Author Archives: Jasmine Henry

Could Apple’s Next iPad Come With a Stylus?

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iPad Stylus

As Apple looks to create the next version of the iPad, patent filings suggest that it will come with a stylus.

While tablets are often more powerful than their smaller sized smartphone brethren, the main reason that most of us invest in tablets is because of their size. The giant displays of tablets offer us far more screen space to work with – which is handy when you’re fed up of your thumbs and fingers getting cramp from holding your phone for a prolonged amount of time.

These large screens also make them ideal for work which is why so many people have opted to ditch their laptops and desktop PCs for a tablet instead. There are now keyboard plug-ins that make writing up that essay or investor report a doddle.

But to make it even easier, you’d need more than your fingers and a detachable keyboard – you’d need a stylus. Easy to carry around and offering more accuracy than the tip of a digit, a tablet that comes with a stylus just makes sense. And that’s exactly why Apple is looking into it for the next iPad.

The suggestion comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities who regularly makes correct predictions about Apple’s future projects. In a report obtained by AppleInsider, Kuo wrote that “Given that it’s more precise than a person’s fingers, a stylus can be more convenient to use than the combination of keyboard and mouse in some cases”, adding that it would provide haptic feedback that lets a user feel what they’re doing better rather than having to poke uncomfortably at a glass screen. Kuo’s info is based on patent filings from Apple which makes it all the more likely.

It’s believed that Apple has created the stylus to go with its rumoured iPad Pro tablet. While it’s purely speculation at the moment, the iPad Pro would be a 12.9 inch affair that makes working from it a lot easier. It would cater especially to business professionals and education facilities.

However, despite the benefit of a stylus, Kuo noted that a stylus with haptic feedback could be expensive for users. Kuo writes that “high selling prices may turn consumers off if the 12.9-inch iPad is always bundled with it. We therefore expect the stylus to be an optional accessory before sufficient user feedback is received.”

In typical Apple fashion we can also expect them to continuously release updates to the stylus as the years go by and their research improves. An accelerometer and 3D handwriting features could be added to the gadget following a successful launch.

We’ll keep you posted once Apple confirms.

Source: AppleInsider

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Virgin to Launch the ‘World’s Largest’ Internet Satellite Constellation

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Virgin Galactic Internet Satellite

As several other Internet providers reveal plans to provide the world with Internet, Virgin joins them, announcing plans for Internet satellite constellations.

Despite only having been around for two decades, the Internet has already massively impacted our lives. For some it has provided fame and fortune, for others it has provided jobs and friendship and for everybody else it just gives them a way to binge watch TV (Netflix!) when they have a bit of free time.

But as the world becomes more Internet focused than ever (kitchen appliances are already being hooked up to the net, for example) some people risk being left behind. Not only that but for those in remote areas or for those in poor, rural communities, the Internet could offer them a new source of livelihood. Unfortunately though, with them being unable to trump up the cost for fibre optic (or slower copper wired broadband) they haven’t got a chance.

This is something that Sir Richard Branson’s company, Virgin, would like to remedy. Off the back of his galaxy spanning Virgin Galactic program (which takes people to space and lets them float about in zero gravity conditions) they have now announced plans to work with a startup called OneWeb to launch “the world’s largest ever satellite constellation”.

Branson says that Virgin Galactic will “help make… frequent satellite launches (possible) at a much lower cost and greater reliability.” This will work by sending the Launcher One 51,000 feet into space via the WhiteKnightTwo cargo aircraft where it then releases a sub-500 pound device into a near-Earth orbit. This strategy, along with the fact that the launch uses much less fuel than conventional rocket launches, makes it ideal for putting together an Internet satellite constellation on the cheap.

With the lofty goal of 648 satellites, Virgin hopes to deliver Internet and phone reception to “billions of people” the world over. However, there are clear issues with this already. For one, the Virgin Galactic program has been going though some issues lately including the crash of SpaceShipTwo which killed a pilot and threw up questions of Virgin Galactic’s safety. At the time Branson assured people that Virgin Galactic is safe and that all the necessary precautions were taken but there are doubts nonetheless. There’s also the question of just how people in remote areas will be able to access these phone and Internet connections as presumably, if they’re remote enough to be off the grid then it’s likely that they’re remote enough not to own a smartphone or a laptop either.

And on top of this, Internet satellite programs have been attempted before. Iridium tried it in the mid-90s before failing (though they are looking to try again this year), while a Bill Gates backed program called Teledesic was officially suspended in 2002. That doesn’t bode well for Virgin’s chances but we’ll keep you posted once we know more.

Source: Virgin

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The MacBook Defect That Apple Doesn’t Want You to Know About

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2011 MacBook Pro

After filing a class action lawsuit against Apple, consumers allege that the company purposefully hid a a MacBook Pro defect from users to avoid fixing it.

Apple’s line of MacBook computers are incredibly expensive; for the price of one Apple MacBook you could buy three average Windows powered laptops. But it’s a price that millions of people the world over are willing to pay as Apple promises and assures the highest quality.

With the 2011 MacBook Pro Apple made one of these very promises, explaining that “The powerful 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models feature quad-core Core i7 processors up to 2.3 GHz and AMD Radeon HD graphics processors with up to 1GB of video memory for high performance gaming, pro video editing and graphics intensive applications”. Many people bought the 2011 MacBook Pro specifically for this feature, after all, Apple had told them exactly what to expect.

So imagine their disappointment when some time after, these very graphics cards packed up, offering severely diminishing visuals. Rightfully, these consumers were angry and in a class action lawsuit against the company, they allege that Apple knew the graphics cards were faulty and attempted to cover them up.

Following the lawsuit filed against Apple in October 2014, law firm Whitfield, Bryson & Mason LLP has now written:

“Specifically, we allege that between early- and late-2011, Apple released a software update that dramatically reduced the graphical performance of the GPUs in order to prevent them from reaching temperatures that would cause the GPUs to effectively self destruct.”

As far as an allegation goes, that’s pretty damning, especially given how much money Apple could have made from this not just in terms of MacBook sales but in repair fees, with many users having to pay Apple to fix their computers and replace the graphics cards. Some consumers even saying that their replacement graphics cards broke too. Just to prove that Apple did do this, several members of the lawsuit have put their MacBook Pros forward for testing by a computer hardware expert.

While it’s yet unclear just what will happen, we know that Apple is expected to file a motion to dismiss the case on January 29th and that Whitfield, Bryson & Mason LLP will respond with a filing on March 5th. This could a drawn out court case then but we’ll keep you posted once we know more.

Source: AppleInsider

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WhatsApp Hits 700 Million Users, 30 Billion Daily Messages

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WhatsApp logo

After Facebook bought messaging service WhatsApp in 2014 it has gone from strength to strength, now having achieved 700 million active users.

There are few smartphone users who haven’t heard of messaging service WhatsApp. As tariffs threaten to deplete your bank balance to pay for texts and calls, apps like WhatsApp, Kik and even Skype have proved to be popular free alternatives to communicating with friends and family via your mobile network operator.

And that’s exactly why WhatsApp was snapped up by Facebook in February, 2014 for the cool price of $19 billion. At the time, plenty thought that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had lost his mind as although the service was on the rise, the fact that it was free for most people (although you have to pay an annual $0.99 subscription to continue using the service for more than a year) led many people to think that the Facebook money man would never get a return on his investment.

WhatsApp is doing its bit to prove those doubters wrong though, as after hitting 600 million active users in August, 2014, the service has now blitzed past that figure and now sits at 700 million active users as of January 6, 2015. That, fact fans, is over half as many users as Facebook.

And that’s not the only metric that WhatsApp has to be proud of either. Users also send 30 billion messages daily, which equates to over four messages sent per person on the planet. More than looking good in a headline, that figure means that people are using the service regular and are incredibly likely to pay for that minimal $0.99 subscription once their free trial year is up.

Even more impressive are analysts predictions that WhatsApp will be able to reveal even better data at the end of the year. In China, India and South Africa smartphone sales are massively increasing due to their low cost and with WhatsApp also allowing users to keep the costs down in terms of messaging it means the service could increase its user base in these particular countries. Co-founder of WhatsApp Jan Koum also said this in a post on Facebook:

“As humbled and excited as we are by these numbers and our continued growth, we’re even more excited to keep building a great product in 2015. Most of all, we’re grateful that so many of you are using WhatsApp to stay in touch with your friends and family, business colleagues and classmates. We promise to continue working hard to make WhatsApp even better.”

It’s unclear just how Koum and co. will be making WhatsApp better but we’ll keep you posted once we know more.

Source: Mashable

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Audi Shows Off Smartwatch Controlled Car

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Audi Prologue Concept header

At this years Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2015), car maker Audio shows off their smartwatch controlled car.

With the popularity of Google Glass, the upcoming Apple Watch and even glowing neon apparel, the age of wearables is well and truly upon us. These hi-tech gadgets look great and cost a lot but are we getting value for money?

One of the biggest questions surrounding wearable gadgets is whether or not they are really necessary and if they are much more than gimmicks. The Apple Watch has been a recent focus of this as Apple’s next product only appears to offer us such innovations as ‘a dial that lets you zoom in and out’ and ‘an app that lets you arm wrestle’.

Also hoping to eschew any worries about wearables being a fad is car maker Audi. Famed for the quality of their cars over anything else, their latest innovation may have just given us all a reason to pick up a smartwatch this year.

That suggestion came at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, with the technological trade show allowing companies to show off what they’re working on. One of the things that Audi showed off this year is their Prologue concept car. Impressively, Audi used their very own smartwatch to bring the vehicle on stage.

That smartwatch that hasn’t been announced just yet but it’s being made in partnership with LG and runs on the Linux based operating system webOS rather than Android. In addition to this smartwatch they also showed off the the Audi Smart Display (which is a tablet that lives in your car) and explained that passengers will be able to control car functions and entertainment with it. They company says that the Audi Smart Display will debut in the Audi Q7 in 2016.

Audi’s Ulrich Hackenberg also talked up the Audi A7 which drove itself all the way from San Francisco to CES 2015 in Lass Vegas. That’s a trip of over 550 miles. There’s no on whether the aforementioned smartwatch will let you type in your location and have the car drive itself to you though, but that would be incredibly cool indeed.

Source: engadget

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5 Gadgets Apple Should Make Next

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Apple WWDC

As Apple gears up to release the Apple Watch, we look at some of the other gadgets that the electronics maker could release onto the market.

Worth over $600 billion dollars, Apple is the most valuable company in the world. Best known for its iPhones, iPods, iPads and Mac computers, Apple makes most of its money from the same, familiar product lines. For a bit of perspective, the upcoming Apple Watch (due out in early 2015) is the first new product line that Apple has come up with since the very first iPad was released all the way back in 2010.

Five years is a very long time to to work on a product (even if you are debuting it in three different versions) and it’s led us to ask ‘what gadgets could Apple make if they put their minds to it?’ With that much money and that much technical talent at their disposal the possibilities are virtually endless so read on to see what gadgets we think Apple should make next.

1. iShoe

For a company that makes gadgets that encourage us to sit on our behinds and waste the day away, Apple is surprisingly devoted to fitness. Take iOS 8 for example which included Healthbook, an app that would collect all of the health and fitness related data from third-party apps and send them to your doctor so that you can figure out when everything is going fine or when you should go in for a check up.

It’s for that reason that the iShoe would be a great addition to Apple’s existing range of products. The company is already partnered up with Nike to allow their Nike trainers to to sync data about your run to your phone but that requires you to get a separate sensor and put it in the sole of the shoe. What if Apple had their own futuristic line that synced the data automatically and recommended run techniques or apps to download and could even be paired with fun apps to make you run, sweat and work out a bit harder?

2. iPoo

While it may seem like a joke, an Apple toilet would actually be a fantastic idea. Just like the iShoe, we envision it as the ultimate gadget for the health focused.

We all use toilets every single day of our lives (apart from babies in nappies, obviously) and each day our toilet bowl learns more about us than a routine check up could tell our doctors. In that gleaming white porcelain we reveal what we’ve eaten, how much we’ve eaten, if we’re healthy and if we’re not. If there was a toilet that could analyse this data and tell us exactly what’s going on within our bodies (and offer more in-depth info than your basic health app or running shoe) it would be incredibly valuable.

And if it seems unlikely, consider that there’s already a smart toilet…for cats.

3. iGame

When the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus were announced back in September, one of the biggest features that Apple was shouting about (other than the size of the screen or the improved battery life) was Metal. No not metal like the bendy aluminium that the iPhone 6 Plus is made of (har har) but Metal as in the technology used to make the iPhone a better device for gaming.

Apple clearly has the chops to make devices for gaming then, so why not make a games console? There are so many great and fun games already available on iOS such as Angry Birds, Cut The Rope and Kim Kardashian: Hollywood (we really mean it about that last one) and with these games being available so cheaply, it would be an affordable alternative to the PS4 or the Xbox One and players would have access to more games too.

And not only this but Apple could continuously release the game box in different designs and each one could come packaged with the latest iOS and on top of that Apple could make users who already own the iGame console pay to get the next update. It means that Apple still makes its money and we still get access to great games without having to pay hundreds of dollars each year.

4. iCar

An iCar is another possible Apple gadget that just makes ‘sense’. According to Apple over 90% of new cars sold in the United States have iPod/iPhone connectivity, making it easier than ever before to plug your USB cable into your device and blast your favourite music through the speakers of the vehicle. But what if Apple went one step further? What if they made cars of their own that not just let you play music from your mobile devices but let you control the cars too?

Google is already working on driverless cars and has plans to get them to market by 2020 and as Apple has more resources (they are worth twice as much as Google) they could potentially do the same. On your iPhone you could fire up maps and type in a destination and the car would automatically take you there, informing you of gas stations, sights that you might want to see and other important locations (e.g restaurants or stores) along the way.

5. iEye

Admittedly this one is mostly featured in order for us to make a terrible ‘iEye captain!’ joke but on the serious side of things, Apple could really work on hi-tech eyes and eyewear.

In July last year Google signed a deal with pharmaceutical company Novartis to develop a smart contact lens that would help those with diabetes monitor their glucose levels. While that’s certainly a useful product, what Apple’s contact lenses could go one further offering more health data (which it could cross-reference with the iPoo and the iShoe, of course) as well as extra insights on our world.

It doesn’t necessarily have to offer a Google Glass (Google’s hi-0tech glasses wearable) like heads-up display but it could come up with pop ups of interesting information or even tag a location/bit of info and save it to our iPhones for us. That would truly be an innovative gadget.

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Chris Evans Stars in New Call of Duty: Online Trailer

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Call of Duty Online Chris Evans

As Activision and Tencent launch Call of Duty: Online, the publishers behind the shooter have released a new trailer starring Captain America’s Chris Evans.

As of July, 2014, the Call of Duty franchise had sold a massive 188,900,000 million copies across all platforms. For over 12 years the Activision published franchise has allowed players to put finger to virtual trigger and blow up scenery, vehicles and each other in fast-paced, high octane gameplay.

However, due to the highly politicised nature of the Call of Duty games, fans in China have never been able to play it. One game that comes to mind is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 which pit Western allies against a terrorist organisation from Russia (one of China’s allies) and the game even saw the group attack Russian civilians in an airport in the now notorious ‘No Russian’ level.

Understandably, China wouldn’t accept games with such storylines in the country but now, Activision have come up with an alternative. Activision and local Chinese partner Tencent have created Call of Duty: Online and they’ve released trailer (starring Captain America’s Chris Evans) to promote it.

Although there is a single player campaign in the game (called Hero Ops), the focus is clearly on the online side of things (the game’s name may have given this away). As Chris and his ragtag bunch of gamer friends present in the above trailer, succeeding in Call of Duty: Online will be all about teamwork. Gameplay seems to riff off of Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops’ online modes – no fancy gadgets like the super-powered Exo suits in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (the latest Call of Duty release) just guns, grenades and plenty of claymores. Chinese gamers also get access to a PVE (player vs. environment) mode called Cyborg which, as you might have guessed, lets players take out cyborgs.

Also good news for Chinese gamers is that Call of Duty: Online is free to play on PC, so all is needed is a speedy Internet connection.

Call of Duty: Online launched in open beta in China today and while there don’t appear to be any plans to bring the game out West, we’ll keep you posted.

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Skype Translator Solves a Universal Problem

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Skype Group Video Call

After letting us speak to people all over the world for years, Skype Translator now lets us understand our international friends and family too.

For years, Skype has allowed us to communicate with friends, family and coworkers from across the world using the power of the Internet. Have a loved one who’s emigrated? Skype them. Putting together a deal with an international business client? Skype them!

With video chatting, instant messaging and voice-only calls, Skype has been most people’s go to service for talking over the web. It even allows you to call actual phonelines (for a fee), making it a pretty good replacement for your landline too.

But what about the people you can’t understand? Previously, even if both you and the other caller were on Skype and speaking in different languages, you would still need a translator to be present. Thankfully though, Skype Translator has just been announced, making international communication a doddle.

As demonstrated in the above featurette, Skype Translator translates your conversation in real time. If someone says something to you in another language then it’ll be transmitted to you in your language and when you reply, the same happens for the recipient. Skype Translator even provides an on-screen transcript of your call, which is especially handy for keeping track of what’s been said.

Currently, the Skype Translator feature for voice calls is only available in Spanish to English (and vice versa). Those who prefer to use instant messaging get a slightly better deal as IMs are translated (again, in real time) for over 40 different languages. It’s unclear what the full list of 40 is but the Skype Translator sign up page offers options of Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, French, Italian, Korean, Russian, English, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish which covers most bases.

The preview of Skype Translator will be released soon, with a full roll out planned sometime afterwards. Check the source link below to find out how to gain access.

Source: Skype

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PlayStation Now Subscriptions Launch on PS4 on January 13th

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PlayStation Now

After a successful open beta, Sony will be launching subscriptions for their PlayStation Now game streaming service on PS4 later this month.

When the PS4 was first announced, plenty of people got excited. Sony touted a brand new, highly responsive controller (the DualShock 4) and some seriously powerful innards that would make the future generation of gaming both look and play great.

But in the list of ‘pros’ – lovely graphics and impressive roster of exclusive games – many people were disappointed to see that backwards compatibility wasn’t included. After almost an entire decade of fantastic PS3 games (such as The Last of Us, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and inFamous 1 and 2) many people would be unable to play these games on PS4 unless they forked out for the retooled version such as The Last of Us: Remastered. But even so, not all PS3 games have PS4 versions and most of us are out of luck.

Furthermore, it’s estimated that almost half of all PS4 owners didn’t own a PS3 and so will have missed out on many great games from the last generation. That’s what Sony’s new game streaming service PlayStation Now looks to solve and after several months in beta, it will soon get a full release on PS4.

That info comes from Sony’s announcements at CES (the annual electronics trade show in Las Vegas) as they’ve now revealed that on January 13th, PlayStation Now will be going live on PS4, allowing players to stream over 100 PS3 games. Such games include PlayStation exclusives Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, The Last of Us and God of War: Ascension as well as many third-party titles from Warner Brothers, SEGA, 2K and EA.

The company also explained that players will be able to subscribe to PlayStation Now, if they’d like to stream all games all of the time rather than shell out for limited play time of each game. So now, instead of paying for four hour, seven day, 30 day or 90 day stints for each game you can subscribe and gain access to everything as long as your subscription lasts. You can buy one month for $19.99, or a three-month package for $44.99 (about $15 per month) with more info explained in the video above.

Whilst Sony has explained that not only will they add to the veritable feast of available games regularly and PlayStation Now will soon be rolled out to PS3, PS Vita and PS TV, at $180 a year (that’s the total of four, three month subscriptions) that price is a little steep. Many have already argued that the pricing ‘sweet spot’ for an annual sub would be $99 and I’m very much inclined to agree. At the very least, Sony should be willing to knock the PlayStation Now price down for those who pay for PlayStation Plus (the $50 sub that gives you free games across all PS consoles and access to PS4 multiplayer), especially when some of the games available on PlayStation Now have already been given out for free with PS Plus (e.g Spelunky, Guacamelee and BioShock Infinite).

It’s early days for the service yet though and Sony will be listening to this early feedback to make changes accordingly. Check it out on PS4 from January 13th.

Source: PS Blog

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Angry Birds Creator Rovio Announces Huge Job Cuts

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Angry Bird iPad 2

Despite being one of the most iconic gaming brands out there, Rovio, the creator of Angry Birds has now announced job cuts in the face of new losses.

When recommending a game to someone on a mobile device, ‘Angry Birds’ is one of the first titles that springs to mind. With the simple gameplay mechanic of firing different shaped birds at menacing, armoured-up pigs, Angry Birds has been both a critical and a sales hit.

And from the very first Angry Birds game, creator Rovio has developed the franchise into something more. There have been a handful of Angry Birds spin-offs including a Star Wars version, a kart racer called Angry Birds GO!, an animated television series and a collectible line of plush toys as Rovio have attempted to capitalise on the initial game’s success.

Sadly though, this has not entirely gone to plan. Despite their best attempts at building the brand, lower than expected growth means that Rovio is now having to cut a massive chunk of its work force.

Rovio initially announced plans to cut 130 jobs back in October, 2014, citing a lack of growth in the business. That announcement led to 110 job losses in December, which amounts to around 14% of its workforce being shoved into unemployment. A Finnish studio will be shut down (following talks with employees) and Finnish operations at its headquarters in Espoo will reportedly be ‘consolidated’ which essentially means that workflow will be shuffled around and such to make the business more efficient.

As sad as this may be, Rovio’s failure is a result of them not being able to keep up with the market. Unfortunately, although Angry Birds is one of the most successful mobile franchises out there, it has paved the way for mighty competitors such as Candy Crush Saga (and King’s various ‘Saga’ games), Clash of Clans and even Kim Kardashian Hollywood. In contrast, the only post-Angry Birds game from Rovio to really garner any attention is the Flappy Bird-esque Retry.

Worse still is that the company’s operating profit in 2013 was halved to 36.5 million euros (28.7 million pounds) because of investments and poor sales so unless Rovio can reinvigorate the AB brand or come up with another hit, this latest round of job cuts could very well signal the beginning of the end.

Source: Recode

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