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Samsung hints that Milk Music will ‘soon’ include ads, and offer a $3.99/month premium service

Apr18
by on April 18, 2014 at 3:57 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, milk music, samsung

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When Samsung introduced its first Internet radio service Milk Music in March, one of the things that stood out was that it was available free and without ads. That may change soon, according to information disclosed by Samsung today. Nestled away in an infographic about Milk Music is a pricing plan which suggests that the free version of the service will “soon” include advertising. Those wanting to avoid corporate messages interrupting their listening will be able to pay $3.99 per month for a premium service that Samsung hints is also on its way, complete with as-yet-unknown ”exclusive features”. Milk Music is only…

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Klout to quietly shut down Cinch Q&A app on April 18

Apr17
by on April 17, 2014 at 11:49 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web

Klout notified users of its Cinch question-and-answer app in an email today that it will discontinue the service on April 18th at 12pm PST. Cinch launched last September in an effort to help Klout users tap their influencer and expert graphs for advice. For the few of you still using the Cinch app, Klout recommends that you use Jelly or Yabbly. Last month, Klout announced that it is being acquired by social marketing company Lithium Technologies. Earlier this year, the company added a content creation element to its platform.

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Uber adds $1 “Safe Rides Fee” to UberX rides to pay for background checks and insurance

Apr17
by on April 17, 2014 at 11:31 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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Uber revealed today that it is now adding a $1 “Safe Rides Fee” for UberX ridesharing trips in the US. Users have been receiving the following message in the app: According to Uber, the funds will be used for: background check process, regular motor vehicle checks, driver safety education, current and future development of safety features, and insurance. Uber cut Uberx prices in many of its cities earlier this year. While the extra $1 isn’t a huge burden on costs, the charge does feel  un-Uber, as the company has advertised “clear pricing” as one of its main strengths. Update: Added info…

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Microsoft’s Xbox One passes 5M units sold to retailers, but Titanfall boost not enough to beat Sony

Apr17
by on April 17, 2014 at 10:58 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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Microsoft today announced that it has sold over 5 million Xbox One consoles to retailers around the globe, but sales of the system have still lagged behind rival Sony’s PlayStation 4. By comparison, Sony revealed on Wednesday that PS4 sales had topped 7 million in sales to consumers. March US sales estimates from NPD put the PS4 in first place for hardware sales for the third month in a row. Both Microsoft and Sony (inFamous Second Son, Titanfall) saw major exclusives released on their platforms last month. Titanfall’s combined Xbox One and PC release took the top spot in game…

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Google’s Project Tango teams up with NASA for autonomous space robots

Apr17
by on April 17, 2014 at 10:49 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Insider, Mobile, video

Google’s ATAP team and NASA are using the Project Tango smartphone with 3D motion tracking to help navigate robots in the International Space Station. The smartphone’s Myriad 1 vision processor chip is capable of making a quarter millions 3D measurements per second. It uses those measurements and creates a map of its surroundings. By attaching a Project Tango smartphone with those mapping capabilities to a SPHERES robot, the autonomous balls can navigate though the space station and perform low-level duties that would usually fall to the astronauts. While floating in the zero-gravity environment, the smartphone will construct a 3D map…

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