Windows 9: One OS For Desktop, Mobile & Xbox

By Chris Smith at BGR:  


Unlike Apple, which thinks merging iOS and OS X would be a “waste of energy,” Microsoft wants one single Windows operating system to be available to all its device users, whether they’re Windows Phone handset owners, Xbox fans, or rely on a Windows computer for work or play. Business Insider reports that CEO Satya Nadella said on the company’s FQ4 earnings conference call that a future version of Windows will merge all current Windows versions, becoming an “operating system that covers all screen sizes.”

“In the year ahead, we are investing in ways that will ensure our device OS and first party hardware aligned to our core,” Nadella said. “We will streamline the next version of Windows from three operating systems into one single converged operating system for screens of all sizes.”

“We will unify our stores, commerce and developer platforms to drive a more coherent user experience and a broader developer opportunity,” he added.

Microsoft already revealed at Build 2014 in early April that it will let developers create apps that will work across devices, including Windows Phone smartphones, Windows computers and Xbox consoles, but the company is apparently ready to go even further.

However, that doesn’t mean Microsoft will have a simpler way of selling Windows products to users.

“Our SKU strategy will remain by segment, we will have multiple SKUs for enterprises, we will have for OEM, we will have for end-users,” Nadella added. “And so we will – be disclosing and talking about our SKUs as we get further along, but my statement was more to do with how we are bringing teams together to approach Windows as one ecosystem very differently than we ourselves have done in the past.”

Microsoft Launches Lumia 530 w/ 4-inch Display

By Ben Woods at TNW:  


Microsoft has today announced a new member of its Lumia range in the form of the low-end Lumia 530, which will arrive from the start of next month in Europe.

Priced at €85 before taxes or local subsidies, Microsoft said it expects the Lumia 530 to go on sale in European countries for a retail price of below €100 when it starts to roll out next month, putting it at the lower-end of the affordability scale for Lumia devices.

Key specs include the most recent version of Windows Phone 8.1, a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera, a 4-inch FWVGA (854 x 480 pixels) display and a selection of interchangeable colored shells – available in bright orange, bright green, grey or white. The device will also be offered in single SIM and dual-SIM variants.

Alongside the phone, the company also introduced a new mini speaker designed with portability in mind. Priced at €19, the Bang by Coloud may not offer luxuries such as Bluetooth connection, but it does offer connectivity through a 3.5mm headphone jack and promises up to eight hours of playback. Microsoft said it would be available “in the coming weeks”.

Samsung Reportedly In Talks To Buy SmartThings

By Kaylene Hong at TNW:   


This year has been the battle of smart homes among big internet firms. Google bought Nest for $3.2 billion, while Apple announced Homekit at its WWDC conference in June, an SDK that aggregates third party Internet of Things apps into one place.

Now Samsung is also planning to enter the battle, as TechCrunch reports that the Korean company is in talks to buy home automation firm SmartThings for around $200 million. SmartThings lets users set up their home devices to be controlled via a mobile app, and has already raised $15 million from investors including Greylock Partners.

The White House Allowed Tesla to Sell Directly in All 50 States

By Jeff John Roberts at GigaOm: 


A petition asking the Obama Administration “to allow Tesla Motors to sell directly to consumers in all 50 states” finally received an official response this week, but the answer will likely disappointment fans of the car maker.

As Jalopnik reports, the White House wrote, “as you know, laws regulating auto sales are issues that have traditionally sat with lawmakers at the state level” — meaning that Tesla will not be getting any high-level help fighting laws that block the direct sale of cars like Tesla Motor’s electric Model S.

States like New Jersey and Texas have passed such laws, which are widely viewed as a means to protect the auto industry’s longtime franchise dealer model. This means that, while Telsa can open “experience outlets” that show off its cars, it can’t actually sell them through these outlets.

Tesla filed its petition in June 2013, and soon received more than 100,000 signatures, which is the level at which the White House is obliged to offer an official response.

While the Administration’s framing of auto sale regulation as a state issue is not surprising, Tesla boosters will be disappointed that it did not call on Congress to look at the issue.

Sony Launches 'Selfie Smartphone' Xperia C3

By Kaylene Hong at TNW:  


A smartphone that’s optimized to help you take the best selfies ever — that’s how Sony is positioning its latest device, the Xperia C3, which it launched today.

What is notable is that the Xperia C3 comes equipped with a five-megapixel wide-angle front-facing camera that allows you to capture more in the frame, as well as a Superior Auto Mode that adjusts pictures automatically for suitable lighting conditions. There is also an auto scene recognition function, which works together with HDR and LED flash for optimal lighting in your selfies.

To complement its selfie focus, the Xperia C3 comes loaded with selfie camera apps. AR Effect lets you add graphics and animations to your selfie pictures and videos, while Portrait Retouch gives a makeover of up to two people per image from 10 different beauty styles, frame options and eye pattern changes. Timeshift-burst lets you capture 31 frames in two seconds so you can choose the best-looking image to put up on your social networks.

The 5.5-inch device, which comes with a 720p HD IPS display, is just 7.6mm thin and weights a mere 150g. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, comes with 1GB of RAM and features a battery stamina mode that helps you to save on battery drain by detecting when you’re not using your display and automatically turning off the functions you don’t need. As for the rear-facing camera, the Xperia C3 has an eight-megapixel snapper featuring SteadyShot to help shoot smoother videos.

Google Glass Arrives in the UK for £1,000

By Nick Summers at TNW:  


Google Glass, the head-mounted wearable computer unveiled more than two years ago, is finally available outside the US. After appearing in a support page linked to hardware availability, Google has launched the long-awaited device in the UK.

The Explorer Edition is being sold through the Google Play store for £1,000 and is available in Cotton, Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale and Sky. Google is also selling the frames from its Titanium collection as an optional add-on. Each Explorer Edition comes with an extra frame or shade for free; otherwise, the frames are being sold for £175 each, while the shades cost £120 individually.



Read the full story >>

The 10 Coolest Things About Amazon's New Fire Phone

Via TheVerge:


Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced his company’s first smartphone in Seattle on Wednesday, the Fire Phone, by first turning to a curiously ironic metaphor: a bucket of water. “You can fill a bucket with an eyedropper, if the bucket doesn’t leak,” Bezos said, striving to convey Amazon’s success at getting and keeping customers for its Prime subscription service. Now those Prime customers have a new reason to immerse themselves deeper into Amazon’s bucket of devices and services: a smartphone designed just for them.

The Fire Phone is designed for Amazon’s “most engaged customers,” Bezos said, and it shows. Like Amazon’s other devices in the Kindle family, the Fire Phone’s plain-looking body and sharp screen hide some decent — if not quite industry-leading — computing hardware. But it’s in the mix of the phone’s hardware and software that Amazon tries to stand apart, offering subtle 3D effects, unique gestures for using the phone, and gallons of Amazon-branded video and music features that work with its other devices. Starting at $199.99 on AT&T with a free year of Prime membership, it’s clear that Amazon wants the Fire Phone to rise to the top of an already crowded sea of competitors.


THE PHONE
Bezos introduced the Amazon Fire Phone by listing its hardware specs and some unique Amazon software twists. The Fire Phone has a 4.7-inch display, which Bezos claims is "perfect" for one-handed use and came after trying smaller and larger sizes. Amazon says its new phone is bright — and bright enough to read books outside. The Fire Phone body has Gorilla Glass on both sides; aluminum buttons, including a dedicated camera button; and a USB connector that Bezos said Amazon "obsessed" over, to avoid wobbling when connecting. Inside is a quad-core 2.2 GHZ processor with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 graphics processor. The 13-megapixel rear camera includes built-in optical image stabilization, and the phone has two dual-stereo speakers arranged in landscape mode.

YES, BUT HOW MUCH?
When Amazon makes any hardware, there’s speculation that it will undercut competitors to get its services into users’ hands. This doesn’t seem to be the case with the Fire Phone: a 32GB model is selling at the standard $199.99 on contract with AT&T. $299.99 will get you a 64GB phone, but if you want to buy any model outright, you’ll pay at least $649. If you do buy one, though, you’ll get 12 free months of Prime, whether or not you’re an existing Prime customer. As rumored, it’s also exclusive to AT&T, a decision that will either be great for AT&T or terrible for the Fire Phone. Either way, you can pre-order the phone right now, but it won’t be shipping until July 25th.

SHARP CAMERA, UNLIMITED STORAGE
The Fire Phone doesn’t skimp in the camera department, and it even has its own dedicated camera button. The Fire boasts a 13 MP camera sensor, and a fast f/2 aperture lens. There’s also optical image stabilization, like you might expect. Test photos shown onstage looked impressive, though we’ll reserve judgment until we can test the Fire’s camera ourselves. Setting aside the device’s camera, viewing photos should also be a good experience. Amazon’s claiming that its phone is the brightest phone ever. And don’t worry about photo storage. Amazon’s offering to store all of your photos and videos for free in Amazon Cloud Drive. It’s not yet clear if the Fire will store your photos in full resolution once they’ve been uploaded to the cloud, however.


INSTANT TECH SUPPORT
As part of its mission to pack every single Amazon feature into the Fire Phone, the company is adding a feature from its Kindle Fire HDX tablets: Mayday. Mayday, launched last year, is a free 24 / 7 support line that Amazon promises can be reached within 15 seconds from the device. On the Fire Phone, it’s available over both Wi-Fi and 3G / 4G connections. Amazon is trying to create a seamless experience for its products, but the infomercial-like demo video beforehand drove home one idea: using a phone is really, really hard, and you’re going to need someone to hold your hand.


FIREFLY RECOGNIZES EVERYTHING
Firefly is so important that it gets its own button on the Fire phone. With one press, the Fire phone boots up its camera to see what you’re seeing and listen to what you’re listening to. If Firefly sees a barcode, it will pop up a button to buy the item on Amazon. If Firefly hears a song Shazam, it will prompt you to check it out on Amazon Music or buy tickets on Stubhub. If Firefly hears Game of Thrones, it will show you the show’s IMDB entry, and then of course offer options to buy or rent more episodes. Firefly even recognizes book covers and art. The service recognizes 100 million items.


DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE, LIKE 3D BUT NOT QUITE
Amazon’s long-rumored 3D phone display is actually not quite as eye-popping as leaks suggested. Instead, Dynamic Perspective is more of a motion-control system for the Fire Phone, with some added visual effects. Dynamic Perspective lets you tilt the Fire Phone in different directions to see more information from apps, play games, resize images, scroll through webpages without using your fingertips, and most impressively, move various "layers" of the user interface around as though they were physical objects in front of you. The effect, which varies in intensity depending on the app, relies on motion sensors and cameras that track your head in real-time to serve up the correct viewing angles.


FIRE PHONE TRACKS YOUR HEAD
So, how does that sort-of-3D display work? By putting cameras all over the phone to figure out where your head is, basically. Bezos described a long process of building a camera setup that would be able to reliably recognize a head and sense its depth in order to redraw images quickly and deliver something akin to glasses-free 3D. In addition to the main front-facing camera, four more depth-sensing cameras ended up on the front corners of the phone. Only two of those are required to actually produce a 3D image — the extras are for when your hand covers one or two of them. These cameras are also equipped with infrared light, which means they’re supposed to still watch you in complete darkness. And the final step was a long process of machine learning, so the phone can tell your real face from, say, a portrait on the wall. So, to sum up, Fire Phone is always watching. Let’s at least hope we get a cool new feature, and not just a gimmick, from it.


ACTIVE WIDGETS
Amazon’s new phone OS lets you pin apps and other content to your home screen, like a book or calendar app. But there’s also a carousel of apps you can swipe to, like on the Kindle Fire, that shows a tiny preview of each app underneath its icon. These tiny snippets are interactive — a calendar app would let you see events at a glance, and an email app might let you dive in and triage a few emails without having to open the email app. Amazon demoed a Zillow widget that showed nearby homes. The company is letting developers build their own Active Widgets, so expect to see a lot more of these bite-sized interactive app snapshots soon.

BlackBerry to Bring Amazon's Appstore to BlackBerry 10

By Ben Woods at TNW:  


BlackBerry has just announced a deal that will see more than 200,000 Android apps made available for BlackBerry devices via the Amazon App Store when the new version of BlackBerry’s operating system arrives later in the year.

According to BlackBerry, popular apps like Groupon and Netflix will be available for direct download from Amazon’s App Store, although BlackBerry 10.3 users will still obviously have access to the BlackBerry World app store too.

Before now, some Android apps have been available to run on the BlackBerry 10 OS, but installing them wasn’t a simple process. Now, users will have a far simpler, and wider, range of apps to choose from once the 10.3 update arrives “this fall”, according to BlackBerry.

In addition to offering apps from the Appstore, BlackBerry said it will also be offering third-party video and music services available via Amazon’s store. Perhaps a little unsurprisingly then, it also said it is shutting down its own music and video sections of its own store on July 21, but that previously downloaded content will remain accessible

This is Amazon’s Kindle Smartphone

By Zach Epstein at BGR:


After years of development, Amazon is finally close to unveiling the first of several own-brand smartphones.

At a distance, Amazon’s upcoming flagship phone looks much like any other touchscreen phone on the market. But the company has spent years creating a unique and, at times, novel user experience that has two main focuses: Amazon products and services, and a custom 3D interface unlike anything we have seen before on a smartphone.

And so begins the story of Amazon’s first smartphone.

Recent reports have shed some light on Amazon’s plans to enter the competitive smartphone market with an own-brand handset. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the company’s first crack at a cell phone will be announced in June and released in the third quarter. The report also claimed that the phone features a glasses-free 3D interface.

An earlier research note sent to investors by plugged-in KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed a few key specs, including details about several internal components Amazon plans to use in the device.

BGR has spoken with multiple trusted sources and confirmed much of what has been reported thus far. We have also exclusively learned many new details surrounding Amazon’s upcoming smartphone, which is set to debut in the coming months.

Finally, we have obtained exclusive photos of a prototype of the unreleased device, giving the world its first look at Amazon’s hotly anticipated phone.

As can be seen in the images, the device is covered by a protective shell intended to prevent people without authorization from seeing the physical design of the phone. Some areas of the photos have also been blocked or otherwise obscured by BGR.

In the past, BGR has exclusively reported early unannounced details surrounding numerous Amazon products including Kindle eBook readers, Kindle Fire tablets, Amazon’s current-generation Kindle Fire HDX tablets and, most recently, the Fire TV.

Amazon’s first smartphone is one of at least two handsets the company is currently working on. We’re told that the second, an entry-level device that will feature lower-end specs and a very competitive retail price, will launch sometime after the phone pictured here.

The device set to debut in the coming months will be a higher-end model that has been in development at Amazon for several years.

According to details from multiple sources, Amazon’s first phone will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and it will also include 2GB of RAM. It will run a heavily customized version of Google’s Android operating system similar to the version that powers Amazon’s tablets.

Our sources state that the phone’s display will measure 4.7 inches diagonally, making the handset’s screen a bit smaller than recent flagship offerings from Samsung and HTC. The handset also have comparatively low pixel density, featuring 720p HD resolution compared to 1080p HD resolution on many rival devices.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6 is also rumored to feature a 4.7-inch screen with Retina resolution that falls short of full HD.

It’s not clear exactly what Amazon plans to call its first phone.

The most novel aspect of Amazon’s upcoming smartphone is its 3D software interface and the hardware mechanism that enables it.

Our sources state that the new Amazon phone includes a total of six cameras.

The main rear camera is thought to feature a resolution of 13 megapixels, and the phone also includes a standard front-facing camera for video chats as well as Amazon’s Mayday customer service feature.

Beyond those two units, the device houses an additional four front-facing cameras that work with other sensors to facilitate the software’s 3D effects. One source tells us these four cameras, which are situated in each of the four corners on the face of the phone, are low-power infrared cameras.

The device’s extra cameras are used to track the position of the user’s face and eyes in relation to the phone’s display. This allows Amazon’s software to make constant adjustments to the positioning of on-screen elements, altering the perspective of visuals on the screen.

The result is a 3D experience without the need for 3D glasses or a parallax barrier in front the LCD panel like the solutions used by the Nintendo 3DS portable video game console and HTC’s EVO 3D smartphone from 2011.

We’re told there are several areas of the phone’s software that utilize Amazon’s glasses-free 3D effects.

Since the 3D interface is the phone’s biggest point of differentiation, Amazon has tried to use its new technology in as many areas as possible. In fact, right from the start on the lock screen, Amazon’s new phone will include several special wallpapers with perspectives that shift as the user tilts the phone from side to side as well as up and down.

Moving past the wallpapers, Amazon’s 3D effect will also apply to application icons and other core elements of the user interface. Several main apps will be compatible as well; for example, we’re told that moving the phone while using the maps application will change the view of various objects on the screen.

Another smart use for the phone’s 3D effects is across Amazon’s various stores, such as its book store, music store and the main Amazon digital market. By shifting the position of the phone, users are able to see three-dimensional product images at different angles to reveal surfaces that cannot be seen in 2D photos.

One source tells us Amazon is also working to recruit big outside developers in an effort to have a number of key third-party apps available at launch that take advantage of the phone’s 3D interface. Amazon will make a set of APIs available to third parties and it will also assist them with development in other ways, we’re told.

A report late last week from Re/code also said that Amazon is working to get third-party developers on board.

Our sources are not clear on exactly when Amazon’s first smartphone will be released, though we’re told the company may be targeting an announcement in the next two to three months and a launch sometime late this summer. We were also told the phone will initially be available only in the United States.

10 Things to Know About Google's Project Ara Smartphone

By Roberto Baldwin at The Next Web:


The Build-it-yourself modular Google smartphone is one step closer to giving you the chance to build your perfect phone. It’s not going to be available this year. But, 2015 could be the beginning of a significant shift in the smartphone landscape.

Project Ara is part of the Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group. The group is what Google retained in its sale of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo. The project is a bold plan to create an open-source smartphone hardware platform. Users would start with a piece of base hardware known as an Endo. Features would be added to the Endo as plug-and-play modules.

These modules can be a camera, battery, wireless radios, really anything partners can come up with. The hot-swappable modules give users the power to create a phone that works exactly how they want. For power users, a second battery module could be added to an Endo. If your phone is your main camera, you can add the best camera module available.

Those modules will be built by the developers using the MDK (Module Developers Kit) released today at the Project Ara event. It’s a new way of building a smartphone that could benefit users and developers. This is what we know so far.

1- Availability: The phone is still in the early phases of development. But an introductory phone is expected sometime in 2015.

2- Cost: Google is hoping to introduce an entry-level Grey Phone into the market that will cost $50 to produce. Paul Eremenko, head of the Project Ara was quick to point out that the street price of the phone would be determined by commerce partners. Google is also planning a high-end phone with a $500 production cost. Like the Grey Phone, that is a manufacturing cost not the street price.

3- Size: Google showed off the “medium” Ara prototype today. The size is inline with an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S5. A mini phone is also outlines in the MDK and a large phone for fans of the Samsung Galaxy Note line is on the product roadmap.

4- Modules: The feature tiles known as modules will connect to the phone’s skeleton, known as the Endo via electropermanent magnets. When the magnets are hit with an “On” electrical pulse they will create a solid bond between the Endo and module. When they are hit with an “Off” pulse, the magnets will release the bond and you can replace the module.  The magnets don’t need a constant charge to keep a bond. These modules will be created by various developers using the open source MDK that was released today. Cameras, antennas, batteries, processors, and anything that can be fit into a module shell will be available. The shells of those modules will be 3D printed to a user’s specified design.

5- Buying Modules: Google will have a ecommerce site that will work alongside the Google Play store. Like purchasing an app, you will be able to purchase modules online. To help you decide which modules to purchase, Google has three potential systems. One is to sell the Grey Phone and allow users to purchase modules via an app that demos module functionality. The second is to use a friend’s phone in guest mode to test out modules on that phone. The third option is physical pop-up kiosks.

6- Updating Android: Currently, Android doesn’t support a modular system, but the operating system is being updated to support it, with an expected release date of early 2015.

7- Prototype: A pre-production prototype will be shown off in September of this year. The current prototype shown off at the Project ARA event doesn’t have the electropermanent magnet system. It uses clips to keep the modules in place. The power bus is also still being worked on. And unfortunately, today’s prototype had a cracked screen. (haha wut??) Although Paul Eremenko joked that the phone’s screen could quickly be replaced with a different module in the future.

8- Modules can have multiple functions: A module can support as many features as a developer can cram into it. A rear-facing display module could also be a tiny battery to offset the power drain of the display. If it fits within the module’s physical constraints, it’s good to go.

9- Why you should care:  Project Ara phones are expected to have a life of five to six years – far longer than your current smartphone. Instead of updating your phone every two years, you save up for the latest modules. The goal is that when a new processor or high-megapixel camera is introduced, it’ll be available as a module for Ara owners to purchase. Plus, like the prototype at today’s event, when you break the screen, you can quickly replace it with a module.

10- Why should developers care: The modular system is a way for developers to create a device that plugs directly into a phone with having to design and build a third-party piece of hardware. It removes the much of the industrial design elements and having to deal with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi radios for connectivity. Plus, there would be a built-in market of users ready to customize their phones with whatever niche functionality developers can build.


Google is betting on a future where functions are what you update, not phones. It’s also hoping to get a bare-bones Ara phones into the hands of feature phone users. If it can get developers to start building modules, your next phone could be more like individual Lego blocks instead of a single brick.

Anti-Glassholes: The Movement Against Google Glass

By Simon Hill at Digital Trends:


We named Google Glass our best mobile product of 2013 because of the game-changing potential, but not everyone agrees. There is a growing movement that firmly opposes it. What is it about Google Glass that has businesses pre-emptively banning it, an anti-surveillance group campaigning against it, and even a software subscription service called Anti-Glass?

What Glass is: Currently only available in prototype form, Google Glass costs $1,500 for early adopters. You wear it like a pair of glasses and there’s a small glass prism that sits over your right eye, allowing you to glance up to see a 640×360 pixel color display that’s translucent. It’s designed to be tethered to your smartphone. You can use voice controls to record video, take photos, perform Web searches, get directions, make video calls, and thanks to app support, it can do new things every day.

The Anti-Glassholes

There’s a Stop the Cyborgs campaign online that is encouraging businesses to ban Google Glass over concerns about surveillance and invasion of privacy. Japanese researchers have even developed “Anti-Glass” glasses that use infrared LEDs to prevent you from being identified. There have also been moves to ban driving with Google Glass, a clash with a Glass-wearing customer in a Seattle cafe, and a host of other Google Glass bans.

All of these bans are focused on the fact that Google Glass has a camera built-in, and for the most part they’re the same bans that have been applied to smartphones, or any other recording equipment. It is the potentially surreptitious nature of Glass recording that seems to generate most concern. The fact that people may not be able to determine when they are being recorded or scanned is a real issue.

“We swiftly saw the potential for Google Glass to be used to personally identify strangers against their wishes,” explains Eric Schiffer, chairman of ReputationManagementConsultants.com and creator of a service called Anti-Glass. “Technology should not advance to the detriment of the public.”

The Anti-Glass service is designed to prevent people from being able to identify you using Google Glass. “It’s a set of proprietary algorithms that our engineers put together, essentially what it does is, it works much like a radar jamming device,” says Schiffer.

Schiffer’s Reputation Management consultancy claims to protect the privacy of top CEOs, celebrities, and rock stars. This is achieved in various ways including by “suppressing negative search listings” according to the website. Now for “anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000 for a year” clients can enjoy anonymity in the face of Google Glass wearers.


“The people we want to protect are women, children and people who want their privacy,” says Schiffer, and he cites a worrying scenario where a predator might use Google Glass to identify a woman, access her online data, and use it to gain her trust. It’s hard not to be reminded of the short film Sight: Contact Lenses with Augmented Reality.


Is facial recognition inevitable?

Google has already denied that facial recognition software will be made available on Glass, a point it reiterated a couple of weeks ago in an official post on the Google Glass profile on Google+, “As we’ve said before, regardless of technological feasibility, we made the decision based on feedback not to release or even distribute facial recognition Glassware unless we could properly address the many issues raised by that kind of feature.”

You’ll note that the statement doesn’t preclude Glassware like this coming out in the future. As Schiffer points out, “it’s naïve for anyone to think that facial recognition software isn’t coming.”
In fact there are already cloud-based services like ReKognition and the NameTag app. Other companies like Lambda Labs are also working on solutions. That’s before you consider the possibility of developers deliberately side-stepping Google’s policies.


Why the fuss?

There are a lot of different issues at play here and people have a right to their privacy, but there are also a few things worth keeping in mind. Google Glass really can’t do anything that existing smartphones can’t do. Cheap spy cameras that can secretly record are already freely available. Facial recognition software that identifies you and pulls up online information is already out there, and can access public profiles and freely available data.

These privacy concerns also seem to laser focus on a single issue and ignore the potential good that Glass might deliver. It’s already being trialed by doctors, police officers, and even Virgin Atlantic’s airport check-in staff. There’s definitely room for a device like this to assist professionals and create a better experience for all of us. There’s also something to be said for the ability to record video and shoot snaps hands-free.

“When cameras first hit the consumer market in the late 19th century, people declared an end to privacy. Cameras were banned in parks, at national monuments and on beaches.  People feared the same when the first cell phone cameras came out.” argues Google in The Top 10 Google Glass Myths, “Today, there are more cameras than ever before. In 10 years there will be even more cameras, with or without Glass. 150+ years of cameras and eight years of YouTube are a good indicator of the kinds of photos and videos people capture — from our favorite cat videos to dramatic, perspective-changing looks at environmental destruction, government crackdowns, and everyday human miracles.”

It’s easy to shrug off these issues as barriers to the advancement of technology, but no one really wants to be recorded without their permission. If you imagine someone sitting in a bar holding their smartphone up and pointing it at you, it’s not hard to see how it might make you feel uncomfortable or even angry. Right or wrong this is how some people feel about Google Glass right now.

Internal Doc: Samsung’s Top Priority Was “Beating Apple,”

By Jacob Kleinman at TechnoBuffalo: 

Apple has accused Samsung of blatantly ripping off the iPhone with its own line of Galaxy S devices, and an internal document from the South Korea giant may help support Cupertino’s latest claims as the two companies duke it out in court again this month. The document leaked online today, reveals Samsung’s sales strategy, putting a clear focus on predicting and outselling Apple’s iPhone.

The internal document, which comes from 2012, makes it clear Samsung sees Apple as its main competitor. “Beating Apple is #1 priority,” reads the outline, “everything must be [in the] context of beating Apple.” The document goes on to discuss Apple’s strategy for the iPhone 5, predicting the device would launch in June 2012 with improved software. The “threat from Apple is extremely real and urgent,” Samsung notes.

The company goes on to outline plans for promoting its own line of smartphones by focusing all its devices around the “Galaxy” brand. Samsung’s sales strategy included non-stop marketing, carrier partnership, and understanding “why consumers buy Apple” with the goal of developing countermeasures.

Samsung’s internal document clearly confirms it was keeping a close eye on Apple, but doesn’t prove the company ever released an iPhone knockoff. It’s possible this single page isn’t the full document Apple’s lawyers plan to submit in court. Still, it’s definitely a good start in proving that Samsung’s smartphone strategy was focused on dethroning Apple by any means necessary.

Via TechnoBuffalo.

Amazon Fire TV: The Things You Need to Know

By Mashable Team:


Amazon dove headfirst into the video hardware business on Wednesday with Fire TV. The online retailer hosted a product launch event in New York City and Mashable covered it live.

Below are the most important highlights

Five things you need to know

1- Amazon launched into the video hardware business on Wednesday with a set-top device.
2- You can buy it for $99.
3- The device is Amazon's Trojan horse into your living room -- it's all about the content.
4- Its $40 controller, and variety of available games, means it could rival to traditional gaming consoles.
5- Gary Busey is the product's spokesperson because why not.


Why Amazon is releasing a set-top box

Apple TV's pointer makes it frustrating to use. Roku's search needs work. Chromecast has "poor performance."

That was the message Amazon delivered at a press event on Tuesday before it announced plans to release a set-top box of its own called Fire TV. The device has dual-band WiFi, 2GB of RAM and voice search, among other features, and goes on sale Tuesday for $99.

The new product, which was originally rumored to be scheduled for last year, may give Amazon more footing in customers' living rooms and pit the company against the likes of Apple, Google and Roku. As with pretty much everything Amazon does, though, it's not really about the hardware — it's about what you can buy through the hardware.


Hands on with the new device





Gary Busey is Fire TV's spokesman


Amazon has found the face of its ambitious new set-top device, and that face is Gary Busey's. In a video that now appears on Amazon.com, Busey says, "If you’re like me, you like talking to things. It’s frustrating when things don’t listen. Especially high-tech things."


What sets the Fire TV apart

Amazon introducing a new living room game console option pretty much blows up the industry.

If this device costs, say $99, it will be game over for Sony and Microsoft in their attempts to lure causal gamers to their platforms. Consumers like simplicity and this little box may offer it. Plus, Amazon has trumped Apple, which, thanks to its vacillating in the state of their AppleTV product has missed a huge opportunity.

It's not the video content or even the Amazon-extras like Free Time and X-Ray mode that sets Fire TV apart. It’s apps and games. This is what makes a Fire TV different and unique from a Roku. Again, this reinforces our earlier remark that Amazon wants to be on as many devices as it can, but it also wants to integrate on its own devices when possible. In this case, that’s about apps and games.

With Fire TV, Amazon could become the first company to successfully bring mobile apps en masse to the TV. Google TV couldn’t do it. Apple hasn’t done it. Amazon will


Amazon one-ups the gaming industry

The Fire TV is not just taking on the Roku, it is effectively taking on the Ouya and GameStick and pretty much every gaming console on the market. The big advantage it has over those devices is a huge native library of games made for the Fire TV.

“We wanted to build a streaming media device that allowed customers to play a variety of games at affordable prices,” Mike Frazzini, the head of Amazon Games Studios, announced on Wednesday.

By next months thousands of games will be available for customers to play, and customers can use the Fire TV remote. They can also use an app for phones or tablets as a controller, and a dedicated game controller available as an accessory.

We’d heard rumors that there would be a streaming game component on this device, and assumed it might mean non-Android games. It looks like instead, this is a hybrid, wherein, the game is streamed and downloaded at the same time, but not necessarily permanently stored on the device.


Voice Search FTW!

Amazon is highlighting its search feature: voice search. The idea of solving the set-top-box search problem is pretty cool. The microphone is in the remote. No more shouting. This is why the connection is Bluetooth, not Wifi. It is instantaneous. The microphone is in the remote control, which is connected from Bluetooth. Voice search works anywhere in the system.

You can search “princess movies” in genre, as an example. And we will.

All that power, by the way, helps with voice search, but does not account for the separate GPU. I'm waiting for the gaming portion of this presentation. What if, for example, they made a deal with Steam? Could be a game-changer.




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Exclusive: This Is Android Living Room TV

By Sean Hollister at The Verge:

very so often, some enterprising computer company will claim they’ve finally fixed the TV. They’ll talk about how they’ve turned a dumb terminal into a smart computing platform that extends your work and play to a gigantic screen. Then, we’ll watch as the idea flops because they fail to line up content deals or wind up delivering a confusing, haphazard experience. That was the story of Google TV, which became the laughing stock of the industry after Google chairman Eric Schmidt bet that it would ship on the majority of new televisions in 2012. (He was sorely wrong.)

But what these companies seem to be realizing as their content deals fail is that they don’t need to “fix” TV quite yet. The proper opening salvo may simply be to put desirable content in front of people who use television the same way as ever.

Enter Android TV.

According to documents obtained exclusively by The Verge, Google is about to launch a renewed assault on your television set called Android TV. Major video app providers are building for the platform right now. Android TV may sound like a semantic difference — after all, Google TV was based on Android — but it’s something very different. Android TV is no longer a crazy attempt to turn your TV into a bigger, more powerful smartphone. "Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing platform," writes Google. "It’s all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount of friction." It will be "cinematic, fun, fluid, and fast."

What does that all mean? It means that Android TV will look and feel a lot more like the rest of the set top boxes on the market, including Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV, and Roku.

Google’s new vision for Android TV is less ambitious and easier to understand. The company is calling for developers to build extremely simple TV apps for an extremely simple set-top-box interface. While Android still lives under the hood, the interface will consist of a set of scrolling "cards" that represent movies, shows, apps, and games sitting on a shelf. You use a remote control with a four-way directional pad to scroll left and right through different suggestions, or up and down through different categories of content, each with their own shelves. Much like on other set top boxes, each item will be like a miniature movie poster or book cover, and you’ll pick the one you want. The controller will also have Enter, Home, and Back buttons to help get around, and there will be "optional" game controllers.

Android TV will also support voice input and notifications — though Google is encouraging developers to only use notifications in very limited cases. In total, Android TV is remarkably similar to Amazon's just-released, Android-based Fire TV.

What makes it a Google product is that Android TV will suggest those pieces of content on the homescreen itself. While you can dive through a collection of apps and games if you want, the goal isn’t to have a user select an app like Hulu and then browse through things to watch. Google wants to proactively recommend things to you — including the ability to resume content you started watching on a phone or tablet — as soon as you turn your TV on.

"Access to content should be simple and magical," reads one Google document, which adds that it should never take more than three clicks or gestures to go from the homescreen to enjoying a new piece of content. Even search appears to be secondary to intuitively understanding what you want and delivering it as soon as possible, though search will still be one of Android TV’s primary tools. In addition to universal search, pressing the Search button on the controller will let you search from within individual apps as well.

Assuming the documentation we’ve reviewed is correct, Google is currently courting select app developers to create apps and games for Android TV and encouraging them to create apps with consistent interfaces. Screenshots we’ve obtained show Google’s own apps like Play Movies, YouTube, and Hangouts; but also third party apps like Vevo, Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, and games.

"Android TV is Android, optimized for the living room consumption experience on a TV screen," writes the company, but the focus is on simplicity for now. Google is stripping away unneeded features like telephony, cameras, touchscreen support and near-field communication to keep developers focused, and handing them ready-made interfaces where they can hopefully just plug in shows, games, photos, music, and films. Perhaps there’s room for inventive new applications that harness the big screen, but the entry point is people lazing on the couch.





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Watch Sony Virtual-Reality in Two New Videos

By Jacob Siegal at Yahoo Tech:

If you didn’t attend the Game Developers Conference this year, you missed out on the unveiling of Sony’s latest foray into virtual reality with Project Morpheus. But if you’d still like to see the momentous occasion, the whole presentation is now online for your viewing pleasure. Sony President Shu Yoshida introduced Project Morpheus on stage last week over the course of an hourlong presentation in which he explained the technology that powers the prototype device and gave developers a first look at what will be possible with the headset. Along with the main event, Sony has also uploaded an official hands-on video showing the device in action. Check out both videos below.







Via Yahoo Tech 

HTC One (M8): The Best Android Smartphone?

By Zach Epstein at BGR:

The HTC One (M8) is the best Android phone the world has ever seen. Period. Full stop. Of this, there is no doubt. In many ways, in fact, it is the best smartphone the world has ever seen. From the design of the device to the power of its components and everything in between, HTC’s new One better than its predecessor. And its predecessor, as you might recall, was the best all-around Android phone the world had ever seen last year.

Actually, it might still have been the best all-around Android phone in the world Till Now.

With all that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the new HTC One (M8) smartphone to find out exactly what makes it the best Android phone in the world. And just as important, of course, is the question of whether or not being the best will draw away enough Samsung and Apple customers to finally help HTC get back on track.

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Minecraft Cancels Oculus Rift Version After Facebook Acquisition

By Josh Ong at TNW:

If you were getting excited about playing Minecraft in virtual reality, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer. The game’s creator Markus Persson just revealed on Twitter that he has canceled any possible deal for an Oculus Rift version now that Facebook has announced plans to acquire Oculus VR.

We were in talks about maybe bringing a version of Minecraft to Oculus. I just cancelled that deal. Facebook creeps me out.
— Markus Persson (@notch) March 25, 2014

Persson has shared his thoughts at length on his blog:

I definitely want to be a part of VR, but I will not work with Facebook. Their motives are too unclear and shifting, and they haven’t historically been a stable platform. There’s nothing about their history that makes me trust them, and that makes them seem creepy to me.

And I did not chip in ten grand to seed a first investment round to build value for a Facebook acquisition. 

Hear that noise? It’s the sound of millions of 14-year-olds sighing in disappointment. As a consolation, you can, however, still play this modded version for Oculus – Minecrift.



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6 Things to Know About Sony’s PS4 Project Morpheus

By Eric Schaal at Wall st. CheatSheet:

Sony’s Computer Entertainment division made a splash at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on March 18 with the introduction of a virtual reality headset for PlayStation 4. Dubbed “Project Morpheus,” the headgear will bring VR to gaming but only will only work with PS4 devices, at least for the time being. Here are six things to know about Project Morpheus, which was three years in the making.


1. Sony is officially in virtual reality gaming

Project Morpheus is a virtual reality headset for use with PS4 games. According to Sony Computer Entertainment, the head-mounted display packs 1080p resolution along with a 90-degree range of vision and 3D audio. The PlayStation camera will follow head movements and rotate to accomodate the shift with limited blurring of the user’s vision.


2. Reports of realistic effects are impressive

In describing the impact of Project Morpheus on the game “The Deep,” Kotaku noted how realistic the effect is on the user. This game simulates the experience of diving into a shark tank, which the reviewer felt may be a little too intense for the comfort of anyone who’s frightened of sharks. Of course, this same surge of terror is what gaming enthusiasts will like to hear. Life-like impacts are the stuff any virtual reality game is made on — even if they give you nightmares.


3. Morpheus is making Oculus Rift makers nervous

Anyone into video gaming will recognize the similarity to another 1080p virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift slated for mid-2014 release to developers. According to Extreme Tech, the timing of the Oculus Rift annoucement of its delivery schedule — the day after the Project Morpheus event — suggests the smaller company fears the impact a powerhouse like Sony could have on the virtual reality front, especially when it comes to lining up developers for the project.

4. Reviewers love Morpheus

A quick scan of tech and gaming sites reveals an enthusiastic thumbs up from reviewers who tried Project Morpheus at the GDC in San Francisco. IGN Entertainment reviewers remarked on the terror sharks provoked during a demo of “The Deep” while saying Project Morpheus already bested Oculus Rift on some counts. No wonder that company is wary of Sony’s entry into virtual reality gaming.


5. All VR gaming should benefit from Project Morpheus

Sony’s Shu Yoshida told GDC attendees how much he respected the achievements of Oculus Rift, leading many in the industry to believe Sony’s Project Morpheus should help the progress of virtual reality — and thus gaming — in its entirety. Though Morpheus will not be available for PC developers to try anytime soon, the options are far from settled.


6. There is no pricing info or release date

Enthusiasts who want a piece of the action will have to wait some time before Project Morpheus makes it into the consumer’s hands. No pricing info was even suggested by Sony officials, while the only date available was “not in 2014.” Oculus Rift will make it out before then. It ships to developers in July 2014 and is expected to land in stores in early 2015.





Via Wall St. CheatSheet.

Pebble Sold 400,000 Smartwatches Since 2013

By Dante D'Orazio at The Verge:

Android Wear may be dominating smartwatch news at the moment, but Pebble isn't letting Google take all the thunder. The company has revealed that it's sold 400,000 of its watches since the beginning of 2013, when it started fulfilling the first of its 85,000 Kickstarter pre-orders. CEO Eric Migicovsky revealed the number to CNN Money in a recent interview, and it's not clear if the nearly half-million number includes Kickstarter pre-orders or sales of its critically acclaimed Pebble Steel smartwatch. The company didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Nevertheless it's an impressive statistic for the company the started as a Kickstarter sensation. But the company made a name for itself with one of the first attractive, simple-to-use smartwatches around. Now that Google has thrown its weight behind its own smartwatch effort, it'll be up to Pebble to hold onto its head start.



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Amazon's Set Top Box Will Be A Stick

By Darrell Etherington at TechCrunch:

Amazon is readying a game console/set top box of its own, and we’ve learned from multiple sources familiar with the device that the Lab126-produced gadget will have a form factor similar to the Chromecast, or in other words it’ll be a stick or dongle as opposed to something like the Apple TV. In addition, one source claims it should have support for streaming full PC game titles, and as such might be able to compete with consoles including the Xbox and PlayStation, instead of just Android-powered living room game devices.

The stick form factor is not a surprise, given that Roku has just launched its own device using the same design, and the Chromecast has done so well in terms of attracting buyers. But the interesting component could be the way the gadget approaches gaming. Streamed PC titles is in keeping with some of what we’ve heard before in whispers around Amazon’s efforts, and makes sense given that the company sells digital download titles for PC and Mac direct from its ecommerce website.



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