Apple partners with major app developers to raise money for AIDS research

Apple partners with major app developers to raise money for AIDS research

Apple has teamed with select app developers on a fundraising initiative for (RED) and World AIDS day (Dec 1st). For the next two weeks there will be a dedicated a section of the App Store where 25 partnering apps will be available with new or exclusive content. Titles taking part include high-profile names such as Angry Birds, FIFA 15, FarmVille and djay. All the sales revenue (including in-app purchases) from this section will go to (RED)'s Global Fund campaign. In addition to the apps, Apple is pledging to contribute a slice of select Black Friday sales, and is donating a portion of all retail sales on December 1 (cyber Monday). Apple has a long history of working with (RED), a charity co-created by Bono -- famously close to Cook's organisation. A relationship that has already seen Apple raise over $65 million for the fight against AIDS -- a figure you get to augment while spreading a little festive cheer this year.
Apple

By James Trew

Engadget 

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Everything That Happened At the American Music Awards

Everything That Happened At the American Music Awards

Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group: One Direction
Rap/Hip-Hop Album: Iggy Azalea, The New Classic
Pop/Rock Male Artist: Sam Smith
Latin: Enrique Iglesias
Country Male Artist: Luke Bryan
Pop/Rock Album: One Direction, Midnight Memories
Pop/Rock Female Artist: Katy Perry
Alternative Rock Artist: Imagine Dragons
New Artist of the Year: 5 Seconds of Summer
Rap/Hip Hop Artist: Iggy Azalea
Dick Clark Award for Excellence: Taylor Swift
Country Album: Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
Artist of the Year: One Direction

Taylor Swift performed "Blank Space" and showed off her crazy side.

One Direction won the first award of the night.

Lorde, Selena Gomez, and Taylor Swift all bonded together in the audience

Selena Gomez performed her song about Justin Bieber, "The Heart Wants What It Wants," at the2014 American Music Awards and she got so emotional that she started crying.

 Taylor Swift couldn't stop tearing up either.

One Direction won the biggest award of the night, Artist of the Year.

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What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

Your favorite color reveals your character, says a pioneer in the field of color study.

Here is a color test to find out factors of your personality you may never before has suspected.

Simply choose your overall favorite color from the nine featured here – and read the results below;

   

• If your favorite color is red, you are passionate, lovely , glamorous and want to experience life through the five senses.

• If orange is your favorite color, you have a great need to be with people, to socialize with them, and be accepted and respected as part of a group. You also have a need for challenges in your life,

• Choosing yellow as your favorite means you have a deep need for logical order in your everyday life and to be able to express your individuality by using your logical mind to inspire and create new ideas.

• If green is your favorite, you have a deep need to belong, to love and be loved, and to feel safe and secure. You need acceptance and acknowledgment for the everyday things you do for others – just a ‘thank you’ is sufficient.

• Lovers of blue have a deep need to find inner peace and truth, to live their life according to their ideals and beliefs without having to change their inflexible viewpoint of life to satisfy others.

• Indigo lovers have a need to feel in harmony and at one with the Universe and to be accepted by others as the aware and intuitive spiritual beings that they are.

• If purple or violet is your favorite color, you have a deep need for emotional security and to create order and perfection in all areas of your life, including your spiritual life. You also have a deep need to initiate and participate in humanitarian projects, helping others in need.

• If your personality color is pink you have a deep need to be accepted and loved unconditionally.

• If turquoise is your favorite color your deepest need is to create emotional balance in your life, to be able to express your hopes and dreams no matter how idealistic they may be and to make your own way in the world under your own terms.

• If your favorite color is magenta, you are a non-conformist who sees life from a different point of view.

• Lovers of brown have a deep need for a safe, secure, simple and comfortable existence with supportive family and friends.

• Lovers of black have a need for power and control in order to protect their own emotional insecurities.

• If white is your personality color, your deepest need is for simplicity in your own life and to be independent and self-reliant so you do not need to depend on anyone else.

• With gray as your favorite color, you are the middle of the road type, cool, conserved, composed and reliable. You tend to conform just to keep the peace.

• If silver is your favorite, you are intuitive and insightful and have a strong connection with a higher spiritual guidance.

• With a personality color gold, you radiate charisma, personality and individuality, making others feel relaxed and valued in your company.

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Taylor Swift to Recieve Huge Honor at the American Music Awards this Weekend

Taylor Swift to Recieve Huge Honor at the American Music Awards this Weekend

The 24-year-old pop singer rocked a The 1975 tank top that she most likely bought while at the band’s concert the night before with Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding.

Recently it was announced that Taylor would be receiving the first ever Dick Clark Award for Excellence at theAmerican Music Awards this weekend.

If that wasn’t already a big enough deal,E! News revealed that legendary performer Diana Ross would be the one presenting it to her.

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Here's a machine that turns water into synthetic gasoline

Here's a machine that turns water into synthetic gasoline

Even with the amount of electric vehicles we've seen lately, it's likely going to be a long time until they completely replace traditional combustion engines on the road. So how are we going to get away from pricey fossil fuels until then? Well, water could be a possibility. German company Sunfire GmbH thinks it has the solution for turning H20 and carbon dioxide into liquid hyrdrocarbons like synthetic diesel, kerosene and petrol, according to CNET. It does this in part by using a combination of the Fischer-Tropsch process (a chemical reaction that performs the aforementioned transformation) and solid electrolyzer cells (fuel cells that produce gas forms of hydrogen and oxygen).

Sunfire says current systems run nearly 50 percent efficient, but there's potential to increase that to around 70 percent in the future. For comparison's sake, that current value is akin to a modern diesel engine, while gasoline motors only hit a paltry 14-to-30 percent efficiency rating. What's holding it back? The usual bureaucratic red tape. Sunfire says it needs regulatory factors to fall in a way which will give investors a "sufficient level of planning reliability" before it can move forward. So maybe don't get your hopes up too high just yet.Sunfire GmbH (PDF)

By Timothy J. Seppala

Engadget

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3D Robotics' new drone can follow you around, carry a mirrorless camera

3D Robotics' new drone can follow you around, carry a mirrorless camera

3D Robotics is not about to let DJI hog all the press with its wild Inspire 1 Drone, so it just revealed its own semi-pro model: the X8+. The 8-prop UAV is designed to carry GoPro or lightweight mirrorless cameras, while offering a fully automated flight control system starting at $1,350 (without a gimbal or camera).
That price may tempt pro or semi-pro users away from DJI's (admittedly cool), retractable gear model, which runs $2,900 with a built-in gimbal and 4K camera. But unlike DJI's turnkey drone, 3DR is positioning the X8+ as a customizable ship aimed not only at cinematographers, but surveyors or miners too.

The X8+ is an upgrade on the X8 model in nearly every way. It'll carry 800 grams (1.76 pounds) and fly up to 18 minutes, but if you're willing to sacrifice endurance, you can carry up to 2.2 pounds with, say, a mirrorless camera. 3D Robotics says it'll fly Blackmagic Design's Pocket Cinema Camera, for instance, which is rather heavy for its size at 350 grams (0.78 pounds).
That means it'll easily work with Sony's mirrorless NEX cameras or compact models like Panasonic's LX100. For an extra $350, you can also kit it with an FPV GoPro liveview kit for easier scouting and aerial photography.

3D Robotics also has some interesting automation options for its latest drone. The X8+ can track you around while keeping you centered in your videos using the 3PV follow me mode, handy for filming your own sporty exploits. It also includes open source mission planning software compatible with most PCs and smartphones.

Using the DroidPlanner 2 software, you can simply draw lines on a map with an Android device to fly it around, hands-free. You can even map a region-of-interest (ROI) waypoint, to keep the camera locked on a target throughout the flight.

While the X8+ starts at $1,350, it'll run a lot more to kit it up properly. With a carrying case, gimbal, 3DR FPV liveview for GoPro and a GoPro Hero 3+ camera, you'll be looking at nearly $2,600 -- or around $2,700 for 4K with the Hero 4. That's Inspire 1 territory, so choosing between the two may come down to a simple choice: do you need the DJI's unfettered 360 degree view, or the ability to use better cameras? Decisions, decisions.

3D Robotics

By Steve Dent
Engadget 

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Taylor Swift Admits She Doesn't Believe in ''Happily Ever After''

Taylor Swift Admits She Doesn't Believe in ''Happily Ever After''

Taylor Swift doesn't believe in fairy tale love anymore! Even though she has a reputation for singing heartbreakingly beautiful love songs, the singer told Lucky magazine that her views on love have totally changed since she's started singing.

"I really used to think that happily ever after was a thing," she said. "Not in those simple terms…I think that no matter what you find in terms of happiness and compatibility, there's always going to be a struggle attached to it. I used to believe that you find the one and that's it: Nothing's difficult after that."

In fact, she says the barometer she'll use for her next love interest is how he compares to coffee!

"Coffee's a big part of my life. Skinny caramel lattes are a daily thing that I get excited about and I never stop being excited about," she joked. "So if I could just find one person who I felt that way about—the way I feel about coffee—then I think I'd be in a content relationship."

We love her sense of humor! And we also know how much the "Blank Space" has been focusing on her friendships and thinking a lot about her views on relationships rather than actually dating, so it makes sense she's not obsessed with finding a fairy tale ending.

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Hackers Just Exposed Thousands Of Gamer Passwords From Sony, Microsoft, And 2K

Hackers Just Exposed Thousands Of Gamer Passwords From Sony, Microsoft, And 2K

A hacker group by the name of DerpTrolling claims to have hacked the PlayStation Network, Windows Live, and 2K Games Studios platforms, posting many of the username/password combinations on Pastebin to prove it.

According to CNET , the Pastebin link includes usernames and passwords for 2,131 PlayStation Network users, 1,473 Windows Live users, and 2,000 2k Game Studios users. 

The hacking group had previously said it didn’t want to leak customer data, but explained why it changed its mind in the Pastebin document. 

"We were advised by one of our friends over at RedHack to make adjustments in our operations," the DerpTrolling member said. "A show of force from us, would be an attack on 2K that would be very similar to our attacks on Blizzard. Like I said, DerpTrolling in no way wants to harm our children by leaking such damaging data. It's only a warning to the companies."

The DerpTrolling group insists it wants to force these major gaming companies — Sony, Microsoft, and 2K — into upgrading their servers to prevent this type of hacking, but in case those companies don’t get the message, DerpTrolling claims to have even more data.  

"We have 800,000 from 2K and 500,000 credit card data. In all of our raids we have a total of around 7 million usernames and passwords," he said. "We have around 2 million Comcast accounts, 620,000 Twitter accounts, 1.2 million credentials belonging to the CIA domain, 200,000 Windows Live accounts, 3 million Facebook, 1.7 million EA origins accounts, etc.”

We’ve reached out to Microsoft, Sony, and 2K, and we’ll update this story as soon as we learn more. As we wait for official word from these companies, we strongly advise any users of these platforms change the passwords associated with their accounts.

By Dave Smith

Business Insider 

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3D talking map can help the blind find their way

3D talking map can help the blind find their way

The Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts just got a high-tech installation to help keep their students from getting lost around campus: a three-dimensional map that talks. Its miniature Monopoly-like buildings and other elements (which were 3D printed, by the way) are coated in conductive paint, so they can recognize when they're being touched. If someone does, the map will announce the building's or any other structure's name along with directions on how to get there. Some areas feature sound effects, as well -- a fountain gurgles, for instance, while a bell tower rings. Plus, it has a three-button menu that one can use to browse a spoken list of locations.

This interactive map was created by a team from the University at Buffalo and a company called Touch Graphics Inc., which is also developing a number of other projects for the visually impaired. These include a tactile map of the US and a periodic table of elements that both work with a talking pen. According to Touch Graphics Inc. President Steve Landau, "The touch-responsive models solve the 'last mile' problem for blind pedestrians, who can often navigate to a building or campus address using GPS, but then need help to get to the classroom building or doctor's office where they need to be."

Aside from this interactive 3D map, there are many other technologies currently in development to make blind people become more independent. San Francisco's International airport uses a Bluetooth beacon system, for instance, to tell passengers where they're going through their phones. Microsoft, on the other hand, is working on a bone-conducting headset that gives users turn-by-turn directions.
University at Buffalo, Touch Graphics Inc.

By Mariella Moon

Engadget

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Samsung Galaxy Note Edge launch delayed until December 12th in the UK

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge launch delayed until December 12th in the UK

We've a bit of bad news for anyone who wanted to pick up Samsung's unusual Galaxy Note Edge next week. We knew something was up when the original pre-order date of November 14th rolled around and the curved curiosity was a no-show. A Samsung spokesperson has now confirmed to us that it's facing a two-week delay, meaning the retail release has been pushed back from November 28th to December 12th. The pre-order window has also been shortened by a week, so you won't be available to reserve it from either Samsung's site or Carphone Warehouse until December 5th.
Samsung has been a little haphazard with its timings recently, after launching its flagship Note 4 a week later than expected. The quirky Galaxy Note Edge is more of an acquired taste though, and that's likely why Vodafone is the only UK network (so far) that's confirmed it'll be stocking it. Given it's such a niche device, we doubt this particular setback will have too many of you hitting the streets with burning torches and pitchforks.

By Nick Summers

Engadget

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Uh-oh, Moto: AT&T stores are returning early Nexus 6 units over a bug

Uh-oh, Moto: AT&T stores are returning early Nexus 6 units over a bug

If you're an AT&T customer eager to get your hands on the over-sized Nexus 6, get ready to wait a bit. AT&T stores are apparently returning the first crop of Nexus 6 units to Motorola over a software bug, Droid Life reports. And it'll likely be a while until their stock is replenished. The bug reportedly kills network connectivity on affected phones after displaying a black screen.

 We haven't seen too many complaints about the issue yet, but they've only started shipping out to preorder customers a few days ago. In any case, be prepared to hop it back to an AT&T store if the bug hits you. While the recall doesn't inspire much confidence, it could be worse. Just imagine if Motorola had to issue a widespread recall after thousands of people had their phones for weeks. For now, would-be Nexus 6 owners an AT&T can keep a giant candy bar or block of cheese nearby to train their hands for the phone's massive proportions.

Motorola offered up the following statement about the recall to Android Police:
We delivered a small number of Nexus 6 smartphones with incorrect software to AT&T customers who pre-ordered. The incorrect software prevents the phone from starting up properly. We will provide replacements for consumers whose phones are affected. The problem has been corrected and the phones currently shipping are fine.
Droid Life, Android Police

Ny Devindra Hardawar

Engadget

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Taylor Swift & Selena Gomez: Their Girls Night Out!

Taylor Swift & Selena Gomez: Their Girls 

Night Out!

There’s nothing better than a girls night before one of the biggest nights of the year! Besties Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez enjoyed The 1975′s concert before the AMAs on Nov. 23, and posted so many cute pics!

The singers had a fun girls night out to kick off their AMAs weekend. How fun! They hit up The 1975′s concert at The Palladium and posted a slew of pics and videos.

Taylor posted a video from inside the concert, which featured a cute cameo from Selena! She captioned the pic, “Yeah you wanna find love, Then you know where the city is. @selenagomez #the1975.”

The girls also took polaroid photos — Taylor’s specialty — of their night out. Fellow singer Ellie Goulding got in on the fun as well and  harry and taylor were also spotted attending the  concert for the band 1975! While they were hanging out with other people, they reportedly caught up in the VIP section and "seemed like friends" 

No photos were snapped of the two of them together, but Harry's 1D bandmates Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were there with their hairstylist Lou Teasdale

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