The screen size could determine the price of your movie in the future

Most of the time, DVDs cost, more or less, about the same price. However, it is illogical that watching a movie on TV costs the same as watching it on smartphones. After all, on our smartphones, the experience is somewhat limited in terms of audio and visual quality.

Well, maybe the price of your movie could be based on the media its displayed with in the future. Or at least that's the vision of the CEO of DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg:
 
"A movie screen will be $15. A 75-inch TV will be $4. A smartphone will be $1.99"


Although this seems pretty logical, this model may be difficult to implement because of the difficulties a security system might encounter recognizing the exact screen size: who's to say that a user won't play a $ 1.99 film on a big screen TV?
 
That said, it is an interesting idea and Katzenberg is convinced that this pricing model will eventually be a standard in the industry. Until then, would you pay less to watch a movie on a smartphone?

Source: The Verge

Microsoft might suspend the Xbox one production

The Xbox One was released in late 2013 and 5 million consoles have been shipped to retailers since. These 5 million Xbox do not represent sales of the console since many of then are still enthroned on the shelves of shops which making Microsoft consider suspending the production of its console for some time to sell the stocks.
  

Gamasutra indicates that Microsoft is considering to slow or stop the production: The market is about to saturate and it would be pointless for Microsoft to continue to manufacture consoles; Stocks would be sufficient to take effect until the fourth quarter of this year.


Of course, the situation could change if Microsoft announces at the E3 some new games that will boost the sales of the Xbox.
 
Microsoft has released its console in 13 countries so far, but it will be available in more markets in the coming months, which will allow them to sell the stocks and re-boot the production.

Meet Siri

When the CNN reporter Jessica Ravitz was interviewing the voice actress Susan Bennett about voice-over work, she realized that the voice she was hearing over the phone was very familiar.

While Apple is being very secretive about it and still won't confirm it, Bennett revealed her self as Siri, the mysterious voice of the iPhone.

Source: CNN

The Apple handkerchief 1.0

Apple hit hard by announcing its integrated within the iPhone 5S fingerprint reader. We know for sure that third-party developers can not use this technology, but what wasn't announced is the Apple handkerchief you get whenever you buy a 5S: a very useful accessory in the company of this smartphone!


      

The future iPhone 5S owners, shall, to unlock their phone, put their finger on the home button. However if you have sweaty fingers Touch ID may not recognize you. In this case, you can say goodbye to the ability to unlock your mobile. A shame isn't it?

However, if the phone was restarted, or it hasn't been unlocked for 48 hours (sweaty fingers? ...), an option with a password you pre-registered will be displayed for you to avoid the hassle of "brick in your pocket."

What's really going on between Google and Nestlé?

After the quite unexpected announcement Google made about the name of the next version of Android, some additional explanations were published today to clarify that this agreement was non monetary .
  
  

For every major new version of Android, Google gives a new name corresponding to a dessert. And for each new version, the first letter is incremented in an alphabetical order. Thus, with the letter K we were expecting Key Lime Pie, but finally Android 4.4 KitKat has been announced to take us by surprise.

Obviously, many questions have been raised about this partnership with the Swiss food giant. Many tech writer started to talk about a financial settlement that has been reached between the two firms. But this is not the case.

Thanks to a publication of the BBC, we learn that this marketing operation began in a telephone meeting between the Android sales manager and Nestlé's advertising consulting agency. Then all that was finalized at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, last February. More importantly, no money has been raised, only an exchange of visibility between the two giants has been concluded.

Shortly, you now should expect to find Android shaped chocolate bars since Nestlé plans to distribute more than fifty million of these treats, stamped Android. And maybe we'll get then the chance to win one the latest Nexus, or gifts from Play Store.

And finally to learn more about this, visit http://kitkat.com, which is, I might say the most perfectly designed website I've seen so far. It is just AWESOME!

An artist got an RFID chip implanted under his skin

The worst has happened! An artist, Anthony Antonellis just got an RFID chip implanted in his skin. The RFID chip is the size of a grain of rice and can contain up to 1KB of data. All you need is to approach your smartphone to scan the hand and discover content. For now, Anthony Antonellis is using it to display his favorite GIFS.
     

              
This experience can be scary because we can easily imagine the marketing excesses that could result if everyone starts to implement this kind of chip in their skin. Some say that it could store vital data, which would be effective in an accident for example. Some would say it is just a new way to be more "controlled" than we already are ...

So, for or against?

Yelp allows you to avoid hipsters in your city

Do you find the sight of a hipster in her/his tight slims "fun"? Tired of seeing them everywhere you go? Yelp will help you avoid using a heat map!
 

First, let us return to what Yelp is. It is a service of research and popular opinion in the United States who bought Qype last year for 50 million dollars.

Today a new feature appeared taking the form of a world  heat map that reveals hot spots with the most popular terms used on Yelp in a selected city (including the term "hipster ", obviously). We can therefore find out where the largest concentration of bar or otherwise avoid tourist areas and hipsters.

More android apps

What did Burger King get for its fiftieth birthday!

Burger King has revolutionized the world of hamburger with a handsfree kit called Hands Free Whopper.

Burger King should satisfy all those who do not have time to eat. With the kit, you can now enjoy your burger while continuing your activities on the Internet, in the office, on the subway ... proposed by the fast food concept is fairly simple, you put the hands-free around your neck. The burger fits in the slot provided for this purpose and the height is normally perfect. Your sandwich will be right in front of your mouth, so it is ready to be tasted. You can then perform a second activity while eating.

Burger King has decided to invent this product for its 50 years. The conflicting views on the Internet, some find this a stupid accessory, others are very interested and eager to try it. Users also noted that the company is trying by all means to create a buzz for the crowd in its facilities. For the famous hands-free kit, it will go to the island of Puerto Rico, Burger King will only sell this place the Hands Free Whopper.
 
McDonald's fries and-door

This is not the first time such a handsfree born. The rival of Burger King had proposed a fried-door car. It was distributed in Japan and is easily fixed on the dashboard. You could drive while eating, you can now do the same with a burger. It will be around your neck, it must pay attention to bad jokes. The sandwich could quickly be IN your face.

And finally, there is no better way to display my objection than this scene from "Modern Times" where the Tramp(Charlie Chaplin) tries out an automated lunch feeder, for which the owner of the factory reluctantly agrees to a demonstration, in hopes of cutting the costs of needless "break time".

A smart ball for the next football season!

Technology in sport mainly revolves around one aspect, optimizing performance. Sometimes so obscure and sometimes in a rather simple way. Adidas is an excellent example with its miCoach device. They persist and sign with a new ultra-connected football.

The new Adidas smart ball comes with its own application and show you a myriad of information.The speed of the ball, the number of rotations, the distance, and  the direction, to name a few.

All these movements are examined under a microscope with a variety of sensors, the official specs have not yet been disclosed. But what we're sure of is, that it is able to transmit these information in real-time.

Adidas has been working on such products for a long time, and FIFA has selected one of these devices in 2014. Therefor, the amount of data at the next football season will be ridiculously large.



Source : Engadget.

The next Xbox has already been snubbed by Sony!

It hasn't been unveiled yet and already largely snubbed by Sony: this is the fate of the next Xbox that, according to rumors, it's said to have an AMD Jaguar-based 1.6GHz CPU, and at a retail price of 299$. The new Xbox might be called "Xbox infinity" and not Xbox 720. It will be officially presented by Microsoft tonight at 19h and available for customers around Christmas 2013.

Sony has made its move yesterday by distributing a teaser focusing on the design of the PlayStation 4. As Microsoft prepares to unveil its new Xbox, and some of the games that make up the line-up, Sony cares, Sony and troll.

Besides its seeder disorder video, the manufacturer has not failed to laugh at Microsoft on Twitter, posting the following tweet:

Also - If you haven't seen our #PS4 teaser video, where have you been?! As it's a slow news day... here it is: bit.ly/12oYGG7
— PlayStation Europe (@PlayStationEU) May 21, 2013

A Blu-Ray that smells like pizza

As part of a marketing campaign launched in Brazil, the fast food chain Domino's Pizza has partnered with some Blu-Ray rental shops.
 
The idea is to edit some special Blu-Ray versions, which will be leased by customers.  
Covered with a fragrant black film, that by heating in the drive will wipe ink and scent the room with the smell of pizza. Once the film is completed, the disc will have then the appearance of a pizza with a message written on it: 

"Did you like the movie? The next will be even better with a hot and delicious pizza from Domino's. "

10 Free Android apps

To keep up with the description of this blog that imply that it covers news, tutorials and "apps", I thought of sharing ten Android applications I use or I have used.

Wheres My Droid. A find-your-phone app, it can make the phone ring so you can find it in the house. Or you can check Google Maps for its exact coordinates.

PhotoWonder. This app lets you edit photos on your mobile device.

Speedtest.net. Test Internet speeds with one easy tap to connect and test.

Flipboard. Create your own personalized news magazine. Select topics you are interested in, and Flipboard displays a beautiful news magazine for your phone or tablet featuring only those topics.

EverNote. Remember anything you need to remember across all devices. Store and organize reminders from all over the web.

Astro File Manager/Browser. This app keeps you connected with all the things you use in the cloud. Features include file management, cloud storage, Android file browser, file and/or app backup, image and text viewers, networking, Bluetooth, SFTP, Zip/ Tar, downloader, thumbnails, search files, application manager, task manager, attachments and more.

SmartActions. This intuitive app learns how you use your phone depending on where you are, and it automatically changes the phone to fit your environment and needs while there.

Poynt. Dinner? Movies? Friends? Shopping? Get Poynt and get there. The tiled dashboard allows you to easily tap what you need so the app can then point you to where you want to be.

Kakao Talk. Make free calls and send free messages, including group calls and group chats

Captain Oil Altough I found their Super Ninjas a bit uncreative, this new Puzzle/Adventure is a major time killer. It challenges the user to find the right angle and speed to shoot his ball and free the trapped Oileys. 


P.S: The fact that the title of this post doesn't include the words "top", "amazing", "best", and "great" doesn't make the apps above any less cooler.

Google to launch premium TV channels on YouTube this week.

Two months ago, I wrote a post about rumors about Google trying to make more money from YouTube, back then, we talked about a premium music service that Google is getting ready to launch this year.

And the we weren't completely wrong, Google is trying to make more money from YouTube but it seems that they are in a bit of a hurry since the premium channels are expected to arrive later this week.

Last week, Eric Schmidt announced that "The television is surpassed" while YouTube exceeded one billion unique users per month.
  

Google to replace TV

 

Many sources (including the Financial Times) agree on the fact that the channels on subscription arrive this week on YouTube. First, they will launch 50 channels, for a subscription fee of $ 1.99 per month.

Google could therefore present a serious competitor to Netflix (which is not available for many users outside the U.S).  
  
Moreover, rumor has it that Google was in discussions with a number of companies such as Warner Music Group with the idea of ​​offering a music subscription service.


 





More Money for Google 


YouTube is already extremely profitable for Google, even though its economic model was only turned around advertising. This new announcement will mean both the arrival of a lot more quality content on the video platform and the arrival of a lot more cash through the subscription model.
 


However, the question is, are you willing to drop a few dollars a month for premium channels on YouTube?

Comic Relief -VI-

"I understand that computers, which I once believed to be but a hermaphrodite typewriter-cum-filing cabinet, offer the cyber literate increased ability to communicate. I do not think this is altogether a bad thing, however it may appear on the surface"      - David Mamet


 

IBM unveils "the smallest movie" of the story: "A Boy and His atom"

Scientists from IBM presented Wednesday "the world's smallest movie", a revolutionary work done with a very powerful microscope that shows the expanded atoms in movement.

This short film, which lasts about 1 minute and 30 seconds, is titled "A Boy and His atom." It tells the story of a little character who plays with an atom and follows his movements, dancing and jumping, a way to explain science in an educational manner.

"To shoot, position and shape the atoms to create an original animated film is an accurate and completely new science," said Andreas Heinrich, IBM Research scientist.

"At IBM we do not just read books on science, we create them. This movie is a fun way to share the world at the atomic scale" he added.

To make this movies, atoms were moved using a microscope developed some years ago by IBM, an invention that earned the Nobel Prize for its designers.

The unit does not look like a traditional microscope, since it weighs two tons and operates at a temperature of -268 ° C. It can enlarge objects placed on its plate 100 million times.

The device uses a very fine needle on a copper surface, to attract or repel the atoms and molecules to a specific location.

The movie has been certified by the Guinness Book of Records as "the world's smallest animation," according to IBM.

Enjoy it: 

My Dear old MSN..

Today, April 8, 2013, Microsoft puts an end to its instant messaging software: Windows Live Messenger as announced earlier this year. 
The MSN network will remain accessible until the beginning of 2014, and it is therefore possible to connect with another clients like Trillian or Pigdin but the Messenger software will become obsolete in a few hours.

Microsoft recommends at the same time to use the other instant messaging software, Skype. Recall that if two applications were not the basis for the same purpose, they are now identical in many aspects. Like Messenger, Skype makes it possible to chat live with friends and family via text, audio or video, share files, etc.. And fortunately it is possible to import the list of MSN contacts within the Skype application.

For fans of the application, there is no doubt that today, by the end of Windows Live Messenger, a page turns. Launched in 1999 by Microsoft, the application has seen many variations on all media. Will be most remembered for all it emoticons and the silly teenage conversations we used to make...

And finally, with no words left to say, I dedicate my tears and this song to you :

 

Turn any website into a 3D Maze with Google

The new Chrome "Maze" from Google is just amazing. It literally turns any website into a 3D maze, whose handle is none other than your smartphone.
To start the game and drop your productivity at the lowest level, here's how:

• Make sure you have a PC or Mac with the Chrome browser available.Take your smartphone (Android 4.0 or iPhone with Chrome) in hand.
• Login to chrome.com / maze on your computer.
• Click "start" (then "skip intro" if you're in a hurry).
• Make sure the website address is 6 digits at the end (as chrome.com/maze/123456).
• Enter the address in your Chrome browser on mobile/ connect with tab sync/ scan a QR bar code.
• Choose a site as your playground.
•  Play with your smartphone or with the keyboard (it's easier) and don't forget to eat your dinner.
  
  

 

And voila! WebGL offers a new game canon.

Comic Relief -V-

“Hell, if someone wrote a book about you, well, it'd sell a million copies the day it was released. And if someone else was clever enough to write a parody - you know, to provide some comic relief during these extremely difficult economic times - that would probably be an even bigger seller, or at least it should be. So, just come clean with me, Ed. Your secret's safe with me, and whoever reads my internet blog. You...are...a...vampire!”

― Stephen Jenner, Twilite: A Parody

Last December, Disney released Paperman, a short cartoon movie. The movie was so successful it even  received the Oscar for best animated short film in February.

The story was beautiful, a man who seeks to find a woman with whom he exchanged a few words. They meet, they kiss, do you want to find out what happened next?
Following is CollegeHumor's sequel with a much less romantic plot .

Here's the video, Enjoy:

Comic Relief -IV-

"What if nothing exists and we're all in somebody's dream? Or what's worse, what if only that fat guy in the third row exists?" -Woody Allen-

Comic Relief - III

“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend ... if you have one."
— George Bernard Shaw, playwright (to Winston Churchill)

"Cannot possibly attend first night; will attend second, if there is one."
— Churchill's response”