Monday, August 31, 2015
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Android phones will now come with fewer pre-installed apps [feedly]
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Android phones will now come with fewer pre-installed apps
// The Verge
Android users will soon be getting a little less bloatware on their phones. Android Central reports that Google has relaxed its requirements about which apps have to be permanently installed, which means apps like Google+, Google Play Games, Google Play Books and Google Newsstand will no longer come pre-installed. The new Samsung Galaxy Note 5, for example, already doesn't have Google+ pre-installed.
Even though Android is largely open source, Google has saddled its handset partners with app requirements — and there's no wiggle room. If, for instance, HTC wants to make an Android handset with the Gmail app, it historically would also be required to give customers Google+ and Newsstand.
Not only does bloatware take up valuable storage space and memory, it takes away choice on the part of the consumer. And while there will now be less bloatware from Google, there are still other carriers and manufacturers with apps that they would love to have pre-installed on the phones. And no, this isn't the death of Google+ or Newsstand. The apps will still be regularly updated and available to download in the Google Play Store for those who want them.
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Tuesday, August 11, 2015
FCC issues largest robocalling fine ever against travel marketer [feedly]
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FCC issues largest robocalling fine ever against travel marketer
// The Verge
The Federal Communications Commission's crackdown on spammy callers continues with the announcement of its largest fine ever for violating robocall rules. The commission is fining Travel Club Marketing a total of $2.96 million for making 185 unsolicited calls to cell phones and landlines belonging to 142 people, most of whom were on the Do Not Call list. "It is unacceptable to invade consumers' privacy by bombarding them with unwanted and intrusive robocalls," says Travis LeBlanc, chief of the commission's Enforcement Bureau. "All companies, and their owners, who thwart the Do Not Call list should expect to face severe consequences."
Travel Club's fine doesn't set the record by all that much — last year, a $2.9 million fine was proposed against a company that made 184 unsolicited robocalls — but it continues the commission's work to stop annoying, unwanted messages. In June, the commission passed strengthened rules that are supposed to close loopholes and give consumers easier ways of opting out of call lists that their names might have ended up on. The new rules also allow phone service providers to start offering robocall blocking services, which could get consumers a step closer not receiving any unwanted calls.
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Sunday, August 9, 2015
China forces Samsung to allow “unwanted apps” to be deleted from Samsung handsets [feedly]
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China forces Samsung to allow "unwanted apps" to be deleted from Samsung handsets
// AndroidSPIN | Your No.1 source for Everything Android.
Samsung's bloatware apps are legendary in the Android community and the fact all these apps can't be deleted has turned away many an Android purist. Thankfully for those people (in China at least), a consumer rights committee has been successful in forcing Samsung to allow "unwanted apps" to be deleted – Samsung says it will be providing software patches next month which make this possible. And the committee's yardstick? The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9008S) which allegedly had 44 pre-installed apps of which 24 could not be removed – that might not sound like much, but it all adds up. Samsung has said that this will even be allowed on their most recent devices, including the Galaxy S6.
And the committee is keen to see this solution through, saying: "If Samsung fails to meet its own promise, then the legal tussle will be continued and expanded". I'm genuinely surprised that Samsung has backed down and conceded this battle – if all it takes is a committee of well informed individuals to make Samsung, or any company, make their bloatware removeable, then I don't know why this hasn't been happening more – then again, this decision only has jurisdiction in China, for now.
What do you think about the decision to make Samsung allow "unwanted apps" to be deleted? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Korea Times via SamMobile
The post China forces Samsung to allow "unwanted apps" to be deleted from Samsung handsets appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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Mysterious Huawei device is leaked out prior to its September 2nd announcement [feedly]
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Mysterious Huawei device is leaked out prior to its September 2nd announcement
// AndroidSPIN | Your No.1 source for Everything Android.
Mr. evleaks is at it again – in the latest leak from the king of leaks, Evan Blass a.k.a. @evleaks, a mysterious Huawei device has been photographed which is said to be announced on September 2nd at IFA 2015. No doubt that this is one of the device's Huawei is going to announce at the event, and previous leaks suggest to us that this device is either the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 Plus or the Huawei Ascend Mate 8, with the former being more probable according to the rumour. From the appearance of the device, it's clear that it is quite large and takes a lot of design cues from last year's Ascend Mate 7, with only the flash changing position since last year's device.
Launching at IFA on 9/2. Features force touch. Branding currently unknown (D-series?). pic.twitter.com/5w2t7m7Nsx
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 8, 2015
The "force touch" mentioned in the tweet refers to a new capacative display technology that puts force sensors under the screen, allowing for more pressure-sensitive gestures. With the leak of this device comes another consideration – will the Huawei Nexus look like this? The Huawei Nexus was allegedly leaked earlier this week and it has more than a passing resemblance to the device that @evleaks posted a photo of. Food for thought.
What do you think about the mysterious Huawei device that @evleaks posted today? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Twitter via Phone Arena
The post Mysterious Huawei device is leaked out prior to its September 2nd announcement appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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ASUS put an insanely large battery in the ZenFone Max [feedly]
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ASUS put an insanely large battery in the ZenFone Max
// Engadget Mobile
During its big launch event in India today, ASUS decided to throw in a surprise for those who are into phones with a massive battery: the ZenFone Max. This is one of the very few smartphones that come with a generous -- or perhaps overly generous -- 5,000 mAh cell, and you can even use the phone as a power bank to charge other devices. Like the ZenFone 2 Laser, the Max has a 13-megapixel f/2.0 main camera with laser auto-focus plus dual-tone LED flash, as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing imager and Gorilla Glass 4 on the 5.5-inch screen, though there's no word on the display resolution. The downer is the entry-level Snapdragon 410 chip with just 2GB of RAM, as if the battery life isn't already long enough.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, ASUS
Tags: android, asus, india, mobilepostcross, phone, smartphone, zenfone max, zenui
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