Mobile Nations Weekly: So Noted
The Note 7 arrives, Honor 8 makes a splash, and a treat for Windows Phone users.
Behold, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is now here — and Android Central has everything you need to know about the S Pen-toting flagship Android phone. Also arriving, a flagship from Huawei that’s solidly-specced but about half the price: the dual-camera-toting Honor 8.
Just two weeks after landing for Windows PC users, Windows 10 Mobile has received its anniversary update. The update brings a bunch of behind-the-scenes improvements for Windows phone users as well as few new and long-awaited features. But there’s no rest for the weary: the first beta builds for the next major iteration of Windows — Redstone 2 are already in the hands of testers.
While Android fans are busy with new devices and Window users have swanky new software, Apple land is busy with new devices to come, including plenty of rumors about the Apple Watch 2 and iPhone 7.
Android Central — Note 7 launches in the U.S.
This is the first weekend of proper Note 7 availability in the U.S. and Canada, so if you’ve picked one up you should get started with all of our Note coverage. We have some great how-to’s and information to help you get the most out of your Note 7, from the first day to the following months.
Further downmarket, we saw the U.S. unveiling of the new Honor 8 this week. Starting at $399 unlocked it has some great potential, with high-end specs, solid features and improved software from what we’ve seen out of Honor previously. You can check out our first hands-on with the Honor 8 to get an early feel for what you can expect.
We’re also gearing up for the IFA show at the end of August, and we have a nice preview to get you ready for everything that’ll come from Berlin.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The Honor 8 is more important to the U.S. than you may think
- No, we don’t need a ‘flat’ Galaxy Note 7
- How to set up and use Google Duo
- Complain all you want about the OnePlus 3, at least it’s getting updates
- Android 7.0: Data Saver will prevent overages on cheaper plans
- Huawei P9 plus video review
CrackBerry — QuadProtected
With the DTEK50 now announced and shipping to customers, BlackBerry has taken additional steps to show customers they’re serious about security on their Android offerings by releasing updates to Priv and DTEK50 to full patch against QuadRooter. In other news, BlackBerry has recently gone on the offensive when it comes to their patents and have now targeted BLU Products Inc. in a patent infringement lawsuit in addition to the previous suit against Avaya.
- BlackBerry Priv and DTEK50 first to be fully patched against all QuadRooter vulnerabilities
- BlackBerry files patent infringement lawsuit against BLU Products in Florida
- BBM Baby is Lana Del Rey’s unreleased song about BlackBerry Messenger
iMore — Rich in rumors
We’re just a few weeks out from Apple’s purported Fall event, and the rumors engine has been running hot, hot, hot: We’ve heard more about the Apple Watch 2 and iPhone 7, and though we don’t expect new iPad hardware next month, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has a few thoughts about the next iPad Pro.
Amidst these rumors, we’ve also been pondering what this year’s new hardware means for Apple fans. Rene wonders what’s on your Apple Watch 2 wish list, while Michael Gartenberg thinks his current iPhone may be “good enough” to skip the upgrade this year, and Steven Aquino questions what losing the headphone jack might mean for accessibility.
We’re also continuing our iOS 10 how-to coverage as the developer and public betas inch ever-closer to public release.
- How to use the markup editor in iOS 10
- How sharing your Apple Watch progress with your friends will work in iOS 10
- How to set up Apple’s 2-factor authentication in iOS 10
VR Heads — Three months in an HTC Vive
The most incredible thing about VR right now is the way things are improving on a daily basis. Developers are trying new things, consumers are offering active feedback, and the cycle grows with each new user. It’s easy to get lost in that “which is best” conversation when trying to make a purchase, but really the ecosystem as a whole is in a fascinating state of constant growth. The HTC Vive is a huge part of that growth, so we took a deeper look at how it has held up since launch.
- Three months with HTC Vive — The most fun you can have in VR today
- Samsung Gear VR 2016 Review — A master class in refinement
- PlayStation VR — why there’s no screen door effect
Windows Central — Updates for Mobile
The Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update has finally made it out Microsoft’s clutches. The OS refresh made its appearance on August 16, just two weeks after the one for PC. We have an extensive walk-through for those who want to see what is new. For those on the Release Preview of the Windows Insider Ring Microsoft pushed out build 14393.82 with many fixes and improvements. For those who live life in the Fast Ring, build 14905 for Redstone 2 went out to PCs and phones on Wednesday making it the second update for the new-new OS.
Speaking of Redstone 2 we detailed some new upcoming features for Office and productivity in Windows 10 that are expected for early 2017. The exclusive details new features like Working Sets, Office Hub, and the return of OneClip.
Gamescom let us see some new exciting hardware including the mass-adoption of the new GTX 10-series graphics cards for laptops. MSI was the first out the gate with its new series of gamer laptops that will push the FPS boundary. HP also wowed us with its OMEN X monster of a PC.
- Hands-on with the HP Elite x3 Lap Dock
- Surface Special Edition NFL Type Covers now on sale for all 32 football teams!
- Windows 10 Redstone 2: Everything We Know (So Far)
- Amazon brings a new “app” to Windows 10 and Mobile
Kaleidescape’s high-end movie player business shuts down
If you’re familiar with Kaleidescape, it’s likely related to the company’s years-long battle with the DVD Copy Control Association over the right to sell disc-ripping movie servers. After a decade of legal wrangling, the parties settled two years ago with an agreement that effectively killed the DVD copying feature. Now, after making attempts to build pricey Blu-ray jukeboxes and a high-quality movie download service that worked with Hollywood’s copy-protection demands instead of against them, the company is shutting its doors.
Word of the closure leaked out last night through a post on a forum for owners of the devices, and today CEO Cheena Srinivasan confirmed it in an interview with CEPro. According to the forum post, the doors have been closed and all employees were immediately laid off. In the interview, Srinivasan said “My prayer is there comes a buyer out of this” so that the technology can continue, and said a “small SWAT team” remained to wrap up the process and take care of customers. It’s not clear yet what that will mean, but we have attempted to contact Kaleidescape for more details.
Since Kaleidescape focused on the high-end market, its prices were too high (the 4K Strato movie player starts at $3,495 without a hard drive included, and when we interviewed its founder in 2005 systems started at $27,000) for any kind of mass market acceptance, and the CEO says the company exhausted its resources building the downloadable movie system. Now, it’s turning out the lights at the same time 4K, HDR and surround audio platforms are providing a new shiny thing for videophiles to chase.
Source: Kaleidescape Owners Forum, CEPro
This forklift simulator is basically ‘Shenmue’ VR
Shenmue’s forklift truck sequence was effectively my first job. I was 15 when Sega’s open-world adventure came out, and truly captivated by the game. After two discs of mystery, adventure and capsule toys, I can still remember dropping disc three into my Dreamcast, full of anticipation. Infamously, the third and final disc of Shenmue involves the protagonist, Ryo, getting a job at the docks as a forklift truck driver. After the first day of moving crates around, I expected we’d soon be uncovering information about the gang Ryo was tracking down. Instead… I went back to work the next day. And the next. And the next. Moving crates was just part of life now. The story does unfold along the way, and you’re eventually treated to perhaps the game’s best fight sequence.
Jumping forward some 16 years, and at Gamescom I spotted a strange machine in the corner of one of the business centers. It was Sanlab’s SimPro 3, a hydraulic platform with controls of several real-world construction vehicles including… a forklift. I had to try it. With only my Shenmue experience, and some brief explanations on how the controls work from a Sanlab representative, I donned an HTC Vive and got started.
In my VR view, the wheel, levers and buttons were all mapped perfectly to their real-world counterparts. After a little driving around, I set about performing the requested task. There were three crates on pallets that needed moving from the floor in front of me to the shelves on the other side of the virtual construction yard. I carefully approached the first crate and promptly knocked it over. My forks were too high and had toppled it over.
Take two, and once again I meticulously lined up the forklift with the crate in front of me. Then I accidentally lifted the forks too early and knocked it over again. On the third time of asking, everything went perfectly. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I was truly excited as I gently placed the crate on the shelf. You can laugh, but this was absolutely the most exciting thing I did all week, even if it proved that Shenmue didn’t quite prepare me for the “real” thing.
My excitement was palpable.
Although I treated Sanlab’s machine like a modernized, motorized Dreamcast, it’s really not a toy. It’s used in the real world by training companies to teach people how to control dangerous equipment in a safe environment. From the perspective of a gamer, though, what I’m always looking for is “presence:” Those moments when you lose track of the fact that you’re in a VR headset and feel like you’re actually there. This achieved that perfectly.
Many of its models come with screens rather than VR headsets, but I feel like VR makes a huge difference to the overall experience. Many have effectively argued that driver’s ed should take place in a simulator, and I wholeheartedly agree. Combine a rock-solid simulator with VR, though, and you might save even more lives.
We’re live all week from Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
‘Star Citizen’ presentation hints the game is coming together
We won’t blame you if you’re skeptical that Star Citizen will ever be a finished, shipping title. Even now, it’s not so much a game as a collection of modules: you can explore space and get into gun battles on foot, but not much more. However, Roberts Space Industries just gave an indication that things might be coming along. The studio has shown a 52-minute presentation at Gamescom that illustrates a truly cohesive (if still imperfect) experience coming with the 3.0 alpha. You can board your ship at a space station, fly between planets, pick up missions and touch down on strange new worlds without transitions. It’s all modeled as one seamless universe.
The planets are noteworthy all by themselves. They’re not only vast (the demo planet is over 1,240 miles in diameter), but detailed. You can see fellow players taking a base elevator from the comfort of your ship, if you’re flying close enough. Planets even have distinct atmospheric properties, so a more aerodynamic spaceship may be more maneuverable. Think of it as No Man’s Sky, only without the extreme procedural generation and more of an emphasis on civilization than wildlife.
There’s still plenty left unfinished. A base in the demo doesn’t have working shops, for example, and promises of people coming and going with their own schedules have yet to be fulfilled. You’ll have to wait until closer to the end of 2016 to try the 3.0 alpha for yourself. However, what’s shown here still feels much more like… well, a game. Star Citizen is still relying heavily on its “trust us, it’ll be cool” hype to get by, but at least far enough into development that you can get an inkling of what the complete experience could be.
We’re live all week from Cologne, Germany for Gamescom 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
Source: Roberts Space Industries
‘#SkiJump’ is an exhausting, but fun VR game
As embarrassing as it is to play, #SkiJump is a lot of fun. It’s a VR game in which you move your body in order to ski down a mountain, and playing it feels like you’re embodying the unnamed protagonist of SkiFree (that one skiing game that everyone had on Windows 95). It was created by VRUnicorns, the loose team of game jammers that released the HTC Vive launch title #SelfieTennis, and seemingly have around 17 projects they’re working on at any given moment.
Like #SelfieTennis before it, #SkiJump is hard work. To succeed, you’ll need to vigorously pump your arms, crouch down, lean from side to side and jump. The controls aren’t perfect, and I lost track of my skis a few times, but polish isn’t really the selling point of VRUnicorns’ games. They inhabit an important space within VR, offering funny, light experiences that you can play in short bursts with friends.
For early VR users, they have the potential to offer experiences akin to Wii Sports and Wii Play: two games that did such a good job selling motion controls. I was exhausted after ten minutes, and as the video above illuminates, I looked like a complete idiot, but I can see myself coming back to this one again and again.
#SkiJump will be out this year. Although it’s being demoed on the HTC Vive, Julie Heyde, one of the developers that’s working not he game, says they’re working on Oculus Rift support also.
We’re live all week from Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
From the Editor’s Desk: Meeting smart people
Apps don’t just happen. A trip to the Big Android BBQ Europe gave me a fresh perspective on how challenging it is to make great Android applications.
One of the best things about this job is meeting the incredibly smart people who make the devices we use great. I spent a large chunk of this past week in Amsterdam at the Big Android BBQ Europe getting to know some of the top European Android developers — the people responsible for making the great apps we all use every day — and learning how they do it.
I know just about enough about programming to get myself in trouble, but even I came away with a fresh appreciation for how much skill it takes to create apps for the billion or so Android phones out there. The quick version: It’s still a challenge to deal with the sheer breadth of variety in the Android world, especially when some types of phones don’t play by the rules. Nevertheless, Android is more accessible than ever for self-taught coders — in part because we all have devices, in part because mobile development is inherently easier to interact with than anything on a desktop. And the nuts and bolts of how devs create Android apps has changed significantly over the past year, and is sure to evolve further with new trends like Kotlin, wearables and desktop apps through Chrome.
For the longer version, we’re going to hear from the developers themselves. Starting this weekend, we’ll be running a new set of interviews with some of these incredibly talented developers, starting with Blendle’s Jolanda Verhoef. We’re following a similar structure each time, letting these people go freeform on some of the benefits and challenges of working with Android, how newbies can get started, and where it might all be going.
Look for a new interview every other day for the next couple of weeks.
Other quick hits for a working weekend:
- I’m in New York this weekend for a few days to hang out with the AC team and hustle on some of the big plans we’ve got for the latter half of 2016. No spoilers yet, but we’ve got some fantastic things in the works.
- I got to play around with the U.S.-spec Honor 8 in NY, ahead of next Wednesday’s European launch. (I’ll be there for the launch event in Paris.) We’ll have a review from Andrew in due course, but my tl;dr: A great phone that should significantly raise the profile of Honor in the U.S. There’s still some software wonk in EMUI (albeit way less than there used to be.) But it’s a solid product, and one that’s only going to get better once EMUI 5 and Nougat roll around.
- We’re rapidly approaching IFA, the annual Berlin-based trade show that’s normally packed with exciting new Android stuff. We’ve got a good roundup of what to expect from this year’s show, which is looking like being dominated by new Android Wear smartwatches. (It’s about time.) Huawei’s going to be huge at IFA too — hopefully we’ll see what’s next from them in software.
- Entering the Nougat era is going to be a big break from the usual Android release cycle. The new Android version should be dropping on Monday, making official the OS we’ve been seeing in preview form since March. Don’t expect any huge changes in this final release compared to the most recent dev. preview 5. But Nexus time this year (I’m thinking mid-late September) should be really interesting.
- If you’re not following @androidcentral on Instagram, you’re missing out on a lot of fun behind-the-scenes stuff in our Instagram story.
That’s it for now. It’s going to be a crazy awesome next few weeks in Android, so keep it locked to AC!
Watch the trailer for Apple Music’s Cash Money documentary
Wondering what Apple’s Cash Money documentary will look like? You can already get a peek today. Apple has posted a trailer for the feature, The Cash Money Story: Before Anythang, that gives you a sense of what to expect from the Apple Music exclusive. The minute-long clip suggests that the feature won’t pull too many punches just because label founders Birdman and Slim are executive producers — it illustrates an early life punctuated by a mix of runaway success and tragedy.
You’ll still have to wait until the fall to watch the full thing, and it’s not certain whether or not this doc is a hint of future collaborations between Apple and Cash Money artists like Drake (who already had a temporary exclusive) or Nicki Minaj. We certainly wouldn’t rule it out at a time when Apple has to compete with Spotify for both your eyes and your ears.
The Cash Money Story #BEFOREANYTHANG.
Coming this fall to #AppleMusic.@BIRDMAN5STARhttps://t.co/6wQCW5Clxb— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) August 19, 2016
Via: FACT
Source: Apple Music (Twitter)
PS4 redesign supposedly pops up at an auction
Wondering what Sony might have in store at its September 7th PlayStation event? You might be getting a sneak peek. An auction purports to be selling an as yet unreleased “slim line” PS4 that would be thinner, rounder and (let’s be honest) decidedly plainer than the original. There’s no mention of whether or not this would be the vaunted 4K-capable Neo, but that seems unlikely when Sony said that Neo would be a more expensive complement to the base system — 500GB looks pretty basic to us.
We’d take this apparent leak with a big grain of salt, although there are things in the photos that check out. The packaging is decidedly different than what you get with the current, standard edition PS4 including a different model number (CUH-2016A) and a plug for PlayStation VR. And the system itself? As long-time PlayStation fans will attest, Sony has a habit of introducing refreshed consoles that aren’t as ornate as the first-run systems. You’ll likely get the full story in a couple of weeks.
Via: Wario64 (Twitter)
Source: Gumtree, NeoGAF
Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ Album Now Available Exclusively on Apple Music
Just a couple days after exclusively launching visual album “Endless” on Apple Music, R&B singer Frank Ocean has released his sophomore album “Blonde”, which used to be referred to as “Boy’s Don’t Cry”. The album, which is his first since his debut album “Channel Orange” in 2012, will be exclusive to Apple Music for two weeks.
The 17-track album was originally set to release on August 5, but Ocean and his teamed pushed back the release once the news was out to maintain the element of surprise, according to The New York Times. The release also includes the music video for Ocean’s single, “Nikes.”
A companion print magazine called “Boys Don’t Cry” was reportedly going to be available at Apple retail stores. However, Ocean has only announced that four pop-up stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and London would carry the magazine.
“Endless” and “Blonde” are just two of the high-profile exclusives that Apple has secured for its music streaming service. Other content includes Drake’s “Views” and Taylor Swift’s “1989 World Tour LIVE,”
“Blonde” can be streamed on Apple Music now. [Direct Link]
Tag: Apple Music
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Android 7.0: Your language, your way
Android 7.0 gives you a way to make sure you understand what is written and better tools for developers to help.
Choosing a language has been part of Android since the beginning, since being able to read and understand the information on our phone is vital. We’ve all seen it during the setup procedure on a new phone, and for some of us, that covers everything we need. We pick English or French or Spanish and trust that what we see will be in the language we prefer. We can then pick other languages to use the keyboard and switch if we ever need to.
But for some regions and some localized apps, things aren’t that easy. The Portuguese spoken in Lisbon isn’t quite the same as the Portuguese spoken in Brasilia, and sometimes small differences don’t feel very small. Android 7.0 has a way to ensure that the language you see is the right one — in the correct dialect — throughout the operating system.
For starters, you can now choose multiple languages for the system default, and they will switch on the fly when an app has localized content. What this means is that I can choose U.S. English and UK English as system defaults (or all of the English dialects — there are 104 of them supported) — or even German and French if I’m inclined — and if an app isn’t prepared to use my first choice it will move down the list to find a supported one.
The new locale setting feature also comes with tools to make it easy for developers to use them in their apps
While English speakers don’t face too many hurdles — apps written only for UK English will be easy to understand if you’re in the U.S. or Australia or India — an app written for one of the 27 distinct dialects of Arabic are likely a bit different. Rather than show blocks instead of letters, have words that read like nonsense, or have parts of an app in different languages, Android will now automatically switch to the app’s language if you’ve chosen to support it. Das ist wirklich cool!
New tools for developers allow them to determine which languages you’ve chosen and find the best match among the languages they support. I can set my default language to U.S. English with German as my second choice, and read the SPIEGEL Online app in its native default. Or I can visit the website on my phone and the browser won’t try to translate it into English. Content not written for German will use my default choice of U.S. English. Wunderbar! These APIs handle number formatting as well as text so dates, times, currencies and the like will also be displayed in the best way for the user.
The best part is that developers don’t have to build and include any of these resources into their app. They can use variables where locale-specific elements need to be displayed, and the LocaleList API will sort out which of the user’s languages work best for the content. Hard coding names and numbers and dates and other strings for multiple language support takes time and makes an application have a larger footprint. Having the system handle it lets developers focus on other things.
This is a pretty big deal, and a way for Android to help us be together — even if we’re not the same.
For many, these changes aren’t going to make much of a difference. But for those who need them — and there are quite a few — can now have their phone and its content feel more personal and be easier to understand. That’s a pretty big deal, and a way for Android to help us be together — even if we’re not the same.
Android Nougat
Android Nougat is the 12th nicknamed version of Android and will be released to the public in the fall of 2016. Here’s everything you need to know so far!
- What’s new in Android Nougat
- Will my phone get Android Nougat?
- All Android Nougat news
- Should you use the Android N Dev Preview?
- Join the Discussion
AIVAnet 