Here’s indoor mapping will help you find that bathroom
It’s just as easy to get lost inside as out, but it’s much harder to find indoor maps. Nokia is trying to change that with its Here Mobile SDK that will let any developer add 3D venue maps to their iOS or Android applications. It has a collection of 13,000 such maps in its list, including airports, stadiums and malls around the world. Those are available on Here for Android and Windows Phone, but Nokia also does a brisk business selling maps to third parties like Yahoo.
Any app can include venues with 3D views and interior details like levels, floor layouts and tenant names. Other Here features like step-by-step navigation and zoom, rotate and tilting gestures are also included. While the feature is aimed at developers, consumers will benefit whenever they search for a food court or toilet in in an app that includes Nokia’s maps. We say “Nokia’s,” but of course the Finnish company just sold off Here to a group of German automakers for $3 billion. Hopefully, they’ll continue to develop the app and come up with catchier name than “German automaker consortium.”
Filed under:
Software, Mobile, Nokia
Source:
Nokia
Tags: Android, Here, HereMobileSDK, iOS, mappin, Maps, mobilepostcross, nokia, VenueMaps
Watch Samsung’s Unpacked 2015 event right here!
Samsung is gearing up to show us… well, we don’t know exactly what yet. However, if rumors and leaks hold true, there could be announcements for at least two new smartphones: the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+. If anything, Samsung’s invite to today’s Unpacked event hints at something big and curvy, which could apply to both of the aforementioned devices. Perhaps there will be a wearable too, what with the company recently confirming the existence of a Gear smartwatch that features a rotating bezel. Whatever it may be, you can watch the keynote as it happens in the video below — but don’t forget we’re also liveblogging it from New York City. The action starts at 11AM ET.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source:
Samsung
Tags: mobilepostcross, Samsung, SamsungUnpacked, SamsungUnpacked2015, Unpacked, Unpacked2015
Check out Samsung Pay in action
Samsung Pay, the Korean electronics giant’s shiny new mobile payment solution, is finally hitting the US in September. Ahead of that, we got a brief look at Samsung Pay in action on its new Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5 phones. We didn’t get to try it out ourselves, unfortunately, but Samsung reps were able to show it off in a (heavily scripted) demo. While Samsung Pay offers NFC payments just like Apple Pay, its real differentiating feature is its ability to mimic traditional magnetic card swipes, technology which came over with Samsung’s acquisition of LoopPay earlier this year. That means it should be compatible with the vast majority of stores with standard credit card readers — no need to hunt down NFC-equipped registers. A beta test for Samsung Pay will kick off in the US this month, though details on that are sparse. The feature is also compatible with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but you’re out of luck if you’re running older handsets.
Chris Velazco contributed to this report.
Filed under:
Misc, Mobile, Samsung
Tags: mobilepostcross, samsung, SamsungPay, SamsungUnpacked2015, video
Watch out Periscope, Samsung’s new phones stream video to YouTube
A new breed of live video apps like Meerkat and Periscope mean just about anyone can become a streaming star overnight, but what about poor little YouTube? Well, it’s sure got an ally in Samsung: the new Galaxy Note5 and S6 Edge+ can both broadcast live video to Google’s cat video sharing platform, no extra apps required. The beauty of the formula lies in its simplicity: All you have to do is fire up the stock camera app, live the “Live Broadcast” button and sign into YouTube.
Assuming you’re a verified user (a process that requires you to click a button and two-factor authorize yourself), you should be able to share a link to your stream to all your would-be fans and start jabbering away about whatever crosses your mind. These days, it’s easy to forget just how stringent YouTube used to be about letting people broadcast live video on their channels — for a while there it was only available to big brands and acts before YouTube said anyone with 1,000 subscribers could get in on the fun in mid-2013. YouTube dropped that audience requirement to 100 subscribers just a few months after that, and by the end of 2013, you didn’t need a built-in audience at all. It took a few more years for streaming video apps to seriously redefine how at least some people get their jollies, but the end result is pretty clear. Now just about anyone can become a “celebrity” (for better or worse) and Samsung was clearly eager to help. Thanks, we guess?
Tags: android, camera, livestream, livestreaming, mobilepostcross, samsung, samsungunpacked2015, streaming, unpacked, video, youtube
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge+ is a super-sized sequel that plays it safe
It’s been less than six months since Samsung pulled back the curtain on the eye-catching Galaxy S6 Edge, and now it’s getting a very familiar-looking sibling. Say hello to the Galaxy S6 Edge+, a super-sized sequel that powers up the original formula with a larger screen, more RAM to help its multitasking prowess and… well, not a whole lot else. Oh, and before we go any further, you’ll be able to pick one up from all five major US carriers starting on August 21st (we’re still waiting to hear what it’ll cost you).
Right, shall we continue?Slideshow-312116
If you’re looking for hardware differences between this and the newly announced Galaxy Note 5, you won’t find many at all. The only major changes between the two are the shapes of those 5.7-inch, Quad HD, Super AMOLED screens (the S6 Edge+ has that lovely dual-edge display that curves away from you) and the fact that one has an S Pen and all the little software accoutrements that go with it. Seriously. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the actual hardware built into both phones is identical: an octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset with 4GB RAM, 16-megapixel rear cameras, 5-megapixel front-facing shooters, either 32GB or 64GB of storage and absolutely nothing in the way of expandable memory. And if you’re looking for design differences between this thing and the original S6 Edge, you’ll come up with a similarly short list.
After all, what we’ve got here is just a big ol’ Galaxy S6 Edge. What else did you expect? The glass-and-metal chassis feels sturdy and about as comfortable as the first one did, which is an accomplishment by itself given how much longer the Edge+ actually is. The screen is just as good, with those highly saturated AMOLED colors and great viewing angles, and you can see that 4GB of RAM put to good use when you rapidly bounce between all your running apps. There’s no denying that the foundation that powers both new devices is a powerful one, so what we’ve really got to dig into is the software that sets them apart from each other.
When I reviewed the original Edge, I (and plenty of others) lamented the lack of software that actually took advantage of that curvaceous screen. Samsung seems to have taken that griping to heart, and we’re starting to see the Edge’s software side begin to blossom. Remember People Edge? It was a little slider that lived right on the screen’s edge, and a quick tap would bring up a list of favorite contacts you’ve chosen. Well, this time we’ve also got App Edge, which lets you set aside certain apps as favorites for quick access from the side of the screen too. Watching circular app icons slide into view is neat and all, but really — you might as well just have all of them on a separate home screen pane if you were really concerned about shaving seconds off your daily grind.
Rubbing one of the screen’s curves while it’s off still brings up a ticker with the news of the day, and it looks like Samsung’s finally trying to flesh it out a little more with help from content partners like CNN, Yahoo and Twitter. Not exactly thrilling, huh? Well, it actually gets a little better. I’m told the company plans to launch an API so developers can create their own Edge-friendly experiences you can download down the road, sort of like you could with the Galaxy Note Edge last year. Developers who whipped up content for that even bigger phablet were bummed to discover none of their applets worked on the S6 Edge, and it seems awfully likely they’ll have to start from scratch with the Edge+ too. This, in short, is great news. Samsung’s own approach to the “What do we do with this screen?” problem was never all that exciting, so hopefully developers can cook up some reasons to get an Edge+ beyond just its looks.
If I’m honest, the S6 Edge+ feels like the result of some gadget-y SAT logic problem. People like the Galaxy S6 Edge. People also like big phones. Therefore, people should like a big Galaxy S6 Edge, right? They probably will, if only for the thing’s first-rate looks and its gorgeous (and huge) screen, but the Edge+ and its smaller cousin are both in dire need of truly cool experiences that are only possible on a curved display. Only time — and a freshly shipped review unit — will tell, so stick around for a deeper dive someday soon.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Tags: android, edgeplus, galaxy, galaxys6, galaxys6edge, handson, mobile, mobilepostcross, preview, s6, samsung, smartphone
Meet the Galaxy Note 5: Samsung’s most elegant phablet yet
In case the news hasn’t already been spoiled for you, Samsung just officially revealed two new phablets, and the updated Galaxy Note 5 is easily the more fascinating of the pair. It’s the sleekest, most powerful Note yet (obviously), but — more importantly — it’s also the most elegant. In fact, after spending a little time with the Note 5, it began to feel like the sort of device that might change a Note naysayers mind about the “giant screen-writing phone” formula entirely.Slideshow-312114
But first, the broad strokes. The Galaxy Note 5 basically has the same silicon ticking away inside it as the S6 Edge+, specifically Samsung’s octa-core Exynos 7420 (if you must know, four cores run at up to 2.1GHz while the others go up to 1.5GHz) along with 4GB of RAM. I spent about a half-hour mucking around with the thing, and nothing I threw at it during that painfully brief period made it stutter or slow down. Part of that is because of the thankfully light touch Samsung has with its TouchWiz interface this year; it sits on top of Android 5.1 and you’ll know exactly what to expect if you’ve already used the S6 or S6 Edge.
Both also have 16-megapixel rear-facing cameras (which now stream live to YouTube), not to mention sealed 3,000mAh batteries and gorgeous 5.7-inch, Quad HD, Super AMOLED screens. Throw in support for LTE category 9 and LoopPay’s wireless, credit-card-imitating MST technology and you’ve got yourself a pretty impressive package right out of the gate. In case you’re already itching to own one, the wait won’t be a long one: It’ll be available from all US carriers starting on August 21st, though we’re still waiting to hear from them about pricing.
Now, phablets like the Notes always seemed a little too cumbersome in my hands for practical use, but the Galaxy Note 5 is the first Note I’ve picked up in ages that doesn’t feel broad and awkward to hold. In fact, if you took the S6 Edge+ and flipped it over so the curved screen nestled neatly into your palm, you’d understand almost exactly what the Note 5 feels like. In a word: lovely. Its seemingly compact glass-and-metal chassis does a great job of hiding just how massive the thing really is too, especially considering the size of that very attractive Super AMOLED screen. If you’re the type to track Chinese smartphones too, you might find the curve feels an awful lot like the one on Xiaomi’s Mi Note (we sure did).Speaking of the screen, it’s of the same quality we’ve seen in Samsung’s other flagships, so expect bright, poppy colors, sumptuous blacks and excellent viewing angles.
The Note’s claim to fame has always been the S Pen, a seemingly gimmicky stylus that tucks away in the phone’s bottom edge. This year, though, we’ve got a slightly redesigned version; it’s a clicky affair that lends itself well to nervous pushing, and you’ll use that mechanism to unlock the pen before you pull it out of its holster. I’ve always secretly hoped for a little extra heft in these things, but Samsung doesn’t like messing with a good thing too much. Besides the clicky segment, the Pen feels a touch more solid and sturdy despite its light weight. Much as I love how the Note 5 was put together, the best thing about it is that Samsung tried to make it feel more like using a regular pen on paper. I don’t mean that in terms of friction — the company did its best to reduce the amount of interference between the pen’s nib and the screen — but you no longer have to fire up and unlock the Note to start jotting things down.
Instead, you can just start writing on the screen while the phone is on standby. Once the Note 5 detects the S Pen writhing around on its surface, it’ll automatically start a subtle Instant Memo mode that takes whatever you’re writing or doodling and funnels it straight into S Note. It’s one of those intelligent little niceties that makes the S Pen seem immediately more useful, and I’m honestly a little shocked it took Samsung this long to cook it up. The rest of the software changes, though, are pretty minor. You can use the S Pen to mark up PDFs no matter what app you’re in, and you can now take long, scrollable screenshots of websites and lists in case you ever need them. Oh, and the Air Command menu that pops up when you remove the S Pen can be accessed from a little bubble that just hangs out on your screen — one tap is all it takes to access all those mostly handy S Pen tools.
Don’t get me wrong: The Note 5 is still far from a perfect device. There’s no expandable memory slot in case the 32GB or 64GB options just aren’t spacious enough, and most of the tweaks and changes we’ve seen here won’t be game changers for plenty of people. Still, the blend of handsomely crafted hardware, a great screen and way to use the S Pen almost immediately make the Note 5 the most impressive Note phone I’ve ever played with. We hear that review units are waiting in the wings, though, so stay tuned for a full review soon.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Tags: android, galaxy, galaxynote, galaxynote5, hands-on, handson, mobilepostcross, note, note5, preview, samsung, samsungunpacked2015, smartphone
HTC announces it will slash workforce by 15% to save on expenditure costs
Things aren’t exactly going to plan for HTC at the moment, its One M9 flagship isn’t selling too well and it most recently had to remove its One M9+ off the shelves in The Netherlands because of problems with 4G connectivity. Now, it seems that the combination of sluggish sales and making losses is beginning to take its toll on the Taiwanese handset maker with the announcement that it is trimming down its workforce.
HTC plans to cut its workforce by up to 15% as part of a plan to make 35% savings in its operating expenditure. HTC’s Chairwoman, Cher Wang, had this to say:
“This strategic realignment of our business will ensure that
each product group has the right focus, the right resources and the
right expertise to win new markets.”
It isn’t a pleasant sight to see HTC in this position, just four short years ago it was the ‘King of Android’, now the handset maker’s share of the smartphone market has slipped to just 2% and it is down to its last $1.5 billion in cash reserves. Here’s hoping that HTC’s next ‘Hero’ smartphone helps steer them back to profitability instead of being the final nail in the coffin.
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Fleksy gets contextually smarter with new URX API integration
Fleksy has announced a new partnership URX to integrate their URX API into Fleksy. This will help Flesksy go beyond just auto-suggestion highlights, making the feature feel more contextually aware.
For example, Fleksy says when an artist like Drake is part of a conversation, Fleksy will give you options to listen to Drake with Spotify or Soundcloud within its keyboard. Mentioning something like Drake in a conversation originally just gave suggestions for GIFs and and stickers, but with this new partnership, songs and other categories are included as well.
The new functionality will only include music, transportation, and event options for now. After this initial run, Fleksy plans on including more categories in future updates.
Fleksy recently made its popular keyboard replacement free for everyone to give as many people possible the chance to try a “fast, intuitive, expressive” keyboard.
Click here to view the embedded video.
If you haven’t gotten the update yet, be sure to hit the download link below.
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OnePlus 2 gets the teardown treatment
Although consumers interested in the OnePlus 2 have to continue to go through the OnePlus invite system to be able to buy the device, the team at iFixit was able to get their hands on one of the units to check out its repairability after putting it through the teardown paces. The original OnePlus smartphone scored a mere 5 out of 10 on the iFixit repairability scale. OnePlus wants the new device to be a “flagship killer” so keep reading to see whether easy repairability is considered part of that equation.
As has been the case with recent teardowns, the iFixit team was able to submit the OnePlus 2 unit they had to some X-ray vision, giving us an idea of what the inside parts look like even before the teardown starts. The unit itself has no external screws, so the first step is snapping off the back cover. iFixit notes this is secured with some plastic clips, making removal easy. That makes sense since OnePlus is selling StyleSwap covers for the smartphone this time around. Getting that cover off gives users access to the Nano SIM tray, but not the battery.
While the exterior of the OnePlus 2 does not have any screws, the midframe is chock full of them. iFixit counted 18 screws to be removed, some readily apparent, some underneath rubber covers, and one that appeared to be under a tamper-evident seal. Fortunately, OnePlus did not use any adhesives to secure this mid-frame cover, so it is easily removed once the screws are out.
With the mid-frame cover removed, one can access the “non-removeable” battery which is rated at 3,300 mAh. Considering all it takes is some time removing screws, replacing the battery is not the chore it is with some other smartphones. Once the battery was popped out, the iFixit team found removal of the motherboard only required one more screw to be taken out and some cables disconnected. As far as the many components, one item that will require some significant effort to replace would be the vibration motor which will take some soldering.
With the various circuit boards and components removed, the team moved on to the display. This meant application of heat and some prying tools to separate the screen from the mid-frame. Once removed, one thing iFixit found was that the soft home button sits below some cables for the side buttons, which will make replacement a bit of a challenge.
At the end of the process, the iFixit team determined the OnePlus 2 deserved a repairability score of 7 out of 10 (where 10 is the easiest to repair). There were many positives noted like the use of non-proprietary screws, modular components, and a simple flex cable for the USB-C port. Even the battery, which will require some disassembly, is not too terribly difficult to get to for replacement. Like so many devices these days, the glass and LCD are fused together which means they will have to be replaced as a unit, driving up the cost of repair.
source: iFixit
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Drinki app will give you a free cocktail for signing into Facebook
The app Drinki, is now available in both Play Store and App Store. The application is available to everyone but you must login with a valid Facebook account. Drinki will give users a free drink as long as the user checks-in with their account.
The app will let users browse nearby bars using your handset’s location services. Once the user is inside the app, he/she is instantly rewarded a completely free drink that can be claimed at just about any bar. If you’re over 21, you have nothing to loose.
When you’re at the bar, let the bartender scan your phone and enjoy. Note that your Facebook account will post on your wall the location in which you are drinking it. This is how the app gets its money.
To get the app, download it on your smartphone or tablet, login and you’re good to go. You are limited to one free drink per bar. Visit their website for more details.
Source: Prnewswire
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AIVAnet 