Hyundai brings Android Wear compatibility to its Blue Link app
Hyundai announced today that it has recently updated its Blue Link Android app bring Android Wear compatibility, allowing users compatible car models to perform a number of userful remote functions right from their wrist.
Kyocera Torque hands on and first impressions
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The idea of a rugged smartphone isn’t new, and one of the popular names in this category is Kyocera. The company showcased their latest ultra rugged smartphone at MWC 2015 with a launch targeted at European markets, called the Kyocera Torque, not be confused by the device of the same name, by the same company, that was released in the US almost two years ago. We got to spend some time with this device, and here is our first impressions about the Kyocera Torque!
As is the case with any ruggedized smartphone, the design of the Torque is very industrial, and it is quite thick. Physical home, back, and recent apps, buttons are found up front, and all the ports are covered to maintain its dust and waterproof nature. Despite how thick it is, the Torque is still easy to hold on to, given its rather small footprint overall.
When it comes to the specifications, the device features a 4.5-inch display with a 720p resolution, with a resulting pixel density of 326 ppi, and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 610 processor, clocked at 1.4 GHz, and backed by 2 GB of RAM. 16 GB of internal storage is also available, further expandable up to 128 GB via microSD. LTE, along with a full suite of connectivity options is available, and on the battery front, the device packs a large 3,100 mAh battery, which should allow for some impressive longevity. The Torque also comes with an 8 MP rear camera and a front-facing 2 MP unit.
On the software side of things, the device runs Android 4.4 Kitkat with a few customizations added by Kyocera, but its not a very heavy skin, and retains a lot of the UI elements of stock Android, which should allow for a smooth performance overall.
Moving onto the features that make the Kyocera Torque unique starts with the display itself. You have the ability to use the display while wearing gloves, and also if the screen or your hands are wet, which is ideal for those who work in construction or any other harsh environments where you might have to deal with the elements.
The other feature is in the fact that the Torque comes with a Military Standard 810G rating for protection against dust, shock, extreme temperatures, low pressure, solar radiation, salt, rain, humidity, and water immersion, with dust and waterproofing covered under a IP68 rating as well, which means that it can be immersed in up to 1 meter of water for as long as 30 minutes without any negative impact on performance. Another useful feature is that the Torque also supports wireless charging, so its definitely one of the more feature-packed rugged smartphones we’ve seen.
Something you may have noticed is that the front of the phone doesn’t come with a speaker above the display for use during voice calls, because of what Kyocera calls “Smart Sonic Receiver.” The display actually vibrates to deliver sound and audio to your ear, similar to what we saw with the Sharp Aquos Crystal. Also worth mentioning is that future iterations of the device will feature embedded solar panels in the display to help charge it.
So there you have it – a quick look at the Kyocera Torque! This is definitely one of the better rugged smartphones we’ve seen, not only in terms of the protection it offers, but also due to the various features and enhancements it packs to further augment the overall experience.
Stay tuned with Android Authority as we continue to bring you more great coverage from MWC 2015!
LG to launch a smartphone that “stands above the G series”
Now that the Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9 have both officially been unveiled, everyone is setting their sights on LG’s next big smartphone. With the rumored launch of the LG G4 set for mid-April, one could assume that the company’s next flagship will be a worthy competitor to the S6 and M9. But according to LG, that’s not all they have up their sleeve for 2015.
According to Juno Cho, CEO of LG Mobile, the company plans to release a smartphone with higher-end specifications than the popular G series. At MWC 2015, Cho explains:
We are planning to release a product that stands above the G series. It will be launched during the second half of this year.
The LG exec didn’t reveal any specifics when it comes to the new high-end flagship line, but since last year’s G3 already featured great specifications, it’s difficult to speculate as to what the company could improve. LG has made some great advancements in the flexible display world, so perhaps the company is planning on truly bringing their flexible display tech into the mainstream. LG’s most recent high-end device, the G Flex 2, featured a 5.5-inch P-OLED display that we really enjoyed. But the device’s battery life, camera quality and a handful of other factors ended up tarnishing our overall experience with the device.
Of course, LG could also be working on something to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Note line. Back in December, LG filed a trademark for something called the “G Pen”, or what’s purported to be a smart stylus, much like Samsung’s S Pen. So perhaps this new mystery device that LG is building could better take on the Samsung’s Note line in a way that the G Pro series never could. This is all speculation for now, so we’ll have to see what LG comes up with later this year.
Cho also commented on the company’s in-house built processors that we may see rolling out to more LG devices sometime soon. As we reported earlier, LG announced last year that they would begin building their own chipsets, and that production was slated to start in Q2 of 2014. In turn, LG rolled out their first chipset in the LG G3 Screen, which debuted in October 2014. The processor in the Screen is called the Nuclun (pronounced NOO-klun), and features a big.LITTLE octa-core design with four 1.5GHz Cortex-A15 cores for high-performance tasks and four 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 cores for less intensive processing.
At MWC, Cho commented further on the importance of building their own chipsets:
Producing our own mobile application chips is very important. As LG Electronics has been consistent in developing these, we plan to gradually incorporate into our new models… We do have a lot of issues that need to be addressed, but second- and third-generation processors will be much better.
LG has historically used Qualcomm chipsets in the majority of their handsets, and it’s obvious why they’d want to move away from that. Samsung has used their in-house built Exynos processors in many of their devices, and even Apple has developed their own mobile processors. In order for LG to regain its spot as the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, using their own processors could potentially help that happen.
Even after the recent announcement of two of the biggest smartphones of the year, Cho remains confident in LG’s success with their upcoming smartphones:
Samsung did a very good job with the Galaxy S6 smartphone. I believe our G4 will also be good. With higher expectations, LG put huge resources into the LG G4.
It remains to be seen whether or not LG will use a new iteration of the Nuclun processor in their upcoming handsets, but we do know that they’re working hard to bring more of their own to market.
Gionee announces the Elife S7 with a 64-bit octa-core processor
Gionee finally took the wraps off of the Elife S7 during Mobile World Congress. At 5.5 mm thick it’s pretty thin, but not even their thinnest phone. It will will sport a 5.2-inch 1080p display, a 1.7 GHz 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, 13 MP rear camera, 8 MP front-facing camera, support for 24-bit 192 kHz Hi-Fi quality audio codec, 2,750 mAh battery, and Android 5.0 with Amigo 3.0. It’s all packed into a magnesium alloy frame and weighs only 126 grams.
It will be priced at Rs. 27, 730 ($448) and will launch in India on April 3rd. You will have your choice of either White, Black, Blue, and Pink for colors.
Be sure to check out our complete coverage of Mobile World Congress 2015.
source: Fone Arena
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OnePlus will bring the One to 16 new European countries this year
Following a series of successful staged launches in France, Spain and the United Kingdom, OnePlus has today announced that it now plans to bring its “flagship killer”, the OnePlus One, to 16 new European countries this year.
Residents in the following countries will be afforded the opportunity to purchase the handset in the not too distant future:
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Poland
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
OnePlus will be hosting special “launch” events in Warsaw on March 9, Prague on March 10 and Budapest on March 12 to aid promotion of the device in Eastern Europe.
Source: OnePlus
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Samsung posts official hands-on video of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge
When a new product is launched, we come across a large number of hands-on and first impression videos to give us a better idea of what’s new about a particular device. But it’s always better when something like that is coming directly from the company (or not), as we get detailed information about the products which most hands-on videos might not cover.
Today, Samsung Mobile has posted a small hands-on video on YouTube which shows the hardware and design of both the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge. It’s unlikely that you’ll learn something new about the device that hasn’t been covered before, but it’s always good to hear directly from the company.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Are you interested in getting the Galaxy S6 or the Galaxy S6 Edge? Let us know in the comments below.
Come comment on this article: Samsung posts official hands-on video of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge
Uber teams up with Fuhu to launch new uberFAMILY service
Uber announced earlier today that it has teamed up with Fuhu to launch a brand new service, called uberFAMILY, in DC. As part of the new scheme, the San Francisco-based company will distribute a selection of saloon cars in Washington, furnished with the latest Nabi child-friendly tablets and IMMI GO car seats, in an effort to make transport safer and much more pleasurable for the younger age group.
In addition to apps, children will be able to take advantage of subscriptions containing both entertaining and educational content — so if a long journey in on the cards, they could watch a film on Netflix Kids, listen to an audiobook on Audible, view an art tutorial on YouTube, or even learn a new language on Duolingo.
If you’re a parent who isn’t too keen on letting your child lose on an Android tablet, don’t worry. Fuhu has developed a strict custom user interface for its Nabi slates to ensure that kids do not accidentally stumble onto something that’s not suitable for their age, and/or rack up a huge bill by purchasing any extras when playing a freemium game.
If you’ve never used Uber before and you want to give it a go, you can use the following promotional code “NabiFun” to get $20 deducted from your first ride.
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Samsung starts pushing out Lollipop OTA for carrier-branded Galaxy S5′s in Canada
Samsung has just begun pushing out the long-awaited Lollipop update to all Rogers, TELUS, Koodo, WIND Mobile and Bell-branded variants of the Galaxy S5 located in Canada. This upgrade brings the latest version of the Android operating system, together with a multitude of new features, bug fixes and stability improvements to the handset.
Hit the break for the full changelog.
- Android 5.0 Lollipop update
- Lock screen and Notification: New Lollipop UI style with enhanced privacy features
- Recent apps: Support multiple pages
- Addition of search function within settings
To start the upgrade, make sure you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. Then, from the home screen, press the Menu key, followed by Settings. Scroll to the bottom and tap ‘About Device’, followed by ‘Software Update and ‘Update Now’.
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Latest version of Hangouts introduces refreshed contact cards [APK Download]
Right now, an update is being pushed to the Hangouts app for Android devices that brings with it minor changes in a few areas.
Although the update is for version 3.0 (from 2.5), there are no dramatic changes:
- Snooze notifications button moved to top
- Mint green accents in new areas
- Long-pressing a message includes View Profile option
- Improved contact cards (that resemble the new Google Contacts)
Come comment on this article: Latest version of Hangouts introduces refreshed contact cards [APK Download]
‘iPhone 6s’ Could Have 2GB of RAM and Pre-Installed Apple SIM
The next-generation iPhone is expected to ship with 2GB of RAM and could also have a pre-installed Apple SIM, according to AppleInsider. The so-called “iPhone 6s,” and presumably the “iPhone 6s Plus,” would be adopting both features from the iPad Air 2, which also has 2GB of RAM and a pre-installed Apple SIM.
Both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and all previous models dating back to the iPhone 5, have 1GB of RAM and must be used with a SIM card obtained from an individual carrier. Apple SIM, introduced alongside the iPad Air 2, allows you to choose between a variety of carriers without locking into long-term plans. Participating U.S. carriers include AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.
“The same source also told AppleInsider that Apple is strongly considering shipping its next-generation handset with the Apple SIM pre-installed. That piece, which also made its debut with the iPad Air 2, allows consumers to sign up for mobile data plans from any participating carrier directly from the Settings app without long-term contracts and to switch providers at any time.”
While the report claims that Apple is strongly considering including a pre-installed Apple SIM on the next iPhone, the company’s vice president of iPhone, iPod and iOS product marketing Greg Joswiak downplayed the idea last year because of the higher number of iPhone customers that purchase their smartphone directly from a carrier.
“It’s about the customer experience,” he said during an appearance here at Re/code’s Code/Mobile conference. “We ultimately don’t know who you are going to use as the carrier, [and] we want to make it as easy as possible.”
Joswiak said Apple has not discussed putting the Apple SIM into iPhones, but said that because of the way most customers buy an iPhone–through a carrier directly–the Apple SIM is not as well suited. “I don’t think you’re going to go to the Verizon store and say, ‘Can you hook me up with AT&T?,’” he said.
These rumors are rather predictable given that Apple typically improves the hardware specifications of iPhones and iPads each year, although the addition of a pre-installed Apple SIM on iPhone may still not materialize due to tough opposition from carriers. Verizon, for example, was notably absent as a participating carrier for Apple SIM when the iPad Air 2 was released last year.
Apple is expected to announce its next-generation iPhones in September per usual. The “iPhone 6s” was also rumored to have 2GB of RAM and Force Touch in January based on sources within Apple’s supply chain. Few other details about the upcoming iPhones are known, aside from a disputed claim that the devices will include a DSLR-like dual-lens camera system.
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