How to get your hands on the OnePlus 2 without an invite
The OnePlus 2 is bringing much fanfare, even after the world found out the “Flagship Killer” would not be getting NFC. According to reports, the device sold 30,000 units in 64 seconds, in China. Which is absolutely phenomenal. Unfortunately, for the rest of the world the device is still hidden behind the infamous invite system.
At the time of this article, the reservation list is approaching the 3 million mark, at around 2.8 million invitations on the waiting list. Fortunately, if you want to jump the line, you can do so. It’s just not through OnePlus. You can grab the OnePlus 2 from the folks over at OppoMart for $459.
OppoMart is only offering the 64GB black model, and is priced at $70 over the retail of the device. If you are clamoring to get your hands on the flagship killer, the $70 really isn’t that much extra to spend to get the device. Plus, you won’t have to worry about dealing with that aforementioned invite system.
There is another catch in addition to the extra money for the device. The OnePlus 2 being sold through OppoMart is the Chinese version, which is a bit different than the one that you would get through the invite system for users in the US. The specs of the device are exactly the same, however, you will still want to double check to make sure that your network is compatible with this version of the OP2.
If you don’t care about paying an extra $70 plus shipping, and want to get your hands on the OP2 ahead of the release, head over to OppoMart and get your order in. We aren’t expecting this supply to last forever, considering the basis behind the invite system to begin with.
Just as a side note, GearBest is also offering both the 16GB and 64GB variants of the OnePlus 2 without an invite. The only catch here is that your order won’t ship until after September 7th. So pick and choose between GearBest and OppoMart, if you want to jump on board with the OnePlus 2 without going through the invite system.
Be sure to let us know whether you bit the bullet and pulled the trigger on the Chinese variant of the 2015 Flagship killer, the OnePlus 2.
Source: Android Authority via: OppoMart
The post How to get your hands on the OnePlus 2 without an invite appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Wave goodbye to manual car seat controls with gesture tech
It sounds a bit like an infomercial: Tired of using manual controls and levers to adjust your car seats? There’s got to be a better way! And now of course there is, thanks to researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC. The researchers, in conjunction with Isringhausen GmbH & Co. KG, have developed a fully functional prototype that allows drivers to adjust a seat using only hand gestures.
The prototype will be unveiled next month at IAA in Frankfurt, and consists of a synthetic covering and a series of sensors. To start using gesture control a driver first needs to press a point on the seat cover to activate the sensors (this also prevents the sensor system from being accidentally triggered). A driver can then use broad hand gestures along the sensors to move the seat forward or back, adjust the incline up and down, or custom-set the incline of thigh support. The movements are said to be akin to the swipes on a smartphones display, but with more exaggerated motions. The individual settings are automatically stored and can be accessed later.
The gesture control system was developed for professional and long-haul drivers, who often sit for long periods of time in less than ergonomic conditions potentially causing back pain. However, the company expects other automotive markets to also show interest in using Jedi-like gestures to adjust their drivers seats.
[Image credit: Fraunhofer.de]
Filed under:
Transportation
Via:
Gizmodo
Source:
Fraunhofer
Tags: automobile, FraunhoferInstitute, Gesture Control, IAA Frankfurt
EU Inquiry Finds No Evidence Apple Colluded With Record Labels to End Freemium Music
The European Commission has failed to find evidence that Apple conspired with record labels to put a stop to free music streaming services, reports Re/code, citing sources with knowledge of the investigation.
The European Commission spoke with multiple digital music services and record labels, but was not able to find evidence of illegal activity, putting an end to the probe. Investigators’ “files will remain open,” however, as Spotify continues with licensing talks with major labels.
European regulators began scrutinizing Apple’s discussions with record labels in April, over concerns Apple would use its influence to persuade music companies to put an end to free ad-supported music services such as Spotify. Apple Music, unlike Spotify, does not offer a free listening tier.
Rumors later suggested Apple was indeed leveraging its power in the music industry to push record labels to stop offering licensing options for freemium music tiers, leading to investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, both of which are ongoing.
According to Re/code‘s sources, while the European Commission has found no evidence of collusion between Apple and record labels, it has also launched a separate investigation into Apple’s App Store policies concerning competing music services.
Separately, the EU has asked Spotify and other music streaming services for information pertaining to Apple’s mobile App Store, according to people with knowledge of the situation. Regulators are seeking information on the restrictions Apple places on apps offered through the store.
Apple’s App Store policies are also currently being looked at by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, due to the 30 percent fee the company collects on app and subscription revenue. The FTC is concerned that Apple’s fee and its policies, such as a ban on links to outside stores, are illegal under antitrust law.
Don’t want Stagefright? Follow these tips to protect your device
So there’s been a lot of talk over the last couple of weeks about this Stagefright vulnerability that has been found in just about every Android device. The team who found the exploit, released an app to let you know whether your device is at risk, but there’s still one question that remains. How do you protect yourself against losing your device to Stagefright?
Well today, we will take a look at some ways to try to protect you and your device, until your manufacturer and/or carrier get an update out to your device. The first step, would be to double check and see if your device is at risk. You can do so by downloading the Stagefright Detection App from the Play Store.
Before knowing what you can do to fix the problem, you should have some type of understanding as to what the problem does. So what Stagefright does, if it affects your device, is essentially take over your the MMS capabilities. If targeted, the device will automatically download the MMS, and open the video. The process that takes place after an MMS is received, is where Stagefright has been found.
The Stagefright Detection App was developed by Zimperium, which was the group that found the vulnerability. Once you’ve run the analysis and get your result, don’t panic if you’re vulnerable. There are still steps you can take to avoid having any issues pop up.
So now that we know WHAT happens, we can now take the necessary steps to better protect our devices from being compromised. First and foremost, you’ll want to head on over to the update section of your device. Manufacturers, like LG, Samsung and Google, have been trying to get their devices updated as quickly as possible to protect their users.
If you don’t have an update, the next step you will want to take is to check for updates for the messaging app of your choice. Since the vulnerability is found through the use of the SMS application, developers have been updating their apps to protect against Stagefright. For example, Textra and Google Messenger have recently been updated to patch the loophole found.
Another step that will (hopefully) greatly reduce the chance of your device being affected, is to turn off the auto-retrieval of MMS. This can be done in the settings of your SMS application, or the settings of your device. There should be a toggle to disable MMS auto-retrieval and you’ll already be taking a step in the right direction.
While this last suggestion may seem trivial, it really could be beneficial in protecting your device. Be sure to not open any MMS messages from any number that you don’t know. You don’t want to open an MMS from someone you don’t know and then be instantly affected, so don’t take the chance. Double check the phone number before opening the message.
These are just some steps you can take to try to avoid being affected by Stagefright, but these definitely will help. As we’ve stated, and covered here at AndroidGuys, manufacturers are working very hard to help protect their users against vulnerabilities like this going forward.
Let us know of any other suggestions that you may have to share with the rest of us to make sure we aren’t affected by Stagefright. Leave your suggestions in the comments below, and let us know what you think about the Google and Android manufacturers jumping on board with a plan to keep us all protected.
The post Don’t want Stagefright? Follow these tips to protect your device appeared first on AndroidGuys.
2 million OnePlus 2 reservations were registered in its first week, according to OnePlus
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In case you needed reminding just how popular OnePlus‘ new flagship is, they’ve gone to the trouble of doing it for us. According to OnePlus, 2 million OnePlus 2 reservations have been registered on their invite website which puts you in line to get a OnePlus 2 invite – and all within one week of the device being announced. OnePlus has obviously been doing a good job of wooing its fans, indicated not only by the number of registered invites, but the grassroots events in major cities around the world, like New York, that have seen huge numbers of people flock just to see the device.
That, of course, isn’t to say that 2 million OnePlus 2 handsets are going to be sold – there’s probably a few double ups and ‘just interested’ registrations in there – but it’s still impressive nonetheless. The real question is how many invites OnePlus is actually going to process since its previous device, the OnePlus One, has only sold 1.5 million devices in total – and that invite system was much more restrictive than the one we have now. If you’re keen to join the back of the line, you can still register for an invite here on the OnePlus website.
What do you think about 2 million OnePlus 2 reservations being made? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post 2 million OnePlus 2 reservations were registered in its first week, according to OnePlus appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Deal: $25 off NVIDIA Shield Android TV and remote bundle from NVIDIA, Amazon and Best Buy
NVIDIA’s Shield Android TV set-top box is one of the best Android TV devices available on the market today, offering great specifications and performance at a cheap price point. If you’ve been waiting for the price to drop down a bit before picking one up for yourself, your wait may be over. Starting today for a limited time, NVIDIA is offering the Shield Android TV and remote bundle at a $25 discount through Amazon, Best Buy and from shield.nvidia.com.
This bundle includes the NVIDIA Shield Android TV set-top box and the Shield Remote, which offers users the ability to control their set-top box with voice search. And with this discount, you can pick up the 16GB Shield set-top box with remote for just $224.98 (normally $250), or the larger 500GB option for only $324.98 (normally $350).
Don’t miss: NVIDIA Shield Android TV review
In our full review, we told you that if you’re on the lookout for an Android TV-powered set-top box, the NVIDIA Shield is the way to go. And now that you can save a few bucks on the bundle, this is actually quite the steal. If you’re interested, head to one of the links below to grab one for yourself before this deal goes away.
Buy now from:
Falcon Pro developer Vergès joins Twitter
In years past, third-party apps used to access Twitter were a hotbed of development with all sorts of perspectives on what the user experience should be like. The developers also tended to produce lots innovative features being requested by users, frequently at a much faster clip than what Twitter was capable of doing. Eventually Twitter started to take steps to put an end to this, much to the chagrin of the developers of these independent apps. Now, one of those developers, Joaquim Vergès, who developed the hugely popular Falcon Pro app has officially joined the Twitter development team.
Vergès was frequently in the crosshairs of Twitter when they were actively taking steps to start limiting access to the information and posts being generated by their users. At one point his Falcon Pro app even used a hidden mode to register a non-existent app to help Falcon Pro users get around limitations put in place by Twitter.
Vergès indicates in some tweets that he plans to continue development of Falcon Pro as a private side project to get around any corporate limitations and “slowness” that come with employment at Twitter. This will give him a method to experiment on the Twitter interface. Vergès also says part of his justification for moving to the official Twitter team was frustration over the limitations Twitter has in place on what third-party developers can do with the platform.
source: Joaquim Vergès (Twitter)
via: The Verge
Come comment on this article: Falcon Pro developer Vergès joins Twitter
Microsoft Translator brings Android Wear support to users
Google Translate on Android devices is certainly an impressive app to help users break down the language barrier. Now Google is getting some competition on their own devices from Microsoft which has released their own Microsoft Translate app. Translate brings one feature to Android that will likely be welcomed by users and that is support for Android Wear devices. Users can just speak into their Android Wear device to get a translation either verbally or graphically.
Microsoft indicates the Android Wear app, or the companion app running on a smartphone, is capable of providing “instant” translations of 50 languages. The app will synchronize between an Android Wear device and a smartphone and will let users bookmark translations to be called up quickly when needed again.
If you want to give Microsoft Translate a try, use the link below to get it from the Google Play Store.
Come comment on this article: Microsoft Translator brings Android Wear support to users
Apple Debuts New ‘Photos & Videos’ iPhone Ad
Continuing on with its “If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone” advertising campaign, Apple today updated its YouTube channel with a new “iPhone – Photos & Videos” ad that focuses on the photographic capabilities of the iPhone.
The ad depicts an assortment of artfully arranged iPhones that display photos and videos in an assortment of different patterns. A voiceover accompanies the ad, pointing out the iPhone’s popularity as a camera and its ease of use.
Every day millions of amazing photos and vids are shot with iPhone. That’s because the iPhone makes it easy for everyone to shoot amazing photos and videos.
The style of the video mimics the other ads that are part of this particular campaign, “Loved,” “iPhone – Hardware & Software,” and “Amazing Apps,” all of which were released in July. As with those videos, Apple ends the “Photos & Videos” ad with the tagline “If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone.”
Apple’s latest campaign is the third series of ads for the iPhone, following an initial set of comedy ads from Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake and the “Shot on iPhone 6” campaign that highlights photos captured with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
As part of its newest advertising efforts, Apple also recently introduced a “Why There’s Nothing Quite Like an iPhone” web campaign that focuses on features that differentiate the iPhone from competing devices, pointing out the iPhone’s integration of hardware and software, wide range of apps, camera, resistance to malware, Touch ID, and Apple Pay.
Twitter hires Falcon Pro developer to make its Android app better
If you’ve been disappointed with the progress of Twitter’s official Android app, there may finally be reason for optimism. Joaquim Vergès, developer of the popular third-part Falcon Pro app on Android, announced this evening that he’s joining Twitter’s Android core UI team next week. In a tweet, Vergès said he wants to “make a killer official app with full API and a modern UI.” He plans to keep Falcon, and use it for experiments, so those who’ve paid for it should still have new features to look forward to, while the rest of us benefit down the line in the official app. Five years ago Twitter acquired the makers of Tweetie, a popular iOS Twitter app, and used it as a base of their software on that platform, so there’s already a framework for what we might be able to expect.
Guys, big news. It’s finally official. I’m joining the @Twitter Android core UI team!
— Joaquim Vergès (@joenrv) August 7, 2015
Falcon stays with me. IMO It’ll be a great place to try new experiments without the slowness of a big company.
— Joaquim Vergès (@joenrv) August 7, 2015
But I’ve grown tired of all the third party limitations. I want to make a killer official app with full API and a modern UI.
— Joaquim Vergès (@joenrv) August 7, 2015
Filed under:
Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Via:
The Verge, Android Central
Source:
Joaquim Vergès (Twitter)
Tags: android, FalconPro, google, hiring, mobilepostcross, twitter
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