[Deal] Amazon’s Fire 7-inch tablet now $10 off for a limited time
Amazon offers some really great value in its Fire tablet, priced at only $50. And now, they’re adding even more value by offering the 7-inch tablet for an additional $40 off!
The tablet is normally priced at $50, but the $10 discount will bring it down to $40. The model without special offers regularly costs $65, but this discount brings it down to an appealing $55, which is about the same price as the version with special offers at no discount.
As far as specifications go, this 7-inch tablet has a 1.3GHz quad-core processor in tow, 8GB of internal storage, a front and rear camera, and a decent battery that should hold up to a little over a day of frequent usage. At a resolution of 1024 x 600, the display isn’t the best, but still hard to pass up at that temporary $40 rate.
There’s currently no official timeline as to when the discount will end, so you may want to snatch up this tablet rather quickly. At $40, the Fire 7-inch tablet truly offers some of the best value on the market (review here), and is a hard one to pass up.
Anyone plan on buying?
[Amazon]
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Amazon’s Fire 7-inch tablet now $10 off for a limited time
India bans Facebook’s ‘Free Basics’ service
Net neutrality one, Facebook zero. India’s telecommunications regulator has banned what it calls “discriminatory tariffs for data services,” more commonly known as zero-rating. The term describes schemes that allow customers to access particular sites or services for “free,” or without eating into their monthly data cap. Facebook has been offering such a deal through its Free Basics (formerly called internet.org) platform, which includes local news, weather, Wikipedia and, of course, Facebook.
Critics believe that zero-rating goes against the principles of net neutrality — the idea that all content on the internet should be treated equally. Usually, that means banning ISPs from selling so-called “fast-lanes” to companies that operate online. Zero rating, however, can be quite attractive to customers (it’s “free” access, after all) but the worry is that such tactics discourage competition and suffocate superior startups.
India’s regulator called on Reliance Communications, Facebook’s Indian telecom partner, to stop Free Basics last December. The move put Facebook on the defensive; to counter the negativity, the company has reportedly spent millions on new advertising and had an op-ed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg published in The Times of India. In the piece, he compared Free Basics to a public library, suggesting that its limited offerings are still beneficial to society. It seems those efforts were ultimately in vain, however. The rules handed down today weren’t aimed at Facebook specifically, but they almost certainly cover Free Basics:
“TSPs (telecom service providers) are prohibited from offering different tariffs based on the content, service, application or other data that a user is accessing or transmitting on the internet. Tariff for data services cannot vary on the basis of the website/ application/ platform or type of content being accessed. For example, a consumer cannot be charged differently based on whether she is browsing social media site A or B, or on whether she is watching streaming videos or shopping on the internet.”
The decision follows a similar shutdown in Egypt. A spokesperson for Facebook said: “Our goal with Free Basics is to bring more people online with an open, non-exclusive and free platform. While disappointed with the outcome, we will continue our efforts to eliminate barriers and give the unconnected an easier path to the internet and the opportunities it brings.”
Source: TRAI
iRobot is selling off its military division
The US military might seem like an endless cash train for contractors, but it’s not always so. Vacuum bot maker iRobot has sold off its defense and security business to an investment partnership in order to focus on its core Roomba business. If you were unaware that iRobot even made military toys, the company actually got its start building military hardware for the likes of DARPA as far back as 1998. At one point, it was awarded a $286 million military contract to produce robots that can detect and disarm bombs and do other risky chores.
The reason? There just wasn’t enough money in it. According to its financial statements, iRobot raked in around 15 times more money with Roomba vacs than military robots. That doesn’t mean its robots will have nothing to do. Much as Google is doing with Boston Dynamics, the new company will no doubt continue to produce existing models like the tossable 110 FirstLook, radiation-shrugging 510 PackBot and the 710 Kobra (below), which can reach up to eleven feet and carry 150 pounds. Hopefully they’ll start building new ones, too, because we like writing about robots least as much as you like reading about them.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: iRobot
Facebook iOS App Under Fire Again for iPhone Battery Drain Issues
Facebook this morning came under fire once more over concerns regarding the impact its iOS app has on iPhone battery life.
Writing in The Guardian, technology reporter Samuel Gibbs claims to have found that uninstalling Facebook’s iOS app and accessing the social media site via Safari can save up to 15 percent of an iPhone’s battery life.
Gibbs relates how he uninstalled the app on his iPhone 6s Plus and recorded its battery life at the same time each day for a week, comparing the numbers to a daily average taken from a week with the app installed.
The writer accessed Facebook’s site through Safari for the same amount of time and for the same purposes as he had using the dedicated app. Gibbs also notes that he left Facebook’s Messenger app installed throughout.
In conclusion, Gibbs states that his iPhone had on average 15 percent more battery life by 10:30 p.m. each day without the social media app installed. He also notes large gains in free space, since the deleted app had consumed 500MB in total of his iPhone’s capacity. Gibbs chalks most of that up to Facebook’s cache, owing to the fact that the app itself is only a 111MB download.
Several other users of the app were recruited to carry out further tests and corroborated Gibbs’ energy-saving results without the app installed. A Facebook spokesperson said the company is investigating the matter.
Facebook is no stranger to concerns regarding the impact of its iOS apps on battery life. In October the company released an update to fix issues raised by users who saw large amounts of battery drain on their iPhones while the social networking app ran in the background, even with the background app refresh toggled off.
With the release of the update, Facebook said the problem was due to a recurring background audio issue, prompting claims from some tech bloggers that the “issue” was an intentional ploy by developers to keep the app active in the background and discreetly pre-load content.
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Samsung’s S Pen could soon double as a kickstand according to a trademark application at the USPTO
Samsung’s Galaxy Note range of smartphones is famous for introducing us to the S Pen, a smart stylus that has grown more useful with every new iteration. Before the Note 5 was announced last year, we had rumours stating that the Note 5’s S Pen would eject by itself when prompted to by the handset’s firmware, and this year? Well, this year it could well be that the S Pen will double as a kickstand.
According to Patently-Mobile, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has received a trademark application from Samsung that will add a kickstand function to the S Pen. As you can see from the image above, the S Pen can be partly withdrawn from the handset and then folded at around the halfway point, forming an angled wedge that the device can then rest on. There will apparently also be a locking mechanism to keep the S Pen partially inserted while holding the handset at the chosen angle in landscape mode. Once the S Pen has been straightened, the S Pen can then be fully removed or inserted.
The trademark application was filed back in Q3 of 2015, so there’s no telling just how far along the development is, nor whether it will make an appearance in the Note 6 later this year. Would you like to see the Note 6’s S Pen tricked out with this ‘kickstand’ function? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Patently-Mobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s S Pen could soon double as a kickstand according to a trademark application at the USPTO
Verizon’s Galaxy Note 4 update brings bugfixes, latest security patches and optimized performance
If you are rocking a Galaxy Note 4 (SM-N910V) courtesy of Verizon, you’ll be glad to find out that the U.S. carrier is in the process of rolling out an update to your handset. While the new firmware, that bumps the Note 4 up to software version LMY47X.N910VVRU2BPA1, is still based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop (boo-hoo!), the update is said to include performance tweaks, the latest security patches, as well as some bug fixes. We have the changelog after the break.
Verizon has provided the following details regarding the changes:
- Support for Android for Work
- Upgrades to the Samsung Know Platform
- Removal of previously pre-installed Amazon Appstore and Amazon Widgets
- Device performance optimization
- Bugfixes for known issues
- Latest security patches
The update is rolling out Over-The-Air, if you haven’t already received the notification, you can always navigate to Settings/System/About Device/Software Updates and then tap on Update Now to see if the OTA is available for your device.
While it’s always good to see a device get an update, it is disappointing that the Note 4 is still languishing on 5.1.1 Lollipop. I guess the wait for the Note 4 to be bumped up to Marshmallow continues. If you’ve received the update from Verizon, let us know if it was a smooth experience.
Come comment on this article: Verizon’s Galaxy Note 4 update brings bugfixes, latest security patches and optimized performance
Forget fingerprint scanners, Samsung wants to use your veins to identify you
U.S. patent and Trademark Office
That’s right, Samsung has patented a smartwatch-based vein-scanning technology that would be used as a contactless alternative to fingerprint scanners for biometric security on wearables. We haven’t even seen an iris scanner implemented in a commercial mobile device yet, but Samsung is already looking to the future for its next-gen biometric security inspiration.
Samsung’s smartwatch design patent details a wearable that projects a light source onto the back of the hand and uses a side-mounted camera to read the structure and pattern of your veins. Called a vascular scanner, vein-matching is actually already being used by the FBI, CIA and hospitals for verification and is considered by some to be more secure than fingerprint scanners.
Vein matching not only provides more data points for verification than finger scanners, it is also a truly contactless biometric system, meaning skin conditions can’t affect the reading. Anyone that has ever had wet, cut or otherwise “abnormal” fingers will know how much local skin conditions can affect the accuracy of a finger scanner.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Of course, Samsung patents all kinds of weird and wonderful technology and never brings it to market, so this is hardly a confirmation that the Gear S3 will have a vascular scanner for unlocking your watch and authenticating payments. But the fact that vascular scanners are increasingly popular for biometric security means the idea isn’t as far fetched as it might first sound.
Of course, one interesting problem this kind of tech brings up is that Samsung would need to make both left- and right-handed smartwatches or else the light sources and scanners would need to be placed on both sides of the watch.
See also: How fingerprint scanners work: optical, capacitive, and ultrasonic variants explained
A reversible interface would only partially negate this problem, because then any physical buttons would be on the wrong side as well as upside down. It may seem silly, but forcing left-handed consumers to wear a watch on an unnatural arm wouldn’t be the best marketing ploy. I’m sure Samsung will figure something out if and when this tech ever comes to market though.
What do you think of vascular scanners? Better or worse than fingerprint and iris scanners?
The OnePlus 2 now costs $349
If you need a high-end phone but have budget issues, OnePlus has permanently lowered the price of its OnePlus 2 smartphone from $399 to $349 (€345 and £249 in Europe and the UK). That makes it just $100 more than its entry-level OnePlus X phone, and could push it from “kinda expensive” to “okay, I can handle that” for a lot of folks. To prevent any bent noses, the company said it would refund the $40 difference to anyone who purchased the OnePlus 2 within the last 15 days. It’ll also throw in a free StyleSwap cover for a limited time.
If $349 seems higher than you remember, the company actually had a 16GB, $329 model for awhile, but quickly discontinued it in the US. Still, for $349 the device’s performance is top shelf — it packs a Snapdragon 810 chip, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of memory, a 5.5-inch 1080p screen and 3,300 mAh battery. Keep in mind, however, that it lacks NFC, expandable memory and a swappable battery — and don’t use the out-of-spec USB Type-C cable to charge any other devices. As for why it’s offering the price drop, OnePlus said that “the cost to produce a OnePlus 2 device has never been lower,” but it might also be prepping for a new model — OnePlus 3, anyone?
Source: OnePlus
Ad-Less Apple Maintains Presence at Super Bowl 50
Apple was conspicuously absent from commercial slots aired during the television broadcast of yesterday’s Super Bowl 50, but that didn’t stop some of its products from popping up in ads for other companies’ wares (via AppleInsider).
In TV spots aired during the National Football League’s biggest game, a shout-out for Apple Music featured at the end of T-Mobile’s ad, which promoted the network carrier’s unlimited streaming feature.
Meanwhile, hawk-eyed viewers may have seen an Apple Watch make a brief cameo appearance in a Hyundai commercial showcasing the car company’s smartphone-compatible automotive system Blue Link, which enables remote voice-activation of several in-car controls.
Elsewhere, a Super Bowl-themed ad for Apple’s Beats headphones appeared on Twitter and YouTube, featuring Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wearing a pair of Powerbeats Wireless 2 in-ear headphones while training.
Apple, along with Intel, Yahoo, and Google, gave $2 million in cash and other services to offset taxpayer costs of hosting Super Bowl 50, which took place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. In exchange for the donations, each company received a private Super Bowl suite and publicity around the game. TV commercials aired during the game however can cost up to $5 million alone.
Congrats @Millerlite40 Peyton Manning @Broncos Amazing season. pic.twitter.com/3RfQml832C
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 8, 2016
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsApple helped establish the annual hype surrounding Super Bowl TV commercials, with its “1984” television ad for the Macintosh being among the most iconic in TV advertising history. After a 15-year spell of absence, the company ran its last dedicated Super Bowl commercial in 1999, remembered for its depiction of sentient computer HAL 9000 from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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World’s fastest mobility scooter hits record 107.6 mph
It must’ve been a slow week at an Isle of Man bodyshop when mechanics David Anderson and Mathew Hine decided to “tweak” a mobility scooter for a bit more speed. The garden-variety Days Strider model was designed to go 8 mph, so naturally the pair added an 80-horsepower, four-cylinder, liquid-cooled Suzuki motorcycle engine. That made the chassis and tires woefully inadequate, so they also redesigned the frame and added go-cart wheels. “But that’s not really a mobility scooter anymore,” you may say.
Well, the Guinness folks specify that “from the outside the vehicle must appear like a traditional motorscooter. … [but} the engine may be modified or replaced in a way that seems suitable to gain a higher speed.” With Hine at the wheel, the run actually happened in August 2014, but it took Guinness quite a while to certify the feat. The official world record of 107.6 mph was measured as an average over a quarter-mile stretch of the test track, and handily beat the previous mark of 71.59 mph. Judging by the wheelie bars, it could take any comers in a drag race, too.
Via: The Verge
Source: Guinnness Book of World Records
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