Oneplus OxygenOS release has been delayed yet again
If you are a OnePlus One owner and were expecting today’s major decision to be whether or not to carry on using CyanogenMod 12S firmware or to turn to the home-grown OxygenOS, you are going to be a little disappointed. As Justin predicted, the release date has been missed and no new date has yet been announced.
This time the delay is said to be down to the certification process taking longer than anticipated. The OnePlus developer going by the devildv nickname said that he and a colleague were each running a handset running CM12S and OxygenOS respectively as daily drivers and that things would be explained in the coming days. It’s disappointing news, hopefully, OnePlus will announce a new deadline for the OxygenOS release sooner rather than later. Perhaps they would be better off just providing a download link when it is actually ready instead of disappointing its customers and blasting past deadline dates.
I wonder if the OxygenOS firmware will be released before OnePlus announce its GameChanger device next month?
Source: Reddit
Via: PhoneArena
Come comment on this article: Oneplus OxygenOS release has been delayed yet again
BlackBerry launches Enhanced SIM-based Licensing for 3 Hong Kong
On top of the addition of China Mobile Hong Kong, BlackBerry has also announced 3 Hong Kong, the mobile telecommunications division of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited, is now also offering its enterprise customers Enhanced SIM-Based Licensing (ESBL) by BlackBerry, will provide enterprise customers an improved purchasing experience, meaning they can consolidate operational costs into one monthly invoice.
Google, Apple and others list demands for spying act changes
The US Congress, Senate and White House may be torn on what to do with a key Patriot Act spying clause, set to expire on June 1st. But Google, Apple, Facebook and other tech companies in the Reform Government Surveillance coalition know exactly what they want: no more bulk data collection. Together with numerous privacy groups including the ACLU and EFF, they presented a letter to the President and both houses with two key demands. The groups asked for “a clear, strong and effective end of bulk collection practices under the Patriot Act,” along with “transparency and accountability mechanisms for both government and company reporting.”
The group sees no reason why Congress can’t “protect both national security and privacy” at the same time to “restore trust in the internet.” Companies like Google and Facebook bore a large part of the public’s wrath when it was suggested that they funneled data directly to the NSA, albeit unwillingly or unknowingly. With greater transparency, the group no doubt feels it could at least justify any user data collection it does on behalf of the government.
Companies like Google and Facebook bore a large part of the public’s wrath when it was suggested that they funneled data directly to the NSA.
The Patriot Act’s infamous clause 215 authorizing bulk spying via the “roving wiretap” provision has already been extended several times. However, the upcoming debates in Congress and Senate will be the first post-Snowden, and figure to be contentious. The heads of both Republican-controlled chambers are dead-set against any major changes, and blocked a bill that proposed minor reforms last year. However, other Republicans and Democrats, along with President Obama, favor significant changes. The letter from the tech coalition is obviously designed to give any representatives who may be on the fence a tiny nudge.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Storage, Apple, Microsoft, Google
Via: CNET
Source: Reform Government Surveillance
HTC lead designer departs after less than a year
Jonah Becker, Vice President of Industrial Design at HTC, has announced that he has left the company, news which has also been confirmed by HTC. Becker had taken up the roll less last April from Scott Croyle, and is to be succeeded by HTC Creative Director Daniel Hundt.
Becker worked for One & Co when it was acquired by HTC back in 2008. Both Croyle and Becker had worked at the company, but the departure leaves Claude Zellweger is the last remaining senior designer from One & Co at HTC.
It’s been an amazing seventeen year journey with One & Co and HTC, but it’s time for a new adventure. Stay tuned for details of what’s next.
— Jonah Becker (@JonahABecker) March 26, 2015
HTC has already undergone a major senior managerial shake-up this month, Peter Chou stepped down as CEO and has been replaced by Cher Wang. This leadership adjustment looks to be marking a change in direction for the company, but it is not known how much or little this influenced Becker’s decision. For HTC, losing its second lead designer in less than a year suggests deeper internal issues within its senior ranks.
Although the reasons for Becker’s departure have not been made clear, one industry source suggests that there has been an ongoing power struggle between the HTC design team and the company’s sales goals. How much of this struggle is reflected in the HTC One M9’s similar aesthetic design and subtle component changes from its predecessor, I don’t suppose we’ll ever know.
Here is the statement from HTC with regards to Jonah Becker’s departure:
“We can confirm that Jonah Becker has left HTC; he had been with the Company since HTC acquired One & Co over six years ago. We would like to thank Jonah for his work with HTC, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours. He has been succeeded by Daniel Hundt, based in our San Francisco design office.”
Leak: The HTC T1H Tablet features an 8.9-Inch QXGA display and Allwinner CPU
If HTC were a kitchen utensil, one might think that the Taiwan-based company is a sieve, considering all the recent leaks about its upcoming handsets. On top of the much-leaked HTC One E9(here and here) and One M9 Plus handsets, we now have news about a tablet with the codename HTC T1H that will be launched in China in partnership with China Mobile. We have the image and specifications after the break.
Intriguingly, the HTC T1H eschews Qualcomm’s processor offering, and even passes by the king of budget chips, MediaTek. Instead, the HTC T1H will purportedly use an Octa-core processor produced by Allwinner. We have the list of specifications below:
- 8.9-Inch QXGA display (2048 x 1530)
- Allwinner (Gazetteer) H8 Octa-core processor, 4 cores @2.2GHz + 4 cores @1.4GHz
- PowerVR SGX544 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB/32GB Internal Storage
- 8MP Rear camera/ 1.6MP Front camera
- HTC BoomSound (Dual front speakers)
- GPS
- Dimensions: 228.35 x 153.67 x 7.88mm
- 6,700mAh Battery
- Android 5.0
- Sense 7.0 for Tablet
The HTC T1H will be available in WiFi and LTE variants and is expected to launch in China sometime in May. It’s unknown if this tablet will be released in other regions, but if it were, would you be interested?
Source: Weibo
Via: GizmoChina
Come comment on this article: Leak: The HTC T1H Tablet features an 8.9-Inch QXGA display and Allwinner CPU
Incipio feather cases for iPhone 6 are on sale today for $14.95
Lightweight and durable, the feather case is engineered to provide inconspicuous protection. The snap-on application of this hard case allows for quick installation when needed and its soft touch finish provides a comfortable grip in the hand.
Leaked renders of HTC One E9 Plus show off multiple color schemes
If you were getting tired of the HTC One M9 Plus leaks, we have a slightly different offering for you today in the form of some leaked renders of the HTC One E9 Plus courtesy of the serial leaker @upleaks. The leaked images show the handset in a variety of colours, with the gun-metal grey version posing as the main image above.
In the gallery above, we have the gold variant as well as the dual-tone gold and white. The E9 will available in two versions; the standard E9 will carry a full-HD display and 13MP main camera while the E9 Plus will sport a Quad-HD display and 20MP rear camera and appear as though they have glossy, plastic rear panels. The HTC One E9 (and Plus) could be announced at the ‘More than One‘ event in China on April 8th that could also see the launch of the HTC One M9 Plus. It’s not too long to until then, and I’m sure we will see many more leaks in the interim.
Source: Twitter
Come comment on this article: Leaked renders of HTC One E9 Plus show off multiple color schemes
Photos purportedly showing the LG G4 leak online
The phone in these images look like the LG G3, but you might notice some subtle differences. That’s because it could actually be pictures of the brand’s yet-to-be-released flagship, the G4. An XDA Developer user called s3rv1cet3ch posted a folder of images on the forum, explicitly calling it the G4. The user also noted that it has stylus on the top left corner, but if this is the Korean version of the device, that could very well be a TV antenna. After all, G3’s Korean version has an antenna you can pull out on that exact spot.
Unlike its predecessor’s circular components, this device has a square camera sensor and a rectangular power button. The photos of its interface below also indicate that it’s loaded with Android Lollipop out of the box. According to Yonhap News, the G4 is supposed to have a curved, 5-inch Quad HD display — we can’t really see any curve in these images, but it might be due to the phone’s angle. Of course, this could be a different phone altogether. Some eagle-eyed folk have spotted “M8936″ in the baseband version, which would suggest this phone holds a Snapdragon 610 — not really what you’d expect in a flagship (where an 8-series would be more appropriate). Unless this was a design concept with temporary innards? Either way, we won’t know for sure until LG officially unveils the new flagship phone by the end of April.
[Image credit: s3rv1cet3ch @ XDA Developers]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Via: Android Central
Source: s3rv1cet3ch @ XDA Developers, Yonhap News
Civilization Revolution 2, NHL 2K and XCOM: Enemy Within on sale
If you’re looking for a good mobile game to occupy some of your time this coming weekend, 2K Games has your back.
Right now they are offering up Civilization Revolution 2 for only $4.99, down from $10. XCOM: Enemy Within is just $4.99, down from $12.99. And for those who’d rather play a sports-related title, NHL 2K15 is now just $2.99, down from $7.99. All of these games are more expensive, even at discounted rates, than your typical 99 cent titles, but for good reason. All these games are highly rated in the Play store, and I can personally attest that I found Civilization Revolution 2 to be a lot of fun, even if it is nowhere in the same league as PC versions of the Civ series.
If you’re interested in either of the three titles, we’d move quickly, as there is no word on how long this promotion will last.
Technology designed for aerospace could improve Parkinson’s therapy
When Rice University chemist Roberto Pasquali set out to to create strong and conductive carbon nanotube fibers, he had aerospace applications in mind. But it turned out his microscopic fibers are also great at communicating with the brain, making them an ideal candidate for therapies that deal with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Pasquali said: “…once we [he and his team] had them in our hand, we realized that they had an unexpected property: They are really soft, much like a thread of silk. Their unique combination of strength, conductivity and softness makes them ideal for interfacing with the electrical function of the human body.”
At the moment, hard metal electrodes are implanted into the brain for Parkinson’s therapy (they deliver electrical signals to calm tremors), but they’re not actually that compatible with the organ’s soft tissues. These flexible fibers are more biocompatible — they’re also cheaper and maintain better electrical connection. Plus, the scientists’ tests prove they cause little inflammation and are as stable as commercial platinum used on electrodes.
Rice U assistant professor Caleb Kemere who studies Parkinson’s disease believes these fibers could lead to self-regulating treatment devices for patients. Those devices will be able to read signals from the brain, analyze the best amount of electrical stimulation needed to calm tremors on a case-by-case basis and automatically administer jolts of electricity. That’s the gist of it anyway: if you want to read the team’s study in greater detail, bust out your science jargon decoder and check out the paper on ACS Nano.
Filed under: Science
Source: Rice University, ACS Nano
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