May 03
Most in the GOP still say celebrities shouldn’t weigh in on politics, a new poll finds.
May 03
“ want you to know what I teach my students is about respect and empathy.”
May 03
Republican Kevin Nicholson also said defending the Constitution is a “conservative value.”
May 03
Yes, it was the Russia investigation.
May 03
The last few years have seen several major smartphone manufacturers and startups try to break down the barriers between smartphones and personal computers. The fact of the matter is, there is not even such a big difference between the two device categories: smartphones are personal computers with small screens, especially energy-efficient components, and come without physical keyboards and other input devices except for their touchscreen. These minor shortcomings are negligible when you update social media, reading reviews at iTunesCasino.co.uk or playing Candy Crush but they become serious when you try to do some work. Despite their processing power growing beyond that of the personal computers we used just a few years ago, smartphones are seen as primarily entertainment devices and not actual computers.
Microsoft was the first major tech firm to seriously pursue this direction. Its Continuum, a feature built into its Windows 10-powered smartphones, allowed them to transform their user interface into one similar to Windows 10’s desktop and be used as such. Unfortunately, Continuum went down with Microsoft’s Lumia smartphone line, taking the company’s mobile dreams with it. But the idea of Continuum survived.
Samsung was the first major smartphone manufacturer to release something similar with its new Galaxy S8 line last year. The product was called DeX (short for Desktop eXperience) and allowed people to use their Galaxy S8 / Note 8 line in a way similar to a desktop computer while simultaneously charging the phone, connecting it to Ethernet networks, as well as wired keyboards and mice. Huawei, the third largest smartphone manufacturer today, released something similar called PC Mode with its Mate 10 Pro handset (and its EMUI 8.0 interface). This time, there was no need for a docking station – simply connecting the phone to a large screen using a USB Type-C to HDMI cable did the trick. Of course, a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo was also needed to get work done. And this is just the beginning – we can expect more similar products and solutions to pop up both from big manufacturers and smaller startups.
But can we expect Apple to follow their lead?
The Cupertino giant appears to be more cautious when implementing some features and technologies. Just think of how long Qi-compatible wireless charging has been available before Apple decided to include it in one of its handsets. And in the case of the transforming smartphones into personal computers, we can’t really expect Apple to embrace it – especially since it already has something similar going on with its iPad Pro – see the commercial below.
Besides, launching a smartphone that could double as a personal computer would have the potential to reduce its other device sales – and that’s not something Apple wants. So, at least for the time being, we shouldn’t expect Apple’s take on Continuum, DeX, Huawei’s PC Mode and similar solutions that might appear in the future.
The post Will Apple Ever Embrace the Phone-To-PC Trend? appeared first on TechFresh, Consumer Electronics Guide.
May 03
One of the features of Apple Pay is the ability for users to pay via their smartphones, Apple Watch, and also via the web. This means that users can use Apple Pay to facilitate their web purchases as long as the site supports it. The good news is that if you’re not an Apple Pay user but a Google Pay user, that functionality is now available to you guys as well.
In an announcement on Google’s blog, “We’re starting to roll out Google Pay on the web from desktop and iOS—which means you’ll start seeing it when you’re shopping on browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, no matter your device. Plus, if you save a card to Google Pay on your Pixelbook, you’ll be able to use it on the web with another device, like an iPhone.”
Yup, as per Google’s announcement not only is Google Pay being made available for the web, but iOS users will also be able to take advantage of it. It’s an interesting move since it seems like Google is trying to steal some of Apple’s market share, which they might actually do if there is Google Pay in your country/area but not Apple Pay.
These changes are rolling out already so if you are in a country that supports Google Pay, then this is something that can look forward to.
Google Pay Is Now Rolling Out For The Web & iOS Devices , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
May 03
Among the shows Apple picked up in the last year was an adaptation of the true crime novel Are You Sleeping? starring the ineffable Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water, Hidden Figures, The Help). While the tech giant acquired the rights in January, i…
May 03
If you have been following the news, you might have heard that Facebook was recently embroiled in a data privacy scandal, where a company called Cambridge Analytica was accused of misusing the data that they had gotten from Facebook, resulting in Facebook pulling their access to their data.
Most of the anger seems to have been pointed at Facebook, presumably for allowing it to happen in the first place, but it seems that at the end of the day, Cambridge Analytica might have been the one that has lost the most because it has been confirmed that Cambridge Analytica will be shutting down.
However it isn’t just Cambridge Analytica that will be shutting down, but the SCL Group (parent company) will be shutting down as well. This was confirmed by Nigel Oakes, the group’s founder, to The Wall Street Journal along with a press release posted on Cambridge Analytica’s website.
According to the press release, “Despite Cambridge Analytica’s unwavering confidence that its employees have acted ethically and lawfully, which view is now fully supported by Mr. Malins’ report, the siege of media coverage has driven away virtually all of the Company’s customers and suppliers. As a result, it has been determined that it is no longer viable to continue operating the business, which left Cambridge Analytica with no realistic alternative to placing the Company into administration.”
In the meantime Facebook has been taking steps to ensure that its users have better control over their privacy, as well as being more transparent with what apps have access to what.
Cambridge Analytica Shutting Down Following Facebook Data Scandal , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
May 03
Sony’s Aibo robots are probably one of the more iconic robots around, especially since they were introduced back in the day when consumer robots weren’t as common or readily available. However just like with real dogs, Aibo dogs don’t “live” forever and over in Japan, it seems that Aibo robots that are “dead” are being given their own funerals.
These funerals are pretty elaborate because they are done in the traditional way, which is that there is incense smoke and a priest who chants a sutra which is usually reserved for deceased humans to help pray for a peaceful transition into the afterworld. In this particular funeral, each Aibo robot comes with a tag to show where they came from and to which family they belonged to.
This is actually something that has been going on for the past few years, where electronics repair company A-Fun Co. has been sending Aibos to the temple to be sent off. Speaking to Japan Times, Nobuyuki Norimatsu who heads A-Fun was quoted as saying, “We’d like to return the souls to the owners and make the robot a machine to utilize their parts. We don’t take parts before we hold a funeral for them.”
Sony has actually revived the Aibo in recent times where they look more “friendly” and dog-like. They were available for pre-order in Japan last year where it also required users to purchase a subscription plan.
Aibo Robots In Japan Get Their Own ‘Funeral’ , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
May 03
“It’s not campaign money; no campaign finance violation,” the former New York City mayor said.
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