Gmail will soon warn you when an unencrypted message arrives
In its on-going quest to lock down your email communication, Google is working on a new notification system for Gmail. The alerts will let you know when you receive a message from an incoming mail server that’s not encrypted. Mountain View continues its work on email security, partnering with researchers to analyze changes since 2013. A multi-year study found that while email security improved over the last two years, threats from those tampering with SSL requests and malicious DNS servers. The issues don’t impact Gmail to Gmail messages, but they could cause issues with correspondence from outside email providers. So, to combat the issue, Google came up with the warning system. Those Warnings will alert users to potential dangers, and they’re expected to roll out in the months to come.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Google
Snapchat’s ‘lens store’ is full of 99-cent selfie filters
Snapchat debuted in-app purchases back in September with the arrival of replays, and now it’s offering more ways for you to spice up your selfies. The ephemeral messaging app introduced what it’s calling a “lens store” today, a collection of photo flair priced at 99 cents each. Lenses aren’t new to Snapchat. In fact, they’ve been around for a while now. However, in addition to the seven or so free lenses that are available each day, there will be an addition 30 paid options. Once you hand over $1 to secure one, it’s yours forever, showing up in the app between the free and paid add-ons.
Via: The Verge
Source: Google Play, iTunes
In the App Store, love comes cheap
When you’re a writer, people expect you to write. And when you’re courting someone the pressure to write for them, and to do it well, is amplified. My most recent romantic conquest, a Mexican interior designer, lived in LA. He was a diehard romantic, hundreds of miles away, and despite a slight language barrier, he had a way with words that I struggled to match. He had the ability to make me melt with a single text. I, in turn, would sit for minutes at a time, wringing my heart and brain for just one drop of sweet sentiment.
Benchmarks for Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 reveals it uses an Intel Atom x5 chip
Many have been wondering when the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 will launch, and what specs it might have inside it? Today, some benchmarks may have revealed a few answers.
The last Mi Pad used a Tegra K1 chip, but it’s interesting to learn that Xiaomi has gone with an Intel chip for the Mi Pad 2. The Geekbench test shows an Intel Atom x5 chip will be powering the new Chinese iPad mini clone. However, what makes this really weird is the Intel chip’s numbers are less powerful than the older Tegra K1 chip, scoring roughly 1,000 on a single-core and 3,200+ with multi-cores.
We still aren’t sure exactly when the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 will launch, but hopefully they will work on optimizing the software and hardware to boost these scores before it does.
Also, the Mi Pad 2 will feature a 7.9-inch display, 2GB of RAM, and will be running Android 5.1 Lollipop. However, there have been some rumours that there may be a Windows 10 alternative or possibly a dual-boot option too.
Source: Primate Labs
Via: Pocketnow
Come comment on this article: Benchmarks for Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 reveals it uses an Intel Atom x5 chip
The Beats Music tune comes to an end on November 30
It has been a long and winding road for Beats Music after the popular audio hardware maker decided it wanted to get into the streaming music market. When first launched after a long incubation period, Beats Music was rough around the edges, although it delivered good quality music and had one of the better curation staffs at the time. The market moved on and although Beats Music may have been eclipsed, it ended up winning after attracting the attention of Apple.
On November 30th, Beats Music will officially come to an end and all subscriptions will be cancelled. Users who want to continue with their playlists intact, can move over to Apple Music. There they will find more curated music, but now it will be combined with listening history. In addition, users will be able to access the Beats 1 global radio option.
Any one moving over to Apple Music to stick with their Beats Music history or have you moved on to other services and platforms?
source: Beats Music
Come comment on this article: The Beats Music tune comes to an end on November 30
ZTE’s selfie-centered Blade S7 isn’t leaving the Asia-Pacific
Another company apparently sees value in creating a phone specifically for people that love to take selfies. ZTE’s new Blade S7 has a 13MP front-facing camera so that every selfie you take is just as clear as a picture from the rear camera.
The Blade S7 has ZTE joining companies like Sony and HTC with devices centered on the selfie.
This handset features an all-metal aluminum frame with bezels that are so thin to allow for a screen-to-body ratio of 72.1%. The display, which is of Full HD resolution, is covered with the same Gorilla Glass 3 that is also on the rear of the Blade S7. And below that display on the front is a home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner.
But the selling point for the Blade S7 comes from its front-facing camera. It has 13MP, putting the handset in front of the majority of devices. The sweet spot for front-facing cameras as of late has been 8MP. ZTE is placing itself ahead of that with the Blade S7.
If you ask ZTE’s Jacky Zhang, there are many people asking for a selfie-centered phone:
“ZTE is constantly listening to its customers and we wanted to deliver a device that takes the selfie experience to a new level.”
Specifications:
- 5-inch Full HD (1920×1080) display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB of internal storage
- 13MP / 13MP cameras
- Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with ZTE’s MiFavor 3.2 UI
Most consumers won’t get to see the Blade S7 come to their market, unfortunately. ZTE will be limiting the handset’s availability to Thailand first before slightly broadening it to markets across the Asia-Pacific. ZTE will offer the Blade S7 in Rose Gold, Lemon Green, Space Gray, and Diaomond White.
Lemon Green
Space Gray
Diamond White
Source: ZTE
Come comment on this article: ZTE’s selfie-centered Blade S7 isn’t leaving the Asia-Pacific
Unreal Engine 4.10 brings tons of major changes
Unreal Engine 4.10 is out now, and brings some major changes with it. Not every single change has to do with Android, but many do, for example, Marshmallow support.
Some of the specific Android changes are, a new Material Quality system that will allow developers to scale games to fit low-end and high-end devices. You can now pick from low, medium, and high quality versions of shaders for all materials. You can also choose to disable rendering to increase performance, but the engine can also adjust to run optimally on popular devices automatically.
Just look at the difference between the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge vs the older Samsung Galaxy S3.
Other changes are things like refraction effects, which will now be available on mobile. The best part is developers do not need to do anything special to get them to work. Existing shaders with refraction will just work automatically.
Many new gamepads are also now supported. Controllers like the Amazon Fire game controller and TV remote, NVIDIA SHEILD controller and portable console, and the Samsung Game Pad EI-GP20. The name of the controller will automatically detect the mapping it needs.
For whatever reason, if you need to let users use an in-game web browser, you now can with the Web Browser widgets. This may be useful to display news messages to your users or show help text.
The changelog is really big, but some other changes that will affect every platform are things like, the ability to mirror landscapes, optimized VR rendering, Visual Studio 2015 support, and more.
Source: Unreal Engine
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Cricket Wireless starts holiday pricing with select phones
Through January 7, Cricket Wireless customers can purchase select phones for a reduced price. The carrier announced today that phones from Samsung, LG, ZTE, LG, and Motorola are part of its holidays deals kickoff.
Every deal can be grabbed both online and at Cricket Wireless stores.
- Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime: $29.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and $20 instant discount
- LG G Stylo: $49.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and $50 instant discount
- ZTE Overture 2: Free after $40 mail-in rebate
- LG Risio: Free after $30 mail-in rebate
- Motorola Moto E: Free after $50 mail-in rebate
- Nokia Lumia 635: Free after $20 mail-in rebate
If you’ve been wanting to switch carriers, Cricket Wireless might be a good fit. Cricket Wireless, which is owned and operated by AT&T, has plans of all types. Pricing ranges from $35-$60 per month.
Cricket Wireless Techs the Halls with Incredible Holiday Shopping Deals and Savings on the Season’s Hottest Smartphones
ATLANTA, Nov. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Starting today, Cricket Wireless is giving holiday shoppers something to smile about by offering the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime and LG G Stylo for $29.99 and $49.99, respectively, and select 4G LTE smartphones for free* — after a mail-in rebate Cricket Visa Promotion card**, when you bring your number to Cricket, and activate a new smartphone plan. Offers are available online or at more than 3,800 Cricket Wireless stores nationwide.
Shoppers can get more bang for their buck at Cricket this holiday season with affordable pricing on the hottest smartphones out there. For bargain hunters seeking the best deals without compromising style, Cricket has smartphones to make even the pickiest gift recipient on the list one very happy camper. From sleek styles and slim designs to powerful cameras and high-quality screens, Cricket has the ultimate gift selection at an affordable reach.
Holiday Offers and Price Reductions for Customers Bringing Their Numbers to Cricket
Device
Price
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime™
$29.99 after $50 mail-in rebate Cricket Visa Promotion Card and $20 instant discount
LG G Stylo™
$49.99 after $50 mail-in rebate Cricket Visa Promotion Card and $50 instant discount
ZTE Overture™ 2
FREE after $40 mail-in rebate Cricket Visa Promotion Card (pre-rebate price $39.99)
LG Risio™
FREE after $30 mail-in rebate Cricket Visa Promotion card (pre-rebate price $29.99)
Motorola Moto E
FREE after $50 mail-in rebate Cricket Visa Promotion Card (pre-rebate price $49.99)
Nokia Lumia 635
FREE after $20 mail-in rebate Cricket Visa Promotion Card (pre-rebate price $19.99)
“With extreme discounts on our most popular smartphones, Cricket is providing holiday shoppers with the tech they crave at affordable prices,” said Janna Ducich, vice president and chief marketing officer, Cricket Wireless. “Our service plans with taxes and fees already included and our 4G LTE nationwide network make it easy to bring joy to friends and loved ones at this special time of year.”
Cricket offers more than just great phones at great prices:
- Customers on the Smart ($50/mo) and Pro ($60/mo) plans can enjoy calls to, from, and between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada at no additional charge
- Unlimited international texting to 38 countries included in Smart and Pro plans at no additional charge
- Plans starting at $35/mo after $5 Auto Pay credit
- Taxes and fees included in the price of the plans – no surprises
- More 4G LTE coverage nationwide than T- Mobile, MetroPCS, Sprint, and Boost
- International calling features for countries like Brazil, Honduras, Costa Rica, Columbia, and more for customers on Smart and Pro plans!
Plus, the whole family can celebrate the holiday season by adding eligible lines to their account and saving up to $100/mo with Cricket’s Group Save discount ***. The more the merrier.
About the New Cricket Wireless
Cricket is bringing consumers more value with a simple, friendly, and reliable nationwide wireless experience with no annual contract. The power of Cricket is our nationwide 4G LTE network that covers more than 310 million people; easy and affordable plans prices that include taxes and fees – no surprises; and a great selection of phones customers love. Cricket, Something to Smile About. To check out the new Cricket or find a store near you, visit www.cricketwireless.com. And connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cricketnation and Twitter at www.twitter.com/cricketnation.
Cricket is a subsidiary of AT&T Inc. Coverage not available everywhere. © 2015 Cricket Wireless LLC. All rights reserved. Cricket and the Cricket logo are trademarks under license to Cricket Wireless LLC.
* Phone Offers: End 01/07/16. While supplies last. After mail-in rebate (w/in 8 wks). Porting number & 2 qual. plan (min. $40/mo.) svc payments w/in 45 days req’d. Excludes ports from AT&T. Phone price and tax due at sale. Void in CT, RI, and Miami-Dade County, FL.
** Cricket VISA Promotion Card: issued by MetaBank®, member FDIC, or CenterState Bank of Florida, NA pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Must mail in rebate form by 2/6/16. Card not redeemable for cash, valid for 150 days after issuance and may be used to pay for your Cricket wireless services. Fees, charges & restr’s apply. See store for offer details.
*** Group Save: Eligible lines of service req’d. Discount applies to lines 2-5. Price & discount per line varies. Not available with auto pay credit.
Come comment on this article: Cricket Wireless starts holiday pricing with select phones
Vulnerability in Chrome could allow attackers to take control of Android devices
In Tokyo, Japan, at the PacSec conference, security researcher Guang Gong revealed an exploit he developed over the past three months that enables a hacker to take control of an Android phone with no user interaction outside of clinking on a link in the Chrome browser. The exploit targets the JavaScript v8 engine in order to open the device up to delivery and installation of malicious code.
To demonstrate the exploit, Guang Gong used a Project Fi Nexus 6 and showed how he was able to install a BMX Bike game. Once he had access to the device, he succeeded in installing the app without requiring the end user to take any further action.
The exploit is also notable in the simplicity of the attack. Most hacking attempts designed to take control of a device and be able to load an app with no additional interaction require several vulnerabilities to be successfully installed. Gong’s hack only requires the user to visit the single malicious link.
If there is any good news related to this discovery it is that Gong is on the side of the good guys, trying to find exploits in an effort to make things better. The code he developed has been provided to Google so their researchers can verify the severity and develop a patch to secure Android smartphones.
source: The Register
via: 9to5Google
Come comment on this article: Vulnerability in Chrome could allow attackers to take control of Android devices
Microsoft adds an always-on badge to OneNote
On Thursday, Microsoft revealed a new feature coming to users of OneNote on Android devices. OneNote is getting an always-on badge that floats above other apps to allow quick note-taking. The obvious benefit from this badge is being able to jot something down without ever stopping what you’re currently doing.
Here’s how the new feature works:
Launch the badge by pulling down the notification tray and tapping the OneNote badge notification. Then, when you’re done, simply pull the badge to the bottom of your screen to dismiss it. Notes are saved to your Quick Notes section by default, but if you prefer to stay fully organized, don’t worry, you can also choose the notebook and section that you want your notes to go into.
Microsoft says that OneNote’s badge will be coming to users over the course of the next 2-3 weeks. Along with the badge, OneNote is gaining the ability to add content from other places to notebooks and specific sections. This feature is available right away with the latest version of the OneNote app.
Source: Microsoft
Come comment on this article: Microsoft adds an always-on badge to OneNote
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