Samsung resumes Note 7 sales in South Korea, sells 30,000 units in two days
With the Note 7 recall fully underway, Samsung has restarted sales of its latest flagship in its home market. Samsung launched several experience zones across South Korea to showcase the handset, and the company has introduced a green battery indicator to differentiate the safe Note 7 from the defective model.
Sales of the Note 7 kicked off over the weekend, and according to Korea Herald, Samsung sold over 30,000 units of the device. The numbers also account pre-orders that started on September 28.
Samsung mentioned on its official blog that the Note 7 will be available for purchase in other markets in the “coming weeks.” Verizon and Sprint have already started selling the phone in the U.S., and Samsung is expected to kick off European sales starting October 28. In India, the phone is going up for sale on October 7.
Initial reports suggested the South Korean company could lose $1 billion over the recall, but Korea Herald notes that Samsung is set to post an operating profit of $6.79 billion (7.5 trillion won) in Q3, a modest 6% decrease from Q2 2015. Overall sales for the company are estimated to be $45 billion (51 trillion won), which is more than what Samsung managed last quarter.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
5 reasons to buy the Galaxy Note 7 when it goes back on sale
Why should I consider the Galaxy Note 7 when it’s been banned from airplanes?
We can’t deny the fact the Galaxy Note 7 is one of the best-rated Android phones of the year. No other phablet-sized device compares in design and functionality, and it’s one of the few mobile devices with a useful pressure-sensitive stylus in tow. But it hasn’t been without its problems, with its reputation taking a beating due to unexpected problems with its battery.
Thankfully, an official recall has been put into effect, and there will soon be plenty of safe, vetted Note 7 units waiting to be taken to their forever homes. If you’re still deliberating whether to purchase the Note 7, here are five reasons you might consider it when it’s back on sale.
It’s the prettiest phone Samsung has ever made
Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, but, the Galaxy Note 7 is so much prettier than its flagship predecessors. Look at its curves, and the way the display cascades into its curved edges — it’s as if there’s hardly a bezel at all. And take a peek at all the available varieties of the Note 7—the Blue Coral alone is the nicest smartphone color combination we’ve seen yet.
It’s one of the best smartphone cameras
Eat your heart out, iPhone users. You may be enjoying the camera on your new iPhone 7, but Samsung phones have been worthy sole-shooters for some time. The Note 7 is no different with its 12-megapixel rear-facing camera equipped with OIS and a f/1.7 aperture. It also offers manual camera controls, including the ability to shoot in RAW, and a variety of nifty camera features, like live YouTube broadcasting, from inside the camera app.
It’s the most stylus-friendly Android device
Let’s be real here: It’s one of the fewest Android smartphones with a stylus that’s worth using. Samsung made the Note 7’s S-Pen twice as pressure sensitive as last years. It doubled its pressure sensitivity to 4096 levels and narrowed the point for more precise selection. The overhaul of the Samsung Notes app has helped, too, which you can use to take written notes, draw a doodle, or annotate a screenshot. The added stylus is also great for editing PDFs and signing documents.
More: Here’s what the Galaxy Note 7 S Pen can do
It has more bells and whistles than other flagships
With most flagships, you’re lucky to have NFC and expandable memory. With the Galaxy Note 7, you have that in addition to two types of wireless charging methods, including PMA and Qi, as well as a second wireless payment method, namely MST, which enables Samsung Pay. The Galaxy Note 7 also offers an iris scanner, which might seem hokey at first, but it’s actually quite neat and you can use it to secure your files and apps behind a special folder on the Home screen.
It’s better than the Galaxy S7
The Galaxy Note 7 runs Samsung’s simplified Grace UX, which isn’t as garish as the GS7 and GS7 edge’s TouchWiz UI, nor is it as bloated. The revamped UI includes helpful features like a blue light filter, which helps reduce the amount of blue light in the evening, and a souped-up Power saving mode, which offers customizable levels so you can extend your battery life while still having access to your most-used features.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
LG decides against curved OLED screen for G6 smartphone
We haven’t heard much about the LG G6 smartphone, but we can be sure that LG will be making it. But even though we haven’t seen much in the way of specs and features rumours, LG could be losing some before they’ve even be announced.
LG was rumoured to be fitting the G6 smartphone, successor to the modular G5, with a curved OLED screen and a new wireless charging system. But Korean site ChosunBiz is saying those features won’t make the cut after all. Apparently, LG Display isn’t in a position to mass produce OLED screens for a flagship phone, and can only manage with making smaller OLED screens for the Apple Watch and LG’s own smartwatches.
It means the G6 will likely come with the same or very similar screen that featured in the G5, a flat 5.3in 2560×1440 Quad HD LCD display.
The G6 was also allegedly going to introduce a new wireless charging system that would offer fast charging from a distance of up to 7cm. But the system is now likely to feature in the G7 instead as it won’t be ready for next year’s G6.
And if that wasn’t enough, LG was also said to be planning a new full-metal design and ditching the plastic, but it’s been reported that that won’t be happening either.
So what the LG G6 may in fact be is an intermittent phone in preparation for the G7. But then again, the features were never confirmed, so it’s best to take this news with a pinch of salt for now. We’ll be keeping our eye on any LG G6 rumours that appear to bring you the latest news.
Sky launches VR app featuring David Beckham and the English National Ballet
Sky announced back in March it was creating its own dedicated Sky VR Studios to develop its own original content. Sky also said it would be producing around 20 pieces of content over the next couple of years.
- New Sky VR Studio kicks off with Team Williams F1 VR experience you can watch online
Today, the company has announced the launch of a new VR app for Android devices and for use with Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard or Oculus Rift and the promised 20 pieces of content.
The app will be the mobile home to a range of content from Sky’s partners, including Disney, Fox Innovation Lab, Warner Brothers and Jaunt. Sky has also made some of its own content, including Sky Sports: Closer with David Beckham, which propels you into some of the best sporting events around the world and being guided by Golden Balls himself and later this month, Sky will release an immersive view of Giselle being performed by the English National Ballet.
Going forward, Sky has said it’s committed to producing a wide range of content in collaboration with its Sky VR Exclusives division, which can produce content in-house as well as with third-party partners. And if you’ve yet to catch the VR bug, Sky will be giving away thousands of Google Cardboard headsets for free at the Sky Backstage area of The O2 from October 20.
- Best VR headsets to buy in 2016, whatever your budget
- Oculus Rift review: The VR revolution begins here
- 5 reasons why the new Samsung Gear VR (2016) is the best mobile headset by far
Gary Davey, managing director of content at Sky said: “Interest in VR content is building, generating more excitement every day. We are just at the beginning of our VR journey at Sky, launching Sky VR studios later this year and we are already breaking new ground”.
Verily’s wearable microscope sees beneath your skin
UCLA and Verily, Google Alphabet’s life sciences division, has developed a wearable microscope that could help doctors in the near future. The device is designed to track fluorescent biomarkers inside the skin, a vital tool used to detect certain cancers and to monitor the delivery of drugs inside a person’s body. These biomarkers are, essentially, glow-in-the-dark dyes that medical professionals can follow as they journey around your veins.
It’s possible to track these currently, but the technology isn’t very portable or cost-effective for day-to-day care. By creating a device that can do the same job, but weighs just a tenth of a pound, cancer suffers could keep one strapped to their bicep for real-time tracking of their medication. It works by firing an angled laser at the skin, with the microscope then capturing the illuminated image that’s produced afterward.
This data is then sent back to a computer where an algorithm filters out the noise generated by the skin itself. The resulting image can then let doctors track the chemicals in isolation, and if the tech can be developed further, might have several other applications. Slowly, and without much warning, it looks as if Alphabet’s life sciences division is pushing hard to get us closer to the future we’ve been promised by so much sci-fi.
Via: Science News
Source: UCLA
Zepp’s latest sports training sensor is for soccer players
Zepp started making training sensors for baseball, softball, golf and tennis in 2013. Now, with a few years of experience under its belt, the startup is ready to break into the world’s most popular sport, soccer (aka football). Today, Zepp announced a new sensor that lets soccer players track valuable stats from the pitch, such as distance covered, total number of ball kicks and how much time they ran, sprinted or walked throughout a game.
The small wearable device, which pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth, fits inside a leg sleeve that’s part of the retail bundle. In fact, there are two sleeves included in the box, one small-medium size and a medium-large. Unlike its other sensors, Zepp says the Play Soccer version isn’t about the company helping you train with video tutorials or tips from professional athletes. Instead, you’re supposed to use the raw data from the sensor to determine what specific skills you need to improve — all on your own.
To make the experience more complete, the Zepp Play Soccer app (iOS and Android) has a “Team Game” mode that lets multiple sensors connect to the same activity. Here, individuals can look at each other’s stats, have leaderboards and, with help from someone outside the field, keep a score between teams. Zepp says this feature is also good for parents who can’t make it to their kid’s game, as it allows them to get real-time updates.
Once you get sent a link to view the event, for example, you can read who took a shot or scored a goal only seconds after it happened. And that worked as advertised during our demo. Additionally, Zepp’s application lets you record video of the player wearing the sensor, and uses whatever footage you capture to create a highlight reel based on data collected during a game or training session.
As a soccer player myself, the main concern is whether Zepp’s Play Soccer sensor will be comfortable to wear for long periods of time. While I haven’t tested it in an actual game yet, Zepp says it worked with athletes to ensure that the device didn’t induce any sort of discomfort. That’s why, when in the sleeve, the sensor rests next to your calf muscle, as opposed to near your shinbone or another sensitive area.
If you want to try it yourself, the Zepp Play Soccer arrives in stores tomorrow for $99. You’ll be able to get it from Apple, Amazon, Best Buy or Zepp’s own site.
Telegram Messaging Service Launches Bot-Powered Gaming Platform
Popular messaging app Telegram today announced the launch of a bot-powered gaming platform that enables users to play games right inside their chats.
Last year we launched a Bot Platform for Telegram. Free, powerful, and open, it was an instant hit among users and developers. Today we are aiming to push the boundaries further by launching a bot-powered Gaming Platform on Telegram. That’s right: you can now use bots to play games in your chats, complete with graphics and sound.
The company promises ‘hundreds of games’ are heading for the messaging service, but around 30 are ready to go live, many of them published by developer platform gamee. Games can be anything from simple arcades and puzzles to multiplayer 3D-shooters and real-time strategy games.
Users can start a game by interacting with a chat bot, either directly or by invoking a bot from an existing conversation thread using the @gamee alias. Gamers are also able to challenge friends on the Telegram service and start up competitions across existing chats, with high scores saved and updated for every game played in a thread and gamers notified if they get overtaken in a leaderboard.
Telegram is promoting the idea of users building their own games, which it calls ‘easy’, and reckons some can be created in a matter of hours. The technology powering the games is HTML5, so they’re loaded on-demand like ordinary web pages and therefore take up zero space on the host device.
To be able to play the games, users will need to update their apps to version 3.13, which should roll out on the App Store store today. Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]
Tags: chat bots, Telegram
Discuss this article in our forums
Vizio SB4551-D5 review – CNET
The Good The Vizio SB4551 belts out top-notch home theater sound for the price. The unique, flat-as-a-pancake subwoofer easily slides under your sofa and the wired surround speakers add immersion. The sound bar offers a wealth of connectivity in addition to Google Cast multi-room functionality.
The Bad The Vizio’s display is a series of dots that are hard to decipher. Music replay isn’t the equal of some rivals. Google Cast is still not as reliable or as fun as a Sonos or Play-Fi system if you’re looking to do multi-room music.
The Bottom Line The Vizio SB4551 sound bar offers an enveloping experience with movies that competitors can’t touch, while also including some tasty streaming features.
Speakers are often designed to appeal more to the eye than to the ear. That’s why many modern sound bars are incredibly small — barely an inch tall. They still sound better than the speakers in your TV, however, and the best can pack a full-sounding punch thanks to separate subwoofers you can stash in a discreet location.
At the high-end you have brands such as Definitive Technology and Bose, while at the more affordable end you have LG and Vizio. We were quite impressed with the features and sound of the $400 LG SH7B, but the Korean company’s peaceful idyll is about to be disturbed by Chinese-American Vizio.
Despite a few usability quirks and an awkward name, the $500 Vizio SB4551-D5 is one of the best sound bars you can buy for home theater. It includes actual surround speakers — yes they’re wired and not wireless, but they still create an immersive soundstage that bar-only systems can’t match — and one of the most discreet subwoofers we’ve seen. These components help create superb sound for the money, and Google Cast is just icing on the flat cake.
Design
View full gallery
The Vizio SB4551-D5 is one of the best sound bars you can buy for home theater.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The key to the sound bar’s size lies in that awkward name. This is a 45-inch wide sound bar that measures 2-inches high and deep. Vizio has again taken design cues from Definitive Technology, aping the faux aluminum endcaps and black steel mesh.
View full gallery
Controls on the sound bar.
Sarah Tew/CNET
At the top of the main speaker lies a line of controls including input selection, Bluetooth pairing and volume. Unfortunately the front display is just an inscrutable series of small dots, and there is no on-screen display that can appear on your TV. The LG SH7B one-ups the Vizio with its large, easy-to-read alphanumeric readout. In its favor, Vizio’s well-designed remote does display the input and other pertinent information.
View full gallery
The subwoofer is in this box.
Sarah Tew/CNET
That big flat box contains an 8-inch subwoofer. Just 3.5 inches tall, it’s slim enough to be stashed underneath the couch, and comes with a pair of feet which enable it to stand on-end. As before the rear satellite speakers connect via really long cables to the subwoofer.
View full gallery
The remote for the sound bar.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Features
For the Vizio’s $500 asking price most companies will only sell you a 2.1-channel sound bar sans satellite speakers, and any “wide” mode it uses to fake surround sound will seldom be convincing. The SB4551’s included rear speakers really kick up the immersion a notch.
View full gallery
The included rear speakers help bring out more sound from your movies.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The SB4551 offers plenty of inputs which include HDMI in and out, coaxial and optical digital, 3.5mm analog, USB, Bluetooth and 802.11n wireless. The sound bar also comes with an Ethernet port, but if you follow the setup routine the Vizio will blithely ignore it and urge you to use Wi-Fi anyway.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Unlike some sound bars the Vizio will decode DTS and Dolby Digital.
TalkTalk ditches line-rental, probably not cheaper, definitely less confusing
TalkTalk is saying it’s returning to its “challenger roots” with the introduction of a new broadband pricing structure. The company says it has become the first major internet provider to reward its existing customers, as well as new ones, so that anyone who’s been with TalkTalk for 3 months or more can switch their package if there’s a better deal available.
The company is also rather generously promising no price hikes for 18 months, although it doesn’t say how much the price increase will be after those 18 months. But the biggest change is the scrapping of line rental charges, so you’ll only have one price to take note of when signing up, making the whole process a lot less confusing.
From today, if you sign up to TalkTalk’s services, you can mix and match the products you want – in a similar vein to Now TV’s Combo packages – choosing from broadband, mobile, TV and phone services. Current customers can also change their package and half of them will almost certainly pay less for their package.
TalkTalk has made it easy to choose a package, you’ll first need to choose between ‘fast broadband’, presumably of the copper variety, or ‘faster fibre broadband’. You can then add unlimited UK landline calls or choose from a selection of international packages, and then opt for a TalkTalk TV box for Freeview, or TalkTalk TV Plus which adds 30+ entertainment channels including Sky 1.
All packages come with unlimited broadband downloads, an essential mobile SIM with 500mb of data, 200 minutes and unlimited texts and TalkTalk’s Super Router.
The changes have been made to help regain consumer confidence after a number of hacks last year.Tristia Harrison, TalkTalk’s consumer managing director said of the new packages: “TalkTalk is changing. Nothing matters more to us than our customers and doing right by them is the right thing for our business. We’ve listened hard to what they’ve told us and we’re acting on it. People are fed up of confusing packages and loud advertising, they’re frustrated with deals which shoot up mid contract, and they hate seeing the best deals saved for new customers”.
“We know these changes are an essential service that really matter to people, so it needs to be simple, affordable, reliable and fair. We’re proud to be the first to make the big changes customers expect and deserve of their telecoms provider today”.
What is Westworld, when is it on TV and how can I watch it?
It was mid-2014 when HBO announced that it would make a small screen adaptation of Westworld and although we’ve had a lengthy wait it’s finally here.
Most will fondly remember Michael Crichton’s original film from the early 70s, with a robotic Yul Brynner terrorising vistors of a high-tech, sci-fi theme park, but the TV series takes the idea and expands upon it greatly. It is also, if early critical reports are true, essential viewing.
Some are even calling it the new Game of Thrones, which is some claim considering how big that has become over the last few years.
So here is our guide to Westworld and where and when you can watch it in the UK.
- New TV shows on BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon and Now TV you must not miss
- Which is the best movie streaming service in the UK? Netflix vs Amazon Prime vs Now TV and more
HBO
What is Westworld?
The Westworld TV series takes the theme of the 1973 movie but builds upon it. For a start, the smaller theme park in the original is now an enormous world, where human fantasies, wants and desires can be acted out, no matter how depraved. Androids populate the park and visitors get to use them any way they like, including, but not reserved to murder.
In the film, there were three zones, based on the the wild west, plus Roman and medieval times, but the series solely focuses on the former for now. It also provides a few twists on the action, straying away from the basic thriller premise of the movie. After all, there are 10 episodes per series to fill.
The TV show stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden.
When is Westworld on TV?
Westworld episode one first aired in the US on HBO on Sunday 2 October. I starts in the UK on Tuesday 4 October at 9pm. Each subsequent episode will also air in the UK on a Tuesday, with the US equivalent two days prior.
HBO
Where and how can I watch Westworld?
As Sky has a long-term partnership with HBO, Westworld is screened on Sky Atlantic in the UK. That means Sky subscribers can watch it live on their Sky boxes, including Sky Q.
They can also watch episodes on demand from each respective day they air. The episodes will also be available to view on mobile devices and games consoles through the Sky Go, TV From Sky, or Sky Q applications.
Now TV subscribers can also watch the show live and on demand, as long as they have the Entertainment Pass. That costs £6.99 and is contract-free, so you can subscribe for the next 10 weeks to watch Westworld and cancel straight after. You will only have to pay for the month’s it is active.
Now TV apps are also available for games consoles, mobile devices and several connected streaming boxes and TVs.
AIVAnet 