Deal: 128GB Silicon Power microSD card for just $33 on Amazon
Memory card prices have been declining steadily over the past few months, with the price of 128GB models sliding under $50 during occasional promos. The deal from today is the lowest we’ve seen yet on high capacity microSD cards.
Amazon has Silicon Power 128GB microSD cards for 40% off their list price. The discount compared to their selling price from the past weeks is 15-25%, but given their low normal price, this looks like a solid deal anyway.
Silicon Power is not a brand name in memory cards. But its microSDs are very well reviewed, with average scores of 4.5 out of 5 stars across more than 1200 reviews. That said, if you’re planning to store important data over longer periods, you may want to look for a more established brand like Samsung, Lexar, or SanDisk, just for safety.
These are MicroSDXC UHS-1 Class10 cards with writing speeds of up to 85 MB/s. Here’s the breakdown:
Get a 16GB microSD Silicon Power card for $7.99
Get a 32GB microSD Silicon Power card for $8.99
Get a 64GB microSD Silicon Power card for $14.75
Get a 128GB microSD Silicon Power card for $32.99
The cards will be in stock from February 1, but that’s not too much to wait for a bargain. Happy shopping!
16GB OnePlus 2 finally lands in India for Rs. 22,999
Indian customers had to settle for the 64GB model of the OnePlus 2 when the handset launched in India last year, leaving some out of luck if they didn’t need that much space or wanted to save a little money. After missing its promise later last year, the 16GB OnePlus 2 has finally made its way to India for Rs. 22,999.
Other than the difference in storage capacities, there is only one other hardware change between the two models. The 16GB version comes with 3GB of RAM rather than 4GB, but this isn’t going to make a noticeable difference to day to day performance.
The 16GB OnePlus 2 still comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 810 SoC, 13 megapixel rear camera with OIS, 5 megapixel front facing camera, a 3,300mAh battery, fingerprint scanner and dual 4G SIM support, which makes it a reasonably high-end device. The smartphone doesn’t run Android 6.0 Marshmallow officially yet, but its latest OxygenOS 2.2 update quashed some of the handset’s niggle bugs with dual-SIM settings, added better OTG support, and Android security patches.
Our thoughts: OnePlus 2 review
The 16GB model is available in the country exclusively from Amazon India for Rs. 22,999. You won’t need to bother with those irritating invites either, as the company dropped the system in India last month.
HTC now rolling out Marshmallow OTA for the One M9 in the UK
HTC UK took to its official Twitter account earlier today to announce that it’s now pushing out the long-awaited Marshmallow update to all unlocked variants of its flagship smartphone, the One M9, registered and operating in the United Kingdom. The upgrade is also rolling out for “selected carriers”, but it’s unclear at this stage which ones exactly are receiving it. However, many users of the social network have reported that it has hit their O2- and Vodafone-branded handsets.
We’ve begun rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update to the unlocked One M9 and selected carriers so you should see the update soon.
— HTC UK (@HTC_UK) January 26, 2016
In addition to all the new functionality Marshmallow transports, such as Now on Tap, flexible application permissions, system-wide fingerprint compatibility and Doze, the update also ferries a multitude of bug fixes, stability improvements and speed optimizations along with a new version of HTC’s Sense user interface, which complies with Google’s Material Design guidelines.
The upgrade weighs in at a hefty 1.14GB and the Taiwanese company states it will take around an hour to download and install on your handset. The duration does, of course, depend on the strength of your Internet connection and the download speed your ISP provider. The amount of battery juice your device has at the time of installation is also of paramount importance, so try to keep it plugged into a wall socket if possible for the quickest speeds.
As is customary, the upgrade is being rolled out in stages. To see if it’s ready for your handset, open up the Settings application, scroll right down to the bottom and tap on About Device, select the System Updates subheading, then tap Check for Updates. Alternatively, you can wait until you receive a push notification prompting you to download and install it.
Source: Twitter
Come comment on this article: HTC now rolling out Marshmallow OTA for the One M9 in the UK
Folding offshore wind turbines could power 10,000 US homes
The US Department of Energy’s plan to generate 20 percent of the nation’s electrical power from wind by 20130 is ambitious, to say the least. To pull it off, the turbines will need to be located offshore, where winds are steadier and stronger. However, putting wind turbines in the ocean is also far more expensive, so they need to be enormous in order to make it worthwhile. Researchers from Sandia National Laboraties have come up with a design that features 650-foot blades — over two football fields long — that can generate up to 50 megawatts of power.
Such “exascale” turbines, called segmented ultralight morphing rotors (SUMRs), are over six times the size of the largest existing models. Thanks to economies of scale, a single unit could power around 10,000 homes. “The U.S. has great offshore wind energy potential, but offshore installations are expensive, so larger turbines are needed to capture that energy at an affordable cost,” says Sandia’s lead turbine designer Todd Griffith.
However, offshore winds can hit 200 mph and easily knock over a turbine. As a result, the team designed it to be installed with the blades downwind, rather than into the wind like a conventional model. With that configuration, it doesn’t need to be as strong, saving valuable weight. The blades also perform a trick — during extreme winds, they fold in via a hinge at the rotor, an idea that was inspired by palm trees. “At dangerous wind speeds, the blades are stowed and aligned with the wind direction, reducing the risk of damage. At lower wind speeds, the blades spread out more to maximize energy production.” Griffith said.
The design is promising, but Sandia hasn’t yet revealed when it plans to actually build and test one. However, the project is backed by DARPA-E and the US Department of energy, and has General Electric, Siemens and Vestas Wind Systems as advisory partners. Given those names, the project’s not likely to disappear in the breeze.
[Image credit: TrevorJohnston.com/Popular Science, Randy Montoya]
Via: PhysOrg
Source: Sandia National Laboratories
Final Fantasy IX Mobile is shown off in Square Enix livestream
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Right at the end of 2015, games publisher Square Enix announced that it would be bringing one of its most beloved Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy IX, to mobile (and PC) in 2016. The trailer they showed then was mostly cinematic and didn’t really give us an idea of what to expect, but we now have a better idea after Square Enix showed the first few minutes of Final Fantasy IX Mobile being played on its livestream. Check out the livestream below, though note the whole video is in Japanese – skip to 5:50 to see the actual game in action, unless you’re fluent in Japanese, of course.
What you will notice is that the graphics have been greatly improved compared to the original PSOne version, and I don’t think anyone will be complaining about that. If both the PC and mobile versions of the game look like it does in the video, I think we’ll all be very happy gamers (after we get over the $15+ cost of the game). We still have no word on when to expect Final Fantasy IX to drop on mobile, and we should also be wary that it will take some time for the game to be translated into English – the moral of the story is get comfortable, because we could be in for a bit of a wait.
What do you think about Final Fantasy IX Mobile? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Final Fantasy IX Mobile is shown off in Square Enix livestream appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Get ready to use your smartphone to withdraw cash at ATMs
Soon, you won’t need your card to withdraw cash from JPMorgan Chase ATMs. Upgraded machines arriving later this year will be accessible with your phone, using codes generated from its smartphone app. That’s only the first stage: second-generation upgrades will offer up NFC access to bank accounts, like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. Yep, you’ll still be able to use your cards, but importantly, the new machines will also have higher withdrawal limits during banking hours — up to $3,000. Future upgrades include the ability to cash checks and pay bill through the machines, but expect to see those features some time in 2018. Chase isn’t the only bank looking to involve your smartphone with your money.
At the same time, TechCrunch reports that Bank of America and Wells Fargo are working on their own mobile connected solutions, with Apple Pay mentioned in discussions with both banks. Accordiing to Bank of America, it’ll “enable customers to leverage NFC ( technology on their smartphone in order to authenticate and complete transactions at a Bank of America ATM.”
“We will roll out this capability in late February with associates at select ATMs in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Charlotte, New York and Boston followed by a broader roll out to customers mid year.”
Source: AP (Mashable), TechCrunch
‘Need for Speed’ becomes a little more social next week
Need for Speed‘s next Living Game update, dubbed “Showcase,” arrives next week, and with it comes a handful of improvements both paint-level and a bit deeper. Taking screenshots has always been pretty easy in the game (click the right stick), but developer Ghost Games is going one step further and adding something that should’ve been in the game at the outset: A real photo mode with focus, depth of field and other effects that’ve become all the rage since Infamous: Second Son busted the feature wide open in 2014.
And should someone online see that snazzy snapshot and want the livery you’ve tinkered with since November, now there’s sharing options for those as well. Oh, and if you want to keep your car looking fresh and clean as the moment you drove it out of the garage, just run through a gas station for some on-the-fly body work — much like previous NfS games and Burnout: Paradise.
A handful of cars are getting new customization items as well, including the Ford Focus RS, Ford Mustang GT and Subaru Impreza WRX. Last but not least, there are custom options for your license plate now too. But sadly, based on the way Ghost describes it, it doesn’t sound like text is up for changing like it was in the studio’s previous effort, NfS: Rivals. There are, however, backgrounds and frames inspired by the cities of previous NfS entries. Not much of a consolation prize, but hey, it’s better than nothing. The 100 percent free update launches February 3rd, in case the GIF up above didn’t give it away.
Source: Need for Speed
Sky’s Now TV Smart Box looks a lot like a Roku 4
While Sky might be busy readying its new Sky Q service, the company has also found time to show Now TV customers some love. Just five months after it launched its second-generation Now TV streamer, Sky has ramped things up a bit by introducing the new NOW TV Smart Box, a device that it says will bring together a “wide range of pay TV content and over 60 live free-to-air channels.”
The Now TV Smart Box is the latest device to emerge from the partnership between Sky and Roku. To the trained eye, it looks remarkably like the Ultra HD Roku 4, which went on sale at the end of last year. Sky won’t confirm it’s a Roku 4 in Now TV clothing or how much it will cost but says it’s a product of the Roku Powered licensing program that has not hit the market yet. Right now, the company isn’t giving us much to go on.
We do know that Now TV customers will have to wait until “later this year” to get their hands on the Now TV Smart Box, but Sky will keep existing owners sweet by rolling out a new UI to their streamers from next month. The new update will offer better recommendations on what to watch across catch-up apps and Now TV content, as well as a new “Best of Catch Up” section that will display a curated list of things you might have missed.
Source: Sky
Apple is developing charging tech that works from a distance
Apple wants you to be able to charge your iPhones and iPads even from afar, and it’s developing the wireless technology to make that a reality, according to Bloomberg. Cupertino is reportedly working with partners both in the US and in Asia to conjure up a way to beam power to its devices from “further away than the charging mats used with current smartphones.” Apple’s charging dock can power its smartwatch even when it’s millimeters away, but we’re guessing the company’s aiming for something that works from a greater distance.
Now the problem with this kind of technology is, the farther you are, the less efficient it is and the longer the charging time becomes. Bloomberg says the iPhone-maker is currently finding a way to prevent power loss caused by the distance between a mobile device and its charging apparatus. Apple isn’t the only one attempting to make charging easier for everyone, though: the WPC, for one, is improving the Qi wireless standard so that it can charge devices from a short distance.
Assuming Apple succeeds in solving the power loss problem (and this report is indeed true), its new charging technology could be out as soon as 2017. We hope the company makes it backwards compatible if and when it does come out, so we can finally toss our shoddy charging cables.
[Image credit: Yutaka Tsutano/Flickr]
Source: Bloomberg
PlayStation sells well (again), but mobile is hurting Sony
Sony made money. Again! The company saw in tiny increase (0.5%) in sales compared to the same quarter last to 2,581 billion yen (or $21.5 billion), but income now stands at $1.69 billion. This quarter’s financial results was yet more balancing (and canceling) out of Sony’s many moving parts — profitable and not. Gaming and Motion Picture arms saw increases in sales, but these were cancelled out by woes in Mobile and Devices arms. Once a positive part of the company’s earnings sheets, Sony’s smartphone camera sensors saw a decrease in sales — reflecting the tough times that all companies are experiencing with phone sales. The company seems to be stabilizing its giant electronics ship.
Sony says operating income increases were apparently was due to refining and cutting across Sony’s various electronics arms. (Read: less smartphone models, less TV models, better products). The company’s restructuring costs have also started to tail off: this year charges cost $61 million — roughly a 50 percent drop.
Firstly, mobile: Sales decreased 14.7 percent compared to the same period last year — Sony says this is borne out from it’s decision not to pursue scale in mobile phones for profitability, and why operating income improved significantly for the section. A significant decrease in image sensor sales is where Sony felt the bite most this quarter. Camera sensor sales to other smartphone manufacturers dropped by 12.6 percent year on year. This resulted in a quarterly loss of $97 million, compared to a profit of $445 million the period before.
A significant decrease in image sensor sales is where Sony felt the bite most this quarter.
Cameras saw a sales decrease of 5 percent, yet operating income increased, thanks to what Sony says is a better mix of cameras and video cams. Cost reductions and a better selection of products was also heralded for $260 million income increase in Home Entertainment — despite a sales decrease of 4.3 percent.
In all things PlayStation, the company saw a 10.5 percent increase in sales, now reaching $4.9 billion. Compared to Q3 last year, income was also improved,as the arm didn’t have to pay for a write-off of Vita hardware which happened last year. How will the gaming arm fare now it has some degree of autonomy? Or was it all just a grand paper shuffle?
Source: Sony
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