Android 5.0 Lollipop rolling out for the HTC One Max in some locales, kernel source also available
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
Remember the HTC One MAX? I am sure some of you not only remember it, but also scooped it up. The device was released shortly after the first HTC One (M7) and found its way to a variety of networks, including Sprint and Verizon. Since the devices release in 2013 though, it hasn’t seen a ton of love. The last update the device received was to Android 4.4.2 with Sense 6. That was back in April and May of last year. HTC is now giving the device a little bit of love by way of a new update to Android 5.0.2. Or so it would appear from screenshots and chatter over on the XDA forums.
Before all you Verizon and Sprint users get excited and start hitting the update button, it is important to know that the update is currently landing in Asian and European markets. Specifically I see the thread talks surrounding Poland and France with mention of Asia too. Infamous leakster @LlabTooFer also confirmed it for Taiwan, a month ago. The update does keep the device loaded with Sense 6, so don’t expect anything new there. Now we just have to wait, see and wonder is Sprint and Verizon will be getting to the update or letting is slide on by since the device is over 2-years old at this point.
On a bit of a side note, the HTC One MAX Android 5.0.2 kernel source is also on the HTC website. Not sure if that is entirely new, but it is present.
Any of our international readers seeing the update landing on their HTC One MAX devices? Seems to range in size from 760MB’s ish to 924MB’s ish depending on device location. I haven’t found
Source: XDA Via 9to5Google
The post Android 5.0 Lollipop rolling out for the HTC One Max in some locales, kernel source also available appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
LG launches new LG Minibeam Nano micro projector
LG has announced the addition of a new projector to their Minibeam line of LED projectors. The LG Minibeam Nano is the company’s smallest, lightest and most affordable projector yet. The Minibeam Nano measures a mere 4 inches by 4 inches by 1.7 inches and weighs only 270 grams (about 9.5 ounces). Despite the small size, the projector is capable of displaying a picture up to 100 inches diagonally in size.
To help power the unit LG equipped the projector with a 3,800 mAh battery that will keep the unit going for up to two hours. LG also included a wireless mirroring function to make it easy for users to view content from their smartphone or tablet.
LG’s Lee In-kyu, senior vice president and head of the TV and Monitor Division with LG says the projector “is the perfect projector for those who favor portability over everything else” and is targeted at an increasingly mobile consumer base.
While LG says the Minibeam Nano will be their most affordable projector in the line, they did not announce specific price levels. However, the projector is scheduled to be available before the end of the month in “key markets” in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa/Middle East and Latin America.
source: LG
Come comment on this article: LG launches new LG Minibeam Nano micro projector
Apple Explored 4K Video Distribution in 2013
Apple requested 4K video content from Sony Pictures for the purpose of digital distribution and on-demand streaming testing, according to a new document [PDF] released by WikiLeaks from the Sony data breach (via AppleInsider).
The document is a materials access letter from Culver Digital Distribution Inc, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, to Apple. It served as a formal agreement between the two companies for the “testing and / or preparing” of 4K content from Sony movies and TV shows. The letter is dated September 26, 2013, hinting that Apple has been exploring distributing 4K content for the past two years.
The Cupertino company has been rumored to be working 4K in the past, most notably in 2013 when two reports suggested Apple was working on a 4K TV set. Those plans were eventually nixed and reports emerged of a brand new set-top box Apple TV with an A8 chip alongside a TV streaming service. Speculation suggested the new Apple TV’s rumored A8 chip, which is capable of playing 4K content, would result in a 4K-capable Apple TV and streaming service. However, a report earlier this year confirmed that a new Apple TV would not support 4K content.
While 4K, also known as Ultra HD, has seen an increased amount of popularity recently with more affordable 4K TV sets from manufacturers and some availability of 4K content on streaming services like Netflix, the format is not yet ubiquitous.
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua review
The Bottom Line
- Good display
- Capable camera
- Good software experience
- Resistance to dust and water
- Inconsistent design
- Overheating issues
- Average battery life
- Overpriced
While being resistant to dust and water is a very useful feature, the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua does fall short in other key areas when compared to the, in some cases cheaper, competition.
(function($)
$(document).ready(function()
$(“#aa_bottom_line .aa_bl_pros_cons”).each(function()
var aa_bl_pc=$(this).find(“.aa_bl_pc”);
var aa_bl_pros=$(this).find(“.aa_bl_pros”).height();
var aa_bl_cons=$(this).find(“.aa_bl_cons”).height();
if(window.innerWidth > 480 && aa_bl_pros != aa_bl_cons)
if(aa_bl_pros > aa_bl_cons)
aa_bl_pc.height(aa_bl_pros);
else
aa_bl_pc.height(aa_bl_cons);
)
);
)(jQuery);
When it comes to the highly-competitive mid-range smartphone world, it is quite difficult to distinguish between one device and another in the sea of smartphones that make up this segment. OEMs are now depending on using a key selling point to help their device stand out from the rest, be it pricing, battery life, camera, design and build quality, and more. In the case of the latest mid-range offering from Sony, that key selling point comes in the form of a signature Sony flagship feature, water resistance. Does choosing to focus on a single element result in corners being cut in other areas? We find out, in this Sony Xperia M4 Aqua review!
Design
The Xperia M4 Aqua retains a lot of the design language of previous Sony smartphones, which isn’t particularly surprising at this point, given that Sony’s design strategy has been largely of the incremental nature, across their entire portfolio of devices. The use of the two glass panels, as seen with the high-end Sony devices, is certainly a nice touch and looks great, even if they are prone to fingerprints. It is in the presence of a plastic frame though that the mid-range nature of this device comes through, and unfortunately feels quite out of place. The mix of the premium-feeling glass and the cheaper plastic is quite unsettling, and makes the phone feel awkward in the hand.
The signature Sony power button returns at its usual location on the right side, ideally placed to be within easy reach. The volume rocker right below it and the dedicated camera shutter button at the bottom of the right side don’t leave a lot of room to comfortably rest your thumb on this side of the device though. The SIM card slot is above the power button, and the microSD card slot falls on the opposite side, both covered by flaps that are necessary to maintain its waterproof nature. Just above the microSD card slot is the microUSB port, which is a very different placement from what most of us would be used to. Finally, the headphone jack and single speaker unit are found at the top and bottom respectively.
With the bulk of the buttons and ports placed on the sides of the device, it does look like quite a lot is going on, and takes away from the minimalistic design we’ve come to expect from Sony. Up front, above the display, is a notification LED on the left of the Sony branding, with a 5 MP front-facing camera on the other side. The Xperia M4 Aqua is still quite thin and light though, with a thickness of just 7.3 mm, and weighing 136 grams. The Xperia M4 Aqua is still quite thin and light though, with a thickness of just 7.3 mm, and weighing 136 grams, and its relatively compact size allows for a comfortable handling experience.
Display
The Xperia M4 Aqua comes with a 5-inch IPS LCD display, with a 720p resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 294 ppi. As is expected from IPS technology, the viewing angles this display offers are fantastic, but the colors aren’t particularly vivid though, as they are with some other devices that fall in this price range. The display is just decent overall, and not very impressive.
Performance and Hardware
Under the hood, the Xperia M4 Aqua packs an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, clocked at 1.5 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 405 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. This processing package is found with quite a few mid-range smartphones and has proven to be very capable, which is also the case here. Day to day performance is smooth and stutter-free, and multi-tasking is a breeze. The device also handles gaming very well, with no issues save for the most processor-intensive of games. While obviously not as fast as the flagships of the world, Xperia M4 Aqua is certainly very reliable in terms of performance.
#gallery-1
margin: auto;
#gallery-1 .gallery-item
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 25%;
#gallery-1 img
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
#gallery-1 .gallery-caption
margin-left: 0;
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
One area of concern though is the heat output of the device. The Xperia M4 Aqua does tend to get uncomfortably warm to the touch not just while gaming, but even when performing simple tasks like using the camera or downloading apps. There is significant throttling to prevent overheating, but that is definitely not the ideal solution to this performance issue that is becoming more prevalent with the latest Qualcomm processors.
The Xperia M4 Aqua comes with 8 GB or 16 GB of on-board storage, expandable via microSD card by up to 128 GB. The 8 GB version does come with only 1.5 GB available to the user though, so it’ll be a better idea to opt for the 16 GB iteration if you do decide to pick up this device. The usual suite of sensors and connectivity options are available, including support for 4G LTE, but carrier compatibility does vary with each model, so make sure that you check the frequency bands of the model you are getting before picking up the device. For example, this particular review unit is restricted to HSPA+ on the AT&T network.
The single speaker unit at the bottom of the device isn’t great, with the sound distorted and tinny, along with the volume being on the quieter side. As is the case with any device with a bottom-mounted speaker, it is also fairly easy to cover up the speaker and muffle the sound when holding the device in the landscape orientation.
Coming to what is the key selling point of this device, the Xperia M4 Aqua is well protected from the elements, courtesy of its IP68 rating for resistance to dust and water. What this means is that the device can be submerged in up to 1.5 metres of water for as long as 30 minutes, with no negative impact on usability and performance.
#gallery-2
margin: auto;
#gallery-2 .gallery-item
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 25%;
#gallery-2 img
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
#gallery-2 .gallery-caption
margin-left: 0;
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
The device comes with a 2,400 mAh that is not replaceable, and offers a battery life that is just about average. In my daily use, the device lasted for around 16 hours with 2.5 hours of screen-on time, with usage that involved watching videos on Youtube and scrolling through social media, apart from other general tasks. While not bad, the battery doesn’t stand up to Sony’s claim of the device lasting comfortably for two days. There are a few power saving modes available in the Settings menu, that you might have to take advantage of to get that little bit of extra juice out of this battery.
Camera
The Xperia M4 Aqua comes with a 13 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front-facing shooter. The rear camera proves to be very capable, with the shots rich in detail and very sharp, even if the colors did lack some punch. The minimalistic camera has only a few modes available, including a manual mode that lets you select between multiple scene types and adjust the white balance. Additional camera modes are available though, which can be downloaded separately.
Software
On the software front, the Xperia M4 Aqua comes with a slightly skinned version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, which also takes on a more colorful motif than the Xperia UI of old. There are some very useful options available, such as the ability to customize the Quick Settings menu with the toggles you most use, screen recording, and also the staple Small Apps menu, which is a tad unpolished in its appearance, but still very useful.
#gallery-3
margin: auto;
#gallery-3 .gallery-item
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
#gallery-3 img
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
#gallery-3 .gallery-caption
margin-left: 0;
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
There is some bloatware to be found though, with a slew of apps, including AA Stocks, AVG Protection, and News from Sociallife coming pre-installed, but most of them can be easily removed though. Another negative is the placement of the hamburger menu in the app drawer, that gets in the way when attempting to swipe right, and can be quite frustrating.
Specifications
| Display | 5-inch IPS LCD 720p, 294 ppi |
| Processor | 1.5 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Adreno 405 GPU |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Storage | 8/16 GB expandable via microSD upto 128 GB |
| Camera | 13 MP rear camera with LED flash 5 MP front-facing camera |
| Battery | 2,400 mAh unit |
| Software | Android 5.0 Lollipop |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot. Bluetooth 4.1 NFC GPS + GLONASS |
| Networks | 3G / 4G LTE |
| Dimensions | 145.5 x 72.6 x 7.3 mm 136 grams |
| Colors | Black, White, Pink |
Gallery
Pricing and Final Thoughts
The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua isn’t officially available in the US yet, but can be found for $349 on Amazon for the 8 GB version, with color options including black, white, and pink.
So there you have it for this closer look at the Xperia M4 Aqua! While being dustproof and waterproof are very useful features, the rest of the package doesn’t particularly justify its price point. The inconsistent design, overheating issues of the processor, and just about average battery life overshadows the positives that include the solid display and capable camera. The competition in the mid-range space is intense, and there are some great options being made available to the public, at sometimes cheaper price points as well, and the Xperia M4 Aqua is a difficult device to recommend.
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 making its way to Canada on June 30th
If you’ve seen our full review of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3, you’d know that it’s one of the best budget smartphones available on the market today. And if you happen to live in Canada and would like to get your hands on this beast of a smartphone, you’ll be able to starting Tuesday, June 30th. The 5.5-inch Idol 3 is making its way to Bell, Telus, Rogers, Virgin, PC Mobile, Solo, Saskatel, Koodo, Public Mobile, Fido and Chatr. While the manufacturer didn’t reveal exactly how much the phone would cost, we can probably assume that it will be priced similarly to the standard $250 USD price point.
Don’t miss: Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 review: one of the best budget smartphones of the year
Featuring a Full HD display, a capable Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage along with MicroSD expansion up to 128GB, this device brings a premium Android experience to consumers for cheap. The design of the Idol 3 is quite robust considering the price point, as well. It’s really a no-compromise smartphone, which is tough to say about most other mid-range smartphones on the market right now.
If you’re interested in picking one up for yourself, it will be available from Bell, TELUS and Videotron both in-store and online on the 30th.
IDOL 3 5.5-inch smartphone will be available in Canada both in-store and online at Bell, TELUS and Videotron beginning on June 30, 2015
IRVINE, Calif. – June 18, 2015 – ALCATEL ONETOUCH
the fifth largest smartphone manufacturer in North America* – has announced the Canadian availability of the award-winning IDOL 3 at Bell, TELUS and Videotron as of June 30. Winner of the Android Authority Editors’ Choice and Mashable Choice awards, among others, the IDOL 3 was one of the big surprises at this year’s Mobile World Congress; challenging the convention of an affordable flagship smartphone.
“IDOL 3 is changing customer expectations by redefining the flagship smartphone experience,” said Steve Cistulli, Senior Vice President & General Manager of North America
for ALCATEL ONETOUCH. “With IDOL 3, we’ve partnered with top brands like Qualcomm, JBL and Technicolor to deliver the best in class experience for our
customers at a price that’s considerably less than other flagship smartphones in the market. Others try to justify outrageous prices for their top devices and we’re out to show our customers they can get a device with the high-end features they want, at a
price that won’t empty their wallet.”
Offering dual-front facing speakers featuring JBL Audio, a 5.5-inch Full-HD display with technicolor enhance technology and a 2910mAh battery to power through a full days use, the IDOL 3 offers consumers the best
experience for their money. The IDOL 3 also comes packed with other unique features, such as a fully reversible user interface that makes the screen adaptive to be right side up even if the phone itself is upside down. You’ll never miss any of life’s moment
either, thanks to IDOL 3’s 13MP main camera and 8MP wide-angle front camera. IDOL 3 is also the first smartphone in North America to include the innovative security feature Eye-D – a biometric technology that uses eye print verification for secure authentication
to unlock a user’s device with a simple selfie.
IDOL 3 is the first globally released flagship from ALCATEL ONETOUCH and is the latest in the company’s award-winning IDOL line of smartphones, known for combining the best of high-end design and features; following
last year’s IDOL X+ and IDOL 2S.
IDOL 3 Key Features:
DISPLAY
5.5-inch Full-HD IPS Display (1920×1080), with Technicolor Color Enhance for greater viewing angles – even in direct sunlight + Fully Reversible
UI
PROCESSOR
Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 Octa-Core 1.7GHz (64-bit),
Adreno 405 @ 550MHz
CONNECTIVITY
LTE FDD: B2/4/5/7/12/17, 150Mbps Downlink, 50Mbps Uplink + VoLTE
OPERATING SYSTEM
Android Lollipop 5.0.2
CAMERA
13MP Main Camera + 8MP Wide-Angle Front Camera
SOUND
Dual 1.2 Watt Front-Facing JBL Stereo Speakers
MEMORY
16GB ROM + 2GB RAM (LP-DDR3);
Expandable Memory Via MicroSD (up to 128GB)
BATTERY
2910mAh With Up To 13 Hours Talk Time and Up to 600 Hours Standby Time
To learn more about the IDOL 3, please visit
http://www.alcatelonetouch.ca
*Strategy Analytics –
North America Smartphone Vendor & OS Market Share by Country: Q1 2015
About ALCATEL ONETOUCH
ALCATEL ONETOUCH is a brand within TCL Communication, an international multicultural company which designs, develops, and markets globally a growing range of mobile and Internet devices. TCL Communication
is a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and part of TCL Corporation one of the largest consumer electronics companies in the world.
WikiLeaks adds 276,394 more leaked Sony docs to its database
WikiLeaks has dumped a second enormous cache of internal documents from Sony into its searchable database. In April of this year, it added internal Sony emails that shined a light on the inner workings of the studio including, the decision making process surrounding projects, employee information, pay discrepancies between male and female actors and racist and derogatory remarks made by Sony executives. This latest addition of 276,394 searchable documents includes calendars, event planning and expense reports. These documents have been available online since the Guardians of Peace breach back in November 2014, WikiLeaks is just making easier to search through the files.
RELEASE: Sony Files Part 2 — 276,394 more docs Search: https://t.co/AUlXA2k09q Browse: https://t.co/WPjG2Avmss pic.twitter.com/zz0JHDOTqR
– WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 18, 2015
While expense reports are bit less exciting than emails, Sony is no doubt unhappy about the situation. It was investigating legal options when WikiLeaks added the first batch of documents to its database. It also threatened to sue Twitter if it didn’t ban accounts that were tweeting leaked emails steming from the breach. The company then found itself on the receiving end of a class-action suit when two former employees sued it for not adequately protecting employee information.
We have reached out to Sony about today’s news and will update this article if they respond to queries.
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Sony
Via: SlashGear
Source: WikiLeaks
Valve opens up ‘Dota 2 Reborn’ to beta testers
Dota 2 Reborn is now open for beta testing like Valve promised, and just in time for the weekend. You will need to install Dota 2 if you haven’t yet, so you can access the Reborn tab and download the game. The two versions share your match history, MMR, cosmetic items and friends, but Ranked Matchmaking isn’t available in the beta yet, as the game developers want to focus on testing and improving the basic features first. Reborn runs on Valve’s new Source 2 game engine, which makes it easy for people to create user-generated content. According to PC Gamer, it has a stunning UI, and it feels like a brand new game instead of an update to Dota 2 — plus, the Custom Games tab made possible by Source 2 looks promising. The only bad news? Like many other betas (and far too many commercial releases) your worst enemy at this point in time is serious connectivity issues.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Dota 2 (1), Dota 2 (2)
System checkup, keep tabs on background data usage – Android customization
Did you know that I used Chrome Remote Desktop to publish last week’s Android customization post on remote desktop applications? It wasn’t the first time I’ve done that, and it won’t be the last. I hope you get the same value out of the apps.
This week we are going to skip the Tasker and Android M topics we’ve been brainstorming for you, instead, I’ve heard from a few of you this past week alone asking about troubleshooting data usage on your devices. Let’s collectively answer a few of those concerns with a quick system check and general look at managing your data use and background services.
Before we begin
The more seasoned Android user may consider this piece to be for the beginners in the crowd, and they are probably right. We are not looking at any fancy tools or techniques today, just running through the default system settings of your Android device.
As mentioned, you do not need to install any apps today, just pick up your Android device and get ready to roll. We will be using our trusty stock Android 5.0+ Lollipop device, your experience may differ with manufacturer and carrier skins or older versions of Android, but we think the concepts are pretty standard, you should be able to mostly follow along.
Data Usage Settings
Android comes with a built-in data usage tracker that is able to keep tabs on your cellular and WiFi total usage, as well as usage for individual apps. Although this tool is quite consistent and effective, please consider your carrier’s data tracking tools to be king for your cellular usage, we don’t want you going over your limit because Android failed to properly track something.
Head into your system Settings.
Click on Data Usage.
From here, poke around to find the option to swap between Cellular and WiFi data counts, turn on or off your cellular data and WiFi and more. You’ll see a graph of your current month’s usage with a drop down to see previous months usage amounts. Finally, scroll down to see a list of all of the apps that have connected to the internet on your device.
Tap an app to see a detailed view of its data usage and turn off its ability to use data in the background.
Turn off background data
If you are experiencing an app that is eating up your data in the background, which also eats up your battery, you can turn off background data for each individual app, as noted above. But if there is just too much going on, you can also turn off all background data.
From within Settings -> Data Usage, tap on the menu button in the top right corner, then tap Restrict background data.
And when things get really bad, you can come back to completely turn off cellular data. This is a little bit less restrictive than turning on Airplane mode, but can also be accessed from the quick settings section of your notification shade.
Turn off Scanning always available
This is a controversial one. Google enables the setting Scanning always available by default because it enhances your user experience. While this is true, it also allows apps to eat up WiFi and battery, even when WiFi is turned off. Turning this setting off may not save you much actual data, but some report that it has saved them significant amounts of battery drain.
We recommend you play with this setting independent of the rest of the changes you make today, so that you can evaluate if turning it off has actually helped you.
From the main system Settings, head into Wi-Fi.
Tap the three dots menu button in the top right.
Select Advanced.
You’ll also see the options to turn off notifications for public access points and WiFi usage while the device is sleeping and more.
Check Accounts sync
Last thing today, you will find that much of your data usage is from apps and services that sync in the background. This goes especially for Google services, but many other apps also have controllable sync settings from within Android settings.
Head into your system Settings.
Tap into Accounts.
You see now what apps and services have sync controls. Don’t forget to check these and other apps for sync settings within app as well.
I recommend clearing the others first, leave Google for last. Again, you want to be choosy here, apps and services that you use frequently, or enjoy receiving notifications from, will need to stay turned on. You can see that I turn off Humble Bundle sync, nothing against them, I actually own almost every mobile bundle, but I simply do not access the app frequently enough to require constant syncing.
When you tap into the Google section, you will see all of the accounts that you have logged into the device, and the last time they reached out to Google servers to sync.
Tap on your account (email address) to see a detailed list of services.
Toggle on and off the service you wish to have constantly updated.
You notice that I have my Android Authority account logged in, but I only have one Google service syncing, Gmail. All of the other Google services I want with me on this device and actively syncing are tied to my personal account(s). Each of my devices is configured slightly different based on the services that I use them for, but my general rule for my gear is that if I’m not using it, I don’t sync it.
What’s next
Well, there you have the three biggest data usage controls on your Android device. Take some time to get to know your device and needs, play with the available settings. There is some trial and error ahead of you as you figure out which items to turn off and which you must keep turned on to keep your device operating properly.
You may also encounter rogue apps, including this strange one called Android OS, that eat far more data than you think they should. Diagnosing this is a case by case situation, but a few things to keep in mind are as follows:
1. The many services across Android will sometimes report data use under unexpected apps. For example, the very first time I pinned and downloaded music to Google Play Music on my tablet, most of the collection reported data under Play Music, but a large amount appeared to have reported under Google Services and a little under both Android OS and Media. I’ve seen this type of random distribution for data that should have landed under Removed apps and users as well.
2. Android Share menu. There are times when you will take action on your device, perhaps sending pictures to a friend or downloading a file from your cloud storage solutions. Depending on your situation, it is possible that the data usage will report under the app you started with, the app you shared to, or both. We need an example here, the new Google Photos will work – As you view photos that are stored in your Google+ Photo storage, Photos will use the data to download and view, but if you then share some of those photos over G+, will Google+ then report the data use, or will Google Photos? I haven’t actually tested this, but I hope you get the idea.
3. Uninstalled apps. Admitting that there is a dedicated data usage entry called Removed apps and users, I do not trust that all data is properly reported here. Once again, I suspect at least some data use from uninstalled apps reports elsewhere.
So, what do we do about all of this data reporting leakage? Feel free to discuss in the comments below, I will eventually revisit this with some suggestions, but it might be a while before I get to it, sorry. In the end, the numbers do add up to report your total data usage with some accuracy, regardless which app it reports as using your data.
Please remember that we kept it very simple here today, there are apps and custom ROMs that focus on reporting and controlling your data much better than the built-in Android tools. Perhaps we’ll visit those around here one day as well.
Next week
I hope today’s Android customization post has empowered you to take and keep control of your data services and usage. Next week is another grab bag, there is still one particular feature in the recently updated Tasker that I want to share with you, just as there are tons of great new features in Android M.
What do you say, any really weird data usage reports in your device, like, is anyone else getting usage numbers for 60 years into the future and can help me fix that?
California U-turns, DMV releases self-driving car crash data
Facing pressure from the Associated Press, the California Department of Motor Vehicles released incident reports for self-driving cars on Thursday. The department had previously refused to do so, as state law regards collision reports as confidential. Per the initial DMV release, a majority of the accidents occurred when the car was in self-driving mode but were caused by the other vehicles involved. None of the accidents mentioned were serious enough to injure passengers in either car. Google, which has a team of companies working on its upcoming self-driving car prototype (pictured above), released its own crash report earlier this month at the behest of curious observers. In all, Google’s 23 vehicles have traveled 1.8 million miles of California highways (1.1 million in self-driving mode), and were involved in a total of 12 fender benders over that time span.
[Image Credit: AP]
Source: Associated Press
Apple Discounts ‘Amazing Fantasy Games’ for New iOS App Store Promotion [iOS Blog]
Apple today updated its iOS App Store with a new “Amazing Fantasy Games” section, discounting a wide selection of popular iOS games in the fantasy genre by 50 percent or more. Most of the 16 games universal, and all are available on both iPhone and iPad. The games range from puzzle games to platformers to full RPGs.
Discounted titles are listed below:
– BADLAND
– Terraria
– Oceanhorn
– LIMBO
– Block Fortress
– Radiation Island
– Goblin Sword
– Final Fantasy IV
– Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
– Final Fantasy V, Evoland
– The Bard’s Tale
– Final Fantasy III
– Heroes and Castles 2
– Hero Emblems
– Ravensword: Shadowlands
Several of the games on the list are highly popular award-winning titles and are well worth picking up at a discounted price. Apple’s sale lasts for “a limited time,” which typically means that it will run from today until next Thursday, when the App Store is updated again.
Along with discounting several fantasy games, Apple has also made Warhammer: Snotling Fling its app of the week, and as a result, that game will be free to download for the next seven days.
AIVAnet 