Mysterious Axon Phone arriving in the U.S. on July 14th
Over the past few days, we’ve heard mention of an upcoming “Axon Phone” that’s slated to launch in the United States sometime this summer. There’s a launch event scheduled in New York on Tuesday, July 14th, and the phone even has its own informative website complete with a list of specifications and features. But who is Axon, and is there a bigger company behind this mysterious smartphone?
Before we dive too deep into theories, let’s talk about the phone itself. Available in Chromium Silver, Ion Gold and Phthalo Blue color options, the Axon Phone totes 4GB of RAM, dual rear-facing cameras that can shoot 4K HD videos, and a supposedly amazing audio experience. There aren’t many other specs listed on the website, unfortunately.
For such a seemingly awesome smartphone, who is this Axon company and where the heck does this phone come from? As it turns out, ZTE may be behind this big marketing scheme. According to PCMag’s Sascha Segan, there’s reason to believe that ZTE is the company behind Axon. Not only does the Axon website have “/zte/” all over its source code, Axonphone.com apparently belonged to ZTE all the way back in 2012.
If ZTE is behind the Axon Phone, why is the company keeping it a secret?
When asked to comment on this speculation, ZTE told Android Authority “ZTE does not comment on rumors or speculation and does not have any statements to share at this time.”
To clarify, the Axon Phone comes with Google services and features a “Designed in the U.S.A.” stamp on its backside. Since ZTE is a China-based manufacturer, this makes the whole ordeal quite interesting. ZTE has previously stated that it plans to sell inexpensive, high quality smartphones in the United States, which is what we might be looking at with the Axon Phone. It should be noted, though, that there’s no official confirmation that ZTE is behind Axon, though all evidence points in that direction. Additionally, Axon (or ZTE) is giving away one of these devices, along with a $10,000 check, and you can sign up for the contest here if you wish.
At this time there really isn’t a whole lot of information about the Axon Phone, so all we can really do is speculate until the launch event on July 14th. With that said, if these rumors prove true, why do you think ZTE is hiding its association with Axon? Is it merely an attempt to rebrand the company’s U.S. lineup of smartphones, or is it all to generate hype? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
Kenwood’s multimedia receivers with Android Auto are now shipping
Two multimedia receivers from Kenwood that feature Android Auto are now shipping from select retailers. The DDX9702S and DDX9902S, priced at $900 and $950, respectively, can be installed to instantly give vehicles a connected car platform. Although those prices seem steep, developers are looking to Android Auto to integrate their services and maintain a single experience across multiple devices.
Hit the break for the full press release.
KENWOOD Ships Multimedia Receivers With Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™
Highly anticipated DDX9902S and DDX9702S provide safer driving experience with voice-centric interface
LONG BEACH, CA – June 24, 2015 (MEDIAWIRE) – At the 2015 International CES, KENWOOD introduced the two multimedia units that would serve as flagships for its KENWOOD and KENWOOD Excelon lines. The units are not only considered topline models because of their feature sets, but also because of their “future” sets; namely, the inclusion of Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™. Today, the maker of premium entertainment systems for the automotive environment announced that the KENWOOD Excelon DDX9902S and KENWOOD DDX9702S are shipping to retailers, with suggested MSRPs of $950.00 and $900.00, respectively.
The DDX9902S and DDX9702S are currently the only aftermarket receivers equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that allow users to switch between connecting an iPhone® or Android™-based phone without having to manually change settings or reset the unit. This enables multiple drivers of the same vehicle to plug in the phone of their choice and enjoy their entertainment options and driver-centric apps.
Once a smartphone is plugged in, voice recognition and voice playback become the primary means of controlling audio and entertainment from the smartphone. With Apple CarPlay, Siri enables users to control, read and reply to messages and more by simply speaking, and provides access to music, podcasts, and Apple Maps for full-featured, voice-controlled navigation. With Android Auto, Google voice actions let drivers and passengers play music selections, get driving directions and hear turn-by-turn navigation, while informative Google Now cards highlight location- and preference-aware information at the right time.
The two double-DIN DDX units are designed to be the center of a vehicle’s entertainment and information system. A large, 6.95-inch resistive touch display puts navigation, back-up camera view (camera required, sold separately), and a wealth of audio / video entertainment options at the driver’s fingertips. Each is equipped with Bluetooth technology to enable handsfree phone conversations as well as playback of streaming media from a Bluetooth-enabled phone or media device.
Both units also feature built-in HD Radio, an HDMI input with MHL support, and DVD playback. They are also SiriusXM-Ready, connecting to the latest SiriusXM SXV300 Connect Vehicle Tuner featuring enhanced functionality such as album art, TuneStart and TuneScan (sold separately, subscription required). In addition, native control of Pandora and iHeartRadio provide an integrated entertainment interface when using a connected smartphone.
“We are excited to have these units available to consumers in time for summer,” said Tony Mercado, marketing manager for KENWOOD’s car electronics division. “Smartphone users have heard about Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the media, and how as many as 40 models of 2016 and 2017 vehicles will come equipped with one or the other. Today we are delivering both in a single chassis, well before most automakers. Combined with our years of automotive electronics know-how, we are delivering a premium, safe smartphone experience in the vehicle.”
For more information on KENWOOD products and events, please visit www.kenwood.com/usa.
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[Deal] Motorola lowers the Moto Hint’s price to $99
The Moto Hint, Motorola’s subtle wireless earbud, is discounted directly from its manufacturer. Motorola has lowered the price of the Moto Hint to $99, down $50 from its original price.
Click here to view the embedded video.
The promotion ends on June 30 at 12:00PM ET.
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Motorola lowers the Moto Hint’s price to $99
Messenger no longer asks for a Facebook account
Want to use one of the best messaging apps but don’t have a Facebook account? Then go ahead and use Facebook’s Messenger. The app was updated to allow those without Facebook accounts to take advantage of a slew of Messenger’s features, such as sending photos and videos, placing video and voice calls, and sharing stickers. Facebook only requires you to connect your phone number.
The account-less sign up for Messenger is active in the United States, Canada, Peru, and Venezuela.
Source: Facebook
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Red Bullshit: How ‘Destiny’ lost support of its biggest fans
Last week, Destiny developer Bungie was riding high following the reveal of the game’s biggest expansion to date, The Taken King. Gamers were excited to learn about the new subclasses, missions, weapons, armor and, most importantly, a new raid focused on Crota’s vengeful dad, Oryx. But as E3 2015 wound down, an interview between Eurogamer and Luke Smith, Bungie’s creative director on The Taken King, quickly derailed the game maker’s momentum and turned Destiny’s most supportive players against it. Just two days later, Bungie has inexplicably painted itself into a corner by dropping the ball for a second time.
Let’s start at the beginning. Ahead of The Taken King’s launch on September 15th, Bungie unveiled four separate bundles for the game. Those who already own the original game will need to pay $40 (double the price of the first two expansions) for The Taken King on its own. That’s fine, Bungie has already talked up all of the new stuff that will come with it.
If you’re new to the game, you’ll pay $60 for “all year one content.” This includes Destiny, The Dark Below and House of Wolves expansions and The Taken King. That’s a pretty reasonable price when you consider existing gamers are paying $40 for the next installment on its own.
However, if you’re gunning for the Collector’s Edition, that’s where things get a little muddier. For $80, you get a special Collector’s Edition box, a steelbook case, print artifacts, a book, weapon packs, a replica strange coin and all of the existing and upcoming expansions. On top of that, there are also three armor shaders and three class-specific “emotes,” which take the form of dance moves or gestures.
Day one Destiny players, who have already sunk plenty of money into the game up to this point, face a dilemma. There’s no way to get the bonus emotes and shaders without buying the content they’ve already spent the better part of a year playing. Yes, there are cool items that help sweeten the deal, but for those who have committed countless hours to Destiny, the lack of a clear upgrade path for in-game items like emotes or shaders is upsetting.
Things were made worse when Eurogamer met with Smith, who offered troublesome answers to serious questions. Take this exchange for example:
Eurogamer: Final question on prices.
Luke Smith: Is it also the final question on the emotes?
Eurogamer: I’m not going to mention them again. I can’t get them.
Luke Smith: But you can if you buy the Collector’s Edition.
Eurogamer: I’m not going to buy the game and two DLCs all over again.
Luke Smith: Okay, but first I want to poke at you on this a little bit.
Eurogamer: Poke at me?
Luke Smith: You’re feeling anxious because you want this exclusive content but you don’t know yet how much you want it. The notion of spending this money is making you anxious, I can see it.
Eurogamer: I do want them. I would buy them.
Luke Smith: If I fired up a video right now and showed you the emotes, you would throw money at the screen.
Eurogamer: What I’m saying is that fan frustration is not because they don’t understand the proposition. It comes regardless of how cool the exclusive content is. The frustration, and mine as a fan, is that the method of acquiring it requires me to re-buy content I bought a year ago.
Luke Smith: It’s about value. The player’s assessment of the value of the content.
Bungie immediately went into firefighting mode. Community Support Manager DeeJ_BNG took to Reddit to explain that the company was “reading this feedback and taking it seriously,” and vowed to address gamers’ frustrations in one of Bungie’s Weekly Updates. That didn’t stop players from voicing their displeasure:
Red Bull Gives You XP
The Weekly Update normally posted to the Bungie blog hasn’t gone up yet, but both the developer and Activision have already confirmed something that many gamers hate: buying stuff for XP. To be clear, many games offer downloadable content (DLC) with sponsors attached (hell, even Sony pays for exclusive weapons and levels that Xbox owners can’t use), but this new deal with Red Bull is particularly offensive.
In simple terms, Destiny is getting a brand-new quest. The bad news is that you need to buy “specially marked” cans of the popular energy drink to get it. They’ll even include bonus XP, helping you rank your Hunter, Titan or Warlock ahead of the quest’s launch on September 18th (three days after The Taken King). If you’re not interested in pumping your body full of taurine, you’ll need to wait until January 1st, 2016 to play it.
So while players are still frustrated at the in-game upgrades, Bungie and Activision are now restricting content depending on whether you enjoy Red Bull. Let’s not forget, this could be any food or drink brand — it’s the terms that will leave a sour taste in people’s mouths. At least with DLC, you just pay for the download and get on with it.
There’s no denying that Bungie has been under continual pressure from a demanding Destiny player base. Some players didn’t like The Dark Below; others hated the fact that Bungie dropped the raid in the current expansion. However, the company has been very proactive in addressing the community and in the months leading up to the release of House of Wolves, it made some very welcome improvements to the game’s overall experience.
Bungie deserves the criticism it’s received in the past week, but the increased vitriol might be indicative of gamers’ wider issues with the game. There have been complaints about Destiny (lack of a story, underpowered guns, not enough vault space, etc.) for a long time. Now there is a common cause to unite the community — Bungie needs to relent, or risk losing some of its biggest supporters.
Via: Activision
Source: Red Bull Quest
‘Driveclub’ finally reaches PlayStation Plus on June 25th
Remember how Sony promised you a free version of Driveclub with your PlayStation Plus subscription about, oh, two years ago? You’ll finally get to claim it this week. The Plus Edition of Evolution Studios’ PS4 racing game is launching on June 25th, giving you a chance to see what all the hype was about. Sony is taking care to avoid the server meltdowns that plagued the retail game’s debut, too. On day one, you’ll only have guaranteed access to offline play — internet races will gradually roll out to make sure that this socially-oriented title works as advertised.
In many ways, the PS Plus release represents the close to an embarrassing chapter for both the game creator and Sony. Driveclub was supposed to be a standard bearer for the PS4 that showed off both Plus and the console’s technical prowess, but seemingly nothing went right. The game missed the PS4’s launch thanks to a last-minute delay, which ultimately led to a roughly year-long wait as the developers reworked large sections of gameplay. And as Kotaku has learned, the several months of extra waiting for the PS Plus version was virtually necessary. Evolution had to overhaul code so that Driveclub‘s servers wouldn’t buckle under demand like they did last fall, and Sony went so far as to establish a multiplayer quality check team to prevent repeat incidents. If everything goes smoothly on the 25th, you’ll know that both teams have learned some hard lessons.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Going ‘off the grid’ with BioLite’s BaseCamp stove
Tent? Check. Sleeping bag? Check. Spare battery packs to stave off the fear of being disconnected from the grid? Double check. Earlier this month, I loaded up the aforementioned gear for a quick weekend camping trip. It was honestly more glamp than camp, since we drove right up to our spot in Tolland State Park, which had showers and bathrooms nearby. Still, we’d be without power on-site for a couple days if not for a few backups. On top of that, someone in our crew had developed a serious Candy Crush addiction that could potentially drag our power ration down to zero. Luckily, we also packed BioLite’s BaseCamp and NanoGrid system. The BaseCamp is a (relatively) portable, wood-powered grill with a thermoelectric generator, while the NanoGrid is a combination flashlight, lamp, battery and environmental lighting setup. Did these additions help us make it through the weekend alive, well and connected? Yes on all counts, but there’s more to the story.
BioLite is a Brooklyn-based company that’s been making gear to power outdoor exploits since 2012 when it released the CampStove. This portable $130 cooking stove needed only kindling to operate and used a thermoelectric generator to turn heat into fan and battery power. Today, the product line also includes the BaseCamp ($300), NanoGrid ($100) and KettleCharge ($150) — all off-the-grid power solutions. It was the BaseCamp I was really curious about, considering it’s more of a car-trunk-friendly product with its 13-inch cooktop and squat build. This design actually emerged in response to a growing interest in BioLite’s HomeStove project for emerging markets, which isn’t available to average consumers. The company decided to launch the BaseCamp as a Kickstarter in May 2014 and it successfully drew in over $1 million during its 30-day crowdfunding campaign.
Understanding the creation story of the BaseCamp helps to clarify some of the questions I had about its practicality in the field. It’s too big for backpacking, but does have a built-in handle and there’s a $50 water-treated nylon carrying case available — much more convenient than the plastic bag I used when loading the ashy stove back into the car. The primary benefits are using only small amounts of kindling and split wood for cooking without needing a fire pit, plus you get heat-generated power to charge your devices. With its bulk, though, you’ll probably have a car nearby and often a campfire pit on-hand. Bringing a few battery backups wouldn’t be too difficult in that situation. Still, extended gaming and videos can wear down your battery reserves if you’re pitched up for a few days and having renewable energy on tap is handy. Another benefit, which is more relevant to the HomeStove and use in less developed areas, is that it provides a cooking source with 91 percent less carbon monoxide and 94 percent less smoke than traditionally used indoor fires.
All told, what we have here is an 18-pound, 15-inch tall (23-inch with legs unfolded) stainless steel stove with cast iron in its belly. The cooktop is about 13 inches wide and has two loose parts: a heat diffusion layer (or “flame spreader”) and wire grill top. The first layer helps spread heat across the entire grill area when its center hole is closed and provides a focused spout of heat when open. Wood is fed into its belly and there’s an extension tray to support longer pieces until they burn down, plus a tray to help catch the inevitable tide of ash that will try to kill your airflow. The four fold-out legs underneath raise the unit eight inches off the ground to reduce environmental impact and also relieve the strain on your back as you’re cooking. On my particular unit, one of the feet was installed backward, but the design made it easy enough to flip around. Hugging the outside is a bright orange shell of high-temperature plastic housing the fan, thermoelectric tech and 2,200mAh lithium-ion battery. You’ll also notice a removable filter for the fan just below the USB port and indicator lights for power and heat.
The BaseCamp works right out of the box; just add wood and flame. A small pile of kindling lights easily, especially with the starters that come with the unit. As that begins to burn, it helps to step up the fuel to larger branches or even split firewood, otherwise you’ll endlessly be feeding it a supply of small branches. Be sure to keep burnt ash clear using a stick or poker (none were included for this purpose) and the fire will burn bright and hot, especially with the fan driving circulation. After about 30 minutes, the heat indicator and battery level should be high enough to snag a bit of juice. If the evening light is dwindling, you can also use the convenient USB-powered gooseneck lamp to illuminate the grill, which has a passthrough for simultaneously charging devices.
Heat distribution on the rather spacious grill top was adequate, but don’t expect it to be comparable to an open campfire. However, if you open the center of the flame spreader, the focused heat of the chimney is quite hot. I stuck to relatively small collected bits of wood and kindling, which meant lots of feeding to keep the fires stoked for cooking. If you ramp up to split pieces of firewood (one massive piece may kill the airflow and fire) things should last for a while with only minor nudges as the interior end turns to ash. Once you’re done using the stove, remove any large pieces of wood and it should burn down quickly. Just dispose of the embers from the burn chamber and give the BaseCamp 30 to 45 minutes to cool down.
Over the past few years of camping, I’ve had the unerring ability to pick weekends that were subject to frequent downpours, which leads me to one of the major downsides of the BaseCamp. BioLite claims that while its OK in a light sprinkle, exposure to water such as heavy rains could damage its electrical circuits. This is something you’ll have to pack away or cover if the forecast looks iffy; if you’re stuck with the stove going full-blast, things could get… interesting.
During the trip, I also tested out BioLite’s NanoGrid lighting system. It’s a two-part pack including the PowerLight, a USB-chargeable battery, lamp and flashlight, and a set of daisy-chainable SiteLights for brightening up your camp site. The PowerLight weighs just seven ounces and measures about 2 x 5 x 1 inches. It has three small buttons for lamp, flashlight and SiteLights, along with a larger QuickLight button for easier access to the lamp and flashlight (as well as locking). You’ll need that big button, since most them, especially the smaller ones, are difficult to press and hard to differentiate between – perhaps until you burn the locations into your memory. A great feature is the dimming ability, which you initiate by a long press on any of the three small buttons. It’s useful, but unfortunately you may find yourself using the larger button and if you press and hold that out of habit, you just lock the system up. Keep that in mind before you find yourself frustrated in the woods at night, wondering what the heck happened.
There’s a USB port on the side of the PowerLight for charging gadgets and as it happens, the BaseCamp’s 4,400mAh Lithium-ion battery has quite a bit of staying power. The device also hosts the aforementioned SiteLights, but there weren’t any nearby branches low enough to string them on during my trip. They worked well in tents and could illuminate a perimeter if placed on the ground. The system comes with two of these units, which magnetically nestle into one another light halves of an orange. Each one stores a 10-foot cord wrapped around its middle like a yo-yo. The first unit plugs into the PowerLight’s port, with each additional one connecting to the next SiteLight in the chain. The lights are bright and like all the features on the PowerLight, can be dimmed with a long-press of the button. With the low-light setting, BioLite expects you to get 22 hours using the lamp and a pair of SiteLights – and that’s after one phone charge (rated by testing an iPhone 5).
Overall, the PowerLight’s battery is a stalwart; its features are useful and it’s a solidly built unit. The buttons, however, make interaction with the device a bit difficult. The addition of two or more of SiteLights does make it an especially attractive package, though. Just be sure to give this feature a test drive at the store, as it’s designed to let consumers demo it while its in the package. As a quick side note: early production runs of the NanoGrid may have a port flap that’s bent out and won’t shut. Don’t fret: The company has a repair kit that’s easy to implement.
So, do you need a BaseCamp or NanoGrid for your next adventure? If you can get over the finicky buttons and locking issue, the NanoGrid seems like a good purchase. It’s generally well designed and offers a variety of useful features in a compact package. The BaseCamp is a bit more difficult to recommend for the average camper. Its HomeStove predecessor is a great humanitarian effort and offers features that are invaluable for certain environments. But bringing a BaseCamp along for your next outdoors outing may be more trouble than it’s worth, depending on where you’re headed and what the setup is. That said, it’s easy to go from zero to cooking with just a few sticks, and you benefit from having a constant flow of thermoelectric energy. For a highly portable power and cooking solution, you may be better served checking out BioLite’s CampStove (which I didn’t test), but it won’t help you grill up as many hot dogs or burgers quite so quickly, so there’s that.
5.7-inch Galaxy A8 could be thinnest Samsung to date
Making it’s way through the FCC, the Samsung Galaxy A8 is coming closer to becoming a reality, although the actual filing itself doesn’t expand on what is already known about the device.
The Galaxy A8 should feature a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16-Megapixel camera, 16GB of storage, and a 3050 mAh battery.
Of most significance, however, is that at only 5.9mm thin, the Galaxy A8 is set to be the thinnest Samsung device to date. The device will also feature a touch fingerprint sensor and run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.
With the device already hitting the FCC, it shouldn’t be long before we see the Galaxy A8 officially unveiled by Samsung.
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Qi wireless charging will soon get a speed boost
Those of us who love to be on the cutting edge of technology jumped for joy when we got our Qi-capable device and placed it on a wireless charging plate to witness the magic for the first time. But when the wired Quick Charge 2.0 standard followed close behind, we were hit with the realization that the wireless convenience comes at the cost of slow charging.
Fortunately, the collaborative effort that is the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is on it. They’ve updated the Qi specification to address the slowness, bringing the power output up to what we’ve come to demand from the wired solution. The WPC claims that the latest Qi version will be able to deliver 15 watts of power wirelessly, to “mobile phones that support wireless fast charging.”
This suggests that our phones would need new hardware to be able to take advantage of the new standard. So you might need to add this to your list of reasons to upgrade your phone, along with that new USB Type-C port.
We don’t know yet when we’ll see wireless fast charging debut, so stay tuned.
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Conan O’Brien is giving away free Google Cardboard headsets
Awhile back, Adult Swim was giving away a free Google Cardboard headset to promote their new game that supported virtual reality. The problem was, you needed to fax in your form to receive (still waiting on mine). So, if you are still waiting on a cheap way to jump into virtual reality, we have you covered. There is new hope as late night TV host Conan O’Brien is giving away his own version of Google Cardboard.
Conan360° VR Viewer is available to all United States residents that are 18 years of age or older. It is made to promote Conan’s appearance at Comic-Con this year. It will essentially thrust you into the middle of late night television. Never been to a Conan showing? Now you will be able to.The app can be found on the Google Play Store and Apple Appstore.
Like stated earlier, there is only a limited amount of Conan360° VR Viewer’s available, so make sure you sign up fast. You can do so by visiting this link. Just fill out a simple form and hopefully your Conan tailored Google Cardboard will be at your doorstep within a few weeks.
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AIVAnet 