As reported on The Verge. By Ellis Hamburger Can Gliese 832c support life, or is it just a super-Venus? Sci News is reporting that astronomers at the University of New South Wales have discovered an Earthlike planet just 16 light-years away. The planet, dubbed Gliese 832c, is orbiting a red dwarf star half the mass and radius of our own sun. Gliese 832c has an orbital period of about 35 days, and a mass more than five times…
As reported on The Verge. By Chris Welch OEMs can’t change the design of Android Auto and Android TV either Companies that make Android Wear, Android Auto, and Android TV products won’t be allowed to dramatically alter the design and user experience of Google’s latest software. Somecustomization will be permitted; they’ll be able to add custom apps, services, and other small touches, but changing up the overall look and feel is expressly forbidden. “The UI is more…
As reported on TechCrunch. by Matthew Panzarino In my line of work I’m often called on to think critically about the usability of both hardware and software, especially smartphones. One of my big touchstones, and one that’s ignored by a surprising amount of designers — is that stuff doesn’t exist in a vacuum. If your goal is to have thousands, or millions, of people use your thing then you’ve got to consider how it works when…
As reported on Engadget. BY MAT SMITH An iPad for every student was the plan. Then, some students were too smart for their own good, quickly enabling their for-learnin’ iPads to access to anything on the web, including Twitter, Facebook and all that other fun stuff. LA’s school district now plans to differentiate what it offers its students, authorizing purchases for one of six different devices, including laptops and hybrids such as Chromebooks, Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2 and…
As reported on Engadget. BY SHARIF SAKR If you missed our coverage during Mobile World Congress, then here’s what you need to know about Blackphone: it’s a mid-spec Android smartphone that comes pre-subscribed to (and pre-installed with) a bunch of privacy and anti-surveillance services, for a price of $629 off-contract. It’s the offspring of a joint venture between Silent Circle andGeeksphone, who together have just announced that the first batch of devices is now shipping to customers who pre-ordered during…