Google Glass is starting to get a larger app selection. Twitter has launched its official Twitter app for Google Glass making it easier than ever to tweet those super-cool hands-free pictures that you so like to take. All jokes aside, the Twitter app will also let you tweet normal text as well as pictures.
In fact, you should be able to do most of the functions that you are used to: tweet pictures and text, reply to, retweet, or favorite tweets, and receive notifications. Twitter will automatically add "Just shared a photo #throughglass" to the tweet. If you happen to already have a pair of Glass, head to Google.com/myglass to turn Twitter on.
Finally, we seem to be getting some decent leaks for the upcoming iPhone. BGR has obtained pictures of various different internal components which seem to show the iPhone 5S--or iPhone 6--will be getting a rather major internal over haul. Also included among the pictures, two images of the SIM card holders.
Seen above, the SIM card holders are both thinner than the current-generation iPhone and different colored. This seems to indicate that rumors of the next iPhone being available in multiple colors is true. The next iPhone will also be receiving an updated vibrator motor, flexible Wi-Fi ribbon cable, and speakerphone mount.
We still expect the next iPhone to launch sometime this fall, likely in September. To see more pictures, check out our gallery below.
Opera has already settled a lawsuit against former employee Trond Werner Hansen. Hansen was accused of taking trade secrets and proprietary information from Opera and giving them to Mozilla after he left the company. While Hansen says that the lawsuit has been settled, he can't specify the details.
But I'm very happy it's over and look forward to being able to focus on my music and other projects again.
Opera also confirmed that a settlement was reached, but would not speak specifics:
I can confirm that the case against Trond Werner Hansen has been dropped by Opera by reaching an agreement which has been satisfactory to both parties.
We previously reported about this lawsuit when it was first filed. At the time, Opera alleged that Hansen provided information to Mozilla that he wasn't entitled to give. Hansen, meanwhile, contended that he didn't break any laws or contractual obligations.
This is the year of the convertible notebooks. Originally seen at CES 2013 earlier this year, the Yoga 11S is an 11-inch convertible Ultrabook. The system can be used in four different positions, hence the name Yoga. You've probably seen the ad for its big brother at least once; I've seen it probably hundreds of times.
Lenovo is offering quite a bit of freedom in terms of customization, with Core i3, i5, and i7 processors to choose from, either a 128GB or 256GB SSD, and 1366x768 or 1600x900 resolution screens. At its most basic configuration, the Yoga 11S will set you back around $800.
The device will start shipping in "more than four weeks" time making me believe it will likely utilize Intel's upcoming Haswell CPU's. You will, however, be able to check one out in person at Best Buy come June 23. It's available for pre-order at Best Buy and Lenovo.
This morning, Google announced that it has teamed up with NASA and the Universities Space Research Association to launch a new quantum supercomputer lab. Google sees quantum computing as offering a lot of potential in the areas of speech recognition and web searching, while NASA will most likely use the machine to crunch astrophysical equations.
The team will be purchasing a D-Wave Two Quantum Computer with plans to house it in NASA research center in California. The D-Wave Two has a 512-qubit (that's quantum bit) processor and will offer more-than-zippy speeds at up to 11,000x faster than a standard Intel chip. "We believe quantum computing may help solve some of the most challenging computer science problems particularly in machine learning," said a post on Google's research blog.
This week, Lulzbot launched its latest 3D printer, the TAZ 3D. The truly 100 percent open source design is capable of printing objects with a volume up to 11.7" x 10.8" x 9.8" and can print in ABS, PLA, Nylon, Laywood, and poly-carbonate plastics.
The TAZ takes up a footprint of 26.8" x 20.5" x 20.3" and runs off of normal mains power. A simple USB connection to a PC or Mac is all that is needed to control the printer which uses open source control software. Unlike other 3D printers, the TAZ comes pre-calibrated which saves hours of time in setup and tweaking.
Capable of resolutions of 75-300 microns, the TAZ can print at speeds up to 200mm per second while the Budasch nozzle hot end provides reliable and consistent performance. In the interest of full disclosure, I own Lulzbot's first 3D printer, the AO-100, and could not be happier with it. We have reached out to Lulzbot and hopefully we can provide you with a hands on review in the coming months. The TAZ is on sale now and retails for $2,195
This morning a video has surface which is said to be of Microsoft origin and was never meant for the public's eyes. The video takes aim at Microsoft and points out that Google earns its revenue by targeting you with personalized ads.
Set to the tune of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, the video features Google's Chrome logo as a sort of bouncing ball and it highlights how the evil Google is cashing in on you by targeting ads at you through all of your devices. It fails to point out that TV services, magazines, newspapers, and pretty much everything else in the world is doing exactly the same thing.
Ads have always been targeted, and always will be. It would be foolish and a waste of money to place an ad that none of its viewers would be interested in. Let's not forget either that Microsoft buys ad space on Google's services, and that it too has been the focus of seemingly shady business moves in the past.
This morning ECS officially announced its upcoming line of Intel 8-Series motherboards designed around the new 4th generation Intel Core processors. The new motherboard line will come in three flavors: Pro, Deluxe and Essentials.
The Pro series will be optimized for power computing, while the Deluxe line will be geared towards home and office use. The Essentials series will be better suited towards the home theatre or media center crowd who needs the power, but not necessarily the larger footprint of more feature rich boards.
All boards will feature ECS's new Durathon durability technology, which features triple density PCBs, solid capacitors and extreme testing. Additional features include ECS's exclusive Hyper Alloy Choke technology, Sound Blaster Cinema technology, 4-way video output (DVI, HDMI, Display Port and D-Sub VGA), EZ quick charger, Motherboard Intelligent BIOS III, 4K video output, ECS EZ Bios and ECS ADS (Anti-Dust Shield).
Continue reading 'ECS unveils Intel 8-Series motherboards in three flavors of goodness' (full post)
IDC just published its numbers on smartphone marketshare and it appears that Android has beaten out all others by orders of magnitude. Google's Android mobile operating system was shipped on over 162.1 million smartphones in the first three months of 2013, giving the open source platform a worldwide market share of 75-percent.
In the same timeframe, Apple managed to squeeze out just 37.4 million (17.3-percent market share) iPhone's, which is four times less than the stellar numbers coveted by Android. Microsoft stumbled into third place with a whopping seven million Windows phones being shipped, which amounts to a mere 3.2-percent market share.
It should be noted that Apple is selling a single model, and there are hundreds of different Android models being sold on the market currently. One could point out that Android is by definition, the dominant smartphone operating system on the market. While some analyst point out that selling 34 million units of a single phone is impressive, it still stands that more people are using Android than iOS.
This morning we are waking up to the news that NASA's Kepler Space Telescope may have just came to an early end of mission due to a faulty piece of orientation hardware. The fault falls within one of the wheels that stabilize and help keep the spacecraft pointed in the right direction.
When Kepler needs to be repositioned or stabilized for image capturing, three wheels are spun up to take advantage of centripetal force. Kepler needs three of its wheels running at all times to ensure a stable orientation. On Wednesday NASA officials announced that one of those three wheels had stopped functioning, which put the telescope into "safe mode."
Unfortunately, unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, Kepler is far away from our reach and was not designed to be serviceable. Plus, with the shuttle program long gone, it's not like we would have a way to get to it anyway. "Kepler's not in a place where I can go up and rescue it, or any other astronaut," said John Grunsfeld, the head of science at NASA, and the man who is famous for repairing the Hubble.
Continue reading 'SpaceTT: Serious malfunction shuts down NASA's Kepler Space Telescope' (full post)
For the most part, the recent success of the Bitcoin can be attributed to Mt. Gox, the largest and most popular Bitcoin exchange on the internet. Earlier this week the Department of Homeland Security seized the Mutum Sigilum account Mt. Gox held at Wells Fargo bank.
The Mutum Sigilum account was the lifeblood of Dwolla, the PayPal like Bitcoin to US currency processor. The account was seized based on several discrepancies in the paperwork Mt. Gox owner Mark Karpeles filled when opening the account with Wells Fargo. When the application asked if Mutum Sigilum LLC was a business engaged in monetary services, Karpeles stated "No." Below is an excerpt from the actual warrant used to seize the account.
The application asks several questions; to include, "Do you deal in or exchange currency for your customer?" and "Does your business accept funds from customers and send the funds based on customers' instructions (Money Transmitter)?" Karpeles answered these questions "no," indicating that Mutum Sigilum LLC does not deal in or exchange money, and that it does not send funds based on customer instructions. Money transmitting businesses are required by 31 USC section 5330 to register as such with FinCEN. According to FinCEN records on May 6, 2013, neither Mt. Gox nor the subsidiary, Mutum Sigilum LLC, is registered as a Money Service Business.
In an attempt to gain revenue from the used games market, EA introduced a program known as Online Pass. Basically, when a person purchased a used game, they would have to buy a new online pass that would allow them to access the online multiplayer aspects of the game. New games would be distributed with a one-time use code.
This program was despised by many gamers and it appears that EA is listening to the customer in ending this program. EA confirmed that this program would no longer be utilized in future games: "Yes, we're discontinuing Online Pass. None of our new EA titles will include that feature."
Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online content and services, many players didn't respond to the format. We've listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward. We're still committed to creating content and services that enhance the game experience well beyond the day you first start playing.
I'm sure many of our readers will be happy to hear that this change is being made.
If you're on the lookout for a cheap Windows RT tablet, look no further. Dell has just slashed the price of its XPS 10 Windows RT tablet by $200, bringing the total price down to just $299.99. The XPS 10 was one of the original Windows RT devices to launch back in October of last year. At that time, it retailed for $499.
While Dell didn't come out and say the price cut was due to slow Windows RT sales, we can guess that this was the driving factor behind the reduction. According to Dell, the price was dropped "due to a combination of factors" including Dell's inventory of the XPS 10 and "competitive positioning and other market factors."
In other words, it wasn't selling. According to the IDC, Windows RT tablets have only managed to grad 0.4 percent market share in terms of shipments for last quarter. You can buy the XPS 10 at Dell's website.
According to PayPal's chief information security officer, the upcoming iPhone 5S will feature an integrated fingerprint scanner. This isn't the first time we've heard this rumor, but it's the first time it has come from a decently credible source.
It's widely rumored that a large technology provider in Cupertino, CA will come out with a phone later this year that has a fingerprint reader on it. There is going to be a fingerprint enabled phone on the market later this year. Not just one, but multiple.
While it remains to be seen if this will come true, Apple recently purchased AuthenTec, a company that specializes in mobile and network security. Combine that with various other pieces of data and it starts looking like the iPhone 5S will come with a scanner. However, it's a decent idea to remain somewhat skeptical for at least a while longer.
Many Xbox gamers will be excited to hear this rumor. According to The Verge's sources familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans, Microsoft will be doing away with Xbox Points at E3 this year. Instead, Microsoft will move to a currency-based system that utilizes local currencies and gift cards.
Microsoft would enable purchases via credit and debit cards meaning you would no longer have to go to the store to buy credit for your account. Microsoft will still offer gift cards, but they will be worth money just like Apple does with iTunes gift cards and digital purchases.
The gift card currency will be unified and work across Windows Store, Windows Phone Store, and Xbox. The launch is said to be occurring later this year, with the announcement happening at E3. As with all rumors, take this with a grain of salt.
Google I/O has certainly been good to Google's stock price. After today's opening day of Google I/O, Google's stock closed at a record high of $909.38, only to raise a further $2.81 in after-hours trading. The stock price currently sits at $918.70, the highest the stock has ever been.
It was just three months ago that Google's stock originally crossed the $800 mark. In the time between then and now, not much has happened. The company hasn't really announced anything revolutionary or new, though Glass Explorer Edition has been handed out to developers. Apple's stock, meanwhile, fell 3.38 percent.
Ubisoft continues to tease the upcoming Assassin's Creed game. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will take place across islands and boats and will be launching on the next-generation PlayStation 4. Ubisoft has actually commented publicly about how happy they are with the PlayStation 4 and what it is allowing them to do.
Assassin's Creed 4 will also be available on current-generation consoles, which means you won't be forced to upgrade to experience the game. However, the experience will likely be much better on one of the new consoles. Let us know what you think of the trailer and if you're excited for Assassin's Creed 4 to come out.
Continue reading 'Check out the latest Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag trailer' (full post)
Rovio announced that they have partnered with Sony Pictures for their upcoming Angry Birds movie. We've previously covered details of the Angry Birds movie that was originally announced back in December 2012. At that time, I asked what the movie would consist of. That question still needs to be answered.
The Angry Birds movie will be a 3-D animated comedy coming out sometime in 2016. It will be produced by John Cohen, the producer for Despicable Me. The partnership between Rovio and Sony Pictures was announced via tweet earlier today. Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said the following in a press release:
Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism. They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us market and distribute our first motion picture.
Google is going to have a fight on its hands to make Glass a popular product. According to a survey conducted by BiTE interactive of 1,000 US adults, 45 percent of respondents said they wouldn't wear the glasses due to their aesthetics or because they thought the device would be irritating.
44 percent of those who responded saying they would wear Glass said they are most interested in the camera capabilities. 44 percent said they would wear it to take pictures, 37 percent said they'd wear Glass to take video, and a total of 39 percent said they'd want to be able to make calls with the device.
Joseph Farrell, EVP of operations at BiTE interactive:
Google Glass represents a profound social barrier for the average consumer.At best, they see a Glass user as someone who prioritizes information access over a personal connection with others. At worst, they fear social sleights of hand: researching topics, recording video or Googling a person in mid-conversation. Overall, what Glass offers is combination of high social rejection with features the average person simply doesn't value over their current smartphone.
So now my question to you: Would you wear Google Glass? If not, what would it take you to wear it. If so, why?
Microsoft announced today that Rovio has brought the classic Angry Birds Rio to the Windows Phone platform. The app has been available on iOS and Android for a long time, but it has finally jumped over to the fledgling Windows Phone platform. Microsoft needs popular iOS apps to continue coming to Windows Phone to encourage users to jump on the platform.
The price remains unchanged at $0.99, which seems to be the ultimate price point for apps and games. One bonus about the Windows Phone app: Xbox Live achievements and leaderboards. The app is available for both Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.5.