EXCLUSIVE: There are the real changes in iOS 8 beta 2 that Apple doesn’t want you to know about
With each new beta release of iOS 8, Apple details both open issues and fixes for developers in the developer release notes, but for most people, these don’t mean much. Thanks to one of our sources at Apple, we have received an internal change log with release notes to help explain some of the changes from iOS 8 beta 1 to the newer iOS 8 beta 2 release.
There are some incredible new features that have never been discovered before, including the fact that Find My iPhone can now tell you if a phone is indoors and what floor of a building it is on.
Additionally, Apple has made general enhancements to the system as a whole covering all of the major apps like Messages, Phone, Safari, Mail, FaceTime and others.
Stay tuned for more iOS 8 information as one of our guys has returned from holiday and it’s open season again.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
Nokia reborn: Nokia’s new Android launcher is wonderfully simple and shockingly innovative
It seems positively bizarre to type, especially since I have been covering the company for nearly a decade now, but Nokia is no longer a cell phone maker. Once the largest phone vendor on the planet by a staggering margin, Nokia sold its devices and services business to Microsoft and will now wear a number of new hats as it looks toward the future. One of those hats, as it turns out, is that of an Android developer — and the company’s first big software announcement is a shockingly impressive one.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
2016 Ford Focus RS mule spotted on North American soil
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Okay Ford, this is what we like to see. One of our intrepid spy photographers has captured a vehicle that we weren’t even sure would see the light of day – the next Focus RS. While this is pretty clearly a mule based on the current Focus ST, as our spy points out, there are a number of giveaways about this hot hatch’s true nature.
Indication number one that all is not right with this Focus is the heavily camo’d front fascia, which has been completely reconfigured for duty on the RS. It boasts significantly larger grilles that are meant to accommodate what is likely the 2.3-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder that’s destined for the 2015 Ford Mustang. Considering that, then, we can expect around 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque from the hottest of Foci, although it’s entirely possible that the production model could climb even higher, to around 330 hp.
The front fascia tweaks are complemented in the back by a modified rear bumper, which fails at hiding a pair of exhaust tips quite unlike the standard Focus ST’s centre-exit exhaust. Other obvious changes include the wheel/tire/brake package on this particular car. Larger 19-inch wheels are shod in super-sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires in 235/35/19 while the brakes feature what we think are four-piston calipers, possibly from Brembo, up front.
The big question that we can’t answer with these photos is, though, whether the next RS will use all-wheel drive. That remains an open question, although hopefully we’ll see evidence supporting that theory sooner rather than later. Until then, though, hop up top and take a look at the full gallery of spy photos of the next Ford Focus RS.
2016 Ford Focus RS mule spotted on North American soil
2016 Ford Focus RS mule spotted on North American soil originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A hugely important new Android 5.0 feature has been confirmed
Google has yet to release its next-gen Android OS version, but it looks like one major feature of the new operating system has been confirmed. Xda-developers has discovered that commits made to the AOSP master branch on Wednesday night show that Dalvik will be replaced with ART as default. None of that will make sense to many readers, but more experienced Android fans already know what Dalvik and ART are, and why it’s good news that Android will replace the former with the latter.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
This might be the coolest (or creepiest) new social app we’ve seen in months
It seems like each new social app that launches pushes us further apart as a society. Thousands of users posting minutia impossible to care about… ridiculous secrets anonymously posted with zero accountability… stupid apps designed to do little more than annoy us… it’s all becoming overwhelming. Every so often, however, something different emerges that finds novel ways to bring us closer together — and 20 Days Stranger is perhaps the most poetic new social app we have seen in quite some time.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
The iPhone’s camera will get even more amazing with iOS 8
The iPhone is already the most popular mobile camera out there, even though many other smartphone makers are putting more and more emphasis on the camera tech in the devices they ship. With iOS 8, Apple plans to further improve the camera experience of iPhone users by adding many manual controls that will help photography fanatics take even better pictures with the iPhone.
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Can BBM revive BlackBerry?
BlackBerry shocked Wall Street on Thursday by delivering a much narrower loss than expected. The company is now growing its cash pile even though it is shipping fewer than 2 million phones per quarter. This stabilization is a feat in itself, but where is future sales growth going to come from? Messaging app system BBM is the best bet. It now has close to 100 million active users — but some decidedly worrisome trends have emerged in recent months.
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New Mercedes M178 V8 Engine Unveiled
Described as “a quantum leap into the future of technology,” Mercedes’ new M178 V8 engine is being heralded as one of the most innovative and advanced engines of its time. The new M178 engine will be placed in Mercedes’ new flagship AMG model, the AMG GT, which will be replacing the SLS AMG upon its arrival in 2016.
The M178 is a 4L V8, which produces around 503 horsepower at 6,250 RPM. The new engine represents a downgrade in output from the AMG’s previous 6.2L, naturally aspirated V8, which produced around 631 horsepower. However, this may not necessarily mean worse performance, as the AMG GT will be far more technologically advanced, lighter and more efficient than the outgoing SLS AMG. Also, we can expect that the engineers at AMG will have their way with tuning the new M178, and we’ll probably see it top 600 horsepower, so fear not.
Among the most heralded features of the new engine are its compact design, its low power to weight ratio, and its groundbreaking fuel efficiency. This should come as no surprise, however, as there has been increased collaboration between the Mercedes Formula 1 engine supplier and the Mercedes production car arm of the company. The engine gains stability under pressure by virtue of a newly improved rigid crankcase and forged pistons. Friction is minimized as much as possible by a special nano-slide coating which coats the cylinder walls. The cylinder heads employ a zirconium alloy to give them maximum thermal conductivity ratings.
Lateral acceleration is maximized by bringing the engine’s center of gravity closer to the roadway; the engine’s setup in the new 4L has been lowered by 55 mm compared to previous AMG setups. Contributing to this is a power dry sump lubrication system, which eliminates the need for a front mid-engine oil pan. The new 4L also features an ultra-compact design.
In the twin turbocharged setup, both of the turbos, built by Borg Warner, are situated within the V8 engine block. Fresh air is routed to the exhaust turbos at lower engine output, in order to the increase performance and avoid turbo lag. 
Direct injection is also employed, in true AMG fashion.
Mercedes’ new AMG GT is designed to court a new generation of buyers. With this aim comes the responsibility of bringing the AMG line to the forefront of technology. The engine design team has done its work on the new M178, and now it’s up to the rest of the Mercedes team to make sure that the remaining elements of the AMG GT wear the badge proudly.
Article courtesy of Speedville.com.
The post New Mercedes M178 V8 Engine Unveiled appeared first on Engine Builder Magazine.
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Samsung has no plans to launch its best smartphone ever in the U.S.
Samsung finally took the wraps off of its hotly anticipated Galaxy S5 LTE-A — previously known as the Galaxy S5 Prime — earlier this week. Highlighted by a jaw-dropping a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with quad HD resolution, a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor and 3GB of RAM, the Galaxy S5 LTE-A represents a significant improvement over the somewhat lackluster Galaxy S5, but consumers outside South Korea may never get to enjoy the beastly handset. For the time being, Samsung has no plans to launch the Galaxy S5 LTE-A globally.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
These expensive pants will wirelessly charge your smartphone
With the increasing number of mobile devices that can be wirelessly charged, it’s no surprise that more companies are thinking about how they can incorporate this technology in their products. Starbucks has recently announced that all its stores across the U.S. will offer customers wireless charging areas, but what if that’s not enough? One fashion designer, working together with Microsoft, has come up with a pair of pants for men that will wirelessly charge phones, Business Insider reports.
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