Ben Heck’s controller mods tutorial
For a while now Ben and Felix have been making and selling single handed accessibility controllers. In this episode Ben will tear down the XBox One gamepad and show you how to do mods of your own, from the pin-outs to the connections for the directional pads. Visit The Ben Heck Show community on element14 for links to the build files, suggest projects and sync up with The Ben Heck Show team!
Samsung’s new Exynos 8890 SoC tops all benchmark results on AnTuTu
There’s a chance that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S7 flagship will be powered by the company’s in-house Exynos 8890 SoC. Just recently, the chipset posted a benchmark score on AnTuTu that topped the results sheet.
Samsung’s Exynos 8890 chipset will replace the older Exynos 7 octa 7740 processor found in Samsung’s latest flagship models. A leak from China shows off an incredible benchmark score of 103,692 on AnTuTu. That tops each and every score ever posted on AnTuTu. The processor was tested on an unknown device coded SM-G9300, which is likely some form of the Galaxy S7. If this stands true, the Galaxy S7 will leave competitors in disbelief time come launch.
The Galaxy S7 is expected to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2016 and we can’t wait to see what Samsung has in tow for the year ahead. We’ll have you covered on all the leaks, rumors and reports from now till then so stay tuned!
For more in-depth results, hit the source link down below.
Source: Mobipicker
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s new Exynos 8890 SoC tops all benchmark results on AnTuTu
The Coin universal card is ready for 2012
If your wallet is bursting at the seams with credit, gift and loyalty plastic, the Coin universal card is supposed to lighten the load. Just add all your information to the app, sync it with Coin and get ready to buy all the things with a swipe or an NFC tap. Except when you can’t. While the premise and feature set are intriguing, and in some cases helpful, in practice, it feels like too little too late. With Apple Pay, Android Pay. Samsung Pay and others already working on the future of transactions, Coin might might have missed the boat.
Fossil Q Founder smartwatch listed as ‘coming soon’ on the Google Store
The Fossil Q Founder smartwatch launched a few days ago with a $295 price tag. The watch runs Google’s Android Wear platform for wearables, unlike the remainder of Fossil’s lineup, and looks to face other higher-priced offerings like the new Moto 360 and Huawei Watch.
Just the other day, the Fossil Q Founder became available to purchase in the U.S. via the company’s website. A product listing for the watch has now appeared on the Google Store and reads “coming soon.” On the product page, there are two models shown, one stainless steel model with a leather band and the other with a stainless steel metal band. The price for each variant is yet to be specified.
The Fossil Q Founder is the first Android Wear powered smartwatch containing an Intel processor. It will connect with Android devices running version 4.4 or higher, and just recently added support for Apple iPhones running iOS 8 or later. We’ll let you know when it becomes available.
Source: Google Store
Come comment on this article: Fossil Q Founder smartwatch listed as ‘coming soon’ on the Google Store
Here are the videos you don’t want to miss this week – November 28, 2015
The year is winding down already, and we’re just now starting to recover from the madness of constant smartphone announcements. That doesn’t mean we’re slowing down, though – this week has been packed full of reviews, comparisons and more tech deals than you can shake a stick at.
This week we brought you our full review of the BlackBerry Priv and Pebble Time Round smartwatch. We’ve also compared the Galaxy Note 5 and the iPhone 6S Plus, as well as the OnePlus X, Xperia Z5 Compact and the latest Moto G. We’ve also rounded up some of the best Thanksgiving weekend deals available on the web. Also, Gary just got back from the ARM TechCon 2015 in California, where he brought us some super informative interviews regarding IoT, future wearables and some challenges developers might face when making apps.
Without any further ado, here are the best Android-related videos you don’t want to miss this week.
Reviews
BlackBerry Priv review
BlackBerry is back… with an Android phone? That’s right, the Priv is BlackBerry’s very first Android smartphone, and we’ve just published our full review. Could this be the next smartphone that’s worthy of your hard-earned dollars? We aim to find that out in our full review of the BlackBerry Priv.
Pebble Time Round review
Pebble just recently launched its very first circular smartwatch – the Pebble Time Round. How does it compare to the best from Android Wear, and is this new wearable worth the money? Josh answers all of those questions, and more, in his full review of the Pebble Time Round.
Battle of the big and small
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs iPhone 6S Plus
Samsung has held the title of “King of the Phablet” ever since large-screened smartphones came to be. How does the latest phone from Apple compare? Krystal takes an in-depth look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs the Apple iPhone 6S Plus.
Battle of the minis: OnePlus X vs Xperia Z5 Compact vs Moto G
Not a huge fan of giant smartphones? You’re not alone. To help you decide between some of the best mini smartphones on the market, Gary has made an incredibly informative video comparing the OnePlus X, Sony Xperia Z5 Compact and the Motorola Moto G (2015).
All of the deals you don’t want to miss
We’re still recovering from the onslaught of Black Friday deals that were available this week. And just because Black Friday is over, that doesn’t mean the deals are done. Be sure to check out Joe’s video overview and Andrew’s detailed written piece on the best Black Friday deals of 2015.
Android Apps Weekly
Pandora buys Rdio, no more Humble Bundle, Oddworld! – you don’t want to miss Joe’s latest episode of Android Apps Weekly!
Samsung speculation: what’s the point of the Galaxy View?
The Samsung Galaxy View is a very odd tablet. It has a giant 18.4-inch display with only a 1080p resolution, and overall, the specs just aren’t very good for a tablet this size. Why does it exist? Samsung tries to explain.
Recapping the ARM TechCon 2015 interviews
Our own Gary Sims recently spent some time at ARM’s TechCon 2015 in California, where he interviewed many folks on GPUs, upcoming wearables, the future of fastboot technology, and much, much more. Here are all of the interviews from ARM TechCon 2015.
- Interview: Where does the Cortex-A35 fit in ARM’s lineup?
- ARM VP talks about GPUs, VR and Media processing
- For developers: reversible debugging tool for Android
- Zach Shelby demos wearable with 8 weeks of battery life
- Developers: The challenge of UI design for Android and all touch interfaces
- Walkthrough of ODROID’s range of Android boards
- For hardware gurus: Android QuickBoot demo
- Running Android over a secure RTOS
Samsung wants you to gift Samsung products this Christmas
Samsung has released a new ad for the holidays called “Give the Gift of Galaxy”. The ad basically shows people unwrapping presents with, you guessed it, Samsung products inside.
The ad is only 30 seconds long, but they managed to cram in a ton of products. Products like the Galaxy View, Gear S2 smartwatch, Gear VR, all of their flagship Galaxy phones, and more.
I like the end where it says “It’s not a phone, it’s a Galaxy”. While I hate the fact that they name many of their products with Galaxy first, since I always have to write it a million times, it works well for this. Implying that they have a large amount of “star” products. However, will you be giving, or wanting the gift of Galaxy this Christmas?
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Samsung wants you to gift Samsung products this Christmas
Verizon ad wants us to disconnect for the holidays
Christmas is right around the corner, and all the big brands are ramping up their advertising campaigns. Verizon has released an ad all about how their network keeps us connected during the holidays.
The ad starts out with a bunch of family members all over the country. Each person has a different lifestyle and commute, but luckily, they all have mobile devices that are on Verizon. All the different family members eventually arrive at Christmas dinner, and are happy to be together. It ends with a phone ringing, but the call is ignored. Implying, use Verizon all the time, but sometimes it’s good to disconnect too.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Verizon ad wants us to disconnect for the holidays
The best Cyber Monday deals
So you successfully emerged from Black Friday shopping relatively unscathed, and you’ve got the cash for an extra tech gift (or, let’s be honest, a treat for yourself). Where do you go to spend that dough? Don’t worry: we’ve rounded up some of the best gadget discounts for Cyber Monday, the online-focused shopping event that follows the Thanksgiving weekend. If you’re looking for a 4K TV, a game console for the family or a PC upgrade, we have what you need.
Most of these deals won’t last beyond the day itself (November 30th), but keep an eye on the dates. A few of them are already active or will stick around for at least a day longer, so you may not be out of luck if you’re traveling when Cyber Monday kicks off.
[Lead image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images] Slideshow-343056
10 ways to manage the post-Thanksgiving madness
Ahhh, the holidays. What a lovely time of year to catch up with the extended family and do a quick bit of shopping at enormous discounts. The truth of the situation, however, is often less relaxing than it sounds. Family get-togethers can be taxing, especially when you factor in the state of politics today and the obligatory “drunk uncle.” Black Friday (which apparently starts on Thursday now) has become a frantic shopping battle, with everyday folks emboldened by insanely low-priced waffle makers. That’s OK, technology is here to help you regain your inner zen. Breathe deeply, try to find a quiet corner and join us in the gallery below for some helpful gadgets to bring you serenity when you need it most: Now!
Slideshow-342720
OnePlus X teardown: you better not break the screen
Youtuber JerryRigEverything has uploaded a video in which he performs a full teardown of the OnePlus X.
The newest Smartphone from OnePlus, which costs $249, doesn’t come with a removable back cover, unlike the OnePlus 2. That’s bound to make disassembling the device harder, correct? The expert way in which JerryRigEverything performed the teardown makes it seem like a breeze, but it’s probably not. “It is a fairly difficult phone to take apart”, said Jerry.
In the 4-minute OnePlus X teardown video, the device’s glass back cover is removed first, which requires to be heated for the glue to come off easily. After that, the first component to come off is the battery, followed by a bunch of screws that give you access to the logic board that houses the processor, RAM, etc. The bottom half of the device houses the loudspeaker, the module containing which can also be removed easily. Meanwhile, there’s the 13MP rear camera module on top.
See also: Battle of the minis: OnePlus X vs Xperia Z5 Compact vs Moto G
After removing nearly all the screws, the YouTuber was able extract the module containing the charging port. Good news, that fragile port can indeed be repaired in case something goes wrong. Users will also be able to get the device’s battery replaced, if required, which is the most easily accessible component. Do note that the screen is solidly glued to the frame of the device, which makes replacing it very difficult.
To wrap up, the OnePlus X teardown reveals that the battery, charging port, camera, and logic board can be repaired/replaced fairly easy. However, in case you crack the screen, prepare for some headaches.
Thinking of buying the this phone? Be sure to check out our full OnePlus X review before you do. The device is currently available without an invite.
AIVAnet 