iPhone 6s Launch in U.S. and Canada Begins as Apple Stores Open
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launch day has officially arrived in the United States and Canada as Apple Stores in eastern cities such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto and Washington D.C. have now opened at 8:00 am local time. The launch will continue westward across the U.S. and Canada over the next three hours.
Apple Stores will now begin fulfilling in-store reservations for the new iPhones and accepting walk-in purchases from the long queues that have formed at some locations. UPS and FedEx will also be making pre-order deliveries generally between the hours of 9:00 am and 8:00 pm to residential addresses.
Guess where I'm at?! #AppleStore #JaxNYC #iPhone6S #iwaiting http://t.co/hngl6YPM49 pic.twitter.com/WwVOzedNGm
— Jacqui (@Jacquies) September 25, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Hmph. Must be something going on today. #applestore #torontoeatoncentre pic.twitter.com/1aA9TyCnVm
— Eustace James (@mr_e_james) September 25, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsiPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus first arrived in New Zealand last night, and the new devices were quickly subjected to an early unboxing, drop test, teardown, bend test and camera comparison. The devices have now launched in all first wave countries, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the U.K.
BlackBerry Confirms Android Smartphone Plans on iPhone Launch Day
BlackBerry today confirmed that the company will be making an Android-based smartphone, with a launch date aimed for the end of 2015, even as it reported a lower-than-expected annual loss (via Re/code).
The company reported that its latest quarterly loss was 13 cents per share on revenue of approximately $490 million, with analysts expecting 9 cents per share loss on revenue reaching closer to $600 million. Still, BlackBerry believes that its new handset, called the Priv, will boost its quarterly earnings as it heads into 2016.
“We are focused on making faster progress to achieve profitability in our handset business,” Chen said. The company also announced plans earlier this month to acquire rival Good Technology for $425 million. “From these initiatives, we anticipate modest sequential revenue growth in each of the remaining quarters of fiscal 2016.”
Confirming a previous rumor from June, the smartphone will have a slide-out keyboard and will combine “the best of BlackBerry security and productivity” with Android’s robust mobile platform applications, according to BlackBerry CEO John Chen. The company confirmed Priv will launch by the end of 2015, and that the BlackBerry 10 OS will still be supported, getting a software update around March.
Chen also mentioned that he has been aware of the company’s steady decline, and that he’ll stay in the business as long as there’s money to be made. “If I can’t make money on the phone, I will be out of that telephone handset business,” Chen said. “There is a timeline; I won’t tell you when.” BlackBerry hopes Priv will fill a niche in the smartphone market with a device that can work as an enterprise-ready work machine, but be fueled by Android’s “expansive mobile application ecosystem.”
ICYMI: Farming indoors, realistic robot baby study and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: University of California San Diego researchers are using the creepiest baby robot you have ever seen (seriously) to compare how human babies get parents to respond with loving facial expressions. Canada is overhauling food production with LED lights, recycled water and conveyor belts in a way that could well be replicated in spaces across the U.S. And in a moment that makes us pause to marvel at technology, Bluetooth connected electrodes were used to help a paraplegic man walk for the first time since being injured.
If you enjoy virtual reality news, the full clip of a VR experience that mimics being an animal in a forest is worth the watch.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
(Deal) Save 50% on the perfect writing app, Scrivener 2
As a writer for AndroidGuys and other websites, I’m always looking for the best way to take notes, and write my posts before entering them into WordPress. This is because WordPress is unreliable at times, and I’ve lost large posts due to glitches in the system. I usually try and rely on a no-distraction application, but there are times that the app is so good, I’ll use it anyways.
Scrivener 2 is one of the apps that has been on my radar for some time. According to the Scrivener website, I’m not the only one who has at least considered using the application. The developers state that Scrivener is used by the likes of Hollywood scriptwriters and New York Times Best-Selling Authors.
- View & edit different sections of your writing in isolation or as a whole
- Take a “snapshot” of a document, then edit & rewrite knowing you can restore an earlier revision at any time
- Easily storyboard & rearrange your project
- Utilize the fully-featured outliner to take control of the structure of your work
- Switch to scriptwriting mode for automatic or custom formatting—then export to a dedicated scriptwriting program such as Final Draft
- Load research documents or notes into floating windows for limitless access to reference material, even in full-screen mode
- Synchronize the text of your project w/ mobile apps
For word-processing and project management, Scrivener 2 really should be considered by anyone who writes regularly, and needs to keep track of their various products. Even if you’re a novice, who is just getting into the groove of writing, Scrivener is a great option for you to keep track of everything you write or take notes on.
With both a Mac and Windows 10-compatible application, anyone on either platform can take advantage of this great deal. Normally priced at $45, you can head over to the AndroidGuys Deals Page and grab Scrivener 2 for only $19.50, a savings of over 55%.
You can find this, and many other great tech bargains through our Deals page. Backed by StackCommerce, there are daily promos, giveaways, freebies, and much more!
The post (Deal) Save 50% on the perfect writing app, Scrivener 2 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Get Amazon Prime for $67 for today only!
In honor of winning 5 Emmy awards for their hit show, Transparent, Amazon is giving new Prime customers a great deal. Normally priced at $99, you can now sign up for Amazon Prime for only $67.
Today from 12:00 a.m., ET, through 11:59 p.m., PT, new members can join Amazon Prime for $67 for the first year and enjoy member-only benefits and content, including our Emmy Award-winning series, Transparent. Although the price in your cart will show $99, the promotion discount will be applied at checkout. You will be charged when you place your order.
It’s not often that we can get a hold of discounts for Amazon Prime, but when the opportunities do arise, you must jump at them. A lot of folks were excited for the HUGE price drop in the Amazon Fire Phone due to the fact that Prime costs $99 and leaving the cost of the phone only at $30.
If you aren’t aware of the benefits of Amazon Prime, some of the biggest benefits are:
- FREE Two-Day shipping
- Unlimited, ad-free access to over a million songs
- Instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Video
- Free unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive
- Read free books each month through Kindle First and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library
With a deal like this, if you’ve been on the fence about joining Amazon Prime, there’s not a better time to do so than now. Especially when you consider that the Holiday season is fast approaching, and coming with it, is Cyber Monday where you can get great discounts for those presents.
Source: Amazon
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Apple Watch Launches in Belgium, Finland, Norway and Poland on October 9
Apple has updated its regional websites for Belgium, Finland, Norway and Poland to announce the Apple Watch will be available on October 9.
Belgium, Finland, Norway and Poland will be part of the sixth Apple Watch launch wave:
Apple Watch sales have also expanded to dozens of Apple Premium Resellers this month.
Meizu Pro 5 heading to India next year, Flyme OS 5.0 scheduled for more phones
Meizu officially launched its Pro 5 handset a couple of days ago and today the company has been clarifying its launch plays for the high-end, cost effective smartphone.
The Meizu Pro 5 will initially be heading out to China in October, complete with a Flyme OS 5.0 update scheduled for November 15th. However, the company stated that Indian customers will have to wait until early next year before the handset will launch in their country. An exact release date wasn’t given, so there’s a risk that the Pro 5 might be a little outdated by the time it finally arrives, especially considering the fiercely competitive nature of the Indian market right now.
Speaking of Flyme OS 5.0, Meizu has confirmed that existing devices in India will be receiving the same update later this year. The M2 Note and MX5 were given as examples.
Meizu phones in video:
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For a quick recap, the Meizu Pro 5 ports a 1080p 5.7-inch AMOLED display, a Samsung Exynos 7420 SoC, 3GB or 4GB of RAM depending on your choice of 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, and a 3,050mAh battery with some fast charging technology. The phone also features a 21MP Sony IMX230 camera sensor, a 5MP front facing camera and a USB Type-C port. Prices range from 2799 Yuan ($438) to 3099 Yuan ($485), which is very reasonable for all that hardware.
Do you think that Indian customers will wait until 2016 for the Meizu Pro 5?
iOS 9’s space-saving ‘app slicing’ feature gets delayed
The “app slicing” or “app thinning” feature Apple promised to launch with iOS 9 can help 16GB and 32GB iPhone owners save some precious storage space. Unfortunately, Cupertino can’t release it to the general public yet (even though its beta testing app has been supporting the feature for quite some time), “due to an issue affecting iCloud backup.” See, Apple gave developers the power to mark parts of their applications meant for specific devices. That means folks with an iPhone 6s will only end up downloading app components meant for the 6s and not the ones meant for iPads or other iPhone variants — hence, the term app slicing/thinning.
Unfortunately, due to the iCloud bug, iOS 9 users are still getting universal versions of apps instead of optimized ones. The note posted on Apple’s developer website says the company will roll out app slicing with a future software update, though — hopefully sometime soon, for the sake of everyone quickly running out of storage.
App slicing is currently unavailable for iOS 9 apps due to an issue affecting iCloud backups created from iOS 9 where some apps from the App Store would only restore to the same model of iOS device.
When a customer downloads your iOS 9 app, they will get the Universal version of your app, rather than the variant specific for their device type. TestFlight will continue to deliver variants for your internal testers. App slicing will be reenabled with a future software update. No action is needed by you at this time.
Via: 9to5mac
Source: Apple
Where to buy Apple’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in the UK
If you hadn’t made a note in you diary, then let us remind you: new iPhone day is upon us. Apple’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus launch in 12 countries today, and one of those just happens to be the sunny UK. As the “s” qualifier denotes, the flagships are iterative improvements over last year’s models, with more powerful innards, better cameras and pressure-sensitive “3D Touch” displays. But let’s be frank, any new product bearing an Apple logo has an army of consumers waiting with bated breath. Some will have queued outside their nearest Apple Store for the past 24 hours, and others will have pre-ordered their devices from the comfort of their sofas, but if you’ve taken a more measured approach to iPhone procurement, then let us walk you through your options.
iPhone 6s
| O2 | Three | Vodafone | EE | Carphone Warehouse | Buymobiles | Mobiles .co.uk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest contract (with upfront) | £17.50 (£630) | £38 (£99) | £36 (£149) | £40 (£140) | £32 (£169) on Voda | £22 (£360) on EE | £25 (£200) on EE |
| Cheapest contract (lowest upfront) | £54 (£10) | £61 (£9) | £54 (£9) | £55 (£29) | £44 (£0) on Voda | £45 (£0) on EE | £44 (£0) on Voda |
| Pay-as-you-go | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Unlocked (SIM-free) | — | — | — | — | £539 | — | — |
| Pricing based on 16GB model. Higher storage capacities will be more expensive. | |||||||
Given the popularity of the iPhone brand, it’s not surprising to see your contract options are numerous, and relatively expensive. If you’re after the best possible iPhone 6s deal, though, then we’d advise you check out the contract resellers before any of the big four carriers. At odds with the major providers, they’re offering the 6s with no upfront payment, and some of the cheaper monthly contracts give you quite respectable voice/text/data allowances to work with.
A handful of MVNOs have the iPhone 6s available on day one, too. You can buy a 16GB model from giffgaff outright for £539, or pay as little as £28.54 per month with a £30 upfront payment. Virgin’s contract options start at £34 per month with no upfront, and Carphone Warehouse’s iD network is also in the mix, with upfront payments from £30 to £200 determining your monthly spend and allowances.
If you’d rather just shell out for an unlocked model and be done with it, you won’t find anywhere selling the 6s cheaper than Apple’s online store or preferred retailers like John Lewis, where prices start at £539 for 16GB of storage.
iPhone 6s Plus
| O2 | Three | Vodafone | EE | Carphone Warehouse | Buymobiles | Mobiles .co.uk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest contract (with upfront) | £17.50 (£730) | £43 (£99) | £41 (£169) | £45 (£180) | £33.50 (£220) on iD | £27 (£330) on EE | £32 (£229) on Voda |
| Cheapest contract (lowest upfront) | £47.50 (£10) | £66 (£9) | £64 (£9) | £60 (£50) | £64 (£0) on Voda/O2 | £55 (£9) on EE | £64 (£0) on Voda |
| Pay-as-you-go | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Unlocked (SIM-free) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pricing based on 16GB model. Higher storage capacities will be more expensive. | |||||||
Again, you’ve got your pick of carriers and contract resellers, but the iPhone 6s Plus’ bigger screen commands a higher price. There are still a few options, however, that only require a small down-payment, or none at all.
All the MVNOs ranging the smaller 6s are also offering the 6s Plus, though both Virgin and giffgaff have no stock currently. It’s worth noting that stock levels for the 6s Plus don’t seem particularly healthy anywhere, with alerts and delivery delay notices appearing on several of the websites we’ve visited to pull all this together. Carphone Warehouse has a couple of contract options on its iD network, however, with upfront payments ranging from £60 to £220.
Like the iPhone 6s, you won’t find an unlocked 6s Plus for less than Apple is willing to sell you one for. Pricing starts at £619 for the 16GB model, but whether you’re looking at Apple’s website or John Lewis’, stock levels are a common problem.
BlackBerry confirms ‘Priv’ Android phone will launch this year
In its latest earnings report, BlackBerry has confirmed that rumors of its first Android device, called Priv, are accurate. CEO John Chen said that the device will “support Android for Work on the the BES12 platform… (and) offer best in class security for enterprise customers.” The device will arrive by the end of 2015, and other details like specs and price, will be revealed soon. So far, rumors indicate that it’ll have a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge-like curved screen, QWERTY keyboard slider and 18-megapixel camera. Despite the company’s turn toward Android, Chen said it “remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 OS,” and will release version 10.3.3 in March, 2016.
Source: BlackBerry
AIVAnet 