Juicero Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Juicero

Commoditized coffee in single-serve pods is nothing new, but fresh-squeezed fruit juice is about to get the Keurig treatment too. Startup company Juicero has just officially brought its high-tech juice press to market. Priced at $699, the countertop kitchen appliance will cold-press proprietary packs of fruit and vegetables to create individual servings of organic drinks on command. (While it’s US-centric for now, at a price that converts to £472 or AU$911, the shipping charges would probably be a bit exorbitant.)

According to Juicero, the press is also Internet-connected and mobile-app controlled in order to track the freshness and inventory of your packs in real time.

The true cost of this juice system

Of course there’s a big difference between buying into the Juicero system and springing for a more traditional cold-press juicer. Fancy juicing machines which claim to use the cold-press method, supposedly better for preserving natural nutrients, cost anywhere between $180 to $500. Current examples are the $180 Breville Juice Fountain Cold and Omega Twin Gear Juicer. While this is a lot of cash to spend, the $699 Juicero press has an even more exorbitant price tag.

On top of that price tag is the cost of your weekly pack subscription. Juicero says in order to use the press, customers must agree to subscribe to a minimum of five packs (called a bundle) per week. With packs priced between $7 and $10, the least you can expect to shell out (in addition to $699 for the press) is about $35 to $50 per week. That adds up to between $140 and $200 a month, or theoretically an eyebrow-raising $1,680 to $2,400 a year.

Juicero

And if you plan on drinking more than five glasses of juice a week, the ultimate bottom line will balloon with each additional bundle you add to your subscription plan. I suppose that’s why investors are so bullish on Juicero’s future, financially backing the startup to the tune of 70 million in Series B funding.

Limited availability for now

If you aren’t phased by the Juicero daunting financial commitment, you can order one today, but, per the company’s current policy, only if you live in California.

More details about Juicero

• Five flavors of Juicero packs
  • Sweet greens, greens, spicy greens, carrot beet and sweet roots
• Ingredients claimed as farm-fresh and organic
• Stays fresh in fridge for 6 days
• No need to add water
• Each pack has a QR code the press scans to ensure “freshness”
• Press connects to 802.11b/g/n, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi home networks

Kevin Hart will anchor Lionsgate’s new streaming comedy channel

Lionsgate has just announced it is launching a new streaming service focused on comedy, and comedian Kevin Hart will be the big draw and main talent for starters. Laugh Out Loud will feature a number of original series from Hart, the first of which is a hidden camera situation with the comedian working as an undercover Lyft driver. Beyond starring in his own shows, Hart will also “curate” other content, and the service will feature more shows from various comedians and social media stars.

That tie-in to social media extends beyond courting creators like Logan Paul (who Lionsgate says is the “most-viewed” creator on both Facebook and Vine) — Lionsgate and Hart are partnering with developer Fifth Journey to build a “social adventure” game for phones. In the game, you’ll play the role of an up-and-coming comic going on adventures with Hart as your guide; activities include going on comedy tours, starring in movies, hosting awards shows and the like. It sounds not entirely dissimilar to a Kim Kardashian: Hollywood situation, though we’re hoping Hart manages to build something with more humor and substance (and less in-app purchases) than Kim’s game.

There’s no word on when this all rolls out, but Laugh Out Loud isn’t Lionsgate’s first foray into running an online video service. The Tribeca Shortlist channel movie service launched last year, and a Comic-Con channel is set to launch this summer.

Via: Mashable

Source: Lionsgate

An improved camera is just one of the features on your HTC 10 wishlist

You let us know which features you want to see on the HTC 10.

The announcement of the HTC 10 is almost here, and on April 12th, we’ll get to see HTC’s newest device. As usual, folks are pouring over what has been released while talking regularly about what might be new, or changed. Phil asked what you want to see and you sure as sugar let us know.

We spent some time pouring over your comments on here, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and our Youtube channel. We have the 5 features that you guys most wanted to see, from an improved camera to having access to expandable storage.

Camera

An overwhelming majority of you told us that an improved camera was an absolute must. This isn’t a surprise either. From selfies that you post to Facebook, to a carefully curated Instagram, being able to capture the moments that matter most to you is a big deal. Many people don’t even bother picking up an individual camera anymore, because their phone gets the job done.

We’ve seen phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 that deliver absolutely gorgeous photos, so asking for an improvement shouldn’t surprise much of anybody. Especially when you consider what a let down the camera quality on the M8 and M9. It’s also a smart choice to continue improving their camera, since it has become a deal breaker for many people. After all, who wants to grab a new phone if the camera doesn’t at least match with what you are currently using.

Bigger Battery

The second feature that you absolutely wanted to see was a larger battery. Our phones have become an extension of ourselves, and our lives. Being able to access your phone, no matter where you are, is a priority for plenty of people. Having a phone with a battery that lasts as long as you do has become less of a pipe dream and more of a reality over time. After the disappointment of the HTC A9’s battery life, an improvement is almost mandatory.

Many of you are hoping for a battery with over 3000mAh, which is a possibility. Unlike in days of yore, having a bigger battery doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll be dealing with a bigger, bulkier phone. The new Samsung Galaxy S7 manages to pack a 3000mAh battery in it’s slim frame. Whether HTC will follow in trend is still to be seen, but it’s definitely a feature we may get to see.

Expandable Storage

If your entire life lives on your phone, then you had better hope you’ve got room to accomodate everything. From all the photos that matter, to the apps you use to access your information, to text messages from friends and loves ones. The third feature that you want to see on the HTC 10 is expandable storage, allowing you to ensure that you have room for everything that is important to you.

Including an SD slot, and the option for expandable storage is certainly something we might be seeing from HTC. Adoptable storage is baked into Android 6.0 Marshmallow. When you’re holding onto your phone for several years at a time, the base of 32G of storage just doesn’t cut it. Adoptable storage was available on the A9 and was a fantastic feature. While it’s impossible to say for sure, it’s a fair bet that they’ll continue with this trend.

Better Audio

Plenty of people use their phones as their immediate point of access to the internet. It’s where they get their music, their news, and where they find those awesome cat videos that distract us all. Having a phone that can project excellent audio has become important to more and more people as the way we use our phones has evolved. That’s probably why the fourth feature on our list today, is better audio.

Paying attention to audio quality hasn’t always been a strong point with phone manufacturers. Often we’ve seen phones with audio that sounds tinny, or doesn’t get loud enough for sharing videos In the past HTC has opted for front facing speakers which generally give a better sound, but they were absent last year, so whether they’ll be making a comeback is debatable. We will probably be seeing the return of BoomSound to optimize the sound that you’re getting from the HTC 10.

Bigger Display

For some people, size really does matter. Especially when it comes to the pocket computers that we all carry around with us. Last on our feature list for the HTC 10, is a larger display. While a smaller display doesn’t require as much power, it also just isn’t quite as versatile as a larger phone can be. Enjoying movies, or sharing videos is just easier with a larger screen.

Last year we saw the HTC One A9 and HTC One M9 both rock a 5-inch display, but you guys want to see more. While there were plenty of suggestions, you’re hoping to see at least a 5.2-inch display, if a 5.5-inch display. With HTC’s propensity for smaller phones, this might just be a pipe dream for now. Everyone will just have to hope, and wait a few more days to see how it turns out.

These were the top 5 features that you, the AndroidCentral reader, told us you wanted to see on the HTC 10. Did the feature you need in your life make the list? Are you waiting anxiously for the announcement on April 12th? Let us know about it in the comments below!

Acer’s Chromebase for meetings makes setting up video calls a snap

Google has announced a new Chrome OS-based desktop from Acer. The Acer Chromebase for meetings is a new all-in-one PC with a 23.8-inch touchscreen display. The Chromebase for meetings features a built-in 720p camera for video conferencing, along with four microphones and two stereo speakers.

According to Google, ease of use and security are the highlights of the new Chromebase for meetings:

It’s a secure, self updating, easy to manage unit that builds on Chrome and WebRTC innovations for sharper video, audio and screen sharing. Guest account support makes it simple to join a meeting even without a Google account: Just click a meeting link invitation and you’re connected.

Google has also announced new features for its remote fleet management tools for businesses. Administrators can enable alerts for their set of Chrome devices for meetings, and track their health. Problems with audio and video quality can also be remotely diagnosed and fixed.

The new Chromebase for meetings is normally available for $799, but right now, select Google Apps customers can sign up with Acer to trial two of the devices for 30 days at no cost. If you choose to keep the Chromebases, you can get both at a discount of $549 each.

Sign up for the Chromebase for meetings Trial Program

It’s back, grab a 200GB SanDisk microSD storage card for $80

You can now get SanDisk’s 200GB microSD card today on Amazon for $79.99. If you need some extra storage for your phone, tablet, or camera, this is a good deal on this card, which is normally priced at $249.99.

If you don’t need quite that much storage, and are looking to spend a little less, you can always grab the 128GB card for $42.95, or the 64GB card for $17.99. Act fast to make sure you can take advantage of these deals, because they won’t last forever.

See at Amazon

Microsoft’s new Skype bot Project Murphy can merge two things into one

Microsoft launched support for text chat bots in Skype earlier this week and now a new bot made by the company is showing off what these AI creations can do. “Project Murphy” adds a new bot to your Skype contacts and then you can ask it “What if…” questions. The end result is a merging of two images that attempts to answer that question.

Microsoft says that “Project Murphy” was a result of combining several of the company’s services, such as Bing Image Search, Microsoft Bot Framework, Azure Stream Analytics, Azure Data Lake and PowerBI. The idea behind it was to make an AI that could have some imaginative atributes:

Could we tap into this human creativity to build a robot that could use machine learning capabilities and create accurate and imaginative images based on the what-if questions it was being asked? That was it. Project ‘Murphy’ was born. We enlisted the help of a few friends from across Microsoft, and over the last weeks, we built Murphy together. “

The Murphy chatbot is now available for Skype on iOS, Android and Windows desktop users.

Add the Project Murphy chatbot to your Skype contacts

TuneIn to offer live audio of Final Four, MLB Opening Day, and the Masters Tournament

TuneIn has some exciting news for sports fans, with the streaming service announcing that it will provide live streaming audio coverage of upcoming MLB, PGA and NCAA events. It all kicks off on Saturday, April 2, with the final games in the NCAA basketball championship tournament.

Provided by Westwood One, the NCAA championship stream will include the Final Four games, along with the actual championship game itself. You’ll be able to stream the games through TuneIn’s March Madness station.

If you check in with the MLB Radio station on April 3, you can get live Opening Day coverage of your favorite Major League Baseball teams. The coverage is provided by MLB Network International Talk and others, and includes the official MLB podcasts.

Finally, golf fans will be able to listen in on the PGA’s 2016 Masters Tournament. The stream will once again be provided through Westwood One, and will located in the Masters Radio station starting April 7.

All three of these streams will be provided for free through TuneIn’s mobile apps and website. You can grab the app from the Google Play Store now.

It’s time to get caught up on Pokémon Go

It’s almost time to step into your destiny as a Pokémon trainer.

With the Japanese beta of Pokémon Go recently started, we are closer than ever to finally getting to play Pokémon Go. Niantic, the ex-Google company who gave us the glorious gift of Ingress are closer than ever to delivering the dreams of being a real-world Pokémon trainer to gamers everywhere. While there aren’t a ton of details out about the game quite yet, there is still plenty to sift through.

There have been several leaks surrounding the game, but because this game is in beta right now we won’t be focusing on the type of Pokémon in the game, or any other information that is obviously subject to change. Instead, we’ll focus on the highlights that have been made official so far.

The awesome folks over on the Pokémon Go subreddit have put together a list of Verified info which gives you a breakdown of who has said what about the game. We picked out ten nuggets of information about this awesome game. Keep scrolling to check out what’s in store.

Finding Pokémon

While we don’t know all the details on how you’ll be finding Pokemon, this is what we do know. Using the app on your phone, you’ll have a map which shows Pokémon out in the wild around you. After you know where they are, you just need to get to them and try to catch them. This seems pretty cut and dry, and for any Ingress players, it probably also sounds a bit familiar. There’s no word yet on how detailed the map, or the indicators of Pokémon on it will be just yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The other thing to remember is that different Pokemon will be living in different areas, so you probably won’t be able to fill out your Pokédex just by walking around your town or city.

Capturing Pokémon

Once you’ve found the Pokémon that you’re looking for, the next step is to capture them. We know you’ll be able to do this whether your live camera is on, or not. You’ll need to aim with your touchscreen, and then tap the screen to throw a Pokéball. Looks like capturing Pokémon may end up being just as frustrating as though you were playing on a Nintendo DS, because they can run away when you try to capture them. Down the road, better items like Great Balls will make it easier to catch more difficult Pokémon.

Pokémon Go Plus

Unlike in the games, nobody really has the time to devote their entire life to finding catching every Pokémon available. The Pokémon Go Plus will connect to your phone via bluetooth, and notify you of in-game events like nearby Pokémon by vibrating and flashing an LED. This accessory isn’t going to be necessary to gameplay, though for the hard core players it will probably be super handy. For the time being though, there is still no word on how much the Pokémon Go Plus will cost.

Pokestops

From early on in development, Niantic was telling us that you’d need to go out and wander the world to find all of the Pokemon living within it. One of the new additions they’ve added are Pokestops. These will be located at places like historical markers, art installations, and monuments, and will let you find Pokeballs and other items in the vicinity. You may also find Pokémon eggs, which will hatch after you have walked a certain distance.

Levelling Up

While the details haven’t been released yet, we do know that there will be a system for you to level up as a Trainer during your journey with Pokemon Go. As you level up you’ll get access to better items — like the Great Balls we mentioned earlier —and have the ability to capture more powerful Pokemon. If this game is anything like the handheld versions, you won’t be able to completely fill out your Pokedex until you have levelled up enough to take on the tougher Pokemon hiding out in the world.

Evolution

As anyone who has ever played a Pokémon game will tell you, it’s impossible to actually catch every one. That’s because many Pokémon need to evolve, by levelling up. While we don’t yet know exactly how evolution will work in Pokémon Go, we do know that it isn’t going to work quite the same way. After you have caught several of the same breed of Pokémon you will have the opportunity to evolve one of them. For now we’ll just have to wait for news to see precisely how this feature will work.

Challenges

If you’ve gotten used to the brief thrill from picking up achievements while playing a game, then you’re in luck. There will be a series of challenges within the game that span multiple categories. When you complete a challenge, you’ll unlock achievement awards which will appear in your player profile. It is possible that the challenges will work like Ingress Global events, but at this point that is just speculation. There aren’t a lot of details about the challenges, just that they will involve actions like catching Pokemon, or exploration.

Teams

When it comes to playing with other people, one of the big ways that you’ll be doing that is by joining a Team. There will be three teams that you can choose from, and after you have joined one you get access to some new features. You’ll be able to send one of your Pokémon to a Gym or location owned by your Team to help defend it. Each player can only send one Pokémon, so defending these locations requires teamwork. If, and when you come across a gym or location owned by one of the other two teams, you can attempt to wrest control of it by fighting against them with your personal roster of Pokémon.

Fun no matter where you live

One of the concerns with Pokémon Go was whether it would be fun for those who live in smaller towns, or remote areas. It looks like Niantic put a lot of thought into making sure that your location won’t hinder enjoyment of the game. While you won’t be able to snatch up all the Pokémon in your Pokédex by haunting your backyard, you can trade with other players. They are also hopeful that Pokémon Go events will crop up, similar to the ones we’ve seen for Ingress.

In-App Purchases

With a free-to-play game, one of the big questions that is inevitable, is whether In-app purchases will be a thing. Well, they are going to be a part of Pokémon Go. The model they are hoping to implement will have a lot of players making purchases, without spending much mone unlike models that focus on making a lot of money off of a small group of people. That’s encouraging to hear of course, but it’s another thing we’re all just going to have to wait and see about.

The truth is that it’s only a matter of time before Pokémon Go becomes available for everyone, which is wickedly exciting. The Japanese beta opened on March 29th, 2016 which means that we’re closer than ever. So are you excited for Pokémon Go? Make sure to let us know in the comments!

Google to drop support for physical Google Wallet card on June 30

Google has now confirmed that it will be ending support for the physical Google Wallet card on June 30. While you can still make purchases with the card through June 30, Google says it will stop allowing users to add money to their Wallet Balance on May 1. From Google:

• You can only make purchases with your Wallet Card until June 30.
• You won’t be able to add money to your Wallet Balance from a debit card or bank account after May 1, but money you receive from others will still be added to your balance.
• If you have money in your Wallet Balance after May 1, you can keep it there, send it to others, or cash out anytime for free.

To ease the blow for users, Google says it has teamed up with American Express and Simple to offer an added sign up bonus to Google Wallet Card users who want to try out similar cards from either company.

For those unfamiliar, the Google Wallet Card was a physical card launched in 2014 that users could link with their Google Wallet account balance. The decision to end support for the card comes as Google has largely shifted its focus to Android Pay. If you’re a Google Wallet Card user, you can check out Google’s blog post on the shut down for more.

Mobile Nations Community Update, March 2016

It’s that time again. Time for the Mobile Nations Community Update. A monthly recap of the best stuff happening around Android Central, Connectedly, CrackBerry, iMore, and Windows Central.