Daily Archives: July 23, 2015

NVIDIA SHIELD Portable updated to Android 5.1, adds Chromecast support

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While the SHIELD Portable is now twice removed as the latest SHIELD device on the block, NVIDIA certainly hasn’t forgotten about those that got on board the SHIELD bandwagon early.

Today an optional update for the SHIELD Portable is going out that updates the device to Android 5.1 Lollipop. Beyond the OS update it adds support for Chromecast or any Google Cast Ready device, updates the Twitch app to the latest version, and fixes a bug that was preventing people from reading Google Play Books. (Although the SHIELD Portable would be an odd choice for that pastime.)

Unfortunately some features and apps have to go with the update as well due to support issues. Miracast will be removed from your device along with Sonic 4, Episode II, Expendable: Rearmed and the Android Browser.

The Chromecast support alone seems worth the price of admission to me, but mainly I’m just pleased to see NVIDIA continue its strong track record with updating the SHIELD devices.

Any SHIELD Portable owners out there already take the plunge on the update?

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Specs of upcoming Lumia 550, 750 and 850 leak

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Microsoft has been rapidly shifting strategy lately, writing off the Nokia acquisition and taking a lot more conservative approach for the next generation smartphones. Still it seems the company will not cancel any phones that were already in development when the strategy change happened.

Microsoft is expected to release one of two phones annually in three different categories – flagship, business and value. Yet this won't happen until next year at least.

Meanwhile Microsoft is prepping the rumored Lumia 940 and Lumia 940 XL flagships with Quad HD AMOLED screens, Snapdragon 810 chips and 20MP PureView snappers. But it is also developing three affordable handsets as well.

Leak documents now shed some light on their mid-range backup – Lumia 550, Lumia 750 and Lumia 850.

According to those the Lumia 550 will come with a 5" qHD display and run on Snapdragon 210 chip (quad-core 1GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, Adreno 304 GPU, 1GB RAM). There is a 5MP AF main camera, a 2MP selfie cam, 8GB expandable storage and a 1,905 mAh battery.

Lumia 750 ups the 5" display resolution to 720p, bumps the chip to Snapdragon 410 (a quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A53, Adreno 306, 1GB RAM). The main camera is an 8MP unit with ZEISS optics, plus there is a 5MP selfie snapper. Lumia 750 will offer 8GB expandable storage and will be powered by a 2,650 mAh battery.

Finally, the Lumia 850 is touted to pack a 5" 768p display, Snapdragon 410 chip with the CPU clocked at 1.4GHz, 1GB RAM and a 10MP ZEISS camera. The rest of the interesting specs include a 5MP front snapper, 16GB expandable storage and a 2,650 mAh battery.

All three phones are protected by Gorilla Glass 3, lack LTE support and dual-band Wi-Fi, and run on Windows 10 for Mobile.

Microsoft has an IFA event coming up on September 4, but it will focus on Windows tablets and PCs.

There is a good chance though it hosts another press meeting to show off some new Lumia phones, too. The rumor has it Microsoft will be launching the Windows 10 Mobile updates starting October, which means the Windows 10 flagship phone should be upon…

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The Mathematics Of Buckyballs

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Last week, University of Basel chemist John Maier and his colleagues published a paper in Nature solving a long-standing problem about the gaps between stars.  Astronomers had long known that something was floating out there because of observations of light spectra, but no one knew what it was.  Maier and his group finally solved the puzzle:  the mystery substance is Buckminsterfullerene, a molecule of carbon consisting of 60 atoms named in honor of architect Buckminster Fuller, creator of the geodesic dome.

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Why ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’ May Never Be Backward Compatible On Xbox One

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Microsoft has been keeping track of which Xbox 360-era games players want to see on the Xbox One through backward compatibility, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is now leading the pack. The company’s best moment of E3 2015 was the announcement of this new functionality, something thought everyone thought wasn’t going to be possible this console generation, but since then, it’s become clear it’s going to be a rather time-consuming process.

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Have Apple And Spotify Already Lost The Chinese Music Market?

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Most Western music streaming companies look at China as sort of a golden goose. It’s not laying any eggs at the moment, but you think that one might come at any time. That goose may be stolen even before it makes its first deposit though, as the Chinese mega-company Alibaba recently announced that it will combine two of its music properties, Tiantian and Xiami, into a new as-of-yet unnamed music service.

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Send de Microsoft Garage, una alternativa distinta para la mensajería instantánea

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Send, app de mensajería instantánea de Microsoft Garage

Por si no teníamos ya suficiente con todas las aplicaciones de mensajería instantánea a elegir en Android (Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, BBM,…), ahora se quiere subir al carro también Microsoft. Según nos informan desde el blog oficial de Office, de manos de Microsoft Garage ha nacido Send, una apps que introduce alguna que otra novedad respecto a lo que vemos en las demás alternativas de este tipo, pero cuyo objetivo es el mismo: comunicarnos rápidamente.

En Send, no es necesario crear una nueva cuenta para utilizar el servicio, una de sus principales bazas. Eso sí, necesitaremos una cuenta de Office 365, y con ella, ya podremos enviar y recibir mensajes tanto desde el dispositivo móvil como desde el PC. Lo que Microsoft nos propone aquí es la máxima rapidez posible, sin complicaciones de ningún tipo.

Send, correos electrónicos “instantáneos”

Send mensajeria Microsoft Garage Así, al utilizar Send será como si estuviésemos comunicándonos a través de correos electrónicos, pero lógicamente con el sentido de una conversación de chat instantáneo. Al entrar en la aplicación, no veremos todas las direcciones de correos de nuestros contactos de Outlook, sino que solamente tendremos acceso a las conversaciones que hayamos iniciado desde la propia app.

Sin embargo, sí que podremos sincronizar esas conversaciones con Outlook, como es lógico, y continuar enviando mensajes desde el mismo.

¿Rival para la competencia?

Por el momento, Send solamente está disponible para dispositivos iOS y solo en mercados seleccionados, pero está confirmado que también llegará tanto a Android como a Windows Phone en poco tiempo. Así, todavía es muy pronto para determinar si esta nueva aplicación será capaz de rivalizar de tú a tú frente a esa dura competencia que mencionábamos al principio, y que ahora mismo dominan la situación, sobre todo WhatsApp.

Send tiene detrás a una gran empresa como es Microsoft, por lo que si esta quisiera, podría llegar a ser una opción seria y muy a tener en cuenta.

¿Y tú que piensas? Pásate por Send de Microsoft Garage, una alternativa distinta para la mensajería instantánea para dejar tu huella.

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