Amazon Dash available for AmazonFresh customers
AmazonFresh customers in and around London will be able to use the company’s Amazon Dash device to now scan and dictate their shopping order around the house.
Costing £34.99, the Dash device, which has been available in the US for a number of years already, lets users scan a product barcode or say the name of a product to add items automatically into their Amazon.co.uk basket.
Already very popular in the US, the Dash device is a handheld stick roughly the same size as a packet of Smarties. There is no screen, or login credentials needed each time and the dash connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network and recognises millions of items available on AmazonFresh and Amazon. When you’re finished shopping, you can view the list on your desktop or mobile device, then simply checkout, and schedule a delivery.
To help promote the service, users can opt to skip paying the £34.99 cost of the device if they place two grocery orders before the 28 August 2016.
The service will be available inititally in 128 London postcodes suggesting it will expand around the UK in time. Like competing services from company’s like Tesco or Ocado, Amazon offers one-hour delivery slots from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week, with same-day delivery available from 5pm for orders placed by 1pm.
Level-5’s 3DS puzzle series is back with ‘Lady Layton’
It’s been awhile since Professor Layton has graced the 3DS with a puzzle-filled adventure, but the famous detective is finally back. Sort of. Level-5 has announced that the next game in its long-running puzzle series will star not Hershel Layton himself, but Catriel Layton — the original character’s daughter. That tweak aside, Lady Layton: The Conspiracy of King Millionaire Ariadne looks like a direct sequel to the original series.
The announcement trailer shows Catriel taking over her father’s detective agency, and teases both new puzzles and beautifully animated cutscenes — but long-time fans of the series will know that the new lead isn’t the only thing different about Lady Layton. The Conspiracy of King Millionaire Ariadne will be the first game in the mainstream Layton series to be made without master puzzle designer Akira Tago, who passed away earlier this year.
The game is slated is confirmed for a spring 2017 launch in Japan on both 3DS and mobile devices. So far, international audiences have missed out on Layton’s smartphone adventures — but it’s likely the US market will at least get the 3DS version of the game. Check out the full trailer at the source link below.
Source: YouTube, IGN
Adobe’s virtual oil paint adds texture to digital painting
While there are plenty of apps that can realistically emulate the look of brushstrokes on a 2D digital canvas (and even some in 3D space), none have accurately simulated the way a paintbrush actually behaves in a realistic, 3D environment. Now a new collaboration between Adobe and NVIDIA called Project Wetbrush claims to do just that by simulating the movements and interactions of each virtual bristle and rendering the results in three-dimensional virtual paint.
The simulated paint in Project Wetbrush actually mimics everything from the viscosity, color mixing properties and drying time of real world oil paint. So, even when using a stylus to paint on a touchscreen, the end result is a 3D virtual object with layers of thickness, depth and texture. Since a richly textured oil painting needs good lighting to be fully appreciated, NVIDIA contributed additional processing power to render the scenes.
The Project Wetbrush team claims their simulation is the first of its kind, and the plan is to observe digital painters and apply NVIDIA’s deep learning expertise to add realism to synthesized effects and filters like Prisma in the future. Imagine, if you will, taking a photo of a Parisian cafe at night, running it through an app and coming back with a realistic, 3D-printable approximation of a Van Gogh.
Samsung Reports Highest Profit in Two Years on Robust Galaxy 7 Sales
Samsung reported its best earning results in two years on Thursday as the company’s Galaxy S7 phones outperformed all expectations, despite slowing growth in the overall smartphone industry (via The New York Times).
The South Korean company announced a 8.14 trillion won ($7.22 billion) operating profit on revenue of 50.94 trillion won ($45.2 billion), up 18 percent from the previous year.
The firm’s key mobile division, which accounts for more than half its revenue, experienced “substantial earnings improvement” as its high-end Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge phones enjoyed expanded sales, despite competition from Apple’s iPhones and by lower-end devices from Chinese rivals like Xiaomi and Huawei.
Samsung forecast “solid” performance for the rest of the year despite increased competition as “other companies release new mobile devices”, thanks to strong demand for its components, such as OLED displays, which the company expected to increase “substantially”.
The company is also betting on an uptick in revenue generated by next week’s unveiling of its Galaxy “Note 7” smartphone, which is thought to feature an edge-to-edge curved screen, an iris scanner, and potentially a USB Type-C port.
Samsung Galaxy Note7 in (from l to r) Black Onyx, Silver Titanium, and Blue Coral pic.twitter.com/QiePUEG9GP
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 1, 2016
The good news for Samsung came two days after its arch-rival Apple revealed its second consecutive year-on-year declines in quarterly revenue and iPhone sales, although the reported dips were smaller than analysts predicted.
In stark contrast to the marked popularity of Samsung’s high-end devices, Apple’s lower-cost iPhone SE was the bright spot in the Cupertino company’s earnings call, gaining more traction than expected and going some way to soothe investor’s concerns over growth.
Prior to the earnings call, Apple stock had lost more than a fifth of their value over the year amid mounting concerns about the slowdown. Despite worries, Apple’s shares jumped as much as 7.5 percent on news of its Q3 results, as investors remained optimistic in the run-up to the company’s iPhone 7 launch this September.
According to a recent report by Kantar Worldpanel, Samsung’s Galaxy S7 devices accounted for 16 percent of mobile purchases made by U.S. customers this year, while only 14.6 percent opted for an iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus.
Growth in the smartphone industry will slow to 3.1 percent this year, down from 11 percent last year and 28 percent in 2014, according to researcher IDC.
Tag: Samsung
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Google Play Debuts ‘Family Library’ for Sharing Purchases Across Devices
Google this morning announced “Family Library” for Google Play that allows six family members to share their online purchases from the company’s stores across devices.
The new program means movies, TV shows, and books can be shared by families on iOS devices and the web, as well as over connected TV platforms like Roku and Smart TVs, with no sign-up fee required.
Starting today, Family Library is rolling out over the next few days and will be available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S.
Meanwhile, up to six people can continue to share streamed music using Google Play Music’s existing $14.99-a-month family plan, which today expanded to Ireland, Italy, Mexico, and New Zealand.
Users of Family Library can access a new setting in the Play Store, where one person is designated “Family Manager” and they can then add other members. Member purchases are shared by everyone by default, although an option to selectively share purchases is also available.
Lastly, the system supports pre-configured Parental Control settings on children’s devices, and parents can approve purchases requested by younger family members.
Tags: Google Play Music, Google Play
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Amazon Kindle 2016 review – CNET
The Good The most affordable Kindle gets a subtle but worthwhile design upgrade (it’s slimmer, lighter and less angular) and adds Bluetooth audio for accessibility, so visually impaired readers can hear VoiceView audio.
The Bad No integrated light; price hasn’t gotten any lower.
The Bottom Line While the 2016 Kindle isn’t a huge improvement over its predecessor, it’s a perfectly good e-reader with a clearly improved design and a big upgrade for the visually impaired.
Amazon’s most affordable Kindle e-reader ($80; £60; AU$109) has been refreshed for 2016. It’s now 11 percent thinner, 16 percent lighter, has more rounded edges and comes in white as well as black.
The design changes may not seem major, but any time you can shave some weight off an e-reader it makes a difference. At 5.7 ounces or 161g, the latest entry-level Kindle is actually the second lightest Amazon reader, trailing only the top-of the line Amazon Kindle Oasis.
The new Kindle (on right) is smaller and lighter than the 2014 model. It’s available in white or black.
Sarah Tew/CNET
It feels light in hand, but it’s worth noting that the shell and edges are made out of of hard, smooth plastic (it retains the same no frills look, making it a touch slippery). Optional protective covers are available, including Amazon’s well-designed form-fitting case — though it’s a bit pricey at $30, £20 or AU$30 (it’s slimmer and lighter than previous covers).
One key missing feature is the integrated light found in the step-up Paperwhite, Voyage and Oasis models. Also, those devices have higher-resolution displays — this entry-level Kindle’s screen isn’t as crisp (167 ppi compared to 300 ppi of its more expensive siblings).
But this Kindle does have a touchscreen (unlike the pre-2014 baseline models) and it’s equipped with 4GB of storage, which enables you to store thousands of e-books. Amazon has also apparently doubled the amount of RAM, bumping it up to 512MB. I didn’t really notice a difference in performance, however.
House of Cards comes to Sky in the UK
Netflix stalwart, The House of Cards, staring Kevin Spacey will be available on Sky in the UK for the first time as part of a new move from the broadcaster to sell TV Box Sets in its Sky Store.
Fans of the political drama will now be able to watch the first three seasons on the Sky boxes or DVD following the move, without the need of a Netflix subscription.
Sky has added the show, along with dozens more to its Buy&Keep offering alongside the thousands of movies it already offers.
Users will be able to buy Box Sets like House of Cards in three ways: on their TV, on their devices, and on DVD. Like the movie Buy&Keep service, customers will get a physical copy of the shows they buy on DVD through the post after they’ve purchased the digital copy on their set top box or device.
The service launches with TV shows to own that are completely new to Sky like House of Cards, Homeland, Breaking Bad and American Horror Story. These shows join favourites like Downton Abbey, Sons of Anarchy, Modern Family, Blacklist, and movie Box Sets too, including Fast & Furious, Toy Story and Pitch Perfect.
The service is available today on skystore.com and the Sky Store app on mobiles, tablets, NOW TV, Roku and YouView boxes.
Season 4 of House Of Cards, the latest season currently available on Netflix, will be available when it’s available on DVD. Sky says there are now over 3,500 titles now available on the service.
Movie Box Sets start from £13.99 and TV Box Sets from £22.99.
‘Darksiders’ rides again on PS4, Xbox One and Wii U
Aside from the next Legend of Zelda Wii U owners don’t have much to look forward to in terms of forthcoming games. Breath of the Wild is the lone glimmer of hope in the console’s twilight years, but there could be another — perhaps even before that new Zelda makes its debut next spring. If those folks are hankering for something similar, albeit with a post-apocalyptic take, maybe Darksiders: Warmastered Edition will fit the bill.
The game is a mash-up of classic Zelda tropes (specifically its puzzles, dungeon designs and boss battles), RPG elements and the God of War series’ combat. Except here, you’re playing as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, War. In 2010, Darksiders: Wrath of War was initially available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and published by the now-defunct THQ. It spawned a sequel where you played as a different horseman, Death, before the franchise was sold off with the rest of THQ’s assets in 2013.
With little to no fanfare, last year Darksiders 2 was remastered under the awkwardly subtitled Deathinitive Edition and released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with higher-res graphics and a bunch of add-on packs. Seeing as how the original was a Wii U launch title, Nintendo’s console didn’t see that revamped version.
This chance to see where the cult-classic series started doesn’t have a release date yet, but developer Nordic Games promises native 1080p resolution, doubled texture resolution and a few other graphical tricks. Unlike the PC, PS4 and Xbox One editions, though, the Wii U’s aging hardware will only run the game at 30 FPS versus 60 FPS on Windows and Microsoft and Sony’s consoles. With the Gamescom tradeshow in Germany around the corner, expecting more details to surface about the game is a fairly safe bet.
Via: Polygon
Source: Nordic Games
Verizon starts selling the Moto Z and Moto Z Force
You can now pick up the Moto Z Droid Edition and the Moto Z Force Droid Edition from Verizon, with both phones exclusive to the carrier until this fall. The Moto Z Droid Edition is available for $26 monthly, or $624 outright, and the Moto Z Force Droid Edition will set you back $30 monthly, or $720 outright.
The main difference between the two phones is that the Moto Z Force Droid Edition has a ShatterShield display, giving an added layer of protection from drops and tumbles. The feature works exactly as advertised. The Moto Z Force also has a larger 3500mAh battery against the 2600mAh battery on the Moto Z, and a higher-resolution 21MP camera versus the 13MP on the Moto Z. There’s no 3.5mm jack, so you’ll have to rely on a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter to connect your 3.5mm audio gear.
There’s a lot to know about these phones, so be sure to check out our in-depth coverage of the Moto Z Droid Edition and the Moto Z Force Droid Edition:
- Moto Z and Moto Z Force review
- Moto Z or Moto Z Force — which should you get?
- Which Moto Mods should you buy?
Either phone works just fine without MotoMods, but the modular accessories definitely augment the experience. Here’s what’s available at launch:
- Motorola Insta-Share projector: $299.99
- JBL Soundboost speaker: $79.99
- 2200mAh battery pack (Incipio, Tumi, and Kate Spade): $59.99 to $89.99
- Moto Style Shell: $14.99
The phones are available in white and black color variants, and if you buy a MotoMod, Verizon is offering a 20% discount on additional mods. Let us know if you’re interested in picking up the Moto Z or Moto Z Force Droid Editions.
See at Verizon
Moto Z and Moto Z Force
- Our Moto Z review!
- Moto Z specs
- Moto Mods custom backs
- Moto Z and Moto Z Force will be Verizon exclusives until the fall of 2016
- The latest Moto Z news
- Discuss in our Moto Z forums
Motorola
Verizon
Here’s what you need to know about LeEco, the Chinese brand that just acquired Vizio
The brand you’ve never heard of is going to be everywhere soon.
Earlier this week, LeEco made its first major investment in the U.S. electronics segment with the acquisition of TV maker Vizio for $2 billion. Vizio is the second-largest TV vendor in the U.S. with a market share of 20%. While LeEco is a relative unknown in Western markets, it has a huge presence in China, and is making inroads into the Indian mobile segment.
To get an inkling as to why a phone company bought a TV maker, you’ll need to know about LeEco’s unique business model. LeEco isn’t your traditional phone manufacturer. The brand started out as a video streaming service and is often dubbed the “Netflix of China” even though it started investing in original programming three years before the launch of Netflix. LeEco’s diverse content portfolio is the main reason for its acquisition of Vizio, as the move gives the Chinese brand a foothold in the U.S. market for its streaming, internet TV, and cloud-based services. The acquisition allows Vizio to expand its global presence by leveraging LeEco’s distribution and localised content streaming services.
LeEco isn’t just into phones and TVs either. The vendor debuted an autonomous electric car called the LeSEE earlier this year, and has invested in California-based electric car maker Faraday Future. To date, these are the segments LeEco is doing business in: smartphones, smart TVs, video streaming, music streaming, live sports broadcasts, film production, cloud storage, electric cars, smart bikes, and even real estate.
Coming over to phones, LeEco is the first brand to eschew the ubiquitous 3.5mm jack for USB-C audio in its 2016 offerings, the Le 2 and Le Max 2. The vendor has announced that it will launch its first phone in the U.S. market later this year, but before it does that, it is looking to partner with content providers for its music and video streaming services.
Le phones
LeEco’s phones for 2016 are the budget Le 2 and the flagship Le Max 2. Both phones offer USB-C audio, and very compelling hardware for the price. Highlights of the Le 2 — which retails for the equivalent of $150 in India — include a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 652 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, USB-C, and a 3000mAh battery.
The Le Max 2 retails for what amounts to $340, and for that amount you get a 5.7-inch QHD display, 2.15GHz Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 21MP camera, USB-C, and a 3100mAh battery. There’s a model with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage that sells for $440, or $40 more than the retail price of the OnePlus 3.
| Operating System | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EUI 5.8 | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EUI 5.8 |
| Display | 5.7-inch Quad HD display | 5.5-inch Full HD display |
| SoC | 2.15GHz Snapdragon 820 | Octa-core Snapdragon 652 |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB | 32B |
| RAM | 4GB/6GB | 3GB |
| Rear Camera | 21MP camera with Sony IMX230 sensor PDAF | 16MP camera with PDAF |
| Front Shooter | 8MP | 8MP |
| Connectivity | Dual-SIM, LTE, Bluetooth 4.2 Wi-Fi ac | Dual-SIM, LTE, Bluetooth 4.2 Wi-Fi ac |
| Charging | USB-C with fast charge | USB-C with fast charge |
| Battery | 3100mAh | 3000mAh |
LeEco is able to sell phones for ridiculously low prices as it doesn’t rely on hardware to drive profits. The brand sees phones, TVs, and even cars as delivery systems for its digital content platform. To this end, the manufacturer rolled out a free hardware day in China earlier this year, where it gave away phones, TVs, and accessories for free to those buying content subscriptions. LeEco is committing to what it calls the “ecosystem era”, wherein hardware is irrelevant and consumers rely on content services to derive value from a particular device.
In 2015, LeEco managed to sell a modest 3 million handsets, but is forecasting 15 million sales this year.
Read our Le Max 2 review
Digital content ecosystem
In China, LeEco draws over 350 million monthly users for its digital content services, with the brand offering over 10,000 TV shows and 5,000 movies. The company started out as a video streaming service, but has since branched out into music, live sports, film production, and cloud storage over the course of the last five years. All of LeEco’s content services are bundled into a single package dubbed the LeEco Membership.
Le Vision Pictures
Le Vision Pictures is the sixth-largest film distributor in China, and the production house has financed and distributed several Hollywood movies in China, including * The Expendables* franchise. The studio is now co-producing The Great Wall, starring Matt Damon. The production house has offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles.
LeEco Drive
With LeEco Drive, you get 5TB of cloud storage as long as you subscribe to LeEco’s digital content platform. The service is set to go live sometime later this quarter, and will be rolled out to Le 2 and Le Max 2 users through an OTA update.
Le Music
Le Music is LeEco’s music streaming service. In India, the service is powered by Hungama, a local streaming provider that offers a catalog of 9.5 million songs. The catalog is much more extensive in China, where it is one of the largest streaming services available.
Le Vidi
Le Vidi is LeEco’s video recommendation service, which offers a curated YouTube feed with a smattering of content from LeEco’s partners. In India, that includes movies from Eros Now, a provider of regional movies.
Le Live
As the name suggests, Le Live delivers live TV to your phone. The channels that you’ll be able to view are tailored for your region, and LeEco is also planning to stream live from music festivals.
LeSports
LeEco has invested nearly $1.35 billion in LeSports, with the venture now valued at $3.3 billion. The service has exclusive streaming rights to the Chinese Super League for two years, a three-year deal with the Major League Baseball to stream baseball games in China and Hong Kong, and live broadcast rights to the English Premier League in Hong Kong until 2019. LeSports also has broadcast rights from FIFA, UEFA, the ATP, NFL, and the NCAA.
TVs
LeEco sold 2.85 million TVs in China last year, earnings $86 million on sales of $2 billion. The brand already offers TVs directly in the U.S. via its LeMall website, selling over 30,000 units in the first week of its debut. The Vizio acquisition will allow LeEco to get its content ecosystem on the second-largest TV manufacturer in the country.
Furthermore, with most of its ecosystem bets envisaged for the long-term, the TV business is one of few areas where LeEco is making profits right now.
Faraday Future and Aston Martin
LeEco is also a major investor in Faraday Future, and the platform developed by the California company for its EV will be used by LeEco in the LeSEE.
Earlier this year, LeEco partnered with Aston Martin to roll out the Internet of the Vehicle in-car infotainment system. The brand is also working with the luxury car maker over the development of the RapidE electric vehicle, which will offer a power output equivalent to 1000bhp.
While LeEco is betting big on electric vehicles, some have questioned whether the brand will be able to deliver a consumer-ready vehicle given the sheer amount of money it takes to develop a car from the ground-up. Even if there’s no clear timeline as to when we’ll see an electric car from LeEco, the company has done a remarkable job of vertically integrating its services in such a short period of time.
AIVAnet 