For some lucky people the Spring 2012 Xbox 360 update is now available – everyone else it’s next week.
The Spring Update contains behind the scenes improvements and prep for he future enhancements according to a tweet by Major Nelson, so nothing that you can see right now:
Let us know when you get the update.
Earlier tonight we told you that Microsoft had released an update for the iOS version of it’s My Xbox LIVE app. Well they have already released an Android version!
Take your Xbox LIVE experience wherever you go with the My Xbox LIVE app!
Take your Xbox LIVE experience wherever you go with the My Xbox LIVE app. Track and compare your achievements, connect with your Xbox LIVE friends, and change up your 3D Avatar. Review all the recent great games you and your friends love to play and compare achievements with them. Access Xbox Spotlight feeds, get breaking news from Xbox LIVE, game tips and tricks, gamer spotlight and much more.
This app will allow you to…
• Track and compare your achievements with your LIVE friends
• Change up your 3D avatar
• Message your Xbox LIVE friends
• Edit your LIVE Profile
Note:
This app requires an Xbox LIVE account to sign in. Available for most Android 2.2+ smartphones, with WGVA screen resolution or higher.
Microsoft have released an update to their My Xbox LIVE app for iPhone and iPads, bringing with it the ability to connect, control and discover content on your Xbox.
Take your Xbox LIVE experience wherever you go with the My Xbox LIVE app. Track and compare your achievements, connect with your Xbox LIVE friends, and change up your 3D Avatar. Review all your recent great games you and your friends love to play and compare achievements with them. Jump into our games hub to learn about the latest LIVE games and apps. Access Xbox Spotlight feeds, get breaking news from Xbox LIVE, game tips and tricks, gamer spotlight and much more.
• Use your iPhone with your Xbox to connect, control and discover content on your console. Connect your iPhone for access to a quick list of your most recent console activity. Control your content with play, pause, fast forward and rewind media controls. Find fresh entertainment to play in the new Discover section.
• Improved Authentication to make it more stable
• Improved Authentication to make it more stable
• iPad high-resolution images
In the next of their on-going Building Windows 8 series, Microsoft talks about the People app: the complete, cloud-powered address book for Windows 8.
This is how the article starts:
Modern devices come with an address book or contact list because the people we communicate and share with are so important to how we use those devices. Email, texting, phone and video calls, social updates and comments – these are but a few of the people-based activities we do with the phones, PCs, and tablets we use every day. With Windows 8 we set out to meet this fundamental need with a new kind of contact experience: the People app.
The People app in Windows 8 is a modern take on the flat contact lists of the past–it’s built for the way you communicate today, and it’s connected to the cloud services you already use. The People app connects to your email and social accounts, bringing together all your contacts (and what they’re up to) in one convenient place. Windows 8 Consumer Preview users have already used the People app millions of times and received millions of social notifications on its live tiles. We are proud of the early enthusiasm for our approach, and thankful for everyone’s helpful feedback on how we can improve this early preview version. We thought we would take some time to share more of our perspective on the modern social address book, and how our point of view is driving the evolution of the People app in Windows 8.
To continue reading it, click here.
For some lucky people the Spring 2012 Xbox 360 update is coming this week.
The Spring Update should be with some people this week, and everyone else next week according to a tweet by Major Nelson:
Let us know when you get the update.
The Amazon Kindle app for Android has been updated again, bringing it to version 3.6.0.
![amazon-kindle-android_thumb_thumb_th[2]](https://i0.wp.com/moviesgamesandtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/amazon-kindle-android_thumb_thumb_th2.jpg?ssl=1 "amazon-kindle-android_thumb_thumb_th[2]")
I use the Kindle app all the time on my iPad to read books and I know a number of people who use it on their Android devices, so it is really good to see that real page numbers are finally being used!
Download the Kindle App from Google Play•Tablet users: customize your reading experience with new margin and line spacing controls.
•Tablet users: see two pages side-by-side in landscape mode.
•Fixed a bug that required some users to re-register when returning to the app.
•Several bug fixes.
Earlier this month we told you that Virgin Media and London Underground had named the first stations to be WiFi enabled. We had the chance to test out the WiFi and we were impressed!
We were at Oxford Circus tube station when we saw the poster offering WiFi, so we figured it was time to test it out.
Connecting to the WiFi Zone was easy – in fact, as you can see below we had no phone signal, but we did have WiFi! Once you select the WiFi network you open a browser window and tap the Activate Now button.
Then you enter your email address and accept the terms and conditions, followed by tapping Active Now.
And that’s it – you are connected.
The default web page has news and information on the current status of the tubes, as well as other information. You can of course surf to whatever you want and do whatever you want!
We ran a speed test and were amazed with results! As you can see, we got 8.58 Mbps download (which is better than we get at home with BT) and an amazing 18.97 Mbps upload!
All in all we found the whole process easy to connect to and easy to use. All we want now is for the WiFi to work on the trains themselves, and we will be very happy!
Have you tried it yet? Tell us what you think.
When QNAP released TurboNAS 3.6, they included a VPN server as standard functionality. Is this a useful feature for a home user? I took it for a ride around the block to find out!
QNAP has continued to add features to its TurboNAS line of NAS units. One such addition was a VPN server, coordinated with the MyQNAPNAS.Com remote access service. I tried it out to see if it was useful or not. First off, here is how QNAP describes the benefits of this feature:
Cost-saving
Traditionally, businesses rent network capacity such as T1 lines to achieve full and secured connectivity between their office locations. The cost could rise exponentially with the growth of branch offices. The QNAP VPN (Virtual Private Network) Server uses public network Internet infrastructure to make these connections and build up virtual network at much inexpensive cost.
Secure access
Due to security concerns, businesses usually only allow file access or certain services within the office. The QNAP VPN Server provides an easy way for the IT administrator to build up a secure private network and allow the staff to log on from outside the office and access business resources securely such as files and Internet connections. The VPN connections are secured with up to 256-bit encryption. Users of Windows and Mac computers or even iOS and Android devices are able to easily obtain files in the office when on-the-go.
PPTP & OpenVPN support
QNAP VPN Server supports PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) and OpenVPN technologies, both are commonly adapted in the market. PPTP provides better compatibility while Window, Mac, Linux and handheld devices such as iOS and Andriod phones all have native support for PPTP, and it’s secured with 128-bit encryption. Compared with PPTP, the open source OpenVPN passes through NAT configurations (e.g. wireless routers) and corporate firewalls more easily, and it provides better security with 256-bit encryption.
A great remote gateway solution
Feel frustrated finding your favorite websites are blocked while traveling abroad? The QNAP VPN Server allows users to use the Internet connection within a VPN to visit these websites. No additional software is needed, and it’s safe.
Easy configurations
The IT administrator can allow Turbo NAS local users to use PPTP and OpenVPN by choosing user names on an intuitive dialogue. The connection list provides a clear overview on the status of currently connected users, such as logged in time, connected time, IP address, and protocol.
Today saw the release of the updated Spotify app for Android and it’s undergone a top-to-bottom redesign and with a completely new box of tricks under the hood.
Available now on Google Play, features include:
As with all Spotify Mobile apps, you’ll need a Premium subscription to get your music on the move.
To download Spotify for Android, click on this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spotify.mobile.android.ui
Apple has also updated it’s iPhoto application to version 9.3.
This update includes:
• iPhoto can now open libraries from Aperture 3.3 or later
• AVCHD video is now supported
• The Description field now automatically expands as needed when entering text
• You can now flag a photo in Magnify (1-up) view by clicking a Flag icon displayed in the upper left corner of the photo
• Keywords and titles are now preserved when exporting files with embedded GPS location data
• A new Export option allows you to automatically organize exported photos into subfolders by event
It’s a 392 MB update on my MacBook Air.
Apple has updated iMovie to version 9.0.6 – and it’s a whopping 1.35 GB update!
The update provides general stability and compatibility improvements, including:
Apple have also updated their AirPort Utility to version 6.1.
Use AirPort Utility to set up and manage your Wi-Fi network and AirPort base stations, including AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule. See a graphical overview of your Wi-Fi network and devices. Change base station and network settings, or manage advanced features such as security modes, wireless channels, and more.
It’s a small update at 22 MB.
Amazon.com, today announced its Amazon Cloud Player App for iPhone and iPod Touch is now available on the App Store. The app allows customers to stream or download music stored in Cloud Player to their iPhone or iPod touch, play music that is already stored on their device, and manage or create playlists.
“Customers tell us that they want access to all of their music, wherever they are, and on all of the devices they use,” said Steve Boom, Vice President of Digital Music for Amazon. “By bringing Cloud Player to iPhone and iPod touch, we now have the most widely compatible cloud playback solution available, giving our customers the ability to buy once and enjoy their music everywhere.”
Customers using the Amazon Cloud Player App can stream, download, and manage their music in the cloud, eliminating the need to download files before playing them. With this new app, customers have full access to their Cloud Player music libraries and also can seamlessly add playlists that are currently on their iPhone or iPod touch.
All Amazon customers automatically start with 5 GB of free storage to begin uploading their digital music library to Cloud Player, and for a limited time, those who purchase any storage plan will receive unlimited space for MP3 and AAC (.m4a) music files at no additional cost.
The Amazon Cloud Player App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.
Last year Bad Robot Productions released a really fun app for the iPhone called Action Movie FX that enables you to easily add cool special effects to whatever you might film. Now it has an update, including new content.
*NEW FREE FX, ROUGH TERRAIN!
*Bug fixes and improved performance for iPod 4th Gen
*UI Improvements
*ALL NEW DISASTER MOVIE FX PACKS
– SKY PACK: ELECTRO-STRIKE & METEOR FROM OUTER SPACE
– EARTH PACK: GROUND SUCKERS & FLASH FLOOD
