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Microsoft’s News Bar adds a scrolling news feed to Windows 10
In case you didn't already feel inundated with news, Microsoft is introducing a new app that will display a scrolling news feed across your desktop. News Bar, currently available as a beta for Windows 10, will curate the top regional news from over 4,500 publications, and if you choose, it will include customizable stock info.
Facebook's 'ticker,' aka creeper feed, is no more
Facebook has killed one of its oldest features, the "ticker," that let you see at a glance what your friends were doing or sharing. First launched in 2011, it used to appear to the right of your news feed (on the web app) showing likes, comments and other friend activities. As TechCrunch noticed, Facebook's help community had been posting about the ticker's disappearance, when a verified employee chimed in to say that "this feature is no longer available."
LG is making a phone with a secondary ticker display
Every now and then, smartphone makers try building devices with secondary, ticker-like displays in the hopes of reeling you in with more at-a-glance info -- witness Samsung's Continuum or Galaxy Note Edge. And it's LG's turn, apparently. China's TENAA regulator just recently tested the V10, a phone with a ticker display at the top. Notice how the front camera has been moved to the side in the photo you see above? It's not clear exactly how this would work, but you'd likely have a way to activate that ticker without turning on the main screen.
Facebook adds real-time 'ticker' to overhauled news feed, donates old layout to science (video)
Facebook is about to turn your social life into an online newspaper. That's the takeaway from a new slate of changes the company unveiled yesterday, ahead of its annual f8 developer conference in San Francisco. From now on, if you log in to Facebook after a lengthy hiatus, your news feed -- much like the front page of a daily paper -- will consist of a list of "top stories," photos and updates that were posted while you were away, with each high-priority item tagged with a blue earmark. More frequent users, on the other hand, will find a list of most recent stories presented in chronological order, along with larger photos embedded directly within their news feed. The company has also introduced a new "ticker" feature that provides users with real-time updates on their friends' activity, displayed along the right-hand side of the home page. Here, you'll find the exact same updates you'd see on a real-time news feed, with the crucial difference being that you'll be able to interact with each development without missing a beat. If you see that a friend comments on a cat video, for example, you'll be able to click that item in the ticker and add your two cents, without having to navigate away from the home screen. Facebook will likely provide more details on these new features at its f8 tomorrow, but you can find more information in the demo video, after the break.
Samsung Continuum first hands-on (update: video!)
If surprise was the focus of the event, we'd say the Samsung Android-powered, Verizon-exclusive (and, alas, Bing-driven) Continuum reveal was a comedy of errors -- but who cares now that we've got our hands on the Galaxy S phone, secondary ticker and all (at 480 x 96 resolution). The Android buttons themselves, as it turns out, are on the display as well -- basically, it's one huge display. The grip sensor that activates the display seems to work well, although it's pretty easy to squeeze the camera button by accident since it's also on the lower right of the phone. Unfortunately, there's no way for third-party apps to update the ticker -- it's limited to Samsung's stuff right now. We're trying to get some battery life info -- we're curious if turning on a smaller screen more often will result in a longer shelf life, or if it'll just be about even. Update: Video after the break! Update 2: Okay, we got some more info on that screen. The entire front of the phone is one huge four-inch screen, with the Android buttons more or less painted over the lower third -- the screen lights up underneath them in white to illuminate them. Samsung says it's just easier for marketing purposes to say it's two screens, but that they're selectively turning on the bottom portion of the display for the ticker. As far as battery life, it's a 1500mah battery that'll last about a day, we're told -- the lower screen turns on whenever a notification comes in, but since it's a smaller screen the battery life is on par with the Fascinate. We also learned the "grip sensor" isn't really grip-based at all -- it's capacitive, so just lightly touching both sides of the phone lights up the ticker. It's pretty nice, although super easy to set it off by just holding the phone. Samsung says there will eventually be an API for third-party apps to use the ticker, but right now they're just focused on their core experiences. As for Bing, well, no one's saying why some Verizon phones get Binged out and some don't, but every indication is that Verizon calls those shots, not Samsung. We're also told that an Android 2.2 update will eventually arrive, but there's no timeline yet -- and there's a real chance this'll launch with 2.1 after 2.3 hits. Developing... Update 3: Added a quick macro pic of the buttons after the break -- you can see how it's just one big screen. We also took some side-by-sides with a Captivate -- the Continuum is thicker and narrower. Samsung says the narrower size is designed to appeal to women, who generally have smaller hands. %Gallery-107011%
Samsung confirms Continuum dual-display Android handset for Verizon
After a rather large complement of leaks, Samsung has finally confirmed its Continuum phone for Verizon, via Twitter of all places. The phone will ship on November 11th. Samsung is billing it as the "first phone with a dedicated ticker display," referring to the secondary 1.8-inch color screen below the capacitive touch buttons. There's a Samsung Mobile event happening at 6PM EST that will undoubtedly shed more light on this Android handset, but for now we expect the specs to be in line with other Galaxy S-series handsets. You know, except for the ticker part. Samsung is also proud to announce that it's shipped 3 million Galaxy S phones in the US, a sizable chunk of the 7 million or so sold globally so far. Update: We've got PR! Check it out after the break. Here's the feature breakdown: 3.4-inch Super AMOLED primary display, 1.8-inch Super AMOLED secondary "ticker" display. "Grip sensor" lets you touch the bottom sides of the phone to light up the ticker. Android 2.1 (ouch). Bing Maps / Bing Search (double ouch). Samsung 1GHz Hummingbird processor. Six-axis sensor + accelerometer. 5 megapixel camera, shoots 720p video. 802.11n WiFi. 8GB microSD card included. $200 on two-year contract after $100 mail-in rebate. Update 2: Hands-on! %Gallery-107012%
Full Samsung Continuum specs leak out in Verizon comparison charts?
How does the as-yet-unannounced Samsung Continuum stack up against Verizon's pack of Droids, not to mention its Galaxy S brethren? That's what we're finding out for the very first time in a set of allegedly leaked charts. Performance-wise we're looking at a fairly familiar beast with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 384MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM, plus 2GB of on-board flash storage and a preloaded 8GB microSD card. Where it gets interesting is that secondary display, which measures 1.8 inches with a 96 x 480 resolution, which will indeed act as a status update, RSS feed and weather report stock ticker that you activate (even when the handset is asleep!) by gripping the bottom of the phone. You're also getting a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and 3G mobile hotspot for up to five devices, but it's not all peaches and cream -- the whole shebang uses Bing for search, and runs on Android 2.1. Here's hoping Samsung intends to provide us a Froyo rollout date when it finally announces this phone. Find the full spec sheets at our source links.
The best thing about NBC's Olympic coverage
I have to admit that I have watched a good amount of the Olympics so far. Once you get past the O.K. picture quality, it's not that bad. The one thing that I love is NBC's new take on the classic "ticker." They threw out the standard idea of what it is supposed to be (side-scrolling text) and updated it. NBC removed the classic scrolling text for "vertically stepping" text. That is, text that rises up and stays stationary just long enough for you to glance at it, then moves up as another one takes its place. Plus, with the added high-def eye candy, it works and looks great.NBC has a lot of video up on Google video and this clip has the ticker in reference at the bottom of the screen. Sure, the clip isn't in HD, but you can still clearly make it out. Here's hoping that other networks make use of the widescreen picture that high definition offers.
