5.5-inch Galaxy S6 Plus makes alleged appearance in MKBHD video
Rumors of a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge have been swirling for a while, but now we’ve got some resemblance of proof thanks to beloved YouTuber Marques Brownlee, a.k.a MKBHD.
First, let’s back up a little. SamMobile first reported about a month ago on a device known initially as Project Zen, and then as Project Zero 2. This Project Zero 2 device bears the SM-G928 code number and is reportedly a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge, featuring a 5.5-inch display. This device was initially rumored to launch during IFA, in September.
Earlier this week, Italian tech blog HDBlog claimed that Project Zero 2 would launch in the coming weeks under the Galaxy S6 Plus moniker. Given the rather vague nature of the report and the fact that there was no evidence supporting it, we decided to skip it.
Now Galaxy S6 Plus makes a surprise appearance at the end of a MKBHD video on the HTC One M9+.
Marques says he receives the images from an anonymous source, without offering any further details. With that said, the YouTuber seems certain that this is indeed the Galaxy S6 Plus.
Now MKBHD is highly trustworthy when it comes to reviews, but he’s not known as someone who breaks news and leaks unannounced products. And the images are very ambiguous – it’s hard to tell whether this is indeed a new, larger device, or just the Galaxy S6 Edge. The only different detail that we spotted is the chrome ring around the flash/HRM module, which is more rounded in the MKBHD image, compared to the squarish design of the Edge. But even that is hardly conclusive proof that we’re looking at a new device.
According to SamMobile, the Zero 2 will feature a ~5.5-inch display Quad HD dual-edge AMOLED screen and a Snapdragon 808 processor. That’s the same processor as in the LG G4, and a move from the homemade Exynos processor powering the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.
The question remains, why would Samsung want to release a new flagship in the size gap between the S series and the Note series? It’s possible that the Korean giant is trying to capitalize on the success of the S6 Edge (which, reports claim, is selling much better than Samsung has anticipated) by releasing a larger phone of the same design.
Again, there’s still zero conclusive evidence that the Galaxy S6 Plus is coming. But say it’s a real product, what are your thoughts on it?
MPs bid to overturn UK surveillance law at the High Court
When UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced he had passed emergency legislation to retain everyone’s web and phone activity, privacy groups were understandably upset. The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 (DRIPA), passed in July 2014, requires that telecoms companies and internet providers store customer data so that authorities can better investigate serious criminal acts relating to sexual exploitation. The government is keen to gloss over the privacy implications of the law, particularly that it was ruled illegal in Europe, but a group of MPs, supported with civil rights organisation Liberty International, argue that it infringes human rights and will seek to reverse DRIPA at the High Court later today.
Former Conservative MP David Davis and Tom Watson MP, who is in the race to become Labour’s deputy leader, are fronting the campaign. It comes after the US Senate began reforming the powers of its security services, which included stripping the NSA and FBI of their access to phone records and their ability to implement “roving wiretaps.” Liberty will challenge DRIPA in the UK through the Human Rights Act, arguing that while access can play a role in solving crime, it doesn’t “justify the costly and lengthy mass retention of records of those who are not involved in such investigations.”
[Image credit: Andrea Vail, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: Wired
Source: Liberty
Lufthansa will charge you extra for booking flights on other websites
Be careful when choosing a website to book that upcoming trip to Munich… you may end up paying more than you have to. Germany’s Lufthansa Group is introducing a €16 ($18) fee for flights booked through “global distribution systems,” such as Expedia, from September 1st onward. According to the company, it’s “several times” more expensive to sell tickets through these providers — it’d much rather point you toward its own websites. The move will theoretically help slash spiraling costs for Lufthansa, which reportedly pays hundreds of millions of Euros every year to deal with these outside transactions.
Of course, Lufthansa stands to benefit beyond alleviating the terrible, terrible financial burden of processing your ticket purchases from third-party websites. The airline insists to the BBC that it’s not “trying to discourage anyone” from comparing prices, but the move reduces the chances that you’ll go hunting for bargains on lower-cost flights. Also, it’s no secret that pushing direct sales would help Lufthansa sell special services that you might miss if you’re only concerned with scoring the best possible deal. While the surcharge might help Lufthansa balance the books, it’s going to be a pain if you regularly scour the internet for travel discounts.
[Image credit: AP Photo/dpa, Jan-Arwed Richter]
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Via: BBC
Source: Lufthansa
Tesco trials app for donating unsold food to charity
It’s strange to think that in an affluent nation like the UK, there are people going hungry while shops and eateries throw out masses of perfectly good food every day. Charity organisation FareShare has tasked itself with saving this unwanted food from the bin out back and distributing it to other charities that can use it, and under a new partnership with Tesco, it’s turned to technology to grease the wheels. With the FoodCloud mobile app, Tesco store managers can log items earmarked for disposal, informing FareShare of the potential donation which the charity can then arrange to collect. Born from ongoing partnerships with FareShare and FoodCloud, Tesco’s kicked off the UK pilot in its Surrey Quays store, and will expand it to a further nine locations in four cities under a wider trial. FoodCloud is already in use across all of Tesco’s supermarkets in Ireland, so there’s definite scope for the pilot to become a widespread initiative. And hopefully, Tesco will inspire other businesses to take part, too.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
HTC can’t stop launching high-end models, introduces One ME in China
It was already hard to keep track of HTC’s high-end devices, and now the Taiwanese company is adding yet another model to the mix, the One ME.
A little recap: HTC’s flagship remains the One M9, at least in the West. In Asia, however, HTC has expanded its high-end range with the One M9+ (a 5.2-inch Quad HD model with a fingerprint scanner and metal build) and the One E9+ (a 5.5-inch Quad HD model clad in plastic). Confusingly, it looks like there won’t be a One E9, though there were some rumors about it. Both the M9+ and the E9+ are available in China, India, and some other Asian markets, with no prospect to make it in the US or Europe.
Today HTC has launched the One ME, a 5.2-inch device that looks a lot like the One M9+ but lacks the metal body and swaps the Duo Camera with a conventional 20MP rear shooter. This device was rumored to come to market as the One ME9, but HTC mercifully chose the simpler variant.
The One ME features a Quad HD screen for a pixel density of 565 ppi and is powered by MediaTek’s Helio X10 octa-core processor, with 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. Weighing in at 155g, the device is slightly lighter than the One M9+, while dimensions are almost identical. This looks a lot like a plastic version of the M9+, complete with the fingerprint sensor wedged between the bottom front speaker.
The rear camera features a 20MP sensor with f 2.2 lens, while the front one is 4MP. Battery life should be pretty good, thanks to the 2,840 mAh capacity (same as M9+). Dual SIM LTE, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi and Android 5.0 Lollipop round up the spec sheet.
The One ME appears to be a China-only model, though there’s a chance it will go out in India as well, just like the M9+ and E9+. No info on pricing and availability yet.
There’s a whole discussion to be had about the sanity of HTC’s approach to product design. It’s almost as if the company is mixing and matching features and build materials to get more models out on the market. While this gives more options to customers, it also dilutes and muddies HTC’s message. And the naming scheme doesn’t help. Let us know your thoughts.
Quick Charge 2.0 is coming to USB hubs
Isn’t it annoying when some smartphones boast Quick Charge 2.0 but only come with a regular USB charger? Given the option, we’d rather spend the money on something more practical, like a USB hub that supports Quick Charge. And why yes, we managed to stumble upon one at Computex, courtesy of Hong Kong’s Magic-Pro. The Power Station Super 4 comes with — you guessed it — four USB ports, two of which can automatically switch to either 9V or 12V for faster charging on compatible devices, while the third port offers the common 5V/2.4A output, and the last one does 5V/3A as the company anticipates a new wave of tablets that can take the higher current. Better yet, the hub comes with a car charger and a Quick Charge 2.0-friendly micro-USB data cable, so not bad at all for a $65 package. Expect this to hit the markets at around the end of this month.
For those who want a smaller USB hub but with ample power output, Magic-Pro’s Charging Station Cube comes in at just 50 x 50 x 41 mm large, but still offers four ports: two with dedicated 2.4A each, and two with 1A each. This is due to launch in pink, white and blue later this month for about $35.
Last but not least, we spotted this beast alongside the other minions on the table. Like its predecessor, the Power Station 10+ comes with 10 USB ports, but instead of delivering just 1A to each, you get a generous 2.4A even when all ports are occupied! Alas, there’s no price nor date just yet.
Filed under: Peripherals
Software can detect your pain level just by looking
Remember Baymax’s pain scale in Big Hero 6? In the real world, machines might not even need to ask whether or not you’re hurting — they’ll already know. UC San Diego researchers have developed a computer vision algorithm that can gauge your pain levels by looking at your facial expressions. If you’re wincing, for example, you’re probably in more agony than you are if you’re just furrowing your brow. The code isn’t as good as detecting your pain as your parents (who’ve had years of experience), but it’s up to the level of an astute nurse.
As you might imagine, the technology could be very helpful in the hospital and beyond. Nurses could use it to tell whether or not you’re getting enough painkillers after surgery. Alternately, medical robots could offer treatment if they see you grimacing. Doctors could eventually refine procedures based on feedback, and you might never have to wait for a health care worker to see that you’re suffering.
Filed under: Science, Software
Via: Walyou
Source: Pediatrics
HTC’s new pixel-density champ is the One ME
Oh, HTC, we’re starting to lose track of all your tempting Asia-only models. The Taiwanese company has just revealed the One ME, which is basically an M9+ with less metal and no Duo camera (as rumored). We understand if you’re having trouble keeping up, so here are the boilerplate specs. The ME has a polycarbonate body with a metal frame like the 5.5-inch E9+, but with a smaller 5.2-inch Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) screen for a stunning 565 ppi — making it HTC’s sharpest phone to date. The CPU is a MediaTek Helio X10 eight-core job running at 2.2GHz with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage expandable to 2TB via microSDXC.
Other specs include dual-SIMs, a fingerprint sensor, a 2,840mAh battery, HTC’s Sense flavor of Android and 20-megapixel (non-Duo) rear/Ultrapixel front cameras. That rather great-sounding model now joins the 5-inch HTC One M9, the 5.2-inch M9+, and the 5.5-inch E9 and E9+ models in HTC’s stable of thoroughbred devices, making it hard to pick a single “flagship.” There’s no word on pricing or availability yet, but chances are this One won’t come to North America either.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Source: HTC China
Hitman: Sniper now available on the Google Playstore
Acclaimed video game developer, Square Enix announced on their official hitman blog yesterday that they will be releasing the game Hitman: Sniper on both the App Store and the Google Playstore on Thursday, June 4th. It has been one of the most awaited titles since the teaser trailer for Hitman: Sniper was released almost an year back. Its finally available on the Google Playstore for $4.99!
Check out the new launch trailer below:
Hitman: Sniper features Agent 47 in a highly competitive gameplay environment. It will be your job to complete the various assassinations and assignments set in beautiful scenic Montenegro. A giant map that will let you take down enemies from multiple vantage points. Epic slow motion shots and highly detailed graphics will keep you coming back for more. Just as it was in Hitman GO, you’ll be able to replay all the missions multiple times to get you perfect “Stealth” score and reach the top of the leaderboards.
Hitman: Sniper is released as a premium title in the Playstore. If you liked Hitman: GO or just are a fan a Hitman movies, I’m sure it’ll be worth spending a few bucks to get this one as well. Check out the download link below and knock yourself out!
Have you played Hitman: Sniper? Let us know in the comments.
The post Hitman: Sniper now available on the Google Playstore appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Keyboard updates, offers cross-device personal dictionary syncing
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
Google has been on a pretty good roll lately with keeping updates rolling for their apps on Wednesdays. Today’s round of updates covers a variety apps and brings in a number of changes that are notable. In today’s update for the Google Keyboard, which is now at v4.1, we see a new ability that many have been eager to have included, cross-device dictionary syncing.
Accessing the new feature is pretty simple, just head in to the Google Keyboard settings after updating the app and you will see a new tab, “Accounts & Privacy” option. Simply turn it on and away you go. That is assuming you don’t have a Google Apps for Business account synced to your device. As you can see in the screenshots above, the options are not changeable due to a few email accounts I have synced up on Google apps only device.
Don’t fret though, there are still a few other little goodies, and not so goodies, with the update. Users who link up with a physical keyboard will be able to access emoji’s by simply hitting the ‘Alt’ key which will bring up an emoji icon row on-screen for you to navigate with the arrow keys. The sometimes helpful, and other times irritating, text correction function loses its various level settings and is either on of off now. One function that was removed, but probably won’t be missed by many, is phrase input gesture typing. That is where you could keep your finger on the screen the whole time and swing over the space bar to indicate the word was done and move to the next. It wasn’t a feature I ever used, but apparently it didn’t work all that well any ways.
As usual, you can head to the Play Store and see if the update is waiting for you to install. If it isn’t, then you can swing past Gappsearly and manually install the APK.
The post Google Keyboard updates, offers cross-device personal dictionary syncing appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
AIVAnet 