T-Mobile keeps Baseball in your pocket with MLB at Bat and free subscription
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T-Mobile is once again the official wireless sponsor for Major League Baseball. This is the third straight year that the un-carrier can make claim to that title. Since the original partnership in 2012 T-Mobile has been hard at work to deploy DAS (Distributed Antennae Systems) at nearly half the stadiums across america. The system helps keep T-Mobile customers at the games connected and sharing moments from through all nine innings.
For those of us that don’t have a stadium readily available or the time to make it out to the ballpark, T-Mobile is still going to take care of you. The MLB at bat premium subscription, which is the official app for the Major Leagues, will, once again, be offered to Magenta customers for free. That saves you $19.99 and lets you get up-to-the-moment game analysis, live broadcast feeds of the “Game of the week”, real-time pitch tracking, audio broadcasts of games and a heck of a lot more.
If that isn’t enough, T-Mobile is also sponsoring the MLB FanFest during All-Star Week, which takes place July 10th-14th in CinCinnati, Ohio. During that week T-Mobile customers will have exclusive access to discounted tickets for FanFast along with other unique benefits.
So, if you’re a Baseball fan and a T-Mobile customer, then you best get the app installed today.
The post T-Mobile keeps Baseball in your pocket with MLB at Bat and free subscription appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
The HTC One M9 can finally capture uncompressed images
Look, sometimes it takes a little while for things to reach their full potential. Or does it? In our review of the HTC One M9, we talked about how lackluster the smartphone’s camera is, especially when compared to rival flagships like the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6. That said, HTC has released an update to its standalone camera app that will make quite a few people happy. Available now on Google Play, this version of the HTC Camera is finally getting RAW support, which will let those of you with an M9 start capturing uncompressed image files — unfortunately, that’s the only device compatible with the new feature. You can grab the refreshed app right now — and once you’ve taken it for a spin, be sure to share your thoughts with us.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, HTC
Source: Google Play
Tesla wants its Powerwall to save the grid and your bank account
Our lust for electricity is insatiable. At night we connect a hydra of wires to our phones, computers, smartwatches and tablets. They sip at the electrons being pumped into our homes, filling their batteries to be ready for another day without being tethered to a wall. Tesla wants your house to be ready. Ready for power outages and heat waves. The company says its Powerwall home battery system can untether your home from the power grid for a few hours, which might not sound like much, but could have huge implications for the way we power our lives.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk introduced the Powerwall at his company’s design studio in Southern California. He said it’s a “whole integrated system that just works and is connected to the internet.” The battery packs are lithium-ion cells with a liquid thermal-control system. Powerwall — which Tesla has been testing with select customers for a year — connects to the internet so it can track power usage and share that information with utilities.
You can reserve a Powerwall right now on Tesla’s site. The device will also be available via distributors, with the 10kWh version offered to installers for $3,500 and the 7kWh model will cost $3,000. This doesn’t include the cost of a DC-to-AC inverter to work with your home. (Solar cell customers will already have that inverter.) Distributors can lease the Powerwall to customers and the device will come with a 10-year guaranteed life with warranty, and will start to ship in late summer.
Tesla says the 10kWh version is more for those on the grid with the ability to run a home once the power goes out. The 7kWh version is geared toward solar cell users wanting to tap into the sun’s power during the evening.
Musk says that Tesla won’t do this alone. It needs partners. To that end, the patents to the Powerwall will be open.
The Powerwall is, at its core, a giant battery like the one found in your smartphone. Like your phone, when it’s not connected to the grid, it still supplies energy. Currently any extra power that’s produced by the utility companies is wasted; power stations ramp up supply as needed. For alternative energy sources, if the wind or sun is providing more power than what the grid requires, all that energy is similarly wasted. The state of California wants public utilities to start storing energy by 2024 to reduce that waste. Tesla’s solution distributes that energy storage to individuals, giving them the opportunity to save some cash and be prepared in case of a power outage.
Tesla made the electric car more than a vehicle for environmentalists because it made it cool. It’s going to be a bit tougher to make the idea of a home battery cool. But if the system manages to save you money and it means power outages can be shrugged off, then Tesla might have another hit.
Filed under: Misc, Household, Software
Source: Tesla
‘OK Google, Shazam this song’
Siri started handling song queries when iOS 8 arrived, and now Google’s voice commands recognize Shazam as a prompt to do the same on Android. That’s right, Android devices now recognize the “Shazam” command, in addition to “recognize” or “name” for “track,” “song” or “tune” identification. It’s not the only one either, as a few other apps like NPR One, TuneIn, Zillow, Flixster and TripAdvisor (a complete list is here) are also enjoying early access to the Custom Voice Actions feature. Previously you could search apps that way, but with this access developers can get more specific. It seems like the perfect kind of feature to use along with something like Android Auto, just when your phone is slightly out of reach.
With Shazam, after you’ve spoken the phrase the app will launch, do the heavy lifting and save the results for listening later. We tried it out, and the app only launched for commands that included “Shazam,” as in “OK Google, Shazam this song.” Phrases like “OK Google, name this song” kept the process inside the confines of the voice search interface. As you might expect, the music-searching software is one of the many third-party apps that display info cards in Google Now, and there’s easy access to listen, stream and purchase from Google Play Music. Other devs that want in are encouraged to apply here, and explain what kind of commands their apps will need.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Shazam, Android Developers (G+)
Valve releases a kit for making virtual reality apps
Eager to build a game or 3D modelling tool that takes advantage of HTC’s Vive and other SteamVR-friendly virtual reality headsets? It’s time to get cracking. Valve has released a software development kit that lets apps use SteamVR hardware, including Valve’s controller and room-scale Lighthouse tracking. On top of that, the platform now works nicely with both the Unity game engine (through a plugin) and Unreal Engine 4. It’ll be a long while before you can actually run programs built on this code — the VR devices have yet to reach many developers, let alone the public — but this at least gets the ball rolling.
Filed under: Displays, Gaming, Wearables, Software, HTC
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Steam Community
Plex Music is cranking it to 11 with major update to the Music section
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Plex is pushing out an update that is sure to please the music lovers who use the media server for all their other needs. Up to this point, the music side of the system was a bit odd, to put it nicely. It worked, it just didn’t seem to do what it could. The Plex team has been working on that for about 6 months now and they are finally ready to make your music options a little bit better. The update brings along improved scanning, management, multi-item editing and a whole lot more.
Plex Pass subscribers will benefit the most from the recent update and will give you access to watch ad-free music videos of your collection with Vevo. Plex Pass subscribers will also be able to create customized playlists based on descriptive information about a song such as genre, mood or tempo. On the backend scanning side of things they have integrated with Gracenote for all the metadata information pertaining to all your tracks.
Free Plex users are left out. You still get the ability to listen to your own music on every device, share your library with friends & Family, create and manage playlist, see your music beautifully organized, get the multi-item editing ability, the faster scanning to get your music listed and support for high-end formats like FLAC and ALAC.
Check out the video about how it all works out.
For current Plex Pass subscribers you will need to head over and create a Premium Music Library to get the ball rolling. You will also want to make sure your server is updated as well as your Plex apps on your devices. Be sure to check out the news on the Plex website for more in depth details.
Via Plex
The post Plex Music is cranking it to 11 with major update to the Music section appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Uber’s panic button can let cops in India know where you are
Earlier this year, Uber launched an in-app panic button for people in India, which lets any user easily alert local police in case of an emergency. And now this safety feature is getting improved. The ride-sharing service announced today that the real-time SOS alert can start being accessed by law enforcement officials, allowing them to track the exact location of a passenger who may require assistance during a trip. Previously, the panic button would only connect Uber users with the cops over a phone call, so this is designed to save time for potential victims — and that could turn out to be life-saving.
Uber has been testing the new feature in the city of Kolkata, but the goal is to make it available in many places across India over the next few weeks. What’s more, the company says that it will be bringing more safety solutions to other countries “in the coming months.” Let’s hope it happens sooner rather than later.
[Image credit: Associated Press]
Filed under: Transportation, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Uber
These surrealist games melt more than clocks
Some say surrealism was the most influential art movement of the past century and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s had an effect on video game developers too. The games you’ll find below weren’t made by Salvador Dalí or M.C. Escher, but the influence those mind-bending artists had is unmistakable. And it’s not just limited to endless staircases or clocks melting off the side of a ledge (although those make appearances) in indie games, either. Dream-like visuals and landscapes have dotted the world of blockbuster games too — not even God of War 3 was immune when it released in 2010. Let’s take a mind-bending trip together in the gallery below, shall we?
Apple and IBM customize iPads to help the elderly in Japan
The partnership between tech giants Apple and IBM, which began last year, isn’t just about working together on enterprise products. In Japan, the two companies just announced an initiative that will deliver up to 5 million iPads to Japanese senior citizens, at no cost. Apple, IBM and the Japan Post Group, a local corporation that’s also involved with the project, say the goal is to “improve the quality of life” for millions of elderly people in the Land of the Rising Sun. How so? Well, the iPads are said to feature custom-built apps by IBM, all designed with senior citizens in mind — some can be used to set reminders and alerts about medications, or to request help with things like grocery shopping.
Not surprisingly, Apple’s also touting out-of-the-box iPad services such as FaceTime and Messages, which those who benefit from the program could use to stay in touch with loved ones. There are no details on the model of the iPads being provided, but chances are these senior citizens won’t care too much about such details.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Apple
Source: Apple
Waze will tweet if there’s unusual traffic in your area
Unless you live in California, it’s not that often that you make an effort to specifically check the traffic conditions for your morning commute. That’s probably because you’ll be spending a big chunk of your time with your face buried in Twitter instead. That’s why Waze thought it’d be a good idea to launch a traffic alerts program on the social network, called Unusual Traffic. The system compares current journey times with historical data and, when there’s a noticeable difference, will send a tweet letting you know.
The company has set up more than 50 different accounts, each one focusing on a specific metro area, including Atlanta, London and Buenos Aires. If there’s more information available like a faster alternative route or the cause of the blockage, then that information will also be included. That way, all you’ll have to do is favorite that specific account to make sure you never get stuck in traffic again, except all of the times that you do, obviously.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Internet, Software
Source: Waze
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