Harmonix caught posting five-star Rock Band 4 reviews on Amazon
When is it a good idea for employees to post reviews of their own company’s game? Most people would probably say “never,” but that didn’t stop Harmonix employees working on Rock Band 4 from doing it. A suspicious Reddit user found at least seven 5-star reviews by Harmonix employees, including from one user who said she was a “new fan,” but is actually the company’s “legal and music coordinator.” Others including a project manager, consultant and senior designer also gave it top marks. Amazon ratings are crucial for such a family-oriented game, given that the online retailer may be the only place casual buyers will look for them.
Harmonix confirmed to Destructoid that its employees did post the reviews, but said “we believe (they) were sincere and without ill intentions.” It added that “as a studio, we don’t believe these are appropriate actions,” and asked that employees either identify themselves or take down the reviews. One employee said that “I’m confident that if I didn’t (work for Harmonix) I would still give the game five stars.” However, he’s not actually allowed to do that by Amazon’s rules, and as some Redditors pointed out, it’s odd that so many Harmonix employees put them up independently.
The game has actually received decent notices by users and critics. Still, there’s a lot riding on it, especially for Mad Catz, the company that co-publishes the game and makes the guitar and drum controllers. In a recent financial statement, it said that its ability to avoid defaulting on debt “depends on (our) ability to increase net sales and gross profit considerably,” especially “from anticipated sales of products related to… Rock Band 4.”
Via: Destructoid
Source: Reddit
LifeProof Unveils ‘FRĒ Power’ Waterproof Battery Case for iPhone 6s
Popular rugged case manufacturer LifeProof today revealed its newest protective offering for the iPhone 6s, the FRĒ Power, which promises to double the battery life of the smartphone while providing the expected protection the brand’s previous products have afforded. LifeProof says the new case is fully waterproof and will let users take Live Photos and 4K videos “in almost every environment.”
“We challenge our engineers to defy what is expected and they’ve gone well beyond that with our waterproof iPhone 6s battery case,” said LifeProof President and CEO Pete Lindgren. “FR? Power provides protection and power so you can adventure further than ever before. The combination of iPhone 6s Live Photos and 4k video with double the battery life from FRĒ Power lets you capture better content and keep shooting longer than ever before.”
The source of the FRĒ Power comes from a built-in 2,600 mAh lithium ion battery, which LifeProof says provides “2x battery capacity” over the normal life of the iPhone 6s. On the outside, the case will protect from water, drop damage, dirt, and snow, the usual tenants of the LifeProof line. The company also ensures that the case’s built-in scratch protection screen allows uninhibited access to the new features of the iPhone 6s, like 3D Touch and the front-facing retina flash.
Those interested can visit LifeProof’s official website to pre-order the $129.99 FRĒ Power iPhone 6s case, which has an estimated in-stock launch date of Friday, November 6. The color options for the battery case include Blacktop, Base Jump Blue, and Avalanche, although the last two have no estimated release date. The new case is also available for last year’s iPhone 6, but the company hasn’t announced support for the iPhone 6 Plus or iPhone 6s Plus.
Twitter introduces Polls, making it easier to vote on anything
You are at a decent restaurant in town and you cannot decide whether to get the steak or the schnitzel. That’s okay, just give your Twitter followers the vote. The social networking site is rolling out a new feature that will allow users to set up two-choice polls on Android and other devices.
Coming soon! We’re rolling out the ability for everyone to create polls on Twitter: https://t.co/pH5a8q9Ujz pic.twitter.com/ijAKEMUdf1
— Twitter (@twitter) October 21, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
While using Twitter for voting and polling is not new, the Polls ability will become the easiest way of gauging public opinion. The feature is accessible from the tweet compose box, where the tweeter can ask anything then give two different options underneath the tweet. The poll is then active for 24 hours, where anyone can vote on any poll however whatever you choose will not be shared publicly.
Twitter has started rolling out the Polls feature on Android, iOS and the desktop, which should be available for everyone over the coming days.
Now if you excuse me, I am just about to order some steak, the runaway winner of my little poll.
Source: Twitter Blogs
The post Twitter introduces Polls, making it easier to vote on anything appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sony to build a new smartphone factory in Thailand, its first in twenty years
Despite the recent reports and subsequent denials that its handset division was being considered for the chop, Sony has committed to building a new smartphone factory in Thailand, its first new handset manufacturing plant in 20 years.
The new facility will be built in Thailand’s Pathum Thani province, consisting of a start-to-finish production system. Sony is expected to invest several billion Yen in the project, with mass production starting in 2016’s financial year. Unlike its last mobile phone facility which was built in Beijing back in 1995 in partnership with three local companies, Sony will retain full ownership of this new smartphone manufacturing plant, which it hopes will allow for speedier decision making. Building this new plant should ward off any further speculation of Sony backing away from the smartphone business.
Source: Nikkei
Via: XperiaBlog
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LG V10 stars in new commercial
The LG V10 will hit shelves in the United States this November and the company has already began advertising its product.
The LG V10 seeks to fight off competing phablets such as the Galaxy Note 5, Nexus 6P and iPhone 6s. In the commercial, LG highlights some of the device’s newest aspects. Right off the bat it shows how durable the new device is. Its new construction provides high durability without dismissing the removable battery capability. A feature many highly appreciate in LG’s flagship smartphones. The device is also super prone to shocks and drops giving users an added sense of protection. Other specs include a 5.7-inch Quad HD display, a new tinker display for notifications at a glance and app shortcuts, a Snapdragon 808 SoC, 4GB of RAM, a 16MP high-resolution rear camera and expandable storage. As a result, it’s clear that the LG V10 goes all out on the hardware experience so that’s is no surprise. The device will add plenty of depth to the phablet category time come November. Anyone ordering?
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: LG V10 stars in new commercial
Fleksy gets updated with an all new custom theme builder
Fleksy is easily one of Android’s most loved third-party keyboard apps. There’s a lot of reasons for that, particularly because of its undying commitment to its customers. Now users have yet another reason to love Fleksy, as it has just been updated with a custom theme builders, which allows you to build your very own custom keyboard theme and use it in any application that Fleksy is used in.
It’s fairly easy to create your own theme, too. You’re given a clean template in which you can colorize, edit icons, and so on. And once you’re done creating your theme, you can share it with your friends and have them use it as well! Just about anything on the Fleksy keyboard can be altered, making the possibilities endless. Neat, huh?
Of course, if you don’t like the theme you’ve created, remember that Fleksy has a ton of built-in preset themes for your keyboard. From the looks of it, you’re given all of the options that the company uses to create their themes, so chances are, you can create something fairly professional. Now if only Fleksy had a store that users could submit their customized themes to. Imagine the possibilities!
If you haven’t gotten the update yet, be sure to hit the download link below.
Come comment on this article: Fleksy gets updated with an all new custom theme builder
Nexus 5X getting a 42MB update right out of the box
Folks getting their Nexus 5X in the mail are seeing a prompt to install a small 42MB update. This update will bring your Nexus 5X’s build number up to MDB08I. Unfortunately, there’s no word on what this update brings to the device.
It’s likely just a small update to fix up some holes before the masses started receiving the device and nothing more. However, some users over on Reddit are claiming that this update enabled VoLTE on T-Mobile for them.
If you haven’t received the update yet, be sure to head into your Settings menu and check manually!
source: Droid-Life
Come comment on this article: Nexus 5X getting a 42MB update right out of the box
KGI Forecasts Around 75M iPhone and 4M Apple Watch Sales During Holiday Shopping Season
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released shipments forecasts for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch for upcoming fiscal quarters. Kuo estimates from 70 to 75 million iPhone and 3.5 to 4 million Apple Watch shipments during Q1 2016 of the fiscal year, which encompasses the busy holiday shopping season in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Europe and many other regions.
In a research note, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, Kuo believes that iPhone sales momentum could gradually decline in the new year, possibly enough for the device to experience its first year-over-year shipments decline in the first quarter of a year in 2016.
We estimate iPhone shipments rose 2.1% QoQ and 23.6% YoY to 48.5mn units in 3Q15, of which 20-22mn units were iPhone 6s. We attribute the solid YoY growth to the inclusion of China as the first-launch market for iPhone 6s and to increased output of the new model (versus 14-15mn units of iPhone 6 in 3Q14).
However, as we do not expect overall demand for iPhone 6s to be significantly stronger than that for iPhone 6, we expect shipments momentum could gradually decline in 4Q15-1Q16F on a YoY basis. We expect iPhone may see its first YoY shipments decline in the first quarter of a year in 2016.
Kuo also forecasts between 14.5-15.5 million iPad shipments and 5.4-5.6 million Mac shipments in fiscal Q1 2016, which lines up with Q4 2015 of the calendar year, a three-month period ending December 31.
The analyst expects iPad Pro shipments to be around 2 million in fiscal Q1 2016, and believes the tablet’s higher selling price will help offset an annual decline in iPad shipments, which could fall 16% to 40-42 million units in 2016.
We now expect shipments of iPad Pro to be around 2mn units in 4Q15, versus our previous forecast of 4-5mn units given quality issues with Sharp’s panel supply. However, thanks to a higher shipments weighting of iPad Pro, coupled with a lower mix of iPad mini, we anticipate the ASP of end-products and some components will trend up in 2016F (e.g. we estimate the ASP of backlight unit to rise 30-35% in 2016). This should be enough to offset total iPad shipments decline, which we estimate will fall 16% to 40-42mn units in 2016F.
Kuo expects that, amid lackluster sales for PCs, Mac sales will continue to be better than those of competitors. The well-informed analyst says the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro is Apple’s most popular notebook, followed by the 12-inch MacBook, and expects the new iMacs with 4K and 5K Retina displays to account for at least 50-60% of total iMac shipments in Q1 2016 of the fiscal year.
Fleksy Keyboard for iOS Gains Custom Theme Builder
The developers behind popular third-party keyboard Fleksy today announced the debut of a new custom theme builder for a keyboard with deeper personalization. With the custom keyboard feature, the Fleksy keyboard can be customized with a range of unique colors, photos, and other effects.
Fleksy has long had different themes available in the app as additional in-app purchases, allowing users to adjust the look of the keyboard, but its new options take customization even further. As can be seen in the image below, a photo can be used underneath a keyboard for a one-of-a-kind look.
The background color of the keyboard can be customized, and users can also select specific colors for things like keys, word suggestions, and autocorrected words. According to Fleksy, its built-in themes have been popular with users, so the idea was to allow them to create personalized content that can be changed and updated on a regular basis.
Custom themes created by Fleksy users can be used on their own devices and also shared with friends. A sharing tool within the app makes it easy for themes to be shared with other users. Theme recipients who have the Fleksy app on their iOS devices can install new themes with a click, while those who are not current Fleksy users will be prompted to download the app.
Fleksy Keyboard can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Shyp now lets you send packages without entering an address
Shyp, the smartphone app that finds you the cheapest courier and even boxes up your deliveries, has just been redesigned. On top of an aesthetic overhaul, the biggest change is that you no longer need to enter your recipient’s address when you want to send them something. Instead, your recipient can create a username with that information, which you just need to enter to complete the delivery. The Shyp app will also sync with your address book and auto-populate any of your existing contacts.
The other big change is that Shyp recipients now get tracking over “every step of your package’s journey, right in the Shyp app,” according to the company. And while the service is only available in San Francisco, LA, New York, Miami and Chicago, recipients in other cities now have full access to its features. Shyp said, “that means anyone in the US can download the app, create a username and start connecting with contacts.” The company added, however, that it aims to bring the app to more cities in North America “over the coming months.”
AIVAnet 