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Telly video discovery app now optimized for Android tablets
Social discovery applications are becoming more and more popular amongst mobile users, and Telly's certainly one that's leading the way in this category. Today, in an effort to get on as many devices as possible, the video-focused service has released a new version of its app which is vastly tailored for Android slates. Not only does this mean users will now have additional real estate to work with within the app, but Telly also added a few features to take advantage of the larger screen -- namely, an optimized browsing experience, an all-new carousel view and the ability to share videos via NFC. The revamped, tablet-friendly Telly is up for download now, so hit that Google Play link below if you're eager to check it out.
Spotify Discover launches for all with integration from Songkick, Pitchfork and more
Spotify is making another push to help its users find more music they're interested in listening to, and find out more about the artists they like by making its "Discover" feature available to all. Initially shown off late last year, this page combines several elements that have already been a part of the music service, including apps like Pitchfork, Songkick and Tunigo with its song recommendations and followed artist pages. There's also an audio preview feature to let you easily dip into a song that seems interesting, without pulling the focus away from whatever you were listening to before. The new page is available today on Spotify's web player for all users, and is expected to come to its desktop and mobile clients "gradually." With the launch of Twitter Music and Google Play Music's All Access Spotify is facing renewed competition on multiple fronts, we'll see if this kind of one stop shopping for info is key to keeping its users tied to their subscriptions. Check after the break for a few more details in the press release, or hit the website to give it a try yourself.%Gallery-189648%
Study: Mobile gamers download five titles a month, mostly through word of mouth
A new study released by Applifier says that word of mouth is still the number one way mobile game players find the games they like. That doesn't necessarily mean in-person discussion about mobile games, however, though 36 percent of users did report that hearing from a friend or family member was a major source of games, and 25 percent of users said actually seeing a friend or family member play a game was one way they found out about their favorites. However, 43 percent of users say reading user reviews was the main way they found what they liked to play. Video is another big game pusher -- 70 percent of users polled by Applifier say that they watched online video about mobile games in the last week, and 45 percent of users said that watching the video had them downloading that same game right away. Most mobile game players, according to Applifier, download up to five mobile games a month, which is just a little more than one per week. Those games are played for about three hours per week, though obviously that's spread out across the entire week, so most likely little bits here and there rather than three hours at a time. And 20 percent of users, said Applifier, can be classified as "sharers," which means they are more likely to download more games, play more often and for longer and convert to paying users. All interesting stuff. For all of the infrastructure for app discovery built by Apple and others, odds are that you're still hearing about your favorite iOS downloads from the people that you know best anyway.
Twitter #Music adds genre charts to aid your musical discovery
Unless you've been living under a proverbial rock, you've at least a passing familiarity with Twitter's #Music service, and today the platform given us another reason to check it out, thanks to the addition of genre charts. When #Music launched a month ago, it provided the means to discover and hear tunes from popular, emerging and suggested artists along with those you and your friends follow. Now those discovery pages have been expanded to include ten musical genre charts (country, hip-hop, rock, etc.), plus five additional charts titled Superstars, Popular, Emerging, Unearthed and Hunted. The Superstar and Popular charts display the most popular songs and new music that's trending, while Emerging and Unearthed are two avenues for finding lesser-known songs and artists. Finally, the Hunted chart displays music that's currently popular in the blogosphere. So, people of Twitter, go forth, use these new charts and find your musical bliss, but only on the web, 'cause the iOS app is without them... for now.
Field Trip for Android gets updated with over 80 countries, auto-translation
Niantic Labs' Field Trip is a location-discovery app that runs in the background during your aimless wanderings, piping up when you stumble across something notable. Unfortunately, for software designed to help you travel, it'd only made the one journey outside the US itself -- to the UK, and no further. Fortunately, the Google-owned company has sent the Android version of the app (an update for iOS is "coming soon") truly global, helping you find attractions in over 80 countries. Niantic Labs has also jammed in 30 languages and auto-translation, so if you find a restaurant review in an unfamiliar tongue, you won't have to resort to negotiating with the locals.
Popular discovery app Drippler heads to iOS, touts 5 million downloads on Android
Drippler's been relatively successful on Android, with more than five million downloads to date, but now the team behind the recommendations app is looking to test different waters. Earlier today, Drippler announced an iOS equivalent is now available, which will bring many of the features that made it as popular as it is on Android. What this means, essentially, is the application will tailor itself for your particular device, helping discover different types of things which relate to you -- such as tips, games, services and news articles. At any rate, it'll be folks like yourself who determine whether Drippler can also be a hit on iOS, so feel free to sound off in the comments below after you've taken it for a quick whirl.
Discovery, TLC apps for iPad add 'Plus' second screen experience
While Discovery and TLC have offered some show-specific second screen content before, the latest updates to their apps put a new spin on it. Referred to as Discovery Plus and TLC Plus, the new features are currently iPad-only (coming soon to iPhone), bringing behind the scenes info, photos, quizzes and more for shows on the networks, ready to audio sync with live broadcasts or DVR viewing. Other changes in version 2.5 of the apps include new schedule info that lets you know when new episodes are airing for a show, and what's next up to premiere. We're still not sure if this approach to the second screen is enough to consistently make viewers remember to grab their mobile device while watching, but you can try it out during an episode of Dual Survival and let us know how it goes.
BBC America, Twitter reach first 'in-tweet branded video' deal for a TV series
Now that Twitter Music has been revealed there will be more anticipation of potential TV integration, and it appears BBC America will be among the first to participate. The network, which is owned both by BBC Worldwide (the Beeb's commercial arm) and Discovery Communications, sent out a tweet saying it's signed up to "offer 1st in-Tweet branded video synced to entertainment TV series." Its Tumblr page promises details to come, however so far there have been no further updates. We were told by the network that the deal has "literally just been signed", and to expect more info in the coming weeks. This sounds similar to deals with Viacom and NBC that were rumored a few days ago, but what shape this may all take by the time it arrives remains to be seen.
Twitter launching #Music app for iPhone alongside new service today (update: now live)
We had a strong suspicion that Twitter's new music service would figure into the company's "big announcement" promised for today, and that is indeed the case. The company confirmed on Good Morning America this morning that its #Music service will be launching on the web later today with a separate iPhone app in tow. As expected based on the company's acquisition of We Are Hunted, the service is focused largely on music discovery, letting you find music that's popular with your friends or those you follow -- specifically, music shared from iTunes, Spotify or Rdio at the moment. According to Twitter, the web version will be rolling out over the next few hours, with the service currently offered in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Twitter also says that it hopes to roll the service out to Android devices in the future, but unfortunately isn't offering anything more specific for the time being. Update: The iPhone app is now available in the App Store. If it's not turning up in searches for you, this link should work. Most should also now be seeing the web-based version at the source link below.
Spindle discovery app for iPhone adds keyword-based search alerts, spreads to more US cities
The Spindle for iPhone application is known for making it a breeze to discover nearby restaurants, bars and other local spots by racking up social network updates instead of, you know, check-ins. In its second major installment, Spindle's now brought keyword-based search and notifications to the app, allowing iPhone users to quickly find and get informed about places they are more likely to be attracted to based on their specific interests. What's more, Spindle is now making its social, location-based discovery services available in Austin, Chicago and Seattle, which join New York City, Boston and San Francisco as cities where Spindle is available. Folks in any of the aforementioned areas can grab Spindle 2.0 from the App Store now, and be sure to let us know if it's one that'll be seen permanently on that "social" folder of yours.
Find unique tourist attractions with Crash City Guides for iOS
There are plenty of travel guides available for the iPhone, but for those who are looking for something a bit off the beaten path, grab Crash City Guides, which is free. The iPhone app lists thousands of unique places like hidden waterfalls and obscure museums. You can add your own photos, comments and original content. The app provides a map marking the location, but no directions. Use Apple Maps, Google or whatever you use for navigation to get you there. %Gallery-178556% To get started you must set up a free account, which you can do through Facebook, or bypass that and pick a username and a password. As a film buff, I appreciated the locations of Elliot's house from E.T., and the Kill Bill chapel. The only drawback is that the destination list is pretty slim, with just Austin, Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. The developers promise more locations are on the way, and you can add locations anywhere for others to share. Places you want to visit can be added to a to-do list. While the list seems pretty urban, the fact is there are a lot of wonderful out-of-the-way parks and natural locations near those cities. I'd like to see more places, obviously, and I think the app should be able to send a location to Apple Maps for easier navigation. This is a good idea for an app. If you want more content in a paid app, take a look at some of the Rough Guides. The New York City Rough Guide app, for example, is really excellent. The app is not universal, but is optimized for the iPhone 5. iOS 5 or greater is required.
Twitter simplifies search for Android, iOS and mobile web users
Today, Twitter announced an update for its search features for Android, iOS and mobile web. Furthering the company's efforts for a more uniform user experience, the new updated adds a search button to the iPhone app, bringing it up to speed with its Android and iPad counterparts. Across the board users will be treated to improved search results for photos, tweets and accounts, along with a preview section for the Discover tab that takes a peek at the latest trends and activity. Wondering how all this magic works? Twitter's Engineering blog describes the process by which pieces of content are ranked and scored based on factors like "burstiness" to account for recent interest spikes. As for the Connect tab, it now defaults to Interactions, which displays new followers, mentions and retweets. However, if you're not looking to keep track of who quoted your recent product placement rant, you can change your settings to Mentions only. Finally, and perhaps our most favorite new addition is a change to how Twitter's mobile implementations handle links. You can now click a URL directly from your timeline without having to open the related tweet. The mobile site is already sporting the latest updates, but you'll need to update your iOS and Android (it's a manual update, thanks to a change in permissions) apps at their respective stores.
Initial projects from 3net Studios include the world's first native 4K TV show
3net, the joint venture from Sony, Discovery and IMAX that's a 3D channel and more recently a production studio, is ready to announce its first slate of content. While so far the channel has mainly sourced content from the three partners, the new slate of projects, with one that it says is the world's first native 4K project for TV. Called Space, it combines 3D and Ultra HD footage to explore the universe. Of course, at $20k~ a pop for Ultra HD TV sets and a lack of anyone broadcasting in the format so far it may be a bit early, but it will probably air in standard HD/3D at first and when the tech catches up, it will be ready. Other shows in the works include Marksmen, a 3D motion comic, documentary Frozen In Time: Our History in 3D, Wingsuit Warrior: Jeb Corliss vs. The World and travelogue series Daydream. Anyone that scrounged for HD in the early 2000s is probably familiar with this type of demo-ready content, and if you're one of the first with a 4K set, it will probably be in your library for a while before Hollywood is ready to sell you the same movies again, just in higher resolution.
Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net Studios to produce in-house 3D content
If you've spent all of this effort launching an All-3D channel, it's probably wise to ensure you've got enough content to keep your schedules full. That's why 3net founders Sony, Discovery and IMAX are teaming up to launch 3net Studios, with facilities opening in California and Maryland. The new business will be used to bring together the best and brightest minds in stereoscopic media to produce footage for the channel. It'll begin announcing the first projects in the next few weeks, but unless there's space for a 3D version of Dan Harmon's Community, we won't be listening.
Armchair Darwinians discover new insect species on Flickr
Entomologist Shaun Winterton has discovered a new species of Malaysian Lacewing from the comfort of his computer. Idly browsing Flickr, he came across Guek "Kurt" Hock Ping's snap of an insect taken while hiking in the Malaysian jungle, which bore an unfamiliar black-and-blue pattern along its wings. When his colleagues couldn't identify the markings, he realized he was staring at a new species and hurriedly emailed the photographer -- who, a year later, had captured one of the elusive creatures. Sent to Simon Brooks at the Natural History Museum, the suspicion was confirmed. The armchair explorer named it Semachrysa jade after his daughter and promptly used Google Docs to co-author the paper with Guek and Brooks on opposite ends of the world. If your mom complains that you're spending too much time on your computer, you can tell her you're searching for strange life-forms and old civilizations with a straight face. [Image Credit: Guek "Kurt" Hock Ping, Flickr]
Cablevision Optimum apps for iPad, iPhone upgraded with new UI, ratings and discovery features
Cablevision unveiled its Optimum for iPad app with live TV streaming in the spring of 2011, then upgraded it to 2.0 with remote control and DVR scheduling plus an iPhone-compatible edition last fall, and now 3.0 has arrived on iOS with a whole new UI. The updated look makes the app more consistent with the web-based Optimum experience for PCs that launched in April, making it easier to find shows and view the guide well into the future as well as up to two hours into the past. Key to the upgraded discovery experience is the ability to rate TV shows which it uses to make recommendations on other content. The DVR section has even been revamped,making it easier to see what's been recorded and programs that are scheduled, as well as remaining storage space. The full changelog is available on iTunes, subscribers can grab the free apps for their respective devices at the links below.
CERN confirms existence of new particle consistent with Higgs boson (video)
Physics' big announcement had more in common with a leaky product launch than the serious business of re-writing the science books. But slack asset management aside, it's official: a new boson has been observed with a standard deviation of 5 (confidence of 99.9%). The highly anticipated announcement came this morning direct from CERN's press conference (via ICHEP in Melbourne,) and is the result of an intense, ongoing search for the elusive particle. The observation is of a boson particle with a mass of 125.3 ± 0.6 GeV, at a significance of 4.9 sigma. Joe Incandela -- giving the presentation -- said that this is "In agreement with the standard model at 95% confidence range." The boson is the heaviest ever found, and although this is still a preliminary result, it's by far the strongest case yet for the existence of the elusive Higgs. The sought-after particle is essential for supporting the current understanding of sub-atomic world, and its bearing on nuclear, and electromagnetic interactions. The next stage will be to determine the exact characteristics of the new particle and whether it matches the expectations of the Higgs, or is it in fact something more "exotic." This part will take much more time, but for now, a (very) small, but important piece of the puzzle has been found. Update: We're sure you've got many questions, and CERN apparently anticipated this. Check out the more coverage link for a helpful FAQ about everything Higgs. [Image credit: CERN]
Condition One immerses iPads and iPhones in 180-degree video, shakes up dreary apps (video)
Video in tablet magazines and similar apps sometimes -- okay, often -- comes across as a grafted-on extra. Condition One, a startup by war photographer Danfung Dennis, wants to make video an intrinsic part of the experience by taking advantage of the motion sensors in smartphones and tablets. Video shot from a DSLR or similar camera is converted into a 180-degree format that you can swipe or tilt through on an iOS device to get a more involving look. It's a lot more lively than plain movies, and Dennis sees the technique being used for documentaries and tours where it would help to put viewers directly in the action. Producers only need off-the-shelf hardware and software, too. There's a show-off app at the source link to get an overall sense of what the footage is like, but if you're looking for the first official projects, a pilot project has just started that's bringing apps from Discovery, Mercedes-Benz, Popular Science (below), The Guardian and XL Recordings.
The Daily Grind: How important is surprise to you?
For some players, MMOs are all about discovery. The game is at its most fun when you're just exploring the world, figuring out what you need to do as best you can. But to other players, wandering around without a clue isn't as fun as knowing what to do and enjoying that actual accomplishment. Of course, surprises come in both big and small varieties. No matter how well you might know Star Wars: The Old Republic's quests, for example, you might avoid looking up all of the datacrons and thus get a pleasant surprise when you find one. Or maybe you don't like knowing about the bosses you'll fight in a dungeon until you get into the fight. We all like discovering things, but what we like to discover varies. So what about you? How important is having surprises in a game for you? Do you like to walk in with as little foreknowledge as possible, or do you like to have a pretty good map in your head before you start playing? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
New material brings semiconducting to the graphene party
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have cooked up a new graphene-based material that could provide a speed boost for all electronics. We've seen the carbon allotrope turn up in circuitry and transistors before, but the new chemical modification -- graphene monoxide -- is said to be easier to scale up, and most importantly is semiconducting, unlike the insulating or conducting forms that have preceded it. This also means graphene can now provide the triad of electrical conductivity characteristics. The scientists were honest enough to admit the discovery was as much by chance as design, with it coming to light while investigating another material containing carbon nanotubes and tin oxide. We're sure they're not the first to make a discovery this way, we just haven't had time to check the notes to be sure of it.
