Photo Editing App ‘Prisma’ Now Supports Offline Picture Processing
Popular photo manipulation app Prisma has been updated to allow offline processing of images for the first time.
The photo app recreates images in the style of famous artists and gives shots a painterly aesthetic using neural networks, but up until now users needed an internet connection and had to wait for the app’s Moscow-based servers to process their pictures.
The latest update doesn’t bring offline mode to the whole collection of Prisma’s filters, but the developers say more is to come on that front, and the change means server-side video manipulation is just around the corner.
“Now that we’ve implemented neural networks right to the smartphones, we have enough server capacity to run full videos on them in the near future,” said the Prisma team.
Prisma Labs says “repainting” times have been reduced to five seconds on Apple’s latest iPhones and that there should be no increase in handset battery usage.
Prisma is a free download on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]
Discuss this article in our forums
Sony Brings Full DualShock 4 Controller Support to Mac With New Adapter
Sony today announced the upcoming launch of a new DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adapter, which will allow Mac and PC users to wirelessly connect a DualShock 4 controller to their machines.
The adapter will enable all DualShock 4 features, including buttons, analog sticks, touch pad, light bar, motion sensors, vibration, and stereo headset jack so long as games support the feature.
Currently, the DualShock 4 controller can connect to Macs via Bluetooth or a USB cable, but the adapter will allow for access to all controller functions. The adapter can also be used for PS4 Remote Play, which allows games to be streamed from the PS4 to a Mac or PC.
Sony has also announced imminent PlayStation Now availability for Windows PCs, which will allow PCs to play PS3 exclusive titles. PlayStation Now will be launching soon in Europe and a wider release in the United States will follow. Sony says it is “evaluating” Mac support for PS Now, but has nothing to announce at this time.
Sony will begin selling the DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adapter in early September for $24.99.
Discuss this article in our forums
Microsoft Security Update Brings 64-Bit Support to All Mac Office Apps
Microsoft today release a new update for its Office 2016 for Mac apps, introducing small performance improvements, bug fixes, and 64-bit support across the Office lineup.
Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote have all adopted the 64-bit runtime environment to enable better performance and “new innovative features.” 64-bit support has previously been available to Microsoft’s “Office Insider” beta testers but is rolling out to all users today.
Microsoft Office users who do not use add-ins will be unaffected by the change, while those who do will need to update their add-ins to 64-bit versions as add-in developers release the necessary updates. All add-in developers have had several months to make the updates thanks to the beta testing period, so the transition should be seamless for most end users.
Apple’s Mac operating system has supported 64-bit applications for many years, but prior to 2016, Microsoft continued to offer 32-bit Office for Mac apps.
Microsoft Office for Mac is available through an Office 365 subscription or as a standalone purchase from the Microsoft website. Office 365 costs a minimum of $69.99 per year while the standalone version of Office 2016 for Mac is priced at $149.99.
Discuss this article in our forums
The best tech for college freshmen
Starting college is expensive. In addition to, you know, the tuition, you and the parentals will probably be making a large shopping trip to buy all manner of sweaters, snacks and extra-long twin sheets to round out your dorm room. And that’s not counting all the gear you’ll need to actually get work done. In addition to a few laptop recommendations (the XPS 13 is our reigning favorite), we have suggestions on things like cloud storage, backpacks and peripherals like travel mice and backup batteries. Check out the gallery below for all our first-year picks (think of it as a college starter kit), and be sure to read the rest of Engadget’s back-to-school guide here.
Source: Engadget’s 2016 Back-to-School Guide
iPhone-Compatible ZEISS VR ONE Plus Headset Launches for $129
ZEISS has announced that its iPhone-compatible VR ONE Plus virtual reality headset is now available at Best Buy stores across the United States for $129. The headset has a universal smartphone tray that fits most smartphones with a screen size between 4.7 and 5.5 inches, including the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
iPhone users can use the VR ONE Plus with thousands of virtual reality apps on the App Store, including Google Cardboard apps, in addition to 360 degree YouTube videos and Google Street View. The headset has an immersive field of view of approximately 100° and can be used while wearing eyeglasses.
ZEISS is also accepting VR ONE Plus orders through its website in the U.S. and Europe.
Discuss this article in our forums
Twitter’s Night Mode Now Available for iOS
Twitter today announced that it is expanding its “night mode” option to its iOS app, allowing Twitter users to enable a darker mode suitable for reading tweets at night. Twitter first brought night mode to Android devices in July and after a beta testing period, the company is now ready to offer the option in both of its mobile apps.
Night mode can be enabled by tapping on the gear icon and choosing the “Turn on night mode” option. It is disabled in the same way, by tapping the gear icon and selecting “Turn off night mode.”
Night mode should be a welcome addition for those iOS users who have been hoping Apple will implement its own Night Mode option, as it makes the Twitter interface much darker and more comfortable to look at in low light conditions.
Rolling out today – we’re bringing night mode to iOS! 🌙 https://t.co/XxNZHQdth9 pic.twitter.com/WLwKi4H0Oe
— Twitter (@twitter) August 22, 2016
Twitter’s new night mode feature is rolling out to Twitter users starting today. The Twitter app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple bought a company that tracks chronic health issues
Apple has purchased Gliimpse, a startup that helps users collect and personalize their health records, according to Fast Company. Apple confirmed the deal, which reportedly happened earlier this year, but was coy as usual. “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” a spokesperson told Fast Co. However, it will likely be integrated into its HealthKit research app to help doctors improve treatment for chronic diseases.
The founder of Gliimpse, Anil Sethi, said on LinkedIn that he created the app because “there’s no single electronic health record that all physicians use … Worse, there isn’t even a common file format across 1,000+ systems.” As such, the app is primarily targeted at patients with complex health records, particularly those who suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer and heart problems.
Apple’s HealthKit is used by half the hospitals in the US to monitor patients with serious health issues. The aim is to help researchers conduct trials to gauge the effectiveness of treatments for serious and chronic diseases. Since Gliimpse collects confidential patient data with “rigorous technical security,” the acquisition makes sense. However, it could be awhile before we see exactly how Apple brings it into the fold.
Source: Fast Company
Watch the trailer for Apple Music’s Cash Money documentary
Wondering what Apple’s Cash Money documentary will look like? You can already get a peek today. Apple has posted a trailer for the feature, The Cash Money Story: Before Anythang, that gives you a sense of what to expect from the Apple Music exclusive. The minute-long clip suggests that the feature won’t pull too many punches just because label founders Birdman and Slim are executive producers — it illustrates an early life punctuated by a mix of runaway success and tragedy.
You’ll still have to wait until the fall to watch the full thing, and it’s not certain whether or not this doc is a hint of future collaborations between Apple and Cash Money artists like Drake (who already had a temporary exclusive) or Nicki Minaj. We certainly wouldn’t rule it out at a time when Apple has to compete with Spotify for both your eyes and your ears.
The Cash Money Story #BEFOREANYTHANG.
Coming this fall to #AppleMusic.@BIRDMAN5STARhttps://t.co/6wQCW5Clxb— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) August 19, 2016
Via: FACT
Source: Apple Music (Twitter)
Apple Accepting Donations for Louisiana Flood Relief
Apple has added banners to its U.S. website, iTunes Store, and App Store encouraging customers to donate to the American Red Cross to help support people who have been affected by the widespread flooding in southern Louisiana.
Donation tiers available include $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 and $200, with all proceeds from donations sent to the American Red Cross. All transactions are processed as iTunes or App Store purchases.
Flooding in Louisiana, which started last week after torrential rainfall, have damaged more than 40,000 houses and left many thousands of people without homes. More than 20 parishes have been affected, and in many of the areas, flood insurance was not common because they weren’t known flood zones. The Red Cross has called the Louisiana flooding the worst natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Sandy.
Apple often puts out a call for donations for disaster relief. In the past, Apple has collected Red Cross iTunes donations for the 2016 fires in Alberta, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the refugee and migration crisis in the Mediterranean sea, the 2013 Philippines typhoon, and more.
Discuss this article in our forums
The New York Times Announces Closure of News Curation App ‘NYT Now’
The New York Times has announced that its curated news app, NYT Now [Direct Link], will officially shut down and no longer be available to download from the week of August 29. The app was originally announced in early 2014 as a way to provide readers with a cheaper alternative to the digital subscription service offered by the company, coming in at $8 per month, “roughly half the price of the least expensive digital subscription.”
NYT Now was said to be an attempt by the New York Times to offset dips in revenue from its traditional printed newspaper circulation. The goal was to present a less expensive subscription model, with news focused and curated for each specific user, and attract people who might not otherwise subscribe due to the ease-of-access inherent in mobile apps. Unfortunately, “the app never quite took off,” and NYT Now transitioned to a freemium model last year in an attempt to expand its audience.
Kinsey Wilson, the executive vice president for product and technology, said the decision to do away with NYT Now was driven in part by a shift in how the company thinks about broadening its audience. The Times, with the help of its audience development team, now looks more to third-party platforms like Facebook and Twitter to expand its reach among younger readers.
“That gave us a different ability to tap into younger audiences and to provide exposure to a much, much wider audience,” Mr. Wilson said.
The app was said to have peaked in May 2015 with 334,000 total unique users in one month but, in the last three months, it only managed to acquire 257,000 total unique users. Many of NYT Now’s features will be folded into the company’s main mobile app, NYTimes [Direct Link], “including morning and evening news briefings, bullet-point lists and a more conversational tone.”
The editors of NYT Now have written a brief note about the app’s shuttering, including the specific locations users can find its various features in other apps. For readers who keep the NYT Now app on their iOS or Android device, it will officially cease being updated in September.
Apps like Apple News, which offer users a wide breadth of news stories from an expansive list of various publishers, are also likely to contribute to a slight loss of subscribers for single-publisher apps. Apple News is even getting a feature in iOS 10 that will support paid subscription models from sites like The Wall Street Journal, curating premium content right alongside free stories from other publishers.
Discuss this article in our forums
AIVAnet 