Alleged iPhone 5S render shows new home button / 'Touch ID sensor'
We're just a few hours away from Apple's big iPhone press conference, and Nowhereelse.fr has just posted this render (from a "very reliable" source) that claims to show the iPhone 5S. The most notable change shown is of course, the home button, seemingly minus the usual squarish target and called the "Touch ID sensor". That is expected, considering repeated rumors (check out our roundup) including an apparent confirmation tonight from the Wall Street Journal, that Apple's next flagship phone will include a fingerprint sensor. Whatever the truth is, it will be unveiled at 1PM ET, and we'll be there liveblogging every minute.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
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Source: Nowhereelse.fr
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Google streamlines Gmail for featurephone web browsers
Google may focus much of its attention on smartphones, but it knows that featurephone owners deserve a good online experience as well. Accordingly, it just launched a revamped Gmail web app for devices where modern browsers and touchscreens aren't guaranteed. The new client requires fewer button presses to read and write messages; users can reply to email directly from the thread view, for example. While the need for basic webmail is disappearing as smartphones get ever cheaper, those who need (or prefer) a simple cellphone can try the new Gmail page today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
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Source: Official Gmail Blog
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Tokyo cab company's backseat cams notice forgotten gear if you don't
Soon enough, if you leave something in one of Kokusai Motorcars Co.'s Tokyo taxis, you'll know it before the cabbie drives away. Cameras under the front seats, in the trunk and on the ceiling record what the passenger and cargo area look like before a fare gets in. If the cams notice an item that wasn't there when they get out, an alarm sounds so you get your stuff back sooner rather than later. Handy, right? If you're worried about privacy, this apparently won't capture clear facial images and the equipped cabs will have signs denoting the system's presence, according to The Wall Street Journal. At ¥50,000 (roughly $500) this relatively cheap idea could keep you from losing a cellphone to a cab ever again. Kokusai hopes to have its fleet of 3,100 cars outfitted by next spring, but we can't help but wish it was in place before this month's Tokyo Game Show.
[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Filed under: Transportation
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Source: Wall Street Journal
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Arcade Fire's 'Just a Reflektor' music video takes cues from your smartphone
Arcade Fire already knows how to immerse its fans in a web music video. For its new "Just a Reflektor" video, though, it's also bringing smartphones into the action. The band's Chrome-based project links a PC to a mobile device through a webcam, turning the handheld into a visual effects controller -- halos, reflections and wireframes in the video adapt to every movement. As the experiment is open source, viewers can even tinker with the web code (primarily JavaScript and WebGL) to build their own masterworks. Whether or not you're a fan of Arcade Fire's indie rock, you'll likely want to give "Reflektor" a look for curiosity's sake; just don't be surprised when the video looks back.
Filed under: Internet, Alt, Google
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Source: Just a Reflektor, Google Chrome Blog
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Maingear adds high-performance Ivy Bridge-E processors to its desktop lineup
Roughly two years have passed since Intel released its first LGA-2011 E series processors, but now that its 22nm Ivy Bridge-E silicon is in the wild, PCs have a new high-horsepower option. With the outfit's latest unlocked six-core chips ready for action, Maingear's adding them as an option to their Shift, F131, Force and Rush desktops. At the top, the Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition stakes claim to base clock speeds of 3.6GHz, while the Core i7-4930K and i7-4820K hum at 3.4GHz and 3.7GHz, respectively. Running at Turbo Boost frequencies, the top of the line model hit up to 4GHz, with both other models peaking at 3.9GHz. To commission a monster rig, and help Ivy Bridge reclaim the limelight from Haswell for just a moment, click the neighboring source link.
Update: Velocity Micro's Raptor class PCs are also getting in on the Ivy Bridge-E treatment, with prices starting at $2,399.
Filed under: Desktops
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Source: Maingear
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CyanogenMod accounts coming in next nightly builds
Folks who download the coming nightly builds of CyanogenMod may notice something new to play with in their settings: an option to add an account for the popular Android ROM. Once users register and sign in on their device, they'll have access to a service that can pinpoint their handset's location on a map. When hardware is in danger of falling into the wrong hands, it can be wiped from the web using the profile it was assigned to. Hit the source links below for the dev team's announcement and to check for the latest release.
Filed under: Software, Mobile
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Source: CyanogenMod (1, Google+), (2)
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Mhoto analyzes any image, gives it an appropriate, customized soundtrack
When we see a picture of the Notorious B.I.G., the hook from Hypnotize starts streaming in our heads. Imagine if you will, an app that analyzes your picture and creates a soundtrack suited to you. Mhoto does just that, and it can synthesize an appropriate tune for any digital photograph. Mhoto's magic comes courtesy of some patent pending technology that analyzes a picture's saturation, brightness and contrast levels and uses that information to create music tailored to fit the feel of the photo -- and the company's working on a way to integrate facial recognition into the mix to make mood based music, too. Users also can choose what musical genre they want the generated tunes to come from (Hip Hop, Rock, Pop, etc.). The best part is, the heavy lifting is done in Amazon's cloud, so Mhoto can work on any device with a data connection, even a featurephone.
Filed under: Misc
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Source: Mhoto
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Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa CPUs will be able to use all eight cores at once in Q4
We'll have to change our terminology for Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa mobile chips now. We've been calling them "not-quite" eight core CPUs since they can't actually use all eight at once, but the company's new Heterogeneous Multi-Processing solution is going to change that. Once it's available in Q4 it will let devices access both sides of the big.LITTLE ARM configuration simultaneously, which it claims will increase both performance and efficiency. While software threads with high priority use the "big" A15 core, lower priority tasks can run on the "small" A7 without needing to switch back and forth. Samsung isn't the only one running this setup however, as MediaTek announced an implementation for its MT8135 back in July. There are more details included in the press release (after the break) but we're not seeing any confirmation if this will ever be enabled on existing / announced devices like some flavors of the Galaxy S 4 or the Meizu MX3. Either way, the folks at Qualcomm might want to put together another video.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Samsung
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Source: Samsung
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Blue HTC One to arrive as Best Buy exclusive on September 15th
Don't feel blue if you've missed one of the first HTC One units in, well, blue when they started trickling out -- it's officially launching as a Best Buy exclusive on September 15th. What's more, the oceanic phone will be available on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon. On-contract pricing details have yet to be revealed by the carriers, but its full retail price was pegged at $700 when it first showed up on our radar. We guess those who prefer cool blue to glamour red will find out soon enough when the phones pop up at the retailer's stores, its mobile shops and website.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
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Source: Best Buy
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Roku's Android app updated with user-created video streaming
Just over a month after its iOS debut, video support for "Play on Roku" is now available for the streaming box's Android app. You'll need a second gen or newer Roku running at least software version 5.1 to push hand-crafted video from your Google gizmo, and then it only works with "select" Ice Cream Sandwich or later devices. Which ones? The company's blog lists the Samsung Galaxy S III and S4, HTC One, Nexus 4 and 2012's Nexus 7 tablet. You have one of those, right?
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile
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Source: Roku Blog
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Vimeo On Demand now allows pre-orders, offers separate purchase and rental prices
Video producers that sell through Vimeo On Demand now have much more flexibility in marketing their wares. Starting today, Vimeo Pro members can offer both purchases and rentals at separate prices. They can also supply pre-orders and promo codes, while stat hounds will see more advanced viewership data, such as trailer play counts. It's up to content creators to use the new features, but we've already spotted at least a few titles that take advantage of the upgrades; head over to Vimeo if you'd like to give them a try.
Filed under: Internet, HD
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Via: The Next Web
Source: Vimeo On Demand
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Cota by Ossia hopes to charge your phone wirelessly, no contact required
We've all heard of wireless charging before, but most solutions still require your phone to come in touch with a base station. Well, Cota is a technology that aims to power your mobile device completely wirelessly -- without any physical contact at all. Hatem Zeine, a physicist and CEO of Ossia Inc, demonstrated the technology on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt when he successfully charged his iPhone when plugged with a Cota prototype, seen above, while holding it several feet away from a charging station.
It all seems like voodoo, but the secret lies in sending a magnetic charge over the same 2.4GHz spectrum that WiFi and Bluetooth already use. If you're concerned about safety, Zeine assures us that only one watt of power is transmitted -- that's a third of what cell phones already transmit. Line of sight isn't required, and Zeine claims that one station can power multiple devices at once. Just like a WiFi hotspot, you can set it so that it only works with certain devices or simply open it up so that power is available to all Cota-enabled handsets within range, which is around 30 feet.
Filed under: Cellphones, Science, Mobile
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Via: TechCrunch
Source: Cota by Ossia
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Must See HDTV (September 9th - 15th)
Monday Night Football is back and there's a massive Texas A&M vs. Alabama college football game, but that's far from the only thing on TV this week. Star Trek Into Darkness highlights the Blu-ray releases but Trek fans beware: The Digital Bits warns Paramount has spread the extras as exclusives across retailers, meaning things like a commentary might not be on your version. We'd advise skipping it entirely until a proper release arrives with all the extras in tow.
One other show we're keeping an eye out for tonight is NBC's The Million Second Quiz. It's a 24/7 trivia show that ties in with mobile apps on Android and iOS to let viewers at home play along with the live broadcast and perhaps even get on the show. This week we also have the series finale for Burn Notice, season finale for The Newsroom, the premiere of Ricky Gervais' Derek on Netflix and the season premiere of Sons of Anarchy. Look after the break for our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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Daily Roundup: LG G2 review, Lumia 625 review, Sony's new PS Vita, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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PPL Connect is a virtualized smartphone that lets you make and take calls from a web browser
Sure, you've heard of virtualized computing environments before, but a start-up here at TechCrunch Disrupt called PPL Connect is a platform that virtualizes your phone's capabilities in real-time. That means you can make and receive calls and texts and access the photos and videos on your phone from any device with a web browser. It's kind of like AirDroid, only you don't need to have your phone with you or even have it turned on to make calls or receive texts once you've signed up. It's a platform agnostic solution for a fragmented mobile world.
The magic happens via a localized app on your phone and Amazon cloud service to dish out your data where you need it. That cloud component both serves as cloud storage for your data and as a back-end VoIP relay station for calls and texts. Currently, photos, videos, contacts, calls and texts are what's handled by the service, but the plan is to eventually fully replicate your phone's capabilities. For folks who are concerned about putting your digital life in the hands of PPL connect, all transmissions to and from its servers are encrypted. And, the company is currently devising a fully encrypted system whereby the data's only accessible with a single, user-owned key.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile
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Source: PPL Connect, Google Play
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PayPal unveils Beacon: a USB stick that powers hands-free checkout (video)
PayPal's offered its Here service since last year to simplify buying items in brick-and-mortar shops, and today they've just unveiled their latest crack at in-person shopping: a USB stick dubbed Beacon. Business owners running a compatible Point of Sale system (Booker, Erply, Leaf, Leapset, Micros, NCR, PayPal Here, Revel, ShopKeep, TouchBistro and Vend as of now) just plug the dongle into a power source and they'll be ready to offer hands-free payments. By using Bluetooth LE, the hardware detects when a customer wielding the PayPal app walks in, but won't go so far as tracking their location within the establishment. A person's photo will appear on the PoS setup when they mosey inside, and they'll only have to give a verbal confirmation for payments to go through.
Naturally, waltzing into a store that can charge you so easily raises some concerns, but the outfit's application will allow for levels of trust. Users will have control over what retail locations can register their presence, if they want to be prompted with on-screen alerts to confirm payments and which businesses can charge them automatically. The setup will be put through its paces in Q4, and is expected to roll it out early next year, but 100 lucky developers will get the dongle and accompanying API early. PayPal hopes Beacon and its API will lead to new checkout experiences, such as having your usual meal ordered as soon as you walk in. If you're a dev or shop owner yearning to give the contraption a shot, click the link below for more.
Filed under: Misc, Mobile
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Via: PayPal Forward
Source: PayPal
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New Nexus 7 32GB with LTE now available on Google Play in the US for $349
Back in July Google promised a version of its Nexus 7 (2013) with LTE would be available soon, and today is the day. Those interested can pick up the 32GB tablet with a T-Mobile SIM (and 2GB of data service for one month) for $349 on the Google Play Store right now, and in T-Mobile stores next month. It's also compatible with other carriers, featuring LTE service on Verizon, and GSM / HSPA / LTE ready for AT&T and T-Mobile (check the bands after the break).
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Google, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile
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Source: Google Play, Nexus (Google+)
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Google+ adds embedded posts and expands authorship in search results
Following in the footsteps of Twitter and Facebook, Google announced today the introduction of embedded posts for Google+. As you can see in the picture above, the drop down menu at the top of each G+ post now offers the option to embed; clicking the "Embed post" link summons a pop-up screen with an easy-to-use code. Text, photo and media posts are fully supported, and embedded content comes with the full range of Google+ functions, so you can +1, follow and comment with relative ease. Additionally, the company is integrating Google+ with its authorship program, starting with Wordpress and Typepad. So, the content you create for either platform will be linked to your G+ account if you sign in with Google, and your profile will be linked to in search results. To read more about today's update, head on over to the source link below.
Filed under: Internet, Google
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Via: TechCrunch
Source: Google+ Developer's Blog
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Foursquare adds menu search to dining spots, eases quest for ramen and dumplings
Following its recent auto-notification announcement, Foursquare is serving up yet another feature to make finding a spot to nosh even easier while you're out and about. With its latest update, the social check-in software has added menu search. That's right, all you have to do is type in a dish, select your current locale and boom: the app dishes out a list of restaurants where that item you're crazing is on the menu. This works for dietary restrictions too for those who prefer to stick to veggies or follow the gluten-free lifestyle. No word on when you'll be able to order directly from the app, so stay tuned.
Filed under: Software
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Source: Foursquare
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Following outcry, Microsoft gives developers early access to finished Windows 8.1 builds
When Microsoft delivered Windows 8.1 to manufacturers, some developers were more annoyed than overjoyed -- unlike in years past, they weren't getting advance copies to help optimize their apps. The company has heard their complaints, however, and it's now offering the Release To Manufacturing builds of Windows 8.1, 8.1 Professional and Windows Server 2012 R2 to both MSDN and TechNet members. The enterprise edition of Windows 8.1 will be available later in September, Microsoft says. Regular users will still have to wait until the mid-October launch to get their turn, but the early developer release should lead to a healthier stock of Windows 8.1-ready apps in the weeks ahead.
Update: In case you'd forgotten, 8.1 also arrives with a "fully built-in Skype app." The Skype blog details new features like the ability to answer calls from the lock screen, a window that automatically adjusts when you open up links and click to call from Internet Explorer.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
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Via: Blogging Windows
Source: MSDN Blogs, Skype Blog
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Google Glass update adds 'vignettes,' sound search and more
Glass still isn't quite ready for the consumer, but Google's wearable platform just keeps getting better and more powerful thanks to frequent software updates. Today's version bump brings YouTube to your search results and also grants access to those with Google Apps accounts. It also brings the Shazam-like Sound Search from Android to your head-mounted display. Most interesting though, is Vignettes, which allows you to lay your current Glass display over a photo to produce an image like the one you see above. Think of it like a screenshot tool for your real, very nerdy life. One can only imagine that eventually Vignettes will get a video mode, but for now its still photos only. If you're one of the lucky Explorers you can download the update now. The rest of you will have to live vicariously through the photos at the source.
Filed under: Wearables, Google
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Source: Google Glass (Google+), XE9 Release Notes
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Snapchat Micro will bring disappearing messages to Samsung's Galaxy Gear
There seems little doubt that much of the Galaxy Gear's success or failure will hinge on the selection of apps that arrive on smartwatch. Samsung is making a strong push for third-party software (even in the face of limited device storage), courting a big cross section of developers at places like Path and eBay for its wearable. Popular messaging app Snapchat will also be hitting the device in the form of Snapchat Micro. As you'd expect, the app harnesses the Gear's 1.9-megapixel camera to send self-destructing images. The company's founder told Techcrunch, "Our team is constantly looking at ways to reduce the time between our experience of a moment and our ability to share it." Walking around with a camera on your wrist is certainly one way to go about it.
Filed under: Wearables, Software, Samsung
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Via: Techcrunch
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Moto X now available to T-Mobile customers, but only from Motorola
Want the Moto X experience combined with T-Mobile's inexpensive plans? Today's your lucky day -- sort of. Motorola is now selling the promised T-Mobile version of its flagship, but only through its website at an unsubsidized $600 price. And like the Model T, you're limited to black; the company lists the white version as "coming soon." If you're not deterred by the limited purchasing options, however, you can pick up a magenta-friendly Moto X at the source link.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, T-Mobile
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Via: Official Motorola Blog
Source: Motorola
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Breaking down the PS Vita TV: Why Sony's $100 set-top box is more than a consolation prize
Late last night / very early this morning, Sony's PlayStation team finally unveiled a release date for the PlayStation 4 in Japan: February 22, 2014. That's just short of 100 days after the company's new game console launches in the US, and nearly as far away from the console's arrival on European shores -- a far cry from the PlayStation 3's launch strategy, which put the console in Japanese gamers' hands first.
Instead, Sony's got another idea for Japanese gamers this holiday in the PlayStation Vita TV. The $100 set-top Vita hooks up to televisions and functions as a Vita does, albeit with a DualShock 3 paired for control. It'll even act as a Remote Play device for the PlayStation 4 when that console eventually launches in Japan. Unlike some Japan-only PlayStation hardware from Sony's past (PS3's Torne DVR device, for instance), Vita TV seems bound for an international release.
In Sony's official PR, the company says, "PS Vita TV will be available first in Japan prior to any other regions, on November 14, 2013." Prior to any other regions, eh? PlayStation's US counterparts are keeping coy. We asked if the console was being considered for release in North America and were told, "We are considering every opportunity, but have nothing to announce at this time," by an SCEA rep.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD, Sony
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Tizen 3.0 UI allegedly spotted running on a Galaxy S 4
Tizen, the progeny of MeeGo, LiMo and Bada, hasn't exactly set the world on fire. But even if manufacturers and consumers aren't clamoring for yet another smartphone platform, that doesn't mean Samsung and Intel are simply going to let the OS wither and die. In fact, version 3.0 of the UI is well on its way, and it appears to be up and running Galaxy S 4 hardware. The new look is flatter, squarer and much more inline with current design trends. Gone are the slightly cartoonish and round elements that have now been adopted by Mozilla for Firefox OS. The bright and varied color palate remains, however, giving Tizen a much more whimsical appearance than Android or Windows Phone. Though the images at the source link are hardly a thorough tour of the new UI, you can see that there are detailed lockscreen alerts and you can get a quick glance at the music player. Now it's just a waiting game to see if Samsung will actually release a high-end Tizen phone based on the S 4 to consumers... but we're not exactly holding our breath.
[Image courtesy of Tizen Indonesia]
Filed under: Mobile, Samsung
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Via: Tizen Experts
Source: Tizen Indonesia
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