CarPlay and Android Auto will be in Cadillac’s 2016 models
Following in the footsteps of sibling Chevrolet, Cadillac has also revealed its plans to support both CarPlay and Android Auto. This is yet another move by the automaker’s parent company, General Motors, to not miss out on the new wave of in-car features from Apple and Google. Cadillac says it’s all part of a major overhaul to CUE, the 8-inch infotainment system that’s been powering its vehicles for the past few years. You can expect to see CarPlay in most 2016 Cadillacs this summer (save for the SRX Crossover), while Android Auto compatibility is scheduled to arrive at a later, undisclosed date.
Filed under: Transportation, Software, Apple, Google
Source: Cadillac
Governments want to get rid of passwords, too
It’s not just giant tech companies that want to put an end to passwords. Both the US’ National Institute of Standards and Technology and the UK’s Office of the Cabinet have become the first government bodies to join the FIDO Alliance, giving them a direct say in building more secure (and more universal) sign-in systems. Given how often governments depend on fingerprinting, smart cards and other physical identification methods, the move makes a lot of sense — they want to encourage security measures that make it tougher for hackers to swipe sensitive data. It’ll be a while before you see the influence of these new partners, but you may well be using government-grade ID to access your PC or phone in the future.
[Image credit: Shutterstock/Pedro Miguel Sousa]
Filed under: Internet, Software
Source: FIDO Alliance
Sprint’s LG G Flex 2 getting Android 5.1.1 Lollipop updates
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An update is upon you LG G Flex 2 owners. At least initially for those of you that are sporting the device on Sprint’s Now Network. The update will move your bendable self-healing device to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and carry with it software version number LS996ZV6. Sprint is pretty lacks when it comes to detailing exactly what the update includes. Most of what you will find is under the hood fixes. Sprint only points out Android 5.1 and Factory Reset Protection. Rest Protection, also known as Device Protection when Google announced it, keeps the device locked to the Google account even after a factory data reset if enabled.
Android 5.1 is supposed to bring HD voice along for the ride as well as Bluetooth management from the notification panel. I am certain there is a lot more to it too.
Those of you that have the device in your hands now should head into Settings > System Updates > Update LG Software > Check for Updates. As with any update you will want to make sure you are on a solid Wi-Fi connection, have well over 50% battery life remaining and some time to kill for the update to download and install. Not everyone will see the update today, so don’t go rage quitting on your device if it isn’t popping up immediately, but be on the look out. Happy updating everyone.
Source: Sprint Via TalkAndroid
The post Sprint’s LG G Flex 2 getting Android 5.1.1 Lollipop updates appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Barclays doesn’t support Apple Pay, but it’s likely to
Nearly a year after it launched, Apple Pay is coming to the UK. Most major financial institutions were included in Apple’s WWDC 2015 keynote, but there was one notable exception: Barclays. It’s a weird omission, particularly as Barclaycard, the bank’s credit card arm, is already supported in the US. After news of the launch broke, Barclays has moved to confirm that it won’t be a part of Apple’s NFC payment revolution when it goes live in July, hinting that an agreement over terms is the reason for its absence.
Barclays explains on its Twitter account that it has “been talking with Apple about how our customers could use Apple Pay in addition to our existing mobile and payment services.” It already offers a capable smartphone banking app, but also pioneered a mobile payment service that lets customers send money using only mobile phone numbers. However, it does not yet provide an NFC payment platform that customers can use to pay for goods at a retail store.
The bank notes that “talks remain constructive,” which suggests that while customers might have to wait, an agreement could be reached. We’ve contacted the bank for more clarification on the matter and will update the article should we hear back.
Thanks for your tweets this evening. We can assure you that we’ve been talking with Apple about how our customers (1/2)
– Barclays UK (@BarclaysUK) June 8, 2015
could use Apple Pay in addition to our existing mobile and payment services, and that these talks remain constructive. (2/2)
– Barclays UK (@BarclaysUK) June 8, 2015
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Apple
Source: Barclays (Twitter)
Zane Lowe traded Radio 1 for Apple’s Beats 1
When Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe announced he was leaving the BBC to join Apple, it was clear that he’d been lured away from the bright lights of London to help launch a new music platform. The logical assumption was that he’d help create curated playlists for a service formed from the acquisition of Beats Music, but as it turns out, he’s sticking with what he knows: radio. At its annual developer conference, Apple unveiled a new service called Beats 1, its first ever-live radio station. It’ll broadcast music 24/7 to over 100 countries from June 30th, with Zane Lowe fronting the show in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. All for free.
Sure, Lowe is sharing the spotlight with two other DJs, but make no mistake, he is Beats 1’s top dog. Apple describes him as the “world’s foremost authority on emerging music” and he also detailed how the new radio service would operate during Apple’s keynote. It makes sense: In the 12 years Lowe spent at Radio 1, he gained exclusive interviews with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem and music producer Rick Rubin. He’s also credited with helping to bring acts like the Arctic Monkeys, Adele and Ed Sheeran into the public eye. Apple will hope he can do the same while heading up Beats 1, but influence many more listeners in the process.
http://www.engadget.com/embed-5min/?sid=577&playList=518873079&responsive=false
Beats 1 comes as part of Apple Music, but won’t be put behind a subscription paywall. It means that iOS and Android device owners the world over will be introduced to Lowe for the first time (for better or worse, depending on your opinion of him), giving him, and his co-hosts, the chance to share exclusive music from big name artists, but also acquaint people with up-and-coming acts representing all genres. In the UK at least, Radio 1 fans still mourning Lowe’s departure will have the chance to reconnect with him, for others it’s a complementary chance to learn about what’s new in the world of music.
[Image credit: Chris Thompson, Flickr]
iOS 9 public beta available in July
On stage at WWDC Apple announced that a public beta of iOS 9 would be available in July. The beta will include an enhanced Siri, a more proactive experience based on your location, time and recent apps, updated Apple Pay with support for loyalty cards and transit directions in Maps. The beta version of Apple’s mobile operating system will be available on the iPad 2 from 2011 and later and iPhone 4S and later. Apple launched the public version of its beta program at last year with access to early builds of iOS and OS X. You can sign up for the beta today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Software, Apple
Source: Apple
Apple’s Swift programming language is going open source
Last year, Apple introduced Swift, its very own programming language which was focused on making it easier to build apps. Now, in a bid to make it more palatable to developers, Apple is making another big move: It’s making Swift open source. That’ll give developers full access to all of Swift’s inner workings, and it might even tempt over people who were worried about adopting a proprietary Apple language. “We think Swift is the next big programming language, the one that we’ll all be doing application and system programming on for 20 years to come,” Apple’s SVP of software engineering, Craig Federighi, said during WWDC today. “We think Swift should be everywhere and used by everyone.” The language is also getting some upgrades this year with Swift 2, which includes support for new optimization technology, protocol extensions and much shorter compile times.
Apple Music unites streaming, radio and social for $10 a month
It’s finally here. Well, it will be soon, but at least the announcement is official. At WWDC today, Jimmy Iovine revealed Apple Music: the long-rumored music service that follows the purchase of Beats last year and it provides all of your music content in a single app. That’s a streaming service, radio, album purchases and more all in the same place. Yes, you read that correctly: radio. Apple will offer live radio 24-hours a day with stations that are curated by real humans — like Beats Music’s playlists. What’s more, “tens of millions” of iTunes songs will be available for streaming or saving for listening offline. There are recommendations based on your listening habits too, but instead of using some algorithm to find something you may like, experts “who know and love music” will serve up the suggestions. For artists, Apple Music has Connect where they can post exclusive tracks, tour photos, new material and more, giving fans a glance at what’s going on behind the scenes. So, what about unsigned artists? They can share music through Apple’s new effort, too.
When you open up the new app, you’ll be greeted with a collection of your recently added tunes for quick and easy access. The software’s UI got a refresh over the player that’s in iOS 8 now, with cleaner a look and simplified controls. Once you start playing a song, a single tap lets you browse the rest of iTunes for other albums/songs from the artists. Just like Beats Music — we’re talking exactly like it — Apple Music takes some of your preferences in the For You section and selects tracks based on your input. If the app finds something you like, you can add those tracks to a playlist for later. And yes, music videos are available here, too. If you’re a big fan of using Siri to pick songs, you’ll be able to do that with Apple Music. The virtual assistant can pick tracks based on the year of release, artist or chart position for a given month and year (April 2012, for example). During the demo, though, when asked to play songs from the movie Selma, Siri pulled the band Imagine Dragons instead.
If you’re itchin’ to give it a go, you’ll have to wait until the end of June. On the 30th, you can try Apple Music for free for three months, but after the trial period expect to pay $10 a month. Like Spotify, Rdio and others, there’s a family plan that allows up to six people access for $15 a month through iCloud Family Sharing. There’s no word on an on-going free tier like Spotify, Pandora and the like offer. As you might expect, the service will be available on iOS first, but it’s heading to Android and Apple TV this fall. It’ll be available in over 100 countries at launch, equipping iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Windows devices with the music-streaming repository and content at the end of the month.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Internet, Software, Apple
Source: Apple
Apple unveils iOS 9 at WWDC
It would be a software development conference without some software, so please be upstanding as we welcome iOS 9 to the world. One theme of this year’s update is to improve both the foundations of the operating system, like the performance and battery life. The other is to add several new “intelligent” features that tries to bring some of Google Now’s much-trumpeted smarts to Apple’s mobile devices. That means that Siri, at least on paper, will now be smart enough to predict the information that you’ll want before you start looking for it.
For instance, if you get a call but don’t know the number, iOS 9 will hunt through your emails should that information be stored somewhere that you’re not looking. The software will also be smart enough to predict your routine and offer up traffic alerts should there be an obstruction on your regular route. Should you only listen to audiobooks on your morning drive into work, the phone will pick up where you left off on your way home. It’s a similar situation at the gym, since when you plug in your headphones, your exercise playlist will be offered up.
Remember when Tim Cook said that privacy was a fundamental right? Apple is hoping to walk and chew gum at the same time by providing these intelligent features without the sort of data mining it accuses Google of. According to Craig Federighi, all of the processing for these new offerings takes place on the device and, should any information need to be handed off to Apple’s servers, it’ll be anonymized.
The executive then ran through some of the more exciting additions to a variety of built-in apps in iOS 9:
- Notes: Users can now share webpages straight into their notes, and can then annotate them with Galaxy Note-style doodles.
- Maps: Those long-rumored transit directions are live, letting you tap on a subway station and get the departure times for each train running on each line. In addition, the company has worked out the walking distances from the entrance to the platform in each station. There’s even “around me” style search for you to find your nearest bagel store or shoe outlet.
News
The company has also unveiled its own alternative to Flipboard called News that’s designed to aggregate the stories you want to read into an Apple-specific format. Okay, it’s just like Flipboard. Naturally, the outfit is boasting the benefits of its rich typography, and how it preserves embedded videos and photo galleries specific to each site. Should you wish to switch between a story, you can simply swipe right to see the next one, tap to zoom into images and play with interactive infographics. The first partners that have signed up including the New York Times, ESPN and Conde Nast to push several in-depth articles to your phone and tablet — although at this early stage, there’s no word on if you can add in your subscriptions to the system.
iPad
Remember the split-screen multitasking that you found on Samsung’s Android devices a few years back? Now, that same ability has come to iOS 9 in the form of Split View, which enables you to see two apps on the screen at the same time, but now those two apps can run concurrently. The company has also busted out a new task switcher that’ll let you watch video as a picture-in-picture window while you bitchily tweet about the action or handle your emails. Unfortunately, this feature is only for the most recent iPad Airs, so if you’re still clinging onto your third-generation Retina model, it’s probably time to upgrade.
Developing…
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Apple
Apple Pay to launch in the UK in July
Apple’s take on mobile payments have been available in the US for the better part of a year, but here in the UK, we’ve been left with the faint hope that it’ll one day arrive. Rumours suggested it could be announced at WWDC 2015, and it turns out they were correct: Apple Pay will come to this side of the Atlantic next month. Most of the big name banks are on board, with Lloyds, Halifax, Natwest, HSBC and Santander all supporting Apple Pay, but Barclays is a notable omission. Apple says that the service will be available in 250,000 locations, including Lidl, McDonald’s, Nando’s and the Post Office, covering more retailers at launch than were originally available in the US. For commuters and tourists, Transport for London has confirmed it will also support the NFC technology inside its barriers, allowing you to travel on the Tube and the city’s buses without the need for a wallet.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple
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