Bug renders ‘Ok Google’ Everywhere useless on Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
Do you have a Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge and are experiencing issues with the device picking up “Ok Google” hotword detection? Well, you’re not alone.
Since Samsung’s new flagship device launched, users have been having issues with Ok Google Everywhere. It won’t work at all. In fact, the hotword will only work from the Google app or the Google Now Launcher. It’s a strange and frustrating bug, especially for those who just picked up one of the devices.
There must be a solution to a bug as big and as frustrating as this, right? Not exactly. There were concerns raised in the Google Product Forums on the problem. However, the only official response is a community manager’s post, who claims Engineers are “actively working on providing a solution.”
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all of your feedback. We shared this with the engineering team when users initially reported it, and they’ve been actively working on providing a solution. We will provide another update soon.
Note: I’m going to be marking this post as ‘best answer’ only to surface my post to the top of this thread for new users’ visibility. I acknowledge this is still an open issue, and we’re looking into it – thanks!
That was the last official response from Google, which was three weeks ago. The problem is only getting bigger–thousands of complains are being raised all over the Internet. It’s a very consistent problem. At this point, you’d think it’d be a well known bug put on Google’s priority list.
With no response from Google for three weeks now, users are only going to get more frustrated, tell their friends, and eventually hurt the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge’s reputation that Samsung has worked so hard to bolster. Hopefully as the problem gets more and more attention, there will be a fix for it soon, especially if Google’s Engineers have been aware and working on it for three weeks now.
What’s interesting is that the problem has been going on for three weeks now, just a week after the Galaxy S6’s release. It’s perplexing that such a widespread issue like this wouldn’t show up in extensive testing before a massive product launch like the Galaxy S6.
It’s certainly not rendering the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge useless, but its quite a frustrating problem nonetheless. It’s quite possible that Google has been working on this issue for three weeks. It might be a deeper problem that takes a considerable amount of time fix. We don’t know. Hopefully we’ll hear some communication from Samsung or Google on the matter–it’d certainly calm some nerves.
Have you found a way around this problem? Let us know in the comments.
source: Google Product Forums
via: Android Police
Come comment on this article: Bug renders ‘Ok Google’ Everywhere useless on Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
FBI says police can disclose Stingray use, but not what they can do
Look, none of us should be surprised that police departments across the country use things like Stingrays — sophisticated surveillance devices that suck up cell phone communications — in their investigations. Still, more than a few of those PDs have insisted in court on trying to keep that specialized gear out of the limelight. Consider cases like this one in Baltimore last year, where a police officer was nearly held in contempt for withholding information about cell phone tracking practices; they often hinge on the fact that law enforcement officials entered into non-disclosure agreements with the FBI to keep usage under wraps. Turns out, that’s not exactly the full story. According to a statement released by the FBI earlier this morning (and obtained in full by Ars Technica), there really aren’t any legal stipulations meant to keep law enforcement from admitting stingrays have been used.
“Defendants,” the statement goes on, “have a legal right to challenge the use of electronic surveillance devices, and not disclosing their use could inappropriately and adversely affect a defendant’s right to challenge the use of the equipment.” Instead, what those NDAs are meant to do is keep people from disclosing the “specific capabilities” of Stingrays (and related surveillance gear with different, less-catchy brand names). Naturally, the Bureau takes this part pretty seriously. A lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union against the Erie County Sheriff’s Office last year revealed the FBI even reserved the right to ask local PDs to drop cases entirely if the sanctity of the Stingray’s capabilities or details on how they were used in investigations fell into peril. Thing is, even that’s a moot point now: The press corps has done a fine job of unearthing those capabilities and sharing them with the public at large anyway.
While today’s release gives us just a little more insight on the curious relationship between the Feds and local law enforcement where surveillance is concerned, don’t think the move will usher in a golden age of transparency. After all, Florida-based Harris Corporation — also known as the people who make and market the Stingray — is known to broker non-disclosure agreements with law enforcement agencies themselves, barring them from “discussing, publishing, releasing or disclosing” any information related to its surveillance products.
Filed under: Mobile
Source: Ars Technica
Seven times Kanye West dressed like a ‘Final Fantasy’ character
Apparently the Kanye West role-playing game, Kanye Quest 3030, contains an eerie hidden area involving a butterfly and a New Age cult called Ascensionism. We know, it’s hard to believe that Kanye has a video game. Anyway, this secret game-within-a-game is weird, but it’s certainly not surprising considering that, for years now, Kanye has been dressing like characters from one of the most nonsensical video game franchises of all time, Final Fantasy. We’ve collected a few of Kanye’s standout cosplay attempts in the gallery below. Happy Friday, folks.
I trusted my gut to IBM’s Watson and it gave me a fowl old-fashioned
Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson is a collaboration between IBM and the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Once a week, as part of an ongoing series, we’ll be preparing one recipe from the book until we’ve made all of them. Wish us luck.
Before taking the helm at Vogue, where she laid the groundwork for the Devil to wear Prada, Diana Vreeland wrote a series of columns for Harper’s Bazaar called “Why Don’t You?” In a sort of goop for the 20th century, she would goad the super rich into ridiculous feats of capitalism.
“Why don’t you rinse your blond child’s hair in dead champagne to keep it gold, as they do in France?” she’d ask. Or, “Have your bed made in China — the most beautiful bed imaginable, the head board and spread of yellow satin embroidered in butterflies, alighting and flying, in every size and in exquisite colors?”
Watson seemed to be channeling Ms. Vreeland in Cognitive Cooking, a collaboration between IBM’s supercomputer and a group of humans at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). “Why don’t you make an old-fashioned with a splash of chicken broth and a slice of grilled chicken for garnish?” it inquired. And in the spirit of excess we did just that.
On a Wednesday night in April, I brought together a group of Engadget editors and a couple of my favorite drunks to find out what happens when you trust your guts to the circuitry of one of the world’s smartest machines. Cognitive Cooking contains nine different cocktails, four of which skew on the meaty side. They include “Hoof-n-Honey Ale,” an intricate beer mixture of India pale ale, peaches, veal stock and grilled beef topped with a burgundy foam; the very literal “Shrimp Cocktail,” which combines dry vermouth, Cointreau, lemon juice, bay leaves and Cajun-spiced grilled shrimp; and the Corn in the Coop, a fowl interpretation of the classic old-fashioned. In an effort to save our team from alcohol poisoning and our stomachs from turning, I selected a series of five cocktails, only one of which had a carnivorous twist.
I had each of my guests take tasting notes over the course of the evening and these are the results.
Ivorian Bourbon Punch
Ingredients: Banana juice, bourbon, triple sec, vanilla extract, ground turmeric, lemon juice, lime juice, honey
Substitutions: Expired banana nectar for banana juice, Grand Marnier for triple sec
In the forward to this recipe, James Briscione, the director of culinary development at ICE, describes the unique challenge of combining Watson’s selections for this particular libation. As he points out, “With an ample amount of fruit ingredients, I had to create a cocktail that didn’t feel like a smoothie.” After a period of experimentation, Briscione came up with a four-hour process that turned the fruits’ starches into sugars. Lucky for us, he then discovered bottled banana juice. The closest we could find was a bottle of expired Looza banana nectar, but I concealed that information and crossed my fingers in order not to taint the opinions of our taste testers. While the expiration date turned out not to be an issue, the nectar’s thickness did lend itself to the smoothie comparisons Briscione was looking to avoid. Oops!
Selected Tasting Notes
Christopher Trout, Executive Editor: Stanky. The more I drink it, the less I like it.
Michael Gorman, Editor-in-Chief: A pleasant punch, but the nose isn’t: banana problem?
Nicole Lee, Senior Editor: Sweet, summery, citrusy. Turmeric offers a nice rough note.
John Colucci, Engagement Editor: A little thicker, it’d be a smoothie.
Joseph Volpe, Features Editor: Illegible
Kim Murphy, former colleague: Murky, tropical, spicy. Not refreshing.
Olivia Topdahl, gregarious neighbor: Dreamsicle / Banana Ice Cream.
Blue Caribbean Hurricane
Ingredients: Coconut cream, white rum, banana juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, blue curacao, Sprite
Substitutions: Banana nectar for banana juice, Grand Marnier for blue curacao, Blue Sky lemon lime soda for Sprite
Perhaps the least imaginative of the bunch in both inspiration and execution. Florian Pinel, senior software engineer for IBM’s Watson Group, even admits to its predictability: “Given IBM’s fondness for the color blue, it was only a matter of time before someone asked Chef Watson to create a blue cocktail.” The resulting cocktail was unsurprisingly uninspired. Unfortunately, neither my neighborhood liquor store, nor my regular craft bottle shop carried blue curacao, so we ended up with more of an Off-white Caribbean Hurricane.
Selected Tasting Notes
Joseph: Tropical, yummy. Made better by Cathy Dennis blaring on Spotify.
Kim: High school, Malibu rum + Marlboro lights.
Olivia: Boring! Kid would order at Hyatt pool.
French Champagne Punch
Ingredients: Apple juice, clover honey, ground ginger, orange juice, cognac, lemon juice, raspberries, McIntosh apple
Substitutions: Cremont de Loire for champagne
Of all the drinks we tested, this was far and away the biggest crowd-pleaser. Everyone agreed the French Champagne Punch, a close cousin of the French 75, “based on autumnal flavors” proved that Watson is capable of making a gimmick-free drink. With all of the references to brunch made by my guests, it also proved that I work with a bunch of daytime drunks. I failed to include the OJ in the first batch, and would recommend leaving it out as it really doesn’t add much.
Selected Tasting Notes
John: Has an ultimate brunch feel.
Olivia: Very punchy. Better without OJ.
Kim: I feel flirty. Fruity. Girl date!
Nicole: Fizzy juice — like a boozy Izzy.
Japanese Wasabi Cocktail
Ingredients: Sake, wasabi water, lime juice, thyme
Substitutions: N/A
This is where things start getting weird. The forward to the recipe describes this rather pungent drink as “both casual and elegant, making it perfect for any event, from a summer afternoon cookout to a formal evening dinner party.” While not all of our taste testers found it to be the absolute worst thing they’d ever tasted, we could all agree that it’s definitely not “perfect for any event.” In fact, outside of a sushi dinner, there aren’t a whole lot of places where I can see this drink fitting in. That said, if you’re in to experimental indulgences, it could be worth at least a sip. I, unfortunately, decided to take it in one big gulp and suffered the consequences. From a bartender’s perspective, this was by far the least complicated of the set, with only four ingredients.
Selected Tasting Notes
Michael: Good for one, but not multiple drinks. … interestingly tasty.
Christopher: Tasty! Do not recommend drinking as a shot. … I don’t feel so good.
Joseph: I never trust cocktails that come with sprigs. I’m not fucking with this one. I feel like it’ll curdle the contents of my stomach.
Corn in the Coop
Ingredients: Bourbon, apple juice, chicken stock, ginger, lemongrass, grilled chicken, orange peel
Substitutions: N/A
Meat cocktails are nothing new. Many people swear by Clamato in their Bloody Marys and swine-infused drinks are practically de rigueur in the craft cocktail scene. I recently encountered a pickled pig’s tongue Gibson, for example. But in all of my research on the topic, I failed to find another drink that centered on chicken. The Corn in the Coop, which combines ginger, apple juice and, yes, chicken stock to update the traditional old-fashioned, was by far the most polarizing cocktail on our list. Whether the instinct was to spit it out immediately or go in for another sip, as you can see from the tasting notes, we were a house divided.
Selected Tasting Notes
Nicole: Savory, salty, delicious. Boozy chicken soup.
Joseph: THE FUCKING WORST!
Michael: Chicken broth finish, savory, but without bite.
The verdict
In its latest iteration as chef and mixologist, Watson is like the fabled Honeywell Kitchen Computer, a gimmicky, inaccessible, but intriguing culinary companion. As such, it should come as no surprise that the cocktails it created (with the aid of some human helpers) were likewise gimmicky and inaccessible. As a mixologist, Watson is like Tom Cruise in Cocktail, which is to say, it’s a bit of a show-off. But, that is the essence of Cognitive Cooking. Like so many of IBM’s stunts of late, creating a cookbook is just another way to show off the power and possibility inside its supercomputer.
Corn in the Coop
1½ ounces bourbon
2 ounces apple juice
1 ounce chicken stock
2 slices ginger
1 stalk lemongrass
1 small piece grilled chicken
orange peel, as needed
1. In a mixing glass half-filled with ice, add all of the ingredients. Stir to chill thoroughly.
2. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Express an orange peel over the top. Garnish with expressed peel, a stalk of lemongrass and grilled chicken.
Pro notes and tips:
o. Cut the orange peel with as little pith (white) as possible to avoid adding bitter oils to the drink.
o. To express added flavor from the peel, hold it between both thumbs and forefingers with the orange zest side facing the drink, and squeeze it quickly to distribute the essential oils over the surface of the drink.
Penn State says it was the victim of a China-based cyberattack
Cyberattacks are in the news seemingly every day, and today’s announcement comes from a university here in the States. Penn State announced that its College of Engineering was targeted in a pair of “sophisticated cyberattacks,” and investigators discovered that one of the breaches originated in China. The FBI notified the university of the attack back in November, but security experts investigating the matter determined that the hackers could’ve first accessed the system as early as 2012 using “advanced malware.” The good news is no sensitive personal info (social security numbers, etc.) or research data was taken, as only usernames and passwords were compromised. Penn State took the College of Engineering’s systems off the internet while security measures are bolstered, remedying a breach that’s said to affect 18,000 people.
[Image credit: Moment Editorial/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Via: NBC News
Source: Penn State
Buyer’s Guide: Deals on iPad Mini 3, Retina iMac, Apple Accessories, and More [Mac Blog]
Now that Mother’s Day has come to an end and we’re heading into June, deals have died down a bit. You can still get a decent discount on an iMac, older iPad, older MacBook Air, or Retina MacBook Pro, but when it comes to newer iPads and Macs, you might want to wait a week or two in case there are good Memorial Day discounts. The exception is the Retina iMac, which is available for the lowest price we’ve seen.
Best Buy’s offering solid discounts on some iPad mini 3 models this week, so it’s a good time to pick up one of Apple’s smaller tablets. As usual, we’ve rounded up the best deals on must-have Apple accessories, and we’ve highlighted the best app sales of the week.
iPad Air 2
B&H Photo is offering a small discount on most of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB WiFi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459 and the 64GB model is priced at $569.
MacMall is also offering some discounts on iPad Air 2 models, dropping the prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB entry-level Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459, while the Wi-Fi-only 64GB iPad Air 2 is available for $539.
iPad Air
Both Best Buy and B&H Photo have deep discounts on some remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.
– iPad Air Wi-Fi Space Gray 128GB – $549
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $565
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (AT&T) – $629
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $449
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $566.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $449
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $579
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $679
iPad mini 3
Best Buy is discounting Wi-Fi only 16GB and 128GB iPad mini 3 models by $50 to $100, resulting in some of the lowest prices we’ve seen for the higher-capacity models. With the discount, the 128GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 3 is priced at $499 and the 16GB version is priced at $349.99. Only the Space Gray and Silver models are on sale.
B&H Photo is offering some modest discounts on various iPad mini 3 models, dropping the price by up to $60. The 64GB Cellular iPad mini 3 in gold is priced at $549, while the 16GB Cellular gold version is priced at $469. The Wi-Fi only 128GB iPad mini 3 in Silver is $519, while the 64GB version is priced at $439.
Discounts for each model and and color vary, but most models are being offered at a lower price than you’ll find at the Apple Store, and buying from B&H, you won’t have to pay sales tax unless you’re in New York.
iPad mini 2
Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you’re looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $435
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $449.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $399.99
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $499.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $534.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $438.99
iMac
– 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $1,199, $100 off
– 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,399, $120 off
– 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,689, $110 off
– 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,794.99, $204 off
– 27-inch 3.5Ghz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Best Buy) – $2,249.99, $250 off
Mac mini
– 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $464.99, $34 off
– 2.6GHz/8GB/1TB (MacMall) – $663.99, $35 off
– 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $938, $60 off
MacBook Air
– 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $824.99, $75 off
– 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $1044.99, $50 off
– 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $949.99, $50 off
– 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $1,139.99, $60 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) – $749, $150 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $899, $200 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) – $819, $180 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (B&H Photo) – $999, $200 off
Retina MacBook Pro
– 2015 13-inch 2.7Ghz/8GB/128GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,234.99, $64 off
– 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,424.99, $74 off
– 2015 13-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $1709.99, $90 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Adorama) (MacMall) – $1,799, $200 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (Adorama) –$2,249, $250 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (B&H Photo) – $1,079, $220 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,249, $239 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (B&H Photo) – $1,529 $270 off
Apps
There are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We’ll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.
Mac ID for iOS, an app that lets you unlock your Mac with your iPhone using Touch ID or your Apple Watch, is available for $0.99, down from $2.99. Fighting game Combo Crew is available for free, down from $1.99. Strategy games Squids and Squids Wild West are also available for free, down from $1.99.
Cut the Rope 2 is available for $0.99, down from $2.99. Duet Display, the app that turns your iPad into a second screen for your Mac, is available for $9.99, down from $15.99. AmpliTube and Amplitube for iPad are both available for free this week, down from $19.99.
Puzzle game Quetzalcoatl was named Apple’s App of the Week, so it will be free to download until next Thursday when a new app is picked.
Apple Accessories
LivingSocial has two Apple Lightning cables available for $14.99, regularly $38. Groupon is selling a single set of Apple EarPods for $12.99 or a set of two for $24.99, a decent discount off the regular price of $29, and it has an Apple 5W USB power adapter for $9.99, down from $19.99.
Groupon has Star Wars iPhone cases for the iPhone 4/4s/5/5s for $7.99, regularly $19.99 to $39.99, and it’s offering a custom Printerpix case for iPhone 5/5s/6/6 Plus with optional screen protector for $7.99, down from $39.99.
Groupon has the OtterBox Defender Case and Holster for the iPhone 6 available for $29.99, down from $59.95. The Otterbox Defender Case for the iPhone 6 Plus is available for $34.99, down from $70. The Apple iPad mini Smart Cover is available for $17.99, down from $39.
StackSocial is offering the Satechi Aluminum 4-port USB Clamp Hub for $19.99, down from $29.99. The MOTA Smartphone Air Vent Car Mount is available from Groupon for $14.99, down from $55. Best Buy has the Pebble Steel smartwatch in black or silver for $144.99, $50 off the regular price.
Best Buy has Incase laptop sleeves available at a 30 percent discount. Groupon is selling an inexpensive Apple Watch Charging Stand for $14.99, valued at $30, and it has the Jawbone BIG Jambox for $189.99, down from $299.
The iWalk Extreme Trip battery 10,000 mAh pack is available for $49.99 from StackSocial, discounted from $85. Woot has the Mophie Juice Pack Helium case for iPhone 5/5s for $29.99, down from $79.99. Woot’s also discounting a range of Beats headphones by 17 to 45 percent, dropping prices as low as $60.
Groupon’s still running a big Apple event and selling a range of Apple products and accessories at discounted prices, including the LifeProof Fre case for the iPad Air, Apple EarPods, Speck MacBook cases, MagSafe chargers, Mophie battery cases, and more.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.
European mobile carriers will reportedly block ads in hopes to target Google
Multiple European mobile carriers may soon be planning to block all types of advertising on their networks. In a report out of the Financial Times, at least one mobile carrier has installed ad blocking software in its data centers and plans to turn it on before the year’s end. This ad blocking software, developed by Shine, an Israeli start-up, prevents most types of advertising from loading in web pages and applications that have been provided by Google and other companies.
Roi Carthy, chief marketing officer of Shine, told the Financial Times:
Tens of millions of mobile subscribers around the world will be opting in to ad blocking by the end of the year. If this scales, it could have a devastating impact on the online advertising industry.
Shine is supposedly working with a number of operators, including one that currently has over 40 million subscribers. The unnamed carrier plans to initially launch an advertising-free service for users on an opt-in basis. This carrier is also supposedly toying with a more radical idea it calls “the bomb”, which would go into effect across its entire network of millions of subscribers at one time. “The bomb” would be put in place to specifically target Google.
If the mobile carrier decides to blanket block ads, questions would be raised regarding net neutrality since mobile operators must treat all data that flows through their networks equally. The mobile carrier could always ask customers to opt-in to ad blocking, but carriers should never have the ability to force that upon its users.
HTC still considering taking a stab at the budget-friendly tablet market
We’ve heard multiple times that HTC wanted to get back into the tablet market with something based off of their recent Nexus 9. While the Nexus 9 fills a high end role, (and is mostly maintained by Google) HTC was planning on releasing something a little lower-end to try to appeal to the budget-minded consumers all while keeping some of the fantastic features of the N9. Nothing concrete has come out of those rumors yet, though.
On Thursday, HTC completely more or less side-stepped the question by saying that they’re looking closely at the tablet market, but the company is still focused on other markets where it’s easier to make money. Profit margins on cheap tablets are extremely thin, and it’s already a very competitive, saturated market, so that might not be a wise move for a company that’s still trying to right a sinking ship.
Not too long ago, HTC has said that they weren’t interested in making super cheap tablets, but they were open to the idea of more co-branding with companies like Google, and that they were planning on getting back into the tablet space at some point in 2015.
With how many rumors are swirling around about an HTC tablet, I think it’s only a matter of time before we hear something. The Nexus 9 has done relatively well, and a premium HTC tablet might be able to compete on the high-end of the tablet market, especially considering there aren’t any killer Android tablets that command market share like Apple’s iPad.
source: Focus Taiwan
Come comment on this article: HTC still considering taking a stab at the budget-friendly tablet market
Job listing suggests Google may be developing several Glass products
Google’s Glass project never really took off, but that doesn’t mean the company is abandoning it. According to a recent job listing for the company, it looks like they’re expanding the scope of Google Glass to include “smart eyewear and other related products,” with listing open for several different positions.
Of course, everyone knows Google is the type of company that toy around with tons of different ideas and products, some of which never actually see the light of day. We do know that Google is still working on a newer version of Glass that will hopefully go over a little better with consumers, but there’s no telling when that will actually hit the market.
We’ve seen other companies try to tackle the smart wearable products market with things like watches, wristbands, eyeglasses, sunglasses, and everything in between. Someone will eventually release something that sticks, right?
source: Business Insider
Come comment on this article: Job listing suggests Google may be developing several Glass products
T-Mobile giving away free SIM starter kits to certain customers
T-Mobile has been extremely bold in trying to pull customers onto their network, including letting customers test drive their network and offering up tons of promotional credit. Their latest move is a small but meaningful tactic to bolster their prepaid numbers for anyone wanting to get away from postpaid service.
From now until June 30th, all Pay in Advance and Simple Choice No Credit customers will see the normal $15 SIM starter kit fee completely waived. This unfortunately doesn’t extend to anyone activating a new postpaid line of service, but there are other promos to make that option a little easier to swallow.
If you’re planning on trying out T-Mobile’s prepaid network, now would be the time to do it. $15 isn’t a ton of cash, but it’s better than nothing.
source: T-Mo News
Come comment on this article: T-Mobile giving away free SIM starter kits to certain customers
AIVAnet 