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WhatsApp for laptops & desktop PCs is coming

Posted: 18 Dec 2014 08:59 AM PST

PC-Whatsapp-1

The Whatsapp team are working on a new beta of the popular chat app, this time for desktop PCs and laptops.

The latest WhatsApp beta for Android has a little special something in its laines of code: an unofficial confirmation that the company is about to launch a version for desktop and laptop computers. Ever since being acquired by Facebook, the team have been doing their best to expand, and this project of reaching out to computers is only the next logical step, although something dedicated users have been asking for years. This functionality already exists on other competitor apps such as Line or Google Hangouts, but just based on the sheer popularity of WhatsApp, this is pretty big – no matter how good you are at typing on your phone, nothing competes with real, physical keyboards.

The latest WhatsApp beta for Android redirected users to a website at web.whatsapp.com, which remains empty so far. Still, it’s safe to speculate it will eventually host the app for PCs. The leak was addressed by the WhatsApp team who updated the code deleting those lines, as they don’t seem to be quite ready to reveal this app officially yet. Nevertheless we can’t be far from it.

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Super Mario World BART Map Poster By Robert Bacon

Posted: 18 Dec 2014 06:00 AM PST

Robert Bacon Super Mario World BART map image 2

Getting to know the ins and outs of the San Francisco bay area rail system never looked so groovy thanks to this Super Mario World styled map.

A morning work commute can be a dreadful experience, as anyone who has had a 9-to-5 job in their lifetime can attest. But a little sugar can make the medicine go down as the Disney tune goes, and that's exactly what graphic artist Robert Bacon has done with his Super Mario World interpretation of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.

This isn't the first time that Bacon has Nintendo-fied a city's transportation map, he's done similar illustrations, either in the style of Super Mario, Zelda, and even Donkey Kong, for New York City and Chicago, both of which – along with his latest BART map – are available for sale through riptapparel.com.

As for Bacon’s BART map, it is totally brightly in-tuned with Mario's popular first outing on the Super Nintendo, and also includes many similar landmarks from the game. Giant smiling trees, stars, castles, and even power ups from Super Mario World make their inclusion on this excellent map that should certainly make for a nice print to hang on one's wall.

Source: SF Gate

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Samsung Galaxy E5 and E7 Specs Leak; Powerful Mid-Range Phones

Posted: 18 Dec 2014 04:00 AM PST

Samsung HQ

Set to prop up their mid-range offerings, specs of Samsung’s E5 and E7 smartphones have now leaked.

It hasn’t been the best of months for Samsung. Although the South Korean smartphone maker is the biggest phone manufacturer in the world (ahead of Apple in 2nd and Xiaomi and Lenovo who are both vying for 3rd) their profits recently took a massive hit.

Much of this profits slide is said to be down to its flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S5, underperforming. The company expected it to sell many millions of units but after sales were chipped away by the iPhone and Xiaomi’s cheaper offerings, the S5 actually undersold by several million, leaving plenty of handsets gathering dust in warehouses.

As a result, Samsung really needs to change their strategy. Rumours of an executive reshuffle haven;t come to fruition and instead Samsung will be pushing its mid-range offerings, with specs of the E5 and E7 having now leaked online.

According to SamMobile, the phones are incredibly powerful (given that they are mid and not high range). Their sources tell them that from the E7 we can expect a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel rear camera and 5 megapixel ‘selfie’ camera, and 16GB of expandable storage too. Its scene is also expected to be 5.5 inches and Super AMOLED HD to keep its visuals looking sharp.

Meanwhile, the E5 isn’t pulling any punches either. It too will have a Snapdragon 410 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage and a 5 megapixel selfie camera, but the E5′s rear camera is just 8 megapixels. It’s also a little smaller (if 0.5 inches makes that much of a difference anyway) but its screen is Super AMOLED HD too.

As for other important specs, SamMobile also reports that the E7 and E5 will run on Android Lollipop, the latest version of Google’s operating system. The E7 will also be 7.2mm thick and the E5 will be just 6.9mm thick, making them as thin as they are powerful.

What is up for guessing is what the E7 and E5 will be made of. Metal is the best guess given that recent additions to Samsung’s mid-range A series (the Galaxy A5 is pictured above) made headlines as ‘metal phones’ but don’t rule out another plastic Samsung phone just yet.

Source: SamMobile

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Snapchat Acquires Vergence Labs Quietly, Enters the Wearables Game

Posted: 17 Dec 2014 12:49 PM PST

Snapchat buys Vergence Labs

Besides mean comments about Google and some Hollywood actors, the recent Sony leaks also revealed that Snapchat has secretly bought Vergence Labs, a manufacturer of smart eyewear.

It is in fact the Epiphany Eyewear subsidiary that makes wearables, but that doesn’t change the news a bit. What’s baffling about it is that the whole deal was kept a secret, which is a bit unusual when companies make a move against Google. Seeing how the search giant’s Glass still isn’t available commercially, you would think that any other manufacturer of smart glasses would take pride in making the news. Even more so when we’re talking about a $300 pair of intelligent eyewear. That’s a fraction of the cost of the Google Glass Explorer Edition, which currently sells for $1,500.

According to the leaked Sony documents, Snapchat paid $15M for Vergence Labs. However, that still isn’t a guarantee that the photo messaging application developer will start manufacturing its own wearables any time soon. As is the case with many acquisitions nowadays, it’s quite possible Snapchat bought Vergence Labs for a patent it needed.

What sets Epiphany Eyewear smart glasses from the its competitors is the ability to record HD videos and upload them directly to the cloud. That’s a different approach from storing the video files locally and sharing them only when a Wi-Fi connection is available. Epiphany Eyewear was convinced its glasses would work wonders on ski slopes, but Snapchat might be more interested in having them at parties. Not to mention that these look more like conventional eyewear, and not a piece of AR tech that partially blocks the view.

“That’s the reason we wanted to make these glasses as cool as possible,” stated Epiphany Eyewear CEO Erick Miller in an interview with LA Weekly in February, “because we wanted cool people to wear them.”

To some, it may look like Google Glass has fallen from grace, and that’s an opportunity that should be seized by wearable manufacturers everywhere. My opinion is that Google will get back to this stronger than ever next year, as it is not in its habit to spend years on end developing a product and then dropping it out of the blue. Unless we’re talking about these discontinued Google services. That’s another story.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Intel-powered Google Glass that will be launched next year, or the Facebook Slingshot app.

Best ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Ideas for TV or Film

Posted: 17 Dec 2014 06:00 AM PST

Robert on Pyke

The Game of Thrones TV show is part of the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ Universe, although differing from it in more than one way. However, as good as it is, it can’t go on forever. The books will end as well at some point. Yet the fans want to see more.

There’s plenty of history to this world or universe created by George R.R. Martin. Just like ‘The Lord of the Rings’, there’s a lot more to this than just the “main quest”. Spin-offs and prequels can be made a’plenty, and there are quite a few ideas that can generate huge hits in both the movie theaters or on TV screens.

Robert’s Rebellion

Art by Lensar

The books and the TV show begin 15 years after Robert usurped the Iron Throne from the last Targaryen. The events of his rebellion which took place over several years and split the kingdom into loyalists and rebels are constantly referred to in both mediums, obviously described in more detail in the books.

Beginning with Rhaegar abducting Lyanna Stark (or was it in consent???) and ending with Robert sitting on the Iron Throne through dubious means, there’s plenty of action and underlying themes to the whole epic event, which can be extended by going a few years into the future when Ned & Robert quelled the rebellion of the Greyjoys.

Dunk & Egg

Art by toniet1234

The story of Dunk & Egg is spread out over several novellas, not all of them released. It tells of a squire who finds himself without a knight who meets up with boy who turns out to be a Targaryen prince, Aegon. Together they travel Westeros. We know how it ends for both of them (not well), but what happens until that tragic ending is fantastic to read, plus it gives everyone an excellent sense of Westeros before the days of Robert’s Rebellion. The first story begins 90 years before the moment the show picks up ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ and each Novella (there have been three so far) would make for a perfect 3-episode mini series or long film.

The Princess and the Queen

The Princess and the Queen is a Novella that covers most of the events of the Dance of the Dragons. No, this isn’t the name of the fifth novel in the series, but referring to a war between brother and sister, Aegon II Targaryen and Rhaenyra Targaryen, which tore the kingdom apart and killed most of the dragons before they completely disappeared.

The novella covers two of the two and half years that this civil war (occurring 160 years before the beginning of the show), and it’s hard to see it happening on HBO because of the huge CGI budget needed for the dragons, who feature in almost every battle.

But if there’s an action film to be made out of the stories in this universe that involves both armies battling and dragons going head to head, nothing beats this event.

Blackfyre Rebellion

Every event gets the chains moving to set up another big one. After the Dance of Dragons was over, another Civil War had to happen. It occurred more than 60 years later, but in ‘The World of Ice and Fire’, a book about the incomplete history of the ASOIAF universe, it’s evident that it all stems from there.

In short, it’s another succession battle between Targaryens, this time a legitimate son and a legitimized bastard which ones again pulls the Seven Kingdoms into turmoil. There are hardly any mentions to this one in the show but the books and especially the Novellas, happening shortly after the conclusion of the rebellion (the first of them) touch upon it a lot more.

Because of the scope and span, this could be made into a series, even more than one season. It can span the years leading up to the Rebellion, or connect with a Dunk & Egg show that comes after. It’s probably too big for just one film to cover. It doesn’t have dragons (all dead by now) so HBO can produce it.

History of Tywin Lannister

 

Art by RedSaucers

One man looms larger than life and that is Tywin Lannister. If you’re following the show, you know he dies an awfully terrible one (not that there’s a good death in Game of Thrones or in life) but probably the most powerful man in the kingdom without actually being king, his life and rise to power, which includes lifting his house to the top of the Westerosi food chain could make for an excellent series which includes action and politics, beginning with him taking the place of his dead father and bringing back honor to his house, his way of dealing with rebellious lords and his disgusting part (allegedly) in Robert’s rebellion.

If you want your Christams to be all about ‘Game of Thrones’ check out these brilliant decorations. If you’re more of a gadget person, then these are for you.

 

How Facebook Wants to Prevent Embarrassing Photos

Posted: 17 Dec 2014 04:00 AM PST

Facebook on PC

With over a billion active users, social network Facebook now wants to prevent them from uploading embarrassing photos to the site.

 

Most people are no stranger to the prospect of embarrassing Facebook photos. From the drunken selfies people have taken to commemorate nights that they probably won’t remember to sober silliness, we’ve all been there done that or laughed at others in the same situation.

But these images are not always such a good thing. While they make for good entertainment, drunken photos especially can be incriminating whilst other pictures can get you in trouble with your parents, loved ones or your boss.

That’s why it would be incredibly useful for something to stop us from uploading these embarrassing snaps in the first place. Thankfully, Facebook is working on embarrassment preventing technology of their own. The technology is being pioneered by Yann Lecun at the Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research lab (FAIR). Lecun and his team want to use a form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect whether or not it’s a wise idea to post the photo that you’re uploading. He explains:

“Imagine that you had an intelligent digital assistant which would mediate your interaction with your friends and also with content on Facebook."

Further uses for the technology include finding out when other people have posted photos of you, without having to wait for them to tag you in them. Lecun says that "You will have a single point of contact to mediate your interaction but also to protect your private information”.

There are clear benefits to the AI that FAIR are working on (their work already examines Facebook users’ behaviour to figure out what sort of content you’re interested in) but some people may be wary of Facebook analysing us so much. Lecun expressed that FAIR’s work is strictly about helping us though (rather than using the data to allow Facebook to sell more ads) so although plenty of people will still have doubts, his words are something to hold onto for when we see the advanced AI in action.

Source: Wired

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