LMY48M update heading out to Nexus devices
T-Mobile has just released a selection of updates for its Nexus 4, Nexus 5, 6, 7 and 9. The builds come with the LMY48M label for the most part, although the Nexus 6’s latest update is a LYZ28K build and the Nexus 7 has version LMY48P.
T-Mobile’s changelogs are rather brief. They simply state “Android security enhancements” and “minor bug fixes” for each device. The updates are also rather small, topping out at around 29MB at the largest. Most likely, this is Google’s promised monthly security update for its range of handsets and tablets, which was announced in the wake of the Stagefright exploit.
See also: Google reveals details about monthly security updates in new Android Security Google Group
Customers should spot an OTA update notification in the near future. The files can also be downloaded from T-Mobile’s website, where you will find installation requirements and instructions too. Here are the links:
The updates haven’t appeared as factory image downloads over at Google just yet, but they should pop up any time soon for those who want to manually flash the patch.
Astronaut drives a rover on Earth from aboard the ISS
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen was tasked to put metal peg into a round hole in a task board, which would have been really easy — if he weren’t in low-Earth orbit and 248 miles away from the setup. Mogensen controlled a rover from aboard the International Space Station using a force-feedback control system developed by the ESA. The system’s force-feedback joystick allowed him to feel when the robot meets resistance on the ground, giving him better control of its limbs without that capability. Due to the astronaut’s distance from the setup, there was a one-second lag, but the ground crew used “sophisticated software” to make sure the controller and the rover are in sync. It took Mogensen 45 minutes to accomplish the task for the first time, but the second attempt was more promising and took only 10 minutes.
If you recall, this technology was first tested back in June by NASA astronaut Terry Virts while he was also aboard the ISS to “shake hands” with someone on Earth. In the future, it could be used to remotely control rovers in dangerous locations, such as collapsed buildings and irradiated areas, or even on the moon or on Mars.
Filed under:
Science
Source:
ESA
Tags: esa, nasa, space
I used Spotify’s ‘Found Them First’ before it was cool
If you think back, you can probably name one artist or album you feel you knew about before everyone else. Now Spotify wants to help you prove it. With “Found Them First,” the streaming company can go back through your track history and identify whether you listened to an artist or band before they made it big.
When you head over to the microsite, you’ll be asked to enter your Spotify login and allow the tool to comb through your account. It’ll then find out the first time you streamed an artist, work out if you were in the first 15 percent of listeners and identify whether they have topped 20 million total Spotify streams and enjoyed a growth rate more than 2000 percent between January 2013 and June 2015. My results showed I had supposedly “discovered” nine artists and presented the interesting factoid that I’d listened to Sam Smith before 98 percent of other Spotify users. That said, I was also credited with helping Bastille break out as well.
Once you’ve scrolled through the tracks and marveled (or weeped) at your taste in music, Spotify will create a customized playlist of other “breakout” artists that it thinks you’ve yet to listen to. With Apple Music going big on curated playlists, Spotify is hoping that big data can help users find new music that they actually like (think Discover Weekly), similar to what Apple is doing with its Beats 1 radio station.
Are you someone who is likely to say “you probably haven’t heard of it” when you discuss your favorite tracks or albums? Spotify can now tell you one of two things: you got in before they became mega-popular, or you’re now such a hipster, not enough people have picked up on them yet.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source:
Spotify’s Found Them First
Tags: data, foundthemfirst, hdpostcross, music, spotify, streaming, tracks
Best Buy now selling the Nexus 6 for $350
Last week we saw Amazon drop the price of the Motorola Nexus 6 to $350. This makes sense as they’re probably trying to clear stock before the new Nexus is rumored to be announced later this month. Now we’re seeing Best Buy match Amazon.
Best Buy will normally price match Amazon prices but this is more than that. This is an official price cut to $350 instead of just a price match. We don’t know if this is a permanent deal so make sure you get yours soon if you’re interested. We still haven’t seen the Google Store drop their prices past the $499 mark. Google could be holding back on a price drop as to not tip their hand at the incoming new Nexus.
The Nexus 6 is still a very good performer and will stand up to most flagships of this year. While not as popular as it’s little brother, the Nexus 5, the device still has the advantage of a huge development community and fast updates from Google.
Source: Best Buy, Droid-Life
Nexus 6
…
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Sony Xperia M5 launches in India today
The Sony Xperia M5, which was unveiled at the beginning of last month, is heading to India and Hong Kong today, according to Sony’s social media accounts. The ‘super mid-range’ smartphone arrives with a Rs. 37,990 (HK$ 3,698, £372, €512, $572) price tag, which might prove to be a tough sell against the low cost competition in India.
For a recap of the specifications, the Xperia M5 comes with a 5.0-inch Full HD display, a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 SoC, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory, with a microSD card slot for expansion if desired. The phone ships with a 21 megapixel rear camera that features Hybrid Autofocus. There’s also a 13 megapixel front facing camera for high resolution selfies, although there isn’t a flash on the front like there is with the Xperia C5.
Two huge cameras, water proof, faster in processing & slow in discharging. Presenting #XperiaM5 – MRP 37990/- only. pic.twitter.com/pv7zlU3wTB
— Sony Xperia India (@SonyXperiaIndia) September 9, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The phone also comes with a 2,600mAh battery, Android 5.0 Lollipop on board, and IP65 and IP68 certifications for water and dust resistance. It’s not quite clear if this is the dual-SIM version of the Xperia M5 or not in India, although there’s a strong change that it is.
The Xperia M5 will be available in black, white and gold colours. We will keep an eye out for a list of retailers.
Report: the iPhone 6s will get ‘always-on’ Siri mode
As usual before an Apple event (which is today, in case you’ve been cave-bound), the rumor mill is churning out new information. We’re now hearing that Apple TV will run an all-new operating system called osTV, based on iOS 9, according to 9 to 5 Mac. It’ll reportedly carry a similar interface to the current Apple TV, but will sport iOS 9 (and OS X El Capitan) touches like transparency effects. The changes don’t sound too drastic, but new Apple TV OS branding that matches watchOS and iOS would be a new development. Apple TV is supposed to also get a new AirBnB app.
Another interesting rumor, again from 9 to 5′s Mark Gurman, has it that Siri on the new iPhone 6s will be always-on. Until now, Apple’s assistant only used active listening when your iPhone was charging, likely because it was a drain on power. Now, you’ll be able to use it anytime without needing to push the ‘home” button. In other words, it’ll be similar to the way that “OK Google” works on Google Now for Android. Considering the “Hey, Siri” hints in Apple’s teaser (above) this info isn’t terribly surprising. As for battery life issues, the new iPhone 6s is reportedly a touch thicker than the last model.
Lastly, there’s some new info about configuration and pricing of the (rumored) iPad Pro, a device Apple hopes will further denude the laptop market. The entry level model will have 32GB of storage — double that of current base iPhones and iPads — and run a hefty $799. The top end model, with 128GB of storage and LTE will cost $1,129, nearly as much as the MacBook Retina. By contrast, the priciest iPad Air 2 with LTE costs $829 right now.
Along with today’s rumors, there has been plenty of other information leaked about the iPhone launch, as summed up here. Apple has verified none of this officially, of course, so don’t plan your life around the information. Even if the rumors are accurate, there’s still much to learn about Apple’s incoming products — so, be sure to tune in at 1 PM EST for our liveblog and extensive coverage.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Tablets, Apple
Source:
9 to 5 Mac
Tags: apple, AppleTV, iPad, iPhone6S, iPhone6SPlus, rumor, Siri, tvOS
Pandora announces One Day Pass, ad free listening one day at a time
Do you have a road trip coming up? Maybe an event where you’re in charge of the music and you don’t want to try too hard? Well, Pandora wants to help you get rid of those pesky ads for the day.
On September 9th, Pandora listeners will experience a “Listeners Love Day” which celebrates Pandora’s 10 year anniversary by getting rid of the ads for the day. (Presumably there will still be ads telling you it’s their 10th anniversary and you’re not going to hear ads that day). The next day, on September 10th, Pandora will offer you the same experience for 99 cents a day. Currently Pandora One is $5 a month and offers ad free listening but if that’s too much of a commitment for you, One Day Pass will allow you to go a day at a time for the pleasure of ad free listening.
““Some listeners want an ad-free experience every once in a while, and the Pandora One Day Pass offers a new way to effortlessly access the music they love.”“
Honestly this sounds like a low barrier of entry way to get people in the door for their more premium offers. Once you have a taste of the good stuff (ad free listening) you’ll want more and subscribe to something like Pandora One which brings in more money for the streaming service. Pandora has a lot of competitors in the music streaming space so any way to differentiate themselves may be a positive.
Do you think this is a valuable service? Is it something you’d ever consider? Let us know in the comments what you think about Pandora’s One Day Pass.
Source: Pandora Blog, Android Police
The post Pandora announces One Day Pass, ad free listening one day at a time appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung begins production on 12 Gb LPDDR RAM for mobile devices
On Tuesday, Samsung Electronics announced they have begun mass production on the first of it’s kind 12 Gb LPDDR4 RAM. The new chips will be on their 20mm manufacturing process and offer 50% greater density than the 8Gb ram that Samsung currently produces.
The 12 Gb RAM allows for higher density PCB layout which increases capacity and reduces power demands. The new chip opens up the possibility that we’ll see more phones and tablets move from 2 and 3 GB of RAM to a new standard of 4 and 6 GB of more power efficient RAM. With this new advancement you can now use 6 GB of LPDDR4 RAM in the same amount of space that 3 GB of RAM currently uses.
The new chips will also bring increased speed. There is a 30% increase in speed over the current 8Gb chips that Samsung produces with a per-pin speed of 4266Mbps. Modern phones SoC’s normally have 4 memory dies and 12Gb RAM translate to about 1.5 GB so we’ll be able to see 6 GB of RAM in phones using the same amount of space as currently do.
The last time Samsung made a jump forward in this field it took about 6 months to see the market so we may be seeing this just in time for the Samsung Galaxy S7
Source: AnandTech
The post Samsung begins production on 12 Gb LPDDR RAM for mobile devices appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung launches first 12 Gb LPDDR4 DRAM – 30% faster and 50% greater density
Mobile devices with 3-4 GB of RAM were unheard only a couple years ago, but they are all the hype in 2015. As smartphones become more capable, the demand for greater, more efficient memory increases. Samsung is ready to cater to all the multi-tasking buffs with its new 12 Gb LPDDR4 DRAM, based on the company’s 20 nm technology. This happens to be an industry first, doubling down on the current 6 Gb chips.
These 12 Gb (gigabit) chips provide 1.5 GB (gigabyte) of memory per unit, bringing forth a couple substantial improvements to the mobile world. For starters, these DRAM chips offer the largest capacity and highest speed of their kind. In addition, they are great with “energy efficiency, reliability and ease of design”. These are said to have all it takes for manufacturers to really take on their next-generation devices.
The 12 Gb LPDDR4 DRAM chips are 30% faster at 4,2666 Mbps. They are also twice as fast and consume 20% less energy. But the best contribution they will bring is likely their space efficiency. Because these are made 50% denser, this also means manufacturers can put 6 GB of RAM using the same space it currently takes to have 3 GB. Correspondingly, they could keep the current 3 GB standards and only use half the space, compared to today’s standards.
This happens to be a huge breakthrough in an industry that always seeks to make the most out of available space. Not only are devices getting thinner, but some users also beg for more battery, as well as other components. Every millimeter matters!
Furthermore, Samsung is expecting its new technology to reach more than just mobile devices. Ultra-portable laptops and tablets could also take advantage of all these benefits. Mass production has just begun, so it is only a matter of time before we start seeing more products adopting Samsung’s new DRAM. Your next high-end smartphone may have 6 GB of RAM, which happens to be more than many computers tout! Times sure are changing.
Podcast 030: IFA 2015 with guest Dom Esposito!
Recurring guest Dom Esposito joins host Josh, Lanh, and Nirave for a late night podcast after a long day at IFA 2015. Without some of the big players coming to the show this time around, the crew ponders the growing smartwatch game, especially considering the lust over the Huawei Watch and the newfound buzz over the Samsung Gear S2. Though phones like the Huawei Mate S and the 4k capable Sony Xperia Z5 Premium did appear at this show, they seem to take second fiddle to a long discussion regarding the pros and cons to current smartwatch offerings. Join us for a great (albeit pretty tired) session of the Android Authority Podcast!
The Android Authority Podcast – discussing topics in Android every week.
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Recorded on August 28th, 2015 – Hosted and Produced by Joshua Vergara
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