ABC’s ‘BattleBots’ reboot will come back for a second season
Good news if you liked ABC’s resurrection of BattleBots for the modern era: it’s sticking around. The network has renewed BattleBots for a second season, albeit with some tweaks. It’ll preserve the single-elimination tourney that you saw in the first run, but it’ll double the number of competitors to include everyone from “expert roboticists” to “families on a mission.” Logically, past winners will come back for another shot at glory. It’s too soon to say if these changes will spice up ABC’s robotic wars, but the show’s audience grew significantly over the first season — don’t be shocked if there’s a third when all is said and done.
Via: The Wrap
Source: ABC
Fly Labs acquisition likely resulting in improved Google Photos video editing
Google Photos is great for many things, but we can all agree video editing is not one of its strengths. You get some functionality, but I would say clip editing is less than basic. It is reasonable to assume this is something the Search Giant should be working on, and now we are getting indirect confirmation that they are.
Google has just acquired Fly Labs, a company known for its extensive video and photo editing apps for iOS (mostly video). Their apps include the Fly Video Editor, Clips Video Editor, Tempo Video Editor and Crop on the Fly. These have been downloaded over 3 million times over the last 18 months, so you know these apps have their following.
“Our mission at Fly Labs has always been simple: to help people make the most of their photos and videos. We make video editing apps because we believe that there’s no better way to stay connected with your memories than by engaging with them creatively.” -Fly Labs
In their announcement post, the Fly Labs team mentions they will be moving over to Mountain View to work with the Google Photos team, making it quite obvious what the acquisition is about.
“Google Photos is a home for your life’s memories, powered by Google’s machine learning and computer vision technology. It’s a perfect match for what we built at Fly Labs, and we’re looking forward to folding our technology into Google Photos.” -Fly Labs
But what about the iOS apps?!
Are you a fan of the Fly Labs apps on iOS? We have good and bad news for you. The good news is that all these apps are free as of today! It costs nothing to download it and there’s no in-app purchases included. Just head over to the App Store and get them.
The bad news is that these apps won’t be there for much longer. They will disappear from Apple’s market in 3 months. You can download the apps until then and keep them on your device after they are put down. The only downside is there won’t be further updates or support.
See the Fly Labs apps on iTunes
Wrapping up
It’s hard to say what comes next, but we can all assume some sweet video editing is coming to Google Photos. It’s definitely something we needed to wrap up the combo. The Search Giant acquired Snapseed creators Nik Software in 2012, and that made all the difference for photo editing within their services. It’s time for Google to step up their video game, and I say they are on the right path. Would you agree?
Check if your Android device is vulnerable with this new tool – VTS for Android
When it comes to mobile security, this year has been somewhat of a dilemma for Android users.
The big scare is the security hole Stagefright, where all it took to install malicious code was a simple text message. Fortunately, Google and other manufacturers of Android devices have taken steps to patch these holes and release them quickly as possible to users.
However, with so many different Android devices and versions out in the wild, along with the varying carriers that have to approve such fixes, it can be difficult to know if your devices are vulnerable to malware or not.
NowSecure, a mobile security firm, have released a new open-source tool that can quickly and easily show if your device is open to attack or not. The Android Vulnerability Test Suite (VTS) searches for more than a dozen security holes, including Stagefright, so that users can easily determine whether their devices are vulnerable and to what.
The starting page of the tool also provides information regarding your Android device
“In implementing these checks we attempt to minimize or eliminate both false positives/false negatives without negatively affecting system stability,” says NowSecure on the tool’s Google Play listing.
After its search, VTS will show what security vulnerabilities are patched on your device
As VTS is open-source, users can file bugs or other issues on their GitHub repository. Let’s hope this new tool will help Android users stay vigilant when it comes to mobile security, and that Google, OEMs and carriers do their part in releasing patches as quickly as possible.
Google Play Store link to VTS for Android
The post Check if your Android device is vulnerable with this new tool – VTS for Android appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Visit this digital art museum in real life or VR
There’s plenty of digital art, but it tends to either be meant for the physical world, where it disappears within weeks, or is strictly digital and risks losing some of its impact. However, a team of artists is promising both. Their Digital Museum of Digital Art will both be available in real life at a virtual reality exhibit (currently in Brooklyn from November 14th through December 19th) as well as through Mac and Windows apps you can run at home. The two-pronged approach not only keeps you from missing out, but gives artists a way to reach a wider audience without diminishing the impact of their work
Via: The Creators Project
Buying a Samsung phone? Get $349 in accessories, $50 rebate and more
Carriers and manufacturers are celebrating the holidays extra early this year. Yesterday we reported on T-Mobile offer $100 discounts on top smartphones; now Samsung and Sprint are offering some of the sweetest smartphone deals we have seen in a while.
You won’t exactly be saving much on the phone itself, but the amount of value Samsung and its partners are offering is actually quite stunning. There’s a few deals available, so let’s share them with you one by one.
Swarovski Holiday Bundle
Here’s for all of those who want to add some flash to their holidays. The Swarovski Holiday Bundle includes a Samsung battery pack, a wireless charger and a Swarovski crystal phone cover.
All of these gifts will be free with the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+ or Galaxy Note 5. After purchasing the device, simply go to the dedicated website to redeem your gift (have your receipt ready). By the way, you have to make sure you purchase the phone on (or before) November 19th.
Level On Holiday Bundle
This one works pretty much the same way as the Swarovski deal, but you get different accessories. Buy one of the before-listed devices and Samsung will give you a wireless charger, a portable battery pack and a set of Level On headphones.
Just visit Samsung’s Gifts of the Season website to claim your prize. And remember – get that phone before November 19 if you want in on this deal.
Activate Samsung Pay to get a $50 rebate
It’s not only cool accessories you can get. Sammy is also throwing in a $50 rebate you can claim after getting your new Galaxy device. Just go ahead and claim your $50 at the Promotions website. It’s the same deal: you have to have purchased the phone from November 5 to 19, and the form must be completed by November 26th (or postmarked by December 26th, if done by mail).
$100 in Google Play credit when switching from an iPhone!
Yes! Samsung will give you $100 in Google Play Store credit if you switch from an iPhone to one of the qualified Samsung Galaxy handset being included in this offer. But you must do this one before you actually purchase the new Galaxy phone! Pay close attention if interested in this.
- Head over to samsungpromotions.com/giftsoftheseason from a qualifying iPhone.
- Pre-register by entering your email address.
- Go trade in your iPhone for a Galaxy phone at your carrier.
- Visit the Samsung Promotions website again and submit your offer claim.
- You should get your $100 soon after!
Sign up for Samsung Pay and get $50 bill credit from Sprint
You can also get $50 of bill credit if you activate Samsung Pay on a Sprint device. Of course, this is only for those in the carrier, but it will be a nice treat if you qualify. Just head over to the Samsung/Sprint offer page and follow instructions after you have set up Samsung Pay and registered a compatible card.
This deal only works on the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+ or Galaxy Note 5. The offer is valid until November 30th, so hurry up! It doesn’t really cost anything, and you don’t even have to continue using Samsung Pay if you don’t want to.
Wrapping up
Samsung is either super excited or super desperate. The South Korean manufacturer is trying to increase its numbers, and though sales are up, they have been struggling to get revenue up. We won’t complain either way.
Do keep in mind the hotter deals usually come on, and after, Thanksgiving, though. Maybe Samsung has even more cool offers for us! Regardless, this should be a good incentive to go with Sammy. Are you signing up?
Samsung Galaxy Golden 3 shows up on TENAA certification site
Samsung is certainly prolific when it comes to trying out different form factors, shapes, and configurations for mobile devices. One of those examples is their line of clamshell smart phones that attempt to maintain the spirit of the flip phones that were so popular in days gone by. Their latest version, model number SM-W2016 believed to be the Galaxy Golden 3, has shown up on Chinese regulatory agency site TENAA indicating it may be ready to hit the market.
The TENAA filing did reveal a discrepancy in specifications compared to earlier numbers that surfaced on GFXBench. According to previous reports, the Galaxy Golden 3 would have 4.6-inch screens. The TENAA certification lists the two screens at only 3.9-inches, but the resolution of 1280 x 768 remains the same.
Combined with the high-end processor and memory, the smaller screens at a relatively low resolution should result in a device that performs quite well even if it is an unusual form factor.
Samsung’s last clamshell, the SM-W2015, passed through TENAA certification, but was never released to the market. The original Galaxy Golden was only released in South Korea.
source: phoneArena
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Golden 3 shows up on TENAA certification site
Snapchat’s video viewing triples in just six months
Have you been watching a lot of video on Snapchat lately? You’re not alone… far from it, in fact. Snapchat has confirmed to the Financial Times that its video viewing has tripled in half a year, to the point where people are watching 6 billion clips every day. It didn’t explain the sudden uptick, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a combination of a growing user base with Discover and the increasing volume of Live Stories you can watch. Snapchat isn’t just for recording private messages for your friends, then — it may well be a one-stop video shop for some people.
Source: Financial Times
Some users are reporting spontaneously cracking Nexus 6P glass windows
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Glass is increasingly being used in smartphones to great effect, particularly on the new Nexus 6P. It turned out to be somewhat of a necessity given that the device is entirely metallic, but it still manages to look quite good. However, there are some users reporting spontaneously cracking Nexus 6P glass windows – here is one recount of the event via Reddit:
It was sat on a table next to me when I heard the glass snap, leaving a little snowfall of shavings on the table under it. It’s now continuing to crack away to itself..
There have been several other reports of similar behaviour, though neither Huawei nor Google have responded to any of these claims. The issue seems to stem from combining the window made of Gorilla Glass – which is tightly bound internally – and the metal frame, which is suspected to be exerting forces on the glass window it wasn’t designed to withstand – but naturally this is all just speculation. While it doesn’t appear to be a widespread problem, it doesn’t seem uncommon either, so we’ll see if any official word on the issue is dropped in the next week or two.
What do you think about the spontaneously cracking Nexus 6P glass windows? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Reddit via TalkAndroid
The post Some users are reporting spontaneously cracking Nexus 6P glass windows appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ review: Same edges, similar body, soaring price
Samsung is fearless when it comes to trying new things, a characteristic aided by the company’s deep pockets. We’ve seen countless devices from Samsung over the years that are unusual or the first of its kind. This company isn’t afraid to see a product underwhelm before revamping it and coming back with something even better. Samsung’s use of displays with curved edges is a perfect example. The Galaxy Round from 2013 was the first sign of Samsung trying to buck the trend of conventional displays. It had a display that was curved down the center. Hardly any attention was paid to the Galaxy Round, but the following year, with the Galaxy Note Edge, the company moved to implementing a display with a single curved edge to provide extra information. The issue was that it provided little reason to be chosen over the Galaxy Note 4. Then the Galaxy S6 Edge came along in early 2015 to show that, yes, curved edges can be part of a mainstream device.
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ builds upon its young predecessor by being bigger and better in every way. It’s basically the result of merging the original Galaxy S6 Edge with the more recent Galaxy Note 5. Samsung created a device that has the size and strength of the Galaxy Note 5 while maintaining the look of the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Note: Pieces of this review are taken from the Galaxy Note 5 review (but also edited) due to many of the same components being used.
Design
The original Galaxy S6 Edge measures 142.1 x 70.1 7mm and weighs 132g. This plus-sized version raises those figures to 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9mm and 153g, making the Galaxy S6 Edge+ larger and heavier than most of today’s flagships. It’s pretty much the same size as the Galaxy Note 5 while being way lighter. As with that Samsung flagship, the company has done an excellent job dissipating the weight throughout the body of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ — it’s not a top- or bottom-heavy phone. In use, even for someone with smaller hands like myself, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is easily manageable in one hand because the side bezels are pretty much nonexistent and the height of the phone isn’t all that different from other devices like the LG G4.
Metal and glass rule the day here. The front and back of this phone feature smooth scratch-resistant glass, being met with sharp metal at every edge. Where there is not metal, there is glass. And where there is not glass, there is metal.
Pick up the phone and you’re met with a cold, solid piece of hardware that sits perfectly in the hand. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ screams premium.
My sole gripe with the design of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is how uncomfortable the phone is to hold. The dual-edge display takes up a lot space on the sides. Samsung wasn’t able to replicate the Galaxy Note 5’s curved sides. Like the back’s edges, the edges on the front where the display and sides meet dig in to your hands and fingers. There isn’t any avoiding that unless you hold the Galaxy S6 Edge+ with your fingertips, obviously an impractical thing to do. Samsung’s only solution that I can think of would be making the device thicker to provide extra space, and I highly doubt that would go over well with consumers.
Regarding buttons, ports, and visible components, this doesn’t differ very much from any Samsung phone you’ve seen within the last eighteen months. Below the display is a narrower-but-taller home button (which is also a fingerprint scanner) with Samsung’s capacitive buttons that illuminate when used. Sadly, Samsung still believes that the Recents button belongs on the left and the Back button belongs on the right. Who knows if this will ever change. Spin around to the back of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and you’ll see a cutout to the right of the camera that houses the LED flash and heart rate monitor. On the top of the phone, the SIM card tray is accessible. The bottom of the Galaxy S6 Edge+, though, is busier than any other part of the phone. It has the audio jack, micro-USB port, and speaker.
What’s missing that buyers of Samsung devices have come to expect? A removable battery and a microSD card slot. The design of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ limits users to the battery and internal storage that ships with the phone.
You can pick up the Galaxy S6 Edge+ in Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Silver Titan, and White Pearl. Color options may depend on your carrier.
Hardware
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ features a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440) Super AMOLED dual-edge display, Exynos 7420 octa-core processor, Mali T760MP8, 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, a 16MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, a 3000mAh battery (non-removable), a fingerprint scanner, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 4.2.
Bands:
4G LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 27, 20)
HSDPA (850, 900, 1800, 1900)
GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900)
Performance
Both display size and display resolution are identical to the Galaxy Note 5. Samsung is continuing to go with 5.7 inches and Quad HD (2560×1440) resolution. From afar, the crispness can be matched by phones that have Full HD (1920×1080) resolution, but bring the Galaxy S6 Edge+ closer to your face and that Quad HD resolution never gives away a single pixel. The 5.7 inches gives a lot to look at, especially if you want to run multiple apps simultaneously with Multi Window.
The display, which is of the Super AMOLED variety, is also vibrant. It offers incredible viewing angles and impressive color reproduction. Looking at the display from almost any angle does not mean that quality is lost. Whites shine and blacks are deep while other colors pop, giving the Galaxy S6 Edge+ a display with depth. Items on the home screen — app icons and text — look as if they is lifting off of the display, for example. Throw in the dual-edge design and the Galaxy S6 Edge+ has an infinity-like display. Content seems to be flowing to the sides and spilling over, an illusion that I’ve never seen executed on any other device.
Samsung clearly benefits from designing its own displays because this one is awing at all times.
The only thing odd about using the Galaxy S6 Edge+ as a multimedia beast is that the speaker on the bottom is pretty weak. If it gets covered, the sound is essentially muted. Samsung should have put another speaker on the other end of the bottom.
Once again, Samsung is using its very own processor after Qualcomm sent the mobile industry into panic mode, causing many companies to look at other options. Samsung, like it does with displays, makes processors; therefore, abandoning Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 series was easy. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ uses Samsung’s go-to processor for 2015, the Exynos 7420. This time the strongest Exynos processor to date has been paired with 4GB of RAM.
The Galaxy S6 started to change the perception of Samsung’s devices being sluggish. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ (like the Galaxy Note 5) proves that slowdowns are a thing of the past for Samsung flagships. An octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and software optimization puts this phone as one that performs with speed, avoiding speed bumps or hiccups in the process. I was jumping between Hangouts (with multiple accounts) conversations and Minecraft: Pocket Edition as Samsung’s Milk Music streamed in the background; to my surprise, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ was not batting an eye. Then I put Hangouts and YouTube on the screen at the same time with Multi Window and the Galaxy S6 Edge+ held its ground.
It really satisfies me that performance on Samsung devices is finally where it should have been years ago. Do what you want with the Galaxy S6 Edge+ because it probably won’t slow down.
Battery
Let’s just get it out of the way: the battery encased within the Galaxy S6 Edge+ cannot be removed. Samsung’s faithful were upset when the company made the same decision for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. But if you want to have beautiful phone made of high-end materials rather than cheap plastic, you have sacrifice something. So the 3000mAh battery inside is all you get to work with.
Perhaps the inclusion of Fast Wireless Charging makes up for the smaller, non-removable battery. Samsung’s Fast Wireless Charging Pad powers the Galaxy S6 Edge+ up to the top of its capacity in about 120 minutes. With the included wired charger, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ charges to completion in less than 90 minutes. Using another charger means that the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will take hours to charge.
What really matters, though, is how long the battery lasts. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is fine-tuned to carry you during the day. A typical day for me includes sending and receiving many emails, chatting on Hangouts, tweeting a lot, playing a lighter game like Threes or Game Dev Story once or twice, and maybe watching videos on YouTube for a few minutes. I would start my day with 100% 8:30AM and start to get antsy for a charger by 10:00PM. It makes me doubt that there is such a concern among consumers about non-removable batteries. If the hardware manufacturer does the proper software optimizations, a device can get by with respectable battery life.
Software
Very little has changed on the software side compared to other Samsung devices released this year. Here, Samsung’s TouchWiz overlay is based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Although still not as attractive as stock Android or HTC’s Sense, TouchWiz is better than ever before. It now feels like a mature user experience instead of looking so rough and technical. Samsung flattened everything to basically move closer to (but not match) Google’s Material Design guidelines. This translates to Samsung-made apps such as Calendar, S Health, S Note, Milk Music, Samsung Pay, and Voice Recorder being aesthetically pleasing.
Note: Read our review of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge for in-depth analysis of the software due to the Galaxy S6 Edge+ being practically identical in this area.
Samsung didn’t choose a dual-edge display for beauty alone. This phone’s unique design serves a purpose. With People Edge and Apps Edge, Samsung allows you to store contacts and apps in a slideout menu at one edge of the display. A small tab (seen above) requires just a little flick to bring out the menu. In People Edge, selecting a contact brings up actionable icons for calling, messaging, and emailing. Apps Edge launches the designated app immediately. When the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is inactive, Edge Lighting will illuminate the display to inform you of incoming calls or other notifications. Each of these features are helpful and they do add value to the Galaxy S6 Edge+. How much value do they add? That depends on your needs.
Camera
A flagship phone deserves a flagship camera. Both rear and front-facing cameras from the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge return months later for the Galaxy S6 Edge+. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as the Galaxy S6 takes decent pictures. When taking pictures with the 16MP rear camera, you’re able to choose between Auto and Pro modes. I kept the Galaxy S6 Edge+ on Auto because I’m not one to delve into camera settings and become a Master of Photography. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ takes amazing pictures that are always sharp due to optical image stabilization (OIS). The camera also proved to be impressive under low-light conditions.
No one questions the quality of Samsung’s cameras anymore. It’s only a matter of stacking them up against Apple, LG, and Sony’s cameras to see where Samsung places. I compared the Galaxy S6 Edge+ with a friend’s iPhone 6S Plus and found that the latter was more accurate and less washed out. But compared to other Android phones, this phone only has the LG G4 to truly worry about.
And those of you who record a lot of video on mobile devices will appreciate that the Galaxy S6 Edge+ can record in 4K. Keep in mind that there is no way to expand internal storage and 4K content takes up a tremendous amount of space.
Closing
Probably the biggest concern for Samsung with the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is giving consumers reasons to purchase it. Is the dual-edge display, the only clear differentiator here, enough for the company to sell millions of units? Because the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are both very similar to and, more importantly, cheaper than the Galaxy S6 Edge+. Even the brilliant Galaxy Note 5, which has added value coming from the S Pen, is cheaper than the Galaxy S6 Edge+. This phone is crowded by the very company that makes it. Competition is already fierce from the likes of Apple, Motorola, LG, and HTC this fall. Samsung injecting another device into the market seems like a bad idea; however, remember this is the company that doesn’t mind if an idea doesn’t work. The company will make changes and come back with something better than before. For now, the Galaxy S6 Edge+, especially given its price, shouldn’t be viewed as a true flagship.
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ review: Same edges, similar body, soaring price
Comcast leak shows that data caps aren’t about congestion
Many internet providers with data caps (especially in mobile) will tell you that those limits exist to prevent network congestion — that’s not necessarily true, but it’s the official line. However, Comcast isn’t even trying to make that claim. Leaked support documents show that the cable giant’s customer service reps will deny that the expanding internet caps are about congestion in any form. Instead, the ceilings are about “fairness” and offering a “more flexible policy” to subscribers. Also, Comcast is telling agents to avoid describing cap-free areas as having unlimited usage. Instead, staffers are supposed to tell you that unfettered areas are still subject to Comcast’s longstanding 250GB soft cap — the company just isn’t “currently enforcing” the limit. In other words… it’s unlimited.
Via: Consumerist
Source: Reddit
AIVAnet 