ZTE adds new variants to its Axon line
ZTE on Wednesday added another pair of variants to its Axon line, giving US customers new options in the unlocked smartphone space.
The Axon family now consists of the following three models: Axon, Axon Pro 32GB, Axon Pro 64GB, Axon Mini, Axon Max, and the Axon Watch. US buyers, however, only have the first three to concern themselves with, for now.
All three models run Android 5.1.1 Lolipop and feature 13-megapixel dual lens rear camera with 4K video recording. Moreover, each has the same screen size and overall physical dimensions.
Key shared specifications for the Axon Pro 32GB and Axon Pro 64GB include 5.5-inch 2K displays, 4GB RAM, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processors. The former, of course, has 32GB internal storage while the latter doubles down at 64GB. Both include 3,000mAh battery.
The ZTE Axon has the same 5.5-inch screen, however it’s a 1080p resolution. Additionally, it comes with 2GB RAM with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.
Pricing for the threesome ranges $330 (Axon) , $400 (Axon Pro 32GB), and $450 (Axon Pro 64GB). ZTE sells the unlocked smartphones directly to consumers through its website.
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Clove UK bundles in a free speaker and headphones with Sony Xperia Z5 Premium orders
The UK retailer, Clove, has announced it is now possible to order the Xperia Z5 Premium handset from its online store, with orders scheduled to begin shipping from November 13. Clove is holding a promotion where each order will receive a headset and a Bluetooth speaker bundled in with the purchase.
The 5.5-inch Xperia Z5 Premium is priced at £629 ($986) plus shipping. Currently, only the black variant of the Z5 Premium available to purchase. The bundled freebies consist of a set of SBH60 Bluetooth headphones and a BSP10 Bluetooth speaker worth £140.
Source: Clove (UK)
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Meet the Tstand: an ergonomic tablet stand
Everyone loves using their tablets whilst sitting on the couch or laying in bed, but sometimes it can get very uncomfortable having to hold the tablet for extended periods. This is where the Tstand could come in handy, with its reversible base and adjustable viewing angle, you can view the tablet hands and strain-free. Tstand has just launched its campaign on Kickstarter, with the goal of raising $10,000.
As you can see from the GIF above, the Tstand isn’t just for when you are laying around in bed, it really is quite versatile. It can be used as a workstation for your tablet, or for watching videos on the sofa, Skyping with the family or perhaps in the kitchen referring to a recipe whilst cooking. All the while reducing the strain on your wrists, hands, backs, and necks. In short, the Tstand is very ergonomic.
The Tstand is made from ABS plastic, silicon rubber and has a steel frame, weighing in at 1.25lbs (around 566 grams). The grippers fit all tablets from 7-inches up, and can even hold the recently launched Surface 13 (No doubt my editor, Justin will breathe a sigh of relief with that news) and Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro. So, if you were thinking of buying it as a gift, it doesn’t really matter what sort of tablet the recipient has, it will be compatible.
On to the nitty-gritty, and you can back the Tstand campaign in the following ways, any of which will gain you a thank-you video, the undying love and appreciation of the Tstand team and possibly a mention on the Tstand thank-you page. Tstand hopes to begin shipping units just a couple of weeks after the campaign closes on November 21, with each Tstand order including 3-day express shipping
Pledge options:
- $32 – 1 x Tstand in glossy black (add $5 per unit for matte silver)
- $37 – 1 x Tstand in glossy black (add $5 per unit for matte silver)
- $42 – 1 x Tstand in glossy black or (add $5 per unit for matte silver), custom tablet wallpaper, 2 x Tstand bumper stickers
- $60 – 2 Tstands in glossy black (add $5 per unit for matte silver)
- $72 – 2 Tstands in glossy black (add $5 per unit for matte silver), custom Tstand tablet wallpaper, 2 x Tstand bumper stickers
- $140 – 4 x Tstands in glossy black (add $5 per unit for matte silver)
- $320 – 10 Tstands in glossy black (add $5 for each unit for matt silver), 10 x Tstand bumper stickers, custom Tstand tablet wallpapers, devoted Twitter followers (Jess and Isaac from the marketing department)
You can check out the Tstand Kickstarter campaign here, don’t forget to let us know your thoughts on it in the comments below.
Come comment on this article: Meet the Tstand: an ergonomic tablet stand
Apple Expands in North San Jose With Lease of ‘Tech Place on 101’ Building
Apple has leased Tech Place on 101, a 202,000-square-foot building under construction at 2509 Orchard Parkway in north San Jose, California, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The new building is located next to a large parcel of vacant land, owned by realty firm Steelwave, where up to two more office buildings could be built to accommodate around 3,000 workers.
Steelwave render of Tech Place on 101 building in north San Jose
Apple, headquartered in nearby Cupertino, has been steadily expanding its presence in the Bay Area. In north San Jose, it owns or leases multiple properties along Orchard Parkway, between North First Street and U.S. Highway 101, including the 296,000-square-foot 101 Tech R&D building and a massive 43-acre development site approved for up to 2.8 million square feet of office space.
Apple’s north San Jose campus could potentially employ up to 20,000 workers.
“They are taking this building to control that entire neighborhood,” said David Vanoncini, a managing partner with Kidder Mathews, a commercial realty firm.
If all the sites were built out to their full capacity, over time, Apple potentially could employ up to 20,000 workers on the north San Jose properties.
The company also reportedly expanded into San Francisco for the first time in July, leasing a 76,000-square-foot office space in the popular South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood, and further bolstered its Bay Area presence by acquiring a 770,000-square-foot property in Sunnyvale.
Apple now has real estate in five Bay Area cities, including Cupertino, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. In addition to its One Infinite Loop headquarters, the iPhone maker continues development on its nearby “Campus 2” project, which remains scheduled for completion in late 2016.
Western Digital announces plans to acquire SanDisk for $19 billlion
Western Digital has announced its plans to acquire SanDisk for $19 billion in a combination of cash and stock. Western Digital is known for its many types of storage solutions (SSD, HDD, cloud, and so on), but with the SanDisk acquisition Western Digital would have SD card products among other solutions under its belt as well.
Both Western Digital and SanDisk executives have already approved the deal, which will close in Q3 2016, if not sooner. Western Digital is excited about this deal, as both WD and SanDisk have strong R&D, engineering capabilities, and most of all, an arsenal of 15,000 combined patents worldwide.
This deal brings some new frontiers for product development for both companies, and shareholders and customers should only benefit from this acquisition. And for those concerned, the SanDisk name isn’t going away anytime soon. If anything, SanDisk’s products should only increase in quality, as Western Digital has a great track record for providing excellent hard drives.
Full press release below.
IRVINE, Calif. and MILPITAS, Calif. — Oct. 21, 2015 — Western Digital® Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) and SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Western Digital will acquire all of the outstanding shares of SanDisk for a combination of cash and stock. The offer values SanDisk common stock at $86.50 per share or a total equity value of approximately $19 billion, using a five-day volume weighted average price ending on October 20, 2015 of $79.60 per share of Western Digital common stock. If the previously announced investment in Western Digital by Unisplendour Corporation Limited closes prior to this acquisition, Western Digital will pay $85.10 per share in cash and 0.0176 shares of Western Digital common stock per share of SanDisk common stock; and if the Unisplendour transaction has not closed or has been terminated, $67.50 in cash and 0.2387 shares of Western Digital common stock per share of SanDisk common stock. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.
The combination is the next step in the transformation of Western Digital into a storage solutions company with global scale, extensive product and technology assets, and deep expertise in non-volatile memory (NVM). With this transaction, Western Digital will double its addressable market and expand its participation in higher-growth segments. SanDisk brings a 27-year history of innovation and expertise in NVM, systems solutions and manufacturing. The combination also enables Western Digital to vertically integrate into NAND, securing long-term access to solid state technology at lower cost.
The proposed combination creates significant value for both SanDisk and Western Digital shareholders. Western Digital brings a successful track record of M&A with a number of acquisitions over the last several years helping to fuel innovation, create value and strongly position the company to capture higher-growth opportunities. In addition, Western Digital’s operational excellence, coupled with the recently announced decision by China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) allowing Western Digital to integrate substantial portions of its WD and HGST businesses, is expected to generate additional cost synergies.
“This transformational acquisition aligns with our long-term strategy to be an innovative leader in the storage industry by providing compelling, high-quality products with leading technology,” said Steve Milligan, chief executive officer, Western Digital. “The combined company will be ideally positioned to capture the growth opportunities created by the rapidly evolving storage industry. I’m excited to welcome the SanDisk team as we look to create additional value for all of our stakeholders, including our customers, shareholders and employees.”
“Western Digital is globally recognized as a leading provider of storage solutions and has a 45-year legacy of developing and manufacturing cutting-edge solutions, making the company the ideal strategic partner for SanDisk,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, president and chief executive officer, SanDisk. “Importantly, this combination also creates an even stronger partner for our customers. Joining forces with Western Digital will enable the combined company to offer the broadest portfolio of industry-leading, innovative storage solutions to customers across a wide range of markets and applications.”
Western Digital and SanDisk’s complementary product lines, including hard disk drives (“HDDs”), solid-state drives (“SSDs”), cloud datacenter storage solutions and flash storage solutions, will provide the foundation for a broader set of products and technologies from consumer to datacenter. Both companies have strong R&D and engineering capabilities and a rich base of fundamental technologies with over 15,000 combined patents issued or pending worldwide.
Toshiba has been a long-term strategic partner to SanDisk for 15 years. The joint venture (JV) with Toshiba will be ongoing, enabling vertical integration through a technology partnership driven by deep collaboration across design and process capabilities. The JV provides stable NAND supply at scale through a time-tested business model and extends across NVM technologies such as 3D NAND.
Steve Milligan will continue to serve as chief executive officer of the combined company, and the company will remain headquartered in Irvine, California. Upon closing, Sanjay Mehrotra is expected to join the Western Digital Board of Directors.
Led by a seasoned management team, Western Digital has a strong track record of integrating acquisitions to create value. The company expects to achieve full annual run-rate synergies of $500 million within 18 months post-closing. The transaction is expected to be EPS accretive on a non-GAAP basis within 12 months of the transaction close. Pending the closing of the transaction, Western Digital expects to continue paying its quarterly dividend and plans to suspend its share buyback program.
The transaction will be financed by a mix of cash, new debt financing and Western Digital stock. In connection with the transaction, Western Digital expects to enter into new debt facilities totaling $18.4 billion, including a $1.0 billion revolving credit facility. The proceeds from the new debt facilities are expected to be used to pay part of the purchase price, refinance existing debt of Western Digital and SanDisk and pay transaction related fees and expenses. If SanDisk’s cash balance falls below certain thresholds at the time of transaction close, the merger agreement provides for an adjustment to the mix of cash and stock consideration.
The transaction is subject to approval by SanDisk shareholders and, in the event that the Unisplendor transaction does not close, Western Digital shareholders, receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the third calendar quarter of 2016.
BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan are acting as lead financial advisors to Western Digital and will provide committed financing for the transaction. Also, Credit Suisse is acting as a financial advisor and providing committed financing, and RBC Capital Markets is providing committed financing. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Baker & McKenzie are acting as legal advisors to Western Digital.
Goldman Sachs is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to SanDisk. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as the exclusive legal advisor to SanDisk.
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Apple Store Employee Charged With Stealing Nearly $1 Million in Apple Gift Cards
Ruben Profit, a 24-year-old employee at an Apple Store in New York’s Queens Center Mall, has been charged with grand larceny and faces up to fifteen years in prison for an illegal scheme he ran while using his privileges as an Apple retail employee (via NBC).
Profit used re-coded Visa and American Express debit, credit, or gift cards to purchase numerous Apple gift cards, which he would then sell to other individuals at highly discounted prices.
Profit told police that he was paid $200 for each $2,000 Apple gift card he provided to another individual, according to prosecutors. Profit faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He was arraigned Friday and is being held on $20,000 bail.
The 24-year-old began working with the company in December of 2013, but transferred to the Queens location when it opened its doors this past July. He began purchasing the gift cards soon after — the total coming in at $997,000 — with receipts dating his purchases between August and October of 2015. When arrested, Profit was said to be in possession of 51 of the re-coded Visa and American Express cards, along with seven Apple gift cards with $2,000 on each.
Launchify adds quick toggles to your notification bar, works on nearly all Android devices
Launchify is a new app in the Play Store that brings shortcuts to one’s notification bar and works on nearly any Android device.
Some manufacturer’s such as Samsung, LG and Sony have the feature already present in their Android skin. However, this app allows anyone to add the functionality of launching frequently used apps from the notification bar. By enabling notification access for the app in settings, users can also add an ongoing notification which puts the shortcuts on their look-screen. With Launchify, shortcuts to you favorite apps are right at your fingertips and multitasking is a breeze.
Launchify can predict what apps are most useful to you at the right time and place. The app users your history and home/work locations in order to predict which apps may be helpful. Users will also be able to switch applications directly with a single swipe. One can also add custom apps.
Launchify requires requires Android version 4.0.3 and up and is free to download on the Play Store.
Come comment on this article: Launchify adds quick toggles to your notification bar, works on nearly all Android devices
Launchify adds quick toggles to your notification bar, works on nearly all Android devices
Launchify is a new app in the Play Store that brings shortcuts to one’s notification bar and works on nearly any Android device.
Some manufacturer’s such as Samsung, LG and Sony have the feature already present in their Android skin. However, this app allows anyone to add the functionality of launching frequently used apps from the notification bar. By enabling notification access for the app in settings, users can also add an ongoing notification which puts the shortcuts on their look-screen. With Launchify, shortcuts to you favorite apps are right at your fingertips and multitasking is a breeze.
Launchify can predict what apps are most useful to you at the right time and place. The app users your history and home/work locations in order to predict which apps may be helpful. Users will also be able to switch applications directly with a single swipe. One can also add custom apps.
Launchify requires requires Android version 4.0.3 and up and is free to download on the Play Store.
Come comment on this article: Launchify adds quick toggles to your notification bar, works on nearly all Android devices
Google gives you more info on why it’s blocked a website
Every once in a while, when you click on a link from Google Search, you get a blood red screen that screams malware. Sometimes, it even happens to a website you frequent, and Google knows you might be wondering why that’s the case. That’s the reason Mountain View has tweaked its Transparency Report to include a Safe Browsing Site Status section. If you’re curious why a familiar URL suddenly takes you to a warning landing page, then all you have to do is check its status to get the details straight from Google itself. While some websites really do host malware that can harm your computer, the company says others suddenly get blocked due to infected content uploaded by users or due to a temporary infection. Whatever the reason is, Google promises to quickly notify site owners about the issue, so you can access blocked websites again as soon as possible.
[Image credit: Rafael Ben-Ari / Alamy]
Source: Google Online Security Blog
Samsung app gives you a virtual Gear S2 try-on
You ideally get to try on a smartwatch before you buy it, but that’s seldom easy — you can’t exactly rip a store’s security device off and strap on the watch for a minute. Samsung thinks it can give you the next-closest thing, though. It recently released an experience app for Android that not only gives you a feel for the Gear S2’s interface and apps, but includes an augmented reality view that shows what the circular smartwatch looks like on your wrist. You can even share a snapshot to get a second opinion. It’s still not going to be the same as feeling steel on skin, but you’ll at least know whether or not you’re making a fashion faux pas.
Via: Samsung Tomorrow
Source: Google Play
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