Livescribe 3 smartpen now sends your notes to Android devices
Making good on its promise back in January, the Livescribe 3 smartpen now works with Android devices. A preview version of the requisite app is now available for download, ready to equip devices running KitKat and newer versions of Google’s mobile OS. In addition to the Livescribe+ Preview Edition app, you’ll also need to install the Livescribe Link Preview Edition software, with the latter handling Bluetooth pairing duties so you don’t have to swipe over to the setting menus every time. If you’ll recall, using the high-tech pen with Livescribe’s paper notebooks automatically digitizes your scribbles to the companion app on your trusty mobile device. Folks who are eager to employ the peripheral can grab the either the Livescribe 3 or Livescribe 3 Pro Edition at a $25 discount during this so-called preview period ($130 and $175, respectively). Unfortunately, you’ll have to be in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the United Arab Emirates to take advantage, but a global launch is expected in the coming weeks. We’re hoping the final software arrives then, too.
Filed under: Peripherals, Software, Mobile
Source: Livescribe
Your Apple Watch can help you tune a guitar
The Apple Watch is handy for a lot of things, and now you can use the wearable when you tune your axe. Thanks to the folks at IK Multimedia, when you employ the company’s chromatic UltraTuner app for iOS, note info is beamed to your wrist while tuning that stringed instrument. The software’s Stage mode offers a UI that takes up the entire screen of a phone for maximum visibility, and when this setting is selected, a smaller version of the interface is displayed on that wrist-worn accessory. IK Multimedia claims that UltraTuner is ten times more accurate than mechanical strobe options — down to +/- 1/100th of a cent. As you might expect, those figures make it the most accurate tuner available for iOS. If you’ve already splurged for the $5 app, you’ll need to update to the most recent version to pair it with the Apple Watch.
Source: IK Multimedia
Google Now pulls info from 70 more Android apps
Google Now started pulling details from third-party Android apps back in January, but today the folks in Mountain View added support for a truckload more. As expected, in addition to the collection of nearly 40 integrations announced a few months back, Google displays info from 70 more inside the card-based repository. This means that you’ll be able to easily keep track of items like your Zipcar reservation return time and quickly snag directions back to the drop-off spot. We won’t run down the full list of new additions, but you can peruse the currently supported lineup right here — just know that Spotify, ABC News, RunKeeper, Jawbone and OpenTable all made the cut. To leverage the new functionality, make sure you’re device is properly equipped with the latest version of the Google app.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Google (Inside Search Blog)
Sainsbury’s oft-forgotten streaming service comes to Chromecast
Supermarkets can now insure your car, offer broadband and mobile services and, on the odd occasion, actually sell you food. In recent years, some of these grocers have expanded into streaming, launching online video, music and book services to supplement their DVD, CD and paperback sales. Not long after Tesco divested itself of all of its Blinkbox services in an attempt to battle back from its £6 billion yearly loss, grocery rival Sainsbury’s is doing more to remind people that it too is in the streaming game. Today, the company has announced that its movie and TV streaming apps have gained Chromecast support, finally bringing it in line with bigger rivals like Netflix and Now TV.
A quick look at the Sainsbury’s Entertainment apps shows that the supermarket added the feature to its Android app earlier this month, with its iOS app gaining Chromecast integration over this past weekend. Once set up, you’ll be able to buy or rent titles from its catalog and throw them over to your big screen with a touch of a button, allowing you to then use the app as a dedicated remote control. After adding a dedicated Roku channel late last year, Sainsbury’s is slowly adding devices to its list of supported hardware, maybe in the faint hope you’ll choose its marketplace over the more the established streaming services already competing for your money.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Internet, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Sainsbury’s Entertainment (App Store), (Google Play)
Amazon’s making digital homework easier to assign, ugh
If you’ve ever seen a 6th grader lugging around a 30 pound backpack, you’ll understand the allure of e-readers and tablets as a replacement for traditional textbooks. To help school districts make the digital transition from physical textbooks, Amazon launched Whispercast, a free content management and distribution tool. Schools can buy or rent books directly via the online tool and push them to anything that supports the Kindle app including: Kindles, Fire Tablets, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Chromebooks. Today, the free two year-old online tool gets an upgrade with tiered administration, support for purchase orders, an easier-to-use online interface and an assisted setup service for new schools.
Whispercast aims to make distribution of digital media in schools and businesses as easy as a few clicks. The service enables central content administration of e-books, documents, apps and other media on multiple devices.
Today’s update adds more administrative deployment options. Instead of just having the IT department in charge of everything, tiered permissions can be given to teachers and other staff members. Educators can now control which of their classes get which documents with the online tool. “You want the ability to have this centralized, but when it comes to reading material, you want to give schools and teachers the power to deploy,” said Rohit Agarwal, general manager of Amazon Education.
To help those teachers deploy materials, Amazon says the tool itself has been redesigned to make it easier to create groups and distribute items thanks to a new step-by-step setup wizard. Of course, setting up an entire school or school district is another matter. To handle that, Amazon has launched a Digital Transition Service for K-12 and higher education customers. A representative will help get a school up and running.
Finally, the service now supports purchase orders and purchase cards for digital goods — something most schools require to help tracks costs. When it comes to shrinking school budgets, Whispercast could be the solution to buying physical books, especially books available in the public domain. Also, it’ll help reduce the chances of kids having lower back problems.
Filed under: Misc, Tablets, Software
Source: Amazon
SwiftKey’s new keyboard corrects whole phrases
SwiftKey has a new Android keyboard that will autocorrect entire phrases. Named Clarity Keyboard Beta, it aims to constantly scan the last few words typed in order to offer better corrections than rival apps. Like other SwiftKey keyboards, it’ll also learn from your typing style, picking up on your most-used words and phrases.
As its name suggests, Clarity Keyboard Beta is still a work in progress. It’s the first product of a new initiative SwiftKey is calling Greenhouse, which should see a lot more experimental apps come from the company. We gave it a quick test and weren’t particularly wowed by its corrections, although that’s perhaps to be expected given the time it takes to learn your writing style.Despite SwiftKey launching on iOS last year, this beta is Android only for now. There are already some reported problems, such as compatibility issues with certain Samsung and LG devices, but SwiftKey is looking for feedback on the work in progress. It’s available as a free download from Google Play, so you haven’t got much to lose by giving it a spin.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Slashgear
Source: SwiftKey, (Google Play)
Android 5.0 Lollipop starts rolling out for T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4
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Happy Monday Android world! Over the weekend Des Smith posted a tweet that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update had been approved and to be on the lookout for it this week. I jumped to settings this morning and gave it hopeful tap to see, and there it was waiting for me to download.
The update weighs in at just over 1085MBs and takes about 25 minutes to download. On my Wi-Fi it took about 28 minutes for the full update to download, but another hour for the full install and app update process to finish. That time line might be less for some as it did optimize 390 apps on my device.
The update brings all the Lollipop things we have been waiting for like lock screen notifications, Privacy Mode, more fluid animations and seems to make it run a bit smoother. As with any update, it is rolling out in stages in an OTA. You will need well over 50% battery life, at least 3GB of storage available for it download and install and a solid Wi-Fi connection. In my experience it took about 30 minutes to download and another 45 to and hour before it was up and running smoothly due to the number of apps I have installed and because it needs to update Google Play Services and a number of other apps that have Lollipop variations.
If you don’t see the update immediately available, you do have the option of installing it via Samsung Kies on your computer as well. Sometimes that is a better option for some people.
Additional details at T-Mobile Support
The post Android 5.0 Lollipop starts rolling out for T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4 appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Eurovision’s official app is your guide to (not) enjoying Eurovision
For some of us, the Eurovision Song Contest means cringing at over-the-top performances and chuckling at Graham Norton’s dry, subtly cynical commentary. For others, however, the annual karaoke competition is genuinely enjoyable, and if you fall into that camp, you simply can’t be doing without the official 2015 Eurovision app. Created in collaboration with Microsoft, the companion app is your first port of call for the latest Eurovision news, pics and videos. Also, this year’s official Eurovision album and karaoke-friendly versions of each song, as well as other merchandise, can be bought through the app. That’s not all it’s for, though, with new features going live in May when the competition actually kicks off.
These include artist profiles and a second-screen experience that feeds you performer and song info relevant to whoever’s on telly at the time. You’ll also be able to vote for your favourite act inside the app, with those votes factoring into where the UK’s points are ultimately distributed. The app is available on Windows phones and tablets today, with Android and iOS versions coming out at the end of April, just before the comedy event of the year hits our TV screens.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Apple Watch app roundup: It’s all on the wrist
It’s Apple Watch day. And whether you received one already, or are stuck waiting a few weeks for it, you’ll want apps to make the most out of your new wearable when the time comes. Thankfully, we here at Engadget are always thinking about you, the reader, so we’ve put together a list of third-party apps that stand out from the 3,000-plus expected to be available at launch. But first, let’s talk about some essentials. The Twitter and Instagram Apple Watch apps, for starters, will let you check out tweets and view photos right on your wrist, among other things. Sports fans, meanwhile, have access to apps like ESPN, MLB At Bat and NBA Game Time, which makes it easy to keep up with scores without having to pull out your iPhone.
The Apple Watch is going to play a big role for fitness buffs too, and there are a number of apps to choose from in that department: Misfit, Nike+ Running, Runtastic and RunKeeper, to mention a few. Travel often? Don’t worry: Delta and American Airlines, two of the most popular airlines, both have apps. Of course, you may also want to kill time every now and then; for those cases, there are games such as Rules!, a tiny puzzle designed to give your brain a workout, and Pantagu, a novel, fast-paced take on the classic Tic-Tac-Toe. Oh, and then there’s the Chipotle app. Because burritos.
We’ll be updating the list below as more companies and services make their iOS apps friendly with the Apple Watch, so make sure to bookmark this page for future use.
Food
Chipotle — App Store
Yelp — App Store
OpenTable — App Store
Green Kitchen — App Store
Lifestyle
Nike+ Running — App Store
Runtastic — App Store
RunKeeper — App Store
Misfit — App Store
Lifesum — App Store
Strava — App Store
Games and Miscellaneous
Rules! – App Store
Pantagu – App Store
Runeblade — App Store
Mattel Magic 8 Ball — App Store
justWink — App Store
Sky Guide — App Store
Honeywell Lyric — App Store
AOL — App Store
Yahoo Weather — App Store
Music
Pandora — App Store
iHeartRadio — App Store
Shazam — App Store
Djay 2 — App Store
Musixmatch — App Store
News and Sports
The New York Times — App Store
CNN — App Store
NPR One — App Store
The Huffington Post — App Store
ESPN — App Store
NBA Game Time — App Store
MLB At Bat — App Store
Productivity
Evernote — App Store
Adobe Creative Cloud — App Store
Mint — App Store
Gero Time Management Companion — App Store
Merriam-Webster — App Store
1Password — App Store
Gneo — App Store
Shopping
Amazon — App Store
eBay — App Store
Target — App Store
Fandango — App Store
StubHub — App Store
Social and Messaging
Instagram — App Store
Twitter — App Store
Foursquare — App Store
Yo — App Store
Pip — App Store
Travel and Transportation
Uber — App Store
BMW i Remote — App Store
Citymapper — App Store
Trip Advisor — App Store
Expedia — App Store
Delta Airlines — App Store
American Airlines — App Store
British Airways — App Store
SPG: Starwood Hotels — App Store
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Software, Mobile, Apple
Twitter Highlights serves up the day’s best tweets
Unless you’re constantly checking Twitter, there’s a very good chance you’re going to miss something cool. To help keep you from missing those very important tweets, Twitter introduced Highlights for Android. The feature notifies you up to twice a day about tweets Twitter believes are relevant to your interests. Twitter curates Highlights by looking at the popular accounts and conversations among the people you follow, tweets from people close to you and what’s trending nearby. Users can also see the day’s important tweets by tapping the new icon above the timeline that resembles two stacked cards. To turn on Highlights, navigate to Settings>Account Handle>Mobile Notifications and check the Highlights box. The feature is Android only for now, but Twitter says it will consider bringing it to other platforms in the future.
Introducing Highlights. Get the best of Twitter every day, sent to your Android device: https://t.co/9ZUWgX9lcC pic.twitter.com/sYuu7YUO4D
– Twitter (@twitter) April 23, 2015
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Twitter
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