Hands-On With The Nexus 6 And Android Lollipop

Hands-On With The Nexus 6 And Android Lollipop

Greg Kumparak,Kyle Russell

TechCrunch

Smack dab in the middle of last week, Google announced two new pieces of shiny: the Nexus 6 phone, and the Nexus 9 tablet.
Alas, both announcements came by way of blog post, rather than the standard fanfare-filled physical event — meaning no one actually got to touch the devices.
Until now!
While the amount of time I got to spend with each device is by no means enough for a full review, it was enough for those oh-so-important first impressions.
The short of it? These things are gorgeous.

The Nexus 6

The Nexus 6 is about twice the price of its Nexus 5 predecessor ($650 vs $350) – a difference that Google makes up, at least in part, in the device’s aesthetics. The Nexus 5 never felt cheap by any means; it was, at worst, generic. The Nexus 6 meanwhile is undeniably more polished, and looks like a higher-end smartphone should.
I was worried that the Nexus 6 would feel absurdly huge in my hand… but it didn’t. Bigger than my Nexus 5, of course — but if you’re comfortable holding an iPhone 6 Plus, you’d be fine with the Nexus 6. The two devices are absurdly similar in their dimensions and overall heft in the hand; close your eyes, and you’d probably have a hard time figuring out which is which without poking around to find the buttons.
We only got to spend a bit of time with the Nexus 6’s 13 megapixel camera (we’ll give it a proper spin in a review in the coming weeks), but it seems like an instant and immediate improvement over all Nexus prior. It boots quickly, and the shot-to-shot shutter speed seems as snappy as you could hope for.

The Nexus 9

You can find our hands-on with the Nexus 9 here.

Android 5.0 (Lollipop)

The Nexus 6 is running Android 5.0 – the very latest edition, otherwise known by it’s traditionally-sweet codename of “Lollipop”. While it brings many new APIs for developers to tinker with (Google estimates it at around 7,000), the most obvious change is an overhaul of its user interace.
At least running on a freshly-unboxed Nexus 6, Lollipop is smooth. Ridiculously smooth, even. Every animation (and Lollipop/Material Design uses a lot of animations and transitions) ran like butter, refusing to stutter even when I tried to trip it up by loading many apps in rapid fire.
A few neat things I noticed about Lollipop:

• If you use facial recognition to unlock your phone, Android’s lockscreen can now be set to detect your face passively as you read homescreen notifications. Your face will never show on screen, but the camera will be looking. Once detected, the handset will allow you to unlock it sans pin
• When setting up a Nexus 6 or 9, you can tap another NFC-enabled device to the back of your new handset to clone that device’s settings and apps. You’ll have to authorize this by entering your device’s pin, of course.
• the “Ok, Google” voice command should now work at all times, even when the handset is locked. While this has shown up in other Android devices before, Google now supports it at an OS level and suggests that Android handset makers integrate the required low-power voice recognition chip.

We look forward to giving all of the above — the Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and the Android 5.0 platform that ties them all together — in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for our full review in November.

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Justin Bieber Gets in Major Trouble on Vacation

GETTY IMGES

Justin Bieber is such a bad boy that you even nominated him for 2014's J-14 Teen Icon Awards' Iconic Rebel. Still, our jaws dropped when we heard about why he got in trouble for inappropriate behavior on vacation! According to CTV, the singer was reprimanded for kicking a soccer ball in the halls of the Vatican's historical buildings while on a private tour.

The Vatican isn't speaking up about the incident, but he reportedly annoyed the staff and even violated the dress code by wearing shorts!

While that definitely seems like an inappropriate place to play soccer, the singer posted an Instagram pic of himself with the incriminating soccer ball.

Of course, he seems pretty unfazed by the incident, and couldn't stop gushing about his trip to Rome on Instagram,  he should be more careful about where he gets into mischief! The Vatican is a really historic site.

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Taylor Talks about the Power of Reading

Taylor Talks about the Power of Reading

Scholastic is talking with Taylor about how reading and writing can open a world of possibilities for children. Taylor will share the books that have most influenced her and a never before seen clip from behind the scenes at one of her recent music videos.

 

As part of Scholastic’s new reading initiative, “Open a World of Possible,” the 30-minute exclusive video will air on Scholastic.com beginning on October 29, 2014, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. Registration to watch on 10/29 is open now at http://www.scholastic.com/taylorswift.

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Taylor Swift Has Security Due to Countless Death Threats

Taylor Swift Has Security Due to Countless 

Death Threats

Taylor recently opened up about why she has security with her at all times.

“Because just the sheer number of men we have in a file who have showed up at my house, showed up at my mom’s house, threatened to either kill me, kidnap me, or marry me. This is the strange and sad part of my life that I try not to think about. I try to be lighthearted about it, because I don’t ever want to be scared. I don’t want to be walking down the street scared. And when I have security, I don’t have to be scared,” Taylor shared to Esquire.

Even with security, though, it can be tough to be in the public eye — imagine not being able to leave your house if you were feeling anything other than cheerful enthusiasm and serious patience.
“I just have to wake up in the morning and say, ‘How am I feeling today?’ If someone asks for a picture, am I gonna feel imposed upon today because I’m dealing with my own stuff? Am I gonna take my own stuff out on some innocent 14-year-old today and be in a bad mood?” the ‘Shake It Off’ singer elaborated. “Okay, maybe not … Maybe I won’t leave the house. I try really hard not to take bad days out on other people. Because I will get asked for an autograph, and I will get asked for a picture, and there will be someone with their cell phone filming me at a restaurant.”
“If I’m not in the mood for that,” she explained, “I just kind of stay in. And that’s fine. Those days don’t happen very often. I try really hard to keep it light. Joy, enthusiasm, excitement—those are sort of my chief attributes.”

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Taylor Swift Debuts 'Style' Song Preview

Taylor Swift Debuts 'Style' Song Preview 

Taylor Swift has just shared a preview of one of her new songs – “Style” – in her brand new commercial for Target!

“The Target commercial is out, and features a brand new song you haven’t heard yettttttt…..” the 24-year-old singer tweeted along with the link to the video.

“You got the long hair slicked back, white t-shirt. And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt. And when we go crashing down we come back every time because we never go out of style, we never go out of style,” Taylor sings on the track.

If you buy Taylor‘s album 1989 at Target next week you’ll get three bonus songs on the deluxe version!

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Dropbox's iOS 8 app adds support for Touch ID

Dropbox's iOS 8 app adds support for Touch ID

Edgar Alvarez

Engadget

Not to be outdone by Microsoft's recent refresh of OneDrive, Dropbox has now made its iOS app compatible with Apple's fingerprint-scanning technology, Touch ID, as well. You'll need iOS 8 in order for the feature to work, but chances are you're already running the latest and greatest software from Apple anyway. Aside from adding the ability to unlock the application by way of Touch ID, Dropbox also updated it to support the bigger screens of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus -- something that owners of Apple's newest smartphones will definitely appreciate. Now someone tell Google to hurry and do the same for Drive.
Source: Dropbox

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Apple wants all iOS apps to use 64-bit code starting in February

Apple wants all iOS apps to use 64-bit code starting in February

Jon Fingas

Engadget

Apple may have only introduced 64-bit computing to iPhones and iPads a little over a year ago, but it's already preparing for the day when legacy 32-bit code is gone for good. The Cupertino crew is now telling developers that their iOS apps must include 64-bit support from February 1st onward. While the company won't kick out existing titles, both new apps and updated releases will have to make the switch. Theoretically, this is easy -- developers just have to build apps using the most recent tools and standard settings.
The switch could have a meaningful impact on the apps you use. At the least, it should reduce the need for iOS to juggle both 32- and 64-bit code. That's good for performance, whether or not there are meaningful upgrades to the apps themselves. The move may also spur more developers to fine-tune their apps for the A7 and A8 chips in recent iOS gear -- even if they don't need to use higher-precision 64-bit math, that could still lead to faster games, media players and other demanding titles. It'll likely take much longer for Apple to drop 32-bit support altogether, but the ball is clearly rolling on that transition.Source: Apple Developer

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Audi RS 7 proves it needs no driver to go racing

Audi RS 7 proves it needs no driver to go racing

Mariella Moon

Engadget 

Audi's execs must have toasted to their autonomous car's success this weekend, because the self-driving RS 7 has successfully conquered the Hockenheimring racing circuit in Germany. While the company's announcement doesn't get into specifics, it says the modified sedan finished each lap in just over two minutes, close to the original two minutes and 10 seconds estimate. It doesn't confirm a top speed either, but the commentator in the video after the break says the car reached 137mph, driving the optimal trajectory you'd expect a top racer to take. As we've mentioned before, the automated RS 7 is completely driverless and uses GPS and photos taken by a 3D imaging camera to track its position down to 1 to 2 centimeters -- something it's obviously executed well during the Hockenheimring stunt.
The car that drove around the circuit, though, is just one of Audi's self-driving prototypes named Bobby after race car driver Bobby Unser. There's another one called AJ (named after AJ Foyt), which raced againstSlashgear's editor-in-chief before the event. According to Slashgear, engineers can dial down the car's performance, depending on weather or track conditions. At 86 percent performance driving on a wet race track, the car finished a lap in two minutes and 10 seconds, while at 93 percent on a dry track, it was done in merely two minutes and a second. Audi hasn't revealed if it plans to develop models people can buy just yet, but says piloted driving is "one of [its] most important development fields."
Source: Audi (1), (2)

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ZBoard's back in your future with a hoverboard and high top bundle

ZBoard's back in your future with a hoverboard and high top bundle

Daniel Cooper

Engadget

Remember when we told you about HalloweenCostumes.com's officially-licensed light-up high tops from Back To The Future Part II? We joked that the kicks would have gone great with ZBoard's limited-edition Hoverboard that it produced for the Michael J. Fox foundation last year. Unfortunately, only 50 decks and 25 full boards were created for the auction, so it looks as if that (time-traveling) train has sailed. Well, until now, that is, since the company has now produced a general-sale run of its bright pink electric skateboard, and will even sell you the high tops in a single bundle. The board on its own will set you back $600, while a set with the futuristic kicks is priced at $700, plus one lucky competition winner will win a complete replica of Marty McFly's future outfit from the movie. Be warned, however, as you've only got 14 days to scrounge together the cash, or else you'll be outtatime (geddit?).
Source: ZBoard (StackSocial), Zboard Giveaway

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Samsung seeks boost from redesigned Note

Samsung seeks boost from redesigned Note

YOUKYUNG LEE, AP Technology Writer

SEOUL, South Korea — The latest version of Samsung's popular big-screen Galaxy Note has gone on sale at a crucial time for the South Korean company as it suffers a rapid decline in profit from its global smartphone business.

With the Note 4 launch in the U.S. last week, Samsung introduced one of the biggest design changes to the Note series since it started sales three years ago, ditching plastic in favor of metal for its frame.
The choice is not a result of a change in the company's design policy, but a product of what Samsung does well: identifying the consumer trend and improving upon it. Yet it's unclear if that's enough to stanch sliding sales as the holiday shopping period nears.

By the end of 2013, Samsung had sold at least 48 million Galaxy Notes. The company would not reveal more recent sales figures. Even though reviews for the Galaxy Note 4 have been favorable, analysts said its redesign may not be enough as Apple Inc. has entered the large-screen smartphone category with the iPhone 6 Plus.
"It will not be easy," said Lee Sei-chul, an analyst at Woori Investment & Securities. The Note 4 "is a nice product but response to the iPhone 6 Plus has been good. "

Samsung estimated earlier this month that its July-September quarterly profit shrank to 4.1 trillion won ($3.8 billion), a 60 percent plunge from record-high 10.2 trillion won a year earlier. Samsung is scheduled to disclose earnings for business divisions later this month and analysts believe profit from its mobile business plunged to about one third of its level a year earlier.

Samsung's first Note in 2011 is credited with making big-screen smartphones popular, especially in Asia, but the "phablet" market has become crowded with rival models since then. The Note 4 with its 5.7-inch screen faces competition not only from the new iPhone 6 series, but also from Chinese handset makers.

Samsung is also under pressure to make amends for design missteps in the Galaxy S5 smartphone that led to the departure of its design team chief.
Samsung designers and developers said the opinions of consumers and their demands drove the design changes from plastic to metal and guided the direction of the technology behind the S Pen, as the Note's stylus is known.

"Giving the values that consumers want is important. I don't think simply making smartphones beautiful is important," said Kim Nam-su, a senior designer at Samsung's mobile design team.
The Note 4's metal frame is coated in the same color as the rest of the phone's body, except for the polished, chamfered edge.

The painted frame gives a sense of unity but also prevents users from leaving fingerprint marks, one of the main complaints about the Note 3's glossy frame made of polycarbonate, a type of plastic. Though the Note 4 still uses plastic for the back cover, Samsung gave subtle, tactile patterns to imitate leather.

The Note 4's adoption of a metal frame is a first for Samsung's top-of-the-line smartphone and may foreshadow changes in its future flagship mobile devices. The Galaxy Alpha used metal a little earlier but its phone power falls short of the Note 4. Many other high-end smartphones such as iPhones have used metal for a few years.

Critics have long complained the plastic body of Samsung phones makes them look cheap for the price, which is higher than $600. Some reviewers compared the dimpled plastic back cover of the gold version of the Galaxy S5 to a band aid.
"Overall trends cannot be ignored," said Kim.
But he said Samsung's mobile team doesn't think design is so important that other aspects of the phone should be sacrificed.

Though some people have complained about the protruded camera in Samsung phones, Kim said a slight protrusion in the rear camera in the Note 4 shows that when the phone's performance is important, designers should help engineers to achieve their goal. The iPhone 6 also had its camera bulging from the back for the first time in the iPhone's history.

An engineer behind the S Pen stylus said his team's goal was to incorporate a natural note taking feature in the digital device and using the digital pen like a mouse in personal computers by clicking and dragging.

The Note 4's stylus, embedded in the bottom right corner, responds to the screen faster and to more subtle variations of hand pressure than its predecessor, allowing more natural writing experience.
Despite a learning curve that still exists for first time stylus users, Samsung is trying to boost the use of S Pen by improving the user interface.

"There is a great possibility that it would become a major inputting device" for large smartphones, said Lee Joohoon, principal engineer at Samsung's mobile team.

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China-backed hackers may have infiltrated Apple's iCloud: blog

China-backed hackers may have infiltrated Apple's iCloud: blog

Reuters

BOSTON/BEIJING - Apple Inc's iCloud storage and backup service in China was attacked by hackers trying to steal user credentials, a Chinese web monitoring group said, adding that it believes the country's government is behind the campaign.

Using a method called a "man-in-the-middle" (MITM) attack, unknown hackers interposed their own website between users and Apple's iCloud server, intercepting data and potentially gaining access to passwords, iMessages, photos and contacts, Greatfire.org wrote in its blog post.
Greatfire.org, a group that conducts research on Chinese Internet censorship, alleged government involvement in the attack, saying it resembled previous attacks on Google Inc, Yahoo Inc and Microsoft Corp's Hotmail.

Two independent security experts contacted by Reuters said Greatfire's report appeared credible.
"All the evidence I've seen would support that this is a real attack," said Mikko Hypponnen, chief research officer at security software developer F-Secure. "The Chinese government is directly attacking Chinese users of Apple's products."

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attack comes several weeks after Apple said it would begin storing iCloud data for Chinese users on China Telecom servers. It also coincided with the start of iPhone 6 sales in China, which began Friday after weeks of talks between China and Apple over what the government said were cybersecurity concerns.

Greatfire.org said the attack most likely could not have been staged without the knowledge of Internet providers like China Telecom, given they appeared to originate from "deep within the Chinese domestic Internet backbone".
But the group said the attack may not be linked to Apple's recent decision to store user data on China Telecom servers.

"The previous MITM attacks all showed the same characteristics as this one," Greatfire.org co-founder Charlie Smith said by email. "Apple did not need to be doing anything with China Telecom for this attack to happen, i.e. the authorities did not need that relationship to stage an attack like this one."
It was unclear if the hackers were still active. Apple did not have an immediate comment when contacted.

A China Telecom spokesman said: "The accusation is untrue and unfounded.”
Apple said at the time the move to China Telecom was made to improve the speed of service for Chinese servers and flatly denied the possibility that it would expose user data.
The United States and Western companies have accused Chinese-backed hackers of infiltrating government and corporate websites and services. But Beijing has repeatedly denied its involvement in such attacks.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle in BOSTON and Gerry Shih and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Writing by Edwin Chan; Editing by Andre Grenon, Miral Fahmy and Stephen Coates)

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My Little Pony’ Movie in Development at Hasbro With ‘Ice Age’ Writer

My Little Pony’ Movie in Development at Hasbro With ‘Ice Age’ Writer

Jeff Sneider

TheWrap

Hasbro Studios has hired Joe Ballarini ("Ice Age: Continental Drift") to write a "My Little Pony" movie, TheWrap has learned.
Hasbro will produce the animated feature under its Allspark Pictures label, which allows the company to self-finance or co-finance projects. Allspark's first release will be "Jem and the Holograms," which was co-financed by Universal and co-produced by Blumhouse.

Megan McCarthy will co-executive produce the full-length feature, having written for Discovery Family's popular TV series "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic." McCarthy was also involved in the "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls" movies, which received limited theatrical releases prior to their debuts on home video.

The "My Little Pony" franchise features a rich mythology built around characters that have colorful bodies and manes among other distinguishing attributes.
Hasbro currently plans to self-finance the development and production of the "My Little Pony" movie, which it is currently talking to distributors about releasing in 2017.

Hasbro plans to continue making action-heavy tentpoles aimed at young men, such as the "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" movies at Paramount, and the company continues to develop board game adaptations "Monopoly" and "Candyland." Because all four of those films are big-budget projects, Hasbro has less say on the creative side, but it will have more control on the "My Little Pony" movie.

"My Little Pony" has garnered headlines of late due to its popularity with adult men who refer to themselves as "Bronies," which signals the brand's ability to transcend typical gender and age lines.
News of the "My Little Pony" movie was first reported by Variety.

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