on acquiring Yahoo, or some parts of it, but Yahoo is clearly in their sights.
source: CNBC
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New VR headset from Google to expand audience
Declaring virtual reality to be “too important and too powerful a medium to be accessible to only a few” in an interview last month, Google’s Clay Bavor is ready to see the search giant broaden their front in the virtual reality market with the introduction of a new headset. Google already has a virtual reality headset, the Google Cardboard platform, which can literally be constructed out of cardboard. However, the company is now working on a new device with plans to embed VR support into the Android operating system.
Google Cardboard has proven to be quite popular with over 5 million units shipped for users who want to give VR a try without dropping a huge amount of money. To make it work though, Google has to rely on sensors built into smartphones and separate apps to help with chores like head tracking. The new device, besides being constructed of plastic, will come with its own built-in sensors. Google is also planning to embed the software that helps make VR work in the Android operating system itself, which should help make their solution compatible with a larger number of devices.
Part of Google’s work in this arena is to combat Samsung and Facebook, both of whom are producing their own VR headsets. However, those devices have limitations like the Gear VR only working with certain Samsung devices.
Google hopes to control costs and make the pool of potential devices and users much larger by producing a more open platform. Sources think Google may employee a strategy similar to their Nexus line of smartphones where Google produces a model that embodies the standard while making it possible for other manufacturers to produce their own devices.
There are some people who think Google may be ready to reveal their work in the VR area as soon as Google I/O this year followed by the release of an actual device later in the fall.
source: Financial Times
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Talon for Twitter updated with improved support for tablets
Talon has just begun rolling out a rather beefy update for its third-party Twitter client via the Play Store. In terms of added functionality, the upgrade introduces several new features aimed at improving a tablet user’s experience, along with a multitude of bug fixes and speed optimizations.
The full changelog can be seen below:
- Tablets in landscape mode now display 2 timelines at a time instead of one
- Quick actions on tweets without expanding tweets or leaving the timeline
- Much improved tablet layouts
- Quicker account switching
- Few more activity transitions on Lollipop+
- Style updates for the navigation drawer
- Favorite user notifications no longer require “Home Timeline Notifications” to be turned on
As a Talon user who has installed the update on a Transformer Prime, I’m happy to report that it doesn’t disappoint. Having the facility to display two timelines at once in landscape is fantastic as it’s now easier than ever to track tweets and mentions without having to navigate to separate parts of the application.
Talon has also added a new “2016 Supporter” option, which enables loyal users to contribute more than the $3.99 up-front cost of the application. They will have the facility to make a one-time contribution of $3, $6 or $10, which will go towards the running cost and the development of future updates.
To install the update on your smartphone or tablet, open up the Play Store, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of your display, select ‘My Apps’, click on ’Talon for Twitter’, then tap the ‘Update’ button.
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Purported Galaxy S7 leaks in first hands-on picture
Curious to see how the Galaxy S7 looks in the flesh? After a series of CAD drawings and renders, an image published by Vietnamese website ReviewDao purports to show an actual Galaxy S7 in the wild.
The image confirms a couple of details we’ve been hearing about the Galaxy S7. First its camera, a 12MP unit that is said to be much better than the Galaxy S6’s, doesn’t protrude as much as on Samsung’s 2015 flagship. We can see from the picture that the camera is very close to being flush with the body of the alleged S7, while its shape seems a little rounder. This is something we first reported on in our exclusive Galaxy S7 CAD diagram leak, and Korean media later confirmed it.
See also: Samsung Galaxy S7 rumor roundup: release date, price, specs, features
Second, we can see from the picture that the Galaxy S7 will feature a glass back that curves gently into its metallic frame. This is another subtle change compared to the Galaxy S6, which had a flat glass back.
The image appears to be showing the rumored all-black Galaxy S7, which leaked in press renders last week. The paintjob combines a black glass back with what looks to be black anodized metal. Note that ReviewDao claims this is a prototype, so the commercial version could differ to a certain extent.
The report includes some information on the Galaxy S7, most of it being stuff we’ve heard before. It’s not clear where these details come from, but a couple of bits that stand out are the magnesium alloy frame (allegedly replacing aluminum) and the incredibly fast charging time of 0 to 80% in just 30 minutes.
We’ll see if these details pan out on February 21, when Samsung will introduce the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge at its Barcelona event. Let us know your thoughts!
Doze Mode and app permissions may soon come to Android Wear devices
Google just recently announced a big update to the Android Wear platform that would bring a number of useful features to all current Wear watches. Among those changes are official speaker support for placing and receiving calls on your wrist, as well as a handful of new gestures that should come in handy. As of now, we’ve only seen the second-generation Moto 360 receive the update to Marshmallow. In the release notes for that update, we can see that Google actually left out a few notable features that would eventually be making their way to Android Wear devices.
Alongside a few of the features we knew would be coming to the watch, Motorola also explains that the Moto 360 would be getting Doze Mode and app permissions with this new update.
It makes perfect sense for Doze Mode and app permissions to be available on Android Wear. As explained in the release notes, if you’re not using your Wear device, Doze Mode will kick in and help save some precious battery life. This is also bolstered by a better screen dimming implementation that will help reduce battery drain when always-on screen is turned on. Also, with the addition of app permissions, now you’ll be able to have more control over what you share with your installed apps.
The company also mentions that the Moto Body Running app will come to standard Moto 360 (2nd Gen.) devices.
It’s worth noting that Google hasn’t commented on Doze Mode or app permissions coming to Android Wear, so we aren’t entirely sure if these features will make their way to all devices. It would make sense that all smartwatches will get these new features, but we’ll unfortunately have to wait to know for sure. Google says the big update will be rolled out to devices over the next few weeks, and we’ll let you know if these new features are present on other devices.
Fuel-cell maker claims smartphones with 7-day battery life just 2 years away
For all our fast processors, QHD displays, and other bleeding edge jumps in tech, the holy grail of mobile innovation remains a way to meaningfully improve battery life in today’s devices. It’s something we’ve been promised time and time again with no real progress, so forgive us if we aren’t at least a little skeptical by Intelligent Energy Holdings, a British fuel-cell developer, claim that they are working to finally crack the battery life code in the near future.
This particular fuel-cell developer is best known for its work on a hydrogen-powered black cab in London (seen below) and on creating a fuel-cell-powered aircraft with Boeing. With more than 25 years research and a patent arsenal of over a thousand, it’s clear that Intelligent Energy Holdings is an established player in the emerging fuel-cell game. Translating that research into the mobile landscape isn’t going to be easy though, regardless of the company’s experience, but they apparently are already pretty far along.
From cars to phones?
The fuel-cell maker says that an “emerging smartphone maker” will provide them with $7.6 million to develop a fuel cell small enough for the use in mobile phones in the near future. Reportedly such a system would reduce the need to charge significantly, meaning that once a week plug-ins might become reality. So how exactly would such a battery work? In the simplest terms, a fuel-cell battery would convert hydrogen into electricity, leaving water vapor as a byproduct.
Mobile fuel cell batteries could reportedly see market availability in around two years.
As for when we supposedly might see a phone using fuel cell power hit the market? Unlike many similar battery innovations we’ve wrote about that had no timeline for release in sight, Intelligent Energy is supposedly much closer to actually making the dream a reality.
The Chief Executive of Intelligent Energy, Henri Winand, says that if the partnership with the undisclosed handset maker goes well, it could see market availability in around two years. Of course, there’s still a lot of unknowns here – costs, rechargeable or replaceable, etc. This timeline is also hinging on “things going well”, and new tech breakthroughs often run into big hurdles. We wouldn’t get our hopes up too much at this point, but the idea of one week charging is certainly an intriguing one. For now, the closest we get to that with mobile phones is the 2-3 day battery life found on devices like the Huawei Mate 8.
What do you think, excited by the prospect of one-week charging?
Pagaré Smartstrap Plans to Bring Contactless Payments to Pebble Time
Financial tech startup Fit Pay recently launched a new Kickstarter for its third-party Pebble Time “smartstrap” called the Pagaré. The new accessory will bring NFC payment capabilities to the smartwatch, using the power of the Pebble’s smart accessory port, giving Pebble Time the same mobile wallet opportunities allowed to Apple Watch customers thanks to Apple Pay.
The Pagaré smartstrap will come in all of the same colors and finishes that Pebble creates for the Pebble Time, so that “you won’t have to sacrifice your style to receive the benefits of Pagaré,” according to Fit Pay co-founder and CEO Mike Orlando. The strap runs on its own battery, so with a small USB connector on one end, users will be able to charge the Pagaré smartstrap and the Pebble Time simultaneously.
Fit Pay said that its new smartstrap will be able to be used “at over 9 million point of sale terminals worldwide,” including places like GameStop, Panera Bread, and Whole Foods. Similar to the Apple Watch, when the Pagaré is removed from a user’s wrist it locks access to any of the payment features of the band. A four-digit passcode reactivates those features when the Pebble Time is reattached.
Pagaré has multiple layers of security to protect sensitive data. In addition to secure hardware, we leverage the same card network service as Apple Pay to replace your card number with a surrogate value called a token. This means we never need to store your credit card.
Notably, once the Pagaré app is installed on a user’s phone and credit cards are scanned in, the new accessory is “a completely phone-free solution.” Users will be able to pay at compatible NFC terminals using Pagaré without having their smartphone nearby. The company is looking to the future, as well, with plans to introduce transit and entertainment ticket options into the Pagaré suite of tools if the Kickstarter gets funded.
As of writing, the campaign sits at just over a $26,000 funded level with a goal of $120,000 over the next 29 days. Users interested can get in on an early bird discount of the Pagaré for $49, and once those are gone the band will cost $69 at retail price. Higher early bird reward tiers bundle in the Pebble Time ($199), Pebble Time Steel ($249), and Pebble Time Round ($249) alongside a Pagaré smartstrap.
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