Samsung stops Galaxy Note 7 sales, owners should ‘power down’
That’s it for the Galaxy Note 7 — Samsung just issued a statement saying it’s asking “all global partners to stop sales and exchanges of Galaxy Note 7 while further investigation takes place.” That includes both original and devices issued as replacements, matching a rumor from last night that Samsung had, in conjunction with consumer safety organizations from several countries, decided to stop manufacturing the phone.
As mentioned in the statement below, in the US, Samsung is working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate the problem, while customers should “power down and take advantage of the remedies available, including a refund at their place of purchase.” After a slew of reports citing meltdowns in supposedly safe replacement models, Samsung had no choice but to do this. No matter how much you like the phablet, you simply can’t be sure it’s safe — contact your carrier, retailer or Samsung directly to get another phone or a full refund.
Samsung:
We are working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.
We remain committed to working diligently with the CPSC, carriers and our retail partners to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 should power down and take advantage of the remedies available, including a refund at their place of purchase. For more information, consumers should visit samsung.com/us/note7recall or contact 1-844-365-6197.
New: @ElliotKayeCPSC calls on all consumers w/ replacement #GalaxyNote7 to power down, stop using, and seek refund. pic.twitter.com/iHPqyzDVYf
— Scott Wolfson (@Scott_Wolfson) October 10, 2016
Source: Samsung
Yahoo Mail disabled forwarding, good luck switching now
The Yahoo email hack and government surveillance claims aren’t going to go away no matter how much CEO Marissa Mayer wants them to. For users trying to flee the service, the beleaguered internet company is making it rather difficult. That’s because since the beginning of the month, the company has disabled email forwarding according to The Associated Press. From the sounds of it, though, it’s just for folks who’ve recently tried the feature, not people who’ve had it set up prior.
From Yahoo’s help site:
“Automatic forwarding sends a copy of incoming messages from one account to another.
This feature is currently under development. While we work to improve it, we’ve temporarily disabled the ability to turn on Mail Forwarding for new forwarding addresses. If you’ve already enabled Mail Forwarding in the past, your email will continue to forward to the address you previously configured.”
Below it is an option to indicate whether or not the help note was indeed helpful. Something tells me there will be an awful lot of “no” votes on this.
AP’s sources say that the timing is pretty suspicious and that email forwarding has been a “basic concept for 15 years for just about every email provider out there.” What’s more, TechCrunch reports that British Telecoms customers (BT uses Yahoo for email) haven’t been able to setup email forwarding or even delete their accounts. The error message there? “Sorry, the delete feature is currently unavailable. This feature will become available by the end of September,” according to The Register. So, September 2017?
We’ve reached out to Yahoo for more information and will update this post should the company respond.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Associated Press
AA batteries power Bastl Instrument’s pocket-sized synth
Teenage Engineering’s Pocket Operators offer tiny battery-powered synths and a range of sounds across a collection of six devices that cost $59 each. Czech synthesizer company Bastl Instruments has a new pocket-sized synth of its own with the Kastle: a modular instrument that runs on three AA batteries. The company says the lo-fi device is ideal for beginners and pros alike as it can be put to work alongside other small gadgets like those Pocket Operators and Korg’s Volca series. Kastle can also be used as part of Eurorack system or connected to other full-size gear.
The Kastle is an open-source instrument that runs on two Attiny 85 chips that you can reprogram with an Arduino. One of those chips handles the sound generation while the other is tasked with modulation and due to the DIY nature of the device, those two components can be tweaked to change their parameters. What’s more, Bastl Instruments says the LFO and OSC chips can be swapped out entirely for different ones.
The compact synth offers three modes: phase distortion, phase modulation and track and hold modulation. There are also pitch, timbre, wave shape and LFO controls that can be patched in different configurations with the included cables. Two I/O CV jacks are also on board for routing sounds to other gear. While it does offer a different look and feel to the Teenage Engineering devices we’ve spent time with in the past, the Kastle is slightly more expensive. To snag one, you’ll need to hand over €65.60 (about $73) and the instruments are set to ship next month. For now, you can catch the Kastle in action via the video down below.
Via: Fact
Source: Bastl Instruments
Apple Says 1,000 Fraudulent Reviews Were Detected Across Two Accounts Owned by ‘Dash’ Developer [Update: Developer Responds]
Last week, popular API documentation browser Dash was removed from the App Store after Apple accused Dash’s developer of fraudulent conduct and claimed he manipulated App Store reviews.
At the time, the developer denied the accusations and garnered the support of Dash app users who believed there had been a mix up and that he was not guilty, but Apple today provided more information to justify its position and the app’s removal from the App Store.
In statements given to iMore and The Loop, Apple says the developer owned two accounts with 25 apps, which had nearly 1,000 fake reviews. Both fraudulent positive reviews for his own apps and negative reviews for competing apps were involved.
“Almost 1,000 fraudulent reviews were detected across two accounts and 25 apps for this developer so we removed their apps and accounts from the App Store,” Apple spokesperson, Tom Neumayr, said in a statement provided to The Loop on Monday.
“Warning was given in advance of the termination and attempts were made to resolve the issue with the developer but they were unsuccessful. We will terminate developer accounts for ratings and review fraud, including actions designed to hurt other developers. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, on behalf of all of our customers and developers.”
According to The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple, Apple first sent a warning to the developer behind Dash two years ago and attempted to work with him “for some time” to put a stop to the App Store fraud. The behavior did not stop, leading to the account’s termination last week.
Dash’s developer specifically denied having been involved in App Store review manipulation in the blog post announcing Dash’s removal from the App Store, but Apple has been adamant that fraud took place. Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller even got involved, confirming to a concerned developer that ratings and review fraud had led to the app’s removal.
Apple’s decision is final and there is no further appeals process, according to Dash’s developer, who has yet to respond to the information Apple has provided today. Dash for iOS is unlikely to return to the iOS App Store, but Dash for Mac remains available outside of the Mac App Store.
Update: The developer behind Dash has shared his side of the story, placing the blame on a relative whose Apple Developer Program Membership he paid for.
He says he was not aware his account was linked to another until Friday and that he was not notified about any wrongdoing. He has shared a recorded phone conversation in which Apple says it will reactivate his account if he makes a blog post stating the truth that his account had been linked to an account with fraudulent activity.
Tag: Dash
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Samsung Halts Galaxy Note 7 Sales Worldwide
Samsung today announced that it is officially asking its global partners to cease all sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 while it further investigates claims of ongoing safety issues with replacement devices.
As of last week, there have been several reports from customers who had their replacement Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, which were deemed safe by Samsung, catch on fire. The devices were supposedly using batteries Samsung said were “not vulnerable to overheating and catching fire.”
(Image: Shawn Minter)
On Wednesday, a flight from Louisville to Baltimore was evacuated when a Note 7 began smoking, and on Saturday, a 13-year-old girl in Minnesota received burns from a defective device while a man in Kentucky suffered from smoke inhalation after his Note 7 caught fire while he was asleep.
Two additional reports of replacement Note 7 fires rolled in on Sunday from Virginia and Texas, plus there were reports of fires from Taiwan and South Korea.
By Monday morning, all major carriers in the United States had already announced plans to stop sales and “safe” replacements of the Galaxy Note 7, and now sales will temporarily end worldwide.
According to Samsung, customers with an original Galaxy Note 7 or a replacement Galaxy Note 7 should shut down their devices and stop using them right away.
We are working with relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.
We remain committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.
Earlier today, reports suggested that Samsung has stopped production on the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung said that it is “temporarily adjusting the Galaxy Note 7 production schedule in order to take further steps to ensure quality and safety matters,” with more information to be available in a month.
For customers in the United States who still have a Galaxy Note 7, all of the major carriers are now offering to replace the defective devices with another smartphone, such as an iPhone 7.
Tag: Samsung
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Sony Xperia XZ review – flagship, at a price!
Sony may be done with the Z series, but the letter returns with the company’s latest addition to their flagship X range, with the Xperia XZ. Introduced alongside the much smaller Xperia X Compact at IFA a little over a month ago, this high-end smartphone is Sony’s attempt at finding a foothold once again in the competitive US market.
- Hands on with the Sony Xperia XZ
- Sony Xperia X Performance review
- Sony Xperia X Compact review
With the company hoping to arrest their continuing fall in popularity, does their latest offering prove to be the answer? We find out, in this comprehensive Sony Xperia XZ review!
Buy the Sony Xperia XZ now
Design
The Xperia XZ features a design that has been refreshed in a few different ways, but the general rectangular slab-like design language still makes it easily recognizable as a Sony smartphone. A combination of materials has gone into the build of this device, with glass up front, an all metal back plate, and plastic along its sides.
The phone comes with what Sony is calling a “loop” design. Basically, the sides are rounded and taper towards the front and back, which makes the transition between the different build materials feel more seamless, and also allows for a very comfortable feel when holding the phone. Sony has never had issues with build quality as far as their high-end offerings are concerned, and that remains true for the Xperia XZ as well, with the device feeling sturdy and substantial in the hand.
A few color variations of the Xperia XZ are available, with options including blue and silver, and as seen with this review unit, black. The black version comes with a satin-like finish, which isn’t particularly glossy, but does tend to be prone to fingerprints. That said, black also gives this phone a very sleek and stealthy look.
The Xperia XZ comes with a 5.2-inch display, which allows for a relatively easy one-handed handling experience, despite the back plate being made with metal. Speaking of the metal backing, there are no plastic inserts to be found here, resulting in the NFC chip being moved from the back, where it is normally expected to be, to the front, next to the front-facing camera. This isn’t the first time that Sony has gone with this placement, but it does make tapping the phone to other devices or payment terminals just a little bit more awkward.
Taking a look around the device, the headphone jack and USB Type-C port are at the top and bottom respectively, a combined SIM card and microSD card slot is on the left, and finally, on the right side is the power button, volume rocker, and Sony’s signature dedicated camera shutter button.
As I also noted in the full review of the Xperia X Compact, the inclusion of a dedicated camera button provides a quick and easy way to get to the camera and is very convenient, but having all the buttons on the right makes the whole side feel quite cluttered. The placement of the volume rocker makes sense when considering its secondary use as a digital zoom control, but it is very awkward and uncomfortable to reach with your thumb when trying to adjust the volume in the portrait orientation.
The power button of the Xperia XZ does function as a fingerprint sensor, but that’s only true in other markets around the world, and unfortunately not the case in the US. For reasons unknown, Sony has decided to disable the scanner with the US version of the device, as the company did with previous Sony flagships as well. The keyword here is disable, and some developers have figured out a workaround that you can attempt at your own risk, if a fingerprint scanner is a must have.
Display
The Sony Xperia XZ comes with a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display, with a Full HD resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 424 ppi. Quad HD is generally what is expected from current generation flagships, but unless you are planning to use the device for VR, you are not going to notice any difference with 1080p here.
The screen is plenty sharp for comfortably reading text and web browsing, has excellent viewing angles, and is surprisingly very vibrant. Brightness is of no concern, and the display is easily view-able outdoors. You also have the usual white balance controls and Sony’s X-Reality engine built-in, that provide a sharper and more natural looking image when looking at photos and videos. There are also some benefits to having a lower resolution display, particularly in terms of performance and battery life.
Performance
Under the hood, the Xperia XZ packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, backed by the Adreno 530 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. While this is the processing package that is generally seen with most current flagships, 4 GB of RAM is the norm, so the reduction may be disappointing to some.
With a 1080p display, you’ll generally get much smoother game play and graphics performance when compared to Quad HD screens, because of the reduced strain on the GPU. Not surprisingly, the game play on the Xperia XZ is definitely extremely smooth, and there were no stutters or dropped frames that were noticeable with high-end games. Day to day operations including web browsing, opening apps, checking emails, and watching videos, have also been very smooth. Despite having 3 GB of RAM, I haven’t managed to slow this phone down with heavy amounts of multi-tasking either, so you certainly won’t feel the loss of an additional gig of RAM.
Hardware
The Xperia XZ comes with 32 GB or 64 GB of on-board storage, but if you do opt for the lower storage option, you can bolster that with a microSD card by up to 256 GB. The US version of the device is a single SIM version, but there is also a dual SIM iteration available in some other markets, where users will have to make the choice between dual SIM capabilities and expandable storage.
Unlike the Xperia X Compact, the Xperia XZ does come with an IP 68 rating for resistance to dust and water, which means that you can use the phone in the rain or while in the shower if you want to, and it can also survive a dunk in the water with no adverse effect on functionality.
Audio is a big part of the Xperia XZ experience. By plugging in a pair of headphones, you can take advantage of the device’s built-in support for Hi-Res audio files like FLAC, ALAC, DSD, and LPCM, and it can also upscale an compressed music files to give it more of a Hi-Res sound.
Two small slits above and below the display house dual stereo front-facing speakers, which sound excellent, with no distortion even at the highest volume. However, when compared to something like the Nexus 6P, these speakers are no where near as loud, and don’t offer as much low-end punch.
The Xperia XZ comes with a 2,900 mAh battery, with is a little smaller than a lot of other flagships out there. The battery is good enough to comfortably allow for a full day of use, but you won’t get a whole lot more beyond that. Even with heavy usage that involved a few hours of gaming every day, along with the usual activities that include social, email, and texting, the phone lasted for 12 hours off the charger, which is definitely not bad.
The phone comes with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, which will allow you to get back to a full charge quickly. If you are running out of battery and can’t get to a charger easily, you do get Sony’s staple Stamina and Ultra Stamina modes that limit performance and certain functionality in favor of longer battery life.
Camera
Sony is known for making really good camera sensors for smartphones, but they have unfortunately never managed to get the camera quite right with their own phones. However, there are a lot of improvements that have been made with the new sensor that the Xperia XZ is sporting. The device is sharing the same 23 MP rear camera as the smaller Xperia X Compact, and also comes with a 5-axis image stabilization, a new laser auto focus sensor, and a RGBC-IR that helps get the most accurate white balance, regardless of the lighting condition.
A point to remember is that the 5-axis stabilization is purely software based, so there are no moving parts that are making this happen. This stabilization also kicks in only when you are recording close ups or macro shots, and in other situations, 3-axis stabilization is what you are getting. It does work extremely well though for video, and stabilizes the footage without any noticeable warping or distortion.
Where the Xperia XZ differs from its smaller sibling is when it comes to the front-facing camera, with the former coming with a 13 MP shooter, instead of the 5 MP front-facing unit of the Xperia X Compact. The front camera of the Xperia XZ allows for plenty of detail and color to be captured, and you also get a lot more flexibility with zooming into and cropping shots.
The rest of the camera experience is typically what has been available from Sony. The camera app is fairly simplistic, and navigating between Superior Auto, Manual, Video Recording, or switching to the front-facing camera can all be done by simply swiping on the screen. You also get the usual modes like AR Effect, Sweep Panorama, and Timeshift Video, that can be a lot of fun to play around with. The only quirk with Sony’s default camera app is that the HDR mode is still buried in the camera settings, and is only accessible when using the Manual mode.
It is very quick and easy to launch the camera and take a shot, especially when using the dedicated camera key, and the pictures it takes are surprisingly very good. Images are extremely sharp and detailed, and it produces colors that are much more natural and true to life, but at the same time are stilll very pleasing to the eye.
The predictive hybrid auto focus feature that Sony has been using a for a while now also works well for tracking moving objects and capturing them without motion blur. As long as the subject is moving at a reasonable speed, you’ll be able to get a crystal clear shot.
In low light conditions, there is still a fair amount of detail to be had, and the images come out relatively noise free. The camera does to tend overexpose shots though, and there is a lot of blooming in the highlights. The camera can also be really slow to capture a picture poorly-lit situations, and if you aren’t holding the phone perfectly steady, you will end up with a lot of blurry shots.
Software
On the software side of things, the Xperia XZ is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the Xperia UI on top, which Sony has scaled back significantly to keep the experience fairly light. You still have Sony’s own launcher, Settings menu, app icons, and a built-in themes engine, but the majority of the user interface feels very close to stock Android.
This integration goes up to the point where the Google Now second screen is now a part of the Xperia launcher as well. While the Xperia XZ is only available unlocked and free of network carrier bloatware, there are a few pre-installed applications to deal with, like AVG protection, Amazon Shopping, and Sony’s own list of apps. Overall however, this is a very clean and simple software experience, which is definitely a contributing factor to the smooth performance of the device.
Specifications
| Display | 5.2″ Full HD Triluminos IPS LCD |
| Processor | Quad-core, 64-bit Snapdragon 820 |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Storage | 32 GB (single SIM), 64 GB (dual-SIM) + microSD |
| Dimensions | 146 x 72 x 8.1 mm |
| Weight | 161g |
| IP rating | IP65/IP68 |
| Main camera | 23 MP with triple image sensing, predictive hybrid autofocus, 5-axis stabilization |
| Front camera | 13 MP |
| Battery | 2,900 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0, Qnovo Adaptive Charging, USB Type-C |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes |
| Networks | GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G), UMTS HSPA+ (3G), Cat. 9 LTE |
| Connectivity | A-GNSS (GPS + GLONASS), Wi-Fi Miracast, Bluetooth 4.2 |
Gallery
Pricing and final thoughts
If you are looking to get the Xperia XZ, the price is going to be something to contend with, with the device priced at $699. This puts it in the same price range as other flagships like the Galaxy S7 Edge and Google’s brand new Pixel smartphones, and there are also smartphones that offer flagship experiences at a fraction of the price, like the ZTE Axon 7 and the OnePlus 3.
So, there you have it for this in-depth review of the Sony Xperia XZ! It has to be admitted that I do really like this phone, and it has been a long time since a Sony smartphone has truly impressed me. The Xperia XZ has got a refreshing, new, and beautiful design which is still true to Sony, and also features a beautiful display, excellent performance, and a really great camera.
There is so much to like about this phone that I was able to forgive the lack of Quad HD display and a fingerprint sensor. However, with these features missing, the high price point might be harder to forgive. The Xperia XZ is undoubtedly the best smartphone that Sony has made in a long while, but if that is enough to justify paying a premium for it is up to you.
Buy the Sony Xperia XZ now
Our fingerprints, eyes and faces will replace passwords
Passwords are a pain in the ass. They’re either easy to crack or hard to remember, and when breaches occur you have to come up with a whole new one. So people are trying to do away with passwords altogether, and so far fingerprint scanners are doing the job nicely.
Still, fingerprints alone are not enough. Online security has become increasingly important, forcing service providers to come up with better measures such as two-factor authentication to defend user information. Companies are turning to other parts of our bodies to find biometric complements that are up to the task, and our faces and eyes are at the top of the list. Although facial and eye-based recognition appear gimmicky for now (the Galaxy Note 7’s iris scanner, anyone?), they may soon become as prevalent and popular as fingerprint scanners. That pairing could eradicate passwords and clunky text-message two-factor verification altogether, making it a completely biometric process.
Before you brush the notion aside, think about the history of fingerprint scanners on smartphones. After Apple first put Touch ID on the iPhone 5s in 2013, people pointed out that it didn’t work very well and that it wasn’t secure. But Apple soldiered on, improving the hardware and implementing more useful features. Since then, many other tech giants have followed suit. Today, they’re basically a given feature on flagship Samsung, Nexus (or Pixel), LG and HTC phones, and are even spreading to more affordable handsets such as the $99 ZMax Pro, the $200 Huawei Honor 5X, the $400 OnePlus 3 and the $400 ZTE Axon 7. We can expect to see them everywhere soon, said Sayeed Choudhury, Qualcomm’s senior director of product management.
Despite the proliferation of fingerprint sensors, companies continue to chase convenience and novelty by introducing new biometric methods of logging in. We started seeing facial recognition as a method of identification when Google first revealed Face Unlock on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Years later, eye-print authentication started popping up on phones such as the ZTE Grand S3 and the Alcatel Idol 3. The latter two used a retinal scan to match the user by looking at the full eye and veins.
The good thing about this method, said Choudhury, was that it doesn’t require additional hardware — you could just use the selfie camera. The challenge in retinal scanning is in its computation and algorithms, which Choudhury said is “very heavyweight” and “almost always uses the GPU in addition to the CPU.” This means it takes longer to detect and recognize your prints. Indeed, in my experience reviewing the Eyeverify system on ZTE and Eye-D on the Alcatel Idol 3, snapping a pic of my eyes to unlock the phones was always excruciatingly slow.
In contrast, iris scanning, which was one of the highlights of the Galaxy Note 7 when it launched (and before all that exploding hoopla), uses more compact algorithms, said Choudhury. That means faster detection and a shorter wait time. Plus, iris scanning has been around for a long time. People have been using it to get into secure labs, buildings and even through airport security (Global Entry), so the technology is pretty mature. It’s also more secure than fingerprints. According to Choudhury, “Iris recognition technologies found in devices today identify 3-5 times more ‘feature markers’ to classify a specific iris versus what today’s fingerprint technologies can do.” The bad news with iris scanning, though, is it requires an infrared (IR) camera, which isn’t on many phones. But Samsung isn’t alone in looking to implement it — other brands will likely follow suit.
One of the biggest forces pushing the move towards eye-based authentication is the payments industry, said Choudhury. “What we’re seeing, driven by the mobile payments industry, is that both iris and retina biometrics are going to be incorporated in many more devices,” he said. Mobile payments are a “killer use case,” according to him, and it certainly has a history of forcing even the most stubborn companies to adopt new technologies. The most obvious example of this would be Apple finally incorporating NFC into the iPhone 6 to enable its payment system, after years of resisting the tech that’s proliferated in Android phones.
Payments giant Mastercard is one of the proponents of the biometric security bandwagon, which encompasses fingerprints, eyes and faces. “We want to remove passwords,” said Ajay Bhalla, president of global enterprise risk and security at Mastercard. “Passwords are a big problem for people — they keep forgetting it or they use passwords which are very simple and dumb,” said Bhalla.
The company has been researching biometric authentication methods using facial recognition, eye-based tech, fingerprints, heartbeats and voice, because these are unique to the user and don’t require memorizing or guesswork. It found fingerprints and face detection to be the most easily scalable. “We feel it’s reached a stage where it can become mainstream — it’s on devices, and consumers understand it,” said Bhalla.
Mastercard recently launched its Selfie Pay authentication method in Europe via its Identity Check Mobile app. As its name suggests, Selfie Pay lets you authorize transactions by taking a portrait of yourself, and blinking to prove it’s you and not a picture some wannabe hacker printed.
While it may sound cheesy to hold up your phone and pose for a picture each time you want to buy something, the company claims it is well-received. According to research from its 2015 trials, 90 percent of respondents found the Identity Check app more convenient than what they had been using. 71 percent rated facial recognition as “highly convenient,” while 93 percent rated fingerprint recognition the same.
The popularity, prevalence and convenience of fingerprint scanning means it is here to stay, and by no means are face and eye recognition meant to replace it. Both Choudhury and Bhalla see the newer method as a complement to fingerprints, providing a more convenient second-factor authentication as opposed to entering a text code sent to your phone. While the tech we have right now may not be fast or secure enough to be truly convenient and helpful, we’re getting close. Using the adoption of fingerprint scanners as a model, Choudhury estimated that we are about five years away from iris scanners and face detection becoming just as widespread. Until then, we’ll have to deal with changing our crappy passwords every so often and hope we don’t forget them.
You can no longer buy a new Galaxy Note 7 in the U.S.
It’s a longshot that anyone would want to buy a Note 7 now, but if you do then it’s going to be tough to find a store that’ll sell you one.
It was just last week that the U.S. carriers started voluntarily taking in Note 7s for return despite having just issued hundreds of thousands as recall replacements. Now T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, U.S. Cellular and Best Buy have halted exchanges and completely stopped selling the much-maligned Note 7 to new customers as well.
Sales halted, and they probably aren’t going to resume.
Each of the retailers’ websites show the phone as out of stock, unavailable or completely missing, and statements from each carrier have expressed to Android Central that the phone is no longer on sale citing safety concerns. A common theme among the statements is that customers who purchased a Note 7 or exchanged for a new model have options to return their phone with no penalty to the carrier or store they purchased from.
Chances are at this point that the U.S. carriers will not have the Note 7 for sale again in the future, considering the constant headache this situation has caused them. Samsung, for its part, has said it is simply “adjusting” its production schedule for the phones, but it’s not hard to see that moving to a complete halt soon.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Do not buy a Galaxy Note 7 right now
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
Facebook at Work officially launches as ‘Workplace’
Right on schedule, Facebook’s private social networks for companies officially launched today. After several years in private beta, the company’s Slack and Yammer competitor is now known simply as “Workplace,” and is available to companies, non-profits and educational institutions of any size.
According to Facebook’s announcement, more than 1,000 organizations around the world are already using Workplace, with India, the US, Norway, UK and France leading the top five countries. With the public release, the company hopes features like Messenger chat, Facebook Live and Groups will become indispensable to companies, rather than just a daily distraction. (And, because Workplace accounts are completely separate form Facebook accounts, the discussions should be a little bit more focused to begin with.) Aside from those familiar elements, Workplace has a few new corporate tricks like dashboard analytics, single sign-on and better IT integration to make it even more office-friendly. There’s also a separate Work Chat app for iOS and Android so employees can keep in touch while they’re out of the office.
On a more general note, Facebook is rolling out “Multi-Company Groups” which allow employees from different organizations to work together without using their personal Facebook accounts, as well as a Workplace Partner Program that lets large companies serve as ambassadors for Menlo Park’s latest product. New companies can get a free three-month trial period for signing up, but after that Facebook Workplace has a tired pricing structure that costs $3 per month per user for companies with less than 1,000 active users, or as low as $1 per month for companies with over 10,000 users. For non-profits and Educational Institutions, Workplace is completely free.
Source: Facebook
Cyanogen ditches its mobile OS in favor of a modular strategy
Cyanogen is abandoning its dreams of becoming the third big mobile platform in favor of rolling out a modular approach to smartphone software customization. The Cyanogen Modular OS program empowers device manufacturers to introduce “intelligent, customizable Android smartphones using different parts of the Cyanogen OS via dynamic modules and MODs, with the ROM of their choice, whether stock Android or their own variant,” according to new CEO Lior Tal.
Tal replaces co-founder Kirt McMaster as CEO; McMaster will transition to executive chairman of the board, a more outward-facing role. Co-founder and former CTO Steve Kondik is now chief science officer.
Cyanogen’s first dance with modularity was the MOD program, which enabled partners to tweak deep, formerly closed levels of the Android ecosystem to create a custom OS. For example, Microsoft added Skype to the Android dialer while enabling Cortana to take voice-activated selfies (Microsoft and Cyanogen partnered heavily on the MOD platform). However, this program required working with the OS’ full stack, a laborious and ultimately limiting feature, Tal says.
Now, manufacturers will be able to ship phones that use discrete aspects of the Cyanogen OS. These phones can use the stock Android OS and pull in custom features and apps from the Cyanogen side.
“Android has become extremely fragmented, causing serious security vulnerabilities and few or no incentives to device manufacturers to deliver software upgrades and/or security patches,” Tal writes. “Increased demand for lower-priced smartphones, coupled with the specifications arms race, has left manufacturers focused on scale and efficiency while compromising investment in software and services.”
Cyanogen has been on shaky ground recently. Executives laid off roughly 20 percent of the Cyanogen workforce, or about 30 people, in July. Rumors at the time suggested the company was moving toward developing apps, though Kondik denied the pivot. Tal says the Cyanogen OS has tens of millions of users, though a report by The Information in August found this figure was exaggerated.
Source: Cyanogen
AIVAnet 