Apple's Tim Cook confirms Jony Ive working on iOS 7 redesign for June reveal

Apple CEO Tim Cook has confirmed that the company's design supremo Jony Ive is indeed working on overhauling iOS 7 for launch at WWDC in June.

Speaking with AllThingsD, Cook revealed that Ive was "really key" to the development of the new iPhone and iPad operating system. He also reiterated is opinion of the English designer's talents, calling him "absolutely incredible."

Whilst Cook wouldn't be drawn on the rumours surrounding the supposed iOS redesign, which include the idea that it will be much flatter and more abstract than the current iteration, Cook did confirm that it would be on show at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference being held on June 10.

Late last year, iOS chief Scott Forstall was ousted from Apple and hardware design head Jony Ive was given the expanded responsibility of overseeing Apple's software output.

According to Cook, his Apple team realised that "Jony had contributed significantly to the look and feel of Apple over many many years and could do that for our software as well."

It's been widely reported for some time that Ive is not a fan of Apple's skeuomorphic approach to software, in which its operating systems and apps are made to resemble real world equivalents. As such, it's believed that iOS 7 will be "black, white and flat all over," and may even resemble Windows Phone.

Now find out which iOS features Apple needs to catch Android.

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Panasonic SC-BTT500 Audio Review

What is the Panasonic SC-BTT500?

It’s a budget home cinema system that packs a Blu-ray player, amplifier and 5.1 speaker system into a single box. It’s similar to the Panasonic SC-BTT460 and SC-BTT570, except their 'tallboy' fronts are replaced by compact speakers, making this a more suitable system for small rooms where space is at a premium.

Panasonic SC-BTT500 – Design

The SC-BTT500 marks a departure from previous Panasonic systems with its silver Blu-ray receiver unit. With its slim, elegant bodywork that slopes inwards at the sides, it’s sure to make a splash in any living room.

What’s more, build quality is surprisingly good for the money – the casing is fashioned from metal, with a brushed aluminium front edge embedded with a few buttons. It’s hardly high fashion, but possibly the best-looking budget system Panasonic has produced – certainly prettier than the SC-BTT460.

The fascia is mostly covered by a black flap that drops down to reveal the disc tray, an SD card slot, USB port and play/stop buttons. On the right hand side is an iPod dock that pops out when pressed. It’s designed to accommodate the iPhone 5, iPod Touch 5th generation and iPod Nano 7th generation thanks to the Lightning connector. A built-in plastic support keeps the device upright.

The slim front speakers stand 8cm taller than the rears and their lustrous gloss-black finish looks gorgeous. Closer inspection reveals weighty, rigid build quality. The exposed drivers on the front add extra panache with their ringed surrounds and silver cones. On the downside, the black finish doesn’t sit well with the Blu-ray unit’s silver styling and they’re plasticky to the touch.

The rears and horizontally configured centre share these cosmetic traits, and when dotted around the room they make a fetching ensemble. It’s rounded off nicely by the passive subwoofer, which solves placement headaches with its cute, compact size. The front panel is dressed in gloss black with a matt finish covering the rest. Build quality is so-so – the exposed MDF on the back looks ugly, and it sounds hollow when you tap it.

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Don't panic! Kinect isn't listening to your chats when Xbox One shuts down

Kinect won't be eaves dropping on your family time

As soon as Microsoft announced that it would be possible to switch the Xbox One console on via Kinect voice commands, privacy fears began to emerge.

Some observers and potential consumers had expressed concern that stating 'Xbox on' to power on the device while in stand-by mode, means the console is listening for such commands all of the time.

Indeed if it can listen in for 'Xbox On' what else could it listen to, or even look for with its brand new 1080p 30fps camera sensors? Is it going to be monitoring our every move? And to what end?

Well, a report from Kotaku on Tuesday has allayed those Big Brother-esque fears, to some extent.

A Microsoft representative apparently told the site that Kinect "is not always watching or listening" and that it would absolutely be possible to power the console off completely.

Exactly what Microsoft means by this comment remains to be seen, but it appears, as SlashGear's report pointed out, that there'll be a difference between powering down the console and shutting it off completely.

A complete shut down would deactivate Kinect's ability to listen for commands, while a power down, perhaps through the controller, would be a stand-by mode where Kinect is still active. More like a sleep mode on a PC or laptop, perhaps?

Microsoft stated that the new Kinect is being designed with "simple, easy methods to customise privacy settings, provide clear notifications and meaningful privacy choices on how data will be used stored and shared."

From that it seems users will be able to switch off voice commands altogether if needs be.

The company may choose to clarify this issue during its E3 keynote in a couple of weeks.

Via SlashGear

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HTC One Google Edition unlikely to be widely available, reports claim

Is the Google Edition imminent?

Recent rumours have suggested the popular and acclaimed HTC One device will soon become 'Nexusised' with the stock version of Android, but reports on Tuesday suggested punters may have difficulty getting their hands on one.

Speaking with its sources at HTC, Pocket-Lint believes that the Taiwanese smartphone giant will only produce a limited number of handsets earmarked for a 'Google Edition'

The source said HTC is planning on releasing "around 1 per cent of total sales of the device so far" in order to test the appetite for such a device.

With the company announcing that it has already sold a considerable 5 million One handsets around the world, that would equate to around 50,000 pure Android editions being manufactured.

This, of course, would mean the everyday smartphone enthusiasts may have trouble getting their hands on such a device should it officially come to pass.

Speculation that a Google Edition of the HTC One followed the surprise launch of a Samsung Galaxy S4, free of all Samsung's software additions, at the Google I/O conference last week.

That handset, which is only available in the US at present for the rather sizeable SIM-free cost of $649, ditched the likes of S-Voice, SmartStay and the entire TouchWiz UI for the no-frills, but arguably more usable stock version of Android.

For HTC a Google Edition would mean stripping the One of its polarising Sense UI in favour of the Google's own version of Android Jelly Bean, which ships on the Nexus 4 device.

The company had previously denied it planned to follow Samsung's lead, but all recent speculation has pointed to something being in the works.

Naturally, we'll let you know when the official word drops, as potential buyers may need to act quickly to snag one of these.

Would you be in the market for a HTC One Google Edition? Has a hatred for the Sense UI prevented you from taking the plunge on the undeniably gorgeous 5-inch handset? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Call of Duty: Ghosts engine explained by developers

Infinity Ward developers have confirmed that Call of Duty: Ghosts will be built on an updated version of the current gaming engine, rather than an entirely new edition.

Although it will introduce new “significant upgrades”, there will be “remnants” of the existing engine for that used to build Call of Duty: Ghosts for the Xbox One and PS4.

“When we’re talking about a new engine we’re talking about upgrading significant systems within that engine,” said Infinity Ward’s Lead Animator Zach Volker. “We’re not talking about throwing it all away and saying we’re starting from the ground up.”

“There is certainly going to be remnants here and there of our pieces of our last engine, where it was appropriate when, you know what, this doesn’t need any changing. It’s good the way it is.”

The upgraded engine will introduce Pixar’s SubD technology to improve graphical smoothness, heightening the “immersion” gamers feel when playing the game.

“Looking at our current situation, focusing more on the next generation of hardware, we are now going to have the bandwidth to build many more things and our engine just can’t handle as much as we’d like to throw at it right now.”

During the Xbox One world première for Call of Duty: Ghosts, Activision confirmed that the game will offer the best graphical fidelity of any of existing games in the franchise: characters will automatically vault low cover in their way; players can intelligently lean in and out of cover; while new AI functionality will make the game more responsive and dynamic.

“It’s a fine line when you define a new engine, and augmentations to an engine. What you want to be careful of is making too much of a distinction of a new engine. As we developer and we add features, at what point does it become a new engine?”

“Because it’s impossible to develop a new engine from the ground up in a two-year cycle. You would need an army of 200 engineers.”

Next, read our Battlefield 4 news, rumours and release date roundup.


Via: Official PlayStation Magazine

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Tesco Clubcard TV now offers classic ITV dramas

Tesco has announced it will be offering classic ITV dramas to its Clubcard TV service following a new agreement with ITV.

The new partnership with ITV means Clubcard TV viewers will now get access to old ITV favourites via the ad-supported service.

Clubcard TV will now host selected episodes of ITV dramas like A Touch of Frost, Prime Suspect, Inspector More and Miss Marple.

“It’s great news for fans of quality drama that some of ITV’s best loved shows are coming to Clubcard TV,” said Scott Deutrom, MD of Clubcard TV. “This is a significant new deal for us as many of the shows added will appeal to our heartland audience.”

The 16 million Tesco Clubcard members will also be able to enjoy episodes from The Darling Buds of May and Cold Feet.

“We are committed to producing and distributing the highest quality content across commercially viable platforms,” said Neale Dennett, Controller of Pay and Distribution at ITV. “We are delighted that this deal with Tesco extends opportunities for ITV viewers to access our content in new and diverse ways.”

Episodes from Hell’s Kitchen USA, Great British Food, Eat Yourself Slim and other cooking shows have also been added to the free service, in an effort to improve the content available on Tesco Clubcard TV.

Supported by targeting advertising based on the shopping habits of each viewer, Clubcard TV is free to anyone who owns a Tesco Clubcard and offers content across all genres subscription free.

Tesco Clubcard TV is developed by the same team behind other Tesco-owned movie and TV service, blinkbox.

The service has already signed deals with Edemol, Warner Bros and Aardman and provides thousands of TV episodes and movies to its huge potential user base.

Tesco is the first retailer to offer its own online TV series and movie streaming service. It is currently only available via a desktop browser.



Next, read 10 reasons why 4K TV matters .

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Apple iPad Maxi reportedly in the works with 12.9-inch display

Away from the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2, Apple could launch an 'iPad Maxi'

Apple looks set to expand its market leading tablet line, with a new 12.9-inch iPad Maxi reportedly in the works as an extension of the iPad brand.

Rumoured to be in the works alongside the long awaited iPad 5 and iPad mini 2, the far from confirmed iPad Maxi will reportedly see Apple open the iPad line to new revenues, with the business orientated 12.9-inch iPad Maxi said to be target current notebook and ultrabook users.

Citing unnamed industry sources, Korean news outlet ETNews has claimed Apple is plotting an iPad Maxi launch for the near future with the 12.9-inch tablet a possible school and office inclusion that would rival the growing line-up of Windows 8 powered tablets and hybrid convertibles.

According to the Korean source, the mooted iPad Maxi would offer Apple “future growth, especially in emerging markets aimed at digital textbooks” as well as providing a “platform-driven strategy to dominate the market.”

Describing the ‘Maxi’ branding as a “tentative name” which could be changed, the tipsters added that a 12.9-inch iPad could make it to market in the first half of 2014 as the company looks to strengthen its waning share of the tablet market.

With no iPad Maxi specs having surfaced, it has once again been claimed that the heavily rumored iPad 5 will be officially unveiled later this year with a revised form factor bringing it in line with the iPad mini and iPhone 5. Set to feature a slimmer and lighter design over past models, the iPad 5 is rumored to host a flat back metal finish with a narrow bezel.

As always, such speculative rumours should be taken with a considerable pinch of salt. Apple, as yet, has failed to offer any indication that it is plotting a new tablet line larger than its current 9.7-inch flagship model.

Further Reading: iPad mini vs Nexus 7

Via: Ubergizmo

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