Samsung explains why the Galaxy S6’s TouchWiz is better than anything else around

Samsung is far from done promoting the main features of its brand new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge smartphones. After launching a variety of TV commercials and videos highlighting the main features of the phones, the company on Wednesday published an infographic on its Samsung Tomorrow blog that details the main characteristics of the new TouchWiz interface that Samsung reinvented for the new flagship phones.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:49PM, April 22

Apple Watch Brings Your TV's Remote Control to Your Wrist [iOS Blog]

While the Apple Watch is marketed as "the most advanced timepiece ever created, a revolutionary new way to connect with others, and a comprehensive health and fitness companion," the wrist-worn device has a number of other use cases that should prove convenient for many day-to-day tasks. The apps and accessories below, for example, will turn the Apple Watch into a remote control for controlling a TV from your wrist.



SamMote for Apple Watch



SamMote was recently updated to allow Apple Watch users to control supported Samsung TVs using their wrist. The third-party app, created by developer Eric Degrange and noted by A-Watch.fr , is compatible with most Samsung Smart TVs manufactured between 2011 and 2014 (Series D through Series H models). SamMote is free on the App Store [Direct Link] and also supports iPhone and iPad, so it is worth testing the remote control app works with your own Samsung television.



Roomie Remote for Apple Watch



Roomie Remote is a Wi-Fi-based universal remote app for home theater and automation that controls thousands of devices like TVs, cable and satellite boxes, receivers, Blu-ray players, lights and thermostats. The app also allows you to control Apple TV. iPhone and iPad versions of the app have been available since February 2012, and earlier this week the app was updated with Apple Watch support as well. Roomie Remote works with a wide variety of devices, but is $9.99 on the App Store [Direct Link] and may require additional in-app purchases depending on what devices you want to control.



Peel Pronto for Apple Watch



Peel Pronto is a 360-degree infrared remote receiver and blaster that will enable Apple Watch users to control their TV using the smartwatch. The cylindrical-like accessory was created through a partnership between Philips and Peel and can be placed anywhere in your living room to control TVs, set-top boxes, DVD and Blu-ray players, and more. Peel Pronto will also be compatible with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and other iOS devices that support low-energy Bluetooth.






The device must be paired with the Peel Smart Remote & TV Guide app on the App Store [Direct Link] and gets approximately one year of battery life. Pronto is listed for $49.99 at Best Buy and is also available at NewEgg in the United States, and Staples in Canada. Included in the box is 1 IR extension cable and 4 AA alkaline batteries.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:49PM, April 16

Meet Vive, a new virtual reality headset from HTC and Valve

The surprises just kept coming at HTC's MWC press conference on Sunday. After unveiling the HTC One M9 and the HTC Grip (the company's first wearable), CEO Peter Chou took the stage to introduce yet another new product: the Vive virtual reality headset.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:49PM, March 01

Apple's Swift Programming Language Proving Popular With Developers [iOS Blog]

Apple's new Swift programming language is growing rapidly in popularity according to RedMonk's latest Programming Language Rankings. The analysis ranks the future popularity of programming languages based on the amount of discussion on Stack Overflow and the usage on Github.





As expected, the top programming languages ranked by RedMonk include JavaScript, Java, and PHP in the top three slots with Objective-C rounding out the top ten.



Though it does not rank as high as its Objective-C counterpart, Swift was singled out by the researchers for growth that "is essentially unprecedented in the history of these rankings." In two calendar quarters, Swift has climbed from the 68th slot in Q3 2014 to the 22nd slot in Q1 2105, a jump of 46 slots. Given this meteoric rise, Swift is expected to become a Top 20 language sometime this year.



According to Chris Lattner, head of Apple's Developer Tools department, the Swift programming language was in development for four years before its official unveiling during WWDC 2014. From its conception, Swift was designed to be more approachable and fun, allowing developers to produce apps quickly and easily. Developers can use Swift code to build new apps or to add it alongside Objective-C into existing apps.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:49PM, January 16