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Why a dedicated HomeKit app in iOS 10 is exactly what Apple needs

There's a handful of Apple-compatible smart home products already on the market, but as of right now, you can't control them via one master app or hub. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of Apple HomeKit — the software framework that smart gadget builders use to make their devices iOS-compatible — especially when you compare it to the streamlined experience of the Amazon Echo.

Put simply, Apple's smart home platform is too siloed.

But here's some potential good news: the rumor mill (once again) says Apple is hard at work developing a smart home app for iOS 10 ahead of next month's annual Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC). If it's legit, this would give Apple smart home users a muchbetter way manage smart locks, lights, blinds and so on, without having to use a specific app for each gadget.

The rumor, first spotted by MacRumors, comes by way of an Apple worker who allegedly wrote on an Amazon review that a HomeKit app was in the works:

"As I work in marketing for Apple, we test many Smart Home devices, especially for iOS HomeKit integration. [...] Some advice, there are many third party applications, most free, that offer more control and customization(s) with many Smart Home devices. "Yonomi" is a free app that I often use, "Home" is another which cost $14.99. Both offer support for many devices with more added daily (including Amazon "Echo"). The next version of iOS due this fall will have a standalone "HomeKit" app as well."

Although Apple declined to comment on the rumor, a dedicated HomeKit app is precisely what the company needs to empower users with an easy way to control the smart home gadgets but also help them feel more connected to the smart home experience overall. One of the big advantages of the Amazon Echo is it's a dedicated entry point for a smart home: You can dim the lights, order an Uber and get a weather report, all from a single source.

Sure, Siri can do all of these too, but HomeKit lacks a physical and psychological signpost to point users to this connected world. The gadgets connect to one another, but you'll need to operate each one individually with separate apps on your iPhone or iPad — the devices Apple previously argued are the only hubs you need.

But giving users a single app where everything is contained, it would bring give users a consistent doorway to building and using their smart home: Launch HomeKit, do your thing.

Of course, it's still a rumor at this point. While company previously denied interest in developing a HomeKit app, it filed for a trademark of a HomeKit app icon last year — a move that shows it has, at least, been thinking about HomeKit.

Source : Mashable.com

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, by Prafull Ranjan

Gadgets

Freedom 251 - World's First $4 Phone

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Sci-Fi

This Supersonic Jet Can Take You From New Delhi To London In Half Hour!

Canadian engineer Charles Bombardier, has come up with a concept aircraft that could revolutionise air travel.

Dubbed as Antipode, this hypersonic jet is capable of travelling 12,430 miles in under an hour.

That is, like travelling from New Delhi to London in less than half an hour. (4,168 miles is the distance between New Delhi and London) New York to London (3,460 miles) in 11 minutes, or New York to Sydney (9,930 miles) in 32 minutes.

"I wanted to create an aircraft concept capable of reaching its antipode, or the diametrical opposite, as fast as possible," Bombardier explains his new jet.

So what is Antipode?

Antipode is widely dubbed as an improved version of another concept aircraft 'Skreemr' designed by Bombardier himself. While Skreemr could reach a speed of Mach 10 speeds, Antipode is capable of travelling at Mach 24 speeds, or in other words, 12 times faster than the Concorde.

How does it work?

Antipode’s wings would be fitted with rocket boosters that would propel the aircraft to 40,000 feet, and enable it to reach Mach 5.

Like the Skreemr, the plane would be powered by a scramjet engine. Unlike conventional jet engines, scramjet engines have virtually no moving parts.

The jet would be powered by burning oxygen from the atmosphere instead of having to carry heavy tanks full of oxygen. The machine would need to be built using heat and pressure-proof materials.

So when is it coming out?

Well, Antipode is still a concept it will take at least a couple of years before we see a proto-type, let alone an actual aircraft .

One of the drawbacks to the design, according to Bombardier, is developing a stable and reliable scramjet engine. There would also need to be a plan to deal with the g-forces passengers would experience.

One big problem is heat. Objects travelling past Mach 5 can reach upwards of 980 C (1800 F), and there are only few materials that can withstand those kinds of temperatures.

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Curiosity

Curiosity: NASA Shares Selfie Taken by Mars Rover

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Movie

‘Wolverine 3’ Script Is Finished Says Hugh Jackman

Within the next few years, 20th Century Fox's X-Men universe will undergo some interesting changes. Later this year, fans will be introduced to the Merc With the Mouth with the studio's R-rated Deadpool, while, at the same time, the X-Men prequel trilogy will come to a close with X-Men: Apocalypse. Next year, fans will also bid farewell to Hugh Jackman's iconic Wolverine character with the highly-anticipated Wolverine 3. 20th Century Fox has set a March 3, 2017 release date, but we still don't know when shooting will take place. Hugh Jackman recently spoke to Collider at the Sundance Film Festival, where he revealed that the script is complete.

"We have a script. A full script. To tell you, two days ago I got that the full finished-well, it's not finished, but we're getting super close-as you can see by the rate of my facial hair. That might give you a good clue that perhaps...yeah, it's sooner rather than later. I have had six meals today already."

Production is scheduled to begin sometime this year, but Hugh Jackman revealed that filming won't start until the Wolverine 3 script is "perfect." While the screenplay doesn't seem to be perfect quite yet, it seems they are close, which could mean production may start very soon. Still, the actor didn't know exactly when shooting may start, reiterating his desire to make the script absolutely perfect.

"I don't have a firm date yet. My thing and I've told you and I've told everyone, it's my last one, for me I want it to be perfect, so the moment I know it's perfect, bang, we'll go."

What isn't known quite yet is if Hugh Jackman's beloved character will have a cameo appearance in this summer's X-Men: Apocalypse. The actor took part in a cryptic exchange with director Bryan Singer at San Diego Comic Con last summer, where it was mentioned that the actor has been featured in every X-Men movie to date. Still, his presence as Wolverine still hasn't been confirmed for X-Men: Apocalypse, so we'll have to wait and see.

James Mangold (The Wolverine) is directing Wolverine 3 from a script by Michael Green, who is also writing the Untitled Blade Runner Project and 20th Century Fox's Alien: Covenant. Hopefully we'll get more updates on Wolverine 3 very soon as the filmmakers get this script ready for production. Are you looking forward to Hugh Jackman's swan song as Wolverine?

Wolverine 3 comes to theaters March 3rd, 2017.

Source : MovieWeb.com

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Technology

Man devises genius airplane tracker for his house near LaGuardia Airport

Jeremy Merrill lives underneath a flight path to LaGuardia Airport in New York. Merrill is a curious man.

After watching countless planes land at LaGuardia and wondering where they were flying from, the New York Times journalist/developer devised a system to display the plane's origin on his windowsill.

The software he created, called Flyover, basically takes a bunch of information that airplanes are transmitting via their transponders, runs it through a couple different programs, then displays the origin airport of "that plane flying over my apartment RIGHT NOW."

Every few seconds, passenger jets broadcast information about themselves over radio systems, called ADS-B and Mode S.

Contained in the information are the plane's location, altitude, registration number and flight number. Merrill collects this information using a SDR antenna.

Popular flight-tracking tools and apps like FlightRadar 24 and Flight Aware also use such transponder information to help track flights around the world.

Flyover uses the program Dump1090 to collect the information that airplanes are releasing. This is then translated onto a webpage, where flights are tracked and displayed on a map.

Merrill excluded flights that are flying at above 10,000 feet, since those are unlikely to be landing at LaGuardia since the airport is so close to where he lives.

From there, Merrill's contraption analyzes the flight numbers to determine the plane's route, using Virtual Radar Service.

Once the route is established, it's just a matter of displaying the origin airport on the LED display in Merrill's windowsill.

The LED screen works as a sort of "ambient notification," constantly connecting Merrill to what's happening in the skies above him.

"I really like building ambient/automatic notifiers for myself, to protect against my own absentmindedness," Merrill told Mashable. "For instance, a computer sends me an email each morning telling me which subway to take based on delays — so I don't have to remember to go to the MTA's status page. I also have a computer that predicts (using machine learning and the city's BusTime API) when a bus near my apartment is about to arrive, then notifies me with red and green lights to tell me when to go catch it."

The system he rigged up could, at least in theory, be used to also identify the type of the aircraft and the airline, as well.

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Release date	February 2016
Form factor	Touchscreen
Battery capacity (mAh)	1450
Removable battery	Yes
SAR value	NA

Screen size (inches)	4.00
Touchscreen	Yes
Resolution	540x960 pixels

Processor	1.3GHz quad-core
RAM	1GB
Internal storage	8GB
Expandable storage	Yes
Expandable storage type	microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)	32

Rear camera	3.2-megapixel
Flash	No
Front camera	0.3-megapixel

Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported	NA
GPS	No
Bluetooth	Yes
NFC	No
Infrared	No
USB OTG	No
Headphones	3.5mm
FM	Yes
GSM/ CDMA	GSM
3G	Yes
4G/ LTE	No

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The before and after VFX shots of Bajirao Mastani are epic!!

Lenovo ZUK Z1 smartphone launched in India: Price, specifications & features

Why a dedicated HomeKit app in iOS 10 is exactly what Apple needs

Freedom 251 - World's First $4 Phone