Google will finally roll out Android Pay in the UK this month

Android Pay is arriving for Brits.

According to The Telegraph, Google will launch Android Pay in the UK sometime by the end of March, following an initial launch in the US last September. It’ll work with all NFC-enabled Android devices running KitKat 4.4+. It also supports any mobile carrier and tap-and-pay locations.

Android Pay is Google’s new mobile wallet that can store your credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, etc. If that sounds a lot like Google Wallet, it’s because Android Pay is the new Google Wallet (only it’s supposed to be better, more convenient, and secure). Google unveiled the new service during its I/O developer conference last year and began gradually rolling it a few months later, kicking things off in the US.

The system works similarly to Apple Pay in that you simply load your Visa and MasterCard credit or debit card details onto your NFC-equipped smartphone, and then you can checkout at retailers with contactless payment terminals.

You must verify both your identity and purchase with a scan of your finger via your smartphone’s fingerprint reader. Android Pay also accepts a PIN code, password, or pattern in order to authenticate a transaction.

You can read more about how Android Pay works from here, where we’ve detailed which US banks support it and more.

Watch the Space Station’s one-year crew touch down on Earth

The astronaut and cosmonaut who lived aboard the ISS for almost one whole year are on their way home. Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko, along with another cosmonaut Sergey Volkov, boarded their ride back to Earth (a Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft) a few hours ago. It undocked from the ISS at 8:02 PM ET. Kelly is slated to undergo NASA’s Functional Task Tests as soon as he gets back to the Johnson Space Center.

NASA senior research scientist Jacob Bloomberg once described these tests as “very operation-oriented and […] related to different aspects of the mission and activities an astronaut would need to do after landing on the surface of Mars.” The scientists will study how Kelly’s body changed after spending one straight year in space in an effort to understand the impacts of long duration, deep space missions on the human body. His results will most likely be compared with his twin brother’s who stayed here on the ground as part of the agency’s “Twins Study.”

NASA TV is airing Soyuz TMA-18M’s landing starting at 10:15AM ET. You’ll be able to watch everything, from the spacecraft’s deorbit burn and module separation as it enters the atmosphere to the moment it touches down. If all goes well, the Soyuz spacecraft will land in Kazakhstan at around 11:25PM ET.

Source: NASA, NASA TV

Energizer intros rechargeable batteries made from recycled cells

Energizer broke fresh ground when it made the first disposable batteries from recycled cells, but that immediately raised a question: where are the rechargeable versions? As of today, they’re here. The company has introduced new Recharge AA and AAA cells that are the first to be made using old batteries. About 4 percent of their material comes from used power packs, including those from hybrid cars — yes, the leftovers from your Prius could one day power a kid’s toy.

The figure is still a long way from Energizer’s goal of using 40 percent recycled material by 2025. You aren’t exactly saving the planet when you pick up batteries for your wireless mouse, then. Regardless, this is probably the most eco-friendly option you have — and anything that helps fight e-waste and excessive mining is good in our book.

Source: Energizer, PR Newswire

Facebook to push live video to top of News Feed

What’s the point of live video if you don’t watch it when it’s, you know, live? That’s the reasoning behind a new shift in Facebook’s algorithm that’ll push live video streams to the top of your News Feed. This comes a few days after Facebook announced that its Live Video feature is finally rolling out to Android users, while it’s been available to iOS users since January.

If you need a bit of a reminder, Facebook’s Live Video feature is essentially a way for users of the social network to broadcast live video from their phones. There’s no need to download a separate app like Periscope or Meerkat; the feature is baked right into the main Facebook app itself. Similarly, users of the social network can watch those video streams right on their Facebook feeds.

We’ve ragged on Facebook’s algorithm before for prioritizing certain content over others, but surfacing live video when it’s actually live makes a lot of sense. In a blog post, Vibhi Kant and Jie Xu wrote: “People spend more than 3x more time watching a Facebook Live video on average compared to a video that’s no longer live. This is because Facebook Live videos are more interesting in the moment than after the fact.”

As for when you’ll see them, live streams should appear at the top of your feed starting today. Don’t forget to react appropriately when you do.

Source: Facebook

Sony delays ‘Uncharted 4’ again, to May 10th

If you’re waiting for the next installment of the Uncharted series, get ready to wait just a little bit longer than you might have planned. While its open beta may be just days away, tonight Sony announced that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will launch on May 10th. That’s instead of the plan to launch April 26th, which was a delay from the previously announced release date of March 18th. According to Sony it’s still on track to go gold for disc manufacturing later this month, but the delay is to allow for more manufacturing time.

Update: New worldwide release date for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: https://t.co/Um1Iuh5JeV pic.twitter.com/wyhwyxKFDv

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 2, 2016

Source: PlayStation Blog

The best Android phones of 2016

If you’re looking for a new Android phone and you’re shooting for the top, this is the place to start.

One of the strengths of the Android ecosystem is the diversity of smartphones to choose from. If you can’t find a suitable Android phone to meet your needs and desires, then such a phone may not exist at all.

But while there’s a lot of stuff to choose from, it can also be tough to find out what’s the best one for you. And that’s where we come in.

If you’re looking for the very best Android phones available right now, then look no further.

New for March 2016: We’ve updated this list with fresh picks for March, including the new Galaxy S7. We’ll update this list again next month.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge

Samsung, much refined

Pros

• Fantastic design
• Excellent camera
• Gorgeous looking display

Cons

• Samsung software still an acquired taste
• A little bit slippery to hold

Launched to the world at Mobile World Congress, the two new Galaxy S phones are mostly the same save from some obvious features. The Edge is larger, has the curved display and has a larger battery inside. But that apart, mostly the same. Which means you’ll get a great experience from either of them.

And make no mistake. While the Galaxy S7 hasn’t shipped at the time of writing, it’s already the phone to beat for 2016. Samsung has refined from the Galaxy S6 while actually listening to its customers. There’s a bigger battery, resulting in a slightly thicker phone to accommodate it. Which is absolutely fine. The camera has been improved, the microSD card slot is back, all the while being wrapped in a similar, highly attractive package to last year’s phones.

There are still questions we have over the Galaxy S7, ones which may ultimately result in it dropping further down this list. One of the biggest is the monthly security patches from Google. The Galaxy S7 should be up to date out of the box, but we’re still not that sure on how Samsung is going to fare in pushing these out timely. And this stuff is important.

More: Check out our Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge preview

• See at AT&T
• See at Sprint
• See at T-Mobile
• See at Verizon

Nexus 6P

The best big phone you can buy. Period.

Pros

• Great build quality
• Excellent camera
• Pure Google software

Cons

• It’s pretty big
• Lacks wireless charging
• A little bit slippery to hold

We’ve usually had to recommend a Nexus phone with a rather large caveat — and that’s usually had to do with the camera. Not so with the Nexus 6P, manufactured by Huawei.

It’s got a camera that doesn’t make us want to carry around a second shooter, just in case. It’s got the design and build quality that stands up against any other phone. And perhaps most important is that it’s going to always be updated to the latest version of Android, and that goes for the monthly security updates, too.

More: Read our full Nexus 6P review

See at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

It’s big, and it’s spectacular.

Pros

• Gorgeous display
• Full-featured S Pen stylus
• High-quality camera

Cons

• More pricey than other offerings
• Slippery glass back
• Underwhelming speaker

Samsung did the big screen thing first with the Note line, and now in its fifth iteration the Note 5 is just average sized at 5.7 inches. In fact, Samsung has shrunk down the bezels around the Note 5 so much that it’s actually smaller than the Note 4 even with the same screen size. It’s got a beefy processor, an ample 4GB of RAM and a high-resolution QHD display. It’s running Android 5.1 Lollipop, with an update to Android Marshmallow on the way eventually, and comes with a 3,000 mAh battery.

The addition of optical image stabilization (OIS) on the 16-megapixel camera makes it one of the better low-light shooters available. And Samsung Pay is an excellent contactless payment option. Plus, the Note 5 has Samsung’s excellent pen input features, which nobody else has even bothered to attempt to replicate. It’s that good.

Add all that up, and you’ve got a major contender. But it’s lacking in the software update department and is still very expensive. On the other hand, it’s also available.

More: Check out our in-depth Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review

• See at Amazon
• See at AT&T
• See at Sprint
• See at T-Mobile
• See at Verizon

BlackBerry Priv

It’s really good. Even we were surprised.

Pros

• BlackBerry’s superb physical keyboard
• Excellent battery life
• Mostly stock Google interface

Cons

• Wireless charging not available in all models
• Weak front facing camera
• Still no Marshmallow

BlackBerry is a legend in the smartphone arena. The question is whether it’s a relic. The Priv hopes to stave off that title, promising privacy and privilege — and it’s certainly a privilege to use. This is the best physical keyboard ever seen on an Android phone to date — though it’s been a long time since anyone’s actually attempted one — with the rest of the hardware matching up to the rest of the smartphone elite.

Plus it’s got a gorgeous high-resolution screen, excellent battery life, good camera and a mostly Google Android experience, enhanced in places with BlackBerry’s own apps and services.

Lots of people wanted BlackBerry to do well with its first experiences on any Android phone this year.

More: Read our full BlackBerry Priv review

• See at Amazon
• See at BlackBerry

Moto X Pure Edition (2015)

A larger yet predictable Moto X.

Pros

• Moto apps are still awesome
• Battery life is decent
• MotoMaker options are exceptional

Cons

• Camera performance is inconsistent
• Uncomfortable to use with one hand
• No wireless charging

The Moto X line keeps getting bigger and better, though depending on who you ask only one of those is a good thing. This generation saw Motorola switch from an AMOLED to LCD display, as well as a noticeable reduction in starting price.

The Moto X Pure Edition is also the first Moto X where there were almost no “new” software features, due largely to Motorola’s decision to constantly update features through the Google Play Store.

More: Check out our Moto X Pure Edition (2015) review

• See at Amazon
• See at Motorola

LG V10

Bigger, beefier but still really good

Pros

• 32-bit audio with DAC
• Fingerprint scanner
• Excellent camera with manual video mode

Cons

• LG’s software still isn’t great
• Launched with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
• It’s a really big phone

The LG V10 is a bigger, beefier LG G4 with more camera features, a Second Screen and two front-facing cameras for dual-angle selfies. And it’s not a bad phone by any stretch of the imagination. But it’s really big, and really beefy.

But once you get over the size, and LG’s software quirks, you’re left with a great experience. The camera is one of the best you’ll find on an Android phone anywhere right now, and the DAC is superb to have if you’re into great sounding audio. Besides the size, the biggest drawback is availability, with the V10 still not on sale in nearly as many places as the G4. But if you can get one, you’re getting a lot for your money.

More: Read our in-depth LG V10 review

• See at Amazon
• See at AT&T
• See at T-Mobile
• See at Verizon

Samsung Galaxy S6

Still a great phone one year on

Pros

• Great design
• Excellent camera
• A fingerprint scanner that works

Cons

• Battery life is poor
• User interface still busy
• Horrendous speaker

It’s sort of been a while since we’ve really been excited about Samsung’s Galaxy S line — go all the way back to the Galaxy S3, really. But the GS6 had us singing its praises, and for good reason. It’s got a design and build quality as good as anything you’ve seen before — and that’s without even talking about the curved “edge” model.

The 5.1-inch display is gorgeous. The fingerprint scanner is usable, even if we’d prefer on-screen buttons most of the time. And the 16-megapixel camera is as good as you’ll find in any other phone on any platform. And Samsung Pay is a nice addition.

But the battery life turned out to be anything but acceptable. The speaker is underwhelming. And while Samsung has included wireless charging out of the box, it’s taken away the removable battery, and the expandable storage. But it has increased the top on-board storage level to a full 128 gigabytes. It’s about to be replaced by the Galaxy S7, but consider that an S6 should now cost a whole lot less, you’re getting a top phone for mid-tier money.

More: Check out our Samsung Galaxy S6 review

• See at Amazon
• See at AT&T
• See at Sprint
• See at T-Mobile
• See at Verizon

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW: 7 ways it reinvents the office

Small businesses searching for a printer need look no further than HP’s Colour LaserJet Pro line.

We’ve recently spent some time with the HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW model, a compact multifunction printer that comes with a strong feature set to support fast duplex printing of both text and graphics. It’s even equipped with scanner, document feeder, Wi-Fi, and faxing capabilities, making it an appealing choice for small offices and workgroups.

To help you decide if it’s worth the $529.99 asking price, we’ve determined 7 specific features of the M477FNW that help it reinvent your office.

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW: Compact

Pocket-lint

Measuring 16.4 x 18.1 x 16.7 inches, the 48-pound M477FNW is a compact printer for a MFP. 

Although it’s a mammoth when compared to typical laser printers found in the home, the M477FNW is meant for small businesses. It’s size and design therefore make sense, but it can can still fit in the corner of a large desk or be tucked away in any office without taking up too much space.

Stand-out design features include a flatbed at the top, along with an automatic document feeder that supports single-pass, two-sided scanning. There’s also a 4.3-inch touchscreen colour display to control the machine’s MFP functions, and a USB thumb drive tucked away underneath that.

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW: Easy setup

The M477FNW is a breeze to setup. HP offers the ability to download the printer’s software from its website, ensuring you get the most up-to-date drivers available. Also, all software, drivers, and installation packages are bundled into a single download to make things easy.

There’s an HP Easy Start printer app for your computer too. It detects the printer and prompts you to choose the basic download as well as the scanner drivers. Installation should take less than 5 minutes.

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW: 300-sheet capacity

Pocket-lint

The M477FNW has a 250-sheet input tray and a 50-sheet multipurpose feeder, meaning it has a capacity of 300 sheets for legal-size paper. An optional 550-sheet paper tray ($149.99) can be added, bringing the maximum paper capacity to 850 sheets.

You can expect a maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 50,000 pages and a recommended monthly duty cycle of up to 4,000 sheets.

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW: 28ppm speed

The M477FNW has a 28-page-per-minute rated colour printing speed. That – combined with paper capacity and substantial monthly duty cycle – make it a solid choice for up to medium-duty printing. It also has good graphics quality.

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW: Wi-Fi connectivity

Pocket-lint

The M477FNW offers both wired and wireless printing choices. There is one USB 2.0 for connecting to a computer and Ethernet for connecting to a wired LAN. The printer further comes with Wi-Fi built in and support for HP wireless direct, Apple AirPrint, and Google Cloud Print.

Perhaps our favourite option though is the ability to print straight from a mobile device in just a steps.

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW: Duplex printing

The M477FNW has a duplexer for two-sided printing. HP is promising you should get your first black page out in about 8.9 seconds, while a colour page can come out fast as 9.8 seconds. From what we could tell, those quote times are accurate, and we can see this printer being especially useful for printing brochures, newsletters, and other two-sided documents commonly printed in small-office situations.

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M477FNW: Double-sided scanning

Pocket-lint

The M477FNW can handle duplex, or double-sided, printing, and it has a document feeder that allows for double-sided scanning and copying. With copying, the document feeder can make single-sided to double-sided copies and supports resolutions up to 600 x 600 dpi.

There’s also a flatbed for single-sided scanning and copying.

DJI’s new Phantom 4 camera drone automatically dodges things in its path

One of the world’s most recognised drone makers has unveiled its latest quadcopter: The Phantom 4.

DJI has described the Phantom 4 as a unibody drone that automatically detects and avoids obstacles as well as shoots sharper video in all directions. It is available for pre-order, but it will set you back about $1,400, making it $150 more expensive than the last-gen Phantom 3. Nevertheless, if you’re fan of consumer drones, it’s worth giving this camera-equipped quadcopter a look.

DJI’s Phantom line of intelligent drones somehow get smarter with each new model, and the Phantom 4 is no exception. It has a new camera lens that allows for sharper quality around the edge of the captured picture. There’s also an Obstacle Sensing System that’ll help you steer clear of things like trees or low-hanging lines or whatever. It uses two forward-facing optical cameras and two sensors underneath to scan for objects.

It can sense up to 50 feet away and over 30 feet underneath, and then the system uses collected data to automatically movs the Phantom 4 around things in its flightpath. If something can’t be avoided, the Phantom 4 will just hover and wait for your next command, such as the “return to home” function. Another cool feature is something called ActiveTrack, which enables the drone to follow and video any subject or object you want.

Just open the DJI mobile app, then tap on whatever it is you want the Phantom 4’s camera to follow, and it will  keep that subject in its sight. The Phantom 4 also has a Sports Mode that allows it to reach speeds of 45 mph. So, it has a flight time of over 28 minutes, a flight range of over 5 kilometers, is smart enough to adapt to its surroundings (can even sense ground elevation), and is able to distinguish specific objects in its path.

Beyond these fancy tricks, the Phantom 4 has an updated look with unibody that is lighter and sturdier than alumimum. It also has aerodynamic lines, allowing it to reach its top speed without requiring tonnes of power. You can also now see the propeller motors, which improves heat efficiency, and the propellers work with a new screw-less locking mechanism; just screw them on, then push down and unscrew to release them.

You can pre-order from DJI.com and Apple.com. It should ship by 15 March.

Waze app leads IDF soldiers into Palestine, conflict erupts

At least one Palestinian man is dead, and another 10 reportedly have been severely wounded, after an Israeli Defense Force truck strayed into the Kalandia Palestine refugee camp on Monday — reportedly at the direction of the Waze navigation app. Multiple reports state that two members of the IDF’s canine unit on an “administrative task” were travelling a road they thought was within the Israeli border. It wasn’t, inciting residents who began throwing stones at the truck. When a hurled firebomb set the truck alight, the IDF soldiers ditched the vehicle and ran in different directions. One soldier managed to call for reinforcements. However, the other soldier left his phone in the truck and could not be immediately accounted. In response, the IDF deployed additional IDF ground and air forces to search for him. He was found, unharmed, a few hours later.

The IDF clashed with Palestinians while attempting to collect the abandoned vehicle. The fighting lasted for hours, ultimately resulting in the death of a 22-year old Palestinian man, Iyad Sajadiyya.

The Waze app, after being acquired by Google in 2013, incorporated a highlighting function that should have alerted the soldiers to their dangerous position, as well as refuse to provide directions through known dangerous routes, before they came under fire. Waze has countered initial reports that its app instigated this incident with a statement to the AFP.

[Waze] includes a specific default setting that prevents routes through areas which are marked as dangerous or prohibited for Israelis to drive through. In this case, the setting was disabled. In addition, the driver deviated from the suggested route and, as a result, entered the prohibited area. There are also red signs on the road in question that prohibit access to Palestinian-controlled territories (for Israelis). It is the responsibility of every driver to adhere to road and traffic signs and obey local laws.

Additionally, the soldiers “should be using maps, and they should know the route,” Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesman told The NY Times.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: New York Times

‘Rock Band 4’ is coming to the PC with your help

If you wailed when you heard that Rock Band 4 wasn’t coming to the PC, it’s time to wipe those tears away — you now have a chance to make it happen. Harmonix has kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to bring its latest music game to Windows systems through Steam. So long as the company reaches its $1.5 million goal by April 5th, you’ll get a version of RB4 that transcends what you can do on consoles. You’ll get to directly sell your own songs through Steam Workshop, for example, recreating Rock Band Network without all the overhead. It’ll support a mouse and keyboard outside of songs, too, so you won’t have to fiddle with your plastic guitar just to change settings.

Speaking of which: yes, the odds are that your existing Rock Band controllers will work. Harmonix and Sumo Digital (the studio that will handle the PC port) are making sure that as many existing peripherals will work as possible. You shouldn’t have to re-purchase gear or leave your existing hardware gathering dust in the closet.

If you like the idea, it’ll take at least a $49 pledge to get a copy (minus instruments) around the fourth quarter of this year. That’s not cheap, especially if you already own an earlier Rock Band title, but it beats the $60 you’d pay after launch. And look at it this way: if you’ve been frustrated at the lack of big-name music titles for computers, this is a way to make your voice heard.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Fig