Samsung announces the latest addition to the Tizen ecosystem, the Z3
It looks like earlier reports of an October announcement were right. Samsung has revealed the next addition to its Tizen Ecosystem, the Z3, and frankly, the design looks like a Galaxy Note 5 clone.
It has a 5-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, microSD support up to 128GB, a rear 8-megapixel camera, a front-facing 5-megapixel sensor, and a 2,600mAh battery. This particular device isn’t running Android. It’s actually running Samsung’s Tizen operating system.
There doesn’t seem to be many benefits of having a Tizen device over an Android so far. However, Samsung’s advertising software features like “Ultra Data Saving Mode” to minimize data usage and “Ultra Power Saving Mode” to keep the battery running for extended periods of time.
Again, no real benefit over Android, but Samsung’s Tizen OS is still fairly new, so it does have potential for the future. One thing’s for sure, Samsung’s done a great job at blurring the lines between its Tizen and Android smartphones.
The Samsung Z3 will be coming to the India market sometime this month in Gold, Black, and Silver for INR 8,490.
source: Samsung
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Capital One Wallet gets updated with NFC payments
Capital One has updated its official Wallet Android application to begin accepting contactless NFC payments. This will allow you to make NFC payments without ever opening Android Pay–you can do it straight from the Capital One Wallet application.
NFC payments is obviously the biggest addition in this update, with there only being other minor additions, such as credit card receipt capture and a handful of bug fixes.
This update certainly makes NFC payments much easier, not having to add your credit cards to a third-party application and all. Of course, it’s hard to believe that a user would think of Capital One Wallet when wanting to make an NFC transaction. Android Pay and even Samsung Pay are usually the first apps that come to mind.
Anyone plan on taking advantage of the Capital One Wallet’s new NFC payment system?
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T-Mobile brings back its 10Gigs4All offer, 4 lines with 10GB of data each for just $120
Everyone’s (not Sprint’s) favourite, outspoken CEO, John Legere, has announced the return of T-Mobile’s popular 10Gigs4All promotion for a limited time. We have the details of the offer after the break.
Good morning twitter, and welcome back #10Gigs4All!!!!! #uncarrier http://t.co/gR4D016K3c pic.twitter.com/zkOrignwON
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) October 14, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The 10GIGS4ALL promotion allows a family to get four lines with 10GB of data for each line from T-Mobile. The first two lines cost $50 each per month, while the third line costs just $20, and fourth? well, the fourth line is free, which is good news for little Timmy. This brings the total to just $120 per month for fours lines with 10GB of data.
And that’s not all, T-Mobile is also throwing in unlimited calls to and from Canada and Mexico, WiFi calling, unlimited music streaming, unlimited in-flight texting with Gogo, unlimited international texts from the US, as well as the ability to roll-over unused data for up to 12 months. How good is that?
T-Mobile has helpfully prepared the following chart so you can compare it with the offerings from other carriers in the chart below.
Press Release:
T-Mobile Brings Back Its Most Popular Promotion Ever – 10Gigs4All with the 4th Line Free
T-Mobile today announced the company’s bringing back its wildly popular #10Gigs4All promotion. Now, for a limited time, a family can get four lines with 40 GB of high-speed LTE data – that’s 10 GB per line with no sharing – along with unlimited data, talk and text for just $120 per month.
With #10Gigs4All, two people can get up to 10 GB of 4G LTE each – no sharing required – for just $100 a month. Then, each additional line is just $20 more per person – also with 10 GB of T-Mobile’s blazing-fast 4G LTE. Now, with this promotion, that 4th line is free, bringing the total cost to just $120 per month for a family of four.After T-Mobile first introduced #10Gigs4All with the 4th Line Free this past summer, customers flocked to the Un-carrier, making this T-Mobile’s most popular promotion of all time based on the percentage of postpaid customers signing up.
Along with 10 GB of 4G LTE data for each family member on America’s fastest 4G LTE network, families will never face annual service contracts or domestic overage penalties again. Unused data is stashed for use up to a full year later, and everyone in the family can stream all the music they want from more than 30 services without ever touching their high-speed data. Not to mention unlimited data and texting in more than 140 countries and destinations around the globe.
#10Gigs4All with the 4th Line Free is available today for a limited time at http://explore.t-mobile.com/simple-choice-family-plan-with-10gb-data and at participating T-Mobile stores nationwide.
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Apple could face $862 million in damages in University of Wisconsin patent lawsuit
Well folks, it looks like Apple is losing another patent lawsuit to the tune of $862 million in damages. A U.S. jury yesterday found that Apple used technology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison without permission.
This particular patent aims to improve processor efficiency.
The Madison, Wisconsin jury found that the patent is valid, and as a result, they’re working on finding out how much Apple exactly owes in damages, which is a long and tedious process. The jury will have to decide what processors violate the patent. Apple’s A7, A8, A8X, A9, and A9X are all under consideration.
U.S. District Judge William Conley says that Apple could be liable of up to $862.4 million in damages. Judge Conley set the trial to happen in three stages–liability, damages, and a look into whether Apple violated this patent willfully, and if so, more penalties could be on the table.
Apple recently won a rather larger patent lawsuit against Samsung infringing on slide-to-unlock functionality, autocorrect, and much more.
The trial will obviously take some time to come to a conclusion, but the question is, will it help any? $862 million is a drop in the bucket for Apple, and there’s no telling if this lawsuit will actually bring any change to Apple’s processors.
source: Reuters
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Magic Leap’s moving into Motorola’s old campus
We don’t specifically know what Magic Leap is doing, but we do know where all of this unknown stuff is going to happen. The augmented reality / VR startup is renovating a 260,000 square foot building on Florida’s West Sunrise Boulevard. It’s not the first time that the location will serve as the home to a tech firm with ties to Google — since it was Motorola’s campus until earlier this year. Magic Leap, which has raised around half a billion dollars for its HoloLens/Minority Report/Neal Stephenson-style endeavors, is seen as the next big thing in merging the real and virtual worlds. According to the Miami Herald, the firm will begin moving in towards the end of the year, so be prepared for plenty of stories about how enterprising journalists tried, and failed, to gain access to its secrets.
Via: Magic Leap (Twitter)
Source: Miami Herald, Florida Sun-Sentinel
Inside Apple’s Mac accessory testing lab
Design seems to be at the heart of every new Apple product. In the company’s eyes, a new laptop or tablet shouldn’t just perform well — it has to look, feel and sound right too. But just how far does the company go to maintain this vision? Ridiculously far, it turns out. To coincide with the latest iMacs, Backchannel was given an exclusive look at the Input Design Lab where Apple tests new keyboard, trackpad and mouse prototypes. The methods used are numerous, extensive and eye-opening; in one, Apple attaches sensors to testers to measure muscle fatigue and memory, acoustics and accuracy. In another, robots type repeatedly on keys and move mice around to measure their general performance, endurance, and adaptability on different surfaces. Some of these tests can reportedly require up to five million key taps. It’s rare for Apple to give this much insight into its R&D facilities, so hit up Backchannel‘s article for all of the photos and intriguing tidbits.
[Image Credit: Jason Henry, Backchannel]
Source: Backchannel
Uber’s latest service delivers just about anything in minutes
Those rumors of Uber launching a general-purpose delivery service, rather than the niche options it had before? They’re true. Meet UberRush, an option that lets you order most anything from local shops and get it in a matter of minutes. Theoretically, this eliminates the need to run out whenever you need something — you just ask a courier to do it for you. Stores have to sign up for this to work (and use a common online shopping platform like ChowNow or Shopify), but there are already “hundreds” of them ready to go. The main catch? Right now, UberRush is only available in Chicago, New York City and San Francisco. You may have to wait longer before these rapid-fire deliveries are available in other cities and countries.
Source: Uber Newsroom
Sainsbury’s announces its mobile network will close on January 15 next year
Some bad news for UK consumers today as Sainsbury’s announced the closure of its Mobile network, saying that the service shut down on January 15th next year in a statement posted on its website. Mobile by Sainsbury’s operates as an MVNO, piggybacking off the Vodafone network, and it’s thought that negotiations between the supermarket chain and Vodafone broke down for some reason, leading to the announcement. It has previously been rumoured that Vodafone intends on exiting the MVNO market altogether.
While it’s never a pleasant experience shopping around for a good deal, the good news is that Mobile by Sainsbury’s customers have 3 months to decide which network to move to, with Sainsbury’s stating it will make the process as pain-free as possible.
- Pay As You Go customers can top up until November 14, in-store and online, continuing to use credit up until January 15, 2016
- Pay Monthly SIM Only service will continue to work normally until Jan 15th.
There are also reports of customers receiving a notification text from Sainsbury’s, along with a £10 Nectar card credit and 6 months worth of double loyalty card points for food and fuel. If you haven’t received this text, it could be worth your while getting in touch with customer services.
If you are affected by the announcement, which network will you be switching to?
Source: Mobile by Sainsbury’s
Full Statement:
Important news for our Mobile by Sainsbury’s customers
We’re sorry to let you know that from 15th January 2016, the Mobile by Sainsbury’s phone service will no longer be available.
We’ve loved having you as a customer, and we know that changing your service provider can be a hassle. So, we want to make the process as straightforward as possible.
- Firstly, we’re telling you now so that you have plenty of time to decide what to do.
- If you are a Pay As You Go customer, you are still able to top up until 14th November, in store and online. You can continue to use any remaining credit until 15th January 2016.
- If you are a Pay Monthly SIM Only customer, your service will continue to work as normal until 15th January 2016.
You don’t need to do anything for the time being, but please remember to use any outstanding credit before 15th January, when the service will stop working.
Once again, we’re sorry – and want you to know that we’re here to help. Please click here for a useful page of FAQs, or if you’d prefer to talk to us please give us a call on 0333 313 1150.
Come comment on this article: Sainsbury’s announces its mobile network will close on January 15 next year
Sainsbury’s announces its mobile network will close on January 15 next year
Some bad news for UK consumers today as Sainsbury’s announced the closure of its Mobile network, saying that the service shut down on January 15th next year in a statement posted on its website. Mobile by Sainsbury’s operates as an MVNO, piggybacking off the Vodafone network, and it’s thought that negotiations between the supermarket chain and Vodafone broke down for some reason, leading to the announcement. It has previously been rumoured that Vodafone intends on exiting the MVNO market altogether.
While it’s never a pleasant experience shopping around for a good deal, the good news is that Mobile by Sainsbury’s customers have 3 months to decide which network to move to, with Sainsbury’s stating it will make the process as pain-free as possible.
- Pay As You Go customers can top up until November 14, in-store and online, continuing to use credit up until January 15, 2016
- Pay Monthly SIM Only service will continue to work normally until Jan 15th.
There are also reports of customers receiving a notification text from Sainsbury’s, along with a £10 Nectar card credit and 6 months worth of double loyalty card points for food and fuel. If you haven’t received this text, it could be worth your while getting in touch with customer services.
If you are affected by the announcement, which network will you be switching to?
Source: Mobile by Sainsbury’s
Full Statement:
Important news for our Mobile by Sainsbury’s customers
We’re sorry to let you know that from 15th January 2016, the Mobile by Sainsbury’s phone service will no longer be available.
We’ve loved having you as a customer, and we know that changing your service provider can be a hassle. So, we want to make the process as straightforward as possible.
- Firstly, we’re telling you now so that you have plenty of time to decide what to do.
- If you are a Pay As You Go customer, you are still able to top up until 14th November, in store and online. You can continue to use any remaining credit until 15th January 2016.
- If you are a Pay Monthly SIM Only customer, your service will continue to work as normal until 15th January 2016.
You don’t need to do anything for the time being, but please remember to use any outstanding credit before 15th January, when the service will stop working.
Once again, we’re sorry – and want you to know that we’re here to help. Please click here for a useful page of FAQs, or if you’d prefer to talk to us please give us a call on 0333 313 1150.
Come comment on this article: Sainsbury’s announces its mobile network will close on January 15 next year
Camera Lab Test Scores iPhone 6s on Same Level as iPhone 6
In a new review for the iPhone 6s, DxOMark concluded that the camera on the 2015 iPhone line deserved a score of 82, equal to that of the score it gave for the iPhone 6 one year ago. The website measured seven factors (exposure and contrast, color, autofocus, texture, noise, artifacts, and flash) to determine an overall score for the camera on the iPhone 6s, giving the lowest marks to texture and noise (via CNET).
From our tests, images are generally well-exposed and for the most part colors are vivid and pleasing outdoors. However, there are occasional differences in exposure noticeable between consecutive captures in very bright outdoor scenes, typically due to the inconsistent activation of the HDR mode.
There is also a slight but consistent underexposure in extremely low light levels (5 lux); the result however is still quite usable and an improvement over the iPhone 6. White balance is reliable though inevitably some inaccuracies were noticeable at times, with a slight yellow cast visible in some outdoor scenes. Although this cast was present in captures from the iPhone 6 the cast was slightly stronger and more noticeable on the 6s.
A score of 82 is the same as the iPhone 6 in 2014, but also behind the 87 given to the Sony Xperia Z5 and the 86-scoring Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Apple’s rivals also won in a series of similar video tests, scoring between four and six points higher than the 80 awarded to the iPhone 6s.
DxOMark’s closing statement regarding the new iPhone line is a bit similar to the overall consensus found elsewhere online regarding the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The French optics and image processing firm described the smartphone as a “good balance of performance and top-notch user experience,” but not an entirely compelling upgrade from an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, especially when considering solely the camera and video tests conducted by the firm.
AIVAnet 