Cyanogen Inc. founder says company isn’t focusing on Android apps
Cyanogen Inc.’s co-founder, Steve Kondik, says the company isn’t “pivoting to apps” despite reports that it’s laying off 20 percent of its staff to change focus. However, Kondik didn’t deny the job cuts in his post on the CyanogenMod blog and even admitted that the company had its “share of stuff which just didn’t work at all.” Unfortunately, that also means he didn’t discuss what’s next for the company or clarified what’s going on behind the scenes, though he promised to post more info on its website soon.
What he did say is that Cyanogen Inc. will continue sponsoring CyanogenMod’s development, which makes sense since Kondik is also the person behind the community project. The Android-based open source mobile platform is a separate entity from the retail variant Inc. offers its customers. While it has always been maintained by a community of developers, Cyanogen Inc. plays and, from the sound of things, will continue to play “an active role in its development.”
Source: CyanogenMod
Hailo gets help from car giant Daimler to take on Uber
With ridesharing services becoming more popular by the day, car makers are starting to take notice. General Motors has already sunk $500 million into Lyft, Volkswagen ploughed $300 million into Gett and Daimler quietly boosted its portfolio when it nabbed MyTaxi and RideScout in 2014. In a bid to expand its presence in Europe, Sky News reports that Daimler — owner of Mercedes-Benz — will today announce a merger between MyTaxi and Hailo as part of a new strategic investment designed to take on Uber.
Over the past two years, Hailo, which rose to prominence as one of the first services to let Londoners hail a black cab, has struggled to compete in a market dominated by Uber. The company launched a private car service, but scaled back its plans following a backlash from black cab drivers, and attempted to crack America ended up pulling out months later.
With a renewed focus on black cabs, Hailo has been seeking a strategic investor. Now it’s found one. The news will please the company’s existing investors, which include entrepreneur Richard Branson and equity firms Accel and Wellington Partners, but the deal will also allow Daimler to court drivers of Hailo and MyTaxi cars, allowing it to supply vehicles to its operators as inner-city car usage declines.
Source: Sky News
Google updates Nexus phones with spam call protection
The FCC gets more complaints over spam calls than anything else, and recently told telecom companies to block them for free. Until that happens, Google has made it easier for Nexus or AndroidOne device owners to see if a call is spam and block it, thanks to an update to its phone app. If you have caller ID enabled on those devices, spam or robo-calls will pop up with a red screen and warning that says “suspected spam caller.” After taking or rejecting the call, you can either block the number or report that it’s legit if Google flagged it in error.
Even if Google doesn’t mark a call as spam, you can report it as such from the “recent calls” screen and block it. Nexus devices already have caller ID that shows companies using Google My Business listings, and references directories to show caller info from work or school accounts. For those features to work, Google notes that “your phone may need to send information about your calls to Google,” presumably it can add the info to a database.
Google is actually late to this game, as Samsung’s Galaxy S7 has offered caller ID and spam protection since February thanks to an alliance with Whitepages. However, spammers are nothing if not determined, and can still get through using tricks like call spoofing. Until telcos start blocking them at the source as the FCC has requested, you’re still going to get spammed, even with Google and Samsung’s help. The update should roll out to your Nexus or AndroidOne device soon, or you can sideload the APK here, provided you have Android 6.0 or greater.
Source: Nexus (Google+)
Ofcom orders BT to make Openreach a ‘legally separate company’
Ofcom has drawn up a plan to further distance BT and its subsidiary, Openreach, without breaking them up entirely. The UK regulator is now proposing that Openreach, which manages the bulk of the nation’s broadband and telephone infrastructure, become “a legally separate company” within the BT Group, with its own board and directors. Most of these appointments would, under Ofcom’s vision, be non-executives and “not affiliated to (the) BT Group in any way.” They would, however, be selected and removed by BT, following consultation with Ofcom.
The new divide would be emphasised by Openreach’s CEO. Under the new proposals, Clive Selley would answer to the new Openreach board, rather than anyone at BT. “There should be no direct lines of reporting from Openreach executives to (the) BT Group, unless agreed by exception with Ofcom,” the regulator suggests. In addition, all Openreach employees would be exactly that — employees of Openreach, not the BT Group. Drawing a line here would, according to Ofcom, allow the new company to create its own corporate culture and branding, offering another form of perceived separation both to enterprise customers and the general public.
“This model would provide Openreach with the greatest degree of independence from BT Group that is possible without incurring the costs and disruption – to industry and consumers – associated with separating the companies entirely.”
Ofcom has offered this plan to incentivise fair, competitive investment in the UK’s sprawling network of telephone and broadband cables. Critics have long argued that Openreach and BT should be split in order to eliminate a perceived bias in the industry. Whether or not this bias is intentional, service providers such as Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone believe that Openreach is working in BT’s best interests. As a result, a deep, complex competition problem has emerged in the UK and, ultimately, limited the deployment and improvement of customer services.
Under the new proposals, Openreach would own its physical network. The change would, Ofcom hopes, give the new company greater influence over its budget and direction. “This model would provide Openreach with the greatest degree of independence from (the) BT Group that is possible without incurring the costs and disruption — to industry and consumers — associated with separating the companies entirely,” Ofcom said.
BT has, unsurprisingly, always been against the idea of spinning Openreach off. While Ofcom has stopped short of forcing a full separation, the company is still unhappy with the demands. In a statement, the TV, telephone and internet service provider offered a series of counterproposals which would, it claims, satisfy Ofcom’s original demands and findings, which were published back in February. They would, according to BT, also meet the criticisms of a report written by the UK’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which said the current setup is “sacrificing shareholder value and public benefits.”
Under the counterproposals, Openreach would create its own board with mostly independent members. It wouldn’t be a legally separate company, however, and its CEO would report to Gavin Patterson, BT Group’s CEO. “These changes will make Openreach more independent and transparent than it is today, something both Ofcom and (the) industry have requested,” he said. Ofcom is standing firm, however. In a statement, the regulator said it welcomes certain “elements” of BT’s counterproposal, but believes there are “important areas where it does not fully address our concerns.”
A long and arduous negotiation process will lieley follow. Ofcom believes it has the upper hand, however, as it’s warned BT that if Openreach doesn’t act more independently, it will “reconsider” whether the two “should be split into two entirely separate companies, under different ownership.”
Sky has now chimed in, supporting Ofcom’s new proposals but emphasising that it would have preferred a proper split. Jeremy Darroch, Group Chief Executive for Sky said: “Today’s proposal to create a legally separate Openreach is a step in the right direction, although (it) falls short of the full change that would have guaranteed the world-class broadband network customers expect and the UK will need. In particular, leaving Openreach’s budget in the hands of BT Group raises significant questions as to whether this will really lead to the fibre investment Britain requires.”
Source: Ofcom, BT, Sky
Google Maps Gets Cleaner Look and Orange ‘Areas of Interest’ Hotspots
Google Maps developers yesterday introduced some visual changes and subtle navigation aids for both desktop and iOS that aim to make it easier for users to explore the world around them.
The most immediately obvious visual changes include the removal of road outlines to make traffic and transit routes easier to delineate, as well as clearer typography for street names, points of interest, transit stations, and so on, making them more distinguishable.
Another, less obvious but significant change is the way Google Maps represents high density areas of interest – restaurants, bars, shops, and so on – which now appear as orange shaded hotspots on the map. As the video above demonstrates, zooming into an orange area brings more details into focus, allowing users to tap them for more information.
The new Maps also gains a more subtle and balanced color scheme to help users differentiate between man-made and natural topographic features, as well as identify places like hospitals, schools and highways more easily.
Google Maps is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
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Amazon Prime finally makes its way to India, 60-day trial available
Amazon has finally launched its Prime service in India. The service offers free (and unlimited) one-day and two-day delivery options across 100 cities in India, with no minimum order amount required for delivery.
There’s discounted same-day delivery options for Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and other cities as well. Prime also offers early access to Amazon’s lightning deals, as well as exclusive deals to members. At launch, Prime Video is not available in India, but Amazon notes that the service is coming soon.
Amazon is rolling out a 60-day trial if you’re interested in taking a look at what Prime has to offer, after which the service will cost ₹999 a year. There is an introductory price of ₹499 for the first year for those signing up for the trial now.
With a 60-day trial available, there’s absolutely no reason not to try Prime in India. Head to the link below to subscribe today.
See at Amazon
‘Battlefield’ TV show has an Oscar-winning executive producer
The Battlefield TV series is inching closer to fruition. Electronic Arts recently revealed that Michael Sugar, one of the producers behind last year’s Oscar-winner for Best Picture, Spotlight, will be working on the show. Along with production house Anonymous Content’s Ashley Zalta, Sugar will serve as executive producer. It’s also the first time Anonymous and Paramount TV have worked on a video game property. Previous projects include The Revenant, both seasons of True Detective and Mr. Robot. Suffice to say, there’s a lot of talent with the team that’s been announced so far.
The question is, will the program crib from the Mirror’s Edge TV show the way Battlefield 1 has from Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst? If you missed Spotlight last year during its theatrical run, it’s currently available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Electronic Arts
AT&T’s chief is heading up a robocall ‘strike force’
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson will lead a “strike force” that aims to combat robocalls. Apparently, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler didn’t only remind him last week that carriers like Ma Bell can and should offer free call blockers to their subscribers, he also asked the exec to head the new organization. As Consumerist noted, Stephenson once incorrectly said that the carrier can’t deploy call blockers without the FCC’s permission. The company’s latest blog post makes it clear, though, that the CEO has changed his tune.
While neither organization has revealed the strike force’s tasks in detail, AT&T’s post says it will lead the new group as it develops anti-robocall tools and solutions. The team will also tell the FCC what role the government can play in its operations.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a statement:
“Since giving consumers meaningful control over the calls and texts they receive will require collective action by the industry; I am gratified that AT&T will lead an industry strike force to develop an action plan for providing consumers with robust robocall-blocking solutions. Last week, I asked all the major phone companies to develop just such a plan; I strongly urge industry participants to join the effort and to produce conclusions within 60 days.”
AT&T also promises to adopt the newest caller ID verification standards as soon as they become available and to help in the strike force’s formation of a “Do Not Originate List.” That list will contain numbers of companies that tend to be impersonated by spammers and scammers overseas, so fake calls can be blocked before they even reach subscribers.
Via: The Consumerist
Source: AT&T
Nintendo’s ‘Miitomo’ app update reminds you it still exists
Nintendo’s debut smartphone game is making efforts to get you back into its weird and wonderful social world by offering more opportunities for wardrobe items and accessories without excessive in-app payments. According to an update teaser inside the Miitomo app itself, a new Candy Drop game will let you use all that accumulated candy (earned through in-game interactions and when you missed the good stuff in the original crane mini-games) for in-game upgrades. The greatly despised consolation prize finally has a use.
You could only use the candy currency to unlock extra answers from your buddies, while Game tickets, usually sparingly given out by the app as a bonus (and available as in-app purchases), are what’s needed to play for Nintendo-themed goods (or cat sweaters) for your avatar — until now. If you’ve built up quite the stockpile of candy, it’ll soon be time to go shopping.
Nintendo continues to add to the social game — its first for smartphones — but it didn’t sustain the boom in popularity after its launch. To be honest, it’s not really a typical game. The games maker’s association with smartphone hit Pokémon Go, meanwhile, is a little thinner, tied to its part ownership of both the Pokémon Company and Niantic. Truer Nintendo games (in the sense of what we’re used to playing) are expected later this year.
Source: Polygon
You can buy the Samsung Gear 360 camera at the Lollapalooza music festival
Lollapalooza will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the popular music festival this weekend by joining in the virtual reality trend, with some help from Samsung. That includes offering festival goers a chance to buy the Samsung Gear 360 camera.
Samsung will sell a limited number of its Gear 360 cameras at Lollapalooza for the price of $349.99. There’s no word on exactly how many camera units will be available but we would guess that “limited” means exactly that. Samsung is still not offering any information on when the camera will be available to the general public.
Here’s what else the company has in mind for their sponsorship of the festival, which will be held in Chicago from July 28-31:
- VR-Palooza – This year, Samsung is introducing VR-Palooza, an interactive and entertaining VR experience where festival-goers can livestream musical performances from the Samsung Stage using Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus, and participate in all-new 360-degree VR experiences, including 4D VR surfing, skateboarding and hot air balloon attractions.
- The Galaxy Lounge – The Galaxy Lounge near the Samsung Stage will be the ultimate VIP experience for Galaxy owners, featuring a series of surprise appearances, pop-up performances and meet & greets with the latest Samsung technology at the core of the experience.
- Samsung Pay Vending Machines – The Samsung Pay vending machine, located in VR-Palooza, will reward Samsung Pay users with a chance to win upgrades and perks to their festival experience – including festival gear, Samsung products, and more. Samsung Pay is the most widely accepted mobile payment system helping customers slim down their wallets.
- Lollapalooza in New York City – For fans not in Chicago, Samsung 837 will host an immersive experience in New York City featuring a special performance on Thursday, July 28 with Years & Years, a band also performing at the festival. The evening will feature Chicago-inspired eats, exclusive VR content focusing on the 25-year history of Lollapalooza and streams of performances from the Samsung Stage at Lollapalooza in VR.
Check out our Samsung Gear 360 review
