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17
Dec

Qualcomm renamed two Snapdragon chips to show their superiority


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Qualcomm names all of their Snapdragon chips just numbers, but they are usually hard to tell apart. The only way to distinguish between them is the first number, 400, 600, and so on means a different series. However, two Snapdragon chips will now be renamed to make them “easier” to tell apart.

The Snapdragon 618 will be changed to 650, and the 620 will now be known as the 652. The reason for this change is to separate these two chips from lower-end ones in the same line.

Since the announcement of the Snapdragon 620 earlier this year, we’ve added a number of processors to the 600 tier including the 615, 616 and 617. The Snapdragon 620 and 618 processors stood out however, with their use of our advanced X8 LTE modem technology with Cat 6 support and carrier aggregation plus the advanced ARM-A72 CPU and next generation Qualcomm Adreno 510 GPU.

The 650 and 652 feature 4K Ultra HD video capture, advanced X8 LTE modems with carrier aggregation support, and Cortex-A72 CPU cores. For these reasons, Qualcomm felt it was necessary to push them far ahead of the others in the 600 tier.

Currently, neither chip is being used in any smartphones or tablets, but Qualcomm says they will be soon.

Source: Qualcomm

Come comment on this article: Qualcomm renamed two Snapdragon chips to show their superiority

17
Dec

FilmoraGo is a new video editor with tons of features, functions, and social integration


filmoraGo iconGoogle’s Play Store offers a ton of fantastic apps for just about everything you can imagine, but one area where it’s sorely lacking is solid video editors. That’s a tough use case to crack for most developers, considering the processing power required for decent video editing and the fact that most people aren’t going to want to edit home movies on a smaller screen, and that doesn’t even touch on the fact that these apps have to compete against the pretty good preloaded video editing software on most high-end phones. That hasn’t stopped Wondershare from releasing a brand new mobile video editor onto the Play Store, however, that’s based on their currently available desktop video editing suite.

FilmoraGo is a completely loaded app with more features than you can shake a stick at. At its core, it’s really just a great video editor, but it’s got a ton of extra functionality to give your videos that extra creative flair. There are several pre-baked themes that you can automatically apply to your videos, but if you want to dig in you’ll find filters and effects, the ability to title and caption things, and even a way to add a custom soundtrack to your movies.

The app supports bringing in your videos from several popular social media sites, and of course supports exporting those created videos back out to many sites.

If there was ever a thing as a professional video editing tool for Android, this is it. And best of all, it’s completely free.

Play Store Download Link

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Come comment on this article: FilmoraGo is a new video editor with tons of features, functions, and social integration

17
Dec

Huawei will unveil a women’s Huawei Watch at CES


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Huawei makes one of the nicest looking Android Wear watches to date, however, just like most smartwatches, it’s probably a little big for your wrist if you are a women. For that reason, Huawei is rumoured to unveil a women’s version at CES 2016.

The women’s watches will feature similar functionality to the standard version, with only visual changes. Featuring more feminine-looking bands, and stylized watch cases. We would assume Huawei will also be making some new watch faces to match the new watch designs.

Also, it is said Huawei is already working on a second generation normal Huawei Watch, with plans to launch it in the second half of next year. Some other rumours we are hearing is it may feature cellular capabilities.

Source: 9to5Google

Come comment on this article: Huawei will unveil a women’s Huawei Watch at CES

17
Dec

Shaw Communications acquires Canada’s largest non-incumbent wireless provider


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Shaw Communications announced last week that it will acquire WIND Mobile — Canada’s largest non-incumbent wireless provider — for about $1.6 billion.

Shaw Communications CEO Brad Shaw said the following about the acquisition:

“The time has come to offer even more mobility to our customers. By acquiring WIND, we now have immediate scale, spectrum, retail distribution and a network with a clear path to LTE that complements our existing fibre and WiFi infrastructure.”

WIND Mobile serves approximately 940,000 subscribers across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.

Shaw Communications Inc. to acquire WIND Mobile Corp.

  • Enhances Shaw’s product offering by expanding mobile service capabilities and enabling development of a best-in-class converged wireline and wireless network
  • Unique opportunity to acquire rapidly growing wireless business together with 50 MHz of spectrum in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia
  • Acquisition of WIND represents the most efficient operating and financial entry point into the Canadian wireless landscape
  • Time to market and integration will be greatly enhanced via an established operating business and experienced management team

Calgary, Alberta (December 16, 2015) — Shaw Communications Inc. (“Shaw”) (TSX:SJR.B) (NYSE:SJR) announced today that it has agreed to acquire a 100% interest in Mid-Bowline Group Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, WIND Mobile Corp. (“WIND” or the “Company”) for an enterprise value of approximately $1.6 billion (the “Transaction”).

“The global telecom landscape is quickly evolving towards ‘mobile-first’ product offerings as consumers demand ubiquitous connectivity from their service providers. The acquisition of WIND provides Shaw with a unique platform in the wireless sector which will allow us to offer a converged network solution to our customers that leverages our full portfolio of best-in-class telecom services, including fibre, cable, WiFi, and now wireless,” said Chief Executive Officer, Brad Shaw. “This transaction represents a transformational step in the history of Shaw and we are excited about our future growth prospects in mobile. This growth will be accelerated by combining Shaw’s existing customer relationships, trusted brand and wireline and WiFi infrastructure with WIND’s impressive asset base, including its existing spectrum position and mobile network.”

WIND is Canada’s largest non-incumbent wireless services provider, serving approximately 940,000 subscribers across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta with 50MHz of spectrum in each of these regions. Led by a management team with demonstrated telecom expertise, the Company has achieved impressive growth as evidenced by a 47% increase in its subscriber base over the past two years which has translated into strong growth in revenue and EBITDA. In calendar year 2015, WIND is expected to generate $485 million in revenue and $65 million in EBITDA. As WIND continues to reinvest in its network and service offering, including a scheduled upgrade to 4G LTE services by 2017, the Company expects that its unique customer value proposition will result in continued strong growth in the future.

WIND’s current management team is led by Chief Executive Officer Alek Krstajic, who has over 20 years of telecom experience. Mr. Krstajic and his team will remain with the Company and will continue to drive the wireless opportunity. “We believe the combination of Shaw and WIND creates a wireless leader with immediate benefits for our customers and employees, giving them more choice, capabilities and opportunities to stay connected,” said Mr. Krstajic. “With Shaw’s long-term commitment, customer focus and breadth of product offering, this transaction enables us to enter into a new phase of growth.”

In 2011, Shaw announced the launch of a carrier-grade WiFi network, Shaw GO WiFi, which has since expanded to over 75,000 hotspots, increasing the value proposition of broadband outside of the home. “The time has come to offer even more mobility to our customers,” said Mr. Shaw. “By acquiring WIND, we now have immediate scale, spectrum, retail distribution and a network with a clear path to LTE that complements our existing fibre and WiFi infrastructure.”

Transaction Terms & Financing

Under the terms of the Transaction, Shaw will acquire 100% of the shares of WIND‟s parent company, Mid-Bowline Group Corp., by plan of arrangement, for an enterprise value of approximately $1.6 billion based on quarterly financial statements as of September 30, 2015. Shaw has executed a fully-committed bridge financing facility with the Toronto Dominion Bank and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Shaw is committed to a financing plan that maintains its investment grade status and accordingly will optimize the significant flexibility available to it, including potential debt issuance, asset sales, the issuance of preferred or common equity or any combination thereof. Additional details regarding the longer term financing of the Transaction will be provided prior to close.

The Transaction is subject to the receipt of certain approvals, including those from the Competition Bureau and the Ministry of Innovation, Science & Economic Development (formerly Industry Canada) and court approval of the plan of arrangement. Shareholders of Mid-Bowline Group Corp. have approved the transaction and closing is expected to occur during the third quarter of fiscal 2016.

CIBC World Markets Inc. and TD Securities Inc. acted as financial advisors to Shaw in connection with the Transaction and Dentons Canada LLP provided legal advice.

Come comment on this article: Shaw Communications acquires Canada’s largest non-incumbent wireless provider

17
Dec

Hangouts may lose capabilities with a future update, rumor says


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According to recent rumors, a future Hangouts update will remove one of the features people take for granted. We’re talking about the ability to send and receive SMS and MMS messages.

For those of you who use Hangouts as your proprietary messaging app, you might have to consider a new app moving forward. Based on a new rumor from those at Phandroid, Google will be moving in a new direction with the next update to its Hangouts application. Google might be suggesting its Messenger application, which launched back in 2014. Google employees have already begun the testing process for the updated version of Hangouts, meaning the public release isn’t that far off.

On the good side, the newest version of Hangouts will bring some new and improved enhancements by popular demand. First off is a quick reply feature that allows users to reply to messages directly from the notification pop-up without the need to open the full-scaled app. This feature is already present on Google’s Messenger application. Additionally, a new shortcut to recently used contacts can now be accessed on your homescreen. However, we’ll have to wait until the public release before we confirm anything.

Source: Phandroid (1) (2)

Come comment on this article: Hangouts may lose capabilities with a future update, rumor says

17
Dec

Get this look: CandyCons – Icon Pack


From the young developer Vukasin Andelkovic comes a quality Material Design inspired icon pack full of designs that should cover most of your app collection. I’ve been using this icon pack for a couple weeks now and haven’t thought about switching to anything else. Despite how young the app is, it provides a very large number of icons with the promise of many more. People change their icons because their bored of the current look and want something new. With CandyCons, you aren’t stuck with one look for one icon, this pack provides many different options for a single icon.

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Why we love this look

Like I mentioned above, I love how I’m not stuck with one color or look for something like the Chrome app or my messaging app. Chrome alone has eleven different looks in this icon pack. Hangouts has ten different colors to choose from. Your stock messaging app? There’s twenty two colors for that. The fact that I can have most of the apps on my homepage stay in a uniform color is a really cool feature, and makes my phone all the more appealing.

CandyCons’s app interface is also a pleasure to use, and sticks with the fresh look of Material Design. From the icons section, you can see all the included icons in one column and the new icons from the latest update in the next. The latest update gave the users free Christmas icons to place on their homescreens, which I found to be very thoughtful. The app also includes a wallpapers section including only Google Earth images similar to the ones included in stock Android 6.0. Hit the link below for the free download from Google Play

CandyCons – Icon Pack

 

The post Get this look: CandyCons – Icon Pack appeared first on AndroidGuys.

17
Dec

Google drops Nexus 5X and 6P prices by $50 for the holidays


Google announced on Wednesday that it has reduced the price for its flagship Nexus 6P and 5X handsets by $50. That means you can pick up a 6P or a 5X for as little as $450 and $330, respectively (and depending on how much onboard memory you spring for). What’s more, the company is offering free overnight shipping throughout the holiday season. The discount promotion runs through December 22nd while free shipping lasts until December 30th. These deals are only available to customers in the US and Japan, mind you. So if you’re in the market for one of these phones and don’t want to go through your carrier to get it, now is the time to act.

Source: Google (Twitter)

17
Dec

‘The Banner Saga’ pillages its way to PS4 and Xbox One soon


The Banner Saga‘s road to a console release has been a bit rocky, but the development team at Stoic has some good news: the excellent viking epic lands on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this coming January 12th. That’s pretty soon! In fact, the team’s efforts to make sure this isn’t just a quick and dirty console port are what’s caused the sequel’s delay from its originally promised 2015 launch. And actually, this porting process has worked to get the developers familiar with console hardware for future projects.Slideshow-349135

It’s something publisher Versus Evil mentions specifically in a prepared statement, no less. “With this latest achievement [the console port], the Stoic team is able to work on more platforms and reach more customers with its games and technology,” general manager Steve Escante says. “Looking ahead at what this could mean for Banner Saga 2 gets really exciting.” For an idea of what it’ll look like on your TV next year, check out the gallery up above.

17
Dec

Get your holiday spirit on with Androidify’s latest update



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Every Android enthusiasts favorite creation app, Androidify, has an update waiting for install. As one would expect, it brings along the holiday spirit with a number of new items to deck out your personal Droid. There are beanies, ugly Christmas sweaters and so much more.

Androidify Holiday (1)Androidify Holiday (2)Along with the holiday updates, Google also baked in a number of additional items that users suggested including phones & devices, sports gear, new outfits and more. I fully expect my G+ feed to be littered with holiday geared up Droids before the week ends.


Head to the Play Store and snag the update now.

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The post Get your holiday spirit on with Androidify’s latest update appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

17
Dec

Sprint handing out 32-inch TVs with purchase of Samsung Galaxy device



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Ok, so a free laptop or TV offer when signing up for cable, internet or satellite is a pretty normal offering lately. In the cellphone industry we usually see buy one get one free devices, free tablet, a year of a service like Netflix or extra cloud storage. Sprint on the other hand, along with Samsung, want to put a 32-inch 720p TV in your office when you buy or lease a qualifying Samsung phone.

“A free TV from Samsung is the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one,” said Roger Sole, chief marketing officer, Sprint. “Sprint is excited to team up with Samsung and offer consumers an exciting promotion with the popular Galaxy smartphones. And, we invite new customers to switch to Sprint and save 50 percent off their current rate plan.”


The offer is good when you buy or lease a Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ or Samsung Galaxy Note 5. You can pick up any of those devices on a 2-year contract, Sprints EasyPay, Sprint Lease or even as an outright purchase and get your TV. To claim your free TV you have to make your purchase between December 18th and December 24th and visit the Samsung Promotions page to make your claim. (Link isn’t active yet) Once claimed, you should get a your TV in 4 to 6 weeks. The TV in question is the LED J4000 series TV. Samsung is handing those out for $200 on their website right now with free shipping through December 31st. That isn’t really the point thought.

I find it interesting that AT&T didn’t work this deal out with Samsung since AT&T owns DirecTV now and Samsung does a lot of business with them. Any Sprint customers holding out for the 18th to get a TV while you are at it?

Source: Sprint Newsroom

The post Sprint handing out 32-inch TVs with purchase of Samsung Galaxy device appeared first on AndroidSPIN.