Chromebook Has Outsold Macs; Facebook Testing Customizable Categories for Newsfeeds
Posted: May 20, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Categories, Chromebooks, Facebook, Google, MacBooks, Macs, Microsoft, Newsfeeds Leave a commentGoogle’s cheaply priced Chromebooks outsold Macs in the US. first quarter. The verge.com reports that it’s mainly due to purchases of primary and secondary schools. According to IDC, Mac shipments 1st quarter of the year were around 1.76 million, and Dell, HP, and Lenovo combined to pump out almost 2 Million Chromebooks. While Apple can’t be happy about this, the real angst hast to be at Microsoft. Android apps running under Chrome will only further serve to erode Redmond’s grip on the PC market when that happens this Fall.
Brace yourselves….Facebook is once again monkeying with news feeds. According to thenextweb.com, they are testing out customizable news feed categories. Some people are seeing their mobile app news feeds separated by categories, like travel, music, TV and movies, food, and science. You can apparently also customize the specific news you want to see under those categories, such as animated films or reality TV under the entertainment category. Facebook tests out a lot of features, and if this one is adapted, it may be different than it appears right now.
Google I/O Opening Day Highlights
Posted: May 19, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Allo, Android N, Android Wear 2.0, Assistant, Daydream, Duo, Google, I/O, Instant Apps Leave a commentIn the keynote at Google I/O, they rolled out Google Assistant, which supports ‘conversational understanding’ and should give users more natural and better support of voice searches. In addition, bgr.com reports that Google showed off their answer to Amazon Echo, Google Home, a little always on speaker that will be out later this year. Home will find and start TV shows, call an Uber car, or book a restaurant, and a lot more for you with just a voice command.
Google’s new messaging app, Allo, also took a bow. One new feature is a whisper/shout feature that enlarges the text size if you want to ‘shout,’ instead of using all caps. It also interacts with a range of bots. As a bookend to Allo, Google showed off Duo, which is a video calling app. Duo has some clever new features like Knock Knock…which shows an incoming video call feed before you decide to pick up. It also switches seamlessly from cell to Wi-Fi connection.
Android N was previewed, and will be out later this year, emphasizing performance and graphics. It will also use file based encryption instead of block -based. You can download the beta to N now.
Daydream is the new VR platform that is aimed at standardizing mobile based VR. This includes both hardware and software, and Google is expected to start selling a VR headset and controller by late summer. They are also making a reference design for other suppliers to make VR headsets using their system.
Android Wear 2.0 bowed, and the big news there is it can function independently of a smartphone.
Last, and definitely not least, Google showed what may be the biggest deal since the App Store…Instant Apps. With Instant Apps, you can start using an app immediately right within the Google Play store without even having to download and install it.
Closer to Flying Car; ‘More Complex iPhone 7 Production Starting
Posted: May 18, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Electric flying private jet, Flying Car, Foxconn, iPhone 7, Laser focus, Lilium Aviation, Megatron Leave a comment
Lilium Aviation of Germany is working on an electric short haul private jet that could bring us closer to George Jetson’s flying car. According to BBC, it’s 100% electric, can fly 310 miles at 248 miles per hour, and has a ceiling of 9900 ft. It recharges overnight from a regular electrical outlet. It can land and take off from a back yard, and instead of one motor, has the redundancy of 36 small ducted fan motors.The 320Kw battery pack puts out 435 horsepower. It qualifies as a Light Sport Aircraft, so only requires 20-30 hours of training, and takes off and lands autonomously. Lilium has already flown a smaller prototype and is building a full sized one. They hope to be production ready by the end of 2018!
New leaks about the iPhone 7…despite talk that it will be practically an iPhone 6S, it is reported to be more complex to build…perhaps little change cosmetically, but some new and interesting features under the hood. Bgr.com reports that both Foxconn and Pegatron have started hiring a month earlier than usual for a new model. Also, new leaked images show the antenna stripes at the top and bottom…no longer crossing the back, and a new pinhole between the camera lens and flash may be for laser autofocus…a feature LG has had for a couple years.
Startup Aims to Make Existing Big Rigs Self-Driving; Twitter Excluding Links & Pix From 140 Character Limit
Posted: May 17, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 140 Character limit, Apple, Autonomous big rigs, Google, Otto, Retrofit, Semis, Tesla, Twitter Leave a commentFour ex-Googlers have launched Otto, a startup aimed at making big rigs autonomous. The San Francisco based company has drawn employees form Apple, Tesla, and Cruise Automation. Backchannel.com reports that they will aim to retrofit existing semis instead of trying to build new trucks from scratch. There are over 4 million big rigs on the highways. Otto has already installed their system on 3 big rigs. They claim to be able to do the retrofit for a ‘small fraction’ of the 100-300 grand it costs for a new big rig tractor cab.
In case you missed it, Twitter is getting ready to exclude pictures and links from the 140 character limit sometime in the next couple weeks. Thenextweb.com notes that links currently gobble up 23 characters out of that miserly 140. No official word from Twitter as yet.
Degrees from Facebook or Google University? Amazon Expanding Private Label Offerings for Prime Members
Posted: May 16, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Britain, Challenger institutions, Facebook, Google, Happy Belly, Mama Bear, Perishables, Private Label, UK, Universities, Wickedly Prime Leave a commentBritain is looking at changes to their university system that would allow companies like Google and Facebook to set up their own academic institutions in the country that could award degrees. Thenextweb.com reports that neither of those companies has indicated that they would be interested in doing so, but government ministers in the UK think ‘challenger institutions’ set up by companies including Facebook, Google and others would ensure that they have ‘suitably skilled workers’ moving into the future.
Amazon will soon expand its lineup of private-label goods to include perishable food items — offering nuts, spices, vitamins, tea, coffee, baby food and other products under new Amazon brands such as Happy Belly, Wickedly Prime and Mama Bear, according to geekwire.com. The products will only be available for purchase by Amazon Prime members. It’s another perk for prime members, and another profit center for Amazon…private label brands frequently bring in higher profits to companies than name brands.
BMW Shooting for 2021 For Self-Driving Car; ISPs Remove Data Caps if You Pay For TV
Posted: May 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: BMW, Bundling, Cord-cutters, Data caps, i8, iNext, ISPs, Self Driving Cars Leave a commentAt the annual shareholder meeting in Munich this week, BMW’s CEO Harald Krueger revealed that the i8 will be followed by a car they’re calling the iNext, which will feature quote: ’autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road.’ TechCrunch.com reports that BMW claims to already have the technology in place, but is waiting on the legal framework for customers and manufacturers to be decided, not to mention how the vehicles will be treated for insurance purposes when accidents occur.
Some ISPs have come up with a new scheme to keep customers from becoming cord cutters…they drop data caps if you bundle TV and a home phone. BGr.com says both AT&T and Bend are doing this, and it will be no surprise if others follow suit. As has been pointed out previously, broadband data caps are unnecessary. They don’t reduce congestion…carriers have claimed they are about ‘fairness.’ In reality, people streaming Netflix won’t slow down your network. It may sound like a deal, but it’s just a way to squeeze more money out of consumers.
Standalone Android VR Headset Coming; iPhone 7 Plus Will Have 2 Rear Cams; iTunes NOT Stopping Selling Downloads
Posted: May 12, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Cardboard, Dual Camera, Google, iPhone 7 Plus, iTunes, Rift, song downloads, Vive, VR Headset Leave a commentGoogle will reportedly announce a standalone Android VR headset at I/O next week. Techcrunch.com says the untethered headset will be less powerful than the Vive or Rift, and it’s expected to come in at well under the $300 price point. Needless to say, it will cost more than the 15 bucks for a cardboard headset, but you need an Android phone to use that anyway.
Early rumors had a premium version of Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus getting the dual rear camera setup, but according to Ming-Chi Kuo at KGI Securities, all the Plus phones will come with the high end camera. According to theverge.com, the bigger handset will also have 3 gigs of ram in order to handle the image processing for the new cam. There’s still conflicting information as to if the Plus, or all iPhone 7’s or none will have the Smart Connector like the iPad Pro.
Apple put out a rare statement late yesterday dispelling a rumor that they planned to stop selling downloads over iTunes. Appleinsider.com says one rumor had Apple dropping downloads in 2 years, and another in 3-4. Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said ‘not true.’
Moto’s Modular Capable Flagships Coming; Foxconn to Build Big iPhone Plant in India
Posted: May 10, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amps, Apple, Foxconn, India, iPhone, Modular backplates, Moto X, Motorola, Vector Thin, Vertex Leave a commentPictures leaked out a while back of Motorola’s 2 Moto X flagships with what looked like fairly large speaker holes on the metal back, and a protruding camera lens. According to venturebeat.com, there’s more to it than that. The Vertex and Vector Thin will accommodate modular backplates you can swap out that add functionality. There will be at least 6 at launch counting the plain cover. The others have: stereo speakers; a battery pack; a camera grip with flash and optical zoom; a pico projector; and a rugged cover with wide angle lens attachment. The camera lens will sit flush with the backplates…which Motorola calls Amps….attached. So far, no pricing on either the phones or the Amps.
The Economic Times of India says Foxconn is close to a deal to build a 10 billion dollar iPhone manufacturing plant there. 9to5mac.com reports it will sit on 1200 acres, and be up and running in about 18 months. This is only one of 10-12 manufacturing plants Foxconn hopes to open in India by 2020. Apple sales were up 56% year over year in India.
More iPhone 7 Rumors; Twitter Limits US Spy Agencies Access to Alert Tool
Posted: May 9, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Analytics, Apple, Dataminr, Dual lens camera, iPhone 7, law enforcement, Smart Connector, Spies, Twitter Leave a commentWith the iPhone 7 models due out in around 4 months, the rumors are breaking more frequently now…and contradicting each other. Bgr.com says a design leak obtained by French site NowhereElse shows the iPhone 7 as having identical height and width as the 6 and 6S. It doesn’t disclose whether or not the next model will be thinner, however, or if the headphone jack on the bottom stays or goes. There is no opening at the bottom for a Smart Connector like on the iPad Pro, which had been rumored, but the camera opening is larger…it may not be large enough for the dual lens camera…which is supposed to bow on the larger iPhone 7 Plus anyway, but perhaps to allow for a larger sensor. The cam opening is closer to the edge, too.
Twitter has blocked US law enforcement and spy agencies from using a data analytics service that processes tweets and messages in real time. According to cnet.com, the tools are from the private company Dataminr. Twitter hasn’t publicly confirmed or denied the change. Apparently the analytics gave authorities a 10 minutes lead over mainstream media outlets in covering and responding to the Brussels attacks. Spies being spies, it’s probably only a matter of time…and not much time….before they are able to restore their access to this type of info from Twitter, even without Twitter’s blessing or knowledge.
GM & Lift Within a Year of Testing Self-Driving Taxis; iPhone 7 Generating More Buzz Than the 6S Did
Posted: May 6, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chevy Bolt, China, Cruise Automation, General Motors, iPhone 7, Lyft, self-driving car, US Leave a commentGeneral Motors and Lyft’s on-demand, self-driving taxis will begin testing in an undisclosed city sometime in the next year, according to the Wall Street Journal and engadget.com. Earlier this year, the General invested $500 million in the ride-sharing service, and last month, GM also picked up San Francisco-based Cruise Automation. Cruise has been making aftermarket self-driving kits that could be added to several Audi vehicles for around $10,000. The self-driving cabs will be based on electric Chevy Bolts powered by Cruise’s self-driving technology.
After the 1st quarterly dip in iPhone sales since the first Apple smartphone rolled out, it looks like the slump may be over. Bgr.com says a UBS report shows that almost half of those surveyed said they ‘are holding off buying a new iPhone until the next model is available.’ They break it down to about 40% in the US…virtually the same as with the iPhone 6, and 50% of prospective iPhone 7 buyers in China.
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