Android 4.4.3 update rolling out for AT&T HTC One M8 owners
Looks like there is an update headed to your HTC One M8 if you are using a AT&T branded version of the device. The firmware version coming down the pipeline is reportedly 2.23.502.3. It brings a long a number of security fixes and optimizations for your beloved M8. While you won’t find some fancy new visuals, it is still worth getting on the latest available update.
Like most OTA updates though, if you have root you might want to hold off for a bit. It is entirely possible that it will kill that for you. If you are just your average stock user though, have at that update button in your settings menu. Be sure you have over 50% battery life and some time to hover on a Wi-Fi connection as the update file size is said to come in at about 660MBs. I am sure it will be rolling out in stages too, so if you don’t see it right away keep an eye out for it.
T-Mobiles similar update started just last week and word on the street is that Verizon should be following suit sometime in mid-September.
Source: XDA via AndroidPolice
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Xbox One’s Kinect goes for $150 on its own October 7th
Ever since Microsoft cut its motion- and voice-sensor from the Xbox One package, the second version of Kinect has been in limbo. Sure, you could still get one if you shelled out $500 for the deluxe version of Xbox One, but there was no way to pick one up on its own. What if, say, a new Dance Central game for Xbox One were to be announced? Microsoft always said it would offer the device standalone, and now it’s got a release date and price: October 7th for $150 ($50 less than the Windows version, for those wondering). Even better: Kinect on Xbox One comes with the aforementioned new Dance Central game. Not a terrible nod to the most important third-party game studio making Kinect games.
Despite taking Kinect out of the box — mostly to stay competitive price-wise with Sony’s PlayStation 4, which is repeatedly besting the Xbox One in monthly sales — Microsoft says the standalone release is more evidence of the company’s belief in the sensor. “We believe Xbox One is better with Kinect,” Microsoft’s blog post reads, “offering unlimited possibilities.” Specifically, the company cites voice commands and Skype as the primary reasons for owning Kinect, in addition to calling out a handful of Kinect-enabled titles (Kinect Sports Rivals, Dead Rising 3, Project Spark).
The key here, Microsoft says, is choice. “We’re excited to offer you more choices for purchasing Xbox One — with Kinect, without Kinect for $399, bundled with games like Madden NFL 15 or Sunset Overdrive, or by adding the standalone Kinect sensor at a later date.”
It’ll be interesting to see what numbers, if any, Microsoft releases on standalone Kinect sales after October 7th. The original Kinect, an add-on for the Xbox 360 game console, sold tremendously well as a standalone peripheral. The approach this time around, however, is a lot different; Microsoft has to overcome the malaise of spurned consumers who didn’t love their first Kinect (which was barely supported, with many bad games) and get past the public perception that the Xbox One isn’t an inferior console to the PlayStation 4.
Filed under: Cameras, Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
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A taste of the amazing videos made with Instagram’s new app, Hyperlapse
This morning, Facebook-owned Instagram released a new, free iOS app for making time-lapse videos. It’s called Hyperlapse. Though it sounds simple, the app is anything but: it adds beautiful image-stabilization to normally shaky-cam. We’ve compiled half a dozen of the best videos we’ve seen thus far, but we’d love to add more to our collection as the day goes on. Let us know about your favorites in the comments below, on Twitter/Facebook/G+/the Engadget forums, by carrier pigeon — really, whatever means you’d like. Preferably not smoke signals
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Handhelds, Tablets, Software, Facebook
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Hangouts in Gmail finally floats online friends to the top
Those of us who’ve been frustrated that Hangouts in Gmail has been displaying conversations in chronological order rather than who’s online are about to get some relief. Rolling out over the next few days, a new tab in the Hangouts window will allow you to toggle your contacts list there, so you can easily see who’s available at the top of the group. What’s more, you’ll also be able to pin your favorites above the rest — whether they’re online or not. Of course, you’ll need to click the “Try the new Hangouts” option in the setting pane in order to leverage the conversation method, if you haven’t already done so.
Source: Gmail (Google+)
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Google News and Weather joins the modern age with Now-like cards
The stock Android faithful have been peering at the same UI inside its News and Weather app for quite some time, but today there’s a welcome update. Folks carrying the unskinned version of Google’s OS are now privy to Now’s card-based organization for recent headlines with the weather forecast for the current location situated up top. You can toggle that meteorology widget off and on, or set it to stay with a locale of your choosing or track conditions in multiple places. Swipe through sections with ease, and as you might expect, those handy home screen widgets got a refresh of their own to match. The update seems to be rolling out to compatible devices now, so if you can’t snag it yet, sit tight ’cause it’s on the way.
Via: Android Central
Source: Google Play
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NPR One and WatchABC toss in Chromecast streaming Support
The $35 media stick from Google, the Chromecast, keeps gaining more and more supported apps. In the beginning it was pretty easy to keep up with them all. After Google released the API and SDK to the developer world, the number of apps that take advantage of the media has grown steadily. Today a couple new higher profile apps have received updates that add in support for casting to your bigscreen.
First up is the addition of WatchABC. This app lets you watch live and on demand ABC broadcast shows. However, the live streaming is limited to specific locations and specific TV providers. If that isn’t annoying enough, the update that brought in Chromecast support is a gaining terrible reviews of it being extremely laggy. I installed it just to see and it was pretty bad. Hopefully they don’t take months to update it and solve the issues.
Next up is NPR One. This app is fairly new audio app that connects you to a variety of local and national public radio news and stories curated for you. The NPR One app isn’t just loaded full of news either, there is access to some pretty funny radio shows too like Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me.
Both apps are free to install and enjoy, for the most part. WatchABC is
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iTunes Festival app arrives on Apple TV for London’s month of music
Apple’s annual month-long concert series in the UK kicks off next week, and to make sure that you’re properly equipped to stream the performances, there’s a new Apple TV app that’ll do just that. Starting Monday, September 1st with deadmau5 and lasting through the end of the month, sets will be beamed to your living room right from the stage of the Roundhouse in London. Of course, should you find yourself away from home, tunes are also available on iPhone, iPad and iPod to catch the latest. While you can peruse the full list of acts here, scheduled artists include Beck, Pharrell Williams, Ryan Adams and Mary J. Blige.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac
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Square Cash lets you swap dollars via text message
Late last year, Square introduced a service called Cash that lets you send money to anyone in the US with just their email address. You could either do so with a regular ol’ email app — simply CC cash@square.com in an email to the recipient with the dollar amount in the subject line — or you could download the Square Cash app to make the process easier. With the latest Cash app update, however, there’s a special bonus feature if you decide to use the app to send money — you’ll be able to send money with their phone number as well. Just enter in the number manually or you can let the app access your contacts list. The recipient will then get a text message with a link to download the Cash app if they haven’t already, and with just a few steps, they’ll get their money. In addition to this new feature, you can now track payments and requests via push notification. Plus you’ll now be able to link all of your email addresses and numbers to a Profile account so it’s that much easier for folks to send you funds.
[Image Credit: Getty/Don Bayley]
Filed under: Cellphones, Software
Source: Square Cash
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Uber uses its fleet to deliver food with new ‘UberFresh’ service
Like Uber but instead of needing to go somewhere, you want to eat lunch? UberFresh is perfect for you. Oh wait, do you also live in Santa Monica, CA? Because then it’s actually perfect for you. The service starts today, and, as advertised, you’ll swipe to the “UberFresh” section of your Uber app and a driver will bring you lunch. No, you don’t get in the car and go somewhere; think of it like app-based food delivery. For the service’s initial launch, your lunch options are limited to a single item per day (there’s a menu on Uber’s site right here). Admittedly, the options for the first week look pretty delicious, and the Yelp rankings for each restaurant back up Uber’s choices as at least somewhat legit.
There’s no update to download; you just have to live in Santa Monica and open up Uber. Head below the break for full instructions, care of Uber.
HOW TO ORDER:
1. Toggle to the uberFRESH option on the far right of the slider between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm from August 26th – September 5th. (Closed on weekends and Labor Day)
2. Set your delivery location within the Santa Monica coverage area and request away
3. Upon arrival, meet your driver outside to grab your delicious lunch
This is hardly Uber’s first foray into food. The company annually sponsors an ice cream truck day, wherein ice cream trucks are dispatched to a wide variety of locales (144 cities this year), on-demand. Today’s addition of UberFresh is far more substantial, with a handful of restaurant collaborations and a test market in Santa Monica. Uber repeatedly calls it a test, and even has a definitive start and stop time for its run (“from Tuesday August 26th until Friday September 5th with the possibility of an extension; closed weekends and on Labor Day”).
The aim isn’t just to move into food delivery, but to “disrupt” yet another industry; the legal battles Uber faces in “ridesharing” are likely less of a concern when it comes to food. As Uber puts it, this is UberFresh’s raison d’être:
“Typical food delivery takes 45 minutes – 1 hour. uberFRESH delivers you healthy, fresh food in about 10 minutes. Rather than standing in long restaurant lines, trying to find parking at your favorite restaurant, or dealing with unpredictable delivery times, uberFRESH brings you a great lunch on-demand with none of the hassle.”
The only rub is that drivers currently will not bring the food inside; it’s all “curbside” delivery. Here’s hoping there’s not a lot of rain in Santa Monica’s near future. For that tradeoff, though, there’s the standard no tipping policy and ease of use that comes with Uber. It’s an interesting experiment for sure, and one that’ll need to grow tremendously before reaching larger markets.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Tablets, Transportation, Internet, Software
Source: Uber
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BitTorrent Sync lets you share folders on your PC using web links
Yes, cloud services like Dropbox make it easy to share folders through public directories and links, but you still have to put those folders in the cloud in the first place. Wouldn’t you rather share them straight from your PC? BitTorrent hopes to make things that direct with its big Sync 1.4 update. Now, you can share folders with others just by giving them web links; you don’t have to wait for the files to reach a remote server, or rely on Sync’s slightly more obtuse Key system. You don’t have to sign up for an account, either, and you can still limit access to prevent others from messing with precious documents. About the only headache is that your recipient needs Sync, although BitTorrent promises that it will walk first-timers through the process.
The 1.4 release is also an excuse for BitTorrent to give Sync a much-needed interface makeover. While a lot of the basic concepts remain intact, the new front end is both prettier and easier to understand on Macs and Windows PCs — arguably very important when people are more likely to be trying Sync for the first time. You can grab the desktop upgrade (which includes Linux) right now, and matching updates for both Android and iOS should be ready later today.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: BitTorrent Blog
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AIVAnet 