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28
Jul

‘Steve Jobs’ Movie Chosen as Centerpiece for 53rd New York Film Festival


Danny Boyle’s upcoming Steve Jobs film has been selected as the Centerpiece of the 53rd New York Film Festival, which takes place from September 25 through October 11. The announcement was made by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which hosts the NYFF each year.

SteveJobs-NYFF53-640px
Steve Jobs will be screened for audiences at the festival on October 3, about a week before the movie gets a wide release on October 9. New York Film Festival Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones voiced excitement for the Aaron Sorkin-penned movie’s Centerpiece selection at this year’s NYFF, a position held in past years by movies like No Country For Old Men and Inherent Vice.

“You hear that a bio of Steve Jobs is being produced, and of course you see multiple possible movies in your head . . . but not this one. Steve Jobs is dramatically concentrated, yet beautifully expansive; it’s extremely sharp; it’s wildly entertaining, and the actors just soar—you can feel their joy as they bite into their material.”

The 17-day film festival previously announced that its opening and closing night films will be Robert Zemeckis’s The Walk and Don Cheadle’s Miles Ahead, respectively. Tickets to the festival aren’t exactly open to the public at large, but those interested can sign up to become a Film Society member, and provide a small donation, to receive “exclusive benefits” like early ticket access to NYFF screenings and events ahead of the general public.

These benefits reduce the cost of the festival to packages ranging between $300 and $1,250. There are also VIP passes available that begin at $5,000 and go up to as much as $20,000 to include multiple tickets, exclusive VIP seating, and exclusive NYFF53 commemorative items like the festival’s official poster and a limited-edition tote bag.


28
Jul

Technology Researcher says that the Snapdragon 820 has no overheating issues


qualcomm_snapdragon_820_062615There’s been a lot of hot air around the Snapdragon 810 and its overheating issues, with some manufacturers dropping it altogether, other handset makers preferring to use a lower spec (read cooler) version and then you get companies such as Sony who have stuck with the processor through thick and thin. As for the 810’s manufacturer, Qualcomm, it has been busy fending off accusations left, right and centre, its share price has dipped and investors have mentioned splitting the company apart. There could be some good news on the horizon, though, if a comment made on Chinese social media site Weibo, is anything to go by.

Kevin Wang diary Weibo microblogging _

Kevin King is a research director at IHS Technology China and he has posted on his Weibo account that the combination of 4 custom kernels with the 14nm manufacturing process means that the Snapdragon 820 is free of overheating problems. This falls in line with other claims that the 820 is a cooler processor than the 810.

It’s unlikely that we will see the Snapdragon 820 being released before December 2015 with one of the first likely recipients being Xiaomi’s Mi5 flagship. Regardless of whether the launch is delayed or not, Qualcomm needs the Snapdragon 820 to be a solid release, without the negative publicity that the 810 received, rightly or wrongly.

 

Source: Kevin King (Weibo)
Via: GizmoChina

Come comment on this article: Technology Researcher says that the Snapdragon 820 has no overheating issues

28
Jul

Qualcomm announces wireless charging for metal case devices


qualcomm_wipower_graphic

Qualcomm has announced a breakthrough in wireless charging technology that could have a big impact on the market. Qualcomm has figured out a solution to wirelessly charge devices that have metal exteriors and frames. Qualcomm WiPower technology is compliant with the Rezence standard and the company is making a full suite of reference designs available starting today to WiPower licensees.

Steve Pazol, General Manager of Wireless Charging for Qualcomm, says the ability to wirelessly charge a device with a metal exterior is a “significant step” for the industry in noting that,

“Today, more device manufacturers are choosing to utilize metal alloys in their product designs to provide greater structural support and, of course, aesthetics. QTIs engineering advancement eliminates a major obstacle facing wireless power and opens up the continued adoption of this desirable feature to a much wider range of consumer electronics and use cases.”

Using Near Field Magnetic Resonance technology, Qualcomm’s WiPower can charge several devices at once when using Bluetooth Smart and the devices do not need to be in any particular alignment or in direct physical contact with the charger.

source: Qualcomm (PR)

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28
Jul

Motorola announces new Moto X Style


 

moto_x_style_specs

At a launch event in Brazil today, Motorola has announced three new smartphones coming to market starting today through September. The headliner was the Moto X Style which will be the new flagship device for Motorola.

The Moto X Style will come equipped with a 5.7-inch quad HD display combined with thin bezels to provide an industry leading screen to body ratio. The Moto X Style will be powered by a Snapdragon 808 processor backed with 3GB of RAM.

Listening to consumers, Motorola has beefed up the camera, providing a 21MP rear-facing camera capable of 4K video recording that it claims is one of the three best cameras in the world. For a front-facing camera unit, Motorola includes a 5MP unit with a wide 87-degree angle lens and front-facing flash.

The Moto X Style will come with a 3,000 mAh battery and quick charging technology that Motorola says is 50% faster than Samsung’s and can provide approximately 34% charge in only 15 minutes. The Moto X Style also gets front-facing stereo speakers. Motorola is making support for 4G LTE universal, so users can take the device to any carrier just by popping a SIM card in.

The new Motorola lineup, including the Moto X Style, will come with a “pure” version of Android 5.1.1 combined with Motorola apps like Moto Assist, Moto Display and Moto Actions. Although Motorola did not release specific prices during their presentation, the Moto X Style will be priced significantly lower than competitor smartphones.

Be sure to check back here at TalkAndroid for more details on the new Motorola devices and some hands on video.

Come comment on this article: Motorola announces new Moto X Style

28
Jul

Watch Motorola’s Moto X live stream here!


If you’re a Motorola fan, you already know that the company is going to reveal a bunch of new stuff today. But did you know that you can watch a live stream of the whole shebang starting at 6AM PST/9AM ET? You can get your first look at the Moto X with its rumored 5.5-inch 1080p display and 21-megapixel camera, and possibly even a Moto X Sport version with a dustproof and waterproof body. You’ll also see the new Moto G and possibly even see a refresh of one of the few Android Wear watches anybody likes, the Moto 360. You can check the live stream video below, but to get the real dirt, be sure to tune in to our live blog as well.

Filed under: Cellphones, Lenovo

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Source: Motorola

28
Jul

We’re live from Motorola’s ‘Relationship’ event!


Weeks of leaks and an early Moto G unveiling in India didn’t keep Motorola from putting on a show here in New York (oh, and London too). And why should it? We’re expecting to see a brand new Moto X take the stage this morning, and if we’re really lucky, we might catch a glimpse of a shiny new Moto 360 to go with it. The most puzzling angle of all is Motorola’s insistence that today will change our “mobile relationships,” but hey — it’s still early and there’s plenty of time for bizarre, corporate rationale. Bring it, Moto.

Good morning, you lovelies! We’re coming at you live from the Altman Building in Manhattan, where Motorola will show off a slew of new goodies for us to lust over.

By “we” and “us,” I mean me, Chris Velazco, Terrence O’Brien and Edgar Alvarez on photo duty (poor guy).

Anyway, we’re about 10 minutes away from the start of the show! Hang tight for much, much more.

“You can tell the [Droid] Turbo is a notch lower than the [Moto] X” — some Motorola employee sitting behind me. No context, just bringing the juicy bits as I hear them.

I’m trying to nonchalantly lean back and eavesdrop on more of their conversation, but it’s starting to look pretty awkward.

Aaaaand there go the lights. 4 minutes early, no less!

Moto’s head of North American sales, Jeff Miller, is on-stage now laying things out. We’ll here from Rick Osterloh from Brazil, and CMO Adrian Hayes from London (among others).

US specifics will come toward the end of the show, since this is a global event.

Rick Osterloh will kick off the show proper in just a few minutes. In the meantime, more dance music!

Quick reminder: the Moto G is confirmed incoming http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/28/motorola-moto-g-third-gen-india/

And a brief aside: I will be heartbroken if the new Moto X doesn’t have that lovely finger groove. Sort of glad the fingerprint scanner thing didn’t pan out.

Now we’re turning it over to Rick Osterloh in Sao Paolo, who’s currently thanking us for tuning it. At this point, we’re basically just watching a screen. Great.

Talking up the Moto G, the company’s best selling smartphone ever — and a sales winner in Brazil for a full year.

And the Moto X, which was “often cited as the best Android smarpthone in the world” when it launched. I was probably one of those people.

Rick is talking more accolades, including 85% global customer satisfaction, and a 118% surge in Motorola sales.

The takeaway: tailoring phones for humans seems to be a winning strategy. Now, onto Moto’s CMO in London.

(CMO Adrienne Hayes, btw, has the best Twitter handle).

60% of people have slept holding their phones in their hands, while 17% have used them in the shower.

Smartphones “aren’t nearly as devoted to us” — they die, they break, they get slow. Only 39% of people say they’re actually happy with their device.

“You deserve a better mobile relationship, one that listens, is responsive.”

To that end, five principles go into making a great phone.

First, meaningful exchanges — no skin, and the best Google experience possible. Motorola only added features that built on the experience.

Nothing new so far, just running through Moto Voice and Touchless Commands (or whatever they’re called these days).

Next principle: making and sharing memories. The biggest addition on this front is the inclusion of “best-in-class” cameras. FINALLY.

Customization is obviously a big deal too, and you’ll still be able to use Moto Maker to make a phone that’s uniquely yours. “But it doesn’t matter if your phone doesn’t make it past 5PM.”

“We’ll deliver the fastest charge possible,” more details coming later :(

“No relationship is healthy if you have to empty your wallet for it.”

THREE NEW MOTO PHONES. Is it the E? IS IT?

Oh, wow, someone’s actually on-stage here in New York. (It’s Jim Wicks, SVP of Design).

“There’s one more area where Moto X stands out against the competition: The design.”

Moto X style — a phone that’s beautiful inside and out. Still available with that wooden back, and the big honking finger groove is indeed gone.

(And seriously, it’s called the Moto X Style.)

5.7-inch Quad HD screen with a teensy bezel make for a “leading edge” screen-to-body ratio.

Front-facing stereo speakers! Can’t wait to make some BoomSound comparisons.

New silicon finish for the Moto X Style: “soft feel with a warm look”.

Or upgrade to natural materials, like Horween leather or the usual slew of “smooth wood backs”. Seven metallic accents to choose from, and three metal frames.

TurboPower: Moto X Style is the “world’s fastest charging phone.” Screw the competition, Wicks says it’s the fastest solution yet.

It’s “up to 50% faster” than the Galaxy S6’s charging speeds.

They’re also “extremely excited about the camera,” and have apparently revamped the thing entirely.

These cameras collect more light, capture images faster and focus faster.

The Moto X Style has a 21-megapixel rear camera. One analyst called it “one of the top three smartphone cameras in the world.”

There’s a photo of waves crashing up on screen now, and it looks pretty impressive — we’ll see how it holds up to closer scrutiny.

And to close out the photo series, a wide-angle selfie. Of course.

Here in the US, the Moto X Style will be available as a Pure edition, unlocked and sold straight from Motorola.com. Best feature: Universal LTE banding, so it’ll work on *every* carrier.

(Guys, I want it.)

We’re coming to the price, don’t be a tease Jim.

Moto X Style will cost “$200-300 less” than the latest devices from Apple and Samsung.

Back to Adrienne in London for the next product announcement — here comes the G!

Welp, no Moto E — the second device is the Moto X Play, with a 21-megapixel camera and a big battery. Should cost $300 or $400 less than other premium devices.

The battery is HUGE: 3,630mAh, or 42% more battery than the Galaxy S6.

Up to eight hours of power after 15 minutes of charger. Seems it uses the same 21-megapixel camera as the Moto X Style, but they haven’t come right out and said it.

Sadly, it has a slightly smaller 5.5-inch HD display.

Hayes is running through Moto Assist now, which will shush your phone while at home and let the phone talk to you in bars.

She *really* means the phone will talk to you: Moto Assist will read your messages out loud and transcribe your spoken responses.

Keep those performance expectations in check though: the Moto X Play has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 1.7GHz octa-core chipset.

OK, now it’s Moto G time for real.

Talking sales moment for the original and 2nd-gen Moto G, which have been big sellers worldwide. Some cheap rivals were dubbed “Moto G killers,” which only validated the G’s position.

“Less than a third of the cost of other flagship smartphones.”

Turns out the Moto G has a best-in-class camera, too. Motorola took the 13-megapixel camera from the Nexus 6, tweaked it a bit, and dropped it in here.

The camera packs an IR filter, and captures more light — finally. Oh, and there’s a 5-megapixel selfie camera up front, too.

We knew it was coming, but the Moto G is IPX7-rated too so it’ll safely handle splashes or immersion in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

The new G comes standard in black or white, along with a metal accent around the camera. Those colorful Moto shells are back too!

And, to top it all off, you can customize your Moto G in Moto Maker for the first time.

Moto G will remain one of the best values in the industry — a savings of about $400-$500 from normal flagship costs.

Just got a quick glimpse at the silicon, the G has a Snapdragon 410 chipset clocked at 1.4GHz with 512MB of RAM.

5-inch HD screen, too. This thing is going to sell like *crazy*.

And we’re back to Rick — “regardless of the phone you phone you’ll get the “best possible mobile relationships.”

Let’s talk availability. The Moto G can be ordered around the world today. The Moto X Style is unfortunately coming in September, but the Play will be launch in 55 countries in August.

Moto Maker is available in Brazil now, too! (Insert Portuguese word for “HOORAY” here).

Aaaaaaand that’s it for Rick, and the livestream. Nice and abrupt.

Uh-oh — looks like only the G and the Moto X Style are coming to the US.

The 8GB Moto G will set you back $179.99, and you can buy it from Amazon, Motorola, or BestBuy.com today.

Ah, “at this time we’re not making announcements” about Moto X Play availability.

We’re talking Moto X Pure Edition now, and this dude is namechecking all the blogs.

People — normal people! — apparently hate bloatware too. The Pure Edition is meant to bring a clean experience to those people.

The Pure Edition is unlocked with universal LTE support, pure Android experience and lifetime product support.

Direct-to-consumer, online-focused approach! The Moto X Pure will be sold through Motorola.com, Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, and available in Best Buy store in September.

WHOA. $399. HOT DAMN.

Repeat, that’s $399 for an apparently amazing phone from a known player — less than what you’ll pay for the ZTE Axon.

If you’re into Bluetooth headphones, we’ve got Moto Pulse — a $59.99 folding pair of over-hear headphones — and the around-the-collar earbud called the Moto Surround.

Moto Pulse will last for about 18 hours of tunes, while the Surround only lasts for 12 (size being the limiting factor, obviously). Both are available today.

OK, that’s about it for the show — we’re being directed to hands-on stations!

Thanks for watching, reading, and being generally lovely people. Stay tuned for hands-on impressions!

Filed under: Mobile

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28
Jul

ICYMI: A ban on kill-capable bots, data center design & more


ICYMI: A Ban on Kill Capable Bots, Better Data Center Design and More

Today on In Case You Missed It: Our society’s most influential nerds wrote a letter urging the United Nations to ban autonomous weaponized robots out of fear of their potential killing capacity. IBM is redesigning its data centers to recycle air by forcing hot air through silica, getting cooler air cheaply. And researchers at Vanderbilt University designed a tiny pincher surgical tool that is only two millimeters thick, for use with smaller parts of the body.

The bonus video today comes from Roberto Baldwin’s story about feeding his cats remotely with a gadget that sends food flying in their direction; a purrfect way to end the apparent robot destruction show we created today.

If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.

Filed under: Household, Peripherals, Robots, Networking, Science, Internet

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28
Jul

The Moto X Style is big, gorgeous and (of course) highly customizable


The Moto X is alive and well in 2015. The latest iteration of the highly customizable flagship, dubbed the Moto X Style, has a giant 5.7-inch quad HD screen with the tiniest of bezels. It also has front facing stereo speakers, a 21-megapixel camera and “TurboPower” quick charging technology. But what you really care about is those lovely customizable elements, like the back plate and metallic accents. Those luxurious leather and wood pieces you love are back, of course. But there’s also a new silicon finish for the rear of the device that has a “soft feel” and a “warm look.” Though, we’re reserving judgment until we get to grope it ourselves.

Developing…

As you’ve come to expect from Motorola devices, there is no skin here. You’re getting as close to vanilla Android as possible, without buying a Nexus device. Of course, you can always buy the Pure Edition of the Moto X Style and get even closer to that Nexus experience. But if you go with the standard version you will get Motorola’s add ons like Moto Assist, Moto Display and Moto Actions, which are actually kind of helpful and minimally intrusive. Oh, and all of this is running on Android Lollipop 5.1.1. No aging and outdated version of Google’s OS here.

Inside is a 3,000 mAh battery that Moto claims will give you 30 hours of “mixed use.” Which we’re going to assume means the average Engadget editor will get about 12 hours from it. Thankfully that TurboCharge feature should get you back to a full charge pretty quickly. Motorola claims its charges 50 percent faster than a Galaxy S6.

There will be 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. But interestingly, the phone will also support Micro SD cards up to 128GB, in case you can’t deal with internal storage only.

As far as price, what we know now is that it will be “$200 to $300 less” than the latest from Apple and Samsung. But what that translates to when purchased at a subsidized price from a carrier isn’t clear just yet. But you can get the Moto X Style Pure Edition from Best Buy, Motorola and Amazon starting at just $399 (seriously) in September. That device will work on any LTE network in the US, is unlocked and has zero carrier bloat. Eventually there will be carrier branded versions, but there’s no info about that right now. Instead Motorola is focusing on direct to consumer online sales and by passing the traditional carrier subsidized model.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Lenovo

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28
Jul

Moto X Style Pure Edition will work on any US carrier


Moto X Style

Motorola’s Moto X Style has an extra trick up its sleeve. If you get the unlocked Pure Edition in the US, it’ll reportedly work on any US carrier, including LTE — you won’t have to give up fast data to get the phone you want on your network of choice. It’ll cost $399 at Amazon, Best Buy and Motorola when it arrives in September, or about “$200 to $300 less” than comparable flagship phones.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Lenovo

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28
Jul

The Moto X Play is the Style’s more affordable cousin


Moto X Play

While we’ve been expecting Motorola to refresh the Moto X and revise its bestselling Moto G, we didn’t expect a big-screened handset for those on a budget. The waterproof Moto X Play is designed to be exactly that: it’s powered by a 1.6GHz Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor with 2GB of RAM and features a slightly smaller 5.5-inch Full HD display, 21-megapixel rear-facing and 5-megapixel front-facing cameras and a whopping 3,630mAh battery that Motorola says will last around two days on a full charge. If you liked Droid Turbo’s longevity, then Moto X Play could be your new favorite — especially because its “TurboPower” quick-charging technology will get you back up and running in no time.

Like the original Moto X, the Play will offer 16GB and 32GB of internal storage, but it will support up to 128GB of external storage via its SD slot. Out of the box, the Moto X Play will feature Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and come complete with features like Moto Voice and Moto Assist. If you’re clamoring for Google’s latest OS, don’t fret, because the phone will be updated to Android M when it rolls out later this year.

As expected, the Moto X Play can be customized via Moto Maker. Motorola will also keep the price lower than many flagships, pricing the handset at a respectable £299 ($467) in the UK. And there’s the kicker: while Motorola has confirmed the Moto X Play will be available across Europe, Latin America, and Canada, US customers won’t be able to buy it when it goes on general sale in August.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Motorola

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