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Chrome gets parental controls with 'supervised users'

Written by James Delahunty @ 24 Oct 2013 2:33

Chrome gets parental controls with 'supervised users' Google is providing parental controls through a new 'supervised users' feature that is now in beta.

This means that kids could use their parents' chromebooks (or browser) as a supervised user, allowing the parent to visit chrome.com/manage to review a history of web pages visited, and to manage a block list of sites and other permissions.

Chrome beta for Windows, Mac and Linux has the feature built in now.





AfterDawn: News

Samsung apologizes for phone glitches in China

Written by James Delahunty @ 24 Oct 2013 2:23

Samsung apologizes for phone glitches in China Samsung Electronics has apologized to Chinese consumers following a state TV programme about problems with its devices.

A programme broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV) highlighted issues with the Galaxy S3 and Note2 models available in the Chinese market. According the report, software crashes were being caused by internal multimedia cards in the devices.

"As far as management problems caused inconvenience to our customers, we offer our sincere apologies," Samsung Electronics said in a statement on its Chinese website.

It also said it would fix the devices free of charge and refund any customers who had previously paid to have their devices fixed by an authorized service center.

Earlier this year, CCTV also criticized Apple for using different warranty and customer service policies in China than in other countries.




AfterDawn: News

BBM for Android, iPhone downloaded 10 million times in 24 hours

Written by James Delahunty @ 24 Oct 2013 2:16

BBM for Android, iPhone downloaded 10 million times in 24 hours The BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) apps for Android phones and iPhones was downloaded more than 10 million times in just 24 hours.

The app quickly shot to the number 1 spot in the Apple App Store free app rankings in the first 24 hours in more than 75 different countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. On Google Play, it received more than 60,000 five star reviews in its first day.

Over six million people had opted to be alerted when BBM became available for the platforms before launch, and one million had installed an unreleased leaked version for Android several weeks ago.

"We committed to delivering a BBM experience on iPhone and Android that was equal to that on BlackBerry 10. That means bringing BBM Video, BBM Voice and BBM Channels to Android and iPhone customers too," BlackBerry's official blog reads.




AfterDawn: News

YouTube preparing subscription music service

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Oct 2013 12:25

YouTube preparing subscription music service According to Billboard, YouTube is developing its own premium subscription on-demand music service, one that should rival Spotify in scope.

Just like rivals, YouTube's service will be built around mobile listening and will include a free tier and an unlimited premium tier.

Google, YouTube's parent, already offers a subscription service, its Play All Access, with music from the major labels and indies. Premium features would include unlimited streaming without ads, and the ability to cache music for offline periods.

Making the free option different than rivals is the fact that it is expected to include mobile access. Spotify charges $10 for that luxury.

The service is expected to launch before the end of the year.




AfterDawn: News

LG unveils first smartphone with Firefox OS

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Oct 2013 11:24

LG unveils first smartphone with Firefox OS LG has announced today that it will be releasing its first Firefox OS-based smartphone, the Fireweb.

The low-end 4-inch device has a 480x320 resolution, is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm processor and 4GB internal storage. The 5MP camera has autofocus and LED flash, unlike previous Firefox phones.

LG has made the device available in Brazil, and it costs $449 BRL ($207 US) off-contract and $129 BRL ($59 US) on-contract, perhaps too expensive given the specs and fledgling operating system.

The Firefox OS is now available on phones in Peru, Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay.




AfterDawn: News

HP: We will be joining the 3D printer market next year

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Oct 2013 10:57

HP: We will be joining the 3D printer market next year HP CEO Meg Whitman has confirmed that the company will be entering the 3D printer market starting in the Q3 2014.

"We are excited about 3D printing," Whitman added. "We want to lead this business. HP labs is looking at it."

Whitman noted that it was natural to get into the business given the company's long history with printers.

There are, of course, issues with 3D printing in its current state, but HP wants to get in early: "To print a bottle can take eight to ten hours. That's all very interesting, but it is like watching ice melt. 3D printing is in its infancy. It is a big opportunity and we are all over it. We will have something by the middle of next year."

The exec adds that their printer will be aimed at service providers. "How do we commercialize to print faster, at lower price points? To enable service providers?" asked Whitman.




AfterDawn: News

Report: Amazon's set-top box sees more delays

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Oct 2013 10:02

Report: Amazon's set-top box sees more delays According to the Verge, Amazon has been trying to finalize their oft-rumored set-top box in time for the holidays but they have run into more delays.

The box, which would compete directly with WD Live, Roku, Apple TV and others, is expected to run on a modified Fire OS, and would have allowed for third party apps in addition to all standard Amazon apps such as shopping, Amazon MP3 and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Development of the box has been reported on since at least April, with the work being done at Amazon's R&D division better known as Lab126.

The sources claim the delay will push the hardware into next year, missing out on the lucrative holiday season in the U.S. (and possibly abroad).




AfterDawn: News

Aereo arrives on Android

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Oct 2013 9:39

Aereo arrives on Android As promised, Aereo has arrived for Android devices.

For the time being, only Android smartphones and tablets with 4.2 or higher can use the service.

Currently, it is available in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Salt Lake City, Houston, and Dallas and a planned Chicago launch has been delayed. Additionally, the company says it will expand to Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and San Antonio, but without a timetable.

The startup's service, which costs $8 per month, allows users to watch free, OTA content on any mobile device along with a free remote DVR. Aereo does not pay any re-transmission fees as it uses tiny digital TV antennas for each user in its own facilities and links to the streams.




AfterDawn: News

Instagram officially launched for Windows Phone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Oct 2013 8:54

Instagram officially launched for Windows Phone Microsoft has finally confirmed that Instagram will be making its way to Windows Phone handsets.

In addition, the video sharing tool Vine and the popular news reading app Flipboard will also be made available for the platform in the next few weeks.

Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has 150 million users and is the most popular photo and video sharing app on the Web. Many have cited the lack of the app as proof that developers do not care for the Windows Phone environment, which lacks in quality apps when compared to Android or iPhone.

Windows Phone sales have increased over the year, and the biggest seller, Nokia, is said to have sold 8 million Lumia units during their most recent quarter, the seasonally slow Q3. Perhaps more big-name apps will be headed to Windows in the near future.




AfterDawn: News

Apple: App Store reaches 1 million apps, 1 billion songs already played on iTunes Radio

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Oct 2013 10:30

Apple: App Store reaches 1 million apps, 1 billion songs already played on iTunes Radio During their annual iPad event, Apple took time to mention some milestones the company has hit.

The iOS App Store has reached 1 million apps, up from 900,000 in June, as almost exponential growth continues. Over 60 billion total apps have been downloaded, as well, up 10 billion from a similar announcement in May.

By comparison, Google's Android Play Store also has 1 million apps and reached the 60 billion plateau a few short months ago.

CEO Tim Cook says these downloads have led to $13 billion being paid out to developers since launch.

Finally, the exec noted that the new iTunes Radio has been a hit, with over 20 million users trying it out and playing over 1 billion song.




AfterDawn: News

Nintendo stops production of Wii for the Japanese market

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Oct 2013 10:16

Nintendo stops production of Wii for the Japanese market Nintendo has confirmed that it has ended production of the Wii console for the Japanese market.

The console debuted in late 2006 and quickly became a runaway hit, with demand far exceeding supply for the entire first year of its availability.

Global sales of the console reached 100 million this June, making it one of the best selling consoles of all-time and placed sales far ahead of rivals by Sony and Microsoft.

Nintendo says production will continue on a limited basis for markets outside of Japan, but really it looks like the company is just trying to liquidate any remaining inventory and some smaller spot orders.

The company will now devote all of its production in the console market to the Wii U, which has been a huge failure, falling way short of the gaming company's own internal expectations. The Wii U has been so bad that major developers have even stopped producing titles for it.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Apple unveils iPad Mini with Retina display, A7 processor

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Oct 2013 5:23

Apple unveils iPad Mini with Retina display, A7 processor Apple has unveiled their iPad Mini with Retina display today, a huge update to their popular tablet.

The new device will have a 2048 x 1536 resolution, matching that of the iPad Air, and under the hood is the new 64-bit A7 processor.

Apple would not say when the tablet will be available except to say "in November," starting at $399 for Wi-fi/16GB model and in white/silver or gray/black.

The company has been rumored to be seeing manufacturing delays for the Mini Retina display.

In addition, last year's iPad Mini will see a small price drop to $299. If you want 128GB model of the iPad Mini 2, that will cost you $699 to start.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Apple rebrands full sized iPad as iPad Air, now much thinner and lighter

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Oct 2013 4:35

Apple rebrands full sized iPad as iPad Air, now much thinner and lighter Apple unveiled their latest full-sized iPad today, the newly branded iPad Air.

The design is very similar to the iPad Mini and the new device is much lighter and thinner than any of its predecessors. In order to keep the display size the same, the bezel has been shrunk again, as well.

iPad Air tablets are just 7.5mm thin and weigh 1 pound, 20 and 28 percent reductions, respectively.

Under the hood is the 64-bit A7 processor and M7 motion coprocessor, a 5MP iSight camera, MIMO 802.11n support and 10 hours of battery life. The Retina 9.7-inch 2048 x 1536 resolution display remains the same.

The new iPad Air will be available starting November 1st for $499 (16GB/Wi-Fi) in space gray and black r silver and white.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Apple: OS X Mavericks is free, and available today

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Oct 2013 4:13

Apple: OS X Mavericks is free, and available today Apple announced today that there latest operating system update, OS X 10.9 Mavericks will be available starting today.

Best of all, the update is free through the Mac App Store.

As with all OS updates, Apple promises increased speed and battery life efficiency and the update will overhaul the aesthetics to better match that of iOS 7 and its cleaner design.

In addition, the OS will have an improved notification system, including inline replies, support for multiple monitor and full screen applications, a complete refresh of Finder and a new "iCloud Keychain" to better save your passwords.

Many of the apps have been updated, as well, some adding new functionality.

The update is available to everyone running OS X 10.6 or higher and now leaves Microsoft as the only company that charges for their operating system.




AfterDawn: News

Apple shows off Made In America powerhouse desktop, Mac Pro

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Oct 2013 2:53

Apple shows off Made In America powerhouse desktop, Mac Pro After teasing it earlier this year, Apple has launched the new desktop powerhouse Mac Pro, set for release in December.

The new Pro is built in the U.S. and can support 4K video editing.

Apple's latest is 10 inches high, 6.6 inches in diameter (it's a cylinder), and weighs 11 pounds.

The base model starts at $2999 and features a 3.7GHz Intel Xeon E5 with 10MB L3 cache and Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz, 12GB (three 4GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory, Dual AMD FirePro D300 GPUs with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM each. Flash storage shockingly starts at just 256GB, but can be configured up to 1TB.

For connectivity there are four USB 3.0 ports, six Thunderbolt 2 ports, dual gigabit ethernet, and HDMI 1.4 UltraHD.

Read more...



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