Post Tagged with: "Home"

Amazon shops Kindle Fire home screen to advertisers

Amazon shops Kindle Fire home screen to advertisers


Amazon is reportedly meeting with advertisers to pitch the idea of welcome screen ads on its popular Kindle Fire tablet. The retail giant is asking $ 600,000 for prime placement on the slate, according to a report from AdAge. Amazon currently offers its entire range of Kindle eReaders with advertisements that appear on the devices’ screen savers. Customers who opt to purchase a Kindle with ads enjoy discounts of between $ 30 and $ 50 off the purchase price of the devices; if Amazon carries the same model over to its Kindle Fire, the end-user cost of the tablet could drop by as much as 25% to $ 149. Following an explosive launch quarter that saw Amazon’s Kindle Fire take an estimated 14% of the global tablet market after less then two months of availability, the tablet’s market share reportedly tumbled as Apple’s $ 399 iPad 2 extinguished Kindle Fire demand. With rumors surrounding a $ 200-$ 250 “iPad mini” heating up, an ad-supported Kindle Fire with a reduced price tag may help keep Amazon’s 7-inch tablet in the running.

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BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

May 18, 2012 0 comments Read More
Google Maps adds quick shortcuts to ‘home’ and ‘work’

Google Maps adds quick shortcuts to ‘home’ and ‘work’

Google Maps Desktop my places work

We’ve gotten used to Google pushing out small, helpful new features to Google Maps, and the company continued with that practice today. You’ll now be able to type in “home” or “work” into Maps and it will auto-suggest the addresses that correspond to those locations — if you’ve already given Google that information. That means that if you’ve entered your addresses in Google+ or Latitude, for example, you can now easily get directions to either of those locations. Additionally, there’s now a little (hard-to-see) icon that will pop up in Maps to identify the two places. The new search feature is working now on the desktop version of Maps as well as the Android app, but if Google somehow doesn’t know where you live yet, you can head over…

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The Verge – All Posts

May 15, 2012 0 comments Read More
AT&T unveils home automation and security solution

AT&T unveils home automation and security solution


AT&T Digital Life home automation and security

AT&T on Monday unveiled a new end-to-end suite of home automation and home security services ahead of the annual CTIA Wireless convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dubbed AT&T Digital Life, the carrier’s new offering is an IP-based solution that includes home security and automation features, professional installation and monitoring services, and software for PCs, tablets or smartphones that allows users to monitor and control system features remotely from anywhere in the world. “AT&T Digital Life will change the way people live, work and play — and meets a clear need in the market,” AT&T SVP of Digital Life said in a statement. “The service is smart, simple and customer centric– freeing homeowners to do the things they want to do without compromising on the things they need to do to care for family and home.” AT&T will begin trialing its new Digital Life service in Atlanta, Georgia and Dallas, Texas this summer. Digital Life subscribers will not be required to subscribe to AT&T’s wireless services. The carrier’s full press release follows below.

AT&T PLANS NATIONWIDE LAUNCH OF WIRELESS-CENTRIC 
HOME SECURITY AND AUTOMATION SERVICES 
New Group Created to Offer Portfolio of Digital Life Services
Trials Planned in Dallas and Atlanta This Summer
Easy-to-Use Platform Lets Consumers Bring Their Own Broadband
DALLAS, MAY 7, 2012 – Checking on the welfare of loved ones, protecting your home from intruders, fire or water damage,  unlocking a door for the repairman or changing the temperature setting on the thermostat – and doing it from wherever you happen to be, here or abroad  – can be as easy as if you were right at home.
AT&T today announced plans for a new portfolio of all-digital, IP-based home security monitoring and automation services.  Called AT&T Digital LifeTM, the services will give users unparalleled control and security of their homes using any web-enabled device, PCs, tablets and smartphones, regardless of wireless carrier.
AT&T plans to begin trials in Atlanta and Dallas this summer.
Managed by a newly created Digital Life group, the remote monitoring and automation portfolio will feature web-based access to automation, energy and water controls, as well as professionally monitored security services.
“The AT&T Digital Life service has the potential to take home monitoring and home security solutions to another level,” said Larry Hettick, Research Director, Consumer Services, for Current Analysis. “The service promises to be as robust as anything in the marketplace today backed by the trusted AT&T brand. I am particularly impressed with its IP-based wireless platform, plans for a nationwide offering, and a wide range of devices that can be monitored and viewed from any carrier’s wireless or wireline Internet connection. These consumer-friendly capabilities will help grow this industry.”
AT&T Digital Life will feature a robust lineup of connected devices like:
  • Cameras
  • Window/door sensors
  • Smoke, carbon monoxide, motion and glass break sensors
  • Door locks
  • Thermostats
  • Moisture detection
  • Appliance power controls
The devices will be wirelessly enabled to connect to the IP-based AT&T Digital Life platform inside the home.
“AT&T Digital Life will change the way people live, work and play — and meets a clear need in the market,” said Kevin Petersen, senior vice president, Digital Life, AT&T Mobility.  “The service is smart, simple and customer centric– freeing homeowners to do the things they want to do without compromising on the things they need to do to care for family and home.”
Unique Digital Life Trial Features
AT&T Digital Life will include numerous unique features and benefits:
  • Professional installation of the platform, sensors and other devices
  • Integrated, wirelessly enabled platform that combines home security and automation capabilities
  • AT&T owned and operated 24/7 security monitoring centers
  • A state-of-the-art user interface application, which allows customers to customize a solution based on individual needs, and the ability to manage and control their services from the U.S. or while traveling abroad
  • The option to experience and purchase the service in AT&T’s distribution channels, including AT&T company-owned retail stores. The service will also be made available for purchase on att.com when available commercially.
  • The ability to add more features and services after the initial installation, hassle free
  • The Digital Life platform includes built-in AT&T mobile internet service and will also be capable of
  • Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and wired broadband connections. Trial subscribers can use their own wired broadband solution with the Digital Life system and can access the service and remotely control the products from smartphones, tablets and PCs, regardless of carrier.
“We’re planning a unique suite of services, from start to finish, that will give homeowners control of their property and their possessions through an easy to navigate user interface,” Petersen said.  “Our focus is on providing our customers with a comprehensive home security and automation solution that offers the best possible customer experience, and uses the most advanced mobile internet technology on the market to make their lives easier and keep their families and property safer.”
In February, AT&T announced plans to launch an SDK for international providers to equip global service providers with capabilities to offer customizable, web-based home automation, energy and security services to their subscribers.
For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com/CTIA.  To learn more about Digital Life availability, visit www.att.com/digitallife.

BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

May 7, 2012 0 comments Read More
AT&T Digital Life home automation platform set for Dallas and Atlanta trials this summer

AT&T Digital Life home automation platform set for Dallas and Atlanta trials this summer

AT&T Digital Life

Ahead of the CTIA show in New Orleans this week, AT&T has announced Digital Life, a home automation and security platform that will be offered as a professionally-installed system directly through the carrier’s stores (among other places). AT&T is leaving the range of devices and capabilities offered through Digital Life somewhat open-ended, but users will be able to set up cameras, window and door sensors, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, automated door locks (akin to Schlage Link), thermostats, and power control, for starters. “Any web-enabled device” will be able to control the system in your home, AT&T says, including PCs, tablets, and smartphones — and you don’t need to be using an AT&T phone to do so.

AT&T’s move looks to be…

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The Verge – All Posts

May 7, 2012 0 comments Read More
Al-Warkaa: the Iraqi home computer series that took on the MSX ‘enemy’

Al-Warkaa: the Iraqi home computer series that took on the MSX ‘enemy’

arabic (hg101)

Arguments still rage in the West over the respective merits of the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, but in the Middle East an entirely different format war was taking place. Chipflip took a look at the early home computer scene of Iraq, where the domestic Al-Warkaa series took on the Japanese MSX popular in other Arabic countries but referred to as “the enemy” by developer Salwan Asaad. Al-Warkaa computers were based on NEC models that had been modified to support Arabic, and suffered in comparison to the higher-specced rivals with full-motion graphics. Still, a dedicated community sprung up around the computers, and people would meet at arcades to discuss and trade floppy disks — it doesn’t sound too different from the scenes many of us…

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The Verge – All Posts

May 1, 2012 0 comments Read More
Cambridge, UK now home to the first city-wide white space network

Cambridge, UK now home to the first city-wide white space network

via farm1.staticflickr.com

Cambridge, UK is playing host to a city-wide white space network named Weightless, which is being described as a world-first. Designed by networking firm Neul, the system is designed to connect smart electricity meters and other devices around the city, allowing for real-time monitoring of where and how power is being used. The network has been trialed since June last year and now covers the entire city rather than just certain areas, with five base stations around the town and another covering a rural community just south of the city. To ensure that other radio devices aren’t disrupted by the white space communications, the system supports multiple geolocation databases so that TV channels, radio stations, and wireless mic frequencies…

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The Verge – All Posts

April 27, 2012 0 comments Read More
3DS firmware update on April 25 makes it easier to organize Home menu

3DS firmware update on April 25 makes it easier to organize Home menu

Image

During the Nintendo Direct conference livestream, Satoru Iwata revealed a new firmware update is inbound. Apparently folks have been complaining of clutter, so the new update is aimed at cleaning up your Home screen. Users will be able to create folders, name them and store up to 60 items within.

Update: The Nintendo of America Twitter account pegs the update for April 25.

Joystiq3DS firmware update on April 25 makes it easier to organize Home menu originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joystiq

April 21, 2012 0 comments Read More
Samsung Galaxy S III to feature ceramic and metal case, physical home button

Samsung Galaxy S III to feature ceramic and metal case, physical home button


We exclusively reported that the Samsung Galaxy S III will feature a ceramic case, but looking at Samsung’s Unpacked event invitation that went out Monday morning, it appears that there could be another material in play as well. It looks like it’s a brushed blue metal, possibly aluminum or stainless steel, but it could also be a brushed blue plastic — Samsung smartphones have made use of plastic cases with a brushed finish multiple times in the past. Lastly, we have heard from a trusted source that the Galaxy S III will feature a physical home button in the middle of the device under the display, and it won’t use the on-screen navigation buttons Google introduced in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

April 16, 2012 0 comments Read More
Cisco launches app-enabled ‘smart’ Wi-Fi routers to control your home and appliances

Cisco launches app-enabled ‘smart’ Wi-Fi routers to control your home and appliances

Cisco Smart Router

Cisco has revealed a trio of what it describes as Smart Wi-Fi routers, which are “app-enabled” and will eventually let users control their entire home network from a mobile device — including connected appliances. In addition to letting you set-up a home Wi-Fi network, the routers also work with the Cisco Connect Express app, which (like the recently launched Netgear Genie) lets users manage settings for that network from a tablet or smartphone. But eventually the routers will also connect to upcoming software called Cisco Connect Cloud, which can be used to manage multiple wireless networks, but will also be able to interact with upcoming apps from makers of a variety of connected devices.

No specific apps have been announced yet, but…

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The Verge – All Posts

April 5, 2012 0 comments Read More
Pirate ships lead charge of new PlayStation Home games

Pirate ships lead charge of new PlayStation Home games



PlayStation Home continues to be the, well, home of exclusive games, to the surprise of those of us who just remember it as a hangout for terrifying mannequins. Sony just announced three new Home-exclusive games, including one that is available now, and has pirates in it.

Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove is a “persistent and perpetual game of maritime combat” in which players fight as a captain or gunner of a pirate ship, blasting enemy ships and collecting the booty from their wreckage.

Coming later this spring, No Man’s Land is a third-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland … in Home. Naturally, it’s freemium, with the ability to buy weapon and armor upgrades. Mercia, due this summer, is a multiplayer fantasy RPG. You can read all about the new content on the PlayStation Blog, and then consider updating your avatar with a more recent version of your haircut.

JoystiqPirate ships lead charge of new PlayStation Home games originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joystiq

March 28, 2012 0 comments Read More