2015 November | AIVAnet

Nov

Samsung’s consumer Gear VR is available now for $99

We knew it was coming, but now it’s finally here. Samsung’s newly improved virtual reality headset, the Gear VR, is launching today in the US for $99. This iteration of the Gear VR is, without a doubt, the most consumer-ready VR headset to date. One of its downsides is that it only works with Samsung’s latest smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge+ — but that’s great news for people who own handsets. As you may recall, Samsung’s Gear VR is powered by Oculus software, and services like Hulu have already announced compatibility with the device. If you’re Stateside, you can grab the Gear VR now from retailers including Amazon and Best Buy. As for worldwide availability, an Oculus spokesperson says that will be announced “soon.”

Source: Oculus

Nov

Dyson’s $1,200 robotic vacuum is expensive, but also the best

Dyson is very confident about its new vacuum. Then again, with this price, it has to be. On sale now in Japan for just shy of 150,000 yen ($1,200), the 360 Eye is the company’s first robotic model — although it’s not for lack of trying. It might be worth the wait, though: It actually cleans like you always hoped a robot vacuum would. It’s so good, in fact, that I might have to fire my Roomba.Slideshow-341696

Nov

Virtual reality shooter ‘Gunjack’ is ready for Samsung’s Gear VR

Just in time for today’s launch of Samsung’s consumer Gear VR, developer and publisher CCP is making Gunjack available for the headset. The virtual reality game, powered by Unreal Engine 4, is an arcade shooter that takes places in the EVE sci-fi universe. Once you strap in, you’ll play the role of a gun turret operator, with the goal being to protect your mothership from some menacing pirates. In an interview earlier this year, Gunjack’s producer told us that the title was different from Valkyrie, CCP’s upcoming VR dogfighting simulator, as it required to be developed from the ground-up and with mobile gaming in mind. If you have your shiny new Gear VR all set up, you can grab Gunjack right now from the Oculus store for $10.Slideshow-342508

Nov

VW’s emissions shenanigans may go back as far as 2009

Volkswagen has disclosed to regulators that issues with emissions from its larger cars and SUVs may actually date back more than six years and encompass thousands of more vehicles, the EPA reported on Friday. Essentially, the company is confirming what the EPA accused it of back at the start of the month: that VW, Porsche and Audi SUVs equipped with 3.0 liter, 6 cylinder gas engines were gaming smog tests in the same manner as VW’s diesel vehicles. The EPA’s investigation is ongoing.

[Image Credit: Getty]

Source: Reuters

Nov

Obi Worldphone SF1 coming to India this month

Obi Worldphone has confirmed that the Obi Worldphone SF1 smartphone will be launched in India before the end of November. In a bit of an odd turn, the company also revealed that it had actually launched both the Obi Worldphone SF1 and the Obi Worldphone SJ1.5 in Vietnam and Dubai already. The SF1 retails at a starting price of $199 USD while the SJ1.5 is less expensive at only $129 USD.

The Obi smartphones are designed to meet the “market need between high-design smartphones at high prices and generic smartphones at low prices.” Part of their effort in positioning their devices in the market was to attract the backing of former Apple CEO John Sculley to help provide some buzz. Obi is also drawing on the design work of San Francisco-based Ammunition, a studio that also developed the Obi Lifespeed user interface.

The Worldphone SF1 is middle of the pack when it comes to a processor, sporting a Snapdragon 615. However, other specs are impressive, especiallly considering the price, including a 5-inch full HD display with a 443 ppi and Corning Gorilla Glass 4, a microSD slot, 4G LTE support, a 13MP camera with a Sony sensor, and a 3,000 mAh battery.

source: Gadgets 360

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Nov

Coulax Magneto Bluetooth headphones [Review]

The practicality of playing music while exercising or doing basically anything else without worrying about cords is almost immeasurable. I find myself playing music through Bluetooth headphones nearly every day, so I was intrigued by Coulax’s Magneto Bluetooth in-ear headphones. I had the chance to use them for a few weeks, and I must say I am impressed on several fronts.

Design

The look and feel of the Magneto headphones scored major points in my book. The headphone casings are made from a shiny plastic that actually resembles a metallic material. At first glance, they look like metal headphones. I thought of Samsung’s older Galaxy S devices that used shiny plastic in lieu of actual metal, and I was impressed that Coulax managed to do the same thing and still make the device look premium.

Coulax sells the Mangeto headphones in either white or black (I used the black version), but the design and materials remain the same regardless of color. I will say that the black headphones look very sleek and simple, and I love how few lines there are in the casing. With so many plastic Bluetooth headphones featuring complex designs on the market, it is nice to see a more minimal variation on this kind of device.

The headphone housing itself is fairly standard, and the earpiece sticks out just enough to comfortably fit into your ear without the housing causing any discomfort. The true stand-out feature of the Magneto headphones can be found at the end of each housing. Coulax found a way to insert a small magnet in each end, so that the left and right headphones could magnetize together, hence the Magneto namesake. The magnets also serve as more than just a neat way to keep your headphones from falling off your neck when they aren’t in use, but I’ll get into that in more detail later.

The cord connecting the two earpieces is roughly 18 inches long, which I found to be a near-perfect length. There is just enough excess cord for me to look in different directions, but not so much excess that I feel the need to hide it away to avoid getting it caught on something.
After using them for a few days, I kept wondering what I specifically liked about the design, and it finally hit me that they reminded me of those “noisy” oval-shaped magnets I played with as a child. I am not sure if this was an intentional design choice, given the built-in magnets and the name, but Coulax definitely won me over with a little nostalgia here.

The only moving part on the housing is a rubberized protective cover for the charging port. Thankfully these headphones charge via MicroUSB, so you won’t need an extra proprietary cord. Coulax also includes a MicroUSB cable in the packaging, along with an extra set of earbud covers, a manual, and a small carrying bag.

Usage

In-ear headphones, especially of the Bluetooth variety, all face two important questions: how do they fit, and do they stay in your ear? I can say that the Magneto headphones provide one of the best fits out of any pair of headphones I have used. After swapping out the default rubber tips for the smaller set, I had no trouble getting the headphones to fit perfectly. I was able to get a great seal every time I used them, and there was almost no effort involved.

Not only did the Magneto headphones fit well, I had no trouble with them falling out of my ears in the entire two weeks I used them. I wore them while riding my bicycle through the city, and they survived my hitting bumps and constantly turning my head to watch for traffic. Coulax markets these as “sport” headphones, and they certainly live up to that name. I would be remiss not to mention that the rubberized tips of the earpieces tend to pick up tiny pieces of lint and dust, but this seems to be a common issue with most rubber earpieces.

Beyond the fit and stability, I found these headphones remarkably easy to use. The inline controls are fairly standard: volume up and down buttons on one side, and a multi-function power button on the other. A long-press of the power button turns the headphones on, and if you hold it for just another second or two, the indicator light will flash red, which signifies that the device is in pairing mode. A simple trip to your smartphone or tablet’s Bluetooth menu and a tap on “Coulax” in the device list is all it takes to pair the Magneto headphones.

I paired these headphones alternately with a Samsung Galaxy S6 and an Amazon Fire 2015 tablet. I had no issues with pairing or dropped connections at any time, although I did notice some stuttering in playback when connected to the Fire tablet. I attribute this more to the Fire having an average quality Bluetooth radio and less to the connectivity power of the headphones.

Of course, the power button serves as a Play/Pause/Answer Call/Hang Up button, and a double-click activates Google Now voice search on the connected device. Holding down the Volume Up or Down buttons will skip to the next or previous song, respectively. There is nothing fancy here that isn’t expected from nearly any pair of Bluetooth headphones.

My favorite feature of the Magneto headphone is by far the magnet-driven controls. I mentioned that the housings have magnets at each end, and that they fit together to hang safely around your neck. Coulax found a way to take this even further by integrating some simple controls that are activated by the magnets.

If you are playing music or talking on the phone, and you put the magnetized ends together, the headphones will automatically pause the song or hang up the call. The same effect is (theoretically) achieved in reverse as well: pull them apart, and the music plays or the call is answered. I can’t begin to describe how useful this feature is, especially if you are exercising or riding a bike. The ability to just take the headphones out of your ear and stick them together without worrying about the music continuing to play is so convenient that I am amazed it isn’t used in other headphones more often.

However, I found that the pull-apart-to-play feature just didn’t work in practice. For some reason, the headphones pause when the magnets are connected, but they don’t play the music again when pulled apart. At first I thought this was by design, but after reading through the manual and reviewing the Amazon page, it’s clear that Coulax meant for the feature to go both ways. I was disappointed that this feature didn’t work, but it certainly wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for purchasing these headphones.

Coulax claims roughly eight hours of playback time and 160 hours of stand-by with the Magneto headphones, and I found that to be mostly accurate. I used them for a few hours every day over the course of two weeks, and I only had to recharge them three or four times. They were on standby for a considerable amount of time, but this didn’t seem to have a major effect on battery usage.

It is worth noting that I ran the headphones through a battery torture test of sorts, playing music nonstop on a full charge. The battery lasted 7 hours and 16 minutes, which isn’t too far from Coulax’s proclaimed eight hours. Overall, the Magneto headphones did very well with battery life.

Sound

I was surprised by the sound that these little headphones brought to the table. Coulax clearly worked on the drivers and audio hardware to provide the best sound experience possible. The noise cancellation works perfectly, and even riding my bike through a crowded busy city wasn’t enough to interfere with my music or phone calls. The sound is clear and crisp, and while it won’t blow any socks off with bass, it still does above average for lower notes.

I tried to play music and audio of all types: YouTube videos, Netflix movies, music of every genre, etc. No matter what I threw at the Magneto headphones, I got consistent, clear sound every time. Coulax built them with “Hi-Fi sound,” and my impression is that they definitely did something right. Highs are rich and not too distorted, even at higher volumes. Bass is tight and the mid-range sounds are very smooth.

For in-ear headphones, I was pleased with how loud they can actually get. Even playing the softest, quietest song in my playlist was no problem for the Magneto headphones.

Summary

The Magneto headphones are simple, convenient, and they work exceedingly well for a product in this category. For only $29.99 (Amazon), Coulax has made a great product with multiple use cases and a few unique features thrown in just for fun. Sound is excellent and everyday usage could not be easier. There is virtually no setup required, and the battery should get the job done for most people. They won’t blow your mind, but for the average user who wants to listen to music on the treadmill, they are definitely worth a look.

The post Coulax Magneto Bluetooth headphones [Review] appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Nov

Samsung launches W2016, a Galaxy S6 trapped inside a flip phone body

samsung w2016 (2)

The Samsung W2016 is a Galaxy S6 trapped inside a flip phone body. Or is it the other way?

Spotted earlier this week in China’s TENAA listings, the W2016 has received a quiet official launch. But that’s about the only quiet thing about this flip phone, which features a decadent Galaxy S6-inspired design and an equally outrageous spec sheet.

Some may call the W2016 excessive. But for Samsung, and presumably certain demographic groups in Asia, this dual-screened device makes total sense. Just like the Galaxy S6, the W2016 comes with a sculpted aluminum frame, a curved metal back, and metallic accents. Even the speaker perforations and USB slot on its bottom evoke Samsung’s early 2015 flagship.

samsung w2016 (1)

Coming in gold or silver, the device is rather heavy, at 204 grams. It’s also 15.1 mm thick when closed, but that’s the price you need to pay for style, not to mention the two 3.9-inch 1280 x 768 AMOLED displays and T9 numeric keypad.

samsung_w2016_1

Specs include an Exynos 7420 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. The rear camera is 16MP, while the front one is 5MP. The device runs the Chinese version of Samsung’s TouchWiz, based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. There’s also wireless charging, a 2000 mAh battery, and dual-SIM LTE.

For all intents and purposes, the W2016 is a genuine, if very unusual, Android flagship.

We don’t have info on the price of the Samsung W2016, or its eventual availability outside of China. For some reason, flip (smart)phones are still a thing in East Asia, but we would be surprised if Samsung sold the W2016 elsewhere.

Nov

Nexus 5x now available through Amazon and B&H

nexus 5x first look aa (21 of 28)
While the Nexus 5x has been available in the United States for over a month now through the Google Store, those who prefer to buy from other retailers now have two new options in Amazon and B&H.

Both retailers carry the three different color variants – mint, black, white – and have 16 and 32GB storage variants priced at $379 and $429 respectively, with free shipping options included. B&H does offer a small freebie however, with the inclusion of a free tempered glass screen protector that is said to be valued at $20.

For those that haven’t already bitten the bullet, you may be wondering if the Nexus 5x is buying? We recommend checking out our full Nexus 5X review to help you better answer that question. We can tell you that, while the Nexus 5x is certainly an impressive handset, the Android market is more competitive than ever right now. For those looking to spend under $400, there are tons of good options, many of which have at least somewhat better specs as well. That said, if you have your heart set on a Nexus and want something a bit smaller screened than the Nexus 6p or the older (but now much cheaper) Nexus 6, you really can’t go wrong here.

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A a refresher, the Nexus 5x is powered by a Snapdragon 808 with 2GB RAM. Other specs include a 5.2-inch 1080p display, 16/32 GB of internal storage, a 12.3 MP rear camera, a 5 MP front shooter and a 2700 mAh battery. On the software end you’ll find Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.

What do you think, anyone planning on picking up the Nexus 5X? For those that already own one, would you recommend it to others?

Buy it on Amazon!
Buy it on B&H!

Nov

USB Type C and 3.1: clearing up the confusion

The arrival of USB Type C connectors and the faster USB 3.1 standard should be heralding a new age of consumer convenience. However, there seems to be quite a bit of confusion about what these new standards mean, and Google Engineer Benson Leung also recently spotted that a number of cables weren’t exactly matching up with the latest USB specifications properly.

So, let’s clear all the mess up by taking a closer look at the new technology and what companies are and aren’t doing correctly.

Standards (ill-)defined

First, we should clarify that although they may often appear together, USB Type C and 3.0 or 3.1 are not synonymous. This means that you can have a USB Type C port that supports slower 2.0 data transfer speeds, or an older USB Type A port sporting faster 3.1 compliant speeds.

For example, OnePlus recently stated the following with regards to its new connector:

The OnePlus USB Type-C cable and adapter are compliant with USB 2.0 and Type-C 1.0 protocols.

Not exactly crystal clear, huh? Furthermore, the USB standard has grown over the years to include a number of additional power specifications to cope with the needs of more powerful devices and new technologies. This includes six different USB Power Delivery profiles that work across USB 2.0 and 3.1 products and the USB Battery Charging specification. The USB-Type C 1.1 specification also carries its own power operation modes, which is design to quickly charge up compatible gadgets and laptops. More on that later.

As part of the Power Delivery standard, a new power management system was introduced that uses a new bidirectional data channel to request certain levels of electrical power. This is to ensure compatibility with legacy devices and minimize the damage from non-compliant cables.

Here’s how the base USB specifications compare:

	USB 1.0	USB 2.0	USB 3.0	USB 3.1
Data Rate	12 Mbps	480 Mbps	5 Gbps	10 Gbps
Default Power	2.5W (5V, 0.5A)	2.5W (5V, 0.5A)	4.5W (5V, 0.9A)	4.5W (5V, 0.9A)

The only major difference between USB 3.0 and 3.1 is that the latter supports double the peak data speeds of the original. Most devices are likely to jump straight to 3.1, but developers have a task on their hands making sure that they support the two latest standards while retaining backwards compatibility.

When it comes to speed, you will be limited by the slowest component in your chain. Connecting a USB 3.1 devices to a USB 2.0 port will limit your speed to 480 Mbps, for example. In reality, hardware components like a hard-drive are likely to be limiting factors as well.

USB Type-C is a reversible interface, unlike (left to right) micro-B, Type-A, Mini-A, and Type-B.

So essentially, USB Type C refers to the reversible connection type, while the version numbers refer the data transfer speeds and other specs that a port or cable supports. However, neither of those parts strictly define the type of USB Power Delivery specification or the peak current that the device or cable is compatible with.

There’s an awful lot of potential cross over here and it can be pretty confusing. Part of the problem with USB is trying to accommodate older devices while simultaneously pushing forward with new technologies. Hopefully this table helps to explain how the different power standards compare to one another, and in what order of precedence they are given by devices.

USB Power Sources

Good and bad cables

Ok, if you’re still with me we can begin to make sense of some of the latest news around these standards and unravel a bit of this mess when it comes to cables and connectors.

For devices making use of USB Power Delivery, communication is exchanged over the connector’s CC pin, which was introduced with the new 2.0 standard. This communication configures the right power between the charger and device, allowing for up to 100W of power at its most extreme, using up to 20 volts and 5 amps of current. This mode is most likely to be used by laptops and other more power hungry devices, as it supports higher voltage modes.

A handshake between micro-controllers overwrites all of the lower power modes and sets up the correct voltage and current settings, while no handshake means that these higher power modes can’t be activated. This also means that lower power use cases, such as smartphones, can be covered without this extra technological cost.

For the basic USB Type-C 1.0 and 1.1 standards, 5V devices can be powered with up to 3A of current using the same pin but without the need for USB PD. Rather than sending configuration data over the CC pin, the pin is pulled up to the 5V supply rail and the current coming into the pin is monitored to determine the output power requested by the device. The amount of current is controlled by the pull-up resistor Rp, and setting it to specific values sets the device to draw either 0.9A, 1.5A or 3A.

For Type-C to Type-C connections, using these higher current modes is fine, as the ports are all built around the same standard, and is a convenient way to charge devices up quickly. However, a lot of the recent issues have been about legacy adapter cables, the ones that will take your USB-Type-C socket on your new phone or laptop and connect up to an older Type-A PC port or charger.

We’re not worried about speeds here, but the thing to look out for is power transfer between devices. Because the USB Type-C standard specifically defines higher rates of charging that aren’t catered for in older Type-B or other connectors, cable manufacturers are supposed to use the CC connection and Rp resistor to ensure that devices don’t attempt to draw too much current from older chargers or devices that can’t support it.

The specification table below shows what values can be used to set a specific Type-C charging mode and underneath, in the small print, we can see that a 56kΩ resistor should be used with all legacy cable connections. This is to limit the amount of current transferred to Default USB power or the USB Battery Charging standard (if the cable supports fast charging) when connecting up to older USB type devices.

USB resistor requirements

What has happened with the case of OnePlus and the other out of spec USB adapter cables is that they are not setting this resistor properly. A number of companies are opting for 10kΩ values, perhaps mistakenly thinking that they are meeting the maximum capabilities of the specification when in fact they are breaking it. This could mean that a USB Type-C device attempts to draw 3A from an older charger than can only handle 1A or less, a recipe for destroying your charger or port.

Another part of the issue is that cables also want to support fast charging technologies for smartphones and other products. This often falls under the USB Battery Charging standard, which supports higher currents than the default mode. Manufacturers may be mistaken into thinking that the correct way to cater for these currents is to allow for the maximum of 3A over Type-C. However, communication for this standard is managed over separate USB D+ and D- data lines, rather than the CC line, and is usually handled by an on-device power management circuit. The 56kΩ resistor is still required, as we know that the Type-C modes overwrite the USB BC standard.

Read on: What is USB Type-C? How does it change the game?30

Picking the right cable

Hopefully now we’re all clued up and on the same page. There are a ton of different USB charging options out there and when it comes to backwards compatibility, you want a cable that is set-up to correctly support older hardware.

USB 3.1 offers the fastest data speeds, but only if devices on both ends of the cable support it. Remember, they don’t both have to be USB Type-C connectors.

A big part of the problem is that there isn’t a very easy way to figure out if the cable you are intending to buy actually has this resistor set correctly, at least not without whipping out the ohmmeter yourself. Obviously, using the one that comes with your device is a safe bet and buying a replacement from the manufacturer is usually wise, but it might be easy to forget that this cable might not always work correctly with other devices (as is the problem with OnePlus’ cable).

Unfortunately, datasheets and details are not readily available for most cables, and descriptions can be misleading, as support for 3A doesn’t really tell you if the cable has been configured correctly. Instead, try to find the official product page from the manufacturer and look for mention of USB-IF Certification and markings on the cable or packaging. The USB-IF is a non-profit organization that tests products to ensure compliance with the standards. Although not every reliable manufacturer goes down this route.

Google Engineer Benson Leung also has quite a growing collection of USB cable reviews on his Amazon account. Picking any of the ones he has given a high rating too is a safe bet, and be sure to steer clear of any of the cheaters that he has spotted.

Nov

Samsung Gear VR lands in stores today from Amazon and others

samsung gear vr oculus connect aa (15 of 15)

Right on schedule, the Samsung Gear VR has finally arrived today via Best Buy, Amazon, and AT&T — with T-Mobile also expected to offer the handset starting next week. While Samsung released two “Innovator Editions” of the Gear VR ahead of this one, the new Gear VR is the first fully commercial ready model and comes at a fairly aggressive price of $99.99.

The Gear VR basically sits somewhere between higher-end VR solutions like the Oculus Rift and low-end solutions like Cardboard and its many clones and relatives. Like the Cardboard family, the Gear VR utilizes an existing smartphone as its brains, but unlike the former, the Gear VR has extra sensors and components that help provide a more immersive experience than you’d get with Cardboard. Gear VR also has a much more unified library of games, media apps, and services, and is made in partnership with Oculus — further cementing the fact that this is the real deal.

At launch, there are over a hundred games and apps tailored for the Gear VR, with plenty more to come, including 25 brand new made-for-VR games and experiences arriving in early December. Some of the most critically acclaimed VR titles available for the Gear VR right now include Land’s End (from UStwo, of Monument Valley fame), Mortal Blitz VR, Netflix, and more. There’s also the Oculus Store — Oculus’ portal to finding great VR-optimized experiences.