Samsung starts distributing Lollipop OTA in Brazil, India, UAE and Baltic countries
Samsung is now pushing out the much-anticipated and eagerly-awaited Lollipop update to all unlocked models of the Galaxy Note 4 located in Brazil, India, UAE, and the Baltic region. This 1.1GB upgrade transports the latest build of the Android 5.0.1 operating system, together with a faster ART runtime, a handful of bug fixes, stability improvements and speed optimizations.
Hit the break for the full changelog.
- Material Design: You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device – from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
- Notifications UI & Priorities: In order to alert you to the most timely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:
- notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
- you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
- you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
- very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
- when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
- you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).
- New Interruptions & Downtime Settings: You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions. You can personalize what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify. The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify. e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend.
- Recent Apps (Multi-tasking): The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications. For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards. This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks.
- Flashlight: Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it).
- Pin a view/app: Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can ‘pin’ a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone.
- Battery: The Battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging. You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life.
- Smarter Internet Connections: With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch.
- Performance: Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimize application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process. Note that the optimization for ART requires more space.
- Security: Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data. Note that the stronger key willonly be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop. Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key. You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu.
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’.
Come comment on this article: Samsung starts distributing Lollipop OTA in Brazil, India, UAE and Baltic countries
Facebook Riff arrives to Google Play
Yesterday, amid all the April Fools mayhem, Facebook took the wraps off Riff, a new app that let’s you and your Facebook friends create unique collaborative videos. Riff lets one person post a video that’s up to 20 seconds in length, along with a title that instructs friends on what to do next. Invited friends will then be able to contribute more scenes, eventually expanding the video.
So what’s the point? We imagine Facebook envisions the app as a way for folks to playfully stitch together videos wishing their Facebook friends happy birthdays, congratulations on that engagement, and so forth. It remains unseen whether or not Riff will actually catch on but can’t blame Facebook for trying. For those that are hoping for more advanced tools to make these collaborated videos as high quality as possible, no such luck. There’s no editing tools of any kind, or even a way to upload edited video from outside of Riff.
What do you think of the idea, just another pointless social gimmick or is Facebook actually on to something here?
HTC M9 Plus promotional material leaks
HTC have been busy recently and their latest HTC One M9 Plus device, which they planned to launch in China on April 8th, has just been shown off in a flurry of promotional material leaks.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen the physical home button and metal build leaked, and if these promotional leaks are in fact legitimate, then there’s solid evidence that the upcoming HTC One M9 Plus will indeed opt for a physical button.
Combine that with the other rumours of a 5.2-inch QHD display, and 64-bit Snapdragon 810 with 3GB of RAM, and this is turning out to be quite the device.
The post HTC M9 Plus promotional material leaks appeared first on AndroidGuys.
HTC launches the One M8s in Europe
As leaks continue to pour in about different variants of HTC’s latest flagship device – the One M9, the Taiwanese manufacturer has announced a cheaper version of its old bestseller, the One M8. Dubbed as the One M8s, the new handset has the same metal chassis as its older sibling but packs a better battery (2,840 mAh) and a slightly stripped down chipset.
It features the same 5-inch FHD display and BoomSound speakers on the front. In the imagining department, the One M8s sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture in comparison to the 4-Ultrapixel camera of the original M8 that has the similar aperture. Now whether ultrapixels provide better images than megapixels is still under debate, with many considering the term ‘ultrapixel’ a marketing gimmick by HTC. As for the selfie camera, the new device has the same 5-megapixel sensor with f/2.8 aperture, which means slightly poor images than the HTC One M8’s front camera with f/2.0 aperture in low light conditions.
As far as the hardware in concerned, the device packs a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor based on Cortex-A53 cores. At a higher clock speed, they should be able to support 1080p video recording from front as well as back camera in addition to fast performance and lag free experience. The CPU is coupled with 2GB of RAM, 16 GB and Adreno 405 GPU.
Connectivity options include LTE Cat 4, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, USB 2.0, NFC.and Bluetooth 4.1 (against Bluetooth 4.0 of the One M8). Also, it runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out-of-the-box.
HTC is launching the One M8s in the UK for £380 ($564), which is not a lot less than the One M8. The new M8 model will be made available in other European nations soon but the date hasn’t been revealed yet. Considering the slight differences in pricing and specifications, which phone would you choose – the One M8 or the One M8s or the new HTC One M9?
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Force Touch Could Be Exclusive to ‘iPhone 6s Plus’
Apple’s pressure-sensing Force Touch technology could be exclusive to the so-called “iPhone 6s Plus,” according to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News (via GforGames). The report, which claims Taiwanese manufacturer TPK will be responsible for supplying Apple with the Force Touch sensors, makes no mention of the “iPhone 6s,” leading to speculation that the technology could be reserved for the larger iPhone 6s Plus.
It has been reported that Apple will include Force Touch technology on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on at least three occasions since the beginning of this year. TechNews Taiwan reported that the iPhone 6s will gain Force Touch and 2GB of RAM in January, while AppleInsider reported in March that Apple’s next-generation iPhones will feature Force Touch, but lack a previously rumored dual-lens camera system.
The Wall Street Journal corroborated both reports later in March, claiming that Apple will introduce Force Touch and is considering a new pink color option for its next-generation iPhones. Currently built into the upcoming Apple Watch and 12-inch Retina MacBook, Force Touch lets devices distinguish between a light tap and a hard press, enabling new gestures that yield different actions depending on how much pressure is applied.
While this latest report should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt, making Force Touch exclusive to the iPhone 6s Plus would not be an unprecedented move. Apple limited optical image stabilization (OIS) to the iPhone 6 Plus, and the larger smartphone also features a landscape mode. The higher cost of Force Touch sensors could be another reason that Apple would limit the technology to the more expensive iPhone 6s Plus.
HTC One M9+ leaked again, this time in promotional materials
HTC will unveil the HTC One M9+ on April 8 in Beijing, and if the recent leaked images of the device were not enough, how about some promotional materials?
“More than One” is the way they will market the phone and you can see they will be highlighting the new Home button, the metal build, and it’s UI. The M9+ is also rumored to sport a Duo Camera, but none of these images confirm that.
Should we be excited for the M9+ or ticked off because HTC is unveiling a better phone before the basic M9 is even officially launched?
source: MyDrivers
via: G4Games
Come comment on this article: HTC One M9+ leaked again, this time in promotional materials
Comcast’s new broadband service is twice as fast as Google Fiber
Comcast has drawn a new battle line against Google Fiber by launching a 2Gbps fiber broadband service called Gigabit Pro. It arrives next month in Atlanta and will be available in 18 million homes across the US by the end of the year. The package will deliver symmetric uploads and downloads like Fiber does, but at twice its 1Gbps speed. Mountain View had already announced that it would bring Fiber to Atlanta, but Comcast will now beat it to the punch both in timing and data rates.
Comcast also tweaked Google’s nose by saying “our approach is to offer the most comprehensive rollout of multi-gigabit service to the most homes as quickly as possible, not just to certain neighborhoods.” That’s a reference to the search giant’s glacially slow rollout of its highly-sought service. However, most consumers don’t mind dealing with Google, something Comcast certainly can’t say. It’s been mired in bad press over customer service issues, and has adamantly opposed new net neutrality rules that are favored by consumers.
That said, the sheer speed of the service is impressive. Comcast emphasized that you’ll need to be in an urban center near its fiber network and will require a “professional-grade” installation. It hasn’t revealed pricing yet, but given similarities to its business-grade service, we’d expect it to be costly. However, you might get a break if you’re in a city that also has Google Fiber.
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Verge
Source: Comcast
Galaxy S6 sprints to first place in AnTuTu’s Q1 2015 performance report
Popular benchmarking platform AnTuTu has published its Q1 2015 performance report for smartphones, listing the average scores of the top 10 handsets to pass through its test. The results are very favourable for Samsung and MediaTek, but raise more questions about Qualcomm’s latest high-end Snapdragon processor.
The averaged AnTuTu results find the Galaxy S6 to be a rather nippy device, reflecting our own earlier tests. The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge top the chart by quite a margin, followed by the new HTC One M9 and then a range of last year’s flagship smartphones. Samsung appears vindicated in its choice to exclusively use its in-house 14nm FinFET Exynos 7420 in its latest flagship.
Outstripping its reputation, the MediaTek MT6595 powered Meizu MX4 manages to retain its spot in the top 5 from last year. The MT6595 is built from four Cortex-A17 and four A7 CPU cores, combined with a PowerVR Series6 GPU. MediaTek’s high-end chips are clearly capable of taking on the big SoC brands these days.
However, what is perhaps most interesting about these results is the mediocre performance demonstrated by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810, found inside the HTC One M9 and LG G Flex 2. While the One M9, on average, shows some improvement over last generation Snapdragon 805 handsets that make up the bulk of the list, the G Flex 2 sits towards the bottom of the top 10.
While we may not have expected the Snapdragon 810 to exactly match the 14nm Exynos 7420, we anticipated a clearer gap between Qualcomm’s new chip and the 28nm Snapdragon 805 series.
Benchmarks being only a semi-accurate reflection of real-world performance, it is tough to say exactly what, if anything, is holding the Snapdragon 810 back. A software or task management burden is vaguely possible, but it’s difficult not to suspect that the unverified overheating issue haunting the Snapdragon 810 might have more to do with it. Throttling back performance to prevent overly high temperatures is common in all chips. However, if the 810 is running even moderately hotter than the last generation, throttling could be taking place faster than usual to reduce the chip’s peak performance, which would definitely show up in a benchmark test.
Furthermore, the AnTuTu GPU performance test reveals a result much more in line with what the chip specification sheets would suggest. The Exynos 7420’s Mali-T760 MP8 GPU shows a slight advantage over the Snapdragon 810’s Adreno 430, which in turn shows the sort of improvement that we were expecting compared with the Snapdragon 805’s Adreno 420 and 801’s Adreno 330. It seems that the 810 is underperforming on the CPU side, which lines up with the rumored cause of the overheating problem.
As damning as the list looks, we don’t have any complaints about the performance offered by the HTC One M9. Although the same can’t be said for the LG G Flex 2.
While not conclusive proof of any major issue, the results are disappointing for Qualcomm’s chip and may cast further doubt over current and upcoming smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 810. Rumors such as LG’s G4 potentially switching to the Snapdragon 808, aren’t helping the situation either.
Even so, Qualcomm is still the most dominant SoC manufacturer in the high-performance smartphone market, for now, with 7 out of 10 devices in the list using a Snapdragon chip. It remains to be seen if Qualcomm will retain its market dominance in the high-end space throughout 2015, or if this year will present opportunities for MediaTek or Samsung to grab a bigger share.
Sony Xperia Z4 passes through FCC with microSD card slot in tow
The Xperia Z4 is definitely headed for a debut some time this month or next, as more and more details continue to come out. A few days ago, purported specs of the Xperia Z4 leaked out on GFXBench. Yesterday, it seems as if the upcoming Sony device has passed through the FCC.
According to the FCC documents, the unnamed Sony device packs nearly the same dimensions as the Xperia Z3. One of the highlights of the latest info on what could be of the Xperia Z4, is that it features a microSD card slot. It’s good to see that Sony is sticking to their guns, because as we’ve seen with Samsung, microSD expansion isn’t that important.
Not much else is mentioned throughout the FCC documents, although Phandroid notes that “the device in question is packing a nice amount of frequency bands to support US networks.”
Now that more info is coming out on the Xperia Z4, does that get you excited about the upcoming Sony device? Be sure to let us know what you think!
The post Sony Xperia Z4 passes through FCC with microSD card slot in tow appeared first on AndroidGuys.
European Commission ‘Concerned’ About Apple’s Streaming Music Plans
European regulators are scrutinizing Apple’s discussions with record labels for its much-rumored streaming music service, according to Financial Times. The report claims the European Commission has contacted several labels and digital music companies to request information about their agreements with Apple, although these actions do not guarantee it will launch a formal antitrust investigation.
The report, citing people familiar with the matter, claims that the European Commission is “concerned” that Apple will use its size and influence to persuade the music groups to abandon free, ad-supported services such as Spotify. Apple has nearly 1 billion iTunes users, and the company could face hefty fines and be required to change its business practises if committed of wrongdoing.
Apple is expected to launch a revamped streaming music service at WWDC in June, and its rumored price tag of $7.99 per month would be a few dollars cheaper than rivals such as Spotify, Rdio and Google Play Music. The service will reportedly be deeply integrated into iTunes on Mac and the stock Music app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and apps will also be available for Apple TV and Android.
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