Android Pay launches in UK: Here’s how to get set up
Android Pay has finally arrived in the UK, following its launch in the US last year.
The service allows anyone with a compatible bank and an NFC-enabled Android device running KitKat 4.4 or above to pay for items using their phone anywhere that contactless payments are accepted.
You’ll be able to use Android Pay in more than half a million stores including Boots, Starbucks and Waitrose, as well as on the tube, bus and train. Users can also use Android Pay for in-app purchases including Deliveroo, YPlan, JD Sports and TicketMaster, among others.
What is Android Pay Day?
Alongside the launch of Android Pay in the UK, Google is also launching something called Android Pay Day. This will bring special offers to those using Android Pay.
Android Pay Day will take place on the Tuesday before payday every month and it will involve merchants including Starbucks and Deliveroo.
How do I set up Android Pay?
Setting up Android Pay on your Android device is nice and simple. First, you’ll need to download the Android Pay app on Google Play.
The next step is to check whether you have a compatible MasterCard or Visa credit or debit card.
If you do have one of the compatible banks, add your card, or cards by following the step-by-step instructions within the app and you’ll be set up in no time.
Once you are, you’ll just need to unlock your Android phone and tap it on the contactless terminal to pay. No need to open the app and Android Pay doesn’t require fingerprint unlocking, it also works with a passcode and pattern so you don’t need one of the latest and greatest Android devices to use Android Pay.
Which UK banks support Android Pay?
The UK banks that currently support Android Pay are as follows: Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank, MBNA and Nationwide Building Society.
If you are with Barclays or Natwest, you won’t be able to set up Android Pay at the moment, but Google has said new banks will be added all the time. Whether these two will be coming soon or not is unclear however.
Barclays was one of the last to add support for Apple Pay so you may be waiting a few more months, especially as it recently announced plans to add contactless payments to its own app. The feature will be added to the existing Barclays Mobile Banking app in June, allowing Barclays customers to pay using their debit and credit cards through the app.
Payments over £30 will also be possible through the Barclays app, up to £100, but users will have to enter a PIN on their phone after tapping to authorise. You can read more about the Barclays feature and app here.
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How can I check my Android Pay payment history?
Open up the Android Pay app on your device and tap on the card you want to see the payment history for. This will give you a list of all the transactions you have made with that card using your phone.
You’ll be able to see where the transaction happened, along with the merchant’s name and number.
Is Android Pay secure?
Google has said that Android Pay was built from the ground up with security at the centre. Like Apple Pay, Android Pay uses a standard tokenisation service that means Android Pay doesn’t send merchants your real card number when you make a purchase.
The tokenisation service recognises your card and gives the merchant a substitute 16-digit card number in place of your actual card number. Why is this useful? Well, it means if someone tries to backtrack to get your information, they will just get a token number which will be useless to them so they won’t be able to get your payment details.
Each token is specific to each device and different tokens are provided for each card. If you lose your card, you’ll still be able to pay using your phone and if you lose your phone, you’ll still be able to use your card.
Which countries will Android Pay launch in next?
Android Pay is now available in the US and the UK. Google has said it will soon be available in Singapore and Australia.
It also said more countries, features, banks and stores will be available in the coming months so keep an eye out. We will update our main Android Pay feature as more information becomes available.
This is the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active and it’s hardly in camouflage
As is traditional Samsung is expected to announce a more robust addition to its Galaxy S7 line of phones soon.
It has been adding an Active version of its flagship Android devices for several generations and the SGS7 will be no expected.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active has been rumoured for a little while but now we have a leaked press image of the front and rear of the new smartphone, which is strangely decked out in gold rather than a more discrete colour theme.
Serial leaker, @evleaks, gives Samsung the benefit of the doubt however, suggesting that it might be “desert camo” rather than shiny gold. We just recommend that, should you take it on safari, don’t expect to remain hidden for long if you’re waving one around.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Active for AT&T (SM-G891A) in, um, gold? Let’s call it “desert camo” instead. pic.twitter.com/dnHeksW3sN
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 17, 2016
Samsung itself was among the first to leak existence of the handset. It was referred to in the Samsung Level app used to manage Samsung Bluetooth devices. An “S7 Active” was mentioned in the changelog.
It is believed the phone will have a 5.1-inch screen and be water and dust resistant.
READ: Samsung Galaxy S7 review: The unsung hero?
It will also have a robust case, according to the leaked image, which will prevent it from damage if dropped or thrown around.
We’re bound to hear something more official soon.
Bezos confirms more brick-and-mortar Amazon stores
Amazon is building more brick-and-mortar stores and beefing up Prime membership perks, company CEO Jeff Bezos has confirmed at the company’s annual meeting for shareholders. At the moment, the mostly online-based retailer has a single bookstore in Seattle, but it’s already building a new outlet near San Diego. “We’re definitely going to open additional stores,” he said, “how many we don’t know yet.” It’s unclear if the new location is going to be another bookstore or if it will be selling other items, as well. If you’ll recall, reports came out earlier this year that the company could open other types of retail outlets.
As for Amazon’s $99-per-year Prime membership, Bezos said he wants to bundle so many benefits with the subscription that people would feel irresponsible if they don’t sign up. He didn’t elaborate on what those benefits are, but The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the company will start selling private-label household items exclusively to Prime members. We’re not sure that’s nearly enough to make a lot of people “feel irresponsible” for not paying $99 a year, so we’re expecting a slew of other perks in the future.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Some ‘Warcraft’ movie tickets include free ‘World of Warcraft’
Following a similar business tactic that drug dealers have employed for ages, developer Blizzard is giving folks who check out the upcoming Warcraft movie a free, full, copy of World of Warcraft. That’s assuming you see the movie at certain Regal Cinemas (which is running a promo to send folks to BlizzCon, as well), United Artists Theaters or Edwards Theaters here in the United States. The promo is supported abroad too, with Australia, Brazil, Europe, Southeast Asia and New Zealand all getting in on the action. Of course, it’s a digital edition of the game, but hey, most people don’t buy physical copies of PC games anymore anyway.
And if you’re already rolling deep in your guild with a level 100 death knight, Blizzard isn’t leaving you out of the movie-themed fun. Logging into the game between May 25th and August 1st nets you a few “movie-inspired transmogrification items,” according to Blizzard. The free game promo lasts quite a bit longer, and goes until New Year’s Day, 2017. Warcraft, the movie, opens this June 10th and you can check out the latest dubstep-laden trailer below.
Via: CNET
Source: Battle.net
Fitbit’s app auto-tracks activity on the Nexus 5X and 6P
With more and more smartphones now rocking motion co-processors, basic fitness activities can now be tracked without the need for a dedicated wearable. Fitbit brought such a feature to the iPhone 5S back in 2013, but Android support has been sporadic. Today, the company pushed a new update for Google devices, allowing owners of the Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P to use the app without a tracker and capture basic metrics like steps, distance and calories burned.
The feature is called MobileTrack and it uses the Android Sensor Hub, a dedicated processor that connects directly to the camera’s sensors, to quietly track movement while sipping a low amount of power. Its activity-recognition algorithms can detect when you’re embarking on a run or hopping on your bike without needing to be phone to be woken. Granted, it won’t be able to give you the best overview of your fitness, but if you’re keen to compare steps with your Fitbit-wearing friends and family, it will get you off a decent start.
Via: Fitbit Community
Source: Fitbit (Google Play)
Google launches Android Pay in the UK
As promised, Google has brought Android Pay to the UK. The app is now live in the Google Play Store, meaning anyone with a compatible credit or debit card can link their bank account and start making payments. The Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank, MBNA and Nationwide Building Society are all on board at launch, however it might take a little while before your particular bank is up and running. Oh, and don’t expect Barclays to support Android Pay any time soon. It’s a little preoccupied with its own Android app.
Once everything is set up, you’ll be able to use Android Pay almost anywhere contactless payments are supported in the UK. It will also integrate with other Android apps, including Deliveroo and YPlan, so you don’t have to enter your payment or address details every time.
Source: Android Pay (Google Support)
Microsoft sells Nokia’s feature phone business to Foxconn
Microsoft has signed a deal with a subsidiary of Foxconn to sell what used to be Nokia’s old feature phone business. The outfit, that still produces low-end handsets like the 222 and 230, has been sold to FIH Mobile for $350 million. It’ll now come under the control of the manufacturing giant that produces (pretty much) every device you can think of. Microsoft is also handing over a manufacturing plant in Hanoi, Vietnam, as part of the deal. In addition, 4,500 employees responsible for producing the devices will be given the opportunity to join the Foxconn family.
If Microsoft wanted to convince people that it had any ambitions in the handset world, the news today does a terrible job. The company claims that it will continue to “support” Windows 10 Mobile and devices like the Lumia 950, but makes no mention of building more. There is a line to say that the outfit will “support” partners like Acer, Alcatel, HP, Trinity and VAIO. Otherwise, it looks like Satya Nadella believes that his predecessor’s grand push into the smartphone wars was a mistake. After all, the company’s most recent round of financials revealed that Lumia sales have fallen through the floor.
Via: Verge
Source: Microsoft (PRNewswire)
WSJ: Amazon is making an Alexa-powered tablet
Amazon is working on a new device imbued with Alexa’s powers, according to The Wall Street Journal. It won’t be yet another speaker, though: it’s a device with a “tablet-like computer screen” that’s codenamed Knight. Lab126, the company’s secretive hardware facility, is reportedly in the midst of developing the tablet, which sounds like it’s meant for the kitchen. WSJ says it’ll allow users to load websites or images “even when their hands are covered in flour.” Amazon has been working on a high-end kitchen computer for quite some time, but it’s unclear if this is the reimagined version of that old project.
WSJ didn’t give out more details about Knight, but if it has Alexa, then it’s safe to say that it can respond to all the voice commands you can use with the Echo speakers. Lab126, by the way, also created Amazon’s other devices. It was originally formed to design the Kindle e-readers and went on to develop the Fire tablets, phone and TV, the Echo and Tap speakers, as well as the e-retailer’s Dash buttons.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
‘Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2’ goes Super Saiyan later this year
Dragon Ball Xenoverse, the brawler that launched a thousand Dragon Ball Z OCs (original characters), is getting a sequel, and it’s being shown off at E3 this June. Unsurprisingly, it’s called Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, and it looks a whole lot like the first game.
The game’s slated for release this year for PS4, Xbox One and PC and is in development by DIMPS. The trailer shows off the usual suspects: Goku, Frieza, Trunks and what-have-you, suggesting that you’ll be able to alter outcomes previously seen in the series in-game when it launches later this year.
Perhaps you’ll be able to keep the Androids from terrorizing Future Trunks, or Frieza from killing off Goku’s loved ones (good luck.) That’s exactly the type of thing you could do in the previous game, but it also folded in elements of Dragon Ball Online as well. In short, it’s definitely one for the fans.
Moreover, there’ll be a brand new hub city, additional character customization options, and what we can only assume are more characters, period. Because if there’s one thing the long-running (never-ending?) Dragon Ball series has no shortage of, it’s personalities.
Publicly released OkCupid profiles taken down due to DMCA claim
A cache of 70,000 OkCupid profiles posted online in the name of scientific “research” last week has been taken down due to a copyright claim. The data was scraped from the dating site by Emil Kirkegaard and Julius Daugbjerg Bjerrekær, two graduate students at Aarhus University in Denmark, who then posted the information on Open Science Framework.
While the data was somewhat anonymous, it did include usernames, locations and personal information like sexual orientation, political leanings or turn-ons, and as Motherboard explained last week it wouldn’t have been difficult to reverse engineer the data set to identify individuals.
At the time, OkCupid claimed the scraping the site for data violated the site’s user agreement and it now appears Open Science Framework is complying with OkCupid’s DMCA claim. “The repository is currently unavailable due to a DMCA claim sent by OKCupid. It’s unclear to me which part they claim copyright on,” Kirkegaard told Retraction Watch.
Kirkegaard also edits a research journal called Open Differential Psychology, where he submitted a paper based on the data, but that paper is now subject to “internal discussions.” After the controversy broke, Aarhus University distanced itself from Kirkegaard, stating that the OkCupid project was not part of his student work at the university.
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