Android Central 306: Note 7 Armageddon
Andrew, Alex, Jerry and Flo (two appearances in a row!) talk about returning exploding Note 7s, how Samsung has handled another week of the ordeal and just who’s at fault for the poor return rates up to this point.
With the expected upcoming Google event, we break down the latest Pixel phone leaks, and talk about the future of Android software with Nougat and beyond. Also, what the heck is going on with Android Wear right now? It kind of feels like it’s in a holding pattern.
The group also talks about Sony’s recent uptick in mind share since IFA, and how that relates to HTC’s current dismal state of affairs.
Thanks to this week’s sponsor:
- Harrys: Use promo code AC to save $5 off your first purchase — start shaving smarter.
Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/androidcentral306.mp3
Ben Heck’s Intel Edison laser harp, part 2
How did the Ben Heck Show team manage to crash an Intel Edison chip? Find out in the assembly of the Laser Harp where Felix, resident Linux Guy, has been handling the Edison module, while Ben and Karen manage the electromechanical bits. Soldering the harp has been exhausting on the team: There are some two dozen wires connected to the lasers and sensors, and Karen, ever attentive to detail, has to painstakingly align each of them individually. Felix has meanwhile taken on a challenge of his own: get the midi soundfonts working on the Edison chip with FluidSynth. The main question is, will they make beautiful music together? Let us know what you think over on the element14 Community, and while you’re there, tell us about your own audio projects.
Teen claims you can get free T-Mobile data through a proxy
One teen may have just achieved the dream of every cost-conscious wireless user: free, no-strings-attached mobile data. High school student Jacob Ajit claims to have discovered a trick that gets you all the T-Mobile data you want by using a proxy server. Reportedly, T-Mobile doesn’t block sites with “/speedtest” in the address when you’ve run out of data on prepaid service. If you use the proxy to make it look like every site link has that text, you can surf to your heart’s content at no charge beyond what it cost to get the SIM. Before you ask: sorry, folks, Ajit’s proxy is down.
We’ve asked T-Mobile about the workaround, and we’ll let you know if it can verify its authenticity and say what it’s doing in response. With that said, Ajit is quick to acknowledge that his technique’s effectiveness is likely short-lived at best. It’d be trivially easy for the Uncarrier to restrict access, and it won’t be surprising if the hole is completely closed by the time you read this (assuming it was truly open to begin with). You’d also need the wherewithal to set up and use a proxy in the first place. Look at it this way, though: if nothing else, the stunt shows that even big telecoms make simple mistakes.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Jacob Ajit (Medium)
‘Jackal Assault’ is all I ever wanted in a seated VR game
There’s already plenty to look forward to in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare due out on November 4th: Space, futuristic weaponry, rifle customization, enhanced multiplayer modes and a bit of Jon Snow. While I missed the opportunity to try the game at the Tokyo Game Show this week, I did come across Jackal Assault which is a PlayStation VR freebie that comes with the CoD title, and it didn’t take long before I fell in love with this space dogfight demo. More importantly, I didn’t feel sick at all, which is surprising given the speedy maneuvers I managed to pull.
There’s no gameplay footage of Jackal Assault at the time of writing this article, but most part of the demo I tried was very similar to what’s shown in the above CoD footage (from 1:35 to 3:05). The game puts you inside a Jackal fighter jet, you have a bit of time to look around the launchpad, and moments later you’re shot into cold space behind a fellow Jackal, with Planet Earth staring right back at you. You’re then tasked with a simple debris removal job to get you familiarized with the controls, which are straightforward on the PS4 controller.
Suddenly, an anomaly is detected nearby, and you’d end up being ambushed by a fleet of similarly-sized enemy spaceships plus their large but stationary battleship. That’s when the game really begins. Soon I found myself taking full advantage of my 360-degree view to track down enemies while flying smoothly at full speed, and occasionally braking to make sharp turns in the debris field. There was certainly no shortage of adrenaline throughout the game. Interestingly, at no point did I notice any nausea even while moving my head around, so I could simply focus on pointing my Jackal at the damn things to shoot them down with my rounds and missiles. Every explosion put a smile on my face.
That was until the demo got cut short by a black hole that came out of nowhere and sucked everything in. Given how simple yet thrilling Jackal Assault is, I wouldn’t mind a longer demo, but then again, it was a good time for me to wipe away my sweat.
AIVAnet 