New, 2nd Gen Chromecast On the Way

Posted: September 18, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A 2nd generation Chromecast will drop before the end of the month. Expect it to feature improved WiFi, new feeds for the main screen and a feature dubbed ‘Fast Play.’ 9to5google.com says it will sport a new shape and various colors, too. The new feeds likely include social media feeds, and a new feature called ‘Fast Play,’ which helps Chromecast establish a connection faster and play content more seamlessly when touching the Cast button on a connected device. Google is also looking to launch ‘Chromecast Audio,’ which would allow the dongle to plug into any speaker via an auxiliary chord…Chromecast Audio will apparently have multi-room support, and the ability to mirror your Chrome or Android audio. In addition to Google Play Music, Netflix, Pandora, etc…Chromecast will add support for Spotify now. Expect the Chromecast rollout at Google’s September 29th event, when they plan to show two new Nexus gadgets as well.

You’ve probably heard stories of people in China being willing to give up a kidney for gadgets or cash. Here’s a new wrinkle…or lack of one…reported by geek.com. A sperm bank is offering an iPhone 6S in exchange for 17 milliliters of a guy’s ‘product. Since the average man’s ejaculation produces about 10 ml, a Chinese fellow jonesing for a shiny new iPhone may have to make a couple of deposits to the Renji Hospital sperm bank. The cash equivalent is about $940, by the way.

Google Hasn’t Entirely Killed Off Google Glass

Posted: September 17, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google had previously said they were killing off Google Glass, but apparently, there was a change of mind. Engadget.com reports that they’ve hired engineers and software developers from Amazon’s Lab126 for what they’re calling ‘Project Aura.’ They will work on other wearables besides Glass. Apparently Project Aura will stay under the Google ‘aura,’ instead of being a separate entity under the Alphabet umbrella. Ivy Ross will still head up the operation, but she’ll report to Nest CEO Tony Fadell now.

Speaking of Amazon, they’ve shown their answer to Apple TV…it’s a Fire TV box with Alexa and 4K video support. Theverge.com says that similar to Apple’s ‘Hey Siri,’ you will be able to command Alexa to go look for shows you want to watch. Amazon plans to add reordering through amazon.com later, like with the Echo speaker. Don’t expect to be able to set alarms or timers as you can on the Echo, though. The new Fire TV box is $99. Amazon has also upgraded the Fire TV stick with newer software, and a new remote in a $50 bundle. There’s also a gamer-specific edition of the Fire TV box for $140, that comes with a useable controller and two free game downloads. It’s all open for preorder now, and all three products ship in October.

Google Looks Poised to Do Full Scale Launch of Self-Driving Car

Posted: September 14, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

9to5mac.com spotted a report last night from Automotive News that Google has hired the former CEO of Hyundai to run its self-driving car program. In an email, he mentions the cars being used by millions of people, and saving thousands of lives. Google is still saying it has no plans to manufacture cars itself, but will partner with a number of different companies. They still seem on track to have a self-driving car on the market by 2020.

Apple told Financial Times that strong weekend orders indicate the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will beat the 10 million sold the first weekend of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last year. In the past, the off-year ’S’ models have lagged behind sales of the pure numbered models. Thenextweb.com reports that the 6S Plus models show sold out right now, and the 6S rose gold models have a wait time of 3-4 weeks before shipping. We’ll know more if this sales pace will be maintained when the phones show up in stores next weekend.

Google and Twitter Partnering For Instant News Articles

Posted: September 11, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google and Twitter are partnering on making their own version of instant news articles. Recode.net says they are teaming up with a small group of publishers, and should launch this fall…joining the likes of Facebook, Apple, and Snapchat. The plan is for either Twitter users or people using Google search who click on a link via their smartphones to see the full article pop up on screen nearly instantly, instead of having to wait several seconds. A big difference between the Google-Twitter partnership and the others is that this one is based on open source publishing tools. The articles are also cached from the publishers’ sites, not hosted by Google. An interesting twist is that it will operate without either Google or Twitter branding.

It’s both amazing and a little creepy…we are on the verge of becoming like Wolverine! After a Spanish man lost his sternum and part of his rib cage to cancer, surgeons at Salamanca University installed a 3D printed replacement out of titanium. Gizmodo.com reports the implant was made by Anatomics in Australia. This isn’t the 3D printer the geek next door has in the garage…titanium is tricky…it’s a $1.3 million electron beam Arcam 3D printer. The patient was out of the hospital after 12 days, and is recovering well…and part of him is pretty bulletproof, now!

Verizon To Test Insanely Fast 5G!

Posted: September 9, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Later this year, and into next, Verizon will be testing out 5G for mobile devices. It’s insanely fast! How fast? Faster than Google Fiber’s direct connection into homes. 30 to 60 times faster than 4G. For example, you could download ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ in 6 minutes over 4G, but with 5G, it’ll be downloaded to your smartphone in 15 seconds! Cnet.com says according to Verizon, some commercial deployment will start by 2017. All that blazing speed and responsiveness will become more important as we add to the ‘internet of things’ around the house and office, and more connected cars come online. South Korea and China are pushing to upgrade to 5G quickly, too…South Korea hopes to have it showing up by 2018, but Verizon may well beat them by a year.

Yesterday, Amazon announced they were rolling out restaurant food delivery via Prime Now, starting in Seattle. Google is jumping into food delivery, but fresh food and groceries, starting later this year through Google Express. According to bloomberg.com, they will begin trials in San Francisco and one other city to be named later. Whole Foods and Costco will be among the rollout partners for the grocery delivery service. Grocery delivery is already a space populated by Amazon Fresh, and startup Instacart. Note that they will be delivering fresh food…they won’t have the capacity for refrigeration to deliver refrigerated or frozen items. For those, you’ll have to drag yourself to the supermarket!

Future Fuel Cell Powered Macbook Could Run Days or Weeks

Posted: September 4, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We just reported about 10 days ago about a British company called Intelligent Energy working with Apple on a fuel cell battery case that can keep your iPhone going for a week. Now, businessinsider.com says Apple has a patent for a fuel cell battery that could run some of its devices for days or even weeks. This one describes a “portable and cost-effective fuel cell system for a portable computing device,” and it joins others Apple already had on the books. This one seems to be aimed at MacBooks…the filing mentions the ‘MagSafe’ connector, but not the Lightening connectors used on iPhones and iPads. Apparently, you would just replace a fuel cartridge ‘detachably affixed to the fuel cell system’ when the fuel runs out.

It seems like everyone has a smartphone now…and that perception isn’t far from reality. According to an analysis by ComScore picked up by marketingland.com, US smartphone penetration hit 77% in July. In the social media race on smartphones, Facebook dominates more than ever. They stay #1, and Facebook’s freestanding Messenger app is now #2, bumping YouTube to third place. Don’t shed a tear for Google though…their apps hold down slots 3, 4, 5, and 6! Pandora radio, Gmail, Instagram, and Yahoo stocks round out the top 10.

4th Generation Apple TV Coming in October

Posted: August 31, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s slightly bigger than the present hockey puck, but still has a small footprint. The 4th generation Apple TV is rolling out in October, and will sell for between $149 and $199, according to 9to5mac.com. This is a bump of $50 to $100 bucks, depending on Apple’s final decision, and a good deal more than Roku, Google, or Amazon. Apple will keep the 3rd generation at $69, which it’s been selling for since March. The 4th gen model will feature Siri and a new remote control with a touchpad on top, a microphone for Siri, and motion sensors. There will also be an App store. Apple plans to launch a cable replacing streaming TV service next year for $40 a month that bundles multiple TV channels. The cheaper 3rd gen model won’t have the fancy remote control or Siri support.

It’s a constant battle for computers and smart devices to try to keep up with malware. Qualcomm is taking a new approach with their upcoming new Snapdragon 820 mobile processor. Engadget.com reports the processor will use what they call Smart Protect tech, which uses machine learning to watch for possible security issues in real time, as opposed to relying on a list of threats. In addition the Snapdragon 820 will have faster graphics capability, and an API for security software makers to utilize the chip’s heightened awareness.

Apple’s Next Generation iPhone Cameras

Posted: August 28, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You have probably heard that Apple is holding their rollout event for the new iPhones and more on September 9th. One of the marquee features, as reported by 9to5mac.com and others is a 12 megapixel main camera, and upgraded signal processor for larger, higher resolution pictures. 4K video is also in store on the 6S and 6S+…which a lot of people won’t need as they don’t have 4K TVs or monitors. One thing you WILL use is the upgraded front selfie cam with flash…no, there’s not a front-facing LED flash…Apple will flash the screen white when you shoot, like Snapchat and Photo Booth. The front cam is also likely to get panorama and slo-mo video, too.

In a move that will improve performance, Google’s Chrome web browser will start pausing Flash ads by default September 1st. The function has been in the beta version for a while now. By pausing auto-playing flash, Chrome users should see speed improvements and better batter life. Google, in addition to Apple, has been trying to get away from Flash tech for quite a while. YouTube switched over to streaming HTML5 video by default the first of the year.

Project Sunroof from Google…It’s Not About Cars!

Posted: August 17, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google unveiled a YouTube video today about Project Sunroof. Project Sunroof is a website that allows people to automate researching and then buying solar panels for home, and thus ‘Sunroof!’ 9to5google.com says it believes it has enough data on the site to determine the feasibility and return on investment for installing solar on your house….down to modeling the roof in 3D to see how many square feet are available, and whether trees or other objects will block sunlight. The site claims if you use their service, Sunroof can recommend an installation size that will generate nearly 100% of a household’s electricity use! The site includes a list of solar panel installation companies in your area.

A leak last week got the tech press in an uproar that the upcoming iPhone 6S might just have 1 gig of ram, disappointing many. Now, according to bgr.com, a leak from the same source indicates that may not be the case. Spotted by Dutch tech blog TechTastic, the new Geekbench Browser benchmark says the iPhone8,2 is going to feature a 1.5GHz tri-core A9 processor and 2GB of RAM.
TechTastic further notes that the iPhone 6s should offer users a performance on par with the iPad Air 2, which has a tri-core A8X processor. In fact, comparing the two devices, the site found that the iPhone8,2 beats the iPad Air 2 when it comes to single-core and multi-core performance.

HTC One Max Fingerprints Stored in Plain Sight

Posted: August 11, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

HTC has been having plenty of trouble of late, despite making a really cool phone, the One Max. Part of the problem is that HTC is selling phones for just over a penny profit…not a good business model for a device that costs hundreds. Their stock value has plummeted to the amount of cash on hand. For the HTC One Max OWNER, there’s a BIG problem. Geek.com notes that the Max stores fingerprints as an ordinary image file in an unsecure location. Worse…it saves a fresh copy that can be stolen every time you swipe your finger! Researchers at FireEye tipped HTC of this glaring mess, and they’ve issued a patch, so if you own a One Max, update the software!

By now, you’ve heard all about Google starting an umbrella company called Alphabet to be the parent to all their brands: Google, Google X, and so on.
It seems that the execs came up with this naming plan so quickly, no one bothered to check if the name was available online…and it’s not…for now. Theverge.com reports that an individual has @alphabet on Twitter, and alphabet.com is owned by Alphabet Fleet Management…a BMW company, which also owns Facebook.com/alphabet. With Google’s (and now Alphabet’s) billions, they’ll be able to buy up the online names, but a word to the wise for the rest of us…check first!

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →