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Next Office for Mac leaks, shots of UI appear

<b>A Chinese website yesterday published what it claimed were screenshots of Microsoft's next edition of Office for the Mac.</b><br />
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<b><br /></b>The nearly two dozen screenshots posted by cnBeta.com were of Outlook, the email client that’s included in Office on both Windows and OS X. cnBeta.com said that the screenshots were taken from a leaked internal test version of the application.<br />
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Some long-time Microsoft watchers, including Tom Warren of The Verge, have reported that previews of a new Office for Windows have been circulating among partners and testers. The software that cnBeta.com obtained may have come from a similar early-look program for Office on the Mac.<br />
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cnBeta.com’s screenshots showed an Outlook more closely aligned with the user interface (UI) of the client in Office 2013, the current edition for Windows, and fit OS X Yosemite’s look-and-feel with a “flatter” design.<br />
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According to the leaked build, Outlook will still rely on a “ribbon” at the top of the window, a UI feature that debuted in Office for Mac 2011 four years ago to some resistance.<br />
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Additionally, the new Outlook will integrate with OS X’s Notification Center to show the most-recently-received messages. And, not surprisingly, the suite’s applications will be tightly bound to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud-based service for document storage and collaborative work.<br />
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Where's the new version?<br />
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An upgrade from Office for Mac 2011 is long overdue: Microsoft shipped that edition in October 2010. The long lag time has implications because 2011’s support retirement date—when the company stops providing security updates—is Jan. 12, 2016, less than 14 months away.<br />
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In the past, Microsoft’s OS X development team has talked up upcoming editions, but this cycle there was been only silence from the company. Among the unknowns are a release date, the name of the edition and pricing.<br />
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One certainty is that the next Office for Mac will be available to subscribers of Office 365, Microsoft’s rent-not-buy program. It’s also likely that Microsoft will continue to offer perpetual licenses—the traditional kind that are paid for once, with rights to use the software as long as the customer wants—because revenue from the Office 365 subscription model continues to lag far behind the more familiar one-off or volume perpetual licenses.<br />
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It’s also a good bet that Microsoft will retain the price synchronization of retail Mac licenses with Windows’ Office 2013, a move the company made last year when it introduced Office 365. Currently, a single-license Office for Mac Home & Student lists for $139.99, and Home & Business for $219.99, prices identical to the same-named version of Office 2013.<br />
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The Office 365 editions of Office for Mac 2011 are equivalent to Home & Business in that they include Outlook, but subscribers can also use Office on tablets, such as Office for iPad.<br />
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cnBeta.com also cited “Outlook 16” as the application’s formal name, implying Microsoft has skipped a version: Office for Mac 2011’s Outlook was pegged v. 14. The v. 16 may indicate that the next Office for OS X will be based on the same code as the next edition for Windows: Office 2013 is formally tagged v. 15. Rumors have also pinned the code name “Office 16” on the upcoming Windows edition.<br />
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Office 16, probably named to match Microsoft’s convention, may launch as early as the spring of 2015. If that’s the case, and Microsoft releases a companion upgrade for the Mac at the same time—or even earlier—it would be another departure for the Redmond, Wash. company, which in the past has shipped the OS X version an average of six months after the one for Windows.<br />
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On the side of an early appearance of Office for the Mac is the fact that Microsoft shipped a touch-only version for the iPad in March, but has yet to do the same for touch-centric Windows devices, including Microsoft’s own Surface.</div>
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Next Office for Mac leaks, shots of UI appear

A Chinese website yesterday published what it claimed were screenshots of Microsoft's next edition of Office for the Mac. The nearly two dozen screenshots posted by cnBeta.com were of Outlook, the email client that’s included in Office on both Windows and OS X. cnBeta.com said that the screenshots w…

03Nov2014

'Microsoft Band' fitness tracker leaks out

<b>It looks like the curtains have been raised early on Microsoft's attempt to join the wearable game.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">update: goes on sale Thursday for $199</td></tr>
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Windows Central points out that sync apps have appeared in the Mac and Androidapp stores (update: and Microsoft's), set to personalize and track data for your "Microsoft Band." Rumors had pointed to a fitness tracker more than a watch that could debut within weeks, and judging by the apps that's just what we'll get. According to the Google Play, Windows Phone Store and iTunes listings, the device itself has more in common with Nike's FuelBand than the what we've seen from Apple and Google so far. That includes tracking steps, heartbeat, calories burned and sleep quality. 9to5Mac linked a privacy agreement that goes into even deeper detail about what else it can do, namely display notifications from your mobile device or take notes and set reminders with Cortana.<br />
<b><br />Update:</b></div>
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Microsoft confirmed that the Band will go on sale for $199 Thursday in its online and physical stores, to US customers only, in "limited quantities." Designed by Quentin Morris (who also developed the Xbox One controller), it carries ten sensors onboard to measure things from heart rate to UV exposure to stress levels, and can last as much as 48 hours on a single charge.</div>
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'Microsoft Band' fitness tracker leaks out

It looks like the curtains have been raised early on Microsoft's attempt to join the wearable game. update: goes on sale Thursday for $199 Windows Central points out that sync apps have appeared in the Mac and Androidapp stores (update: and Microsoft's), set to personalize and track data for your "M…

02Nov2014

Google's new Fit app plays well with Strava, Runkeeper and others

<b>Google is aiming to keep its users healthy—and away from Apple—with a new app that takes a broader view of fitness tracking.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaQSQRvbEQRw-Z7J1mCvrVtOr7D7OsjK3IV1WxGpGxlFfL5B0tSUCPwARpVYsvuGoxikc9aXkKnyMjOCjaHT2OaPu5y7MGNFMSJvUitybiOU99JByGRSXassKAkBC33LNpyQ9gyXjNATj/s1600/Google's-app-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google's new Fit app plays well with Strava, Runkeeper and others" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaQSQRvbEQRw-Z7J1mCvrVtOr7D7OsjK3IV1WxGpGxlFfL5B0tSUCPwARpVYsvuGoxikc9aXkKnyMjOCjaHT2OaPu5y7MGNFMSJvUitybiOU99JByGRSXassKAkBC33LNpyQ9gyXjNATj/s1600/Google's-app-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" title="Google's new Fit app plays well with Strava, Runkeeper and others" /></a></div>
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<b><br /></b>Google Fit, released Tuesday, will use the sensors in Android phones to track and organize people’s walking, biking and running activity. Users can set goals and check their progress from within the app on their smartphone, as well as on the web, tablets, andAndroid Wear smartwatches.<br />
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Mobile fitness apps are a dime a dozen these days, but Google is trying to add value by letting Fit act as a hub for third-party apps like those from Strava, Withings and Runkeeper. Fit users can access data gathered by those apps within the Fit app, instead of having to switch between them. That functionality makes Google Fit the prime competitor to Apple’s HealthKit, a software platform for iOS 8 that lets third-party apps share their data with Apple’s Health app.<br />
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Google Fit is available for devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above.<br />
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Whether Google Fit catches on likely depends on the number of integrations it will support with other apps, and how well it presents the combined data.<br />
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It’s unclear if other popular apps from device makers like Fitbit or Jawbone will be integrated with Fit, and Google didn’t immediately comment.<br />
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Apple, meanwhile, had some problems last month with third-party app launches for HealthKit, due to a bug that has since been fixed.<br />
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In addition to it being an app, Google Fit is a software development kit. Its APIs aim to let developers access data from other sources to make their own apps more powerful. Fit, therefore, could be a win for Google by strengthening the broader ecosystem of health apps, and then weaving them into Fit.<br />
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Fit API partners include Basis, Adidas and Motorola.<br />
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Google is becoming increasingly active in health and biosciences. The company’s working on contact lenses that measure blood glucose levels for people with diabetes, and has formed a subsidiary called Calico to combat aging-related diseases. Googleacquired Lift Labs last month, which makes a mechanical spoon for people suffering from tremors.</div>
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Google's new Fit app plays well with Strava, Runkeeper and others

Google is aiming to keep its users healthy—and away from Apple—with a new app that takes a broader view of fitness tracking. Google Fit, released Tuesday, will use the sensors in Android phones to track and organize people’s walking, biking and running activity. Users can set goals and check their p…

30Oct2014

Some Bank of America customers double-charged with Apple Pay

<b>Some Bank of America customers have been double-charged for purchases made with Apple Pay, the payment system Apple launched on Monday.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Bank of America customers double-charged with Apple Pay</td></tr>
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Roughly 1,000 transactions made with Apple Pay were logged twice in customer accounts, said Tara Burke, a spokeswoman with Bank of America, which is one of the largest U.S. banks and was an Apple Pay launch partner.<br />
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“We apologize for the inconvenience and are correcting the problem,” said Burke.<br />
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The duplicate transactions should be removed by the end of Wednesday.<br />
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Apple Pay utilizes a secure chip inside Apple’s new iPhone 6 that enables the phone to emulate an NFC (near field communications) payment card. When the Apple Pay app is loaded with a customer’s credit or debit card, payments can be made at NFC terminals by bringing the phone close to the terminal.<br />
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The system is being positioned as easier and more secure than current payment cards because the card number is not passed to the retailer’s terminal. Instead, a substitute number called a token is offered to the merchant, which sends it on to the card issuer for approval.<br />
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The token can only be used once, so if it’s stolen it should prove useless to cyberattackers. It’s tied to the actual card number deeper in the financial services network, further away from the retailer terminals that have been the target of so much hacking recently.<br />
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Apple Pay is compatible with existing NFC payment terminals, which can be found in around 200,000 shops and taxis across the U.S.</div>
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Some Bank of America customers double-charged with Apple Pay

Some Bank of America customers have been double-charged for purchases made with Apple Pay, the payment system Apple launched on Monday. Some Bank of America customers double-charged with Apple Pay Roughly 1,000 transactions made with Apple Pay were logged twice in customer accounts, said Tara Burke,…

24Oct2014

Will.i.am's Puls wristband has its own 3G, support from AT&T

<b>Will.i.am has just revealed the Puls at Dreamforce 2014, a smartwatch that doesn't need to be tethered to a phone to send texts, emails or make and take phone calls. </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will.i.am's Puls wristband has its own 3G, support from AT&T</td></tr>
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In fact, Will kept saying it's not a watch, because smartwatches don't typically come with SIM cards, which the Puls does have (it presumably shares your phone number), along with speakers and a touchscreen display that curves along with its body, making the device look more like a cuff than a traditional watch. The Puls (a product out his wearable tech company, i.am+) has 16GB of storage onboard, 1GB of RAM, GPS, a battery that goes around the bracelet, pedometer and accelerometer, all powered by an Android-based platform and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It connects to the internet not only via WiFi, but also via 3G, which means it has carrier partners: the Puls works with AT&T in the US and O2 in the UK.<br />
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As we've mentioned in the past, the watch comes with a music streaming service baked into it. It also has a voice assistant (another Siri rival, if you will) that can remind you to call people or of an event, wake you up, among other tasks similar programs can do, as well as a fitness app that monitors your workouts. Other than the watch itself, Will.i.am and his team have also designed accessories to go it: a jacket with battery packs that can charge the Puls so long as it touches the sleeve (each jacket can provide two-and-a-half days of power), and a backpack with speakers that also weighs you and tells you how many steps you've taken in a day. The musician/entrepreneur didn't mention how much the Puls and its accessories will cost, but the wristband itself will be available this holiday season in select AT&T stores.</div>
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Will.i.am's Puls wristband has its own 3G, support from AT&T

Will.i.am has just revealed the Puls at Dreamforce 2014, a smartwatch that doesn't need to be tethered to a phone to send texts, emails or make and take phone calls. Will.i.am's Puls wristband has its own 3G, support from AT&T In fact, Will kept saying it's not a watch, because smartwatches don't t…

21Oct2014

Breakthrough batteries last 20 years, charge 70 percent in two minutes

<b>Over the years, consumer electronics have improved in almost every way, becoming thinner, lighter, and more pixel-packed, all while increasing exponentially in performance. But beating at the heart of many mobile devices and even electric cars is a technology that hasn’t kept up with the rapid pace of innovation: batteries. Specifically, lithium-ion batteries.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakthrough batteries last 20 years</td></tr>
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Battery tech is a limiting factor in the design of many of today’s technologies.Researchers at Nanyang Technology University say they’ve discovered a way to build a better battery, however—a battery that charges in mere minutes and lasts an amazing 20 years.<br />
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Why this matters: If these batteries begin trickling into mass production, they could kill two of the biggest irritants in today’s mobile electronics: Long charging times and forced obsolescence.<br />
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The benefits of fast charging need no explanation, but many of today’s smartphones and tablets won’t let you remove their batteries, essentially forcing you to buy a new device when the lithium-ion battery inside starts to fade after 500 or so charges. A battery that lasts 20 years could dramatically change how long people hang on to their smartphones, especially with the mobile industry’s recent trend of decoupling hardware fees from services subscriptions. Together, the combo could further reduce the two-year upgrade cycle so common in the mobile industry.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NTA associate professor Chen Xiaodong with research fellow Tang Yuxin and PHD student Deng Jiyang.</td></tr>
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Enabling the nifty new tricks doesn’t require a full reimagining of how we design batteries, either. The researchers replaced the graphite used in the anode of lithium-ion batteries with a gel made from  titanium dioxide nanotubes "a thousand times thinner than the diameter of a human hair."<br />
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Using tiny titanium dioxide nanotubes rather than graphite also speeds how quickly electrons and ions flow in and out of the battery, by ditching an energy-slowing additive needed in today’s batteries. The NTU researchers say their battery charges far faster than traditional lithium-ion batteries, going from empty to a 70 percent charge in just two minutes. Two minutes!<br />
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NTU associate professor Chen Xiaodong, the inventor of the titanium dioxide gel, says batteries built with it could hit the market within two years, with an unnamed company already licensing the technology. The Nanyang Technology University press release has more detail about the technical aspects of the discovery if you’re interested.<br />
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Breakthrough batteries last 20 years, charge 70 percent in two minutes

Over the years, consumer electronics have improved in almost every way, becoming thinner, lighter, and more pixel-packed, all while increasing exponentially in performance. But beating at the heart of many mobile devices and even electric cars is a technology that hasn’t kept up with the rapid pace …

16Oct2014

Google app gets a conversational search upgrade, learns to use OpenTable

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<span style="color: blue;">Google app gets a conversational search upgrade, learns to use OpenTable</span></h2>
<b>Nothing makes voice-recognition software shine more than good conversational algorithms -- and the natural-search function in the Google app just got a minor upgrade.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-YaTgFvTG7b1eF0CgffDwvXq5AS2NzRIds1S5zWRXY6gBGJrI-ItzBZZEV6Ezv5kIivfK8TjYsbgbRH2qQJzi0dpcfqfKiJ3YjtcADuvnA0ufmnuUUF73fYJHtp72Px2R3k_dwpdyxVl/s1600/Google-app-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="alt" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-YaTgFvTG7b1eF0CgffDwvXq5AS2NzRIds1S5zWRXY6gBGJrI-ItzBZZEV6Ezv5kIivfK8TjYsbgbRH2qQJzi0dpcfqfKiJ3YjtcADuvnA0ufmnuUUF73fYJHtp72Px2R3k_dwpdyxVl/s1600/Google-app-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" title="Google app gets a conversational search upgrade" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google app gets a conversational search upgrade</td></tr>
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Not only can use your hotel confirmation to find nearby restaurants, but also now you can casually ask it to show you the restaurant's menu or book a reservation viaOpenTable. You'll still have to do a little work to complete the reservation, however (Google only gets the booking started), and it's still not perfect: If a given restaurant doesn't support OpenTable or doesn't have a menu online, the process kind of falls apart. Still, it's a nice upgrade, assuming you've already come to terms with the fact that Google's algorithms are skimming your email.</div>
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Google app gets a conversational search upgrade, learns to use OpenTable

Google app gets a conversational search upgrade, learns to use OpenTable Nothing makes voice-recognition software shine more than good conversational algorithms -- and the natural-search function in the Google app just got a minor upgrade. Google app gets a conversational search upgrade Not only ca…

11Oct2014

iOS 8 review: Some overdue updates, but well worth the wait

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<span style="color: blue;">iOS 8 review: Some overdue updates, but well worth the wait</span></h2>
<b>Out with the old, in with the new. That was the theme of last year's iOS update, known as iOS 7, which ushered in a flat new design.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">iOS 8 Some overdue updates, but well worth the wait</td></tr>
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Although Apple threw in some new functionality as well, it was clear the company was mainly focused on giving its mobile OS a face-lift and setting the stage for future updates -- the first of which is coming out tomorrow. iOS 8 builds on last year's software with a plethora of new features, including third-party keyboards, camera controls, widgets, home automation, health and fitness tools and the ability to interact with other apps. (Yes, it's hard to believe these are just arriving on iOS.) Here's what to expect.<br />
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<b>PROS</b><br />
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• Apps can now interact with other apps<br />
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• Support for third-party keyboards<br />
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• Manual camera controls<br />
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• Continuity lets you easily move between devices<br />
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• Family Sharing <br />
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• Actionable notifications<br />
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<b>CONS</b><br />
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• "Hey Siri" command only works when phone is plugged in<br />
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• iCloud Drive files should be easier to access<br />
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• Developers still can't touch Control Center<br />
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• Few improvements to Apple Maps</div>
</div>

iOS 8 review: Some overdue updates, but well worth the wait

iOS 8 review: Some overdue updates, but well worth the wait Out with the old, in with the new. That was the theme of last year's iOS update, known as iOS 7, which ushered in a flat new design. iOS 8 Some overdue updates, but well worth the wait Although Apple threw in some new functionality as well…

02Oct2014

Apple iPad Air 2: What we expect for the release date, specs and price of the next iPad

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<span style="color: blue;">Apple iPad Air 2: What we expect for the release date, specs and price of the next iPad</span></h2>
<b>Now that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are real products, speculation about Apple's other overdue devices are getting more traction in the rumor mill.</b><div>
<b><br /></b>A refresh to the Apple iPad is expected before the arrival of the gift-giving holiday seasons, along with some new Mac computers, and an updated iPad Air and iPad Mini are on the short list of predictions.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple iPad Air 2</td></tr>
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The Cupertino, Calif., company hasn't revealed details of when an announcement for the next generation of iPads will happen, but lately there have been hints at an October release date. Apple has a consistent history of refreshing its tablet line-up during the fall, so the presumption of an October date falls in line with the company's MO.</div>
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<br />At this point, nothing is for certain, but there are a few safe bets on what we can expect to see. The upcoming iPads will run iOS 8 and Apple is expected to add a Touch ID sensor, an A8 processor, and possibly NFC capabilities, all of which can be found on the new iPhones. However, more details on new features remain purely speculative.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are rumors about a 12.9-inch iPad</td></tr>
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On the iPhones, Apple doubled the available capacity at the top two price points (64GB and 128GB for the price of last year's 32GB and 64GB models, respectively). Currently, for the 64GB and 128GB models, the Apple iPad Air is priced at $699 and $799, respectively. If Apple replicates its game plan, that would make those prices could drop to $599 and $699. It would be a welcome sight, since anexpandable storage option is highly unlikely, but it's unclear if we'll get that.<br /><br />There are dubious rumors surrounding the announcement of a super-sized 12.9-inch Apple iPad, however, the gossip points towards a 2015 release. Extra large tablets haven't exactly caught on, with Toshiba and Samsung being two of the most recent manufacturers to attempt to tackle the task, but Apple's strong following might catch on to the flailing trend.</div>

Apple iPad Air 2: What we expect for the release date, specs and price of the next iPad

Apple iPad Air 2: What we expect for the release date, specs and price of the next iPad Now that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are real products, speculation about Apple's other overdue devices are getting more traction in the rumor mill. A refresh to the Apple iPad is expected before the arrival of the …

26Sep2014