Opera Mini’s new video download feature aims to help you save even more data
Opera Mini just got a whole lot more useful if you consume a lot of video on the go. The latest update to the app brings the ability to download video from social media or other video platforms right to your phone’s internal storage or your SD card.
In keeping with Opera Mini’s main goal, Opera is billing this as a way to save on your mobile data. For example, if one of your friends uploads a video to social media that you’d like to watch over and over again, you can simply download the video the first time you watch it.
To get started, Opera says all you have to do is tap “Play” on the video. You’ll then get to choose which folder to which you’d like to save the video, then you tap download. If you’ve already started watching a video, you can tap the download icon at any time at the top-right corner of the screen.
Lastly, for Indian users, Opera says it has teamed up with local streaming service Hungama and Sportskeeda to provide a Bollywood news feed and real-time cricket updates on the Opera Mini home screen.
Interested in checking all of this out? If so, you can grab the latest version of Opera Mini on Google Play now.
Prisma: Blank notification appearing after using the app? Here’s the fix!
If you’re seeing an empty Prisma notification that you can’t swipe away, you’re not alone. Fortunately there’s an easy fix.
As Prisma for Android becomes more popular, a handful of bugs in the AI-enabled photo app are starting to emerge. One of the most confusing glitches has to do with an empty notification that’ll show up in your notification after using the app. On most versions of Android it’s not obvious which app is creating the notification, and it can’t be dismissed normally, so it’ll just sit there — pretty frustrating.
Fortunately there’s an easy fix.
Why Prisma is showing an empty notification?
It’s not entirely clear, but it’s likely the notification has something to do with Prisma trying to process photos in the background. The app does all its heavy lifting in the cloud of course, but the notification seems to appear most often when the app isn’t on-screen but is still processing a photo. For what it’s worth, navigating away from Prisma for whatever reason also seems to make the “creating artwork” process hang — another early bug we’ve run into. (As for why it’s empty, who knows. A text description might make things less confusing.)
Normally the notification goes away almost immediately, but sometimes it doesn’t. In that case, here’s what you need to do.
How to fix blank Prisma notification on Android
On most Android phones running Marshmallow (6.0) or Lollipop (5.0/5.1)
Long press on the notification.
On most Samsung phones you’ll be taken straight to the “app notifications” screen for Prisma. On other phones you’ll need to press the information icon — “i” — to get here.
In the “App notifications” page that appears, tap the “i” icon next to Prisma.
Tap “Force stop” to force the app to close.
On Android 7.0 Nougat
Long press on the notification
In the expanded menu that appears, tap “More Settings.”
In the menu that appears, tap the “Prisma” name.
At the “App info” screen that appears, tap “Force stop.”
We’ll need to wait on an app update for the issue to be completely eliminated. And this won’t stop the bug from recurring the next time you use Prisma, but it will force the app to close, removing the notification from your notification tray in the process. Simple!
MORE: Share your Prisma pics on the Android Central forums!
Poll shows just how addictive Pokémon Go is in Canada
Canada’s Global News commissioned an Ipsos poll to find out just how pervasive Pokémon Go has become since its debut earlier this month, and as you’d expect, three out of ten players agreed that it was “taking over their lives.” The study found that nearly 30% of Canadian users (out of 1,100 users participating in the poll) were skipping their day-to-day activities to catch pokémon.
There are some positives to playing Pokémon Go. Unlike other mobile games, Niantic’s AR title encourages you to explore your neighborhood in your quest to find new pokémon. And that usually means walking around a lot. From Sean Simpson, vice president of public affairs for Ipsos Canada:
For example, the average person who has downloaded the app has walked about 13 kilometres, three quarters have met other people who are playing Pokemon Go and two thirds have discovered a new part of their city.
If you’re sitting at a Pokestop with your head down and just looking up to check if you’re heading in the right direction, that’s not a suitable exception for your workout. But if you are walking your five kilometres to hatch your eggs then that’s not bad.
A majority of Pokémon Go players are aged 18 to 34, followed by those aged 13 to 17:
The earliest segments of millennials – the ones who remember Pokemon the most – seem to be the most interested. It’s the Nintendo generation.
The poll also found that 23% of men downloaded the game, and 16% of the women. Men were also found to be playing longer at an average of 2.2 hours daily versus the 1.6 hours clocked by women.
Are you also addicted to Pokémon Go?
Pokémon Go
- Join our Pokémon Go forums!
- How to deal with GPS errors in-game
- Which team should you choose?
- How to play without killing your battery
- The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
- Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!
Cyanogen Inc. founder says company isn’t focusing on Android apps
Cyanogen Inc.’s co-founder, Steve Kondik, says the company isn’t “pivoting to apps” despite reports that it’s laying off 20 percent of its staff to change focus. However, Kondik didn’t deny the job cuts in his post on the CyanogenMod blog and even admitted that the company had its “share of stuff which just didn’t work at all.” Unfortunately, that also means he didn’t discuss what’s next for the company or clarified what’s going on behind the scenes, though he promised to post more info on its website soon.
What he did say is that Cyanogen Inc. will continue sponsoring CyanogenMod’s development, which makes sense since Kondik is also the person behind the community project. The Android-based open source mobile platform is a separate entity from the retail variant Inc. offers its customers. While it has always been maintained by a community of developers, Cyanogen Inc. plays and, from the sound of things, will continue to play “an active role in its development.”
Source: CyanogenMod
Hailo gets help from car giant Daimler to take on Uber
With ridesharing services becoming more popular by the day, car makers are starting to take notice. General Motors has already sunk $500 million into Lyft, Volkswagen ploughed $300 million into Gett and Daimler quietly boosted its portfolio when it nabbed MyTaxi and RideScout in 2014. In a bid to expand its presence in Europe, Sky News reports that Daimler — owner of Mercedes-Benz — will today announce a merger between MyTaxi and Hailo as part of a new strategic investment designed to take on Uber.
Over the past two years, Hailo, which rose to prominence as one of the first services to let Londoners hail a black cab, has struggled to compete in a market dominated by Uber. The company launched a private car service, but scaled back its plans following a backlash from black cab drivers, and attempted to crack America ended up pulling out months later.
With a renewed focus on black cabs, Hailo has been seeking a strategic investor. Now it’s found one. The news will please the company’s existing investors, which include entrepreneur Richard Branson and equity firms Accel and Wellington Partners, but the deal will also allow Daimler to court drivers of Hailo and MyTaxi cars, allowing it to supply vehicles to its operators as inner-city car usage declines.
Source: Sky News
Google updates Nexus phones with spam call protection
The FCC gets more complaints over spam calls than anything else, and recently told telecom companies to block them for free. Until that happens, Google has made it easier for Nexus or AndroidOne device owners to see if a call is spam and block it, thanks to an update to its phone app. If you have caller ID enabled on those devices, spam or robo-calls will pop up with a red screen and warning that says “suspected spam caller.” After taking or rejecting the call, you can either block the number or report that it’s legit if Google flagged it in error.
Even if Google doesn’t mark a call as spam, you can report it as such from the “recent calls” screen and block it. Nexus devices already have caller ID that shows companies using Google My Business listings, and references directories to show caller info from work or school accounts. For those features to work, Google notes that “your phone may need to send information about your calls to Google,” presumably it can add the info to a database.
Google is actually late to this game, as Samsung’s Galaxy S7 has offered caller ID and spam protection since February thanks to an alliance with Whitepages. However, spammers are nothing if not determined, and can still get through using tricks like call spoofing. Until telcos start blocking them at the source as the FCC has requested, you’re still going to get spammed, even with Google and Samsung’s help. The update should roll out to your Nexus or AndroidOne device soon, or you can sideload the APK here, provided you have Android 6.0 or greater.
Source: Nexus (Google+)
Ofcom orders BT to make Openreach a ‘legally separate company’
Ofcom has drawn up a plan to further distance BT and its subsidiary, Openreach, without breaking them up entirely. The UK regulator is now proposing that Openreach, which manages the bulk of the nation’s broadband and telephone infrastructure, become “a legally separate company” within the BT Group, with its own board and directors. Most of these appointments would, under Ofcom’s vision, be non-executives and “not affiliated to (the) BT Group in any way.” They would, however, be selected and removed by BT, following consultation with Ofcom.
The new divide would be emphasised by Openreach’s CEO. Under the new proposals, Clive Selley would answer to the new Openreach board, rather than anyone at BT. “There should be no direct lines of reporting from Openreach executives to (the) BT Group, unless agreed by exception with Ofcom,” the regulator suggests. In addition, all Openreach employees would be exactly that — employees of Openreach, not the BT Group. Drawing a line here would, according to Ofcom, allow the new company to create its own corporate culture and branding, offering another form of perceived separation both to enterprise customers and the general public.
“This model would provide Openreach with the greatest degree of independence from BT Group that is possible without incurring the costs and disruption – to industry and consumers – associated with separating the companies entirely.”
Ofcom has offered this plan to incentivise fair, competitive investment in the UK’s sprawling network of telephone and broadband cables. Critics have long argued that Openreach and BT should be split in order to eliminate a perceived bias in the industry. Whether or not this bias is intentional, service providers such as Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone believe that Openreach is working in BT’s best interests. As a result, a deep, complex competition problem has emerged in the UK and, ultimately, limited the deployment and improvement of customer services.
Under the new proposals, Openreach would own its physical network. The change would, Ofcom hopes, give the new company greater influence over its budget and direction. “This model would provide Openreach with the greatest degree of independence from (the) BT Group that is possible without incurring the costs and disruption — to industry and consumers — associated with separating the companies entirely,” Ofcom said.
BT has, unsurprisingly, always been against the idea of spinning Openreach off. While Ofcom has stopped short of forcing a full separation, the company is still unhappy with the demands. In a statement, the TV, telephone and internet service provider offered a series of counterproposals which would, it claims, satisfy Ofcom’s original demands and findings, which were published back in February. They would, according to BT, also meet the criticisms of a report written by the UK’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which said the current setup is “sacrificing shareholder value and public benefits.”
Under the counterproposals, Openreach would create its own board with mostly independent members. It wouldn’t be a legally separate company, however, and its CEO would report to Gavin Patterson, BT Group’s CEO. “These changes will make Openreach more independent and transparent than it is today, something both Ofcom and (the) industry have requested,” he said. Ofcom is standing firm, however. In a statement, the regulator said it welcomes certain “elements” of BT’s counterproposal, but believes there are “important areas where it does not fully address our concerns.”
A long and arduous negotiation process will lieley follow. Ofcom believes it has the upper hand, however, as it’s warned BT that if Openreach doesn’t act more independently, it will “reconsider” whether the two “should be split into two entirely separate companies, under different ownership.”
Sky has now chimed in, supporting Ofcom’s new proposals but emphasising that it would have preferred a proper split. Jeremy Darroch, Group Chief Executive for Sky said: “Today’s proposal to create a legally separate Openreach is a step in the right direction, although (it) falls short of the full change that would have guaranteed the world-class broadband network customers expect and the UK will need. In particular, leaving Openreach’s budget in the hands of BT Group raises significant questions as to whether this will really lead to the fibre investment Britain requires.”
Source: Ofcom, BT, Sky
Google Maps Gets Cleaner Look and Orange ‘Areas of Interest’ Hotspots
Google Maps developers yesterday introduced some visual changes and subtle navigation aids for both desktop and iOS that aim to make it easier for users to explore the world around them.
The most immediately obvious visual changes include the removal of road outlines to make traffic and transit routes easier to delineate, as well as clearer typography for street names, points of interest, transit stations, and so on, making them more distinguishable.
Another, less obvious but significant change is the way Google Maps represents high density areas of interest – restaurants, bars, shops, and so on – which now appear as orange shaded hotspots on the map. As the video above demonstrates, zooming into an orange area brings more details into focus, allowing users to tap them for more information.
The new Maps also gains a more subtle and balanced color scheme to help users differentiate between man-made and natural topographic features, as well as identify places like hospitals, schools and highways more easily.
Google Maps is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Discuss this article in our forums
Amazon Prime finally makes its way to India, 60-day trial available
Amazon has finally launched its Prime service in India. The service offers free (and unlimited) one-day and two-day delivery options across 100 cities in India, with no minimum order amount required for delivery.
There’s discounted same-day delivery options for Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and other cities as well. Prime also offers early access to Amazon’s lightning deals, as well as exclusive deals to members. At launch, Prime Video is not available in India, but Amazon notes that the service is coming soon.
Amazon is rolling out a 60-day trial if you’re interested in taking a look at what Prime has to offer, after which the service will cost ₹999 a year. There is an introductory price of ₹499 for the first year for those signing up for the trial now.
With a 60-day trial available, there’s absolutely no reason not to try Prime in India. Head to the link below to subscribe today.
See at Amazon
‘Battlefield’ TV show has an Oscar-winning executive producer
The Battlefield TV series is inching closer to fruition. Electronic Arts recently revealed that Michael Sugar, one of the producers behind last year’s Oscar-winner for Best Picture, Spotlight, will be working on the show. Along with production house Anonymous Content’s Ashley Zalta, Sugar will serve as executive producer. It’s also the first time Anonymous and Paramount TV have worked on a video game property. Previous projects include The Revenant, both seasons of True Detective and Mr. Robot. Suffice to say, there’s a lot of talent with the team that’s been announced so far.
The question is, will the program crib from the Mirror’s Edge TV show the way Battlefield 1 has from Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst? If you missed Spotlight last year during its theatrical run, it’s currently available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Electronic Arts
AIVAnet 