Wikileaks dump of Sony internal documents uncovers Sony Xperia Z4 images, pegs April-June launch
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Whether you agree with Wikileaks‘ methodology or not, there is a whole heap of Sony‘s internal documentation floating around the Internet at the moment, which kind of made it easy to come across some new Sony Xperia Z4 images. The images appear to show the Xperia Z4, or “Sony Xperia Fourth Generation”, with metal construction and looking not unlike the Xperia Z3, however the fine print of one of the images says that the metal will be polished metal plating prepared by “anodizing technology”, which should give the Xperia Z4 a slightly different sheen to the Xperia Z3. Check out all the images below:
The other piece of notable information to come from the information dumped by Wikileaks is that a “Xperia flagship” is expected to be launched sometime between April and June 2015, which will undoubtedly be the Xperia Z4. It’s also worth nothing that this same time period should see the release of a new Xperia Z Tablet as well, presumably called the Xperia Z4 Tablet as previous naming conventions would suggest. We’ve heard rumours that April 20th is going to be the day that Sony announces the Xperia Z4, which matches with this new information, but we won’t have long to wait and see if that rumour is true.
What do you think about the Sony Xperia Z4 images? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Wikileaks via Phone Arena
The post Wikileaks dump of Sony internal documents uncovers Sony Xperia Z4 images, pegs April-June launch appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Will the LG G4 sell as well as the LG G3? Korean analysts says “No”
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We’ve got just over a week before LG officially announces the LG G4, but the question is already being asked: Will the LG G4 sell as well as the LG G3? According to Korean analyst, IBK Investment & Securities, the answer is “No”. This answer is largely driven by the resurgent success of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge who says will create market conditions which “will not be favorable” for the LG G4, who LG is hoping will sell the same number of handsets as the LG G3, estimated to be around 10 million.
Another source has said that the recent rumours that the LG G4 will be powered be a Snapdragon 808 instead of a Snapdragon 810 will be an issue if true as it is losing “a selling point for LG”. And as you can imagine, anything that LG can claw back from the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is going to be an important differentiator come April 28th, but we’ll have to see if LG has anything else hidden up their sleeves.
What do you think about the LG G4 not selling as well as the LG G3? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: The Korea Herald via Phone Arena
The post Will the LG G4 sell as well as the LG G3? Korean analysts says “No” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
ESPN objects to Verizon’s flexible FiOS TV plans
You may like Verizon’s more flexible FiOS TV packages, but ESPN sure doesn’t. The Disney-owned sports network claims that these offerings break contracts which prevent carriers from putting ESPN and ESPN2 into a separate sports package — typically, they have to be included with other Disney channels. The company isn’t directly accusing Verizon of going rogue, but a Recode source claims that the telecom didn’t ask for permission. While Verizon tells the Wall Street Journal that it crafted the packages to avoid trouble, the insider says that the provider believed its existing deals would let it test these smaller bundles without a conflict. Clearly, ESPN would beg to differ.
We’ve reached out to Verizon for its response to the allegations, and we’ll let you know if it has more to add. Whatever the scoop may be, it’s safe to say that Disney will fight hard to put ESPN in the base package. ESPN got its dominance in part because it’s ubiquitous in TV bundles — Verizon is treating it more as a specialty station. As much as you might want to pay solely for the channels you’ll actually watch, it’s doubtful that Disney will willingly sacrifice this cash cow in the name of convenience.
[Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Verizon
Via: The Verge
Source: Recode, Wall Street Journal
Losing Samsung’s business might mean Qualcomm may spin off its Snapdragon unit
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It was a decidedly brave move for Samsung to rely on its own Exynos processors to be used in their make-or-break flagship devices, but it has proven to be somewhat of a masterstroke given the chip’s quality and raw material cost saving’s for Samsung. On the other side of the coin, the real loser out of all of this is Qualcomm who has lost one of its biggest customers, and even if Samsung continues to use Qualcomm for some of its lower spec processor, that’s potentially 70 million devices out there in the world that won’t be using Qualcomm chips. As a result, Qualcomm may spin off its Snapdragon unit as a reaction to this, or even cut its patent royalties which Qualcomm gets for every device sold with Qualcomm hardware in it.
That might all seem pretty drastic, but you can get a feel for the scale of loss when you consider that Samsung has paid Qualcomm over 10 trillion won (approximately $9.2 billion USD) over the last 4 years starting with the Samsung Galaxy S. However,with the ever growing threat of MediaTek, and now Samsung as well, Qualcomm may have no choice but to split its chip manufacturing division from its licencing business if this keeps going south.
What do you think about Qualcomm splitting off its chip manufacturing division? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Business Korea via Phone Arena
The post Losing Samsung’s business might mean Qualcomm may spin off its Snapdragon unit appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Comcast’s gigabit internet hits northern California in June
Comcast is bringing its twice-as-fast-as-Google-Fiber internet service to northern California. Potential customers will need installation of professional-grade equipment to access it and, you’ll have to be near its fiber network — Fresno, Monterey, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area are among the places on the list — to qualify. That’s not all, either. Statewide, it’s rolling out a 250 Mbps “Extreme 250″ speed tier for cable internet customers. The telecom giant’s also boosting speeds on its existing tiers as well, with lower priced-plans getting jumps from 25 to 45 Mbps depending on the package at no added cost. Perhaps the best news about all this is that you won’t have to wait too much longer for it all to take effect. Comcast says it’ll start the cable internet upgrades in May with continued rollouts taking place the rest of the year, while the 2Gbps fiber service starts rolling out in June. And just like that, there’s another gigabit competitor in Google HQ’s vicinity with Fiber nowhere in sight.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Source: Comcast
Windows 10’s phone maps help you find things to do
To put it mildly, Windows Phone’s official mapping options are… basic. However, Microsoft is promising a better experience with the mobile Maps app in Windows 10. Get a recent preview version of Windows 10 and you’ll see a map interface that is not only decidedly more modern-looking, but ties in more closely with Bing and rolls in some Here Maps features. You’ll get the usual photos, reviews and directions (including Here’s in-car navigation), but you’ll also have an easier time finding things to do. You can specify that you’re looking for something to eat near your hotel, for instance, and book the table reservation on the spot. This upgrade probably won’t get you to switch phone platforms, but it’s a big deal if you’re a Windows phone fan who’d like to get Microsoft’s best mapping services in a single app.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Blogging Windows
Google’s ‘balloon-powered internet for all’ is almost ready
In case you wanted another behind-the-scenes look at how Google’s internet-by-balloon service is doing, now is your chance. The Project Loon team posted a new video showing everything from how it manages its balloon fleet, the balloon creation process, their partnership with local LTE network providers abroad and a few other aspects of the initiative as well. For example, the team is keeping the airborne-internet vessels afloat for up to 100 days at a time now, can build balloons in hours instead of days, and can launch many dozens of balloon every day instead of just a single one. Nearly two years after the project’s launch, it’s gone from “will it work?” to being presented as something that will work. With thousands of balloons aloft, it can push signal into areas that can’t easily get internet service in other ways. As is typical with these status updates, it’s slickly produced and has a handful of whimsical animations and music to boot — check it out after the break.
Source: Project Loon (G+), Project Loon
FCC vote clears the way for lower-cost mobile data
Don’t look now, but you may soon have more options for mobile internet access beyond the usual wireless carriers. The FCC has voted in favor of rules that not only make a wide 100MHz slice of 3.5GHz spectrum available for mobile data, but makes that data more accessible. Rather than simply parcel out the airwaves to the highest bidders (which are usually telecoms), the FCC has a “General Authorized Access” tier that lets any device use these frequencies, similar to WiFi’s license-free scheme. The move would still let conventional carriers bolster their networks, but it also paves the way for cheap or free over-the-air broadband. Companies ranging from Google to Verizon are interested, so you should expect an eclectic mix of services once the devices are ready.
The move should also help tackle temporary bandwidth crunches. The vote greenlights auctions for regional, short-term “priority” rights to part of the spectrum — if a carrier expects its network to bog down for a short while, for example, it could buy some headroom. This doesn’t mean that overcongested networks are a thing of the past, but your provider of choice could have a new way to mitigate those slowdowns.
[Image credit: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Internet, Mobile
Via: Multichannel News, Reuters
Source: FCC
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Sponsor: TickTick – Todo and Task List
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
TickTick is a task list application that allows you to organize your day. It features cross platform support on Android, iOS, and the web via extensions so you can check your tasks anywhere. It features real-time syncing across devices, the ability to do things like create checklists for more immersive task creation, support for sub tasks, and the ability to group tasks together in a folder. You can also upload attachments and share task lists for collaborative purposes. It’s a solid application that’s very easy to use and you should check it out.
Hello and welcome back to the Android Apps Weekly show! Here are your headlines for this week:
- First up this week, Google has added new sections to the Material Design guidelines. They cover data tables, units and measurements, app structure, data truncation, and additional stuff for the floating action button.
- Reports are coming in that Microsoft is striking deals with OEMs to lower licensing fees in exchange for bundling Microsoft apps on devices. Two days later, Cyanogen announced a new partnership with Microsoft where they do exactly that.
- A few Google apps were updated this last week. You can now locate your phone by typing “Find My Phone” into a Google Search. Google Drive has been updated to add 23 new languages and easier file sharing. Google Chrome now supports site notifications and got some bug fixes.
- Speaking of Google, the Google Play Store will now be working harder to bring higher quality family friendly content to the forefront. This comes on the heels of YouTube for Kids and the manual approval process announced a couple week ago.
- In our last bit of news this week, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics are working on releasing a brand new Tomb Raider game. It’ll be Freemium infinite runner and it’s been soft launched in the Netherlands with a full release coming soon.
For more Android apps and games headlines, releases, and updates, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter where we’ll have the complete list of everything app related that happened this week. If you’re so inclined, you can sign up for it with your email address to get the newsletter sent straight to your inbox every Friday.
Subscribe to our Android Apps Weekly newsletter!
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft got a huge update this last week. Among other things, the app is now available for all smartphones and not just screens that are 6-inches or larger. People have been getting around that issue on their own but it does feel nice to have actual support for smaller screens. Also with the update came some bug fixes, performance improvements, and an indicator to let you know when you’re about to lose connection.
Google Handwriting Input
[Price: Free]
Google Handwriting Input is a new keyboard app that lets you write down your messages instead of just typing them out. It works on tablets and phones and you can choose whether or not to use a stylus. It also comes in 82 languages, supports emojis, and it’s available for all Android devices running Android 4.0.3 and up. It’s a nice augment to a keyboard and voice input and it recognizes your writing even if it’s pretty bad.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Experience
[Price: Free]
If you’ve been wondering about getting a Galaxy S6, you now have the opportunity to try out the software features to see if you like them. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Experience app lets you test out various Touchwiz features and look at the design and even the accessories of the Galaxy S6. This is a fun to try if you’re considering picking up the S6 or S6 Edge and it is free to use. It should also be compatible with most Android devices.
Magica X Magica
[Price: $0.99 with in-app purchases]
Magica X Magica is a 2D infinite runner and shooter game and it’s one of the precious few with an actual story line. You play as a girl who is trying to save her kidnapped friend by shooting a bunch of bad guys. It features some decent artwork and graphics, simple mechanics, various weapons, many missions, and boss fights. It calls itself the saddest game in this genre ever made and should be an interesting pick up for runner and shooter fans.
Joe Danger
[Price: $3.38 with in-app purchases]
Joe Danger is a side-scrolling daredevil game that was a huge hit on iOS and iPad and it’s finally made it’s way to Android. The game will feature 80 levels across 10 tours to challenge your skills, online scoreboards and achievements, 29 different characters, and daily challenges. You can also replay levels to get a perfect run to earn the Pro Medals for each level. It’s a fun little game and shouldn’t be too expensive for most people.
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps and games news, let us know in the comments!
The world as a work of digital art
As curious creatures, we attempt to understand the world around us in many ways and nowadays that usually boils down to big data visualization. Whether we’re creating models of large-scale systems or breaking down reality into wireframes and exposing the digital bones beneath, the data-rich internet and open-source tools are helping people map and explore the world in new ways. People are leveraging technology to make their voices heard in political realms and using digital expression to bypass physical conflict. Indeed, in this digital age, the lines between life and art are becoming blurred. Don’t believe us? Then explore the gallery below for just a few examples.
AIVAnet 