[Deal] HTC is throwing in a Jabra Move headset with the One A9
The HTC One A9 is a pricey phone for the specifications offered, but HTC is trying to make purchasing it a little more attractive. Today only, you can get a free Jabra Move headset with your purchase of the One A9. Rather than dropping $499 for the One A9 alone, you’ll also be getting a free headset that costs $99 on its own.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Jabra’s Move headset is wireless, light, and comes in a stainless steel design. The wireless connection comes through Bluetooth, and battery life is estimated to be around eight hours of “music time.”
The deals tonight at 11:59PM ET.
[HTC]
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Xiaomi: US Mobile is unauthorized to sell Xiaomi smartphones
Xiaomi released a statement today, saying that US Mobile was unauthorized to sell their smartphones. US Mobile made a big announcement yesterday, saying that consumers could now buy hot Xiaomi devices on the network, such as the Redmi 2 and Mi 3.
There was a slight suspicion that these smartphones were imported, considering that none of them had the correct cellular bands to operate on US Mobile’s LTE network, meaning they’d be stuck on a 3G connection or worse. Unfortunately, those suspicions were right.
US Mobile is actually not authorized to sell Xiaomi smartphones in the US, and Xiaomi currently has no plans of bringing its smartphone brands to North American shores. Here’s the full statement from an Xiaomi spokesperson, speaking to IBT:
“Recent reports have indicated that Xiaomi products will be available in the US. Xiaomi only offers a small selection of accessories for sale in the US through Mi.com. There are no plans to sell smartphones through any authorised distributors in the US. US Mobile is not authorised to sell Xiaomi products in the US.”
The statement is certainly disheartening, removing any hope that Xiaomi had plans of branching out into the US. Unfortunately, according to the spokesperson, Xiaomi currently has no plans in place to sell smartphones in the US.
Hopefully the company will change their plans eventually, as smartphones like the Redmi 2 or the upcoming Mi 5 would no doubt be a hot seller with some small software alterations.
source: International Business Times
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ZenFone Zoom now available from B&H
Those interested in ASUS’ ZenFone Zoom will be ecstatic to hear that B&H now has the device up for sale.
The ZenFone Zoom, originally unveiled a year ago at CES 2015, has a gorgeous Full HD 5.5-inch display, a quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It’s also sporting a slot for a microSD card.
What makes this smartphone stand out is obviously the “Zoom” portion of the device. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with a 10-element Hoya lens, allowing the sensor to have a 3x optical zoom. It’s also equipped with some excellent laser auto focus and optical image stabilization technology.
Unfortunately, the smartphone is a year old and is outdated in certain aspects of its specifications; however, it’s still a very capable and snappy smartphone.
B&H is selling the device for $400 unlocked. According, to the cellular bands it has, it seems like it’s capable of LTE on AT&T and T-Mobile, though it might be wise to check with your carrier for certain.
Anyone plan on picking up this device?
source: B&H
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Jukely concert subscription service arrives on Android
Jukely, the mobile app offering up a concert subscription service for music fanatics, is now available on Android smartphones and tablets.
The music app has been designed ‘from the ground up’ to cater specifically to Android devices, allowing users to browse through upcoming concerts and festivals, some of which are Jukely Members Only shows.
The Jukely Pass sends members to music festivals all over the world, offering $25-per-month unlimited access every night of the week. To date, the app’s makers have partnered with over 900 separate venues, which means Jukely users are regularly treated to opportunities to catch their favorite artists.
Bora Celik, founder and CEO of Jukely, said:
“We’ve always been aware of the large chunk of Jukely users using Android devices and we’re excited to finally give them a new tool for using Jukely.
We really wanted to optimize and streamline the user experience on their mobile device, and introduce the Jukely experience to a whole new group of potential power users.”
The main features of Jukely for Android include the ability to browse lists of upcoming shows, explore setlists and sample full tracks. The music app makes it as easy as possible for users to sign themselves up on the Jukely Guest List and hit the town.
Jukely shows are live across 15 cities in the United States, also popping up in London and Toronto. A basic Jukely membership will give buyers access to shows happening in a three day window, whilst an upgraded account means it’s possible to bring along some friends and reserve spots.
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Turing Robotic Industries drops Android in favor of Sailfish OS for its Turing Phone
Turing Robotic Industries (TRI) sent out an update newsletter to those following the development process of the Turing Phone. In it, the company revealed that they’re dropping Android, and the Turing Phone will instead run Jolla’s Sailfish OS.
TRI says that consumers’ favorite Android apps will still be able to run on the smartphone and can be found through an Android application store. Unfortunately, the vagueness of the information indicated that the Turing Phone won’t have Google’s Play Store, but an “alternative” Android store.
Here’s the full statement from TRI:
“Many of you have asked numerous times through our Facebook fan page as well as emailed us about our OS development. We can now confirm that TRI has chosen to drop Android and use Jolla’s Sailfish OS. Sailfish OS is now running perfectly on the Turing Phone and we have started the final OS software testing phase.”
And here’s what the company said about the Android applications:
“The Turing Phone will still be able to run Android Apps on the Sailfish OS without issue. An Android application store will be available for you to download your favorite apps.”
For those that aren’t familiar with Jolla’s Sailfish OS, it’s basically an improved version of the Linux MeeGo OS, which was developed jointly between Nokia and Intel.
Unfortunately, TRI is being very vague on what this means for the Turing Phone. However, with the dropping of Android, users won’t get to experience the many goodies that come with the latest version of Android, such as Doze, App Permissions, Google Now On Tap, and much more.
It’s also not clear how well TRI will be able to support the platform. For instance, if the company doesn’t do well financially down the line and has to close its doors, users aren’t going to be very happy as far as support for the Turing Phone goes.
This also likely means that users won’t get Google Services on their smartphone, unless a modding community like XDA comes together and creates an Android-based ROM for the smartphone.
Again, the newsletter sent out was vague, which was no doubt on purpose. But one thing’s for sure: TRI is starting to make many of its customers who have already invested in the Turing Phone very unhappy.
You can read the newsletter below.
Dear Turing Fans,
You will be pleased to know that we have ironed out the final development tasks before we deliver the Turing Phone to your hands. We fully expect the Turing Phone to be delivered in the month of April 2016.
Many of you have asked numerous times through our Facebook fan page as well as emailed us about our OS development. We can now confirm that TRI has chosen to drop Android and use Jolla’s Sailfish OS. Sailfish OS is now running perfectly on the Turing Phone and we have started the final OS software testing phase.
Sailfish OS runs exceptionally fast on the Turing. You will not have to worry about performance issues with Turing’s Snapdragon 801 because Sailfish OS has been optimized to run fast on your Turing Phone. The Turing Phone will still be able to run Android Apps on the Sailfish OS without issue. An Android application store will be available for you to download your favorite apps.
The Sailfish OS is an evolved continuation of the Linux MeeGo OS previously developed by an alliance of Nokia and Intel. MeeGo mobile software platform was created through the merging of Moblin and the Maemo OS originally developed by Nokia.
This essentially means you have one of the world’s fastest mobile device running the fastest mobile OS with the capability of running your favorite apps in a secure environment.
TRI will also be hosting its first Turing Developers Conference (TDC) during Q2 2016.
We can’t wait to get the phones out to your hands. Thank you so much for your continued patience and support for the Turing Project.
Turing Phone Team | Turing Robotic Industries
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Evernote to stop selling notebooks, scanners and socks
Evernote is still one of the most popular and fully-featured note-taking apps, however as a business it’s been struggling of late. Following extensive layoffs and the departure of its long-time CEO Phil Libin, the company is cutting back on nonessential projects. The latest is Evernote Market, an online store where it sells physical goods such as “smart” notebooks, scanners and styluses. Most of these are complimentary to its software, making it easier to transfer handwritten notes. While useful for users, the entire initiative was probably a distraction for Evernote.
The products will still be available, however Evernote won’t be responsible for selling or fulfilling the orders. Instead, the company will simply point customers to other sites where it’s possible to buy them. “We plan to continue adding partners and integrations that strongly and elegantly complement Evernote,” the company stresses in a blog post. Whether or not that comes to fruition, the decision to close Market should allow Evernote to focus entirely on the core app. That’s important, given Premium subscriptions is the key to its long-term success and profitability.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Evernote (Blog Post)
‘B’ is for burn rate: Sesame Street launches a venture fund
PBS staple Sesame Street has come a long way since it relied on donations from viewers like you, having recently made a historic deal with HBO. Now its nonprofit arm, Sesame Workshop, will dole out capital itself via a partnership with VC firm Collaborative Ventures. Called Sesame Venture, it will help companies that are focused on education, family development, nutrition, health and social development. The newly created fund, known as “Collab + Sesame,” will invest up to $1 million in promising startup firms.
You may laugh at a Sesame Street venture fund, but the nonprofit company is digital savvy (see the video, below) and obviously knows kids and education. A 1996 survey revealed that 95 percent of American preschoolers had seen the show by the time they were three, and Sesame Street has won 159 Emmys and 8 Grammys since it launched in 1969, more than any kids show. “Sesame Street was the original disrupter in kids’ media, and we have a 45-year history of being a creative workshop dedicated to breaking new ground,” says Sesame Workshop CEO Jeffrey D. Dunn.
While Sesame Venture hasn’t named firms it will invest in, Collaborative Fund’s Craig Shapiro said it will look at areas like toys and games, school meals, digital health, childcare and social development. The fund will be managed by Collaborative, but Sesame Workshop will have a strong hand in choosing companies to fund. It will also provide guidance, support and “access to Sesame Workshop’s staff, research and decades of childhood development experience and expertise,” according to the nonprofit. Firms may even get to use the Sesame characters themselves, if the tie-in makes sense — we can’t think of too many products we wouldn’t want Cookie Monster to endorse.
Via: Business Insider
Source: Sesame Workshop, Collaborative Fund
Mars Curiosity rover gets into VR with a Facebook 360 video
NASA has posted a Facebook 360 video taken by the Mars Curiosity rover from the surface of Mars that Mark Zuckerberg himself re-posted and called “neat.” (A one ton, nuclear buggy takes takes a panoramic video from Mars that you can view in a VR headset, and all you got is “neat?” Get a thesaurus, Mark!) Zuckerberg added that the video was stitched together by Facebook’s 360 degree video team, and is made up of 57 separate stills — in fact, it’s more like a panorama than a video. The images were snapped by the rover’s robotic arm-mounted Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp, and show the steep Namib sand dunes.
Ideally, you’ll view the video from VR headset like the Oculus Rift or Samsung’s Gear VR. (For the latter, load the video at full-screen in your Galaxy phone and hit “view in VR,” then mount the phone in your headset.) However, you can also view the video from every angle with a regular smartphone just by rotating it around. Zuckberg said the video “is just the beginning of what we can do with virtual reality and 360 degree. Pretty amazing.” Amazing? Sigh.
Source: Facebook
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