Software : BlackBerry users lose out as Yahoo makes big spring cleaning cuts |
- BlackBerry users lose out as Yahoo makes big spring cleaning cuts
- Polaroid agrees to bring Socialmatic 'real Instagram camera' concept to life
- Can Rovio achieve the impossible and make a good movie spin-off game?
- Taxi fares to flight info: JetBlue offers its ideas for Google Glass
| BlackBerry users lose out as Yahoo makes big spring cleaning cuts Posted:  Yahoo's week of fat-trimming continued into the weekend with CEO Marissa Meyer axing seven of the online company's products. Yahoo's BlackBerry app is the highest profile casualty and will no longer be available for download from April 1, while the Yahoo Message Boards website will also shut down in a month's time. Beyond that, the other spring cleaning closures announced on the company blog Yahoo Avatars, Yahoo App Search, Yahoo Sports IQ, Yahoo Clues, and the Yahoo API. The blog post explained: "After much thought and deliberation, we decide to shut down some products. Before making these decisions, we look at a variety of factors. The most critical question we ask is whether the experience is truly a daily habit that still resonates for all of you today." StreamliningFriday's blog post also talked up how the streamlining of services has also resulted in improvements for some of the company's core offerings, while less critical products have fallen by the wayside. Jay Rossetter EVP of Platforms wrote: "At Yahoo!, we're focused on making your daily habits more inspiring and entertaining. This means that we're constantly reviewing and iterating on our products and experiences. In some cases, it means updating our products like we've done recently with our new welcome to Yahoo!, Flickr for iPhone and iPod Touch and Yahoo! Mail." The cutbacks follow an interesting week at the online company with recently-appointed CEO Marissa Mayer also banning its employees from remote working in a bid for enhanced productivity. |
| Polaroid agrees to bring Socialmatic 'real Instagram camera' concept to life Posted:  Polaroid has signed on to build and market last year's intriguing Socialmatic concept, which takes the spirit of Instagram and turns it into a physical instant camera. The imaging giant, whose self-developing Land cameras inspired the modern desire for retro-looking snaps, has latched onto the concept design from ADR Studios and will make it a reality by Q1 2014. No technical details have been publicised for the Polaroid Socialmatic Camera, as it has officially been Christened, but the designer outlined a clear vision and it'll be interesting to see if Polaroid sticks to the script. The concept device has a 4.3-inch touchscreen, runs on Android, offers interchangeable lenses and a built-in LED flash, as well as 16GB of storage and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for uploading snaps. Instant print or instant uploadThe Polaroid Socialmatic Camera is also likely to retain the designer's desire for a built-in printer, truly combining the physical and digital worlds in a way rarely seen in the modern era. The brains behind the concept also outlined a desire for supporting different printer inks, while they also wanted QR codes printed on every snap. It would also be interesting to see apps like Instagram featured on the device to enable users to apply their filters and then print out the picture within a few seconds. We're excited to see this concept become a reality. Where will Polaroid go with it? Will it maintain the original concept designs and features? Could this true Oroborus-like piece of tech truly catch on? Proud"We are so proud to work together with C & A and Polaroid, giants of digital photography," said Antonio De Rosa, CEO of Socialmatic on the company blog. "It 's been a long and difficult negotiation but we were strongly motivated to reach an agreement to create a small revolution in digital photography. "This mix of Hardware and Software, together with our brand new photo social network will fill the gap between virtuality and reality." Socialmatic promises the release of more information in the near future with the on-sale date pencilled in for early 2014. |
| Can Rovio achieve the impossible and make a good movie spin-off game? Posted:  Rovio's continued efforts to transcend Angry Birds will continue on March 14 with the launch of The Croods for Android and iOS. The Finnish developer has buddied-up with Dreamworks Animation to promote the 3D animated movie of the same name, which comes out a week later on March 22. The Croods, starring Nicolas Cage (reason enough alone to go and see it), Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone charts the adventures of a sheltered prehistoric family who're forced to explore the world when their cave haven is destroyed. The game will task players with re-building a village, hunting and gathering and catching 'crazy creatures' in order to level-up characters. Begging for itPetri Järvilehto, EVP of Games at Rovio Entertainment, said: "DreamWorks Animation's The Croods is filled with wonderful characters and creatures in an incredibly detailed, inventive world — it was just begging for its very own mobile game!" This all sounds great doesn't it? But can Rovio achieve the seemingly impossible and release a movie tie-in game that's actually worth playing? We'll find out on March 14. Meanwhile, check out the trailer below. |
| Taxi fares to flight info: JetBlue offers its ideas for Google Glass Posted:  It's easy to imagine using Google Glass for hands-free directions, phone calls, video recording and more, but JetBlue took it one step further in a Google+ post this week. The airline piggybacked the #ifihadglass social media campaign to remind its fans that it's the coolest airline around, publishing several pictures of imaginative ways to use Google Glass in and around an airport. The #ifihadglass hashtag was spawned by Google to encourage, and Google Glass hopefuls used the hashtag to enter for a chance to win the opportunity to do Google's marketing for it. If that sounds a little twisted to you, JetBlue's hypothetical Google Glass uses might just make you feel better.
And that's why we want Google GlassHypothetically speaking, of course. JetBlue posted on Google+, "#ifihadglass we would continue to help the world view air travel through a whole new lens," and included several mock-ups of Google Glass being used around an airport. First, Google Glass could display in real-time how much space is left in a parking structure when you're driving up. It could display your flight status without you having to search frantically for a TV screen in the airport, then point out available power outlets while you're waiting to board. After the flight, Google Glass could tell you where your baggage will be and when it will arrive.
Finally, JetBlue contends that Google Glass could estimate your cab fare outside the airport. We have a winnerJetBlue stands a respectable chance of taking the crown in the #ifihadglass campaign with these ideas, though no doubt if it really wanted a prototype Google would probably supply it one regardless - especially with applications like these in mind. In related news, the airline posted a comment response to a request that it adds these features to smartphone apps before looking to future tech like Google Glass. "We're always looking at features to add to our Android and iOS apps," JetBlue wrote, "and love the idea of streamlining the experience, not just from gate to gate, but from door to door." It added that mobile boarding passes for Android are "nearly here." |
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