New emoji will include a woman with a headscarf
Unicode, the controlling group behind the emojis populating our phones and computers, has been working to make emoji more diverse in recent years. A whole host of skin colors have been added, and Google recently proposed adding more options for working women. In the latest draft of new proposed emoji for Unicode 10.0, there’s another sign of the times: the next emoji release should include a woman wearing a headscarf (known as a hijab when worn by Muslim women).
It’s a logical addition — for women who wear them, the hijab is a big part of their visual identity, and Unicode’s been working to make it so all people see themselves in the various options they offer. In addition to the face wearing a headscarf, there will also be two options showing the scarf as a loose item of clothing as well as in a “ghost” form where there isn’t a face visible.
There’s no word on when Unicode 10.0 will be released, but there are plenty of new emoji coming in the 9.0 release which is expected to arrive soon. Among those are a shruggie guy, facepalm and selfie emoji. One might argue the hijab should have been added before these, but at least it’s coming eventually. As for what else may arrive with 10.0, we can look forward to a flying saucer, a pretzel, some dinosaurs and a zombie, among many others.
Via: The Telegraph
Source: Unicode
Apple’s iOS support app surfaces in the Netherlands
Reports of an Apple support app began making the rounds a year ago and now it looks like the company may be close to an official launch. The software is now available in the Dutch App Store, but our editors have confirmed the switch hasn’t been flipped for iOS users in the US, UK or Hong Kong. We’ve reached out to Apple for more information on availability and we’ll update this post if we hear back.
The app serves up product information and tips to help with any minor issues. It also helps you schedule a repair appointment at an Apple Store or with an authorized third-party who can assist with a more serious problem. There’s also the ability to chat, email or schedule a call with a support technician. You can view your recent support history to keep track of things as well.
What’s more, the Apple Support app also lists all the devices tied to your account. If you’re not sure of an exact model number and other information someone will need to help you, you have easy access to those details with this new iOS software. The app will also help you find answers and articles that are specific to the products you own, which will hopefully cut down on time spent searching for a fix.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: App Store (Netherlands)
AT&T will downgrade mobile video streams by default next year
We have officially entered a world in which carriers think they’re doing us a favor by throttling video streams. AT&T today announced a new “feature” called Stream Saver that’ll automatically downgrade whatever video you’re streaming to standard definition 480p, or “DVD quality.” In early 2017, AT&T will turn Stream Saver on for all customers by default, though you’ll be able to opt-out of it through your account settings.
AT&T is correct in noting that your limited data plan will technically go further with this new setting, but it’s also easy to see it as a way for the company to ease congestion on its network without many of its less-informed customers even knowing what it is doing. AT&T also says that it’ll at least be notifying customers when this goes into effect and will include directions on how to disable it, but that’s still an annoyance for those that don’t want AT&T throttling their video streams.
In a lot of ways, Stream Saver bears similarities to what T-Mobile has been doing for some time — first with its controversial “Binge On” plan that automatically downgraded your video streams but didn’t count video data against your caps. More recently, T-Mobile did away with data caps entirely, but downgraded all video; to get back to HD quality you’d have to pay extra. At the very least it seems like AT&T’s service isn’t violating any net neutrality principles just yet, unlike T-Mobile’s Binge On. Here’s hoping AT&T makes it crystal clear what it is doing with its customer’s video when it rolls out.
Source: AT&T
Microsoft’s iOS app augments hues for color-blind folks
Color Binoculars landed on the App Store today, promising to infuse the real world with color for anyone with the three most common forms of color blindness. This isn’t the first app designed to help color-blind folks see a broader spectrum of colors, but it comes from two Microsoft software engineers (one of whom is color blind), and its straightforward filter method is simple to use.
The app uses the iPhone camera to adjust colors in a way that makes them easier to distinguish for color-blind people. The enhanced image shows up on the iPhone screen, allowing users to pick out flowers, choose matching outfits or take in the beauty of fall, for example.
Tom Overton and Tingting Zhu started working on Color Binoculars during Microsoft’s 2015 Hackathon and they finished it in the company’s Garage program, which helps experimental apps go public. Overton is color blind, so he was both a developer and the app’s main tester.
Tom Overton and Tingting Zhu (Image credit: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures)
“It’s an app that helps color blind people distinguish color combinations that they would normally have trouble telling apart,” Overton tells the Microsoft blog. “For example, since I have difficulty distinguishing between red and green, our app makes reds brighter and greens darker so that the difference is more obvious. It replaces difficult color combinations, like red and green, with more easily distinguishable combinations, like pink and green.”
Source: Microsoft
T-Mobile launches LTE for US forces at Guantanamo Bay
Despite President Obama’s first-term pledge to close it, the “Gitmo” Guantanamo Bay Naval Base remains open. It’s hard to believe, but the 5,500 military families and staff living there have never had cellular data coverage — until now. T-Mobile has expanded its 4G LTE coverage to the base by installing 11 new cell sites with LTE coverage. CEO John Legere says he’s “honored” to offer the service as part of the White House’s Joining Forces initiative.
Folks there have never been able to text or surf using cell data. “The new 4G LTE coverage is a huge boon to everyone at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay,” Captain David Culpepper told T-Mobile. John Legere and Co. reportedly took over from a small private company with “not very good” service, according to a Reddit commenter. “Lots of families on NAS Guantanamo here [and] connectivity is a pain … the facility is way more than just that [prison and camps], with lots of similar activities and things we get in the rest of the US,” says user “nps-ca.”
Gitmo residents get the same level of service as folks on the mainland, and a screenshot (above) shows healthy 38 Mbps upload and 26 Mbps download speeds. As of August, residents could buy postpaid and prepaid T-Mobile plans, along with smartphones and accessories, from a retail kiosk in the Navy Exchange store.
In a separate arrangement, T-Mobile recently started offering cellular roaming service in Cuba. That gives vacationing magenta customers access to text, mobile and data, thanks to a deal with the government-run Empresa De Telecomunicaciones De Cuba company.
Source: T-Mobile
Whatsapp starts rolling out two-factor authentication
Whatsapp is one of the biggest messaging services out there, so it’s a little surprising that it hasn’t supported two-factor authentication. That is, until now — as noted by Android Police, people using the beta version of Whatsapp are starting to see the option to turn on this extra security measure.
You’ll find option in the settings menu; when you turn it on, Whatsapp asks you to create a six-digit passcode that you’ll need to enter every time you try and log in to the service on a new device. You’ll also need to add an email address that you can use to reset your passcode in the event that you forget it.
Once that’s set up, the phone number associated with your Whatsapp account will be protected. Since Whatsapp logins are tied to a phone number rather than an email address, the usual method of texting a randomly generated authentication code to your phone won’t work here — hence the user-generated passcode. Either way, it’s good for the service to finally add a way to keep accounts more secure.
Source: Android Police
ICYMI: Neural net video can go from Monet to Matisse, live
Today on In Case You Missed It: Facebook’s latest AI tech, called Caffe2Go, can add painterly styles and colors over the top of your videos in real time, processing the changes from your smartphone. In other AI news, researchers at the University of St. Andrews used Google’s Project Soli tech to create a computer ‘eye’ that can identify objects it is placed up against. It does a great job too; able to tell what is an apple, orange, empty or full water glass or what body part it is looking at. Maybe “Where we’re going, we don’t need eyes to see” is because the computers can see for us.
Finally, we wanted to show you just one more AI project: it’s how Google is detecting where endangered sea cows are located, tracking them more easily than humans in boats can. If you’re into high-speed hijinks, check out Red Bull’s latest video. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
BT to roll out next-gen YouView TV update and app next year
With Sky Q growing in popularity and Virgin Media soon to unveil its new 4K set-top box, BT knows it needs to keep innovating its own TV offering or be left behind. That’s why it’s today announced a fresh round of updates for its YouView-powered platform and confirmed plans for a new mobile app, all of which will be available next year.
BT says its “next generation YouView TV service” will give customers the ability to quickly find the programmes they want and will put on-demand content front and centre thanks to its new image-rich navigation. Support for Dolby Atmos sound will also be added to BT Sport Ultra HD broadcasts in January, ensuring that all the big matches have audio to match those pixel-rich pictures.
The new BT TV app will build on the YouView update, extending that new design and usability to smartphones and tablets. The company notes that the app won’t launch until next summer, but it’ll include options to manage recordings and stream live and on-demand programmes, much like the Sky Q app does now.
Source: BT
Instagram chief confirms live video is coming to the platform
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom has confirmed to The Financial Times that the Facebook-owned company is bringing live videos to the photo-sharing app. Systrom said in the interview: “Live is really exciting for us. I think it can enhance what we’re doing. If I’m trying to strengthen relationships with someone I love, them streaming video to me live would be an amazing way to be closer to them.” The feature first surfaced last month as an experimental offering in Russia, where some users spotted an icon clearly marked “Live” next to a row of Instagram Stories.
Based on the screenshots posted by Russian publication T Journal, it’ll work similarly to Facebook Live. If you want to broadcast anything, you’ll have to fire up the camera and click “Go Insta!” Unfortunately, the users who got access to the experimental feature weren’t able to find out more than that, since clicking the icon marked “Live” brought them to an empty “popular live broadcasts” page. You might also have to a while before being able to find out yourself: Systrom didn’t exactly say when the feature will become available.
Via: Pocket-Lint
Source: The Financial Times (paywall)
Pinterest helps you keep tracks of things you’ve tried
You probably typically pin recipes and ideas you want to try or things you want to buy on Pinterest. Its new button, however, was designed to keep track of the things you’ve already bought or tested out. Now, when you want to share your feedback about a recipe or a DIY idea you found online, you can tap the new checkmark button on Pinterest’s menu to signify that you’ve already tried it. The app will then ask you how it went, and you can tap on either “Loved it” or “Not for me” and leave a note or tip for other users.
As TechCrunch noted, the new feature could lead to a collection of product reviews, which could benefit Pinterest’s Buyable Pins. These pins allow you to purchase products from within the website/app itself, turning Pinterest into a quasi-shopping portal instead of just a mood board. The company told TC that the new buttons will go live for the iOS and Android apps sometime this week and for the web in the coming weeks.
Via: UploadVR
Source: HTC
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