HTC Desire 820 Marshmallow update brings Sense 7.0 and more
Should you still be rocking the HTC Desire 820, you’ll be thrilled to see that the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update is now rolling out for it. In addition to bringing it to the latest version of Android, it also bumps it up to HTC’s Sense 7.0. In addition to a newer version of Sense, the phone also gains Doze, enhanced permission controls, Now on Tap and more.
The update is only just starting to roll out according to GSMArena, so it may take a day or two for it to appear on your phone. You can check manually for the update by heading into the phone’s Settings, About phone and finally check for updates.
Recommended Reading: Snowden on the untapped power of the press
Snowden Interview:
Why the Media Isn’t
Doing its Job
Emily Bell,
Columbia Journalism
Review
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden sat down with the Columbia Journalism Review (virtually, of course) to discuss the power of the press, using social media to fight terrorists and the concept of a global counter-terrorism task force with universal jurisdiction.
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The Inside Story of Facebook’s Biggest Setback Facebook had plans to connect millions of people in India to the internet through its Free Basics initiative. The Guardian has the story of how it all went wrong. |
An Exclusive Look at Instagram’s New App Icon Internet rage levels were high this week when Instagram made its monochrome look official. It debuted a new logo too, and Fast Company has the details on the design process. |
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Why I Bleed Green Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios talks about the perils of keeping up with your favorite team when you have to travel all the time, including trying to stream NBA games in China. |
Imagine Discovering That Your Teaching Assistant Really Is a Robot Georgia Tech AI students knew was that the TA for their online class was named Jill Watson. They didn’t know that she’s actually a computer. |
The White House wants to study the Earth’s microbes
The president proved that he has big scientific dreams when he announced a new effort to find a cure for cancer. Now, the White House has launched yet another ambitious project called the National Microbiome Initiative, which aims to take a closer look at the tiny world of microbes. Microbiomes or microorganism communities that live on and inside people, animals, plants and just about everywhere might be invisible to the naked eye, but they a huge effect on the way we live. They can either make us sick or make us healthy, promote or stunt the growth of plants and contribute to climate change, among many other things.
Jeff Miller, a microbiologist from the University of California, Los Angeles, told Science that the initiative will fund projects that test cause and effect. “We have incredibly interesting correlations between a certain type of bacterial community and obesity, or type 2 diabetes, or whether a plant is going to grow fast or not,” he told the publication last year. This project could determine whether these conditions are the result of particular microorganisms, or if those microbes are present because of those conditions. It could also lead to the development of various tools for microbe research, such as one that can eliminate a single species while leaving all others untouched.
The government is earmarking $121 million in federal money, which is already part of the president’s 2017 budget, for the project. Another $400 million is coming from non-government organizations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The couple’s organization is giving $100 million to the project over four years’ time to develop tools that can be used for the study of human and agricultural microbiomes. The White House has published a fact sheet right here, which also discusses previous federal involvement in microbe research.
Source: The White House, NSF Biology (Twitter)
Second Investor Dumps Shares as Apple Stock Drops to Near Two-Year Low
Hedge fund billionaire David Tepper has sold his entire stake in Apple, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (via Business Insider UK).
Tepper’s 1.26 million shares in the company were last valued at around $133 million, according to data from Bloomberg. The massive sale of Apple shares is the second reported in as many months, after billionaire Carl Icahn dumped his stake in the company earlier this year based on worries over China’s attitude towards the tech giant.
Since August 2015, 146 of the 833 hedge funds tracked by Goldman Sachs had Apple as one of their largest positions, earning it the number two spot on Goldman’s list of stocks “most loved” by hedge funds.
But Apple shares have been on the decline since last month’s earnings call, where the company announced its first ever drop in iPhone sales and its first year-over-year revenue drop in 13 years.
Two days ago, shares of Apple fell below $90 for the first time in nearly two years amid investors’ concerns over slumping sales. Apple’s stock price fell 3.3% to $89.47 during Thursday afternoon trading, leaving its market valuation at $494 billion. At the same time, Google’s parent company Alphabet briefly overtook Apple as the world’s most valuable company, hitting a market cap of $498 billion.
Tag: David Tepper
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Blizzard will permaban ‘Overwatch’ cheaters
Overwatch’s massively popular beta might be over, but the game’s cadre of developers at Blizzard are already making plans of how to deal with cheaters ahead of launch: Banning them. Permanently. No three strikes rule. No cool down. Just an outright permaban. And that’s awesome. Writing on the forums, community manager Lylirra says that if a player is using hacks, bots or anything that gives her or him and unfair advantage, the banhammer will strike swiftly. If you spot someone cheating come the game’s May 24th release, send any and all information regarding such to hacks@blizzard.com.
Blizzard is far from the first to make declarations such as this, but the company’s decision is incredibly welcome news. For example, Valve is taking some big steps to prevent cheating on Steam, Capcom is working to ensure that Street Fighter V players stay on the up and up, and Ubisoft is trying to keep Tom Clancy’s The Division a fair place to play as well.
Via: Gamasutra
Source: Battle.net
$60 gets you 6GB of mobile data on Verizon pre-paid plans
Verizon is bumping its pre-paid data allotments up. Folks on the $45, 1GB month-to-month plan will have an additional 2GB of mobile data available at their fingertips come May 15th, and the $60 plan jumps from 3GB of data to 6GB. Of course, that’s if you’re enrolled in auto-pay. If not? Each plan’s data drops by 1GB. The plans include unlimited texts to Canada and Mexico, but if you want to make unlimited calls to either of our immediate continental neighbors, you’ll have to pony up for the most expensive plan.
Via: The Verge
Source: Verizon
The sun sets on Xbox’s ‘Project Spark’ game creation tool
Starting today, Project Spark, Microsoft’s quirky game creation game, is no longer for sale. And come August 12th, the servers will be shut down, Thomas Gratz of developer Team Dakota writes. As a consolation, anyone who bought the retail version “starter kit” will get a credit to their Microsoft account. If you redeemed the code inside after October 5th of last year (when the game went free-to-play) and prior to today, you’ll get a credit to use in the Xbox or Windows stores. Gratz says that the credits will be automatically applied for eligible customers.
There is some silver lining though. Gratz notes that no layoffs occurred as team members transitioned to other places within Microsoft after active development of the tool stopped last fall. Maintaining its behind the scenes aspects wasn’t possible with a small group, though, hence the shut-down. Farewell, Project Spark, and thanks for giving Xbox One owners a chance at playing a version of P.T. on their console.
Via: Kotaku
Source: Project Spark
Periscope users can start broadcasting from DJI drones
You can start streaming videos taken by compatible DJI drones on Periscope. The video streaming team introduced the feature a few days ago, and it’s now out on iTunes as part of the app’s latest update. You can switch between the drone’s camera and your iPhone’s anytime, so you can narrate while broadcasting and feature different sights. The latest upgrade also comes with a new Search button that’s much easier to use than the app’s map interface when looking for videos on specific topics. Now if what you’ve truly been waiting for is the ability to save your broadcasts forever, which Periscope announced at the same time, don’t worry. While it’s not officially available yet, you can test it out anytime without even having to update your application.
Via: Twitter
Source: Periscope (iTunes)
Xbox One backward compatibility supports multi-disc games
Xbox has rolled out backward compatibility support for games that span multiple discs, starting with Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut. This means players can look forward to even more classic Xbox 360 games hitting the Xbox One via backward compatibility (Mass Effect 2 and 3, anyone?).
“We know fans were asking for this feature and our engineers worked hard developing a solution to enable it so we could further expand the titles included in Xbox One Backward Compatibility,” an Xbox spokesperson said. “We’re continuing to listen to our fans on Xbox Feedback and work with our publishing partners to grow out library of Xbox One Backward Compatibility titles and will work to include more multi-disc games.”
The news broke in a Reddit post linking to a story on GamerHeadquarters — Xbox spokesman Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb replied to the thread and corroborated the report of multi-disc functionality.
“I can confirm that the BC team has done work to support multi-disc scenarios,” he wrote. “Be sure to thank the BC engineers.”
That sounds like good advice. Thanks, Xbox backward compatibility engineers!
Source: Reddit, GamerHeadquarters
The Weather Channel’s odd local news service is coming to iOS and Android
The Weather Channel is a shining example of cable TV’s heyday — but it’s become increasingly irrelevant with the rise of the internet and smartphones. The company started working to get more into localized news and weather with Local Now, a channel that covers news, weather, sports, traffic and other such updates for specific geographic areas, but it was only available on Dish’s Sling TV service. Now, Reuters says its Local Now’s reach will greatly expand with the launch of apps for Android and iOS.
Perhaps somewhat foolishly, however, this app will require you to login with your cable provider credentials (like HBO Go, for example). That means those who’ve cut the cord won’t be able to try it. Of course, the people who like to get their news in the style of a local TV broadcast likely still have cable TV themselves… which makes me wonder what the point of the app is in the first place.
At the very least, it’s good for The Weather Channel. It leverages its existing broadcasts and combines them with content from a handful of partners like the Associated Press, making a package that costs a lot less to produce than a standard local news segment. There aren’t even any anchors; Reuters says that the segments use automated pre-recorded words strung together to deliver the news. If, for some odd reason, that sounds compelling to you, the app will launch in June.
Source: Reuters
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