Microsoft Snip For Windows Lets You Take Screenshots With Audio Or Digital Ink Annotations | Redmond Pie

Microsoft Snip For Windows Lets You Take Screenshots With Audio Or Digital Ink Annotations | Redmond Pie
When installed, Snip sits as an easily accessible widget at the top of the display. The team behind the product has clearly put thought into the fact that those who regularly capture and look to share screenshots will generally want to do so quickly with minimal fuss and intrusion.

I think I wrote my first screen capture for Win32 in 1993. What goes around comes around!

Inside Google's master plan for faster, sharper streaming video - CNET

Inside Google's master plan for faster, sharper streaming video - CNET: "Google has been trying to improve the situation with technology called VP9 that compresses the video data so they can move across networks faster. And with a successor called VP10 due in a couple of years, it's promising an even bigger boost to image quality -- not just sharper images, but also richer color and a better ability to span from bright highlights to dark shadows."

To my eye, it looks like Amazon Prime Video on Android and YouTube (all platforms) are the only cloud networks that are really serving quality video streams. I didn't test Netflix or Hulu but I did test HBOGO on iPad.

Tinder releases its list of most 'right-swiped' colleges | Cult of Mac

Tinder releases its list of most 'right-swiped' colleges | Cult of Mac
Colleges and universities bend over backwards to earn accreditation and good reviews. It’s good for recruiting.

App porn.

Amazon to forego future phone development following Fire Phone failure

Amazon to forego future phone development following Fire Phone failure
While the company has not ruled out producing another mobile phone, development of a next-generation device has been extended "indefinitely," according to the Wall Street Journal. Citing sources, the paper says that dozens of Fire Phone engineers have been let go in what is said to be the first round of layoffs in the history of Amazon's hardware division.

All eyes on Microsoft to see if they can stay committed because their $80 phablet is a game changer if you ask me.

Google launches Twitch clone YouTube Gaming with companion iOS, Android apps

Google launches Twitch clone YouTube Gaming with companion iOS, Android apps
Although it incorporates all of the on-demand game content already on YouTube, the new platform places a stronger emphasis on live streams. Visiting the main website will show a list of active channels, and in fact automatically begin playing live videos (on mute) from a rotating carousel.

Clone wars.

Actor reveals unique rehearsal process for Steve Jobs movie

Actor reveals unique rehearsal process for Steve Jobs movie: "Stuhlbarg — who plays Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original engineers on the Macintosh team — revealed in a recent interview that instead of shooting one scene at a time, the cast would rehearse an entire act for two weeks, film it, then start rehearsing the next act for two weeks."

Steve Jobs, the movie.

Former Apple and Samsung employee dishes dirt on rivals' innovation | Cult of Mac

Former Apple and Samsung employee dishes dirt on rivals' innovation | Cult of Mac: "For more dirt on the differences between working at Apple and Samsung, head over to MarketingMag for Lenior’s full interview."

Look over there: dirt!

Scan your own 3D characters into Minecraft with Intel RealSense camera | GamesBeat | Games | by Dean Takahashi

Scan your own 3D characters into Minecraft with Intel RealSense camera | GamesBeat | Games | by Dean Takahashi
Mark Day, chief executive of VoidAlpha, has created Minescan, an app that allows you to scan a physical object into Minecraft. You can scan in a character like an octopus or squirrel, and the app will convert it into voxel style, or blocky graphics. You can then insert the digitized character into the Minecraft game.

Minecraft has a style all its own.

Microsoft confirms elimination of Nokia's Salo phone unit, up to 2,300 jobs

Microsoft confirms elimination of Nokia's Salo phone unit, up to 2,300 jobs
The month prior, former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop — sometimes blamed for the company's misfortunes and takeover — exited Microsoft himself as the tech giant unified its OS and device divisions under a new leader.

I'm pretty excited about the latest Windows $80 ATT GoPhone. Candy Crush Saga, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify. You see the point? People want to be connected. I don't think anyone cares about the shovelware.

Rumored Apple Watch bands will bring more sensors to your wrist | Cult of Mac

Rumored Apple Watch bands will bring more sensors to your wrist | Cult of Mac: "The Apple Watch is already one of the best fitness wearables on the market, but a new rumor claims Apple is looking to bring even more fitness sensors to your wrist by creating special Apple Watch bands that will take advantage of the device’s hidden port."

Aha. This is an "a-ha" moment.

Here are all the Macs compatible with Boot Camp 6 and Windows 10 | iMore

Here are all the Macs compatible with Boot Camp 6 and Windows 10 | iMore: "Apple has released Boot Camp 6, an update to the company's dual-booting assistant that let's the Mac run the latest and greatest Microsoft has to offer: Windows 10. Boot Camp 6 will support Windows 10 on Mac hardware going back all the way to 2012, which is a lot."

You asked for it, you got it, Kiyooka.

Apple's sapphire maker grows the world's biggest sapphire crystal

Apple's sapphire maker grows the world's biggest sapphire crystal: "In its place, the Russian company Monocrystal was given the contract for building sapphire glass for the Apple Watch, which has helped drive the company’s revenue to $87 million annually. True, that’s a drop in the ocean compared to giants like Foxconn, but it’s still enough to firmly put it out in the lead when it comes to operating profit for sapphire makers."

Never underestimate the value of being best at a manufacturing process in its infancy. Go Russia! If you know the whole story of GT, I think it begs the question: which is the corrupt country?

Pink iPhone 6s revealed in new leaked images

Pink iPhone 6s revealed in new leaked images: "Photos showing a supposed pink iPhone 6s have popped up on Chinese social media — and the positive response from users has been enormous."

Think pink.

Cult of Android - Google Hangouts' slick update is all about the browser | Cult of Android

Cult of Android - Google Hangouts' slick update is all about the browser | Cult of Android: "‘We are launching another way to use Hangouts today,’ writes Google’s Jordanna Chord on Google Plus. ‘From our new site you’ll be able to take advantage of the best of Hangouts in the browser, along with an inspiring image to get you through the day.’"

It's like a miracle of modern JavaScript.

Europe, it’s time we built our own Silicon Valley | VentureBeat | Entrepreneur | by Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, The Next Web

Europe, it’s time we built our own Silicon Valley | VentureBeat | Entrepreneur | by Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, The Next Web: "Back in 2013, I was one of nine entrepreneurs who contributed to the European Startup Manifesto. With Dutch politician Neelie Kroes at the helm, Niklas Zennström (Skype, Kazaa), Daniel Ek (Spotify), myself, and six others tried to boil down the solution to Europe’s startup problems into a simple, 22-point action plan for managing and powering growth across the continent. Our action plan includes directives to help startups stretch across borders, make it easier for them to hire and fire, increase venture capital investments, and keep our best entrepreneurial brains from being lured overseas."

I think Europe already has two Silicon Valleys. One is called Cambridge, England and the other is called Germany.

iRobot's robotic lawn mower gets U.S. regulatory approval | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Reuters

iRobot's robotic lawn mower gets U.S. regulatory approval | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Reuters: "The Bedford, Massachusetts-based company, known for its robot vacuum cleaner Roomba, has designed a robot lawn mower that would wirelessly connect with stakes in the ground operating as signal beacons, rising above the ground by as much as 24 inches (61 cm)."

This is a great horror movie waiting to happen. No offense nerds.

Ingress developer Niantic Labs is no longer a Google company following Alphabet shakeup | GamesBeat | Games | by Jeff Grubb

Ingress developer Niantic Labs is no longer a Google company following Alphabet shakeup | GamesBeat | Games | by Jeff Grubb
Niantic Labs, which is the developer responsible for creating the massively multiplayer geocaching game Ingress, is now its own, independent company, according to a post on Google+ (via Tech Crunch). Ingress is a game where people use their smartphone’s positioning system to faux-hack real places around the world.

Wot is dat?

Recut television trailer shows more of Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs

Recut television trailer shows more of Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs: "Also shown are co-stars Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, and Kate Winslet. Rogen plays Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, Daniels stars as former Apple CEO John Sculley, and Winslet portrays ex-Mac marketing chief Joanna Hoffman."

Fasswunder. Too soon?

Microsoft releases preview of tools to convert iOS apps to Windows 10 as open source | iMore

Microsoft releases preview of tools to convert iOS apps to Windows 10 as open source | iMore: "code name 'Project Islandwood', will allow iOS developers to quickly convert their apps to ones that can run natively on Windows 10."

The holy grail commeth in our general direction early it seems...

Steve Jobs to be focus of upcoming opera set to debut in 2017

Steve Jobs to be focus of upcoming opera set to debut in 2017: "A U.S. opera company in Santa Fe on Wednesday announced plans for an upcoming production centering on Steve Jobs, adding to a growing number of books, movies and documentaries focusing on the life and times of the late Apple cofounder. "

With comedy like this, who needs Jon Stewart?

IBM's bulk buy of 200,000 Macs isn’t enough for Tim Cook | Cult of Mac

IBM's bulk buy of 200,000 Macs isn’t enough for Tim Cook | Cult of Mac: "IBM became Apple’s largest corporate customer this year when it agreed to buy 50,000 MacBooks from Apple, but according IBM’s chief information officer Jeff Smith, the company will more likely end up purchasing between 150,000 to 200,000 Macs when all is said and done."

Irony. Especially in light of the 1984 commercial.

This toaster is actually an iPhone charging station in disguise | Cult of Mac

This toaster is actually an iPhone charging station in disguise | Cult of Mac: "Keeping enough iPhone cables around the house to your entire family’s devices charged can result in some unsightly blogs of tangled cables. Most charging stations look horrible, or too nerdy to keep in open sight, but the Foaster is hoping the solve that problem by disguising an iPhone charging station in the shape of one of the most ubiquitous kitchen appliances."

The real question is: does it handle the English Muffin form factor?