OnePlus is letting 50 people trade in their Samsung Galaxy handset for a OnePlus 2
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OnePlus has had some pretty unusual contests in the past, some more infamous than others. There was the phone smashing contest that saw people destroy their phones without even knowing the entry criteria, and then there was the contest that was for women only and required them to take photos of themselves with a OnePlus logo. OnePlus’ latest contest probably belongs in the bin of slightly misguided contests as the Chinese manufacturer is offering 50 people the opportunity to trade in their Samsung Galaxy handset for a OnePlus 2 i.e. either the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6 Edge or Galaxy S6.
The obvious flaw with the contest is that all of these Samsung handsets can cost up to twice as much as the OnePlus 2 in some markets, and we’re interested to know why OnePlus is only targeting Samsung devices with this contest instead of just all flagships, iPhone included. Obviously, we can’t fault OnePlus completely as the “donated” phones do go to charity Hope Phones, but it’s an obvious targeted campaign at Samsung that doesn’t quite hit the right note. Again.
What do you think about OnePlus’ latest contest? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: OnePlus via Phone Arena
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Motorola Droid Turbo 2 renders appear on case manufacturer’s site
Verizon Wireless is planning something special for October 27th, and by all accounts it has something to do with the unannounced Motorola Droid Turbo 2, as well as at least one other device. The Turbo 2 is rumored to be a higher spec variant of the Moto X Style, and has been leaked for some time now, including as the Moto X Force (previously the Moto X Bounce), believed to be its international moniker. Earlier today, case manufacturer Qmadix essentially confirmed the device by posting various press renders of its upcoming accessory offerings:
As indicated by the screen capture above, four products are currently listed, including two “X Series LITE” cases (black and white), an Invisible First-Defense Flexible Glass screen protector, and a standard Screen Protector. Of particular interest are some of the case images however:
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The back of the case has a small hole cut into the bottom right portion of the rear. This will presumably used for a microphone, however it is somewhat further up than one might traditionally expect to find it. In addition, the picture of the bottom side of the smartphone clearly shows a standard USB 2.0 port.
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What to expect
Based on past rumors or leaks, the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 is said to feature a 5.43-inch QHD POLED display, said to be ‘Shatterproof’. It will apparently be reinforced with metal edges to improve its strength. The phone is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM. It may come in both 32GB and 64GB storage options. Also slated are a 21-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front facing camera, a 3,760mAh battery, and wireless charging.
Will the Droid Turbo 2 be sold through Moto Maker (a la the Moto X Pure Edition, seen here)?
Supposedly, the Droid Turbo 2 will be sold through Motorola’s Moto Maker website, which means there should be a large number of potential color customization combinations to play around with. As we had mentioned previously, this would be the first Droid-branded phone to be sold with true Moto Maker support, however customers will also be able to buy it directly through Verizon Wireless.
As a final detail, Motorola is purportedly going to offer customers a free, 1-time design swap within 2 years of purchase.
Until the Verizon event later this month, we must remind our readers that even these press renders are for a product that has yet to be confirmed by Motorola or Verizon, and thus some modicum of scrutiny should be employed. Let the count-down for October 27th begin!
Sony has clarified its update strategy, some Xperia devices will jump straight to Android Marshmallow
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Earlier this month, Sony announced exactly which devices would be getting an update to Android Marshmallow, but for many Sony owners something didn’t quite add up – most Xperia devices are currently on Android 5.0 and it was assumed that an Android 5.1 update was imminent, meaning the Marshmallow would still be many months away. Thankfully, that might not be the complete truth according to Sony’s support website which is now showing that Xperia devices will jump straight to Android Marshmallow from Android 5.0.
This includes devices like the Xperia Z3+, Xperia M4 Aqua, and Xperia C5 Ultra which just missed out launching with Android 5.1 as the Xperia Z5 range did. This news will likely relieve some owners who were worried that they would have to watch as the rest of the Android community got their Android Marshmallow updates before them. No doubt this is going to be a relatively common strategy for manufacturers who have many older devices still on Android 5.0.
What do you think about Sony’s strategy of making some Xperia devices jump straight to Android Marshmallow? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: XperiaBlog via Phone Arena
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Google wants your suggestions for new illustrations in its Calendar
As a part of an overall Material Design facelift, last year Google added helpful illustrations to its Calendar app that automatically highlight what you’ll be doing, and now it’s expanding the feature. According to a post on the Gmail blog, there’s now a dozen more illustrations for common events like weddings and Halloween parties (timely), and they can appear in up to 30 additional languages. It’s not stopping there however, and is crowdsourcing suggestions for its next round of illustrations. You can suggest some photo inspiration by tweeting (but not Google+-ing) a picture with the hashtag #makethemost attached — we’re sure you will handle this power wisely.
Source: Gmail Blog
Deal: LG Watch Urbane on eBay for just $215
At the end of last month, LG announced a follow-up to its Spring smartwatch, the LG Watch Urbane. The new wearable has an even more distinctive design than its predecessor and brings along some all-new abilities, such as LTE connectivity. With that said, the original offering is by no means something to scoff at. Thanks to an LG Authorized Dealer on eBay, it can now be had brand new, for a discounted price of just $214.99, a savings of over $130 off the original retail price of $349.
The seller, BuyDig, is located in New Jersey and will ship free via FedEx to addresses in the USA. Alternative shipping options are also available, including international, however the device comes with a full US -only warranty. For full details, please consult the shipping section of the auction description.
The Wi-Fi-only Watch Urbane is offered in either Gold or Silver color options, comes with an elegant, metal body and stitched leather strap, a circular 1.3-inch Plastic OLED display, a 410mAh battery, IP67 certification for water and dust resistance, and is compatible with devices running Android 4.3 or higher. It includes Bluetooth 4.0 technology and 4GB of on-board storage, and is powered by the 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 Quad-Core SoC and 512GB of RAM.
For those interested in learning more about the LG Watch Urbane, please feel free to watch our full review here:
At the time of publishing, 177 devices have been sold, and the seller has indicated that only a limited quantity is available. Those interested should act fast before supplies are exhausted. Please note that while both color options are offered, customers must manually select which of the two they want to order.
The auction can be found here:
Get the Solove Titan 20000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank on sale at Amazon.com (33% off with code)
Need power? The Solove Titan 20000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank is 33% off($15) now through October 23rd 11:59PST, using the discount code SOLOVE15 with free Prime shipping. The ultra slim power bank is available in gray and silver to match your premium gadgets. 20000mAh is enough juice to charge your mobile devices at least five full times depending on which specific device you own. The discount code is limited to the inventory on hand so make sure to take advantage of the deal before it’s too late.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Moto X Pure both come with 3000mAh batteries so you should be able to recharge those devices at least six full times. That’s enough juice to get you through a full week with normal usage!
The Solove Titan power bank comes with two USB out ports for charging two devices simultaneously at 2.1 Amps giving you the fastest charge available. With built-in smart charging, you’ll never have to worry about overcharging or overheating your devices.
If gray and silver are not your thing, you can get the Solove Ultra Slim Power Bank in green or gold at $12 off using the discount code SOLOV120 which can be applied to the promotions box at checkout. These batteries also come with free Prime shipping. This deal expires this Sunday October 18th at 11:59PST.
This is an absolutely gorgeous power bank with a huge capacity at a super affordable price. It is perfect for traveling as Thanksgiving is just around the corner and is one of the most traveled holidays over the year. Don’t run out of power when you’re stuck in traffic or delayed on a flight. This is especially necessary if you have young ones who are using tablets and smartphones while you’re traveling. Stay powered up and avoid fighting for wall outlets. Solove has you covered with the Titan.
Get the gray or black Solove Titan 20000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank by following this LINK. Use discount code SOLOVE15 at checkout.
Get the gold or green Solove Titan 20000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank by following this LINK. Use discount code SOLOV120 at checkout.
If you want something smaller, you can get the Solove Roco 10000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank in pink to show your support for breast cancer awareness month.
The post Get the Solove Titan 20000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank on sale at Amazon.com (33% off with code) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Deezer partners with BandPage in the hope to connect its users with prime time stars
Deezer is up against some of the best in the business when it comes to music streaming services. Just recently, Deezer partnered up with BandPage in order to help users connect with their favorite artists.
With the help of BandPage, Deezer is helping fans connect with some of the top stars. BandPage will provide notifications containing upcoming information it thinks may be useful regarding an artist you like. The app will know what artists you like based on the users recent streaming searches. Although Deezer isn’t the biggest and most popular music streaming service out there, competitors such as Spotify and Tidal have already added the functionality so this will only help keep pace with rivals.
Source: billboardbiz
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Verizon-branded Ellipsis 10 tablet surfaces on Twitter
According to a recent twitter post from Evan Blass, Verizon might launch a new generation Ellipsis tablet.
Ellipsis has already launched 7 and 8-inch models, but this one is an even larger 10-inch size. The tablet seems to favor a landscape orientation rather than the vertical orientation favored on the smaller models. The tablet will most likely offer a mid-range spec list at the very best, taken that its smaller models were mid-range. The tablet has Verizon branding with 4G LTE so one can almost guarantee this device to hit the carrier’s shelves later this year. Nothing else about the device’s specifications has been leaked, however, we’ll keep you up to date if we hear anything. Anyone interested in purchasing a new Verizon-branded tablet?
Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)
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Sprint Will Start Throttling Customers That Use More Than 23 GB a Month
Sprint today announced that they would begin throttling customers who used more than 23 GB of data during their billing cycle, regardless of whether they had unlimited data plans or not. The move, according to Sprint Chief Technology Officer Dr. John Saw, is to provide a better customer experience for the majority of their users.
The 23GB threshold is typical in the industry and other carriers have already implemented a similar practice. We agree this is a smart approach towards making sure a small number of customers don’t adversely impact the experience for others. Today approximately three percent of our postpaid subscribers are using overwhelmingly disproportionate network resources. Our goal with QoS is to prevent some portion of that three percent going forward from negatively impacting the other 97 percent of customers.
The carrier notes that 23 GB of data would allow a user to send 6,000 emails with attachments, view 1,500 web pages, post 600 photos to social media, stream 60 hours of music and stream 50 hours of video. Sprint also says that number is “far more” than most of its customers use in a typical billing cycle.
The change will affect those who choose an unlimited data handset plan after October 16 or to Sprint customers who choose to upgrade their devices on or after October 16. Those who go over 23 GB will see their data prioritized below other customers, which means they will encounter slower data speeds, but only in times and locations where the network is constrained.
This summer, T-Mobile also decided to update their plans to throttle customers. However, T-Mobile’s soft data cap is 21 GB, slightly less than Sprint’s choice. T-Mobile also announced that it would restrict customers who abused data tethering, saying some of its customers use up to 2,000 GB a month.
Google makes it easy to learn about Android Marshmallow with their new guide
If you are new to Android and want to learn about it’s operating system or are just curious as to exactly what Marshmallow is all about, you are in luck. Google has published a new Marshmallow guide in the Play Store that is totally free.
Titled, Android Quick Start Guide, Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), the guide is exactly what it sounds like. It’s basically a detailed introduction to Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
The guide is 50 pages long and goes over all the new features offered from Marshmallow such as Doze, App Standby, Google Now on Tap, and more. You might be thinking that is a pretty long guide just to talk about a few new features, and you are right. The guide also goes over the basics of Android like how to turn on the WiFi, customizing your home screen, and setting up things like Android Wear.
If you have been using Android at all, you probably do not need to read this. However, you may want to install it on that one relative’s phone who never has any idea on how to do simple things. Next time they ask you a question you can tell them to read the guide.
Source: Play Store
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