Dear buntheun keun,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for July 25, 2014:


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Spotlight Stories Headlines
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MONKEYS FEAR BIG CATS LESS, EAT MORE, WITH HUMANS AROUND
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-monkeys-big-cats-humans.html#nwlt
PROTOTYPE DISPLAY USES EYEGLASS PRESCRIPTION TO ALLOW FOR VIEWING DEVICES WITHOUT GLASSES
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-prototype-eyeglass-prescription-viewing-devices.html#nwlt
GOOGLE BASELINE STUDY AIMS TO DEFINE WHAT A HEALTHY HUMAN LOOKS LIKE
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-google-baseline-aims-healthy-human.html#nwlt
NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS SAHARAN DUST IS KEY TO THE FORMATION OF BAHAMAS' GREAT BANK
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-saharan-key-formation-bahamas-great.html#nwlt
WHAT SIGN LANGUAGE TEACHES US ABOUT THE BRAIN
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-language-brain.html#nwlt
NEW ALGORITHM IDENTIFIES DATA SUBSETS THAT WILL YIELD THE MOST RELIABLE PREDICTIONS
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-algorithm-subsets-yield-reliable.html#nwlt
BREAKTHROUGH LASER EXPERIMENT REVEALS LIQUID-LIKE MOTION OF ATOMS IN AN ULTRA-COLD CLUSTER
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-breakthrough-laser-reveals-liquid-like-motion.html#nwlt
CHEMISTS DEVELOP NEW FORMULATION FOR THE GENERATION OF GREEN FLAMES
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-chemists-green-flames.html#nwlt
MAGNETS FOR FUSION ENERGY: A REVOLUTIONARY MANUFACTURING METHOD DEVELOPED
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-magnets-fusion-energy-revolutionary-method.html#nwlt
EXISTENCE OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL NANOMATERIAL SILICENE QUESTIONED
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-two-dimensional-nanomaterial-silicene.html#nwlt
THE FIRST SUPERCOMPUTER SIMULATIONS OF 'SPIN–ORBIT' FORCES BETWEEN NEUTRONS AND PROTONS IN AN ATOMIC NUCLEUS
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-supercomputer-simulations-spinorbit-neutrons-protons.html#nwlt
HOW DO WE TERRAFORM VENUS?
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-terraform-venus.html#nwlt
BACTERIA MANIPULATE SALT TO BUILD SHELTERS TO HIBERNATE
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-bacteria-salt-hibernate.html#nwlt
FIRST IN-SITU IMAGES OF VOID COLLAPSE IN EXPLOSIVES
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-in-situ-images-void-collapse-explosives.html#nwlt
NEW MOLECULE PUTS SCIENTISTS A STEP CLOSER TO UNDERSTANDING HYDROGEN STORAGE
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-molecule-scientists-closer-hydrogen-storage.html#nwlt


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Latest News On TECHNOLOGY:
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PROTOTYPE DISPLAY USES EYEGLASS PRESCRIPTION TO ALLOW FOR VIEWING DEVICES WITHOUT GLASSES
An experimental display technology being developed by Microsoft, U.C. Berkeley and MIT aims to allow users with vision problems to clearly see device screens without the need for glasses. The technology is based on an algorithm developed by the team that accepts a person's eyeglass prescription and uses it to alter the image projected by a smartphone, tablet, computer, etc. allowing for viewing without eyeglasses.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-prototype-eyeglass-prescription-viewing-devices.html#nwlt

GOOGLE BASELINE STUDY AIMS TO DEFINE WHAT A HEALTHY HUMAN LOOKS LIKE
Google has announced that it has added a project it's calling Baseline Study, to Google X. The announcement came from project manager Andrew Conrad—he gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal. The aim of the project is simple, study a lot of people as vigorously as possible to see if it's possible to define what it means to be a healthy human being. If that can be accomplished, then logic suggests that any person with deviations from that standard should have cause for concern, because they might have a tendency to develop a particular type of ailment. Put another way, it's a large scale attempt at improving preventive medicine.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-google-baseline-aims-healthy-human.html#nwlt

FIVE NEXT-GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND TIMING
It is difficult to imagine the modern world without the Global Positioning System (GPS), which provides real-time positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) data for countless military and civilian uses. Thanks in part to early investments that DARPA made to miniaturize GPS technology, GPS today is ubiquitous. It's in cars, boats, planes, trains, smartphones and wristwatches, and has enabled advances as wide-ranging as driverless cars, precision munitions, and automated supply chain management.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-next-generation-technologies-positioning.html#nwlt

NEW ALGORITHM IDENTIFIES DATA SUBSETS THAT WILL YIELD THE MOST RELIABLE PREDICTIONS
Much artificial-intelligence research addresses the problem of making predictions based on large data sets. An obvious example is the recommendation engines at retail sites like Amazon and Netflix.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-algorithm-subsets-yield-reliable.html#nwlt

REINVENTING ENTERTAINMENT FOR A DIGITAL GENERATION
Children's entertainment is in a mess. This is in no small part due to recent revelations about just what was happening when the stars of earlier generations were producing content.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-reinventing-digital.html#nwlt

SOFTWARE PROVIDES A CLEAR OVERVIEW IN LONG DOCUMENTS
In the future, a software will help users better analyze long texts such as the documents for calls for bids, which are often more than one thousand pages long. Experts at Siemens' global research unit Corporate Technology have developed a search function that enables users to simultaneously look for key words and sections of text in all of the documents of a call for bids, for example, without having to actually open any of the files. This makes the search very fast so that it only takes a few milliseconds before users can read the search results in the documents. The experts also developed a component that checks to see how requirements have changed compared to previous versions of a specific text. As reported in the current issue of "Pictures of the Future" magazine, the ultimate goal is to create a semantic software that recognizes interrelationships in order to find relevant information.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-software-overview-documents.html#nwlt

AMAZON WORKER PILOTED DRONE AROUND SPACE NEEDLE
(AP)—Police say an out-of-town Amazon employee was the operator behind a drone that buzzed the Seattle Space Needle this week.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-amazon-worker-drone-space-needle.html#nwlt

RIDE-SHARE SERVICE LYFT REACHES DEAL WITH NEW YORK
Ride-share operator Lyft has struck a deal allowing its launch in New York City two weeks after a snag over safety and licensing forced a postponement.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-ride-share-lyft-york.html#nwlt

WIKIPEDIA BLOCKS 'DISRUPTIVE' EDITS FROM US CONGRESS
Wikipedia has blocked editing rights from some computers at the US House of Representatives in response to "disruptive" revisions of the online encyclopedia.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-wikipedia-blocks-disruptive-congress.html#nwlt

SCALPING CAN RAISE TICKET PRICES
Scalping gets a bad rap. For years, artists and concert promoters have stigmatized ticket resale as a practice that unfairly hurts their own sales and forces fans to pay exorbitant prices for tickets to sold-out concerts. But is that always true?
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-scalping-ticket-prices.html#nwlt

US CONGRESS DECRIMINALIZES CELLPHONE UNLOCKING
US consumers will be allowed to unlock their cellphones and move them to a new carrier under a measure adopted Friday to fix a perceived glitch in copyright law.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-congress-law-cellphone.html#nwlt

BOSE SUES BEATS OVER HEADPHONE PATENTS
Audio technology veteran Bose Corporation on Friday sued Beats Electronics over patented technology for canceling noise in earphones.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-bose-sues-headphone-patents.html#nwlt

REPORT: CHINA TO DECLARE QUALCOMM A MONOPOLY
(AP)—Chinese regulators have concluded Qualcomm Inc., one of the biggest makers of chips used in mobile devices, has a monopoly, a government newspaper reported Friday.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-china-declare-qualcomm-monopoly.html#nwlt

BAIDU PROFIT UP 34 PERCENT AS MOBILE SERVICE GROWS
(AP)—Baidu Inc., which operates China's most popular search engine, said Friday its quarterly profit rose 34 percent over a year earlier as its mobile business grew.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-baidu-profit-percent-mobile.html#nwlt

ECONOMICAL AND AGILE OFFSHORE CONSTRUCTION SHIP
Siemens is currently installing the power supply and propulsion systems into a new multi-purpose offshore construction ship for Toisa Ltd. The ship, which is being built by the Korean company Hyundai Heavy Industries Ltd., will be used for a variety of offshore construction tasks at depths of up to 3,500 meters. Among other things, such assignments require the ship to be very maneuverable. This is why Siemens is supplying it with a diesel-electric propulsion system that enables the crew to selectively operate the individual propellers with great precision. Siemens is also providing the ship with a power supply and energy management system that helps to optimize the vessel's fuel consumption.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-economical-agile-offshore-ship.html#nwlt

LAWYER: CLAIMS OF BOTCHED CIRCUMCISION ARE UNTRUE
(AP)—Two doctors are denying claims by an Alabama man who says his penis was amputated during what was supposed to be a routine circumcision.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-lawyer-botched-circumcision-untrue.html#nwlt




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Android Phone Fans

---

• Google Glass has been explicitly banned from Comic-Con 2014 panels
• Report: Google and Twitch agree to $1 billion acquisition terms, expect an announcement shortly
• Sony Xperia Z3 leaks again, shows off matte back and rounded side profile
• Chrome Beta 37 update brings fancy new Material design changes, simplified login
• The Moto 360 will be the first Android Wear smartwatch to come with an ambient light sensor
• Xbox One SmartGlass Beta update brings remote shopping and new social features
• Square Enix summer sale brings Final Fantasy Android games down to much more reasonable prices
• Chromecast’s first birthday sparks 90 free days of Google Play Music All Access offer
• Sprint invites us to “take the edge off” on August 19th
• HTC One M8 announced in pink and red for Europe
• Reminder: Verizon HTC One Remix (One Mini 2) available today
• LG Mobile has a record quarter with 14.5 million smartphones shipped; ends 3-quarter streak of losses
• Skype 5.0 for Android makes it easier to find your friends

Google Glass has been explicitly banned from Comic-Con 2014 panels Posted: 24 Jul 2014 06:04 PM PDT Google Glass hasn’t even hit an official consumer release (although bleeding edge tech enthusiasts can beta test it… for a price) and already the headset has hit another roadblock. Google’s smart eyewear seems to have found itself banned from one of the biggest events of the year: San Deigo Comic-Con. Well, to be fair, the wearable has been authorized for use on the showroom floor, but in an email recently sent out to Comic-Con attendees, the Comic-Con International board is letting everyone know “Google Glasses” cannot be worn or used at any time during any of the show’s panels. This is typically where movie companies show off very confidential new trailers and it seems anywhere where camera recording is prohibited — the same goes for Google Glass whether powered on or off. “Google Glasses/Video Recorders/Camera Phones Remember recording of footage on the screens during panels is prohibited. This includes Google Glasses. You cannot wear Google Glasses during footage viewing in any program room. If your Google Glasses are prescription, please bring a different pair to use during these times.” It makes sense. Where, in most cases, it’s easy to spot someone recording video footage with their smartphone or camera, Google Glass is far more discrete with its always forward facing camera lens. Comic-Con recommends anyone who is planning on wearing prescription Google Glass bring an spare set of specs for the panels if they hope to see everything clearly.

Report: Google and Twitch agree to $1 billion acquisition terms, expect an announcement shortly Posted: 24 Jul 2014 05:09 PM PDT Last month, we heard rumors that Google would soon be buying the game streaming service Twitch for upwards of $1 billion. That deal — lead by Google-owned YouTube — was apparently still on the table, but now has reportedly been confirmed by sources from Venture Beat. According to VB, there’s still no word on exactly when Google/YouTube plans on disclosing details of the deal, although with everyone now in agreement, an official announcement could be right around the corner. The general feeling of a Google buyout amongst Twitch fans is one of fear and uncertainty. It’s not exactly clear what Google or YouTube plans on doing with Twitch, although we’re sure it should help alleviate some of the problems game streamers have been facing with the constant barrage of DMCA take-down requests. We’re sure Google will tread lightly, and in the end the deal will help benefit everyone. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

Sony Xperia Z3 leaks again, shows off matte back and rounded side profile Posted: 24 Jul 2014 04:14 PM PDT We got more than a few good looks at what could be the still unannounced Sony Xperia Z3 last week. The leaks left little to the imagination, but one area of the phone not shown was its back. Some were hoping that for the Sony Xperia Z2 sequel, Sony would finally do away with the all-glass back cover, something we’ve never been a fan of since our Nexus 4 met an early demise a few years back. While today’s leak could show a deviation from a glass back, we’re still unsure… The few of you who purchased the Sony Xperia Z2 will no doubt remember the back of the device was outfitted with a plastic matte clear film to protect for added freshness. Because of that, we’re not entirely sure if what we’re looking at in this new leaked image is simply a plastic film over glass, or if Sony could actually be opting for an all aluminum device, a la the HTC One M8. As more leaks continue to seep out from the woodwork, we’ll take this as another sign of the device’s impending release. Let’s hope that recent FCC filing means we can expect the Z3 to launch relatively soon here in the states, although we wont be holding our breath. [Evleaks]

Chrome Beta 37 update brings fancy new Material design changes, simplified login Posted: 24 Jul 2014 03:20 PM PDT Earlier this week we watched as Google gave the Google Play Store a spiffy new Material-ish redesign and next on the docket is Google’s very own Chrome web browser. But before Google can update stable channels for Chrome, they’ll first need to test out in beta. Chrome Beta 37 (37.0.2062.39 to be exact) is now rolling out on Google Play and aside from a new simplified login that allow users to sign into their Google account once for all Google sites — the newly updated version of Chrome brings new Material design elements to the browser (including a more minimal Moonshine icon). It’s nothing too major and from the wording on the official Chrome Blog we can expect to see more Material design elements to come (like the fading transition of web pages). Really, there’s not much to a web browser’s UI, but you will notice Chrome’s incognito tabs receiving a fresh new can of paint. Don’t forget the usual bug fixes and performance improvements have also been addressed. Chrome Beta (Playboard) | Chrome Beta (Play Store) [Chrome Releases Blog]

The Moto 360 will be the first Android Wear smartwatch to come with an ambient light sensor Posted: 24 Jul 2014 02:02 PM PDT Android Wear offerings from LG and Samsung are now readily available for anyone looking to add a little more convenience to their life. When it comes to choosing, you’ll find these tiny devices don’t really feature much variation in terms of hardware (their size and requirements from the OS aren’t as demanding as smartphones). Sure, the Samsung Gear Live has slightly higher resolution, but I think just about all us early adopters were surprised to find that both LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live didn’t come equipped with an ambient light sensor. A strange oversight, whenever a user sets their desire brightness, they’ll need to jump through a few hoops in order to change the brightness of the display to match their environment. While, it’s true apps like Wear Mini Launcher offer a quick brightness slider to help alleviate this issue, it doesn’t totally fix it. And that sucks. For Motorola’s upcoming smartwatch — the Motorola Moto 360 — there’s still a bit of mystery surrounding wearable in terms of what Motorola is planning to do different (other than its circular design). If there was any question Motorola was aiming at a more premium smartwatch experience with its brushed aluminum frame and nearly bezeless watch face, we now have another idea of some hardware will be using in their device that simply put, the others forgot about: an ambient light sensor. A hands-off video from TechCrunch is making the rounds around the net this afternoon. In the video (at the 1:39 mark), Motorola spokesperson Cathay Bi shows off the smartwatch just like she did in Motorola’s official hands-on video, only this time she revealed a small detail many looked over at the time. At about the 1:50 mark, Bi mentions the watch’s small bezel along the bottom — which she calls the “display driver” — houses an ambient light sensor, already putting the 360 ahead of the current rivals in terms of raw hardware. So there you have it. If you weren’t already lusting over the Moto 360, the fact that the watch will offering even a little more convenience than the other guys should once again pique your interests. We’ll have to wait and see what else Motorola has up their sleeves for the watch when it’s made available for sale in the coming weeks.

Xbox One SmartGlass Beta update brings remote shopping and new social features Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:55 AM PDT Microsoft seems to have some dream of turning Xbox One into Twitter as the company has released a SmartGlass Beta update that makes your friend’s list and activity feeds a lot more social. You can now “like” game clips and items from the activity feed — not that your friends needed approval of what they’re playing or what they’re doing in those games, but there it is anyway. It all honestly feels like the Xbox One is drumming up to making a completely social platform where folks can comment on achievements and videos, but that’s another thought for another day. Moving on, Microsoft has also added a fully native in-app store that will allow you to purchase content from your phone or tablet. Should your Xbox be turned on at the time or you have it in standby mode, it’ll automatically begin downloading your content as soon as you hit the buy button. The rest of the changes are more housecleaning than anything, such as a cleaner way to submit feedback (without having to use email to do so) and what Microsoft calls “general stability and polish improvements.” Nothing too out of the ordinary there. Want the beta? The link below should get you well on your way, though you should note that features aren’t always guaranteed to work right as this is only meant to test the latest and greatest features. Folks looking for a more stable experience can head right here. Xbox One SmartGlass Beta (Playboard) | Xbox One SmartGlass Beta (Play Store)

Square Enix summer sale brings Final Fantasy Android games down to much more reasonable prices Posted: 24 Jul 2014 09:58 AM PDT As great as many of the early Final Fantasy titles are, the Japanese RPG games are no doubt horribly overpriced in the Google Play Store. Titles cost as much as $16, and while that gives you a pretty full game with hours of gameplay and no in-app purchases, it’s still a little much considering PC versions of these classics can be had for quite a bit cheaper. Thankfully Square Enix has decided to lower those prices quite a bit during this summer sale they’re putting on. The sales will come in waves, with the first two offers being for Final Fantasy 3 and Final Fantasy 4. Both titles can be had for $8, down from the $16 they’re usually available for. Here’s the full breakdown of dates and prices for each game going on sale: July 24th – July 30th: Final Fantasy III – $7.99 (normally $15.99) July 24th – July 30th: Final Fantasy IV – $7.99 (normally $15.99) July 31st – August 6th: Final Fantasy V – TBA (normally $15.99) August 7th – August 18th: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years – TBA (normally $15.99) August 7th – August 18th: Final Fantasy VI – TBA (normally $15.99) We won’t assume that the other titles will be getting a drop to the same $7.99 as the first two up for grabs, though we’re certainly hoping for that trend to continue. You can use the links above to get to their respective listings in the Google Play Store if you’re interested. We’ll be updating this post as the weeks go on to reflect the confirmed pricing for all remaining titles.

Chromecast’s first birthday sparks 90 free days of Google Play Music All Access offer Posted: 24 Jul 2014 09:38 AM PDT It’s been a year since the launch of Chromecast, which has taken the world by storm as 2013′s top gadget and one of the hottest selling items on Amazon and Google Play. To celebrate all of that goodness Google has decided to give users a nice treat for being part of the early wave of consumers to get in on the fun. They’re offering 90 days of Google Play Music All Access, a premium subscription that gives you unlimited access to a library of over 20 million tracks. You can easily add these tracks to your library and playlists or listen to radio stations based on them. They won’t be there for you once your subscription ends, though you obviously have the option of paying for each individual track or album you want to keep should you decide to give up your membership. The offer is good for anyone who has bought a Chromecast, and is available from today’s date all the way through September 30th. You’ll have to fork up about $10 per month at the conclusion of the offer if you want to keep on listening, though that’s not a terribly high price to pay for unlimited access to such a big library of music. Of course, the offer doesn’t apply to you if you already have a subscription so feel free to continue enjoying it as you always have. You can head right here to get started. Google Play Music (Playboard) | Google Play Music (Play Store)

Sprint invites us to “take the edge off” on August 19th Posted: 24 Jul 2014 08:56 AM PDT Another Sprint event is on the horizon, with the Now Network inviting us to “take the edge off” come August 19th in New York City. In typical invite fashion we don’t get any clue as to what they’ll be announcing, though the word “EDGE” being emphasized in the invitation could give a hint. If it’s not some sort of network announcement, we might guess that this could be a follow-up device to the Kyocera Hydro EDGE from yesteryear. That particular phone was also revealed in August of its respective year, prime timing for its ability to stand up to summertime swimming, beach walking and other elements-filled activities. Of course, your guess is as good as ours with no rumors suggesting anything. The only other hint the image gives is in the image name: “Sprint_Ranger_Invitation.jpg” is what they’ve decided to call it. Whether that means anything remains to be seen. Whatever it may be you can be certain we’ll be stamping our calendar and waiting for that day to arrive. Circle back at that point if you’re just as curious as we are.

HTC One M8 announced in pink and red for Europe Posted: 24 Jul 2014 08:48 AM PDT If you’re not satisfied with the current collection of colors available for the HTC One M8 a couple of new eye-popping options are coming your way. HTC has revealed the red and pink HTC One M8. The former of those two colors is actually already available, albeit as an exclusive for Verizon Wireless customers. Today’s announcement could indicate that other carriers will finally get in on the fun, though. And for those who find themselves attracted to the traditional pink color of bubble gum, a pink version could be really nice (and could also be the most expensive Breast Cancer Awareness Month item you’ll ever carry in a few months). So when and where can you get these, then? The red version will be exclusive to O2 folks when it comes to the UK, while the pink version will be available tomorrow, July 25th (opting to pre-order that option will net you a free Dot View case, so there’s a bit of incentive there if pink isn’t normally your style). Let’s hope these colors make their way to every corner of the globe imaginable sometime soon.

Reminder: Verizon HTC One Remix (One Mini 2) available today Posted: 24 Jul 2014 06:46 AM PDT In case you’ve already forgotten, here’s another friendly reminder: Verizon’s latest smartphone — the HTC One Remix — is available today for $50 on a new two-year contract, $22.49 per month for 20 months with $0 down on Verizon Edge, or $450 outright. The HTC One Remix might sound like a souped up version of the HTC One M8, but it’s actually just a rebranded version of the HTC One Mini 2 (which doesn’t quite match the same prowess as the phone it’s based on, but does provide a decent smartphone experience for its cost. The HTC One Remix features a 4.5-inch 720p display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 13 megapixel camera with LED flash, 5 megapixel front camera, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band WiFi N, GPS w/ GLONASS, a 2,100mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense 6. Sounds like quite a bit for the low stack of cash you’d be forking over. You can purchase one now by stopping in at your local Verizon store or ordering one online right here.

LG Mobile has a record quarter with 14.5 million smartphones shipped; ends 3-quarter streak of losses Posted: 24 Jul 2014 06:09 AM PDT LG had a pretty good Q2 2014 that they can be proud of. The biggest highlight for their mobile division was that they shipped a record-high 14.5 million smartphones, enough for the mobile division to turn a profit for the first time in four quarters. Those profits came on the back of $3.51 billion in sales, $83.4 million of which was pure profit. It’s not a huge amount of money to drop into the pocketbook for a big company like LG, but a profitable business means they can continue to invest in their research and development and keep introducing the innovations that helped them to results like this. LG has made considerable strides in their phone business in the past two years. A noticeable uptick in smartphone quality, new display features that no other company is matching (such as 4K resolution and virtually unbreakable displays) and improved software have all contributed to a product line that is now pulling as much attention as HTC’s One series. They still have some ways to go to match Samsung’s prowess, but doesn’t everybody these days? LG made it a point to mention that it wasn’t only the LG G3 and other flagship smartphone releases that helped them to these results, though. They gave a good portion of credit to the L-Series III lineup, a collection of mid-range smartphones to fit any budget. They might not be as flashy as LG’s recent releases, but the phones seem to be good enough at their affordable price points to fill the needs of many smartphone users. For the entirety of the company, LG pulled in 399.8 million in net profit (26% increase year-on-year) on the back of $14.93 billion in revenue (7% increase quarter-over-quarter). Let’s hope the rest of 2014 is just as good for the company because there’s nothing quite like healthy competition.

Skype 5.0 for Android makes it easier to find your friends Posted: 24 Jul 2014 05:19 AM PDT Skype has just dropped version 5.0 of their Android app. Despite a huge version change, this update only brings us a couple of new features (though some very key ones if you have previously had trouble finding your friends and family members who may or may not be on Skype). Specifically new to the Android version is the ability to finally find contacts by linking your address book to Skype. Skype will eventually ask you to verify your real phone number in order to use this feature, but that shouldn’t be much of an issue if you’re looking forward to pain-free methods of finding friends who have Skype accounts. The feature is even more robust for people who use a Microsoft account to sign in. Like the phone address book functionality, Skype will look to match contacts from your Microsoft account’s address book to people on Skype. Thankfully none of this is being forced on the user if they want no parts of it — simply head into settings and disable it. And if you want to use the functionality but don’t want to make your phone number known you’ll have the ability to hide that from public view. It sounds like a pretty solid update, though we’re more interested in hearing about the return of full group chat functionality without the excessive battery drain. Skype – free IM & video calls (Playboard) | Skype – free IM & video calls (Play Store)

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Dear buntheun keun,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for July 24, 2014:


************************************************
Spotlight Stories Headlines
************************************************

HOVERBIKE DRONE PROJECT FOR AIR TRANSPORT TAKES OFF
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-hoverbike-drone-air.html#nwlt
MARINE BIOLOGIST CLAIMS LIONFISH STUDY BY SIXTH GRADER WAS LIFTED FROM HIS RESEARCH
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-marine-biologist-lionfish-sixth-grader.html#nwlt
NO FUMBLING, JUST TAP, SAY MOTO X TATTOO ALL-STARS (W/ VIDEO)
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-fumbling-moto-tattoo-all-stars-video.html#nwlt
RESEARCHERS DEMONSTRATE RECONFIGURABLE CLUSTERS MADE OF COLLOIDAL PARTICLES AS A FORM OF DATA STORAGE
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-reconfigurable-clusters-colloidal-particles-storage.html#nwlt
SYNCHRONIZATION OF NORTH ATLANTIC, NORTH PACIFIC PRECEDED ABRUPT WARMING, END OF ICE AGE
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-synchronization-north-atlantic-pacific-abrupt.html#nwlt
NIKE KRYPTON LASER ACHIEVES SPOT IN GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-nike-krypton-laser-guinness-world.html#nwlt
A PROTEIN COUPLE CONTROLS FLOW OF INFORMATION INTO THE BRAIN'S MEMORY CENTER
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-protein-couple-brain-memory-center.html#nwlt
FUKUSHIMA MONKEYS SHOW POSSIBLE 'EFFECTS OF RADIATION'
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-fukushima-monkeys-effects.html#nwlt
RESEARCHERS UNCOVER AN UNEXPECTED ROLE FOR ENDOSTATIN IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-uncover-unexpected-role-endostatin-nervous.html#nwlt
CHOICE BIAS: A QUIRKY BYPRODUCT OF LEARNING FROM REWARD
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-choice-bias-quirky-byproduct-reward.html#nwlt
MECHANISM FOUND FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PROTECTIVE HIV ANTIBODIES
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-mechanism-hiv-antibodies.html#nwlt
NEARLY 50 YEARS OF LEMUR DATA NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE (W/ VIDEO)
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-years-lemur-online.html#nwlt
8.2 PERCENT OF OUR DNA IS 'FUNCTIONAL'
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-percent-dna-functional.html#nwlt
INVERTEBRATE NUMBERS NEARLY HALVE AS HUMAN POPULATION DOUBLES
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-invertebrate-halve-human-population.html#nwlt
LEAF-MINING INSECTS DESTROYED WITH THE DINOSAURS, OTHERS QUICKLY APPEARED
http://phys.org/news/2014-07-leaf-mining-insects-dinosaurs-quickly.html#nwlt


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Latest News On TECHNOLOGY:
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NO FUMBLING, JUST TAP, SAY MOTO X TATTOO ALL-STARS (W/ VIDEO)
Go ahead with yourselves, U.S. Moto X fan base. Motorola announced Tuesday that owners in the U.S. can buy packs of disposable digital tattoos that will allow them to unlock their phone without any further typing ado. The tattoos have gone on sale in the U.S., and Moto X users are able to buy a pack of 10 of these digital tattoos for $9.99 on the VivaLnk.com site.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-fumbling-moto-tattoo-all-stars-video.html#nwlt

HOVERBIKE DRONE PROJECT FOR AIR TRANSPORT TAKES OFF
What happens when you cross a helicopter with a motorbike? The crew at Malloy Aeronautics has been focused on a viable answer and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support its Hoverbike project, "The Hoverbike is the result of years worth of research and development," said Chris Malloy of Malloy Aeronautics. "We combined the simplicity of a motorbike and the freedom of a helicopter to create the world's first flying motorcycle."
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-hoverbike-drone-air.html#nwlt

TWITTER ADMITS TO DIVERSITY PROBLEM IN WORKFORCE
(AP)—Twitter acknowledged Wednesday that it has been hiring too many white and Asian men to fill high-paying technology jobs, just like several other major companies in Silicon Valley.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-twitter-diversity-problem-workforce.html#nwlt

EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK HIT BY DATA THEFT
(AP)—The European Central Bank said Thursday that email addresses and other contact information have been stolen from a database that serves its public website, though it stressed that no internal systems or market-sensitive data were compromised.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-european-central-bank-theft.html#nwlt

SURVEILLANCE A PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE
Details of casual conversations and a comprehensive store of 'deleted' information were just some of what Victoria University of Wellington students found during a project to uncover what records companies keep.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-surveillance-everyday-life.html#nwlt

STUDY SHOWS FORWARD OSMOSIS DESALINATION NOT ENERGY EFFICIENT
In a recent study published in the Journal of Membrane Science, MIT professor John Lienhard and postdoc Ronan McGovern, both of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, reported that, contrary to popular support, forward osmosis desalination of seawater is significantly less energy efficient, compared to reverse osmosis.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-osmosis-desalination-energy-efficient.html#nwlt

WIRELESS HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEMS REVEAL MORE THAN YOU WOULD THINK ABOUT USER BEHAVIOUR
Home automation systems that control domestic lighting, heating, window blinds or door locks offer opportunities for third parties to intrude on the privacy of the inhabitants and gain considerable insight into their behavioural patterns. This is the conclusion reached by IT security expert Christoph Sorge and his research team at Saarland University. Even data transmitted from encrypted systems can provide information useful to potential burglars. Professor Sorge, who holds the juris Professorship in Legal Informatics at Saarland University, and his research group are currently studying ways to make home automation systems more secure. Frederik Möllers from Sorge's team will be presenting the results at the ACM Conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks in Oxford on 25 July.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-wireless-home-automation-reveal-user.html#nwlt

EVALUATING SYSTEM SECURITY BY ANALYZING SPAM VOLUME
The Center for Research on Electronic Commerce (CREC) at The University of Texas at Austin is working to protect consumer data by using a company's spam volume to evaluate its security vulnerability through the SpamRankings.net project.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-spam-volume.html#nwlt

FX SAYS OVERNIGHT RATINGS BECOMING MEANINGLESS
(AP)—It's a rite nearly as old as television: the morning after a new show premieres, network executives wait impatiently for the Nielsen company's estimate of how many people watched, and rush to report the first sign of a hit.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-fx-overnight-meaningless.html#nwlt

APPLE, SAMSUNG LOSE GROUND IN COOLING TABLET MARKET
Apple and Samsung have lost ground in the tablet computer market as growth cools in the once-hot segment, the research firm IDC said Thursday.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-apple-samsung-ground-cooling-tablet.html#nwlt

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IDENTIFIES THE MUSICAL PROGRESSION OF THE BEATLES
Music fans and critics know that the music of the Beatles underwent a dramatic transformation in just a few years, but until now there hasn't been a scientific way to measure the progression. That could change now that computer scientists at Lawrence Technological University have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that can analyze and compare musical styles, enabling research into the musical progression of the Beatles.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-artificial-intelligence-musical-beatles.html#nwlt

STUDY SHOWS HOW TO POWER CALIFORNIA WITH WIND, WATER AND SUN
Imagine a smog-free Los Angeles, where electric cars ply silent freeways, solar panels blanket rooftops and power plants run on heat from beneath the earth, from howling winds and from the blazing desert sun.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-power-california-sun.html#nwlt

STUDY SHOWS ROLE OF MEDIA IN SHARING LIFE EVENTS
To share is human. And the means to share personal news—good and bad—have exploded over the last decade, particularly social media and texting. But until now, all research about what is known as "social sharing," or the act of telling others about the important events in our lives, has been restricted to face-to-face interactions.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-role-media-life-events.html#nwlt

SWISS DRUG MAKER ROCHE POSTS 7 PERCENT PROFIT DROP
(AP)—Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG on Thursday posted a net profit drop of 7 percent compared with a year ago, weighed down by a strong Swiss franc and charges from one of its diagnostic units.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-swiss-drug-maker-roche-percent.html#nwlt

FANS HOP ABOARD EXCLUSIVE TRAIN TO COMIC-CON
(AP)—For a lucky fellowship of fans, Comic-Con is beginning early on a private train car trekking to the pop-culture convention.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-fans-aboard-exclusive-comic-con.html#nwlt

SK HYNIX POSTS NEAR 30% DROP IN Q2 NET PROFIT
South Korea's SK Hynix said Thursday its second-quarter net profit tumbled nearly 30 percent from a year ago on falling memory chip prices.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-sk-hynix-q2-net-profit.html#nwlt

NOKIA PROFITS RISE AFTER SALE OF HANDSET DIVISION
(AP)—Telecommunications and wireless equipment maker Nokia Corp. saw its shares surge on Thursday after it reported higher profits and an improved earnings outlook in the wake of its sale to Microsoft of its troubled handset division.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-nokia-profits-sale-handset-division.html#nwlt

UK: FORMER REPORTER SENTENCED FOR PHONE HACKING
(AP)—A former British tabloid reporter was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence Thursday for his role in the long-running phone hacking scandal that shook Rupert Murdoch's media empire.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-uk-sentenced-hacking.html#nwlt

FUKUSHIMA ACCIDENT UNDERSCORES NEED FOR US TO SEEK OUT NEW INFORMATION ABOUT NUCLEAR PLANT HAZARDS
A new congressionally mandated report from the National Academy of Sciences concludes that the overarching lesson learned from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident is that nuclear plant licensees and their regulators must actively seek out and act on new information about hazards with the potential to affect the safety of nuclear plants. The committee that wrote the report examined the causes of the Japan accident and identified findings and recommendations for improving nuclear plant safety and offsite emergency responses to nuclear plant accidents in the U.S.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-fukushima-unthinkable-disasters.html#nwlt

AMAZON LOSS WIDENS DESPITE CLIMBING SALES
Internet retail titan Amazon on Thursday reported a money-losing quarter despite impressive growth in sales.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-amazon-loss-widens-climbing-sales.html#nwlt




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Electrical Technology

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Rated characteristics of Electrical Contactors Posted: 23 Jul 2014 06:35 PM PDT Rated characteristics of Electrical Contactors Click image to enlarge 1. Types: (i) Electromagnetic (ii) Electro-pneumatic (iii) Pneumatic Important Terms and Definitions related to Motor Control and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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Android Phone Fans

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• Samsung Galaxy Alpha leak shows smaller 4.7-inch display, aluminum frame
• Watch Conan O’brien poke fun at the iPhone 6, says what Android users have been screaming for years [VIDEO]
• Google acquires drawElements to help them tackle Android fragmentation
• Best Android apps for guitar players
• You can now buy LG G Pad 10.1 in the US via Best Buy
• Modern Combat 5: Blackout now (officially) available for Android
• ‘Timberman’ is the next super addictive 8-bit Android game [VIDEO]
• Foursquare shows off all new logo, completely redesigned app
• Verizon announces the HTC One Remix, releases July 24th
• Terraria drops to its cheapest price yet on Google Play
• You can now unlock your Moto X using “digital tattoos” [VIDEO]
• Fleksy Keyboard 3.0 update brings new look, a store with premium themes, and 17 new languages
• Phandroid News app update brings layout tweaks, performance enhancements and more

Samsung Galaxy Alpha leak shows smaller 4.7-inch display, aluminum frame Posted: 23 Jul 2014 03:25 PM PDT And here we were thinking the long rumored Samsung Galaxy Alpha would be nothing more than an ultra premium, Samsung Galaxy S5 with a 2K display and aluminum build. Turns out, we may have been wrong in our assumptions. The folks at SamMobile published a few very clear leaked images of the device. Sure the rumored aluminum frame makes an appearance, but when compared side-by-side against the Samsung Galaxy S5, you’ll notice a much smaller all around size. Said to feature a Galaxy S3-sized 4.7-inch display, this could be more of an iPhone 6 challenger than anything. According to the tipster, the Galaxy Alpha features 32GB of internal storage and the absence of the usual SD card slot. You’ll also notice Samsung’s trademark faux leather battery cover, only this time with much smaller perforated holes (possibly addressing concerns the Galaxy S5′s looked like a Band-Aid). Because Samsung already offers a smaller Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini with sub par specs, we’re hoping they’ll go with more higher-performance hardware for the Galaxy Alpha, but nothing has been confirmed at this point. We expect we’ll learn more about the device as we near it’s rumored August limited release, in the meantime you can check out the leaked pics below.

Watch Conan O’brien poke fun at the iPhone 6, says what Android users have been screaming for years [VIDEO] Posted: 23 Jul 2014 02:01 PM PDT It’s never too early to share a laugh at Apple’s expense, especially when it comes to their “next big thing” looming around the corner. Addressing countless leaks of a new and improved Apple iPhone 6 said to be carrying an incredibly large 4.7-inch display is TV funnyman Conan O’brien. During last night’s monologue, Conan O’brien jokes about rumors of the bigger iPhone 6, stating what Android fans have been saying for years now: the iPhone 6 will simply offer last year’s Android hardware. Okay. More specifically he mentions the “Samsung Galaxy” line (arguably Android’s biggest mainstream success) which he’s also been known to throw a jab or 2 towards in monologue’s past. The fun starts at 1:32 if you’re pressed for time although we recommend watching the whole video for a good time. Cheers. [via TeamCoco] Thanks, Donnosuar!

Google acquires drawElements to help them tackle Android fragmentation Posted: 23 Jul 2014 01:40 PM PDT Adding to Google’s ongoing business ventures comes the acquisition of drawElements, a 3D graphics firm based out of Finland that provides graphics analytics across various hardware. Google’s Android department has long been looking for new ways at combating the still very real “fragmentation issue” — the cold reality that comes with dealing with such a wide variation of hardware — so the taking of drawElements under its wing sounds like a match made in heaven. While it’s true there are a variety of software benchmarks to help test performance, but drawElements work goes beyond that. drawElements’ Quality Program software (dEPQ) is able to product quality, providing developers with detailed comparisons across hardware to find out exactly what about the hardware was causing incompatibility. With this information, it doesn’t seem too far fetched to see how Google could later set basic hardware guidelines OEMs can adhere to in order to ensure everything works properly with the latest or future versions of Android. Of course, drawElements sounded more than excited about the move, announcing on their site: “We're excited to announce that we're joining Google. Thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way; we're grateful for your support. Over the next few months, we'll be working with our colleagues on the Android team to incorporate some of our technology into the compatibility test suite. Stay tuned!” Although specific terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, expect the dollar amount to hit somewhere around the 8 figure mark. [via ArticStartup] dEQP-Mini (Playboard) | dEQP-Mini (Play Store)

Best Android apps for guitar players Posted: 23 Jul 2014 12:27 PM PDT Do you dream of becoming a rock star, plying your virtuosic guitar skills into fame and fortune? Before that happens you need some practice, and luckily there is no shortage of Android apps that can help. From getting tuned up and in time to shredding through scales, here are the apps that should be in every guitar players toolkit, from pro to hobbyist. Guitar tuner apps for Android iStroboSoft Tuner Tuning your instrument should be an easy and straightforward task, and iStroboSoft provides such functionality in spades with several visual indicators of intonation. The primary feedback comes from the app's strobe visualizer, which pulses based on how close a particular string or note is to its mark. This alone makes iStroboSoft one of the better tuner apps out there, but it goes beyond the call of duty with several more features, including the ability to change keys, a noise filter (for better accuracy when in noisy environs), and an input boost. It comes at a cost though. iStroboSoft is easily one of the priciest tuner apps available at $9.99. DaTuner DaTuner is another excellent choice when it comes to getting your guitar up to pitch. The free version provides an accurate, easy-to-read display of a strings current pitch in relation to the note you are going for. You can even "lock on" to a note to make tuning up even easier should the current pitch be outside of the ideal range. A paid version of the app ($2.93) offers transposition, a strobe display, and built-in pitch pipe. Learn to play guitar chords & tabs with Android Ultimate Guitar Tabs & Chords Ultimate Guitar is the web's go-to repository of guitar tabs for hundreds of thousands of popular tunes, classics, and standards. Ultimate Guitar Tabs & Chords brings those tabs (and a bountiful library of chord charts) to your mobile device, adding in features you won't find on the web version. Many tabs include playback functionality so you can hear how a song is supposed to sound then slow it down and pick it out one note at a time. Tabs can be saved for offline viewing or you can share and export via email or Dropbox. These features would be well worth the $2.99 price tag, but Ultimate Guitar went ahead and threw in a basic tuner and metronome to make this app an essential part of any guitarists tool kit. Chord! If you run across an unknown chord in a chart, you'll be glad you have the aptly-named Chord! reference app. On the surface, Chord! is a simple tool for figuring out how to finger a specific chord at any position on the neck. Digging deeper, the app is a robust tool that relies on computation and analysis rather than a simple database to help users learn the concepts and theories behind chord composition. Chord! also offers an array of scales for practice to further enhance understanding of music theory. The free version is limited five scales and eight tunings, but a paid version ($3.99) opens up custom tunings and reverse chord and scale search. Jamstar For the new player, it's great to have a knowledgeable instructor to help you along. Unfortunately, paying a guitar teacher isn't always in the budget. Then there is Jamstar, a free instructional app that not only provides over 100 free lessons that will have you playing songs from popular artists like The Beatles, Foo Fighters, and more, but it actually listens as you play and provides real time feedback. Jamstar offers chords, scales, and even a tuner to help you on your path to becoming a guitar hero. Gibson Learn and Master Guitar Gibson Learn and Master Guitar is an all-in-one app for the budding guitarist. It has the bases covered with a chromatic tuner, metronome, chord charts, and a selection of lessons from one of the best-known names in the guitar biz. This free set of tools will get you rocking in no time. Android app to practice and jam along with Guitar Jam Tracks One of the most fun and enriching experiences a guitar player can have is to jam with a band. That's not always an option for those of us with limited time, practice space, and musician friends of the same skill level. Guitar Jam Tracks remedies this by providing a bluesy backing track to practice your leads over. The paid version ($4.99) offers additional backing tracks in other styles including jazz, rock, and reggae. PocketBand Lite If pre-made backing tracks don't suit your particular musical tastes, PocketBand is the perfect application for whipping up your own original tunes to jam along with. Combining a drum machine, programmable synthesizer, and sound recorder, you can easily plot out a backbeat and rhythm track to jam along with. PocketBand Pro adds more sound options, recording space, and enhanced looping capabilities, making the app an equally useful tool for the aspiring songwriter. Metronome apps for Android Time Guru Metronome Time Guru is your standard metronome and it isn't. While it provides a steady tempo-adjustable beat for instrumentalists to play along with, it also offers the unique ability to mute individual tempo clicks randomly or as part of a preset pattern. The result is a metronome that keeps time but also challenges users to develop their own internal sense of rhythm in order to keep the beat steady when the clicks drop out. A good metronome is a tool any guitar player should not be without, and this just might be the best. Mobile Metronome Mobile Metronome provides players with an advanced set of tools to aid in the study and mastery of tempo. Fully adjustable and featuring several time signature selections and variable beats, Mobile Metronome is perfect for practicing complex rhythms while keeping in time. Android apps for recording guitar and other instruments Audio Evolution Mobile DAW Android devices are capable of some pretty amazing things, and the includes operating as a digital audio workstation (DAW) thanks to Audio Evolution Mobile. This complete multitrack audio recording solution offers many features (MIDI sequencing, virtual instruments) you might only expect from expensive, desktop-based software packages at only a fraction of the price ($7.85). This is the perfect app for the songwriter on the go looking to capture that moment of inspiration before it's gone forever. TapeMachine For the guitarist looking for a more straightforward and simple approach to recording a few licks or even a whole tune, TapeMachine is a great option. This light-on-its-feet recording interface lets users quickly record a take before manipulating with helpful postproduction tools like time stretch, loops, and fades. Android apps for adding effects and shaping your guitar tone usbEffects Unlike iOS, there is a shortage of sound manipulation, effects, and amp modeling apps for Android. Of the few options, the best is perhaps usbEffects, an app that lets users plug into their phones via a guitar-to-USB cable. The app features a handful of popular stombox effects including delay, reverb, distortion, a flanger, wah wah, and looper, to name a few. Each effect is individually configurable and can be chained together along with a basic amp simulator to produce some very interesting tones. USB audio isn't perfect with every Android device, so it is recommended you try the free version before investing $4.99 in the more feature-laden Pro edition. With these apps you should be just about covered when it comes to the essentials, and you'll even save some money over buying expensive hardware tuners, stompboxes, recording gear, and other accessories. Have any of your own favorite apps for guitarists or other musicians alike? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

You can now buy LG G Pad 10.1 in the US via Best Buy Posted: 23 Jul 2014 12:08 PM PDT Tablet shoppers who wouldn’t mind toting LG’s latest 10-inch offering might want to plan a trip to Best Buy. The LG G Pad 10.1 is now available from the big box retailer in 16GB flavoring for as little as $250. That’ll get you a 1280 x 800 resolution, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel rear camera and more. The software features Android 4.4 KitKat and some of the features you’ve seen on LG’s phones like Knock Code, Q Pair 2.0 and QuickRemote. The tablet isn’t amazing, but for its inexpensive asking price and solid features it could be a nice option for anyone in the market. Best Buy has the goods right here.

Modern Combat 5: Blackout now (officially) available for Android Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:29 AM PDT Gameloft may have hit a few snags along the way (as in a contest winner leaking a cracked version of the game ahead of its launch), but more honest Android gamers looking for the official version of Modern Combat 5: Blackout can now download it straight from the Google Play Store. Priced at $7 upfront, you wont find a single in-app purchase needed to finish the game to completion, or even engage in multiplayer. It’s a more traditional business model, like games of yore and we like that. Choose your favorite class 4 customizable classes (Assault, Heavy, Recon, or Sniper) that players can level up in both single and multiplayer Class-specific skills can be activated by earning and spending “Skill Points” Intense solo campaign Fast-paced story missions with intense challenges spanning across various locales from Tokyo to Venice New Spec-Ops missions for a “real” FPS adrenaline rush Console-like graphics, musical score and voice performances High-powered multiplayer Squad vs. Squad matches Coordinate (or talk dirt) to other players in Global and Squad Chat Leaderboards for Individual and Squad Win rewards in the limited-time events Unified game progression Gain XP and level up by playing both single-player missions and/or multiplayer matches Higher-tier weapons can be unlocked by mastering lower-tier ones Customize weapons using a variety of attachments and jump straight into a game This is the game many of you asked for and with Gameloft being so accommodating, I guess it’s time to finally put your money where your mouth is. Get to downloading via the Play Store link below. Modern Combat 5: Blackout (Playboard) | Modern Combat 5: Blackout (Play Store)

‘Timberman’ is the next super addictive 8-bit Android game [VIDEO] Posted: 23 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT We live in a strange time where the past plays a huge part in the world around us. Old TV shows gets turned into movies, old movies get rebooted, people dress like it’s 1985, and 8-bit design is making a comeback in gaming. Indie developers especially love to use 8-bit design, and we have to say we love it too. Timberman is the latest game to capture us with retro graphics, and keep us playing with insanely fun gameplay. First of all, this game looks great. The 8-bit design is deployed perfectly in the way it looks and sounds. It’s retro and modern at the same time. You play as a burly lumberjack (or Jill) at the bottom of a massively tall tree. The goal is to chop down as much tree as possible while avoiding branches and keeping your energy bar filled. Simple the left or right side of the tree to chop. It’s very easy, but just difficult enough to be addictive. Beyond the actual gameplay there are different characters you can unlock. They are unlocked by reaching certain checkpoints in the game. In my testing I didn’t notice any difference between the characters other than their clothing. Timberman has Google Play integration so you can earn achievements and compare scores with friends. The game is free to download with banner ads and random pop-ups, but they can be removed for $0.99. If you’re looking for a new addictive game to play, Timberman is an excellent choice. Timberman (Playboard) | Timberman (Play Store)

Foursquare shows off all new logo, completely redesigned app Posted: 23 Jul 2014 10:30 AM PDT Foursquare threw everyone for a loop when they announced back in May that they’d be breaking off their social checkins feature of their app into a completely separate app called Swarm. We have to admit, it didn’t make much sense to us. Apps that give users the ability to search through business listings all feature a check-in service in some form — so, just exactly what was Foursquare planning? Today, Foursquare has given us a sneak peek at their all new identity, ushered in by what else, but a whole new logo. In an attempt at further distancing themselves from rival services like Yelp (which can be seen as nothing more than “yellow pages” on your phone), Foursquare aims to finally make local search personal. By finding out exactly what you like and are interested in, Foursquare believes they can bring you a local search results unlike any other, one that’s custom tailored to you. Because no two people are alike, for their upcoming app redesign, Foursquare is promising that no two people will have the exact same experience. How they plan on finding out this information is still a little foggy, although Foursquare did mention previous check-in history will play a role for returning customers, while newcomers can “add tastes, follow experts, or even just walk around for a few days.” We’re assuming rating businesses will also play a key role to receiving tailored local search results, but we’ll have to wait and see. No word on a specific launch date, only that — like winter — the all new Foursquare is indeed coming. Foursquare (Playboard) | Foursquare (Play Store)

Verizon announces the HTC One Remix, releases July 24th Posted: 23 Jul 2014 09:58 AM PDT You’ve seen that phone above — dubbed the HTC One Remix by Verizon — before. That’s because it’s just an HTC One Mini 2 with a new name. We’re not surprised Verizon felt the need to get this phone out with their own name. It’s just what they do. It’s pretty much the same phone HTC introduced a while back, including its 4.5-inch 720p display, Boomsound speakers, 13 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front camera, 16GB of internal storage and more. It’ll have KitKat with Sense 6 on top, giving you access to BlinkFeed and Zoe camera features. All of it is set to launch July 24th (that’s tomorrow) for just $100 on a new two-year contract, though you’ll be able to get it for $0 down and a low monthly payment via Verizon Edge if you prefer to go that route. If you can’t quite dip into your pocket book for an HTC One M8 or aren’t patient enough to wait for a sale, this certainly wouldn’t be a bad alternative. [via Verizon]

Terraria drops to its cheapest price yet on Google Play Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:42 AM PDT Terraria is one of my favorite independent games. Many people describe it as a 2D minecraft, and they might not be far off the mark. But don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a shameless ripoff devoid of quality, and said quality can now be had for just $2 on Google Play (down from the $5 it typically goes for). Terraria has you taking a set of tools into a world that’s ripe for the picking, allowing you to mine deep into the earth for valuables and materials that will go toward building, well, pretty much whatever you want. The game doesn’t really have an “end goal,” so to speak, but you do encounter over 70 monsters and 5 different bosses to overcome as you work to achieve whatever it is you set your mind to (and there’s a lot to keep you busy with over 200 craftable items). You can also interact with 10 different NPCs and invite them to your home to help you out. One of the best things about Terraria is that the world is different each time you start a new game, so there’s no telling what to expect whenever you are plopped down into the world. The Android version also includes multiplayer, Google Play Games support with Achievements, and you’ll be able to find a pet that’s exclusive to Android. We’re not sure how long this sale will last so if you’ve been looking for something a little different to play then consider foregoing that morning Starbucks fix to pay for it. Terraria. (Playboard) | Terraria. (Play Store)

You can now unlock your Moto X using “digital tattoos” [VIDEO] Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:01 AM PDT Ever wanted to unlock your smartphone by pressing it up against your body? Me neither, but Motorola felt the need to introduce new “digital tattoos” that stick to your skin and can unlock your Moto X via a simple tap. The tattoo is a super thin adhesive that shimmers on your wrist and can last for up to five days showering, swimming and other “vigorous activities.” The stickers are made by VivaLink, a company that specializes in miniaturizing RF technology and making it flexible enough to use in scenarios like these. They say it’s so thin and light that you won’t even notice you’re wearing it from day to day. Their motive? They say they want people to start taking smartphone security seriously. Motorola found that it takes most people around 2.3 seconds to unlock their smartphone using traditional methods, and that they tend to do it around 40 times a day. That’s so inconvenient that most people don’t even bother setting up lock-screen security. We’re not sure how accurate that statement is, but I can tell you I’m one of those people (though I guess it doesn’t hurt that I’m mostly at home anyway). So how can you get some of your own? VivaLnk sells them in packs of 10 at their website. They cost $10 per pack, though, which just might be too expensive when considering they don’t last for more than a few days. But if you’re OK with that price and wouldn’t mind a new way to unlock your Moto X this is one interesting option. Head here to purchase a pack.

Fleksy Keyboard 3.0 update brings new look, a store with premium themes, and 17 new languages Posted: 23 Jul 2014 06:58 AM PDT Fleksy is quickly making waves in the Android world as one of the best keyboards you can download for your phone (and eventually your smartwatch). Today’s update pushes them another big step forward to becoming a serious keyboard contender. For starters, 17 new languages have been added to the list (some of which are just different versions of languages already included). Here’s the full list of additions: Albanian Brazilian Portuguese Catalan Croatian English (AU) English (CA) French (CA) Estonian Hebrew Latvian Lithuanian Norwegian Serbian Spanish (US) Spanish (LA) Slovenian Tagalog Even more exciting is a redesign that embodies the flat, elegant look and feel that today’s mobile apps have come to be known for. With that comes the addition of a new store where you’ll be able to buy premium themes for the keyboard. You’ll get about 6 options that all add some nice flavor to what’s typically a very muted experience. Folks who bought the premium version of the keyboard are entitled to one of these themes for free, a nice added bonus if you’ve supported Fleksy by dropping some coin into their pocket for the full version. The rest of the changes include an improved dictionary, a fix for some typing lag issues and fixes to sizes of emojis and lag when scrolling through emojis. All of it is waiting for you at Google Play so get over there for the download as soon as possible. Not sure if Fleksy has what it takes to be your daily driver? A free option exists for you try out so be sure to go that route first if you prefer not to go all in. Fleksy Keyboard Free + Emoji (Playboard) | Fleksy Keyboard Free + Emoji (Play Store) Fleksy Keyboard + Emoji (Playboard) | Fleksy Keyboard + Emoji (Play Store)

Phandroid News app update brings layout tweaks, performance enhancements and more Posted: 23 Jul 2014 06:08 AM PDT If you enjoy using our Android app to stay abreast of all the latest Android news you’ll want to pay attention to this particular story: the Phandroid app has gotten an upgrade! What you’ll be treated to once you take the download won’t be sweeping changes or an awesome new redesign that you’ll immediately notice, but the changes that have been made all go toward providing a much more solid experience overall. Here’s the full list in case you’re curious: Added new UI effects and tweaks Replaced DataDroid (deprecated) with Retrofit Updated about and open source licenses Improved speed of endless listView Improved comment layout stability and speed Fixed tablet layout for portrait mode Fixed Disqus token bug, now will warn of expiring token Fixed notification showing with app in foreground Fixed inline YouTube url bug Fixed all other reported bugs You’ll definitely want to update your app as soon as possible if you’ve been annoyed by any of these bugs. While you’re at it, why not consider joining the Phandroid App beta community right here? You’ll get all these updates sooner and it goes a long way toward helping our awesome developer Steve Albright create the best app possible (it helps that you’re reporting bugs without even having to submit a bug report). Be sure to let us know how the new changes are treating you in the comments below! Phandroid (Playboard) | Phandroid (Play Store)

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