GIF whatever is on your Android screen with ‘Mirror’
Recording your Android screen isn’t easy, and unless you have a Chromecast device, mirroring it is also a pain. Koushik Dutta, formerly of Cyanogen and now with ClockworkMod, has updated his Mirror app to make screencasting easier and let you record your screen as a GIF. It works on any device running Android 5 or higher and can mirror out to Fire TV, Apple TV and AllCast receivers on Chrome and Android. Though the app is from ROM-maker ClockworkMod, your phone doesn’t need to be rooted.
You can screencast to nearly any device, including other Android phones or tablets, as long as you have a newish phone. It worked well on my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, letting me watch videos with nearly no lag, as the photo above shows. In addition, I was able to capture a GIF and video of actions on the phone, which could be handy for creating tutorials. The only drawback for that is the prominent watermark, because there’s apparently no way to get rid of it. The app is now available on Google Play.
Source: Koushik Dutta (Google+)
We’re live from Lenovo and Motorola’s joint phone unveiling!
Well, this is new: Lenovo and Motorola have had US launches before, but this year they’ve basically transplanted their entire Tech World event right into the heart of San Francisco. The festivities (if that’s the right word) will begin at 10AM Pacific/1PM Eastern and we’ll be covering all the day’s news as it breaks, so stay tuned. Expect to get your first look at Lenovo’s first Project Tango phone very shortly, and if we’re lucky, maybe Motorola’s new flagship phone will finally break cover too. Not a bad way to spend a Thurday morning/early afternoon, right?
Get all the news from today’s Lenovo and Motorola event right here!
Domino’s will track customers on their way to pick up pies
Domino’s already lets customers monitor the status of their pizzas for delivery, but on Monday it will reverse that service, allowing pizza-makers to track the location of customers coming in for a pie pick-up. The program rolls out across Australia starting on Monday, according to CNBC. Anyone in the country who orders Domino’s from a smartphone will be prompted to enable location-tracking on themselves, plus choose whether they’re coming by bike, car or on foot. Domino’s will start cooking the appropriate pizza once the customer is in range, so it comes out as fresh as possible, CEO Don Meij said.
Domino’s launched its pizza-tracking service for online orders in 2008 and the company plans to continue blending technology into its business. Another new service set to go live in the coming months is a “zero-click order” wherein customers simply open the Domino’s app and, after a 10-second countdown, their favorite or most recent order is sent to a nearby store. There will be safeguards in place to prevent accidental orders, including the ability to lock the app, Meij promised.
Source: CNBC
Facebook’s 360-degree photos invade your News Feed tomorrow
We knew they were coming, and now they’re here: 360-degree photos on Facebook are rolling out on the social network starting tomorrow. The new feature spans across Android, desktop and iOS and thankfully uploading your panoramic and spherical shots doesn’t sound much different from how you’d share 2D photos. In the News Feed, you’ll be able to differentiate between the two thanks to a compass icon denoting what photos you can drag around to get a different perspective. Folks with a Gear VR-compatible device (Facebook owns Oculus, remember) can even check out the fancy new uploads in virtual reality.
Zuckerberg and Co. know that there won’t be a ton of folks taking these new-fangled shots with high-end gear, so they’re leaning on the likes of Paul McCartney, NASA and The New York Times for that. Each respective page plays host to 360 images of concerts, various space-related items and the Supreme Court, respectively. So, if you’ve ever had a hankering to peer behind the highest court in the nation’s hallowed halls, your dream is almost a (virtual) reality.
Lenovo gives a sneak peek at a phone that wraps around your wrist
At Lenovo’s big announcement in San Francisco today, CTO Peter Hortensius introduced a bendable phone that snaps around the wrist like an old school snap-band. Youtube star Megan McCarthy, planted in the audience, got up to wrap a fully active screen on her arm.
Developing…
Get all the news from today’s Lenovo and Motorola event right here!
‘Destiny’ Rise of Iron expansion hits PS4, Xbox One in September
Destiny’s next expansion, Rise of Iron, hits PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 20th complete with a new raid, strike, weapons, gear, missions and competitive multiplayer mode. This is the first Destiny expansion to hit current-generation consoles only — there’s no word on Xbox 360 or PS3 releases.
Rise of Iron brings back the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher, a weapon that was over-powered in the game’s early days but fell off once Destiny entered Year Two. For those who pre-order the new content, the Gjallarhorn comes in an “Iron Black” color, fitting the whole ferrous theme. Rise of Iron also introduces a new social space called The Plaguelands Zone. The expansion costs $30 and requires players own the Destiny base game plus The Taken King.
Details about Rise of Iron leaked a tad early, but today’s livestream confirmed the expansion’s offerings. The story dives into the history of the Iron Lords, a faction of Guardians who were tasked with watching over Old Russia from a snowy, craggy mountain range called Felwinter Peak. The Iron Lords sacrificed themselves to keep a great evil at bay, but that plague returns for players to defeat once again. The story also reveals who Jolder is — she (that’s right, she) already has a legendary machine gun named after her, and players will discover what makes her so noteworthy in Destiny’s lore.
Destiny will get a sequel in 2017 and E3 is right around the corner — that show kicks off on Sunday, June 12th with press conferences from EA and Bethesda, followed by Xbox, Ubisoft and PlayStation on Monday. We’ll be live on the ground delivering the latest gaming news all week.
Siri Offers Witty Responses to Users Asking About WWDC Announcements
Ahead of Apple’s WWDC 2016 keynote next Monday, June 13 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Siri is now offering up some traditionally witty responses to users that ask about potential announcements. iPhone users can test Siri themselves by asking “what to expect at WWDC?” or similar questions.
All of Siri’s responses are unsurprisingly vague, including one related to the popular HBO drama series Game of Thrones. Each response includes a link to Apple’s WWDC website, which provides a schedule of events and other details about the weeklong developer conference at Moscone West in San Francisco.
Siri previously revealed that WWDC 2016 would be held on June 13-17, prior to any official announcement, and offered similar “give us a hint” responses leading up to its September 2015 media event last year.
As is usual, Apple is expected to unveil the latest versions of its iOS and OS X operating systems for iPhone and Mac respectively at WWDC 2016.
Few details are known about iOS 10, but possible features include a Siri SDK for third-party apps, a redesigned Music app, deeper artificial intelligence, slight user interface enhancements, and more. Apple is also potentially working on a feature to allow users to hide or delete unwanted stock apps that could feasibly debut in iOS 10.
A headline feature of the OS X update is expected to be Siri on Mac, allowing the personal assistant to be used on the desktop for the first time. Apple has also briefly referred to the operating system as macOS on multiple occasions, suggesting that the OS X name could be retired after fifteen years.
New versions of watchOS for Apple Watch and tvOS for Apple TV could also be unveiled, possibly alongside announcements related to services like the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud.
Multiple reliable sources have indicated that WWDC 2016 could be a no-hardware event, although Apple could still make a few surprise announcements.
Leading up to WWDC, Thunderbolt Display stock has been limited at Apple Stores in the U.S. and abroad, naturally stirring speculation about a possible refresh to the five-year-old standalone display. Some have speculated that Apple is working on a 5K display with an external GPU, but the product has been ruled out for WWDC 2016.
Despite multiple sources claiming that Apple will not refresh its notebook lineup until much later in the year, a new report said the company still plans to announce new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models at some point in June — not necessarily at WWDC. The new MacBook Air models would allegedly ship to retailers in August, while no release date was specified for the new MacBook Pro.
Apple’s next-generation MacBooks will likely be equipped with Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, while USB-A, MagSafe 2, and Thunderbolt 2 ports found on existing models will allegedly be removed. The notebooks are also expected to have faster Skylake processors and metal injection mold-made hinges.
The 2016 MacBook Pro in particular is expected to feature a thinner and lighter form factor, Touch ID, AMD’s new 400-series Polaris graphics chips, and a new OLED touch bar positioned above the keyboard. Leaked photos of what appears to be the notebook’s unibody reveal space for the OLED touch panel and four USB-C ports.
Meanwhile, in April, Apple analyst Brian White made a sketchy prediction that a 20% to 40% thinner Apple Watch 2 could be unveiled by June, possibly lining up with a WWDC announcement. However, more reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the Apple Watch 2 will debut in the fall alongside the iPhone 7 with a focus on internal upgrades and possibly cellular connectivity.
Apple will be live streaming its WWDC keynote on its website for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple TV, or PCs with Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. Apple also offers an official WWDC app on the App Store. MacRumors will be providing live coverage prior to, during, and following the keynote on Monday. Learn more about what to expect by reading our WWDC 2016 roundup.
Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
Tag: Siri
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Apple Tweaks Safari Marketing Language to Correct Misleading DuckDuckGo Claim
Earlier this week, Apple tweaked the language on its Safari website to remove the claim that its web browser is the only one to offer non-tracking search engine DuckDuckGo as a built-in option. The original wording was added to Apple’s website in October 2014 and remained unchanged until Tuesday night.
Before:
For example, it’s the only browser to offer DuckDuckGo — a search engine that doesn’t track you — as a built-in option.
After:
For example, Safari gives you the option to search the Internet using DuckDuckGo – a search engine that doesn’t track you – as a built-in option.
A source informed us that Apple made the change in response to a misleading advertising complaint received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the U.K. The claim was misleading because the Tor and Firefox web browsers have offered DuckDuckGo as a built-in option since 2012 and November 2014 respectively.
The marketing language has been corrected on the Safari website in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Singapore, and other English-language regions. Our source said more details will be published on the ASA website on June 15.
Apple’s marketing has been the subject of several decisions from the ASA, which enforces strict advertising regulations in the U.K. The organization banned a television ad for the iPhone in 2008, while it ruled in Apple’s favor in disputes related to the world’s thinnest smartphone and misleading Siri advertising for the iPhone 4s in 2011.
Tags: Safari, DuckDuckGo
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Put a shutdown timer on your Windows desktop with this command – CNET
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Taylor Martin/CNET
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to leave your computer on for several hours, but you want it to shut down once a certain process has finished, reddit user excelhelpneeded111 has a surprisingly simple solution. You don’t need any third-party software, and it will only take a minute or two to set up.
Create a shutdown timer for Windows
To create a shutdown timer manually, open Command Prompt and type the command shutdown -s -t XXXX. The “XXXX” should be the time in seconds you want to elapse before the computer shuts down. For instance, if you want the computer to shut down in two hours, the command should look like shutdown -s -t 7200.
If you input the wrong time or entered the command by mistake, you can cancel the timer by typing shutdown -a in Command Prompt.
Create a shutdown timer shortcut
If you need to use a shutdown timer regularly, you can take this trick one step further by turning it into a desktop shortcut.
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Taylor Martin/CNET
- Right-click on the desktop, hover over New and select Shortcut in the side menu.
- In the path field type “shutdown.exe -s -t XXXX” and click Next.
- Enter a name for the shortcut (for example, “Shutdown 1 Hour”) and click Finish.
Any time you double-click the shutdown shortcut, the timer will start. To cancel the timer, you can create a second shortcut using shutdown.exe -a or enter the shutdown -a command in Command Prompt.
If you later need to change the time on the shutdown timer, right-click the shortcut icon, select Properties and change the seconds value in the Target field. From within Properties, you can also assign a different image to the icon and toggle several other options.
2016 Toyota Land Cruiser review – Roadshow
The Good The Land Cruiser is immensely capable, comfortable and more or less fully loaded in its single trim level.
The Bad Those that don’t understand the Land Cruiser’s history will have a hard time getting over the fact that a Toyota costs $84,000. That, and the third-row seats don’t really fold out of the way that well.
The Bottom Line Whether you’re rock crawling or mall crawling, the Land Cruiser is more than ready to deal with whatever you’re throwing at it, and it will do so with the aplomb of its fancier competition.
“That Toyota costs how much?!”
Toyota has built a reputation in the States for having affordable, reliable passenger cars. It’s quite the conversation starter when you roll up in a ‘Yota that starts at $83,825.
In other parts of the world, the Land Cruiser is lauded for its capability mixed with Toyota’s history of building rock-solid SUVs. It’s the preferred dune crusher in the Middle East, where oil flows precipitate into cash flows that make the Land Cruiser’s MSRP seem like a pittance.
But it’s not like the money isn’t well spent. This Toyota’s high cost of admission gives you a fully loaded utility vehicle that spares no expense on the utility side, despite the fact that many of its owners may never put a foot in the dirt. It’s basically Japan’s Range Rover, and taken in that context, it’s actually a pretty good value.
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Easy on the eyes, inside and out
For the 2016 model year, Toyota threw the Land Cruiser a wealth of aesthetic upgrades. The front and rear fasciae are all new, with bright LED lighting front and back. With a big, strong grille and a hefty chrome strip straddling the taillights, this vehicle exudes physical heft — as it should, with a curb weight nearing 6,000 pounds.
I’m actually quite keen on the interior. It’s well laid out and easy on the eyes.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
But, on the whole, it’s a handsome beast. It manages to look both new and old at the same time, the latter giving you a sense of reliability and ruggedness. Of course, it looks great parked outside of Saks, too, but hopefully owners will actually take this thing off-road on occasion.
The interior is a bit less premium feeling than, say, a Cadillac Escalade or a Land Rover Range Rover, but it’s no less useful and comfortable. The leather feels expensive, while certain heavy-use parts like the door handles and 4WD controls feel chunky and durable. It’s an interesting mix of capable and cushy, which describes the whole Land Cruiser experience in a nutshell. You feel less likely to break or sully something expensive than you do in the competition.
The Land Cruiser comes in a single specification, so its base price is also its fully loaded price, barring a few small additions such as rubber floor mats ($250) and a pair of wireless headphones for the second-row entertainment system ($80). Despite this, you still get blank buttons on several panels, which is annoying at this price point.
The standard third row has enough room to keep my svelte six-foot frame comfortable for about an hour. After that, leg cramps start to kick in. The seats fold up and to the side with a couple of simple latch pulls and some assistance from built-in struts. While it may be easy to move them, their stowed position means cargo capacity isn’t all it could be.
Tech-forward in some ways, tech-backward in others
If you’ve spent time in any other modern Toyota, the Land Cruiser’s giant, 9.0-inch touchscreen will be quite familiar. Even if not, Toyota’s Entune wins points for being relatively snappy, easy to navigate and quick to boot up. Pairing my iPhone took about 45 seconds. Once it’s paired, I was able to bring even more applications into the vehicle by way of Entune Apps. And while I was saddened by Toyota’s typical lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, I found Siri Eyes Free to be a helpful addition in keeping my eyes on the road.
The infotainment system is attached to a 14-speaker JBL Synthesis sound system, and it’s probably the best I’ve heard from any Toyota, perhaps even besting the optional Mark Levinson systems found in Lexus models. Sounds were crisp and distortion-free almost all the way to full volume.
Sadly, with only one USB port, you won’t be charging too many phones. While the second row lacks a USB port, it does have a 12-volt outlet, an HDMI input for the rear-seat entertainment system and two 3.5mm audio jacks.
The weirdest tech omission by far — well beyond having just one USB port — is the lack of a one-touch turn signal. Nearly every modern vehicle will flash its blinker three or more times with a light tap of the turn signal stalk. Not the Land Cruiser, though. It’s about the simplest thing ever, but it’s not here.
This is one of the best audio experiences of any Toyota or Lexus.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
AIVAnet 