Vysor allows you to mirror multiple Android devices
Google developer, Koush, announced an update to his popular device mirroring app Vysor on Thursday that will enable users to share multiple android screens to a PC, Linux or Mac simultaneously and then grant remote access to the device farm. The new “Share All” feature works just like the original Vysor Share: you plug the Android into the computer via a USB cable, install the visor app and activate it to mirror the Android screen to the computer. However, Share All takes that process a step further by allowing the user to link multiple handsets to a computer and then use it as a shared server which multiple people can remotely access.
This could prove a boon for developers. You’d be able to centralize all your various test devices to a single computer and share access to the entire array with the rest of the team.
Source: Google+
The NBA’s fitness app gives you training tips from the pros
The options for fitness apps are seemingly endless these days, and now the National Basketball Association (NBA) is adding yet another. Thanks to a hand from Under Armour, the pro basketball league now has it’s own exercise and training app: NBA Fit. The NBA says the mobile software combines Under Armour’s Connected Fitness platform with fitness tips and videos from players in the league and the WNBA. There’s also pointers from strength and conditioning coaches.
While the advice will be focused on training and nutrition as it relates to basketball, there will be challenges for you to compete against your pals. If you’re familiar with Under Armour’s Connected Fitness platform, you can expect a similar experience here. To keep tabs on a workout though, you’ll have to also install the UA Record app as NBA Fit is more of a content and social hub than an activity-tracking tool. Bummer.
Partnering with UA is an interesting move for the NBA, as Adidas is its current uniform and apparel provider for the league and Nike is set to take over in 2017. However, the reigning MVP, Steph Curry, is one of Under Armour’s biggest athletes and it also has quite the slate of exercise and nutrition apps already. Need some training tips? The NBA Fit app is available free of charge via Google Play and iTunes.
Source: NBA Fit
Google Play will suggest neglected apps for you to uninstall
When you add an app from Google Play and space on your phone is tight, you’re often stuck wondering which of your darlings programs you should kill delete. According to Android Police, Google Play is going to help your decision-making process by offering up suggestions as to what you no longer need. When you’ve run out of on-board storage, you’ll be given a list of your least-used apps, ranked in order of weight. So, in the example, the store suggests that you wipe Google Translate or Facebook Messenger and free up some much-needed space. It’s not clear if the feature is rolling out to users worldwide or if this is a limited trial, but we’ve asked Google to let us know.
App size is increasing at a time when many mainstream phones are losing their microSD card slots, and that’s causing a headache for plenty of users. Devices from companies as diverse as OnePlus and Samsung have moved away from providing expandable storage, and last year Hugo Barra told Engadget that “SD cards will disappear.” It doesn’t hurt, of course, that manufacturers can charge a premium for built-in storage that it can’t for third-party cards. Then there’s the fact that the threat of an app being nominated for deletion might just inspire developers to start trimming the fat from their products.
Via: 9to5Google
Source: Android Police
Your big-name PC may have a security flaw in its update software
Those problems with security holes in big PC makers’ software bundles? They might not be over yet. Duo Security says it found vulnerabilities in the update software for Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo. Some vendors were more secure than others in Duo’s testing, but all of them were insecure enough that you could launch a man-in-the-middle attack and run your own code. In the worst cases, they’d send update data without any encryption or validation.
Also, don’t think that you’re safe by springing for one of Microsoft’s cleaner Signature Edition versions of these PCs. Duo says that some of these models still have vendor update software, so you might be in the same boat as someone who bought the garden variety PC.
We’ve asked all five companies for comment, and we’ll let you know what they say. However, Duo adds that the research took place between last October and this April, which suggests that some of the holes might have already been patched up. Dell already said that it would tackle the eDellroot flaw that created a minor panic last year, for example. Even if there’s more fuss than necessary, though, this is a reminder that your PC’s operating system is only part of the security puzzle — you have to be mindful of third-party apps, too.
Via: International Business Times
Source: Duo Security
Blendle’s pay-per-article service is available on mobile devices
If you use Dutch startup Blendle to read all your news, you’re in for a treat: The previously desktop-only app is going mobile for both iOS and Android for simpler enlightenment on the go.
Blendle is a news aggregate that pulls news articles from outlets that lock their content behind paywalls. You can choose specific articles to curate the type of stories you want to read, while spending less money in the form of microtransactions. If for some reason you aren’t satisfied with the stories you choose, you can even get a refund.
The apps themselves feature over 300 print publications from which you can select stories to read ad-free. Each article runs around 25 cents to purchase, which is often a boon for readers looking to get into pieces from The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times without having to subscribe to the publication. With mobile choices available today, one less gateway to success for Blendle has been taken away since stories may now be read on the go.
Blendle has been around for two years and has amassed around 650,000 users. That number could very well grow as users on mobile devices quickly join the fold with the promise of cheap, quality content.
Via: The Verge
Sony sells most of its media editing tools
Sony’s quest to get rid of unnecessary businesses continues. The electronics giant has sold off the “majority” of its creative software suite to Magix, a German firm that revolves around pro imaging apps. That’s right — Vegas Pro, Sound Forge Pro and other well-known Sony media editing apps are now in someone else’s hands. Sony will still offer its Catalyst broadcast and production tools, but Magix will be handling development and support from here on out.
Magix’s exact plans aren’t clear, but it already expects to make new versions of Vegas Pro and Movie Studio. It’s not just folding the technology into its own software, thankfully. Still, it’s an odd move for Sony: the company is giving up its rare advantage of making both video editing software and the cameras to record those videos. It suggests that the costs of competing with the likes of Adobe, Apple and Avid might have been too high.
Microsoft’s news bot finds stories based on your interests
Bots are all the rage these days, and to help you keep pace with news stories that interest you, Microsoft has one named Rowe. Inside the News Pro app from Microsoft Garage, Rowe goes to work gathering those articles that you’ll want to read when you ask it to make a recommendation. What’s more, the bot will also serve up news for you or for people who look like you when you send it a selfie. And yes, you can also upload other images and Rowe will search for stories based on the content of the photo.
News Pro has some pretty standard reader features as well. By logging in with Facebook or LinkedIn, the app is able to “personalize” the links it pulls in. There’s a Highlights feed that breaks down articles based on your interests or those related to your job. You can also add friends and group them so that you’re sharing with with like-minded folks and colleagues in your office. If you’re looking another way to keep up with daily happenings, the News Pro app is available for iOS devices via the iTunes App Store.
Source: Microsoft Garage, YouTube
Facebook offers a free VR audio tool thanks to a buyout
Facebook isn’t merely content to make a virtual reality camera rig and call it a day. The company has revealed that it acquired Two Big Ears, the creator of the VR audio app Spatial Workstation, and has set the software loose. As of now, Spatial Workstation is free — anyone with a Mac (Windows support is coming) can produce immersive sound for their 360-degree videos. Support for the company’s existing Pro and gaming products will phase out over 12 months, but you’ll eventually see the gaming tech merged into the Facebook-owned software.
This isn’t lightweight software — don’t go in expecting GarageBand for VR. However, it’s bound to be a big help for anyone serious about VR video, including Facebook. The more professional-sounding videos are out there, the more reasons you have to buy a Facebook-backed headset like the Oculus Rift or Gear VR.
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Facebook, Two Big Ears
Oculus’ DRM could have unintentionally helped VR piracy
Oculus’ recent software update that locked exclusive games to its hardware has already been circumvented. On Friday, Oculus implemented changes that — among other things — added “platform integrity checks.” These checks disabled use of a popular tool called Revive that let Rift-only titles play on HTC’s Vive. Over the weekend, the team behind Revive has released a new version that not only avoids Oculus’ hardware check, it bypasses the part that confirms ownership of the software altogether — raising concerns it could be used for piracy.
Revive originally let owners of an HTC Vive enjoy Oculus-only titles by mimicking elements of the Rift’s internal functionality in a Vive-friendly format, but the game-ownership checks remained. One of Revive’s developers told Motherboard that the updated Revive cuts out the ownership checks completely. It’s not their intention to circumvent the DRM completely. The developers claim they just want a tools that lets them use software they own on hardware they own. If the Revive team finds a way to offer their intended functionality without bypassing DRM, they will implement it.
Unlike consoles such as the PS4 and Xbox One, VR systems have to function in more or less the same way. This makes the idea of an exclusive title contentious to some VR fans — who needs to buy two headsets that basically do the same thing. Especially as Oculus founder Palmer Luckey has gone on record as saying as long as people buy the game, he doesn’t care what hardware they run it on.
Oculus said the update last week wasn’t about squashing Revive in particular, so with the new version out we’ll see how true that was. Console manufacturers have always had to play cat and mouse with pirates, releasing updates to patch exploited vulnerabilities. Could this be the beginning of a similar situation for VR?
Via: Motherboard
Source: Github (Revive)
Google wants make it easier to craft apps that go big
The Google Play Store serves over a billion users globally a month, so the potential for an app to go big is nothing to sneeze at. Alas, the chances of that actually happening is a different story, which is why Google has released a bunch of updates to help developers craft apps to make more of an impact.
First off, Google is making it easier for would-be beta testers to find non-final software in the Play Store. For the first time, open beta apps will show up in your Play Store search results, with the most promising betas getting some spotlight in a new Early Access section. This latter effort is part of a bigger push to make it easy for users to find new, valuable apps — that same rationale is why Google is rolling out Collections in the Play Store. Looking for real estate apps, or apps that are great for young ones? Your search should become easier very shortly.
These changes are welcome additions for users, but most of the big news today is for developers who want to reach bigger audiences. New to the Play fold is a set of guidelines called “Building for Billions” meant to give devs insight into crafting apps for crucial emerging markets. And to help apps feel just a little neater internationally, the Play Store will automatically round prices converted between currencies. After all, a $1.99 app seems pretty normal in the US store, but seeing the equivalent ¥218.12 in the Japanese store lacks a certain panache: Now the Play Store will round it to ¥200.
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