Comcast launches Stream Streaming TV Service

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July 13, 2015

The latest combatant to enter the streaming TV wars is Comcast. The cable company has announced that they will be providing a new service called Stream, a streaming TV service aimed at stemming competition from the likes of Netflix and Hulu.

The stream will give you a Cable TV experience without the need of a cable box, or a TV for that matter. All you’ll need is the company’s internet service and a phone call to activate the service; assuming you live in the right jurisdiction.

Stream delivers TV exclusively over an “IP-based managed network” connection to phones, tablets and computers. Stream will also work on TVs as well, but there is a catch.

Comcast will be providing a Comcast internet service which you will need to subscribe to if you wish to use Stream on your TV. Stream’s TV feed will only work while you are at home.

It will be starting off in select areas by the end of this summer. And though it’s a just a brand new service it carries a lot of restrictions.

The subscription fee is $15 a month and you will get access to about a dozen channels, including broadcast channels and HBO. But no other cable channel including ESPN will be available, as reported in the New York Times.

Comcast had made earlier efforts to make TV available at home on phones and tablets via their AnyPlay box. The company also has an IPYV service through universities.

For anyone interested in this service, it will primarily be launching in Boston and if all seems positive availability areas will include Chicago and Seattle.

Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata dies at 55

By

Nitish Singh

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July 13, 2015

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Satoru Iwata the Chief Executive of Nintendo died last Saturday (11/7/2015). He was just 55 years old. The cause of death is cancer according to the company.

Nintendo conveyed their condolence and grieving in a brief statement. The News sent a shock-wave through the gaming communities. Many technology based networks and communities where also dumbstruck on hearing Satoru Iwata’s passing.

In June 2014, Iwata had gone for a surgery to remove a growth that had appeared in his bile duct. He was not able to attend the company’s annual shareholder meeting due to this contingency.

Iwata had mentioned to shareholders at the time, that his doctors were confident that they had detected the growth early and that he had no symptoms from the growth.

Iwata became the director of Nintendo in 2000 and was named the chief executive of Nintendo of America in 2013.

Satoru Iwata is credited with most of the growth the company witnessed in the first decade of this century. The hugely successful Nintendo DS consoles and Wii were launched during his leadership.

In the month of May Iwata had announced in a news conference that Nintendo’s full-year financial result shows that the company had returned to prosperity for the 1st time since 2011.

Nintendo’s internet presence was largely maintained by Satoru Iwata. Many gaming communities loved Iwata mainly for his openness and intractability.

Iwata Asks is a column on Nintendo’s website which was maintained by Satoru Iwata, where he interviewed game developers about their latest products.

Iwata was a great and good man who had touched the lives of many people. He gave kids of all ages games that they will cherish for their lives.

Gmail fights Spam with new Postmaster Tools for Companies and Machine Learning

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Nitish Singh

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July 11, 2015

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Gmail is one of the leading email services in the world and already does a great job in spam filtering, but Google is now adding tools targeted at helping companies manage spam better.

Spam Filtering done right

Well, Google already does a great job at message spam filtering, but there are still those rare occasions when a couple of spam messages get through to the inbox or a valid message is mistaken as spam.

To avoid this and make the service better, Google has launched Postmasters Tools for companies. Companies now can focus on analyzing their mass mailing service and reroute mail delivery if they find spam filtering system is getting things wrong.

The Google mailbox spam filtering artificial intelligence is one of the best in the world. According to the official Gmail blog, there is only 0.1% chance that a spam message will end-up in your inbox and only 0.05% chance that a valid mail will land in the spam folder.

Whatever may be the odds for bad landing, Gmail team wants to hand some control to the companies with the new Postmasters tools.

In addition, Gmail is trying to revamp end-user email filtering algorithm. According to Google, the new machine learning algorithm will start learning on the user level.

With more changes, Google wants to make sure that none of your necessary email messages ends up in the spam folder or vice-versa.

The new AI driven spam filter will learn your reading habits and reflect your preferences.

NASA’s launched an app to explore Mars from the comfort of your home

By

Nitish Singh

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July 11, 2015

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Want to explore Mars? NASA just released a cool new app to help you do that. Just point your browser to the link below and visit Mars yourself.

Are you a space ranger just like me?

Then, you are going to love the latest app that NASA developed for fans. The app is not just another Google Earth clone. It is way beyond the limits of the Earth. Yes, you can use the app to visit Mars — all of this without leaving the comfort of your chair.

NASA new Mars Trek Website hosts the app and is available for everyone. There are few limitations to the app such as you cannot get close to the volcano or craters and that’s completely understood.

The interactive map is made using the images that are taken during the several Mars missions done by NASA in the past few decades. All of the experience, data and technology has been combined within this beautiful app. Furthermore, you can also change views and zoom in to get a closer look.

Currently, the app offers three views, north polar, global and south polar.

Additional features include an amazing layers tool which can be used to layer images from different orbiter cameras. The tool can give you some insight on the surface of the Mars.

Another great tool at your disposal is the “Bookmarks”. The idea implemented here is to have a list of locations that are worth checking. The locations are related to historical landings and other mission critical information.

For tech lovers, the app offers a simple download of STL file for the 3D model creation.

I really loved the new app from NASA, but the only drawback is that you need a good connection to experience the true beauty of Mars.

There are a lot of historical significances associated with the Mars mission, and this app really provides a doorway to our past and possibly the future. Explore Mars Here

Google releases a second version of Android M Developer Preview

By

Nitish Singh

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July 10, 2015

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Google showcased the new Android OS, the Android M in the last Google I/O conference. This, of course, is not the end of the what Google has to offers, as the company have now released the first update to the Android M Developer preview.

Even though the second preview of the Android M doesn’t have much for normal users, it does pack a punch for the advanced users with all the bugs fixes and API additions.

The preview is currently available for three smartphones – Nexus 9, Nexus 6 and Nexus 5. And, for any reason if you have the first preview loaded on one of these phones, you can just download the OTA update to get the latest version.

The Latest Build Changes

The latest build of Android M has slight changes from the first build. If you are a geek and want to get a sneak peak of all the changes, you can just go to official web page to know about all the changes.

But, if you are just like me, a small list would surely help!

The major changes in the developer preview 2 are as follows:

1. Android Pay: They have included the new Android Pay, an inbuilt payment system for mobile and works similar to Google Wallet. The only difference between Google Wallet and Android Pay is the later is integrated into the OS of the smartphone.

2. Better App Permission System: The app permission will go more granular and you can now control each permission access by the app and not just only at installation.

3. Doze: A new power saving logic to make sure that the apps synchronize with the sleep patterns of the device

And, finally,

USB Type C support — The universal port for your smartphone.

For developers, there are API additions.

Want to try out the new release? Head to the download section.

Advertisers won’t be aware of your Facebook likes and shares

By

Nitish Singh

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July 9, 2015

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When we want to guess the popularity of some content on Facebook the numbers of likes and shares are a pretty good measure. But the social networking giant has decided to drop all likes and shares from its Cost per Click (CPC) measurements.

The likes and shares on Facebook are more like metrics and this has made measuring the overall success of any advertisement much difficult.

But why has Facebook taken this decision?

“Over the last few years, Facebook’s ad offering have become increasingly tailored to helping advertisers meet specific business objectives. This update is part of that effort: it’s designed to provide a measurement that’s more closely aligned with how advertisers are bidding so they can better optimize their campaigns against their stated goals.”

In brief people accidentally click these buttons; especially the like button and this “accident” can’t be accredited as a success for the advertiser.

The CPCs will only be evaluated on the total counts of clicks leading to an external website or to install an application or watching a video on another domain.

Facebook will be launching a new API in the next week or two. It will give advertisers accessibility to their adjusted CPCs, excluding the likes and shares.

Although the two buttons won’t be much of use to the income of any advertisers, Facebook has said that it will still have some value.

“If an ad has lots of likes and shares, that’s a signal of high-quality signals being delivered to the right people.”

And besides, it will still be a decent measure of success for non-advertising pages/content. We still are and will like to use ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ to assess the popularity of companies, celebrity and pseudo-celebrity pages on Facebook.

Google Chromecast will get a new $15 Ethernet adapter

By

Nitish Singh

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July 9, 2015

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Google Chromecast is a great way for streaming content on a mobile device to a television or any Monitor supporting HDMI. It is very affordable, but has some ‘issues.’

Solving the Problem…

Google is determined to solve what may be the biggest problem the Chromecast, which is unstable wireless connection. The solution is a new $15 Ethernet adapter manufactured by Google.

Chromecast connects to wireless networks via the crowded 2.4 GHz Wireless-N networks (i.e. Wi-Fi 802.11n). This means that the possibility to get a clear connection is quite minimal.

The interference that might occur could in fact significantly hamper ones user experience. The dreaded buffering circles and even a possibility of disconnection are major side effects of this issue.

The solution can be a modern 5 GHz Wi-Fi standard which is quite less crowded. But apparently the Chromecast can’t connect to them.

Ethernet connectivity will ensure a direct line between a router/modem and the Chromecast. Hence the adapter solution as proposed by Google.

The adapter will manage both power and will connect to the Chromecast via USB plugged into an AC outlet and an Ethernet device.

It’s safe bet that the next Chromecast will at last have support for 5GHz networks. The new introduced adapter will help moderate the connection woes without you having to break your bank.

There are some minor cons to this solution also. Behind your televisions, the mess of wires will increase (at the time when you thought all the wires have ultimately ended).

You will also have to get your very own supply to a personal Ethernet Cable.

But the trouble is worth taking for many as the interruptions during the next NetFlix session isn’t worth taking.

If anything we can learn from this is that we are a long way from the age of a wireless world.

Hacked Surveillance Company says its Tools could fall into the hands of Terrorists

By

Nitish Singh

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July 9, 2015

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Although there were some excitement earlier this week when notorious surveillance company, Hacking Team got hacked, the situation is now dimmer as the company is claiming it has lost control of its tools and they may have falling hands of terrorists and black-hat hackers.

They are worried…

They added that their hacking tools and data can be used by terrorists and other criminal groups. The company is trying to woo everyone not to download the 400 GB file of the torrent as it can contain virus and malware.

According to the latest news from the company, they have lost control of most of their software and currently doing everything possible to get back control.

The loss of 400 GB of important data is intense and is said to contain every small bit of information about the company and the operations they were running to help the surveillance program.

Their important software the “Da Vinci“, which is used to decrypt emails and files for surveillance reasons.

To address the situation, Hacking Team wrote the following.

Before the attack, Hacking Team could control who had access to the technology which was sold exclusively to governments and government agencies. Now, because of the work of criminals, that ability to control who uses the technology has been lost. Terrorists, extortionists and others can deploy this technology at will if they have the technical ability to do so.

They also added.

We believe this is an extremely dangerous situation.

And,

Hacking Team is evaluating if it is possible (sic) to mitigate the danger. We expect too that anti-virus companies are upgrading their programs to detect the compromised Remote Control System (RCS).

With everything broken, the company’s software engineers are trying to fix the problem and have told their customers not to use their products anymore (until they get them fixed).

They are also trying to hire new people to the team. But, the company image has already been tarnished to pieces, and it is tough to get anyone aboard now.

We hope to get more information about the proceeding and will let you know about any changes in this matter. For more news, please subscribe to the news channel and don’t forget to share the article.

LG G4 Beat mid-range Android Phone

By

Jia Khan

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July 9, 2015

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The South Korean Electronics Company LG has launched a new variant of the G4, the LG G4 Beat which is more or less like a stripped down version of the flagship LG G4.

“Mostly phones are built that include one killer feature that becomes the popularity symbol for it but it lacks other general usability features”,

said Juno Cho, CEO LG Electronics Mobile Communications.

“Our aim was to build a phone that should not only excel in general features like display, connectivity, performance and design but should also deliver terrific value and satisfaction.”

he added

The new G4 Beat is almost the same as its predecessor, but it has some extra features like combo volume feature that rocks on this phone.

LG G4 Beat features a 5.2 inch large full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 423ppi. It possesses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, 8MP rear camera and 5 megapixels front camera.

However, LG will launch G4 Beat in Latin America with 13 megapixels rear camera that will deliver the same picture quality as decent digital cameras.

LG G4 Beat has 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB internal memory. It has a 2300mAh battery. It runs the latest Android version i.e. Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

It supports both 3G and 4G (also 4G LTE), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and A-GPS. The LG G4 Beat has been released in three wonderful colors; Silver, White and Gold.

LG launched the G4 Stylus in India this week. LG G4 Stylus has a 5.7-inch full HD screen with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution.

Rear camera is 13 megapixels and the front cam is 5 megapixels. It supports and runs Lollipop 5.0. It has a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor.

As opposed to LG G4 Beat, G4 Stylus possesses 1GB RAM and but has more storage space than Beat i.e. 16 GB internal storage.

The G4 Stylus runs on a 3,000mAh Li-Ion battery and priced at Rupees 24,990 in India.

LG hasn’t revealed the price for G4 Beat but it is expected to be in the vicinity of the price tag of G4 Stylus. The LG G4 Beat will hit Latin America, France, Germany and Brazil this July.

BBC Micro Bit Computer heading to 1 million UK schoolkids

By

Jia Khan

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July 9, 2015

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BBC announced that it would distribute about 1 million Micro bit computers to school children aged 11 to 12 years old across the United Kingdom.

The tiny computer was unveiled during a conference in London this week where future plans to be implemented in October were discussed. Micro bit project had been introduced early this year as a sub-project of Make It Digital initiative.

“Developing the Micro:bit technology remained a marvelous project for us as a team”,

said Tony Hall, Director BBC.

“We are aiming towards the provision of 1 million Micro Bits to roll all over the UK”,

he added.

The BBC Micro bit is a joint project of a number of leading companies including mainly ARM, Farnell, Microsoft and Samsung.

The partners of this project hope that this micro-computer will have an impact on the next generation of children, imbibing in them an urge to understand computer basics and programming languages.

Micro bit will be commercialized this October when free units of the device will be offered to students between the age bracket of 11 to 12 years.

Microsoft has a special contribution in the development of Micro bit i.e. the development of browser-based programming interface.

The Micro Bit is 4 x 5 cm (1.6 x 2 inches) in dimensions, but this tiny gadget wraps lots of features in it including a grid of 25 LEDs that form a particular display pattern when programmed.

It also has 2 programmable buttons and a built-in accelerometer and a compass.

The Micro Bit can link with other devices either through five input/output rings or wirelessly via Bluetooth.

BBC expects the upcoming generation to move digitally and Micro bit is specially designed for children who are home-schooled so that every child can have his hands on it.

This is a great initiative by BBC and the partner companies as we take another step towards a digital world.