So with 8.1, users now have the ability to basically skin the Tiles by overlaying an image of their choice. That’s not entirely accurate though as what is really happening is some Tiles are becoming transparent, with the user image showing through the Tile.
How it works is if an app uses the ‘Iconic design’ for its Live Tile, it will show the image behind it. If the tile uses a ‘Flip layout’, any area of the background that is transparent will show the background image. As a result, some apps will have a ‘see through’ ability with the new background images, while others will remain a solid, preselected color e.g. Facebook.
As long as all your tiles support the appearance, the effect is really really slick. By contrast, iOS 7’s parallax wallpapers feels gimmicky and cheap. I’m really happy to see Microsoft experimenting here.
The importance of wallpaper customisation cannot be understated. Users love setting images of their pets or loved ones as their background. A common iPhone behaviour is for users to put all their apps into one folder, just to maximise the amount of wallpaper they can see.
Unfortunately, apps like Facebook or Twitter (which currently stick to their own branding regardless of user options) spoil the illusion somewhat. It’s particularly disorientating when you scroll; there is a visual clash between the static backgrounds and the one that tracks the panning.
Apple could be looking to health insurance companies to help subsidize its rumored iWatch fitness bands in the same way that wireless carriers subsidize the cost of smartphones.
That speculation comes from Timothy Arcuri, an analyst with Cowen & Co. He raised the possibility on Friday in a research note that discussed possible product launches, including the iWatch, later this year from Apple.
“We continue to believe it is possible the product (iWatch) is backstopped by some sort of insurance subsidization model similar to the carrier subsidization model for iPhone,” he wrote.
Do you think Apple likes the subsidy model for iPhones? Apple was basically forced down that route with the iPhone because the market was already entrenched such that subsidies were expected. If the market was a clean slate, I don’t believe that Apple would have wanted to instate a relationship in the market that was so reliant on the carrier.
Therefore, in the watch/band market, I think subsidy models are the last thing in Apple’s mind. If Apple can ship the product for a reasonable price without any strings attached, then that’s what they are going to do.
Dealing with middlemen is too much complexity and frustration. As an outsider, the concept of collaborating with health insurers sounds messy. I would hate to organise something like that and I don’t think Apple would like it either.
Down the line, perhaps there is the potential for health insurance rebates but that can’t be the the primary go-to-market strategy. It just can’t be.
Under the plan Apple proposed to Comcast, Apple’s video streams would be treated as a “managed service” traveling in Internet protocol format—similar to cable video-on-demand or phone service. Those services travel on a special portion of the cable pipe that is separate from the more congested portion reserved for public Internet access.
This is the kind of arrangement Apple would just love to make happen. A dedicated portion of the cable pipe just for them. The connection should be much more reliable than normal internet services. It would also mean that Apple TV content would not count towards users’ download caps.
Thieves dug a 50ft tunnel under a building to steal thousands of pounds from a cash machine.
Police believe the gang spent months digging the ‘complex’ structure from nearby wasteland to get at the cash at a Tesco store in Eccles, Greater Manchester last Friday, March 14.
The elaborate heist has been linked to the so-called ‘mole-in-the-wall’ gang, who are believed to have carried out three similar plots in the city since 2007.
If this story wasn’t fantastic already, the police said to lookout for people acting suspiciously “possibly covered in soil”. So good.
Tim Cook may have called the Haunted Empire book ‘nonsense’, but the derisive comments about the book from Apple executives do not end there. Personally, I found the pen-throwing anecdote too funny and decided to ask Cue whether it was true or not. I wasn’t really expecting a reply, but to my surprise he actually did.
I normally avoid linking to my own 9to5 stuff here, but I have to make an exception for this. Not only is it hilarious in its own right, but the bluntness of the response is spot on. Cue implies agitation without explicitly saying anything. Also, there’s a rather childlike reaction in me to see Yukari Kane’s story fall apart through a one sentence email and a measly three word reply.
Cue could be lying, of course. Based on the countless denials of other stories in Haunted Empire, it’s extremely hard to give her the benefit of the doubt.
It is a very real product. I am wearing it on my hand as we speak and have been using it for the last few weeks. It’s very, very real, I promise. I am touching it right now.
Is it really going to ship? Is there any reason to be worried about that given the Lenovo acquisition?
Yes, this is going to ship this summer.
If it is a real product, why not just show it off to Stern right there? Despite much fanfare, this device exists only as Photoshopped mockup images so far.
Each category of functionality is a card in the Healthbook. Cards are distinguished by a color, and the tabs can be arranged to fit user preferences. As can be seen in the above images, Healthbook has sections that can track data pertaining to bloodwork, heart rate, hydration, blood pressure, physical activity, nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and weight.
The scope of this project is insane. Apple isn’t starting small with this one. Although it is currently unknown where Healthbook sources this vast array of data from, I have to think it’s an Apple wearable. Apple is a selfish company; they only spend significant effort on stuff that directly benefits themselves. Healthbook will only be useful if it gets a constant stream of reliable data backing it — the only way for Apple to guarantee that is by making a device it controls.
By way of an overseas regulatory agency, similar to our very own FCC, we continue to hone in on the elusive Amazon media streamer. As the story goes, a fall launch was delayed with the Roku Apple TV competitor now looking quite likely for March or April. Netflix and Hulu appear to be confirmed, as does a forked Android build – similar to what Amazon has done with their line of Kindle Fire tablets. Which makes gaming out of the box quite likely.
Let’s be frank here: it doesn’t look good. Plasticky and boxy and just generally not nice. I wouldn’t want to use that. Hopefully, Amazon will support third-party controllers over Bluetooth.
Sheldon and Leonard will be geeking out on CBS for years to come thanks to a mega three-season renewal pact that CBS has struck with Warner Bros. TV for “The Big Bang Theory.”
Deal for primetime’s No. 1 comedy runs through the 2016-17 season, shoring up a cornerstone of CBS’ schedule. “Big Bang” has logged its highest ratings to date this season, its seventh, averaging 19.79 million viewers and a 6.1 rating/19 share in adults 18-49.
I like Big Bang Theory and I’m glad to see they are getting renewed. Whether they can sustain three more seasons worth of content is uncertain, of course. The current cast’s story lines are progressing rapidly. The current season, whilst still enjoyable, is not their best work.
I also doubt they’ll be able to keep all seven leading actors on the show for three more years. Although, maybe they need some fresh blood to open up some new story lines.
The Cupertino company is now testing iTunes Radio as a standalone application with iOS 8, according to sources briefed on the plans. iTunes Radio first arrived as a feature within the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system’s Music application. As a tab in the already-existing Music app, iTunes Radio has not received a promoted presence on iOS, and this likely has deterred growth for the service in terms of advertising revenue and usage.
I have conflicting opinions about this change. iTunes Radio is a big draw for customers and probably deserves to be given some more prominence on iOS. Equally, though, I think the Home Screen suffers from enough ‘application creep’ as it is.
Apple should put a hard line on how many first-party apps it puts on the Springboard now. If it wants to make iTunes Radio standalone, it needs to choose another app to cull.
77% of respondents could not identify what SEO means. SEO stands for “Search-Engine Optimization”
27% identified “gigabyte” as an insect commonly found in South America. A gigabyte is a measurement unit for the storage capacity of an electronic device.
42% said they believed a “motherboard” was “the deck of a cruise ship.” A motherboard is usually a circuit board that holds many of the key components of a computer.
23% thought an “MP3” was a “Star Wars” robot. It is actually an audio file.
18% identified “Blu-ray” as a marine animal. It is a disc format typically used to store high-definition videos.
15% said they believed “software” is comfortable clothing. Software is a general term for computer programs.
12% said “USB” is the acronym for a European country. In fact, USB is a type of connector.
It’s hard to tell whether these surveys are at all reliable, but they are nonetheless hilarious.
They finally did it, just 16 days after starting. Whoever thought this up was a genius. It got coverage online, in newspapers and on national TV news … a true internet phenomenon.
Apparently, they are going to do the Silver/Gold generation next.
The ties between Apple and Disney are tightening even more thanks to their unprecedented collaboration on the new Movies Anywhere app. This ambitious project has been percolating at Disney for years and aims to make purchasing and viewing digital content easier than ever.
A direct shot at UltraViolet, the Movies Anywhere app allows users to purchase and play movies within the app or through any device with access to your iTunes library. Previously purchased films on DVD, and Blu-ray can be added to the app if they shipped with a digital redemption code. All past iTunes purchases are eligible.
There is actually a hidden partnership with Apple behind this app. You can sign into your iTunes account and the app imports all the films you have already bought from the iTunes Store. Conversely, if you buy a movie in the app, it automatically gets added to your iTunes account too.
Like the 5S, the S5’s home key features an integrated fingerprint scanner, which can be used to unlock the phone or authenticate purchases online (Samsung is partnering with PayPal to enable this feature, though it doesn’t validate purchases from the Google Play Store). Samsung’s version requires a vertical swipe over the home button to activate the scanner, and we found it to be quite unreliable and virtually impossible to activate when holding the phone in one hand. It can store up to three different digits, but it was very particular about the speed and orientation of the swiping motion used — if we weren’t doing a perfectly straight swipe down, it would refuse to unlock the phone.
The display on the Gear Fit is the real draw: it’s a rectangular, curved AMOLED touchscreen panel with characteristic-for-Samsung vibrant colors and exceptionally wide viewing angles. The curve in the display allows the Fit to conform around your wrist yet still have a large enough screen to make text readable and buttons easy to press with your finger. It’s not the first product from Samsung to have a curved display, but it does feel like it’s the first to actually benefit from its curvature. Plus it just looks cool.
It looks cool, but isn’t it sideways … When you turn to look at your wrist, the display will be vertical but the UI is horizontal?
Apart from that oddity, the device looks genuinely cool. It’s a nice, simple fitness band; clock, notifications, pedometer and heart-rate sensor.
Netflix Inc. has agreed to pay Comcast Corp. to ensure Netflix movies and TV shows stream smoothly to Comcast customers, a landmark agreement that could set a precedent for Netflix’s dealings with other broadband providers, people familiar with the situation said.
In exchange for payment, Netflix will get direct access to Comcast’s broadband network, the people said. The multiyear deal comes just 10 days after Comcast agreed to buy Time Warner Cable Inc., which if approved would establish Comcast as by far the dominant provider of broadband in the U.S., serving 30 million households.
Paying Comcast for peering access sets a precedent for Netflix to pay other providers to do the same. Netflix has tight margins — they can’t afford to pay every ISP to open peering agreements. They are standing on shaky ground.
