Verizon testing out 10 gigabit internet service using new fiber technology
Verizon has successfully tested out a new fiber connection that will theoretically provide speeds up to 10 gigabits per second, with a little bit of headroom to improve that even more. That’s insanely fast.
This test doesn’t mean that Verizon is going to immediately start offering those speeds to all of their customers, unfortunately, but it’s a step in the right direction towards faster internet speeds than what we have today. Right now there isn’t even commercial equipment available for this new technology to be used, so we’re a ways off from it being mainstreamed.
Still, though, these speeds are very impressive and will be especially appealing to business customers. Verizon says they’ll be taking requests for proposals later this year, which should get the ball rolling towards making this officially available. Until then, most of us will just have to dream about internet speeds that fast.
If you want to get into the technical details about what goes into this incredible fast technology, you can check out Verizon’s release at the link below.
source: Verizon
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OnePlus 2 – New Features Focus
The OnePlus One, while being a high-end smartphone, didn’t come with a whole lot of bells and whistles, which wasn’t really an issue, given how budget-friendly the device was. The affordability factor continues with its successor, the OnePlus 2, but the latest flagship offering from OnePlus does manage to pack a few extras in both hardware and software. Here is a look at some of the new features of the OnePlus 2!
Alert slider
Starting with the alert slider, this is one of the main additions to the OnePlus 2 seen on the left side of the device. It is a three stage slider that allows you to toggle among the different notification settings in Android 5.1 Lollipop, and have the slider set to allow all notifications, priority notifications, or no notifications, with the last one essentially used to silence the phone. Moving between the three stages is now actually become very simple, and with the ridged design on the button, it is very easy to locate, for example when the phone is in your pocket.
Fingerprint sensor
The other very obvious addition to the OnePlus 2 that is seen on the front of the phone is the fingerprint sensor below the display. This area also doubles as the home button, but it has to mentioned that this isn’t a tactile home button with an integrated scanner as seen on Samsung flagships, but rather a capacitive area that has been marked out to house the actual reader itself. This is also of the touch type variety, which is certainly the better implementation compared to the swipe variant, and setting it up is simple, requiring multiple touches until the scanner gets all the information. You can also save up to 5 fingerprints at a time.
You can wake and unlock the device using the fingerprint scanner, but the slight issue that comes up is when using it as a home button is that it isn’t as sensitive as you might want it to be. When using it as a fingerprint reader, you do have to cover the entire area with your finger and put a little bit of pressure, which makes sense, but that is also required when using it as a home button. This is not really an issue but rather something that will take some getting used, and you of course, do have the option to opt for on-screen navigation keys as well.
Dual-SIM capabilities
This next feature may not be a big deal in the west, but is a welcome inclusion for users in emerging markets, and that is dual-SIM capabilities. In the US, dual SIMs isn’t a particularly necessary feature given the current network carrier landscape and the fact that it is quite expensive to have just one connection, but it can prove to be useful for some. With a dual SIM phone, you can use the data from card and take calls on another, and really cater the experience to the way you want it to be, and it can also be useful for the frequent traveler, who can avoid having to switch out SIM cards every time.
That said, I did find that switching between the two SIM cards can be quite cumbersome. Having to change which data you want to use from which card can sometimes make the phone slow down, it does take a while for the cards to register, before you can switch between the two. Whether this is a software issue, or if this is just how it’s going to work on the OnePlus 2 remains to be seen, but there are other dual-SIM devices out there that do work better.
USB Type-C
The USB cable it comes in a very similar construction to what we got with the OnePlus, with its flat, tangle-free design and red and white color scheme. The best part about this chord is that it is reversible on either end, so no matter what orientation you plug it into the phone or the USB port, it’ll work, which is fantastic, and takes the guess work out of finding the right way.
The port is of the USB 2.0 variety though, so you won’t be able to take advantage of fast data transfer speeds, along with the fact that the OnePlus 2 doesn’t offer any fast-charging capabilities. USB Type-C charging does seem to be a little above average, with the device charging fully in 90 minutes when the phone is off, and in up to 2 hours when on and with minimal usage. While not too bad, this isn’t nearly close to the less than hour standard set by some devices with quick charging out there. Other than the cable included in the box, they can also be picked up separately for around $5.
Shelf
At first glance, Shelf seemed to essentially be just two widgets, with one housing your most frequently used applications, and the other featuring a list of favorite contacts. It’s great to see that this isn’t the case though, with Shelf functioning as a page where you can add a number of different widgets, apart from the two that are already available, giving you an easy, single point of access for all your widgets. Other small changes that can be made is changing the cover at the top and the re-arranging of the order of the widgets. Basically, it isn’t just a place for the phone to put your favorite apps and contacts in a quickly accessible area, but also lets you put your most used widgets there, allowing you to keep your homescreens clutter free.
Dark mode
Dark mode is a feature that is expected to be a part of the upcoming Android M release, but OnePlus has been able to put it into their latest 2.0 version of the Oxygen OS. The idea behind dark mode is to just take all of the light elements and make them dark, to make things easier to view in certain situations, such as when your in bed with the lights off and are looking at the phone. The white background and other elements can be very jarring at that time, and that is where dark mode makes a huge difference. Dark mode can also be contextualized in certain applications, automatically changing the in-app elements as well, but this isn’t a functionality that is available across all apps just yet.
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So there you have it for this quick look at some of the new features available with the OnePlus 2! Stay tuned with Android Authority for other great coverage of the OnePlus 2, including a camera shootout, the full in-depth review, and a lot more.
LastPass introduces new pricing model that offers free option on smartphones
Password management app LastPass is receiving an update to their subscription model which could result in users being able to use the service for free if they are willing to limit themselves to one type of device. If they decide they want to expand to include other devices, an upgrade option to premium is then available. LastPass says the move was prompted by a desire to make LastPass “accessible for all users, including mobile-only users who need help managing their passwords and apps.”
The new system works based on the device that you get started on. For example, if you set up a new account using your smartphone, then LastPass can sync across all smartphones that you may use. Similarly, users can get started with a tablet or from the desktop. Since most users probably only have a single smartphone, the ability to sync across similar devices may not be too helpful, but the new model does mean that a user could stay on the free tier if they limit their use to just their smartphone.
If a user decides they want the cross-device support that comes with Premium, they can either go and subscribe for $12 per year or activate a 14-day free trial.
If you want to give LastPass a try on your Android smartphone or tablet, use the Google Play Store link below.
source: LastPass
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Huawei’s first curved-screen phone headed to IFA
IFA will be held in Berlin from September 4-9. Among many manufactures headed to IFA to show off their latest and greatest gadgets will be Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei. On August 11, an alleged photo from GizChina reveals what could be Huawei’s first ever smartphone with a curved display.
The mysterious Huawei device pictured in the leaks has codename “007.” The picture shows us a slightly curved body and a SIM tray alongside a headphone jack at the top of the device. The body features an all-metal design and a premium chassis made of metal and glass. Signs point to the device being a new Honor model. No specs have surfaced on the device.
Come comment on this article: Huawei’s first curved-screen phone headed to IFA
UK to trial under-road wireless charging for EVs this year
Plug-in charging infrastructure like Tesla’s Supercharger network are currently helping drive the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), but the UK government is already looking towards a future where charging is also possible on the move. Highways England today announced its plan to start off-road testing of wireless charging tech that could allow EVs and hybrids to travel much longer distances on the UK’s major roads without needing to refuel. Trials are expected to start before the end of the year, just as soon as the right vehicle and under-road tech “to replicate motorway conditions” has been sourced. These should run for around 18 months, after which the hope is to progress to testing the wireless charging infrastructure on real roads.
The UK government has committed £500 million (roughly $780 million) to the project over the next five years, and the off-road trials follow a substantial feasibility study conducted by Highways England. It looked into everything from how the infrastructure could be installed under the UK’s major roads, how existing EVs and hybrids could be retrofitted to take advantage of it, and what specific type of “dynamic wireless power transfer” could be used. Though the trials are said to be the first of their kind, in that the end goal is to install it along major roads, Highways England has a lot of prior art to take inspiration from. Qualcomm’s Halo wireless charging tech was once earmarked for Formula E racetracks, for example, and South Korea already has electric buses running on special wireless charging routes.
[Image credit: atache/Flickr]
Filed under:
Transportation
Via:
Wired
Source:
Highways England
Tags: ElectricVehicle, electricvehicles, ev, evs, highwaysengland, hybrid, hybrids, transportation, uk-feature, wirelesscharging
Hackers control connected cars using text messages
It’s not only Chrysler drivers that have to worry about hackers taking control of their cars from afar. UC San Diego researchers have found that you can control features on cars of many makes by exploiting vulnerabilities in cellular-capable dongles that are sometimes plugged into the vehicles’ OBD-II ports, such as insurance trackers and driving efficiency tools. In the example you see above, the security team compromised a Corvette touting a Mobile Devices dongle (one of the most common varieties) through everyday text messages — they could turn on the wipers or even cut the brakes. That same device is also set to allow remote tunneling using a universal ‘private’ key, making it easy for an intruder to get complete control over the adapter and its unfortunate host car.
You’ll be glad to hear that Mobile Devices has already patched its hardware in response to the findings, and that the phone numbers for these dongles aren’t normally public. You’d have to use brute force guesses to find a viable target. However, the concern is that other brands’ dongles still have holes, and that many of these gadgets aren’t getting updates in a timely fashion. It’s feasible that an intruder could cause chaos by either forcing vulnerable cars off the road or making life miserable for their occupants.
Filed under:
Transportation
Via:
Wired
Source:
Mrlanrat (YouTube)
Tags: car, chevrolet, chevy, corvette, metromile, mobiledevices, obd-II, obd2, security, sms, transportation, ucsandiego, video
Feds charge nine hackers for $30M insider trading scheme
The Wall Street Journal reports that federal prosecutors are set to unseal charges Tuesday against nine hackers and stock traders involved in an insider trading operation that netted more than $30 million on illicit deals. The group to be charged allegedly had been conducting sophisticated cyber-attacks against newswire services in order to steal upcoming merger and acquisition information that had been uploaded to the newswire’s servers — but not yet published — and position their investments accordingly. The group was discovered after a multi-agency investigation involving the DHS, FBI, SEC and the Secret Service.
Authorities believe it to be the largest scheme of its kind discovered to date and part of a growing trend. Last winter, internet security firm, FireEye, warned the FBI about the activities of FIN4, a separate group of hackers that appear to only target specific pieces of information that could be used to gain various market advantages. “FIN4 is the first time we are seeing a group of very sophisticated attackers actually systematically acquire information that only has true value to a criminal when used in relation to the stock market,” Dan McWhorter, FireEye’s vice president of threat intelligence, told the FBI.
[Image Credit: Getty Images]
Filed under:
Internet
Via:
The Hill
Source:
Wall Street Journal
Tags: crime, crimeandpunishment, Department of Homeland Security, DHS, FBI, FIN4, hacking, insider trading, InsiderTrading, newswire, SEC, SecretService
Galaxy S6 Edge+ to have enhanced Edge functionality
We are but only two days away from Samsung’s Unpacked event, where we’ll finally officially see the Note 5 and S6 Edge+. Leaks have given us tons of spoilers, but there are still questions. One of these is if Samsung has taken the time after debuting the S6 Edge to concoct more features and make those curved edges more worthwhile.
Being an S6 Edge owner myself, I’ve begun to question if I would buy another Edge device. While the edges are neat, they seem a bit superfluous. Fortunately, it seems like Samsung has recognized that and will bring more Edge exclusive features.
According to a report via Phone Probe, the “People edge” feature in the S6 Edge+ will be enhanced. Previously, all you could do was store five favorite contacts, with the options to call, text, or e-mail them. Now, the feature will have a second page, which can store five favorite application shortcuts.
Samsung has also added functions to your contacts. When you select a contact, you’ll open up “OnCircle” and have six shortcuts now: call, video chat, message, e-mail, send a picture, and even send an emoticon.
This is all we have for now, so stay tuned to hear more about the S6 Edge+ from Samsung’s Unpacked event on Thursday!
The post Galaxy S6 Edge+ to have enhanced Edge functionality appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Leaked documents reveal the Galaxy S7 might use the Snapdragon 820
A few days ago we revealed leaked specs for the Snapdragon 820. And if you may remember, Samsung ditched Qualcomm and used their homebrewn Exynos 7420 chipsets in the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge flagships. We can’t really blame them with that wise choice. However, if these leaked documents are anything to come by, we may see Sammy using Snapdragon again in the Galaxy S7 series. S7 Series? Yes, manufacturers plan their devices years before release, and this one is no different.
We apologize for the poor quality, but hey, even those UFO videos don’t offer the best quality. You can see the ‘MSM8996′ codename, which we reported a short time ago was the codename for the Snapdragon 820. We can also see it is running Android M.
We might actually see Samsung having 2 variants of the S7, an Exynos version and a Snapdragon version. They’ve done this before, and as leaks reveal the 820 might score less than the Exynos 7420 in benchmarks, it quite frankly won’t surprise us.
What do you think? Is Samsung doing the right thing?
The post Leaked documents reveal the Galaxy S7 might use the Snapdragon 820 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Get your news with Veooz (app review)
Veooz is a Flipboard-esque app that want to be your new news reader. It brings a few unique features to the table. Will it be enough to stand out among the hundreds of other news apps that are on the market already? Read on.
Veooz overview
If you’re familiar with Android’s design language in KitKat, then Veooz’s interface will be pretty easy to use. It doesn’t incorporate Lollipop’s material design, but I don’t feel that it’s needed with this app.
It’s pretty easy to get started. When you first open the app it will walk you through a tutorial and will give you the option to select from topics that interest you. Unfortunately, you can only select from the topics that they suggest, but they do have most topics that you could think of…
The app feels very similar to Flipboard. You flip up through the articles like Flipboard, but without the flipping animation.
Veooz has a unique feature called “360” that will pull up related articles that can potentially offer alternative viewpoints. I found this to be handy especially in regards to political articles where opposing viewpoints are important. It was also handy in pulling up other articles that could offer more information not covered by the original.
Once you’ve clicked the 360 icon, you can also select buzz from the menu at the top. That will allow you to read trending tweets that relate to the article.
Another feature that is nice is the local news option. All you have to do is select the local option in the left menu and select your city. If your city does not show up, you may need to try another larger city in the vicinity. Smaller cities didn’t show up the feed. The developer may want to consider adding a feature where the closest local feed would show up instead of nothing.
Other features that I liked were the ability to open images and videos within the app independently of the article and the option to read the text of the article only without ads taking up precious screen real estate.
The one complaint that I have about Veooz is that you are unable to add your own sources. Some sort of pseudo-RSS support would be a great feature to add and would take care of my complaint.
Veooz setup
There isn’t much to setup other than installing it from Google Play and selecting your topics and local news feed.
Who will enjoy Veooz
If you enjoy reading the news, then this app will work good for you. There are some great features that make reading and discovering the news an easy proposition. However, if you want to read news from specific sites, then you’ll want to look at a dedicated RSS reader.
What we liked:
- 360 feature
- Text only option
- Local news
What could be better:
- RSS support
- Better local news search
Veooz summary
Overall this is a nice app. I think that if I hadn’t already discovered the wonderful world of RSS feeds, then I would use this app much more. I think this app works better as a news discovery option, but for others who have certain sites that they prefer, then they may want to stick with a dedicated RSS reader and use Veooz as way of finding new sites that you might want to follow.
The post Get your news with Veooz (app review) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AIVAnet 