Apple cuts a deal with failed sapphire screen supplier
Apple and GT Advanced Technologies Inc. agreed to part ways back in 2014, after the latter filed for bankruptcy. Now the two have reached a deal that will eradicate GT’s $439 million loan from Cupertino, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple originally tapped GT to make sapphire screens for its devices, but it became obvious that trouble was brewing when the iPhone 6 launched without one. It’s unclear what really happened behind the scenes, but GT accused Apple of shifting specs and requiring the company to manufacture millions of units the iPhone-maker wasn’t obligated to buy. Apple, on the other hand, said GT couldn’t meet its goals. Either way, GT ended up not having any clients that can sustain its business. Under the terms of the deal, the manufacturer will have to auction pieces of equipment, including some of its 600 sapphire-making furnaces, by November 23rd. It will then hand everything it couldn’t sell to Apple, which promised to nuke its debt completely
Source: The Wall Street Journal
HTC kicks off pre-orders for the Desire 828 in China
HTC is now taking pre-orders for its latest budget friendly, mid-range smartphone, the Desire 828, in China. The dual-SIM handset is available to purchase in Gray and White colorways, and carries a price tag of ￥1,599, which equates to about $255.
The device packs a 5.5-inch Full HD display, a MediaTek MT6753 octa-core System-on-Chip (SoC), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal storage, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5MP selfie shooter and a 2,800mAh battery.
The Desire 828 ships running the latest build of Android 5.1 Lollipop straight out of to the box, topped with HTC’s Sense 6.0 custom user interface. It is, however, expected to be one of the manufacturer’s first smartphones to receive the Marshmallow update later this year.
If you’re based in China, like the sound of the Desire 828 and would like to find out more about pre-ordering a unit — hit the source link below.
Source: HTC
Come comment on this article: HTC kicks off pre-orders for the Desire 828 in China
PuzzlePhone wants you to fund its modular smartphone
If you’re enamored with modular smartphones but aren’t convinced that Project Ara will pan out, you can now pour your money into an alternative. PuzzlePhone has launched a crowdfunding campaign to get its namesake upgradable handset into your hands. Plunk down at least $333 and you’ll get a complete Android phone divided into a Spine (the 5-inch LCD, frame and speakers), Brain (processor and camera) and Heart (battery and secondary tech), all of which you can replace without having to toss out the rest of the device.
Via: The Verge
Source: Indiegogo
Share your excitement for Fallout 4 with themed emojis in Fallout C.H.A.T.
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Bethesda’s Fallout 4 is only a week away from its release on consoles, but mobile is getting an opportunity to be part of the hype before the game is released into the apocalypse. Unlike Fallout Shelter which was a kind of spin-off game that was actually quite good, Bethesda has released something a little more mobile oriented with Fallout C.H.A.T. (which stands for Communication Hub And Transmitter). As the name of the app might suggest, Fallout C.H.A.T. is useful to those who chat a lot via smartphones, which I’m assuming is everyone – the app provides an assortment of Fallout themed emojis, gifs and even fonts that you can use to convey your excitement for the next installment in the Fallout universe.
How it works is you select the emoji/gif/words you want to use, and the Fallout C.H.A.T. app will share it to the app of your choosing. It’s pretty rudimentary, but fans of the game will love it – and best of all, it’s absolutely free to download and play with. If you too want to set the world on fire, we’ve got the Play Store link for you down below:
http://playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js
What do you think about Fallout C.H.A.T.? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Polygon
The post Share your excitement for Fallout 4 with themed emojis in Fallout C.H.A.T. appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Suretap mobile wallet partners with Points to offer loyalty cards
Suretap mobile wallet is a mobile payments app owned by Canadian carrier Rogers. Since it’s release, they have expanded to work on other Canadian carriers such as Bell, Telus, Virgin Mobile and Koodo. Today, they have partnered with Points.com, a loyalty currency management company.
This makes Suretap the first mobile wallet to integrate loyalty cards into the Canadian market.
Jeppe Dorff, president of Suretap said:
“The Suretap mobile wallet is all about making it easier, safer and more rewarding for Canadians to transact in every step of the consumer journey, including getting more out of their relationships with local brands and retailers. By leveraging Points’ loyalty platform in our wallet technology, we’re improving the payment experience for millions of Canadians and providing banks and merchants a more robust way to engage with their customers,”
Suretap now has a loyalty section where users can store all of their loyalty information from more than 100 global loyalty rewards programs.
Press Release:
TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Suretap, a leader in open mobile wallet technology, today announced a partnership with Points (TSX:PTS) (Nasdaq:PCOM), the global leader in loyalty currency management, making Suretap the first mobile wallet to truly integrate loyalty cards in the Canadian market.
“The suretap mobile wallet is all about making it easier, safer and more rewarding for Canadians to transact in every step of the consumer journey, including getting more out of their relationships with local brands and retailers,” said Jeppe Dorff, President of Suretap. “By leveraging Points’ loyalty platform in our wallet technology, we’re improving the payment experience for millions of Canadians and providing banks and merchants a more robust way to engage with their customers.”
With this update, Suretap introduces a loyalty section to its wallet app, powered by the Points loyalty network, where users can store loyalty information from more than 100 global loyalty rewards programs, making it easier to earn and use loyalty rewards. The addition of the loyalty section provides participating loyalty programs with additional exposure to suretap wallet users and provides current program members with new ways to earn and use their loyalty rewards.
“With this partnership, we’re proud to join forces with one of Canada’s leading digital wallet providers. By providing suretap wallet users with access to loyalty rewards management and transaction capability in one place, we’re excited to open the door to a better consumer experience in the wallet, and for loyalty programs to both better engage their customers and drive attractive incremental economics via this new channel,” said Rob MacLean, CEO of Points.
Launched four months ago with support from Canada’s major wireless carriers, the suretap wallet allows Android and Blackberry smartphone users to make quick, easy and secure mobile payment transactions at any retailer that accepts contactless payments, including credit, gift and pre-paid cards.
Points Loyalty Commerce Platform is connected to over 50 global loyalty programs and provides technology solutions to enable the world’s top brands to better engage their consumers through loyalty programs.
About Suretap
Suretap is Canada’s leading open wallet provider, with relationships spanning multiple retail industries and merchant categories. Based on global security standards, Suretap is focused on delivering contextually relevant market card-content to the end consumer.
Suretap is an “easy to use” application for shoppers to store and use their bank, credit, gift and loyalty cards, makes it seamless for retailers to start accepting mobile payments without altering their current point-of-sale transaction processes or systems, and easy for brands to reach and engage customers with deals, savings and special offers. As an open wallet, all wireless carriers, payment card issuers, handset manufacturers and service providers alike, across Canada, have the opportunity to adopt the suretap wallet.
Suretap protects customer data and payment card information at a level not possible today with physical cards by using certified technology to secure payment card and passcode data on the smartphone’s encrypted SIM card. Customers are also protected by multiple levels of security in the suretap wallet and technology that has been certified by global payment networks. This certification and method of storing information on the SIM card also benefits retailers and merchants accepting mobile transactions through Suretap.
Suretap also supports the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada and merchants will not incur extra costs by adopting Suretap.
For further information please visit www.suretap.com or contact inquiries@suretap.com
About Points
Points, publicly traded as Points International Ltd. (TSX:PTS) (Nasdaq:PCOM), is the global leader in loyalty currency management. Via a state-of-the-art loyalty commerce platform, Points provides loyalty eCommerce and technology solutions to the world’s top brands to enhance their consumer offerings and streamline their back-end operations.
Points’ solutions enhance the management and monetization of loyalty currencies ranging from frequent flyer miles and hotel points to retailer and credit card rewards, for more than 50 partners worldwide. Points also manages Points.com, where more than 4 million consumers use the only industry sanctioned loyalty wallet to not only track all of their loyalty programs but also trade, exchange and redeem their miles and points. In addition to these services, Points’ unique SaaS products allow merchants and businesses to reward their customers with points and miles from the world’s largest loyalty brands.
In 2014, Points acquired PointsHound, a hotel booking engine and loyalty currency aggregator built specifically for frequent travelers. PointsHound enables loyalty program members to earn loyalty points for staying in their favorite hotels and also to earn bonus rewards in the form of airline miles. Members of the free-to-use site have access to over 150,000 hotels worldwide, including boutique and non-chain properties.
Points has been widely recognized among the loyalty and technology communities alike. The Company was named the 7th largest Canadian software company and the 30th largest Canadian technology company by the 2015 Branham300 list. For more information on Points, please visit www.Points.com, follow us on Twitter (@PointsBiz) or read the Points company blog. For more information on PointsHound, please visit www.PointsHound.com.
Come comment on this article: Suretap mobile wallet partners with Points to offer loyalty cards
Apple Predicted to Launch A9-Based 4-Inch iPhone in Early 2016, iPhone 7 Plus to Carry 3 GB of RAM
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a new research report outlining his expectations for Apple’s 2016 iPhone launches, including several interesting tidbits about the upcoming devices.
First, Kuo believes Apple still has a new 4-inch iPhone in the works that “resembles an upgraded iPhone 5s”. The device is said to be targeted for launch in the first half of next year and will come equipped with an A9 processor.
As there is still demand for a 4-inch iPhone, we believe Apple will upgrade this product line. Because the iPhone 5s is more popular than the iPhone 5c, we think Apple is likely to launch an upgraded iPhone 5s. We predict Apple will mass-produce this new 4-inch iPhone in 1H16 with metal casings. In order to make the current iOS 9 or next-generation iOS 10 run smoothly, Apple may adopt an A9 chip for this new phone.
Kuo believes this new 4-inch iPhone will not include 3D Touch support as part of an effort to keep it differentiated from the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. He also projects Apple could ship 20-30 million units of this new iPhone through the end of 2016.
Looking ahead to the next full refresh with the iPhone 7, Kuo expects the usual third-quarter launch in 2016 with an unsurprising upgrade to a new A10 chip to offer increased performance. He does, however, believe Apple will opt to differentiate between the two sizes of the iPhone 7 when it comes to RAM, with the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 carrying the same 2 GB seen in current iPhones while the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus will include 3 GB of RAM for performance reasons.
Kuo believes major winners for the 2016 iPhone cycle include Foxconn, which he expects will be the exclusive supplier for the new 4-inch iPhone, and TSMC, which he expects will be the sole provider of the A9 chip used in that phone as well as the A10 chip used in the iPhone 7.
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MPAA filed lawsuits in Canada and NZ to shut down movie pirates
The MPAA can and will hunt pirates down wherever they are, it seems. According to TorrentFreak, the association sued three popcorntime.io developers in Canada earlier in October, accusing them of “various copyright infringing acts.” Since then, it has successfully obtained an injunction, which ordered the website’s shutdown. If you’ve never heard of the service before, it’s a website that streams pirated movies, which even works with Chromecasts and AirPlay-enabled devices. It’s not the only Popcorn Time version available on the internet, but it’s the most popular fork of the original app that also shuttered because of the MPAA back in 2014.
Via: The New York Times
Source: TorrentFreak, Variety
With eBay, users will be able to vote for Black Friday deals
Yes, standing in line for hours and blasting through doors to get the hottest deals can be fun if you do it once or twice. I would say it’s one of those experience everyone has to live through, but once the hype is over we need to find an alternative to brick and mortar stores. Smarter Black Friday shoppers have opted to go online. And the numbers show it, as an IBM report says there was a significant jump in online sales.
It was the first time mobile devices outpaced PCs for online browsing. Thanksgiving mobile traffic accounted for 52.1% of all online traffic! And 49.6 of all web activity was related to Black Friday, which would be a 25% over 2013. We are getting ready to wrap the year up and this can only mean one thing – more and more people are getting ready for those sweet online deals and we are sure eBay is getting a big piece of the cake.
The popular retailer is making things a bit more interesting this year, though. Their campaign is titled “Wish Bigger”, and it is all about exceeding customer expectations with the best deals online. Whether that holds true or not is yet to be seen, but we do know the shopping experience with eBay will at least be more fun this Thanksgiving weekend.
eBay is testing a new system this time around. They call it the “Wish Bigger Wishbone”, and it will pretty much have people voting on a couple deals, which will be placed on each side of the wishbone over at ebay-wish-bigger.com.
The event will be held on November 26th from 4 PM to 10 PM (EST). Items with the most votes over the course of an hour will be released to shoppers in limited quantities. Of course, this is aside from the usual offers, which eBay claims will include up to 30% discounts on name-grand electronics.
How do you guys feel about something like this? Personally, I feel like we need to stop being so focused on Black Friday and spend more time with our families during Thanksgiving. But this doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of some good online deals! And eBay is making it a fun, involving activity. Maybe you could ask your family to help you vote for that hot deal you want to score!
Larry Page will no longer have any say over Google’s operations in China, leaves decisions up to Sundar Pichai
Since Google split off as a subsidiary of Alphabet, Larry Page took over as CEO of Alphabet and handed the reigns of Google to Sundar Pichai. This means that while Page is still technically higher up the ladder than Pichai, he’s not making any decisions about Google’s business moves going forward, especially over how the company is handling their operations in China.
Google has had a turbulent ride with China and the Chinese government, and after pulling their Play Services in 2010, they’ve been working on getting back into the mix with a Chinese-friendly Google Play Store. Android still holds a pretty strong market share in the country, so obviously the company wouldn’t want to just abandon that and let smaller OEMs continue to use Android with no competition, but Larry Page won’t be the one making decisions there.
While Page isn’t calling the shots directly, he’s still in an advisory position to Pichai to decide what to do going forward. However, Alphabet wants its subsidiaries to make their own decisions about products and what countries to operate in, and that’s what we’re going to see happen.
source: Business Insider
Come comment on this article: Larry Page will no longer have any say over Google’s operations in China, leaves decisions up to Sundar Pichai
Larry Page will no longer have any say over Google’s operations in China, leaves decisions up to Sundar Pichai
Since Google split off as a subsidiary of Alphabet, Larry Page took over as CEO of Alphabet and handed the reigns of Google to Sundar Pichai. This means that while Page is still technically higher up the ladder than Pichai, he’s not making any decisions about Google’s business moves going forward, especially over how the company is handling their operations in China.
Google has had a turbulent ride with China and the Chinese government, and after pulling their Play Services in 2010, they’ve been working on getting back into the mix with a Chinese-friendly Google Play Store. Android still holds a pretty strong market share in the country, so obviously the company wouldn’t want to just abandon that and let smaller OEMs continue to use Android with no competition, but Larry Page won’t be the one making decisions there.
While Page isn’t calling the shots directly, he’s still in an advisory position to Pichai to decide what to do going forward. However, Alphabet wants its subsidiaries to make their own decisions about products and what countries to operate in, and that’s what we’re going to see happen.
source: Business Insider
Come comment on this article: Larry Page will no longer have any say over Google’s operations in China, leaves decisions up to Sundar Pichai
AIVAnet 