Microsoft is reportedly making a ‘light-weight’ mobile email app
Hey, Google: you might not be the only tech giant that can rethink email apps. Twitter user WalkingCat claims to have discovered a download page for Microsoft’s “Flow by Outlook,” an iPhone email app that’s all about “rapid” and “light-weight” conversations. Reportedly, the software tosses out the usual trappings, such as subject lines and signatures — you’re supposed to use Flow almost like a chat client, and it only includes threads that started within the app. There’s no mention of when Flow would arrive (or spread to other platforms), and Microsoft isn’t commenting on the leak. If the scoop is accurate, though, you’ll probably get a chance to try this client at some point in the relatively near future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: WalkingCat (Twitter 1), (2)
Apple finally has a dock for your Lightning-based iPhone
When Apple switched the iPhone to the smaller, simpler Lightning connector back in 2012, it also ditched one of the iPhone’s most appreciated accessories: the dock. Yes, for the past three years you’ve had to either buy a third-party cradle or accept that your smartphone would lay flat on its back. At long last, though, you have an official option. Apple has quietly released the iPhone Lightning Dock, a simple perch that keeps any Lightning-equipped iPhone standing while it’s charging or playing tunes through the dock’s built-in audio jack. At $39, it’s certainly not the cheapest dock you can get. If you insist on first-party gear, though, you can order this peripheral today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile, Apple
Source: Apple Store
Apple’s $930 million legal win over Samsung gets partially reversed
The Great Apple/Samsung Legal Throwdown of 2012 ultimately resulted in the Korean company having to pay a whopping $930 million in damages for violating Apple intellectual property… or it did, until this morning. A Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier today that while Samsung did indeed violate Apple’s design patents, it didn’t do the with same Apple’s trade dress – broader elements of design and aesthetic that dictate the presentation of Apple’s gadgets. With that bombshell dropped, the court has asked for an update on the damages to be awarded sans the trade dress stuff, which should work out to a roughly $382 million discount for Samsung.
Let’s flash back to the heady days of 2012 for a moment. During the heat of the trial, Apple presented a handful of examples of (unregistered) trade dress that it believed Samsung had infringed upon with devices like the Galaxy S and Nexus S. While some of Apple’s examples – “a rectangular product with four evenly rounded corners,” “a flat, clear surface covering the front of the product” – the company tried to argue that they were just for show and had no impact on usability. After some further investigation, the appeals court disagreed with the argument, saying that “the requirement that the unregistered trade dress ‘serves no purpose other than identification’ cannot be reasonably inferred from the evidence”. That is to say, since trade dress protection only applies to design elements that are nonfunctional and these design choices were seemingly made for the sake of customer comfort, Apple’s argument is out.
If you’re itching for some juicy documents to kick off your Monday, the full decision (courtesy of AppleInsider) can be found below.
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruling on Apple v. Samsung by appleinsider
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Filed under: Mobile
Source: Reuters
2001 DARPA movie predicts the state of today’s technology
Does DARPA employ psychics or something? I mean they must, or how else can you explain this precognitive glimpse at the modern world? The advanced research agency produced it more than a decade ago! Admittedly, many of the ideas featured were already rolling out, in development or pulled from sci-fi, but you can see the futuristic vision (and ugly UIs everywhere) in this DARPA film, Strategic Cyber Defense. Included are a number of modern technologies such as ubiquitous touchscreens, voice activated computer interfaces (a la “Ok Google“), advanced behavioral analysis, real-time translation and automated cyber-defenses. Watch the video below to see how many of today’s future technologies you can spot — and how many are better off left as concepts that didn’t pan out.
Filed under: Science
Source: DARPA (Twitter)
Giant phones are finally a big deal in the US
Extra-large phones have been hot stuff in some countries for a long while, but not so much in the US. The country must have had a change of heart in the past few months, however. Kantar Worldpanel estimates that gigantic devices jumped from 6 percent of American smartphone sales in the first quarter of last year to 21 percent in early 2015. Why? If you ask Kantar, the launch of the iPhone 6 Plus was partly responsible — it racked up 44 percent of all supersized phone sales despite being just a few months old. The analyst group isn’t saying much in public how other brands were doing, although it’s safe to say that category pioneer Samsung grabbed a large slice of the pie thanks to high-powered behemoths like the Galaxy Note 4.
Android still rules the roost worldwide, although there’s signs that this is changing ever so slightly. Google’s mobile OS was the top choice in the five biggest European countries with a 68.4 percent share, but the iPhone grew its stake by 1.8 percent. The biggest leap was in China, where Apple’s gangbuster iPhone sales saw it grow from 17.9 percent of the market in early 2014 to 26.1 percent a year later. Reportedly, that’s due in part to Apple courting more than just well-off buyers. While Android still dominates the budget space (35 percent of European Android buyers said price was a major factor), it doesn’t have the free rein that it enjoyed in the past.
Photo by Will Lipman.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung
Source: Kantar Worldpanel (1), (2)
Apple is crawling the web to help your Siri and Spotlight searches
Apple doesn’t have to rely solely on outside web providers like Google or Microsoft to fuel your iOS and Mac searches. The company has confirmed the rumored existence of Applebot, a web crawler that collects site information for the sake of Siri and Spotlight queries. It behaves much like Google’s crawler, looking for the familiar “robots.txt” file that tells it what results to exclude on a given site; it’ll follow typical Google instructions if there isn’t any Apple-specific rule set. It’s not clear how long Cupertino has been running its bot, or whether there’s anything more in the works. However, it’s evident that Apple wants its online searches to work no matter what its partnerships look like in the future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Apple
Via: AppleInsider
Source: Apple
Mophie’s latest iPhone battery case is waterproof, too
Mophie’s cases are a popular choice for adding some extra minutes to your mobile device’s battery life. While the company already had both charging and storage options for the iPhone 6, it how offers protection from water damage, too. The H2PROTM accessory not only packs in an additional 2,750 mAh battery, but it’s waterproof as well. An IP-68 rated Otterbox-esque design also protects the handset from dirt and drops with easy access to those side-mounted controls and a mute switch. Worried about Touch ID? Mophie’s scratch-resistant membrane that covers the screen will still allow you to leverage that feature. What’s more, priority-charging tech makes sure your phone charges before the case when plugging in is unavoidable. If you’re itchin’ to snag one, the Mophie H2PROTM is available for pre-order now for $130 and it’s schedule to ship later this month. Unfortunately, there’s no word on an iPhone 6 Plus option just yet.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Mobile
Source: Mophie (1), (2)
Dropbox for iOS will create Microsoft Office files from scratch
If you’ve ever wanted to start a report on your iPhone and save it straight to Dropbox, you’re in luck. The cloud storage outfit is rolling out an iOS update in the next few weeks that allows you to create Microsoft Office documents and save them online, not just edit them. The upgrade will also let you comment on files from the iOS app. And if you just can’t wait to try something new, the latest version packs a redesigned home view that focuses on your recently opened files. There’s no mention yet of corresponding Android releases, but those are undoubtedly in the pipeline.
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Internet, Mobile
Source: App Store
Schwing! ‘SNL’ app adds AirPlay and Android support
Since it launched in February I’ve been a pretty big fan of the Saturday Night Live app, and the latest update should make it quite a bit better. Now there’s native iPad support (hooray!) in addition to it being available on Android devices. NBC’s also gone back and remastered some of the old sketches, added around 400 more (including some of the late Phil Hartman’s “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” bits) and tossed AirPlay support in so you can watch the clips via an Apple TV. Curiously, Chromecast beaming is still missing in action, but at least now you can text the new Church Lady emoji to let a pal know they’re speeeecial.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Google Play, NBC, iTunes
These surrealist games melt more than clocks
Some say surrealism was the most influential art movement of the past century and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s had an effect on video game developers too. The games you’ll find below weren’t made by Salvador Dalí or M.C. Escher, but the influence those mind-bending artists had is unmistakable. And it’s not just limited to endless staircases or clocks melting off the side of a ledge (although those make appearances) in indie games, either. Dream-like visuals and landscapes have dotted the world of blockbuster games too — not even God of War 3 was immune when it released in 2010. Let’s take a mind-bending trip together in the gallery below, shall we?
AIVAnet 