Microsoft will free up 1 million Xbox gamertags this week
Have you been coveting an Xbox Live gamertag that someone else happened to nab before you years ago? You may well be able to claim it yet as of May 18th, when Microsoft plans to release a million different gamertags from “abandoned” accounts.
Beginning Wednesday, any Xbox Live Gold member with a year’s worth of Gold status since 2002 can pounce on one of these freed-up accounts. The first wave of accounts will be up for grabs on 11 AM PT/2 PM ET and staggered over a period of 24 hours to allow gamers in various countries an “equal chance” to snag one.
You can head to this particular Xbox.com page to prepare yourself for the great gamertag commencement, but if you’ve already changed your gamertag before once for free, it’s going to cost a small fee to change your gamertag again here, and every subsequent time after that. If it’s worth assuming an identity that feels right to you after potentially having to wait a few years to grab the perfect one, then see if you can jump in and take what’s rightfully yours.
Microsoft won’t be publishing the list of available gamertags, so you’ll need to ready yourself for a whole lot of guesswork.
Via: GameSpot
Google slips ads into its image search results
Google is going to extra lengths to make sure that you see its shopping links. The internet firm is introducing Shopping ads to image search results — look for pictures of a nice couch and you may see a link to buy it. Google says this is largely about enabling more on-the-spot purchases, but there’s no denying that this is partly about snubbing Amazon. After all, your first instinct may be to search Amazon when you spot that must-have item; you won’t have to do that after today.
That’s not the only update, though. Google is also making a bigger deal of local inventory ads. You’ll now find out whether or not a retailer has in-store pickup, and a store’s knowledge panel will also make inventory searchable. In other words, you won’t have to dig through a shop’s website (or make a phone call) to find out whether or not it’s worth a trip.
Via: Recode
Source: Google Inside AdWords
Oculus is helping students and nonprofits create VR content
There’s no doubting the ability of VR to create immersive experiences for gaming and other forms of entertainment. However, Oculus wants to make sure nonprofit organizations and students have the opportunity to tap into those possibilities as well. To lend a hand, the virtual reality company announced a two-fold initiative called “VR for Good.” One part of the project will partner up 10 nonprofits with “rising filmmakers” to create 360-degree videos for virtual reality. Organizations will get two days worth of training at Facebook headquarters, Nokia OZO cameras and post-production help. What’s more, the collection of videos will debut at Sundance next year.
Oculus is also looking to lend a hand with students who are interested in VR. The company is pairing nine high schools in the San Francisco area with pro filmmakers to capture short 360 video about their communities. What’s more, the students will get to use a Samsung Gear VR, Galaxy S6, Ricoh Theta S 360 cameras, editing software and help from mentors to create the short films. As you might expect, you’ll be able to watch the finished pieces on Facebook and Oculus Video when the six-week program is over.
Source: Oculus
MCX Postpones Rollout of Apple Pay Rival ‘CurrentC’
Apple Pay competitor Merchant Payment Consortium, aka MCX, has decided to postpone the rollout of its CurrentC payments platform following feedback from its pilot program. MCX will be downscaling and laying off 30 employees as it transitions to focusing on business partnerships with financial institutions instead of building out CurrentC.
MCX CEO Brian Mooney announced the news in a statement today, which was shared by TechCrunch.
Utilizing unique feedback from the marketplace and our Columbus pilot, MCX has made a decision to concentrate mode heavily in the immediate term on other aspects of our business including working with financial institutions, like our partnership with Chase, to enable and scale mobile payment solutions. As part of this transition, MCX will postpone a nationwide rollout of its CurrentC application.
As MCX has said many times, the mobile payments space is just beginning to take shape — it is early in a long game. MCX’s owner-members remain committed to our future.
As a result, MCX will need fewer resources. This change has resulted in a staff reduction of approximately 30 employees. These are very tough decisions, but necessary steps.
MCX, a consortium of merchants like Walmart, Best Buy, CVS, Rite Aid, Target, Lowe’s, and more, has been working on the CurrentC payments platform since 2012. Given that it was backed by multiple high profile retailers, it was believed CurrentC could be a major Apple Pay competitor, but over the past two years, it has not moved out of the testing and development phase.
CurrentC made headlines in 2014 after MCX members CVS and Rite Aid disabled Apple Pay at their retail locations due to MCX exclusivity agreements that lasted until 2015, while other MCX retailers, like Walmart and Best Buy, publicly stated they would not support Apple Pay.
As CurrentC development stalled and exclusivity agreements expired, several MCX members that refused to accept Apple Pay, including Rite Aid and Best Buy, reversed course and began using Apple’s payment platform. Major CurrentC backer Walmart, meanwhile, developed its own Apple Pay competitor called Walmart Pay, further casting doubt on the future success of CurrentC.
CurrentC relied on customers to open an app and scan QR codes to make payments, a convoluted system that has been described as offering minimal benefit to consumers. Merchants backed CurrentC because it aimed to do away with credit card processing fees by requiring customers to connect a bank account or pre-paid debit card, and it offered the ability to track customer purchases, something not possible with Apple Pay.
Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tags: MCX, CurrentC
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Apple Updates GarageBand With New Instruments and Sounds to Celebrate Chinese Music
Apple today announced a major update to its GarageBand music creation software for Mac and iOS, adding a wide range of Chinese instruments that are designed to celebrate the “rich history of Chinese music.” Today’s update also includes “extensive Chinese language localization.”
In a press release, Apple says the update adds traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa and erhu, plus Chinese percussion offerings that include drums, wood blocks, cymbals, and gongs. 300 Apple-created Chinese musical loops have also been added to the apps.
“GarageBand is the most popular music creation app in the world and we’re excited to introduce these new features that incorporate the rich history of traditional Chinese music,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing. “By adding classic Chinese instruments and new Live Loop templates, the new GarageBand app makes it fun and easy to make Chinese-inspired music right on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.”
The new instruments are available on both the iOS and Mac versions of GarageBand, and each instrument includes different playing articulations like rapid picking and note bend for the pipa and trill, grace note, and glissando for the erhu.
Apple-created loops have been created from a wide variety of instruments and styles, including guzheng, dizi, yangqin and Peking Opera, which can be combined with the new instruments for a unique sound. GarageBand for iOS also includes two new Chinese templates for Live Loops and new sharing options for popular Chinese social networks.
All of the new features in today’s update are automatically enabled in Greater China and for Mac users outside of Greater China. On iOS devices outside of Greater China, the features can be enabled through the advanced settings menu.
Apple has been aiming to express its support for China in recent weeks following hints of regulatory trouble in the country. Apple is reportedly being targeted for being “too deeply established” in China’s core industries and recently saw iTunes Movies and iBooks Stores in the country shut down following the Hong Kong iTunes release of the controversial independent movie Ten Years, which had been banned in China.
Apple recently announced a $1 billion investment in Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing, and this morning, he visited the country to meet with Didi Chuxing president Jean Liu. Cook also met with App Store developers at an Apple Store in Beijing.
GarageBand for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]
GarageBand for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]
Tags: China, GarageBand
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Apple and Other Tech Companies Subject to Security Reviews in China
Products sold by Apple have recently been subjected to security reviews conducted by a committee associated with China’s Cyberspace Administration, reports The New York Times.
The security reviews aim to determine whether the products “pose potential security threats” to China and Chinese consumers and have required Apple employees to answer questions about encryption and data storage in person. Other foreign technology companies who operate in China are also being required to submit to the reviews.
According to The New York Times, the security reviews are notable because they are targeting consumer software and gadgets that are popular in China. In other countries, similar security reviews take place, but are limited to products that are used by the military or government officials. Chinese officials have not explained the reasoning behind the checks, nor have the reviews been formally disclosed, reportedly leading tech companies and the U.S. government to worry they’re being used to obtain vital security info.
Ultimately, the reviews could be used to block products without explanation or to extract trade secrets in exchange for market access. Those secrets could be leaked to Chinese competitors or expose vulnerabilities, which, in turn, Chinese hackers could exploit.
Further, tech companies are concerned that the reviews could set a precedent and that other countries will follow suit, each demanding different checks that would not only be costly but also put the companies at risk of having to hand over further secrets in exchange for market access.
It is not known what specific information Chinese authorities have asked for under the review process, and there is no indication that technology companies have provided sensitive information like source code. In a statement, the Cyberspace Administration of China told The New York Times that many countries carry out security reviews and that its inspections do not target “any particular country or product.”
During a recent congressional hearing, Apple legal chief Bruce Sewell said China had asked Apple to hand over source code within the last two years but the company refused to do so. “I want to be very clear on this,” Sewell said. “We have not provided source code to the Chinese government.”
After the United States, Greater China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong, is Apple’s second largest market by revenue. Apple is eager to grow its business in the country, but Apple has faced regulatory issues in recent weeks, including the forced shutdown of iTunes Movies and iBooks Stores in the country.
In a move that can perhaps be seen as an effort to smooth relations with China, Apple recently announced a $1 billion investment in Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing and just this afternoon, it announced a major GarageBand update with support for Chinese musical instruments.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Tag: China
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Padcaster Verse Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
There are several iPad and iPhone cases for mobile videographers, but they all have pretty much the same problem: They only work with a specific device.
For example, Padcaster made one of the first, if not the first, case for giving you a steadier grip of an iPad for handheld shooting, but also acts as a tripod mount and has lots of spots for attaching a mic or lights as well as add-on lenses. But it was only for iPads and the company had to update it whenever Apple made a new model.
The Padcaster Verse puts an end to that by using an adjustable mount that works with any small tablet — regardless of make, model or OS — up to the size of an iPad Mini as well as any smartphone. This means it’s basically the one video mount you’ll need now or in the future for you or your friends, family, students or coworkers.
The Verse mobile-media case’s universal mounting bracket holds any smartphone or small tablet making it easier to stabilize, shoot and share video.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The company’s other models use a strong aluminum frame, but the Verse is made from a sturdy lightweight polycarbonate. It looks pretty much like a converted license plate holder, providing a grip on either side for steadying your device. Embedded in all four sides are metal 1/4-inch tripod mounts and there are three accessory shoes on top and two on the bottom. If you’re using an iPad mini, there are threaded lens mounts on front to use with Padcaster lenses.
At its center is an expandable mount that adjusts by loosening a knob on front and tightening again once your device is in. It requires a bit more effort than it should though, which is something Padcaster Founder and CEO Josh Apter says they’re working on for the final version.
The Verse is currently on Kickstarter for $70 (about AU$95 or £50) and has nearly doubled its pledge goal of $25,000. It is scheduled to ship to backers in July. Once it’s available in retail it will sell for $99.
ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 review – CNET
The Good The ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 loudspeakers offer the best performance of any speaker we’ve seen for the money. They deliver deep, tight bass; an effortless midrange and sweet highs. The soundstage is wide and unexpectedly deep.
The Bad The speakers’ vinyl finish isn’t all that durable. Low sensitivity and low impedence mean they may require an expensive, high-quality amplifier to sound their best.
The Bottom Line Paired with high-quality components, the ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 sounds much better than you have any right to expect from a speaker of this size and price.
The hype surrounding speaker designer Andrew Jones’ newest creation was deafening.
The saying goes that everyone who saw the Sex Pistols’ first gig started a successful band. It seemed to me that everyone who heard Jones’ ELAC prototypes — including ourselves — wrote a tweet or post or article saying how the new speakers blew them away. The UB5s promised the sonic world that they could rock, they imaged like crazy, and they would be damned affordable.
I can now report that they do indeed live up to the buzz. For $500, here is a speaker that offers a true three-way design, a compact form factor and true high-fidelity performance. The ELACs produce a stereo image like nothing else at the price, and bass response is superlative. These speakers are both poet laureates and mustachioed headbangers.
The only minor caveat to our recommendation of the ELAC is that the cosmetics could use some work. The design is “love it or hate it”, and this isn’t helped by a vinyl wrap which is not as resilient as that on other speakers.
Between $500 and $1,000 you’ll find a lot of performance bookshelf speakers vying for your attention, but on pure value-for-money terms, none we’ve heard can hold a candle to the the ELAC UB5. The company is clearly on a roll, and based on the showing of the UB5 we’re looking forward to hearing the other announced models in the Uni-Fi line such as the floorstanding UF5 ($999) in the near future.
Design
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Sarah Tew/CNET
In the past few years, the true revolution in audio hasn’t been the resurgence of vinyl — which actually never went away — but instead it’s been that “true hi fi” has finally become something most people can afford. Andrew Jones, first at Pioneer and now at ELAC, has been at the forefront of this movement, and the Uni-Fi UB5 is the clearest statement yet of his intent.
Given that the fundamental design is eerily similar to Jones’ earlier, similarly priced Pioneer SP-EBS73-LR it’s no surprise that the two sound alike. And as with the less-expensive ELAC Debut, most of the money goes on performance, not on pretty doo-dads. The UB5 is an MDF box — albeit a much better braced one than before — which measures roughly 8 inches across, 13 inches high and 11 inches deep.
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The ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 offers a true, three-way design in a compact, affordable loudspeaker.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The star of the UniFi’s design is the concentric driver: it consists of a 1-inch soft dome surrounded by a 4-inch aluminum cone. This driver is paired with a 5.25-inch aluminum cone, and the design is rear-ported. As a result, keeping the cabinet at least three feet away from walls will help to contain boominess — however unlike the competitive B&W 685s, there aren’t any foam bungs to contain bass response.
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The vinyl finish isn’t very durable
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Uni-Fi is covered in the currently chic “brushed vinyl,” and while it looks pretty suave, this material is actually a bit of a problem. We’ve seen other speakers covered in it — from both ELAC and Klipsch — and the material in many cases has either started to warp or lift at the corners. There is one caveat though: we move speakers around a lot and so some of this is from handling in a busy testing studio. That said, even the wrap on one of the UB5 speakers we received had a small ding in the finish at the edge straight out of the box. The older, more traditional “wood vinyl” is much harder-wearing, and a speaker featuring this finish would be the preferable option if they are going to be in a high-traffic area.
Sound quality
Here in the CNET listening room and hooked up to our NAD C 356BEE stereo integrated amplifier, the Uni-Fi UB5 made a powerful first impression.
The bass went deeper than a speaker armed with just a single 5.25-inch aluminum-cone woofer has any right to. Using a tone generator we explored the Uni-Fi UB5’s deep bass extension, first at 50 hertz, then we lowered the frequency down to 40Hz and the Uni-Fi UB5’s output dropped, just a bit. We continued down to 30 Hz and the Uni-Fi UB5’s output dropped a few more decibels, but those very deep bass frequencies were still very present! That’s simply superb on a speaker this size. Mind you, this was in the 14-by-17-foot CNET listening room, larger rooms will soak up more bass energy.
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Sarah Tew/CNET
Bass definition on kick drums on our Talking Heads albums was truly extraordinary. The bass drum sound was controlled and detailed. Moving up from there, midrange tonality was superb, voices sounded like voices.
At this point we brought out our ELAC Debut B6 bookshelf speakers to compare to the Uni-Fi UB5. The B6 is still an awfully impressive speaker, but the bigger Uni-Fi UB5 is better in every way. It has deeper, better defined bass as well as clearer midrange and treble, and the UB5s image better. Listening to the Rolling Stones “Exile On Main Street” album, the B6 lost some of Mick Jagger’s attitude, and the band’s energy was too polite and restrained.
Google dolls up its data centers with a mural project
Google’s data centers are massive buildings nestled in cities around the world, and most of them are fairly drab from the outside. After all, it’s what’s inside that counts. However, Google is in the process of sprucing up these sad exteriors with the Data Center Mural Project. So far, data centers in Mayes County, Oklahoma, and Saint-Ghislain, Belgium, have received murals from artists Jenny Odell and Oli-B, respectively. Each of the paintings attempt to visualize the actual function of the data centers — mainly, hosting, distributing and securing online information.
“Whether it’s sharing photos, searching the web, or translating languages, billions of requests are sent to ‘the cloud’ every day,” VP of Google Data Centers Joe Kava writes. “But few people know all this information flows through physical locations, called data centers. Because these buildings typically aren’t much to look at, people usually don’t, and rarely learn about the incredible structures and people who make so much of modern life possible.”
Next up, data centers in Dublin, Ireland, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, will receive facelifts. Kava says that Google eventually plans to roll out this project to even more data centers around the world.
Via: Daily Dot
Source: Google
Follow us this week at Google I/O!
Where to follow your favorite Mobile Nations personalities on social media during Google I/O.
And so it begins. Google I/O, the annual developer conference that showcases the best of what’s to come (and what’s currently being used) from the world of Google. That means Android. That means Chrome. That means apps and services and devices and products and cars and — well, that’s a ton of stuff going on. This is, first and foremost, a developer conference. But there’s also a ton of things going on behind the scenes and in between presentations.
We’re going to bring it all to you this week.
And it’s going to be a little different than usual. Google has moved the conference out of San Francisco’s SoMa district and brought it home, to the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. That means sun, fresh air — and lots more to see.
We’ve got a full team covering and learning this week. Here’s who you need to follow:
Jerry Hildenbrand
Our resident Linux expert, Jerry knows the ins and outs of what actually makes Android work better than anyone at Android Central. (The beard gives him power.) And what’s more is that he can take the low-level code-speak and translate it into things the rest of us can understand, and make it relatable to the products we use every day.
Jerry’s a regular on the Android Central Podcast, is a Pisces, and, and loves long walks on virtual beaches. But he hates getting sand in his shorts.
Follow Jerry on: Twitter | Google+
Phil Nickinson
Phil has been attending Google I/O since 2010, back when Eclair was a thing, Froyo was about to become a thing, and dude was clean-shaven. A lot has changed since then. (Especially beards.) Phil’s not a coder, but he knows news, knows what’s important to the average consumer, and isn’t afraid to be wrong every now and then. Or more than every now and then.
Follow Phil (and his beard) on: Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | Facebook
Alex Dobie
This is Alex’s second Google I/O, and his first since 2012, where as penance he had to take home a Nexus Q. He’d been trying to sneak into our bags the past few years, but found himself in China during I/O 2015, and tied up commanding AC’s keynote coverage from back home the year before that. He’s Mobile Nations’ token British person, which means he sometimes spells words funny and can make things sound more believable and authoritative just by saying them with his voice. Follow for lols, food pictures and behind-the-scenes goodies from Mountain View.
Follow Alex on: Twitter | Instagram
Andrew Martonik
This is Andrew’s first appearance at Google I/O. As such, he’s been slated to deliver all the bags to their respective rooms, ensure fresh flowers are swapped out every morning, and turn-down service in the evenings. Even with that being the case (okay, not really), you can’t hide the excitement he has to get to the show and see everything Google is working on for this year and into the future. You can expect Andrew’s opinions about everything from the show, but particularly Android, apps, Google services and Chrome OS.
Follow Andrew on: Twitter | Google+ | Instagram
Daniel Bader
Daniel Bader has been covering the Canadian mobile industry since there before Tim Horton’s was bought by Wendy’s and subsequently sold to Burger King. (Look it up, it’s true!) He has attended Google I/O since 2012, when everyone, including him, thought Google Glass was going to be a thing people bought and wore without shame.
While he is an I/O pro, this is his first with the Android Central team, and is excited to participate in all the shenanigans — especially that prank Jerry pulls on Alex every year that no one knows about.
Follow Daniel on: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Snapchat @journeydan
Michael Fisher
Michael Fisher has been enamored of Android technology since he first saw Star Trek’s Commander Data flip open a tricorder sometime in the early ’90s.
While he’s carried a Google-powered smartphone since 2010 and covered the mobile-tech beat since 2012, this will be his first appearance at Google I/O and only his third time in San Francisco.
He’s stoked for sourdough, swag, and sweet software (maybe not in that order … okay, yes, in that order).
Follow Michael Fisher (at his new MrMobile digs!) on: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
And, of course, be sure to follow Android Central on all the things: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
AIVAnet 