Verizon simplifies its BYOD process, allows compatible unlocked phones to be activated on its network
Verizon has made some effort to become a little more friendly towards unlocked devices, which means getting on their network is easier than ever. Now any compatible, unlocked iPhone 6 or Nexus 6 can be brought to Verizon’s network with little effort. You’ll just need to punch your phone’s device ID into Verizon’s site and purchase a Verizon SIM card to get started.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you’ll be able to take any unlocked phone to Verizon’s network, since there aren’t many phones that have the required CDMA and LTE radios to work properly. That might change as LTE becomes more prevalent, but as of right now, you’re pretty much locked to the handful of devices that include tons of radios.
source: Verizon Wireless
via: Engadget
Come comment on this article: Verizon simplifies its BYOD process, allows compatible unlocked phones to be activated on its network
Get over $10,000 worth of free apps from Amazon Underground
Everybody loves free apps. Unfortunately, there aren’t THAT many opportunities to catch app giveaways via the Play Store. But we have always had the Amazon App Store to thank for picking up the slack. With their free giveaways and random bundles of free apps, we were always able to get some of the best apps and games without paying a dime.
Today, Amazon introduced Amazon Underground. Instead of the traditional Amazon App Store, this one features apps that “are actually free.” When Amazon says these apps are “actually free” they mean that not only is the up-front cost of the app free, but also that there are no in-app purchases that you need to worry about.
In order to get your hands on over $10,000 worth of apps, you need to download the new/updated version of the Amazon App Store. Since you can’t download the app via the Play Store, you’ll have to download it from Amazon directly. Before you do that, you need to ensure that the Security Settings on your device are set correctly.
- Open up your Settings app
- Navigate to Security or Applications
- Check Unknown Sources
Once this is done, head over to the Amazon Underground page, and enter your phone number or email address and you will be provided with a link. Once downloaded, you will be asked to sign into your Amazon account, and you’re on your way to all the apps you could want, and more.
As we stated above, there are over $10,000 worth of apps available via Amazon Underground, for free. From Goat Simulator and Fruit Ninja, to productivity apps, such as OfficeSuite Professional and mSecure Password Manager, there are loads of apps to grab.
Source: 9to5Google
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Gmail and Google Calendar to make business travel planning even more seamless
We can always rely on Google to make our lives that much more efficient. This time, communication between Google apps are updated to help us save time (and trouble) when planning our business trips or vacations.
Specifically, Google Calendar will now automatically extracts traveling information from relevant Gmail emails. The goal is to make a seamless experience (and to save you planning work).
“When an individual receives an email in Gmail with flight, hotel, restaurant, or ticketed event information, that event will be automatically added to their Google Calendar, complete with things like flight numbers and check-in times. Calendar will even update those events if plans change and a new email is received (for instance, when a flight is delayed or a reservation pushed back). “
Users should receive a notification once the feature is activated.
The feature will be enabled by default. However, if you prefer to still handle such matters yourself (or think this kind of thing is creepy), you can disable it in the Calendar settings.
Google says that the feature will launch in the coming weeks. Hit up the source link for more details. Are you glad to this see this integration with Google Calendar?
Source: Google Apps Updates
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Control these Samsung speakers with the Gear S and Gear S2
These past few weeks have been mighty busy for the folks over at Samsung. With the release of the Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, and IFA 2015 coming up around the corner, with the expected announcement of new smartwatches. Well they are still working their tails off and announced three new wireless speakers. These ones are a bit more special though.
The speakers that were announced today are a part of a series, the Wireless Audio 360 speakers. The R5, R3, and R1 models will be shown at off at IFA 2015, and will have some pretty awesome features in-tow. Users will be able to control the speakers by just tapping various sections on the tops of the speakers.Samsung is hoping this will be more intuitive for the consumer, and help provide a better experience overall.
In addition to that, Samsung is stating that these speakers will be able to be controlled directly from your wrist. As long as you have the Samsung Multiroom App for Android, you will be able to control each one of these speakers with not only the Samsung Gear S, but also the upcoming Samsung Gear S2.
This isn’t unprecedented since you can already control your music from your smartwatches, but it is really cool to see Samsung focusing on creating a better, and easier, overall experience for users.
The price range for the R5, R3, and R1 speakers will be between $199 and $399, and will release later this year. However, for those going to IFA 2015, you will be able to play around with these while you’re there.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
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Russia’s next space station trip will take days, not hours
It’s not a great time to be a Russian cosmonaut. Thanks to the International Space Station making a maneuver to avoid space junk, the next Soyuz spacecraft’s flight (due September 2nd) will take two days to reach the station instead of the relatively brisk six hours of recent trips. That’s more than a little unpleasant if you’re stuck in a cramped capsule, and negates a lot of the planning work that has saved so much time from 2013 onward. There’s no indication as to when (or if) launches will speed up, so crews may have little choice but to tough it out in the near future.
[Image credit: NASA, Flickr]
Filed under:
Transportation, Science
Via:
AP (Phys.org)
Source:
Federal Space Agency (translated)
Tags: federalspaceagency, internationalspacestation, roscosmos, science, soyuz, space, spacejunk, transportation
Malaysia will use RFID stickers to track vehicles
If you’re planning to drive in Malaysia in the next few years, don’t expect to maintain a lot of privacy. The country plans to implement RFID-equipped road tax stickers that will help authorities track all vehicles, whether they’re local or foreign. It’ll start with a pilot program at a border checkpoint this October, but it should expand to cover the whole of Malaysia by 2018. And don’t think of trying to take the sticker off — it’ll shatter and transmit a warning if you try to tamper with it.
The RFID system is officially intended to deter thieves and other criminals, and it’ll also help pinpoint congestion through real-time traffic monitoring. As you might have guessed, though, this raises the prospect of potential abuse. Authorities could theoretically use the tracking to follow the cars of peaceful political activists and others whose only real crime is challenging the status quo. And while officials promise that the associated identification codes are encrypted, there’s no absolute guarantee that the tracking data will remain secure. As helpful as the smart stickers could be, there’s a real risk that they could hurt a lot of innocent people.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin]
Filed under:
Transportation
Via:
TechDirt
Source:
The Sun Daily
Tags: car, cars, malaysia, privacy, rfid, surveillance, tracking, traffic, transportation, vehicle
Hands-on with the £129 WileyFox Swift
Two years ago, Motorola pioneered a new smartphone category with the original Moto G: the almost flagship. It was a device that offered close to high-end performance and design with a price-tag usually reserved for less capable mid-tier handsets. It’s now the company’s bestselling smartphone and few, if any of its rivals have managed to replicate its winning formula. The latest competitor to step up and take a shot is Wileyfox, a complete newcomer from the UK. Over the next couple of months it’ll be launching two new smartphones which run the Cyanogen flavor of Android: the Swift and the Storm. The cheaper of the two, the £129 ($200) Swift, sits somewhere between the latest Moto G and entry-level Moto E. But it’s got a lot to prove if it hopes to steal some of the company’s thunder.
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For a sub-£150 handset, the Swift is quite the looker. So many mid-tier devices, especially those produced by UK carriers, skimp on design in order to maximize their spec sheets. Not so with WileyFox’s first handset. The rear plastic panel has a soft, matte finish that looks almost like granite from afar. You’ll find the company’s stylised fox head logo etched into the back with its name in sunset orange underneath. The same shade surrounds the camera module up top, completing a design that is both sleek and stylish, if not particularly adventurous. I prefer the colorful and curvaceous look of Motorola’s Moto phones, but the Swift has a business-like swagger similar to a Blackberry or the Blackphone.
The design isn’t without its faults though. The volume rocker and power button are a little mushy, and the bottom of the back panel vibrates whenever the speaker is pushed above 75 percent. If you’ve held a flagship phone recently, especially one with a Quad HD display like the Samsung Galaxy S6 or LG G4, you’ll also be disappointed by the Swift’s comparatively meagre 720p panel. It’s not bad per se, with punchy blacks and accurate colour representation, but it’s hard not to notice and inspect all of the individual pixels.
What about the software? Well, Cyanogen 12.1 is a joy. For the uninitiated, this is basically the “stock” version of Android found on Nexus devices, albeit with a few extra customization options. These include changing the quick settings panel and on-screen navigation buttons, as well as buying and applying custom themes from the Cyanogen Themes Store. WileyFox has its own version installed by default, but you can easily dive into the phone’s settings and pick an alternative that’s closer to pure Android Lollipop. Like the Moto and Nexus line-ups, the Swift also comes with minimal bloatware. That means if you decide to buy one, you’ll actually get close to the 16GB of advertised storage.
The Swift boasts 2GB of RAM and a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 processor, which is a fraction less powerful than the 1.4GHz version in the Moto G. Those specs should be more than serviceable, but it does occasionally stutter while launching apps and carrying out more resource-intensive activities. It’s never unusable, but there will be moments when you have to wait for it to register taps and swipes. These instances are relatively few and far between though. For the most part it’s a smooth experience, especially for common tasks such as texting, email and web browsing. Just don’t expect an Android powerhouse.
The Swift is unique and, for a £129 smartphone, exciting. So many handsets in this price bracket look like bland prototypes that have been picked off a factory floor. By comparison, WileyFox’s first handset is ostentatious. The Swift’s stylings aren’t particularly memorable, but it also wouldn’t look out of place in a line-up of Android flagships. Cyanogen is a solid software choice and the lack of unwanted apps should appeal to both hardcore Android fans and the general smartphone populace. The device does have a few flaws — for the price, that’s expected — but the amount it gets right is cause for celebration. Finally, companies are starting to learn from the Moto G.
Filed under:
Cellphones
Tags: android, cyanogen, hands-on, handson, smartphone, swift, wileyfox
Dear Veronica: Geocache hunting and cord killing
This week, we’re having fun with geocaching! Are you a fan of these urban treasure hunts? If you want to learn more about the geocache I mention in the video, head over here and happy hunting!
We also welcome Tom Merritt back on the show to talk about places where you can find amazing content after you’ve finally cut that cord. Speaking of great content, I share my favorite podcasts for your listening pleasure! Just make sure you subscribe and watch mine first. Keep sending in those questions on Twitter using #DearVeronica, or via email! See you next time.
Tags: cord cutting, dear veronica, geocaching, Podcasts, tom merritt, Veronica Belmont, video
Tim Cook and Eddy Cue Receive Combined $94 Million in Apple Stock
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Senior Vice President Eddy Cue received 560,000 and 350,000 restricted stock units respectively this week, worth a combined $93.8 million based on AAPL’s closing price of $103.12 on Monday, according to a pair of filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tim Cook and Eddy Cue at an Apple Store in 2014 (Image: Bloomberg)
Cook was awarded with 280,000 performance-based restricted stock units in full based on Apple’s performance relative to the other companies in the S&P 500 over a two-year period ending August 24. Apple needed to achieve a total shareholder return (TSR) of at least 41.36% to place in the top third of companies in the index, and Apple’s TSR for the two-year period was 76.76%.
Cook and Cue did not sell any of their RSUs, although 290,836 and 171,853 shares were withheld by Apple respectively to satisfy the minimum statutory tax withholding requirements on vesting of RSUs. Cue transferred his remaining 178,147 shares that vested to a family trust, and he has now been awarded all 700,000 shares granted to him on September 2, 2011.
Cook has a remaining 4.76 million RSUs scheduled to vest as follows per the SEC filing:
700,000 RSUs on August 24, 2016; 700,000 RSUs on August 24, 2021; 1,680,000 vest in six equal annual installments commencing August 24, 2016; the remaining 1,680,000 are all subject to performance based vesting requirements and will potentially vest in six annual installments commencing August 24, 2016.
Cook must remain employed at Apple to receive his unvested RSUs on their applicable vesting dates.
Deal: FYL bags with built-in charger only $79
There’s many factors to consider when choosing a new bag, but the true gadget warrior will definitely want something with a bit of tech built-in. Many of us struggle with battery life, so a built-in charger will be golden when trying to make our gadgets last the whole school day.
So what’s stopping us all from getting a bag with a built-in charger? Mostly price, which is why today’s AA Deals Store offer is especially exciting. You can get an FYL built-in charger bag for only $79.99, which is a 49% discount over the original $159 price point.
These bags come with an included 11,000 mAh battery pack. To put that into perspective, most phones with a “large” battery will have about a 3000 mAh cell. These bags also come with convenient outside pockets for carrying your gadgets, as well as a padded laptop compartment which fits laptops with screens as big as 14 inches.
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To make matters even better, these FYL bags are not only high-tech – they also happen to look great! They come with classic designs and an array of different colors. You can opt for the JORG design in either black or brown/green. The MAPMAKER touts a longer blueprint and a cream accent. And if you are a fan of blue hues, the DUSTIN is definitely a looker.
You can get these straight from the AA Deals Store now for only $79.99. Go grab them while they are still hot!
AIVAnet 