Yamaha RX-V381 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Yamaha

The snow may have melted, but ’tis the season for receiver announcements. Tralalalala lalalala. Yamaha is the latest company with good tidings for its upcoming refresh: the RX-Vx81 series.

To push the metaphor to its breaking point, the RX-V381 is the first sled in the sky and also happens to be the company’s entry-level model. It takes over from last year’s very respectable RX-V379. OK, so they skipped some numbers…

Like the existing model the RX-V381 is a 5x70W (20-20kHz 8ohm) receiver which offers niceties like Bluetooth support and 4K compatibility.

Yamaha

One of the “biggest” differences between new model and the RX-V379 is that the RX-V381 includes support for HDCP 2.2 on all of four of the HDMI inputs. While not many people will have four 4K sources requiring HDCP handshakes, it does mean the receiver has a small degree of future-proofing for upcoming devices. In conjunction Yamaha has also spelled out that it will pass-through wide color gamuts in the form of BT.2020.

Though details are yet to be announced, including UK and Australian pricing and availability, the RX-V481 may be the one to wait for because — if it’s a straight upgrade from the x79 — it will include a host of extra streaming features, more power and more HDMI inputs.

But, like the RX-V379 before it, if your needs are modest then the RX-V381 will likely drive most domestic speakers and offer the sound quality most people are looking for.

Facebook is breaking up with the BlackBerry platform

WhatsApp’s earlier announcement that it’s leaving the BlackBerry ecosystem was apparently only the beginning of Facebook’s exodus from the platform. The world’s biggest social network and its Messenger app will stop working on the BlackBerry OS, including BB10, by the end of 2016. In a blog post on the company’s website, the app team said Facebook decided to “discontinue support of their essential APIs for BlackBerry.” They tried to change their minds, but it sounds like Zuckerberg and his crew wouldn’t budge — the team even started a Twitter campaign in an effort to get Facebook to reconsider.
When WhatsApp revealed its decision to drop BB, its announcement said Android, iOS and Windows Phone platforms account for 99.5 percent of smartphone sales. The company decided to leave BB, because it wanted to focus its efforts on developing the app for the platforms that sell the most. Its parent company likely has the same explanation for its departure. BlackBerry OS users can continue using FB’s apps until the end of the year, after which they’ll just have to accept the status quo or make the switch.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: BlackBerry

Nintendo says it’s not stopping Wii U production

Contrary to reports from Japan’s well-regarded business rag, Nikkei, Nintendo has told ITMedia that it has no plans to halt Wii U production so soon. “That’s [Nikkei’s report] not an official announcement. We plan to continue production through the rest of the year.” (Admittedly, Nikkei’s Nintendo scoops have been hit and miss in the past.) Despite rolling out a steady stream of new hits, the console is failing to gain the traction of the original Wii, and the higher-powered PS4 and Xbox One continue to make Nintendo’s home console a distant third in installed user numbers. The games maker is hoping more exposure, courtesy of its tip-toeing foray into mobile, might help improve sales.

Source: NLab (ITMedia, Japanese)

Yahoo stops daily fantasy sports contests in New York

Yahoo is following the lead of DraftKings and FanDuel and stopping its paid daily fantasy sports operations in New York. Reuters reports that this shutdown won’t affect other states, however.

Meanwhile, Yahoo has issued a press release detailing its new initiative, Fair Play. It’s a set of guidelines that’ll supposedly level the playing field. In part, that’s by designating veteran players from the rest of the community with a special badge. indicating who’s entered over 1,000 contests in a year or those who’ve come out on top 65 percent of the time in as few as 250 contests. Another qualification for that badge is if you’ve won a $1,000 prize more than three times in a year.

Taking the balancing aspect further, Yahoo will place some limits on how many entries a given person can toss into a single contest (that’d be 10 total) and “in no event can a single user’s entries make up more than one percent of total entries in a contest.” Oh, and any sort of bots or scripting tools for uploading or editing your entries are prohibited as well.

Yahoo says that it launched Fair Play at the behest of of its “tens of millions” of fans who were clamoring for a more transparent and trustworthy experience. Whether the government agrees is another matter entirely.

Source: Reuters, Businesswire

AT&T Expands Wi-Fi Calling to Cover International Calls to U.S. When Traveling

AT&T first introduced Wi-Fi calling in October of 2015, allowing customers to place calls over Wi-Fi in instances where a cellular connection is poor. At launch, AT&T’s Wi-Fi calling feature could only be used within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but as of this week, Wi-Fi calls can also be made from other countries.

Starting this afternoon, and following the iOS 9.3 update, AT&T began sending text messages to customers notifying them of the change. When traveling abroad, a call placed to the United States or received from the United States using Wi-Fi calling will incur no long distance charges, a feature that should be highly useful to AT&T customers who are visiting another country and calling home.

As long as a U.S. number is calling another U.S. number using Wi-Fi calling, there will be no charge, regardless of physical location. Calling an international number from a U.S. phone with Wi-Fi calling will continue to incur standard international call charges.

In a domestic coverage area, Wi-Fi calling is enabled whenever wireless network coverage is weak or unavailable. When outside of a domestic coverage area, Wi-Fi calling is now turned on whenever a phone connects to a Wi-Fi network. AT&T’s Wi-Fi calling website has been updated with new text to reflect the updated capabilities.

Use Wi-Fi Calling to talk and text over an active Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Fi Calling lets you talk and text from indoor locations where it’s hard even for a strong cellular signal to reach. Wi-Fi Calling can be used in the Domestic Coverage Area (U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands) and from most international countries.

The new international Wi-Fi calling feature is available on the iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, and newly introduced iPhone SE, so long as iOS 9.3 is installed.

AT&T is also notifying customers about a change to NumberSync, which now allows devices linked to an iPhone to make or receive calls over an AT&T cellular connection, something that wasn’t previously possible.

The NumberSync feature allows AT&T users to make calls and send text messages using their phone number from a device like an iPad or Mac even when their iPhone is turned off or in another location. Previously, devices had to be connected to Wi-Fi to use the feature, but starting today, a cellular iPad or other device with a cellular connection can use it to make NumberSync calls when a connected iPhone is unavailable.

Tags: AT&T, Wi-Fi calling
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Air Canada to launch in-flight Wi-Fi for international flights this fall

Air Canada has announced plans to launch in-flight Wi-Fi for its international flights. The airline says that it will start installing Gogo 2Ku satellite tech on its wide-body aircraft, with a debut set for this fall:

Under the agreement announced today, Air Canada will begin installing Gogo® 2Ku satellite technology on its wide-body fleet commencing this fall with its Boeing 777 aircraft. At present, Air Canada is the only Canadian carrier to offer customers in-flight Wi-fi across its entire narrow-body fleet of aircraft on flights within North America.

Air Canada started offering in-flight Wi-Fi throughout North America beginning in 2015, but it has thus far been limited to its narrow-body aircraft.

Are you looking forward to getting some work done or just browsing your Twitter timeline on Air Canada’s international flights? Let us know in the comments below!

Do you care about smaller phones?

Not all phones are created equal, and size can make a difference. With Apple announcement of the high-powered 4-inch iPhone SE we’re seeing a smaller phone than we usually do, which raises some questions. Is it more important to have a smaller device, over one that is more powerful? There are plenty of questions to be answered, and that bring’s us to this week’s poll.

We want to know if you care about smaller phones. Would you rather have a phone that you can use easily with one hand, or do you prefer a monster with all the processing power and battery life under the sun? Let us know: does size matter to you?

Do you care about smaller phones?

Let us know where you stand on smaller phones in the comments below!

Google reportedly developing keyboard for the iPhone

Google is working on creating its own third-party keyboard for the iPhone, according to a new report. As reported by The Verge, the keyboard has been under development for some time, and includes features like gesture-based typing, GIF search and more. From The Verge:

Like its Android counterpart, the Google keyboard for iOS employs gesture-based typing, so you can slide your finger from one letter to the next and let Google guess your intended word. Tap the Google logo and you can access traditional web search. It also appears to have distinct buttons for pictures and GIF searches, both presumably powered by Google image search. The keyboard is visually distinct from the standard Android keyboard, which incorporates voice search but no text or image-based searching.

If the rumors prove to be true, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine Google’s motivation for releasing its own third-party app for iOS. One-tap access to web searches right from the keyboard would ostensibly drive more users to Google’s bread and butter.

Apple first launched third-party keyboard support with iOS 8, and we’ve since seen a number of well-known names like SwiftKey and Fleksy launch on the platform. However, third-party options haven’t enjoyed much popularity on iOS since launch, so Google will have some work to do to lure users to its offering.

Chrome’s app launcher is being retired on Windows, Mac and Linux

Google has announced that it will soon retire the Chrome app launcher on Mac, Windows and Linux. The company says it made the decision because the launcher is rarely used on those platforms. While new Chrome installs will come without the app launcher starting in the coming weeks, Google says current users will still be able to use it through July. From Google:

The removal process will take place over the next several months. Beginning in a few weeks, Chrome will no longer enable the launcher when users first install a Chrome app. Anyone who currently has the launcher will receive a notice informing them that the launcher will be going away. In July, existing instances of the launcher will be removed.

Users will still be able to access Chrome apps by clicking shortcuts in the bookmarks bar or heading to chrome://apps from the address bar.

Again, the app launcher’s removal is only for Chrome installs on Mac, Windows and Linux. The launcher will remain in its current state for Chrome OS users.

Best Google Cardboard rivals: Which cheap VR headset should you buy?

Not everyone is willing to commit to the high price tags of the Oculus Rift or PlayStation VR or HTC Vive.

If you consider yourself among that cautious crowd, you’ll be glad to learn there are other, affordable VR headsets available. In fact, these alternatives function just like Google Cardboard and work with Cardboard apps and games. That’s because they are certified Cardboard viewers.

With a viewer, you can experience virtual reality for less than $100 (or, more often than not, less than $30). All you need is an Android or iOS smartphone. We explain everything you need to know about these Cardboard rivals below, including basic information about the original Cardboard viewer, its apps and games, as well as which cheap viewer you should buy/build for yourself.

What is Google Cardboard?

Google Cardboard is a do-it-yourself cardboard kit that Google introduced in 2014 but only recently began directly selling via the Google Play Store. You can buy it for $15 and then assemble it to end up with a virtual-reality headset. It’s technically considered a simple viewer – because it’s not a standalone device that’s ready to work from the get-go. It requires an Android or iOS smartphone for a display and processing power.

You can learn more about how Cardboard works from Pocket-lint’s reviews:

• Google Cardboard review: The cornerstone of mobile VR
• Here are the Star Wars Cardboard headsets
• Google Cardboard Camera app: What you need to know

Where can you find Cardboard apps?

Disney

Once you get a Cardboard kit, then fold it, and slot in your phone, you can explore a variety of Cardboard apps and games. These experiences, which are designed to work with any Cardboard-certified viewer, are available in Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store. You can also try basic VR demos free of charge via the Google Cardboard app for Android and iOS. The Cardboard app also lets you manage Cardboard settings.

Here are some of the best Cardboard apps and games out right now:

• Star Wars (Android / iOS)
• Google Cardboard Camera (Android)
• The New York Times (Android / iOS)
• Tilt Brush Galler (Android)
• The North Face: Climb (Android)
• Lanterns (Android)
• Proton Pulse (Android / iOS)
• BeerBox (Android)
• War of Words VR (Android)
• Sisters (Android / iOS)
• VRSE (Android)
• Orbulus (Android)
• Titans of Space (Android)
• Jack White: THIRD-D (Android)
• Volvo Reality (Android)
• Glitcher VR (Android)
• Roller Coaster VR (Android / iOS)

What is Works with Google Cardboard?

Google launched a “Works with Google Cardboard” certification program that allows manufacturers to submit prototypes of their Cardboard-like viewers to Google for review. If those prototypes meet Google’s specific standards, which are outlined here, the company will certify the final product. Certifications helps the viewer get traction by letting users know that it works with Cardboard apps and games.

You can learn more about the WWGC program from here:

• Google aims to certify VR viewers and optimise app experiences

What are the best Cardboard rivals?

Google

The best Cardboard rivals are viewers that have been certified under the Works with Google Cardboard program, because they not only function just like Google Cardboard does but also work with Cardboard’s full range of available VR apps.

Here are some Cardboard rivals out right now:

• Goggle Tech C1-Glass by Go4d ($14.99)
• View-Master VR by Mattel ($29.99)
• Knox V2 by Knoxlabs ($23.95)
• V2 by I am Cardboard ($14.99)
• UC 2.0 by Unofficial Cardboard ($14.95)
• Powis Viewr by Powis Custom ($29.95)
• P2 by Dodocase ($25)
• VR One GX by Zeiss ($120)
• Pop! 2.0 by Mr Coardboard ($22.16)
• Dscvr by I am Cardboard ($29.99)
• Homido Mini by Homido ($16.70)
• SmartVR by Dodocase ($39.95)

Which Cardboard-like VR headset should you buy?

There’s three things you should consider before buying a Cardboard-like viewer: price, materials, and the size of your phone.

Price: The cheapest headsets, which cost the same as Google Cardboard, are the Goggle Tech C1-Glass, V2, UC 2.0, and Homido Mini, while the most expensive headsets are the VR One Gx and SmartVR. There are of course a handful in the middle price-range, including the View-Master, Knox V2, Powis Viewr, P2, Pop 2.0, and Dscvr. We’d recommend sticking to the low-to-mid range if this is your first go-around with VR.

Materials: The Knox V2, Powis Viewr, P2, and Pop! 2.0 are all made from Cardboard, so if you’re looking to get a near-exact experience of Cardboard, these viewers are your best bet. If you want to take a step up and go the plastic route, consider the View-Master VR and Dscvr. The View-Master VR is a modern take on the classic toy that Mattel made for years, so this option might be especially ideal for kids.

Phone size: Choose a viewer that fits your phone’s screen size. Most Cardboard apps work with Android 4.1+ and the latest iOS smartphones. From what we can see, Dscvr works with phones ranging from 4 to 7 inches. Mattel’s offering only works with phones from 5 to 5.99 inches however. Be sure to check each viewer’s website for more details and specifications.

Want to build one yourself?

Google

You could always order an extra large pizza box and build your own Cardboard-like viewer, though you will also need to get ahold of lenses, magnets, velcro, and a rubber band. If you’re all set, download instructions from here, or check out Pocket-lint’s guide below:

• Want Cardboard? Here’s how to make one at home

Want to know more?

Check out Google’s Get Cardboard site for more information.