Brillo a Homekit From Google

Google appears ready to tackle Tizen, HomeKit with its own IoT platform

It's not terribly surprising that Google wants to connect everything to the web. After all, more web usage, particularly with Google search and apps, leads to more information for the company. And that in turn leads to more potential revenue through targeted advertisements.

What may be more surprising is a new Google platform specifically for the Internet of Things (IoT): The Information reported that Google is working on software called Brillo for that very reason. I would have thought Android, or at least parts of it, could be the underlying IoT platform.

Perhaps Android is too "heavy", however.

By that I mean the software has relatively hefty hardware requirements compared to a smart light switch, garage door opener, doorbell, or smart electricity meter. Brillo could run on devices with as little as 32 to 64 MB of memory while phones minimally have ten times or more memory.

Google actually headed down a similar path in the past. You'll be forgiven if you don't: The platform was introduced at the 2011 Google I/O Developer event and never amounted any tangible products.

The landscape has changed much in four years, however.

Now, we're on the verge of seeing products that support Apple's year-old HomeKit platform, for example. And at a January Consumer Electronics Show keynote address, Samsung announced its Tizen software would be central to the company's IoT strategy. There are now more competitors in this space and we're seeing actual progress in it.

Google itself has made some of that progress, at least on the hardware side. The company bought Next for $3.2 billion and later added DropCam to its acquisition list.

It could be that some of the old Android@Home bits will live on in Brillo but that's the least of my questions.

I'm wondering how open Brillo will actually be since Apple and Samsung are making a platform play here: It's near a certainty that you'll need an iOS device for HomeKit, for example.

Will Google, which touts more openness than its peers, lock users in with Android for Brillo or will it provide a truly open framework?

And how will Google entice hardware partners to embrace Brillo? Samsung faces less of a challenge here because it is its own best hardware partner: The company makes televisions, household appliances, computers and more that could work with Tizen.

As I said, Google has meandered down this road before. Let's see what it announces at next week's Google I/O event to see if the company is any farther along towards a final destination.

Brillo a Homekit From Google

8:37 AM Brillo, Google, GOOGLE I/O, homekit, Internet of things, IoT, Tizen

Are super cheap smartphones really worth it?

Systems developer Angus Gratton recently made a trip to Shenzhen, China where he purchased a $34 smartphone that boasted 4G connectivity, 8 cores, and Android 4.4 (Kit Kat). After running the Huami H3 through its courses, Gratton discovered that none of the above was true, but for $34, you might be surprised at what you get.

The software on the H3 runs painfully slow. Even scrolling down a list in the settings section causes skips and screen freezes. But, considering that the device is running Android 4.0.3 (not the claimed Kit Kat version) with only 200MB of RAM, it is chugging along reasonably well.

Gratton notes, “I’m amazed Android 4 is even halfway usable with such meagre RAM, given how terrible recent cheap smartphones with 512MB of RAM are!”

After digging around the software, Gratton discovered that quite a few of the original claims were incorrect. Not only was the About page modified with false information showing a faster processor with more cores, but the internal storage stats were falsified (only 1.2GB instead of the supposed 4GB) and the build strings that show Android’s Kit Kat as the operating system were all physically changed from their original build of Ice cream Sandwich.

Gratton also did a teardown of the H3 so we could see what is inside. The most interesting revelation is that none of the parts inside are from used phones. They all appear to be new chips, transceivers, and other bits of technology.

Overall, Gratton writes that, for the price, the H3 is “pretty remarkable.” Although he notes that it won’t be replacing his main phone. The device supports the idea that OEMs can make ridiculously cheap, carrier-free smartphones that work reasonably well, especially if they actually produce what they claim (or at least tell the truth about the tech specs).

While the price may be tempting (the Huami H3 has no carrier contract to lock you in), I’m not sure that one could consider this to be a useful smartphone as a main. It is nicely priced to be a working backup in case something went wrong with your main phone. It could even be hacked and repurposed as something else entirely. However, the headache that comes along with a device that can barely handle the software running it may not be enough to make you send your buddy into the “dodgy cell phone market” of Shenzhen the next time he takes a trip to China.

Are super cheap smartphones really worth it?

6:28 PM smart phones

KFC Food Tray Now Connects Your Smartphone Keyboard

Traytyper from KFC. type while you eat

KFC now offering an excellent innovation "TRAYTYPER" which helps you to type your message or chat with your friends and family while you finger licking chicken. Most of the people update their status on Facebook when they having lunch or dinner and using your smartphone at that moment will leave your shiny display covered in oil and sauce's, but thanks to KFC's new Tray pad which let you text, tweet and even get stuff done dinner without having to touch your smartphone display.

The Try Typer measures just 0.4mm thin, has a rechargeable battery built-in, and connects to almost any modern smartphone, tablet or laptop wirelessly. It's also Bluetooth enables so that you can type wireless.

How KFC's TrayTyper Works?

Simply power on the TrayTyper and pair with your smartphone before you start your meal. And you can enjoy your KFC chicken and chatting or updating status on social sites via TrayTyper

KFC Food Tray Now Connects Your Smartphone Keyboard

12:52 PM  KFC,  Traytyper, Gadgets, Gear

Find coupons for your favorite retailers

Where to Find Coupons for Your Favorite Retailers

In today’s society, the economy has placed a tremendous amount of stress on families to spend less and less, while saving more and more. Of course, this is anything, but easy. The truth of the matter is that most individuals will attempt to cut out items that they would normally buy. Thankfully, there are a number of different ways to save money, without cutting back. One way to do this is to use coupons. These are capable of helping consumers save a tremendous amount of money, while also allowing them to purchase their favorite items and brands. Below, you will be able to discover the different locations and ways to discover coupons.

Retail Websites
Before heading to your favorite retail store, you should take the time to explore their website. The majority of these retailers are willing to give their customers coupons and many do this on their websites. Suffice to say, they offer a wide variety of different coupons on their sites. With this in mind, you should browse their websites, find their coupon page and select those that suit your needs. After that, you’ll need to print the coupons and take them with you, when you go shopping. The clerk will be able to scan the discounts, at the register, and you will be able to save money instantly.

Visiting Brand Websites
At the same time, you likely have a handful of brands that you enjoy tremendously. You probably have a specific brand of soda, or milk, that you like to purchase. Sometimes, it is possible to obtain discounts from these companies, by visiting their websites directly. Although this isn’t always true, many of these companies offer discounts to their consumers, as incentives. Be sure to check out their websites, before visiting the store.

Weekly Ads
Weekly ads are not only useful, because they contain sale items, but they also contain coupons and discounts. This will arrive to your home mailbox on a weekly basis so the next time you receive one does not immediately toss it in the trash. Take the time to view every ad, so that you will learn where the most products are on sale for the week. This can truly save you around $40-$50 every time you go to the grocery store or home and garden store.

Newspapers
Sunday newspapers are filled to the brim with innumerable coupons. There you will find a large variety of coupons for different products, which may suit your needs. The next time you stop at the convenient store, be sure to pick up a couple of Sunday papers, so that you can save $25-$30 a week.

Coupons Websites
Of course, it is vital to take the time to check out the websites that are specifically designed for discount coupons. With this in mind, you might want to consider visiting the Kohls Coupons. If you happen to shop with this specific retailer, you will be able to save a tremendous amount of money, by checking out these websites and using their coupons. Either way, it is vital to take the time to explore the options above, until you find a sufficient amount of money saving offers and discounts.

Find coupons for your favorite retailers

8:36 AM coupons

APPLE'S HOMEKIT TO CONTROL YOUR HOME

Now Control Your Home with Apple's HomeKit : Promise comes True in June

A year ago, Apple announced it would make your home a lot smarter with its Siri-controlled HomeKit.

iOS 8 introduces HomeKit, a high-level device connectivity framework enabling apps to interact with physical accessories in the world around us.

App Developers

If your iOS app is primarily designed to provide home configuration or home automation services such as turning on a light or opening a garage door. HomeKit APIs used for communicating with HomeKit accessories.

Apple announced to make it soon. Now, it seems that promise is coming true in just a few weeks. Third-party devices enabled with HomeKit are slated to come to market in June, an Apple spokesman told the newspaper.

The HomeKit app works off of iOS and a remote control for operating home gadgets such as thermostats, garage doors, lights and cameras.

The comments from the Apple spokesman contrast with a report on Thursday that stated HomeKit would be delayed until September.

HomeKit is a framework in iOS 8 for communicating with and controlling connected accessories in a user’s home. You can enable users to discover HomeKit accessories in their home and configure them, or you can create actions to control those devices. Users can group actions together and trigger them using Siri.

Hardware Developers

If you’re interested in creating a HomeKit-enabled hardware accessory, you need to be an MFi licensee to access the resources for manufacturing hardware that integrates HomeKit technology. MFi licensees receive:

HomeKit technical specificationsMFi Logos and Identity GuidelinesHardware technical support

To join the MFi Program, you will need to create or register a business Apple ID, submit an enrollment form, complete a credit review, and execute an MFi License.

APPLE'S HOMEKIT TO CONTROL YOUR HOME

8:58 AM App, Apple, homekit, ios

New Vaccine For HIV

Image: 3Dme Creative Studio / Shutterstock.com

Potential new vaccine blocks every strain of HIV

A new drug candidate is so potent against all strains of HIV, researchers think it could work as a new kind of vaccine.

Developed by researchers from more than a dozen research institutions and led by a team at the Scripps Research Institute in the US, the drug is effective against doses of HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) that have been extracted from humans or rhesus macaques - including what researchers consider to be the ‘hardest-to-stop’ variants. It worked against doses of HIV that are way higher than what would be transmitted between humans, and works for at least eight months after injection.

"Our compound is the broadest and most potent entry inhibitor described so far,” lead researcher Michael Farzan from the Scripps Institute said in a press release. "Unlike antibodies, which fail to neutralise a large fraction of HIV-1 strains, our protein has been effective against all strains tested, raising the possibility it could offer an effective HIV vaccine alternative.”

While traditional vaccines work by delivering a tiny, weakened dose of a virus to train your immune system to thwart an actual attack, this drug does something quite different. The way HIV infects a person is by targeting their T lymphocytes - a very specialised type of white blood cell - and injecting its own genetic material inside to transform them into HIV-producing machines. So, quite literally, it turns our immune systems against us. 

But what Farzan’s team has discovered is that a particular type of protein found on the surface of white blood cells can actually bind to the surface of the HIV virus in two different places simultaneously, which means that not only does the virus no longer have a chance to change the position of its receptors to escape, it’s also being blocked from entering the T lymphocyte cells.

"When antibodies try to mimic the receptor, they touch a lot of other parts of the viral envelope that HIV can change with ease,"said one of the team, Matthew Gardner, from the Scripps Institute. "We've developed a direct mimic of the receptors without providing many avenues that the virus can use to escape, so we catch every virus thus far.”

According to James Gallagher at BBC News, the vaccine would be delivered via a weak, harmless type of virus that would introduce a section of DNA to a patient’s healthy muscle cells, containing instructions for how to produce this HIV-blocking protein. The protein would then be pumped out into the bloodstream over and over, protecting the patient from being infected over several months. The team reported inNature that the effects of the drug lasted for at least 34 weeks in their monkey subjects, but they think they could get it to last for years, perhaps even decades.

"We are closer than any other approach to universal protection, but we still have hurdles, primarily with safety for giving it to many, many people,” Franzen told the BBC. One such concern is that no one really knows what the long-term implications would be for a person who is having an anti-HIV response being pumped around their body non-stop. The team will be looking into this when they get their human trials underway.

"In the absence of a vaccine that can elicit broadly protective immunity and prevent infection, and given the lack of major breakthroughs on the horizon to provide one, the idea of conferring potent, sustained vaccine-like protection against HIV infection through gene therapy is certainly worth strong consideration,” Nancy Haigwood from the Oregon Health & Science University in the US, who wasn’t involved in the study, told the BBC. 

Source: BBC News

New Vaccine For HIV

6:43 AM AIDS, featured, health, HIV, Medicine, vaccine

FREE SMART PHONES FROM T-MOBILES

T-Mobile leak reveals free smartphone offer for prepaid accounts

The idea of getting a free smartphone with service is nothing new; for years, the US market has been dominated by subsidized phone sales, and so long as you didn’t demand the latest and greatest flagships, you could always find a good number of free-on-contract options. In recent years, though, there’s been a shakeup in favor of installment plans, not to mention a rise in popularity of prepaid options, pushing the idea of free phones to the back burner. But today we learn of an upcoming deal for T-Mobile that puts the spotlight back on free phones in an unexpected way, revealing plans to give away a brand new smartphone to users with prepaid service.

We’ve already seen evidence of T-Mobile welcoming a couple new LG Androids to its lineup, the LG G Stylo and LG Leon. Now a leaked doc spells out the carrier’s plan to usher in the arrival of the LG Leon on May 20 with a free giveaway.

Subscribers on either Simple Choice No Credit plans or prepaid plans costing at least $40 a month will be able to get the LG Leon for free, according to this leak. The details differ a little – with prepaid users getting the phone for free straight away with their next $40 or better payment, and SCNC users paying a $150 deposit before getting the full cost of the phone back as a rebate after a month of service – but in either case, it works out to a free phone.

The LG Leon has a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen and runs a Snapdragon 400 SoC – not state-of-the-art by any stretch of the imagination, but free is free, right? And with word that this deal applies equally to new customers as well as existing ones, it’s hard to pass up, even if that means just keeping the Leon as a backup phone.

Source: TmoNews

FREE SMART PHONES FROM T-MOBILES

2:43 PM android, features, Free smart phonea, T-mobile

Apple acquires Coherent Navigation For accurate GPS

Apple acquires high-accuracy GPS firm Coherent Navigation

 theleetgeeks, via Flickr

Apple Maps might be tracking you more closely soon. The Cupertino, Calif., company has acquired Coherent Navigation, a developer of highly accurate GPS services, according to reports that surfaced over the weekend.

Coherent Navigation’s biggest technology combines standard GPS satellite information with data from low-Earth satellites owned by Iridium, a voice and data provider. While consumer GPS can be accurate to within three to five feet, Coherent’s High Integrity GPS can be accurate to a few centimeters.

MacRumors first reported that a few of the Bay Area startup’s employees, including CEO John Lego, have been working at Apple since the beginning of the year. Their website, which previously boasted about relationships with Boeing and the Department of Defense, has been taken down.

While this technology would be great for knowing which side of the street you’re on (maybe for transit directions?), high-accuracy GPS could also be a boon for autonomous cars. That would fit well withApple’s reported plans to challenge Google andTesla in autonomous driving. According to the New York Times, it wouldn’t be the first time Coherent’s technology was used for autonomous navigation.

However, many of Coherent’s past employees who are now at at Apple are working in location engineering or with the Maps team, according to LinkedIn profiles.

Apple acquires Coherent Navigation For accurate GPS

8:38 AM Apple, Apple map, Coherent, GPS, navigation

Kirin 930 And Metal Body -Huawei's Nexus

Huawei’s Nexus To Come With Kirin 930 And Metal Body

Google’s been rumored to be looking towards new manufacturers for this year’s Nexus. According to several speculations so far, the manufacturer of choice for the tech giant has been Huawei. But we’ve also heard about some news about LG considering to make the next Nexus. So while the current contender for Google’s Nexus throne this year is Huawei, its still too early to count other manufacturers out the race either. Nevertheless, we’ve manged to get some more information about the next Nexus.

Huawei’s Nexus Might Come With The Kirin 930 And 5.7 inch Display

While LG’s seemingly confirmed that its considering on manufacturing the next Nexus, the rumor mill is active on pumping more and new information about Huawei’s alleged Nexus. According to information so far, the device might be choosing to stick with the Snapdragon 810 as of now. This most likely means that overheating issues can be expected on the device and right on cue, new information suggests that Huawei might be choosing to employ its own Kirin 930 on the Nexus. The Kirin 930 is Huawei’s in house processor which can be expected to give several chipsets a run for their money.

But while the Kirin 930 might sound like a plausible option for the Nexus, Huawei might be better suited to choose the Kirin 940 or the 950 both of which feature Cortex A72 designs, meaning that you won’t have to worry about high performance on the Nexus. We also get to know more about the display size, design and screen resolution for the device. Allegedly, the next Nexus can be expected to come with a 5.7 inch display, with the device expected to be similar to Huawei’s Mate 8 expected later this year and feature a complete premium metal build. Screen resolution for the device is expected to be 2560 x 1440. That’s all that we have for you today. Stay tuned and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Kirin 930 And Metal Body -Huawei's Nexus

5:24 PM android, Google, Huawei, NEXUS, smart phones

Verizon Buys AOL ,The Internal memo says

AOL will become a subsidiary of Verizon

So this just happened. AOL, owner of TechCrunch, is getting acquired: U.S. carrier Verizonsaid in a statement that it is buying the company for $4.4 billion, or $50 per share. We’ve just been sent an internal memo about the deal that we are embedding below.

A bigger push into content and mobile videos

AOL will become a subsidiary of Verizon as part of the deal, overseeing a bigger push into content and mobile video by Verizon.

“Verizon’s acquisition further drives its LTE wireless video and OTT (over-the-top video) strategy,” the carrier said in a statement.

In addition to original content across different platforms like video and written word, and desktop and mobile, there are other assets that could be interesting fits for Verizon.

For starters, AOL has been building up a programmatic advertising business to build up how AOL monetizes alongside newer formats like video and mobile. Currently that business — which is the fastest growing operation at AOL in terms of revenues — is split between ads on AOL-owned sites and third-party sites. Verizon picking this up could potentially further build out both, with the company partnering with the likes of ESPN to develop content and also giving the AOL-owned properties potentially much bigger audiences.

The other area of AOL’s business that is a fit for Verizon is the company’s still-lingering dial-up business, which is remains a big revenue generator for AOL, last quarter pulling in $182.6 million.

That may be a decline of 7 percent compared to a year ago but, as a business that gets almost no investment but continues to run, membership (where the dial-up business sits) is still a majority of the company’s operating income. Verizon could potentially tap these customers for potential switch to broadband and other services on top of that, an area where AOL hasn’t really innovated on its own.

If you recall there were rumors earlier this year that Verizon was eyeing up the company. While Verizon appeared to dismiss the reports at the time, it turns out that it was definitely interested after all.


For what it’s worth, we’d heard the same about Verizon being interested but that there were some sticking points about whether it would buy only a part or all of AOL, which appear to have been put to one side for now.

“The deal means we will be a division of Verizon and we will oversee AOL’s current assets plus additional assets from Verizon that are targeted at the mobile and video media space. The deal will not change our strategy – it will expand it greatly. The deal will give our content businesses more distribution and it will give our advertisers more distribution and mobile-first features. The deal will add scale and it will add a mobile lens to everything we do inside of our content, video, and ads strategy,” Tim Armstrong, AOL’s chairman and CEO, said in the memo.

There are lingering questions about whether it’s an all-in deal for the longer term, or whether certain operations that are not as central to Verizon’s bigger strategy may eventually get offloaded.

AOL will be having an all-hands at 10am Eastern time this morning and we’ll report what comes up there, too.

Armstrong will continue to head up AOL after the deal is completed.

Full memo below, and more to come.

AOLers –
As you have heard me say many times over the last 5 years since we became an independent AOL, we are building toward becoming the largest media technology company in the world. While there are search platforms, social platforms, and commerce platforms, we have built a very meaningful media platform and AOL today is a media platform company powering our brands and the brands of over 30,000 partners.
If there is one key to our journey to building the largest digital media platform in the world, it is mobile. Mobile will represent 80% of consumers’ media consumption in the coming years and if we are going to lead, we need to lead in mobile. Over the last 18 months we set a goal of moving AOL into a leading position in mobile, mobile video, and mobile registered consumers. We are approaching 400 million global consumers, we have built one of the best advertising platforms in the world, and we have one of the most talented teams in the world – and now it is time for us to fully open up the mobile frontier.
Today, we are announcing that the largest and most innovative wireless and cable company – and the one investing the most in high quality mobile content – is acquiring AOL with the strategy of building the biggest media platform in the world. The company is Verizon and the deal will game-change the size and scale of AOL’s opportunity. Just as AOL has propelled The Huffington Post, Adap.tv, TechCrunch, and other companies we have acquired, Verizon will propel AOL and comes to the table with over 100 million mobile consumers, content deals with the likes of the NFL, and a meaningful strategy in mobile video.
The decision to enter into an agreement with Verizon was made over a long and thoughtful time period and both companies see significant opportunity to service consumers and customers in a differentiated and exciting way. On a personal level, the decision to go forward with an agreement was predicated on giving our talent the best opportunity to build a multi-decade business that would be deeply growth oriented and aimed directly at the platform shift that video and mobile are offering the world – today and 20 years from now.
There are two important questions you might have at this point in the letter:
1. What does this mean?
2. What does this mean for me (meaning you)?
The deal means we will be a division of Verizon and we will oversee AOL’s current assets plus additional assets from Verizon that are targeted at the mobile and video media space. The deal will not change our strategy – it will expand it greatly. The deal will give our content businesses more distribution and it will give our advertisers more distribution and mobile-first features. The deal will add scale and it will add a mobile lens to everything we do inside of our content, video, and ads strategy.
For you this means growth, it means mobile, and it means compensation that will be equal or better to your AOL compensation. Your benefits will not change in 2015. We will eventually go on Verizon’s benefit plan, but that won’t happen until 2016 or later and we will work with Verizon to make sure the benefits are strong and cover important areas of people’s lives. Your job and what you do on a daily basis should be enhanced by the market opportunity this deal is targeted to capture. The simple answer to the question of “what does this mean for you?” should be, “I just got more resources, more support and more growth opportunity.”
The leadership at AOL is staying and I am staying – enthusiastically, and we made that part of the deal. We have the opportunity to build a unique and globally scaled media technology company with the scale and resources we need to make that happen. Verizon and AOL are very large partners today – in content, in ads, and in the technology. We know their team well and they know our team well. The cultures share very similar values and are both working on very similar ways to do good while doing well. Diversity and women’s leadership are at the top of both companies’ agendas and we look forward to having a consumer and industry impact on those important issues.
The future in front of AOL and the industry requires scale, mobile, and video – and partnerships. In our lifetime, we will see the connection of the world on very large and very fast networks – and to play in that world with our strategy requires us to take the natural steps to secure our ability to shoot for the stars. This deal is aimed at the stars and we are going to pursue the joint vision of building the most significant media platform in the world.
I have been a buyer of AOL over the last 5 years – and that is an investment in one thing – our talent. We have reviewed every hire coming into the company over the last 5 years and we have taken extraordinary risks and faced extraordinary challenges over the last 5 years. There is nothing more meaningful than watching our team turn-around this great company and restoring it to growth when most people had left it for dead.
AOL is back and now we are joining forces with Verizon to build the best media technology company in the world. Let’s mobilize. – TA @http://techcrunch.com/

Verizon Buys AOL ,The Internal memo says

3:18 PM acqusition, AOL, featured, Verizon