AppyShappy, Dubai (2026)

02/02/2016

Alphabet Becomes The Most Valuable Public Company In The World

Today was a huge day for Alphabet — the first day it finally broke out its “other bets” in its earnings report — and boy did the company not disappoint.

The company smashed expectations on both ends, bringing in $21.3 billion in revenue and earnings of $8.67 per share. Analysts were expecting earnings of $8.09 on $20.8 billion in revenue.

And with that, Alphabet became the most valuable publicly-traded company in the world — coming in at a market cap $558 billion after jumping about 8% after the company reported its fourth-quarter earnings, and passing Apple, which sits at a market cap of $535 billion.

There weren’t any huge surprises on the earnings call that caused the stock to dip, but its ranking still depends on whether or not the company gives up those gains in extended trading. Either way this is a significant moment for the company and the technology market in general. Alphabet had a huge opportunity to finally pass Apple as the most valuable company in the world.

There’s a clear narrative here. Alphabet, a software company with a few extra hardware bets, shares have dramatically outperformed those of Apple, a hardware company with a few extra software bets.

“Our very strong revenue growth in Q4 reflects the vibrancy of our business, driven by mobile search as well as YouTube and programmatic advertising, all areas in which we’ve been investing for many years,” CFO Ruth Porat said in a statement with the earnings report.

In the past year, Apple’s stock has not performed well.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Stock Price - 1 Year | FindTheCompany

Meanwhile, Google’s stock was on the rise for the past 12 months.

Alphabet (GOOGL) Stock Price - 1 Year | FindTheCompany

So, not surprisingly, the two quickly collided in terms of their market capitalization.

Apple vs. Alphabet Market Capitalization Over Time | FindTheCompany

Google’s core businesses continue to grow as well — today the company said that Gmail grew to 1 billion active users. That means it has about half a dozen services that have around 1 billion active users, a number most companies (other than perhaps Facebook, which said today that WhatsApp had passed the 1 billion user mark) will envy. (CEO Sundar Pichai didn’t specify if that was daily actives or monthly actives, so we’ll probably assume the latter.)

In terms of Google’s core advertising business, cost-per-click fell 13% year-over-year, while paid clicks increased 31% year-over-year. This has been a trend for Google — as more activity shifts to mobile devices, the value of each advertisement click tends to go down. Google’s core business is still printing money, to be sure.

Google’s extraneous operations, like Nest, have never been separate from its core business. So investors have had basically no idea how its other projects are going — and how much they may contribute to the company — other than estimates. Google has gotten into all sorts of other areas, but now we have a rough idea of how those other areas are performing.

So far, that bet is growing in revenue at least: other bets accounted for $448 million in revenue in 2015, up from $327 million in revenue in 2014. That being said, it showed huge widening losses — going to a loss of $3.6 billion from $1.9 billion in 2014.

Google, too, is still not immune to what’s happening with foreign exchange rates and the general global economy. Revenue was up 18% year-over year, though in constant currency it would have risen $24%. Apple, for example, said there was a difference in $5 billion in revenue if not for foreign exchange rates, and for Google that represents about $1 billion in revenue.

Perhaps this is a signal of the challenges hardware businesses are going to face. Apple’s growth engine — one of the strongest in the world for the longest time — has started to stall as it faces economic headwinds globally. There’s also the question of saturation, and how willing people are to upgrade. Meanwhile, people are still searching and using Google’s software relentlessly, and the company is starting to place money on other bets.

01/02/2016

Did you know you can play chess in Facebook Messenger?

Did you know that there is a chess game built into Facebook Messenger that you can use to play against your friends? I sure didn’t, but it seems that anyone can have a go by typing “ play” (without the quotations) into a message to initiate a game with your buddy.

Unfortunately though, Facebook’s chess game is not a touchscreen implementation that you are probably used to if you have used dedicated chess apps from the Play Store.

Instead, players have to type in commands to move the pieces around and a picture is updated with the latest piece positions. For example, “ e4” or “ Pe4” will move a pawn onto space e4, and there are a selection of other commands for moves like castling or promoting a pawn. For a full list of commands, simply type in “ help”.

It might not be super slick in its implementation, but this is not a bad way to play a game against your buddies across different platforms, as it works on iOS and PC too. Who’s up for a game?

30/01/2016

iOS 9.3: What features are in the new iPhone and iPad update? .3

iOS 9.3 release date is around the corner

Update: iOS 9.3 public beta 2 has launched, which means Apple is close to updating everyone's phone and tablet. Here's what is new for 2016.

iOS 9.3 is biggest incremental iPhone and iPad update in years, as Apple has packed its new software with features that may go as far as changing your sleeping habits.

That's right, the iOS 9.3 beta 2 download that we're testing out has the long-sought-after iPhone Night Shift feature to control the blue light levels emitted from your screen.

Plenty of other useful features are here too: multi-user support for students, Apple Notes locked behind a password and tweaked News, Health and Apple CarPlay apps.

While the final iOS 9.3 release date hasn't officially been announced, this beta update appears to be almost feature-complete and, so far, bug-free. Here's what to expect when it does launch…
Night Shift
I've read dozens of news stories that tell me I shouldn't go to bed staring at my iPhone 6S Plus, my iPad Air 2 or my new MacBook, but do I follow those wise instructions? No.

Night Shift is the iOS 9.3 solution I've been waiting for, because it won't require me to change my nighttime reading and working habits. It automatically tints my screen to warmer colors.

"Many studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep," according to Apple.

What's neat is that iOS 9.3 uses the clock and geolocation to determine the sunset, and the screen becomes progressively more orange-tinted throughout the night, exactly like f.lux on Macs and Reader's Edition on Amazon Kindle HD 8.

The completely optional Night Shift mode is found in Settings > Display and Brightness > Blue Light Reduction, with a slider bar to control how orange or blue it looks, and to adjust the schedule.

As of iOS 9.3 beta 2, Apple modified the swipe-up-from-the-bottom Control Center overlay menu to add Night Shift to the bottom row of quick settings. It's flanked by flashlight and timer on the left and calculator and camera on the right. That's how important this feature is for the new update.

It's all designed to allow your eyes to relax so that falling asleep is easier, and when it's time to wake up, the screen color shifts back to normal.
Multi-user user support... kind of
Buried at the bottom of the iOS 9.3 beta release notes is the first sign of multi-user support, only it's strictly meant for classroom iPads right now.

Apple calls this new app suite 'iOS in Education', and the highlight is the fact that it enables students to log into any iPad in any classroom and pick up where they left off.

This makes a lot of sense for a school's shared iPad experience, and it comes with Photo IDs to denote profiles and simple passwords for younger students.

iOS in Education also includes three other apps meant for teachers and school officials: a new Classroom app for teach-guided lessons that ensures the students follow along, and Apple School Manager and Managed Apple IDs for consolidated admin portals.

Even if you're not going to school, the simple fact that Apple has built one form of a multi-user login experience should give you high hope for a similar iOS 10 experience in a few months.
Apple Notes password protected

Before the new iOS 9.3 beta arrived, keeping confidential information in Apple Notes could be a little risky. Anyone could nab your unlocked iPhone and scan the secrets you jotted down.

Thankfully, the power of Touch ID and passcodes are now a part of Apple Notes. Far too many people (read: parents) keep all of their financial data, medical information and passwords in this not-so-secret app.

iOS 9.3 allows your vulnerable folks to protect certain notes under lock and fingerprint for extra security. It also lets you sort everything by date created, date modified and alphabetically now.

Courtesy TechRadar

30/01/2016

I switched from Android to iPhone for two months. Here's what I learned

Android users are embracing the iPhone. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, 30 percent of new iPhone buyers had switched from an Android device in the July-to-September 2015 quarter. And this week, Cook reiterated that the trend is accelerating, saying: "We were blown away by the level of Android switchers that we had last quarter [October through December]. It was the highest ever by far."

As an avid Android user, I had never thought of switching, but was curious why others were jumping ship at higher rates. Was it the larger screens that debuted with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, finally bringing the iPhone to parity with Android phablets? Perhaps frustration over the lack of Android software updates?

I decided it was time to try iOS for myself. I removed the SIM card from my Moto X Pure and popped it into a brand-new iPhone 6S. I've used an iPhone on a few occasions for work purposes, but this would be the first time I was using an iPhone (albeit a temporary loaner) as my personal phone. That means not carrying my Android device with me for two months, which included a hectic week in Las Vegas for the CES trade show.
I'll state one obvious thing right up front: both Android and iOS, at this point, are very mature operating systems. They're also, at this point, more similar than different from each other. And while I was moving from one high-end phone to another, I was focusing on software differences, not so much hardware ones, although I've included some below.

That said, here were the things that I noticed most when I went from Android to iOS.
Where Apple wins
Timely software updates

I started using the iPhone in early December and since then received two software updates (iOS 9.2 and iOS 9.2.1) with a third set to arrive shortly (iOS 9.3). And these software updates are available around the world, simultaneously, to all supported iPhones regardless of wireless carrier. As a result, iOS 9 is running on more than 75 percent of all iOS devices, which includes iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches, according to Apple's App Store Distribution page. Even more impressive, the company is still updating the iPhone 4S, which was released back in 2011.

Apple is still updating the iPhone 4S, which was released back in 2011.
James Martin/CNET

For Google's operating system, the situation couldn't be more different. The latest operating system, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, was released in late September and is found on less than 1 percent of Android devices. (You can thank the large number of Android hardware partners -- and their insistence on customizing the OS -- for that, but it's still frustrating for the user.) Bottom line: Unless you are on one of Google's Nexus devices, you rarely receive software updates on Android.

That's not the case for Apple.
Apps still come to iOS first

It's not nearly as bad as it used to be, but developers still tend to develop apps for iOS first. The live-streaming app Periscope was available on iOS two months before Android. Facebook's Paper app and new Sports Stadium are only available for the iPhone, as is the the NYT Now app. Periscope's new GoPro compatibility can only broadcast from iPhones for now as well. And the list goes on.
Touch ID is incredibly fast

I've used fingerprint sensors before, but Touch ID feels faster than the rest. I rarely saw the lock screen. A simple press on the home button would turn my screen on and unlock it within seconds. I also found Touch ID to be more reliable than others I have used, such as the one of the Nexus 6P and Samsung Galaxy S6.

I had to charge the iPhone at least once, sometimes twice during the work day. I've come to expect this with many smartphones, but charging the iPhone can be a real pain. It takes over 2 1/2 hours to go from zero to full.

A majority of recent high-end Android devices include a quick-charging feature. I could get about 8 hours of power from a 15-minute charge on my Moto X Pure. The huge market for iPhone battery packs and charging accessories shows that battery life remains a challenge for iPhone users.

The Moto X Pure is one of a handful of Android devices that include front-facing speakers -- a feature I desperately missed. The iPhone speakers sound clear, but they just don't seem to get loud enough. I like to listen to music when I take showers. The speakers on the Moto X were able to get loud enough to overcome the sound of the water, but this wasn't the case for the iPhone. I ended up having to pair it to a Bluetooth speaker to get my morning music fix.
OS-level Google integration

It's scary how much I rely on Google for both work and personal use. While the search giant has all of its essential services on iOS, I miss how everything was integrated with Android. The Google Now home screen on my Moto X Pure provided me with all the essential information I needed -- traffic information for my commute home, package tracking, stock information, suggested articles based on my interest, and more.
Freedom, efficiency and customization

Android gives users freedom over almost every part of the operating system. You can change texting apps, the look of icons, the default Web browser, and more. While iOS lets you choose from a variety of third-party keyboards, you can't set any apps to be used by default.

I also noticed that actions on iOS tended to require extra steps. For example, on Android I can choose to connect to a specific Wi-Fi network in the notifications pull-down. While iOS will let you toggle Wi-Fi on and off through the Control Center (the menu that appears when you swipe up on the home screen), you have to go into the Settings app and click Wi-Fi to choose a specific network.

The upcoming iOS 9.3 update will let you 3D Touch the Settings app to jump directly into the Wi-Fi settings, but it's still not as quick as pulling down the notifications menu.
And the winner is...

Overall my experience was enjoyable. The iPhone 6S is a great phone, and I recommend it to almost everyone. The camera is top-notch, the phone runs smoothly and the operating system is easy to navigate.

But in the end I won't be sticking with it. Android is more of a natural fit for me. I'm more efficient on my Android device and I love the deep Google integration. I also like that I can make my device look and feel unique with custom icons, launchers, widgets and home screens.

At least, that's the case for now. Let's see what Google and Apple have on deck for 2016.

Courtesy CNET.COM

29/01/2016

Here's how much Google paid that guy who bought google.com for a minute

Google’s own domain was bought from under its nose for $12 in October, and Google just revealed how much money it paid to get it back.

After seeing “google.com” available for purchase on Google Domains, Sanmay Ved went for it, and owned the most iconic domain name of all time for a grand total of 1 minute. After seeing what happened, Google quickly cancelled the purchase, and later gave him an undisclosed reward.

The amount Google paid him — $6,006.13 — which is “Google” spelled with numbers, the company announced in a blog post. According to Business Insider, Ved donated his reward to The Art of Living India, and upon hearing that, Google doubled the amount.

The blog post details Google’s security awards program, where it awards people who find security flaws and bugs within Google. According to the post, the company gave out over $2 million in 2015 to over 300 researchers.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Courtesy Mashable

25/01/2016

Don't miss it

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25/01/2016

Why you can’t rely on Facebook friends in times of need

The scientist that previously claimed the human brain is not cognitively able to maintain more than 150 meaningful interpersonal relationships is at it again. This time, Professor Robin Dunbar is demonstrating that the vast majority of your Facebook friends don’t really care about you at all.

Dunbar’s latest research revolves around two studies of UK Facebook users. Survey respondents were asked to specify who among their Facebook friends could be relied upon in times of need and how many express sympathy when something bad is shared on the social platform.

Within an overage friend pool of 150 people, respondents felt they could only rely on less than five people during an emotional crisis and only expect a sympathetic response from less than 15.

Who do you call on in a crisis?

The figures remained relatively constant even in friend pools that were much larger, reinforcing Dunbar’s previous research that humans are not able to sustain countless stable relationships, even when aided by social media and technology.
There is a cognitive constraint on the size of social networks that even the communication advantages of online media are unable to overcome.
As Professor Dunbar notes, “there is a cognitive constraint on the size of social networks that even the communication advantages of online media are unable to overcome,” adding that, “at least occasional face-to-face interaction” is required to maintain “real” relationships.

The study certainly seems to confirm that human beings have natural limits placed upon our ability to create larger social networks with meaning, even when we have the tools to do so. Rather than creating ever-larger meaningful networks, we instead spend our time pandering to the passive entertainment needs of fake friends that actually don’t care about us at all. Now, if that’s not sufficient cause to do a “friend cull” I don’t know what is.

Do you agree with these findings? How many “real” friends would you count in your friend list?
Courtesy Android Authority

14/12/2015

3 apps Apple and Google both agreed were the best of 2015

Every year, both Apple Store and Google Play release a list of the best apps of the year.

There were only three apps that Google and Apple both agreed were some of the best in 2015. Here are those standouts that got the seal of approval from both giants:

Robinhood

Robinhood
Robinhood is an app built around one promise: no-fee stock trading. The app makes trading cheap, intuitive, and mobile. The beautiful interface also won an Apple Design Award.

Price: Free (iOS, Android)

Jet

Screenshot / YouTube
Jet is a shopping platform that promises to give you big savings. Jet calls itself the "ultimate shopping hack," and with easy reorders, free shipping, and returns, its ultimate goal is to challenge the likes of Amazon.

Price: Free (iOS, Android)

HBO Now

iTunes
HBO's stand-alone app lets you access all its original programming, shows, and movies straight from your iPhone or iPad. The app has a sleek design that, according to Apple, "sets the standard for high-quality TV streaming services."

Price: Free, subscription $14.99 month (iOS, Android)

09/12/2015

2015 hottest YouTube video: Clash of Clans commercial

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08/12/2015

Make your iPhone run faster, tips and tricks

Get rid of old photos.

Steve Kovach/Tech Insider
Deleting unnecessary files is a great way to speed up your phone. If you've got hundreds of photos on your iPhone, try syncing them to iPhoto on your desktop or backing them up through iCloud and erasing them from your phone.
Delete apps that take up a lot of space.

Nathan McAlone
The more bloated your iPhone is, the slower it's going to run. To see how much space a single app is occupying, head over to Settings>General>Storage & iCloud Usage>Manage Storage.
Erase old text message threads.

Nathan McAlone
If you never delete any text messages (or multimedia messages like pictures and video), it can weigh down the phone's software. One easy way to make sure old messages don't clog up your phone is by changing the default amount of time you keep messages: the iPhone offers 30 days, 1 year, and forever. To do this go to Settings>Messages>Keep Messages.

Empty Safari's cache.

Nathan McAlone
Treat your iPhone like you would a computer. This means you need to empty Safari's cache to keep it running smoothly. To do this, head over to Settings>Safari, and tap "Clear History and Website Data."

Turn off auto app updates.

Nathan McAlone
If your iPhone is running a little slow, that's because it may be trying to update apps in the background. Try updating your apps manually instead. To change this in your settings, head over to Settings>iTunes & App Store. Then switch the sliders to off mode where it says Updates.

Turn off automatic downloads.

Nathan McAlone
Similar to automatic updates, automatic downloads can also bog down your iPhone. If you have automatic app updates turned on, an app that you've downloaded on your iPad could automatically begin installing on your iPhone. While useful, it can certainly make your phone a little slower. To turn it off, navigate to Settings>iTunes & App Store. Switch the sliders to off mode.

Basically, if you can do something manually, do it. Avoid setting your phone to automatic.

Nathan McAlone
Does your iPhone usually ask if you'd like to join nearby Wi-Fi networks? If it does, you may want to turn that feature off. Any time your phone does anything automatically, such as scouting out nearby Wi-Fi or updating apps, it can slow the phone down. Turn this off by heading to Settings>Wi-Fi>Ask to Join Networks. Switch the slider to off.

Check for software updates, and update your phone if necessary.

Nathan McAlone
Software updates often include bug fixes, some of which can be related to an issue that makes your phone seem slow or glitchy. If it's a minor update, chances are it'll fix a few things. But if it's a major update, it depends on the phone you're using. Sometimes the hardware in previous models of iPhones simply can't handle the software as well as newer phones.

Try reallocating your phone's memory with this app

Battery Doctor
When a phone is running slow, it's likely due to an issue with its memory. According toMacworld, this Battery Doctor app can show you how fast your phone is running. If it's running slow, you can tap the Reallocate Memory button to re-distribute the memory in your iPhone. The team at Macworld claims that this is the first thing they do whenever they're iPhones start to lag.

If restarting just isn't cutting it, try restoring from a previous backup.

08/12/2015

BMW i8 Spyder concept to be getting into production soon

According to one report, that's about to happen. The German newspaperHandelsblatt (via Automotive News) quotes BMW CEO Harold Krueger as saying that a production version of the i8 Spyder concept will make its debut soon. Perhaps even as soon as CES next month.

This of course is still in the infant stage of being a rumor, but it is good to hear nonetheless. If the Spyder’s coupe version is any indication, this should be one hell of an automobile. We are far from specifics or any kind of timetable, but at least we now know one of the cars of the future is on the way. We and the rest of the car-loving world will be waiting just as patiently for its release as we did for this news.

05/12/2015

Modify your iPhone's logo so it glows like the one on your MacBook

David Cogen from TheUnlockr.com, a smartphone how-to tutorial site, happens to sell a kit that lets you replace the shiny Apple logo on the back of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with a glowing logo. He also shows you exactly how to do it.

Using this simple toolkit, David Cogen can make the Apple logo on the back of the iPhone 6 glow like it does on MacBook laptops.

TheUnlockr

He starts by unscrewing the two tiny screws on either side of the iPhone's Lightning port with the special screwdriver included in the kit.

He then uses the suction pad and another tool to shimmy the iPhone's screen off from the main body.

More parts are unscrewed and shimmied loose until the iPhone's screen is completely off.

TheUnlockr

This "operation" also calls for you to disconnect the battery.

TheUnlockr

But since the iPhone's battery is glued in, you need to warm it up with a hair dryer so it's easier to remove.

TheUnlockr

It's still very hard to remove the iPhone's battery from the phone itself. It's really glued in.

TheUnlockr

When you finally get the battery out, you can see the metal "plate" that makes the Apple logo on the iPhone's back shiny.

TheUnlockr

That metal plate is held in place with tape and glue, so you peel the tape off with the kit's tool.

TheUnlockr

Then you pry the plate off, which is glued into a slot. It looks like the plate bends and gets pretty much ruined.

TheUnlockr

There it is!

TheUnlockr

Now it's time to install the glowing Apple logo.

TheUnlockr

Fit it so it's flush in the Apple logo cutout.

TheUnlockr

hen, after replacing the battery into its compartment, you need to scratch away some material that covers a certain connection.

TheUnlockr

Next, connect the glowing logo to your iPhone's power supply. It's a very delicate process.

TheUnlockr

Keep the connection in place with some tape, and you're good to go.

TheUnlockr

After reconnecting all the wires and connections and screwing everything back in their original places, reattach the screen to the iPhone's body.

TheUnlockr

And you have a glowing Apple logo that looks just like the glowing logo on a MacBook!

TheUnlockr

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