Microsoft Xbox Preview Program Renamed, Opened to All

Microsoft just announced improvements to its Xbox Preview Program. Each month, Redmond pushes out new features to Xbox One owners. But before making their public debut, those programs are tested through preview members who are tasked to try out these things.

This includes fiddling with backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 titles.

Going forward, the most notable change to the program is the transition to a new name—the Xbox Insider Program—meant to reflect an expanded range of service preview opportunities for users, including games, apps, and system updates.
The Xbox Preview Dashboard has also been renamed to become the Xbox Insider Hub. Microsoft confirmed that Hub is a complete rebuild of the Dashboard based on fan feedback.

Other highlights, as outlined via Program Manager, Emily Hanson, include more personalisation, a new user interface, an Xbox Insider profile card, and support for multiple users on a console.

"We're starting to roll these changes out today to a small number of preview members who have provided the most feedback since the inception of the Xbox Preview Program" Hanson shared.

Xbox One consoles in instant-on mode and with the Xbox Preview Dashboard app installed will automatically update overnight. Everyone else can check online for upgrades or wait patiently for access to the new Xbox Insider Hub. Most will see it soon as it should fully roll-out over the next few weeks.

"Our final change, my personal favorite, is that the Xbox Insider Program will soon be open to all Xbox users," Hanson added.

Access to system updates still remains limited to those already participating. Of course, this change means more people will be able to try games, apps, upgrades, and new features, and give feedback directly from their Xbox One.

4 ways The O will remind you of things you need, before you need them

You’ve heard of the Internet Of Things, right? It’s an ugly name for how all your tech gadgets work together. Well, the O is building an Internet Of Reminders. More than just a Bluetooth tracker that allows you to find your wallet once you have already left it at a bar, the O will remind you that you’ve left them behind before get beyond a set range. What’s more, the O will remind you to take things, such as your gym bag, on the day it knows you’ll need them and depending on what the weather will be that day.
If that sounds like an awful lot of nagging, these reminders only take the form of notifications on your iPhone or Android. Better still, you have complete control over them, deciding how often you should be reminded. This does require a certain amount of initial set-up, but registering an item with the O app on your phone only takes a matter of minutes. Of course, for every item in your Internet Of Reminders, you need to have an O tracker attached to it, but these are sold in packs of four for £65/$80 to help keep the cost down. Here’s the four best ways we would use our multi-pack.

1. Find your keys

Using low-energy Bluetooth the O’s app will notify you if you have moved away and left key items behind. Setting the O as essential means that no matter where you are, if you leave the item, you will be notified. When you are alerted you can swipe the alert and press ‘Safe For Now’ and it won’t alert you for a little while. Each pack of Os comes with a rubber keyring or more fashion- forward metal ones are sold separately.

2. Don’t run out of phone battery

You can enable reminders for certain items. If you have an O set to track your charger, for example, and leave the home without it, you will receive an immediate alert to grab your charger if your battery
is below 50 per cent. Alternatively, you could set the O as an ‘essential’ and receive reminders whenever you leave without it.

3. Remember it’s leg day!

You can select which days items need to be tracked, for example if you plan on only going to the gym at weekends you can select on the app to only be reminded on Saturdays. Looking at the app you can see what Os are with you, at home or in a safe place. The case of the O is rounded and lightweight meaning it can fit into most bags without damaging the interior and be unnoticeable.

4. Get reminders before it rains

The app monitors weather forecast each day and if you leave without taking your umbrella, you will be alerted to say that you may need it. If you choose to set the tracker to non-essential then as long as it is somewhere you have selected as ‘safe’ you won’t be alerted when you leave. You can set safe places by connecting to a Wi-Fi network or if there isn’t Wi-Fi available, you can set a specific area on a map.
For more information on The O, visit owithme.com This article first appeared in Gadget issue 14. For the latest tech news and reviews, buy the latest issue of Gadget here or download the digital edition.

PlayStation 4 Sales Hit 18.5 Million

Though the last few months have certainly given Sony a headache or two, the company can celebrate the fact that its PlayStation 4 sales have been strong. Very strong.

Sony announced yesterday during its CES press conference that PlayStation 4 sales have topped 18.5 million worldwide since the console's debut in November 2013, and 4.1 million during the most recent holiday season alone.

It has some catching up to do to PlayStation 2, which topped 150 million in its lifetime, but Sony doesn't appear very concerned about that. In actuality, the PlayStation 4 is outpacing PlayStation 2 sales if you compare each console's sales approximately one year after their respective releases.

"The next-gen platforms right now—I don't have the numbers —this generation has grown faster, further, wider, broader than any other game generation in the past. PlayStation 4 is leading that entire charge in next-gen," Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Shawn Layden told IGN in November.

PS4 sales topped 10 million in August.

Sony also said that it has 10.9 million PlayStation Plus subscribers. Those stats come after Sony announced that it will start offering monthly subscriptions to its PlayStation Now gaming service.

Rival Microsoft, meanwhile, said it was approaching 10 million Xbox Ones sold as of November, help by the $50 discount it offered on the console through the holiday season.

Dell Revamps XPS 13 and Alienware Laptops

It's time for CES and that means one thing: Product announcements. Dell has some new systems on the way, ranging from a redesigned Dell XPS 13 to two new Alienware gaming laptops, and several updated models featuring new Intel processors, Intel's RealSense camera technology, and other hardware options.


Dell XPS 13

Dell's flagship 13-inch ultrabook, the Dell XPS 13 is getting a complete makeover this year, with a ground-up redesign that shrinks down the overall size without diminishing the 13-inch display. The new design proves that a thin chassis isn't everything, with vanishingly narrow bezels around the display allowing the 13-inch screen to fit into an 11-inch laptop chassis. But portability is still a major focus, and the new design features carbon fiber and machined aluminum for a stronger, lighter chassis. The reduction in volume and weight make the Dell XPS 13 extremely portable, weighing just 2.6 pounds and measuring just 0.6 inches thick.

The basic model of the new XPS 13 comes with an full HD (1080p) display, without touch capability, but both higher resolutions (up to Quad HD+) and touch options will be available. Regardless of display type, the XPS 13 features 400-nit brightness for better visibility, as well as an all new selection of Intel's fifth-generation Broadwell processors, with up to Core i7 CPUs and up to 512GB of solid-state drive (SSD) storage.

Dell claims up to 15 hours of continuous use battery life, and also offers the Dell Power Companion, an external battery that adds up to 7 hours of juice. For the business minded, the XPS 13 can be had with an integrated TPM chip and Dell's Corporate Manageability software.

The basic model of the Dell XPS 13 comes with a fifth-generation Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD). The new Dell XPS 13 starts at $799.

Alienware Laptops

Alienware 17Alienware, Dell's gaming brand, is also announcing new systems at CES, with the new Alienware 15 and Alienware 17 laptops. Designed for gaming on the go, the new gaming laptops are thinner and lighter than present models, with premium materials like carbon-fiber composites, aluminum, and copper for lighter weight and sturdier construction.

Both the 15- and 17-inch notebooks feature Haswell Intel Core i7 quad-core processors, AMD and Nvidia GPUs (with up to Nvidia GTX 980m graphics), and are compatible with Alienware's Graphics Amplifier external GPU. Both models come standard with full HD displays, but the Alienware 15 can also be purchased with a 4K display.

The Alienware 15 will start at $1,199, with the larger Alienware 17 starting at $1,499.

Dell Inspiron 23 7000

Inspiron Updates
In addition to the new XPS 13 and Alienware systems, Dell is also updating several of its existing Inspiron laptops and desktops with new hardware and features. The Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 Special Edition gets updated from the current model Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 with Intel's new fifth-generation processors, which should improve battery life, graphics capability and overall performance. It's also becoming more affordable, with a new base price of $599.

Intel's RealSense camera technology, the same depth-sensing technology seen on the HP Sprout, is also coming to some systems, namely the Inspiron 15 5000 series laptops and the Inspiron 23 AIO, an all-in-one desktop PC. The Inspiron 15 500 series is also being updated with Intel's fifth-generation processors, while the similar Inspiron 15 7000 Series will now be offered with a 4K UltraHD display option

How To Add A MicroSD Slot To Your iPhone

With ever-improving cameras, bigger screens to watch videos, and better speakers for listening to music, we’re storing more on our phones than ever before.

However, it seems phone manufacturers can’t (or won’t) keep up with the demand for physical memory, instead politely pushing us towards their cloud storage accounts while muttering about subscription fees under their breath. Apple deserves to be singled out for this.

After being criticized for years for only offering limited physical storage, they launched a 128GB version of the iPhone 6 – only to axe this option a year later when they announced the iPhone 6S.

But there is an alternative to paying monthly for iCloud, which Android users have enjoyed for years. The Leef iAccess allows iPhone and iPad users to transfer data to a microSD card.

As well as backing up files, its also a great way of transferring photos from your digital camera to share them online on the go.

Transfer photos using Leef iAccess

01.) Clip and connect

Insert a microSD card into the rear slot of the Leef iAccess, before clipping the device into the lightning port of your iPhone.

02.) Open the app

Now download the MobileMemory app from the App option listed on the main menu. Store. Once opened, it will perform You can then select what you want a scan to try and find your iAccess.

3. Transfer files

Choose the ‘Transfer Files’ option listed on the main menu. You can then select what you want to move across from your phone.

4. Interchange cards

At any point you can swap microSD cards around. Press on the inserted card to eject it and slot in a new card instead.

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WHY SHOULD YOU USE MICROSD CARDS?

Competition is rife for those who want a simple solution to store and transfer their files. Despite this, the market for microSD cards has never been stronger, with more users looking for a secure and cheap way to keep their files with them wherever they go. Here’s why we think microSD cards will still be here for years to come.

01.) They’re safer than the cloud

While our smartphones are now tailored for cloud storage, the lack of encryption can potentially put your files at risk from snoopers and thieves. Having a physical microSD card enables users to take their most treasured files with them and there is a range of carry cases available to stop you misplacing them.

02.) You can use them everywhere

MicroSD support is so widespread that there is a whole bunch of devices you can use with them. For example, everyone’s favourite action camera, the GoPro, contains microSD ports for users to record in-flight footage and then have a simple way of transferring the footage onto their PC or Mac.

03.) Transfer speeds are unbelievable

One of the gleaming features of most modern microSD cards is the incredible transfer speeds that they can achieve when moving files to and from devices. SanDisk’s newest Ultra range of microSD cards can move files at 45MB per second. For larger files, this sort of card is a no-brainer to use.

04.) Lots of storage, low price

As more companies are developing microSD cards, prices are at the lowest they have ever been. A standard 64GB card can now be picked up for less than £20, which works out cheaper in the long-term than if taking out a cloud storage account subscription.

05.) Easy to convert

Once you have downloaded your files to your microSD card, you may wonder what you can now do with them. It’s simple enough to port them directly onto your desktop computer or even use a microSD adapter to convert them across to a full SD card and expand your options even further.

First Look: Audi and LG's Mysterious WebOS Smartwatch

Audi and LG don't want to talk about the webOS smartwatch. The car company made a splash here at CES when it showed tap-to-unlock technology in the new Audi S7 using a tablet, phone, and a previously unseen LG smartwatch. The watch's user interface doesn't look like Android Wear (see the images below), and after a closer look at the watch, reporters from Android Central saw that it said it was running Open webOS.

After LG folks told me that there was actually no webOS smartwatch, I ended up talking to visibly frustrated Audi automotive security engineer Roman Kochanek. "It's a prototype," he sighed. "Some people say they saw a settings screen which says it's webOS. We're not saying it's webOS."

Well, obviously, it is a webOS smartwatch. But presumably what LG and Kochanek were trying to get across was that the companies may have no plans to release this model, for now. Kochanek said it was a co-developed prototype designed with a phone-like "secure element" so it could activate the new S7's remote unlock and start functions.

The remote-unlock feature can also let you "lend" keys to your friends' smartphones and smartwatches, Kochanek said, showing a Samsung phone that could open not only his demo vehicle, but two of his friends'. All of the devices involved need the Audi app and the appropriate security hardware.

The Audi/LG smartwatch's body is very similar to LG's existing G Watch R . The watch has Audi branding on the watch face, but an LG logo on the band clasp. The UI is like a spiral of built-in and third-party apps retreating into the distance. The apps include a phone dialer, SMS, music player, step tracker, calendar, language translator, email, voice recorder, and some things that were in Korean.

In any case, things have gotten more locked down since yesterday, when Android Authority and The Verge were both able to get the watches off of the Audi engineers' wrists. Kochanek kept driving the watch back to its remote-unlock and remote-start functions, both of which are cool but not what everyone's going crazy about: a full-scale smartwatch OS with a clearer and more usable interface than the pervasive and disappointingly confusing Android Wear.

Kochanek said that the Audi remote-unlock function will come to more smartwatches than this one, as long as they have NFC and the appropriate security hardware. As for the LG webOS smartwatch line, which The Wall Street Journal says is a real thing, we might learn more at Mobile World Congress at the end of February.

G-Technology's New Hard Drives Can Take a Beating

At CES today, G-Technology added a pair of hard drives to its G-Drive ev lineup. The G-Drive ev RaW with Rugged Bumper and G-Drive ev ATC are made for the photographers and videographers who travel to distant lands, particularly those who are rough on their equipment.

The G-Drive ev RaW with Rugged Bumper is a 7,200rpm hard drive with a SATA and USB 3.0 interface designed to work with the G-Dock ev with Thunderbolt. This time, the ev cartridge is painted black, and is 35 percent lighter than the silver G-Drive ev cartridge. As its name indicates, it comes with a cushioning bumper that will protect the drive from a 1.5 meter drop. You'll need to remove the bumper to use the ev RaW with the G-Dock, but you can use the drive as is with the included USB 3.0 cable in day-to-day use. The drive is formatted HFS+ for Macs, but you can reformat it for Windows use.

The G-Drive ev RaW comes in a 500GB capacity for US$99.95 and 1TB capacity for US$129.99. Look for it in stores later this month.

G-Technology G-Drive ev ATCYou'll also find a G-Drive ev RaW cartridge in the new G-Drive ev ATC with Thunderbolt and G-Drive ATC with USB. Essentially, the G-Drive ev ATC adds a watertight case in place of the rugged bumper. Both ev ATC drives have a 2.0 meter drop spec, and are water tight up to 1 foot submerged for 30 seconds. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it will save your data from a quick drop and dunk in liquid. The G-Drive ev ATC will also float, helping you recover the drive if it falls overboard on a scuba trip.

As their names suggest, one version has a tethered Thunderbolt cable, while the other has a tethered USB 3.0 cable: you can't lose either as long as you have the drive. The ev RaW cartridge is removable for use in the G-Dock ev.

The G-Drive ev ATC with Thunderbolt goes for US$229.95 (1TB) or $129.95 (for just the case), the USB version is US$179.95 (1TB) or US$79.95 (case only). The ev ATC case works with most G-Drive ev cartridges, though the G-Drive ev 220 is too thick to be used with the case. Look for the Thunderbolt drive and case later this month, with the USB versions in February.