Sunday, November 20, 2016
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Not this again: Samsung Galaxy S7 allegedly explodes in Canada, causing serious burns [feedly]
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Not this again: Samsung Galaxy S7 allegedly explodes in Canada, causing serious burns
// pocketnow.com
With the Galaxy Note 7 explosion epidemic finally and almost fully contained, Samsung has turned all its attention of late to positively determining what went wrong and eliminating any possible missteps from the R&D and production processes of the GS8.
Unfortunately, while phones occasionally malfunction and even randomly catch fire without signaling a widespread flaw requiring a massive recall, the market-leading Korean device vendor is now bound to get flak for each and every isolated incident.
Granted, the latest such incidence of a spontaneously combusting Galaxy handheld sounds pretty bad. A 34 year-old Winnipeg resident by the name of Amarjit Mann claims he felt a bizarre "warmness" in his pocket, where a Galaxy S7 was located, while driving one morning.
Upon taking it out and inspecting it for a few seconds, the gadget, apparently bought new for around $1,000 six months back, "exploded right away", ultimately causing second and third-degree burns to the hands of its panicked owner. Although he was able to throw the "bomb" out the window, a thick cloud of smoke meant the GS7 had plenty of time to create mayhem, at one point sticking to the man's hand as it started to melt.
At the end of the day, the Canada-based victim is happy to have not suffered injuries to his face, but still considers filing charges, including for lost wages, as recovery will take time. For its part, Samsung wants to meticulously investigate the explosion's circumstances, with foul play always a strong possibility. After all, if the Galaxy S7 was as hazardous as the Note 7 due to a production error, this would be the latest in a very long line of calamity reports.
The post Not this again: Samsung Galaxy S7 allegedly explodes in Canada, causing serious burns appeared first on Pocketnow.
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Monday, October 17, 2016
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Google's Project Fi Gains Family Discounts [feedly]
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Google's Project Fi Gains Family Discounts
// Phone Scoop - Latest News

Google today made it less costly for users of its Project Fi wireless service to add multiple lines to their accounts. The first line still carries a $20 access charge, with data costing a flat $10 per GB. Moving forward, additional lines carry a $15 access charge (rather than $20) and they can be lumped into the shared data plan with the first line. Google charges per megabyte each month, so people who don't use their entire data allotment receive a refund at the end of the month. Project Fi doesn't throttle speeds for those who use more than their allotment, but those people will be billed for their additional usage. Project Fi, which relies on the wireless services of Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and open WiFi hotspots, is available to the Pixel and Pixel XL, as well as the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. Google is now offering discounts on the latter two when people choose to buy and activate them via Project Fi. Project Fi's group plan is available starting today.
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Monday, October 10, 2016
Official: Samsung Halts All Sales of Galaxy Note 7, Recommends Powering Down and Getting a Refund [feedly]
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Official: Samsung Halts All Sales of Galaxy Note 7, Recommends Powering Down and Getting a Refund
// Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog

Moments ago, Samsung confirmed that they are halting all sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7. Not only that, but they are recommending that owners of the phone turn them off and "take advantage of the remedies available." Those remedies are returning the phone at the place of purchase for a refund. That's it. Samsung wants you to get rid of your Note 7 right now. Please do it.
The full statement is as follows:
We are working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers' safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.
We remain committed to working diligently with the CPSC, carriers and our retail partners to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 should power down and take advantage of the remedies available, including a refund at their place of purchase. For more information, consumers should visit samsung.com/us/note7recall or contact 1-844-365-6197.
Via: Samsung
Related Stories
People, Return Your Galaxy Note 7 AlreadySamsung: Only 25% of Note 7 Devices Exchanged so Far, 500,000+ New Units Available Tomorrow in the USHow to Tell if Your New Galaxy Note 7 is SafeSamsung: "About Half" of Recalled Galaxy Note 7 Devices Exchanged
Official: Samsung Halts All Sales of Galaxy Note 7, Recommends Powering Down and Getting a Refund is a post from: Droid Life
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Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Motorola announces list of smartphones receiving Nougat [feedly]
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Motorola announces list of smartphones receiving Nougat
// Android and Me
With Android 7.0 Nougat official and out in the open, manufacturers are beginning to release their lists of devices that will receive updates to the latest version of Android. Motorola is coming on board with its own list that's fairly extensive, though not all devices are covered. Take a look for yourself and see if your device is covered.
Moto G (4th Gen)Moto G Plus (4th Gen)Moto G Play (4th Gen)Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen)Moto X StyleMoto X PlayMoto X ForceDroid Turbo 2Droid Maxx 2Moto ZMoto Z DroidMoto Z Force DroidMoto Z PlayMoto Z Play DroidNexus 6
Most of Motorola's newer devices are included, particularly because the company has streamlined its product lines in recent years, making it easier to push out updates. Lenovo has stated that it plans to start in Q4 with the Moto Z and Moto G (4th Gen). Of course, before those is the Nexus 6, which is now receiving its OTA update along with the October security patches.
We'll keep you posted on any updates, additions or subtractions from Motorola's list. For now, check out all of the Made by Google announcements from today's event.
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From civil liberties champion to turncoat: Yahoo built specialized software to spy on users for the NSA [feedly]
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From civil liberties champion to turncoat: Yahoo built specialized software to spy on users for the NSA
// Extremetech

A new report claims that Yahoo didn't just cooperate with the NSA -- it built an unprecedented database to scan incoming email for keywords in real time and turns this information over to federal agencies automatically.
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Saturday, September 17, 2016
Verizon is in some hot water after charging customers for unused data [feedly]
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Verizon is in some hot water after charging customers for unused data
// Android Phone Fans
A woman in Florida received a bill which showed she used over 550GB of data for the month and was charged over $9,000.
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Thursday, September 15, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Friday, September 2, 2016
Friday, August 26, 2016
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
2016 Nexus Devices Rumored to Have 2 of Each Partition [feedly]
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2016 Nexus Devices Rumored to Have 2 of Each Partition
// xda-developers
Popular XDA Recognized Developer and well known HTC leaker, LlabTooFeR, just revealed some interesting information about the upcoming Nexus smartphones from HTC. If true, then both Sailfish as well as Marlin will have two of each partition (e.g. system_a & system_b). It's believed this setup is required in order to apply Android 7.0's new seamless updates in the background.
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Thursday, August 18, 2016
Android Nougat will be coming to a Nexus device near you next week [feedly]
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Android Nougat will be coming to a Nexus device near you next week
// Android Phone Fans
According to a leaked software schedule from Telus, Google will be releasing Android 7.0 Nougat to Nexus devices on August 22nd.
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Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 official with iris scanner, improved S Pen, and more [feedly]
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Samsung Galaxy Note 7 official with iris scanner, improved S Pen, and more
// Android and Me
After being the subject of a multitude of leaks, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is now officially official.
While the Galaxy Note 7 may look similar to the Galaxy Note 5, there are a few subtle tweaks that make it a very different handset. First up is the display, which is a 5.7-inch 2560×1440 Super AMOLED screen like on the Note 5, but the Note 7's display features dual curved edges. The addition of these curved edges means that the Note 7 gets the Edge UX software features found on the S7 edge. The Note 7's screen is also covered by Corning's new Gorilla Glass 5.
Above that display is an iris scanner. This iris scanner gives the Note 7 added security, letting you use it to unlock your phone, authenticate Samsung Pay purchases, and authenticate other apps that support Samsung Pass.
Finally, the bottom of the Note 7 is home to a reversible USB Type-C port. This is notable because the Note 7 is the first Samsung smartphone to offer USB Type-C. Because the Note 7 has USB Type-C, Samsung today also announced a new version of the Gear VR that supports the Note 7 and its USB Type-C port as well as the other Galaxy S6, S7, and Note 5 flagships that use microUSB. The new Gear VR will launch on August 19 alongside the Note 7.
The rest of the Note 7's feature set is about what you'd expect from a Samsung flagship in 2016. It's got a Snapdragon 820 processor in the U.S., China, and Japan, while all other regions will get a Note 7 outfitted with an octa-core Exynos 8 Octa 8890 chipset. Also included is 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a microSD slot, and a 3500mAh battery that supports fast charging over both wired and wireless methods. Rounding out the hardware features is a Dual Pixel 12-megapixel rear camera with OIS and a 5-megapixel front camera. All of those features are wrapped in a body that's IP68-rated for water resistance.
Since this is a Note device, you're also getting an S Pen. This S Pen features a smaller 0.7mm tip and improved pressure sensitivity, and like the Note 7 itself, the S Pen is also IP68-rated for water resistance.
Finally, the Note 7 runs Android 6.0.1 beneath Samsung's custom user interface. That custom UI includes several software features, including Always On Display and Samsung Knox. There are several S Pen features, too, like the ability to quickly create GIFs using Smart Select and new Air Command features, including Magnify and Translate.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will be sold in Black Onyx, Blue Coral, Silver Titanium, and Gold Platinum color options, though the gold model doesn't appear to be coming to the U.S., at least not initially. Samsung will launch the Note 7 on August 19.
In the U.S., the Note 7 will be available from AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular. The big four will kick off pre-orders on August 3, while U.S. Cellular will start on August 4. No matter which carrier you buy from, you'll be able to choose either a free Gear Fit 2 or 256GB microSD card to go with your new phone. Additionally, T-Mobile subscribers will have the option of getting a free year of Netflix instead of the other two gifts.
Here's what the Note 7's U.S. carrier pricing looks like:
AT&T: 30 payments of $29.34 with AT&T Next or 24 payments of $36.67 with AT&T Next Every Year. Buyers can get $695 in monthly bill credits to put toward a second Note 7.Sprint: No pricing announced as of this post.Verizon: $36 per month for 24 months.T-Mobile: $69.99 down and 24 payments of $32.50.U.S. Cellular: 30 monthly payments of $27.80. Also offering 20 and 24 monthly payment options.
So now that it's official, what do you think of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7?
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New Nexus phones tipped to have fingerprint reader gesture for opening notification shade [feedly]
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New Nexus phones tipped to have fingerprint reader gesture for opening notification shade
// Android and Me
The 2016 Nexus leaks continue to flow tonight with a new report regarding a software feature that may be included with both phones.
According to the folks at Android Police, Google is planning to give its new Nexuses a swipe gesture that'll let you quickly access your notification shade. This gesture will be performed with a swipe down on the fingerprint reader, which is expected to be included on the back of the phone. For a look at what the new Nexus phones may look like, check out these leaked renders.
Today's leak also appears to include a toggle so that you can disable this swipe gesture if you don't want it.
This could end up being a pretty nifty feature if it is included with Google's 2016 Nexus phones. While pulling down your notification shade may not take a ton of effort, some folks have to really stretch their thumbs to reach up to the top of their phone's screen and pull the shade down with one hand. This fingerprint reader gesture will make accessing the notification shade easier, as you'll just have to place your finger on the back of the phone, which probably isn't too far from where it normally rests when you're holding the device.
Also of note is that today's leak includes those refreshed on-screen navigation buttons that we first saw in June, though the blue and green dots on the sides of the home button appear to have glitched. Additionally, the tip shows a device with a blue back, which is said to be the Electric Blue version of the new Nexuses that we've previously heard about.
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Monday, August 1, 2016
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Android 7.0 Nougat due with August 5 security update [feedly]
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Android 7.0 Nougat due with August 5 security update
// pocketnow.com

For the first time ever, it would seem that the new version of Android will not be released at the same time as the latest Nexus hardware is announced. In fact, it might come earlier.It's only part of the story that tech leaks reporter Evan Blass is tweeting about.Android 7.0 releases next month, with the 8/5 security patch. Sorry Nexus 5 owners, no Nougat for you — Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 30, 2016We ...
The post Android 7.0 Nougat due with August 5 security update appeared first on Pocketnow.
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Thursday, July 28, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Google VR boss: ‘Hold off for a few months’ if you want a Daydream phone [feedly]
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Google VR boss: 'Hold off for a few months' if you want a Daydream phone
// The Next Web

Excited about VR for Android? We are too, but we've also got some bad news: your current phone probably won't support it. Speaking to Road to VR, Google's VR boss Clay Bayvor says we'll all need an upgrade: I can tell you that there will most likely not be any 'retroactively' Daydream-ready phones. We want to hold a very high quality bar, and for that to happen all the components need to be just right. So, to VR fans, I would say, hold off for a few months to get your next phone and get a Daydream-ready phone. ZTE recently…
This story continues at The Next Web
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