Hasta La Gadget!

Good news Windows 8 users, if you were looking forward to the Window 8 Metro version of the media player, you’re in luck because it seems that the app is close to being released. According to the team at VLC who posted on their Kickstarter page, the app had been submitted to the Windows Store, but apparently due to an audio crash, they failed to receive certification. While they’re working on getting it fixed and resubmitting it, this is good news because it signifies that the app is pretty much ready to go, save for some bugs here and there.

The app will perform like the regular VLC and will support the usual formats, including file and network streaming support, and even subtitles. The team is hoping to resubmit the app for certification this weekend, so if all goes well, it shouldn’t be too long before we see its release. As for the ARM version of the app, including Windows Phone, the team is still working on it and they are hoping that they will be able to deploy it in a matter of weeks, stating that the main reasons behind the delay is due to compiler related issues.

It was back in 2012 when VLC first announced their plans to make a Windows 8 Metro version of their app. The team then launched a successful Kickstarter campaign and have been slowly making some progress over the course of the year. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for a release and will update you guys once we learn more.

VLC For Windows 8′s Metro Close To Being Released original content from Ubergizmo.

WhatsApp has been released on iOS for several years now, but for some reason the developers behind the company have taken a long time to issue out major updates. For example when the iPhone 5 was first released, it took them several months before the app was compatible with the phone, and now with iOS 7, it’s taken WhatsApp a couple of months but the good news for iOS 7 users is that the update has since been released. The app now features a design that seems to be more or less in line with iOS 7’s flatter and cleaner interface.

Apart from the visual overall, the update also brings about additional features and changes. This includes a new icon, improved share locations with 3D map view, new notification alerts and sounds, and also larger thumbnails when sending videos and photos. Prior to today’s release, the app was seen in photos and videos, suggesting that the update was imminent, but no timeframe was given for its release. According to the latest figures, WhatsApp is apparently the most popular messaging service, overtaking Facebook’s own Messenger platform. In any case the update is available for download via the iTunes App Store, so what are you waiting for?

WhatsApp Finally Receives iOS 7 Update original content from Ubergizmo.

As soon as tomorrow the folks behind VSCO Cam will be pushing the app to Android, this after many moons in Beta and quite a few more months on the likes of iOS. This app will bring top-notch editing abilities for photos for those Android users that want to get the very most out of […]

Another contender for smart(en)ing up your home has taken to Kickstarter to raise funds. The Beijing-based startup behind Plugaway has put together Wi-Fi connected plugs and LED lightbulbs which, used in conjunction with its Android or iOS app, can remotely switch your appliances on or off, or dim or kill your lights.

The system can also be used to monitor electricity consumption, schedule and time appliances, and set up device alerts and notifications. Or it will, assuming it hits its Kickstarter goal and transitions from the current prototype stage to commercial product (Plugaway is aiming to ship kit to backers next April). It’s very close to making its funding goal at least, with more than $47,500AUD raised of a $50,000AUD target and still 34 days left on their crowdfunding campaign.

Updating standard electrical household objects, such as your trusty old desk lamp, to turn them into smart app-controlled objects – by augmenting them with tech such as Philips Hue’s psychedelic Wi-Fi bulbs – can be an expensive business. It can also, frankly, be a bit of a faff. In the case of Hue a Wi-Fi bridge is required to plug into your router to link the bulbs to your broadband. And that bridge is pricey (and, in my experience, the connection between app and bridge can be flaky – or, at least, it was on an earlier iteration of the tech).

Plugaway’s aim is to reduce the costs of hooking your old school household appliances into the tap-happy convenience of apps. They’re doing this by offering two pieces of kit: smart plugs, so you can plug any appliance in and remotely switch it on or off; and smart LEDs, so you can remotely control lights.

Their Wi-Fi-enabled smart plugs cost $30 a pop – which means Plugaway is undercutting Belkin’s WeMo plugs. And their LED lightbulbs are also priced cheaper than LIFX’s similar kit (which starts at just under $90 a pop – or will when it goes on general sale in retail stores in January).

Plugaway has also decided it needs to embrace openness to get under the skin of big name competitors in this space – so, for instance, it’s going to let users customise its app:

We have decided to let everyone, including small firms, interior designers, developers, restaurant owners, even hobbyists, build an app in their own style with limitless functionality, share their skins on our website and brand the software with their logotypes. In short – to give it your personality.

Its openness also extends to interoperability with other apps and services, such as IFTTT, or other open smart home devices & systems.

Our open software means two things. Developers are able to integrate other devices into the app and share their add-ins. The other is that Plugaway will also be compatible with other systems, so you don’t even need to use our app unless you absolutely want to! Provided your existing system is open, you may use the Plugaway app’s API to connect with your current home-automation system.

Plugaway’s project is also an interesting study in how to polish the gem of an idea into something with more commercial potential with the help of the Kickstarter community. Its original Kickstarter for the Plugaway smart plug concept, kicked off back in May, but it subsequently decided to cancel the project to rethink the design of the plug (1960s orange wasn’t proving too popular with backers), and to make being an open platform more of a focus.

It also evidently spent some time polishing its Kickstarter pitch, as the before and after videos show. Here’s the earlier one, and below is the new pitch:

When it comes to Android apps, one size does not fit all, unfortunately. This is due to Android devices being extremely varied in the sense of hardware as well as software, with some devices running on older builds of Android, while some have the latest version. Well perhaps in a bid to help optimize their app for Android devices across the board, ranging from low-end to high-end, word on the street has it that Facebook is looking acquire an Indian startup company called Little Eye Labs. The company provides performance analysis and optimization tools for Android developers, and according to a report by India’s Business Standard, Facebook and Little Eye Labs are reportedly in advanced talks.

While it is unclear as to what Facebook might want with such a company, like we said earlier, it has been speculated that Facebook could be looking for a way to better optimize its app across the wide range of Android devices out there. While the app runs fine on high-end devices, low-end devices might tell a different story, and if Facebook can create an optimized app and experience, they will be able to attract more users onto its network. This acquisition might not be such a surprise either as Google had acquired Flexycore, a company specializing in Android optimization as well.

Facebook Rumored To Be Interested In Acquiring Indian Startup Company original content from Ubergizmo.