Latest news

Vine has announced this week that their popular video sharing app will now support higher quality video, jumping from the current 480p max to 720p.

The feature is rolling out now and you should already see existing videos showing up in HD.

In regards to uploads, Vines will upload in HD for iOS starting now but in the coming weeks for Android.

Check out one example here:

Members of the Science for the Masses collective have created eye drops that allow you to see in the dark without the need for specialized goggles.

Using a chemical called Chlorin e6 (Ce6), which has been used safely in cancer treatments and to cure night blindness, the drops gave the biohackers the ability to see in the dark for short periods of time. The chemical compound is extracted from deep sea fish that hunt in the pitch black.

"There are a fair amount of papers talking about having it injected in models like rats, and it's been used intravenously since the '60s as a treatment for different cancers," Science for the Masses medical officer Jeffrey Tibbetts said. "After doing the research, you have to take the next step."

The human experiment received 50 microliters of Ce6 into his conjunctiva sacs, which gave him the ability to see in the dark at up to 50 meters.

Fair disclosure: Do not try this at home.

There had been rumors that Samsung had finally listened to complaints and reduced the insane amount of bloatware on its flagship devices, but that does not appear to be true.

Those with early access to the S6 and S6 Edge have counted 56 pre-installed apps, although Samsung of course is not completely to blame. Android owners know that Google has a decent amount of Google-related bloat and carriers add their own, as well, but Samsung has decided to include all their S suite of apps (Voice, Health, etc) and additional apps like Microsoft OneDrive, Facebook, Instagram and more.

By comparison, stock Nexus devices - even those from carriers, have 35 or less apps.

Not all is lost, however, as Samsung will allow you to "disable" the apps, thus removing them from the app drawer and the homescreen, although they remain taking up precious internal storage space, and in cases like Facebook, mining all your personal data and then some.

Nearly 20 years after its console release, Super Mario 64 is back.

Roystan Ross developed a desktop version of the game (well, the first level so far at least), which can be played for Windows, Mac and Linux, and there is a demo of the playback after the jump. The game has been remastered with more modern HD graphics and includes gamepad support including DS3, 4 and Xbox One and 360 controllers.

The developer has put a lot more technical know-how in his blog post, which can be found here.

At the same link, you can download the files, since the browser version does not seem to be working at the moment.

By Godwin's law it was inevitable that Apple was to be called nazis and/or Hitler on heated internet discussions but for it to come up in a smartphone platform war between the companies themselves was a little unexpected.

Jia Yueting, the CEO of a Chinese online video service LeTV, has just compared the offerings of Apple to the National Socialists lead by the Führer himself.

As LeTV is looking to enter the smartphone market with an upcoming X600, it wants to depict Apple's platform as if controlled by an evil dictator that doesn't allow anything fun. Android on the other hand is depicted as the young people who do what they want.

Of course the X600 comes equipped with the latter and according to The Verge it might feature 4GB of RAM and a 5.5-inch display.

The fellow Chinese manufacturers, like Xiaomi, offer more obvious competition to LeTV in their home market and although an easier target, Apple and how its perceived will probably not be determining the success of LeTV.

Yahoo has been using Microsoft's Bing since 2010 when the company decided to scrap its own search engine. The continuation of the collaboration is currently under scrutiny and it seems that there are some problems finding a solution, Reuters reports.

The ongoing negotiations between Yahoo and Microsoft have been extended by another month after the original deadline was set to February 23. Obviously a solution that satisfies both parties is yet to be found, even after not one but two extensions.

The original contract is valid for 10 years but included was an agreement for possible reconsideration after half way point – where we are at now in 2015. The partnership has not managed to sway search engine usage much to their favor as Google still dominates.

Both Microsoft and Yahoo CEOs have changed in the past five years. Especially under the leadership of the new CEO Marissa Mayer, Yahoo has been said to be investing in areas that would allow it to separate from the Microsoft partnership

Amazon has made huge efforts to offering a more competitive cloud storage to compete the likes of Google, Apple, and Microsoft. The new unlimited services provide the market leading value without a doubt.

The $12 a year Unlimited Photos package provides exactly that; storage for unlimited amount of photos plus another five gigabytes for other files. The more comprehensive $60 a year Unlimited Everything allows you to store all kinds of files without a cap.

The service is now four times cheaper than Apple's and twice as cheap as Google's offerings. Both of which offer a terabyte of storage. It even tops Microsoft's $7/month package, although Microsoft currently offers compellingly Office 365 along with it.

Where Amazon might go wrong is that – at least as far as we've noticed &;ndash; in the new scheme it does not offer a free service at all – unless you count the three month trial period. Microsoft and Google give you 15 gigabytes and Apple 5 gigabytes just for registering an account.

If you are a fan of the Fast and Furious series, the Forza series, or just a fan of free things, Microsoft has made your day.

Via the Xbox Live Marketplace, the standalone game "Forza Horizon 2: Presents Fast & Furious" is available for free from now until April 10th, even if you don't have a gold subscription.

Reads the bio: "This standalone expansion will be available at no additional cost until April 10, 2015. The next great automotive adventure begins with the Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious standalone expansion for Xbox One! For the first time ever, the Forza experience of thrilling driving and amazing cars is combining with the unstoppable Fast & Furious movie franchise to create an original adventure filled with adrenaline-fueled automotive action."

Even after the free download period, the game will be available to play forever without restrictions. I cannot speak for the 360 version but the Xbox One version was about 15GB when I downloaded it.

Yet another one of HTC's head designers has left the company, confirming his departure via Twitter.

HTC's VP of Industrial Design, Jonah Becker, had the position for less than a year. Becker originally joined the company when his design firm One & Co was acquired in 2008.

One & Co.'s other principal Claude Zellweger remains at HTC, but Becker is being replaced by Creative Director Daniel Hundt. Zellweger will remain in charge of design for 'connected products' like the RE Camera.

HTC seems to always be in transition, with top executives leaving or being transferred regularly as the company tries to refocus on profitability.

HTC One fans can get the next flagship earlier than the global release on April 10th.

Beginning right now at midnight, customers can head over to the HTC website and purchase the One M9 unlocked for $649 in silver/gold and gunmetal gray.

HTC also offers 'Uh Oh' warranty protection, meaning they will replaced damaged devices for one year after purchase including "cracked screens, water damage" and they will also send you a new phone if you need a "different carrier variant for customers wanting or needing to switch networks." That's pretty awesome.

The HTC One M9 has a 5-inch 1080p display, runs Android 5.1, has a Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage (expandable to 2TB through microSD), BoomSound speakers with Dolby tech, an UltraPixel selfie camera with flash and a 20MP rear camera.

Get it here: HTC One M9

Facebook has announced this week the launch of Messenger Platform, a devoted effort to have third-party devs build content and services for Facebook's popular Messenger instant messaging app.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said there are a few projects already in the works, like the ability to have Messenger track purchases you've made and then being able to message a retailer directly to change or cancel orders.

In addition, Facebook wants to adds GIF and meme support to the app, which other similar apps like GroupMe have used for years. Facebook says you may be able to connect to services like Bitmoji soon to send content other than just text and emojis.

Last week, Facebook added P2P payments to Messenger, the first expansion of the service with plenty more to come.

T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere has confirmed today that the carrier is offering a full free year of Netflix if you purchase a new Samsung Galaxy S6.

Normally, a Netflix account costs $8.99 per month so a year free is a pretty nice deal.

The upcoming Galaxy S6 will sell for over $600 unlocked and T-Mobile does not have contracts but does offering monthly financing.

After years of using Beats audio technology for its PCs and tablets, HP has dropped its old partner and teamed up with Bang & Olufsen.

The move makes sense since Beats was recently acquired by Apple, a rival in the tablet and notebook space.

HP says the companies will "custom tune" audio for each PC model, depending on hardware and software specs.

Omen, Spectre and Envy models will get the Bang & Olufsen brand right on the computer, while lower-end Pavilion PCs and tablets will see the 'B&O Play' brand label. Additionally, HP will sell B&O accessories.

OpenTable has added a mobile payments option to its popular restaurant booking app for Android users, a few months after iOS users.

Because of OpenTable's integration into the house software of the restaurant, including reservation and seating assignments, the new update will also let the host know when a user wants to pay via app so that the server can also be advised.

There are over 30,000 restaurants that use OpenTable, currently.

For app users, you simply open the app, click on the image of their check and swipe to pay with an attacked card. For the time being, splitting is not yet supported.

The world's most popular productivity suite will now be free for all devices under 10 inches in size.

Kirk Koenigsbauer, Microsoft CVP for Office 365 Client Apps and Services, said that editing and viewing docs on smaller screen devices will remain free as those devices are personal compared to anything above 10.1-inches, which it considers 'professional.'

"Currently, we are also using screen size to delineate between professional and personal use," Koenigsbauer wrote. "Based on our research, we are classifying anything with a screen size of 10.1 inches or less as a true mobile device: You're probably using it on the go, when it's not practical to use a larger computing device such as a PC or a Mac. You probably aren't using a mouse or a keyboard, instead navigating via touch interface. It's probably not a "pro" category tablet that is used for design or presentations."

Update: Microsoft reached out to inform us that the Office 365 subscription will allow you to create, edit and view documents from your mobile device.