Deal: Jawbone BIG Jambox Bluetooth Speakers available for $185 on Woot
The Jawbone BIG Jambox Bluetooth Speaker is currently being offered for around 38% off it’s normal list price on Woot. For only $184.99, you can grab this speaker in either Black, Red or White. The Red model is usually sold for the same price on Amazon, but the Black and White models usually run for upwards of $215. So considering only one of these color options are available for cheap, you might want to look into this deal if you’d like a different color.
Measuring 10.1 x 3.2 x 3.7 inches, the Jawbone BIG Jambox Bluetooth Speaker certainly isn’t the smallest speaker on the market, though we think you’ll really enjoy it if you’re looking for a speaker that puts audio quality above everything else. The speaker offers up to 15 hours of music playback on a single charge, so you won’t need to worry about charging it too often. You can also connect the speaker to a device without Bluetooth compatibility, since this speaker also features a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The deal runs for five more days on Woot, or until they run out of stock. If you’re interested, head to the links below to grab your very own Jawbone BIG Jambox Speaker.
Jawbone BIG Jambox Bluetooth Speaker in White for $184.99
Jawbone BIG Jambox Bluetooth Speaker in Black for $184.99
Jawbone BIG Jambox Bluetooth Speaker in Red for $184.99
Samsung Galaxy S6 will not have a metal unibody design: Rumor
Reports in the past have suggested that Samsung will utilize a metal unibody design on the Galaxy S6 much like what we saw on the Galaxy Alpha and the subsequently launched A series of smartphones.
A new report now states that Samsung might have ditched these plans altogether, in favor of something more interesting. According to a Samsung official quoted by a Korean source, the Galaxy S6 will pack a metal chassis, but the back will consist of a glass layer much like on Sony’s Xperia smartphones and the LG Nexus 4.
This also means that the battery on the smartphone will not be removable, which might disappoint a few Samsung fans. But it seems like a step in the right direction for the company given that we’ll be treated to an all new design. The same materials will also be used in the Galaxy S6 Edge according to the report.
What do you think of a Galaxy S flagship with a glass back panel in place of plastic?
Source: D Daily
Via: G For Games
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy S6 will not have a metal unibody design: Rumor
Samsung may extend its current partnership with BlackBerry but won’t buy it
The head of Samsung’s mobile phone division stated today that the company could extend its current partnership with Samsung. However, he repeated what the company said last week that Samsung has no plans to acquire BlackBerry itself.
Firaxis Announces New ‘Sid Meier’s Starships’ Interstellar Strategy Game [Mac Blog]
Civilization designer Sid Meier along with 2K and Firaxis Games have announced a new game, Sid Meier’s Starships, reports Gamespot. The interstellar strategy game was developed by a small team at Firaxis who worked closely with Meier on the game’s design.
Sid Meier’s Starships builds upon the success of last year’s Civilization: Earth Beyond, moving beyond the initial colonization of planets to the world of space exploration.
“What happens after we colonize our new home and eventually build starships to take to the stars?” he said. “What has become of our long-lost brothers and sisters from the planet Earth? My goal was to create an experience that focuses on starship design and combat within a universe filled with interstellar adventure, diplomacy, and exploration.”
The latest chapter in Sid Meier’s game lineup allows users to control a fleet of starships as they journey through the universe completing a variety of missions that expand the influence of their federation. Though specific details were not revealed, Beyond Earth and Starships may share some cross-connectivity that will benefit gamers who own both games.
http://www.gamespot.com/videos/embed/6423028/
Sid Meier’s Starships is slated to debut in early 2015 and will be available on the PC, Mac, and iPad. Pricing and an exact release date will be announced soon.
Next Lock Screen update brings music controls, MMS and online chat support
A few months ago, Microsoft’s Garage initiative released Next Lock Screen, a simple lock screen replacement that aims to give users the information that they want without needing to enter the phone. The app has just been updated to bring Hangouts, Skype and Line messages to its users, along with MMS messages. The update also brings music controls to the lock screen, which is a feature we definitely would have liked to see from the start. These additions are very important when it comes to lock screen replacements, so we’re happy to see these features added. Take a look below for the full changelog:
- Music Player Controls. Now control music on Android OS versions 4.3 and above.
- Multimedia Messaging (MMS) Support. Multimedia messaging notifications will now appear on your lock screen.More Instant
- Messaging Support. Receive instant messaging notifications for Skype, Line, and Google Hangouts (for Android OS version 4.3 and higher).
- Quick Toggle Mobile Data. Turn on or off mobile data with a single tap.
- Improved performance, memory usage and number of bug fixes.
If you’re interested in trying this app or need to grab the update, head to the Play Store link below.
Samsung’s circular display smartwatch will feature wireless charging
A new report has revealed that Samsung’s upcoming circular display smartwatch will come equipped with wireless charging functionality, much like the Moto 360. This is not to say that the device won’t require a cradle, but merely that it will be compatible with a wide range of wireless charging stations.
This smartwatch codenamed Orbis, could be running on Tizen rather than Android Wear which is one of the biggest concerns we have. Barring that, the wearable should match all our expectations and will take the Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R head-on.
Samsung’s current range of chargers for its Gear smartwatches aren’t all that great, so this will be a refreshing change with the Orbis. We’re still waiting for confirmation on this report from Samsung and we hope to learn more as the days progress.
Wireless charging is almost a prerequisite on wearables given the convenience factor. We’re hoping Samsung will go with the Qi standard so that third party manufacturers can build accessories for the device in the future.
Via: Sam Mobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s circular display smartwatch will feature wireless charging
Further growth expected in dual camera and OIS modules
Camera technology is an integral part of the smartphone package these days, with OEMs racing to include the latest and greatest photography hardware and features. As a result, the market for high resolution image sensors, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) modules and dual-camera compatible components is becoming increasingly big business.
From 2013 to 2014, the CMOS Camera Module market grew by 13.4 percent to a value of $16.4 billion. The industry is anticipating further growth of another 15.9 percent to $19 billion come the end of 2015. OIS technology and higher resolution sensors are expected to spur on much of this growth.
Given that high-end smartphones, such as the Galaxy Note 4, Nexus 6 and LG G3, have already adopted OIS modules, the expectation is that the vast majority of flagship smartphones will include the technology in 2015, with the potential for the technology to reach mid-range handsets too. Estimates put shipments of OIS equipped handsets at around 178 million in 2015, surging by 145% against 2014, and could reach 361 million by 2017.
Optical Image Stabilization is quickly becoming the norm in high-end smartphones
Although Sony’s high-end image sensors continue to lead the competition by quite a margin, other companies have managed to benefit from improvements in other camera components. Largan controls almost 90 percent of the profit generated from camera module lenses and has pushed many South Korean competitors to their margins. Sharp has benefited greatly from OIS developments and Sunny Optical Technology has seen its revenue rise due to demand from growing OEMS, including Xiaomi, Lenovo and OPPO.
Dual image sensors are another growing technology, but industry insiders don’t expect this idea to catch on in flagship handsets in the same way as OIS has. Hardware isn’t the problem, as such, as both Qualcomm and MediaTek have taken strides to support multi-sensor camera setups and software functions into their chips.
Instead, the cost of implementing dual 8 megapixel or high image sensors is not worth the small feature set obtained from a dual setup, especially as it does not go towards increasing image capture quality. This could be the reason why HTC has chosen to stick with its lower resolution Ultrapixel sensors in its dual-camera smartphones and has marketed them as more reasonably price mid-range smartphones.
Further down the line, optical zoom technology could also made an appearance in smartphone cameras, although this isn’t expected until 2016 or later. What smartphone camera features do you think are the most important when choosing your next smartphone?
Apple Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Its Home Page
Apple today updated its website to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a full page memorial on the company’s home page. The image on the site is accompanied by a message to honor the civil rights leader and his work, “Today we reflect on the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the work that continues in service of the broader concerns of humanity.”
Following the rollout of the website change, Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted his own commemoration that highlighted Apple’s remembrance of King’s legacy.
Honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. #MLK Apple http://t.co/ngqL0bym8y
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 19, 2015
Previously, Tim Cook has publicly expressed his admiration for Dr. King, noting in a Charlie Rose interview last year that he keeps photos of King and politician Robert Kennedy in his office at Apple.
“I had the — just tremendous respect for both of them, and so I do,” he said. “I look at them every day because I think for people — there’s still too many cases in the world and in the United States where there’s a class kind of structure or where voting or people are trying to convince each other that this other group of people don’t deserve the same rights. And I think it’s crazy, I think it’s un-American.”
Besides the web page refresh, Apple reportedly also is encouraging its employees to volunteer with a donation matching program, reports 9to5Mac. Instead of a paid day off, Apple is offering to donate an additional $50 for each voluntary hour worked by employees.
The NSA knew North Korea hacked Sony because it hacked North Korea first
The US government recently took the rare step of directly blaming North Korea for the crippling hack of Sony in retaliation for its satire film, The Interview. But how could it be so sure in the face of doubters, who said another hacking group disguised as North Korea, or a malcontent insider were to blame? According to a new pile of Edward Snowden documents revealed by der Spiegel and other publications, it’s simple: the US government inserted backdoor software into North Korea’s computer systems years before the hack even happened.
The NSA used South Korea’s established inroads to install malware on North Korean networks, which was able to provide enough evidence to pinpoint the nation as the source of the Sony hack, according to anonymous government officials. This leads to the question, if the NSA had enough intel, why wasn’t it able to advise Sony of the attack ahead of time? Administration officials said that the “spear-phishing” attacks — which entice e-mail users to download infected files — didn’t look out of the ordinary or raise any alarms. But those attacks allowed the hackers to steal a key system admin’s credentials, which they used to carefully infiltrate the system, search out key files and eventually destroy or leak them.
Though the NSA’s backdoor “beacons” in North Korea’s systems didn’t help it see the hack coming, they were instrumental in building a case against the nation afterwards. The evidence convinced President Obama to quickly accuse Kim Jong-Un’s of orchestrating the hack — the first time the US has made such a charge, according to the New York Times.
Filed under: Internet
Via: The New York Times
Source: Der Spiegel
Apple’s website pays tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.
Apple has given its online home a quick refresh this morning to pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. The move marks the first time the company has dedicated a section of its website to the US national holiday, which is observed on the third Monday in January each year.
From the Apple website:
Today we reflect on the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the work that continues in service of the broader concerns of humanity.
Tim Cook also paid tribute on Twitter:
Honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. #MLK Apple http://t.co/ngqL0bym8y
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 19, 2015
While many in the US enjoy an extra day off, Apple is instead encouraging employees to volunteer. For each and every hour its employees spend carrying out voluntary work, Apple will donate an additional $50 to the Matching Gifts Program.
Source: Apple
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