For years now, Virgin Mobile has built a solid following by offering no-contract smartphone plans for people who don't want to buy a subsidized phone. Now, Virgin Mobile is making the assumption that a number of consumers do not want to pay for data packages. Virgin Mobile has released a new smar...
http://www.androidauthority.com/virgin-mobile-offers-20-smartphone-plan-data-534296/
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Hyperlapse, released under the guise of Instagram, initially out-performed Facebook's other side projects — Poke, Slingshot, Camera, and Paper — on the App Store charts. But now, a mere six weeks since launch, interest in Hyperlapse appears to be fading fast. Hyperlapse is Instagram's iOS-only ap...
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Obscure is a new free app that has arrived to Google Play, bringing an experience somewhat akin to photo/message sharing apps like Snapchat but with a few twists to the experience. Obscure actually lets you send messages and pictures to your existing contacts, Google+ friends, Facebook friends an...
http://www.androidauthority.com/obscure-app-534328/
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/05/espn-nba-live-streaming-service-leak/
ESPN has made plenty of forays into streaming video, but services like WatchESPN typically require that you already have TV service. That partly defeats the point of viewing online, don't you think? However, you might not face that limitation for much longer. According to sources for the Wall Street Journal, the NBA has signed a pact with Disney (ESPN's parent) to launch a new streaming service that doesn't demand a cable or satellite subscription -- a big deal for ESPN, which still makes most of its money from paid TV. Just how it differs from the NBA's own League Pass isn't clear, although both are focused on live regular season games. In other words, you'll still have to fire up an old-fashioned TV to watch the playoffs in real-time. Just when it arrives isn't clear, although you may not have to wait long for an announcement. If the tipsters are accurate, the NBA will announce its partnership as early as Monday.
[Image credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Wall Street Journal
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/06/unreal-engine-4-5/
It hasn't been hard to produce realistic-looking skin in computer-generated movies, but it's much harder to do that in the context of a game running live on your console or PC. That trip to the uncanny valley is going to be much easier in the near future, though, thanks to the impending arrival of Unreal Engine 4.5. The gaming framework adds subsurface light scattering effects that give digital skin a more natural look. Instead of the harsh visuals you normally get (see the pale, excessively-shadowed face at left), you'll see softer, decidedly fleshier surfaces (middle and right). The scattering should also help out with leaves, candle wax and other materials that are rarely drawn well in your favorite action games.
That's not the only party trick. A new raytracing technique should produce soft, reasonably authentic long shadows in sunsets. Mobile games can finally handle dynamic shadows, too, so a character carrying a lantern may look that much more ominous. Developers will have to implement the new Unreal Engine in their projects before you can see the upgrades first-hand, but it shouldn't be too long before you're playing shooters and other titles that feel much more true to life.Source: Unreal Engine
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