Visa’s new payment system in Europe paves the way for introduction of Apple Pay
Visa has announced the payment company will be introducing support for the same tokenization system used by Apple Pay by mid-April. This move will add a new way for Europeans to pay with their smartphones, all whilst keeping their card details secure and concealed. According to the announcement:
“The tokenisation service protects customer data, substituting the payment account information found on a plastic card with a series of numbers that can be used to authorise payment without exposing actual account details. When consumers use their mobile device to make a contactless payment in a store, a token is submitted, rather than their account details.”
Visa is working to maintain its position as a middle man between the consumer at the banks, and will pave way for payment gateways to make use of more secure contactless transactions. There’s still no word on exactly when Apple plans to launch its service in Europe, but with things being set into motion, it can’t be long.
Source: Visa, via: The Next Web
Blobb – a slippery puzzle game for Windows Phone
Blobb is a relatively new Windows Phone game that has you navigating a small green blob around a labyrinth of turns to reach star cookies that the creature has become addicted to.
The game includes 45 levels of play with the free version and an additional 30 levels of play can be unlocked via in-app purchase ($1.49). The graphics are decent and the puzzles challenging enough to keep things interesting. Available for low-memory devices, Blobb isn’t a terrible option to consider if you are looking for some help passing the time but I couldn’t help but think the game needed a little more something, something.
Here’s how to find out when your T-Mobile smartphone or tablet will receive the next software update
Probably the biggest question smartphone owners have is, “When will I get a software update?” Well T-Mobile is now making it a lot easier to find out that answer. They launched a dedicated site which will let you select your device (phone or tablet) and then find out where things stand.
Software updates have 3 stages and they include manufacturer development, T-Mobile testing, and completion. Once a manufacturer finishes development, they send it to the carrier (in this case T-Mobile) for testing. Testing checks for bugs, which could end up going back to manufacturing development. However, once the carrier (again in this case T-Mobile) is satisfied, then it’s considered completed, and the update will be rolled out. This new site will let you know at what stage your next update is at, as well as what version of Android it will be.
So for example, if you were to select the HTC One (M7), you will find out that Lollipop is in T-Mobile testing right now. This means that it could literally get approved for roll out any day now. Unfortunately, depending on how many bugs there are, it could still be a ways off. So no, you won’t get any target dates, but it will give you an idea of how things are progressing and if the manufacturer is committed to offering the most recent update.
You will be able to select from the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2013), HTC One (M7), HTC One (M8), Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge, and Galaxy S 5. Of course more devices will be added soon.
Hit the source link to get started.
Come comment on this article: Here’s how to find out when your T-Mobile smartphone or tablet will receive the next software update
Android One Devices in India begin receiving Lollipop Update in weekly roll-out
Android One users in India may have felt that they were being left out in the cold of late, with Android One launching in Indonesia and the Philippines with Android 5.1 Lollipop in tow, but it seems you have not been forgotten after all. According to a Google Plus post by Ceasar Sengupta, the Product Management Director at Google, Android One phones in India have already started receiving the Android 5.1 update.
The Lollipop update is being pushed out to random users each week, although you stand a better chance of being selected to receive the update if your device is connected to WiFi. While it isn’t specifically confirmed, the update should be Android 5.1. If you have an Android One handset that has received the Lollipop update, feel free to visit the forums and let us know.
Source: Ceasar Sengupta
Via: AndroidPolice
Come comment on this article: Android One Devices in India begin receiving Lollipop Update in weekly roll-out
Google employee reveals a new Chromebook Pixel’s due out soon
The first Chromebook Pixel wasn’t exactly a huge seller, what with its hefty price tag and all, but Google’s apparently still preparing to release a second version. OMG! Chrome! spotted a video of Renee Niemi, who’s in charge of Android and Chrome for Work and Education, at the recent Google Teamwork event, where she revealed that the company’s working on the next-gen Pixel that will soon be slated for release. Mountain View has since pulled down the video, but the publication transcribed the relevant part as follows:
We do have a new Pixel coming out and it will be coming out soon. We will be selling it but I just have to set your expectations: this is a development platform. This is really a proof of concept. We don’t make very many of these — we really don’t. And… our developers and our Googlers consume 85% of what we produce. But yes, we do have a new Pixel coming out.
Since the company hasn’t officially announced anything yet, we don’t have the laptop’s specs or features to list. According to OMG! Chrome!, though, it might still have the same 12.85-inch high-res screen, along with the new heaven-sent, reversible type C USB port. It’ll most likely cost upwards of a grand (whereas other Chromebooks are priced only in the hundreds of dollars), considering the first Pixel starts at $1,300. There’s also a chance that the new model will be announced at Google I/O 2015 in May, as the first one was launched at the same event back in 2013. We reached out to Google for confirmation and for more details, and we’ll update this post once we hear back.
Via: Gizmodo, Ars Technica
Source: OMG! Chrome!
Sony’s Lollipop build may have just been spotted if these leaked shots are legit
Sony has hit a rough patch in the past few years, and its latest lament seems to be the mobile space. While some of us waxed poetic this past Friday on the matter, it’s important to remember that Sony does, in fact, have a new flaghship in the works, the Xperia Z4. This device has a lot of potential, especially if Sony does hold to an annual release cycle, thus ensuring that “new” is less relative and more long-lasting.
A Chinese website is claiming to have screen captures of the Xperia Z4 Dual, known by the working title “Ivy”. While the physical body of the hardware might be missing, what’s of greater interest here is the visual nature of Sony’s take on Android Lollipop, specifically 5.0.2. As you can see in the About phone capture above, the hardware is running on a Qualcomm MSM8994, which our readers might be aware, is also known as the Snapdragon 810, which is currently powering the already-released LG G Flex 2.
Moving onto the next screen capture, we have the alleged Settings screen:
Pay particular interest to the significant editing Sony has apparently done to the icons depicting each of the setting toggles, which have an almost cartoonish nature to them. Also notice the odd mosaic-esque background color behind each line of text; it’s especially noticable on the blue “Settings” and “Wireless & Networks” text: this almost looks like the original language was sloppily erased and then new text placed on top of it.
Here we have the dialer:
Nothing major to speak of here, save for the same odd artefacts behind each bit of text. If this is indeed the dialer it would seemingly mesh well with the Material Design theme Google went for as it’s quite plain and simple. Still different from the stock experience however.
The final screen capture:
The world clock screen is also simplistic with the minimal color scheme and bright orange “add” button on the bottom right corner.
Assuming these images are in fact, legitimate, it is of particular interest that Sony has chosen to use a different “home” button for the on-screen navigation keys at the bottom. The AOSP build of Lollipop uses a circle, and when combined with the triangle and square flanking either side, gave rise to frequent joking of the “Playstation” buttons Google had chosen. Suffice to say, however, that the home icon is instantly more recognizable (if not skeuomorphic in its own way) than an unassuming circle.
And there you have it: a quick run through of the four leaked shots. Regardless of if they are legitimate or not, there is a clear influence of Material Design at play, though especially with the settings image, things look like Sony has an almost HTC Sense-level of tweaking going on with some things.
Samsung reported to supply Apple and LG with new memory chips
Samsung has entered into an agreement with LG and Apple to supply both companies with new 20nm LPDDR4 DRAM chips for upcoming smartphones. The deal would see Samsung fulfil Apple’s demand for memory chips for the next iPhone, while LG would use the components for the G4. According to the Korea Times report:
Samsung reportedly set to supply Apple with new memory chips
Samsung has entered into an agreement with Apple to supply the company with new 20nm LPDDR4 DRAM chips. The deal would see Samsung fulfil Apple’s demand for memory chips for the next iPhone. According to the Korea Times report:
The agreement comes a few months after Samsung, the world’s biggest memory chip supplier, began mass production of the next generation memory chip ― the 8-Gigabit LPDDR4 (low power double data rate) mobile DRAM with 20 nanometers. The so-called LPDDR memory, the most used in mobile devices, is poised to enable a new technological leap for premium smartphones.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed to the publication that not only will Samsung be shipping out components to Apple, but that the company will also be installing the in-house DRAM chips inside the Galaxy S6. This deal would also join the order for Samsung to produce the A9 chipset for Apple.
Source: Korea Times
Ad outlet tries using drones to track your phone’s location
Irked that advertisers are already trying to pinpoint your phone’s location? It might be even harder to escape their grasp if AdNear is successful. The ad intelligence group is experimenting with location-tracking drones that profile audiences in harder-to-reach areas (say, field concerts or pedestrian-only urban areas) by triangulating cellular and WiFi signals. In theory, this will help merchants find ways to attract you when you’re walking by.
AdNear is quick to note that it doesn’t collect photos, videos or other data that would personally identify you. However, the agency tells VentureBeat that the unmanned vehicles do generate device-specific codes — if a company could associate a code with a given phone’s owner, it could get a sense of that person’s habits. It’s unlikely that ad drones will uncover your identity and start following you around (AdNear is only concerned about tracking patterns, not people), but that won’t be entirely reassuring if you’re determined to remain completely beyond marketers’ clutches.
Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Mobile
Via: VentureBeat
Source: AdNear
AT&T’s Six Appeal teaser may have accidentally confirmed the Samsung Galaxy S6 ‘Edge’
It seems that everyone is feeling the Six Appeal (except for Verizon), with Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T each teasing an image of the Samsung Galaxy S6 that only differs in color. AT&T appears to have gone one further though, by inadvertently confirmed that Samsung will be releasing two variants of its latest flagship; a regular Galaxy S6 and a Galaxy S6 Edge. This accidental confirmation comes courtesy of a DroidLife reader who noticed that AT&T’s Six Appeal teaser page contained meta tags for both variants of Galaxy S6 handsets.
As you can see from the metadata in the image above, both Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge devices names are present. While this isn’t a 100% definitive confirmation of there being 2 different models, there isn’t much room for doubt. All the rumors and case manufacturer leaks point towards an Edge variant of the Galaxy S6 being released. There isn’t long to wait until Samsung unveils the Galaxy S6 with its fancy new antenna tech on March 1st at the MWC, and you can be sure that the leaks will keep on coming.
Source: DroidLife
Come comment on this article: AT&T’s Six Appeal teaser may have accidentally confirmed the Samsung Galaxy S6 ‘Edge’
AIVAnet 