AT&T launches first auto Wi-Fi plugin with ZTE Mobley
Compatible with cars from 1996 on, the device offers a mobile 4G connection
AT&T on Monday announced announced the ZTE Mobley, a mobile 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot for automobiles which connects via the OBD-II port. Designed to work with most cars from the last decade (1996+) on, it allows for up to five devices to connect at once.
Essentially, the ZTE Mobley acts as a portable hotspot in the same manner your phone would. AT&T will sell the Mobley outright for $100; however it will also be free if customers agree to a two-year service agreement.
“We worked with AT&T to define, build and deliver a product that was both useful and affordable. Collaborating with like-minded organizations in the U.S.“
The unit can be added to a new or existing Mobile Share Value plan for $10 per month, using data from the pooled account. Alternatively, there are Data Connect plans for $20 per month (1GB data) or $30 per month (3GB data).
The post AT&T launches first auto Wi-Fi plugin with ZTE Mobley appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Zorloo Z:ero Digital Earphone review: Move over everyone!
Since earphones came out, they’ve constantly been increasing in quality, sound and price. Bluetooth earphones were the last milestone in the technology, and we haven’t seen much change since. But a company from China, Zorloo, is set to change that with their latest offering: A set of digital earphones at a great price.
What exactly are ‘digital’ earphones? Rather than route an audio signal through an audio jack and then on up to the drivers, Zorloo’s earphones are plugged into the micro-USB port of an USB OTG-capable smartphone or tablet. This diverts the audio signals from its normal path, bypassing the phones own amp and running it through the Z:ero inline control unit, which also splits the connection to the two earbuds.
This is where all the magic happens
Inside the control unit is a six layer PCB sporting a Cortex-M3 processor and a Wolfson WM8918 DAC and headphone amp, and is said to produce up to three times the output power of a regular smartphone’s audio jack. This also means that any audio processing strain is taken away from the phone.
What does all this mean? Quite simply, the quality is considerably better, arguably the best in the market. With a price tag of $39, the Z:ero earphones look set to change the market.
In the Box
For a $39 set of earphones, you get quite a decent amount of goodies. They are available in either red or gold, and come in a handy little carry pouch with:
- 3 Sets of different sized eartips
- A USB to micro USB converter (To use with a PC)
- 6 month warranty slip
- Instruction leaflet
And some Silica gel, just to top it off. I quite like the little carry pouch. It’s sturdy and just the right size to carry around.
Build and Quality
The first time you pick them up, it becomes immediately obvious that Z:ero is made out of premium materials. The eartips are cold to the touch, something that can be attributed to the Aluminium build. When placed in the ear, they are surprisingly comfortable for the straight shape they have, although I do think they could improve by having an angle to them.
Speaking of Aluminum build, I’m relieved they aren’t plastic. Very often plastic headsets break for no reason, or split in half exposing the wires, something I’m confident will not happen to Z:ero.
With a length of 4.2 feet, they’re not gonna limit you
The wire also feels premium, and after a few tugs and twists at the base of the ear tips, I doubt that they’re going to come out or be damaged anytime soon. Perhaps this is in part thanks to the plastic coating around the wire, which bounces back if twisted. The only doubt I have is regarding the micro USB connection. Especially when it’s at the bottom of your phone, it may be prone to damage and the connector lacks any reinforcement. So far it is sturdy and resilient, but I’m not sold with what the long term effects may have on it.
Sound
While I’m no audio expert, I can say with certainty that Z:ero offers some of the best audio playback available today. High’s and low’s are equally good, with the bass side probably having a slight advantage. Neither were overdone, but were rather at a sweet spot. Andy Ho, the developer behind Z:ero said they optimized the control unit for pop and electronic type music, as their market is primarily focused on the youth. Luckily for him, that happens to apply to me and can honestly say that this is the best I have heard music before.
You will still be able to hear outside noise a little bit if they aren’t playing loud (Which I do not recommend). Speaking of volume, Z:ero works a bit differently to your conventional headset as the volume up/down on the earphone works independently of your phones. This basically means that you should put your Android’s media volume on 100%, and use the provided controls on the unit.
Similary, this works across all devices. My Windows 10 laptop had no problem playing audio with the provided adapter, and provided more bass, probably due to the drivers.
Daily Usage
I should start off here by saying that Z:ero’s are not compatible with a lot of phones. If your phone supports USB OTG (On The Go), you’ll most likely have no problem using them. Please don’t fool yourself here: They will not work with just any old phone that’s lying around in your cupboard, and most likely won’t work with a phone that doesn’t support OTG. Head over here for an incomplete of supported phones.
Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’d like to blow it away and carry on, but I can’t quite yet. There are several other small issues that are compromises, and there is no real fix to them.
Firstly, you obviously cannot charge your phone while using them. This is going to be a problem for some, while for people like me, it’s not really going to change anything. Secondly, they drain more battery than a conventional pair, thanks to the built in DAC unit. On my LG G4, I did not really experience any drain. Mr Ho claims that about 50mAh will be consumed, which makes up 1/60th of my battery life, or 1.67%; an amount so pathetic you shouldn’t worry about it.
And lastly, you can’t just go anywhere and plug them in a headphone jack like you would before. As someone with an iPad, I had to watch my YouTube videos with my old headset, a minor inconvenience. Zorloo is bringing out a pair with the Lightning connection for those interested, and with the USB adapter, this should soon become a non-worry.
Overall, there was not much hassle using Z:ero. Perhaps my biggest obstacle was having to find which one bud went in which ear each time. There are markings, but they’re small and impossible to see at night.
Conclusion
Z:ero offers some of the best audio playback currently available. You’d expect to pay thousands of Dollars, but that is not the case at $39. The highs, bass and treble are perfected. Put together with quality hardware, Zorloo’s Z:ero earphones are the best you can get your hands on. Go get a pair now!
The post Zorloo Z:ero Digital Earphone review: Move over everyone! appeared first on AndroidGuys.
eBay’s revamped apps are big for sellers, not just buyers
eBay may like the idea of serving as a storefront, but it knows that this only works if it helps you sell your wares at the same time. That’s where the company’s reworked, version 4.0 mobile apps come into play — the version 4.0 update for both Android and iOS gives auctions higher priority than they’ve had in the past. It gives you more help when you’re a first-timer, a dashboard for frequent sellers and an overall simpler, faster interface for selling your goods. It’s an acknowledgment that many eBay auction holders might prefer to run most (if not all) of their businesses from their phones. You shouldn’t have to retreat to a computer just to sell your old gear, should you?
There are plenty of improvements if you’re a buyer, of course. eBay has reworked both the start page and the shopping channel to help you track down purchases, and there’s an activity section that tracks your browsing and visiting. You can also expect better navigation across the board. This is just the start of a larger initiative, eBay says, so don’t be shocked if you see its influence spread elsewhere (such as the web) before long.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/138589685?byline=0&portrait=0
Filed under:
Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source:
eBay
Tags: android, auction, e-commerce, ebay, internet, ios, ipad, iphone, mobilepostcross, shopping, video
Pandora’s One Day Pass is 24-hours of ad-free listening for 99 cents
If you find yourself in need of 24-hour access to ad-free music streaming, Pandora now offers an option with its new One Day Pass. For 99 cents, you’ll gain access for the Pandora you know and love without all of the distracting advertisements the free tier includes. This means that for under a dollar, you can switch over to the one-day option for times (dinner parties, etc.) when you’d rather not have tunes interrupted by the occasional marketing pitch. Pandora’s One Day Pass will be available for listeners in the US Thursday, September 10th through the streaming service’s Android and iOS apps.
Source:
Pandora
Tags: audio, internet, internetradio, mobilepostcross, music, musicstreaming, onedaypass, pandora, software
Tune into our iPhone liveblog tomorrow at 1pm ET!
Hello, readers! By the time you read this, I’ll be up in the air, on my way to beautiful California. Tomorrow Apple is holding its annual September press event — aka, the one where it always announces new iPhones — and I’ll be reporting live from San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, along with Engadget’s senior mobile editor Chris Velazco. Who knows? We may get to see some other stuff too, like a refreshed Apple TV or the mythical iPad Pro. Your guess is good as ours, but all will be revealed tomorrow at 1pm ET when the keynote begins. Bookmark this liveblog link and be sure to tune in then — we’ll give you up-to-the second coverage and then later we’ll be getting hands-on with all the new goodies.
Filed under:
Announcements, Misc, Apple
Tags: apple, iphone2015, liveblog
Microsoft and Dell team up to put Surface tablets in your workplace
Microsoft really wants Surface tablets to be mainstays of the corporate crowd, and it just formed a partnership with Dell to help make this happen. The Surface Enterprise Initiative will see Dell selling both Surface Pro tablets and their accessories through its commercial sales channels, eventually including its website — yes, you’ll see Microsoft slates available alongside Dell’s own Venue Pros. Those machines will get full Dell support, too. The effort will only be available in the US and Canada when it kicks off in early October, but it’ll spread to the Surface’s 28 remaining business-friendly regions by early 2016.
While it seems odd for Dell to sell computers that it doesn’t make, it’s easy to see why this move makes sense for both sides. Apple has been doing a lot to put more iPads in offices, including its high-profile deals with Cisco and IBM as well as team-ups with app developers. This alliance gives Surfaces (and by extension, Windows 10) a foot in the door at companies that might not have even considered Windows tablets in the past. Dell, meanwhile, gets cushy deployment and support contracts without having to build the associated hardware. It’s too soon to know if this will be successful, but you shouldn’t be surprised if a company-issued Surface Pro lands on your desk in the months ahead.
Filed under:
Tablets, Microsoft, Dell
Source:
Microsoft News Center, Blogging Windows
Tags: dell, enterprise, microsoft, surface, surfacepro, tablet, windows, windows10, work
Amazon Prime Now includes delivery from local restaurants in Seattle
Seattle may have received the invite to Prime Now’s one-hour delivery service a bit late, but Amazon is offering customers there another feature: restaurant delivery. The service can bring you food from participating restaurants, so long as you’re situated inside a part of the city where it’s available. Via the Prime Now website, folks in Seattle can input their zip code to see if they’ll be able to have food delivered in a hour or less. Through the Prime Now mobile app, hungry customers can also browse the list of available restaurants and peruse menus before placing an order. This isn’t the first time Amazon has tackled restaurant delivery, though, as the retailer tested dropping off takeout through Amazon Local last year. If you’re looking to give the new option a go, you’ll be able to pay for meals using your data stored on Amazon and the company is waiving the delivery fees “for a limited time.”
[Image credit: Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images]
Filed under:
Misc, Internet, Amazon
Source:
Amazon (Business Wire)
Tags: amazon, contest, delivery, food, prime, primenow, restaurantdelivery, seattle
eBay for Android gets a revamped design and easier navigation in a big version 4.0 update
The official eBay application for Android has never been the easiest to use, but that’s changing today. In a big version 4.0 update that’s now rolling out in the Google Play Store, eBay’s Android app is receiving a much more “browsable design” and easier access to deals, promotions, events and more.
Not only will the new app make it easier to find promotions and recommendations, the eBay team has redesigned this app with sellers in mind. Folks who sell on eBay will get a more personalized experience based on their level and activity. This updated app will also give first-time and new sellers useful information to help them become more successful, and there’s also a new dashboard for seasoned veterans that shows at-a-glance activity updates.
Overall, though, all of your basic functions are still here. You can browse, purchase, and make offers on specific listings, track your packages, and even read and respond to eBay messages. If you’re interested in grabbing this big version 4.0 update, follow the Play Store link below for the download.
ARM releases public beta version of mbed OS, includes source code
In October 2014, ARM announced mbed OS, its new operating system for IoT devices. Now, roughly on schedule, the company has released a public beta version of the OS for developers and hobbyists to try out. mbed OS is a free and open source OS for ARM’s Cortex-M range of microcontrollers. These processors are less complex that ARM’s range of Cortex-A processors that you find in smartphones or tablets. Cortex-M processors are ultra-low power, run at speeds of around 100MHz (or less), and are perfect for the Internet of Things.
When it was first announced mbed OS was exclusively designed for the Cortex-M, which meant that if you wanted to build an IoT device with mbed OS you had to be using a Cortex-M based board. However in April ARM announced a companion to mbed OS called mbed Client, a set of core libraries which will allow mbed OS programs to be ported to Cortex-A based computers and boards running Linux. Part of the public beta which was announced today is also a test version of the mbed Client.
Today’s announcement is actually made up of five different projects, three of which are open source. The components are: the mbed OS, the mbed Device Connector, the mbed Device Server, the mbed TLS, and the mbed Client. The OS, the Client, and the TLS library are the components which have been released as open source.
mbed OS
ARM has released a github project for mbed OS as well as more information at mbed.com. mbed OS is designed specifically for the “things” part of the Internet of Things. It aims to provide a foundation for developers to build on and offers standards based communication capabilities, along with drivers for sensors, I/O devices and connectivity.
mbed OS itself is made up of several different software components, combined together and built using yotta. There are the core OS modules including minar, the mbed OS event scheduler; and uvisor, a supervisory kernel for security on mbed OS.
Next is the hardware abstraction layer which provides generic implementations of CMSIS (the Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standard – ARM’s official low level hardware abstraction for Cortex-M) for a variety of controller boards including the Freescale FRDM-K64F board and the ST STM32F429I Discovery board.
There are also several different networking components including a socket abstraction layer, and support for Ethernet, 6LoWPAN, and Bluetooth Low Energy.
mbed Device Server and mbed Device Connector
The mbed Device Server is a middleware product for connecting IoT devices to web applications. The server uses the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) to communicate with IoT devices. Every mbed OS and mbed Client has a small CoAP implementation that allows available information such as sensors and historical data to be sent up to server and made available in web applications. Each device registers its resources with the resource directory feature of the mbed Device Server using a single POST request (which is automated by mbed OS itself). Once a device is registered, all lookup, resolution and discovery can be handled between the web applications and the mbed Device Server. This removes the need for the web application to communicate with devices directly.
The mbed Device Connector is a hosted version of the mbed Device Server, offered to mbed developers to fast track development and prototyping. It is provided at no cost to IoT developers, but is limited to 100 devices, 200 events per hour and two API keys. Basically is allows IoT developers to test out the cloud based part of their projects without having to build the infrastructure.
mbed TLS
The mbed TLS is a full open source an SSL library. The mbed TLS modules are as loosely coupled as possible and written in the portable C language. This allows developers the freedom to use the parts they need, without having to include the total library.
As an SSL library, mbed TLS (formerly known as PolarSSL) makes it easy for developers to include cryptographic and SSL/TLS capabilities in their (embedded) products. All of the mbed TLS code is released under the Apache 2.0 license.
mbed Client
The other open source component is the mbed Client. The source code can be found on github. Using this library non-mbed OS based devices (i.e. devices not running on Cortex-M boards) can connect to the mbed Device Connector or mbed Device Server. It basically implements a subset of mbed OS functionality and is optimized for constrained networks and devices. Like mbed OS it uses the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) and supports communication security using mbed TLS.
Fresco News App Receives Major Update With Tools to Let Users Become Paid Photojournalists
Fresco News today launched a major update to its iOS app, introducing a new look and bringing tools to let Fresco News users become paid reporters and photojournalists, uploading photos and videos from newsworthy events around the world.
Any Fresco user can upload photos and videos that can be commissioned by news organizations worldwide. With the Fresco Newsroom Tool Suite, news stations can create location-based assignments as soon as an event happens, which sends an alert to Fresco News users who can go and capture photos and videos. Content is vetted by the Fresco content team, with content owners receiving credit and payment for their work.
“We want to make reporting in the media more transparent, and we think creating a way for viewers to experience news through the eyes of regular, everyday people is the best way to do that,” said John Meyer, CEO and founder. “For newsrooms, we’ve effectively created a way for them to get visual coverage of anything in 30 minutes or less using the incredible smartphone cameras in our pockets.”
Using content gathered from Fresco participants, the Fresco News app is able to deliver news through the eyes of ordinary people around the world, providing a raw look at current events that are happening around the globe. A “Highlights” tab within the app offers up a list of the most recent user-reported stories, while the “Stories” tab shows a selection of images from trending global events.
A camera is front and center within the app, so all users can capture photos and videos should they encounter anything newsworthy. An “Assignments” tab houses all of the content requests created by news sites, which is where a Fresco user can go to receive assignments to capture photos and videos at nearby events.
Fresco News also has an accompanying Apple Watch app that lets users get a quick look at breaking news headlines, with Handoff to the iPhone available for reading a story in-depth.
Fresco’s aim with the news Fresco News app is to cover a wider range of events happening worldwide. “We can shine a light on every relevant news event that should be read about and heard about,” said Fresco News CEO John Meyer.
Fresco News can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
AIVAnet 