The new ZTE Grand X 3 is now available through Cricket Wireless for $129.99
Starting today, Cricket Wireless now has the full featured ZTE Grand X 3 available for just $129.99. The Grand X 3 was just announced at CES 2016 and it comes loaded with features for customers who demand more for their dollar. Budget phones used to mean serious trade-offs in performance and features, but no longer with devices like the Grand X 3.
The ZTE Grand X 3 prepaid smartphone offers:
- 5.5″ HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass for added protection
- Quad-core processing power and fast 4G LTE speed
- 8 MP rear camera with flash and HD video recording, 2 MP front camera for selfies
- Dolby Audio provides high-quality surround sound for music, movies and games
- Long lasting 3,080 mAh battery
- Type-C connector for easy charging
- Android 5.1 (Lollipop)
The ZTE Grand X 3 comes with USB Type-C which is the fully reversible plug found on the latest Nexus devices. Battery life should also be something this phone is good at with a large 3080mAh battery.
Cricket Wireless offers full prepaid cellular plans and it owned by AT&T. That means Cricket Wireless uses the same network as AT&T and offers more coverage than T-Mobile and Sprint. Plans start at just $35 per month with all taxes and fees built into the cost – there are no hidden fees. The advertised price is exactly what you pay.
Cricket Wireless – press release
| Type | Smartphone |
| Form Factor | Candy Bar |
| Height | 6.07″ |
| Width | 2.99″ |
| Depth | 0.37″ |
| Weight | 6.0 oz |
| Color | Black |
| Physical Size | 5.5″ |
| Resolution: Width | 720 |
| Resolution: Height | 1280 |
| OS | Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) |
| Main Resolution | 8MP |
| Features | 4x zoom and LED flash |
| Video Capture | 2MP |
| Front-Facing Resolution | 720p |
| CPU | 1.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8909 |
| Capacity | 3080 mAh |
| Talk Time* | Up to 13.5 hours |
| Standby Time* | Up to 343 hours |
| Wireless Charging | No |
| Internal | 2 GB RAM + 16 GB ROM |
| Expandable | microSDHC support up to 64 GB |
| Frequencies | LTE 2, 4, 5, 12 – GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 – UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ 850/1900/2100 |
| Bluetooth | 4.1 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n |
| Mobile Hotspot | Yes |
| GPS | Available |
| USB | Type-C with Texas Instruments™ Rapid Solution |
| Headset Jack | 3.5mm |
| Sound Technology | Dolby Audio™ |
| Hearing Aid Compliance | M4/T3 |
| Text Telephone (TTY) Compatibility | Yes |
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NYT: DraftKings and FanDuel lose major payment processor
The daily fantasy sports industry has a new problem, and The New York Times believes it’s “the biggest blow yet” despite all its other legal challenges. One of its main payment processors, Vantiv Entertainment Solutions, has notified its clients that it’ll stop processing all daily fantasy sports transactions in the US on February 29th. Payment processors handle all the players’ deposits and withdrawals, and Vantiv, in particular, plays a major part in that for FanDuel and DraftKings. The company’s services are a crucial part of those websites’ operation — they will not be able to continue running unless they find a replacement.
Based on Vantiv’s letter to its clients that NYT got its hands on, the payment processor was caught in the middle of the services and the law. It got a cease-and-desist order from NY attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman, and later on orders from judges in Massachusetts and New York, despite the websites being allowed to operate in the Empire State while their appeal is ongoing. All the uncertainty surrounding the industry has forced Vantiv to pull back and suspend processing payments related to it in the meantime.
The letter reads:
As you are aware, an increasing number of state attorneys general have determined that daily fantasy sports (‘D.F.S.’) constitute illegal gambling… As payments experts in the online gaming space, Vantiv will continue to work with stakeholders for a long-term solution to the ongoing D.F.S. controversy. When there is better clarity and long-term certainty around the regulatory and judicial landscape related to D.F.S., Vantiv may decide to resume processing these types of payment transactions.
There might be some miscommunication going on, though, since DraftKings lawyer David Boies told NYT that Vantiv hasn’t notified his company of these plans. Further, he said the processor is “under court order to continue to fulfill its contractual obligation to DraftKings.”
Source: The New York Times
Facebook has banned person-to-person gun sales
Apparently you could buy and sell guns on Facebook before today. Note the past tense there. The New York Times says that this change is in response to President Obama’s recent push for Zuckerberg and Co. to cull the person-to-person transactions from the social network and Instagram — similar to how it treats sales of marijuana, prescription drugs and other illicit substances. Licensed gun dealers are still fine; the idea here is curbing the background-check-free sales that can occur on a person-to-person basis.
To wit, Reuters writes that Facebook previously nixed firearm advertisements stating “no background check required” or sales that’d cross state lines because those displayed a “willingness to evade the law” around two years ago. Still feel like testing your luck? A Facebook spokesperson tells us the site has systems in place to remove and review listings.
“Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another,” head of product policy Monika Bickert tells us in a prepared statement. “We are continuing to develop, test and launch new products to make this experience even better for people and are updating our regulated goods policies to reflect this evolution.”
Source: The New York Times, Reuters
U.S. Cellular has four new Simple Connect Prepaid plans
U.S. Cellular, the fifth largest carrier in the U.S., just released four new Simple Connect Prepaid plans. As unlocked smartphones like the $100 Blu Vivo XL and the Honor 5X gain popularity, prepaid plans are growing right along with them.
With the new Simple Connect Prepaid plans, customers can get a smartphone plan starting at just $35 per month:
· $35 plan – Unlimited talk, text and 500MB of high-speed data
· $45 plan – Unlimited talk, text and 2GB of high-speed data
· $60 plan – Unlimited talk, text and 5GB of high-speed data
And for those who do not need any data at all, U.S. Cellular has a plan specifically for you.
· $30 plan – 500 minutes talk and unlimited text
U.S. Cellular also has a promotion running where you can “double your money” for customers who spend $50 towards their prepaid plan get
an additional $50 in credit, provided in $5 increments over 10 months.
With these new plans, once the monthly high speed data is used up, customers will be able to continue to use data but at 1x speeds. There are no overage fees and no activation fees.
Learn more at U.S. Cellular.
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Get the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Android Lollipop smartphone for just $199
The Redmi Note 3 is one of the major smartphones Xiaomi is looking to reach big sales numbers with in 2016. It is a budget priced smartphone with premium specs like a full 1080p 5.5″ display, Helio X10 processor, 32GB of memory and 3GB of RAM. Right now you can pre-order the Redmi Note 3 for just $199 at everbuying.net.
Even better is the all metal and sleek build of the Redmi Note 3, and the included fingerprint reader on the back that unlocks the phone within 0.3s. Those are two features mainly found on more premium devices. $199 gets you the Redmi Note 3 and free shipping with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Check it out at everbuying.net.
Main Specs:
Display: 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 Pixel Screen with 403 PPI
CPU: Helio X10 64bit Octa Core 2.0GHz
GPU: PowerVR G6200
System: Android 5.0
RAM + ROM: 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM
Camera: 5.0MP with f/2.0 aperture front camera + 13.0MP with 78 degree wide-angle, f/2.2 aperture back camera
Sensor: Light sensor, G-sensor, Proximity sensor, Hall Sensor
Feature: GPS/ A-GPS / Glonass / Beidou
Bluetooth: 4.1
SIM Card: Dual SIM dual standby, dual Micro SIM cards
Network:
2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100/2600MHz
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Google Fiber could soon offer a phone service
According to members of the Google Fiber Trusted Tester program, Google is inviting a select few to try out an experimental telephone service.
Invites for the tester program have been reaching participants for at least the past month, and a copy of the invitation has been posted online by The Washington Post for all to see.
According to Google’s letter, Google Fiber Phone adds home phone service to an individual’s existing Fiber service plan. The offer reminds us of Google Voice, which enables users to send free text messages, customize their voicemail, read voicemail text and more.
Among the features up for grabs as part of Google Fiber Phone is a phone number that lives in the cloud. Google’s letter reads:
“With Fiber Phone, you can use the right phone for your needs, whether it’s your mobile device on the go or you landline at home. No more worrying about phone reception or your battery life when you’re home”.
Phone messages are transcribed as part of the service and then delivered directly to a customer’s email, and spam filtering and call screening is included too. Google is asking that folk interested in trying out Google Fiber Phone fill out their form within a week of receiving it.
Google is yet to speak on the letters, but it’s clear even without official comment that the company is taking big steps to rival established names in the phone industry.
Source: The Washington Post
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The Public Access Weekly: Trigger fingers/Twitter fingers
It’s Friday which means it’s time for another installment of the Public Access Weekly, the column that updates you on all things related to the Engadget communities. Last week, we updated you on the #PublicAccess hashtag on Twitter, the new Preview feature for writers and the survey for Public Access members to weigh in.
This week, we’re…still asking for Public Access members to take the survey. There are over 1,000 folks registered for Public Access and so far less than 10% of you have taken the survey. Go now. Do it. It won’t take long, I promise, and it’s genuinely important. We want to know how to make Public Access better for users, and we can’t do that if you don’t tell us what you want to see.
The other big news this week is that starting in February, we’ll be reposting well-written, compelling Public Access posts to the Engadget home page. Yes, it’s true – you could see YOUR very own post featured on OUR front page! (Your mom will be so proud.) So, how exactly does that happen? And what do you need to do to qualify?
Here’s the rundown: We appreciate all the time you take to craft your opinions, experiences and expertise into exceptional posts for Public Access, and we’d like to highlight the amazing work you’re doing by getting your posts more recognition. In order for a post to qualify for home page promotion it has to:
- Have an image.
- Have correct grammar and spelling throughout. (Want to request an edit? Email us here.)
- Have a cohesive thesis or subject from title to finish.
- Be fresh. (Offer a new opinion, thought or take on a news or review item).
- Cannot be marketing copy, a press release or promotional text for a company or service.
We’ve got a lot of plans and ideas for Public Access that we’ll be rolling out this year and you can stay abreast of everything that’s upcoming via these Weekly posts. If you’ve got questions about or suggestions for Public Access, you can reach us at publicaccess@engadget.com or by submiting answers to the survey.
Looking for something to read? Check out:
Q&A with Jake Solomon: The man behind XCOM (and the upcoming XCOM 2) took some time to chat with us about My Little Pony, using your iPad as a coaster and the importance of paying for cloud storage.
Oculus Rift: Things to know before you order: Tim Youngblood’s first Public Access post covers the basics of what to know if you want to pre-order some VR goodness.
The Last Game: What is the game of Go, how is it played and why should you care that AI is playing it? Lachlan Harris gives us the details.
Looking for something to write about? Mull over:
Brick and mortar stores: While Radio Shack was recently bought out, Circuit City has recently announced plans to open a new store. Is it too soon? Is it doomed to fail? It is just a store and get over it? Where do physical stores fit into a digital world?
Twitter Wars: From Neil deGrasse-Tyson throwing down to Meek Mill turning a feud into game fodder to yesterday’s Kanye/Wiz Twitter tempest, it seems like it’s the right time to have a bad time on Twitter. Have you ever had a Twitter feud? How…did that go? Is Twitter ever the right place to have a fight?
Pokemon’s Super Bowl commercial: Sure, the actual game isn’t for another nine days but that didn’t stop The Pokemon Company from releasing an extended cut of their Super Bowl 50 ad. The company is gearing up for the 20th anniversary celebration on Feb. 27th (and the release of a special 3DS bundle) but a lot of people are having strong feelings of nostalgia. What was the first Pokemon game you remember playing? What has Pokemon meant to you over the last 20 years?
Bonus: Google Cardboard. With over 5 million users and over 25 million apps downloaded, it would seem the $20 device is gathering steam. Have you used it? What is such a device best for? Is it ‘real’ VR?
White House refuses security clearance for Ashkan Soltani
Last month White House CTO Megan Smith announced that Ashkan Soltani would be joining her staff as a senior advisor, after leaving his post as the FTC’s chief technologist. Today, Soltani revealed he will not be able to take the job, after being informed by the Office of Personnel Security that he is not receiving the necessary security clearance. There’s no explanation as to why that is, but as The Guardian mentions and many are speculating, it could be a result of Soltani’s participation in Pulitzer-winning reporting for the Washington Post covering the Edward Snowden revelations. We’ve contacted the White House and the Office of Science and Technology Policy but have not received any response.
Bittersweet end to my stint in government — I’m disappointed to announce my departure from @whitehouseostp pic.twitter.com/nYlBI1b2ur
— ashkan soltani (@ashk4n) January 29, 2016
Also, anyone know if @whoismrrobot or @SHO_Homeland need any subject matter experts? Would love to do something fun for a bit. 
— ashkan soltani (@ashk4n) January 30, 2016
Excited to welcome our extraordinary colleague @Ashk4n to @whitehouseOSTP! #TechiesInGov #Data #Privacy #Innovation pic.twitter.com/iPiD9XM89r
— Megan Smith (@USCTO) December 16, 2015
Ashkan’s WaPo Snowden stories forced Yahoo to turn on HTTPS & revealed spying on Google data center links. I suspect NSA hasnt forgiven him.
— Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) January 30, 2016
Source: Ashkan Soltani (Twitter)
MediaTek-related bug leaves KitKat devices vulnerable
Although MediaTek is downplaying the effects, it seems a software bug has created a vulnerability on Android devices running Android 4.4 KitKat. Exploits taking advantage of the vulnerability could gain root access to the device, brick the phone, or spy on communications. MediaTek has confirmed that the bug exists and they say their security team is working to come up with solutions.
The bug was pointed out by security researcher Justin Case, who tweeted about the vulnerability’s existence earlier this month. Today MediaTek acknowledged that the potential for malicious exploits was real. The Taiwan-based chipmaker says that the vulnerability is the result of smartphone manufacturers failing to follow their instruction to disable the debug feature before shipping the smartphones. The company did not release the names of the manufacturers responsible, and as a result, we don’t know for sure which device models this bug affects.
See also: Google’s Vulnerability Reward Program paid Android researchers over $200,000 last year
Case summed up the bug and the way it could be exploited by saying, “[MediaTek has] ‘nerved’ the property space, they made it so these properties can be changed, and changed by anyone/app. A malicious app could set the ‘ro.secure’ property to 0, ro.debuggable one to 1, ro.adb.secure prop to 0 (this would mean ADB didn’t need authentication) and then enable the ADB over Wi-Fi property, and get a local root shell.”
Although a large number of devices currently on the market run Android 4.4 using these chips, the chipmaker is downplaying the impact. They have declined to estimate how many devices are affected, but they’ve said that they are taking steps to make sure all manufacturers are aware of this issue.
What does this mean for you? Are any of your devices potentially affected by this security vulnerability? What do you think of how MediaTek is handling the issue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Next: 15 best antivirus Android apps and anti-malware Android apps
Samsung Galaxy S7 press renders show off a familiar design
Samsung’s press renders for the often-leaked Galaxy S7 have finally showed up, and everything looks pretty much like we expected. No surprises here, just a solid design that’s extremely reminiscent of last year’s Galaxy S6.
It also looks like there are two sizes for the flagship device, confirming what we’ve all been hearing about two sizes for the S7. The bigger 5.7-inch phone features the curved display, while the smaller 5.1-inch phone will keep the traditional flat display. No surprises there.
We’re still hearing tons of rumors about Samsung bringing back the microSD card slot and waterproofing, which, unfortunately, aren’t confirmed with press renders. Still, this means we’re extremely close to the Galaxy S7 becoming official.
source: Evan Blass (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy S7 press renders show off a familiar design
AIVAnet 