Samsung’s Galaxy S7 might actually launch with three size options, some with curved screens
Remember when we thought Samsung would offer two versions of the Galaxy S7? And that Samsung was going to trim down some models to avoid confusion with the Edge and normal variants? Nope, that’d be too simple for Samsung. Buckle up, we’re probably going to see four different variants of the Galaxy S7.
As of right now, there are three different screen sizes for the Galaxy S7. There will be a 5.1-inch, 5.5-inch, and 6-inch version of the device, and there will be varying screen options depending on the size you want. Technically, the report about Samsung not making the smaller device with a curved screen was correct, so the smallest, 5.1-inch phone will only have a flat screen. The medium sized 5.5-inch screen will only be available in a curved variant, but the largest 6-inch device will have both a flat and curved option.
So let’s recap:
- 5.1-inch, non-curved display
- 5.5-inch, curved display
- 6-inch, non-curved display
- 6-inch, curved display
When in doubt, just make as many devices as possible and hope something sticks. Let’s just hope the actual hardware inside each of these phones doesn’t wildly differ depending on what size screen they have. Samsung has been known to do that, only putting the absolute highest-end hardware in their biggest devices, but maybe they’ll accommodate people that want smaller phones this time around.
source: GSM Arena
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s Galaxy S7 might actually launch with three size options, some with curved screens
Google finally ditching Java APIs for open-source alternatives in next version of Android
Remember that long, drawn-out, ongoing legal battle between Oracle and Google over whether or not Java’s APIs can be copyrighted and if Google infringed on them and all of that other boring legal garble? Well, it’s still not over, but Google has made an interesting change in regard to the next version of Android.
A new codebase commit seems to imply that Google is dropping Java APIs in favor of the open-source OpenJDK. Google confirmed the change, although they didn’t clarify if it was because they’re legally required to thanks to a recent development in their current legal battle or if they’re simply moving away from Java’s implementation to avoid any more liability in the future.
Google says some new features in Java 8 last year prompted this change, and it does mean that things should be simpler for developers, as they’ll only have one codebase to deal with instead of multiple. Simplicity is always great, but this seems like something Google should have done months or years ago.
This legal battle, and this programming change, mean a lot for the tech industry going forward. Keep an ear out for any major developments over the next few months.
source: Venture Beat
Come comment on this article: Google finally ditching Java APIs for open-source alternatives in next version of Android
HTC’s Cher Wang defiantly declares HTC will never disappear
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
In today’s smartphone market climate, we really wouldn’t be surprised to hear that struggling brands like HTC and Sony might depart the industry in the not-too-distant future – and many media outlets have already put their bets down on who is going to disappear in 2016. One such article by Reuters, written by Robyn Mak, put HTC in said sinking bucket, a label that HTC chairwoman Cher Wang sees an issue with. In her rebuttal, Wang declares that HTC will never disappear and that 2016 is an exciting year for the Taiwanese outfit. Reasons to get excited include their new flagship smartphone, a new VR headset, the HTC Vive, and a partnership with Under Armour in the fitness wearable space.
The article written by Mak originally paints HTC as a terminal company with very little hope: “The loss- making HTC is already on life-support as its US$1.3 billion cash pile dwindles”. And the regular quarterly reports that report significant losses can’t but help that depressing imagery. Unfortunately, it does seem HTC is going to do a lot better than just diversify their device portfolio, as they’re not going to be making bank with the Vive and some fitness wearables – then again, maybe they will.
What do you think about HTC’s situation in the smartphone market? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Focus Taiwan via Phandroid
The post HTC’s Cher Wang defiantly declares HTC will never disappear appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
‘Hateful Eight’ hits digital screens earlier than planned
The 70mm roadshow release of Tarantino’s Hateful Eight has been doing very well financially despite its various projector problems and the leak of the movie’s DVD screener. In order to accommodate more viewers than the 100 theatres it’s currently in can handle, its producers are showing the movie on digital screens a day earlier than planned. The Western will be shown in 1,958 theatres starting on December 30th, though pre-shows have already begun in some locations as early as tonight.
If you plan to watch the movie on New Year’s Eve, you’ll have even more choices, since it’ll hit even more locations on December 31st. Only the original 100 locations will continue showing it in its Roadshow 70mm format, though. You can still use Hateful Eight’s official website to see if any of those theatres are near you… if you don’t mind dealing with possible issues, such as blurry visuals and out-of-sync audio.
Source: Deadline
Louis Vuitton’s 2016 collection, as modeled by ‘Final Fantasy’
She might have already been decked in Prada (and er, moogles), but Final Fantasy XIII‘s often-reheated hero, Lightning, is now the face of Louis Vuitton’s incoming collection early next year. This all comes direct from the Instagram account of the fashion house’s Creative Director, Nicolas Ghesquiere. Watch Lightning wield an LV purse like a “Blue Steel” Buster Sword in the animated teaser after the break.
A video posted by 🆖 (@nicolasghesquiere) on Dec 25, 2015 at 1:38pm PST
Via: Polygon
Source: Instagram
The NSA spied on Congress, too
Just because the United States said it stopped spying on friendly foreign heads of state like Germany’s Angela Merkel, doesn’t mean that Uncle Sam actually has. Eavesdropping has actually continued and the list of targets included Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Wall Street Journal reports. What’s more, the National Security Agency was caught spying on members of Congress and American-Jewish groups as a direct result, according to WSJ‘s anonymous sources.
Over the course of the Iran nuclear negotiations that have taken place in the past several years, the NSA learned that Israel had leaked information to Jewish-American groups to undermine the negotiations taking place at the time. The nation had also approached members of Congress to see what it’d take to earn their vote against the accords.
The situation is a mess and understandably no one involved looks good or wants to admit to any wrongdoing. Israel was trying to win US votes for its cause, the NSA was illegally intercepting these transmissions and basically everyone caught with their hands in the cookie jar is rapidly trying to deny that any of this ever happened. You know, despite proof otherwise. More than that, the NSA has apparently gotten so adept at this type of surveillance that a president, Obama in this case, knowing what a visiting head of state’s talking points would be long before their arrival is incredibly common.
Did the NSA lie to Congress? Compare today’s @WSJ to Sanders’ clear 2014 question on spying: https://t.co/oxsCdzF5WZ pic.twitter.com/Ln0VKMQ5G7
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 30, 2015
Revelations like this prove that it’s probably going to be a very, very, very long time before the fallout from Edward Snowden’s exposure of unchecked spying ever settles down.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Class Action Lawsuit Accuses Apple of Crippling iPhone 4s With iOS 9 Update
Apple was today hit with a class action lawsuit (via AppleInsider) seeking over $5 million in damages for deceptive trade practices and false advertising. Plaintiff Chaim Lerman says that he and other iPhone 4s owners became unable to use their devices after upgrading to iOS 9 as the update “significantly slowed down” their iPhones and “interfered with the normal usage of the device.”
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were forced to either live with a “slow and buggy” device that “disrupts every day life” or shell out hundreds of dollars for a new iPhone.
When iPhone 4s owners are faced with the dilemma of continuing to use a slow, buggy phone or spend hundreds to buy a new phone, Apple often benefits because consumers will often buy a new iPhone to keep their investment in the App ecosystem. […]
Furthermore, iPhone owners will buy a newer iPhone when faced with the choice because it is familiar and they can easily transfer their information, media, contacts, and apps without a major disruption in usage. There is no learning curve and no delays and trouble that accompany new information input. Thus Apple stands to benefit financially when older iPhones are slowed down and owners are forced to purchase a new phone.
The plaintiffs argue that Apple failed to properly warn iPhone 4s users that the update would “significantly interfere” with the performance of their phones. When Lerman and other plaintiffs upgraded their devices, they noticed a significant drop in performance in both third-party apps and basic functions like using the Phone app. Because Apple does not allow iPhone users to easily downgrade their device to a previous iOS version, the plaintiffs feel like they’re forced into either using a slower phone or purchasing a new one.
Apple’s advertising, the plaintiffs allege, does not mention the potential of slowed performance for iPhone 4s users, instead focusing on performance improvements. The lawsuit points towards Apple’s iOS 9 website, which says the update brings “faster performance, improved security, convenient updates, and longer battery life.” The plaintiffs argue that Apple must have known about the iPhone 4s’ slower performance from internal testing or other means and did not warn users about potential headaches in their advertising.
This isn’t the first time Apple has been accused of planned obsolescence, as the company was hit with a lawsuit in 2011 regarding the iPhone 3G and iOS 4. That case was thrown out by the judge who ruled the iOS 4 update was not a “good or service” and dismissed claims of false advertising and deceptive business practices.
Discuss this article in our forums
This DIY sonar glove can ‘feel’ distant objects underwater
If you live in a relatively dry climate, you probably don’t worry about underwater hazards during the flood season. If you attend Tsukuba University, Japan however — just miles from where the Kinugawa River flooded Joso City earlier this year — the risk of rising water is a very real threat. Enough so that two Tsukuba Ph.D. candidates have developed a 3D-printed sonar glove specifically for the purpose of searching flood waters.
Aisen Carolina Chacin and Takeshi Ozu call the sonar device the IrukaTact — an amalgam of ‘tactile’ and the Japanese word for dolphin. It may look like a few simple plastic finger covers, but there’s a lot going on with this device. The IrukaTact uses a combination of small water jets, a MaxBotix MB7066 sonar sensor and an Arduino Pro Mini to create tactile pressure feedback underwater. If the user’s hand is far away from a solid object, the jets will apply relatively little pressure to the fingers; if they’re close, the jets will kick in at full stream.
The sensor is capable of finding underwater objects up to two feet away. That doesn’t seem like much, but it’s enough to detect terrain changes and obstacles in murky water — the kind you might find while performing rescue operations after a flood. The team has made the glove’s design available as a DIY kit, and hopes it will find use as a tool for emergency response groups.
Source: Popular Science, TinkerCad
Spend an afternoon with the ‘Sonic’ charity marathon
The fine folks at Respawn Point are in the middle of a non-stop, seven-day Sonic the Hedgehog marathon, livestreamed on Twitch and benefiting UK charity Special Effect, which helps people with disabilities play video games. The stream started on December 27th and runs through January 3rd. Respawn Point’s stream team is playing a lineup of historically significant Sonic games, starting with 1991’s Sonic the Hedgehog and including notoriously awful installments like the 2006 Sonic disaster.
“We’re all fans of the Sonic franchise here, and while we’ll be sure to suffer through a few of the more notorious games, the highs of the better entries are worth it,” Respawn Point says.
This is the group’s fifth Sonic charity marathon, though the team took a year off in 2014. Now, they’re back in action and happy to be so, ringleader Zack Harrot said during today’s livestream.
“It feels great,” Harrot said, responding to a question I dropped in the Twitch chat. “We never wanted to take a year off, it’s just from time to time, sadly, real life does get in the way of things like this. …Even during that year off, I tried to find ways to fit it in in other places, but it just didn’t happen. It’s always the highlight of my year, honestly. And while it’s difficult and kind of stressful to put together at times, I always have a great deal of fun. We all do.”
The Sonic marathon hopes to raise at least $2,000 for Special Effect by January 3rd.
Source: Respawn Point
US Army retires its first drone
Military drones may still seem like relatively fresh concepts, but they’re officially old hat as of this month: the US Army has retired its first-ever drone, IAI’s Hunter, after 20 (!) years of service. The robotic recon veteran will now see use only through government-owned contractor support units. The troops, meanwhile, will upgrade to the General Atomics Gray Eagle, which boasts better sensors on top of greater endurance (25 hours instead of 12) and a higher altitude ceiling (29,000 feet versus 15,000).
The Hunter had a troubled start (production stopped quickly due to program mismanagement), but it’s ending its career on a strong note. Its first operational flights, over the Balkans in 1999, represented a sort of baptism by fire for Army drones — the Hunter was so successful in the region that production resumed to get more units in the skies. The UAV also served in Iraq from 2003 onward, and developed a reputation for toughness that may be hard to match. While the Hunter’s replacement is arguably necessary, it’ll definitely be missed.
[Image credit: Dave Conrad, Fort Hood Public Affairs]
Via: Chron, ExecutiveGov
Source: Army.mil
AIVAnet 