Twitter brings Periscope live videos to news feed

Periscope, the live video streaming app launched in March 2015 and bought by Twitter even before the public launch, sees it this way: “A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around.”

On Wednesday, Twitter announced that Periscope’s live videos shared on its news feed will broadcast itself or autoplay right within the tweet. Previously, only the link is visible and users need to tap it to play the video.

“When you tap the video, it goes full-screen and shows Periscope comments and hearts from other viewers,” Twitter said in a media release to announce the integration.

Twitter believes this will give Periscope broadcasters a window to a much bigger audience – specifically Twitter’s 320 million monthly active users worldwide.

While the Periscope app is available on both iOS and Android devices, the new autoplay feature will be available initially on iOS devices. Android users may have to wait, but Twitter gave assurances that the feature will be rolled out on all platforms as soon as they are ready.

Since its launch, Twitter disclosed that Periscope’s active users have already created over 100 million live broadcasts, and there are actually now 40 years’ worth of live video consumed every day on Periscope worldwide.

Integrating Periscope on Twitter seems to be the logical next step for the social media site which of late has been testing the waters for some radical innovations, including the reported plan to expand the 140-character word limit to 10,000 characters, which has spurred a hot debate among users.

The autoplay feature of the Periscope live broadcasts appears to be a more welcome move. A scroll through the live broadcasts for the day shows that they are indeed giving Twitter, already acknowledged as an excellent medium for breaking news, a feel and more heightened sense of the real-time.

Currently, Periscope broadcasters include celebrities and journalists, as well as media companies, especially the tech press, and major brands.

On the first day the autoplay feature went live on Twitter for iOS, ride-sharing app Uber live broadcasts a tour of Dubai aboard an UberChopper. The X-Files News live streams some parts of the Red Carpet premier of the X-Files. Periscope’s own team also broadcast live some of the scenes of the launch from its headquarters in San Francisco.

On New Year’s Day this year, the Periscope team bared their favorite broadcasts from 2015. These include a sunset scene in an unknown island, a penguin parade, a leopard relaxing on a tree branch, tributes at the Place De La Republique the day after the Paris attacks, and interaction sessions with a neuroscience PhD candidate.

The team said it is looking forward to allowing users in 2016 to “discover more of the world through someone else’s eyes.”

source: interaksyon.com

Google unveils unified email for Android users

SAN FRANCISCO — Google said Monday it was updating its mobile Gmail app for Android device users to allow them to manage multiple email accounts from a single program.

“Starting today, you’ll be able to view all your mail at once, regardless of which account it’s from, using the new ‘All Inboxes’ option,” Google software engineer Regis Decamps said in a blog post.

“This way, you can read and respond to all your messages without having to hop between accounts.”

The new app will aggregate email from rival services such as Yahoo and Microsoft Outlook, among others.

Gmail had allowed users to access multiple accounts from desktop computers, but the new app aims to seamlessly integrate the various email services in a unified inbox with search and preview capability.

source: interaksyon.com

More than 1 billion Android devices to ship in 2014: Gartner

LONDON — The number of smartphones and tablet computers shipped with Google’s Android operating system will break the 1 billion barrier this year, research group Gartner said on Tuesday.

Android, which is installed on products made by Samsung, HTC, Sony and many other manufacturers, is forecast to reach 1.1 billion users in 2014, up 26 percent on last year, with the strongest demand in emerging markets.

Apple’s iOS and Mac OS operating systems are expected to be in 344 million new iPhones, iPads and Macs this year, Gartner added, representing a 28 percent jump on the number of devices shipped in 2013.

“There is no doubt that there is a volume-versus-value equation, with Android users purchasing lower-cost devices compared to Apple users,” Gartner analyst Annette Zimmerman said in a statement on Tuesday.

Microsoft’s Windows operating system, which dominates the PC and notebook segments, is forecast to be in 360 million new devices, up from 328 million in 2013.

Growth in the PC and notebook segment has been hit by the popularity of tablet computers, sales of which are forecast to increase by 47 percent this year to 263 million, according to Gartner.

“Users continue to move away from the traditional PC as it becomes more of a shared-content creation tool, while the greater flexibility of tablets, hybrids and lighter notebooks address users’ increasingly different usage demands,” Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal said.

Sales of mobile phones are expected to continue to increase, but at a slower pace, with the focus moving away from top-end premium devices to mid-level products, he added.

Gartner said it expects combined global shipments of all devices to reach 2.48 billion units this year, up 7.6 per cent on 2013.

source: interaksyon.com

LG unveils new device in smartphone war

SAN FRANCISCO — LG Electronics on Wednesday unveiled a new device to challenge Apple, Samsung and other rivals in the booming smartphone market.

The G2 was introduced as the first in a new LG premium smartphone line and boasts features that include control buttons moved from the edges to the back, and a 5.2-inch high-definition screen spanning the front.

“Our definition of innovation today is technology that truly resonates with consumers,” said LG mobile communications chief Jong-seok Park.

He referred to the G2 as the most ambitious mobile phone ever produced by the South Korean company.

LG said the smartphone’s design incorporated lifestyle research showing that people want ergonomic designs, practical functions and intuitive interaction.

LG is the second-largest maker of Android-powered smartphones, with 6.5 percent of the market in the second quarter of this year, according to a report released Wednesday by International Data Corporation.

Samsung is the world’s top Android smartphone with 39.1 percent of the global market, but LG closed the gap slightly during the quarter, IDC reported.

Google’s Android software was the world’s most popular smartphone platform, ending the second quarter with 79.3 percent of the market as compared with the 13.2 percent held by second-place Apple, according to IDC.

G2 phones will be released in South Korea in coming weeks and then gradually roll out in other countries, according to LG. Pricing was not disclosed.

source: interaksyon.com

Home monitoring gear and app for remote viewing from any mobile device

Y-cam Solutions Ltd recently announced the Y-cam HomeMonitor app for Apple and Android devices, allowing users to watch live or recorded events from their HomeMonitor cloud camera directly on their mobile device.

Launched in early January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Y-cam HomeMonitor is the latest Wi-Fi video monitor service that makes it easier for people to monitor their home, loved ones and belongings from any device, anywhere. Uniquely, HomeMonitor is the only web video monitoring service that allows users to record footage from their cameras online for free, with no monthly subscription required.

The Y-cam HomeMonitor app mirrors the features available from the web dashboard, allowing users to control their HomeMonitor system and interact with multiple cameras at once. Users can either watch live footage or an archive of recorded clips, which are recorded when movement is detected such as from a front door, driveway, child’s room, etc.



Similar to accessing the HomeMonitor system online, the app provides alerts customizable to the user’s preferences. The app is suitable for iPhone and iPad screens, automatically readjusting to the screen of the device it is used on to maximize the viewing area. The iOS version of the app is available now, and the Android version will be available beginning in March.

HomeMonitor is the first-ever wireless video monitoring service offering both indoor and outdoor cameras that are Wi-Fi enabled and provides true cloud-based viewing and recording. HomeMonitor Indoor and HomeMonitor Outdoor both come standard with the HomeMonitor free service package which includes 7 days of rolling free online cloud storage and unlimited email alerts. An optional upgrade package is available to increase storage time for a low yearly fee.

The Y-cam HomeMonitor App is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch with iOS 5.1 or later.

The Y-cam HomeMonitor app can be downloaded from Apple iTunes, while the complete HomeMonitor device is availabe at www.homemonitoronline.com.

source: interaksyon.com