Industry News

15 Apr 2015
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Save the Internet

Sticky Post By On April 15, 2015

Most of us might not even know that there is a fight for the open internet happening right now in Brussels.

Net neutrality is the founding principle of the internet. It guarantees that all data packets are treated equally. This principle guarantees that the internet will remain diverse, innovative, and free. Telecoms companies want to change that. They want to establish new business models based on discrimination and restrictions. We cannot give up the economic and social value of the internet just to help a handful of companies to make more money.

Learn more about the issue on this site. Then go to Take Action section and contact a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) of your country asking him/her to defend the net neutrality in Europe.

14 Apr 2015
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AWS Announces Amazon Machine Learning

Sticky Post By On April 14, 2015

Good news for the development community: last week Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) has announced Amazon Machine Learning, a fully managed service that makes it easy to use historical data to build and deploy predictive models.

This means machine learning technology is now available and affordable to the developers of all skill levels – no need to learn complex ML algorithms and technology as Amazon did the job already.

Amazon Machine Learning provides visualization tools and wizards, and once the models are ready, it should be easy to get predictions for own applications using simple APIs without having to implement custom prediction generation code or manage any infrastructure.

Sounds really promising! We just cannot wait apply the service in our projects.

More information in the official press release and on the AWS website.

01 Apr 2015
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New connections: USB Type-C

Sticky Post By On April 1, 2015

Are you wondering what that thing USB Type-C is? The answer is very simple – it is a faster, more versatile and conveniently reversible connector that replaces USB, power and other types of cords. Also the Type-C port measures just 8.4mm by 2.6mm. This means it’s small enough to work for even the smallest peripheral devices. With Type-C, a USB cable’s both ends will be the same, so you don’t need to worry about plugging it in upside down.

Apple was the first major company to throw its weight behind USB Type-C with a flagship product – the new MacBook, but Google isn’t far behind. We have noticed that the search company launched its own brand new notebook – Chromebook Pixel, with the same USB and according to Google Product Manager Adam Rodriguez  Type-C will be appearing in Android phones soon.

 

30 Mar 2015
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Gmail app just got better for Android users

Sticky Post By On March 30, 2015

mobile drawer shot copyAs of today Android users, which most of The Black Bears are, will be able to view all their mail at once, regardless of which account it’s from, using the new “All Inboxes” option in Gmail app.

So now it became really convenient to read and respond to all messages without having to hop between accounts. And there are more nice features like conversation view for non-Gmail accounts, smarter search and more responsive animations. Thanks, Google!

Read more on Google’s official blog.

[Image Source: Google’s official blog]

20 Mar 2015
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SanDisk introduces 200 GB Ultra microSD card

Sticky Post By On March 20, 2015

If you are like us and a 128GB microSD card isn’t big enough to put all your high quality snaps, audio and video on your phone – don’t worry. We are happy to tell you that SanDisk has introduced a new microSD card designed to provide a little more storage.

The SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card, Premium Edition, packs a whopping 200 GB of storage capacity, more than many laptops will give you! Capable of delivering transfer speeds of 90 MB per second, or around 1,200 photos per minute,the card is targeted primarily for use with Android devices.

SanDisk says its new 200 GB microSD card will be available worldwide in the second quarter of 2015.

 

17 Mar 2015
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Manual review for Android Apps

Sticky Post By On March 17, 2015

 

Just heard that Google has started to manually review apps before making them publicly available on its Google Play store. The company has been using the process quietly for the past several months but nobody noticed it until 17th of March when it was disclosed in some techno blogs.

The new process involves a team of experts from Google reviewing applications for compliance with their laundry list of policies pertaining to content, network usage, application promotion and other items. In addition Google has also added a new application content age-based rating system for apps and games.

 [Image Credit: Android Developers Blog]

12 Mar 2015
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Breakthrough 3D fingerprint with Snapdragon Sense ID

Sticky Post By On March 12, 2015

Have you seen a new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner that Qualcomm has showed off at MWC 2015? If the answer is NO you must know that Qualcomm will create a 3D map of our fingerprints. The result will be a more accurate reading that is also more secure. Ultrasonic reader will work through pretty much any material. That means its bio-metric reader could be built into any part of a device.

Snapdragon Sense ID 3D Fingerprint Technology will form part of the Snapdragon 810 CPU that will be making its way into flagship devices throughout 2015. So we can expect the first phone with Sense ID 3D before the end of the year.

 

10 Mar 2015
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Google unwraps Android 5.1. Lollipop

Sticky Post By On March 10, 2015

Good  news! Google announced the roll out of the Android 5.1. Lollipop. The new update improves stability and performance and also offers some new features like HD voice and Device Protection.

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The last one is perhaps the most essential as it ensures that the device will remain locked if it is stolen or lost. The only way to unlock is by signing with the personal Google account. According to Official Android blog Device Protection will be available on most Android phones with Android 5.1.

The blog also reports that Lollipop 5.1 also will have the ability to join Wi-Fi networks and control paired Bluetooth devices directly from Quick Settings. Other basic enhancements include high definition voice calls on compatible phones.

The Black Bears are waiting to check it out!

[Image credit: Official Android blog ]

09 Mar 2015
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Apple Watch is coming

Sticky Post By On March 9, 2015

Just a few more weeks left to greet the Apple Watch! According to Apple, it will be the biggest new product since the iPad. And the most personal one they have ever made.

It is made to run its own applications, to connect with iPhones and be a fashion product on its own. Next to timekeeping and healthy & fitness features, Apple promises to show us ”all-new ways to do all kinds of things” with the Watch.

On one hand we cannot wait to own that piece of hardware since Apple has always kept its promises. On the other hand perhaps we should wait a bit.  Mario Aguilar in  his article gave us a good reason why not to buy one .. and, yes, has a point!

“… if you hold on even one year for version two, it is all but guaranteed to be measurably better in countless ways. Granted, this is always true to some degree, but it’s extra true for first-gen gadgets.”