Foxconn Reportedly Close to Deal to Open iPhone Manufacturing Facility in India

Apple manufacturer Foxconn is close to signing a deal with the Indian government to open a manufacturing facility intended to make iPhones, reports ET Now (via AppleInsider). The project would cost $10 billion and be built on top of 1,200 acres of land in Maharashtra, India.

While several other Indian states were in consideration for the plant, Foxconn chose Maharashtra, the third largest state in the country. The manufacturer hasn’t yet picked a location for the facility in the state yet, but does have a couple options it’s considering. Once the deal is done, ET Now reports it would take 18 months before the plant is operational.

Last year, Maharashtra Industries Minister Subhash Desai revealed that Foxconn was scouting locations in the state for a manufacturing facility. Foxconn is reportedly looking to build 10 to 12 facilities in the country by 2020. The Taiwanese manufacturer has been looking to re-enter the Indian market after being forced to shut down production in the country once it lost Nokia as a client in 2014.

India has increasingly become important to Apple’s business, with the Cupertino company recently gaining approval to open its own retail stores in the country and announcing plans to open a $25 million facility focused on maps development in Hyderabad.

Tags: Foxconn, India
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OnePlus 3 photo leak shows off HTC-style build

OnePlus’ next flagship phone might launch with an eyebrow-raising design.

A few leaked photos have just surfaced via Chinese social network Weibo, and they reportedly show the upcoming OnePlus 3. They actually appear to reveal a device that looks like something HTC would make. As you can see in the photos, the phone has a case on it, so it’s hard to see the design, but the body is likely metal with a slightly curved back. There are also antenna bands visible at the top and bottom.

Many reports have now claimed the phone in these leaked photos looks exactly the HTC One – if you ignore the protruding camera, which looks more like a camera found on a Samsung phone. The antenna lines on the back are even similar to HTC’s antennas. That said, the front of the device shows a pill-shaped fingerprint sensor, which is more like the fingerprint sensor found on the current OnePlus flagship.

If this leak is legit, it’s interesting that the phone looks so different from previous OnePlus smartphones. The company’s first flagship was mostly plastic, while the OnePlus 2 had a metal frame and plastic plates, and the OnePlus X was all glass. The OnePlus 3 would therefore be entirely different, but it might also end up being an obvious HTC rip-off.

We will likely know more soon, as the OnePlus 3 should be unveiled by the end of May. It’s expected to feature a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, 16-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and Android 6.0.1-based Oxygen 3.

HDR Projects 4 Professional offers innovative new tools in photo editing (85 per cent off)

When you’re ready to take your photography to the next level, look no further than the high-dynamic-range (HDR) photo editing app HDR Projects 4 Professional.

A complete toolkit for photo editing and manipulation, this innovative tool is available as a standalone platform, or as a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. For a limited time, you can take 85 per cent off the retail price on Pocket-lint Deals to embrace the next stage of your photographic evolution.

Available for both Mac and Windows (see dropdown menu for options), HDR Projects 4 Professional is simple and easy, utilizing HDR technology to enhance everything from soft shadows to every color in a sunset. You’ll enrich your shots with subtle details, and generate a level of lighting precision you won’t find with standard photography or photo editing. New editing tools enable you to remove noise like never before, and HDR Projects 4 never forgets what you upload, so you won’t ever lose a file.

Bring your photos closer to perfect. Take advantage of HDR Projects 4 Professional’s innovative tools and bring the best out of your shots for just £20.42 ($29) on Pocket-lint Deals.

Fiber cut knocks out internet for some in the northeast

If your internet is or was out this evening and you live in the northeastern part of the US, you are not alone. Customers in New York City, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and other nearby areas are seeing outages, which can apparently be traced back to what Time Warner Cable has said are “multiple fiber cuts” at a network provider. Customers from Comcast and Cox have also reported problems, and the network provider in question, Level 3, says it is working on restoring service. In a statement, the company attributed the outage to third-party construction and said technicians are onsite. Time Warner Cable just updated us that repairs are “well under way” and it has restored service for customers in NYC, which matches what we’re seeing on outage tracking websites like DownDetector.

Eric Mangan, Time Warner Cable:

Multiple fiber cuts at one of our network providers are affecting TWC phone and some TV services in the New York City area. We are in continual contact with the provider on its repairs and we have restored additional TV networks through our own facilities. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused our customers

We are still working to resolve issues in NYC and surrounding areas. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. ^TK

— TWC Help (@TWC_Help) May 9, 2016

@UNSCdanimariexo We don’t have any details to share regarding the outage in your area but continue to work until service is restored. -Col

— Cox Customer Care (@CoxHelp) May 10, 2016

A fiber cut caused by 3rd party is causing svc disruptions 4 some customers w/ ops in the NE USA. Techs are onsite & working 2 restore svc.

— Level 3 Network Ops (@Level3NOC) May 10, 2016

Source: @Level3NOC (Twitter), TWC Help (Twitter), Time Warner Cable (DownDetector)

WWDC 2016 Scholarship Winners Being Notified

Apple has begun notifying recipients of scholarships to the 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference, according to several developers on social media and MacRumors readers. Apple is awarding 350 scholarships to students and members of participating STEM organizations and is also offering 125 scholarships to developers with financial limitations.

Winners of the scholarship receive a free ticket to WWDC 2016 and, in addition, may receive travel assistance to the event. To be eligible, developers had to be 13 years or older, a full or part-time student or a member / alumni of a STEM organization. Developers had to submit an app they worked on that demonstrated “creative use of Apple technologies and runs on an Apple platform.”

WWDC 2016 will take place from June 13 to June 17 at Moscone West in San Francisco, California. However, the kickoff keynote event will be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, a venue that is able to accommodate more guests. Apple is expected to announce new versions of iOS, tvOS, watchOS and OS X, which may get renamed macOS.

Excited to announce I’ve won a scholarship to Apple’s #WWDC 2016! pic.twitter.com/jdksiejzOo

— Harrison Weinerman (@hrrsn) May 9, 2016

For the rest of the week, developers and scholarship winners will be able to meet with more than 1,500 Apple engineers and attend more than 100 technical sessions and hands-on labs. Developers who do not have a ticket to WWDC will be able to watch live streamed WWDC sessions that will cover a range of topics and devices.

(Thanks, James and Reddit user AppleBetas!)

Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
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Amazon Echo vs. Dot vs. Tap: Which should you buy?

Control your music and way more with Amazon’s line of Echo smart speakers.

The world of the connected home is still very much a disconnected mess. As Apple and Google each compete with their own standards — and other companies doing the same with their own — Amazon has quietly snuck in the side door with its smart, attractive and intelligent speaker. Or, rather, speakers. After more than a year with just the Amazon Echo to lead the way,

Amazon’s line of smart speakers embodies that future. The Echo, Tap, and Dot are very similar smart speakers, in that they perform nearly all the same functions, with some minor differences.

If you’re in the market for a smart speaker, but can’t decide between these three, we’ll outline the key differences and let you know which one is best for you.

• Amazon Echo
• Amazon Dot
• Amazon Tap

Amazon Echo

The first of its kind, Amazon Echo is a 9-inch speaker that at first glance resembles a tube of Pringles. However, this unit is far more than just a speaker that can play all your favorite tunes from Pandora, Spotify, Prime Music, and more. (Tell it to “Play the [Android Central Podcast,” too!) It can easily become the smart controller for your entire home, connecting to smart lights (like Philips Hue), Nest thermostats, Samsung SmartThings, and much more.

It’s basically a smartphone search appliance without the screen. It can answer questions, read audiobooks, check traffic and weather updates, and essentially act as your voice-activated butler (aside from actually bringing you a snack, though you can use it to order pizza from Domino’s…).

In a somewhat creepy display of semi-AI, the Echo is always connected to Amazon’s Alexa network, which is in the cloud and always getting smarter. The more you use it, the more it learns your preferences, speech patterns, and vocabulary, to better deliver on what you’re asking for. It’s always learning.

Check out our review for more!

Is it for me?

You’ll want the Echo if you want the total package. If you want a whole-home control center coupled with a decent speaker, then the Echo is your best choice. It’s an especially prudent choice if you already have your home rigged with smart devices. This one is designed to truly integrate with your home and therefore become a relatively permanent fixture.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo Dot

The Dot is essentially the Echo’s “Mini-Me.” It has a smaller, quieter speaker and, in size, is more akin to a hockey puck. It does everything the Echo does, but also has a 3.5mm output jack and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to connect it to your current sound system. Truly, it’s as though someone just decapitated the Echo and then scrunched up the full-size speaker and jammed it up into the neck, and boom, the Dot.

Connect to and control all of your smart home devices, as well as your existing audio set-up, making the Dot perhaps the most desirable of the Echo family, especially since it’s $100 less than the Echo.

Check out our review for more!

Is it for me?

It is if you have an existing audio setup and several smart devices around your home that you’d like to control with just your voice. Don’t go looking for real sound quality from the Dot, though it will do in a pinch if nothing else is available. Like the Echo, the Dot is constantly learning and adapting to your voice and your preferences.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo Tap

The Tap is the next in line and brings most of the same features that the Echo has, with the added benefit of portability. With up to nine hours of playback, the Tap is rechargeable and comes with a handy wireless charging cradle.

Since it is battery-powered, the Tap isn’t always listening, so — as the name would suggest — you have to tap it to activate Alexa, which only works over Wi-Fi.

The biggest difference between the Tap and the other two Echo models is its lack of ability to connect to your home smart devices. It won’t be your futuristic controller, but it can still act as you futuristic assistant, adding items to your calendar and helping with searches. It connects to your phone and other smart devices, like tablets, via Bluetooth, but just for playback.

The Tap is the only somewhat customizable Echo option, with the Tap Sling cover available in six colors.

Is it for me?

It is if you want a portable speaker that also lets you stream music from many of your favorite services. The Tap can still do all of the assistant-related things that the Echo and Dot do; it just can’t act as a controller for all of your smart home stuff. If you don’t have any anyway and just want a Bluetooth speaker that doubles as a personal assistant (by using the Alexa app), then the Tap is your best choice.

See at Amazon

How do you choose?

If you want the total package — decent speaker, whole-home control, and a personal assistant, all controlled by your voice — then go with the Echo.

If you want the exact same thing, but smaller, since you already have a sweet home-audio setup, then go with the Dot. It’s definitely the best value.

If you want a portable Bluetooth speaker that can also act as a personal assistant, but don’t really care about the smart home stuff, then the Tap is your bag, baby.

Amazon Echo

• Read our updated review
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Is Wind Mobile worth it?

Saving money with Wind Mobile comes with some caveats.

Where I live, there are two choices for mobile service: fast but expensive; and slow, but far less expensive. The former category dominated by three companies, Rogers, Bell, and Telus, along with its myriad flanker brands like Fido, Virgin Mobile, and Koodo. The latter is comprised by a single provider — Wind Mobile — on which many Canadians increasingly rest their hopes for a low-cost alternative to the Big Three.

The city is Toronto, and like many large cities across the world it contends with a density problem. Wireless carriers have to deploy thousands of antennas on rooftops and sides of buildings on wireless spectrum that is increasingly expensive and difficult to obtain. The Big Three control some 90 percent of the wireless market share in Canada, but there is a clear understanding between the companies that competition does not extend to downward pressure on price.

That leaves Wind Mobile, a potential bright spot in the Canadian mobile sector, as the last hope for low(er) prices in the five regions it operates. But it also begs a big question, and one that I am asked more often that perhaps any other in this job: Is Wind Mobile worth it?

What is Wind Mobile?

Without getting too caught in the weeds, we need to go back a few years — back to when the Canadian government decided that it wanted to pursue a strategy of allowing smaller wireless carriers, dubbed “new entrants,” to compete in the mobile space.

It did so by setting aside a small amount of wireless spectrum in the 2008 AWS auction for these new entrants to bid on. Wind Mobile was one of the successful bidders, alongside Mobilicity, Public Mobile, Eastlink and Videotron. While the latter two remained set on regional dominance, and are still around today as a result, Wind, Mobilicity and Public all set their sights on pseudo-national wireless coverage, offering service in big cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.

Wind’s network is built on previous-generation 3G technology, so it’s slower than the LTE networks offered by Canada’s Big Three.

In the ensuing years, it was Wind Mobile — through its consistent message of unlimited data, generous subsidies through its WindTab program, and a great relationship with all of the Android OEMs, especially Samsung — that generated the most goodwill among consumers. It was also the most steadfast about staying independent, working with external partners (and affecting change in Canada’s antiquated corporate foreign ownership rules in the process) to raise money and stay solvent.

As Public Mobile was scooped up in 2013 by Telus, and Mobilicity in mid-2015 by Rogers, Wind Mobile seemed to be the last remaining independent holdout — until a surprise announcement in December of last year when we learned Wind would be purchased by Shaw Communications for $1.6 billion CAD. Now that the deal is closed, Wind Mobile, though still run independently by new CEO Alek Krstajic, is ostensibly the wireless arm of Calgary-based Shaw Communications, destined to be included in bundles alongside home internet and cable television indefinitely.

Where does Wind Mobile operate?

Wind Mobile operates in three provinces:

Ontario

• Ottawa
• Toronto
• Mississauga
• Kitchener/Waterloo
• Niagara
• Hamilton
• Barrie
• Peterborough
• Whitby / Oshawa
• Guelph
• London
• Windsor

Alberta

• Edmonton
• Calgary

British Columbia

• Vancouver
• Surrey
• Burnaby
• Richmond
• Coquitlam
• Abbotsford

Outside those so-called “Home” zones, Wind users have access to partner networks, where they can make calls, send texts, and use 3G data at per-MB costs. Some plans include Away zone bundles, but they will always be billed separately to Home zone usage.

These Away zones comprise the remaining parts of Canada not covered by Wind’s own network, so you won’t have to worry about lack of coverage while traveling — just how costly that coverage will be.

How does Wind’s network compare to the Big Three?

Wind Mobile’s network is 3G-only, based on the HSPA+ standard. It operates on a single frequency, Band 4 (AWS-1), which is optimized for bandwidth over coverage.

In plain speak, here’s what it means: Wind’s network is built on previous-generation 3G technology, so it doesn’t have the spectral efficiency and high potential speed of LTE. While the Big Three’s networks increasingly offer download speeds approaching 150Mbps, Wind Mobile’s network tops out at a theoretical 42.2Mbps, and is often significantly slower than that.

Moreover, Wind only operates on a single frequency, AWS-1, which is not optimized for coverage. What this means is that signals sent to phones on the Wind network occasionally have trouble penetrating through thick walls, or reaching basements. The company has been doing a lot of work to fill coverage gaps, and things have improved significantly in the past couple of years, but dead spots are still an issue in many parts of the GTA.

Future upgrades

There is good news on the horizon, though: Wind is systematically replacing all of its old network hardware with newer, faster equipment provided by Nokia. Upgrades have already been completed in Vancouver and Calgary, and are moving eastward. These improvements have positively affected coverage, reliability and speed.

Towards LTE

Toward the end of 2016, Wind Mobile plans to launch an LTE network based on AWS-3 spectrum it acquired in one of the government’s most recent auctions. Combined with some of the AWS-1 spectrum Wind plans to repurpose for LTE, the company should be in a good place to compete with Rogers, Bell, and Telus in its home markets. However, because the AWS-3 standard is still relatively new, there are no supported devices yet; Wind will have to wait until at least the beginning of 2017 for new products to launch with support for Band 66, which unifies AWS-1 and AWS-3 under a single standard.

How do Wind’s prices compare to the Big Three?

This is where things get compelling. Wind Mobile typically charges significantly less for data access than the Big Three.

Rogers, for example, charges $125 per month for unlimited nationwide calling, texting and 9GB of sharable data, as long as you bring your own phone — it’s $135 if you buy one on a contract through Rogers.

Wind Mobile offers its so-called Everywhere Plan, which includes 10GB of Home zone data and 1GB of Away zone data (which includes U.S. roaming), along with unlimited Canada- and U.S.-wide calling and texting, for $60 per month.

Wind Mobile typically charges significantly less for data access than the Big Three.

On a sheer price-per-gigabyte scale, nothing touches Wind Mobile in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. In regions like Manitoba and Saskatchewan that have regional incumbents, the Big Three charge significantly less than they do elsewhere, but in the provinces Wind operates, the Big Three don’t consider it a big enough threat to warrant lowering their prices.

Should you go with Wind Mobile?

Wind Mobile is a very different beast than the Big Three — or even its flanker brands, such as Fido, Koodo and Virgin Mobile. It doesn’t offer LTE, nor are its 3G speeds as fast as Rogers, Telus, or Bell.

What it does offer is decent coverage in certain cities with occasional but frustrating pockets of poor service. Its prices are also significantly cheaper, especially for data, which is an increasingly desirable commodity.

But while you’re spending less, you’re also getting less for that money — the Big Three have nationwide, ultra-fast LTE networks that are consistently fast throughout the country. Depending on your travel and coverage needs, that may be a deal breaker.

The best candidates for people to move to Wind Mobile are:

• People who tend to stay within their Home zones most of the time
• People who don’t require ultra-fast LTE download speeds
• People who tend to do a lot of mobile video streaming (at lower quality)
• People who want to use cellular data to upload a lot of photos and videos in the background

If your usage pattern fits within those margins, you should be fine with Wind Mobile.

What are your experiences with Wind Mobile? Let us know in the comments below!

Nova Launcher is your launcher of choice

When it comes to choosing a launcher, there are options.

In last week’s poll we asked what launcher you use on your phone. Whether you like to use launchers to build themes, or you just like to make your home screen look precisely the way you want it, launchers are your biggest tool. Not everyone is savvy to how launchers work, though.

Nova Launcher slid into first place with 45.26 percent of the vote. Using the “Default launcher” snatched up 21.7 percent of the vote to come in second place. In third place with 20.8 percent of the vote was the Google Now Launcher. Fourth place goes to Action Launcher, which managed to grab up 5.8 percent of the vote. “I switch launchers depending on theme” got 3.04 percent of the vote to land in fifth place. Apex Launcher slid into sixth place with 2.04 percent of the vote, followed by Go Launcher EX, which got only 1.36 percent of the vote.

So what’s your favorite launcher? Did your go-to not make our list? Be sure to pop into the comments and let us know about it.

Best clear cases for the LG G5

Show off your LG G5 with a protective, clear case. .intro

The LG G5 is a beautiful phone that comes in four pretty colors. Why would you want to hide it in a big, bulky case when you can get decent protection in a clear case that lets you actually see your device? We’ve put together this list of the best clear cases for the LG G5.

• Pleson LG G5 clear case
• Spigen Ultra Hybrid Air Cushion clear LG G5 case
• Ringke Fusion LG G5 crystal clear case
• EasyAcc LG G5 clear case
• Orlegol LG G5 case

Pleson LG G5 clear case

Pleson’s clear case provides decent protection for your investment without sacrificing aesthetics.

The case itself has a clear, flexible back panel surrounded by a TPU bumper that wraps around the phone’s edges for protection against drops. The bumper also forms a 1mm lip, so if you place your phone screen-down, it’s protected from scratches.

The back panel also helps to repel water and grease which helps to prevent smudges and fingerprints from dirtying things up.

See at Amazon

Spigen Ultra Hybrid Air Cushion clear LG G5 case

Spigen’s offering is called a hybrid, because it blends two types of plastic to give you a slim and transparent case that still provides protection from drops and scratches.

The case is composed of a clear polycarbonate backing and a TPU bumper that wraps around the edges of your device. Every part of the case is transparent so the beauty of your LG G5 shines through.

Another awesome feature of this case is how tactile and grippy it is — not only does it feel nice to hold, it helps prevents the phone from sliding out of your hands.

See at Amazon

Ringke Fusion LG G5 crystal clear case

Ringke’s Fusion case offers one unique feature — it’s customizable. It comes with a kit to help you put a photo or image between your phone and the clear case..

Made from flexible TPU that’s coated to ensure maximum clarity, the case will blend in with the phone while offering protection from damage due to drops and scratches.

The bumper is further enhanced, with Active Touch Technology for easy access to all buttons and ports on the phone.

Additionally, flexible edges on all corners protect the phone’s casing from scratches, and dust caps help to keep dust and pocket lint out of the charging port and audio jack.

See at Amazon

EasyAcc LG G5 clear case

EasyAcc’s clear case for the LG G5 protects your phone with two layers: the bumper that absorbs hits to help prevent damage when you drop your phone and a firm shell that protects from scrapes and scratches.

Reinforced with a special coating that remains soft yet durable and scratch resistant, this case, like all other clear cases, is designed to show off your LG G5.

Another important feature of this case is the grippy TPU material that lets you hold the phone in one hand without worrying about slippage.

Finally, the case comes with a lifetime warranty against scratches and other damage to the case, so if anything happens, it should be easy to get a replacement.

See at Amazon

Orlegol LG G5 case

The Orlegol transparent LG G5 case is made from soft TPU that is flexible yet strong.

Thin and lightweight, this case completely surrounds your phone and offers protection from all angles. Furthermore, it feels nice in the hands, and prevents the phone from slipping when you hold it.

The case also does not interfere with any of the phone’s functionality. It is precisely cut to fit the LG G5, such that the buttons and ports remain easily accessible.

See at Amazon

Do you have a favorite clear case?

If you have a clear case that you adore that we didn’t include, let us know in the comments!

Still haven’t found the right case? Check out our breakdown of the best cases available for the LG G5.

LG G5

• LG G5 review
• LG 360 CAM review
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG’s G5 Friends modules are a neat idea, but they won’t matter
• LG G5 Hi-Fi Plus w/ B&O
• Join the LG G5 discussion

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