Back off, NSA: Blackphone promises to be the first privacy-focused smartphone
You may never have heard of Geeksphone, unless you take a particular interest in Firefox OS, but the Spanish manufacturer could be about to garner some global attention. It says it’ll launch a new handset at Mobile World Congress next month that will prioritize privacy and security instead of all the intrusions that smartphone users usually have to put up with from carriers, advertisers and the occasional government agency. We’re looking at an Android-based phone with a “top performing” processor and a cellular module that will be unlocked, free of geographical restrictions and compatible with any GSM network. In place of carrier bloatware, we’re promised a skin called “PrivatOS” that will allow you to make and receive secure phone calls and text messages, store files securely and browse the web privately through an anonymous VPN — services that are largely already available from Silent Circle, which happens to be a key partner on the Blackphone project. That’s pretty much all we know for now, but pre-orders will begin sometime during the last week of February, and by then we hope to have hands-on impressions and a better understanding of how Blackphone will be different to BlackBerry encryption, Samsung’s Knox service and other more established rivals.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: Blackphone
Samsung’s low-cost Galaxy Tab 3 Lite confirmed by official user manual
Samsung has just verified that another Galaxy Tab is imminent after it published the user manual for a new Android tablet on its own site. The company’s Polish support page reveals documentation for the SM-T110, which is rumored to be a Wi-Fi variant of Samsung’s low-cost Galaxy Tab 3 Lite. According to a local stockist, the Jelly Bean tablet will feature a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, dual-core 1.2GHz Marvell processor, 1GB of RAM, 2-megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage (including microSD support) and a 3,600 mAh battery. The same retailer has opened pre-orders for both the Wi-Fi and 3G variants, pricing them at $165 and $263 respectively, all but confirming their place near the bottom of Samsung’s tablet pecking order. Expect the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite to make its official debut in the coming weeks, before Samsung heads to Mobile World Congress late next month.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Samsung
Via: PhoneArena
Source: Samsung Poland, X-Kom
Vuzix plans to make smart sunglasses you’d actually like to wear
Although smart sunglasses exist, they’re seldom pretty — you won’t impress many people at the beach. If Vuzix has its way, though, these shades will be as fashionable as the eyewear from your favorite label. It has just reached a deal with an unnamed major electronics company that could lead to smart glasses that look just as good as “designer sunglasses;” see-through waveguide optics would keep the display relatively subtle. Just don’t hold off on buying any traditional gear in the meantime. Vuzix doesn’t expect to build prototypes before 2015, let alone a finished product. Still, it’s good to know that smart sunglasses and style won’t be mutually exclusive at some point in the future.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: PR Newswire
China Mobile iPhone pre-orders are in the millions, Tim Cook calls deal ‘a beginning’
It sure took quite a while for Apple and state-owned carrier China Mobile to finalize their deal, but it could end up being well worth Cupertino’s time. According to The Wall Street Journal, the partnership extends beyond the carrier offering iDevices in the country and “entail[s] broad cooperation” between the two companies. As you’d expect, lips from both camps are tightly sealed, but Tim Cook says he’s “incredibly optimistic” about the outcome. Whether the two are working on any big promotional or retail opportunities in an effort to catch up to Android in China remains to be seen. For now, we’ll keep our eyes peeled in case new info surfaces when China Mobile starts shipping out iPhones (millions of them, apparently) on Friday.
Filed under: Misc, Mobile, Apple
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Left Field Labs can make you a custom, 3D-printed music box
We’ve seen 3D printing enable a nostalgic twist on music before, but there are few things quite so clever (or tiny) as Left Field Labs’ Music Drop. The company’s latest New Year’s project lets you design a unique music box through a simple web interface; you just have to create a catchy song loop and Left Field will print out a finger-powered, tear-shaped machine that plays your tune. We’re not sure how long Left Field Labs will be offering the Music Drop when each one is hand-made, so you may want to swing by its website before all the fun comes to an end.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Left Field Labs
Facebook might launch a Flipboard-like reader app called Paper
Flipboard might soon find itself competing against a reader app owned by a social media juggernaut (read: Facebook), if re/code’s report turns out to be true. According to the website’s unnamed source, the social network’s been developing a news aggregator called Paper — and no, it has nothing to do with FiftyThree’s similarly named drawing app. Unlike Flipboard which dons a look reminiscent of magazines, the service will reportedly present stories across the internet in a “paper-like (we’re assuming that means newspaper) format.” Apparently, the project was originally a feature developed for the News Feed during a previous redesign, but it didn’t make the cut. Facebook has yet to confirm Paper’s existence, but we’ll find out soon enough — the anonymous source believes it could be released this month either as a standalone app or a mobile website.
[Image credit: Marco Paköeningrat/Flickr]
Filed under: Misc, Mobile, Facebook
Source: re/code
Android 4.2.2 update coming to AT&T HTC One X+
While we know that HTC won’t be pushing the HTC One X or the HTC One X+ past Android 4.2.2, that doesn’t mean that the stateside carriers don’t still need to play catch up to curb the device from the update timeline. After all, how would that make them look if they left it just slightly behind?
AT&T One X+ users – We have received technical acceptance from AT&T today. Expect the OTA update to OS 4.2.2 + Sense 5 later this week.
— Mo (@moversi) January 14, 2014
Anyways, a tweet went out this afternoon that confirmed that AT&T had accepted the OTA as acceptable to be pushed to consumers. Any stock HTC One X+ devices still floating around the network will see a bump to Android 4.2.2 with Sense 5 on board later this week. Keep in mind it won’t be the Sense 5 you see on the HTC One, but still some nice perks like BlinkFeed, Video Highlights and a new camera interface. Along with much needed updates to People, Gallery, Music and Calendar apps. We wouldn’t be all that surprised if HTC Zoe didn’t make the cut.
Hopefully, at the very least, this will update some users out there and gives the dedicated devs something new for the AT&T variant to play about with and optimize.
On a side note, the tweet also made mention that the HTC One X with AT&T is also getting the update, but that HTC is waiting for AT&T to approve it first.
Via Androidandme
Check Out this Video ‘What If Google Was A Guy?’ [Hilarious]
We have all seen it. You go to type something into the Google search bar, and Google will suggest some pretty out there suggestions. Scary fact about that is, people have actually searched for those abnormal suggestions, and many times. So what if Google were a guy? College Humor answered that very question in a hilarious video of people showing up to the office of the guy who is Google. It is pretty hysterical, so check it out, and tell us what you thought about it.
Black Sabbath’s 1970s Albums Come to iTunes With Limited Exclusivity [Mac Blog]
A number of Black Sabbath’s 1970s albums, including Paranoid and Masters of Reality have finally made their way to iTunes with limited exclusivity, according to the New York Times. Previously, only the bands later material was available on iTunes.
On Tuesday the band and its label, Warner Brothers, announced that iTunes had started selling its first eight studio albums, along with three compilations. But iTunes’ window of exclusivity is expected to be short. According to people briefed on the deal who were not authorized to speak about it, Black Sabbath’s music should come to streaming services in about a week.
Tony Iommi, the band’s lead guitarist, said that it had “been a long time trying to explain to fans why the music wasn’t available.” While there is no official explanation for the delay, it’s widely believed a dispute between the band and Warner Music was the cause.
The eight studio albums are available on iTunes for $9.99 a piece while the three compilations range from $9.99 to $59.99. [Direct Link]
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Tim Cook ‘Incredibly Optimistic’ About New Partnership with China Mobile
Just a couple days before the iPhone launches on China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier, Apple CEO Tim Cook sat down with the Wall Street Journal to discuss how “incredibly optimistic” he is about Apple’s new cooperation with the carrier.
“We’ve gotten to know each other….today is a beginning, and I think there are lots more things our companies can do together in the future,” Mr. Cook said.
The immediate future, according to China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua, includes “multi-millions” of iPhones already ordered by the carrier’s customers. Earlier today, it was reported that Apple’s iPhone 5s supplier Foxconn had shipped roughly 1.4 million iPhone 5s units in advance of the phones’ launch in China on January 17.
As Cook tells the WSJ, Apple will now be able to sell iPhones in 3,000 more locations, with China Mobile extending Apple’s reach to many cities Apple currently doesn’t have a presence in. Cook reinforces Apple wants to make the “best products”, which means it’s unlikely Apple alters its product strategy to make products at lower prices than it currently does.
In the interview, Cook also alluded to future iPhone models and cellular iPads making its way onto China Mobile’s network, similar to other carriers around the world.
China Mobile has over 760 million subscribers and is expected to bring many new customers to Apple, significantly increasing the company’s presence in China.
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