Daily Roundup: Dell’s latest laptop, the Super Bowl on social media and more!
Sony is getting a sorely needed music makeover, a drunken mistake leads to a firmware update for DJI drones and we get up close and personal with Dell’s XPS 13 — all this and more in your Daily Roundup!
Dell XPS 13 review (2015): Meet the world’s smallest, 13-inch laptop
Dell’s XPS 13 first caught our attention at CES, where it ranked as a finalist for our “Best of” awards. Now that we’ve had some time to play with the ultra-compact laptop, read our review to find out if it lives up to the hype.
Sony closing Music Unlimited in favor of Spotify-powered service
Sony is ditching its Music Unlimited service for a new one powered by Spotify and its enormous song library. The service, called PlayStation Music, will come to a device near you sometime this spring.
Tesla Model S P85D’s ‘Insane Mode’ lives up to its name
Whether you look at Tesla’s “Insane Mode” as a cool feature or just a marketing gimmick, we can probably all agree that taking someone from 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds makes for some pretty entertaining facial expressions.
Your Facebook feed is going to be unbearable during the Super Bowl
Think you can avoid talk of the Super Bowl on Facebook this Sunday? Not a chance. If you mention any words related to the game, expect to be hit with a sponsored ad in your feed.
The Big Picture: 3D Paris apartment shows what Unreal Engine 4 can do
The picture you see above may look like a photograph, but it’s actually a 3D environment created in Unreal Engine 4. Take a tour of the full apartment, made for the “Unreal Paris” project, right here.
DJI no longer lets you fly its drones in Washington, DC
DJI is taking steps to protect its reputation after learning a government employee crash-landed one of its drones on the White House lawn. A new firmware update for all Phantom 2 vehicles now keeps them from flying within 15.5 miles of downtown Washington, DC.
Graffiti and satellites combine for a massive animated GIF
What you’re looking at is no ordinary GIF. This design was hand painted (and repainted, again and again) by an artist known as INSA. For a piece as big as the one seen here, he had to use satellites to capture the images from space.
Deal: Samsung Galaxy Alpha on Ebay for $300, unlocked
When the Samsung Galaxy Alpha first debuted, it received relatively mixed reception. While some folks were appreciative of the fact that Samsung had finally brought a dose of metal to their phones in the form a metallic frame, others felt it wasn’t enough of a design change or that its specs simply weren’t as impressive as they’d hoped to see from Samsung’s first (semi) metallic phone.
As time has passed, Samsung has since brought a metal frame to the Galaxy Note 4 and even introduced a few low-to-mid-range offerings with unibody metal designs, but the Galaxy Alpha still remains a solid device that’s worthy of your consideration. This is doubly true due to the fact that it can currently be yours for just $299.99 with free shipping through “qualitycellz”, an Ebay seller with 59,712 feedbacks recorded and a positive rating of 99.1%. As you might have guessed, the phone is manufacturer refurbished, and so that may be a turn off for those that prefer never-opened handsets. For those that want a little extra protection for their investment, it is worth noting that the phone is eligible for a Squaretrade (3rd party) warranty.
The model for sale is the 32GB AT&T variant, though it is unlocked and ready to go for use outside of AT&T. Not sure if the Galaxy Alpha is right for you? Be sure to check out our full review for more details on specs and how well the device performs.
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For more details, you’ll want to head on over to Ebay. Keep in mind that there is only a limited number of stock available, so we’d jump on this offer soon if you are at all interested.
Alleged Huawei Mate 7 Compact images leak
A new season is approaching and that means new devices are to come. From Huawei, it seems as if a new device from the Mate line is coming. On Twitter, leaksfly posted two images of what is allegedly the Mate 7 Compact. It looks much like the original Mate 7 — simplistic design with on-screen buttons and camera/flash rear setup. The rear also includes the same fingerprint scanner below the camera. The original Mate 7 had a 6-inch display, so the Mate 7 Compact could have a display measuring 5.5 or 6-inches.
Hit the break for an image of the rear.
Source: @leaksfly
Come comment on this article: Alleged Huawei Mate 7 Compact images leak
Following Apple’s Record Quarter Announcement, Samsung Reports Profit Drop
On the heels of an earnings call that saw Apple announcing record earnings, rival phone maker Samsung today announced its own results for the October to December period, reporting a 27 percent year-over-year decline in profit.
Samsung saw net profit of 5.3 trillion won ($4.9 billion), compared to 7.3 trillion won last year, marking its first annual earnings decline in three years and its fifth consecutive quarter of decline. Apple, meanwhile, announced record earnings of $18 billion, largely due to the success of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Overall, Samsung’s 2014 profit was at 25 trillion won, down from 36.8 trillion won in 2013. Samsung did not announce mobile sales numbers, but Apple sold a record 74.5 million iPhones during the quarter.
Market research has suggested that Apple’s share of the smartphone market in Asia rose dramatically after the launch of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. According to a recent report, Apple gained significant share in Japan, China, and South Korea, countries where Samsung has previously dominated due to demand for big screen smartphones.
While Samsung’s mobile sales were down 64 percent year over year, its semiconductor division earned 2.7 trillion won due to high demand for the chips that it sells to companies like Apple, boosting earnings from the previous quarter and helping it meet guidance and beat analyst estimates.
Chip maker Qualcomm also reported its own earnings today [PDF], and noted the loss of a major customer thought to be Samsung. Samsung’s Galaxy S6 is unlikely to feature the Snapdragon 810 processor due to issues with overheating, and the South Korean company may opt to use its own chips instead.
Samsung expects continued growth in its mobile division in 2015 in emerging markets, and it also plans to introduce “new materials, innovative design, and differentiated features” in its devices to drive sales.
Samsung Gear VR Available at Best Buy for In-Store Pickup
Ready to get your virtual reality freak on? Virtual reality seems to be the next big “thing” when it comes to mobile technology, and Samsung is trying to get ahead of the pack with their Samsung Gear VR. You can pick it up from Samsung and go through the struggles of getting it sent to […]
The post Samsung Gear VR Available at Best Buy for In-Store Pickup appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Join us on Twitch tonight for a first look at The Escapists for Xbox One
Windows Central has been livestreaming a wide variety of Xbox One games on Twitch every Saturday for quite a while now. As our viewership continues to grow, so does the number of games we want to share with you! Thus we’ll now be streaming a different game every Wednesday as well. That’s twice the chances to tune in and chat along with your fellow readers while our staff showcases a great game.
Tonight we kick off our regular Wednesday streams with an early look at The Escapists, the Xbox One exclusive sandbox game in which players have to break out of prison! The Escapists doesn’t launch until February 13th, so our stream is a great chance to learn what the game will be like before release.
To tune in during the livestream, follow me on Twitch.tv/Eastxtwitch and watch along at 8pm Central (9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific). You can also watch the stream right here live or after the fact.
Gameloft releases trailer for yet another big update to Six-Guns
If you’re a player of Gameloft’s Six-Guns, you were recently treated to the Gang Showdown expansion.
But if that wasn’t enough, Gameloft is teasing yet another update to the game. And the reaper cometh.
Six-Guns was updated on January 8th to expand on the existing game. The update notes from Gameloft are:
– GANG SHOWDOWN: Enter this brand-new mode that completely redefines multiplayer competition– NEW BOSS RAID: Madness will play with your brain. Keep your eyes peeled!– NEW WEAPONS & OUTFIT: Only fearless cowboys will be able to handle these terrifying new weapons– WILD WINTER: Who said there’s no snow in the Wild West? Roll up the best snowball you can for the snowball fight event!
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Complete Rolling Stone magazine archive coming to Google Play
Rolling Stone magazine and Google Play have reached a deal that will bring the entire Rolling Stone archive to Google Play Newsstand. Three to four major stories from each archive will be available for free on Google Play and the Rolling Stone website beginning this Friday, January 30th. Rolling Stone hopes to enhance stories with multimedia content (sound, videos) in the coming months.
In a recent interview, Gus Wenner, son of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, explained the reason behind moving archives to Google Play:
I see it every day in our analytics: Archival content performs very well. It comes down to how you promote and when. We’ll be smart about how we promote it, and we’ll tie it to news events. It’s not hard to find these moments.
As part of the deal, Google bought advertising in Rolling Stone magazine. Brian Irving, Global Head of Marketing for Google Play, says that thanks to features like customizable themes and key word searches, this partnership is a great way to demonstrate how great Google Play Newsstand really is. He explains:
Our goal is to help publishers succeed in a changing world. We’re constantly looking for ways to partner with people who are content creators and help bring something to life.
Rolling Stone began publishing in 1967 and is arguably the most popular magazine ever to be published, so this is a big deal. If you have yet to download Google Play Newsstand, head to the Play Store to do so.
Qualcomm confirms loss of a ‘large customer’, probably Samsung
Qualcomm’s presence inside many of the world’s most popular mobile devices over the last few years has kept the money coming in (creating the need for the picture shown above), but today there was some bad news. In its Q4 earnings release, the company revealed (PDF) “Expectations that our Snapdragon 810 processor will not be in the upcoming design cycle of a large customer’s flagship device.” Uh-oh. Even though it didn’t say who the large customer is, for years there have been expectations that Samsung would eventually stop relying on Qualcomm chips to run many of its Galaxy phones.
This would appear to line up with rumors from Bloomberg last week that claim Samsung will use one of its own Exynos CPUs in the next Galaxy S because the Snapdragon 810 overheated in testing. Of course, it’s not all bad news — even the revised profit estimates are only down to between $28 and $26 billion, compared to $28.8 and $26.8 billion, and LG has already confirmed plans to use the 810 in its upcoming G Flex 2. On an earnings call today with analysts CEO Steve Mollenkopf brushed off the overheating claim, saying the part works as expected.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Qualcomm Q4 2014 earnings (PDF)
Movie search in Google Search for Mobile now visually stimulating
Google is currently rolling out a visual refresh to movie searches in the mobile search engine in Chrome. As you can see from the animated gif above, you’ll be treated to a more material designed looking movie search process in mobile search, something that Google has been working toward. Not only that but the cards got a bit more informative.
Each movie profile shows a description, ratings, notable actors, links to related Play Store and YouTube items among other things. The new UI is pretty specific when it comes to search items though. For example you have to have a search query with the word movies in it. You can search for Angelina Jolie and you won’t see the sexy new UI.
It’s also worth noting that as is Google fashion the process is rolling out in small batches so if you don’t see it yet, you’ll have to wait patiently.
source: Google+
Come comment on this article: Movie search in Google Search for Mobile now visually stimulating
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