Astropad Studio Launches on iPad With ‘Pro-Level Drawing Tools’ for $65/Year

Second-screen iPad app Astropad has today launched a new premium version of its drawing suite called “Astropad Studio” that’s been built exclusively for the iPad Pro (via TechCrunch). The new service offers users a number of advantages over the basic app — including 40 MB/s max speed for lower latency, deep Apple Pencil integration, and more — for a subscription plan of $7.99/month or $64.99/year.

Similar to the original app, Astropad Studio works with any Mac app via Wi-Fi or through USB and mirrors drawing tools from the iPad’s screen onto a connected Mac. The company says that this connection lets users gain control of “pro-level drawing tools” on a Mac, and is aimed at creative professionals who work both in an office and from home.

One of the biggest additions to the Studio suite of features is support for what Astropad calls “Liquid Extreme,” which includes color-corrected output and retina resolution. Essentially, “what you see on your iPad is the same as on your Mac,” according to the company.

Here’s the complete list of exclusive features for Astropad Studio:

• Liquid Extreme
• 40 MB/s Max Speed
• Unlimited shortcut sets
• Built for iPad Pro
• Apple Pencil Only
• Keyboard support
• Magic Gestures
• Pressure Smoothing
• Eraser Tool

• Hover Simulation
• 3-Button Mouse Simulation
• Undo/Redo Gestures
• Preview line customization
• Unlimited Upgrades
• Priority Support

The list features “Magic Gestures,” which Astropad says is a way for users to set up easily accessible controls using a finger and Apple Pencil combination. For example, users can set up an erasing function to activate by setting one finger on the iPad’s screen to instantly turn the Pencil into an eraser. Two fingers can be a right click, and so on.

The standard version of Astropad sells for $29.99 on the iOS App Store [Direct Link]. For the new app, users can try out Astropad Studio [Direct Link] with a 7 day free trial before deciding to subscribe to the service’s monthly or yearly models. More information regarding Astropad Studio can be found here.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Tag: Astropad
Buyer’s Guide: 12.9″ iPad Pro (Caution)
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AirPods Have Captured One-Fourth of Wireless Headphone Spending Since Launching

The wireless headphone market has steadily grown over the past year, new data from research firm Slice Intelligence suggests.

In the U.S. last month, an estimated 75% of revenue from headphones sold online came from wireless models, up from 50% in December 2015, according to Slice Intelligence. Apple’s new AirPods led the way, capturing an estimated 26% share of online revenue in the wireless headphone market since launching on December 13.

AirPods stole the top spot from Beats, which took an estimated 15.4% of online revenue in the wireless headphone market, down from 24.1% between the start of 2015 and December 13. Given it owns Beats, Apple appears to have actually taken nearly 40% of online revenue in the market since launching AirPods.

Slice Intelligence said wireless headphone spending on AirPods launch day was ten times greater than the pre-holiday average for 2016. December 13 was also the largest single day of online headphone spending last year, according to the research firm, topping Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

The research suggests 85% of shoppers who purchased AirPods are male, of which 35% are young millennials. Female buyers tended to skew older, with 38% falling in the baby boomer generation. The gender data is based on 2,871 U.S. online shoppers who purchased AirPods between December 13 and December 31.

Apple has not disclosed AirPods sales, with CEO Tim Cook only vaguely claiming the wireless headphones have been a “runaway success” amid “a great holiday” period. AirPods remain estimated to ship in 6 weeks in the U.S. as Apple said it is working to fulfill orders as fast as possible.

Slice Intelligence aggregated its data based on anonymized e-receipts from up to 353,926 U.S. online shoppers—the size of the user base varies per chart. But without official figures, it is impossible to determine if the data is accurate—Apple could easily follow up with very different numbers.

Tags: Beats, Slice Intelligence, AirPods
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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 21 With Bug Fixes and Feature Improvements

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

Safari Technology Preview release 21 includes bug fixes and updates for JavaScript, Fetch API, IndexedDB 2.0, CSS, Rendering, Web API, Accessibility, and Web Inspector.

The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple’s goal with Safari Technology Preview is to receive feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

Tag: Safari Technology Preview
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Nokia teases Feb. 26 unveil for upcoming Android phones

Nokia will announce new products at Mobile World Congress.

HMD Global launched the first Nokia-branded Android smartphone over the weekend in China, called the Nokia 6. The phone is exclusive to the Chinese market, with Nokia stating that the decision to launch its first Android phone in the country was an “obvious choice” considering China is the largest smartphone market in the world.

In a video highlighting the Nokia 6, the company has mentioned that “more announcements” will follow on February 26, a day before Mobile World Congress officially kicks off in Barcelona.

It is likely we’ll hear more about the company’s plans for global markets at the event. The Nokia 6 is a mid-range phone that retails for the equivalent of $245, but Nokia is also expected to unveil a high-end phone that’s rumored to be powered by the Snapdragon 835. We’ll be bringing you all the details from MWC in six weeks’ time, but until then, what would you guys like to see from Nokia?

Google Home is the perfect example of how to make technology for women

It’s all about the way it interacts, says Johna Paolino.

Have you ever thought about the fact that there are bigger implications to how you personally interact with your devices? Johna Paolino certainly thinks about it, and thus, has thanked Google in a Medium post for “paying closer attention…to the female users.”

Paolino writes that Google Home is the first major at-home gadget that she’s taken a liking to. A user experience designer at TODO, she attributes it to the fact that Google Home is the complete package: a well-named product that requires an element of conversation.

Paolino writes:

I’ve learned throughout my career that the most significant UX performance gains often come down to microcopy. This could not be more true here. Amazon is the name of a pioneering e-commerce platform and revolutionary cloud computing company. Echo is its product name, first to market of its kind. Alexa? Alexa is just the name of a female that performs personal tasks for you in your home.

Google Home, on the other hand, “is simply triggered with ‘Google’. Google, a multinational, first-of-its-kind technology company. Suddenly a female’s voice represents a lot more.”

Paolino continues by explaining that Google Home’s conversational nature, by extension, is more accessible.

The advancement of feminism requires awareness from both genders. It isn’t isolated to how men treat women, but extends to how women treat each other. I am constantly making an effort to change my behaviors towards other women, and in this effort certainly prefer how I am asked to greet Google.

As a Google Home adopter myself, I have to agree. I love Home’s conversational nature, and the fact that I can program it to talk back to me. And while Alexa is seeing quite a bit of proliferation, that’s because it exists to extend Amazon’s services rather than appeal to the user. “The smallest of user experience details matter.”

That’s why Paolino’s believes Google Home is a more personal platform.

Will there be a Samsung Galaxy Note 8?

Did you hear? Samsung made a phone. It exploded. It got recalled. Then it exploded again. The Galaxy Note 7 will go down as perhaps the worst smartphone launch in history, but does that mean the long-running series is dead and buried?

In the first in a new series or videos, we’re answering your Android-related questions, and here’s the first:

Will there be a Samsung Galaxy Note 8?

Check out today’s video for my thoughts on this most flammable of burning questions, and hit the comments with questions of your own. If you’re lucky, we might just tackle them in a future Ask AC video!

• Android Central on YouTube
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (RIP)
• Samsung Galaxy S8 rumor roundup!

Get a lifetime of learning with the eduCBA Tech Training Bundle for $49!

You have to be a lifelong learner in every workplace these days. You can’t rely on the skill set you acquired back in school or during your initial training; the word you need to get cozy with is upgrade. If you don’t take the time to upgrade your skills, the powers that be just may decide to upgrade to a new employee, and that’s a scary thought. You need to have a toolbox that’s diverse, but how are you supposed to acquire tech and business skills without the time to devote to a heavy course load? You’re not in any position to go back to school, but it doesn’t feel like you really have a choice.

What if you could learn from accredited professionals, at your own pace, when it’s convenient for you? What if you had lifetime access to hundreds of online courses that cover such a broad range of tech and business topics that you’ll never run out of new things to learn and add to your growing list of credentials? Forget the what if and just go for it!

The online learning experts at eduCBA have a Tech Training Bundle for $49. That’s an incredible 97% off the regular price! This one-time, extremely low price grants you a lifetime subscription to over 500 courses in a wide range of fields. Your journey to a longer list of credentials and a greater set of employable skills is a simple click away.

Pick up a new skill in 2017! Learn More

Your lifetime access subscription gives you access to courses such as:

• Ethical Hacking Certification
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Online learning is the way to go when you’re a working professional or just starting out and looking to make your mark. Become the tech and business guru you were meant to be with the eduCBA Tech Training Bundle for just $49 right now with Android Central Digital Offers!

The rise and fall of Ara, Google’s cancelled modular smartphone

The story of how one of the most ambitious technology projects in history almost came to be.

Project Ara will always be one of the most fascinating and tragic stories in the history of smartphones. From its strange rise in 2013, boosted by its proximity (and similarity) to competitor Phonebloks, to its eventual goal of being released as a barebones $50 kit to enable low-income families in developing nations access to the internet, its ambition was always evident.

But in September 2016, after Regina Dugan left ATAP, the Google division in charge of Ara, for a job at Facebook, then-new head of hardware at Google, Rick Osterloh, suspended the project.

In the intervening three years, though, Ara developed a loyal and vocal group of supporters, many of whom mourned the project’s passing with considerable emotion.

Harrison Weber of Venturebeat has the full story of how Ara came to be and what, with a few different decisions along the way, it might have been.

The sheer audacity that brought Ara to life — a phone you could create, block by block — made it impossible for [it] to succeed.

The dream of Ara: Inside the rise and fall of the world’s most revolutionary phone

Best apps to help you make habits and stick to them

Make a habit of making habits with these helpful tracking apps.

You’re probably sick of hearing the same old clichés about getting a handle back on life. Well, I’m not here to give you that rah-rah speech. Whether you get back on the saddle is ultimately up to you, but I can help you on a journey by suggesting a few apps that are effective at helping implement healthier habits into your daily life.

Whether your goal for the year is to simply text your friends more often or to get into shape, here are a few Android apps worth trying out for yourself.

Habitica

If the standard check-it-off list of things to doesn’t work for you, try to gamify your goals with Habitica. This app turns your everyday tasks and weekly goals into a riveting role-playing game. You can sign up with your Google or Facebook account and then create an avatar that looks like you. Every task, habit, and to-do that you cross off rewards you money and experience points that you can redeem for items and upgrades.

Be forewarned that there are quite a few nuances to Habitica. If you’re serious about truly turning your daily life into a game, you’ll have to stick with the program. There are penalties for not completing daily tasks. If you need help staying on track, you can join a guild with several others to ensure that your character is leveled up with completed tasks before the next boss fight.

Download Habitica (Free, IAP)

Todoist

Having trouble getting the day-to-day in order? Todoist can be a particularly effective aid in managing those daily, weekly, and monthly tasks, whether it’s at work or in your personal life. The app is built using the standard Material Design layout, complete with a hamburger menu and floating action buttons. It’s also cross-platform, so you can use it on your smartphone, computer, or smartwatch. You can also add tasks with Google Home or by forwarding an email.

Be aware that you’ll have to pay an annual membership fee — around $30 a year — to unlock Todoist’s full set of features, which also includes themes, push notifications, and the ability to sync up with Dropbox or Google Drive.

Download Todoist (Free, IAP)

Loop Habit Tracker

Loop Habit Tracker is merely a “simple” tracking app because it isn’t bogged down by all the extra elements that tracking apps typically require of you. There are no due dates or sprint goals, nor do you have to log in to have others hold you accountable. All you have to do is press and hold when you’ve completely a task and move on with your day.

As you get through completing tasks, Loop Habit Tracker will aggregate all of that data for you into an easy-to-read detailed graph. The app lets you backup that data to take it with you, and it supports imports from other applications, including the popular app Habitbull, which did not make this roundup because of its confusing multi-tier payment options.

Download Loop Habit Tracker (Free)

Nomie

If you have trouble remembering to complete the minutiae of the day-to-day, Nomie might be your answer for getting it done. You can use Nomie to track anything. If you can assign it an icon and a name, you can track it. For every item you create, you can choose whether ticking the items has a positive or negative impact on your overall score. Best of all, Nomie is completely private. You don’t need an account to keep track of your data. When you’re ready to switch smartphones, simply carry over that data by exporting and backing it up to Dropbox.

Download Nomie (Free)

What about you?

Trying to implement a new habit this year? Found an app that you like? Share it in the comments!

Grab a 64GB microSD card for just $16 at Amazon right now!

Need some more storage space in your phone, tablet, camera, or computer? If so, why not grab a 64GB microSD card for just $16 so that you don’t have to worry about how much storage you have left? With 64GB of extra space you can hold a bunch more movies, tons more music and pictures, and plenty of files that you may need at some point. The card also comes with a SD card adapter, so you can easily put it in your computer or card reader to transfer information to and from it.

If 64GB isn’t quite enough storage space for you, Amazon is also currently selling the 200GB card for just $65, which is also a great deal. Don’t get stuck deleting old pictures to make room for new ones, and instead, be prepared with an SD card to hold them all.

See at Amazon