This Sunday I put together some wallpapers from some of our favorite movies. Let us know what you think.
John Wick
The Dark Knight
The Avengers
Lord of the Rings
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We have a new look here at Media Soup! The new site is hopefully going to allow you to find content and articles that interest you faster and easier. Hopefully is is easy on the eyes as well. We will continue to make updates and changes as we grow. This is just the first little step towards big things!
Also, this week there will be a new podcast so keep an eye or ear out for that this week. Remember too, that Epic Battles will be returning to the main Dinky Co YouTube channel.
Thank you all for visiting and hopefully you continue to come back!
Thanks,
The Media Soup Team
Recently I picked up an iPhone 5s case hoping that it lived up to what it claims to do. Now I read plenty of reviews before I got it and honestly I'm disappointed with what I read. A lot of the reviews said it was flimsy, breaks easy, bulky, lop sided, and not worth the $80. We'll let me tell you this case is amazing. I beat this case up to the point were I thought my phone was done for sure.
Since I'm going through the fire academy, I thought It would be the perfect place to test my case. As nervous as I was to try it on my new iPhone 5s, I went through it anyway and couldn't be any happier with how well it worked. Leaving my phone with the Lifeproof Fire case in my outer pocket of my protective clothing it went through high heat from a car fire, extreme water pressure from commercial sprinkler heads, banging off the ground doing hose line advancements and crawling through a pitch black maze, and there isn't a single nick scratch or dent on my iPhone or the Lifeproof case. Yes, it is flimsy but it is thin for getting it in and out of your pocket and it's built to be punished. The $80 spent on this case blew the old Otter Box I had out of the water. It's super durable, thin, and the colors are great. I got the blue one. This is a great purchase 10 out of 10.
The icons for Android have changed before but the plans Google seems to have now are to begin to unify the icons across the Google platform. The web icons differ from the Android version and have since the OS came in to existence but Google is trying to fix that. The icons will help with recognizing the apps across the ecosystem Google has built but it also brings in some consistency. This is something that Google has been trying to do once Larry Page became the CEO of Google and the process has been slow but still steady.
Source:
Engadget
The living room is hosting a battle and it is for your time and money. Amazon just announces Fire TV and we are already are seeing news and rumors of Google's Android TV. The Verge has an exclusive that shows what looks to be what Google is working on with the Android TV. Google is trying to get in to the living room as we have seen with the success of the Chromecast but they do not have a set-box option that is comparable.
This is an interesting development since we have Google I/O in the near future. The future of the living room is looking really exciting. The WWDC is coming up shortly and with the competition from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft we could possibly see them announce something for the living room as well. The three main players for your living room are staring to make the choice of ecosystems more and more interesting and compelling.
Source
The Verge
There has generally been three major players in the gaming realm, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. The game, no pun intended, may be changing now. Amazon has announced their set-top box, called Fire TV. They talked a lot about the specs of the device and the services available for it, but one thing stood out. They claimed that gaming consoles were too expensive and that they would be offering gaming right on the Fire TV. This is a bold move on Amazon's part because without the gaming option, their set-top box is no different from any other set-top.
Amazon is trying to enter a field, the gaming industry, that is cut-throat and ruthless. The main companies in gaming have been at gaming for a long time. Amazon thinks it will be able to compete on price but price, in the gaming industry, doesn't always mean success. We have seen other companies hope that a low cost gaming device would allow them to get a foot hold in the industry, i.e. OUYA, and they have to adjust their strategy and they are struggling to stay relevant as a company. Sony and Microsoft are the top two dogs in the gaming business and they got there by building brands and an incredible network with the help of innovative features. People will pay more if they feel it is worth it and we have seen time and time again that gamers are more likely to pay for a console they feel is best even if it seems to have a steep price tag.We will have to watch and see how the Fire TV does with it first release. It will be competing, not only with set-top boxes, but also with gaming consoles for your time and money. We will all be keeping a close eye to see if Amazon can be the next big name in gaming. Will the Fire TV burn bright or be put out by the foot of Sony and Microsoft?
The fighting has heated up now that there is a new competitor in the ring. We started with a solo champion known as Siri, from Apple. Shortly, after Siri, Google announced and launched Google Now. The two personal assistant apps competed head to head and tried to innovate and add new features upon each new release. Now, there is a new challenger that will be competing directly with Google Now and Apple's Siri and it's name is Cortana. The battle for the personal assistant on your phone gets more interesting with the announcement of Microsoft's Cortana.
The most exciting part of Cortana is not Cortana itself but what it's affect will be on the industry. When Apple released Siri, it was all the rage and everyone wanted to use it. Then Google Now showed up and changed how we thought about, how and what information would be given to us, even before we knew we needed it. Now with Cortana I am excited to see if companies react to this and start to drive new features and experiences related to the personal assistant apps that are in just about everyone's phone.
While exploring photojojo.com, I found the Eye-Fi mobi SD card. This SD card allows you to automatically send your pictures to a mobile device wirelessly. I found this super convenient with my Nikon D3100 and it is super easy to set up. Just put the card in your camera, download the app(Android or iOS), and enter the code that is on the case. After you are set up start taking pictures and they will automatically start to download to your device. From there you can share your pictures on any service you prefer. The Eye-Fi comes in 8GB, 16GB, and 32 GB or a 16GB Pro card. You can purchase them at www.eye.fi, photojojo.com, and bestbuy.com. I strongly suggest picking one up, it's another great thing to add to the camera bag.
Recently I have discovered this wonderful little website called photojojo.com. Now, as you can read in my bio, I love photography and new tech. Photojojo.com supplies you with crazy fun photography accessories including lens attachments, phone attachments, and much much more. I have purchased from the website so far a hamburger lens cap, a lens cap colder for my backpack, and and awesome wide fish eye macro lens attachment. Everything I have purchased so far is great quality and I'm so happy with my purchase. All this said I'd have to say the greatest thing about Photojojo is the tiny dinosaur you get with your purchase absolutely free and if your really feeling up to it you can spend the extra dollar to get fresh cookie dough smell in your package. I did smells great! Hope everyone gets a little joy out of the purchases from Photojojo.
First, and importantly, I would like to point out that I am using the OS on a device not officially support by Ubuntu and this article will not discuss how to install Ubuntu Touch on the Nexus 5. Now that, that is out of the way, on to the 3 days of Ubuntu Touch.
The first thing that I need to say about the Ubuntu Touch OS is that it is beautiful! The operating system looks absolutely gorgeous at every point, from the fonts to the organization of the apps and icons. Canonical is making an operating system that is eye catching and shows off not only the user's content but also all the great work of their designers. The design goals and guidelines that Ubuntu has set are a real testament when you get to see them executed in the OS. Ubuntu Touch feels new and it is very intuitive.
With all that said, now on to the actual user experience that I have been having while I test the Ubuntu Touch OS on the Nexus 5. As I stated earlier, the Nexus 5 is not a device officially supported by Canonical, so there are some issues I may
I do have issues that keep coming up like not being able to lock the orientation or how difficult it can be to dismiss the keyboard but to be honest, it is really hard to criticize the OS on these issues since it is not a complete build. Ubuntu Touch is updating everyday it seems like and each update has bug fixes. I will continue to use the OS and test it but I will not really criticize or rant about missing features until Ubuntu Touch is complete and ready for a truly final release.
There has been a small storm brewing and more and more attention going to Canonical and Ubuntu for their touch OS. They have an interesting approach and goals, as they are aiming for convergence across the phone, tablet, and desktop. I have installed Ubuntu Touch on my Nexus 7(2013) and we will see if they are working on the next big thing or the next big failure.
Overview
Canonical's take on the mobile OS market is being executed really well. They are building a product that will make waves in the market. There are some many great ideas and concepts in the Ubuntu Touch OS, that it is hard to find one and say it is the best. There seems to be a race to convergence right now, as we see with Microsoft's one OS on all your devices, but Canonical, with it's Ubuntu Touch, has an excellent strategy to make this happen.
Look and Feel
Ubuntu Touch looks beautiful! The plan that Canonical has as far as the UI is concerned is amazing. The UI has a, content is king, approach. All the apps, music, videos, and more are right there, available to you. The UI is continuing to progress and improve with each update. Canonical is making Ubuntu touch as pretty and polished as it can be, and this really shows. The software, for testing software, ran really well. For the most part the UI is responsive, fast, and fluid. Still make no mistake, there are some issues since it is not a completed project yet. The app switching is fast and convenient, with a simple swipe from the right side you go to your last app or a swipe from the left and you are back to the home screen. The process of learning the gestures and swipes was so natural that I didn't even really think about once I saw what each gesture did.
Core Apps
The Ubuntu team is also working on, what they call, Core Apps. These are the apps that will bundled with the Ubuntu Touch OS. As of now the core apps that are available for testing right now are, Browser, Contacts, Friends, Messaging, Dialer, Calendar, Terminal, Reminders, Shorts, Music, Stocks, Gallery, Notes, Calculator, File Manager, Camera, and Clock. These are not finished and fully polished but they are making quick progress to get to that point. The majority of the apps have little glitches and bugs right now but you get to see what Canonical's plans and visions are for the OS, and they have great ideas. The apps get updated frequently and Ubuntu has hack-a-thons to find and resolve as many bugs as possible in the apps. The Core Apps show great potential and I look forward to see what Canonical has planned for the future of the apps.
The Ubuntu Touch OS is a clean and sleek user experience with a beautiful user interface. Though it is not finished and polished you can see the vision that Canonical has for the OS and it is very encouraging. The Ubuntu Touch OS does an excellent job of bring what you need and use regularly right to the forefront. We will be watching this mobile operating system closely... with much excitement.
Update
The Ubuntu Touch OS has updated it's UI and is really focusing on Scopes. I have some pictures below for you to see what Canonical is working on. They have been making really good progress on the mobile OS.
For you Google fan boys and people who just like to have a ton of storage, Google now offers 1TB of storage for Google drive for just $10 a month. This is a massive price cut from what they originally charged. This deal comes shortly after Microsoft announced $9.99 a month consumer pricing for Office 365.
Source:
Google has recently acquired Green Trottle Games and this seems like a logical acquisition but does it also require us to question all of Google's motives?
There has been a lot of rumors stirring around the internet about Google working on a set-top box, with all those rumors the acquisition of Green Trottle a logical one except for that it may also mean Google is working on something else. Google has made a set-top box before with Logitec and they have made smart TVs as well with Google TV. Google has been trying to get a better foot hold in the living room and with the recent success of the Chromecast you would think they would be just trying to improve that formula.
In my opinion, Google is working on something a little more than just a set-top box. I think that Google may try to enter the video game industry even at a casual level. With Steam making Steam Boxes and companies like OUYA making consoles with the Android operating system, it would seem like it would be possible for a company like Google to enter the gaming market. Google would probably want to try to avoid losing interest in the gaming market since Android does as well as it does with games. Google has the capital to definitely attempt entering the gaming industry. Microsoft has already announced that it wants Xbox Live to power games cross-platform which would cut in to Google's share of the gaming market(Source).Everyone will be watching all the purchases and moves Google makes carefully now. The interest and investment that Google has in the living room will allow Google to make moves in to many other market and areas in the television space. We will look forward to see what Google does next.
Source:
9to5Google
Google has announced Docs and Sheets add-ons. The new add-ons will add functionality and features that will be of great use to the users and add new features from third parties. From the video that Google published on it's YouTube page, there will be many features that will really benefit students and education. One of the add-ons allows for you to search for information and cite it directly in the document you are working on. The new add-ons are exciting to see and this will allow for Google Docs and Sheets to challenge Microsoft Office even more and compare in functionality. The added functions will definitely catch the attention of not only users but the opposition, aka Microsoft.
Source:
Source:
So, what does need to change in the Chrome Web Store? That in itself is a loaded question. The idea of the Chrome Web Store is not a new concept but with how long the store has been around you would hope to see better quality of apps as well as more apps.
The Chrome Web Store has been slow growing and it has very little attention from people that are using Chrome. The numbers of people that have installed apps from the app store is very little compared to the number of people that have the Chrome web browser installed on their computer. The Chrome Web Store for the most part right now only contains links to websites that say they are "apps". Google has slowly been trying to change this by implementing the apps for your desktop but that just added more confusion to an already confusion app store.
The first think that Google should address in the Web Store is the confusion. The general user doesn't understand the difference between extensions, apps, and apps for your desktop.
Google should really narrow down what they want to do with the Chrome Web Store. They should start to focus more on getting developers to make actual apps for the Chrome OS platform which should encourage the adoption of Chromebooks even more. Chromebooks have been selling at a much higher rate lately and if they have a more solid app market the possibilities would be endless.
Overview
There was a lot of noise and excitement around the HP Chromebook 11. The launch of the new Chromebook was met with some controversy and challenges but it appears that it was nothing Google and HP couldn't overcome. Changes and fixes came to the Chromebook, was it enough to make this a contender in the tightly fought Chromebook world?
The Chromebook had an issue upon launch with the power adapter but the adapter was just a minor issue in the scheme of things. Google was able to replace the adapter with a new one to resolve all the problems that people were originally having concerning the adapter. The HP Chromebook 11 has an 11.6 inch display that is probably one of the best displays you can get on a Chromebook, excluding the Chromebook Pixel. The next change that was made to the Chromebook 11 was the speakers. The Chromebook 11 has speakers that are around the keyboard where the color accent is located. The speakers are actually really nice quality and work well. I was impressed with how loud they can get and Google says that they are specially designed to be that way. The rest of the technical specs are the same as the Samsung Chromebook.
Look and Feel
The HP Chromebook 11 comes in two main colors black and white but the white one comes with 4 accent colors, red, blue, yellow, and green. The color is around the keyboard and on the bottom of the Chromebook. The Chromebook has a glossy finish to it and it still feels nice in the hands. One thing that I would like to state about the size of the Chromebook is that even at 11 inches the keyboard is still full size and quiet comfortable to type on. It doesn't feel cramped and small by any means. HP with the help of Google was actually able to make a Chromebook that looks really good and feels good to use.
Software
The software on a Chromebook is Google's Chrome OS. The Chrome OS has not changed too much from the previous Chromebooks. The Chrome OS does have the benefit of updating very frequently and the frequent updates bring new features. With in the last couple of updates we have seen the ability to do an expose style window view and many other features but overall the Chrome OS is what we have come to see on Chromebooks.
Final Thoughts
The HP Chromebook 11 is a safe move and upgrade by Google and HP. They took an already popular formula, Samsung Chromebook, and made minor but nice improvements on it. The HP Chromebook 11 is an excellent Chromebook for someone that plans to consume a lot of media such as video and pictures due to the great display. The HP Chromebook 11 may have had a rough start but in the end it finished strong. The Chromebook is designed well, has quality speakers and display, and is nice on the eyes. HP and Google made a quality product at a good price.
There was a lot of noise and excitement around the HP Chromebook 11. The launch of the new Chromebook was met with some controversy and challenges but it appears that it was nothing Google and HP couldn't overcome. Changes and fixes came to the Chromebook, was it enough to make this a contender in the tightly fought Chromebook world?
The Chromebook had an issue upon launch with the power adapter but the adapter was just a minor issue in the scheme of things. Google was able to replace the adapter with a new one to resolve all the problems that people were originally having concerning the adapter. The HP Chromebook 11 has an 11.6 inch display that is probably one of the best displays you can get on a Chromebook, excluding the Chromebook Pixel. The next change that was made to the Chromebook 11 was the speakers. The Chromebook 11 has speakers that are around the keyboard where the color accent is located. The speakers are actually really nice quality and work well. I was impressed with how loud they can get and Google says that they are specially designed to be that way. The rest of the technical specs are the same as the Samsung Chromebook.
Look and Feel
The HP Chromebook 11 comes in two main colors black and white but the white one comes with 4 accent colors, red, blue, yellow, and green. The color is around the keyboard and on the bottom of the Chromebook. The Chromebook has a glossy finish to it and it still feels nice in the hands. One thing that I would like to state about the size of the Chromebook is that even at 11 inches the keyboard is still full size and quiet comfortable to type on. It doesn't feel cramped and small by any means. HP with the help of Google was actually able to make a Chromebook that looks really good and feels good to use.
Software
The software on a Chromebook is Google's Chrome OS. The Chrome OS has not changed too much from the previous Chromebooks. The Chrome OS does have the benefit of updating very frequently and the frequent updates bring new features. With in the last couple of updates we have seen the ability to do an expose style window view and many other features but overall the Chrome OS is what we have come to see on Chromebooks.
Final Thoughts
The HP Chromebook 11 is a safe move and upgrade by Google and HP. They took an already popular formula, Samsung Chromebook, and made minor but nice improvements on it. The HP Chromebook 11 is an excellent Chromebook for someone that plans to consume a lot of media such as video and pictures due to the great display. The HP Chromebook 11 may have had a rough start but in the end it finished strong. The Chromebook is designed well, has quality speakers and display, and is nice on the eyes. HP and Google made a quality product at a good price.
Overview
Now, I know that the Pebble Steel will be coming out soon but those of you who do not want to drop the $250 on it, like myself, can buy the Pebble for just $150. It works on iOS and Android. The Pebble connects through Bluetooth and is painless to use. You can do tasks such as controlling your music, seeing how far you rode your bike, read text message notifications, and much more. It also comes with a USB charger and simple instruction manual. I have purchased the Jet Black version of the pebble as seen in the above picture and I'm in absolute love with it. Pebble was one of the first Smart-watches out there and started with a simple Kickstarter.
Look and FeelThe Pebble comes in 5 different colors with a black and white screen. Its thin, simple to use and can be customized to how you want the watch to look. The watch is not too bulking and does not get in the way. The face of the watch is slightly larger than a normal watch face but nothing too noticeable. The option to change the watch face and bands is nice to have, you can then customize the watch to fit your mood and how you feel that day. The build quality of the watch is good, it feels durable and constructed well. Overall the build and design of the watch works well with the software.
Software
The software on the watch is primitive, simple and straight to the point. The watch allows you to changes watch-faces, apps, alarms, and more. The pebble comes with 3 different watch-faces but there are thousands more to download. You are able to download watch faces and apps from the Pebble app that you install on you Android or iPhone. The apps allow you to also customize what notifications you see on the watch as well. The watch is paired to your smart phone and it is a fairly painless process. The watch will also reconnect to your phone whenever they have been apart without your intervention. The software and app, though basic, are done well and straight forward.
Final Thoughts
My final thought would be that the watch has a clean and simple interface with a solid design. The app is do in way that does not over complicate using the watch and does a good job to add nice benefits to the watch. I would have to say the Pebble is a must get watch.
Source:
getpebble.com
This is a touchy subject for many people for several reasons, but we still dare to try to compare the two options. When you think about comparing Microsoft Office with Google Docs, it seems that Office is the clear cut winner due to its strong past and current status with users but Google is slowly working on Docs and making a strong competitor to the beloved Office.
The two companies as of late have really been competing heavily against one another. You have seen this in Microsoft's Scrgooled ads and Google not allowing a YouTube app on Windows phone. The competition goes all the way to even both of the companies productivity suits. When you you look at the current state of the computer industry you can begin to see why Microsoft is nervous about Google Apps. Google has taken an approach very similar to what Microsoft did back in it's hay day but they have just a small enough twist that it is allowing them to gain on Microsoft and Office. More and more people are doing everything online, whether it is shopping, banking, working, or so. This is what is allowing for Google Apps to make an impact on Microsoft's market share in the productivity space. Google sells Chromebooks and Android phones but they don't make a lot of money from that, where they make their money is their services. This is why you see inexpensive Chromebooks. You also see that Google will give schools(K-12) access and use of Google Apps for free. The service has come to the point where it can challenge Microsoft and force innovation from both companies. Microsoft themselves are aware that things need to and are changing. They have started to move the premier product, Microsoft Office, to the web in an effort to combat the progress of Google. Though Office is on the web there are few people that know and use the service but that shows how Microsoft is trying to make a play for the people who use the Internet to do everything.
Microsoft has been sticking to their old sales platform and as of now it can still hold up because they still have a strong hold of the enterprise user. This is slowly starting to change as well though, the city of Boston moved to Google Apps just recently. You will begin to see more and more companies switching to Google because the business model of Google is very enticing for businesses since the price is reasonable and Google offers back up solutions and much more. Microsoft really needs to try something new and possibly change their entire business model. Google is continuing to push Microsoft to change and change and causes competition and competition is good.
Today, Plain Vanilla Games released its popular iOS game QuizUp on Android and after hearing about it I quickly decided to search the Google Play store to find that the new trivia game is free. After downloading the game, you are able to sign in via Google+, Facebook, or Email. This multiplayer game is highly addictive and allows you to pick all sorts of categories including Android questions, to complete in quizzes against a random opponent or a friend. I learned a good bit of interesting facts while playing and with that said, when it comes to rating this trivia game, 1 to 5 I would definitely give it a 5. With it's very clean and simple user interface, you will really enjoy the game.
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