Google reveals the first low-cost Android One phones
As predicted, Google has just revealed the first Android One phones at an event in India today. Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles are the companies working with Google at launch, all three launching new handsets this morning. What can we expect from an Android One device? Karbonn, for example, is launching the “Sparkle V Red,” (pictured below) which comes with dual SIM slots, a 4.5-inch display (480 x 854), a 5-megapixel primary camera, 1GB of RAM and, importantly, the latest version of Android (KitKat).
The Android One initiative is Google’s big push into developing markets. India is a huge growth opportunity for smartphones, and Android One is designed not only to make more affordable handsets (the new ones will cost around 6399 Rupees — about $100), but it’s also a way of bringing a better Android experience. There are plenty of cheap devices that run the operating system, but they suffer from lack of updates. With One, Google can manage the software updates directly, ensuring a much better, consistent experience. The three new handsets should go on sale later today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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The NSA broke into big German networks to map their data traffic
It’s no secret that the NSA’s spies have been busy in Germany. However, it’s now apparent that their activities in the country may reach much further than just targeting important leaders and suspects. Der Spiegel has published leaks showing that the US agency broke into the networks of both tech giant Deutsche Telekom and regional provider Netcologne as part of an effort to map as much of the internet as possible. Since the initiative (Treasure Map) is meant to pinpoint individual devices as well as infrastructure, the discovery hints that the NSA can potentially monitor a huge amount of German data traffic on routers, servers and personal gadgets.
It’s not clear just what kind of surveillance is taking place. While the mapping is a concern by itself, it’s not certain that the NSA is actively tracking everyone’s devices. When Britain’s GCHQ infiltrated German satellite companies like Stellar, for example, it was interested in watching particular suspects rather than everyone on the network. Even if your average person off the street isn’t a target, though, the discovery could put the NSA into hot water once again. Netcologne’s regional status suggests that the intrusion came from within Germany, which would violate national law — in other words, the US isn’t about to improve its souring relations with der Deutschland any time soon.
[Image credit: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Networking, Internet, T-Mobile
Source: Der Spiegel
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Researchers seek permission to collect whale snot with drones (video)
Apparently, anayzing the mucus that lines a whale’s blowhorn can tell you a lot about the animal’s health — think of it as the cetacean equivalent to human bloodwork. The problem is, how do you collect snot from a massive animal that lives underwater? Over at the Olin College of Engineering, a group of researchers got together and came up with a tool to collect whale mucus: a flying drone they lovingly call Snot Bot. The robocopter hovers directly above whales’ blowholes, using surgical sponges to soak up the animals’ snot when they surface to spray water out of their systems. These researchers have been working on Snot Bot for years, but now they’re trying to urge the Federal Aviation Commission to give them permission to use it on real whales.
Along with whale conservation nonprofit Ocean Alliance, the team recently tested the drone in the Gulf of Mexico, using a giant inflatable catamaran in place of the real animal. The catamaran is equipped with sensors that mimic what real whales can feel and hear, and the researchers found that the fake whale could barely detect a drone hovering 10 feet above it. In order to get the permission they want, they’ll have to convince the FAA that the drones don’t disturb the whales or stress them out. Seeing as the agency’s been pretty strict these days, though, the team’s likely in for a tough time. In the event that they do succeed, Snot Bot can be used to monitor the stress levels (due to shipping noises, among other things) of our marine mammal pals and to understand them a lot better in general.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Science
Via: Boston Globe, Popular Science
Source: Ocean Alliance
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Olympus’ E-M1 camera gets a silver hue and a slew of pro features
Olympus’ OM-D E-M1 may still be hot stuff as far as high-end mirrorless cameras go, but it’s easy to point out flaws: it’s missing a few big pro features like tethering, and that businesslike black exterior isn’t very charming. Well, consider both problems licked. The company has just unveiled both a retro (and fairly stylish) silver edition of the E-M1 and, more importantly, a big 2.0 firmware update that could help you make a living from your photos. To begin with, tethering has arrived; like with other camera systems, you can both send photos to your PC as you shoot and control the camera from the computer’s screen. It’s now easy to use the E-M1 for studio shoots or live events, where you often need to put your photos on a computer as quickly as possible. The refresh also lets you correct lens distortion in-camera, and preview long exposure shots like you can with the E-M10. Olympus’ smartphone app is more useful, too, offering support for self-timed photos, timelapses and speed-sensitive panning shots.
The silver-clad cam will ship this month for the same $1,400 (body-only) as its all-black counterpart, and you can grab the 2.0 update on September 24th at 10PM if you’re already an owner. Whether or not you’re new, you may want to go lens shopping — Olympus is also releasing a high-end 40-150mm telephoto that touts both a bright, constant f/2.8 aperture and heavy-duty weather resistance. It’ll cost you a steep $1,500 when it ships in November, but it could be the only glass you need for that next big photo safari.
Filed under: Cameras
Source: Olympus
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Chomebook-to-Chromecast video? Yes, with Google Drive
As if Android apps hitting Google’s Chrome OS wasn’t enough excitement for Mountain View’s operating system for one week. Now, you can play movies stored in Google Drive via the OS’ video player app on your Chromecast. According to Googler François Beaufort, doing so is pretty easy too: simply open the Files app, select a video clip from Drive and hit the sparkly new Cast icon. Voila, cloud-stored videos are now viewable on the biggest screen in your house and even more media functionality for your Chromebook. Of course, since this is in the developer channel there might be a few bugs here and there — if you spot ‘em be sure to let the Chromium team know.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google
Source: François Beaufort (Google+)
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Netflix officially says ‘enchanté’ to France
Netflix’s next big push into Europe isn’t exactly secret, but its plans are finally starting to bear fruit. As announced in a not-so-subtle tweet earlier tonight, the streaming media service has finally launched in France, and it’s expected to go live in five other countries later this week, too. The kicker? France hasn’t exactly been thrilled with the idea of an American media company swooping in and romancing its customers with the lure of Orange Is The New Black or (the seriously excellent) Bojack Horseman. Competitors like CanalPlay, a video-on-demand service run by Canal+, have been busy fleshing out their catalogs and snapping up rights to shows like House of Cards while Numericable just gave its customers free access to hundreds of shows to boot. Still others are a little miffed that Netflix isn’t technically subject to a rule that would mandate that the service offer a full 40 percent of the media Netflix provides be French in origin. Naturally Netflix knows it can’t win over French hearts and minds by flouting rules, so it’s busy prepping content (like the dramatic Marseille) to help get the ball rolling.
Source: Twitter
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The Beautiful Chromecast Wallpapers Come to the Play Store
Ever leave your Chromecast on, and gazed longingly at the beautiful wallpaper it cycles through? I know I have, and I always thought they should release them to the public so we can spruce up our homescreens. That is now a reality thanks to Niger studio , who have released a new app in the Play Store so we can enjoy those gorgeous scenery shots. So hit the link below to head over to the Store and grab them all for the price of free.
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The post The Beautiful Chromecast Wallpapers Come to the Play Store appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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TAG Heuer smartwatch coming soon, “must not copy the Apple Watch”
Hot on the heels of Fossil announcing that they are teaming up with Intel to develop a new smartwatch, similarly premium (but probably more premium) watch maker, TAG Heuer has announced that they are also developing a wearable of their own. Jean-Claude Biver of the LVMH group that owns TAG Heuer said that such a TAG Heuer smartwatch “must not copy the Apple Watch” and that “we cannot afford to just follow in somebody else’s footsteps” – I assume Biver also meant to say “and also not copy the countless Android smartwatches too”, but I’m sure everyone’s just worried about the Apple Watch.
The TAG Heuer smartwatch faces some pretty stiff competition, not only from the Apple Watch, but a relatively large number of Android Wear-based smartwatches (and a Tizen-based one) that were announced at IFA 2014 earlier this month. Wearables from Sony, ASUS, LG, Motorola and Samsung already occupy what most people would already consider the “premium” priced range in the smartwatch market, so we can only imagine given TAG Heuer’s history that any wearables they develop will be generally unaffordable. Still, it’s interesting to see smartwatches start to become more mainstream and we look forward to seeing something when TAG Heuer possibly has something ready at the Basel watch fair next Spring.
What do you think about TAG Heuer joining the smartwatch race? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Reuters via Phones Review
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The post TAG Heuer smartwatch coming soon, “must not copy the Apple Watch” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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New Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Commercial Attacks Apple for iPhone 6 Plus
Samsung has introduced a new ad for its upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4, talking about how the company first introduced the Galaxy Note series in 2011 and popularized the “phablet” form factor while calling out Apple for making the similarly sized iPhone 6 Plus three years later.
The ad begins recounting the history of the Galaxy Note before talking about some of the features of the device, like multi-window multitasking and its S-Pen stylus. The ad then shows articles from online publications criticizing Samsung for releasing the original Galaxy Note due to the device’s large size before showing articles praising Apple for releasing the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus.
Finally, the ad shows select tweets from users criticizing Apple for releasing the iPhone 6 Plus three years after Samsung started the Galaxy Note line of devices. The commercial ends with the release date for the new device.
Samsung has continually created advertising going after Apple, its products and its fan base, famously depicting people ogling the Samsung Galaxy S2 while waiting in line outside an Apple Store for the newest iPhone mode. More recently, Samsung published a series of web ads poking fun at Apple’s September 9 special events and rolled out a “Wall Huggers” ad campaign that pokes fun at the iPhone’s battery life.
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How would you change Sony’s Xperia SP?
You know the deal, we trawl our reviews archive, and then ask you what you think would have improved the product. This week it’s Sony’s Xperia SP, and in the hands of Jamie Rigg, it was deemed to be imperfect, but charming nevertheless. It was full of bloatware, had terrible WiFi reception and had a bland design, but the capable camera, snappy performance and long battery life more than made up for it. But what about you lot? Would you care to weigh in on what made this phone a delight or otherwise? Head on over to the forum.
Filed under: Cellphones, Sony
Source: Engadget Product Forums
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AIVAnet 