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- #ResetTheInternet: activists fighting for a free Internet
- Nintendo Planning a Revenue Share System for YouTubers
- Amazon Sent Invites for the June 18 Launch of a Never-Seen-Before Device
- The Tech that Powers Self-Navigating Cars
- Sony SmartBand SWR10 Priced at $99.99 Hits the US Market
- New iOS 8 Features Announced by Apple
| #ResetTheInternet: activists fighting for a free Internet Posted: 05 Jun 2014 09:43 AM PDT  A group of Internet activists around the world have kicked off a campaign against government surveillance and urging both users and websites to use encryption. The group claims the inspiration for this was Snowden’s findings, and they are calling the campaign by the hashtag #ResetTheNet. After learning pretty much all Internet users around the world are potential victims of the US’ very own National Security Agency's (NSA) surveillance, June 5th marks the beginning of a campaign for data encryption. All kinds of high-profile websites around the web such as Reddit, Imgur, Mozilla, Greenpeace and Amnesty International have uploaded texts and promotional material with splash screens, as well as code you can add to any web to support them. The Fight for the Future team, the people who started the campaign, are not just trying to raise awareness, but instead are straight up giving very detailed lists of concrete actions you can take to protect yourself on both mobile devices and desktop platforms. They clarify, though, that a 100 percent immunity is just not possible, but with enough support they can make mass state surveillance economically not viable. Source: RT Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, Google Gives Europeans the Clean Slate and Does the NSA Have Access to All of Your Email Contacts?.         |
| Nintendo Planning a Revenue Share System for YouTubers Posted: 05 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT  After controversy over their decision to put copyright claims on certain videos, Nintendo has now announced plans for a revenue share system with YouTubers.
In this day and age, where the media and content that we watch on the net is just as important as that we watch on a cable connected television screen, YouTube is undoubtedly king. It's where most of us go to watch trailers for games and films and plenty of us use it to watch music videos too. But what about the people who make things for YouTube? These are the people that host news shows or vlogs as they offer commentary of the day's events or share stories about their lives while some people even use it to showcase footage of the games that they're playing to show off their gaming skills or simply just to review the games themselves. However, this poses a problem for some gamers when companies place copyright claims over footage of games uploaded without consent from the company that made the game. Nintendo were known for placing such claims but now, they are looking to build bridges with a revenue sharing scheme. In tweets posted by the publisher, developer and console manufacturer, Nintendo explained (in Japanese) that while those who upload footage of their games would still need prior consent from them, they would still be able to make money from the footage that they upload, which is a huge step up considering that the Content ID Match system (in which companies like Nintendo can work with YouTube to identify who has uploaded unauthorised footage) just saw the videos swiftly removed from the video sharing site. It's unclear of the total percentage of revenue that would be 'shared' but the revenue that rolls in will be split between Nintendo, the YouTube user and Google (YouTube's parent company) effectively meaning that 'some money is better than no money at all'. However, the fact that the revenue sharing system does require Nintendo to sign off on the footage raises some questions about censorship as the company could, in theory, deny videos that are particularly harsh or negative about the game that they show. For example, if you've uncovered a glitch that makes the game unplayable or a gameplay element that sucks the fun right out of it, they might not let you upload it and could potentially have it removed right away even if you do. These are things to be addressed by Nintendo at some point so we'll keep you posted once we know more. Source: Joystiq Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, Nintendo Reportedly Basing Next Console on iOS, Will Nintendo's Newly Announced Console Replace the Wii U?    |
| Amazon Sent Invites for the June 18 Launch of a Never-Seen-Before Device Posted: 05 Jun 2014 06:30 AM PDT  Using a teaser ad that featured people moving their heads around a mysterious object while expressing their excitement, Amazon invited the world to a launch event that will take place on June 18. Most likely, the mysterious device that Amazon is planning to launch two weeks from now is the long-awaited 3D smartphone the e-tailer has been rumored to work on. In the teaser video, people are looking at a device from different angles, suggesting that whatever is displayed on the screen has multiple facets. That would be the case with 3D displays, but the reaction of the witnesses is quite unsettling. Most of them are asking (rhetorically) how is the 3D effect achieved, and claim that such an approach has never been taken before by anyone else. This could be explained by the fact that Amazon’s 3D smartphone will be equipped with 6 front-facing cameras, according to the previously leaked images, which will identify the position of the face and display the 3D content accordingly. Much like Amazon’s tablets, the 3D smartphone (which will hopefully get a name like Kindle Phone) will also run a heavily modified version of Android, and will sport many of the e-tailer’s apps instead of the services provided by Google. Still, not long after the launch, there will be custom ROMs out there, so this shouldn’t be a reason to panic. Amazon might also reveal at the launch of its 3D smartphone that it has partnered with AT&T in order to create a sponsored data plan that doesn’t count audio and video streaming from the e-tailer’s services as network traffic. From this point of view, more carriers should make such strategic partnerships.
I really enjoyed the ending, since the last reaction is of a guy who asks if he has to give it back. While confronted with the opportunity of seeing an innovative product ahead of the rest of the planet, I guess most people would ask that, or at least think it. Once Amazon unveils its mysterious product, I’ll cover the details, even if it isn’t the long-awaited 3D smartphone. In the opinion of many, launching anything else but a smartphone would be a terrible disappointment at this point. Hopefully the hardware will match the expectations and a new contender will appear for the first place in the Android market. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the six cameras sported by Amazon’s 3D smartphone, and the first rumors regarding the 3D smartphone made by Amazon.    |
| The Tech that Powers Self-Navigating Cars Posted: 05 Jun 2014 06:00 AM PDT  Long before Google's initiatives, self-driving cars were a part of our collective imagination. From KITT to the Batmobile, the idea of self-driving cars has been with us for a very long time. The reality of such cars is so close, we are already making legislation for them. For once, the law is trying to get ahead of the tech. But autopilot may not be the most interesting aspect of self-driving cars. That award goes to auto-navigation. Making a car go by itself is easy compared to making a car that knows where to go. To do that, you need to have some very specific technology in place. Here is a look at some of the technology and recent connectivity developments that will help make auto-navigation a reality. Persistent network connection It is possible that the greatest advance in technology in terms of vehicle navigation is the ability to maintain a persistent connection to the internet. That may not sound like the sexiest breakthrough of the 21st century, but it might well be. The most life changing advance in our lifetime has probably been the internet. The internet has come to represent easy and persistent access to all of the world's collective knowledge. Most of our technologies, lately, have been about coming up with ways to deliver that knowledge in more focused, faster, and more convenient ways. Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles coming out with LTE-connected cars this year, the race is already underway to make sure your next car comes with a data plan just like your smartphone. The #1 use for that connectivity will likely be for in-car navigation. Right now, navigation systems are largely based on CD-ROMs for static mapping information. With such systems, POI data is spotty and unreliable as the status and location of businesses change all the time. Getting directions to the nearest Starbucks with one of these systems is just as likely to land you in front of a vacant lot. In addition to outdated maps, old nav systems are littered with other common issues including:
This is just a partial list of pitfalls provided by Short Circuit Repair: a company that deals with these issues every day. What’s more is that the effects of these issues are increased by an order of magnitude as drivers become more dependent on navigation systems. Relying on auto-navigation, and navigation systems in general, can reduce an individuals ability to develop strong cognitive maps of their environment. While this may not seem like a big deal, losing your navigation could possibly mean losing your ability to find places you commonly visit… soon, fixing your navigation system may become more essential than fixing your vision when it comes to finding your way around town. CarPlay If you are not excited about enrolling your car in an expensive data plan from a cellular carrier, you might want to just use the one you already have. Apple's CarPlay allows you to do just that. It is a protocol that enables car manufacturers to tap into iOS devices for in-car navigation, entertainment, and communication. Once installed, it does not need to be updated. That is because it is using the information it gets directly off of your iDevice of choice. Google and Microsoft are also working on similar options.    |
| Sony SmartBand SWR10 Priced at $99.99 Hits the US Market Posted: 05 Jun 2014 05:30 AM PDT  In a world with so many wearables to choose from, could Sony’s SmartBand possibly find a way to step out of the crowd? Its social activity feature definitely points in that direction. As of today, Sony’s SmartBand SWR10 is available in all of the company’s brick-and-mortar stores from all over the US. There are plenty of smart wristbands out there, so you might wonder what is it that makes Sony’s so special. First of all, this SmartBand comes at an incredible price, the company’s strategy in this regard being quite aggressive. More precisely, it costs half as much as Samsung’s Gear Fit, and it’s not based on the South Korean company’s proprietary mobile operating system, Tizen OS. Sony pointed out that “In addition to tracking your walking, running and sleep motion activity, SmartBand also works as a useful, unobtrusive extension to your smartphone with functions that include smart alarm and vibration notifications for income calls and messages, calendar events, and more.” From this point of view, there’s not much different from other smart wristbands, as most of the competition’s products act like companions to smartphones, displaying notifications and helping people wake up. What sets the Smartband SWR10 apart is the connectivity with Sony’s entertainment network. Fortunately, the PlayStation 4 video game console is included in the equation, so people can easily keep track of their achievements while working out. At its core, the SmartBand is a fitness tracker, and pairing it with the Android Lifelog app enables people to monitor the following, among others:
SmartBand is also equipped with smartphone music controls, so playing, pausing or skipping tracks only requires wearers to tap the band using a certain pattern. Not at last, Sony’s smart wristband vibrates when reaching the limit of the Bluetooth range with your smartphone, thus reminding you to retrace your steps in order to find the misplaced or forgotten device. Below is a video of the SmartBand in action:
The price includes two adjustable black wristbands with different dimensions, the removable core unit and an instruction manual. As mentioned before, SmartBand uses Bluetooth to connect to Android smartphones, more precisely, the 4.0 Low Energy variety. As a word of advice, smartphones running Android versions older than KitKat are compatible with Sony’s fitness tracker, so you might want to change your phone if you want to use SmartBand. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the    |
| New iOS 8 Features Announced by Apple Posted: 05 Jun 2014 05:00 AM PDT  After months of speculation, Apple has finally announced iOS 8 and all its new features, it’s still months from launch, but there’s a lot to be excited about. Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference is upon us and new iOS 8 features have finally been unveiled. Many of Apple’s updates were iterative, but combined with several massive steps forward, Apple will be a force to recon with when the new iPhones with iOS 8 launch this fall. iOS App Extensibility Traditionally, all iOS apps live in their own “sandbox” where all the app data is stored in isolation. these new APIs allow other apps and services to securely send and receive data in and out of each respectable sandbox. Sometimes this is in the form of an app shell, where an app like Pinterest or Facebook will inject their own UI into the active application to allow co-operative actions. Android has been offering functionality between apps like this for years now, but iOS has opted to restrict flexibility for the sake of reliability and security. The decision to move in this direction suggests that those risks are no longer significant enough to deter Apple. Keyboards Apple originally ruled the touchscreen keyboard battle with the original iPhone, but as other platforms expanded with keyboards like Swype, Apple’s keyboard got more and more outdated. With iOS 7, the keyboard is one of the most anachronistic holdovers from the older versions of iOS, so although this seems to be a minor improvement, it is one of the biggest steps forward Apple could have take. The Apple keyboard’s auto-correct is also one of the largest sources of spelling errors. iOS 8 brings a new QuickType feature that provides predictive suggestions, much like Google or SwiftKey does now. The suggestions are context sensitive, so it will give suggestions based on message content, or even suggest language consistent with your relationship to the person you are communicating with. Touch ID Obviously take all this with a grain of salt, as we’ve been shown this year through Samsung’s fingerprint scanner getting hacked, Heartbleed, and the recent hack of eBay, your information isn’t necessarily as secure as you’re told. Additional UI Features Another similar feature, is the addition of widgets. Android fans have long held the presence of widgets on Android over the head of Apple fans, but now they are finally available in both environments, although iOS only allows them in the notification curtain. Nonetheless, iOS 8 has provided users the ability to take advantage of application features without having to constantly jump in and out of various applications. This could also help Apple begin to move away from the home button (if it chooses to). The multi-tasking page also received some improvements. The card view has remained unchanged, but in the open space above the cards for open apps is now a space for frequent contacts. This allows calls, texts, emails, or various other communications to be initiated from with a simple double click of the home button. Mail The inbox list view was already actionable in previous versions of iOS, but iOS 8 adds additional functionality through a quick gesture swipe from left to right to mark a message as unread, or a swipe in the opposite direction to expose additional options such as delete, forward, respond, and etc. Spotlight This is a huge boost in functionality for spotlight in iOS. The ability to find and open or purchase content directly from spotlight search gives a huge boost to ease of use. Continuity With Yosemite For example, if you are writing an email on your iPhone, but it’s going to get a little lengthy and you don’t want to get carpal tunnel, you can jump on your Mac running Yosemite and pull up the email and continue right where you left off. You can even answer calls from your Mac and use it as a speakerphone. Similar functionality to this has been available on several platforms for a while, but Apple’s controlled ecosystems promises the most easy, seamless, and polished approaches to the process. Many of the same tasks can now be performed from any of your devices, so you can switch off at any given time to whichever form factor makes the most sense at any given time. Messaging Improvements Group messages received a lot more functionality. Message threads can now be given a name to identify and differentiate from other similar threads. Recipients can be added or removed on the fly, you can remove yourself from a conversation, and you can mark a thread as “Do Not Disturb” if you are getting swamped by notifications from an overly active group message thread. Location can now be shared in a group thread as well, with controls over how long you want your location to be available. Several apps have made a similar feature available for a while, but the incorporation right into iOS (specifically for group messages) is way more practical. Sharing images, video, or voice recordings in messages is also way simplier, and there is even a summary available, so you don’t need to scroll all the way through a message to see shared images or sound clips. All shared files can now be seen from a single page. Apple has also enabled a self destruct features, so that files will auto delete over time so that threads don’t get weighted down by using too much storage after extensive sharing. iCloud Drive iCloud has finally grown up and become a full file storage system like Google Drive or DropBox. This also provides a defacto file browser, which iOS has desperately needed since inception. Many of the new features will piggy back on the availability of the iCloud Drive API, which will provide a huge supplemental benefit for many new and existing services. Enterprise The most significant benefit to enterprise was the announcement of Apple’s Device Deployment Program, which allows iPhones and iPads to be pre-configured to comply with a participating company’s corporate device policy so that all the end user has to do upon receipt is turn the device on and log in. This will save untold hours to IT Mobility Managers in time spent providing support and creating/updating necessary documentation and FAQs. HealthKit HealthKit also integrates with Mayo clinic to provide a personalized Web MD style analysis of a user’s health metrics, including a doctor follow-up option. Details surrounding this have yet to be clarified, as every iOS user can’t necessarily have their own Mayo Clinic doctor waiting hand and foot to review their Fitbit stats every day. Family Sharing Photos Through the new camera APIs, Apple is also providing manual image adjustments for more hands on photographers and more touch up features similar to Google’s Snapseed. Where photo editing in iOS really shines is the post capture adjustments. If an image is too dark, you can increase the brightness, while software will automatically correct for contrast, exposure, and other details in order to keep the image balance the same. It will also provide a readout of specific changes made in case you wish to get a little more hands on. Siri App Store HomeKit HomeKit also allows devices to be grouped into “scenes,” so that relevant collections of home automation devices can all be set to predetermined settings presets. HomeKit will also provide Siri integration, meaning you can give a simple command to Siri such as “Good morning!” and the lights will begin to turn on, the coffee maker will start, the shower will turn on, and your morning playlist will start up in the bathroom. For Developers CouldKit Gaming Second was SpriteKit. SpriteKit is targeted towards a lot of the more casual games on iOS (of which there are quite a few). SpriteKit gives developers more flexibility with light sources and allows for per-pixel physics in game. It basically makes it easier to create better casual games. Third, SceneKit. SceneKit goes hand-in-hand with SpriteKit in the creation of casual games. SceneKit basically provides better 3D rendering for the non intensive games. Swift Although most of what Apple announced at WWDC is not necessarily new or revolutionary, this may have been the most significant Apple event since the launch of the original iPad. The expanded features found in iOS 8 do a lot to level the playing field in the mobile industry and will finally allow consumers a real choice between preferred ecosystems instead of forcing consumers into one camp or the other based on certain feature requirements that are only available on one platform. Many Android fans have been scoffing at Apple’s announcements due to the fact that Android already has most of those features. The problem is, now those Android enthusiasts have far less to hold over the head of Apple’s users. With Google I/O just around the corner, all eyes will be on the Mountanview search giant to see what it has in response to this massive leap forward from Apple. Source: Apple Be social! 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