Android 5.0 Lollipop heading out to Verizon Galaxy S4 devices
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Those of you still rocking a Samsung Galaxy S4 with Verizon are in for a treat. Big Red has announced today that Android 5.0 Lollipop is now rolling out to Galaxy S4 devices across america. Like all the other Lollipop updates it brings along the colorful and vibrant Material Design look mixed with very beautifully fluid visual animations. You will also get the lock screen notifications, ability to set privacy and priority notification settings, a shortcut on the lock screen for the phone and the camera along with the Chrome browsers tabs being located in the Recent apps page.
As with any software OTA you will want to make sure your Galaxy S4 is charged over 50%, a solid Wi-Fi connection and some time to kill for the update to download and install. To check for the update you will want to head into your devices Settings > About Phone > Software updates > Check for updates then choose Download now if it is available.
Via: Verizon Wireless (PDF)
The post Android 5.0 Lollipop heading out to Verizon Galaxy S4 devices appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Windows 10 design lead explains what’s changed (and what hasn’t)
Albert Shum, the design team lead for Microsoft’s OS team, has outlined through some of the decisions made in its new OS. He reiterates that – especially now Windows 10 is out in the open – the work here isn’t yet done, with the blog post focusing on where the team’s received the most.. “feedback”, including the new menu options found on mobile iterations.
According to Shum, Windows 10’s new “hamburger” menu (dropping down from the top left), works well as a “home” menu for an app, but is apparently less useful where there’s no point in it being there. The design team’s intent was to ensure universal apps, as well as an adaptive user experience which will allow a certain degree of free: swipe controls on mobile, but a better focus on keyboard shortcuts and mouse control on PC iterations.
Long-established design decisions (at least in Windows), like the location of Internet Explorer Edge’s address bar, remain the subject of experimentation. The team is apparently exploring design options here too, but for now, the address bar still resides at the top of the browser. And if you thought that the mobile iterations of Win10 were looking a little, well, rough around the edges, the team lead added that “what you’re seeing today are apps only partially-adapted for the phone UI that we intend to ship when [it’s] finished.”
It gets a little bit more complicated when the operating system’s mobile and PC iterations go in different direction. While switching between tasks on PC-based Windows has typically left to right, with mobile it’s the opposite. Is Microsoft going to over-rule one standard design practice for another? Maybe. “We want to have a good understanding of how tough it is for phone users to relearn before we make a final call.” Given that Windows PCs outnumber Windows Phones, it may be an easier call than you’d think.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Daily Roundup: Windows 10 plans, Apple Watch issues and more!
In today’s edition of the Daily Roundup, Microsoft kicked off its annual Build developer conference by showing off some of the tools developers can use to get their Windows 10 apps up and running. We also learned the official name for the company’s Project Spartan browser and witnessed some of the HoloLens headset’s new tricks. One tidbit we didn’t learn, however, was a release date for Windows 10. Of course, Microsoft wasn’t the only company making headlines today. Hulu snagged streaming rights for Seinfeld and some Apple Watch users are discovering dark tattoos can mess with the device’s heart rate sensor.
Microsoft invites Android and iOS apps to join Windows 10
Today was the start of Microsoft’s annual Build conference and the company unleashed a slew of new details for the future of its cloud services, Office suite and, perhaps most notably, upcoming Windows 10 operating system. One of the biggest reveals was that the Redmond giant is making it easier than ever for Android and iOS developers to port their apps over to Windows 10. For more from today’s Build keynote, click here.
Windows 10’s web browser is called Microsoft Edge
Another notable tidbit from today’s keynote was the announcement of Project Spartan‘s official name. Up until this point, Microsoft’s upcoming Internet Explorer replacement had been discussed under its temporary, Halo-inspired codename. Today, though, we know what we’ll be calling it when Windows 10 launches: Microsoft Edge. The company also showcased a video highlighting Edge’s minimalist look, annotation features and slick tabbed interface.
Hillary Clinton wants all police to wear body cameras
Law enforcement accountability has been in the news a lot of late, so it’s no surprise to see presidential hopefuls discuss the matter as we head toward next year’s election. Candidate Hillary Clinton used a speech today to call for every police department in the US to issue body cameras to officers in an effort to improve both accountability and transparency.
Hulu’s the exclusive online home of ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Fear the Walking Dead’
What’s the deal with watching Seinfeld online? Well, Hulu provided the answer today, announcing it had secured exclusive streaming rights for the popular sitcom. While it wouldn’t discuss exact numbers, rumors suggest the company may have paid as much as $1 million per episode for the show. Hulu also shared several other content announcements, but the show about nothing was clearly the biggest news.
Dark tattoos can throw off Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor
Various versions of the Apple Watch have been slowly reaching consumers’ hands and wrists, but some early adopters are apparently running into a few issues with some of the wearable’s features. iMore looked into the matter and found that those with dark tattoos on their wrists (especially those with solid colors) may have trouble reliably using the Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor. If you haven’t ordered one already, it might be a good idea to try one on in person to make sure all its features work on your particular wrist.
Your Apple Watch is late because of bad haptic feedback parts
Of course, if you already ordered and Apple Watch and are wondering what’s taking so long to get it to your doorstep, The Wall Street Journal might have an idea. According to the paper’s sources, Apple ran into issues with parts related to the Watch’s Taptic Engine, the vibrating unit that provides input feedback. As a result, a supplier switch may be to blame for the long waits some consumers are experiencing.
You can buy your own smell-o-vision VR headset, if you wanna
If revamped PC operating systems and fancy wearables aren’t exciting enough for you, perhaps the promise of actual smell-o-vision will do the trick. FeelReal is taking to Kickstarter to fund its virtual reality attachment, which can pump air, water and a variety of scents right into your face to amp up the immersion factor. The company expects dev units to be available in the summer, with a consumer version to follow later in the year.
[Image credits: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan (Hillary Clinton); Michael Lovell @ YouTube (Watch tattoos); iFixit (Taptic Engine); FeelReal (VR headset)]
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Laptops, Peripherals, Wearables, Internet, Software, Apple, Microsoft
Adidas and Spotify offer another way to soundtrack your run
Adidas and Spotify are already quite friendly, especially when it comes to supplying workouts with the proper tunes. The duo teamed up for offline playback on the Adidas SmartRun watch and soundtracking a jog with the help of RunKeeper. Now, there’s an Adidas Go app that varies music based on movement tracked by your iPhone’s accelerometer. Using that piece of smartphone tech, the app measures stride rate and matches songs from Spotify’s library — based on your listening habits — to help you keep pace. When the run is over, stats like time, distance and pace can all be reviewed, saved and used to calculate your Adidas MiCoach RunScore. And if you’d like, you can save the collection of tracks the music service piped in along the way, too. Ready to lace up those sneakers? Well, you’ll need an iPhone 4S or later to take advantage of the free app that’s available at iTunes now.
Source: iTunes
Instagram dives into curated content with a dedicated music account
Instagram uses its official account to promote notable snapshots on the social network, and has been doing so for quite some time. But now, the filter-driven app will serve up a daily look at music “around the globe.” Through the @music stream, the folks behind the software will highlight music photographers, designers working on album art, instrument makers and fans in addition to current stars and emerging talent. It’ll even offer 15-second lessons from time to time. Musicians are a big part of Instagram’s user base, where artists can share updates and connect with fans, so it makes sense that the subject would get its own channel. In fact, BuzzFeed reports that around 25 percent of the app’s 300 million accounts belong to those folks.
The move also follows other social networks, like Snapchat, getting into the curated content game. Of course, music is also a popular topic elsewhere. You may recall Twitter’s short-lived #Music app back in 2013, and it’s current chart collaboration with Billboard. As I’m sure you’re well aware, people love taking pictures of food with the app, so it’ll be interesting to see if a culinary-focused channel pops up in the future.
Filed under: Software
Source: Instagram
Microsoft shows off Windows Holographic running Windows 10 apps
When Microsoft debuted its Windows Holographic software and HoloLens headset a few months back, Windows 10 apps were mentioned as a possibility. Well, at Build 2015 today, the folks in Redmond offered a look at Windows 10 Universal apps in holographic action. During the onstage demo, apps could be placed on walls or set to float in space, and resized based on the user’s needs — something we’d only seen in videos up to this point. Of course, this means that users in different locations can collaborate on 3D models without having to be in the same room. Any Windows 10 app can be used as a hologram with the headset, so getting work done at a place other than your desk will soon be a possibility.
With those apps in play, you can overlay a hologram on top of a physical object and make tweaks without heading back to the keyboard. Just like the real and virtual robots we saw onstage, you wrangle simple changes, like the color of an LED, with gestures and the projected UI. Microsoft partnered with Case Western Reserve University to develop medical solutions for the platform, and those were shown off, too. Up-close examinations of the nervous and skeletal systems are now possible without the use of cadavers, and each of the body’s systems can be displayed as a separate model in seconds. For architects, Windows Holographic brings the ability to walk through buildings without leaving the office, or through those projects that are still just blueprints. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see what the final version looks like, but Microsoft’s vision for how we’ll work in the near-future is pretty enticing.
Your Windows 10 phone is a tiny desktop computer with Continuum
Microsoft just demoed its 2-in-1 Continuum feature on a Windows 10 phone giving the mobile device the ability to become a really tiny desktop computer. Continuum adjusts the UI of Windows 10 on a device from desktop to tablet mode based on what’s plugged into it. If you plug a keyboard and mouse into a tablet or phone, it goes into desktop mode. When those are unplugged, a pop-up asks if you want to enter tablet mode with touch input. Desktop mode includes the Start Menu and Taskbar you usually associate with a full-size computer. For anyone that travels who would like to pare down the devices they pack, this is great. Corporate Vice President of the Operating Systems Group Joe Belfiore did note that phones would need a hardware upgrade to fully implement the feature.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Peripherals, Software, Microsoft
Smart pedals will track your stolen bike for $149
Back when we saw Connected Cycle’s smart bike pedals at CES in January we were pretty impressed by its plan to track activity and location; now you have a chance to get in on the action. The outfit’s smart pedals recently hit crowdfunding site IndieGoGo where the campaign has already hit 171 percent of its funding goal. Since we last saw them, the duration limit on included data plans has been lifted for backers and CC is working on design modifications so the pedals accommodate “standardized” foot straps.
The discounted early-bird backer levels are already gone of course, so if you want a pair of the anti-theft and activity tracking pedals they’ll run you $149. As the campaign page tells it, that’s still a $71 savings over retail. As it stands, they’re probably a little overkill if you’re riding a Huffy from Kmart but anyone who’s dropped serious coin on something along the lines of a Cannondale or Fuji probably can’t put a price on peace of mind.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/126046310
Connected Cycle Pedals – Indiegogo Campaign Film from Christian Kravanja on Vimeo.
Filed under: Transportation, Software, Mobile
Source: IndieGoGo
Instagram dives into curated content with a dedicated music account
Instagram uses its official account to promote notable snapshots on the social network, and has been doing so for quite some time. But now, the filter-driven app will serve up a daily look at music “around the globe.” Through the @music stream, the folks behind the software will highlight music photographers, designers working on album art, instrument makers and fans in addition to current stars and emerging talent. It’ll even offer 15-second lessons from time to time. Musicians are a big part of Instagram’s user base, where artists can share updates and connect with fans, so it makes sense that the subject would get its own channel. In fact, BuzzFeed reports that around 25 percent of the app’s 300 million accounts belong to those folks.
The move also follows other social networks, like Snapchat, getting into the curated content game. Of course, music is also a popular topic elsewhere. You may recall Twitter’s short-lived #Music app back in 2013, and it’s current chart collaboration with Billboard. As I’m sure you’re well aware, people love taking pictures of food with the app, so it’ll be interesting to see if a culinary-focused channel pops up in the future.
Filed under: Software
Source: Instagram
Carrier billing is coming to all Windows devices
Wish you could put that Windows app purchase on your phone bill rather than rack up a separate charge? Microsoft just made your day. It’s bringing carrier billing to all Windows devices, so you only have to make one payment to cover everything. There are 90 providers involved, too, so there’s a very good chance that your network of choice is eligible. The move is welcome, if not totally surprising. When Windows 10 focuses heavily on universal apps that run on both phones and PCs, it only makes sense to pay through your carrier on whichever hardware you use.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
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