Nokia’s new owner launches its first Android smartphone

The first Nokia Android smartphone from the brand’s new owner has finally arrived, but it comes with bad news for folks who want to try it out: It will only be available in China. Finnish company HMD Global, which acquired the rights to release Nokia-branded devices after Microsoft abandoned the venture, started by releasing dumb phones in 2016. The Nokia 6, however, is a legit LTE smartphone that runs Nougat out of the box. It has a 5.5-inch HD screen, 16MP rear and 8MB front cameras, is equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 processor and packs 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

In HMD’s announcement, it revealed that it decided to launch Nokia 6 in China, since it’s a “strategically important market” with hundreds of millions of users.

“The decision by HMD to launch its first Android smartphone into China is a reflection of the desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world. With over 552 million smartphone users in China in 2016, a figure that is predicted to grow to more than 593 million users by 2017, it is a strategically important market where premium design and quality is highly valued by consumers.”

The company doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but it will start selling Nokia 6 early this year for 1,699 Chinese yuan ($246) on JD.com.

Via: Reuters

Source: HMD Global

Real Snowfall & Beach Palms 3D are two live wallpapers to spruce up your phone (review)

For most of us, winter has just started. And for some of those folks, winter has started with a bang, bringing plenty of snow & slush along even before the holidays. And this onrush of the white stuff tends to place people in two distinct camps: the LOVE IT or HATE IT crowds.

One way to voice your affection or frustration for this time of year is via your phone or tablet’s wallpaper. Yes I know this isn’t the most aggressive way to show your colors but go with me on this.

There are two wallpaper apps in the Google Play Store that can help you communicate your climate preferences: “Snowfall Day Night Christmas” and “Beach Palms 3D Live” wallpapers, from developer Bastion7, offers up family-friendly and rather high-quality wallpapers for your device….all for free (paid Pro versions are available – more on this in a bit).

I need to emphasize that these are two separate apps, and both available for free in the Play Store; download Snowfall Day Night Christmas here, or if you wish, download Beach Palms 3D Live here.

The two apps have some features in common. They both have very nice visuals, with great colors and realistic details. They also contain a great 3D effect, showing realistic depth between items in-scene. The 3D effect is also utilized while swiping between home screen panes. As the day progresses, a bright sun rises high above the horizon. As the day wanes, the sun dips low into a colorful sunset before retiring. At night a full moon slowly rises and casts a ghostly pall over the entire scene until morning when the sun beckons once again. Also, both apps extend to your device’s lock screen, offering the same visuals and interactivity there.

The Snowfall app shows snowfall that blows laterally as you swipe. On the snow-encrusted evergreen trees, multi-color Christmas lights are aglow. For settings in the free version, you can also adjust the amount of snowfall showing on your screen, as well as the intensity of the Christmas lights.

The Beach Palms app shows (wait for it) a tranquil tropical beach scene (see title image above). Palm trees waft in the breeze, and waves slowly crash into the sand in the background. During the daylight hours, a intermittent parachutist can be scene descending in the background. While at night, fireflies come out to play. A bonus in this app is a lonely cabana in the scene, that has a single light you can switch on and off with a tap on your screen. For free settings, you can turn the parachutists and palm tree animation on or off, as well as adjust the amount of fireflies on your screen.

Both apps offer a Pro version, for $1.99 each. What your money buys you is the ability to further control the sun & moon: In Pro the sun’s height is governed by your exact location (using your device’s GPS), while the moon’s phase is also governed by your device’s location. Honestly I’m not at all convinced this added feature set validates the extra $2, but to each their own.

My experience and therefore feelings for these apps is mixed. I must say both apps’ visuals were really pretty. As stated earlier, the colors were great, and I was truly impressed with the 3D quality of both. The settings are easy to access, with just a double-tap on your screen.

Now here’s the bad news: On multiple occasions, I had the wallpaper “blackout” on me. Meaning that upon waking up my device, both the lock screen and subsequent home screens showed only a black background; nothing to see at all. And it wasn’t temporary; this blackout effect didn’t go away without re-opening the app and re-setting the wallpaper. I’m not sure if this is a device-specific issue or it’s more widespread, but it definitely bears noting. That said, as long as you didn’t splurge for the GPS-based sun/moon effects, you’d wouldn’t be out much at all.

So besides this hiccup, and if you’re willing to take this small blackout risk, I do actually have to recommend both Beach Palms 3D Live and Snowfall Day Night Christmas wallpapers. Each offers similar quality, while together they offer you a choice of specific environment (and weather mindset).

Download Snowfall Day Night Christmas here.
Download Beach Palms 3D Live here.

Google Assistant hints at support for typing questions

Google Assistant is clever — just ask Pixel or Home owners. Unless you’re using Allo, though, you have little choice but to ask the AI questions through voice commands. Google might give you more ways to interact in the near future, however. An exploration of the Android search app’s beta code has uncovered hints (namely, a keyboard icon and a text box) that you’ll soon have the option of typing your Assistant searches. This is important if you’d rather not reveal your queries to everyone within earshot, but it should also be key to integrating chat bots.

It might be easier to start a search, too. There are references in the beta to “search gestures” that suggest you won’t always have to tap the search bar to start asking. Instead, you’d swipe down from the home screen. That could be particularly important for very large phones and tablets, where it can be a pain to reach across the display.

Don’t count on the relevant upgrades showing up all that quickly. Unused code frequently pops up in Google apps, and it can take months or more for those features to be ready for prime time if they aren’t canned outright. Both additions are very logical, though, so it’s doubtful that Google will keep you waiting for too long.

Via: 9to5Google

Source: Android Police

Sony kills its pay-per-view streaming service on PlayStation 3

Planning on watching this year’s UFC and WWE specials on Sony’s Live Events Viewer app? Hope you have a PlayStation 4, then — the company has announced that its killing pay-per-view streaming for PS3 users. After January 10th, the PlayStation 3 version of the Live Events Veiwer will no longer function. On-demand and live content will still be available on the PS4 version of the Live Events, but the app that started it all will be retired. Don’t have a PlayStation 4, but have some left over purchases you need to watch? Carve out some time before Tuesday morning and marathon through. Unless, you know, you want to upgrade.

Sony Xperia Projector Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

You won’t have to unlock your phone ten times to follow online recipes as you cook.

Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

The next time you want to share a hilarious video around the dinner table, you could all lean in and crane your necks to see the tiny phone screen, or instead, you could beam Sony’s Xperia Projector directly onto the table.

That’s because the projector, which is pretty close to its official launch, is basically an Android phone, minus the part where you make cellular calls. The neat thing here is that you aren’t just viewing things on a counter or wall. You can interact with them, too. An infrared sensor makes the projected image a virtual screen that you can tap and type on.

The projection is touch-capable at 23 inches, and view-only at larger dimensions up to 80 inches.

You can use the Xperia Projector to:

• Browse the internet
• Stream music and videos
• Beam a movie onto the wall (I’m envisioning using it in a kid’s room instead of a TV.)
• Video chat (it’s got camera on it for that)
• Play games with the PlayStation 4 controller
• Play multiplayer Android games
• Trigger Google voice search (“OK, Google”)
• Connect to a Bluetooth speaker (for enhanced audio quality)
• Make a shared family wall calendar
• Research and follow recipes
• Plan trips with others
• Carry around for work presentations

It took me seeing the Xperia Projector in Sony’s demo space at CES to understand why you might want to have one. And a major part of that is the sharing-is-caring nature of a screen you can easily and conveniently turn off an on, move around, and beam anywhere flat. You aren’t closing people off by staring into your own small screen, so it makes the experience more social.

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But I also liked the format because it gives tired thumbs a break from using a mobile phone. It’s more natural to tap and type with more of your fingers.

It isn’t all rainbows and moonbeams, though. For most people, it’ll be an extra gadget that doesn’t fill an essential need. It works better in the dark, and won’t ever be as crisp as a TV, laptop or phone display. And if you move it, it takes a few seconds to recalibrate the image.

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Sony doesn’t have exact pricing or availability information yet, but keep an eye out for the official launch to come as early as next month’s MWC phone show, where the Projector prototype made its debut last year.

Brydge 12.3 Keyboard Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

The Surface Pro 4 is our favorite Windows tablet, and there are many keyboard accessories out there that allow you to use the device like a laptop (including Microsoft’s own Type Cover). Most of these products make use of the Pro’s kickstand on the back, which allows you to lean and prop up the display.

But the kickstand can be limiting. Though it can tilt at any angle, the whole setup sits very tenuously and clumsily on your lap if you use it as a laptop.

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Enter the Brydge 12.3 keyboard cover for the Surface Pro 4 and Pro 3. Announced at CES 2017, the accessory has two special hinges that clamp onto the edge of the tablet with the kickstand closed. This allows the setup to act more like a laptop with just as many viewing angles (its range of motion is 180 degrees).

No kickstand, no problem.

Sarah Tew/CNET

When I checked it out briefly, the hinge felt strong and stiff, and the keyboard itself was comfortable to type on. Its matte, island-style keys have a backlight so you can type in the dark. There’s also a 5-inch touchpad at the bottom, and the keyboard’s lithium battery charges via a Micro-USB port on the side.

Compared with the superthin and light Type Cover, the Brydge 12.3 seems bulkier: It’s made out of aluminum and is 0.7 inches thick (17mm). As such, it will add more bulk and 3 extra pounds (or 1,361g) to your tablet.

It’s also pricier than the $129 (or £109 and AU$199) Type Cover, though not by much. Official US pricing is set at $149 (that converts to about £121 and AU$204). Brydge also mentioned that a 12.3 model with additional storage is on its way, so expect that variant to cost more as well.

Click here for more of CNET’s coverage of CES 2017.

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Whirlpool Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

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How hard is it to heat a frozen meal in your oven or microwave?

The Scan-to-Cook feature will work with Whirlpool’s new line of cooking appliances.

Chris Monroe/CNET

According to Whirlpool, it’s a challenge. That’s why the appliance manufacturer created Scan-to-Cook, a new feature in Whirlpool’s app that will send instructions to your oven or microwave so it can cook your frozen dish correctly and automatically. Whirlpool had plenty of empty boxes of DiGiorno Pizza, Marie Callender’s pot pies and Alexia frozen fries on display this week at CES in Las Vegas, where company reps used an iPad to demonstrate how Scan-to-Cook works.

The feature in the company’s Android and iOS app will work with a line of new Wi-Fi-enabled products Whirlpool will release this summer in the US: two new ranges (one gas, one electric), a double wall oven and a microwave.

Amping up the way you cook convenience food comes at a steep cost: $2,400 and $2,500 for the electric and gas ranges, respectively, $2,600 for the wall oven and $1,000 for the microwave. Converted, that’s about £1,950 or AU$3,300 for the electric, £2,035 or AU$3,430 for the gas, £2,115 or AU$ 3,570 for the wall oven and £815 or AU$1,370 for the microwave.

Let’s say you’re about to heat up some frozen tater tots. If you have one of the compatible products, you use the app to scan the bar code on your package of tots, and it will pull up the heating instructions from a database of frozen foods. The app will then send those instructions to your oven, range or microwave, and the appliances will automatically set the correct cooking temperature and set timers for your food.

More from CES 2017

• Razer’s new gaming laptop has three (!) screens
• All the smart home products at CES 2017 (so far)

Jeff Stoller, who works in Internet of Things strategy at Whirlpool, said the automation is especially helpful if you have a dish that has multiple steps, such as a dish you have to stir after 3 minutes and then return to the microwave for another minute.

We’ve seen more products and programs like Scan-to-Cook popping up around the CES floor. These scanners are using an existing piece of information (the bar code) to add more convenience to your life, such as the GeniCan that scans your empty food boxes to automatically build shopping lists and order more groceries. But Scan-to-Cook forces us to ask: Is heating frozen food a big enough challenge that you’d throw down $1,000 or more? I don’t know if the pizza rolls crowd will be on board.

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Nutrismart Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

You can put produce, meat and milk on the Nutrismart scale, and it will weigh and recognize the food to give you info about its nutritional value.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Devices that scan bar codes on your food packages were popular at this year’s CES in Las Vegas (just take a look at what happens when you scan an empty bottle of syrup on the GeniCan). But all of these products focus on packaged products rather than fresh food. French manufacturer Terraillon has taken a different approach: The company created a kitchen scale that can do a visual scan of your food and tell you its nutritional information.

More from CES 2017

• Razer’s new gaming laptop has three (!) screens
• All the smart home products at CES 2017 (so far)

The Nutrismart isn’t available yet, but a Terraillon rep said the company wants to begin selling the product in Europe later this year and in the US in 2018. The price will be about $200 (roughly £160/AU$275).

The Nutrismart will weigh your produce or meat like a normal kitchen scale, and a small, built-in camera will scan the food. It will send that info to an app that will show you the nutritional information such as calories and water content.

The product sounds like it could be useful for folks who have to be very careful about what they eat and want exact calorie counts. But Terraillon will have to prove that a $200 scale is worthwhile when apps like MyFitnessPal will give you that info for free.

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Canada finds Apple’s carrier deals don’t hurt competition

France may think Apple is up to no good with its carrier deals for the iPhone, but you won’t hear similar gripes from Canada. The country’s Competition Bureau has determined that there isn’t “sufficient evidence” to show that Apple had illegally strong-armed carriers into deals that gave it preferred treatment. While there’s no question that the iPhone is a “must-have” for carriers, the regulator says, the terms only have a minor effect at most — there’s plenty of competition, and ditching Apple’s agreements wouldn’t significantly change the playing field.

The investigation started in 2014 after the Bureau received info hinting that Apple was placing a heavy burden on providers. As in other countries, there were concerns that carriers had to buy a minimum number of iPhones, agree to up-front retail subsidies and give Apple a “most favored nation” clause that prevented rivals from getting better treatment. What evidence exists suggests that carriers could easily “mitigate” these terms, according to the decision.

From first-hand experience, the findings appear to hold up. The Canadian market is big on the iPhone, but you’re just as likely to see carriers push the latest Samsung phone or the Google Pixel line. You’ll frequently see other flagship devices get more prominent treatment, or discounts that aren’t offered for Apple’s handsets. While this doesn’t rule out the possibility of overly strict deals, it’s clear that there’s no international consensus on Apple’s competitive stance — it largely depends on individual markets.

Via: AppleInsider

Source: Competition Bureau

Climate change could bleach most coral reefs within the century

The Great Barrier Reef’s massive loss to coral bleaching last year might have been just a taste of things to come. According to a study by a team of marine scientists, 99 percent of the world’s coral reefs could undergo severe coral bleaching before the century ends. The culprit? Climate change. When sea water in a certain location turns warmer than usual, corals in that area expel the algae living in their tissues, effectively turning them white. That’s what bleaching is. It doesn’t instantly kill the corals, but it makes them much more vulnerable to fatal diseases.

The researchers believe coral reefs around the globe will start going through annual severe bleaching by mid-2050s. Since reefs serve as whole ecosystems, their deaths will also kill a lot of other organisms. In their paper, the scientists call for “adaptive resilience-based management of reefs,” which involve “shaping human-environment interactions through management actions that reduce sensitivity to climate threats.” In other words, there’s really no solution other than to do what we can to mitigate the impacts of climate change. You can read the scientists’ study that’s backed by UN Environment, World Wildlife Fund and the University of Miami on Nature.

Via: Miami Herald

Source: Nature