Microsoft’s earnings show its future is in the cloud
While Microsoft’s phone business remains in freefall, its cloud offerings are stronger than ever. For the fourth fiscal quarter of 2016, the company’s Intelligent Cloud (which covers all of its cloud services) revenue jumped seven percent compared to last year, reaching $6.7 billion. Its Azure Cloud, which competes directly against the almost ubiquitous Amazon Web Services, also continued its strong growth for the past year with more than double the revenue (102 percent growth) compared to last year.
But, as we saw for the last few quarters, Microsoft’s mobile business is going nowhere fast, falling another 71 percent from the previous year. That led to a four percent earnings decline for Microsoft’s More Personal Computing division. Otherwise, that group remains a strong area for Microsoft, with Surface revenue up 9 percent, Xbox Live monthly active users growing 33 percent (reaching over 49 million) and Windows non-Pro revenue to manufacturers growing 27 percent.
Microsoft’s overall revenue for the quarter came in at $20.6 billion, with profits of $3.1 billion. That’s down from the $22.1 billion in earnings the company reported a year ago. It’s also projecting that its annualized revenue run rate for cloud products (a calculation for the next year’s performance) will be more than $12.1 billion.
The earnings report is particularly interesting for Microsoft, as it’s the first since its $26 billion LinkedIn purchase. That was Microsoft’s largest deal ever, and despite making plenty of synergistic sense, many considered it a curious move for a company that’s trying to double-down on its productive relevance.
Source: Microsoft
The LG Action Cam LTE is available to South Korea today
The LG G5 has a lot of expensive “Friends.” The Korean manufacturer’s series of accessories meant to be used with the phone have included to date a VR headset, camera grip, 360 camera and Hi-Fi audio module. The latest to join the fold is the LG Action Cam LTE.
The camera is meant for rugged exploration, with IP67 water-proofing (as well as dust and sand) that means you can leave it under water up to one meter for 30 minutes and still use it afterward. With a Snapdragon 650 processor, 2GB RAM, 4GB of storage, and a 1/2.3-inch 123 MP wide angle camera, it’s as powerful as it is good for taking on the go.
If you’re the type to share the video you capture while out doing water stunts or rock climbing or something equally physical, the camera supports LTE and 3G so you can stream using YouTube Live or other streaming services. This way you can skip the whole uploading step and broadcast live, whatever it is that you’re doing.
The camera is coming out today in South Korea, but according to LG a release in other market will be announced in the “weeks to come.”
Via: 9To5Google
Apple Releases Safari 10 Developer Beta 3 for OS X Yosemite and El Capitan
Apple today released the third developer beta of Safari 10 for OS X Yosemite and OS X El Capitan users, allowing those who don’t yet want to install the macOS Sierra operating system to test out the upcoming Safari update.
The third Safari 10 beta for Yosemite and El Capitan can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store for those who installed the first two Safari 10 betas.
As in previous betas, Safari 10 for Yosemite and El Capitan does not include all of the features that are available or will be available in macOS Sierra, like Apple Pay on the web and Picture in Picture support, but the Safari 10 functions listed below are available.
– Safari Extensions
– New Bookmarks sidebar, including double-click to focus in on a folder
– Redesigned Bookmarks and History views
– Site-specific zoom
– Improved AutoFill from your Contacts card
– Reader improvements
– HTML5 and legacy Plug-ins
– Allow reopening of recently closed tabs
– Back closing spawned tabs
– Improved ranking of Frequently Visited Sites
– Web Inspector Timelines Tab
– Debugging using Web Inspector
With OS X El Capitan, Safari 10 also supports the development of Safari App Extensions, allowing developers to start creating extensions that will eventually be sold through the Mac App Store. Also unique to El Capitan is Spotlight suggestions for Top Hits.
Safari 10 will be released this fall alongside macOS Sierra.
Tag: Safari
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Apple Stores Promoting Apple Pay With Bonus $5 iTunes Gift Cards
In Apple retail stores in the United Kingdom and the United States, Apple is running a promotion to encourage its customers to sign up for Apple Pay this week.
When making a purchase in store, Apple employees will ask customers if they would like to pay via Apple Pay. If a customer declines and does not have Apple Pay set up, employees will guide customers through the setup process to make the purchase and will offer a bonus $5 or £5 iTunes gift card for using Apple Pay as their payment method.
The $5 iTunes gift card is available for any purchase made in an Apple Store, whether purchasing an accessory, an Apple product, or an iTunes/Apple Store gift card. Should a customer need to return a product within the return period, the iTunes gift card will still be theirs to keep as a reward for having set up Apple Pay.
Apple’s promotion comes just as Apple Pay has expanded to its eighth country, France. Apple Pay is now available in the United States, the UK, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, and France, with availability planned for Hong Kong and Spain later in 2016.
In the near future, Apple Pay will see a major expansion as it becomes available for purchases made on the web on iOS devices and Macs.
Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Cricket will sell the Alcatel Idol 4 on Aug. 5 for $200 with free VR goggles
AT&T’s no-contract subsidiary Cricket Wireless will begin selling the Alcatel Idol 4 on August 5 for $199.99. It will be bundled with free VR goggles.
Here’s a quick look at the features of the Alcatel Idol 4:
- Brilliant 5.2″ Full HD display gives users clear viewing from any angle – even in direct sunlight
- Octa-core processing power and 4G LTE speed
- Powerful dual cameras, with flash and wide-angle imaging
- Dual 3.6-watt multi-directional speakers, enhanced by Waves Audio Technology
- Bundled with free exclusive Virtual Reality Goggles for 360° viewing and gaming
- OS: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
- Battery: 2610 mAh
- Memory: Up to 16GB internal storage (microSD card slot up to 512 GB)
- Camera: Rear 13MP with flash and 1080p video recording, front: 8 MP with flash & wide-angle lens
Owners can access VR content with the goggles via the phone’s Alcatel VR Store or from VR content pioneer Littlstar. The Alcatel Idol 4 is available with all of Cricket’s smartphone plans.
Watch Phil tonight on TWiT.tv’s ‘All About Android’
Our own fearless leader Phil Nickinson will be the special guest on TWiT.TV’s live video podcast “All About Android” tonight at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT).
Phil will likely be discussing a ton of Android news that has come up in the past few days with the shows’s hosts Jason Howell, Florence Ion, and Ron Richards, including the release of the fifth and final Developer Preview of Android 7.0 Nougat, more rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and more.
Check out All About Android at TWiT.tv
Check out the live streaming of the show tonight
Introducing Go Time — a Pokémon Go podcast!
Sure on a technical level Pokemon Go is neat, but on a personal level it’s something entirely new.
We’ve talked a lot about Pokémon Go recently. Some of you love it, a lot of you wish we’d be a little less excited about it, but the fact is there’s a ton of people playing this game and many of us are actually enjoying the game. We’ve made new friends, had new adventures, explored parts of our cities we otherwise never would have, and in some ways become healthier human beings. Outside of the technical merits to the game or the explosive popularity, it’s just plain fun to get out and enjoy something with new people.
It’s a fun conversation to have, and we’re going to keep having it in a slightly different format. Welcome to Go Time — a Pokémon Go Podcast!
Go Time is a weekly podcast featuring one person from Instinct, Mystic, and Valor sharing their experiences, talking about adventures in the Pokémon Go community, and of course any strategies or tips we encounter along the way. If that’s something you’re interested in, here’s where you can find us!
- Google Play
- Soundcloud
- iTunes
- Or add us to your podcatcher of choice!
You can also join our Facebook page to keep up on all things Pokémon Go. See you in the world!
Pokémon Go
- Join our Pokémon Go forums!
- How to deal with GPS errors in-game
- Which team should you choose?
- How to play without killing your battery
- The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
- Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!
We’re giving away a Huawei Watch and an assortment of bands from StrapsCo!
Smart watches are cool, and they’re even better when you can customize them to make them fit your lifestyle and personality. Leather, nylon, mesh, or rubber, thick or thin, sporty, vintage, or classy; there are styles to suit every imaginable taste. We’ve teamed up with StrapsCo to give one of you a new Huawei Watch and an assortment of bands! Read on and see how to get yourself entered!
THE PRIZE One grand prize winning Android Central reader will be taking home a brand new Huawei Watch plus selection of StrapsCo bands for it! Two runners-up will receive a selection of StrapsCo bands for the android wear watch of their choice.
THE GIVEAWAY Head down to the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Keep in mind that all winning entries are verified and if the task was not completed or cannot be verified, a new winner will be chosen. The giveaway is open until August 2nd, and winners will be announced right here shortly after the close date. Good luck!
We’re giving away a Huawei Watch and an assortment of bands from StrapsCo!
The Kafon Drone clears minefields 20 times faster than people
The manufacture, dissemination and use of anti-personnel mines were effectively banned in the late 1990s when 133 nations signed the Ottawa Treaty. But despite that international agreement, an estimated 100 million mines remain buried beneath former war zones where they kill or maim an average of 10 people per day. Using conventional methods — whether that involves detector animals, human deminers or armored vehicles — we’d need more than millennium to deactivate them all. The creators of this mine-hunting UAV, however, figure they can get it done in a little over a decade.
It’s called the Mine Kafon Drone (MKD) and its creators have just launched a Kickstarter campaign for its production. The MKD is a hexcopter with three interchangeable arms: a high resolution camera, a metal detector and a robotic arm. The drone first flies over the field and uses its camera to both create a 3D aerial map and mark potentially dangerous areas with GPS waypoints. Then, using its metal detector attachment, the MKD rescans the field looking for actual mines. It uses the 3D map it made in the previous step to keep the detector just 4 cm from the ground as it flies by. Any mines that it finds are geotagged for removal. To actually do that, the MKD attaches its gripper arm to drop a small, timed detonator atop the mine. Once the drone is safely out of range, the detonator explodes, setting off the mine underneath. Overall, the MKD’s creators estimate that this process can clear a minefield up to 20 times faster — and for 200 times less cost — than conventional methods.
The MKD team is trying to raise €90,000 to get the project going. A €17 donation will allow you to sponsor 7,500 square meter of mine field mapping. €75 earns you a miniature replica of the drone. €5,000 will get you an MKD of your very own, complete with robo-arm. That’s not a bad deal given that the final version of the drone is expected to retail for 4 times that amount — a whopping €20,000. Should the campaign reach its funding goal, MKDs could begin demining the world’s war zones as early as next June.
Source: Kickstarter
How to make your basement smart
Downstairs, in the basement, can be a great place to escape to. Your den can be full of fun, from a great TV to video games to the newest entertainment kid on the block – virtual reality.
The latter needs some space and perhaps the basement is the best for that, where there’s no dining table in the way. Your desk needs a bit of tech love too though, so there’s also a desk light that will never run out of light. Here are some excellent gadgets for making your basement smart.
Jake Dyson CSYS task light
Jake Dyson
Few things are more annoying in the basement than a bulb blowing when you’re in the middle of working on something urgent. And where did you put the spare bulb for that particular light, because it’s not with all the others? So why not choose a desk lamp that should never need this attention.
This lamp, also available in a floor-standing version, uses LED bulbs. These are long-lasting anyway, but according to Jake, son of the inventor Sir James Dyson, because of clever heat sink technology to keep them cool, the ones on this light will last 144,000 hours. Which is enough for anyone, surely? The arm pivots, slides and rotates cleverly so the light is exactly where you need it.
dyson.com
Tesla Powerwall
Tesla
Solar panels can be a great way to generate electricity, but you can’t always rely on the sun when you need it. This is a battery which is charged from solar panels ready for when you need it.
It can also be connected to the regular power supply, to be charged when utility rates are low, so you can use the power in the evening, say. It can also be used to power your house, or select appliances, in the event of a power outage.
teslamotors.com
Honeywell Lyric Wireless
Honeywell
Honeywell’s house protection has many features, including a camera. That’s handy for a room like the basement. Hear a noise late at night? The camera can snap a shot that you can see on your tablet or smartphone.
Want to know what the dog gets up to while you’re out? The Lyric lets you watch live video remotely and a speaker means it’ll let you shout “Get off the armchair now!”. Sadly, it can’t force the dog to comply. That’s down to your tone of voice.
yourhome.honeywell.com
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Amazon
You might have snuck a TV into the basement to make it a bit more den-like, but the cable, the TV aerial and none of the wiring reaches. In this case, why not try a box like the tiny Fire TV Stick which plugs into your screen’s HDMI socket and uses the Wi-Fi network to stream content.
If you team it with an Amazon Prime subscription, you have access to a wealth of TV programmes and movies at no extra cost. There are also apps which let you access CNN, HBO Now and lots more. It’s entirely portable so you can take it to a friend’s house, or even to use in some hotel TVs while you’re away.
amazon.com
Sony PlayStation 4
Sony
Where better to play games than while you’re down in the basement? It’s not taking up the family TV when they want to be watching Game of Thrones, for a start and you can play for as long as you want without being disturbed.
The PlayStation 4 is an incredibly advanced games machine with a wide range of titles from full-on actioners with gore and realism to platform games that demand a greater dexterity than you might think. Plus, since you can download games over Wi-Fi, you may never leave your den again.
playstation.com
HTC Vive
HTC
If you’ve got a decent-sized floor space in your basement, why not get into the latest, most exciting way to play games? That’s virtual reality and this is the brilliant Vive from HTC. A helmet goes over your head, with screens just in front of your eyes. Cables connect the helmet to your PC, and you’ll need quite a powerful one to go with the Vive.
Some of the games and experiences are eye-poppingly beautiful and utterly immersive. There are also clever safeguards to prevent you from walking into the wall that you can’t see because you’re roaming a different world – a mesh of squares appears as you approach the edge of the safe zone.
htcvive.com
The Honeywell Lyric Water Leak and Freeze Detector is an early warning system that notifies you on your smartphone when a leak is detected or the temperature drops below a temperature of your choice. By catching it early, you may be able to avoid expensive repairs and loss of treasured items. To find out more visit Honeywell.com
This article was created in association with Honeywell.
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