(Mirror Daily, United States) Gone are the times when owning a BlackBerry smartphone meant you were the owner of supreme technology.  As more advanced models started to appear, BlackBerry fell behind. However, this doesn’t mean that the company gave up, but it chose another path. Now, what’s in store for BlackBerry fans?

The BlackBerry company announced last week that it would stop producing smartphones. On the other hand, developers will start to focus more on software. The decision of the company brings advantages in the technology field, and they will surely be revealed soon.

The BlackBerry company started its projects several years ago when competitors like Samsung or Apple gained popularity with users.  Chief executive officer John S. Chen declared on behalf of the company:

“We believe that the phone market is evolving more and more into the intelligence market.”

Rephrasing the officials’ words, this means that the BlackBerry company will dedicate money and effort to what makes a smartphone smart and not a phone. Although they will have nothing to do with competitors on the smartphone market, they will meet competition in the software field. Here they have to meet tech giants like Google’s Android, which already has a solid fan base. So the decision of getting into a new business is not free of risks for BlackBerry.

BlackBerry also tried to develop touchscreen models, such as BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, and the BlackBerry PlayBook. The Canadian-based company is one of the favorite in the homeland, Canada. Specialists believe that BlackBerry will keep many of its users as a software developer too. In addition to these, they will draw much more.

However, BlackBerry lets the mission of manufacturing mobile phones to partner companies. While the hardware part is covered by them, BlackBerry will take over software production and system security issues.

Despite the recent decision of giving up manufacturing, BlackBerry is a referential name in the domain of mobile phone development. Its products and devices have been used by companies, business people, celebrities and regular buyers without disappointing them. It is not the inefficiency of the goods which drove customers to other brands and labels, but the intense competition on the market.

Judging by the significant success the company had in the past, BlackBerry is most likely to make a spectacular comeback. More than thirty years have passed since its founding as Research In Motion Ltd. All these years account for the high quality of the products. Does BlackBerry count on your trust for their comeback?

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(Mirror Daily, United States)There was a time when having a blog was one of the coolest things on the Internet. Now, since videos have been gaining more and more popularity, filmed images took over writing, and this is how the concept of vlogging appeared. Vloggers are very popular on YouTube, and the famous site has now a new feature, meant to bring vloggers and their fans together.

Up until now, people uploading videos on YouTube could keep in touch with their viewers through the comment section. While this option is still valid, the online platform came with an interesting idea of helping vloggers and fans bond further. There is a new YouTube feature which users will find very useful and appealing.

The new YouTube feature is called YouTube Community and resembles a social network very much. Thanks to the new feature, content creators can share much more than just videos with their fans. Now they can add pictures, GIFs, and even text.  It is an opportunity for Youtubers to express themselves in different ways than they used to. At the same time, their subscribers get more creative ideas from their favorite vloggers.

The posts on YouTube Community can be rated by the members of the community the same way they do with regular YouTube videos. In other words, they can like or dislike the posts. Comments are also available.

For the moment, the new YouTube feature has been launched in its beta version. The announcement was made by the Google-owned company earlier this week, on September 13.

According to the official release, the new YouTube feature is available for a few channels so far, such as John & Hank Green, AsapSCIENCE, The Game Theorists, Karmin, The Key of Awesome, The Kloons, Lilly Singh, Peter Hollens, Rosianna Halse Rojas, Sam Tsui, Threadbanger, and VSauce3. YouTube Community has been previously tested, and the trials will still continue for a short period. Developers want to make sure it functions properly before launching it for all YouTube users out there.

Youtubers can promote their channel more than they did before thanks to the new YouTube feature. It will be displayed as another tab on their channels. They can share with their subscribers all sorts of information, like giveaways, charity events, posters, personal pictures, and even promote other fellow Youtubers.

YouTube hopes that the new product will bring vloggers and their fans together more than ever, helping them built a strong relation.

Image courtesy of: YouTube

(Mirror Daily, United States) Google is one of the big names in the technological domain. As everything related to artificial technology is rapidly advancing, the great company couldn’t possibly stay behind. The latest news from Google is that its system, WaveNet, now has an improved voice program, which makes it sound more human-like than before, and than any other similar robots.

WaveNet is a system which belongs to a British company, called DeepMind. Google owns the company since 2014.

Engineers worked on the improvement of the system. The process behind it is based on concatenative speech. This means that the system works using real human speech. Several phrases and utterances have been recorded and put together for the system to function correctly. It uses waveforms to function (waveforms are the audible forms of words and phrases).

However, there is more about Google’s WaveNet. It doesn’t only work based on the collection of recordings it possesses, but it is also able to produce utterances of its own. Another interesting ability is that it can also use more than one voice.

Engineers thought about an additional feature that they could endow WaveNet with. It seems like the system can analyze and reproduce pieces of instrumental music. For the time being, it works well with piano instrumentals, but the developers intend to add other musical instruments as well. They also consider the possibility of WaveNet being able to create its own melodies.

As far as the systems’ interaction with humans is concerned, it has also been tested. English and Mandarin Chinese speakers took part at the trials set by the developers. The participants declared themselves satisfied by the accuracy of the voice, and by the general interaction with the artificial form of intelligence from Google.

It seems like both developers, and potential users are pleased with the improved technology by DeepMind and Google. However, the creators inform the public that the technology is not to be released for the moment. In other words, it is only a prototype. The developers consider that the human-like voice is only one checked improvement in a long list that remains to be analyzed.

WaveNet has already proved itself able to fill the gap between robotic intelligence with weird sounding voice and natural human speech. Perhaps the future will bring this improved system on a wide variety of devices.

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(Mirror Daily, United States) It seems like the glory days of ‘Pokemon Go’ belong to the past. Now, it is time for yet another childhood game to rejoice fame with the help of modern technology. Nintendo intends to bring Super Mario on iPhone, and they expect users to be excited about the news.

The announcement was made earlier this week by staff members at Nintendo, Mario’s creator among them. His name is Shigeru Miyamoto, and he thought that the new game designed for iPhone should be called Super Mario Run.

The game will be similar to its older PC versions. The famous character Mario will be jumping to avoid obstacles and running in an intricate race. Collecting coins is another of the options of the game. Although it is a game designed for a single player, you can also fight against other users in one of the three modes of the app.

The developers of Super Mario Run are roughly the same who created the first versions. So they are very much familiar with the plot and seem to be the best people for the job. They know exactly how to continue the game and hope to give fans a pleasant surprise.

One of the main features of the new iPhone game is simplicity. Developers think that Super Mario Run addresses any type of player, as the character can be controlled easily. This is one of the features of the old game as well but slightly modified now. What the creators did was adapt the PC game to mobile phones, making sure they avoided all difficulties.

In order to control the character, you have to tap the screen. Depending on long and short tapping, Mario will jump either high or low.

Regarding the design, the creators also mentioned that they went for a simple and friendly interface.

The big Apple event which occurred earlier this week brought many surprises, including the news of Super Mario Run being available for smartphones. It seems like eager fans will have to wait a bit before having their games. Rumor has it that it will be available starting December, but no official information has been released yet. However, if 2016 is not the year of the release, 2017 will surely be.

Nintendo might be preparing other exciting projects, but, for the moment, the company is focused on Super Mario Run.

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(Mirror Daily, United States) Fossil is one of the worldwide famous watch brands. As the recent years have been all about smart devices, the popular brand couldn’t possibly stay behind. As a result, the company has recently released information on its smartwatches collection.

Throughout the year, Fossil has been announcing different smartwatches models. Among their best products, there are Q Wander and Marshal, as well as Android models. One of the advantages of these Fossil smartwatches is that they use small batteries and less power.

The novelty with Fossil smartwatches is that a new line of four products will be soon launched. What is so special about these new accessories is that they are actually hybrid devices, a combination of a classical watch and a smart device. All the four products belong to the Q line: Q Nate, Q Crewmaster, Q Gazer and Q Tailor.

The combination resulted in devices which look pretty much the same as traditional watches but actually have additional features. The hybrid smartwatches can measure the calorie level, monitor sleep and help you keep track of your fitness results and achievements. Other applications include alarms and time zones. The devices are also compatible with Android phones.

As far as the design is concerned, developers though about giving customers the opportunity of changing their strap. It is made of leather, and there are several colors and textures that buyers can choose from.

Another advantage of the new Fossil smartwatches is that the batteries function properly for approximately six months. They are also easy to replace.

If you are interested in tech devices, and you could use a smartwatch, the recently announced Fossil products may be what you are looking for. They are both elegant and classy, and modern. They are smart watches, combining elegance and technology. Some of them are slim; some are bulkier so that people can choose according to their taste.

Officials have also released the prices for their so-called hybrid products. You will be able to pre-order order your favorite in ten day’s time for $175. However, all four models (Fossil Q Nate, Q Crewmaster, Q Gazer and Q Tailor) will be officially launched by the end of the month, more precisely on September 26.

If you are interested in changing your smartwatch or your traditional one, you may find the new offer from Fossil appealing, as the four hybrid smartwatches have both features.

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(Mirror Daily, United States) Now you have an opportunity you can’t decline: Apple Watch at only $199 on Best Buy. The device in question is an Apple Watch Sport, and as you probably know, it is more than just a simple device that tells you the time.

The Apple Watch Sport was launched a year ago, and its initial price was $349. The new sale helps you save more than $100. The device is available on eBay at $199, so if you ever wished for the wearable, but the price was an impediment, now you might reconsider.

The Apple Watch Sport that is offered for sale is grey. There are other three Apple Watch models, apart from the one on sales.

The device is a smart watch. As such, it allows you to send messages and make phone calls quickly if connected to an iPhone. Another function of the device is that it can keep track of your fitness score.

Apple fans expect the company to reveal the next model of Apple Watch in the following weeks. They also may expect the price of the Apple Watch Sport to drop even more when the new model is released. As far as the latter is concerned, there are not many details on it so far. A thing that can be surely stated about it is that it will have some additional features.  There were rumors of the device having a camera on it, but there is nothing official about it yet.

Some of the new features of the second edition of Apple Watch will involve a GPS tracking system and an improved waterproof system.

The beginning of autumn will bring more novelties from Apple, as the new smartwatch is not the only product that the company has been working on lately.  The season to come might also bring iPhone 7, which has technology enthusiasts so intrigued.

So if you are fond of technology and want something more than just an accessory, you might find the Best Buy offer quite appealing. Remember that Apple Watch Sport is available now at $199 on eBay. Also, you might want to keep in mind checking the Apple updates, as the fall season seems to have several things in store for all technology enthusiasts out there.

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(Mirror Daily, United States) The latest invention from Harvard University is a so-called octobot. It is a robot whose designed was inspired by octopuses, and it can be interpreted as a new statement on how technology finds its most inspirational models in nature.

The octobot has, obviously, eight legs, but the curious thing about it is another one, namely that it is soft. This new kind of robot can turn into a prototype of future robots, as it simulates textures. In addition to this, the moves it makes are also similar to those that flesh and blood organism make.

John A. Paulson, George Whitesides, and Robert Wood were part of the research and engineers’ team.  They released several details on the process of creation of the octobot. It was partially generated with the help of 3D printing and scanning. The soft robot is autonomous, and also uses hydrogen peroxide as its power source. For the time being, the robot can only move its many arms around, but engineers are working on improvements that will make the robot use much more functions.

The developers behind the project are aware of the fact that this is a highly important discovery in the field, as there have been many previous attempts at designing and creating a soft robot. John A. Paulson  declared the following:

“One long-standing vision for the field of soft robotics has been to create robots that are entirely soft, but the struggle has always been in replacing rigid components like batteries and electronic controls with analogous soft systems and then putting it all together. This research demonstrates that we can easily manufacture the key components of a simple, entirely soft robot, which lays the foundation for more complex designs.”

Researcher Robert Wood also released a statement, according to TechChruch:

“The struggle has always been in replacing rigid components like batteries and electronic controls with analogous soft systems and then putting it all together. This research demonstrates that we can easily manufacture the key components of a simple, entirely soft robot, which lays the foundation for more complex designs.”

As we could have expected it, the researchers and engineers don’t intend to stop here. The bot resembling an octopus is only the beginning of what octobot technology can achieve.

The new study was published in Nature (journal) on August 24.

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(Mirror Daily, United States) Colorful Google is always one step ahead of us, as smart engineers work in order for things to be so. Technology advances every day with the sole purpose of making our lives easier. The latest suggestion from Google is a new operating system, called Fuchsia. Do you want to know more about it?

People behind Google are very thoughtful and responsive to users’ needs. It is no mystery to anyone that almost every person owns both a laptop or a PC and a mobile smartphone or a tablet in order always to be in touch with the online environment. So Google comes up with an idea which will actually allow you to keep only one device, and be pleased with its services. How? Through Fuchsia, an operating system that can function both on small and large devices.

Fuchsia is only at the beginning of something that can turn into a huge career or even the future of online technology.

On the other hand, last year there were some rumors about the fusion between Android and Chrome OS, which might have resulted in Fuchsia, as the outcome was due to 2017. Official information has not been released yet, and this is why these are only speculations.

Fuchsia is said not to use Linux, but another kernel, of its own, named LittleKernel (LK). Google gave some details about it on the GibHub page:

“LK is a Kernel designed for small systems typically used in embedded applications.  It is good alternative to commercial offerings like FreeRTOS or ThreadX. Such systems often have a very limited amount of ram, a fixed set of peripherals and a bounded set of tasks.”

One of the great advantages of Google’s new operating system is that it is accessible and suitable for any device, a feature which can really make your life easier. Since no further information has been released, there are not many details left to offer. However, the project has all odds of becoming one of the most popular services provided by Google.

Now all that users have to do is to wait until they can actually try it out and see for themselves how Fuchsia works and what has it been designed for. Definitely, only good things can come out of this!

Image source: Wikipedia

(Mirror Daily, United States) People behind Google and TechTimes announce improvements for Google personal assistant, Google Now. The aim of the developers is to make it as easy as possible for users to handle the application and get satisfying results.

The new feature designed to improve Google Now is called Explore Interests. Although officials didn’t release much information on it because the application is not finished yet, there are some things to be told about it.

The new app offers a better organization of information through its menu. Users can choose from categories such as “Musicians”, “People”, “Sports”, “TV”, and others. Each category also has subcategories so that users can be much more specific on their interests and preferences and click on the particular item they are interested in.

Android Police Blog and TechTimes provide information on the advantages of the updated version of Google Now:

“It will give users more control over what sort of information Google will track on your behalf, and will make it easier to tell Google exactly what sort of information you want to hear more about.”

Users will be able to have instant access to updates about their favorite subjects, as the feature Explore Interests is the perfect tool for the job, through its notifications. Android Police Blog also reports on the categories of the app:

“Each of these have different things that can be added, meaning if anything happens to that specific interest, it will pop up in Google Now as a new card.”

Google Now is an application which can be installed on Android mobile phones, and it can also be accessed on computers through a certain browser, namely Google Chrome. This application gives you, as users, access to almost any kind of information: news on celebrities, on the development of the economy or politics, on the weather, traffic, and pretty much anything else.

Remember Explore Interests has not been officially released as an updated of the Google Now application. Developers take their time in order to provide you with real improvements so that you can enjoy its effectiveness. So worry not if your mobile phone has not been updated yet. That moment will soon come, and it looks like you don’t have to wait long for it.

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(Mirror Daily, United States) If you are the best in sports, then you are a champion. If you are the best in the Pokemon realm, then you are a master. There is little chance for you to be the first since Nick Johnson has already snatched the title: he is the first Master at Pokemon Go.

Nick Johnson gained both the admiration and envy of Pokemon Go players after he became famous for his achievement: being the best player in the world.

Nick’s adventure began immediately after the game was launched. When he started collecting Pokemon in his hometown (New York City), no one could have probably guessed he would end up catching all 142 little monsters in the United States.

The next step in his adventure was to catch three special Pokemon, which was to be found in certain parts of the world: Mr. Mime in France (Europe), Farfetch’d in Hong Kong (Asia), and, eventually, Kangaskhan in Sydney (Australia). So  28-year-old Nick not only traveled to different countries, but to different continents as well. Everywhere he went, he made friends.

Marriott Rewards and Expedia have sponsored his ambitious trip.

So, in less then a month from his announcement that he had caught all Pokemon in the U.S. (23 of July), Nick Johnson is now the first Pokemon Go Master in the world – a title many players might be longing for.

Nick Johnson stated that not everything was fun and games. His job as a technician in a New Yorker mobile company made him professionally curious on how the game works.

“My initial attraction to the game was the chance to pick apart how it worked – to understand the underlying mechanics of things like spawn points, mapping, and how players interact with each other,” first Pokemon Go Master told the Rolling Stones.

Perhaps the developers of the game thought that Pokemon Go would attract professional interest, as well, but there is a reasonable chance for Nick Johnsons’ curiosity and ambition to take them by surprise. They might actually meet the Pokemon Go master, since the young man is currently in Tokyo, with his girlfriend. She has been accompanying and supporting him all along the daring quest.

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