ZTE partners with Knicks, Rockets, and Warriors as official smartphone sponsor
On Tuesday, the National Basketball League will start its season and one of the teams playing in the evening’s doubleheader has a new sponsor. The Houston Rockets, along with the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, have each partnered with ZTE. The Chinese telecommunications company is the official smartphone sponsor for those three teams. The sponsorship entails involvement in local communities with each team and its charities.
This is just adds to the plethora of NBA sponsors, past and present, from the wireless industry. For the entire league, companies like Samsung and Sprint are sponsors. On a team-by-team basis, just about everyone has a sponsorship somewhere.
ZTE now Official Smartphone Sponsor of New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors
ZTE announces its big-three NBA partners, tripling its commitment in the US smartphone market
New York, NY, October 27, 2014—ZTE USA, the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer in the U.S.*, today announced it will become the official smartphone sponsor of the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors. Following a successful sponsorship season with the Houston Rockets, ZTE is continuing its partnership with the Rockets and teaming up with the Knicks and Warriors for the 2014 – 2015 NBA season. As part of the partnership, ZTE will increase its commitment to local communities by supporting charitable initiatives such as the Rocket’s Season of Giving, the Knick’s Garden of Dreams, and the Warriors Community Phone Drive, where fans are encouraged to bring their old phones to donate to the Warriors’ charity benefiting underserved youth in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“This announcement reinforces our commitment to building the ZTE brand in the United States and highlights our commitment to investing in the communities in which we live and work,” said Lixin Cheng, chairman and CEO of ZTE USA. “These three teams are a perfect match as strategic partners for ZTE’s corporate sponsorship in the U.S., and combined, ZTE and all three global brands bring powerful lineups that will excite both sports and tech enthusiasts across the country. We look forward to building on our already 16-year track record of bringing robust, yet affordable premium smartphone to U.S. carriers and consumers alike.”
“ZTE is a leading global smartphone brand and a great addition to the Knicks’ roster of world-class partners,” said Mr. Smith. “As the Official Smartphone of the Knicks, ZTE will be synonymous with a world-class franchise and will have a powerful platform to showcase its brand to Knicks fans throughout the tri-state area.”
“We’re excited to announce ZTE USA as the Official Smartphone of the Golden State Warriors for the coming season and beyond,” said Rick Welts, President and Chief Operating Officer of Golden State Warriors. “With the Bay Area being a hub for all things technology, we have no doubt that this partnership with ZTE USA will resonate well with our fan base.”
“Coming off of a very successful partnership during the 2013-2014 season, we’re happy to announce the continuation of our relationship with ZTE as the Official Smartphone of the Houston Rockets,” said * Strategy Analytics, North America Handset Vendor Market Share: Q2 2014
Rockets CEO Tad Brown. “As two Texas-based companies, we share a core value in giving back to the communities in which we operate, and we’re excited to build off of all the great momentum we cultivated last year and take this partnership to the next level.”
In the U.S., ZTE is on its way to greater market awareness as one of the fastest growing handset manufactures in the space. ZTE is the fourth largest smartphone brand in the U.S., second largest in pre-paid and third in Android market share and plans to continue building its presence in the U.S. with more branded devices and investments to become a household name in the United States.
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Top 10 sexiest Android smartphones of all time
I don’t know about you guys, but for me, walking into a cellphone retailer is like walking into a Porsche dealer. I keep the “ooo’s” and “ahhh’s” in my head so I don’t cause a scene, but man I really wish I could let it all out sometimes.
The look of a phone is important to anybody. It’s a huge reason why Motorola did so well with the Razr back in 2005-2006, selling over 50 million of the beauties, and it’s a huge reason why Apple does well with the iPhone.
We all want a good looking phone to match our good looking selves. Our smartphones have become an accessory we use for a good amount of time during the day, so of course we want them to look good. With aluminum metal phones starting to become mainstream (thanks to Apple and HTC), we have some of the best looking handsets of all time today. Here’s a list of past and present good looking phones:
- HTC One M8
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4
- LG G3
- HTC One M7
- Samsung Galaxy Alpha
- Motorola Moto X (2014)
- Google Nexus 6
- Sharp Aquos Crystal
- Sony Xperia Z3
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus
There you have it! I’m sure a lot of people agree the One M8 is a gem. The Note 4 really surprised me when I held it, with it’s metal edges and leather(ish) back, I loved it. I’m a big fan of LG’s design for the G3, as it’s very minimal with tiny bezels and the metal plastic look is really nice. One M7? Still a gem. Samsung has really turned a new leaf with the release of the Alpha, their first good looking phone in my opinion. This year’s Moto X really stepped it up with metal frames and pretty much any back cover you want. The Nexus 6 is HUGE, but it’s Google first ultra-premium Nexus phone. Sharp’s Aquos is super eye-catching, with bezels barely there at all. Sony’s latest Xperia packs some metal as well for a really nice feel. And the Galaxy Nexus? I might be alone on this one, but this is one of my favorite phones of all time. I loved the subtle “curved” screen, pure black front with one of the first HD screens, and the 4.65 inch size is just perfect to me.
Comments? Agreements? Major disagreements? Spit it out!
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T-Mobile keeps outgrowing its rivals with 2.3 million new customers
T-Mobile has apparently decided that UnCarriers release their fiscal results at night, well after investors have gone home — and to no one’s surprise, there’s plenty of good news that couldn’t wait until the morning. The Magenta network is reporting that it added 2.3 million new customers in the third quarter of the year, 1.4 million of them postpaid (that is, regular subscribers). That’s not the highest figure we’ve seen this year, but it’s more than enough to outpace heavyweights AT&T (2 million wireless additions) and Verizon (1.53 million). Its average bill per person is up slightly year-over-year, too, so it’s not simply bringing in the cost-conscious types.
As to what’s driving those numbers? T-Mobile contends that you can still chalk up its success to pricing that’s simpler and more affordable than the competition. However, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that the iPhone 6 release played a major role. The company says that this represented its “biggest device launch ever” — not a difficult feat when the provider has only been selling Apple handsets for a year and a half, but it’s important all the same. There’s no certainty that T-Mobile will keep up this streak, but it’s providing a mostly rosy outlook which suggests that new customers will continue pouring in.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile
Source: T-Mobile
Wear apps on the Moto 360 not displayed correctly when language is set to German after 4.4W.2 update
The 4.4W.2 update started rolling last week, and it appears a pretty big bug was found on the Moto 360 by Albrecht Noll, developer of Android Wear Faces Creator. If the language is set to German, apps are displayed as if the Moto 360 is square, not round. We aren’t sure if any other languages are affected, but we do know that everything is working okay with English.
You can clearly see the issue from the image above and below. The left is when German is selected, and the right is when English is selected. The issue is not only affecting apps, but even the stock launcher as you can see in the image below.
Let’s hope Google gets a fix out soon.
sources: +Albrecht Noll / andwear.de
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Nextbit aims to sync Android app data across all devices with Baton
Sure I love Android, but it doesn’t mean it’s free from faults. Take app syncing. This is one area I have been harping on for years. I don’t understand why Google hasn’t been able to sync app data properly between devices. It’s something Apple has figured out. You should be able to switch from your phone to your tablet and continue exactly where you left off within the same app.
Well a company called Nextbit is looking to change that with a new product called Baton. Nextbit was founded by former Android executives, Tom Moss and Mike Chan. Baton will sync all apps and data across your devices. This means you can be using one app on your phone and switch to your tablet and continue exactly where you left off. Baton will also allow you to send any app that is open on one device to another device. Plus, your data will always be backed up to your Nextbit profile in the cloud. So when you buy a new phone, your data will be available to that device.
Baton is in private beta, and it’s exclusively on CyanogenMod. I guess if you’re going to pick a custom ROM to run with, CyanogenMod is the best one since it’s so widely available and the most popular. CyanogenMod will also be the exclusive home when it becomes public.
Whether Baton or something like it makes it’s way to all Android devices remains to be seen, but we can only hope.
Full Press Release:
Nextbit Unveils the Future of Mobile
Google Ventures and Accel Partners–backed company releases next step toward ambitious vision of transformative mobile experiences, is available in limited beta exclusively on Cyanogen
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — October 27, 2014 — Nextbit, a company reimagining mobile experiences in the era of the cloud, today unveiled its first products and vision for the future at the inaugural Code/Mobile conference. Founded by former Android executives Tom Moss and Mike Chan, Nextbit is using the skill and vision of professionals from Amazon, Apple, Dropbox, Google, HTC, and other tech leaders to build a future where a person’s entire collection of mobile apps and data are always accessible and functional on virtually any device.
By 2018, the average US resident will own nine connected devices. Right now, there’s no easy way for people to enjoy a consistent experience across all of their devices. Nextbit is working to change that with its first new product, called Baton. This new software is designed to backup and sync the sum total of a person’s apps and data, not only making it effortless to switch between devices, but insuring against the devastation of lost data from damaged or stolen devices. At Code/Mobile, Nextbit demonstrated Baton, which is now available in private beta.
“Whether I’m reading an article, playing a game, or buying something online, everything comes to a halt if I want to switch devices.” said Tom Moss, Nextbit CEO. “Until now, there hasn’t been a good way to pick up a tablet at the same place you left off on your smartphone. Our mobile activities shouldn’t just be available on a per device basis. That’s why Nextbit is building a future that focuses on the experiences, not the device.”
Nextbit Baton offers several benefits to users, including:
- Sync: Keeps apps and data in sync across multiple devices, allowing users to move fluidly from one device to the next without missing a beat.
- Pass: Send any open app in its current state to another device, saving time and eliminating the tedious process of manually finding and opening apps on different devices.
- Backup and restore: Save apps and data to your Nextbit profile in the cloud, so you can always get your apps back on any device.
Nextbit’s private beta is exclusively on CyanogenMod, the leading open-source, community-driven Android OS backed by Cyanogen Inc. The future public release of Nextbit will be available first on the commercially distributed Cyanogen operating system.
“Cyanogen continues to reimagine Android by introducing bold new firsts,” said Kirt McMaster, CEO of Cyanogen. “Nextbit represents one of these platform firsts that could only manifest on a truly open Android. We enable Baton to become a native OS level feature, creating huge benefit for our users.”
This private beta is an important step toward Nextbit’s larger vision for a mobile world where computing is ubiquitous and people are untethered from the limits of devices. Users can sign up for the private beta at nextbit.com/beta.
Nextbit Unveils the Future of Mobile
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Microsoft giving unlimited OneDrive cloud storage to Office365 subscribers
Online cloud storage continues to get very competitive. We recently saw Dropbox increase their Pro subscription from 100 GB to 1TB, and now Microsoft it upping the ante by giving away unlimited storage on OneDrive for Office365 subscribers. Considering the starting price for an Office365 subscription goes for $6.99, it’s not a bad deal. OneDrive also offers automatic photo uploads too.
Microsoft says they are rolling this feature out over the next couple of months to Home, Personal, and University customers. If you find yourself a little anxious, you can hit the 2nd source link below to put yourself in front of the line.
source: OneDrive Blog / Put yourself in front of the line
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Facebook Improves Mobile Photo Upload
Today Facebook announced some future improvements to its mobile photo uploads. The update, which will be rolling out today to iPhone and Android users, gives the user the ability to select multiple photos in the exact order he wishes to publish them.
You just choose your photos in order, then inspect a preview of the story. You can then write an introduction and captions for each picture. If you want to switch up the order at this point, you can drag and drop photos in the order of your choice. If your picture includes friends, you can tag them after posting and scroll through your new photos like a collage.
Source: FaceBook NewsRoom
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James Franco Uses Droid Turbo in Confusing YouTube Ad
The Droid Turbo is shaping up to be one of the most exciting devices of 2014, and it’s already causing quite the stir. In a video/advertisement released on YouTube today, actor James Franco is seen riding his bike around on a street and disappearing, only to snap some photos with his Droid Turbo of the people filming him. It seems the ad is showing how fast the Turbo is, but it’s still a little tough to follow. So go ahead and watch it once… or twice:
Click here to view the embedded video.
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OK Go’s new music video has robotic seats, drones and life-sized pixel art
Say what you will about OK Go’s music, but the band has a knack for attention-getting uses of technology in its videos — and its latest project only drives that point home. The new “I Won’t Let You Down” promo has band members performing dance numbers on Honda’s UNI-CUB robot stools, letting them bust moves that aren’t possible with legpower alone. And that’s only part of the technology involved. Director Morihiro Harano uses an octocopter drone to capture dramatic pull-out shots, while a legion of Japanese schoolgirls creates giant pixel art by dancing in Busby Berkeley-style routines. Is it over the top? You bet, but it’s doubtful you’ll forget this mechanical extravagance any time soon.
Source: OK Go (YouTube)
‘Windows 93’ is like your childhood computer on acid
Flat design. Pfffft. You know what’s really cool? ASCII renditions of Star Wars: A New Hope in what appears to be its entirety. This bonafide internet gem (and who even knows how many others) are hidden in Windows 93, a web app spotted by The Verge that mimics a bygone time of cathode-ray tube monitors and dial-up internet connections. The Redmond-inspired desktop has all manner of callbacks in addition to that ultra-low-fi version of Episode IV. Easter eggs include a game of solitaire with a twist, a pop-up “virus” and too many other goodies that we don’t want to spoil. What were you able to find, dear readers? Let us know in the comments.
Filed under: Desktops, Internet
Via: The Verge
Source: Windows 93
AIVAnet 