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Google Photos API like Picasa
 

 
It is now confirmed that Google is shutting down Picasa service starting March 2016. After the launch of Google Photos a lot of people already knew this would happen eventually in order to focus entirely on a single photo service in Google Photos. For those who do not know about Picasa, Picasa is a photo-sharing and storing website that’s been in Google’s lineup since 2004.
According to Google Picasa Blog:

"After much thought and consideration, we’ve decided to retire Picasa over the coming months in order to focus entirely on a single photo service in Google Photos. We believe we can create a much better experience by focusing on one service that provides more functionality and works across mobile and desktop, rather than divide our efforts across two different products."

When Google launched Google Photos in May 2015, backed by deep neural network-driven image recognition (used to automate photo organization without user-applied tags) and free unlimited storage for high-def photos and video, Google Photos looked and sounded great. And icing on the cake is its availability to users of both Android and iOS.

"Google Photos gives you a single, private place to keep a lifetime of memories, and access them from any device. They’re automatically backed up and synced, so you can have peace of mind that your photos are safe, available across all your devices.
And when we say a lifetime of memories, we really mean it. With Google Photos, you can now back up and store unlimited, high-quality photos and videos, for free. We maintain the original resolution up to 16 MP for photos, and 1080p high-definition for videos, and store compressed versions of the photos and videos in beautiful, print-quality resolution."

So now, Google Picasa is gone, one obvious question to ask is whether there will be an API for Google Photos. After all, there’s one for Google Picasa. The company has not confirmed it yet, According to a company spokeswoman “No current plans for an API, but this is just v1 of the Photos app. There is definitely more to come.”
So what are Picasa users to do now that their photo service is getting shut down? Google is unsurprisingly telling folks to move over to Google Photos, the company’s new-and-improved photo service. According to Google:

Beginning May 1st, 2016, we’ll start rolling out changes to the Picasa Web Albums Data API and no longer support the following functionality:
 - Flash support
 - Community search
 - Mutation operations other than uploads
 - All support for tags, comments, and contacts
The API will still support other functions, including reading photos, reading albums, reading photos in albums, and uploading new photos. Although these operations will continue to be supported and the protocol will remain the same, the content included in the responses and the operation behavior may change.

So, It is now making perfect sense that there will be an API soon for developers to work with the Google Photos, as with no API (yet), why might Google’s Photos announcement be relevant to developers now? And it is worth mentioning here that developers have always been the key to ecosystem dominance.
We can sense the heat between Google and Apple and Google has dramatically turned it up by offering free unlimited storage of high-def images and video. And Google is playing this game very patiently. Google is saying, “You are free to choose between Android and iOS. It does not matter whether you take pictures or shoot videos on iOS, just store them with us for FREE”. By doing so Google is increasing the chances of adoption by Apple users.
Google will do its best to deliver a seamless experience on both platforms, but the chances are that it will be a better experience on Android. Google’s sphere of influence will expand and, as a result, more developers will be drawn to it like moths to light. Even if developers start by building iOS apps that work with the Google Photos API. It’s not available yet. But it will be, and when it is, that’ll be just another foot in the door. Eventually, some users of Google Photos on iOS will be compelled to move.
 

 

mi_band_1s_xiaomi

Xiaomi has announced the launch of the Mi Band 1S — also dubbed as Mi Band Pulse — the company’s second generation wearable fitness tracker. On Monday, the Chinese conglomerate also unveiled a 20000mAh Mi Power Bank. Both the products are currently exclusively available in China with no word on their international launch time frame.
The Mi Band first debuted in China last year. The company has refreshed the fitness tracker with the launch of the Mi Band 1S, adding several substantial improvements such as the addition of an optical heart-rate sensor and aesthetic changes while maintaining a dirt-cheap price tag. A display, however, is still missing.
The Mi Band 1S measures 37×13.6×9.9mm (so a tad larger than the Mi Band) and also weighs half a gram more than the Mi Band. It is also IP67 certified, so the band should be able to withstand dust and water to an extent.
The company has retained the same 45mAh battery as its predecessor and promises 30-day battery life on a single charge. Considering the band now also comes equipped with a heart-rate sensor, that’s an interesting feat if it manages to deliver it. It will go on sale in China at a price point of CNY 99 (roughly Rs. 1,030, or $16). The company also announced that it will continue to sell the original Mi Band.
As per IDC’s recent figures, Xiaomi sold around 3.1 million Mi Band trackers in Q2 2015. The company was only behind Apple, which sold 3.6 million Apple Watch models, and 4.4 million trackers sold by Fitbit.

mi_power_bank_xiaomi

 
On Monday, the company announced a new large Mi Power Bank with a capacity 20000mAh. Priced at an equivalent of $24 (roughly Rs. 1,600), the 20000mAh Mi Power Bank comes with a plastic body – which is different from the metal body other power banks from the company come with. This makes it possible for the unit to weigh less than other Mi Power Bank models and better withstand scratches. The company says that the battery inside the device is made by LG or Panasonic and promises up to 93 percent conversion rate. It offers 5.1V and 3.6A output.
via : NDTV Gadgets360

Big changes to Facebook profiles are just around the corner. Facebook profiles are extremely popular part of the social network — the company says that they are viewed a cumulative more than 4 billion times a day.
“We’re making it easier for you to see what others can view by introducing a new customizable space at the top of your profile. You can curate this space— and convey what you want people to know about you— by changing the visibility of the fields that show up here,” Facebook said. Facebook is introducing five big changes to user profiles
Facebook Video Profile: The ability to use a 7-second looping video as your profile pic is the biggest change that is going to happen. Soon you’ll be able to click on your profile pic to upload a new profile video. You tap the record button and can shoot for up to 7 seconds with sound. The looping video will auto-play without sound (unless clicked) on your profile and the feed story about you uploading it.
facebook-profile-video
 
 
Featured Photos: The option to pin Featured Photos to the top of the profile Temporary profile pics is the next biggest feature. You will have an option to select up to five Featured Photos that will appear pinned to a section at the top of your profile. This is designed to let you give people considering your friend request or who just met you a better clue to your identity.
featured-photos_facebook
 
 
Temporary Profile Pics: This feature lets you select a profile pic, but have yours revert to your old pic after a set number of hours, days, or weeks. It’s useful for promoting a cause, like the the millions of people who set their profile pic in Tri-color tint to support Digital India campaign.
temporary-profile-pic
Easier visibility controls and Bio: The new profile asks you to write a short bio of yourself (“Mom, wife, growth hacker. Coffee addict!”), and supports the use of emoji. Next comes the “About” field, which tells people where you live, work, go to school, and so on.
A Mobile-Centric Design: Rather than just port the more left-aligned web profile to mobile, Facebook has built a mobile-first design. It makes the profile pic/video bigger and puts it in the center of the screen. Below, rather than small panels that open to reveal details on friends and photos, Facebook is giving both their own big sections pinned below the profile pic and above the timeline.
Availability: The features begin rolling out and testing today for some users on iOS in California and the United Kingdom before introducing the changes more broadly.
 


New Apple TV
 
 
The new Apple TV is here, just unveiled at today’s Apple’s September Event. As we all know that Apple’s plans for the living room have circled for years, but I think this is going to represent the biggest charge as of now. Today exec Eddy Cue appropriately called it “a big day for the big screen.” Tim Cook called it “the future of television,” Its a new operating system called tvOS.
That remote appears to have a touchscreen, mic and Wii-like motion controls built in, necessary for Siri to search across “multiple content options (Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Showtime, with more to come) on a single screen. It’s feature already offered by competitors like Roku, Samsung, Amazon and Xbox that makes it easy to find a show or movie without having to know which service or app it’s in first, and now it’s on Apple TV too.
This will definitely interest iOS Developer community as developing apps will take advantage of some common technologies with iOS, like Metal, and developers will use the same tools like Xcode. Developers can even build universal apps that let you buy one app that works across your iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV.
Apple Tv Game
During the event Apple showed off some new gaming experiences, including Rayman Adventures, Disney Infinity 3.0, Shadowmatic, Crossy Road and the new Guitar HeroCrossy Road is also getting a multiplayer mode on Apple TV, where players can join in with an iPhone or iPod Touch as a controller.
 
 

Apple iPad Pro
 
 
“Today we have the biggest news in iPad since the iPad,” says Apple CEO Tim Cook. That’s right: Apple has just announced the “iPad Pro”, and it’s the biggest iPad yet. The iPad Pro has a whopping 12.9-inch display with 2,732 x 2,048 pixels i.e. 5.6 million Pixels in the screen. To put that size into perspective, that means the screen is almost exactly the same width as the regular iPad’s is tall. It’s also, in case you didn’t run the math, got the same familiar 4:3 iPad aspect ratio and a functionally identical pixel density to the iPad Air. Apple says it’s so big the on-screen keyboard is “full-sized,” like on its laptops.
Inside iPad Pro, there is a brand new A9X chip. Apple’s third-gen 64-bit chip. Doubled memory bandwidth of A8X and graphics performance. One thing Apple isn’t saying how much RAM the Pro has, but chances are its silence on the matter means that it’s the same 2GB as the Air 2.Despite the larger display and increased power, the new iPad will apparently run for 10 hours on a charge.
But wait, there’s more! And this might be a game changer for this iPad Pro. iPad always lacked a pressure sensitive pen for artists. Apple has announced a stylus, called Pencil. Sensors in the Pencil detect position, force and tilt while you draw or write. Apple is calling it “Force data,” which is a fancy way of saying the screen is pressure-sensitive.
Apple iPad Pro Pencil Tilt
Oh, and it charges from the iPad’s Lightning port. At least you’ll never lose the cable?
Apple iPad Pro Pencil charge
In addition to the stylus, Apple also trotted out a “Smart Keyboard,” which is a keyboard case for the iPad Pro that turns the tablet into a Surface-a-like. It connects to the iPad via a new port called the “Smart Connector,” and contains a full keyboard with the same butterfly key technology as the Apple’s recently launched super-thin Macbook.
So. What’s the price for all of these additions? The iPad Pro will start at $799. That’s for a 32GB WiFi model. The 128GB WiFi models will cost $949, while the LTE 128GB model costs $1079. The new iPad Pro will be available in November.
 

Apple iPhone Event
 
It’s September 9 and Apple’s iPhone Event is just around the corner. During one of its famous keynote addresses out in California, the one where it always announces new iPhones and if the rumors to be believed, we may see way more than just a new iPhone: anything from a refreshed, pricier Apple TV to a supersized iPad Pro. But of course, the rumor mill has steered us wrong in the past, so we don’t really know if there’ll be an Apple TV, new iPads. But if nothing else, we know this for sure: There will be iPhones.
How To Watch: A video stream of the event is available at Apple.com/live 10 AM PDT (which is 10:30 PM Indian Time). It works on any iOS device—just visit the link in mobile Safari. If you’re watching on a computer, you’ll need to use Safari to access the livestream.
We will keep you posted about the new stuff about this event. So be sure to tune in.

iphone 6s plus new features
 
Apple is expected to unveil its next iPhone next week, which most people are already calling iPhone 6s. Many reports have already painted a pretty good picture of what to expect from the new generation of devices.
1. Bigger Display: According to new leaks, the next iPhone will be slightly bigger, making way for new display technology. The leaked pictures are one of the first glimpses of the iPhone 6s Plus, the bigger of the two new phones that Apple is expected to release at its event next week.
 
iphone-6s-plus_1-780x780
 
2. Force Touch: The pictures also show the phone that contains a sensor (can be seen in the centre of the display) for Apple’s Force Touch technology – which allows the iPhone to tell how hard its screen is being pressed and trigger additional events. Some details of how exactly it will work have already been revealed, indicating that the hard press will trigger further menu options.
iPhone 6s plus force touch
 
3. Better Camera: A slew of leaked components and rumors indicate that the next iPhone will have an updated 12-megapixel camera. The higher resolution sensor is likely to be paired with a better lens system, optical image stabilisation and a wider aperture. All this will likely just not make it better, but perhaps make it the best smartphone camera. The selfie camera is also in for an update and the rumour mill even suggests a flash on the front.

4. Improved Battery: According to previous leaks, that slightly larger body will have a smaller battery than the iPhone 6. It isn’t clear whether that will mean that the phone will have less battery life, however, since Apple has been rumoured to be adding new, more efficient components.
5. One Killer Feature: Often Apple reserves one killer feature for the newly launched iOS which always works best with a new launched model of the iPhone. For example, Apple unveiled the Siri assistant only with the launch of the iPhone 4S, Apple Maps went live with the iPhone 5 and Touch ID and the encryption came with the iPhone 5S. So it would be interesting to see what’s that killer feature will bring us.
 
 
 
 
 

Android Wear
Google has officially announced that Android Wear is coming to the iPhone. Right now only the latest iPhones (that includes the iPhone 5 onwards) that are running iOS 8.2 and up are supported . And the most important thing–this app only works with the very latest in Android Wear watches. Right now, the only watch that works with this is the new LG Watch Urbane, which is the most recent Android Wear watch to launch. This app will also work with all future Wear devices, including upcoming watches from ASUS ZenWatch 2, Motorola’s Moto 360 and Huawei Watch.
The watch will be able to display any notifications you’d get on your iPhone — including all notifications from any app you have downloaded there. You can do fitness tracking on the watch with Google Fit. You can get rich notifications from a small set of Google apps, such as Calendar and Gmail. But iPhone users won’t be able to access the 4,000 Android Wear apps from Google’s Play marketplace — made by third-party software makers like social network Pinterest or dating app Tinder — through their Android Wear watches.
Everything on Android Wear works thanks to the Android Wear app on the iPhone — you don’t need to install Google Search or any other Google apps to use it. You can set Google Now reminders, open the Weather app, set timers, and more by speaking to your watch. Most of it is as good or better than Siri. You can also control your music by using your watch, but you can’t search for a specific song in Apple Music the way that Siri can.
So there you have it; if you were a little upset at the limited wearable options available for the iPhone, now you have the latest Android Wear lineup at your disposal. If you happen to have an LG Watch Urbane and you have an iPhone(iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, or 6) lying around, you can go ahead and try out the app.
 
 
 
 

microsoft windows 10

 
A new story has been trending on the internet, regarding Section 7.b. of the Microsoft Services Agreement

Sometimes you’ll need software updates to keep using the Services. We may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices. You may also be required to update the software to continue using the Services. Such updates are subject to these Terms unless other terms accompany the updates, in which case, those other terms apply. Microsoft isn’t obligated to make any updates available and we don’t guarantee that we will support the version of the system for which you licensed the software.

The original source appears to be an Alphr article that claims “Redmond can disable any games you’ve pirated or devices you’ve unlawfully hacked” and “Microsoft has practically baked DRM into the core of Windows 10”.
So what is all this? When we inspected we found that this is neither new nor a story.

It’s not new?

Well, it’s right up the top of Microsoft’s Service Agreement page:
Microsoft can disable your pirated games and illegal hardware
 

What are all these agreements and terms ?

Microsoft Software License Terms: applies to Windows (10) specifically
Microsoft Privacy Statement: applies to basically all Microsoft things
Microsoft Service Agreement: applies to listed Microsoft services

Does the Microsoft Service Agreement apply to Windows 10?

The Microsoft Service Agreement does not apply to Windows 10.
It is separated under Section 1.b. — Additional terms of the Microsoft Software License Terms that you agree to during Windows 10 setup:

Some Windows apps provide an access point to, or rely on, online services, and the use of those services is sometimes governed by separate terms and privacy policies, such as the Microsoft Services Agreement at (aka.ms/msa). You can view these terms and policies by looking at the service terms of use or the app’s settings, as applicable. The services may not be available in all regions.

Compare and contrast with the applicable Microsoft Privacy Agreement, mentioned under Section 3 — Privacy; Consent to Use of Data:

Your privacy is important to us. Some of the software features send or receive information when using those features. Many of these features can be switched off in the user interface, or you can choose not to use them. By accepting this agreement and using the software you agree that Microsoft may collect, use, and disclose the information as described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement (aka.ms/privacy), and as may be described in the user interface associated with the software features.

The Microsoft Service Agreement lists the services it applies to under the last section, Covered Services. You will not see Windows (10) there.

These terms (“Terms”) cover the use of Microsoft’s consumer products, websites and services listed here (the “Services”). […] You accept these Terms by creating a Microsoft account or Skype account, by using the Services, or by continuing to use the Services after being notified of a change to these Terms.

What does Section 7.b. mean, then?

Covered Services in the section :

  • Xbox and Windows Games published by Microsoft
  • Xbox Live

So, the Section 7.b. making it clear by calling out “counterfeit games” and “unauthorized hardware peripheral devices” because it was written in regards to Microsoft’s gaming platform and associated IP on Xbox and Windows.
Interestingly enough, the current list doesn’t even call out the Windows Store, even though it is discussed in the store-specific Section 14.b.

A little known feature called ‘flights data detector’ (not highlighted on stage during Apple’s WWDC keynote) is included in both iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. The feature currently works with Mail, Messages, and Notes, and it only works with the most recent/current flight. This feature lets iOS automatically detect when text is referencing a flight and allows users to actually check on the flight’s status and progress with an attractive interface.
This is how the feature works:
Step 1: Open Notes App and tap to create a new note.
Step 2: Start typing both the airline and flight number including the number sign into a text field (example: Virgin Atlantic #75) Hit a space or Return. After typing each airline and flight number, iOS 9 automatically recognized the data format as an existing flight and created an actionable link out of the text.
 

via: Reddit
The same functionality should also be available from emails containing itineraries from airlines. Some users reported that El Capitan and iOS 9 also does the same with package tracking. Most (if not all) shipment tracking numbers will have the popup.
But asking Siri “What is the status of Virgin Atlantic  flight no 75” returning a normal web search via Bing, which may be the case that this this is not yet implemented for voice?
While this won’t replace a dedicated travel app, it’ll be handy if you want to check for flight delays or satisfy your curiosity about an airplane’s location.