Report: Huawei Watch delayed in China until 2016
The Huawei Watch is arguably the best designed Android Wear smartwatch and while it is set to launch in several markets in Q3, it may be delayed for several months in Huawei’s home country of China. Announced at MWC 2015 in February, the Huawei Watch looks set to go on sale in the US and Europe in the coming months but faces significant delays in China according to Yang Yong, the company’s wearables manager.
According to the WSJ, Mr. Yang cited that the delays were caused by Google’s Android Wear operating system, saying: “We’re experiencing some problems with Google’s Android Wear [the watch’s operating system] in China“. Attempting to justify the delay, Yang said “It’s a new product” before adding that the Apple Watch was also delayed ahead of its launch a month ago.
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Google’s wearable platform launched a year ago but as Google services don’t run in China, Huawei will face difficulty offering the Android Wear-powered Huawei Watch to users in its home market. Despite these issues, Mr. Yang said the company is sticking with Google’s OS for future smartwatches and has ruled out using the proprietary interface of its TalkBand fitness tracker range in future smartwatches.
The Huawei Watch met a great reaction when it was announced at MWC 2015 as it offered the classic style of a classic wristwatch with a physical button and premium specs. Available in three colours – Black, Silver and Gold – the Watch is expected to launch at £300 in the UK for the Black and Silver versions, while the Gold colour will set you back an extra £50.
The physical button is placed at the 2 o’clock position, which is more natural than the traditional 90-degree angle at 3 o’clock. The specs lists is similar to other Android Wear smartwatches but unlike Apple, there’s only one size available; 42mm diameter which is quite large. The 1.4-inch AMOLED display has sapphire crystal protection and the 400×400 pixels resolution offers an outstanding density of 286 pixels per inch.
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Other notable specs include a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, a 300mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.1 and a heart-rate monitor. While the specs are similar to its rivals, the design of the Huawei Watch is what truly sets it apart. A choice of stainless steel or leather strap adorns the watch face, which is larger than you might expect but still feels comfortable on the wrist.
Mr. Yang also revealed that the company has used the delay to improve the design further, making the watch less bulky and more akin to the design of a classical time piece. When discussing the design, Yang also confirmed that with manufacturers limited by the changes they can make to Android Wear – Huawei wants more freedom to customise – it considers the design the main way to differentiate against the competition.
Android Wear in video:
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The relatively new smartwatch market also means that Huawei are predicting new smartwatches won’t be released every year and instead will be on a slower release cycle. He said:
“The technical development isn’t as fast as in smartphones, so I don’t think, we will presenting a new smartwatch every year,”
Deal: Motorola Moto X gets discounted to $299, try it risk-free for 30 days
If you’re looking for a perfectly capable off-contract smartphone, Motorola may have quite the deal for you. From now until Monday, June 29th, you can purchase an off-contract Moto X (2nd Gen.) customized through Moto Maker starting at just $299.99 (after $50 mail-in rebate) and try it out risk-free for up to 30 days. Not only will you have the chance to return it within this time period if you decide against it, Motorola will also give you a “do-over” for another shot at designing your Moto Maker creation.
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To clarify, you’ll need to head on over to motomaker.com, customize your Moto X, and choose the no contract option for the carrier. Motorola will charge you a minimum of $349.99 when you purchase the device, but filling out the mail-in rebate form will get you a nice $50 back within 6 to 8 weeks of your purchase. If you’re not keen on spending that amount of money right away, Motorola will also let you finance the device for $0 down over a period of 6, 12 or 18 months with a Motorola Credit account.
The Moto X is still a great phone, so this is a good deal. Head to the link below if you’re interested in learning more.
Motorola letting customers test custom-made Moto X for 30 days
Motorola is making an interesting move today, leveraging on the aging 2014 Moto X. They’re not only knocking down the starting price once again, by $50 (bringing it to $299), but allowing you to try it at no risk for up to 30 days, at which point you would need to decide to keep or ship it back.
With the new low price, Motorola is also using this as an opportunity to make a stance against contracts. They state that according to a report by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), customers more favoring the more straightforward way of purchasing their smartphones.
“The report also sheds light on the massive shift we are seeing in the wireless and mobile industry. People are happiest without a contract. The good news is that more and more carriers understand the importance of offering simple to understand, no contract wireless plans. To embrace going off-contract, we recognize the need to offer great premium smartphones at a better price so you get more bang for your buck.“
This criticism towards contracts is another shove against the way the industry does things. Recently, we also saw AT&T acknowledge that customers are becoming more and more interested in unsubsidized purchasing options.
Motorola is referring to this offer as Say Hello to Moto, and it runs from 6/15 – 6/29. So if you’ve been dabbling with the idea of owning a Moto X, this is a great opportunity to test drive it before committing. Just head over to Moto Maker and start building your own custom Moto X. But know that the starting price is for the plastic back cover, the wood or leather options run $25 more.
The post Motorola letting customers test custom-made Moto X for 30 days appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Report: Galaxy S6, S6 Edge for T-Mobile receiving Android 5.1.1
Flashback all the way to the end of April when reports were coming in that T-Mobile was updating the Galaxy S6 Edge to Android 5.1.1. While T-Mobile itself wasn’t too keen on discussing the matter, it would appear that the roll-out is now going full-steam, even if the uncarrier isn’t loosening its lips at all. The staff at SamMobile are reporting that the 635.49MB update is now available OTA or via Kies. Both the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge are eligible. All those interested may want to check out the preview which shows off all the features mentioned below:
The update brings with it several new features, including:
- Guest Mode, a feature that has been present on stock Android for some time now (as well as some Samsung tablets) allows you to create a separate user profile for additional family members or friends who want to use your device, but can only do so in a restricted fashion. Said guests can operate the phone sans the ability to look at your sensitive data (e-mails and texts for example), and content they create will be deleted upon return to the standard user.
- Another feature that has been widely reported is, ironically, one that has been on the device from the get-go. “Parallax Effect” which gives the impression the background is moving beneath the icons, was present whenever you chose to use a background image that wasn’t one of the pre-installed set. What is different now, however, is that the pre-installed backgrounds can now be toggled to make use of the parallax visuals. Additionally, it would seem the effect can be turned off for your manually selected backgrounds, a feature that wasn’t originally available.
- When customizing the Notification Shade’s quick settings now, the option to remove both the S-Finder and Quick Connect options are included, thus producing an even less cluttered drop-down.
- For those interested in the camera, the ability to change the exposure is now included. After choosing a point to focus on, simply slide your finger up or down to alter the exposure. Whereas it was once believed that this update would include the ability to capture images in RAW – a feature the LG G4 currently has – it is not present, and a new report suggests it won’t appear until the alleged Galaxy S6 Plus hits stores.
As mentioned earlier, T-Mobile itself has yet to issue a press release to detail the contents of this update, and we have yet to hear of any other carrier or territory receiving the update, even in Samsung’s home country of South Korea. Just how it is T-Mobile managed to get this out the door so quickly is a mystery indeed, though it’s doubtful anyone will complain given the quick turnaround.
Razer reportedly acquires Ouya
Computer accessories maker Razer may have just quietly purchased Ouya, the company who created the failed Android-powered miniconsole, according to Mesa Global. While no financial details have been provided regarding the transaction, the investment bank explained that it acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Ouya in the sale.
It should be noted that since the listing made its way to Mesa’s website, the post has already been taken down. Neither Ouya nor Razer have yet commented on the sale.
Just last week, the two companies were rumored to be talking about a sale, though none of the companies would confirm or deny these talks. Following the rumors, though, Razer told Engadget that it’s “always been supportive of OUYA and their work toward building an open platform for Android gaming”, though the company said it wouldn’t give further comment on speculation or rumors.
So, what exactly does this mean for the two companies? We’re not exactly sure at the moment. Ouya has yet to prove itself worthy in the video gaming industry, at least with its first product, the inexpensive Android micro-console complete with a library of free-to-try games. And aside from its recently-launched Forge TV, Razer has remained relatively quiet in the Android space throughout the last few months.
While nothing is set in stone quite yet, we’re sure we’ll get a few more details on the purchase over the next few days.
Telltale Games announces The Walking Dead: Michonne mini-series, coming to Android this fall
We’ve already seen a few awesome announcements come from E3 2015, and the next video game developer to reveal its next big plan is Telltale Games, the folks behind the popular Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us mobile games. Next up from the company is a new three-part mini-series set to make its way to Android devices this fall, entitled The Walking Dead: Michonne.
The new mini-series of course stars Michonne, the iconic character found in the comic book series and the show. The story will delve into her untold journey during the time between issues #126 and #139 of the comic book series. Telltale says players of the mini-series will “discover what took Michonne away from Rick, Ezekiel, and the rest of her trusted group… and what brought her back.”
In addition to Android, the new game will also make its way to PC/Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and iOS devices. While no exact timeframe was given for the release, the company says that players will need at least the first episode of The Walking Dead: Season Two in order to play the new game. We’ll let you know when we get word of a release date.
Sony already has over 30 Project Morpheus VR games in the works
We’re ready and waiting for Sony’s E3 press conference later today, but for now you can get yourself amped up for its PlayStation 4 virtual reality initiative, Project Morpheus, with an early look by Wired. The big news? There are already more than 30 VR games in the works, according to Sony Worldwide Studio’s Shuhei Yoshida. And while all of them won’t be ready for launch, it sounds like Sony and its developer partners are making a concerted effort to push the VR experience forward. “You think everything’s going to fall into one of four categories-sports, shooters, action, etc.-and that’s not the case,” said Adam Boyes, Sony’s VP of developer relations. “Because developers have such great access to VR tools in general, they’re just throwing everything at the wall.” Project Morpheus is still expected to land early next year, and Sony reps say that the Morpheus headset will likely go for “several hundred dollars.”
Boyes says some of the current VR projects include puzzle games, relaxation games or simply first-person exploration games. Impulse Gear, one of the studios developing Morpheus experiences, has also been working on a way to make shooting more realistic in virtual reality. It’s created a prototype gun peripheral that takes advantage of Sony’s Move motion controller, as well as the innards of the PS3’s DualShock controller, for some truly accurate virtual fragging. That’s a step beyond the standard keyboard/mouse and gaming controller interaction we’ve seen from competitors like Oculus, but right now Impulse Gear’s peripheral is still pretty experimental.
While competition for VR platform of choice is going to be fierce over the next few years, Sony has a few advantages. For one, it’s relying on the PlayStation 4, a console that’s already in millions of homes and will only get cheaper over time. Oculus and HTC’s Vive, on the other hand, connect to expensive gaming PCs. While the total cost of an Oculus VR setup could run you around $1,500, you’ll most likely be able to get a PS4 and Morpheus headset for about half as much. Being a closed platform also makes it easier for developers to build for Project Morpheus — they don’t have to worry as much about varying CPU and video card speeds.
[Photo credit: Peter Eark McCollough/Wired]
Source: Wired
Xbox One will play Xbox 360 games, preview members can try it today
Fans of backwards compatibility are getting their wish: Microsoft just announced that the Xbox One will be able to play Xbox 360 games. Demonstrated on stage with Mass Effect by Mike Ybarra, it sounds a lot like the OG Xbox -> Xbox 360 setup — you just plug in the disc or download the game, and the system plays it, but now with Xbox One features like taking screenshots, Game DVR, and game streaming included. All developers need to do is approve a game for backwards compatibility for it to work, so the list of compatible titles could grow rapidly. Microsoft took a chance to ding Sony for its PlayStation Now streaming setup too, promising “gamers won’t have to pay to play games they already own.” If you’re in the Xbox preview program you will be able to try this out later today with a limited set of titles. A teaser image for the feature showed off other games like Perfect Dark Zero, Gears of War, Super Meat Boy, Halo Reach, Halo 3, Shadowrun and Borderlands. We’ll try it out once it launches but wow, funny to see this here just two years after Don Mattrick called it “backwards.”
Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
Get ready to play your #Xbox360 games on #XboxOne. #XboxE3 pic.twitter.com/emuzzpbOMa
– Xbox (@Xbox) June 15, 2015
Re Xbox One Back Compat: Game developers just need to approve titles showing up. Preview members will get it later today !
– Larry Hryb #XboxE3 (@majornelson) June 15, 2015
. @XboxP3 announces Xbox One Backward Compatibly. Play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One starting today for Preview members pic.twitter.com/P8ex2G0OO6
– Larry Hryb #XboxE3 (@majornelson) June 15, 2015
‘Halo 5’ brings the epic scale of its solo campaign to multiplayer
Halo 5: Guardians won’t force you to you choose between the grand scale of its single-player story and the camaraderie of multiplayer… in theory, you’ll get both at the same time. The crew at 343 Industries has revealed that its sci-fi shooter will include Warzone, a 24-player mode that has you facing off against both other humans and AI opponents. Its maps are about four times the size of those from earlier games in the series, too. The addition reflects just how important the team dynamic (also shown off in single-player mode at E3) will be when Halo 5 arrives in October — it’s anything but an afterthought.
Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
Microsoft’s new Xbox Elite wireless controller has swappable parts
When you’ve got a good thing going, the prevailing wisdom says you shouldn’t mess with it. But today, at Microsoft’s E3 press event, the company unveiled a redesigned Xbox controller: the wireless Elite. The new and improved controller adds four bumper pads under the grips, a textured rolling pad that replaces the standard D-pad and hair trigger locks for more precise control when slaying the bad guys in your shooter of choice. But what’s likely the most exciting aspect of the new Elite controller is the ability to hot swap the aforementioned parts according to your personal configuration. Microsoft didn’t commit to a firm launch date for the Elite controller, but you can expect it to arrive sometime this Fall.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: @majornelson (Twitter)
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