OnePlus intros its latest smartphone, the $250 unlocked ‘X’
OnePlus today announced its latest Android phone the OnePlus X. Set to launch globally on November 5th, US consumers will get their hands on one two weeks later on November 19th.
The OnePlus X will run $250 but will be sold unlocked with dual-SIM support and can work with a variety of LTE bands. Powered by Android 5.1 with a modified OxygenOS on top, the X features a 5-inch 1080 HD display and a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 mobile processor.
To bolster performance the X comes with 3 gigabytes of RAM and offers a 16 gigabytes of internal storage. In terms of cameras the back side houses a 13-megapixel sensor and around front you’ll find an 8-megapixel shooter for selfies and video chat.
The X is designed with a metal frame and two glass panels; OnePlus will offer a ceramic version in select markets later on but it will be in limited supply. As is to be expected to be OnePlus X will be sold using the invite system. Customers can get in line for a reservation starting immediately.
The post OnePlus intros its latest smartphone, the $250 unlocked ‘X’ appeared first on AndroidGuys.
The makers of VSCO Cam unveil an Instagram-like app for GIF making
Let’s face it: GIFs continue to be a popular way of expressing yourself, no matter how you’d argue the word is pronounced. There are a number of apps that’ll help you make your own animations, and now the folks behind VSCO Cam are joining the fray, too. The company built DSCO: an iOS app that lets you easily capture a few seconds worth of footage to create the moving image. If you’re familiar with VSCO, you know that its mobile photography app allows you to apply a number of presets to achieve the look you’re after before beaming them to a social network, posting them to the company’s own portal or just saving them to view later. The same is true with DSCO. Once you have the video, you can employ a number of filters, including a collection of presets developed alongside MTV and others, to put the finishing touches on that all-important GIF. You can then send it to the aforementioned spots for sharing or safe keeping. The app is a free download, but like we’ve already mentioned, it’s only available on iOS. Slideshow-335902 Slideshow-335907
Flywheel gives taxi drivers an Uber-like app of their own
Flywheel has helped drag taxis into the modern era through app-based hailing. However, that modernization usually stops in the cab itself — your driver’s gear is antiquated next to the phone-based tech in a Lyft or Uber car. Taxis are about to catch up, though. Flywheel has launched TaxiOS, a platform that replaces the dispatch, meter, navigation and payment systems with phone-based software. It not only streamlines the overall experience for both you and the driver (no matter how you’re paying), but marks the first instance of GPS-based metering in licensed taxis. In theory, you’re getting both a more accurate fare and fewer rude surprises.
Source: Flywheel
Engadget Live’s final stop this year is in New York City tonight!
After stops in Boston, LA and Austin the Engadget Live tour is coming to a close for 2015. Before we park the party bus for the year, we’re making one last stop tonight: New York City. Join us at the Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn starting at 7PM to hang with your fellow tech junkies and some of the companies you know and love. Ford will be showing off its SYNC 3 system and the new 2016 Ford Escape. And if you’re 21 or over, Drizly will mix you up a cocktail — so long as you’re one of the first 250 folks to arrive. Tickets are still available (and they’re free), so if you’re in NYC stop by and join us!
Google Photos update will let you ‘hide people’
Falling out with a friend or loved one is never fun, but it happens. Sometimes you get into a fight with a friend and care not to see them, sometimes you break up with a significant other. Or maybe they are taken from this world and you just aren’t ready for a photographic reminder of them anytime soon. Whatever the reason, Google Photos has your back.
In a new update, Google is now making it easy to hide a person from appearing under people, which also prevents them from showing up in “rediscover this day” cards. Aside from hiding people you can’t stand, the other obvious use for this is for situations like group photos taken in public places where you didn’t know half the people in the first place.
Keep in mind this doesn’t actually remove pictures with tagged faces, it just keeps them from surfacing. The upside to this is you can easily un-hide people later on down the road if you change your mind.
In typical Google fashion, you can expect Google Photos 1.8 to rollout in stages, though we’ll be sure to update this post if we get our hands on the APK before it rolls out to everyone.
See also: A quick look at the new Google Photos app (video)
What do you think of this feature? Can you see yourself using it or not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
US won’t stop the NSA’s mass phone spying before a ban kicks in
If you were hoping that the courts would find a way to end the National Security Agency’s mass phone surveillance a little early… well, you’ll be disappointed. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals says it won’t overturn Congress’ decision to offer the NSA a 180-day transition period ahead of the USA Freedom Act’s more targeted spying requirements. It’s a “reasonable decision” that helps the agency keep tabs on terrorists, according to the ruling. You might beg to differ given the potential privacy violations of bulk data collection, but it’s a short-lived victory for the NSA regardless — the outfit has to scale back its snooping on November 29th.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana]
Source: Reuters
The Moto X Force is the Droid Turbo 2 for everywhere else
Motorola sells phones all over the world, but for many years now it’s had an extra special relationship with US carrier Verizon. In fact, Motorola’s “Droid” range is made exclusively for the network provider, though these devices occasionally pop up in other parts of the world under different names. That’s the case with today’s announcement of the Moto X Force, which is essentially just an international version of the new Droid Turbo 2 Motorola launched in the US a couple of days ago. Aside from the lack of Verizon and Droid logos, it’s exactly the same device, which boasts a shatterproof screen as its killer feature.Slideshow-336791
Source: Motorola (1), (2)
Amazon Halloween offer gives away $70 in apps for free
To celebrate the spookiest season of the year, Amazon is hosting a selection of ‘scary good deals’, whereby the company is giving away around $70 worth of apps and games for completely free.
There are just over 30 different apps and games to pick from in the deal. Popular titles, such as Scribblenauts Remix and LEGO Star Wars Microfighters feature in the list. The selection of free apps includes a big discount on AVG Antivirus PRO, which usually costs $11.99, and the Runtastic PRO fitness tracking app, which has a price tag of $4.99 any other time. Photo Lab PRO is also discounted from its regular price of $2.99.
However, some of the software still contains in-app purchases, so they may not end up being as free as the upfront cost may imply over the long term. Just something to be aware of.
The deal runs until October 31st at 11:59PM, so there’s enough time to pick out the apps that you like. Remember, you will need access to the Amazon appstore to grab these freebies.
Mustbin for iPhone is a secure and private photo-sharing network
There’s no question that photo backup and sharing is one of the main problems that technology companies are trying to solve. Facebook, Apple, Google, Dropbox and others have all taken their shot at it, and plenty of startups have as well. Boston-based Mustbin is the latest to shift its focus to photos. The company originally began with an app focused on securely saving your most important documents on your phone, positioning it as a sort of Dropbox competitor. From there, it added secure messaging features, and now the company thinks that mixing group messaging with photo backup will be the formula for success. After seeing that 80 percent of the files stored in Mustbin were photos, the company revamped the app so that its main purpose is to let you securely shoot photos and quickly share them with friends.
Source: iTunes Store
LG smartphone sales continue to struggle, $68.4 million loss reported
Due to declining smartphone sales, LG Electronics is reporting a disappointing Q3 2015. Earlier today the Korean conglomerate issued its earnings report, which saw overall net income decline by 48% YoY to 83.7 billion won ($73.7 million). FactSec, a financial analytic company, had originally projected LG would boast 146.5 billion won ($129.1 million) in earnings. Total sales were down 5% to 14 trillion won ($12.3 billion) with operating profit falling 37 percent to 294 billion won ($259.1 million).
The sour results have a clear culprit, with mobile sales seeing a 77.6 billion won ($68.4 million) decrease despite shipping 15 million smartphones during this period. Sales of said devices were not attributed to high end models, with the OEM having a wide selection of affordable low and mid range offerings. The company remained optimistic that Q4 will prove more profitable thanks to sales from both the V10 flagship and the new Nexus 5X hardware.
The positive news to be found was the fact, for the first time in three quarters, LG’s TV business made a profit. In the end, over 80% of total Q3 profit was generated by the company’s home appliance division, responsible for washing machines and refrigerators. Overall, LG earned $109 million in profit, but it certainly was not its mobile efforts that it had to thank for that.
Analysis
LG had arguably been anticipating these poor earnings given the fact it held an emergency meeting several weeks ago to discuss cross-company patent sharing. Shortly thereafter, The Korea Times published a story that LG Display will soon take control of OLED lighting-related development from current owner LG Chem. This past summer as well, LG Display invested $1 billion in flexible OLED development, in a report that claims it got a sizable investment from an “unknown” American company, widely believed to be Microsoft.
The new “must haves”
While both the V10 and Nexus 5X have received solid reviews, the former has already seen a poor sales start in its home market. Several overseas carriers will soon be offering the V10, however given its high price point and limited spec-superiority over the significantly reduced G4, it may have a tough road ahead.
Despite the very vocal outcry of support for LG’s commitment to support expandable storage via microSD as well as user-replaceable batteries, the sales aren’t speaking for themselves. While the V10 has some interesting features such as relatively high durability, an integrated fingerprint sensor, and a second screen ticker, it’s releasing dangerously close to a major hardware refresh expected to start in Q1 2016.
The Nexus 5X meanwhile, continues to be readily available while the Huawei-produced 6P is sold out in multiple markets. This could have a net-positive effect with customers eager to get new hardware going for LG, and/or it could be an indication that the supply shortages with prior year’s LG Nexus devices have been ironed out. At the same time, the phenomenon might be a result of a clear preference for the 6P and/or a sense that the 5X fails to bring enough spec-value for the money, especially considering international pricing.
Are you surprised to see LG struggling with its mobile division? Can its most recent efforts help turn things around?
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