Hasta La Gadget!

Love it or hate it, Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription-based software is now the only way to get your favorite apps like Photoshop, Premiere Pro and the like. The company has just released the latest versions of most of those programs, now dubbed CC, which can be installed alongside the current apps for those afraid to change mid-project. Meanwhile, Adobe’s trying to tempt previous suite or apps owners to transition to the new system for up to 60 percent off for CS6 owners during a 12-month period, or 40 percent off for those on CS3 to CS5.5. According to Photo Rumors, Adobe is also considering a new pricing structure in response to a massive online backlash against the subscription model from existing clients, who feel it’s too expensive. The company sent out a survey asking some of them what they thought about paying $10 per month for three years for Photoshop, or $30 for the entire suite, while being able to keep a permanent CS6 copy of either at the end. Considering the level of vehemence we saw earlier, we’ll have to wait and see if that’ll fly. Meanwhile, check the PR after the break to see what’s new in all the apps.

Filed under: Software

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It’s been a mere few weeks since Shazam introduced those new location-based and tagging features for the tablet version of its iOS app, but the music-driven service isn’t stopping there. Reaching version 6.1 on Apple’s platform, today Shazam’s universal application is bringing a few more tidbits to both the iPhone and iPad. Handset users, for one, will notice speedier load times within the app and a rather fresh look that focuses on displaying more info on the tab bar — such as friend tags and chart updates. On the bigger screen, Shazam says it’s improved things by allowing users to more easily delete tags from Favorites and by adding under-the-hood tweaks which should make for a smoother experience while browsing the Friends feed.

The bigger news, perhaps, is Shazam Pulse, a music discovery tool that’s making its way to the iOS app, one which allows folks to quickly see and sample the music currently being tagged by people. It’s worth noting that all these new features are available for Shazam and Shazam Encore, so fret not if you have one or the other.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Software

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Via: Cult of Mac

Source: App Store (1), (2)

Gunners. They are a unique subset of students found in most any university lecture hall who steer classroom conversations with constant comments and questions directed at the professor. But what if you want a more inclusive environment that lets even timid students ask questions? One where they can communicate with their professor privately, during class, without interrupting. Well, researchers from la Universidad Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) have built a system that lets professors receive feedback from students and know which ones have questions by using augmented reality technology.

It works by leveraging the smartphones in students’ pockets and giving the professor a set of AR smart glasses. Using an app connected to the system’s server, students can indicate when they do or don’t understand a concept, that the professor should go more slowly, or that they know the answer to the question. Then, an icon indicating which action the student has taken will be displayed over that student’s head on the smart glasses’ displays. Using the system, the professor can also push predefined questions to students’ phones and control presentation slides using hand gestures and a Kinect. Intrigued? Speak Spanish? A demo video of the system in español awaits you after the break.

Filed under: Wearables, Software

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Source: British Journal of Educational Technology

The world is under attack once more, and it’s up to your squad of elite, turn-based soldiers to keep humanity safe. We’ve just gotten word that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is headed to a wide variety of iOS devices come this Thursday, June 20th. Everything from the iPad 2 to the fifth-gen iPod touch is getting a taste of Firaxis’ XCOM effort — should users choose to fork over the $19.99 asking price, that is.

Aside from multiplayer (which is coming via free update post-launch), the iOS version is just about the same as its console and PC counterpart — you build up resources and strike back against the alien menace threatening to tear apart Earth, with the occasional break to torturously study the enemy via “dissection.” Whether the enemy is still alive at that point, well, that’s a question for your science team. For a full list of supported iOS devices, head below the break. As for Android and Windows Phone 8 support? “We’ve only announced plans for iOS devices at this time,” was all a 2K Games rep would tell us. Not exactly a hard no, but not a confirmation either.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Mobile, Apple

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TechCrunch is reporting that Facebook is adding video capability to Instagram, which will be announced at the former’s press event on June 20th. According to The Desk, the videos would last between five and 10 seconds, but there’s no word on if the photo-sharing app’s litany of filters would feature in the new service. Presumably the move has come in response to Vine’s popularity as Facebook and Twitter square off against each other — a fight which would make Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD look like playground squabbling by comparison.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Software, Mobile, Facebook

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Source: TechCrunch