Skype bug crashes the messaging app on Android, iOS and Windows
Skype users aren’t safe from app-crashing messages, too. VentureBeat has discovered through the service’s community forums that the app suffers from a bug similar to Apple’s texting flaw. If you recall, that one crashes the Messages app when it receives a specific string of Unicode characters. It’s even easier to put Skype out of commission: all it takes is sending or receiving “http://:” without the quotes. The flaw affects Skype for Windows, iOS and Android in different situations. For instance, it crashes the Windows app if you’re the sender and completely kills it if it’s the one receiving that string of characters. However, the iOS and the Android apps are only affected when they’re the recipient, and Skype for Mac seems to be immune from the issue.
In case this happens to you by accident, ask the sender to delete their message, and reinstall the older version of the Windows application — you’re pretty much stuck until the next update for the iOS and the Android apps. Skype has reached out to VentureBeat to assure everyone that it’s aware of the issue, and that just like Apple, it’s currently working on a fix.
Source: VentureBeat
Dell unveils a range of affordable PCs ahead of Windows 10
While Dell managed to surprise us with its rather handsome XPS 15 — the sibling of the thin-bezel XPS 13 laptop — at Computex, it’s also bringing us a range of both new and refresh models ahead of the Windows 10 launch. Starting off with the headliner we have the Inspiron 15 7000 series laptop (pictured above) that runs on Intel’s quad-core Core i7H chip, and it’s garnished with Waves MaxxAudio enhancement plus a “performance class” NVIDIA graphics processor with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, so you’ll get some good gaming action on it. Most importantly, the machine’s 15-inch FHD display has an optional 4K touchscreen upgrade that looks stunning, though it isn’t clear as to how long that 74WHr battery can last for. The price? All we know so far is that it’ll start from 5,999 yuan or about $970 when it launches in China on August 7th.
For those seeking more versatility, there’s the new Inspiron 15 7000 Series 2-in-1 which is pitched as an affordable hybrid laptop. It features a massive 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen, as well as up to almost nine hours of battery life, spill-resistant backlit keyboard, brushed aluminum body and MaxxAudio software. This beast will land in the US on June 23rd with a starting price of $549.99.
Moving towards the mobility side of the spectrum we have the smaller and cooler-looking Inspiron 11 3000 Series 2-in-1 — seen here in red and gold color options — that will be refreshed with Intel’s more efficient Braswell chip. It’ll arrive in the US on July 29th with a $349.99 base price, presumably coming with the same 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 IPS touchscreen, 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive. Alternatively, there’s also the Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 (pictured right) should you require more power and a built-in stylus.
Don’t worry, Dell hasn’t forgotten the all-in-one desktop market. Here you have the Inspiron 20 3000 Series and the slightly larger Inspiron 24 3000 Series, both featuring almost identical slim designs — available in either black or white — that Dell’s VP of Product Marketing, Ray Wah, reckons would make a nice piece of furniture in our homes. Depending on the region, both models will come with either AMD or Intel Braswell chips plus an optical drive, with the Inspiron 20 featuring a 19.5-inch HD+ screen and the Inspiron 24 packing a 23.8-inch FHD IPS display. If you need a touchscreen on either, it’s optional. If the larger model tickles your fancy, you can grab one from Dell’s US website on June 2nd with a starting price of $479.99. As for the smaller $329.99 version, it won’t be arriving until October.
20,000 London police to wear body cams by early next year
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has today announced plans to supply the majority of Metropolitan Police officers with roughly 20,000 body-worn cameras within the next ten months. Like other law enforcement agencies, particularly in the US, London police have been conducting a formal trial of the devices, said to be the biggest of its kind, for the past year. This body-cam beta test, which currently generates around 6,000 video clips each month, is due to complete this summer, but already the hardware has shown promise in on-the-fly evidence collection and improving trust where officer accountability is paramount, such as in stop-and-search scenarios.
The original plan was to distribute 20,000 cameras to officers over a ten-year period, but today that commitment has been vastly accelerated, with an aim to complete the roll-out by April 2016. Should everything proceed as planned — there are several pending evaluations and reports that’ll shape police procedure — it would make London’s police force the most camera-adorned of any city in the world. We have a reputation to maintain, after all.
Filed under: Cameras, Wearables
Via: MayorWatch
Source: The Mayor of London
Video: Slickwraps sends Galaxy S6 to the edge of space, phone lives to tell the tale
You probably know Slickwraps for its skin protections for smartphones, laptops and other devices. The Kansas-based company is making wraps for all major Android devices, in a variety of colors and materials, allowing you to customize your device and give it a little protection from bumps and drops. But how about a drop from the edge of space?
That’s the premise of this video from Slickwraps, showing the Galaxy S6 being tied up to a weather balloon and sent soaring up to 122,264 feet (37,266m). That’s more than three times the cruising altitude of a commercial jetliner and high enough to see the Earth’s curvature and the blackness of space.
During the Galaxy S6’ three hour flight, the device travelled across 111 miles (233km), encountered speeds of 110mph (177km/h), with temperatures dropping to -65F (-54C). Now that’s well beyond the normal operating range for just about any electronic, but the Galaxy S6 (covered in Slickwraps’ natural bamboo skin) seems to have survived the trip (and the fall) intact.
Of course, the Galaxy S6 is not the first device to skirt the edges of the atmosphere – its ancestor, the Galaxy S2, hit 30,000 meters in 2011; the LG G2 captured some beautiful imagery in 2013; and last year, British mad scientist Colin Furze sent dozens of HTC One M8’s up to 100,000 feet. But nothing compares to the achievement of the venerable of Nexus One, which NASA used as the brains of its PhoneSat nano-satellites.
Amazon targets UK parents with its kid-friendly Fire tablet
Over half of UK households now own a tablet, which is no surprise given how popular the devices are with children. Amazon seems to have noticed the trend and will soon be launching its Fire HD Kids Edition tablet in response. It’ll be available from June 18th, with either 8GB of storage for £119 or 16GB for £139. The slate is essentially Amazon’s cheap Fire HD 6 tablet in disguise — a colourful “kid-proof” case, which protects it from drops and knocks, is wrapped around the outside for an easy grip. It comes with 12 months of Fire for Kids Unlimited, a subscription service with educational apps, books, videos and games. The tablet also offers “screen time limits,” which lets parents control how long their child can spend consuming specific types of content. All of these software and hardware tweaks are then complimented by Amazon’s fairly generous two-year guarantee. The deal means that Amazon will happily replace your tablet should it break — no questions asked.
Amazon’s regular Fire HD 6 tablet starts at £79, so you’ll be paying a £40 premium for the kid-friendly version. On paper, it’s probably a good deal — Fire for Kids Unlimited normally costs £3.99 per month (without Prime) or roughly £48 over a 12-month period. The protective case, which can’t be bought separately at the moment (although there are plenty of third-party alternatives) and the two-year warranty are just added bonuses. Of course, this all depends on how you rate Amazon’s Kindle hardware in the first place — there’s hardly a lack of choice when it comes to cheap Android tablets at the moment.
Source: Fire HD Kids Edition
This tiny robot head replaces your mouse with a laser-projected one
If you don’t want to be reliant on (or still don’t really like using) a trackpad, and tire of dragging a full-sized mouse around, then the Odin, a laser-projected mouse, might be worth a look. You’ve seen (even very recently) laser projected interfaces that cover keyboards, but the team that made Odin says it’s the world’s first laser-projected mouse interface. Which sounds pretty cool… as long as you’re willing to carry around the disembodied head of a tiny Transformer around when meddling with spreadsheets. We just gave it a cursory web browsing test, and while it lacks, obviously, the physical feedback of either mice or clickable trackpads, it behaves a whole lot the former. We just wished it looked a little, well, subtle.
The Odin moused started life as a Kickstarter project, and it’s surpassed its goals and is set to go into full production next month. (You can still order one from its crowdfunding page.) The team says that the lower wrist angle reduces carpal tunnel, and it certainly feels gentler than a physical mouse: latency was decent and the device requires a flat surface to work, with the workable area fixed at just over three inches squared. Limitation-wise, that area can’t be changed and while laser projection is only in red, you’ll be able to choose from three different colors of robotic shrunken heads. Hit up the crowdfunding site for all the details.
Dell’s latest thin-bezel laptop fronts a wave of new Windows 10 devices
After Microsoft recapped all of the major themes from the Build conference at its Computex keynote today, it tried another tactic to promote Windows 10: showing off sexy new devices. Microsoft corporate vice president Nick Parker revealed for the first time a 15-inch version of Dell’s XPS with its nearly bezel-less screen; an all-in-one from Acer; a convertible Toshiba notebook; and a mysterious HP tablet. Unfortunately, HP whisked away that new tablet before we could take any photos, but it appeared to work with some sort of keyboard cover. Details on practically all of these devices are nil for now, but we’ve gotten in touch with all of the respective companies for more. For now, ogle at the pics.
Want the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man limited edition? Get ready to pay upwards of $3,000 on eBay
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
Last week, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man limited edition, a gob-smacking nerdfest of red and gold featuring an Iron Man inspired handset as well as an arc reactor inspired wireless charger. There’s probably not a self confessed comic book enthusiast that wouldn’t want this device, but would you be willing to pay more than $3,000 USD? Well, you might have to based on some current eBay listings which range from $3,000 right up to $9,000, which is well and truly into Tony Stark territory.
We doubt that even Samsung would make the actual cost of the S6 Edge Iron Man edition that high, so perhaps some opportunistic retailers are just taking advantage of the hype surrounding the device at the moment. However, we will still have to wait for Samsung to give us the official pricing of the device, presumably some time in May when the device is due to be available, and we hope we won’t need to be Tony Stark to afford one.
What do you think about the price of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man limited edition on eBay? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: SamMobile
The post Want the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man limited edition? Get ready to pay upwards of $3,000 on eBay appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus rumoured to be in the pipeline
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
The dual curved edge Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has turned out to be a surprising hit, particularly considering than less than a year ago Samsung launched the Galaxy Note Edge with one curved edge to test the waters. So successful that Samsung is rumoured to be producing another dual curved edge device between now and the inevitable Galaxy Note 5 announcement at IFA 2015 in September. Tentatively called the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, it’s alleged this device will essentially be a bigger Galaxy S6 Edge, but unfortunately that’s really all the detail we have right now.
We do know, however, that the project is known as “Project Zero 2″ internally at Samsung, which is the natural successor to “Project Zero” which birthed the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Given Samsung’s track record, it’s possible this could be more of a mid-range device à la the Galaxy Grand or Galaxy Mega line of devices, or it may simply be a larger Galaxy S6 Edge for those who think the 5.1-inch display is much too tiny. As always, we’ll just have to wait and see, but the rumour places an announcement in the next few weeks.
What do you think about a bigger Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: hdblog.it via Phone Arena
The post Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus rumoured to be in the pipeline appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Report: AT&T will accept net neutrality if it gets DirecTV
AT&T previously called the FCC’s new net neutrality rules “a tragic step in the wrong direction” and even filed a lawsuit to block them. However, it would obey at least some of the new stipulations if its $49 billion purchase of DirecTV is approved by regulators, according to the Washington Post. That’s a big reversal from before, when it specifically said it would not tie any net neutrality promises to the merger. It also contrasts sharply with Comcast, which vowed it would walk away from its (now-moot) TWC merger before bending on net neutrality.
So what aspects of the new rules would AT&T abide by? It would reportedly honor the FCC’s ban on throttling and blocking of web sites, and wouldn’t allow companies like Netflix to pay for fast lanes. Other aspects are still unresolved, however. It remains to be seen how AT&T will handle interconnection, in which companies (like Netflix) pay for direct routing of content to consumers. The FCC wants to force companies to route traffic without a fee, while AT&T thinks it should be able to keep the deals it has in place with private delivery firms.
Other contentious issues include data caps, in which operators like T-Mobile can offer music streaming and other perks that don’t count against consumers’ data caps; and standalone broadband that lets customers buy internet services without cable TV bundled in. Of course, AT&T will be forced to honor net neutrality anyway, unless it prevails in court. And the FCC’s chief, Tom Wheeler, is pretty sure that’s not going to happen. Nevertheless, if accurate, AT&T’s new position represents a small crack in the determination of carriers to fight net neutrality tooth and bone.
Source: Washington Post
AIVAnet 