Tokyo police are taking 3D mugshots of suspects
Security camera footage isn’t always that useful for identifying suspects, even if you know who it’s likely to be. What good is a mugshot when video shows the crook’s head tilted down? Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department has an answer. As of April, all of its 102 stations will start taking 3D mugshots that let them compare faces, regardless of the angle. Ideally, this will help arrest suspects that much faster — police won’t have to guess based on plain old photos, or ask for specialized gear to be shipped across the city or country. The 2D pictures aren’t going away, but officers will soon have one more tool under their belts.
[Image credit: Metropolitan Police Department]
Via: BBC
Source: Asahi Shimbun
Amazon accused of handing out its users’ personal data
Eric Springer is not happy, mostly because he believes that Amazon let a nefarious type get at his account. In a blog over at Medium, Springer revealed that he was the victim of a “social engineering” hack that exposed his details to an unnamed third party. With just a rough idea of Springer’s location and his email address, the attacker tricked a customer services rep to give up almost all of his personal information. The attacker was subsequently able to use this data to trick Springer’s bank into sending out a copy of his credit card.
Rather than attacking computers, a “social engineering” hack goes after the most fallible element in a system: its operators. Let’s say, for instance, that you know the birthday, postal and email addresses of someone you really, really hate. You could use this information to contact a service provider that they use and pretend to be them, explaining away any missing data by saying you’d been knocked on the head. If the customer services agent believes your story, then they’d give you further pieces of information or, in the worst case, let you avoid standard security procedures altogether.
Springer, understandably, vents his anger at Amazon, which he says failed to understand that he was at risk of impersonation. That failure led to his account being compromised a second time just “a couple of months” later. The attacker attempted to get the customer services agent to hand over Springer’s credit card data, which, he believes, they may finally have been able to do. This isn’t an isolated incident, either, since a commenter to Springer’s story was able to spoof their own account with similar levels of success.
It’s quite a big charge to level against the mega-retailer, and one that could do some extensive damage to its reputation. We contacted the company to learn if it had any official response to the accusations leveled toward it by Springer. Unfortunately, it has not yet responded to us at the time of publication although we are very sure that Amazon will want to be heard on this topic. Those with long memories will recall that this isn’t the first time that the firm has been slammed — journalist Mat Honan lost access to his Amazon account after attackers impersonated him in 2012.
[Image Credit: Getty]
Source: Medium
Snapchat leak hints at a bid to fight Facebook Messenger
Snapchat has had features like live video calls for a while, but you almost wouldn’t know it from the interface — it’s still built around those one-at-a-time photo and video messages. However, there are hints that Snapchat is giving its design a much-needed makeover. Leaked screenshots from Snapprefs’ developers purport to show a hidden “ChatV2” interface where audio and video chat are obvious and easily accessible — you’d always know when you could make a live call. There’s also a revamped text chat interface that lets you send the stickers that have been all the rage in other messaging apps.
There’s no knowing if or when the interface will show up in a way you can easily use, and it might well change between then and now. However, it won’t be at all shocking if this launches in earnest. As popular as Snapchat might be with its 200 million users, it doesn’t hold a candle to giants like Facebook Messenger (600 million) and Line (about 700 million). Better messaging would give you a reason to stay in Snapchat whenever talking to your friends, rather than hopping between apps.
[Image credit: Snapprefs, Mészáros Marcell, Piotr Brzozowski, Jani Andsten]
Via: 9to5Google, Tech Insider
Source: XDA
Vine boss departs Twitter to work on VR at Google
The arrival of consumer level virtual reality is one of the most anticipated tech developments heading our way this year, both for customers and developers alike. The fledgling industry clearly has some major pull, as Vine General Manager Jason Toff has announced that he is leaving the company to work with Google on virtual reality.
Jason Toff didn’t offer an explanation for the move, other than exciting new opportunities to work on. He had been the director of product management at Twitter before heading over to Vine a couple of years ago, and had worked at YouTube before that. Unfortunately for Twitter, which owns Vine, this is just the latest in a number of high profile resignations, which includes Kevin Weil, head of products, and Katie Stanton, Twitter’s chief of global media. The company has been under increasing pressure to recapture its previous growth and generate additional revenue lately, and has seen its stock price fall to new lows.
Personal update! I’m joining Google to work on VR. So much exciting potential there.
— Jason Toff (@jasontoff) January 25, 2016
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
To accommodate the recent departures, CEO Jack Dorsey will be reorganizing some of the leading positions within the company. Twitter COO Adam Bain will be taking on responsibilities for the production, media and HR teams, while CTO Adam Messinger will be heading up engineering and consumer product research and development.
Read more: Google creates new virtual reality division
Turning back to VR. A couple of weeks ago, Clay Bavor was appointed to head up a newly created virtual reality division at Google. We don’t know exactly what the group will be working on, but it seems probable that the company is looking to expand out beyond its low cost Cardboard headset, especially if it wants to compete with emerging platforms from the likes of Oculus and HTC/Valve.
What we think about VR:
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10 awesome examples of material design (updated)
Update: Following some great feedback in the comments, I have updated this article with some more awesome examples of material design: Textra, Fabulous: Motivate Me, and Material Design Lite. I have also added a few animated GIFs to demonstrate some of these brilliant designs in action.
When material design first debuted in 2014, it changed the way our Android devices looked and behaved, and in most cases this change has been for the better. This is a design language that comes from Google itself that emphasizes a minimalistic layout, stunning animations, high contrast colors and a sense of physical interaction all to great effect. When done well, material design is crisp, clean, intuitive and can look fantastic. What’s more, it lends a sense of cohesion to the Android experience that makes everything feel that much more seamless.
In this countdown, we’ll be looking at 10 great examples of material design done right. Whether you’re a developer looking for a little inspiration for your own UIs, or you just want to fill your phone with stunning apps that perform well, you should find something to admire here.
Matrand
Matrand may be ‘just’ a random number generator but it is the type that a real mathematician would probably appreciate (as in, it’s properly random) and it sports a great look and feel that elevates it above similar offerings.
Most of us don’t have a massive need to generate random numbers but anyone can appreciate how this app looks. This is a simple, minimalist looking app with lots of blank space and a clear green-white color palette. The die icon is very fitting and manages to convey what the app is about. Clicking on said icon to generate the numbers intentionally evokes the motion of rolling the die.
Another nice touch is the monospace dialog box which gives the experience a retro-computer vibe that will make old-school coders feel right at home.
Phonograph Music Player
Phonograph Music Player is actually an app that was recommended by reader C.P. in the comments section of a previous article. As the name might suggest, it’s a music player in the same vein as Google Music, but it actually takes the minimal look a little further.
Phonograph ticks all the material design boxes with a flat looking icon, an interface that moves around the user (rather than the other way around) and a clean, fast, interface.
Since this is a music player, Phonograph looks best if you have lots of tracks stored on your device with big, attractive album covers. Also cool is the option to select your own primary and secondary colors for the palate. Not a fan of green? No problem!
Google Calendar
When looking for examples of material design, it makes sense to look to apps from Google itself. After all, it was Google that introduced the concept and so it follows that they should know their way around it. And perhaps their best example of material design is the Calendar App, which features everything we’ve come to love about the new look.
For starters, Google’s app finally did away with the conventional skeuomorphic design most calendar apps use that mimics the layout of a physical planner. We are no longer restricted by the need to fit our schedule onto paper, so why show only entries for the previous month when we’re on day 28? Instead, Google’s calendar gives you a vertical layout and places the current day at the top of the page. This way, you only see the upcoming days and events. Days where nothing is happening are condensed and this further streamlines the experience to show you only what’s actually useful.
Google’s app finally did away with the conventional skeuomorphic design most calendar apps use that mimics the layout of a physical planner.
This single change to the interface simultaneously allows the user to remain at the center of the experience so that the UI moves around them. Throw in some parallax scrolling and you have a really great looking app that combines.
Google+
Google+ is another example of Google nailing their own design principles. Both the app and the website look great with a scrolling interface that puts big images front and center. A red and white color palette throughout, monochromatic icons, great animations and scrolling navigation round out the experience (and the circular profile pictures look great). The Members and Collections panes look particularly good too as a scrolling grid of images.
Google+ may still be lagging behind other social networks in terms of users, but at least it has the edge over Facebook in the looks department!
Bing Bong
Bing Bong is one of several games from Nickervision Studios that takes very clear cues from Google’s material design. Other games from the developer’s catalogue include Side Swipe and Pivot (which make me think of Transformers and Ross from Friends respectively) and each of these relies on a similar look using flat geometric shapes against high-contrast backgrounds. Simple mechanics echo the simple designs too with all three being playable with just one hand. BingBong has to be the most addictive of the three though.
This is a pretty unique use for this kind of design which just goes to show that all kinds of apps can benefit from Google’s design mandate. It also goes to show that not every indie app has to be pixel art. Choosing a material design look is just as effective as a way to stand out with a stylish look that doesn’t require an AAA budget to produce. You could even make the argument that Thomas Was Alone has a similar aesthetic…
Material.cmiscm
Material.cmiscm isn’t an app but rather a site that loads in your browser. It’s also not really a web page but rather an ‘interactive experience’ showcasing the design principles of material design. It’s kind of like a strange museum of UI and it certainly looks amazing. Better yet, it also features an entirely responsive layout which is among the best implementations I’ve seen. Definitely worth a look.
Headspace
It’s only fitting that an app about meditation should have a very minimal design, which is probably why Headspace has perhaps the simplest icon of any app on the Play Store; a lone orange dot against a white background.
From there the app continues with its shades of orange and grey-white and you can scroll through sessions from the bottom upward. The block-color cartoons that decorate the app also contribute to the material design feel.
Evernote
Evernote is often praised for its take on material design and with good reason. The app has a strong and consistent color scheme throughout and is as well-designed as it is functional. Icons clearly and efficiently denote whether it’s a text note, a hand-written note or a photo you’ll be taking. The Elephant icon is simple and elegant, while the website, iOS and Windows 10 apps are also just as thoughtfully designed and laid out.
Microsoft Health
Microsoft has its own ‘Metro UI’ design guides for Windows but has been very good at playing ball on Android by adhering to a material look and feel. And Microsoft Health is actually one of the better examples on the Play Store.
The app is designed to work with the Band fitness tracker and shows all your stats in a simple vertical layout along with plane white icons (against a Microsoft-blue background). Click on one of these headings and the panel will ‘open out’ to reveal your stats. The UI is great for letting you get an overview at a glance while having the option to go deeper if required, which is a hallmark of good app design.
Nova Launcher
Not enough to be diving in and out of all these smart looking material design Apps? Sick of your Galaxy’s TouchWiz UI? Nova Launcher gives your homescreen a look much more consistent with stock Android and also happens to be highly customizable, very stable and lightning quick. It introduces some great animations too.
In fact, Nova is arguably actually a better implementation of material design than Google’s own Google Now Launcher, with smaller icons and more options (such as rotation, which is missing from Google’s offering). Beaten at their own game!
To take the look even further you might also want to try adding an icon pack for those pesky inconsistent icons. Urmun is a great choice, as is the straightforwardly named ‘Material Design Icons’. And of course you’ll want a great wallpaper to go along with that – my recommendation is something from the stunning Facets app…
Textra
After looking around a little further and also reading your very awesome suggestions in the comments section, I decided to add a few more examples to round the list out! The first one is Textra.
You want more Material Design, you say? Not satisfied with using a material design launcher with a material design background to launch material design apps?
Then maybe you should try adding Textra to your roster. This will replace your default SMS app with something a lot more pleasing to the eye. Block colors, a transparency effect that lets you see your homescreen while responding to messages and color customization options all add to the effect. It’s almost a shame that WhatsApp is what most of us use for the majority of our messaging these days…
Fabulous: Motivate Me
Fabulous: Motivate Me is a beautiful app that was recommended by SaurabhKoolkarni in the comments. Not only does this adhere to material design principles in all the normal ways with its crisp, flat images and bold colors but it also has some of the most attractive animations on the Play Store.
It’s actually a really good app generally too with lots of features and thoughtful design choices. If you’re looking for something to help you reach your goals (it’s still January after all…), then this app is as likely as any to get you there.
Material Design Lite
Material Design isn’t just for apps. Google is also keen to push web developers to get on board and so has provided some templates and code here to help them get started. There are some great examples of attractive material design here and better yet, they’re all free for you to use!
Final Thoughts
If you’d like to see more then I also recommend checking out MaterialUp which curates the very best examples and lets you browse through them.
As you can see then, there’s certainly no shortage of great looking apps on the Play Store thanks to material design and there’s a lot that the budding developer can learn from these. Honorable mentions also go to IF, Google Keep, Citymapper, Stitcher and the Play Store itself. Which apps do you think feature the best examples of material design?
5 problems with the Droid Turbo 2 and how to fix them
Motorola introduced the latest additions to their Verizon-exclusive Droid series of smartphones, with the higher-end of the two being the Droid Turbo 2. When compared to Motorola’s other high-end offering, the Moto X Style, the Droid Turbo 2 features a more powerful processing package, a larger battery, as well as a shatterproof display, courtesy of Motorola’s new ShatterShield technology. With Moto Maker also in the mix, in a lot of ways, the Droid Turbo 2 offers what many expected from its flagship counterpart. However, the Droid Turbo 2 is available exclusively from Verizon Wireless in the US, but there is an international version as well, called the Moto X Force.
As is the case with most smartphones and tablets released nowadays, the Droid Turbo 2 isn’t without its flaws. To help you tackle these problems, we’ve rounded up some of the common issues that plague Droid Turbo 2 owners, and offer potential solutions on how to fix them.
Disclaimer: Not all Droid Turbo 2 owners will face these problems, and it is actually more than likely that you won’t come across any of the issues mentioned below.
Problem #1 – Stuck/dead pixels
Some users have found stuck pixels on their displays, with random spotting along the top of the display in most cases.
Potential solutions:
- To help fix this problem, you can download an app like Pixel Fixer from the Google Play Store, and that should do the trick.
- This should not be confused by the green line issue that many Droid Turbo 2 owners have come across, and if that is what you see, the only option for now seems to be picking up a replacement.
Problem #2 – Incoming call notification not showing on lock screen
Some users have found that the incoming call notification does not show on the display, and users have to unlock the phone to see who is calling. This issue was seen with some other current generation Motorola smartphones as well.
Potential solutions:
- The fix for this issue has seemed to work for most users. Go to Settings – Apps – All, tap on the three dotted line at the corner for additional options, and tap on “Reset app preferences.” Now incoming call notifications show up as expected.
- Some users have also found that using third party lock screen widgets seem to cause a problem as well. Uninstall these apps, and see if the issue persists.
Problem #3 – “OK Google” voice command not working
When trying to set up the “OK Google” command, that can be used from any screen, users have found that the device is unable to register a voice, with a pop up message stating “Can’t use the microphone. Restart your device.” Even after being able to set it up, the command itself doesn’t work when attempting to use it. This issue was also seen with the Moto X Play.
Potential solutions:
- This issue is likely caused because of Moto Voice. It looks like users are allowed access to only one of these features, so you will have to choose between either Google Now or Moto Voice for your voice command needs. Keep in mind that Moto Voice does offer a lot of functionality as well, so it may not be a bad idea to stick to it.
- Remember that simply turning off Moto Voice in the settings will not do the trick. You will have to go into the Apps section in the Settings menu and disable Moto Voice for this problem to go away.
- If you find the issue to persist even after turning off Moto Voice, make sure that the default language selected in the Google Now setting is English (US). Depending on your region, this setting may be what is causing the problem.
Problem #4 – Camera error
Some users have found the camera app to stop working or not load at all, with an error message popping up that says that the app needs to be restarted. This also often happens when switching to the front-facing camera in the app.
Potential solutions:
- For many users, wiping the cache partition seems to have solved the problem. You can find the instructions on how to do so below.
- A third party app that also uses the camera may be the cause as well. Boot the device into Safe Mode and see if the issue persists. If it doesn’t, a rogue app is to blame. Uninstall any apps that were added just before the problem started, and see if it goes away.
- Some users have found the issue to be because of using Nova Launcher. Tapping on the camera icon on the homescreen did not launch the Moto camera app, leading to the error. Replace the homescreen icon with the camera app shortcut from the app drawer for the Moto camera, and that should do it.
Problem #5 – Connectivity issues
As is the case with any new device, there is a chance that you might face issues with connecting to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Users have found Bluetooth issues to be particularly prevalent with the Droid Turbo 2.
Potential solutions:
Wi-Fi issues
- Turn the device and the router off for at least ten seconds, then turn them back and retry the connection.
- Go to Settings – Power saving and ensure that this option is turned off.
- Use the Wi-Fi Analyzer to check how crowded your channel is, and switch to a better option.
- Forget the Wi-Fi connection by going to Settings – Wi-Fi and long tapping the connection you want, then selecting “Forget”. Re-enter the details and try again.
- Make sure the router firmware is up to date.
- Make sure the applications and software on the device are up to date.
- Go into Wi-Fi – Settings – Advanced and make a note of your device MAC address, then make sure that it is allowed access in the router’s MAC filter.
Bluetooth issues
- With issues when connecting to the car, check the manufacturer’s manual for the device and the car and reset your connections.
- Ensure that you are not missing a vital part of the connection process.
- Go to Settings – Bluetooth and ensure nothing needs changing
- Go into Settings – Bluetooth delete all prior pairings and try setting them up again from scratch.
- When it comes to issues with multiple device connection, only a future update will be able to address this problem.
Guides – Hard Reset, wipe cache partition, boot into Safe Mode
Hard Reset
- Make sure that the device is switched off.
- Press and hold the volume down key for a few seconds.
- While pressing the volume down key, simultaneously press the power button, and then release both.
- In the menu, use the volume down key to navigate to Recovery, and tap the volume up key to confirm.
- When the Android logo shows up, press and hold the power button.
- Then press and release the volume up key to show the menu options.
- Select “wipe data/factory reset,” and press the power button to confirm.
Wipe cache partition
- Make sure that the device is switched off.
- Press and hold the volume down key for a few seconds.
- While pressing the volume down key, simultaneously press the power button, and then release both.
- In the menu, use the volume down key to navigate to Recovery, and tap the volume up key to confirm.
- When the Android logo shows up, press and hold the power button.
- Then press and release the volume up key to show the menu options.
- Select “wipe cache partition,” and press the power button to confirm.
Boot into Safe Mode
- With the phone on, press and hold the power key until the on-screen “Power off” option shows up.
- Long press on the on-screen button, and select “Boot into Safe Mode.”
So, there you have it for this roundup of some the common issues faced by Droid Turbo 2 owners, and some solutions on how to fix them. We will continue to keep this updated, so if you do come across any other issues, do mention them in the comments section below.
Droid Turbo 2 videos
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However, don’t let these issues put you off from picking up the Droid Turbo 2. Most of these problems are easy to fix, and will likely be permanently addressed in future software updates. The Droid Turbo 2, with its large battery and shatterproof display is still a very attractive device that brings a lot of interesting features to the table, and is definitely one of the best smartphones to be released in 2015.
What We Know: Samsung Galaxy S7 rumors and leaks thus far
Rather than passing along every single rumor that comes across our plate we’ve opted to cover only those devices that we find most relevant. To that end, the “What We Know” column aims to highlight the flagship smartphone models that are looming on the horizon.
What you’ll find below is a list of rumors, leaks, speculation, images, and other stuff that pertains to the Samsung Galaxy S7. We’ve done our best to gather up the juiciest stuff floating around, even if it conflicts with other reports. Unless otherwise noted, this is all to be considered unofficial and unconfirmed.
Note: this post will be updated continually until such time that the device is announced by Samsung.
Look
What we’ve seen so far from a Spigen leak seemingly confirms multiple variants of the Samsung Galaxy S7 will come out, just like with the Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+.
Leaker @OnLeaks and uSwitch.com have also brought us these mock-ups.
Display
While there some dubious reports that the Samsung Galaxy S7 would feature a 4K screen, much like the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, it appears the S7 may come in multiple sizes of a 2K screen. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is said to house a 2560 x 1440, 5.1″ screen while the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge offers a 5.5″ curved display at the same resolution. The Galaxy S6 came in at 5.2″ so the S7 appears to have a smaller screen by a tenth of an inch while the Edge variant will have a .3″ bigger screen.
We’ve also seen leaks of an Always On Display system much like that of the Nexus and Moto X phones that will display notifications and the time when the phone is picked up. Since the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will both employ Super AMOLED displays this feature would not require much battery usage and provide a significant feature.
Camera
In a move that competitors will surely pounce on, the Samsung Galaxy S7 could “only” have a 12 MP camera on the rear of the phone this year. While megapixels aren’t everything, Samsung has gone after Apple for YEARS about the lack of a higher megapixel count camera on its phones. The camera is tipped to have a f/1.7 aperture lens that will let in even more light in low-light situations than the Samsung Galaxy S6’s f/1.9 lens.
This year the camera is rumored to be flush with the body of the phone, a design we haven’t seen in a few years from Samsung. This doesn’t tell us if the body is thicker (unlikely) or the camera module has shrunken down to the point where it no longer sticks out.
The front facing camera may receive no true updates in this flagship, keeping its 5 MP wide-angle lens from the Galaxy S6 and Note 5, GSMArena has received a picture with what could be the new front facing camera module. The array of modules has the same model number as the Galaxy S7 with an “F” at the end indicating regional version.
In a teardown it was noted that the Galaxy S6’s connector was offset but this module has a centered connector. No other changes have been noted.
Internals
The internals of the Galaxy S7 have been one of the most widely leaked, and hotly debated topics in the past month or so. We’ve heard multiple leaks all with different information. Some have said that Samsung will release three different variants of the S7 all with different processors. Some have speculated that Samsung will stick with its own Exynos processors and use the next generation Exynos 8890 chip. What seems most likely is that Samsung will return to the Snapdragon processors its helping Qualcomm manufacture and use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.
While this processor is the most likely for wide release, it does remain possible that Samsung will use the Exynos processor in other regions. As recently as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung released phones with different processors in different regions.
The rumored Exynos 8890 processor is said to feature four 2.3GHz high powered cores and four 1.6GHz lower powered cores to save battery on less processor heavy tasks.
Rumors suggest that the S7 will have 4GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage with a 128GB model a possibility. Batteries will be bumped up to 3,000mAH and 3,600mAH for the S7 and S7 Edge respectively, with quick wireless charging that we saw in the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ and a USB Type-C connector.
According to some rumors the S7 and S7 Edge will bring back a much loved feature, the Micro SD card reader. It was rumored that the S6 dropped the slot due to slow read and write speeds, and whether that’s true or not, there was much backlash from fans who certainly missed having expandable storage.
OS
No specific leaks about the operating system have been released, but we expect to see the Samsung Galaxy S7 release with Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 with TouchWiz on top of it. With the Galaxy S6 we saw a refined and redesigned version of TouchWiz launch and we expect further refinements and improvements with the S7 and S7 Edge.
Other Details
From leaked pictures, and really the lack of any details that have come out so far, we expect to see roughly the same physical design for the Samsung Galaxy S7. This should include glass on the front and back, sandwiched around an aluminum frame. Samsung has never deviated from a physical home button so we expect one to show up on the S7 as well as a fingerprint sensor just like in the S6. With the addition of built-in fingerprint software natively in Android it could be possible to see further improvements in read accuracy and consistency.
Leaked pictures by OnLeaks show that the Galaxy S7 may have a rounded back just like the Note 5 featured last year. This helped with holding the phone. Even though a smaller 5.1″ device will be easier to handle the Note 5, this will still be a nice feature on the S7.
The S7 is also tipped to have its own version of Apple’s 3DTouch. Samsung has apparently teamed up with Synaptic to use its ClearForce technology. This will give the S7 the ability to determine how hard a user is pressing on the screen opening the phone up to registering many more gestures.
In the Samsung Galaxy S5 we saw water resistance, but it was shuttered in the S6 due to the new design. We may be seeing it make a return. Leaks suggest that the S7 will be IP67 dust and water resistant.
Launch
According to leaker Evan Blass, aka @evleaks, we may be seeing the Samsung Galaxy S7 a little bit earlier than we expected. The famous leaker tweeted that the Samsung Galaxy S7 will be released on March 11, 2016. Normally we see the newest Galaxy S phone released at Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain, but it doesn’t appear that will be the case this time.
Starting to look like a Friday, March 11th Galaxy release in the U.S.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 22, 2016
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Sources: VentureBeat, SlashGear 1, 2, uswitch, @evleaks
The post What We Know: Samsung Galaxy S7 rumors and leaks thus far appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Global launch of Samsung’s Gear S2 Classic begins, available in China first
Samsung first unveiled the Classic New Edition of its Gear S2 smart watch back at CES a couple of weeks ago, and today marks the beginning of its roll-out globally. China is the first country to be graced with the devices’ presence. The Gear S2 Classic New Edition models feature high-end materials and unique finishes, making for a premium experience.
The new models will be available in either 18K Rose Gold or Platinum. The 18K Rose Gold model boasts an Ivory coloured leather strap while the Platinum model has a black leather strap. While there are no prices mentioned, you can almost guarantee that these new models of the Gear S2 Classic New Edition, with their premium finishes, will carry a premium price. Besides the new finishes, the new models also boast NFC connectivity, which means they are compatible with Samsung Pay.
While China is the first country to see the release of the New Classic Editions of the Gear S2 wearable, you can be sure that the global rollout will continue in the weeks ahead. Would you like to see the new models released in your country? And what sort of price would you be ready to pay for the privilege? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
Come comment on this article: Global launch of Samsung’s Gear S2 Classic begins, available in China first
‘Mighty No. 9’ is delayed. Again.
Mighty No. 9, the crowdfunded game from Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, has been delayed for a third time. The long-awaited title has become the poster-child for how not to run a Kickstarter campaign. In a note to backers announcing the latest setback, Inafune doesn’t give a firm date for release, but says he expects it “to realistically be in spring 2016.”
Funded on Kickstarter back in September 2013, Mighty No. 9 raised $3,845,710 on the promise of a spiritual successor to Mega Man, and an April 2015 ship date. Many backers have complained about the manner of the delays’ announcements just as much as the wait itself. It wasn’t until the end of April 2015 — when the game was supposed to be released — that the team pushed the release date back to September 15th. Then, in August, it delayed it again, all the way to Q1 2016, later clarifying a February release. Which brings us up to today, again, mere weeks from the launch date it gave. And yet another delay.
Inafune, as in August, pins the delay on issues with the game’s multiplayer mode, which was added when the Kickstarter campaign reached one of its stretch goals. In the note, he says “this is all a result of miscalculations on the part of us, the development staff … for that we are sincerely sorry.” He adds that ‘”we have no excuses for disappointing our fans and especially our backers once more. We want to take this chance to express our sincerest apologies to everyone who has looked forward to the release.”
Source: Comcept (Kickstarter)
Spotify’s video service launches on Android this week
It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like Spotify is about to launch its video service this week, starting with Android. Rumors that the Swedish music-streaming giant would move into video began last year, but details on how that service might look remained sparse. Today, the firm confirmed that it’s Android users in the US, UK, Germany and Sweden that will find out first, with iOS users following soon after, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The content you can expect to see comes from a mix of providers, including the BBC, Comedy Central, ABC and ESPN (among others). The secret sauce behind how Spotify plans to present the content is still unclear. Shiva Rajaraman, the company’s vice president of product, told the WSJ that videos would come in bundles, such as “News of the Week” or “Laughs at Lunch” which is in keeping with that backbone of the Spotify world: the playlist.
As with its music service, there’s still a question about how Spotify will monetize video streaming. At launch there won’t be advertising on the videos, with the move more about entering new markets, and competing with rivals. Especially YouTube. Google’s video giant has been making headway into music since the launch of Music Key (which became YouTube Music), giving Spotify lots to think about — the results of which might include adding social components to its apps, and incorporating more niche features.
Via: Business Insider
Source: WSJ
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