Game on: OnePlus will announce a “game changer” in April
OnePlus has had mixed success with its marketing ever since the Chinese outfit’s conception, ranging from offensive to appropriate, but thankfully, it’s latest marketing campaign is actually pretty good. Ever since MWC in Barcelona, OnePlus has been teasing something it calls a “game changer”, saying that it is neither a smartphone or tablet. Given how explicit […]
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The HTC One M9 Plus makes another appearance, this time in dummy form
@OnLeaks has continued his crusade to reveal as much about the rumoured HTC One M9 Plus handset as much as possible before it is officially announced (or unceremoniously cancelled). Today’s leak seems a dummy unit of the HTC One M9 Plus surface, in video format no less, which gives a rough look at the size of the […]
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BT gets back into mobile with a trio of SIM-only 4G plans
It’s already been quite the week for the UK’s mobile battleground, with Three UK’s owner Hutchison Whampoa announcing its plan to acquire O2 for a cool £10 billion. And today, confirming recent rumours, BT is ready to re-enter mobile ten years after offloading its shares in O2 and getting out of the game. BT is pursuing its own, mammoth acquisition of EE, of course, but while it waits on regulatory approval, it’s tapping EE’s network under an MVNO agreement penned way back in 2013. BT is now part of the quad-play club, and like fellow members Virgin Media and TalkTalk, it’s going after the price-conscious consumer with a trio of SIM-only plans.
Staying out of the messy business of subsidized handsets (for now at least), BT’s starting out with a light buffet of three different 12-month contracts, detailed in the table below.
| Price per month | Minutes | Texts | 4G Data | Price for broadband customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £10 | 200 | unlimited | 500MB | £5 |
| £17 | 500 | unlimited | 2GB | £12 |
| £25 | unlimited | unlimited | 20GB | £20 |
The £25 per month tariff is particularly alluring, with a whopping 20GB 4G data cap, but the most basic plan can also be had for as little as £5 per month if you’re already a BT Broadband customer. Because what’s the point of being a quad-play provider if you can’t use discounts to push other products? Broadband customers can also add up to five discounted mobile plans to a single bill, in case the whole family needs kitting out. Minutes, texts and data aren’t all you get for your monthly spend, mind, with access to BT’s network of five million WiFi hotspots and free BT Sport available through its mobile app. The provider is also keen to mention it offers parental controls, monthly spending caps, and the ability to move freely between tariffs without having to renew your contract.
For now, BT is starting out by dipping its toe back into mobile with a manageable portfolio of 12-month, SIM-only plans. “The announcement is the first step in BT’s consumer mobile strategy, which will develop over the coming years,” the announcement states. Things are likely to develop more rapidly when/if BT completes its acquisition of EE, but no doubt the new quad-play provider is keeping a keen eye on the competition. With Three UK’s owner out to acquire O2, Sky set to become the next quad-play provider by launching its own mobile offering, and Vodafone getting into the broadband business again and possibly TV, the foreseeable future will be chock-full of change. Hopefully to the benefit of us lot looking for a cheap package that covers all our needs.
Galaxy S6 system dump available online
Tinkerers and collectors, here’s one for you. A system dump of the Galaxy S6 finally made its way online, giving you access to potentially useful material, including .apk files and system sounds.
Made available by ZiDroid.com, the system dump is helpfully partitioned into folders like “media” (notifications, ringtones, UI sounds) or “app” which contains all the .apk files of the apps that come pre-installed on the Galaxy S6. You can also download the entire system folder.
Here are the resources available for download:
- system folder: contains the whole system files and folders.
- app folder: contains *.apk system applications files.
- priv-app folder: contains *.apk system applications files.
- media folder: contains all *.qmg and *.ogg audio (notifications, ringtones, ui) files.
- fonts folder: contains all *.ttf system font files.
- framework folder: contains framework-res.apk all *.jar files.
- permissions folder: contains all *.xml files.
- lib, lib64 folders: contains all *.so files
- prop file.
The dump is made available on Mediafire, and note you will need to enter the ZiDroid.com password in order to open the archives. This is the system dump for Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F, with version number G920FXXU1AOBN – the final shipping software from devices launching on April 10 may differ.
If you decide to test out the .apk files, please make sure to back up and take all caution measures. If you’re looking for the stock Galaxy S6 wallpapers, you can get them from here (via Phone Arena).
YouTube to reportedly take on Twitch with game streaming push later this year
Google is reportedly planning a reinvigorated push for its live streaming platform that will go live later this year and focus on game streaming and esports.
Called YouTube Live, the service would go up against popular streaming service Twitch, which has already amassed the lion’s share of the game streaming market.
Xbox Music for Windows Phone updated with OneDrive integration tweaks
Xbox Music for Windows Phone has picked up a minor update today, bringing with it bug fixes and performance improvements.
Included in today’s update is a better tutorial on using OneDrive storage with the Music app, as well as a small tweak to the way offline playlists handle music from different sources.
Leaked image of alleged HTC One E9 reveals glossy back
The latest leaked image of the One E9 suggests that the device may feature a back made out of glossy plastic.
Here’s another high-speed 3D printer that creates objects in minutes
If Carbon3D’s capability to print out objects 25 to 100 times faster than usual is the reason why you can’t wait for it to come out, then you’ll love this machine, as well. An Australian company has announced that it’s also working on a super speedy 3D printer called Gizmo 3D. It creates objects out of liquid resin using a method that prints layers from the top to the bottom without breaks. This occurs within the vat of liquid resin itself: the build plate or the bottom of the vat was designed to slide downward, revealing more of the shape as its moves.
The process makes it look like items are being animated in real life instead of being printed out, as you can see in the video below. It takes the printer only 6 minutes to create an object that measures 5 inches x 3 inches using this technique. Gizmo 3D founder Kobus Toit is keeping the full details of his technology under wraps, though. He wants to wait until his Kickstarter campaign has launched in September to reveal the printer’s secrets. When the device does land on the crowdfunding website, you’ll have to pony up at least $2,500 for the most basic model, or at least $6,000 for the fancier one.
Filed under: Misc
Source: 3Dprint
Google’s upcoming Pony Express service to allow bill payments from within Gmail
There are so many ways to make payments both physically and online. Now, Google wants to add another that gets right to it. The company is reportedly working on a service going by the name Pony Express that forwards bills to inbox of its users. From there, they are able to make payments without having to leave Gmail.
Hit the break for more.
Pony Express, according to Re/code, will collect bills from various companies and store them in one place. This cuts out the need to go between company sites to pay each bill. Instead, Gmail has the tools for paying quickly. It seems that to gather the bills Google will be “partnering with third-party vendors that print and mail out bills on behalf of service providers such as insurance companies, telecom companies and utilities.” Getting bills directly from the service providers is unknown at this time. Users can pay immediately or setup dates for when payments are submitted.
Google enlists the help of a third-party to verify a user’s identity when setting up Pony Express. This includes name, address, and Social Security number. Adding a credit or debit card and phone number will also help make the service more useful.
Where could this service lead, anyways? Simply put: advertisements. Once Google gets an idea of what a user spends their money on, they can tailor advertisements across their many services and platforms even further.
The service is expected to launch in the final quarter of 2015. So plenty of changes between now and that time are likely. Consider Pony Express a fluid project for Google.
Source: Re/code
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Xiaomi may launch its smartwatch along with a new mid-range phone on March 31
The Chinese handset manufacturer has announced that it will launch new products on March 31 to commemorate its five-year anniversary.
AIVAnet 