HTC O2 is apparently the name of HTC’s “Hero” phone, could run a Snapdragon 820
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Let’s not beat around the bush: HTC is in some serious trouble. Not even a week ago, the Taiwanese manufacturer cut 15% of its workforce as a cost-saving measure after yet another quarter of loss, a miserable culmination of financial turmoil after the HTC One M9 failed to inspire consumers into buying it. HTC CEO, Cher Wang has already promised to its shareholders that a “Hero” phone is already undergoing development – a complete redesign which will be called the HTC O2. Whether that’s just “O2″ or “O squared” remains to be seen.
The second part of this rumour is that the HTC O2 will be running a Snapdragon 820 processor – this actually helps us place the device’s timeline better as we know the Snapdragon 820 won’t be available till December, meaning that we wouldn’t be seeing the HTC O2 till around the time HTC normally announces a flagship device, i.e. February/March. There will be some similar things about the design of the HTC O2 – for example, it sounds like the device will still have an all-metal body. But given how things have gone for HTC in recent years, they’re likely going to need to make some drastic design changes somewhere.
What do you think about the HTC O2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: MyDrivers via Phone Arena
The post HTC O2 is apparently the name of HTC’s “Hero” phone, could run a Snapdragon 820 appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
NASA releases gorgeous image of Saturn’s moon Dione
NASA today released a new image of Dione, one of Saturn’s many moons, as the spacecraft responsible for the shots moved into the next phases of its assignment. The visible light photograph displays the many craters and ice cliffs on Dione’s surface. The Cassini spacecraft, named for the Italian astronomer who discovered Dione in 1684, has been touring Saturn and its many moons for the last 11 years and has already produced dozens of stunning pictures. Most recently, it completed five flybys of Dione, with the fifth at only 295 miles –the closest distance of the bunch.
This final pass is of particular interest to NASA scientists, who hope that the images of Dione’s north pole will be able to confirm geological activity. The third-densest of Saturn’s 62 moons, Dione is composed primarily of water ice; scientists have seen hints of “active geologic processes” on the moon including a transient atmosphere and evidence of ice volcanoes. Next up, Cassini will begin year-long preparations for its final project which involve it diving repeatedly through the space between Saturn and its rings.
Via:
NASA
Source:
Time
Tags: CassiniSpacecraft, dione, nasa, saturn, space
Microsoft shows off first Windows preview since release
Windows is transitioning from something that you buy once every few years to a service that’s updated on a regular basis. Windows 10 has only been out for a few weeks but already Microsoft’s got the follow-up ready for selected users to test. If you’re a member of the Windows Insider program, you can now get a look at Preview Build 10525 which’ll land on your desktop automatically via Windows Update. The two most notable tweaks enable to you tweak the color of the taskbar as well as greatly improved memory management. On the downside, video playback and internet sharing are broken for now, so if you’re interested in updating, just remember that you do so at your own risk.
Filed under:
Desktops, Laptops, Software, Microsoft
Source:
Microsoft
Tags: Build10525, microsoft, Preview, Windows, Windows10
Skype updated with custom ringtones and instant photo sharing
A new update for Skype has been released to the Play Store, version 5.10, bringing new ways for users to customize their ringtones and a new fast photo forwarding feature, allowing users to share images with their other Skype contacts with just a couple of clicks.
Customized ringtones for individual contacts is a feature that probably should have been implemented a while ago, so it’s great to see the option finally arrive. To assign a ringtone to a contact, head on over to a conversation, tap the options icon in the lower right, select “Ringtone options” and then “Set custom ringtone”.
The second major feature included with v5.10 is photo forwarding. Rather than having to download and re-upload pictures between contacts, it is now possible to simply tap and hold on a photo in an existing Skype conversation and select “Forward photo”. From there, you can pick a new contact to forward the image onto. Pretty handy.
Skype has also been updated with a selection of fixes and other little improvements, including new colored avatars to help tell group chat participants apart. Skype is available for free from the Google Play Store, if you want to try out the latest features for yourself.
Aston plans Tesla-fighting 800-hp electric Rapide
Aston Martin intends to launch an electric version of the Rapide in the next two years, boasting 800 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and a 200-mile range. An electric DBX is also on the way somewhat later. Aston Martin is taking direct aim at the top versions of the Tesla Model S with a plan to launch a battery electric Rapide sedan boasting 800 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and a 200-mile range within the next two years. Company CEO Andy Palmer confirmed the vehicle’s development to Automotive News during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. A test mule to engineer the powertrain was already on the road, Palmer asserted.
The electric Rapide would join the internal combustion version, rather than replace it, and the BEV would likely remain a niche product with just a few hundred per year carrying a price between $200,000 and $250,000. Palmer indicates the model would prioritize performance. “I think that the fact that you could drive a few laps of a decent race course or race it around the Nordschleife is much more interesting than doing 500 meters in Ludicrous mode,” he said to Automotive News, taking a swipe at Tesla’s latest upgrade.
Palmer has referenced the electric Rapide before. Earlier this year, he said that power would be a major priority for it. Aston Martin has also received help on the project from an undisclosed Silicon Valley partner, but Palmer said the collaborator wasn’t Tesla.
“If you want to keep making V12 engines, then you’ve got to do something at the opposite end of the spectrum,” Palmer said about the company’s strategy to Automotive News. The Rapide is just the first step in the brand’s electrification, and the DBX is also under development for the next decade in EV, plug-in hybrid, and internal combustion versions. The crossover concept debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show as an EV.
Filed under:
Transportation
Source:
Automotive News
Tags: andy palmer, aston martin, aston martin dbx, aston martin rapide, AstonMartin, autoblog, EV, Rapide, report
Leaks indicate Blackberry’s Android slider will launch in November
Legendary leaker Evan Blass, also known as evleaks on Twitter has posted new details that “confirm” the Blackberry Venice will release on all four national carriers in November. Not only that we’re being treated to some new pictures of the device that curiously hide one of the biggest features of the device, the slide out keyboard.
BlackBerry Venice confirmed for November release on all four national US carriers. pic.twitter.com/l5jFCGKLjO
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 19, 2015
In case you’re unfamiliar with the Blackberry Venice, here’s what we think we know so far: The Venice will be Blackberry’s big entry into the Android phone market. Up until now Blackberry has relied on their own operating system but with shrinking market share and a lack of top tier apps available for users to download, it gets harder and harder to justify a Blackberry phone on hardware alone. The Venice has been said to carry a slide out keyboard which is a feature high on some users wish list and could differentiate the Venice from other Android devices on the market.
Previous leaks have pointed toward a curved screen much like the new Galaxy S6 Edge Plus along with a Snapdragon 808 SoC powering it, 1440 x 2560 QHD display, and 3 GB of RAM. Google and Blackberry had previously announced an enterprise partnership in July but it seems now that Blackberry is going to test the waters to see if their future lies in the pockets of Android users. Users have previously been able to install some Android apps on Blackberry 10 but it seems now that the Canadian giant is going in with both feet first.
What are your thoughts on the Venice? Will the strategy of top tier hardware and wide availability on all four major carriers be enough to save the wireless giant or is Blackberry still doomed?
Source: evleaks, PhoneArena
The post Leaks indicate Blackberry’s Android slider will launch in November appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Privacy-focused Blackphone 2 is ready for pre-order
Blackphone 2, the second iteration of Silent Circle’s privacy-focused handset, is now available for pre-order — assuming you don’t mind reserving a device without knowing its price. The original Blackphone was sold at the flagship-level cost of $629, but remember, this one’s more sophisticated than its predecessor, with its front and rear covered in glass. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, and inside, it boasts an octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. What makes it different from other phones with similar specs, though, is that it runs an Android-based platform called PrivatOS which includes a suite of secure apps, including ones for encrypted messaging and voice calls.
We saw Blackphone 2 at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, and we have a preview you can read to know a bit more before you pre-order a unit. The device is expected to arrive sometime in September — if you’d rather get the the Blackphone+ tablet, though, you’ll have to wait a bit more, since Silent Circle hasn’t revealed when that one will be available.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile
Via:
TechCrunch
Source:
Silent Circle
Tags: blackphone2, mobilepostcross, silentcircle
BBC iPlayer now lets you pause and resume shows on different devices
BBC iPlayer lets you watch TV shows on almost any device, but until now all of the different apps have felt like pretty siloed experiences. Well, that’s soon going to change. An update rolling out this week is adding support for “cross-device resume,” which, as the name suggests, lets you drop one device and pick up from where you left off on another. As long as you’re signed in with a BBC ID, iPlayer will do the rest and automatically cue up your episodes on other devices. It’ll be available on desktop, tablets and smartphones initially, but the BBC says it’ll eventually come to set-top boxes and other TV hardware too.
Another new addition is “My Programmes.” It’s a separate tab on iPlayer which lets you resume episodes you’ve partially watched, select upcoming episodes in the same series and review everything in your Favourites. It’s an amalgamation of the “My List” and “Continue Watching” carousels on Netflix, and should make it easier to burrow down into the shows you’re actually interested in watching. The feature will arrive on tablets and phones later this week, before a full roll-out on TV platforms in the coming year.
“Live Restart,” an option which lets you jump back to the beginning of a live TV show, has been available on desktop for three years. At last, the BBC has decided it should be available on all devices, and announced today that it would be coming to TV platforms such as YouView, Roku, Now TV, Amazon’s Fire TV and the Xbox One this week. So if you’ve missed the start of something important, you no longer have to wait until it’s over and uploaded to the iPlayer archives. All of these upgrades should be welcome news to iPlayer fans. Despite the furore around its future funding, the BBC clearly understands the importance of the platform and wants to make it a best-in-class experience. And with BBC Three almost certainly going online-only next year, it really needs to be.
[Image Credit: BBC/Love]
Filed under:
Home Entertainment
Source:
BBC
Tags: bbc, bbciplayer, crossdeviceresume, iplayer, liverestart, myprogrammes
Samsung kicks off pre-orders for the Galaxy S6 Edge+ in the UK
Starting today, residents in the UK can pre-order Samsung’s latest addition to the Galaxy S6 lineup. The Edge+ is anodized in either black or gold and is set to leave the warehouse on Thursday, September 3.
As for its pricing, a 32GB, SIM-free variant will set you back a whopping £749 ($1,173), whilst the 64GB version will retail for an eye-watering £829 ($1,299). If you’d rather spread the cost across 24-months, Vodafone, O2 and Three are all offering the handsets on a variety of different plans.
Just in case any of you need a refresher on its specifications, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ packs a beefy 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display, a homegrown 1.5GHz octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 and 2.1GHz quad-core Cortex-A57 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 16-megapixel rear-facing shooter.
If you’re based in the UK, like the sound of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and would like to pre-order one from Samsung itself — hit the source link below.
Source: Samsung
Come comment on this article: Samsung kicks off pre-orders for the Galaxy S6 Edge+ in the UK
Moto X Play now available in Germany
Following its eagerly-awaited release in the UK earlier today, Motorola has now launched its all-new Moto X Play in Germany. The handset is available to purchase from the Lenovo-owned company’s Moto Maker website, where it can be customized in over 126 possible combinations.
With regards to its specifications, the Moto X Play features a 5.5-inch Full HD display, a Snapdragon 615 SoC powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 21-megapixel rear-facing camera equipped with Optical Image Stabilization and a 3,630mAh battery.
Pricing starts at €379 ($419) for the 16GB baseline model, but extras will quickly bump the price up. For example, 32GB of storage will set you back an extra €50 ($55), meaning you’ll have to fork out a total of €429 ($474) for the device.
The handset will start shipping in Germany next week on Thursday, August 27.
Source: Moto Maker
Come comment on this article: Moto X Play now available in Germany
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