Weekly Roundup: Instagram Direct, Jawbone Up24 review, Samsung’s EMC lab and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Qualcomm’s Raj Talluri on wearables
Engadget sat down with Qualcomm SVP of Product Management, Raj Talluri, earlier this week to chat about the company’s Toq smartwatch. Click through to read the rest of the story.
Jawbone Up24 review
Jawbone’s latest fitness tracker, the Up24, touts much-needed upgrade: wireless syncing. But is that improvement enough to win back the hearts of those disappointed by the original Up’s performance? Click the link for our review and find out.
Instagram Direct announced
CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, took the stage at a New York press event last week to announce Instagram Direct. This new feature allows users to limit certain videos and photos to groups of up to 15 friends. Follow the link for all the details.
Samsung’s EMC lab (video)
Engadget’s Mat Smith took a stroll through Samsung’s EMC lab where future products are tested for interference levels. Click on through for the video tour.
Microsoft set to launch first original programming for Xbox One in early 2014
Microsoft hopes its first wave of original TV programming for Xbox One will be out in early 2014, the company’s president of entertainment and digital, Nancy Tellem, tells Variety. At the latest, Redmond is hoping to have its original content out by the second quarter. She went on to say that the initiative has taken longer than expected and that the company is neither Netflix or Amazon. Her division is in the process of securing exclusives and trying to figure out whether the content is “best on Xbox or only on Xbox” when it comes to interactive functionality. Whether the first round of shows includes the previously-announced Spielberg-produced Halo series or something involving street soccer remains to be seen, but from the sounds of it, it won’t be long until we find out.
Tellem says Microsoft is keeping millenials in mind when it comes to how programming is consumed, whether it’s through multitasking or on-demand content that’s available whenever someone has the time to watch. The goal isn’t to redefine the TV viewing experience, it’s to evolve it, she tells Variety. If Microsoft’s original programming model with Xbox Video sounds familiar, that’s because the likes of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are all leading the charge on their own streaming services. For more from Tellem, be sure to check out Variety’s piece.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Variety
SlingPlayer app arrives for Windows 8, costs $15 after free trial runs out
If you happen to own a Slingbox media streamer and a Windows 8.1/RT device, it’s your lucky day. After announcing last month that a SlingPlayer app for Windows was on the way, it’s now in the Windows Store, ready for download. Like the iOS and Android versions, which have been out for quite some time, users can take advantage of mobile DVR control and watch either live or recorded TV on their device. Slingbox owners will receive a free, 24-hour trial, but will need to cough up $15 to continue using it.
Source: Slingbox, Windows Store
Skype brings picture in picture video calls to Android tablets
For Skype’s latest Android update, the company turned to an unlikely source of inspiration: parent company Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 OS. Specifically, the Skype team wanted to achieve a Snap View-like feature for Android tablet users and that’s just what’s rolling out to users today. The new picture-in-picture option allows callers to continue browsing the web, reading email or even playing Candy Crush on their slates while they video chat away. A new pinch to browse alphabetically feature has also been bundled into the update, making it far easier to locate contacts without endlessly scrolling through a list. Existing Skype users should see the update hitting their Android devices soon though, take note, smartphone users will only benefit from included stability and bug fixes. You can’t have it all, people.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Microsoft, Google
Source: Skype blog, Google Play
PlayStation 4 on top in November next-gen console sales according to NPD
Confirming what we already suspected, sales tracking firm NPD reports that the PlayStation 4 outsold the Xbox One in North America during November. As of latest numbers, the Playstation 4 is in 2.1 million homes compared to the Xbox One’s 2 million — a great start for both consoles and a paltry sales difference. Sony released a statement from SCEA head Jack Tretton, which said, “Demand continues to overwhelm supply, but we’re working hard to get PS4 units into the hands of customers throughout the holiday season.” The full statement is just beyond the break.
Xbox One, meanwhile, was apparently November’s “fastest selling console,” with around 101K sold each day of availability (November 22nd through November 30th). Since the PS4 was available starting on November 15th, and the Xbox One went on sale starting November 22nd, the Xbox One caught up in sales so quickly because of higher demand. Or as NPD puts it, “When looking at sales on an average per-week basis, Xbox One led PS4.” Last month’s Xbox One launch was also Microsoft’s most successful console launch on record, which Microsoft’s assuredly enjoying.
SCEA CEO and president Jack Tretton:
“PlayStation 4 sales in North America and worldwide have been incredibly strong since launch, culminating in PS4 being recognized as the largest console launch in history. In North America alone, more than one million PS4 units were sold in only 24 hours and we’re pleased NPD has reported that PS4 was the top selling next gen platform for both hardware and software in November. We are humbled by the passion and excitement demonstrated by gamers for PS4. Demand continues to overwhelm supply, but we’re working hard to get PS4 units into the hands of customers throughout the holiday season.”
Bing broadens Snapshot to include TED Talks, famous speeches and more straight from the results page
How do you improve adoption of a search engine? You make it so users never have to leave the results page, or so Microsoft’s latest Bing enhancements would suggest. With the bevy of new features Bing’s introduced today, users with an academic or historical bent can now get pretty much all the info they need directly from Snapshot, its preview window for queries. Searches for prominent people will now surface links to any famous speeches or TED Talks they’ve given, with content playing either from within that pane or just one-click away. Bing will also present users with online course listings for Universities, Wikipedia-sourced summaries for historic events and scientific theories, as well pertinent Animalia info (so you can figure out if that’s a husky or a wolf you’ve just adopted). In all, it seems like these search enhancements are geared towards the academic set. So, it’s good news if you’re the lazy collegiate type — now you don’t even have to open separate tabs.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft
Source: Bing Search Blog
Qualcomm COO reportedly added to Microsoft’s list of potential Ballmer successors
There are plenty of of high profile names currently being bandied about as potential successors to Steve Ballmer’s Redmond throne. Stephen Elop’s name has been on the tip of a lot of tongues, thanks in no small part to his past Microsoft experience. And just about a month ago, Reuters noted that Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s name had been added to the shortlist. Today Bloomberg‘s usual stable of “people familiar with the matter” note that Qualcomm’s COO Steve Mollenkopf has also joined the elite ranks. Certainly the chipmaker has the sort of mobile expertise Microsoft’s board is looking for during this ever-important transitional period. Of course the company isn’t talking about whether it’s considering asking the exec to leave sunny San Diego.
Filed under: Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Bloomberg
Microsoft joins the FIDO Alliance to put an end to passwords
The FIDO Alliance is on a roll: it already has support from heavyweights like Google and Lenovo in its quest to eliminate password-based sign-ins, and it’s now bringing Microsoft into the fold. The software pioneer is taking a seat at the Alliance’s board of directors, where it will help shape open authentication standards. Microsoft isn’t revealing what it would like to do with FIDO at this early stage, but it’s easy to see the company improving both its verification methods and Windows’ support for biometric readers. There are still gaps in the Alliance’s membership — Apple and Samsung aren’t involved, for instance. Still, Redmond’s involvement makes it clearer than ever that the group will have a lot of say over our future digital security.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Microsoft
Source: FIDO Alliance (PDF)
Microsoft uses eye tracking to argue that Google distorts search results
Google has already made a few concessions to please European antitrust regulators worried about fair placements in web search results. However, Microsoft doesn’t feel those sacrifices are good enough — and it claims to have scientific proof that more changes are necessary. One of the company’s astroturfing outfits, Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace, has commissioned an eye-tracking study which suggests that Google’s lower-profile sponsored links and map results still draw too much visual attention. “Organic” search results and alternative services get just a fraction of the eyeballs, the Initiative argues. While the data may be of some use to officials, we’d advise taking it with a giant grain of salt — company-backed studies are rarely objective sources of information.
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft, Google
Via: GigaOM
Source: ICOMP
Microsoft rolls out tool that makes it easier to switch to Outlook from Gmail
Microsoft has never made any bones about the fact that Outlook.com was designed to lure users away from Gmail. Heck, the company said as much at launch, and even went out of its way to note that a third of its first 60 million users came over from Google. That’s a good start, but it’s clear Microsoft wants an even bigger piece of the pie: the outfit is introducing a tool that will make it even easier for new Outlook users to import their Gmail messages, contacts and folders. With this new feature, Microsoft can copy your emails from Google, marking them as either read or unread, depending on whether you got a chance to read them over on the Gmail side. The import tool also preserves your existing folder setup — something Outlook didn’t do when it first launched. Finally, you’ll still be able to send emails from your Gmail account, even from within the Outlook.com interface.
Granted, some of these things have been possible for a while now; they just haven’t been as intuitive. For instance, you could already forward new Gmail messages, and also transfer over older emails. But, says Dawn Martynuik, Director of Outlook, because this new tool is built on the IMAP standard it should be easier to use. So, if you’re one of the reported one in four users (according to Microsoft) who would switch email providers if it were less of a hassle, you might want to look into it. The tool is rolling out now, but be warned: Microsoft says it could take a few weeks before everyone sees this import option in their settings.
AIVAnet 