Software : Galaxy Gear's 'real' notifications boost may actually make it useful |
- Galaxy Gear's 'real' notifications boost may actually make it useful
- Microsoft launches 3D Builder app for Windows 8.1 to aid support for 3D printers
- What was he in again? Google Play Movies brings info cards to the UK
- Internet Explorer on Xbox One does more than 'just work,' says Microsoft
- Google Play Music app hits iOS with a free month of All Access
| Galaxy Gear's 'real' notifications boost may actually make it useful Posted:  The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch has endured a rough time of it since its launch this autumn, after failing to sell smartphone users, or anyone else for that matter, on the real benefits of strapping one on. Now there is hope, as an update to the Gear Manager app gives the device a shot making some headway, by bringing real notifications from any Android app, directly to the screen. Prior to the update, users would only see they had a notification so would have to whip out their phone anyway. Now now they'll see the full content of Facebook alerts, WhatsApp messages and everything else. Thanks to v1.5.111304 of the Gear Manager app, owners will handily be able to select which apps send notifications to the watch and which don't. Progress. More appealing or less appalling?To grab the update, Gear users should head to the Gear Manager app on their compatible Samsung smartphone and download the latest version from the Samsung App Store. Does this, all of a sudden, make the Galaxy Gear a more appealing prospect for you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. |
| Microsoft launches 3D Builder app for Windows 8.1 to aid support for 3D printers Posted:  Microsoft has released a new app for Windows 8.1 machines, allowing users to create 3D-printable items. The free 3D Builder app comes with a host of pre-conceived templates, including everything one could need to create their own 3D printed model train set, with their Windows 8.1 compatible 3D printer. As well as host of other templates like lego-style bricks, money clips, cookie cutters, snowflakes, pendants and the rest of it, users can also build their own items from scratch. Microsoft is also enabling users (albeit a very small number of users with Windows 8.1 and a 3D printer at this stage) to combine presets into one larger object. Ornaments, toys and more.."3D Builder has a catalog of objects you can create from ornaments to toys and more. The clean, simple user interface lets you scale, rotate and adjust what you want to print," wrote Microsoft's Kristina Libby on the official Windows blog. "Add multiple objects to a single print – even stack or push objects into one another to create new ones. Printing 3D objects created in other applications or ones that are downloaded from the Internet is really easy with the 3D Builder app and touch as well. The app is available to download from the Windows Store now and, if you're in the market for a 3D printer, Microsoft is also keep to point out it is now selling the MarkerBot Replicator 2. |
| What was he in again? Google Play Movies brings info cards to the UK Posted:  Google has rolled out an update for its UK Play Movies app for Android, introducing the handy information cards that rolled out in the US earlier this year. The feature allows users to pause the video and view information about the actors currently on screen, the related movies and TV shows, as well as information about the soundtrack (sorry Shazam). Users can tap on the lovely actors' faces to see their filmographies, age, birthplace and the other associated items available from the Google Play store. The feature is similar to the Amazon X-Ray for the Kindle Fire and saves a trip to IMDb when trying to answer the age old 'what else has she been in?' question. More Jack Black information"Next time you're watching a movie on Google Play you can find out that it's Jack Black, who was born in Hermosa Beach, California and is 44 years old," the company wrote on the Google UK Google+ page. "In the UK, we've added info cards to the Google Play Movies & TV app so you can easily learn more about the actors, related films and even what song is playing in many of your favourite movies." |
| Internet Explorer on Xbox One does more than 'just work,' says Microsoft Posted:  The Xbox One's version of Internet Explorer doesn't "just work," Microsoft assured today. What the Softies are getting at is that the browser is not merely functional, but much better than that, according to a blog post by Microsoft Creative Technologist and Senior Product Manager Bryan Saftler. "The sites you love on the web do more than just work in Internet Explorer for Xbox One," Saftler wrote. "Because we built Internet Explorer for Xbox One with support for modern web standards like HTML5 and CSS3, your favorite sites are going to look amazing on a television." Just browsingSaftler also detailed the ways users can interact with the Xbox One's browser. Apparently gesture controls using the new Kinect, voice commands, an Xbox One controller, or a tablet with the Xbox SmartGlass app will all work. In addition, the new Internet Explorer for Xbox One has 200% better support for modern web standards over the Xbox 360's browser, he noted.
And important browser features like website pinning, tabs, private browsing, SmartScreen, Cookie blocking and Do Not Track mode will all be present in the new browser as well. "Finally, any pinned sites or favorites you saved in Internet Explorer on your Xbox 360 will be pulled forward to your Xbox One," Saftler wrote. A better experienceIt sounds like Kinect and SmartGlass will make browsing the web on Xbox One a whole lot easier than it was on Xbox 360. You can even easily move websites back and forth between the TV and a tablet, according to today's post. And the Xbox One's ability to "snap" applications to one side of the screen means you can browse the web easily without closing your game, a very cool feature that could be great once we get used to it. Microsoft has some useful tips for web designers who want to make sure users get the best experience on their sites on Xbox One, so head over to the full blog post if that's you. You can also win an Xbox One and a year's subscription to Xbox Live Gold if you tweet at Microsoft's @IE handle with the hashtag #IEonXboxOne and tell them what you're excited about in Internet Explorer for Xbox One. |
| Google Play Music app hits iOS with a free month of All Access Posted:  Google Play Music subscribers should have a hop in their step now that word has come that the All Access Music app is finally available on iOS. The search giant's music service has always been available on iOS through a HTML 5-enabled browser app, but Google just released a full-fledged app for iOS devices. Users can expect the same free, standard Google Play Music service that lets them stream internet radio and upload up to 20,000 tracks to their music collection to the cloud. What else is there to it?Google also offers a free month of All Access streaming service, which normally costs $9.99 (about £9.99 or AU$11.99). But this offer is only being extended to new users that haven't already used up their free trial of the service. All Access grants a pass to over 20 million tracks with custom radio stations to help music lovers discover new songs through "smart recommendations." Google's paid music service lets you download up to 20,000 tunes for listening offline on your devices as well. Chromecast owners will be glad to hear the new iOS app has support to cast music wireless from Apple products to a TV. Oddly enough the only thing that seems to be missing on the app is the ability to buy songs. For now, the app only comes as an iPhone version made for smaller screens, but Google is probably cooking up a higher-resolution version for iPads that won't look quite as blown up. Crowded watersGoogle's all-you-can-eat music app joins the iOS ecosystem where there are already a number of services that do just about the same thing. Spotify offers nearly the same service for $10 (around £6.21, AU$10.68) with unlimited streaming and the ability to download up to 3,333 songs across three registered devices. If streaming only is more your speed, Rdio's $10 (around £6.21, AU$10.68) plan has unlimited web and mobile music streaming. The service however, does not include an option for offline listening. For the cost of nothing at all, Pandora offers unlimited Internet radio offset by a set number of song skips and ads. To help take care of those annoyances, users can also pay $3.99 (around £2.47, AU$4.26) a month for the premium Pandora One service. This grants listeners six skips, higher-quality audio, and the Pandora One Desktop App. |
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