Walyou |  |
- Amazon Kindle Fire Phone Images Leaked on the Internet
- G-Pad Gamepad Gives iPhone GameBoy Advance Controls
- Google Glass to Get Augmented Reality Features From Layar
- Android and Google Services Are About to Get Hitched
- Swedes Develop Biometric Payment Method that Relies on Vein Patterns
- Google Acquires Drone Maker Titan Aerospace
| Amazon Kindle Fire Phone Images Leaked on the Internet Posted: 15 Apr 2014 11:15 AM PDT  Amazon’s long-awaited Kindle Fire smartphone, which according to a WSJ report is due for release in June, has showed up on the Web in the form of leaked images. Unlike typical leaked images, the following ones don’t give everything away, as the Kindle Fire phone‘s actual design is hidden by a bulky case. Still, the images are enough for giving us an idea about how Amazon’s phone will look like. Some details regarding the device’s 3D interface have also surfaced recently, and there seem to be differences between Amazon’s implementation and the one seen in Nintendo’s 3DS handheld gaming console. The e-tailer’s approach is believed to be similar to the parallax interface elements in Apple’s iOS 7, just better. The previous rumors about the phone having six cameras are now confirmed by the leaked images. While the resolution of the rear-facing camera is thought to be 13 MP, the technical specs of the others are unknown. Obviously, one of the front facing cameras will be used for video calls and selfies, while the other four infrared cameras, which are placed in each corner of the face, will be able to detect the viewer’s head position and adjust the pseudo-3D content displayed on the screen accordingly. Spec-wise, Amazon’s phone should come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and 2GB of RAM, but the number of cores and the particular processor model are unknown. If we are to compare Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets with the ones from the Nexus family, the e-tailer’s offer leaves a lot to be desired, but that’s not to say that they’re making bad products. Amazon will most probably equip its smartphone with a heavily modified version of Android, in the vein of the one available in Kindle Fire tablets. Amazon also opted for a 4.7-inch low pixel density display with a resolution of 720p HD. This really makes the Kindle Fire phone a mid-range product, as the competition’s offers pack either 1080p or even 4K displays. The major selling point of this phone remains the 3D interface, and that’s exactly what will set Amazon’s device apart from the competitors. It goes without saying that the e-tailer will have to work together with app developers to make as many apps compatible as possible. There is also a major downside about this device, namely its availability limited to the US, in the beginning. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the early rumors surrounding Amazon’s 3D smartphone and Kindle Phone’s six cameras.         |
| G-Pad Gamepad Gives iPhone GameBoy Advance Controls Posted: 15 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT  Turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into the perfect gaming device.
The iPhone is wonderful piece of mobile tech. All in except one area if you love portable gaming – not that you can't enjoy some games on it, don't be daft. It's just sometimes you want the precise feel of physical controls, and that's where the G-Pad steps in. AJ Design Studio has come up with this handy looking rubber sleeve that fits snuggly over the 5th generation iPod Touch, iPhone 5, 5c, and 5s, which has traditional handheld controls that pair nicely with any Game Boy Advance emulator released (officially or not) on the Apple App Store. So long as the virtual buttons line-up, the G-Pad should work. The G-Pad is also lightweight and easy to carry around whenever you need your gaming fix. Right now the G-Pad is up for funding at Indiegogo, with many backer perks like your choice of three G-Pad colors, from Green, Black, and Gray. Although, if enough people back the G-Pad then the selection will expand to more awesome colors, including a two-tone set that looks mighty groovy. The goal for the G-Pad is at $16,000, but with around 50 days still left, hopefully the project will be fully funded by the time it ends. Check out the G-Pad in action below. It's only a prototype, but it's a clear demo of what funders can expect if the G-Pad gets funding and when it releases to the masses. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories at https://www.facebook.com/Walyou and https://twitter.com/walyou.    |
| Google Glass to Get Augmented Reality Features From Layar Posted: 15 Apr 2014 06:00 AM PDT  As hype for Google Glass, increases, Layar have announced that they will be bringing both augmented reality and QR scanning features to the device.
Google Glass certainly has many interesting features but how many of them are useful? Does being able to take photos with a pair of glasses and a voice command make the actual process or picture taking any easier or is it just a way to free up your hands when you'd usually use your smartphone? And how about how Glass' use of Twitter and Facebook add up – is it quicker and more convenient to say tweets and status updates aloud or is it a way of limiting your privacy as you find yourself having to whisper things you could inconspicuously type? These are all things to take into account for potential buyers of the search engine giant's new gadget and thanks to Layar, the augmented reality specialists, Google Glass is set to get two new features to make it a little bit more useful. The first of the features, the augmented reality, is somewhat of an unofficial Google Glass application. Those who are lucky enough to have hands-on access with the device can download the beta software from Layar's website and then install it themselves onto Google's fancy wearable. While it may sound like a bit of legwork is required, the features it brings are quite impressive, almost making you wonder why Google hadn't though to include it in the first place. By saying the simple voice command of "OK Glass, scan this" and looking in the direction of say a magazine or a movie poster, the user can then be directed to information about the magazine's cover star or be sent straight to YouTube to watch a trailer for the movie featured in said poster. The second of Layar's Google Glass offerings is a QR code scanner, making use of those funny black and white patterns that you've perhaps seen use in adverts and various other promotions. This app is also very much in beta and in testing it reportedly had some issues in recognising codes in magazines, but the same reports also explain that when provided with QR codes on standard paper, the registering of said codes was relatively successful, so with the two features working quite well on Google Glass, developers and consumers will have plenty to look forward to from the device in the future. We'll keep you posted once we know more. Source: GigaOM Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories USAF Using Glass to Develop James Bond-Like Spy Gadgets, Google Glass Banned From Bar For Fear Of Secret Recordings    |
| Android and Google Services Are About to Get Hitched Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:00 AM PDT  Google’s web services and Android have been a pair for years now, but a recent leak suggests Google might be preparing to finally pop the question.
Google doesn’t always anounce (or release) Android updates at Google I/O, so it could be a few months or so before we see any new iterations, but either way, there are updates coming down the pipe and they were leaked to Android Police recently. Up to this point, Android has definitely been plugged in to Google’s services, but Google’s entire ecosystem is very compartmentalized. A marriage of Android’s software and Google’s services through Project Hera will blur the lines between different apps and distinct tasks. The leak suggests that Hera will provide a bridge between Chromium and Android, bringing more HTML5 centric features into play. This will be most evident as a form of multitasking. Currently, multitasking in Android means flipping between snapshots of various open apps and choosing which app is needed to complete a specific task. Project Hera’s version of multitasking has broken this out into a task oriented model, though. Think about it as a blend of Google Now and Android’s existing multitasking card view. Instead of opening Google Now to view your cards, those cards (and equivalent task oriented cards from other apps) will appear in the multitasking view. This doesn’t only allow for quicker, more contextually relevant multitasking options, but also for quicker access to relevant features without having to enter into a new app every time. It’s like combining your notification shade, your Google Now cards, your current multitasking cards and your widgets into a new type of super multitasking cards. So, in practice what this will do is place the information and tools you need right now directly at your fingertips. Imagine you are going on a flight and have already checked in with your airline on your phone. Today, the QR code for your electronic boarding pass will appear within the Google Now app when you are close to the Airport. In Project Hera, though, it will appear in your miltitasking view as its own card, making it just one button press away. A lot of the features required to truly take advantage of such an update would depend on developers to update their apps, but once the industry adjusts, it will make your smart phone that much smarter. It may take some time, as this isn’t simply a software update, but an entire paradigm shift on the concept of what an app is vs a specific task or presentation of data. Source: Android Police Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter Read more on Walyou, Android on the Verge of Getting a Major App Boost, Google Expected to Beef Up Android Security for Enterprise    |
| Swedes Develop Biometric Payment Method that Relies on Vein Patterns Posted: 14 Apr 2014 01:30 PM PDT  While fingerprint scanners and pupil readers are interesting, Swedes have an even better alternative to biometric payment methods: a vein-pattern scanner that could make shopping an even greater experience than it already is. Fingerprint scanners, while really cool for common people, are easily hackable, as proven by the Chaos Computer Club group of hackers that managed to bypass Apple’s Touch ID less than 48 hours after the launch of the iPhone 5S. This year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S5, which presumably packs a better fingerprint scanner in its Home button, and announced partnerships with various developers, among which PayPal is worth mentioning. Fredrik Leifland, the engineering student at the Lund University who developed the vein-pattern scanner, explained how some stores and coffee shops from his native country started accepting payments authenticated with the hand: “We had to connect all the players ourselves, which was quite complex: the vein scanning terminals, the banks, the stores and the customers. The next step was finding ways of packaging it into a solution that was user friendly.” Obviously, Leifland had to first get very frustrated while standing in line at a store prior to coming up with the idea for this new technology. Two years ago, when that happened, he realized that even payments with credit cards take a lot of time, and that a new payment method could cut down waiting time drastically. Leifland furthermore pointed out that this system is basically impossible to bypass, unlike other biometric authentication methods: “Every individual’s vein pattern is completely unique, so there really is no way of committing fraud with this system. You always need your hand scanned for a payment to go through.” At the moment, 15 stores from around the Lund University campus have terminals that enable the 1,600 registered users to pay using nothing more than just their hand. The number of active users is bound to grow, since people have a lot of confidence in the safety of this new payment method. When getting to one of the 15 stores, people have to enter their social security number and a phone number at the terminal. After scanning their hand three times, they receive an activation link via a text message. As soon as this process is over, they can proceed to using their hand as a payment method in the accepting stores. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about PayPal’s Order Ahead and Pay at Table mobile services, and Samsung Galaxy S5′s biometric authentication for the PayPal mobile app.    |
| Google Acquires Drone Maker Titan Aerospace Posted: 14 Apr 2014 01:15 PM PDT  Remember Facebook’s recent plans of providing Internet using solar-powered drones? It looks like Google bought the very company the social network was going to acquire for that task. The WSJ reports that Google just snatched the New Mexico manufacturer of high-flying solar powered drones right from under Facebook’s nose. While the amount paid by the search engine for this new acquisition is unknown, rumor has it that the social network was going to pay $60 million for this drone company. It’s anyone’s guess that Google upped that offer in order to get itself a deal. One thing is certain, though: drones will be a hot topic this year, whether if it’s for providing Internet or for mobile networks. Amazon even planned to make deliveries using such flying robots, so there are plenty of options. As far as Titan Aerospace’s options as a subsidiary of Google, there are a few ways in which the drone maker could add value to the search giant:
A Google spokesperson stated that “It’s still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring Internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation.”
In terms of autonomy, the drones manufactured by Titan Aerospace are quite impressive. The company reported last year that its drones could be in the air for up to five years, and obviously this is achieved through the solar panels that harvest the energy required by the drones. Google’s acquisition of Titan Aerospace is just one in a long row of acquisitions of robot makers, so it will definitely be interesting to see what the search giant has in store for us in the not so distant future. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Facebook’s plans to deliver Internet using drones and satellites, and the OppiKoppi drones that deliver beer from the sky in South Africa.    |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Walyou To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
