PayPal explains when it will hit you with robocalls
When PayPal updated its user agreement with language suggesting that it had broad powers to make automated calls (aka robocalls) and texts, customers were understandably nervous. Was the company going to spam you until you bought more stuff using its online wallet? Well, you can relax. PayPal is tweaking the agreement once again to make it clear just when it will (and more importantly, won’t) send a recorded message your way. The only times the firm will robocall is when it needs to collect debt, warn you about shady activity or tackle fraud cases. You won’t deal with marketing spiels unless you give explicit consent, and you can revoke that permission at any point.
It’s a kind gesture, but PayPal is also trying to prevent a thorny situation from getting worse. You see, the FCC was worried that the terms of service were violating a ban on robotic telemarketing — this should keep PayPal on the regulator’s good side. Whatever the motivation, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting a sales pitch while you’re having dinner.
[Image credit: SarahNW, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: CNET
Sprint’s HTC One M9 to receive Android 5.1 Lollipop from July 1
If you own an HTC One M9 and are rather unimpressed by its camera performance, you can now take a sigh of relief as Spring’s version of the handset is receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop update starting July 1. The over-the-air update will fix some camera issues faced by the device, revealed HTC’s Mo Versi.
“HTC One (M9) Sprint Owners! We have received technical approval on Lollipop OS 5.1 which includes camera improvements. OTA to start on 7/1!,” Mo Versi announced from his Twitter handle @moversi June 29, 2015.
The HTC One M9 sports a 20.7-megapixel rear camera and 4-ultrapixel front camera. The software upgrade is expected to fix issues such as washed out and noisy images.
If you want to update your HTC One M9, go to Settings and tap on About Phone, then go to System Update. If the update is available for your phone, follow the instructions on the screen to update your device. Those who are not on Sprint will have to wait for a few more weeks before the Android 5.1 Lollipop upgrade reaches them.
Source: @moversi
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Verizon’s 2nd Gen Moto X Android 5.1 update makes its way to their support page, OTA incoming
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Just about a month ago Motorola started rolling out Android 5.1 for the Moto X 2nd Gen device. The unlocked ones at least. Now we can toss Verizon branded devices in the mix as official recipients. Verizon has updated the software update page for the device to outline Android 5.1. Verizon outlines the update as adding in new interruption controls, notification volume control access, drop down controls for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from notification panel and an increase to the minimum swipe distance to activate the ambient display.
It will also include Factory Data Reset Protection. That is the new security implementation that protects your device from a factory data reset by requiring your Google Account credentials to be logged in order to use it after the wipe. I don’t see the Chop Gesture listed in the PDF, nor do I see VoLTE or HD Voice though.
Some users may already have the update installed, while others will be waiting impatiently. Like most OTA updates, it could take a few weeks to hit every active device in the wild. If you do see it appear, make sure you have a solid Wi-Fi connection, well over 50% life and some time to kill for it to download and install.
Source: Verizon Via Droid-Life
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Sprint HTC One M9 getting Android 5.1 Lollipop update on July 1st!
It can take manufacturers a while for carriers to approve updates, a burdensome fact we have had to learn to live with. Even brand new devices like the HTC One M9 have us waiting for the latest updates, but today we have good news for those who have the Sprint version of said handset.
Android 5.1 Lollipop will be hitting the Sprint HTC One M9 starting July 1st! This information comes straight from Mo Versi, HTC’s VP of product management. Versi recently published a post on Twitter, mentioning the update received technical approval from Sprint and it was ready to head out the door.
HTC One (M9) Sprint Owners! We have received technical approval on Lollipop OS 5.1 which includes camera improvements. OTA to start on 7/1!
— Mo Versi (@moversi) June 29, 2015
Mo Versi goes on to mention the update will include important camera improvements. Other Android 5.1 additions include better device protection, better contact-specific notification settings, improved screen pinning, better WiFi and more. You can read all about Android 5.1 in our detailed article on the software version.
Meanwhile, you can rest assured the Android 5.1 will hit your device soon if you ar eon Sprint. HTC One M9 users in other carriers will have to wait a bit. People asked about the AT&T and T-Mobile versions, which Mo Versi answers with: “in the lab – will advice once we have approval”. We are sure it won’t take too long for other carriers to follow suit, though. Or at least that is what we are hoping!
Yelp study claims that Google ‘knowingly’ worsens search results
Yelp really, really isn’t a fan of Google’s search rankings, and it’s making sure that you know it. The location-based service has partnered with net neutrality pioneer Tim Wu on a study alleging that Google is “knowingly degrading” search results by peppering the findings with hits from its own services, such as Google+ reviews. The research project notes that test subjects were 45 percent more likely to click search results when they were purely “organic” (that is, more objective) versus the usual Google-influenced material. This is reportedly proof that Google is compromising the quality of your searches for the sake of helping its own business, and Yelp goes on to liken the Mountain View team to the monopolies of AT&T and Microsoft.
Those are some pretty serious accusations, but it doesn’t take much to poke holes in the study. To start, there’s an elephant in the room: Yelp has a vested interest in portraying Google as anti-competitive, since that lends fuel to antitrust cases which might force Google to give alternatives a higher ranking. There’s a concern that Yelp’s data team is crafting worst-case scenarios that don’t really match up with your real-life experience. Whether or not you believe Google when it tells us that Yelp is relying on “flawed methodology” and “cherry-picked queries,” it’s hard to deny that profit motivations taint the data.
Also, the researchers don’t present the findings in their full context. Yelp is quick to say that people are more likely to engage with the results when third-party links get better treatment, but it’s not giving a good sense of the scale. As Danny Sullivan explains to Motherboard, 45 percent more than a tiny amount doesn’t mean anything. Also, this doesn’t mean that the competing services are actually better, or that you’d see the same problem with a wider range of queries and a much larger population. While this doesn’t eliminate the worry that Google is stifling rivals by downplaying their pages, it’d likely take a much broader, more neutral analysis to justify those fears.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Via: Motherboard
Source: Slideshare
Medium ditches passwords for single-use email links
Passwords are, by many accounts, quickly going the way of the dodo. And while many sites now allow users to log in via social media, they’re not always a viable option. That’s why (as an alternative to logging in via Facebook or Twitter) blog-publishing platform Medium is trying a different tactic: getting rid of passwords entirely. Users will simply click a login button and check their email as Medium sends a single-use, time-limited password link to grant access. It’s basically the same process used to reset a forgotten password, save that you won’t have to set a new (equally-forgettable) login.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Medium
Motorola Moto G (2015) press renders leaked
Not long ago, we saw some blurry image of of highly anticipated Motorola Moto G (2015) doing rounds on various websites. And now we have stumbled upon clear press renders of the bestselling Motorola device, months ahead of its official announcement.
Technobuffalo reportedly received these images from an anonymous tipster, which are by far the clearest images of the handset codenamed Osprey or model XT1540. Just like the previous leaks had shown, the Moto G (2015) has a vertical metal strip on its back that houses the primary camera, LED flash and the dimpled Motorola logo.
While there is no confirmation on the device’s specifications as yet, sources revealed that it would feature a 5-inch HD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, a pair of 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras, 8GB of inbuilt memory and 1 GB of RAM. And yeah, it will also come with 4G LTE support.
After making waves for the Moto G in 2013, Motorola had launched its successor in September 2014. The third generation Moto G is likely to be launched in September too, but the Lenovo-owned company hasn’t even confirmed the handset’s existence so far. Are you excited about the upcoming Moto G or just 1 GB of RAM sounds like a downer to you?
Source: TechnoBuffalo
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New Samsung battery technology may be able to double current smartphone battery life
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If there’s one smartphone technology that has stagnated over the last few years, it’s batteries. That’s not to say that there haven’t been amazing improvements to batteries recently – fast charging batteries are very cool – but battery capacity in particular has barely improved. In fact, battery capacities in general over only increased (on average) by about 500-600mAh, which is tiny when you consider that most devices increase battery size with each yearly revision anyway. So it’s fallen on a new Samsung battery technology to possibly revitalize this research area.
Their research is currently being undertaken at Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology and Energy Material Lab in Korea and according to a paper published just last week, might have discovered a way to almost double current smartphone battery capacities by increasing energy density. In scientific terms, what Samsung’s team has managed to do is use a silicon coating which allows for graphene growth on the silicon nanoparticles of the battery without the presence of silicon carbide which would otherwise hinder the efficiency of the battery – if you want to read the full paper, you can check it out here.
If you’re sceptical as to whether this is actually going to become a thing, know that Samsung is in the process of patenting this technology, which makes it seems pretty genuine. Whether or not you understand the technical mumbo-jumbo, we can still be excited that Samsung is forging ahead with research that we could be seeing in our devices in the near future, whether it be bigger battery capacities or even thinner devices.
What do you think of Samsung’s new battery technology? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Nature via International Business Times
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Circular smart watches will soon have longer lasting batteries thanks to LG
Smart watches are not everyone’s “cup of tea”, but one thing we all can agree on is they need better battery life. LG has unveiled a new hexagonal battery that is designed to fit circular smartwatches. The batteries are said to not only fit better bringing possibly slimmer smart watches, but also improve battery life.
From ETNews:
Compared to previous rectangular or square batteries for circle Smart Watches, its use of space and degree of freedom in design are much better because its shape is similar to a circle. It can miniaturize products and it can increase battery capacity up to 25%. It is predicted that battery’s life will increase 4 more hours compared to previous ones.
The way the batteries work is by a process called “stack and folding”. This patented process will be able to make different shaped batteries such as a L-shaped battery or a “donut” shaped battery.
LG plans on bringing the hexagonal batteries into mass production by the end of the year.
Source: etnews
Come comment on this article: Circular smart watches will soon have longer lasting batteries thanks to LG
Sprint’s HTC One M9 to receive Android 5.1 Lollipop this week
This week, Sprint will push a software update to its HTC One M9 that includes the latest version of Android. The flagship from HTC will receive Android 5.1 Lollipop in addition to some camera fixes on Wednesday. Being that the specifications of the One M9 have been underwhelming to some, providing timely software updates and a clean user interface is vital for HTC’s success. The company has issued multiple software updates to fix the camera’s quality as well.
Mo Versi, HTC’s Vice President of Product Management, tweeted the following:
“HTC One (M9) Sprint Owners! We have received technical approval on Lollipop OS 5.1 which includes camera improvements. OTA to start on 7/1!”
Source: Mo Versi (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: Sprint’s HTC One M9 to receive Android 5.1 Lollipop this week
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