Apple Seeds iOS 8.2 With WatchKit SDK for Apple Watch Apps to Developers

Apple today announced that its set of WatchKit development tools are now available for developers, allowing them to begin creating apps and software for the company's upcoming Apple Watch.

"Apple Watch is our most personal device ever, and WatchKit provides the incredible iOS developer community with the tools they need to create exciting new experiences right on your wrist," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With the iOS 8.2 beta SDK, developers can now start using WatchKit to create breakthrough new apps, Glances and actionable notifications designed for the innovative Apple Watch interface and work with new technologies such as Force Touch, Digital Crown and Taptic Engine."

WatchKit is being released as part of the iOS 8.2 and Xcode 6.2 beta, both of which have been made available to developers today.





The iOS 8.2 Beta with WatchKit can be downloaded immediately from Apple's Developer Site. It includes programming guides, human interface guidelines, templates, and more. While WatchKit can be used for creating glances and actionable notifications at the current time, developers will need to wait until next year to begin creating fully native apps for Apple Watch.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:44PM, November 18

OS X Yosemite Brings HMTL5 Video Support for Netflix [Mac Blog]

During yesterday's WWDC keynote, Apple announced several improvements to Safari in OS X Yosemite, including HTML5 video support for Netflix. According to Apple, the improvements bring an extra two hours of video watching under a single battery charge when streaming Netflix video with Yosemite.



Netflix today confirmed that it supports HTML5 video streaming on Safari in OS X Yosemite, explaining that it has worked closely with Apple to implement Premium Video Extensions in Safari. The extensions allow playback of video content in the browser without using plugins like Microsoft's Silverlight.

We're especially excited that Apple implemented the Media Source Extensions (MSE) using their highly optimized video pipeline on OS X. This lets you watch Netflix in buttery smooth 1080p without hogging your CPU or draining your battery. In fact, this allows you to get up to 2 hours longer battery life on a MacBook Air streaming Netflix in 1080p - that's enough time for one more movie!

Netflix's plugin-free video is currently available to all OS X Yosemite users who have installed the beta. OS X Yosemite will be released to the public this fall.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:44PM, June 03

Beats Music Expands to iPad With New Update [iOS Blog]

Streaming music app Beats Music for iOS was today updated to version 2.0.0, adding compatibility with the iPad. The app, first released in January, was previously limited to the iPhone.



The new iPad app includes an interface that has been designed specifically for the tablet's larger screen, incorporating features like Just for You, the Sentence, Find It, My Library, and Offline Mode. Support is included for both landscape and portrait modes.



Along with iPad support, the app has also gained "Find Your Friends," a feature that allows users to find and follow their Twitter friends on Beats Music.

What's New in Version 2.0.0

You asked for it, and we listened! Introducing Beats Music for iPad:

- A stylish and sophisticated interface designed specifically for the iPad's larger screen

- All your favorite features including Just for You, the Sentence, Find It, My Library and Offline Mode

- Dedicated support for both landscape and portrait modes

- In-app subscription and account management via your iTunes account



Additionally, so you aren't listening alone, for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch:



- Find Your Friends — adds the ability to find and follow your Twitter friends on Beats Music



and much, much more!

Beats' streaming music service has a heavy focus on curation to distinguish it from competitors like Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and iTunes Radio. The company hires music experts to curate stations and create playlists from the service's music catalog of 20 million songs.



Beats Music can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but accessing requires a $9.99 per month subscription. Unlimited streaming and unlimited downloads are included in the purchase price. [Direct Link]

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Posted in 2014 at 06:44PM, May 01

Video: Watch a Redditor literally eat his hat for being wrong about Bitcoin

You have to tip your cap to a man who makes a very unwise bet but who nonetheless follows through on it. Digital Trends brings us the story of a Redditor who goes by the name of "Anndddyyyy" who made a bet that he would eat his hat if Bitcoin's price didn't rise above $1,000 by January 1st, 2014. It goes without saying that this didn't come to pass and "Anndddyyyy," who admits to being drunk when making the bet, was on the hook for one hat eating. But while many people would have welched on such a bet, "Anndddyyyy" decided to follow through and shoot of 45-minute video documentary of himself cutting up a bandana and slowly devouring it bit by bit. The video posted below is not safe for work, as "Anndddyyyy" swears quite a bit during his hat eating but is nonetheless worth watching for anyone who enjoys watching Internet nerds do things that are completely ridiculous.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2014 at 06:44PM, March 27

This could be our first look at one of Samsung’s Android-less phones

It was beginning to look like Samsung's answer to the Android operating system would never see the light of the day, but if this press photo is legitimate, we might finally have proof of a Tizen device that will actually be available to the public. Korean tech site Moveplayer managed to obtain the photo of the Samsung ZEQ 9000 (or 'Zeke' for short) that you see above, a Tizen smartphone that will reportedly feature a 4.8-inch 720p display and 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor. As PhoneArena notes, the status bar at the top of the screen matches up with the Tizen screenshots from late last year. If the ZEQ 9000 is real, we should get our first official look at it on February 23rd in Barcelona.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:44PM, January 27