Oppo R7 may get fingerprint sensor, metal body according to new renders

Some new images of the Oppo R7 have surfaced and if legitimate, show the device may come equipped with a fingerprint sensor and be built using a metal chassis and frame. The bad news for those who like minimal bezels is that the new renders do not show the bezel-less screen that surfaced in a previously leaked image of the Oppo R7.

According to the source that released the images on Chinese site Weibo, the fingerprint scanner is built into the Samsung-esque home button on the front of the device. The images also give a sense a how thin the Oppo R7 will be, reportedly a mere 4.85 mm thick. The device in the renders also comes with matching colors, in a couple with a unique shade of green, for both the front and back covers.

Sources have noted that the images do not seem to be actual pictures of the device, but are renders, so it is difficult to assess whether they are accurate. If this is the design, is the Oppo R7 a device you would be interested in?

source: Weibo
via: G for Games

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Google’s Project Fi is great, but the UK doesn’t need it

For years, there have been rumblings that Google was looking to get into the carrier business, but it took until yesterday for the search giant to finally reveal what it’s been working on. It’s called Project Fi, and it’s a unique new service that bears little resemblance to the traditional operator model. To provide mobile coverage, Google will be piggybacking on the networks of T-Mobile and Sprint — two of America’s largest carriers — and using millions of pre-vetted WiFi hotspots. Throw in unlimited free international texting, WiFi tethering and data coverage in over 120 countries, and you’ve got something genuinely exciting — if you live in the US and own a Nexus 6, at least. You see, if you hail from the UK, what Google’s offering just isn’t that innovative. Perks that may make waves over the pond are pretty commonplace here, and are fast becoming standard competitive procedure.

Take pricing, for instance. In the US, both mobile and broadband subscriptions are significantly more expensive than they are in Britain. Early upgrade offers and general competition has driven pricing down somewhat, but Google wants to put more control back in the customer’s hands. With Fi, the only thing you pay is a $20 monthly “Basics” fee and $10 per gigabyte of data (you’re refunded for any unused data you’ve purchased upfront at the end of the month). That means you can get up and running for as little as $30 (roughly £20) a month, which undercuts a number of plans from AT&T, Verizon and others. If you’re heavy on the downloads, however, that bill can run into the hundreds — $120, or around £80, buys you unlimited domestic and international calls, texts and 10GB of data per month.

If you travel regularly, it might be worth the investment, but in the UK, carriers are embroiled in a race to the bottom over pricing. Thanks to increased competition, all-you-can-eat tariffs are becoming more readily available. Three now offers unlimited calls/texts/4G data and roaming in 18 countries from £27 per month for new customers (some existing subscribers pay as little as £15). Even without roaming, all-you-can-eat tariffs are now dropping towards the magical £10 barrier. Just today, Carphone Warehouse went one better than Three (even though it’s relying on the operator’s network) by launching low-cost 4G tariffs that give customers free access to their existing data allowances in 22 countries. UK carriers tend to cover the most popular holiday hotspots, but it’s true that Google’s capacity to offer roaming in 120 countries (and unlimited WiFi tethering) is currently unmatched.

Another of Project Fi’s clever features is its ability to switch over to WiFi if cellular network quality isn’t cutting the mustard. Google’s put in work to pre-approve open networks and automatically connect users while encrypting their communications to ensure they can’t be eavesdropped on. While Google relies on its own installations and those from selected partners, most UK carriers also offer free WiFi hotspots for customers and also make use of WiFi calling features. O2 is one such company with an artillery of hotspots, and it’s stolen a march on Google by automatically pairing customers to nearby WiFi access points when cellular connections are weaker.

EE recently enabled seamless WiFi calling on newer iPhone and Samsung handsets, while Three encourages its customers to make use of its free WiFi calling apps. A native experience will supersede this eventually, and Vodafone’s gearing up to launch the same feature this summer. While Ofcom legislates to ensure carriers meet their UK geographical coverage targets, the availability of WiFi calling helps offset these so-called “not-spots.”

This isn’t to say that Google’s Project Fi isn’t a good idea. In fact, it’s a great idea. As it stands, though, it serves consumers who have been forced to put up with expensive and feature-restricted tariffs offered by US carriers. If it were to come to the UK, Fi might find that our fleet of providers have already skated to where the puck might be, and are intent on being one step ahead of a newcomer with a view to changing the game. Granted, Google has a more extensive roaming network on its side, but UK carriers are already ferociously competitive with one another, to the ultimate benefit of consumers. Should a new player enter the game, that debutant would likely discover firsthand how quick they are to react to even the possibility of healthy competition.

Filed under: Mobile

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Europe’s looking into tighter controls for America’s tech titans

Almost all of the world’s biggest tech companies are American, a fact that’s got the European Union slightly worried. So worried, in fact, that the EU has started looking into forming a regulatory body with the power to monitor companies like Google and Facebook, ensuring that they don’t abuse their dominant market position. A research document, prepared for digital commissioner Günther Oettinger and leaked to the Wall Street Journal, shows that officials are worried about these businesses threatening Europe’s entire economy.

One of their biggest concerns is that since European companies rely on American sites, the former could be quite vulnerable to the latter. In a mad example I’ve just made up, let’s say that France’s cheesemakers primarily sell their wares through Amazon, and one day Jeff Bezos develops a lactose intolerance. If he were to begin overcharging for access, or ban any dairy-based products from his site, France’s GDP could slump.

This same idea applies to all small and medium enterprises that use services like Etsy, TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Google. The last entry in that list, of course, has recently become the subject of two antitrust investigations concerning potential abuses of both Google Shopping and the Android operating system.

Despite the fact that European developers make 42 percent of the world’s app revenue, the continent still suffers with a negative digital trade deficit of around $138 million. The report puts his problem squarely at the feet of “app platform fees” that these companies have to pay to portals like Google Play and Apple’s App Store, although neither are named. There’s also rumblings that Europe is finally looking for a way to penalize these companies for instances of tax avoidance, a hot-button issue over on the continent.

Right now, the document is just an idea, albeit one that will receive plenty of attention from lawmakers a cross the continent. Considering that both French and German officials have spoken in support of making web platforms interoperable, you can expect this story to run and run.

[Image Credit: Getty]

Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google, Amazon

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Source: Wall Street Journal