Tag: aforementioned

Google explores texting from your browser

Google’s Android Messages app could soon get a dramatic makeover with some interesting new features, judging by an APK teardown by XDA Developers and Android Police . Most significantly, it looks like you’ll be able to pair your phone with a computer and text directly from a browser like Chrome, Firefox and Safari, much as you can with Google’s Allo messaging app. Unlike Allo, however, Android Messages could allow you to send mobile SMSes rather than web messages, making texting a fair amount easier. To use it, you may have to scan a QR code on your PC or Mac, then pair your device each time you want to text. The feature appears to be partially implemented in the latest Android Messages 2.9 APK , but you can’t yet send an actual text. The APK also hints at the ability to send and receive payments, likely via Google Pay , potentially opening that service up to many more users. There are also signs that something called Google Enhanced Messaging, probably similar Smart Replies for Gmail, Allo and Inbox, is coming to Android Messages. All told, Google appears to be transforming Android Messages into an Allo-like app, except for mobile SMS texts instead of web-based ones. It could also be monetizing it to a degree via Google Pay. Considering the power it yields over the Android smartphone ecosystem, that could amount to a lot of dollars. Take all the changes with some salt, though, because APKs don’t necessarily mean features are set in stone, and some of the aforementioned features are still half-baked. Source: XDA Developers , Android Police

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Google explores texting from your browser

Delta to offer free in-flight use of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and iMessage

 Starting October 1, passengers on most Delta will have free access to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and iMessage. To access the feature, a passenger will have to log into Delta’s in-flight wifi portal powered by Gogo. This is first time an airline has offered such a service throughout its fleet. Traditional SMS messages will not work. Only the aforementioned mobile messaging services… Read More

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Delta to offer free in-flight use of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and iMessage

Android O beta is available to download today

It wouldn’t be Google’s annual developer conference without the birth of the latest version of Android, would it? 2017 sees the company announcing Android O, an operating system that’s not really about flashy features. Instead, the software is all about making the user’s experience that much easier and better, thanks to weirdly-named concepts like “Fluid Experiences” and “Vitals.” We’ve already seen big chunks of Android O, which has been available in developer preview form since March. Much of Google’s effort has been behind the scenes, reducing battery drain, improving notifications and joining up its platforms to make the experience that much more seamless. Some of these features are covered by Fluid Experiences, which includes a picture-in-picture mode, the aforementioned new notifications and Google’s smart text selection / autofill. In addition, Android O is packing a “lite” version of Tensorflow , software that enables computers to learn quicker than ever before. In the Vitals column, there’s faster boot and app load times, as well as Play Console Dashboards and Android Studio Profilers. Android O is also getting Google Play Protect , a raft of new security features to protect your device from security threats with a built-in device finder. One of the biggest cheers at I/O went up when the company announced that Android O would support the Kotlin programming language. In the run up to I/O, we also learned about other features that Android O will be boasting, including a technology called ” Copyless Pasting .” In addition, Google recently lifted the lid on Project Treble , which will apparently ease the pain of getting updates pushed out to various handsets. The Android O beta is available to download from today and will be available for everyone later this year. This is a developing news story, please refresh the page for more information. For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2017, follow along here

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Android O beta is available to download today

Sony’s ‘world’s fastest’ SD card writes data at 299 MB/s

Sony’s upcoming SF-G series of SD cards will be available this spring, the company announced today . When that time comes, Sony said they “will be the world’s fastest SD cards.” Boasting a maximum write speed of 299 MB/s, that claim is right on point. The cards (available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB sizes) also have a slightly higher top read speed of 300 MB/s. Speed is a priority, so the cards also support the UHS-II interface, which adds a second row of connecting pins to the card for increased transfer rates on compatible hardware. More than any card before it, the SF-G series will be able to handle quick-shooting cameras smoothly, as well as capturing 4K video and other technically demanding uses. To fully take advantage of the tremendous speed, Sony also revealed it will offer a specialized card reader so users can quickly transfer files to and from their computers. The SF-G series will take good care of your files, too. In addition to being compatible with Sony’s file rescue software , these SD’s are also waterproof, temperature resistant, shockproof and X-Ray proof. For comparison, B&H Photo Video says that two of the fastest SD card lines out there today, SanDisk’s Extreme PRO UHS-II series and Lexar’s Professional 2000x UHS-II series, can achieve read speeds of 300 MB/s and write speeds of 260 MB/s. For the more casual user, Amazon’s best-selling card, the 32GB SanDisk Ultra Class 10 SDHC UHS-I , tops out at 80 MB/s for read and write speeds. Sony has yet to announce the pricing for these cards, but the 32GB version of the aforementioned SanDisk card sells for about $60 . The SF-G cards are technically superior, though, so expect them to retail for a bit more than that. Source: Sony

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Sony’s ‘world’s fastest’ SD card writes data at 299 MB/s

U.S. Congressman Wants to Build a Bridge Out of Aircraft Carriers

Shortly after the invention of the airplane in the early 1900s, some military-minded maniac tried to launch one off of a ship. The experiment worked, and soon the American, British and Japanese navies began building aircraft carriers. Like all military craft, carriers have a shelf life. The supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk , for instance, was built in 1956 and decommissioned in 2009; the only reason she’s still floating is that the U.S. Navy is saving her as a backup until the USS Gerald Ford , another supercarrier, comes on-line in 2016. But a Washington-state Congressman, Rep. Jesse Young, has other plans for the Kitty Hawk , or any other carrier he can appropriate: He wants to turn them into a bridge. Congressman Young’s plan sounds completely crazy, but his idea is to connect the Washington municipalities of Bremerton and Port Orchard with a bridge made out of aircraft carriers. “I know that people from around the world would come to drive across the deck of an aircraft carrier bridge, number one, ” Young told the Pacific Northwest’s NW News Network . “Number two, it’s the right thing to do from my standpoint because this is giving a testimony and a legacy memorial to our greatest generation.” Although the rendering shows three carriers, Young believes the span across the Sinclair Inlet could be handled by two connected by a conventional span. He’s reportedly got his eye on the two carriers awaiting the scrap pile at Bremetron’s naval shipyard, the aforementioned Kitty Hawk and the USS Independence . While it’s presumably possible from an engineering standpoint—if a ship can launch an F-16, it can probably handle your average commuter’s Ford Taurus—it would of course require naval cooperation, and the U.S. Navy doesn’t seem interested. The Independence is scheduled to be scrapped later this year, they say, and the Kitty Hawk isn’t going anywhere until the Gerald Ford is ready to sail. Still, Congressman Young is undeterred, and is currently trying to push a $90, 000 feasibility study through the legislature. “That is the beautiful thing about opportunities, ” he told the NSNN . “No one ever says they’ll be easy, just that the greater the difficulty the greater the accomplishment.”

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U.S. Congressman Wants to Build a Bridge Out of Aircraft Carriers