MasterCard testing security feature that okays purchases based on phone location
Locking down those credit cards while globe trotting is always a chief concern. Today at Mobile World Congress, MasterCard and Syniverse announced a joint effort to ease the fears of travelers. The pair is working on a pilot program that will only allow card-based transactions when a user’s mobile device is in a specific location. This means that if you (and your phone) are in Barcelona and someone tries to use your card in Madrid, the purchase will be declined. In addition to the security measures, users will have the option of procuring prepaid data packages on said handset upon arrival to insure that the requisite GPS works. Of course, the setup is in testing at the moment, so there’s no clear indication when or if the geolocation option will become available.
Via: Phone Scoop
Source: MasterCard
T-Mobile to start turning off older MetroPCS network this year
T-Mobile’s efforts to transition customers from MetroPCS’ aging CDMA network to its own GSM and LTE frequencies is going quite swimmingly. The company has been bragging that it’s well ahead of schedule, and in some markets it’s already begun repurposing the smaller carrier’s spectrum to deliver faster Wideband LTE connections. Things are going so well, in fact, that it will begin shutting down the slower MetroPCS network this year, instead of waiting until 2015. The first three cities on the chopping block will be Boston, Philadelphia and Las Vegas. Though, considering its accelerated transition we wouldn’t be surprised to see others join the list before the end of the year. Around 40 percent of MetroPCS users have already switched to phones that will work on T-Mobile’s network, and the carrier plans to offer more aggressive upgrade options to push more customers over. Those that have yet to upgrade wont suffer a complete disruption of service, however, thanks to roaming agreements. The next step, of course, will be “refarming” that newly cleared spectrum to deliver even faster wireless speeds.
[Image credit: Jim Carroll, Flickr]
Apple’s iBeacon Gains ‘Made For iPhone’ Specification
Apple has implemented a new iBeacon specification and has begun certifying Bluetooth LE devices that utilize its iBeacon API under its Made For iPhone (MFi) program, according to a new report from Beekn.
iBeacons are physical Bluetooth low-energy transmitters that use Apple’s iBeacon API to provide micro-location information to nearby apps and devices, with an accuracy range of a few feet. iBeacons are compatible with Apple’s iPhones and iPads, as well as other devices that use Bluetooth LE, and have thus far been used primarily by retailers and other venues to provide location-specific information.
An Estimote Bluetooth LE Beacon
In order to use the iBeacon name, manufacturers now need to have their devices approved by Apple as part of the MFi program, similar to accessories and hardware for iOS devices. Using the term iBeacon requires manufacturers to meet specific criteria, which are only available after a non-disclosure agreement has been signed.
The new specification gives Apple more control over the iBeacon trademark, which has previously been used by several different manufacturers for various Bluetooth LE devices since iBeacons were introduced in June of 2013. It is no longer possible to use the iBeacon brand without consent from Apple.
As we’ve noted elsewhere, beacons that carry the iBeacon name are conforming to two things:
– They broadcast Bluetooth LE ‘signals’ in a way that conforms to the Apple standard for what those signals should contain
– They have use of the iBeacon trademark
Since being introduced last year, iBeacons have been used by multiple retailers and venues in order to enhance visitor experiences in retail outlets, sports arenas, and other locations. Apple has rolled out iBeacons to its own stores as well, providing location-based product information to customers.
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AT&T Adds Unlimited International Messaging to Mobile Share Plans [iOS Blog]
AT&T today announced plans to add unlimited international messaging to all of its Mobile Share and Mobile Share Value plans, allowing customers in the United States to send international messages as part of their existing plans, with no additional cost. Text, picture, and video messages are all included.
On Friday, February 28, all AT&T Mobile Share and Mobile Share Value plans will now include unlimited international messaging from the U.S. to the world. AT&T consumer and business Mobile Share customers can send unlimited text, picture and video messages. Current Mobile Share and Mobile Share Value customers will automatically benefit from this offer.
AT&T is also deploying a new World Connect Value international calling package, which offers one cent per minute calls from the United States to more than 35 countries including Canada, Mexico, and several other locations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The add-on, which is available to all AT&T wireless postpaid customers, costs $5 per month.
AT&T’s new unlimited international messaging follows Verizon’s recent introduction of new More Everything plans that also include unlimited international messaging.
Both the World Connect Value plan and the unlimited international messaging will be available beginning on Friday, February 28.
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Toshiba: TransMemory Pro USB 3.0 Flash Drive in 64GB and 128GB
While cloud storage is easily one option for keeping all your information, photos and documents easily at hand, there is still a place and a use for physical storage devices. Just yesterday SanDisk announced a new 128GB micro SDXC card. Today we hear from Toshiba and their latest offering. The new TransMemory Pro USB 3.0 Flash Drive.
The new Toshiba TransMemory Pro will come in a 64GB and a 128GB size offering and obviously utilizes USB 3.0 for speedy transfer. Toshiba states that the flash drive reads at speeds up to 222 MB/s and writes up to 205 MB/s. Obviously making it extremely snappy. Other benefits include built-in security software and encrypted password protection. It will also let you set up your own public and private partitions.
While this isn’t Android news specifically, the specs and the press release are definitely up the tech users ally and we thought some of you out there might be pretty interested to hear about this little beast. The drives say they are PC and Mac compatible, and we can only assume that using an OTG cable to an Android device would work as well. If we get our hands on one any time soon we will be sure to give it a test on few various devices.
Price wise is up there in the clouds for many with the new TransMemory Pro 64GB at $129.99 and the 128GB at $199.99. However, the price points are pretty on point for the capabilities and size compared to some others we have seen.
Anyone been waiting or looking for a exceptionally quick high capacity USB 3.0 flash Drive? The press release said they are available at Toshiba.com, but I couldn’t find them yet.
New Moto X and Smartwatch Confirmed, MotoMaker Headed to More Countries
Looks like a simple Q&A at Mobile World Congress with Motorola executives about the state of Motorola after the news that Lenovo would be attempting to acquire, them turned into quite a bit of other news. The panel consisted of Rich Osterloh, Steve Horowitz, and Mark Randall, and they were ready to talk about plenty of other things.
During the Q&A it came out that a new Moto X will arrive “late” summer 2014. This seemingly confirms the information that one of our sources proved that a new flagship Motorola phone wouldn’t be seen until late Q3. Along with the next Moto X, they also revealed that they are indeed working on a smartwatch that will be released later this year. No specifics were mentioned.
It isn’t all that surprising that there is another Moto X in the works. It is still a highly sought after device and one that is loved immensely by end users. What would they need to do to make the next one even better? Well, we know that Google kept Project Ara, the module building device building blocks. So that is out. Lenovo of course has some pretty spectacular little bits of tech that could make its way over all while keeping the basic stock-ish Android approach with the added benefits of what Motorola did with the current Moto X. I wouldn’t mind seeing two variants. A 5-inch version and another 4.7-inch version. We will just have to wait and see what they are doing in a few months.
The smartwatch side of things is a whole different story. If they take the same customizing approach to it as Moto Maker does, it could be pretty interesting. Of course it will all rest on what direction they take things. Rick Osterloh made a statement regarding the smartwatch, “We are working on a watch that will be available this year. We aim to address consumer issues like style & battery life.” Battery life is big one. The new Galaxy Gear 2 upped their battery life to 3 days from 1.5. Where as we have the Martian Notifier battery at 5 days and the Cogito hitting 1 year. Varying degrees of smartwatch approaches of course. One thing I personally don’t want to see is a proprietary watch that is only compatible with Motorola devices, but I am sure that is exactly what will happen.
The last bit of great news to come from the Q&A session was aimed at Moto Maker its self. The guys confirmed that the customizing ordering tool will be launching in Europe in Q2. Specifically the UK and Germany to start and then will expand. Droid-Life also mentions Mexico.
Not a bad little Q&A after all.
Source: Engadget via Droid-Life
img: Laptopmag
Sony Xperia M2 gallery
Sony debuted its latest Android smartphone experience along with the Xperia Z2 this week in the form of the Xperia M2. It’s quite the handset, indeed, and looks very much like other Android’s out of the Sony neck of the wood. Here’s a small gallery of images of the upcoming device from a variety of angles.
The post Sony Xperia M2 gallery appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Tip: Use Nova Launcher to Access Google Now
Although most devices are now moving to the onscreen navigation keys there are still some devices which rely on hardware keys. Take the Samsung Galaxy S4, for example.
Unfortunately, if you have hardware keys, simply swiping up from the “Home” button to access Google Now just isn’t possible.
However, if you’re using Nova Launcher, which we previously covered, there is a quick tip which will enable you to assign a swipe gesture to the App drawer button to replicate this functionality.
1. From your homescreen, long press on the “App Drawer” button.
2. Select the option for “Edit.”
3. Next to Swipe Action, select the “None” text.
4. A separate page will pop up. On the top, hit “Apps.”
5. Scroll down until you find “Google.”
6. Select it.
7. Under the Edit Shortcut menu, hit “OK.”
It’s as simple as that! Simply swipe up on the App Drawer button and it will fire up Google Now.
The post Tip: Use Nova Launcher to Access Google Now appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sony Xperia Z2 gallery
Sony’s got a brand new flagship smartphone and tablet on the way and both look wonderful on paper. But what about in the real world? Are they as gorgeous on the outside as they in a press release? You tell us! Check out the following gallery of images of the upcoming Xperia Z2 Tablet from a variety of angles.
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uNu Unity Battery Case for Samsung Galaxy S4 Review
Overview
Modern smartphones are often judged by their ability to hold a charge, and are regularly criticised for just how long you have to have your device plugged into the wall. With smartphones becoming more feature-rich with bigger screens and better cameras, the charge is becoming an increasingly difficult manufacturing challenge to master, with phone makers often left with a trade-off between a bigger battery and keeping the device small.
uNu have addressed the battery concerns associated with modern smartphones with their Unity Battery Case for the Samsung Galaxy S4. The case has a built-in battery so effectively doubles the capacity and life of your Samsung Galaxy S4.
Design
The uNu Unity Battery Case for the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a relatively simple design and comes in 3 parts. First there’s the battery which fits into your device and your existing battery hooks into. Your device then sits in a new bezel with a new back and it all clips together very well.
This is your new device – encapsulated in a protective casing encompassing two batteries. Access to all the ports is retained, and easily too. Charging is exactly the same as normal, since your old battery hooks into the new one so they feed off each other, which means both get charged simultaneously, and I didn’t even notice an increase in charge time, despite charging two batteries.
The uNu case is very well made, with the Galaxy S4 sitting nicely in the case with very little movement. If anything it was too snug, as it took some force and wiggling to actually get the device into the case.
And then comes the biggest factor with the case, and it was always going to be the killer feature. It’s not the design, or whether it makes your battery last longer, or even if it’s aesthetically pleasing. It’s just how much fatter does it make your nice slim Galaxy S4.
Obviously you’re effectively doubling the width of the device by adding another battery, and my initial reactions out of the box was that I didn’t like it. I bought the Galaxy S4 actually over the HTC One because I liked how it felt in my hands and the thinness of the device was a major plus point. To completely compromise this is a big deal, but surprisingly after only around an hour of use, I now actually prefer the feel of the device in the uNu Unity Case.
The uNu Unity case has a natural curve to it, which makes it extremely nice when sitting in your hand. By adding that additional thickness to the device, it oddly makes it feel more usable. The Galaxy S4 is thin, I mean really thin, and sometimes that can compromise usability by making it seem fragile. By adding a centimetre or two to the thickness it makes the device feel more solid – something I really liked about the case.
Naturally as well as the increased battery life, which we’ll get onto in a moment, it adds alot of protection to your device.
Functionality
With such an increase in the thickness of the device, you want a hell of a lot of added functionality for that compromise, and the uNu Unity Case certainly delivers. The battery life is simply incredible. It is now 20:00 and I have had the device on since 06:00 this morning. During that time I have been playing Spotify for the 4 hours travelling I do, plus GPS whilst navigating Google Maps and playing Ingress, together with all the syncing going on with my Gmail and Facebook etc. and it’s still sitting at 56%.
I can deal with a few extra centimetres for that kind of result.
With these track results, you’d be looking at easily 2 days of heavy use before charging, and probably close to 4 days on light use. Those sorts of figures in a modern day smartphone are just unheard of, so uNu really knocked it out of the park here.
Of course, to accompany this, you have the added protection it physically gives your device, which is a nice peace-of-mind to have.
Conclusion
I have been pleasantly surprised by the uNu Unity Battery Case for the Samsung Galaxy S4 as I am someone who usually doesn’t entertain the idea of such a case, simply because I like the slim profile of my device. However, I have been completely turned by just how nice the uNu case feels to hold, and also the benefit adding another battery gives. I can finally not worry about staying next to a socket on the train ride home incase I run out of juice.
The uNu Unity Battery Case for the Samsung Galaxy S4 is available for $69.95, and I promise you it will certainly impress you.
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