Droid Turbo 2 details surface, including Moto Maker support
We have been teased with little drips of information about a successor to last year’s Droid Turbo lately and now a slew of new details about the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 have appeared.
The rumoured hardware seems ever so slightly ahead of the new Moto X Pure Edition. According to the source, the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 will feature a 5.43-inch QHD POLED display, which is said to be ‘Shatterproof’. The display will apparently be reinforced with metal edges to improve its strength, but it’s not clear how much extra protection this will offer.
The phone is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM. Customers will have a choice between 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, according to previous leaks. There is also mention of a 21 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front facing camera, a large 3,760mAh battery, and wireless charging included as standard. These specifications are quite close to the rumors that have repeatedly appeared over the past few weeks.
See also: Droid Turbo 2 allegedly shown off in new leaked image
The other major bit of news is that the Droid Turbo 2 will be sold through Motorola’s Moto Maker website, meaning that there should be a range of customization options available for the smartphone. We can probably expect a range of back cases to be made available. This would be the first Droid branded phone to be sold through Moto Maker. The handset will also be sold through Verizon, as was the case with the original Droid Turbo.
To sweeten the deal, Motorola will also apparently be offering customers a free, 1-time design swap within 2 years of purchase, so customers can rejuvenate their phone with a new look when they are bored with their old case.
If this all sounds rather tempting to you, sources suggest that the handset may be announced on October 15th and could hit the shelves as early as October 29th. The high-end smartphone may launch outside of the US under the Motorola Moto X Force name.
LG teases phone with secondary display ahead of October event
Back in August, a filing at China’s FCC counterpart (TENAA) revealed one of LG’s upcoming devices: one that apparently features a secondary display on top, next to its camera. Now, the South Korean company has released a video teaser indicating that the device will be officially launched on October 1st, 2015. The video doesn’t give out any details about the device, other than giving a model asymmetrical bangs that match the camera-secondary screen combo at the top part of the display. Evleaks called it the LG V10 when the images above were leaked and likened its secondary display to that of the Samsung Note Edge’s, which shows app icons and extra details, depending on the open application. We’ll know for sure whether it really does resemble the Note Edge’s ticker in a few days’ time.
Source: LG (YouTube)
UK cinema staff will wear night-vision goggles to combat piracy
Night vision is slowly working its way into mainstream use. An example of this comes with a report from the Telegraph that says cinema staff in the UK will use military-grade night vision headsets to combat piracy during the premier of the new Bond romp Spectre. Like something lifted straight out of a bond film, staff will don these goggles in auditoriums across the country to catch those who are trying to record the movie for illegal distribution.
“James Bond is a big risk and we will be working with cinema operators and the distributors making sure we will keep that as tight as possible. We really don’t want to see that recorded,” said Kieron Sharp, director general of the Federation Against Copyright Theft. It turns out the villains that really need to fear Bond’s wrath are those with their cameras at the ready when the cinema lights go out.
[Image credit: 2015 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios/ Columbia Pictures]
Source: Telegraph
Samsung Pay app receives screen-off fingerprint activation
Samsung Pay is currently in beta testing in the US. As such, Samsung is updating its mobile payment app with new features and tweaks to improve the user experience ahead of the full roll out. A new version of the Samsung Pay app (version 1.3.1716) has arrived, offering a number of improvements to the user interface.
The main new feature in the app is the ‘Simple Pay’ menu, which offers up a selection of ways to launch the payment app quickly. The options allow users to turn the current home screen and lock screen fingerprint sensor swipe gesture on or off and also adds in a third feature, which enabled the option to open up the app using the fingerprint scanner even while the screen is off. A particularly useful feature if you just want to make your payments as quickly as possible.
Cards registered with the app have undergone a visual change with the update too. Instead of having to tap on the card to see information, the virtual card number is now display alongside each card by default. There’s also a new ‘About’ screen in the app, which comes with an update button to check for the latest software.
Samsung will likely keep updating its Pay app up until and beyond its US launch on September 28th. How are you finding the beta so far?
Kwikset’s latest smart lock lowers the price by ditching the frills
Kwikset is no stranger to connected locks, but the $219 price for its Kevo lock might put you off if you’re used to securing your door with cheaper conventional locks. That might not be a stumbling block for much longer, though: the company has trotted out a Traditional Signature Series Deadbolt lock with an easier-to-swallow $150 price tag. It’ll still talk to any Z-Wave home automation network that supports locks (such as a Wink hub), giving you a way to remotely unlock the door or get alerts. The cost-cutting mostly comes thorough the absence of extras you might not need, like a gateway device or a keypad. This won’t be the cheapest lock if you’re starting fresh, in other words. However, it’ll definitely make more sense if you’re already living in a smart home and just want the entryway to match.
Via: TechHive
Source: Kwikset
Bills could rise as Ofcom triples UK carriers’ licence fees
After toying with the idea of quadrupling the amount providers must pay for mobile spectrum for almost two years, UK communications regulator Ofcom has finally arrived at a decision. It announced today that the big four — EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three — will now pay a total of £199.6 million annually for their allocations of the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands, more than triple the £64.4 million they currently have to hand over.
EE, which holds the most spectrum following the Orange/T-Mobile merger and successful 4G bid, will see its rent triple from £24.9 million to £75 million. Vodafone and O2 will both see their current fee raised from £15.6 million to £49.8 million, while Three (which owns the least amount of spectrum) will pay £25 million, up from £8.3 million.
The increase comes after the UK government instructed Ofcom to revise licence fee charges to “reflect full market value.” Although it received notice in December 2010, Ofcom began a proper consultation following the 4G auction back in 2013, but was forced to go back to the drawing board when providers rejected an original five-fold increase. Don’t forget, the government and the regulator anticipated more than £3.5 billion from the auction, but the total figure fell well short at £2.4 billion.
Overall, the final fees are lower than what Ofcom considered back in February. This was helped by a recent 4G auction in Germany. Using that as a marker, the 1800 MHz band was priced 3 percent lower than original estimates, while the 900 MHz band saw 24 percent reduction. Of course, the operators will have no choice to pay them, and warn that the rises could result in higher bills and limit 4G rollout.
“We have listened carefully to the arguments and evidence put forward by industry, and conducted a complex and comprehensive analysis to determine the new fees,” says Philip Marnick, Ofcom’s Group Director of Spectrum. “The mobile industry has not previously had to pay market value for access to this spectrum, which is a valuable and finite resource, and the new fees reflect that value.”
[Image Credit: Kevin Foy / Alamy]
Source: Ofcom
Deal: Samsung Galaxy S6 only $429.99 on eBay! (US only)
Is the Samsung Galaxy S6 losing its “six appeal”? It’s hard to say, but we have reason to believe it doesn’t have the demand Samsung was expecting to see. This is likely why we have seen so many crazy deals on it. Regardless, it’s still one hell of a smartphone, and it did very well in our review, so it’s good to look out for these offers.
Those looking to score Samsung’s flagship device on the cheap get plenty of opportunities to do so, but today we are taking a look at one of the best we have seen so far. Monoprice’s eBay page is currently selling the Samsung Galaxy S6 (not Edge) for only $429.99. This is one hell of a deal, especially considering the official price is about $650 in most stores.
The Galaxy S6 is no slouch. It features a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED QHD display, a powerful Exynos 7420 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, a leading 16 MP camera, a 5 MP front shooter and a 2550 mAh battery.
Samsung took things to the next level in terms of design, as well. Instead of using the cheap plastic the manufacturer was characterized for, the team went back to the drawing board and produced a smartphone worthy of envy. It features premium materials like glass and metal.
Want in on this deal? You should act quickly, because we don’t know how many devices Monoprice has in stock. The eBay page says more than 75% have been sold, so you gotta hurry! By the way, this is the unlocked, international version. It also only ships to US residents, so some of you may be out of luck.
Apple Debuts Beats ‘Active Collection’ Headphones With New Colors for Solo2, Tour2, and Powerbeats2
Apple today updated its lineup of Solo2 Wireless, Tour2, and Powerbeats 2 Wireless headphones, adding a trio of new colors as part of a new “Active Collection.” The Beats Tour2 In-Ear Headphones, Solo2 Wireless Headphones, and Powerbeats2 Wireless In-Ear Headphones are now available in simple primary shades of Blue, Yellow, and Red.
Get to work. New Active Collection out NOW. http://t.co/ypeqBjDJir #ChargedUp pic.twitter.com/7zj1375cYG
— Beats By Dre (@beatsbydre) September 23, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
There are no changes to the hardware or the pricing of the three sets of headphones, and the Active Collection joins the existing range of color options for each product. Apple will likely begin offering the new Active Collection in its retail stores in the near future, and each of the three products is available immediately from the online store.
Both the Active Collection Solo2 Wireless Headphones and the Powerbeats2 Wireless In-Ear Headphones will ship out to customers immediately with next day shipping, but the Tour2 In-Ear Headphones lists a delivery date of Tuesday, September 29.
Pricing for the Active Collection starts at $129.95 for the Tour2, with the PowerBeats2 priced at $199.95 and the Solo2 priced at $299.95.
Samsung Pay is a hit in its home country
Samsung Pay has barely been available for a month in its home country of South Korea, but that isn’t stopping Samsung from crowing about its early success. The tech giant says that it has already seen the equivalent of $30 million in transactions in that first month, spread across 1.5 million purchases. That’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it’s “beyond” what the company was hoping for. These aren’t just one-and-done tests, either. About 36 percent of users were active in the past month, while 10 percent were enthusiastic enough to use Samsung Pay every day. And in case you’re curious, the Galaxy Note 5 was the weapon of choice — 60 percent of Korean purchases went through the supersized phone.
Whether or not that translates to the US and other countries is another story. While Samsung is practically a fixture of daily life in South Korea (it even has its own credit card company), it doesn’t have nearly as much clout elsewhere. Also, it’s difficult to gauge Samsung Pay’s overall performance without context. There isn’t much official data available for Apple Pay’s launch, and it’s doubtful that even that information would be comparable. It may take months, if not years, before it’s clear whether or not Samsung Pay has legs.
Via: Talk Android
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
Chevy owners have to wait until March 2016 for Android Auto
Earlier this year Chevrolet announced that they would offer Android Auto in 14 different 2016 models. Today they announced that Android Auto would come by way of an update to their MyLink system starting in March 2016.
Here is the complete list of Chevrolet vehicles due to receive Android Auto.
|
2016 Model Year Chevrolet Infotainment Systems |
|
| 7-Inch MyLink Infotainment | 8-Inch MyLink Infotainment |
| Spark | Cruze (Excludes Limited) |
| Cruze (Excludes Limited) | Malibu (Excludes Limited) |
| Malibu (Excludes Limited) | Impala |
| Camaro | Volt |
| Camaro Convertible | Camaro |
| Silverado | Camaro Convertible |
| Silverado HD | Corvette |
| Corvette Convertible | |
| Colorado | |
| Silverado | |
| Silverado HD | |
| Tahoe | |
| Suburban | |
Of course with automakers like Honda and Hyundai already selling vehicles equipped with Android Auto, Chevrolet owners must be feeling a little left out. What do you think? Is the promise of Android Auto enough to persuade you to purchase a Chevrolet? Let us know in the comments below.
The post Chevy owners have to wait until March 2016 for Android Auto appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AIVAnet 