Triby will be the first non-Amazon device to get Alexa

Amazon set up a $100 million fund last year to help developers integrate Alexa Voice Service (AVS), the tech in the Echo, into their third-party devices. The first of these to hit the market is the Triby, a portable voice-controlled hub built by Invoxia.

Triby follows simple verbal commands the same way the Echo does, as well as streams music and connects smart devices. Their similar purposes likely make Triby an obvious example of what a non-Amazon device can do with AVS.

But where the Echo is a static command hub, Triby is a battery-powered portable device users can tote around. While it’s slightly pricier at $200, Triby’s speakers and small magnet-backed frame make it a more versatile music player. Also, it has something else the Echo doesn’t: a display screen.

The screen is flanked by several buttons and a large speaker grille, making the Triby look more like a familiar old radio than the Echo’s sleek slate chic. This might be where Amazon’s Alexa fund and Alexa Skills Kit shines: powering devices for different demographics and making sure Alexa gets in as many homes as possible.

Source: Amazon

‘The Angry Birds Movie’ credits will unlock game content

Rovio has a lot riding on its new animated movie. Earlier this month, the Finnish company reported a €13 million ($14.8 million) operating loss for 2015, blaming “heavy investments” in future projects. The popularity of Angry Birds is waning, but a commercially succesful film could be its salvation. As such, it’s developed a new app called Angry Birds Action!, which rewards players for seeing the movie on opening weekend. Players that open the app during the end credits will be treated to an “exclusive movie clip” and a new area of the game to explore. The feature is triggered by an “inaudible digital watermark” that plays in the background.

Angry Birds Action! combines classic pinball and the trademark Angry Birds ‘pull, aim and fling’ gameplay mechanic. In each level, you’ll be guiding Red or one of his furry friends through a gauntlet of eggs, ice and wooden crates. The birds only have so much momentum, so it’s your job to collect all of the eggs using a limited number of swipes. It’s a high-production effort, but nothing that would change Rovio’s fortunes on its own.

To keep players engaged, Rovio is offering mini-games and AR extras that can only be unlocked in the real world. Each LEGO playset featuring the Angry Birds characters will, for instance, come with a QR “BirdCode” in the instruction manual that unlocks extra content. A similar “Whack-a-Pig” game and the ability to take “selfies” with Red can be unlocked by scanning a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Other retail partners include Walmart, Toys R Us and H&M. It’s a clear effort to keep Angry Birds fans — new, old and recently lapsed — thinking about the movie and Rovio’s apps.

If that doesn’t change people’s interest in the brand, it’s going to be another difficult, turbulent year for the Helsinki-based game developer.

Source: Rovio

UK government says BA plane strike probably wasn’t a drone

Reports of a drone hitting a plane at Heathrow Airport may have been inaccurate. Responding to MP questions in the House of Commons, transport secretary Patrick McLouglin said: “The incident which was reported on the 17th of April, it’s now thought that was not a drone incident.” British Airways flight B727 was approaching the London airstrip at 12:50pm from Geneva, with 132 passengers on board. The pilot reported an object striking the aircraft, which spiralled into reports of a UAV.

An investigation was launched by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, but as the Guardian reports, the case is now closed. “We made initial inquiries but there was insufficient information on what object was involved for us to take it further.” Last week, transport minister Robert Goodwill also downplayed the incident, claiming there was “no actual damage to the plane” and admitting “it may have been even a plastic bag.”

In the last 12 months, airports have reported a worrying number of drone incidents. None of them involved a collision with a plane, however, which is why the incident on April 17th has sparked such a lively debate. The Civil Aviation Authority, which sets out the rules for legal drone flights in the UK, has stressed: “It is totally unacceptable to fly drones close to airports and anyone flouting the rules face severe penalties, including imprisonment.” If you need a refresher, here’s our guide to UK drone laws.

Source: Guardian, parliamentlive.tv

HP’s new Chromebook 13 is a Pixel for everybody

Hewlett Packard is making another Chromebook. This one, dubbed the HP Chromebook 13, is a little different from its previous efforts, though. It’s the result of a design partnership with Google and it looks relatively premium. It features an anodized aluminum chassis, 13.3-inch QHD+ display running at 3,200 x 1800 resolution and a thickness of 12.9 mm. Beyond that, the new Chromebook comes with Bang and Olufsen-tuned speakers and weighs just under three pounds (2.86, to be exact) — depending on how you configure it.

HP says this is the first Chromebook to use a 6th-generation Intel Core M processor (as seen in Apple’s recently refreshed MacBook) and it’s available with up to 16GB of RAM. There’s also a USB-C docking setup for it that’ll let you hook the Chromebook 13 into multiple displays (ChromeOS supports three simultaneous displays), as well as full-size keyboards and other accessories. HP claims 11.5 hours on a charge of the 45 watt-hour battery and USB-C plays a role here as well, offering an option for fast charging.

The spec sheet suggests why Google might have been involved in the design process: this looks like a pared down version of the company’s Pixel, the ultra-high end Chromebook that many love, but few can afford. This high-end (for a Chromebook, at least) machine is clearly targeted at professionals, with pre-orders starting today at $499. That’s a lot cheaper than the Pixel, even if, especially at entry level, it’s quite a bit less powerful. Shipments are expected to start next month. We’ll have more on this interesting sounding machine very soon, so stay tuned.

Aaron Souppouris contributed to this article.

Apple Watch Loses Market Share as Android Wear Grows in Popularity

The latest data from research firm Strategy Analytics reveals that Apple Watch sales totaled an estimated 2.2 million in the first quarter.

Apple Watch remains the most popular smartwatch, but its market share declined to 52.4-percent compared to 63-percent in the previous quarter.

Strategy Analytics cites increasing competition from Android Wear rivals such as LG and Motorola as one reason for the Apple Watch ceding market share:

“We estimate Apple Watch shipped 2.2 million units and captured 52 percent smartwatch marketshare worldwide in Q1 2016, dipping from 63 percent share in Q4 2015,” said Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics. “Samsung shipped 0.6 million smartwatches, capturing 14 percent marketshare worldwide for second position. Apple Watch and Samsung Gear models are expanding fast across dozens of countries, but competition from LG, Motorola and others is ramping up fast.”

Nevertheless, Apple still maintains a comfortable lead in the smartwatch market, with its wrist-worn sales outpacing all other competitors combined. Samsung trailed in second place with only 600,000 shipments, for instance, while all other vendors shipped a combined 1.4 million units in the quarter.

Global smartwatch shipments grew 223-percent annually to reach 4.2 million units in the first quarter of 2016, up from 1.3 million in the year-ago quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. Growth was driven by demand for Apple, Android Wear, and Tizen models across North America, Western Europe, and Asia.

Apple does not disclose Watch sales in its quarterly earning results, instead grouping the device under its Other Products category alongside iPods, Apple TVs, Beats Electronics, and accessories. Strategy Analytics estimates, however, place total Apple Watch sales at nearly 16 million since its April 2015 launch.

Strategy Analytics estimated that Apple Watch sales totaled 4 million during its launch quarter, allowing it to capture an impressive 75.5-percent market share, followed by estimated sales of 4.5 million in the third quarter. By the fourth quarter, encompassing the busy holiday shopping season, the firm said Apple Watch market share had dropped to 63-percent based on 5.1 million sales.

On April 24, the Apple Watch celebrated its one-year anniversary in the U.S. and other first wave launch countries. Many consumers are now anxiously anticipating the Apple Watch 2, which is expected to debut in the second half of 2016 and could feature a FaceTime camera, expanded Wi-Fi abilities, and cellular connectivity. New bands, finishes, and models are always a possibility as well.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Tags: Samsung, Motorola, Strategy Analytics, LG, Android Wear
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Motorola all set to unveil the Moto G4 and G4 Plus in India on May 17

Motorola has sent out invites to the Indian media for an event on May 17, where the vendor will unveil the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus.

Earlier rumors suggested that the phones will make their debut on June 9, but it looks like that isn’t the case. As for what’s on offer with the Moto G4, leaked renders reveal a home button with a fingerprint scanner at the front, along with an oblong camera setup at the back. With just over two weeks to go, we don’t have to wait long to find out all about Motorola’s 2016 budget phones.

Pick your side of the civil war in Marvel Puzzle Quest

D3 Go and Marvel have announced an event for Marvel Puzzle Quest based on the upcoming film Captain America: Civil War. As well as providing new content for those who enjoy the game to tackle, this event also helps the companies market the new film, making it a win-win for everyone.

During this event, you’ll be able to choose either Team Captain or Team Iron Man and battle through missions taking on the opposing force. Making your way through available scenarios will eventually put you up against a special boss version of either Captain America or Iron Man, depending on which team you selected.

To mark the event, Winter Soldier will be available in the game starting today. The character will be required to complete all the nodes in the first run of the Civil War event. Download Marvel Puzzle Quest from the Play Store.

Samsung is working on a standalone untethered VR headset

At its annual developer conference, Samsung has announced that it is working on a standalone VR headset that offers positional tracking. The technology is already available on the HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift, but Samsung is looking to do one better by offering a headset that’s untethered.

From Samsung’s head of R&D for software and services Injong Rhee:

We’re working on wireless and dedicated VR devices, not necessarily working [just with] our mobile phones. You’re going to see a lot of our products coming on the market in the next few years with these capabilities.

Rhee said that the vendor is also working on hand and gesture tracking, with the eventual goal being a Star Trek-style “holodeck:”

You enter a holodeck, you’re actually in a virtual world, interacting with all the virtual objects as if you’re living there. That’s the kind of reality we’re trying to create on these virtual-reality headsets.

The executive mentioned that any finished product is still a few years off, but if Samsung manages to come up with a wireless headset will full positional tracking by then, it will be a major win for the vendor. Also, it’s not known how Samsung’s foray in this segment will affect its partnership with Oculus, which provides the hardware for the Gear VR.

LG made $440 million in Q1 2016, but continues to struggle with mobile

LG has published the company financial report for Q1 2016 and while things aren’t looking too good for its mobile division, LG managed to win big in both home appliance and entertainment. This resulted in LG posting an operating income of $440 million. That said, we’re still early days with the LG G5, so we’ll have to see how the smartphone impacts the Q2 report later this year.

Mobile shipments for LG marked 13.5 million in Q1, which was reported to be 12% down on last year. The company also notes that losses were encurred due to investment in high expense G5 marketing. This led to the division losing $170 million. Interestingly, it was LG’s home appliance and entertainment units that came to the rescue pocketing more than $360 million and $290 million, respectively.

As touched on above, we’ll be eargerly awaiting the Q2 report to see how LG’s mobile division fares with a few more months to ship its new handsets.

Amazon Fire TV Stick is available for $34.99 for one day only

Amazon Fire TV Stick is on sale for $34.99 for one day only, down $5 from its usual retail price of $39.99. The bundled version with the voice remote is also discounted to $44.99.

The streaming accessory gives you access to over 250,000 TV shows from Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO Now, Hulu, and more. The deal is valid for one day only, so if you were looking to get your hands on the Fire TV Stick, now’s a good time to go ahead with the purchase.

See at Amazon