Thursday, February 6, 2014

Mozilla reveals an adaptive Android home screen built around Firefox

 

 

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Mozilla reveals an adaptive Android home screen built around Firefox
2/6/2014 5:32:00 AM

Firefox Launcher for Android

We hope you haven't had your fill of adaptive Android home screens, because Mozilla is throwing its hat into the increasingly crowded ring. The company has just offered a sneak peek at Firefox Launcher for Android, a front end that revolves around its mobile browser. The upcoming software mates Firefox with EverythingMe's context-sensitive app search, personalizing both your web surfing and your software in one shot. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a while to know exactly how this combination works; Mozilla doesn't plan to reveal more details about Firefox Launcher until it's ready to start beta testing at an unspecified point in the future.

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Lyft joins new alliance seeking to clean up ridesharing's insurance mess

 

 

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Lyft joins new alliance seeking to clean up ridesharing's insurance mess
2/6/2014 7:31:00 AM

Lyft ridesharing car on the road

Although there's now some legal groundwork in place for ridesharing companies, insurance remains a gray area -- witness the Uber driver who was involved in a fatal accident while off work. How do you cover a car that's both personal transportation and a source of income? We may soon have a clearer picture thanks to the newly created Peer-to-Peer Rideshare Insurance Coalition. The alliance between government, insurance firms and transporters will set guidelines for insuring ridesharing services. Only Lyft and the California Public Utlities Commission have announced their membership so far, but a full roster should be coming later in the week. A first meeting, meanwhile, is due later in February. Not that Lyft is waiting to take action; it's adding coverage beyond drivers' personal insurance while they're on duty.

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Sony sells its VAIO PC business, makes TV arm its own subsidiary

 

 

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Sony sells its VAIO PC business, makes TV arm its own subsidiary
2/6/2014 6:02:00 AM

Sony said it was "addressing various options" as recently as yesterday when it came to its VAIO PC and laptop arm, and while announcing its financial results for Q3 2013, it's apparently come to a decision. Amid reforming its TV arm, it's going to sell its PC business and VAIO brand to Japan Industrial Partners, with the final deal set to be done by the end of March 2014.

The company has reported a drop in demand for its PCs in prior financial statements, and (barring the VAIO Flip 11A), Sony didn't have much to show from its VAIO range at this year's CES.

Developing...

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HTC confirms plans for wearable in 2014, says it will solve battery and LCD issues

 

 

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HTC confirms plans for wearable in 2014, says it will solve battery and LCD issues
2/6/2014 1:47:00 AM

HTC plans to release a wearable device by this year's Christmas shopping season, HTC chairwoman Cher Wang confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg.

"Many years ago we started looking at smartwatches and wearables, but we believe that we really have to solve the battery problems and the LCD light problems," Wang said in an interview with the publication. "These are customer-centric problems."

Wang didn't provide any details surrounding the wearable, though it's been rumoured for quite awhile. HTC CEO Peter Chou told Financial Times in October that the firm had worked on an intelligent watch with Microsoft, until it was ultimately scrapped.

"It has to meet a need, otherwise if it's just a gimmick or concept, it's not for people's day-to-day lives," Chou told Financial Times. "That is an opportunity for us."

Bloomberg reported in October, citing unnamed sources, the HTC wearable would sport a camera and run Android as its OS when released in the latter half of 2014.

HTC will be entering a smartwatch market that has begun to boom, with existing players like Fitbit, Jawbone, Pebble, Samsung, Sony, and now LG, becoming even more serious about the ecosystem. Apple is also rumoured to take the market with the release of the iWatch later this year with a fitness focus.

HTC CFO Chang Chialin said an updated version of the One smartphone, its first wearable device, and a renewed focus on marketing will help boost the company's revenue in 2014, after it's declined over the last two quarters.

"We feel positive and optimistic about 2014 when compared to 2013," Chialin told Bloomberg.

When contacted for more information about its upcoming wearable, HTC had nothing to add. 

 

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Daily Roundup: Xbox One update inbound, Sony Cyber-shot RX10 review and more!

 

 

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Daily Roundup: Xbox One update inbound, Sony Cyber-shot RX10 review and more!
2/6/2014 2:27:00 AM

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Sony Cyber-shot RX10 review

Sony's new $1,300 Cyber-shot RX10 produces spectacular photos and video from its fixed, 24-200m lens. But at that price, are you better off investing a little more cash for the versatility of a DSLR? Read our review and find out.

Xbox One update inbound

The Xbox One's first major update is on its way in two-tone fashion. Part one will arrive on February 11th, but it won't be until March 4th before we learn anything more about the console's revamped party system. Follow the link for more.

Oculus VR to exclusively launch EVE:Valkyrie

We took Oculus' "Crystal Cove" prototype for a spin inside the cockpit of an EVE Valkyrie back at CES 2014, but now that proof of concept is set to become a reality. Today,the VR company announced a co-publishing agreement with developer CCP Games for an exclusive launch of EVE:Valkyrie. Click through for details.

Sochi visitors should expect to be hacked

NBC is reporting that it's a near-guarantee that any device connected to hotel network infrastructure will be compromised by hackers within Russia. So if you happen to be a winter sports athlete we'd advise reading up on what's gone down.

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Mozilla planning Firefox Launcher for Android that is contextually aware

 

 

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Mozilla planning Firefox Launcher for Android that is contextually aware
2/6/2014 2:23:00 AM

Mozilla is launching a contextually aware Firefox Launcher for Android, the company announced Wednesday at the InContext Conference in San Francisco. Even though Mozilla has its own mobile OS planned, it wants to take over your Android homescreen in the mean time. 

Mozilla has partnered with and basing its software off EverythingMe, a contextually aware launcher already available on Google Play. Essentially, Mozilla will be packaging its Firefox for Android web browser with EverythingMe's technology for its own-branded launcher.

"The app integrates the contextual adaptive app search from EverythingMe with the Firefox for Android Web browser to offer users a personalized and customizable Web experience that is fun and intuitive," Mozilla announced. It also shared a screenshot of the software. 

The Firefox Launcher will aim to deliver the right apps, contacts and information to the homescreen, at exactly the right place and time. "Whatever a person is into, wherever they are, they'll get personalized suggestions that match their interests and lifestyle," EverythingMe's website states.

Mozilla says the launcher is still in development, and that it will share more information once the software is ready for beta testing.

 

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HTC says it's solved the smartwatch battery life issue, still plans to launch wearable this year

 

 

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HTC says it's solved the smartwatch battery life issue, still plans to launch wearable this year
2/6/2014 1:21:00 AM

It's been tough times for HTC. But it's not going to let a little thing like a competitive, over-saturated smartphone market stop it from dipping its toe into the... competitive, over-saturated world of wearables. Talking to Bloomberg about its offering, Chairman Cher Wang said that the company started looking at smart watches "many years ago," and that it finally reckons it's solved the battery issues that have plagued other wearables. Wang added that LCD lighting for these wearables is another problem that the company has tackled and that both were very much "customer-centric problems" -- they're certainly some of the main issues we've had with several premium smartwatches seen so far.

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Amazon acquires Double Helix, the games studio behind the latest Killer Instinct

 

 

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Amazon acquires Double Helix, the games studio behind the latest Killer Instinct
2/6/2014 2:52:00 AM

Leaked through a joint recruiting event between Amazon and Double Helix, Amazon has acquired the games studio, reportedly in a bid to grab both talent and IP. The studio is best known for its Killer Instinct remake, although it also includes less luminary titles like G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. (It's worth noting that Killer Instinct will be published by Microsoft Studios as an Xbox One exclusive.) Incoming games include a remake of Strider -- a series that first made its debut back in 1989. Amazon released a statement confirming the deal:

"Amazon has acquired Double Helix as part of our ongoing commitment to build innovate games for customers."

The announcement adds extra weight to recent rumors that Amazon might even get into the games console business -- it certainly doesn't hurt them.

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