NBC’s iOS app can now send shows to your TV, sort of
The big US broadcasters like to tout the strength of their mobile TV apps, but actually viewing the apps’ content on a TV has frequently proven elusive. That’s a rather glaring omission, don’t you think? Some credit is due to NBC, then, as it recently updated its iOS app with AirPlay support. Unfortunately, it’s pretty basic at this stage. All you can do is turn on AirPlay mirroring and beam whatever is on your mobile device’s screen — you’re out of luck if you’d like to see optimized videos, let alone do something else on your iOS gear while you watch. Still, it’s good to see NBC catch up on features that services like Hulu have had for quite a while.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD
Source: App Store
One of the iPhone’s original interface designers is leaving Apple
Greg Christie may have played a key role in developing the first iPhone, but he won’t be hanging around Apple for much longer. The company has partly confirmed a 9to5 Mac report that the high-profile interface designer is leaving the company later this year after nearly two decades of working at 1 Infinite Loop. Just why he’s hanging up his badge isn’t certain. The 9to5 story contends that Christie and senior design VP Jony Ive had a “falling out” over iOS 7′s design direction, prompting Christie to head for the exit. An Apple spokesperson, however, says that the executive has been “planning to retire” and notes that he “worked closely with Jony for many years.” If there are any sour grapes involved, it’s not apparent from Cupertino’s official position.
Regardless of who’s right, the departure may have a big impact on Apple’s future design strategy. As the VP in charge of the Human Interface team, he has significant sway over the look and feel of both iOS and OS X. His retirement may be a significant loss similar to that of Scott Forstall in 2012. However, it’s not necessarily a turn for the worse. If Jony Ive will soon have greater control over interface design, as 9to5 claims, Apple’s hardware and software teams may work together more often — a potentially important move when the company has already said that it’s expanding into new product categories.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Software, Mobile, Apple
Source: Financial Times, 9to5 Mac
iPhone 5s Demand Wanes in China, While Interest in iPhone 6 Accelerates [iOS Blog]
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White is touring China and reports to investors that demand for the iPhone 5s in the Asian country is disappointing, while interest in Chinese brands like Xiaomi is on the rise. This cool sentiment towards the iPhone may change when an iPhone 6 model with a larger screen arrives later this year.
Interest in a large-screened iPhone model among Chinese vendors and carriers is reportedly very high, possibly making the next iPhone launch a “special” one for Apple.
In the near term, we sensed disappointment around demand for the iPhone 5S. That said, we heard great enthusiasm around the potential for Apple to introduce a larger iPhone form factor in China this year with the iPhone 6. In our view, the iPhone 6 with a larger screen (e.g., 4.7-inch, 5.5-inch) has the potential to meaningfully accelerate Apple’s growth trajectory in China during 2H:14. We have not heard this type of excitement in China around the iPhone in at least two years and thus we believe this could be a very special iPhone launch for Apple.
China has been a focus of Apple in recent years, with the company opening new retail stores and bringing both the iPhone and the iPad to wireless carriers in the Asian country. This year alone Apple has introduced a TD-LTE version of the iPad and launched both the iPhone 5s and 5c with China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile carrier with approximately 772 million subscribers.
Apple’s next iPhone model is expected to arrive in two display sizes, with one near 4.7 inches and the other at approximately 5.5 inches. The 4.7-inch model may debut this fall, while the 5.5-inch is rumored to land sometime in 2015.
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IFTTT update outfits iPads, tacks on push notifications
IFTTT’s (If This Then That) recipes automate your apps and other tech tasks to make things a breeze, and the latest update allows the software to play nice on more than just that iPhone. Version 2.0.0 of the application tacks on full support for the iPad. There’s also the ability to assign an IFTTT recipe to beam a push notification to your device, so you’ll know when David Ortiz hits a home run or if you’ll need to pack a raincoat in the morning. Of course, you’ll want to check those application settings so that you’re not duplicating efforts here. What’s more, new recipe collections and a location-specific Photos Trigger have been throw in as well. If your trusty iOS device hasn’t alerted you to the update just yet, venture over to the source link and nab it up.
Filed under: Software
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: IFTTT (iTunes), (Blog)
Which gadget changed your life?
When we ask readers like you to help us rank the top gadgets, we usually focus on the best (and sometimes the worst). Recently, you selected our Readers’ Choice winners for the 2013 Engadget Awards, but in the spirit of our 10th birthday, we wanted to try something a little different.
Do you have a gadget that’s changed your life? Perhaps you made a leap from the LG enV VX9900 feature phone to the mystifying world of smartphones and scooped up an iPhone 3GS (like this author did in 2009). Or when you decided to move to the other side of the world and your Mom bought a Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 to keep in touch and see your darling face over Skype.
Whatever it was, we want to know what gadget it was for you. It can be as simple as the gadget that made your everyday routine better or something a little more sentimental. In the form below, please try to use the proper name of the gadget and the version (for example, “Kindle DX” tells us more than simply “Kindle“). If you’d like, share with us why you chose this gadget and your Twitter handle.
In about two weeks, we’ll sort through the results out and showcase five of the most life-changing gadgets from the last 10 years. (If you have a picture of this gadget, share it on Twitter or Instagram, tagged #Engadget10 — we’ll be posting some of our favorites.)
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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Alt
iWork upgrade lets you share read-only documents
Apple isn’t letting the launch of Office for iPad go completely unanswered. It’s pushing out a slew of iWork updates that might not keep Microsoft awake at night, but should fill in a few conspicuous feature gaps. You can now share read-only documents, for one thing — you no longer have to worry that others will mess with a Pages report. You can also open iWork documents from iCloud webmail, and there’s a host of cross-app improvements that include a new editor tab and the option of modifying imported charts. All the upgrades are available on iCloud, iOS and the Mac, so you can check out the many, many tweaks for yourself.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Software, Apple
Via: 9to5 Mac
Source: iWork for iCloud, App Store
Ultrakam lets your iPhone capture higher resolution film-like video clips
While Sony and Samsung are busy making phones with 4K recording capabilities, one developer has worked its pixel magic to get more from iPhone cameras. Ultrakam is the first iOS app capable of recording “2K” resolution with a film-like 24p frame rate, letting iPhone 5s owners shoot 2240 x 1672 pixel video (around 75 percent more pixels than regular HD) to output higher-quality footage than the default camera app. There’s support for the iPhone 5 and 5c, as well as the the iPad mini, iPad Air and iPad with Retina display, but the app is limited to high-definition and “2K” at 20fps on “older” devices.
Including an array of settings and various shooting modes that allow you to record higher bit-rate video and audio, with a minute of footage consuming up to 3GB of storage on max settings (expect that 64GB iPhone 5s to fill up fast), Ultrakam is primarily aimed at filmmakers. However, there’s plenty of neat features for regular users to show off their talent. It offers slow motion video, but again the iPhone 5s has all the fun, as it supports slow motion capture at 120fps over the iPhone 5′s 60fps. You can slow down your recordings by up to 10x if you choose the lowest preset. The app also supports timelapse shooting, offering custom configurations that will snap high resolution photos at set intervals, combining them to output a high-quality landscape. Once you’ve shot your footage, Ultrakam’s built-in player and editing tools let you play video, generate stills, color correct and share them with ease. Ultrakam is available on the App Store for $6.99 — a little more costly than your regular camera app, but the extra quality and advanced features may justify the price.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Via: The Next Web
Source: Ultrakam, (App Store)
Weekends with Engadget: the future of Oculus Rift, new HTC One review and more!
Welcome to Weekends with Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines from the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. For even more news, subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
Can Oculus survive the Facebook effect?
Earlier this week, the internet responded to Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR with a swift fury. But it’s not all bad news. Our own Marc Perton points out, the deal doesn’t change the essence of the Oculus Rift, or its potential for non-gaming applications.
HTC One review (2014): a great phone, but no longer a game-changer
HTC’s new One is official, and it’s quite the looker. With a sleek unibody chassis reminiscent of last year’s model, the new One packs a larger 5-inch screen, and a brand new version of its Sense UI. What’s more, the handset is one sale in the US today, starting at $199 for the 16GB version.
iTunes Radio now streams the news, thanks to NPR
Last week, NPR announced that it joined iTunes Radio as the music streaming service’s first news channel. It may be the exclusive station for iDevice users at the moment, but we expect that won’t last for long.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review (2014): new, but not necessarily improved
The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon brings everything Lenovo fans loved about the original X1 Carbon, just in a lighter, slimmer package. Some users, however, may not enjoy its new “adaptive panel,” which replaces the traditional Fn keys. You can pick one up for $1,259, but be warned: the X1 Carbon has the shortest battery life in its class.
Turkish government bans YouTube following attempt to remove corruption videos
The Turkish government has struck again, this time banning YouTube in what appears to be an attempt to remove videos that contain evidence of political corruption. At this point, the restriction is active on several ISPs and continues to roll out.
San Francisco Giants (and most of MLB) adopt Apple’s iBeacon for an enhanced ballpark experience
The iBeacon is a small Apple device that boosts iPhone location services through Bluetooth — and the San Francisco Giants are outfitting their entire stadium with the tech. For the Giants, as well as 19 other MLB teams following suit, the iBeacon is yet another way to bring mobile interaction with fans to the next level.
Facebook: A visual history
Mark Zuckerberg’s social network turned 10 this year, so we took a look back at its design changes over the course of the decade. From profile redesigns to quarterly News Feed tweaks and open betas, constantly adapting aesthetics to catering to user habits has been a driving force for Facebook for quite some time.
Office for iPad review: three beautiful apps, each with strong competition
After quite a few leaks, Microsoft officially outed its Office for iPad offering. Those curious to try it out will need an Office 365 subscription in order to opt in and OneDrive for cloud accessibility, making it an optimal choice for those already invested in Redmond’s wares. Click through for all of the details in our full review.
This is what Facebook could look like on Oculus Rift (video)
As you’re probably aware, Facebook dropped $2 billion on Oculus VR with the intent to bring “completely new kinds of experiences” to us all. And while that leaves much to the imagination, Chaotic Moon studios has an idea of what that could look like.
NSA spied on Huawei founder’s emails to implicate him as a Communist Party insider
The New York Times managed to get a glimpse of documents suggesting that the NSA was hacking into the email account of Huawei founder, Ren Zhengfei. Apparently the government has been creating “back doors” in the company’s systems since 2009.
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Filed under: Misc
BlackBerry wins sales injunction against Typo’s familiar-looking keyboard case
It’s been a tough week for Ryan Seacrest: first, American Idol ratings hit an all-time low, and now, a judge has ruled against his iPhone accessory company in court. BlackBerry has won a court order that bars Typo from selling its very familiar physical keyboards after convincing a judge that the products might’ve infringed on its patents. As Bloomberg reports, the presiding judge said that the Canadian smartphone manufacturer is “likely to prevail” on the infringement claims, and that Typo hasn’t done much to prove that BlackBerry’s patents were invalid. The judge continued to show no quarter by out-and-out dismissing Typo’s worries that a temporary sales ban could put the company under. If you were on the fence before, maybe this will be the push to grab a Typo while you still can.
We are proud of our keyboard & will protect it. “#BlackBerry wins court order barring sales of #Typo” http://t.co/5x56g42iFQ
– BlackBerry News (@BlackBerryNews) March 29, 2014
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Via: BlackBerry News (Twitter)
Source: Bloomberg
Study shows which Android and iOS versions are most likely to crash apps
If you’ve ever argued that your new smartphone is more reliable than what you’re replacing, you now have some evidence to back up your claims. Crittercism has posted a study showing that apps running in newer versions of Android and iOS (such as KitKat and iOS 7.1) are considerably less likely to crash; you’re practically inviting headaches if you stick with a phone running Gingerbread or iOS 6. The research also suggests that the Galaxy S 4 and iPhone 5 are the most trustworthy devices, while tablets of all kinds are relatively crash-happy. The findings aren’t shocking when both Apple and Google have both spent years fixing bugs, and it’s notable that the study only covers crashes with third-party apps — they don’t address first-party software glitches. Still, this data is as good an excuse as any to upgrade an aging handset stuck on an old platform.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Google
Via: GigaOM
Source: Crittercism (DocumentCloud)
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