Louis CK has made it a habit of releasing comedy specials online, bypassing the industry gatekeepers that jack up prices and delay releases. Well, he’s at it again. The laugh-maker has just posted his first nightclub special, Live at the Comedy Store…
When Apple first announced the Apple Watch last year, they promised that we could expect the device to be released early this year. Some rumors and speculation have pegged the wearable’s launch in March, but unfortunately that no longer appears to be the case. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has recently revealed that the Apple Watch will be launching in April.
This was revealed during Apple’s earnings call in which Cook publicly announced the April shipping date. This also marks it as the first time that Apple has made a comment regarding the product’s release date, so we guess we now have a more specific timeframe to look forward to, although no dates were mentioned.
While we suppose April is in the earlier part of the year, some have voiced their criticisms and claimed that April isn’t exactly considered “early” as they had expected a Q1 release. However according to Cook, “To us, it’s sort of within the range. It’s basically when we thought.” Unfortunately apart from the launch date, Cook did not dive into more details about the watch, such as its pricing.
We know that the base Apple Watch will be priced starting at $350, but there will be different models that are expected to cost more which is something Cook did not elaborate on. In any case this means that we still have at least 3 more months until we can get our hands on the device, so hopefully Apple will be able to figure out on how to improve its battery life before then.
Apple Watch Will Ship In April, According To Tim Cook , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Unlike Samsung or LG, Sony isn’t doing particularly well for themselves in the mobile market. While they might still be somewhat thriving back in their home market of Japan, over in the US and other parts of the world, Sony phones seem to be taking a backseat to other brands. In fact last we heard, Sony was planning on trimming their portfolio in a bid to reduce costs.
Now according to a report from the Nikkei daily business (via Reuters), it looks like Sony is looking to trim the fat further from its workforce. It seems that Sony has plans to cut another 1,000 jobs from its smartphone division, although these cuts will mainly affect Europe and China. These 1,000 jobs are in addition to the layoffs from last year, meaning that 2,000 employees could potentially lose their jobs.
Ultimately it seems that Sony plans to trim their workforce in their mobile division down to 5,000, essentially reducing it by 30% by the end of the fiscal year ending in March 2016. No doubt the trimming of their mobile division is a bad sign as it means that Sony does not see a very bright future for their handsets or their position in the market.
In fact in a bid to help save money, Sony had previously announced that they are looking to extend their product lifecycle, so instead of releasing two flagship phones every year alongside a slew of low-mid range handsets, they might focus on one flagship and will focus on mid-high range handsets instead.
Sony To Cut An Additional 1,000 Jobs From Their Mobile Division , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
In terms of smartphone platform market share, it is no secret that Android is leading the way. This is thanks to the fact that there are many Android OEMs out there, versus iOS in which pretty much Apple is the only company churning out iOS devices, although Apple’s latest figures show that they have no problems standing on their own.
That being said despite Android’s larger share, developers tend to favor the iOS platform, but why is that? Apparently iOS is more profitable, but it looks like things could be changing soon as it seems that profitability on the Android platform is on the rise. According to DAU-UP, a gaming marketing company, they have found that Android’s average revenue per user (ARPU) has seen a steady increase.
According to the company, back in January 2014, Android’s ARPU was 20% of what iOS developer’s enjoyed, however by the end of the year in December, Android’s ARPU had risen to 65%. Granted this still placed them behind iOS, but it is a pretty huge leap within a one year time frame. DAU-UP also notes that media advertising costs on Android devices are 20-50% lower compared to iOS, so in some cases, it is possible that some Android games are just as profitable or more so than its iOS counterpart.
According to DAU-UP’s CEO Idan Nizri, “After years of being the unwanted step child, Android is having its Cinderella moment, as game developers are increasing their Android development resources to meet the growth in Android revenue. We’re hearing more and more developers developing games ‘Android First.’ I have no doubt that game developers will invest more time, effort and resources in Android in 2015.”
Android Games Starting To Become Just As Profitable As iOS , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
You might recall that the Marriott hotel recently got into some hot water with the FCC when they decided to block the personal hotspots of their guests, which ultimately forced guests to pay for the hotel’s exorbitant WiFi fees. Marriott later backed down in their decision, but it seems that their earlier move was one not appreciated by the FCC at all.
To that extent the FCC has recently announced that they will now be “aggressively investigating and acting against” hotels that engage in such behavior, which is the blocking of personal WiFi hotspots. Marriott had previously argued that it was for security purposes and even tried to appeal to the FCC to allow the blocking in their meeting and convention rooms, all of which were ultimately and thankfully denied.
According to the FCC’s statement, “No hotel, convention center, or other commercial establishment or the network operator providing services at such establishments may intentionally block or disrupt personal Wi-Fi hot spots on such premises, including as part of an effort to force consumers to purchase access to the property owner’s Wi-Fi network. Such action is illegal and violations could lead to the assessment of substantial monetary penalties.”
Now if you know any hotel or convention center that is blocking the use of personal hotspots, the FCC wants you to get in touch with them to file a complaint. More information on this can be found in the statement released by the FCC.
FCC To Aggressively Go After Establishments That Block Personal WiFi Hotspots , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Last year Apple announced that they would be ceasing the development of their Aperture photography app. However the Photos app would be taking its place where it is expected to come with both basic and advanced features, allowing the novice and professional to edit their photos with ease.
Apple did not provide a specific date as to when the app would be released, but it was part of the OS X Yosemite announcement and according to Apple at that time, we could expect its release in early 2015. Unfortunately it looks like that might no longer be happening. According to a tip received by the folks at 9to5Mac, Apple has begun to remove all mention of the Photos app on their website.
The only reference to the app is found in a help article that lists the app as being “available at a later date.” What does this mean? While we doubt that Apple has cancelled the development of the app entirely, its removal from Apple’s website could suggest that there could be some delays in its launch, so instead of Apple constantly advertising a software that has yet to be released, it would make sense for them to pull any mention of it first until a more concrete release date has been decided upon.
Unfortunately we still have no idea when Photos for OS X will be released, but either way we will be keeping our eyes and ears peeled for more information, so do check back with us later for the details. In the meantime are you disappointed that the app could have potentially been delayed?
Photos For OS X Removed From Apple’s Website, Hints At Possible Delay , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
One of the great things about digital cameras is that we get to snap as many photos as we want, and get to keep them in our computer, phone, hard drives, and so on without it taking up much physical space. This is unlike back in the day where photos had to be printed and stored in photo albums.
However there is a certain nostalgic feel when it comes to printed photos, not to mention they make great gifts, and if you’re looking to start printing photos again, the Prynt smartphone case could be worth checking out. As the name implies, Prynt is basically a smartphone case that has the ability for the user to print photos from it.
This is very convenient as it means that you can print photos on the go and won’t have to worry about cables. Of course the Prynt case itself is by no means a sleek or compact one, but we guess that’s just one of the sacrifices you will have to make for the sake of convenience. The photos printed aren’t very big either and measure 2-inches by 3-inches, making them perfect for sticking on the fridge or slipping into your purse/wallet.
The case will be able to hold 10 pieces of blank ZINK paper, so if you plan on snapping a lot of photos, you will have to refill it constantly. The case will play nicely with Apple’s newer iPhones, as well as some Android devices. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, the Prynt case is a Kickstarter project that has since exceed its goal 3 times over, but you can still head on over and pledge your support if you want.
Prynt Smartphone Case Comes With A Printer Built Into It , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Tim Cook expects 2015 to be “the year of Apple Pay”. Saying thier mobile payment option is “off to a very strong start”, the Apple CEO noted that 750 banks and credit unions are Apple Pay partners, now. Cook also let loose another bombshell statistic: Apple Pay accounts for two-thirds of all contactless payments using Visa, American Express, or MasterCard. … Continue reading
Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love Kid President. He’s adorably funny, spirited, and comes with an amazing story of perseverance — building a fan base of over 250,000 followers just on Twitter alone. So it’s no wonder that Coca Cola has branded itself to little Robby Novak through its #MakeItHappy campaign targeting online cyberbullies leading up to this weekend’s Super Bowl XLIX.
Very clever.
With Super Bowl ads costing nearly $4.5 million per spot with an estimated reach at well over 112 million viewers, Kid President will soon garner quite the added exposure.
But there’s nothing “happy” about childhood obesity and its damaging effects from sugar-sweetened beverages like Coca Cola and Pepsi, and initiatives such as “Kick the Can,” a project of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), are setting the record straight.
Aimed at providing trustworthy and up-to-date information about the negative health effects of soda and other sugary drinks, “Kick the Can” also publishes pertinent facts related to sugar consumption and childhood obesity any parent, school administrator or policy maker should have in their possession. The site also contains useful information on sugary drink policy, legislative activities around the country, as well as links to toolkits, key reports, studies and media coverage.
So before we get too warm and fuzzy over Coca-Cola’s #MakeItHappy campaign tied to Super Bowl XLIX, learn the facts on childhood obesity and sugar sweetened beverage consumption first.
We’re on to you Big Soda.
Originally published at Literatigurl.com.
During its crowdfunding days, Lockitron was a breathe of fresh air. A connected home gadget that required no re-assembling of your door’s existing locking mechanism, Lockitron was great for home owners, and a dream come true for renters. Unfortunately, they ran into the same long delays many crowdfunded hardware platforms experience, causing year-long delays in some cases. Rather than continue … Continue reading
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