Barclays goes it alone for Android contactless payment, beats Android Pay to the punch
Ahead of a UK launch for Android Pay, Barclays has decided to go it alone by offering Android phone owning customers the chance to make contactless payments through its own app.
Coming in June, Barclays Contactless Mobile works on Android devices with NFC chip technology to allow customers to pay for items up to the value of £30 at any of the 400,000 contactless locations in the UK. It also works with the London transport network – on buses, and in overground and underground train stations.
The feature will be added to the existing Barclays Mobile Banking app as an update next month. Barclays customers will be able to use their debit and credit cards contactlessly through the app. Barclaycard payments will be possible therefore – something still not available on Apple Pay, for example.
Payments over £30 (up to £100) will also be possible through the app, although a PIN will need to be entered on the phone after tapping.
At present Barclays is not on the list of banks that will be covered by Android Pay when it launches in the next few months. Its own dedicated service might be the reason why.
READ: Android Pay UK launch confirmed, but Barclays isn’t on the list
It did launch on Apple Pay in April, however.
The new ‘Ace Attorney’ lands in September
Phoenix Wright and his band of lawyers, circus performers and spirit mediums are making their way to North America and Europe. The newest installment for the courtroom-slash-visual-novel franchise Ace Attorney will be released in the West in September this year. It’s called Spirit of Justice and will (unfortunately) only be available as a digital download from the Nintendo eShop, just like Dual Destinies, for $30 (£25 / €30).
The 3DS game is set in the Kingdom of Khura’in, where lawyers are persecuted and trials are conducted by spirit séances. Best thing about it is that it’s bringing back beloved characters from the older installments, including Miles Edgeworth, Ema Skye and even Wright’s original ramen burger-loving sidekick Maya Fey. What would make it even better, though, is if its success leads to the North American and European release of The Great Ace Attorney. Because we’re sure a lot of fans would love to play Wright’s ancestor and solve cases with Sherlock Holmes.
Source: Capcom
Some YouTube users now have access to its in-app messenger
YouTube has developed an in-app messenger, and according to Wired, it’s now rolling the feature out to small number of users. The video service’s director of product management, Shimrit Ben-Yair, said they created the feature, because her team believes it would result to even more sharing. Messages remain in a separate tab that can be accessed anytime, giving people a quick way to toss links, say of an amusing music video or a Let’s Play playthrough, to a whole group of people.
If it catches on, it could cut out the middleman (i.e., other chat apps) and make videos trend even faster. It’s also probably a way for YouTube to ensure users are spending more time on its website and apps in an effort to squash current and upcoming rivals. While only a lucky few are getting in-app messaging today, those who do get it can spread the feature further by inviting friends and contacts to chat.
Source: Wired
Opera’s desktop web browser gets a low-power mode
Opera’s bid to claim loads of web browser firsts isn’t stopping any time soon — the company has released what it says is the first major desktop browser with a power-saving mode. Grab the latest developer version of Opera and you’ll have an option to scale back energy use by tweaking page redraw behavior, background tab activity and video playback. In Opera’s tests, that gets you about 3 hours of extra surfing on a Windows 10 laptop when compared to both earlier versions of Opera and Google Chrome.
Your mileage will no doubt vary based on various factors, such as the PC you’re using and the sites you’re visiting. We’d add that browser power optimizations aren’t completely new, for that matter. Some of Apple’s Safari updates (such as the one in OS X Yosemite) have focused on improving battery life in normal use. Still, it’s not often that you can simply flick a switch to get some extra surfing time. And let’s face it: a little improvement in longevity could be crucial when you’re finishing some school research… or just want to stay in the coffee shop for a bit longer.
Source: Opera
Barclays offers its own app as an Android Pay alternative
When Barclays confirmed it wasn’t planning to support Google’s Android Pay service when it launches in the UK, it said it would instead focus on the development of its own platform. Turns out that customers won’t have to wait long to see what the bank has planned, after it confirmed today that it will roll out a new version of its banking app with support for “Contactless Mobile” in June.
Like the Barclaycard app, which has NFC payments since January, Contactless Mobile detects whether a customer’s Android phone supports NFC and has eligible Barclays credit or debit cards associated with it. If it does, customers can make payments of up to £30 by tapping their phone against a retailer terminal, without needing to open the app, enter a PIN or verify with a fingerprint.
The platform will also support payments between £30 and £100, which involves first tapping the phone against the terminal, entering the card’s usual PIN and then tapping again.
Barclays says that when Contactless Mobile arrives next month, the roll out will be “phased over a number of days.” Customers will be notified as soon as the service becomes available. It could come before Google’s own platform, as long as it’s not as drawn out as the bank’s Apple Pay implementation.
Opera Web Browser for OS X Gains New Power Saving Mode
Norway-based company Opera Software today announced the addition of a new power saving mode to its Opera web browser, which is designed to extend battery life when the browser is used on a notebook computer like Apple’s line of MacBooks.
According to Opera, the new power saving mode, which is available today in the developer stream, can extend laptop battery life by up to 50% compared to earlier versions of the Opera browser and to Google Chrome, giving heavy web users up to three hours of additional battery life. Opera’s testing was done on a Lenovo X250 with a Core i7-5600U processor and 16GB RAM running Windows 10, so it is unclear how much battery savings Mac users will see.
The feature works through various optimizations like reducing activity from background tabs, adjusting page-redrawing frequency, and tuning video playback options.
“It’s extremely frustrating to run out of battery on your computer, whether you are out traveling, watching videos, or you have just left your charger behind. Our new power saving mode will nudge you when the laptop starts to consume battery, and, when enabled, it can increase the battery life by up to three hours,” says Krystian Kolondra, SVP of Engineering for Opera.
The power saving mode can be accessed whenever a laptop is using battery power by clicking on the battery icon located next to the address field in the browser. It is also able to detect when a laptop battery is running low, offering up an option to enable the mode. Today’s developer update also includes optimized animated themes and better memory management techniques to improve performance.
The introduction of the power saving mode comes just a few weeks after Opera added a built-in virtual private network (VPN) feature to its web browser. The developer version of the Opera browser with the built-in power saving mode can be downloaded from the Opera website.
Tag: Opera browser
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Moto G4 and G4 Plus exclusive to Amazon in India, launch slated for May 17
Motorola’s handsets have traditionally been offered on Flipkart in India, but this year’s Moto G4 and G4 Plus will be exclusive to Amazon. Motorola confirmed the same via a press release, which was followed by banter between the two companies on Twitter:
@Moto_IND We’ve heard the same! ❤ pic.twitter.com/wrkU3gqEWs
— http://Amazon.in?tag=androcentr0aa-21 (@amazonIN) May 11, 2016
Hahaha! We shall make you wait no more, @JimBeamIndia. On @amazonIn, this 17th. #amazonexclusive
— Moto India (@Moto_IND) May 11, 2016
From Amit Boni, Motorola India country head:
Consumers are at the heart of whatever we do and we will leave no stone unturned to enhance their buying experiences as well. We have witnessed tremendous growth in the e-commerce market and it will continue to be the dominating channel for us as we bring new products to the India market. Amazon is the one of the best online marketplaces in India and we are glad to announce that we have exclusively partnered with Amazon India for our next Motorola smartphone.
The Moto G4 and G4 Plus are slated to make their debut on May 17. We’ll be on the ground to bring you all the details from the event, so stay tuned to Android Central for more.
Pebble Time finally makes its way to India for ₹9,999
Pebble Time has finally made its way to India. The smartwatch made its debut last year on Kickstarter, and is now available for purchase on Amazon India for ₹9,999.
Pebble Time Steel and Round are also up for sale on Amazon India. These are the configurations currently available:
- Pebble Time – White, Black, and Red – ₹9,999
- Pebble Time Steel – Silver, Black, and Gold – ₹15,999
- Pebble Time Round – Black and Silver/Stone – ₹13,999
Pebble Time offers a 1.25-inch always-on color e-ink display backed by Gorilla Glass, with the ability to sync notifications from your phone. The Timeline interface lists incoming notifications, reminders, and event alerts in chronological order. As for customization, there are over 8,000 apps and watchfaces available. The smartwatch is water-resistant, and offers fitness and sleep tracking functionality as well, all while delivering a battery life of seven days.
Interested? Check out the Pebble Time at Amazon India.
See at Amazon
MORE: Pebble Time review
HEX TL: Studio quality Bluetooth speaker at a very affordable price (Review)
Straight-forward, No Frills
Shoppers looking for a solid performing Bluetooth speaker at a reasonable price should check out the Hex TL. It’s just a good ol’ speaker without the extra features that distract from its primary function: audio output. It doesn’t tell time. It doesn’t have an attached portable battery to take on-the- go. It doesn’t even come in different colors, only matte black (or at least that’s the inventory available on U.S. online retailer sites).
An 8-inch tall, 5-inch wide ovoid, oblong cylinder made of hard plastic, the Hex TL has honeycomb grills on the front and back, protecting a tweeter, full frequency driver, and rear bass resonator. Buttons at the top serve three main functions: power, volume, and Bluetooth pairing. There is an aux-in jack for a wired connection and a DC-in for charging the lithium ion battery.
Excellent Quality for the Price
An admitted hip-hop fan, I found the Hex TL hit my audio sweet spot. It’s no surprise since parent company Voxx created 808 Audio to target the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and hip-hop crowds who appreciate “studio quality sound” at an affordable price. Naturally, I put the Hex TL to the test with music by DJ Snake, Diplo, Skrillex, Timbaland, and Missy Elliot, along with my usual playlist that includes country, classical, pop, rock, and podcasts. I found the Hex TL handles the mids and lows well, with no bass distortion. The sound quality is surprisingly decent for a speaker priced at $79.
Sound projection is good, too. I didn’t need to turn the volume up very much to listen at a reasonable decibel level, which means it can really blast the music loud enough at a noisy indoor or outdoor party.
Notice I didn’t say pool party. The Hex TL isn’t waterproof so keep it away from places where it could get splashed by water.
I suppose the Hex TL could be used for conference calls but there isn’t a mic, which means it’s good for listening in on meetings, not for actively participating– not necessarily a bad thing if you’re a conference call lurker. When I did listen in on calls, the sound was clear.
Although the Hex TL is portable, it is on the heavier and bulkier side of the portable speaker spectrum. Similarly-sized to a hardback book and weighing close to 3 lbs, it’s not a speaker I would casually throw in a bag when heading to the beach. Plus, the front and rear grills aren’t going to offer much protection from the sand either.
In regards to Bluetooth pairing, I had no problem connecting to any of my devices, phone, tablet, or laptop. Once paired, the Hex TL proved it could play for a long time between charging. I estimate it easily lasted about 8-10 hours on one charge.
Summary
The Hex TL is a quality Bluetooth portable speaker for under $100. It’s perfect for hip-hop and EMD fans and also for anyone who loves listening to music in general. Since it’s almost June, I think it would make a nice gift for a graduate or your father—or grandfather—on Father’s Day to enjoy for the summer.
Key Specs
- Dimensions: 8.0”H x 5.4”W x 2.8”D
- Weight: 2.65 lbs
- Rechargeable lithium ion battery with playtime up to 10 hours
- Includes aux-in cable and AC power adapter
- Full frequency driver, tweeter, and bass resonator
- Warranty: 12 months
Get the 808 Audio Hex TL speaker at:
- http://www.808audio.com
- Amazon for $79.99
Lyft agrees to double California drivers’ lawsuit settlement
Lyft has more than doubled its original offer to settle the class action lawsuit its drivers filed in California in an effort to be recognized as employees. The ride-sharing service has agreed to pay them $27 million after a San Francisco District judge deemed the original settlement amount of $12.25 million a bit too small. Under the original terms, every California driver who’s put in at least 30 hours for the company is only getting an average of $1,000. Lyft was compelled to hash out new and more acceptable terms with the other party to finally make the lawsuit go away.
Despite the significantly higher amount, the settlement’s other terms remain the same. Drivers working for Lyft will remain independent contractors and still won’t be recognized as employees. Lyft promised that it will only terminate drivers for a number of predetermined reasons, though, including low passenger ratings. Further, those who consistently do well will be rewarded with bonuses.
Source: Reuters
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