Comcast fined $33 million for publishing unlisted numbers
Comcast will pay $33.4 million in restitution after California found that the firm had broadcast the personal details of customers who paid for unlisted service. The issue centers around 75,000 users whose names, numbers and addresses were available in the company’s online directory. Rubbing more salt into the wound, this data was also made available in several rural telephone books and, critically, via nationwide directory assistance. If you’re asking us, publishing the names, addresses and phone numbers of people online, in print and on the internal directory seems like it’s stretching the definition of “unlisted.”
Comcast was found to be in breach of its obligations by a super group of state bodies including California’s Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Justice. The firm will be asked to stump up $25 million in fines to the state, as well as refund the service fees of the 75,000 affected users. In addition, those customers will also get $100 by way of an apology, which may come as little consolation if people were trying to avoid those nuisance callers. Comcast will also have to check in with the CPUC for the next three years to make sure it’s improving its compliance procedures.
[Image Credit: Getty / Comcast]
Via: Reuters
Source: CPUC (.PDF)
The making of Electric Zoo
Electronic dance music is a multi-billion dollar industry that’s taken over festival grounds across the world. At multi-stage events throughout the year, pounding beats are methodically synchronized with blistering lasers and fireworks that split the sky in neon hues. From fairytale-themed stages to sci-fi spectacles with 3D visuals, festival productions have been replicating the cinematic experience of Hollywood blockbusters for tens of thousands of fans. This year, we went behind-the-scenes at Electric Zoo, one of the biggest festivals on the east coast, for an exclusive peek at the people and the technology that bring dance music to life.
For its sixth installment this year, SFX Entertainment brought in the creative capabilities of one of its subsidiaries, ID&T, a Dutch company that’s largely responsible for the explosion of the dance music scene in recent years. Having designed Tomorrowland (a festival that turns Belgium into the largest dance music arena with over 180,000 attendees) and Mysteryland (a 22-year old festival that continues to lead the way), the organizers came armed with expertise to infuse the festival with architecture and design.
Despite a more contained Electric Zoo, with a tighter lineup and intentionally smaller side stages, this year’s festival delivered a gigantic bird-like mainstage and a multi-sensory experience that’s now de rigueur at dance music events. The experience was systematically achieved through months of planning and production. Conceptual designs were carefully translated into engineered structures. Hundreds of miles of cables created a web of technology that powered the experience. Per usual, they brought out the force for their headliners, including The Chemical Brothers, Above & Beyond and Alesso. It was an all-out attack on the senses. But the fleet came prepared. Throngs of young, delirious faces contorted their bodies and stomped their feet to the music. Their expressions revealed a constant shift between celebration and contemplation -– feelings that are synonymous with dance music culture.
The only way to win a gold PS4 bundle is to eat a lot of Taco Bell
If you like to fill your pie hole with Big Boxes from Taco Bell, you could leverage your habit for a new console. Starting September 24th, the fast-food chain is giving away 6,000 limited-edition gold PlayStation 4 bundles. To get a chance to win, though, you’ll have to have to suffer through enjoy any of the restaurant’s Big Boxes before November 4th. One bundle will be given away every 10 minutes, and the package includes a gold DualShock 4, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, and one year of PlayStation Plus. Of course, if you really want to win one, you’ll have to buy a lot of fourth meals.
Via: Forbes
Source: Sony
Pepper the companion robot has a lot of growing up to do
The robot revolution is coming. But instead of death machines dragging us off to work in their plutonium mines, we’ll get helpful little friends like Pepper from SoftBank and Aldebaran. The little bot was built to be a friendly and helpful companion in stores and homes. It reacts to your emotions, offers hugs and high-fives and answers at least some of your questions. In fact, the demand for Pepper is so high that the first 1,000 units available in Japan sold out in a minute. But after sitting down with it for a quick interview, it’s apparent that you shouldn’t fire up the credit card for a domestic android just yet. While it’s programmed to be charming and witty, there are still some bugs that need to be worked out. Right now, talking to Pepper is a little like talking to a two-year-old that’s been handed four Red Bulls and a box of chocolate.
When I did sit down with the off-white tiny robo-person, I didn’t expect much. An automaton that’s been hawking phones in SoftBank stores strikes me more as a rolling kiosk than a home companion. A silicon salesperson with creepy, dead eyes that’s programmed to tell me about the weather, bring me a soda and read my emails. To my surprise the robot won me over even though I was never offered a refreshing beverage.
Oh, and those eyes? There was a slight twinkle of a camera in those dark blobs that made it less intimidating. Surrounding the sockets are translucent borders that glow to indicate Pepper’s current status: green when it’s listening, blue when it’s thinking. The expressionless face was created to evoke empathy, but it takes more than industrial design to win a person over. There’s a charm to how the robot reacts to you and begs for your attention. Of course, like a toddler, it also stops paying attention to you and does what it wants, but that’s part of what makes kids fun to be around. With its pre-programmed jokes, voice of a youngster and attempts to discern and react to your emotions, it evokes a simulated sense of humanity. It’s all a complete scam and I fell for it.
That deception is what will make the home robot a reality. The assistant that will eventually help you clean the house or lend a hand when you get older needs to be friendly and appear to care about your well-being. There needs to be an actual social bond. Sure, it’s fake friendly, but to be honest most of our friends are probably fake friendly. At least Pepper won’t borrow money then ignore your texts.
But all that charm won’t make up for the fact that Pepper isn’t ready for your home. Like other potential companion robots, it gets easily confused. During our “conversation” it would sometimes just start asking me if I wanted to learn about cloud computing or share weird information like how tall I am compared to Abraham Lincoln. To be fair, some of the reason it started bringing up random topics is that the current iteration is tuned for dealing with people in a busy store. Unless you’re standing directly in front of Pepper, it’s difficult for it to see or hear you.
Still, I felt like I was talking to someone with a short attention span that would irregularly shout out random bits of trivia.
Maybe one day it’ll grow up and you’ll be fine letting a chunk of wires and plastic take care of the house. In the bot-friendly future, your robot will throw out the trash and remind you to pay the electric bill. When you’re elderly and you need a little extra help around your home, it’ll clean your bathtub and make your dinner. It’ll know when you’re sad and you need to watch your favorite comedy, or listen to that Bruce Springsteen song that always cheers you up. Its charms won’t feel dated because it’ll watch and analyze you and nightly software updates will feed it important data from your doctor and job. More importantly, Pepper won’t get tired of you or your jokes. It’ll listen to you, just like a real friend.
Report: LG set to begin mass-production of foldable displays
It’s hard to believe, but in just a couple of months, the original LG G Flex will be seeing its second anniversary. At the time, a mainstream consumer device with a bendable display was almost too good to be true. Largely written off as proof-of-concept products and nothing more, Samsung’s Korea-only Galaxy Round and the aforementioned “banana phone” ultimately gave rise to this year’s Galaxy S6 Edge and G Flex 2. By many accounts, this new plastic OLED panel concept is set to explode next year, and according to a new report, LG may be gearing up for the new display wars.
In an article published earlier today, Korean IT site etnews has stated that not only has “LG Display [started] mass-producing foldable display products” but “it decided to supply its foldable display products to a global business in the U.S. and started its preparation to produce them.”
The source goes on to explain that “It is likely [LG’s] first customer will be a global software (SW) business, and this business’s goal is to challenge Samsung Electronics’ and Apple’s strongholds in high-end Smartphone market with foldable Smartphones.” Clearly the company is not Apple (who apparently uses LG to provide the OLED displays on its Apple Watch), though the piece adds that this mysterious client “has not yet decided on timing to mass-produce foldable display products.”
Apparently so interested is the client that LG Display was actually able to split the investment costs in half with the company, which apparently had considered Samsung’s offerings but opted instead to sign a contract with the Galaxy-maker’s chief rival. The report also reiterated the belief that Samsung plans to introduce a foldable smartphone in January 2016, and added that LG’s business partner is “also planning to release its products at the similar time.”
The mentioned mystery
Folded over: LG had this prototype dual edge display device behind closed doors at CES 2015.
Given the rather sizable sum of cash required to construct the facilities used to produce these displays (“hundreds of millions of dollars”), it would follow that LG’s partner would clearly be a big player. The question though: who is it? Given the clearly-curved creation known as the Venice, one might assume BlackBerry was the unnamed customer, however as the company hails from Waterloo (Ontario), Canada that is clearly not the case. (For reference the financial figure quoted above may also be off given that LG had recently announced it would spent around a billion dollars on such a facility.)
There is a possibility that the writer meant to say the global business partner has offices in the US, but perhaps is not a US company. Motorola would be a likely candidate given that it had previously made use of AMOLED panels with the Nexus 6 and Moto X devices. Its parent company, Lenovo, is certainly a global player and definitely has cash to invest in new technology. Huawei might be another, though given the report didn’t mention China at all, it seems unlikely.
Perhaps the most interesting tide of the tale is why LG itself hasn’t done more with the bendable displays it clearly already can release to market. The company went on a trademarking binge a short while ago for Edge-related naming conventions, and way back at CES this January it showed off a dual edge display panel.
Whatever the case may be, it seems that by this time next year, the market may already be brimming with fantastic foldables. Only time will tell however, what comes to pass.
We would love to hear from you! Let us know who you think this mysterious partner might be. Does the potential of a new form factor interest you? Would it justify spending cash on a premium-priced-product?
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Sponsored by: Tangram Productivity Browser
[Price: Free]
This week’s Android Apps Weekly is sponsored by Tangram Productivity Browser. This browser features a sleek and clean interface where you can browse the web unencumbered by the traditional features that tend to bog down other browsers. Included is a web section that shows the sites you have open. You can then swipe those over to your stack to save them for later and then swipe them over a again to bookmarks to save them for good. It features some Material Design elements along with features to annotate, capture, highlight, organize, and group websites together for a better web browsing experience. It’s really honestly very good so give it a shot and show your support for the Android Apps Weekly show!
Get it now on Google Play!
Welcome back to Android Apps Weekly! Here are your headlines for this week:
- Google has released three apps aimed directly at Android Marshmallow. Two of them deal with MIDI sounds and the third is a direct share application. They’re not in the Play Store but are more like examples for other developers.
- Google has announced that they’re now selling Google Play gift cards in India. While this doesn’t necessarily fix the problem of not allowing people to use debit cards, it should help alleviate the problem a great deal. They’re available in select retailers and online at snapdeal.com.
- Earlier this week, the Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service decreed that Google must unbundle Google Apps from devices so that it only ships with Google Play. This would, ostensibly, allow users to choose their own apps instead of being pressured into using Google services.
- The long awaited Minecraft: Story Mode game from Telltale Games now has an official release date and it’s October 15th. We’ve seen trailers and Telltale has a good reputation for making awesome games. Prepare your wallets!
- Mark Zuckerberg announced this week that Facebook will be getting a Dislike button. Unfortunately, it won’t be used to show distaste, but rather to show sympathy because Zuckerberg doesn’t want Facebook to turn into a site like Reddit. It’s in testing now so it’s not far away from being released.
For even more Android apps and games news, updates, and new releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter! There we’ll have all the stuff we didn’t have time for here. If you’re so inclined, you can sign up using your email and we’ll send this straight to you every single Friday.
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- Apps Weekly
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out our Twitch channel! We hang out there every now and then, play some games, chat it up, and just have fun. We’re planning our next stream Monday at 4PM EST and yes, I will actually be there this time! Click the button below to check it out!
Check us out on Twitch!
Chariot
[Price: $14.99]
First up this week is Chariot. Chariot is a console game that first made its appearance on Xbox One and PS4 but now it has been ported to Android. You play as a princess and you’re tasked with carrying a funeral wagon through all kinds of scenarios. The graphics are colorful and well done, the controls are simple to learn, and the game has tons of quirky, dark humor. The only problem is that it’s an NVIDIA Shield Console exclusive.
Get it now on Google Play!
Order & Chaos 2: Redemption
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Gameloft’s Order & Chaos Online was one of the most popular MMORPGs to grace the Google Play Store and now Order & Chaos 2 is out. There are a lot of the same elements as the first one with co-op game play, PVP battling, and plenty of hero combinations to choose from. Gameloft has expanded on the campaign mode with a metric ton of things to do and the graphics got a slight boost as well. It’s free to play with in-app purchases and has had favorable reviews so far.
Get it now on Google Play!
Nibblers
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Nibblers is the latest game out of Rovio and the first since they laid off about 1/3 of their employees a few weeks ago. This is a Candy Crush style, match-3 game with a combat component where you have to match-3 to defeat bad guys. It follows a simple story of fish battling lizards much like the birds battled the pigs. The graphics are colorful and this is a good game for kids as well as adults. It’s free to play if you’re interested.
Get it now on Google Play!
Move to iOS
[Price: Free]
Oh boy Apple released their first app to the Play Store and, surprise surprise, it’s an application aimed to get people away from Android. The app works pretty much as the name implies without too much of a hassle so if you actually need it for its intended purpose, it does work well most of the time. Hilariously, the Android community has responded in kind, if a bit predicably with a sea of 1-star ratings making this the most hated app since Facebook Home. Welcome to Google Play, Apple. Enjoy your stay.
Get it now on Google Play!
Microsoft Send
[Price: Free]
Last up this week is a new application out of Microsoft called Send. This is an email application that tries to treat emails like instant messages to give it a more natural, quick, and ergonomic feeling. This is similar to an app we looked at a while back called WeMail so if you’ve used that, you kind of know what this is like. Unfortunately, it’s invite only right now so if you want to check it out, you’ll have to get in line.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps or games news, tell us about it in the comments! Thanks again for watching and we’ll see you next week!
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (Moto X Style) review
Starting with the original Moto X, Motorola’s strategy has been to focus less on the specs race and more on creating a unique, enjoyable user experience. With each generation of the Moto X, Motorola has further perfected this vision, while improving the quality of specs and enhancing the Moto Maker customization options available to its consumers. The Moto X Pure Edition is the latest iteration of the Moto X family, and with it comes a much larger display than past generations. It is also the first Moto X to be produced fully under the helm of Lenovo.
With the changes in both leadership and size, does the Moto X Pure Edition (aka Moto X Style) still retain the Motorola experience we’ve all come to know and love? We find out this and more in our comprehensive review of the Moto X Pure Edition!
Design
When it comes to the Moto X Pure Edition’s aesthetics, you’ll notice a very familiar design that’s incredibly similar to last year’s model. There are some minor design changes, but the overall look doesn’t stray too far away from what the company began implementing in its smartphones when it was owned by Google. Although the design cues aren’t all that different, there is a huge outlier here, and that’s the size.
Oddly enough, the first-generation Moto X began as a very compact and easy to hold smartphone, coming in with a 4.7-inch display. That’s changed now, with the Pure Edition sporting a massive 5.7-inch display that dwarfs previous Moto X models. Surprisingly, for a phone with a 5.7 inch screen, it doesn’t feel as large as you might initially think. It’s actually impressively manageable in one hand, thanks to the super slim bezels around the display. It’s not the thinnest phone in the world, but the familiar curved back makes it feel thinner than it actually is.
With that said, the Pure Edition is comparable in size to other big smartphones like the Galaxy Note 5 and OnePlus 2, so if you can handle those phones with ease, you’ll have no problem using the Pure Edition with one hand.
This new Moto X device is still made of very high quality materials, featuring an all-metal frame that gives it a substantial look and feel. Of course, one of the biggest draws to the Moto X Pure Edition is the ability to customize just about every part of it. While we can’t comment on the quality of the wood or leather backs with the Pure Edition, we must say – the standard colored back plates are really nice. They’re made of a soft textured silicone material that not only makes the device extremely comfortable to hold, but also provides a lot of grip.
Moto Maker is still one of the best parts about the Moto X line
If the default colored backs aren’t your style, you can of course customize it through Moto Maker. This is truly one of the best parts about the Moto X line. There are a ton of options to choose from with a myriad of colored backs, wood backs, leather backs and accent colors. You can even add a custom engraving to truly make it your own.
A Moto X also wouldn’t be a Moto X without the signature Motorola dimple on the backside, which is now encased in a single metallic strip with the camera module and LED flash. The dimple is much smaller in size compared to last year’s model, which I personally find to be much more comfortable.
Taking a tour around the rest of the device, the buttons and ports are in pretty typical locations for a Motorola device. The power/standby key and volume buttons can be found on the right side, where they’re very easy to reach. The power button has a nice ridged texture that makes it really easy to find, which is a great touch. The bottom side houses the microUSB port, and up top sits the 3.5mm headphone jack in the center, with the Nano SIM card tray – which doubles as a microSD card slot – sitting slightly to the left.
On the front, there’s quite a bit of action going on. Aside from the typical ambient light and proximity sensors, you’ll find the IR sensors for triggering Moto Display without touching the phone, two front-facing speakers which flank the phone’s display, and a front camera (complete with selfie flash).
Display
Not only did this year’s Moto X receive a big bump in size, but also in resolution. It now sports a 5.7-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440, but unlike the last two Moto Xs, it’s not AMOLED. The Pure Edition features a TFT LCD display, and, I have to admit, I’m a little saddened by the swap in display technology. One of Motorola’s most innovative and interesting features is Moto Display, which definitely doesn’t look as good on an LCD panel. Other that this gripe, though, the display is quite good. It’s bright, beautiful, has great viewing angles, and is pretty easy to see in direct sunlight. Colors are plenty vibrant and saturated, too.
With a Quad HD resolution, it’s also extremely sharp. The large screen size makes it pretty great for browsing the web, playing some games and watching videos and movies.
Performance
The Moto X Pure Edition performs just as well as other top-tier flagship smartphones
Motorola put a big emphasis on user experience with the first two Moto X devices, and didn’t worry so much about cramming in the latest and greatest specs. That’s pretty much the story here with the Moto X Pure Edition.
Instead of the Snapdragon 810, Motorola decided to use the perfectly-capable Snapdragon 808 processor in this device. It also comes with 3GB of RAM, which is great for multitasking, gaming and just about every other use case you’ll encounter on a day-to-day basis. The only hiccup I’ve ever noticed with the Pure Edition is that it sometimes lags on the lock screen when unlocking directly from Moto Display. It doesn’t happen all of the time, but often enough that you will probably notice it. This is an issue that can be resolved through a simple software update, so we’re really not too worried that it will be present for long.
Other than that, the Moto X Pure Edition performs just as well as other top-tier flagship smartphones.
Hardware
The Pure Edition comes with all of the usual connectivity options, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and of course, LTE. One of the most convenient things about this phone is that it supports basically every LTE band for the four major carriers in the United States. It doesn’t matter whether you’re on T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T or Verizon (sort of), which is something most smartphones aren’t able to boast.
The Moto X comes in 16, 32 and 64GB storage variants, though you can expand the device’s memory via microSD if you’d like. It can support cards up to 128GB in size, which means you can more than double the storage of your device with a single card. And remember, the microSD card slot is located in the SIM card slot on the top of the phone.
Motorola has really tried to improve its speaker quality over the years, and the Pure Edition’s front-facing speakers are testament to that. They’re true front-facing stereo speakers this time around. On top of being extremely loud, they deliver a very clean and rich sound that really tops off the media experience. I’m not sure they’re as good as HTC BoomSound speakers, but they’re definitely a close second.
Battery
This review has been mostly positive so far, but unfortunately we have to run into a negative aspect sooner or later. Battery life on the Moto X Pure Edition hasn’t been all that great, despite the phone having a hefty 3,300mAh unit. I’ve been able to get through an entire day on a single charge, but honestly, it’s really difficult to do. In my experience, the phone normally lasts around 12-13 hours before it needs to go back on the charger. If you like gaming, you can pretty much forget about this phone lasting anywhere near a full day on one charge.
When comparing it with other flagships on the market, I’d have to say it’s better than the Galaxy S6, but definitely nowhere near the battery life that’s found on the Galaxy Note 5.
It could be worse, though. Although there’s no wireless charging available on the Pure Edition, it does sport quick charging capabilities. Motorola says it’s the fastest charging smartphone in the world, which is definitely a bold claim. Of course, we haven’t tested that out for ourselves. In our time with the device, the Pure Edition has been able to achieve a completely full charge in about 75 minutes from 0% to 100%. The phone’s battery life could definitely be better, but at least you won’t have to wait long for a full charge if it dies in the middle of the day.
Camera
Without a doubt, one of the biggest weaknesses of the Moto X line, or really any Motorola phone in recent years, has been the camera experience. Thankfully, Motorola is looking to change all of that this year. This time around, Motorola is packing a 21-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture on the rear (though it does lack OIS), and a 5MP wide-angle lens on the front.
The rear cam is obviously the star of the show, but the front camera does stand out thanks to its inclusion of front-facing flash, which is really a nice touch, even if it honestly isn’t all that necessary. For the most part, the front cam does a decent job on its own and is perfectly capable of finding your face in most situations. Ultimately, the flash isn’t particularly all that useful unless you happen to take a lot of selfies in dark rooms, and even then the front flash can be blindingly bright and tends to flood the image with harsh lighting more than it does to illuminate it.
As for the rear shooter, picture quality has been surprisingly great and you can definitely tell Motorola put a very big focus on making the camera experience better on this year’s Moto X. In medium to good lighting photos are very sharp and detailed, and color reproduction is on point with just the right amount vibrancy and saturation. The HDR image processing on the Moto X has also been quite nice. It does a great job of bringing out a lot of the detail from the shadows, especially in high contrast or backlit scenarios, and adds just a little bit of extra saturation and warmth to the images, without causing them to look unnatural.
Low light performance has also made some really huge strides this year. I would say the Moto X’s performance here still isn’t as good something like the Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy Note 5, but it is definitely leaps and bounds better than the 2014 Moto X. Specifically, images are much sharper and more detailed, which you can see pretty easily when zooming into text. The colors and white balance are also more accurate, it handles exposure a lot better especially in the highlights, and most importantly there’s a lot less digital noise.
One thing to note is that, with the exception of adjusting the focus point and exposure, Motorola’s camera interface still lacks a full suite of manual controls that other smartphone camera interfaces offer. That said, it is very easy to use. You can tap anywhere on the viewfinder to take a photo, swipe left to review any photos that you’ve taken, or swipe to the right to make adjustments to the camera settings. It’s pretty barebones, but you can do things like toggle through different modes like HDR, Night mode, panorama, 4K video recording, and other things of that nature.
Overall, the camera experience here is greatly improved over Motorola’s past offerings and so a big thumbs up to Motorola for finally producing a camera that is capable of taking photos that people won’t feel embarrassed to share to social media.
Software
When the original Moto X first hit the scene, one of the most compelling things about it wasn’t the specs or even the customization aspects, it was the software. A clean, stock-like approach meant that the Moto X was faster than many phones that offered technically superior specs. Even better, Motorola was able to push out updates to its lightly skinned Android UI at a quicker rate than its competitors.
The new Moto X Pure Edition seemingly continues this trend, offering a near stock build of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Even better, this phone is being sold completely free of carrier intervention and so there’s no carrier bloatware to get in the way. Motorola’s latest flagship is as pure of an Android experience you will get without buying a Nexus, with the only exception being Motorola’s baked-in custom features, which for most users will turn out to be more of a positive than a negative.
Moto Display is as good as ever, subtly pulsating anytime you receive a notification. As an added bonus, Motorola has even added the ability to control your music from it now.
Another big part of the Motorola software experience is Moto Voice, which allows you to dictate voice commands and even lets you customize the experience a bit more with your own key-phrase. What I love most about Moto Voice, besides the always on listening, is using it for navigation. Being able to just tell your phone to navigate home or anywhere that you need to go, without having to wake up the phone or touch it at all, is extremely useful, especially if you have your phone sitting in a car dock like I do. It’s also a lot safer when you’re driving.
Speaking of safety, the Moto X also offers Moto Assist, which can read your text messages out loud and tell you who’s calling, or it can optionally keep your phone completely quiet to avoid interruptions anytime you’re in a business meeting or simply just need to get some shut eye.
Finally, you have Moto Actions which are all really nifty and intuitive features. You can wave your hand over the front of the phone to trigger Moto display, chop twice to trigger the led flash, and if you take a lot of pictures, you’ll find yourself using the double twist of the wrist to launch the camera pretty much on a daily basis.
Bottom-line, if you enjoy stock Android but wouldn’t mind a few extra perks outside of ‘true vanilla Android,’ you’re going to be more than satisfied with with what Motorola brings to the table.
Specifications
| Display | 5.7-inch display Quad HD resolution, 515 ppi |
| Processor | 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor Adreno 418 GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Storage | 16/32/64 GB expandable via microSD up to 128 GB |
| Camera | 21 MP rear camera with dual LED flash 5 MP front-facing camera with wide angle lens and front-facing flash |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac Universal LTE bands Bluetooth 4.1 NFC GPS+GLONASS |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh |
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| Colors | Moto Maker Coated Silicon Rubber Horween leather and natural wood Metallic accents Engraving |
Gallery
Pricing and final thoughts
Motorola is taking a different approach with the sales of the Moto X this year. Instead of partnering with carriers, Motorola is selling the phone direct to consumers through Motorola’s website, Amazon, and Best Buy for a base price of $400 unlocked, which is an absolute bargain for a smartphone of this caliber. If you’re upgrading from a previous generation Moto X, the Pure Edition is a no-brainer.
So, there you have it for this in-depth look at the Moto X Pure Edition. For $400 you really can’t go wrong with this one. Sure, the phone has a few downsides like battery life but you’re getting some very high-end specs, great build quality, a large, beautiful high-resolution display, a camera that won’t disappoint, and one of the cleanest and purest Android experiences around. Most importantly, you have MotoMaker, a customization tool that allows users to create a truly unique experience that’s yet to be rivaled by any of Motorola’s competitors.
What do you think of the new Moto X Pure Edition? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.
[TA Deals] Enter to win a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge!
You’ve heard about it. You’ve seen it. You’ve wanted it. You don’t have one. (Or you want another?)
Talk Android Deals is doing a giveaway that could win you a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge!
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Come comment on this article: [TA Deals] Enter to win a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge!
New Chromecast app to help users discover content, other apps
Google appears to be poised to launch new hardware at the end of the month including their new Nexus smartphone options and according to rumors, their second generation Chromecast device. The original Chromecast is quite old in terms of technology, although it continues to be a popular dongle for users who want to stream content to their TVs. Sources now say Google is preparing to overhaul the Chromecast app with new features that will help users discover content along with managing their device.
One new section of the app appears to be named “What’s On” and will display movies, videos and other content available through other apps that users have installed on their mobile device. Another section of the app appears to be a rebranded version of the current “Discover apps” portion of the app. Currently, Discover apps just takes users to the Chromecast section of the Play Store for users to find apps. The new functionality looks like it may be curated based on other apps a user has installed and will appear in app.
Although some leaked images are blurry, the new app also appears to get an overhaul of the user interface. The current app does have a nice Material design to it, but due to its limited features, there is not much there. With new features being added, sources think the app may have more of a tabbed interface similar to the Play Store interface.
Sources have not indicated whether all of the new features will be available in the app for use with the first generation Chromecast devices or whether they will be limited to use with the second generation only.
source: 9to5Google
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iPhone 6s Packaging and Rose Gold iPhone Shown Off in New Photos
Ahead of the September 25 launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the new devices are beginning to show up in shipping warehouses as Apple prepares to deliver them to pre-order customers around the world. With more people having access to the devices before launch, there are bound to be a few image leaks, and today, some photos of both the outer packaging of the iPhone 6s and the rose gold iPhone have surfaced.
Spanish site iPhoneros [Google Translate] says its photos of the packaging came from a source in China. In one of the images, the packaging for all four iPhone 6s colors is depicted, each with a different siamese fighting fish, matching previous leaked packaging photos. The side of the box has the iPhone 6s name, and there’s an Apple logo at the top.
The Rose Gold iPhone 6s box appears to have an orange fish, while the Silver iPhone 6s has a blue fish. The fish on the Gold iPhone 6s box is blue and gold, while the Space Gray iPhone 6s packaging has a red fish.
Chinese site Feng [Google Translate] has also shared a series of photos depicting both the packaging and the Rose Gold iPhone 6s. Of note on the Rose Gold iPhone is the small “S” on the back of the device, a marker that has not been seen on previous S generation phones. This was clearly depicted in press images of the device taken at the September 9 media event, but may have gone unnoticed by some.
With the S identifier at the back of the phone, it will be easier to distinguish one of the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices from the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.
The fish that are depicted on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus packaging will be available as motion-based wallpapers on the new devices, along with motion wallpapers depicting different colored smoke. The new dynamic wallpapers are exclusive to the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus and are unavailable on older devices.
Apple’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will be available beginning on September 25, and some customers who pre-ordered have already begun having their cards charged and are seeing their order statuses shift from “Processing” to “Preparing for shipment.” Earlier this week, order status changes were limited to customers outside of the U.S., but in the last day, even customers in the United States have begun seeing some movement.
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