Atom is a new UK bank that’ll have no branches, just apps
Banking is a bit of an old boys’ club dominated by a few huge, lumbering corporations, but up-start Atom thinks it’s time for a new player with a different approach. Atom wants to take mobile banking seriously; so seriously, in fact, that it aims to exist almost solely as a mobile app. The company has just been granted a UK banking licence and plans to launch later this year, first using mobile apps to offer its services before graduating to desktops in due course. Atom will have a 24-hour support team available by phone, email, webchat and social networks, but the idea is you can do everything, even open an account, from within the mobile app.
By focusing on the mobile experience, Atom hopes it can make dealing with your finances altogether more convenient. Its apps won’t simply be for checking your balance and pushing money around, too. They’ll include support for biometric security and will feature “unique and engaging ways to manage money.” Atom will effectively be “branch-free,” but by launch it’ll have a traditional, high-street bank partner that will accept cheque and cash deposits from Atom customers — similar to how the branchless bank First Direct operates, though it’s owned by HSBC, making the logistics a little simpler. Of course, you’ll get a standard debit card, too, for paying with plastic or extracting cash from ATMs.
Atom isn’t the only company pursuing a fresh approach to banking. Simple and Movenbank are digital-first banks already operating in the states, and Mondo is another UK outfit that wants to place all emphasis on the mobile experience, with apps that also try to help you manage your money better. Mondo’s doing things a little differently from Atom, though. Instead of using existing banking infrastructure and layering its front-end over the top, Mondo is starting from scratch (building what’s known as the “full stack”). It might mean Mondo will be later to launch, but it argues that having immediate access to your real-time data through its own systems will allow it to make the customer experience that little bit better.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Via: Tech City News
Eminem Provides First Beats 1 Guest Interview With DJ Zane Lowe [iOS Blog]
Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe has teased an image on Instagram that confirms hip-hop artist and rapper Eminem will be the first guest interviewed on the global radio station, which launches as part of Apple Music next week. Eminem’s appearance is largely unsurprising given that he has a close relationship with Beats co-founder Dr. Dre and is signed to his record label Aftermath Entertainment.
Lowe interviewed several high-profile artists and individuals when he was a BBC Radio 1 DJ, including Chris Martin, Eminem, Kanye West, Jay Z and Rick Rubin, and those guest appearances could be a major drawing point towards Apple Music. The streaming music service will also lure subscribers with a free three-month trial period and exclusive content such as Pharrell’s new single Freedom.
HTC reported to ship 43% fewer One M9 handsets than previous M8
Looking back, HTC might well regret announcing the One M9 handset on the same day that Samsung unveiled its metal and glass Galaxy S6 and S6 edge devices at MWC. Samsung’s devices stole the show, and HTC is struggling to recover. Despite the HTC One M9 being more refined than its predecessors, moving to a more traditional camera setup and using the latest Qualcomm silicon, the handset is not selling well.
According to a report by the China Business Journal, shipments of HTC’s One M9 are down a whopping 43.75% compared to its 2014 flagship, the M8. In the 3 months it has been available, the M9 has managed to ship just 4.75 million units, which explains why it was rumoured last month that HTC was cutting component orders by up to 30%. When you compare those figures to Samsung’s, who shipped 10 million Galaxy S6 and S6 edge handsets in the first month alone and is set to reach figures of around 45 million units, you get the picture that HTC is floundering. Releasing a third flagship with the same design as its previous 2 flagship devices was always going to be a risky move, especially when Samsung was always going to come out fighting after being roundly criticised for its under-performing, samey looking Galaxy S5 in 2014.
Since the One M9’s release, HTC has launched a variety of similar-but-different smartphones that includes the One ME, the One M9+ and the E9+, not forgetting the Japan oriented J Butterfly handset. Much like it did in the years after being crowned the King of Android, releasing a proliferation of similarly specced and poorly supported smartphones that led the Taiwanese company to financial woes. HTC went from having a stock value of around $33 billion to the current market value of just $2 billion.
So, what is next for HTC? Well, the handset maker has announced that it plans on releasing a new flagship device in October. It’s anyone’s guess what specifications it will carry, although it’s probably safe to say it will use the latest Qualcomm processor.
Personally, I’ve always been surprised that HTC hasn’t released a smartphone to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Note series. HTC flirted with stylus technology when it released its Flyer tablet, and then it simply hasn’t been seen again. It would also give the company a legitimate second flagship device that wouldn’t cannibalize sales from its standard flagship.
What features and specifications would you like to see in HTC’s upcoming flagship? Would you like to see a similar design to the M9, or would you like to see HTC’s renowned design team burst out of its shell with a fresh idea? As always, let us know in the comments.
Source: DigiTimes
Come comment on this article: HTC reported to ship 43% fewer One M9 handsets than previous M8
How to achieve stock Android on any smartphone or tablet [2015]
There are all sorts of user interfaces out there — TouchWiz, ZenUI, Sense, and Optimus UI are just some of them. These different UI’s tend to come packaged with all sorts of bloatware such as theme stores, digital assistants, and popop tips. In addition to that, there’s usually a bevy of carrier apps packaged into your phone, as well. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a way to get rid of all of that junk aside from disabling them, but there is at least a way we can make any smartphone take on the look of pure Android.
We’ll do this without achieving root or flashing your device, making this process fool-proof. Let’s get started!
Launchers
In a recent guide, we explained what launchers are and what they do, so we’ll be getting straight to the point in this guide. For achieving stock Android, you have two popular and quality options: Nova Launcher or Action Launcher 3. Either one of these will replace your home screen UI with stock Android.
In this case, I am using Nova Launcher, but Action Launcher 3 will work just as well, if that’s your preference. Head on over to the Play Store and download Nova Launcher for free. Once it’s finished, tap on the app icon in your app drawer. You should now have the stock Android UI on your home screen. Congratulations!
There’s one more step we need to take in order to make this a bit more of a permanent solution now. Tap the home button and a prompt should appear asking if you want your launcher to be the default solution that came with the device or our newly installed launcher, Nova. Select Nova Launcher, and then OK. Now, the only time you should see your old home screen again is when you reboot the device, but it should quickly revert back to your default settings.
The Lock Screen
Unfortunately, Nova Launcher doesn’t come with a built-in lockscreen, so you’re going to need to grab one from the Google Play Store yourself. I found that the Lollipop Lock Screen 5.0 app and the Material Design Lock Screen both worked excellent. You can download one of these, tap one of the apps when it’s finished, and simply enable it.
Now, you should officially have your stock Android-themed UI!
Further Customization
You may not want to keep the entire look of stock Android, though. One of the benefits of launchers is that they have tons of customization options, especially when it comes to Action Launcher 3 or Nova Launcher. I’d encourage you to go through the settings of whichever launcher you chose, play around with it, and choose the customizations that work for you. There’s a lot of stuff you can do to make the device unique for you, especially when you start getting into the Pro versions.
And hey, if you want to take customization even further, you can actually replace all of the icons on your device without achieving root or flashing a ROM.
All in all, there are some excellent solutions to keep your device’s software looking fresh without getting into a lot of technical details!
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to use launchers to achieve different looks for your device’s software. Stock Android’s look is just one of our favorites. You can do a lot with launchers, and everyone customizes their own in a different way.
That said, what’s your favorite way to customize your home screen? Do you like stock Android or do you have another custom look you’re rocking? Let us know in the comments!
Come comment on this article: How to achieve stock Android on any smartphone or tablet [2015]
Netflix is rumoured to be launch in India late 2016
Nowadays, there’s a few options to consider when it comes to streaming television and movies over the internet, but there’s no denying that Netflix pioneered the market. In its search for more subscribers to add to its current 62 million userbase, it’s reported that Netflix will launch in India by the end of 2016.
This is according to The Times of India, whose sources claim that the launch of Netflix in the country will disrupt the direct-to-home (DTH) industry in India. A spokesman for Tata Sky, India’s largest set-top box provider, said that:
“It’s similar to Starbucks entering India. Everybody knew about it but cafe brands were late to react and Starbucks came and stole the show. We don’t want to be caught on the wrong foot.”
India boasts the world’s largest growth in mobile internet users, with its 4G network becoming available to more and more people. With the country’s internet usage booming, it makes sense for Netflix to expand there. When contacted for commented, a Netflix spokesperson replied that the company plans to be “nearly global by the end of 2016. We have nothing else to share at this point.”
If you live in India, how do you feel about Netflix expanding to your country next year? And what sort of subscription fee would you be willing to pay each month to use the service?
Source: The Times of India
Via: AndroidCentral
Come comment on this article: Netflix is rumoured to be launch in India late 2016
Amazon Fire Phone drops to £99 in the UK
Amazon may have a lot of success with everything it does but the one of its products that just failed to take off was its long awaited entry into the smartphone market. Dubbed the Fire Phone and introduced a year ago, it launched in the UK as an O2 exclusive for £280 and it’s now available for just £99.
There are many reasons the Fire Phone was discontinued just weeks after the launch and despite a price drop in the USA last November to $200, it’s taken nearly a year for the UK price to reduce. Clearly the price was a mistake and it’s likely that future versions of the Fire Phone will look to rectify Amazon’s $170 million mistake.
The reasons that the Fire Phone have already been detailed and we even predicted the device would fail within a few days of the launch. From Edgar predicting the limited software, confusing features, bloatware and high price” meant the Fire Phone would definitely fail to Simon saying there was genuinely no reason to recommend the Fire Phone, the writing was certainly on the wall for Amazon’s first smartphone.
Amazon in video:
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One of the biggest issues with the Fire Phone is the midrange specs list, which somewhat justifies its new reduced pricing. The 4.7-inch IPS display offers 720 x 1280 pixels resolution with a density of 312 pixels per inch and a screen to body ratio of just 65.8 percent. Other notable specs include a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, a 13MP camera with OIS and 1080p video, 2.1MP front facing snapper, Dolby Digital Plus audio and a 2400 mAh.
The Fire Phone does have some unique features; four phone cameras offer a 3D Dynamic Perspective user interface with system wide title, scroll, swivel and peek functions offering a truly unique smartphone experience. The Firefly technology makes it easy to identify and buy things you see in the real world while the most useful, Mayday, offers video call 1-to-1 support to help you with any problems you have with your new phone.
If you’re interested in taking the plunge and have a spare £99, Amazon have them with either 32GB or 64GB internal storage for the same price. Just remember though; these are still locked to O2 and being able to unlock it is not guaranteed so if you’re not on O2, this could prove to be an expensive paperweight.
Amazon Fire Phone in the UK
Apple and indie publishers are still ironing out Music deals
Apple recently gave in to indie labels’ demands for proper compensation during its three-month Music trial, thanks in part to Taylor “Catastrophe” Swift. Now, Billboard and The New York Times have revealed some pertinent details about the deal: Apple has apparently promised to pay royalties worth $0.002 or 0.2 cents for each song streamed during the free trial period, which is on par with Spotify’s free tier rate. Music publishers (songwriters and composers) will also get a tiny piece of the pie, which could be around $0.00047 per stream. Those rates apply to all labels, but it’s a bigger victory for indies, which reportedly didn’t even get a copy of Apple Music’s terms until the day it was announced — major labels had been in talks with Cupertino way before that date. That said, the two factions’ negotiations aren’t over yet.
It turns out indie publishers, in particular, aren’t too happy with a few aspects of the deal, including a condition that gives Apple a 50 percent discount for two years if its Music service is bundled with a carrier plan. They’re also worried about possible logistics and accounting issues, since the company plans to pay labels and publishers directly instead of sending the money through performance rights organizations. Despite these remaining issues, Billboard says Apple is a lot more responsive to indie musicians now and is already working on a fix.
Source: The New York Times, Billboard
Google’s next data center will be a converted coal plant
Google is constructing another data center in the US, but the location it’s settled on might surprise you. Instead of building a site from scratch, the company has decided to redevelop an old coal power plant in Alabama. The Widows Creek factory in Jackson County is scheduled to close in October due to changing regulations about the storage and monitoring of coal ash. It’s been generating power since 1952 and Google plans to repurpose some of its infrastructure, such as the electric transmission lines, for its new data center. However, it doesn’t want dirty fossil fuels powering its servers. Instead, it’ll be working with local authorities to source new renewable energy projects that can feed into the electrical grid. Like its data center in Finland, which was once an old paper mill, it’s a creative way to adapt a site that has already benefitted from years of investment.
[Image Credit: Tennessee Valley Authority/Flickr]
Via: AP
Source: Google
HTC One ME launches in India for Rs.40,500
HTC is continuing its bombardment of the Asian smartphone market with yet another product launch. As expected, the HTC One ME will arrive in India this weekend, hot on the heels of the One M9+ and One E9+ which went on sale in the country back in April.
The HTC One ME was announced in China earlier in June and comes with a higher resolution display which exceeds the company’s western One M9 flagship. The One ME is the second QHD (2560×1440) display HTC smartphone to hit the region, the first was the One M9+. The smartphone also features 3GB of RAM, a 20MP front facing camera with f2.2 lens, a 4MP front facing camera, and 32GB of internal storage. All pretty high-end features.
However, the One ME ditches HTC’s traditional metal design for a polycarbonate plastic body. The handset comes with a mid-range MediaTek Helio X10 SoC. This chip packs in eight Cortex-A53 CPU cores and a PowerVR 6200 GPU, which doesn’t match single thread performance of the regular One M9.
One of the One ME’s other major features is dual-SIM support and 4G LTE on the 1800Mhz (Band 3) and 2600 MHz (Band 40) bands, which will have a few regions covered for faster data.
The smartphone will arrive in India in a choice of either Classic Rose Gold or Meteor Grey color options and will retail for Rs.40,500 ($640) when it goes on sale this weekend. Who’s buying?
Latest Galaxy S6 ad wants you to “change the way you charge”
Samsung’s marketing department is back with another doozy of an ad. This time they are trying to convince us that the Galaxy S6 and its wireless charging solution are much more convenient than fumbling around with various cables and connector types (Samsung is looking at you Apple.)
Samsung is keen to point out the frustrations of cable management and I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point. There’s also the traditional bit of fun poking at Apple’s iPhone 6 around the 14 second mark. Of course, the luxury of wireless charging will set you back the extra cost of a charging pad, as Samsung doesn’t include one in the box with the S6.
In case you missed it, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge both support two inductive wireless charging standards – PMA and Qi. This means that the handset is compatible with a range of third party products, as well as charging hotspots that are pre-built into furniture and found in some coffee shops.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were the first smartphones to support dual-mode wireless charging.
All of that said, Samsung is not the only manufacturer to include wireless charging capabilities with their handsets. Many last and current gen phones support the feature, and you can purchase third party cases for many devices that will make charging that little bit more convenient.
However, the future of wireless charging could be a little different to Samsung’s latest presentation. PMA and the A4WP are to finalize their merger in July, and resonance based wireless charging should finally begin showing up in products in 2016. While current technology isn’t going to be made obsolete, there should be some extra competition in this space next year.
Has Samsung sold you on wireless charging?
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