Apple Pay Now Accepted By T-Mobile, GameStop, NBA Teams and More
Apple Pay is now accepted by ten additional stores and partners in the United States, including T-Mobile retail stores, GameStop and a trio of NBA franchises in the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns. The mobile payments service, compatible with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and soon Apple Watch, can now be used at 68 participating stores throughout the country as Apple continues to add new partners.
The full list of newly added participating stores and partners:
Apple Pay is a NFC-based mobile payments service that debuted on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last October, enabling customers to make contactless payments by holding their smartphone up to a payments terminal at participating vendors. The service is secured by Touch ID and will also be compatible with the iPhone 5 or later when paired with an Apple Watch, which is available for pre-order April 10 and goes on sale April 24.
Xiaomi sells over 2 million smartphones in a ‘fan festival’ sale to celebrate its birthday
Xiaomi is certainly a force to be reckoned with after the company managed to sell more than two million smartphones during a 12-hour event on Wednesday.
IBM starts testing AI software that mimics the human brain
We haven’t talked about Numenta since an HP exec left to join the company in 2011, because, well, it’s been keeping a pretty low-profile existence. Now, a big name tech corp is reigniting interest in the company and its artificial intelligence software. According to MIT’s Technology Review, IBM has recently started testing Numenta’s algorithms for practical tasks, such as analyzing satellite imagery of crops and spotting early signs of malfunctioning field machinery. Numenta’s technology caught IBM’s eye, because it works more similarly to the human brain than other AI software. The 100-person IBM team that’s testing the algorithms is led by veteran researcher Winfried Wilcke, who had great things to say about the technology during a conference talk back in February.
Tech Review says he praised Numenta for “being closer to biological reality than other machine learning software” — in other words, it’s more brain-like compared to its rivals. For instance, it can make sense of data more quickly than competitors, which have to be fed tons of examples, before they can see patterns and handle their jobs. As such, Numenta’s algorithms can potentially give rise to more intelligent software.
The company has its share of critics, however. Gary Marcus, a New York University psychology professor and a co-founder of another AI startup, told Tech Review that while Numenta’s creation is pretty brain-like, it’s oversimplified. So far, he’s yet to see it “try to handle natural language understanding or even produce state-of-the-art results in image recognition.” It would be interesting to see IBM use the technology to develop, for example, speech-to-text software head and shoulders above the rest or a voice assistant that can understand any accent, as part of its tests. At the moment, though, Numenta’s employees are focusing on teaching the software to control physical equipment to be used in future robots.
[Image credit: Petrovich9/Getty]
Filed under: Science
Source: Technology Review
Record sales for the Samsung Galaxy S6 expected, shortage of S6 Edge imminent
Samsung needed a winner in its 2015 flagship and all indications are saying that Samsung is expecting record sales for the Samsung Galaxy S6. Mission accomplished, right? Well, Samsung is actually going to have its work cut out for it keeping up with the demand, not only for the flat-screened Galaxy S6, but particularly for […]
The post Record sales for the Samsung Galaxy S6 expected, shortage of S6 Edge imminent appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Google releases Android 5.1 factory image for Nexus 7 2012 3G (Nakasig)
If you are the owner of a 2012 Nexus 7 3G (Nakasig) then you are in for a treat today, as Google has just posted the factory image that will update your tablet to Android 5.1. The Android 5.1 update comes in at 403MB and is available to download from Google’s Android Developers website linked below. Once downloaded, just follow the steps as posted in this guide to flashing and you will be on your way to enjoying a second helping of that lollipop goodness on your 2012 Nexus 7 3G tablet. The Android 5.1 update includes new features that includes Device Protection and the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, more of which can be read about here while you wait for the flashing process to complete.
Source: Google Developers Website
Come comment on this article: Google releases Android 5.1 factory image for Nexus 7 2012 3G (Nakasig)
Sony Xperia Z Ultra GPe now receiving OTA update for Android 5.1
With the Z Ultra GPe now receiving Android 5.1, we must ask: will the standard version be next?
While Sony is gearing up to release its fourth Xperia Z phone, some phablet fans are still sitting pretty with the original’s larger-than-life cousin, the Xperia Z Ultra. For those who opted to keep things pure, the GPe variant was the way to go. Fortunately, Google hasn’t forgotten about the largest phone to have been offered with stock Android, as the just a few days after Android 5.1 hit LG’s G Pad 8.3 GPe, it’s now time for the Z Ultra GPe to receive the latest Lollipop build.
The update brings the hardware to build LMY47D. For those who can’t wait for the OTA to hit via traditional methods, the file can be manually downloaded and flashed via the link at the end of the post. The download comes in at 212MB which is about the same size as the G Pad 8.3’s update. Note that manually updating the device is not recommended unless you know what you’re doing, as if something goes wrong your Z Ultra might end up as a paperweight.
For those interested in a history lesson, please check out our review of the original Z Ultra for a tour of the hardware:
Has anyone with the Xperia Z Ultra already installed Android 5.1? Let us know your thoughts or experiences in the comments below.
For manual download, please click here.
Disney has banned the selfie stick from being used on its rides or attractions
Disneyland is no longer the happiest place in the world, for selfie stick users at least. News has dropped today that Disney has banned the selfie stick from being used on any of the rides or attractions at its theme parks for reasons rooted in safety, not only to wielders of the selfie stick but others as well. Disney […]
The post Disney has banned the selfie stick from being used on its rides or attractions appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Apple adds 10 new Apple Pay merchants, including Acme and GameStop
Apple has updated the list of partners for Apple Pay, adding 10 new merchants that now accept the touchless payment system. This brings the total number of partners up to 68.
Apple updated the Apple Pay website with the addition of GameStop, Acme, Luby’s, Rubio’s, Davis Food & Drug, Firehouse Subs and T-Mobile.
As well as the new retail partners, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners are able to purchase official team merchandise at three arenas – Amway Center, Oracle Arena and US Airways Center.
The same website also details upcoming partners, which include Raley’s, Pep Boys and Marriott.
Source: Apple, via: Apple Insider
Samsung boss says Galaxy S6 Edge availability will be limited “for a while”
As Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S Edge, the company’s mobile boss admitted that the Edge would be available in limited quantities at launch.
Talking to the press in Seoul ahead of the Galaxy S6 Edge’s debut tomorrow, Samsung Mobile CEO JK Shin said that the phone’s curved screen is difficult to manufacture, and that will affect the initial availability of the device.
“We’re working hard to resolve the difficulty in supply,” said Shin, but the executive cautioned that the supply restraint may last “for a while.” Shin refused to provide details on the exact issues affecting manufacturing, but an older report points to the curved glass protecting the display as a potential culprit. Samsung’s glass suppliers reportedly face low yield rates, while the lengthy fabrication process and high cost further add to the challenge.
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It’s not clear what effect this “difficulty in supply” will have on the actual in-store availability of the Galaxy S6 Edge; the device is expected to be in high-demand, and Samsung reportedly ramped up production based on the warm reception the Edge enjoyed.
Following glowing reviews and a generally positive reaction from users, Samsung expects the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge to set a new sales record. JK Shin said he expects the S6 to outsell both the Galaxy S5, and Samsung’s all-time best-seller, the Galaxy S4. “We expect (the figure) will be a lot higher, compared with the Galaxy S5 last year or its preceding model,” Shin said.
“Making everyday functions more handy and useful for consumers and creating what is needed most at this moment rather than trying to get ahead of rivals, is what we believe was a sincere innovation,” said Shin about the “back to basics” philosophy behind the device.
The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will go on sale from tomorrow in 20 countries from around the world. In the US, all major carriers will be carrying the S6 and S6 Edge, with T-Mobile already shipping the device to customers.
Were you planning to get the Galaxy S6 Edge? If you won’t be able to get it, will you buy the regular S6 or wait out?
Board the S Carpet to be among the first to experience the Samsung Galaxy S6
Eagerly awaiting the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge? Samsung may have the perfect solution for you in the form of the S Carpet. And no, we’re not talking about Disney’s Aladdin.
AIVAnet 