Qualcomm inks new patent licensing deals in China
Qualcomm has today announced that it has signed a new patent licensing deal in China with smartphone manufacturers Beijing Tianyu Communication Equipment and Haier Group. This information comes after a year of tiresome court battles, which transpired as a result of the company being investigated by Chinese officials following an antitrust dispute in the region.
As part of the agreement, Qualcomm agreed to pay a $975 million settlement fee to the government for violating patent terms even though it firmly disagrees with the outcome of the investigation. The fine seems pretty steep until it’s compared to the $7.57 billion the firm raked in royalties from China alone last year.
Source: TechCrunch
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PSA: Today is the last day to take part in Google’s year-end Play Store sale on games
For the past week, Google has been running an end of year sale over on the Play Store slashing up to 90% off some of the finest mobile games money can buy, but, sadly, today is the final day you can snag yourself a bargain.
In total, there’s 27 games up for grabs, including: Civilization Revolution 2, Final Fantasy II, Goat Simulator, Hitman: Sniper, Lara Croft GO, Lego Batman: Beyond Gotham, Minecraft: Story Mode and Riptide GP2.
The full list of games on sale, together with their respective reduced price tags, can be accessed by clicking the source link below. Please be aware, though, that the price varies depending on the region you’re in — so ensure that all VPNs are deactivated.
Source: Play Store
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LG is finally rolling out the Marshmallow update for the G3 in Poland
Yesterday, we reported that LG had started rolling out the long-awaited Marshmallow update to all unlocked variants of the G3 in Poland, but, unfortunately, the tip we received turned out to be false. However, LG took to its official Twitter account today to announce that is, in fact, now pushing out the OTA for the handset in the region.
To see if it’s ready for your device, simply open up Settings, scroll right down to the bottom and tap on “About Device”, hit “System Updates”, then select “Check for updates”. The upgrade will then start downloading in the background and your handset will restart when the installation process is initiated.
Source: LG (Twitter)
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Twitter for Mac Gets Major Update With Revamped Design, New Features
Twitter for Mac today received its most significant upgrade since 2013, introducing a range of new features to bring the Mac app in line with the iOS and web experiences. Twitter for Mac 4.0 includes an updated design with improvements to icons, buttons, and interactions, and it brings a new dark theme to change the background from white to black.
Along with a new look, Twitter for Mac is gaining several new features like inline video playback, GIF support, Group Direct Messages, a mute option, and the ability to quote tweets. All of these features have previously been available within the Twitter iOS app and on the web. Today’s update also includes a new Today Center Widget for viewing Twitter highlights in the Apple Notification Center on the Mac.
Don’t call it a comeback!
Twitter for Mac is getting the update you’ve been asking for. Now it looks and feels more like the Twitter you carry with you everyday. We’ve built in some of the most-requested features so your Twitter for Mac experience combines what you love about Twitter with the elegance you expect on a Mac. Here’s what we’ve added:
– Inline video playback – You’ll see videos play directly in your feed.
– GIFs support – See animations without leaving your timeline.
– Group Direct Messages – Create and receive private notes with up to 50 people.
– Mute – Silence specific accounts so you no longer see them in your feed.
– Today Center Widget – Get your Twitter Highlights right on your desktop.
– Dark Theme – Now you can see the world in black or white.
– Updated design – Get the latest improvements to icons, buttons, and interactions.
– Quote Tweet – Add your two cents to any Retweet.
The Mac Twitter app received a minor update in August of 2015, but beyond that, the app has gone untouched since 2014. The last major version update ahead of today’s refresh was introduced in December of 2013.
Twitter for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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AT&T to Stop Offering Two-Year Phone Contracts Starting January 8
Starting on January 8, 2016, AT&T plans to introduce a “pricing simplification effort” that will see the end of device subsidies and two-year contracts. According to an internal training document shared by Engadget, new and existing AT&T customers will only be able to purchase a smartphone at full price or with an AT&T Next payment plan going forward.
As outlined in the document, the new rules apply to all of the phones that AT&T sells, including smartphones and more basic devices, which will be paid for using new installment plans. More information on how AT&T will handle corporate accounts and non-smartphone devices like tablets and wearables will become available after an official announcement from AT&T, but it appears certain corporate users will be able to continue making two-year contract purchases.
The shift away from two-year contracts and iPhone subsidies began with T-Mobile in 2013, when the company introduced its Un-carrier payment plans uncoupling device costs from plan costs. Verizon followed suit in August of 2015, debuting new smartphone rate plans and eliminating its subsidized two-year contract option for new users.
Existing Verizon customers can still renew their two-year contracts, but AT&T’s no-contract implementation is more extreme and will not offer existing customers the option to keep their contracts once they expire.
AT&T has already been working on shifting away from two-year contracts by pushing its Next plans. In June of 2015, AT&T forced Apple and other third-party retailers to remove the option to purchase AT&T phones with a two-year contract, leaving customers with AT&T Next or a full-priced smartphone as their only third-party purchase options.
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Oculus Rift will ship with VR platformer ‘Lucky’s Tale’
Evoking the days of when consoles shipped with actual games, Oculus just announced a second bundled title for its upcoming Rift VR headset: Lucky’s Tale, a platformer from Words with Friends creator Paul Bettner. Earlier this month, the company also revealed that Eve: Valkyrie will also come every Oculus Rift. For the most part, Lucky’s Tale looks like a typical platforming title along the lines of Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie — the big difference is that the Rift serves as a virtual camera. But even if it doesn’t look very original, another free game will certainly make the Rift more appealing to mainstream consumers. While there’s still no official launch date or price, Oculus says the Rift will launch in the first quarter of 2016.
Source: Oculus
What to expect from CES in 2016
In just a few days the Engadget team will be getting on a plane (well several different planes) and heading to Vegas. That’s right, its time for CES again — the biggest consumer technology show of the year. Each January some of the largest (and some of the smallest) names in tech bring their newest and shiniest wares to the desert. Wondering what to expect this year? For starters, definitely more wearables, more connected home goods and, yes, all the TVs. Need more detail? Check out the gallery below for a breakdown of what we expect to see on the ground.
Potential Tesla competitor posts teaser video of concept car
Ahead of its big reveal at CES next week, super-secret car company Faraday Future unveiled a short teaser video of a concept car driving around a track at either sunset or day break with dramatic music playing in the background. A glimpse of the logo, what appears to be carbon fiber, some headlights and a wheel are the only objects visible from the car that’s being built to “redefine our relationship with the automobile.”
Our concept reveal is in 5 days at #CES2016. Watch live at 8pm PST on Jan 4: https://t.co/hMuj6HUGXN #CarOfConcepts https://t.co/aDEDt7O9na
— Faraday Future (@FaradayFuture) December 30, 2015
Now it’s up to Faraday to live up to the hype its generated around the concept car it’ll be introducing. It takes more than a slick video to wow the buying public.
Source: Faraday Future
[TA Deals] These Super Soft Texting Gloves are only $6.75 right now
Winter is here, and while you may or may not have a whole lot of snow on the ground, it’s still bitter cold out. Gloves are the obvious answer to that problem, but they also make it difficult to respond to text messages, check up on social media, and other things on your smartphone. It’s very inconvenient to take your glove off to use your smartphone, especially in the bitter cold. And that’s just what these Super Soft Texting Gloves over on Talk Android Deals aim to fix.
No longer do you have to take your gloves off to respond to that important text message, as these gloves keep your hands warm and still let you use your smartphone!
Here’s the great features that come with these Super Soft Texting Gloves:
- Works w/ most smartphones & tablets
- One-size-fits all
- Extra comfortable fit & feel
- Simple color & design matches everything
- Keeps your hands & fingertips warm
These Super Soft Texting Gloves come in both Black and Gray colors. Normally they retail for $10, but the price has been slashed by 32% over on Talk Android Deals, bringing it down to a meager $6.75. That’s not a bad price to pay for convenience!
Head on over to the link below to get yours today!
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AT&T to ditch most two-year phone contracts on January 8th
AT&T’s long affair with the two-year contract continues to wind down, Engadget has learned. According to an internal document sent to employees this morning, new and existing customers will only be able to get new phones by paying the full price upfront or in installments over time. The move is set to take effect on January 8th, so you’d better act fast if you (for some reason) really want to lock yourself down for a few more years.
Just to be perfectly clear, this move applies to all of AT&T’s phones. Once the new year rolls around, even flip phones and non-smartphones with keyboards (what AT&T likes to call “Quick Messaging Devices”) must be bought outright or with an installment plan. What’s less clear is the status of wearables like the Samsung Gear S2 and tablets, which are currently sold (and promoted heavily) with two-year contracts. It’s also possible (if not likely) that AT&T will keep multi-year contracts around for large corporate accounts, and we’re looking into both situations. AT&T’s vague, highly vetted statement says the change is being made for the sake of “aligning… service offerings with customer and industry trends”. Well, we can’t argue with that. While smaller, scrappier carriers like T-Mobile have already bailed on the multi-year contract model, AT&T has been slower to act.
This June, the company stopped offering contracts for smartphones to customers through local dealers and partner retailers like Best Buy and Apple. The option to ink a contract remained for people who bought basic phones or went straight to an AT&T store and asked specifically for a contract extension. The message? Payment plans like AT&T Next were the future. That sentiment was echoed when Verizon stopped pushing two-year contracts a few months later. The thing is, people who had those contracts could keep them and still get subsidized phones if they wanted — an option that won’t be available to AT&T customers. Still have questions? Feel free to refer to the FAQ our tipster friend also provided:
AIVAnet 