NASA shows what it would be like to fly over Ceres
Humans might not fly over the dwarf planet Ceres any time soon, but that doesn’t mean you have to wonder what it would be like to soar over this miniature world. NASA just released a simulated flyover that uses real mapping data to give a new perspective on Ceres. The vertical detail is “exaggerated,” the agency says, but the video (below) still gives a good sense of what this alien location is like — it’s a tinier, bumpier version of Earth’s Moon. And if the level of detail doesn’t impress you at the moment, you’ll be glad to hear that the Dawn probe is entering ever-lower orbits that should boost the level of detail. Don’t be surprised if later models are nearly as good as being there.
Filed under: Science
Source: NASA
LG G4c budget variant available in Europe
Flagship often end up either getting compacted with reduced specs or supersized with some extra goodies. Today we have the former with respect to the LG G4, in Europe at least.
The LG G4c can now be purchased in the Netherlands through the retailer BelSimpel for €248 and in Italy through Stockisti for €249. In the UK, it is up for pre-order through Handtec and Carphone Warhouse for £179.99.
That pricing translates to around $275-$280 USD. For this you get:
- 5″ 720p IPS LCD display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC (Quad-core, 1.2 GHz, Adreno 306 GPU)
- 1 GB of RAM
- 8 MP rear (sans the OIS, laser focus, and color-spectrum sensor from the G4) and 5 MP front cameras
- 2,540 mAh battery (removable)
- MicroSD card support
- Android 5.0 Lollipop
The G4c takes a lot of design cues from its big brother, such as the textured back cover and even that subtle curve to the phone. It doesn’t appear there’s an option for leather like with the G4, which could be attributed to the higher manufacturing effort. Available colors for the G4c are metallic grey, white, or gold.
There is no word on availability of the G4c in the US. Would you like to see the G4c make its way inland or does it make too many compromises?
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AT&T dials up waterproof and dust proof Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
AT&T on Monday kicked off the week by announcing the upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active. Slated to touch down later this week (June 12), the phone is a designed to withstand water, dust, drops, and other moderate abuse.
The phone features many of the same specifications found in the standard flagship model, including the 5.1-inch Quad HD display and 16-megapixel rear camera.
Thanks to its IP68 rating, the Active is built for rugged and demanding lifestyles. As such, the 3500mAh battery is a significant boost over the traditional S6 and should be more than enough to keep you from heading back inside for a charge.
Powered by Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, the Galaxy S6 includes an app called Activity Zone which functions as a shortcut to a number of outdoors-related tools. Included in the app are one-tap access to a compass, flashlight, weather, and more.
AT&T will offer the Galaxy S6 Active in three color options: Gray, Camo Blue, and Camo White. Pricing is $199 with a two-year contract or $695 outright. Qualified customers can buy the phone on an AT&T Next Plan. By doing so, costs shake out as so:
- $23.17 with 30 device payments on Next SM 24
- $28.96 per month at 24 payments on Next 18
- $34.75 per month at 20 payments on Next 12
For a limited time AT&T is offering a couple of promotions alongside the Galaxy A6 Active. The wireless charging pad is 50% off with the purchase of the smartphone on a Next plan or two-year service agreement.
Additionally, customers can score the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 for free with a two year agreement. The catch is that you must buy the smartphone via AT&T Next installment and the tablet with a 2-yr agreement and activate wireless service on both devices.
The post AT&T dials up waterproof and dust proof Samsung Galaxy S6 Active appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 passed through the FCC, leaked photos posted online
Leaked photos of the rumored Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 have been posted online, allegedly from Taiwan’s telecommunications certification authority. This comes nearly a month after the device’s user agent profile was leaked on Samsung’s website.
After a recent visit through China’ TENNA certification agency, the tablet also passed through the FCC–model number SM-T715–giving us a look at the diagram of the device, which seems to line up with today’s leaked photos from Taiwan. Interestingly, it seems to take on a design similar to Apple’s iPad Mini line.
According to French online publication NoWhereElse, it’s rumored to sport one of Samsung’s own 1.9GHz octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage. On the visual side of the spectrum, the tablet is said to have a 8-inch 2048 x 1536 AMOLED display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a 2-megapixel front camera. Additionally, there should be an LTE model offered when the tablet becomes available.
Considering that the device has passed through the FCC and TENNA, it shouldn’t be long before we see an official announcement on the tablet. After all, it’s getting around that time for Samsung’s yearly tablet refresh.
source: FCC, NoWhereElse
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 passed through the FCC, leaked photos posted online
Nexus 5 on Android M Developer Preview sees a radical increase in standby time
A Nexus 5, running the Android M developer preview, has been pitted against the same phone running Android 5.1.1 to test standby times. Doze and App Standby–two exciting features coming with Android M–are said to double a device’s standby time, giving you a lot more time before you need to put your device on the wire.
In 8 hours of standby time, the Nexus 5 running Android 5.1.1 used 4% of its battery life, while the Nexus 5 running the Android M developer preview used a mere 1.5%. After a full day, the Lollipop equipped smartphone consumed 12% of its battery life, while the Nexus 5 with Android M used a nobler 4.5%. Here’s where things get impressive–in two days, the Nexus 5 on 5.1.1 used 24% and its Android M competitor used a mere 9%.
Google announced Doze at its I/O 2015 developer conference late last month, which will intelligently power down your smartphone over a long period of time, drastically reducing the amount of battery life your smartphone consumes when not in use.
When your smartphone isn’t being charged, App Standby will restrict apps it deems inactive, prohibiting network access, syncing, and other actions.
Keep in mind that these tests were done on Android M Developer Preview 1. The performance of these tests could potentially improve when we see a global launch, as Google is still actively working on improving this new Android version.
source: ComputerBase
via: PhoneArena
Come comment on this article: Nexus 5 on Android M Developer Preview sees a radical increase in standby time
Smartphone sales up 19% in first quarter of 2015 thanks to emerging markets
Smartphone sales saw a sizable growth during the first quarter of 2015, which Gartner says is due to an increase of smartphone sales in emerging markets. This makes sense, since smartphone sales have somewhat slowed down in the bigger markets, so many companies are attacking the smaller areas where not everyone has a smartphone already.
Emerging markets saw a roughly 40% increase during Q1, helping smartphones reach sales of 336 million units. Key regions included Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Asian/Pacific market.
China also played a pivotal role in how market share was distributed, with Apple claiming the top spot as a phone vendor in the country. This helped Apple gain some market share and close the lead that Samsung has, and has made China their #1 market in terms of volume beating out North America.
Samsung’s market share continues to dwindle, thanks to Apple hitting its stride in the bigger countries like China and the smaller OEMs continuing to eat up market share at the bottom end. That’s something Samsung has struggled to compete with for a while now, and they’ve yet to really figure out how to beat.
Samsung still ended the quarter with roughly 24% market share, which beat out any other individual manufacturer. That number has dipped from 30% last year, though, so it’s clear that Samsung is losing ground fairly quickly. Apple’s market share grew 2%, and most other manufacturers saw an increase at Samsung’s expense.
Android is still faring exceptionally well, with or without Samsung’s dominant lead. Android devices accounted for 79% of global market share, with Apple’s iOS bringing in about 17%. Windows held the next best spot at a measly 2.5%. So while Android’s total share slipped about 1% from last year, it’s pretty clear that Android is going to remain the most dominant mobile OS for some time.
source: Gartner
Come comment on this article: Smartphone sales up 19% in first quarter of 2015 thanks to emerging markets
LG G Flex 2 on Sprint getting Android 5.1.1 OTA
Sprint is sending out a new OTA update–software version LS996ZV6–for the LG G Flex 2, bumping the smartphone up to Android 5.1.1.
The update to 5.1 brings a host of new improvements, including HD Voice and Factory Reset Protection. If you haven’t been prompted to download the update yet, you should in just a few weeks. Updates like these do take awhile to roll out, so it could be a couple weeks before everyone with a LG G Flex 2 is on the latest Android version.
Have you received the update yet? If so, be sure to let us know what you like or dislike about the new version in the comments below.
source: Sprint
Come comment on this article: LG G Flex 2 on Sprint getting Android 5.1.1 OTA
Plex’s Media Server software now uses SSL certificates, offers secure connection
Phones, tablets, televisions, computers, gaming consoles and streaming players; it seems that Plex is available almost any content playing device you can think of. With this being the age of criminal gangs of hackers, the NSA and seemingly every other country attempting to get their hands on your data, is it too paranoid to want Plex to be more secure?
Plex doesn’t seem to think so, as the company has just updated its apps for Android, Plex Home Theater, web app, Windows and the Roku (Preview app) to begin using secure connections. Plex has started giving out SSL security certificates if you are using the Plex Media Server software. To check if your Plex connection is secure, log in on the web and you should see the green lock in the address bar, along with Plex.Inc. also in green. It’s important to note that you should be running the latest Plex release: v0.9.12.3.
The update should reach gaming consoles and Smart TV’s soon, and if you own an iOS device, don’t fret, a major release on the horizon that includes full support for secure connections.
Source: Plex
Come comment on this article: Plex’s Media Server software now uses SSL certificates, offers secure connection
Philips Hue Gaining Apple HomeKit Support This Fall [iOS Blog]
Philips on Monday morning confirmed that its series of connected smart light bulbs, Philips Hue, will begin supporting Apple HomeKit sometime in the Fall. First announced nearly a year ago at last year’s WWDC, HomeKit is Apple’s home automation platform that aims to give developers and manufacturers a standardized framework to build devices that interact not only with Apple’s products but one another as well.
According to Philips, all current Hue owners will be able to upgrade their existing home systems to take advantage of Hue’s interaction with HomeKit. Unfortunately, besides confirming the partnership and that current Hue owners will be able to take advantage of it, Philips didn’t reveal any other information today, besides that the company plans to give out “more detailed information” this September.
Philips’ announcement of HomeKit support comes a few days after the first products compatible with the Apple home automation platform entered the market. Led by companies like Elgato, iHome, and Lutron, the HomeKit-supported devices allow users to measure air quality, control power to various electrical outlets, and even control lighting with a wireless dimmer.
Since the Philips Hue lighting system currently requires a wireless hub directly connected to a router to function, it’s unclear whether the HomeKit upgrade will require a simple software update or need some actual new piece of equipment to work properly. The company did note that, “Philips Hue will help existing users to upgrade their system,” whenever the update does go live. Philips encourages those interested in the HomeKit-related news, and general announcements from the company regarding Hue, to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the summer, leading up to its September announcement.
Live Coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2015 Keynote: iOS 9, OS X 10.11, Apple Music, and More
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off today at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco, with the event headlined by the traditional keynote address beginning at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time.
In line with tradition, Apple is expected to provide the first looks at iOS 9 and OS X 10.11, with the company also announcing a fresh push into streaming music led by a new Apple Music subscription service and a revamped iTunes Radio. Apple is also expected to debut new tools allowing developers to build native Apple Watch apps and perhaps make some additional announcements related to Apple Pay and HomeKit.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website and via Apple TV.
In addition to Apple’s video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Separate news stories regarding the event announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
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