HBO Now hits Android devices, coming soon to Chromecast and Fire TV
After HBO Now was announced for Apple devices earlier this year, the network promised to bring it to the Android faithful this summer. Well, the time has come. If you own an Android phone or tablet, you can now access the standalone TV streaming option for $15 a month. You’ll still have to wait to employ a Chromecast, Fire TV or Fire TV Stick to do your watching, though, but the service is said to arrive on those gadgets soon enough. Apple’s 90-day exclusive window has ended, which allows folks who prefer Google’s operating system a chance to give HBO Now a shot three months after its debut. And it doesn’t require a cable subscription like HBO Go. If you decide to take the leap, you’ll get access to shows like Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley and True Detective in addition to a library of older series (The Sopranos, etc.) and movies. However, if you choose to wait until you can stream it to your set-top box or dongle, we can’t blame you.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, Software, HD
Source: Amazon, HBO (YouTube)
Touring the Turing, a wonderfully weird encrypted smartphone
You’d think a company that makes security as seriously as Turing Robotics does wouldn’t paint its first smartphones purple, red, gold or blue, but you’d have it pegged wrong. For a freshman effort, CEO SYL Chao envisioned an Android phone that was meant for designers and aesthetes as much as it was for security nerds and paranoiacs who crave the encryption tech inside it. Weird? You bet, but after spending a little time with some pre-production prototypes, I can’t help but pull for this underdog.
“Weird” might be too loaded a word for it; I prefer “charmingly quirky”. The first indications that you’re not dealing with your usual smartphone maker are the color schemes at play. The “Beowulf” Turing has a twinge of gold to signify the hero’s eventually kingship of the Geats, and a hexagonal pattern etched into purple polycarbonate (no, it’s not all liquidmorphium, the super-durable composite alloy that’s more-or-less unbendable) as a callback to Grendel’s mom’s scales. Meanwhile, Chao said with no shortage of nerd pride that the red-white “Cardinal” model, festooned with as it is with panel lines, was inspired by the original Gundam, circa 1979.
If that didn’t immediately tip you off to the different sensibilities here, the rest of the body will. It’s not quite heavy, but liquidmorphium frame keeps things feeling dense and sturdy (though one hefty prototype I played with was designed to see how heavy a phone people would be comfortable with). It’s waterproof. There’s no headphone jack. The traditional, vulnerable microUSB charging port has been replaced with a Macbook-like magnetic charger. The panel lines and the untapered edges stand in stark contrast to the smooth phone designs peppering the market right now, too — if the iPhone feels like a curvy, friendly VW Beetle, the Turing is a Lamborghini from 1985. It revels in its own machine-ness.
Most of what’s inside is pretty pedestrian by comparison: it’s got one of Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon 801 chipsets with 3GB of RAM and a 3,000Ah battery. And that screen up front? A perfectly adequate 5.5-inch screen running at 1080p. The most basic Turing will come with 16GB of internal storage and set you back $610, though the ballers among you might gravitate to the $870 128GB model. Not exactly stuff to set your world a-fire, but Chao seems perfectly happy to be making a phone that isn’t meant for run-of-the-mill spec chasers.
I wish could render some sort of fleeting judgment on how well the whole package works, but the Turings just aren’t ready yet. Chao and his team are gearing up for a September launch (pre-orders start at the end of July), and these last frenzied weeks are being spent polishing things up. That’s just as well – the version I played with had a pretty batty interface demo that had me swiping the screen to rotate between an ornate, leather-esque app launcher and a flatter alternative. You don’t need to take those weird flourishes as gospel either since Chao says the final version of the software will run lighter and should obscure Android 5.1 as completely.
Really though, it’s all this authentication stuff that really seems like the future of Turing’s business. Nestled right where a microSD card would go is what Chao calls the Turing Imitation Key, a teensy bit of extra hardware that algorithmically encrypts your data right there, almost completely removing the possibility that some malcontent could snoop on you. Chao very quickly agrees when I call the phone a Trojan Horse to get people (and developers) tapping into that secure Turing key, too – he’d ultimately like to see banks and other mainstays of modern life using these keys to encrypt data all over the place. Throw in some secure peer-to-peer apps for messaging, voice calls, email cloud services (which will eventually get the open-source treatment) and you’ve got a phone that aims to make it easy to live privately.
Now, let’s be real: There are countless reasons why the Turing phone could fail. Key relationships could go south. The supply chains could fall apart (though Chao strongly disagrees). And, most damningly, people might just scratch their heads at the thing instead of buying it. Every mobile upstart faces these same challenges, but it feels like Turing Robotics is just throwing all the cool, useful stuff its ever wanted into an off-kilter body that could raise eyebrows in the right way. It sure won’t be for everyone, but this bizarro blend successfully avoids feeling like any other phone I’ve used. And if it doesn’t pan out? Well, Chao’s already dreaming up things to squeeze into Turings 2 and 3.
Filed under: Mobile
Marshall’s ‘London’ is a smartphone for music lovers
For a long time, Marshall’s bread and butter was guitar amps. Then came headphones and Bluetooth speakers (via its partnership with Zound, makers of Urbanears) — a fairly fitting diversification. Today, the brand is moving on to phones, announcing the “London,” an Android (Lollipop) device for music lovers. We bet you weren’t expecting that? Us neither, to be honest. But it’s happening, and we’d be lying if we said we weren’t a little curios.
The Marshall London looks a lot like you might imagine it would, if you’ve ever set eyes on one of the company’s other products. the Flat, rectangular handset has a soft-touch faux-leather finish, with knurled gold color buttons. There are dual speakers on the front, along with two stereo jacks up top. All of which hint at the London’s music focus. More on that later.
What about the actual phone? Well, it’s a 4.7-inch (720p/IPS) device, with 16GB of internal storage (expandable via SD card), running on a Snapdragon 410 chip (1.4GHz, quad-core), 8- and 2-megapixel cameras and a Wolfson DSP. Some of that specification may seem a little modest by today’s flagship standards, but it’s fair to say Marshall’s not going after the typical flagship-phone buyer here. Marshall partnered with Finnish firm, Creoir, whose previous collaborations include Jolla and Nokia, to create the hardware to Marshall’s specification.
The London’s music focus is a mix of hardware and software. The dual headphone jacks let two people listen to music in stereo, and mean no more having to split a pair of earbuds. Neat enough, but the London also has a bespoke DJ app, and the dual outputs lets wannabe jocks cue and mix their tunes in headphones, while the current track plays through a speaker. Something that other phones cannot do (without crude workarounds).
If you’re into recording, rather than mixing, London’s dual microphones will scoop up your impromptu acapellas, and help your calls with active noise cancellation too. Again, Marshall has installed a custom app to help you along with your recordings. We hear there will be some app goodies for guitarists, too, but we’ve no details on specifics just yet.
Should you just want to consume, rather than create music, then the London’s got a few tricks in that department also. We saw a quick glimpse of an app that combines all your music sources (Spotify, music collection etc.) into one place, along with a global E.Q., which sounded impressively loud on the phone’s dual speakers. There’s also support for FLAC files, which will please audio fiends.
The question is, is all this enough to woo buyers? The London will cost $499/£399 when it’s finally available in August (21st). This makes it a tough choice when you compare it to other, higher spec phones at that price (and a world of third-party music apps to choose from). Believers, bands and beat-lovers can pre-order starting today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
ZTE is ready for Axon with their new phone
ZTE USA, which has been around for years, hasn’t really had a phone that they could call a contender in the Android market. Their Android phones up to this point have all been geared towards the budget crowd. This, of course, is not a bad place to be. However, they also have aspirations to compete in the much more competitive high-end arena.
ZTE went through thousands of surveys and focus groups to determine what the American public was looking for in their new phone. What they found out was that we want premium features for a not so premium price. Of course, I could have told them that and saved them thousands of dollars and man hours. I mean, who wouldn’t want that right?
Enter the ZTE Axon Pro
The Axon Pro will be the first smartphone to go on sale in the U.S. equipped with Hi-Fi sound. With 2 dedicated audio chipsets, the sound reproduction should feel just like the real thing, giving you the sense of atmosphere where the music was originally played, the depth from where the sounds came from, and the goodness of balanced harmonics.”
You’ll also be able to record in HiFi as well. The dual audio processors will help to reduce wind noise, and dual microphones with auto level controllers and long-distance voice pickup will help you to capture even the slightest of sounds from up to 20 feet away.
Other Axon specs include
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3,000 mAh Battery
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Quick-charge 2.0
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B2/B4/B5/B12/B17/B29/B30, LTE IR B7/B3/B1/B13, USM/HSPA 850/1700/1900/2100 MHz, GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz,
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5.5″ CGS (Continuous Grain Silicon) TFT LCD
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Resolution: 2560 x1440 WQHD, PPI 534
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Sharp, Gorilla Glass Gen 3.0
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Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
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32 GB ROM
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4 GB RAM
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Made from aluminum
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Rear-Facing Camera Dual lens 13MP, 2MP, dual LED Flash, 4K HD
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Front-Facing Camera 8MP, 88 degree wide-angle, 1080p HD resolution
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Video Capture 4K HD resolution at 30 FPS
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2.0 GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994)
Stock Android
The phone will run stock Android 5.1.1 and ZTE promises “…a clean Android experience with the addition of only a few pre-loaded apps that look out for your health.” This is great news to the users of heavily skinned and bloatware laden premium handsets.
On sale
The ZTE Axon Pro pre-order just went live on their website for $449.98 and it includes JBL E-13 in-ear headphones. You can also find it on Newegg and eBay. What do you think? Is this phone on your radar? Let us know in the comments.
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International authority assault gets ‘Dendroid’ malware coder arrested
As hard as it is to hunt down hackers, the FBI and other agencies continue their fight against malicious software developers and digital attackers. The latest major operation was a raid on a criminal-focused forum known as Darkode, a network with the main purpose of sharing, buying and selling tools for cybernetic crimes.
This mission extended across multiple countries, including “Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Latvia, Macedonia, Nigeria, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States”.
We are most interested in one specific member of this criminal network – Morgan C. Culbertson. He caught our attention because he happens to be the only Android-focused arrested member in the list. This man is famous for being the creator of Dendroid, a malware program with the ability of remotely accessing and controlling your device, hence allowing the hacker to steal information and data from Android phones.
Morgan C. Culbertson, aka Android, 20, of Pittsburgh, is charged by criminal information with conspiring to send malicious code. He is accused of designing Dendroid, a coded malware intended to remotely access, control, and steal data from Google Android cellphones. The malware was allegedly offered for sale on Darkode.
Here’s the real kicker: Morgan is only 20 years old, which would make him a very young coder at the time of creating Dendroid, last year (if only he used his skills to improve the Android ecosystem). In addition to arresting Culbertson, the FBI and other international agencies conducted searches and arrests on 70 Darkode members. 12 of these were American, including Morgan C. Culbertson.
The FBI and DOJ are probably not done yet, though. This community is said to consist of 250-300 members. It was a very exclusive clique, for obvious reasons. The website was password protected and the only way users could join was by being referred by a current member and going through a detailed screening process.
Modern criminals are not only in the streets, they are also online. As always, the best way to stay secure is by making smart choices. Try not to download apps from suspicious or unknown sources, and don’t fall for deceiving tricks. There are other ways to make sure you are secure, though. That WiFi Protector VPN lifetime subscription is looking much more enticing now, isn’t it?
Yik Yak now allows anonymous photo sharing, just not selfies
<img alt="US-IT-TEEN-TREND-ANONYMOUS-APPS" data-caption="TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Rob LEVER, US-IT-Internet-teen-trend
A March 28, 2014 photo illustration shows the Google Play Store download page for an anonymous social networking app in Washington, DC. When a new social app Yik Yak swept into Auburn University, some of the coolest kids started posting comments on it. But no one knows who is making the comments, because the posts are anonymous. ‘It spread pretty fast,’ says Nickolaus Hines, a junior at the Alabama university. ‘The majority of things are jokes or things which are obviously funny.’ But Hines added that ‘some of the things are pretty mean,’ and that ‘the ones about girls get taken off if the girls see them.’ Yik Yak, which allows users to see posts in a radius up to eight kiolometers (five miles) is part of a flurry of new apps which offer new ways to interact anonymously in social networks. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)” data-credit=”AFP/Getty Images” src=”http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/3000×1982+0+0/resize/960×635!/format/jpg/quality/85/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/midas/91621fa1a3be35db1772ec562f7d0d43/200814184/481285781.jpg” data-mep=”884756″ />Yik Yak announced today that it will now allow users to post photos to the anonymous messaging app — just so long as they don’t include human faces. That means you’ll be able to share photos of your dog, your meal and non-reproductive body parts, just not your face. Seriously, don’t even try. The company will be actively monitoring photo posts (before they go live) in an effort to maintain content control. Users, however, will still be allowed to show pictures of themselves as part of photo collections in the Explore section of Peek. Additionally, the company rolled out phone verification in an effort to combat spam and make the app a bit more secure.
[Image Credit: AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Source: Yik Yak
Pushbullet brings SMS conversations to your fingertips
Pushbullet has been around for quite some time, and have added a bunch of functionalities to extend and expand upon what your devices have been able to do. The last update, which was release a few weeks ago, was a rather large update, and brought features such as instant messaging, and a total re-organization of where your files are sent or received.
Today’s update, brings something that folks have always been looking for. The ability to send texts from your desktop. This has already been accomplished by folks like MightyText, but there are still some quirks that have yet to be really worked out.
Pushbullet is really trying to be the all-in one file-sharing application, no matter what device you are using. Today’s update pushes them even closer to becoming a new-age all-in-one multi-tool. With the care and detail that Pushbullet puts into just about everything that gets released, there is little worry about how well these new features will work.
Instead of replying to individual messages, Pushbullet now has a full messaging experience for SMS that’s synced with your phone. This means you can comfortably text from your PC while at work, then pick up the conversation later on your phone and all of your messages will be right where you expect them to be.
Now, Pushbullet is really knocking these updates out of the park, and with a full-fledged messaging extension, many folks should be excited. I’m not sure what else Pushbullet could push out in the future, but it will definitely be fun to see what’s up their sleeve next.
Let us know what you think about the latest update to Pushbullet, and how excited you are to see another option for SMS messaging between your device and your computer.
Source: Pushbullet Blog
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TYLT ENERGI+ an awesome backpack that charges your stuff
Kickstarter can be real hit or miss sometimes. For every great idea that gets funded, there’s another that never seems to materialize. Lucky for us the TYLT ENERGI+ falls in the former category. Their idea was to integrate an extremely functional backpack with the ability to charge your mobile devices. All they needed to make it happen was $50,000. Not only did they hit their funding goals, but they surpassed it, hitting over 150% of their goal. We’ll be looking at whether they were able to accomplish all they set out to do with this backpack.
TYLT ENERGI+ overview
I recently had the opportunity to review TYLT’s RIBBN charger. What impressed me the most about that device was the quality of materials and product design. So, needless to say, I came into this review with some pretty high expectations.
When I first pulled the TYLT ENERGI+ out of its box, the first thing I noticed was that there were instructions and diagrams everywhere in the backpack, showing how to get things set up. There was also a manual, but I didn’t need it. The diagrams were more than adequate. I also noticed a few loose strings poking out of the backpack, not a big deal, but again, I’m coming into this with abnormally high expectations.
When you purchase the backpack you’ll also receive a 10,400mAh battery pack and 3 micro USB cables. One of the cables will have an older 30 pin iPad/iPhone/iPod adapter plug attached. Before you continue setting things up, it’s best to charge up the battery pack to full capacity. The battery pack charges using a standard micro USB cable. They do not furnish a charging cable, but the device will work with the phone charger you already have and can even charge from any of your computer’s USB ports. One added bonus of the battery pack is that it has an output of 4.2A. This will allow you to quickly charge tablets, phones, or anything with a micro USB connection.
TYLT ENERGI+ setup
The backpack has a little pouch for the battery pack that will snuggly hold it in place. All the cables are fairly easy to route to the various pockets and pouches that you might want to place your devices in. One of the best features is that they don’t limit the pockets that can be routed to. Even though there are only 3 cables, almost all of the pockets can have a cable routed to it, so you don’t have to rely on where TYLT recommends you to place your devices. You can use your discretion to decide where you could best use the charging capabilities.
I also loved their cable management solution. They included elastic strips in strategic parts of the backpack to keep your power cables nice and neat. If you’ve ever built your own computer, you know how important that cable management can be.
Overall it’s not too difficult to get things up and running. It also fairly easy to reroute the cables to adapt to your changing needs.
TYLT ENERGI+ usage
I mentioned earlier that the idea for the ENERGI+ was to make an extremely functional backpack. I think the better word to describe it would be practical. There is virtually no unused space. If there is an empty space, there is a pocket. They even included a space with a rigid sunglasses and phone holder. This exact same space, of course, has a slot for a power cable, but it also has a slot to feed some wired headphones outside of the backpack so you can listen on the go.
Everyone that I showed the backpack to said that the only thing it needed was a water bottle holder. They then proceeded to be amazed as I pulled out just such a holder out of one of the pockets. This is just another example of how TYLT utilizes every usable space on the backpack. I was able to cram a ton of stuff in the backpack. I had my laptop, laptop power adapter, tablet, phone, lunch container, and various knick-knacks, with room to spare. Even with the backpack being fairly heavy at this point, the strategic padding really helped to remove any undue strain or pressure on my body.
I imagine that when they designed this backpack, they had a bunch of people sitting around asking, “Yeah, but can it do this?”. There are so many little things about this backpack that make it great. For example, there is a waterproof pouch on the front of the backpack for important documents. There is an embedded NFC tag in the strap so that you can trigger your phone to easily do certain tasks. There is a slot behind the backpack that will allow for the handle from a roller luggage to slip through so that you don’t have to carry the backpack on your back while getting to your plane at the airport. Speaking of traveling, the ENERGI+ is also TSA friendly.
What we liked
- Extremely functional and practical
- Ability to charge devices on the go
- Wow factor
What could be better
- A lower price would be nice
- More flexible battery pocket for other nonTYLT battery packs
- Quality was slightly off from their norm
TYLT ENERGI+ overall
For the most part, TYLT met my expectations with the ENERGI+ and I am very happy with the results. If you’re in the market for a backpack and travel a lot or you find yourself needing to charge your mobile devices fairly often, this is the backpack for you. If you’re a penny pincher, then not so much. The TYLT ENERGI+ retails at $169.99 on TYLT.com but is currently on sale for $119.99 with free shipping for Prime members on Amazon.
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The Remix Mini is the world’s first true Android-powered PC
The Remix Mini is a new Android-powered PC built by Jide Tech, a company built by three former Google employees. They’ve started a Kickstarter project for the mini PC, already surpassing their goal of $50,000 by an additional $20,000 with 44 days left to go.
By being an early backer, you can get one yourself for just $20.
The Remix Mini comes in two versions. Both sport a 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 CPU, however, one has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage while the other touts 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The former is aimed at consumers for general use, such as streaming blockbuster movies. The latter is marketed towards business professionals not wanting to spend a lot on new office equipment, while keeping maximum productivity at the forefront.
The Android-powered PC also features an HDMI port with support up to 4K resolution, an ethernet port, Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth 4.0. It’s also running Jide’s custom engineered Remix OS, based off of Android Lollipop. If you’re interested in picking up the Remix Mini, head over to the source link below–units begin shipping in October.
source: Kickstarter
Come comment on this article: The Remix Mini is the world’s first true Android-powered PC
Kurosuke Adventure : a game that should still be in beta
When I first checked out Kurosuke Adventure on Google Play, I had very high hopes for this game. In some ways, the app was able to meet my expectations. In other ways, it did not. In this review, I will highlight the positives of this game while recognizing the areas in which it needs work.
Kurosuke Adventure Overview
This is a game by Korean app publisher APPZIL. Their Google Play page describes Kurosuke Adventure as follows.
Check out an exciting running game, Kurosuke Adventure!
Welcome to the Kurosuke Adventure world.
We will explore amazing ‘Reverse’ helping our hero searching for the treasure.
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The game in entirely new ways.
It’s not just running -
Simple handling
Enjoy the thrill of the game using one -touch! -
Turn the frustration into hope!
Experience awesome experiences going back and forth between hell and fevertime -
More than 10 types of characters full of charm.
Make your own hero with characters full of strong sense of individuality -
More than 20 types of pets having lots stories to tell
The pets, cute and full of stories, support our hero. -
More than 40 types of cards having magical ability
Raise your ability using the card drawn the pictures of cute and charming dusts. -
More than 40 types of achievements
Pump up your achievement score by challenging yourself to various achievement connecting to
GooglePlayGameService.
Can you find the ultimate treasure with the hero?
Then, shall we kick off our journey for the treasure?
The game itself has a cutesy Anime feel about it. This is one of my favorite features. I love the look and feel of this game. Where I take issue is just about everywhere else.
The first thing that you’ll notice when you start the game is that the tutorial is very confusing. The English translations are not up to par and the tutorial progresses faster than you can read. Worst of all, the objective is not clear at all. I should have suspected something when I read the game description.
Once the tutorial is over you start running. Whenever you touch the screen, gravity will be reversed. There are various items for you to grab, candies, stars, coins, power-ups, and letters. As far as I can tell, the candies are for points, the coins are to purchase upgrades and companions, and the stars are for greater points. When the letters you collect or eat, spell out the words FEVERTIME, you go to a bonus level where you collect a bunch of points for some reason or another.
If you fall out of the world, then you go to Hell and have to avoid the Grim Reaper while finding the portal back to your world. The upside here is that you actually re-enter the world at an earlier point. So, if you were to miss a powerup then you could travel back in time to get it. This is one of the more interesting game mechanics, but it can be more confusing than usefull at times.
To me, the coins should be your priority because they allow you to purchase upgrades, characters and companions. Unfortunately, all these things are expensive and take a while to get.
In order to run through the level, you need to eat power-ups that give you energy, otherwise you will not finish the level. I never finished it even once. The level does change up a bit every now and then, but it feels like your running through the same level over and over again.
By the way, this video explains more than the actual game does in regards to the story.
Kurosuke Adventure Setup
Luckily the setup is easy. Just purchase the app on Google Play and install on your phone. The tutorial will kick in and the confusion will start.
Who will enjoy Kurosuke Adventure
If you enjoy doing the same mindless repetitions over and over, then you will love this game. If you love animes, mangas, and/or manhuas, then you will like it at least on some level. If you’re not into either, then you will not enjoy this game on any level.
What we liked
- Visual style of the game
- Game soundtrack
- Concept
What could be better
- English translations
- Game mechanics
- Better tutorial
Overall
I think this game has a lot of potential and if the developer hires a better translator, improves the tutorial, and improves the gameplay, I think this could be a really great game. But at this point Kurosuke Adventure feels more like a beta than a finished product that you charge $1.99 for.
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AIVAnet 