Moto X through Glass: Motorola exec filmed using the Moto X by Robert Scoble

We’re really psyched about the Moto X here at AA, so when a rumor spread that the device would be shown off to a select group of journalists on July 11, we were pretty curious to learn more.

Naturally, the event hosted by Motorola adviser Guy Kawasaki was private, but that didn’t stop one of the guests from posting a video of singer Daria Musk giving an impromptu performance for the gathering. The guest is Robert Scoble, whom you may know as an uber-geek and a noted fan of Google’s wearable computer Glass, which he used to record the video.

What’s interesting about the video, which Scoble posted on his Google Plus profile, is that the Moto X, the phone that the entire tech community eagerly awaits, makes a surprise appearance in the hands of a Motorola executive...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority

Google chairman says relationship with Apple improving

During the annual Allen and Co media conference held in Idaho, Google chairman Eric Schmidt has revealed that the once very frosty relationship between Apple and Google is starting to improve. The two companies, which are simultaneously rivals and business partners, have been conducting “lots and lots” of meetings at often very high levels. According to the comments made by Schmidt,  Google’s Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora has been leading many of the discussions.

Emphasizing the better relations between the companies, Schmidt said that the two are in “constant business discussions on a long list of issues.” He also praised Apple saying it was a “proud, well-run” company – as is Google. But that they are two very “different companies.”

Google’s relationship with Apple has been a real roller-coaster of a ride. At its high point Apple made Google the center of its online service offerings including search, maps and email. Eric Schmidt was even a member of Apple’s board. However when Google launched Android things turned sour. Jobs is quoted, in Walter Isaacson’s biography of the Apple co-founder, as saying, “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”

After Schmidt left Apple’s board the relationship has been bumpy with Apple suing Google and Google’s partners over Android. Last year Apple tried to ditch Google Maps, which was – until then – the default navigation app on iOS and replace it with its own maps service. However Apple’s new map service wasn’t fully ready and caused lots of negative publicity for Apple. Earlier this month Apple also announced that it was dropping Google as the default search engine for Siri, instead it would use Microsoft’s Bing.

The initial benefits of an improved relationship between Apple and Google would probably be felt most by iOS users, who might see Google re-instated as the first choice of online services. However since Google now owns Motorola and the firewall between the two, which ensures that Motorola doesn’t get any special treatment, could be taken down if needed, it looks like Google and Apple will also remain both rivals and partners, in a complex but dynamic relationship!

Source: Android Authority

Microsoft Forced to Slash Surface RT Prices Despite Vigorous Anti-iPad Ad Campaign

Microsoft is planning to drop the prices of its Surface RT tablets by $150, reports The Verge. The lower prices, which will go into effect on Sunday July 14, are likely the result of lackluster sales. 

Bloomberg reported in March that Microsoft had sold just 1.5 million Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets since they debuted in October of 2012 and February of 2013, respectively, with 400,000 of those sales attributed to the Pro. HP experienced similarlypoor sales with its TouchPad, which was heavily discounted and then discontinued.

The Surface pricing change comes just after Microsoft announced a restructuring of the company, aiming to enhance collaboration and unify its product lineup. Microsoft has heavily marketed Windows 8 tablets in recent weeks, pitting several different tablets against Apple's iPad in a series of ads that highlight the iPad’s inability to multitask and its lack of built-in productivity software. 

With the discount, Microsoft's pricing will be as follows: 

- Surface RT 32GB: $349.99 
- Surface RT 64GB: $449.99 
- Surface RT 32GB with Touch Cover: $449.99 
- Surface RT 64GB with Touch Cover: $549.99 

Staples has confirmed the pricing cut in a weekly promotional ad that says the new pricing will be available as of Sunday. Despite the pricing cuts, Microsoft has suggested that new versions of both the Surface Pro and the Surface RT are in the works, along with a number of new accessories.

Source: Mac Rumours

'Deus Ex: The Fall' Prevents Players With Jailbroken iOS Devices From Firing Guns

Gamers with jailbroken iOS devices who have purchased or otherwise acquired the new game Deus Ex: The Fall are running into a problem when they attempt to play: they can't fire any guns, a key part of the game.

Eidos, the development firm behind Deus Ex: The Fall likely implemented the measure to deter piracy, as jailbreaking is a requirement to pirate software, though not all users who jailbreak choose to pirate software.

As a result, users who choose to jailbreak for other reasons but pay for their software get caught in the same net as the pirates. It's not the first time that developers have resorted to similar tactics to stop pirates, although it is unusual for such a high-profile developer to target not just pirates but all jailbroken users.

Earlier this year the publisher of Game Dev Tycoon encoded features into the game that would bankrupt players who didn't pay for their copies, while DirecTV prevents users with jailbroken devices from using its app at all.

Deus Ex: The Fall is available on iPhone and iPad for $6.99 from the App Store. 

Source: Mac Rumours

Best Buy offers $200 for old iPads in trade-in deal

Best Buy is promising customers a $200 trade-in value for older versions of Apple's iPad.

The promotion, which runs July 12 and 13, offers customers who trade in a working iPad 2 or third-generation iPad a minimum $200 gift card to the tech retailer. Customers also have the option of upgrading to an iPad with Retina display, which starts at $299.99 after applying the gift card. Best Buy currently sells the 16GB iPad with Retina display and Wi-Fi for $499.99.

Best Buy said customers could receive additional value depending on the model and condition of their tablets. The promotion is available at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores that accept trade-ins.

In June, Best Buy ran promotions that offered customers a "free" iPhone 5 for trading in a working iPhone 4 or 4S. The retailer said it experienced the single biggest day for its trade-in business during that promotion.

Source: CNET

Lumia 1020: A flash point for Nokia?

Nokia hopes its comeback story comes into focus with a little help from its 41-megapixel camera-packing Lumia 1020.

The former Finnish mobile devices giant was at it again on Thursday with the debut of its latest smartphone, which rocks the souped-up zoom-lens camera that impressed critics a year ago at Mobile World Congress. For some, this is the real PureView camera that should have been bolted on to last year's Lumia 920 flagship phone.

Even as the Lumia 1020 comes packed to the gills with features and advanced hardware, it's unclear whether this will be the smartphone to finally reverse Nokia's fortunes. Its continued struggles despite a drastically improved line-up of products underscore the broader difficulties facing all of the vendors in getting support from carriers and interest from consumers. More specifically, there remains a lot of work to revitalize Nokia's brand and educate consumers on Windows Phone...

Read the full story here. Source: CNET

The Summer 2013 Mac Bundle Ft. Parallels Desktop 8

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HTC One is actually easy to open with a special tool, says HTC lead designer

Back in March, iFixit went to work on taking the HTC One apart to give us all a better look at the phone’s insides and determine how easy (or hard) the phone would be to repair. The verdict? Just 1/10 – with 1 being ultra hard and 10 being easy as pie.

The reason for the low score is that the HTC One is very hard to open without damaging the rear case. The good news is that the phone might be hard for everyday users to take apart, but HTC does have a special method for prying open the handset in the event that the phone needs servicing under warranty.

According to HTC’s senior manager of the One design team, Justin Huang:

“During the development [of the One], there was another team inside HTC who looked at the repair process.“ “So every phone sent to HTC, they have a special tool to disassemble the back cover, to let us have the ability to access all the components inside.”

In other words, you might not be able to self-repair or send it in to a third party for cheap and easy repairs, but at least you can rest assured that you can send it in directly to HTC. Unfortunately for those looking to get their phones repaired cheaply, this isn’t exactly great news.

On the plus side, if a tool like this really does exist, it is probably just a matter of time before a Chinese knock-off tool becomes available online. What do you think, does the HTC One’s low repairability score matter to you or not?

Source: Android Authority

Apple to Adopt IGZO Displays for Future iPads and MacBooks?

Apple is planning to expand its adoption of IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) displays to reduce the energy consumption of its mobile devices, reports etnews.com.

According to industry insiders, having decided to apply the IGZO method to displays for MacBook, Apple is talking with LCD panel manufacturers, such as Sharp and LG Display.

IGZO is a semiconducting material that has forty times more electron mobility than the standard amorphous silicon that is used as the active layer of an LCD screen, allowing for higher resolution displays, better reaction times, and less power consumption. 

The report suggests that in addition to expanding to IGZO displays for the MacBook, Apple is also planning to use them in the iPad. Apple is said to be relying on Sharp for the displays, and last year news surfaced that Sharp had already begun mass production of IGZO displays that could be used in future Apple products. 

The site expects IGZO MacBooks to appear in the first half of 2014, but does not note when an IGZO iPad might make an appearance. Apple is expected to release a new, thinner fifth generation iPad later this year. 

Source: Mac Rumours

T-Mobile announces Jump, an early upgrade program

NEW YORK -- T-Mobile announced a new device upgrade program for its no-contract customers Wednesday. The program allows these customers to get their hands on the latest and greatest phones at subsidized prices.

The upgrade program, called Jump, makes it easier for people to upgrade to new devices and pay a lower price instead of replacing their current devices at full price. To participate in the early upgrade program, customers will pay $10 a month. Customers can get their first upgrade after being enrolled in the program for six months. The company will then credit the remaining cost of the device. Enrollment will start this Sunday.

"Two years is too long to be locked into a phone," said T-Mobile's CEO John Legere."You should decide when you upgrade, not your wireless company."

The program also works as device insurance and includes protection against malfunction, damage, or theft. Legere said that given that device insurance already costs between $8 and $12 a month, so he said the upgrade program is virtually free if you think of it that way.

Legere went on to say that the Jump program will finally allow people to upgrade when their device screen cracks or they drop their phone in the toilet.

"If your phone malfunctions or it becomes possessed," he said. "If it's stolen or you drop it in the toilet or run it over with the car. Or if you just don't like it anymore, you are covered."

Legere pointed out that the company's competitors AT&T and Verizon Wireless are actually lengthening their upgrade cycles to 24 months.

That's not what customers want," he said.

Earlier this year, T-Mobile announced new no-contract plans that require customers to buy devices at full price. Customers also can pay for devices in monthly installments. But if they leave the T-Mobile service, they must pay the full price of the device.

Some consumers complained that buying devices at full price made it more difficult to get newer devices. CNET first learned of this concept in March, when CEO John Legere said it was still an idea that the carrier was tossing around.

Source: CNET

iOS 7 Beta Suggests iWork, iLife iOS Apps May Soon Be Free

A welcome screen discovered in the iOS 7 beta suggests that Apple's iWork and iLife iOS applications may be available for free when the OS launches this fall, according to German site ifun.

The download screen is similar to this one that was discovered in the iOS 6 beta last year. It encourages customers to download free Apple apps to "get the most out of your iPhone."

iPhoto and iMovie are available on the App Store for $4.99 each, while Pages, Numbers and Keynote are $9.99. GarageBand is missing from the screen, but there is no reason to think it would not go free as well.

The launch of iWork for iCloud at WWDC in June suggested that iWork could become free, as no pricing was mentioned at the show. Offering Apple's polished iWork and iLife applications for free -- much like iLife apps have always been free with the purchase of a new Mac -- would be a strong differentiator for the iPhone and iPad.

Source: Mac Rumours

iPhone 5S May Include Slow Motion Video Recording Feature

Code hidden inside iOS 7 suggests that the next generation iPhone could include a new "Mogul" camera mode, offering video recording at a rate of 120 frames-per-second, reports 9to5Mac.

According to our analysis and testing of the code, "Mogul" is a feature in development that allows the iPhone to capture video at an exceptionally fast and precise rate. Specifically, our testing indicates that the feature can allow the iPhone to record video at a rate of 120 frames-per-second (FPS). The resolution at which this 120FPS video could be recorded at, however, is currently unclear.

Capturing video at 120FPS would allow iPhone users to create slow motion films. Slow motion video requires frames to be captured at a fast rate, which then appear to be slowed down when replayed at a standard speed. 

Many action cameras, such as the GoPro Hero3, include slow motion recording capabilities. Samsung's popular flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, also includes a slow motion mode. While the code does not suggest a resolution for Apple's Mogul mode, recording at 120FPS often requires a lower resolution. The video below demonstrates 120FPS video shot with the Samsung Galaxy Camera...

Read the full story here. Source: Mac Rumours