Verizon Moto E getting Android 5.1 update this evening
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The 2nd gen Motorola Moto E on Big Red is getting a tasty download treat tonight. Verizon saw fit to start pushing out the Android 5.1 Lollipop update to the entry level device. The update carries software version 23.11.17 and brings all the perks to Android 5.1 many have lusted over like the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth quick change drop downs from the notification shade and a slight tweak to the “interruptions” control menu. You will also get access to the Device Protection option which helps keep your device locked even if it is factory reset.
To check on your Moto E 2nd Gen software head to Settings > About Phone > System Updates. If you see it ready for download then have at it. Be sure you have a solid Wi-Fi connection, well over 50% battery and some time to kill for it to download and install. While you are waiting you can head over to the update PDF and check out some of the details.
Source: Verizon Via: 9to5Google
The post Verizon Moto E getting Android 5.1 update this evening appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Steam summer sale arrives with deals on ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘XCOM’
It’s time once again for Valve to kick off its annual Steam summer sale — and as is the custom, there are some huge bargains to be had, even on day one. The sale (which runs from June 11th through June 21st) is starting by knocking 25 to 75 percent off the Grand Theft Auto games, 50 to 83 percent off the alien-hunting XCOM series, and a hefty 75 to 80 percent off the post-apocalyptic Metro franchise. Indie hits like The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth and Don’t Starve are decidedly more affordable, too. Steam is rotating deals on a daily basis (faster than that for flash sales), and there’s even a web-based game you can play that helps unlock discounts for the following day. There’s no guarantee that you’ll like all those impulse purchases, but that buyer’s remorse is why Valve just introduced refunds, isn’t it?
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software
Source: Steam
A game told me I don’t have what it takes to be a good Uber driver
Think you have the behind-the-wheel skills to cut it as an Uber driver? Well, the transportation company has a way for you to find out: a mobile game. UberDRIVE is an iOS title that not only offers a glimpse at a day in the life of an Uber driver, but also helps improve navigation skills. Gameplay revolves around helping riders get from one point to another by taking the safest and most efficient route possible. Opting for the best route earns a higher score, and players who grab those 5-star ratings on the regular are rewarded with new cars and access to other parts of the city. Uber created the game for current drivers to work on their navigation chops, but it’s also hoping that folks interested in signing up will give it a go to see what work day could be like. UberDRIVE is available nationwide, but for now, content is limited to the streets of San Francisco. That probably explains why I was so terrible at it.
Filed under: Transportation, Internet, Software
Via: Wall Street Journal
Oculus offers $10 million to help indie developers make VR games
Oculus’ top brass showed a slew of new VR games at a special event today — including a closer look at the badass-looking EVE Valkyrie — but they need more than big-name developers if they want the Rift to be a hit. That’s why the company is earmarking $10 million to fund indie game makers who want to build the new big thing in virtual reality content. Coders, you’d better get crackin’.
The potential paycheck is new but Oculus has been nurturing its loyal VR innovators for ages now, most recently with a Mobile VR Jam that saw some seriously cool entries. Developers crafted some 61 games that’d run on Samsung’s Gear VR headset, with the winners taking home a cool $200,000 for a co-op game that forced two people to helm and arm a steampunk submarine. Could a big-name software house have cooked up something similar? You bet, but remember — these competitors had less than a month to go from wild-eyed pitch to playable build. That’s exactly the sort of crazy spirit Oculus needs to fill its catalog with stuff people didn’t even know they wanted to play. Right now there’s no public word on how developers can submit their stuff for consideration (though Oculus has probably already talked to a few promising candidates), but hopefully bonus points will go to folks who figure out how best to use the company’s new hand-based Oculus Touch controllers.
Where’s the Lollipop update for the DROID Turbo?
It looks like someone over at Verizon has made a little bit of a boo boo. When looking at the phone specs for the DROID Turbo, it’s stated that device is running Lollipop. However, the funny thing is, that the Turbo does NOT currently run Lollipop.
This may have just been an honest mistake, or someone at Verizon is putting the cart before the horse. Original rumors were that the DROID Turbo would have been updated to Android Lollipop 5.0.2, this week, however that has yet to happen.
Then Motorola came out and stated that the Turbo would be directly updated to Android 5.1 due to the native VolTE support. However documents from Motorola state that the Turbo WILL be updated to 5.0.2 and won’t skip to my lou all the way to 5.1.
Irregardless of either of these points, the fact of the matter remains that DROID Turbo users are still without Lollipop and are getting frustrated. What does matter is that the combination of Motorola and Verizon need to get on the same page, get the update ready for release, and start sending out the update to Turbo users.
It’s not really known why these “flagship” devices are still waiting for the Android Lollipop update, even though Lollipop has been available for over a year. On top of the fact that the manufacturer of the device, Motorola, used to be owned by the company that created the software, Google. Time will tell if these manufacturers and carriers can get their crap together, but hopefully it will be smooth(er) sailing for when the release of Android M is upon us.
Sooooo, stop taking forever, proving the point of fragmentation, and release the update already.
The post Where’s the Lollipop update for the DROID Turbo? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Computer algorithm picks the world’s most creative art
Who would you trust to determine history’s most creative at? A room full of seasoned critics? Rutgers University researchers think a machine can do the job. They’ve developed a computer vision algorithm that ranks the creativity of art based on how similar it is to earlier works in terms of everything from color and texture to the presence of familiar objects. The code treats art history as a network — groundbreaking pieces are connected to later derivatives, and seemingly unique content may have a link to something produced in the distant past.
So what are the top picks? In many ways, they match what you’d expect. Edvard Munch’s iconic The Scream is considered exceptionally creative, as are Goya’s Christ Crucified and Monet’s Haystacks at Chailly at Sunrise. At the same time, though, the algorithm knocks classics like Auguste Rodin’s scuplture Danaid or Albrecht Durer’s portrait of his mother. However, it’s important to remember that the software is looking for originality, not whether or not artwork is good. Although the algorithm could easily apply to books and other artistic formats, it’s going to take considerably longer before computers develop a critical eye.
Filed under: Science, Software
Source: ArXiv.org
Verizon alters Droid Turbo spec sheet to list Android 5.0.2 on board, but isn’t what Motorola promised
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We have been hearing that the Motorola DROID Turbo would be getting its dose of Android Lollipop for the last few months. Motorola Engineer Luciano Carvalho said back in March that the DROID Turbo would be skipping other iterations of Lollipop, like 5.0.1 and 5.0.2, and jumping straight to Lollipop 5.1. The next round of talks said the update would coming on June 10th. It is now June 11th and it seems no one is reporting any update and Verizon isn’t talking. However, they did make a slight alteration to the spec sheet for the device on their website, but instead of listing Android 5.1, it lists Android 5.0.2.
Digging through Verizon support pages we can see that the typical PDF file that shows update details hasn’t been updated to reflect anything new yet. Motorola’s website doesn’t offer any word either and their spec sheet still reads as Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
I am sure this will irritate more than a few DROID Turbo owners out there at first, but there is no reason to believe that Android 5.1 isn’t right around the corner though. There is a chance that it is just an error on Verizon’s part, but I doubt it. It sort of makes sense to push out each update in order, but do it quicker than normal. Verizon does need time to make sure all their apps they add to the device work to a certain degree before hand. I expect to see some sort of update headed to the Turbo over the next few days, so you can expect something to happen soon at least.
Source: Droid-Life
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Skype ditches its Windows 8 app on July 7th
If you need any further proof that Microsoft is backing away from touch-centric interfaces in Windows 10, you just got it. The Skype team has revealed that it’s planning to ditch the “modern” Windows (read: Windows 8-only) version of its messaging app on PCs as of July 7th. After that, the next update to the app will kick you over to the desktop release. Skype says that it’s “simplifying” its experience around a single program that you can use with both a touchscreen and a mouse and keyboard. That’s certainly true, although it’s also an acknowledgment that people prefer the desktop app more — it’s easier to navigate without scrolling, and there are more features (such as screen sharing) that might convince you to stay. This shift won’t affect Windows RT or the Skype features woven into Windows 10, but there’s no doubt that the conventional desktop software is the big star going forward.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Skype
Google Slides adds Chromecast support for your next presentation
Fancy Google Slides over PowerPoint for your super exciting presentations? Well, if you’ve been using a cord to get your work on the big screen in the office, that task is about to get a whole lot easier. The folks over at Android Police discovered that with a forthcoming update, Slides will allow you to beam your info for all to see to a Chromecast from an Android device. On the desktop, you can already leverage Google’s diminutive dongle for presentations thanks to the Google Cast Chrome extension.
Once you select the streaming accessory, the app turns into a remote control of sorts, offering a timer to let you know how long you’ve been on the current slide. It also displays a thumbnail for the current slide in addition to a small preview for both the previous one and next item in the queue. The feature hasn’t made it to the app yet, but if you don’t want to wait, you can nab the APK via the source link below. With this being the Android APK, there’s no indication when the feature will arrive for Slides on iOS, but I’d guess it’ll happen soon enough.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, Google
Source: Android Police
HTC One M9 has another system update on the way to improve the camera and power management
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HTC has not had a very good start to this years flagship device, the HTC One M9. Prior to launch there were reports of the device getting extremely hot, more so than it should. Whether or not they were legitimate or not is up for debate. Shortly after launch there were camera issues that were addressed in a system update that made its way across the globe. However, the update didn’t seem to make the camera perform like many had hoped. Particularly when it came to low-light shots and washout effects from direct sunlight images. HTC is on it though and are currently starting to push out an update in Europe and Taiwan that will bring the software up to version 1.4.401.5.
The update is targeting the camera issue which tweaks the auto-exposure setting to reduce the wash-out effects of direct sunlight shots, reduce over processing to end the blur and noise in low-light shots and some color correction to tone down the green and yellow effects seen “extreme lighting conditions.” All of which are certainly going to be welcomed fixes.
The update also brings along some tweaks to the power management of the device, particularly when running intensive apps like Facebook and YouTube. Users will also see a decrease in heat from device when charging from a Quick Charge 2.0 adapter.
As I mentioned above, the update is labeled as version 1.4.401.5 and is currently only headed out to Europe and Taiwan. I expect it to find its way to the US carriers relatively soon though.
Source: Android Central Via: HTC Source
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AIVAnet 