Samsung announces three new wireless speakers set to launch in Q4 2015
Samsung has announced three wireless audio speakers to fill out its lineup of audio equipment. The speakers, labelled the R1, R3, and R5, will be shown off at IFA 2015 next month.
The speakers build on Samsung’s existing R6 and R7 features with a better touch interface and an improved multi-room experience through the companion app.
The new speakers connect to a wireless network to allow connected devices to beam music to any speaker, and they even work with Samsung’s Gear S smartwatch. The actual interface on each of the speakers relies on taps, swipes, and gestures, making for an uncluttered experience.
The new lineup of speakers will run between $199 and $399, depending on the model you’re going for, and should be available in the 4th quarter of 2015 in the US and Europe. Keep an eye out for more info at IFA this year.
source: Samsung Tomorrow
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Amazon Underground is giving away $10,000 worth of free apps
Amazon is now offering $10,000 worth of apps, games, and in-app add-ons all for free with Amazon Underground. Amazon says they will do this by letting users download an app for free, and based on how long you use it, will then compensate developers.
The way it works is per-minute payments are given to the developers from Amazon as long as they wave any upfront fees. That makes the software totally free for consumers. The apps that can be downloaded must be from the Amazon store and not Google’s Play Store, however. When you do go to download apps be sure to look for “Actually Free” to be sure the app is included in Underground and is free. Also, Amazon’s famous “Free App of the Day” promotion will disappear, and will be replaced by Underground.
Source: Amazon
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Facebook launches its own virtual assistant named ‘M’
Today, Facebook launched its own virtual personal assistant called “M” accessible through the Facebook Messenger app. The virtual assistant is powered by both artificial-inteligence and real humans which allows it to answer questions and complete complex tasks that current personal assistants cannot. Just like Siri, Cortana and Google Now, you can ask M for advice on places to go and answer general questions. One of the differences however is that M only works in the Facebook Messenger app. In addition, M will be less likely to make mistakes as it will be checked upon by humans responsible for training and supervising the artificial intelligence. According to David Marcus, vice president of messaging products at Facebook, this will make a great difference compared to other personal assistants in the competition
“We start capturing all of your intent for the things you want to do”
“Facebook employees have been using M for several weeks to do everything from organizing dinner parties to tracking down an unusual beverage in New Orleans”
The combination of artificial-intelligence and real human support is what will allow users to do more with the M personal assistant. M is able to purchase items, get gifts delivered to people, book restaurants, travel arrangements, appointments and other complex tasks that current personal assistants cannot handle. The human element in the assistant will let the software to gradually learn from human behaviors and eventually will allow it to not needing human input, according to David Marcus. The transactions made by using M’s services is what will provide revenue to Facebook so it can employ more “M trainers”.
M is only available to a few hundred people in the San Francisco Bay Area today. It is still a work in progress and so, it is not expected to be released to all messenger users any time soon.
Source: David Marcus (Facebook)
Via: Engadget
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Former Apple CEO John Sculley launches a line of stylish smartphones
Like most consumer items, the lower the price point of a phone, the less exciting the design. Obi Worldphone co-founder (and former Apple CEO) John Sculley and Ammunition design founder Robert Brunner decided to challenge that by creating mid-level, inexpensive international smartphones that look — if not cool — at least unique. The new Obi Worldphone SF1 and SJ1.5 both start off at under $200 ($199 and $129 respectively), will be available in October and target buyers 25 years old and younger in emerging markets in Asia, Africa and Middle East. The phones are filled with components from the usual suspects (Qulacomm and MediaTek processors, Sony camera, Corning Gorilla Glass and Dolby sound), but it’s the look of the phones and their skinned version of Android that matters to Obi. “We are committed to being a design-led company,” Sculley told Engadget. Slideshow-315484
It’s more than just design and price, Obi Worldphones is relying on being nimble to compete against the Apple, Samsung and HTCs of the world. The company sees the size of those larger companies and their legacy as a weakness. Larger companies tend to move slower while Obi Worldphones is fresh new startup with the ability to quickly iterate designs and swap out components that it believes would serve it’s audience the best.
But it’s now going too cheap with Qualcomm, Sony and Dolby parts inside its phones. Sculley pointed out that the company would not compromise on the quality of it’s phones just to hit a low price point.
The SF1 with 4G/LTE sports a reinforced fiberglass body with a five-inch display and flashes for the front and back cameras. It runs a Snapdragon 615 processor and is $199 for 2GB or RAM and 16GM of storage and $249 for 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
The cheaper SJ1.5 (with 3G) has a quad-Core processor in a cases available in multiple colors (red, black and white) with accents. The $129 phone comes with 16GB of internal storage. Both phones have dual SIM slots– a must for a phone launching in an emerging market, and it’s going to quite a few. Initial countries where it’ll launch online and in-store include be Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Pakistan, Turkey and India. The company could be a serious contender to Samsung, HTC and Apple if it maintains these low prices and striking designs. That is, if the kids like it.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Misc, Handhelds, Wireless, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source:
Obi Worldphone
Tags: Ammunition, mobilepostcross, obi, ObiWorldphone, sf1, SJ1.5
Pocket now recommends articles you want to read based off of saved articles
Pocket, the article saving app, announced a new “recommendations” feature. The new feature will now recommend you articles based on what you have already saved.
As Pocket says:
“Training for a half-marathon? The more you save about running, the more likely it is you’ll start seeing high-quality running content to help you get ready for your race.”
Pocket is basically trying to get users to the content they want to read rather than scroll through a bunch of useless articles. Pocket has many users, who all save lots of stories, which Pocket has used to create “recommendations”. Pocket says the new feature can be found on iOS and the Android app as well as on the web.
Source: Pocket
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Adobe’s next mobile photo editor could be revealed in October
When Adobe announced it was discontinuing its mobile Photoshop Touch app earlier this year, it hinted at greater things to come in a mysterious project code-named “Project Rigel.” While it listed a vague “late 2015” availability at the time, a recent CNET report suggests we’ll be formally introduced to Adobe’s new offering this October. The company’s latest pro-level mobile effort will reportedly come in the form of a free iOS editing app that looks to offer much of the desktop software’s capability wrapped in a touch-friendly UI that won’t scare away novices.
There still aren’t many details, but CNET says the app is expected to make its official debut at Adobe’s Max conference in October. We can expect desktop tools that professionals are used to combined with menus and tools designed to be precisely controlled with a fingertip rather than a more accurate mouse pointer or stylus.
Of course, Project Rigel isn’t Adobe’s first entry built for smartphones and tablets. Previous efforts include the discontinued Photoshop Touch and the more consumer-oriented Photoshop Express (pictured above). It also offers Lightroom for mobile, but the app (available on iOS and Android) feels more like a powerful companion to its desktop sibling rather than a standalone option for mobile photogs. Project Rigel could represent the company’s strongest push yet to make an impact in the mobile market, but it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Cameras, Tablets, Software, Mobile
Source:
CNET
Tags: adobe, Lightroom, LightroomMobile, mobilepostcross, photo editor, photography, Photoshop, Photoshop Touch, Project Rigel
Still waiting to buy the Fire Phone? Amazon lowered its price (again)
The Fire Phone has gone from an overpriced bombshell to a moderately priced off-contract choice during its thirteen months on the market. Amazon started selling the device in July 2014 as an exclusive for AT&T customers, a decision that was only the beginning of its phone’s problems. The price of the Fire Phone with a two-year contract was $199 and the off-contract price stood tall at $649. Those two prices are typically reserved for high-end devices. The Fire Phone, of course, is not “high-end.” So Amazon was left with no choice but to lower the Fire Phone’s off-contract price multiple times. Until today, the price of the Fire Phone was $159.
Hit the break to see how much Amazon’s flagship phone is after the most recent price cut.
Amazon is currently selling the Fire Phone for just $130. This is without any type of carrier commitment. The Fire Phone purchased through Amazon at the new price can be operated on any GSM network. While $130 is an excellent price, the Fire Phone is very hard to recommend to anyone but Amazon shopaholics.
[Amazon]
Come comment on this article: Still waiting to buy the Fire Phone? Amazon lowered its price (again)
Xiaomi RedMi Note 2 for $168.85 on Gearbest
,Xiaomi RedMi Note 2 is yet another Chinese phone up for pre-order on Gearbest. Xiaomi is one of the more beloved Chinese OEMs in the tech community.
Xiaomi’s Mi line is a highly sought after phone around the world. It doesn’t get much attention in the US, but then again, which Chinese phone does?
The RedMi Note 2 is a high quality device built by Xiaomi. Sure, it isn’t top of the line stuff, but it packs a big punch in a little price tag.
For $168.85, you can pick up the RedMi Note 2 powered by a Helio X10 Octa Core 2.0GHz CPU and a PowerVR G6200 GPU.
Yes, these aren’t the most well known components, but they are certainly enough to keep the phone running through daily tasks. Especially for the price point.
Other key specs include a 5.5 inch with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080. This equals a nice 400 PPi for sharp images.
The cameras are pretty basic with a 13MP rear-shooter and a 5MP selfie camera, there really isn’t anything to write home about here.
They will take decent enough pictures, but probably won’t be able to hold up against a Galaxy S6 or iPhone 6, but those come at over three times the cost.
Sensors that are packaged into the RedMi Note 2 include:
- Gravity sensor
- IR proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Ambient light sensor
- Digital compass
- Proximity sensor
Pretty standard stuff here, but it helps to remember the price tag attached to all this coming in at under $200.
In addition to all of those sensors, the RedMi Note 2 also has a GPS just like any other phone in existence. Then you also get Bluetooth 4.0 along with it.
Just like the last phone we talked about, the ZTE Nubia Z7, this phone is lacking a removable battery, but there is expandable storage via a microSD card slot.
This “standard version” comes with 16GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM which will be sufficient for most people’s daily needs.
Once again, that 16GB can be expanded with a microSD card up to 32 additional GB of storage.
The best thing about this phone is that it is running the latest and greatest! That’s right, the RedMi Note 2 is running Android 5.1! Sure, it is skinned witha MIUI 7, but MIUI is one of my favorite OEM skins.
MIUI has been one of my favorites since the Jellybean was the newest big sweet. Their theme engine is outstanding.
You could partially apply themes like you can in CM12 with MIUI. Except they had it back way at 4.1 as far as I remember. Maybe even earlier than that!
Anyways, enough about the software, let’s wrap up the hardware talk.
The phone, just like with all other phones sold on Gearbest, is factory unlocked for use on any GSM network that supports the following bands.
2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100/2600MHz
So what are you waiting for? Go check it out on Gearbest right now and pick up one of your own for $168.85.
Remember, this is a pre-order, so units won’t ship until September 16th.
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Verizon Hum turns your vehicle into a connected car
Those of us with older cars often feel envious about your connected cars, featuring OnStar and other similar services. We may not go and purchase new cars just to get those features, but Verizon has just announced a new product that will make your vehicle much smarter. They call it the Hum.
What exactly is this thing? Well, it’s actually a bundle with a couple products. The first component is a module that connects into your OBD (on-board diagnostics) port. Most vehicles from 1996 or later have it. This plug has CDMA and GPS antennas, which allow you to access your vehicle’s information remotely.
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The second device is a Bluetooth connected speaker that clips to your visor and serves as a speakerphone. You can connect your phone to it and make your typical calls, but the cool part is that users can also contact concierge and emergency services, just like OnStar users would be able to. You can also access all this information from the Hum app.
We have told you how this thing works, but we haven’t told you too much about what it does. You will find the price could be very much worth it if you spend a good amount of time driving around. Let’s show you the Hum’s main features.
Hum features
- Incident alerts – Hum will contact emergency services when an incident is automatically detected.
- Discounts – subscribers can get discounts on thousands of places.
- Parking location – I hate when I forget where I parked my car! With the Hum app, you can easily find your vehicle.
- Auto health – near real-time diagnostics for your vehicle.
- Maintenance reminders – the Hum app notifies you whenever it’s time to get some work done on your automobile.
- Roadside assistance – 24/7 help for flat tires, dead batteries, towing and more.
- Mechanics hotline – have a bigger problem? contact ASE-certified mechanics for expert advice.
- Theft assistance – GPS provides accurate information on your car’s location at all times.
Now, what’s the catch? There’s really no catch, you just have to pay for the hardware and a monthly fee. The Hum bundle costs only $120 and you get a 30-day free trial. The monthly price is set at $14.99 for a single vehicle. If you want to add this solution to multiple cars, you can pay $12.99 per automobile, with a limit of up to 3.
We wouldn’t say this is a bad deal, really. Sure, the monthly charges may add up, but it’s always better to be prepared for when something does happen. Not to mention, being able to keep track of your car’s performance can save you a bunch of cash in the long run.
Interested? Just head over to the Hum website and sign up. How many of you are looking for something like this? Also, would any of you recommend any other similar services? Hit the comments and share your 2 cents!
Verizon now allows you to bring your unlocked devices to its network
Verizon has the largest mobile network in the United States but it runs on a different technology than most of the world. It runs on CDMA which was part of the reason why you could never bring an early generation iPhone to Verizon even if it was unlocked. AT&T and T-Mobile both work on the LTE network which means devices can be swapped between networks with the simple change of a SIM card from the carriers.
Up until the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6, mobile phones were manufactured specifically for LTE or CDMA. Many Chinese phones like Huawei, operate on LTE and are not compatible with Verizon. But now that the iPhone 6 and S6 are manufactured with both CDMA and LTE functionality, Verizon has now made it easier to bring your own unlocked device. Big Red will now activate compatible devices rather than forcing you to buy one of their phones. This certainly bodes well for people who like to buy used phones from Craigslist, eBay, or similar sites.
You can check out the process on Verizon.com if you’re interested in Big Red’s new business practice.
The activation process is easy!
- Locate and enter your Device ID to see if your device is compatible for service
- Customize your Verizon Plan
- Activate your device and start using America’s largest 4G LTE Network
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AIVAnet 