HTC One M9 gets Nougat in Europe, Turkey, South Africa

Other regions to follow for Android 7.0 on HTC’s 2015 flagship.

HTC’s Android 7.0 Nougat update program in Europe hasn’t been running entirely smoothly so far, with the OTA for the HTC 10 being pulled shortly after last week’s launch. Nevertheless, the company is continuing its Nougat rollout, and today Android 7.0 hits the HTC One M9 in mainland Europe, Turkey and South Africa, according to HTC Europe’s Graham Wheeler.

Excited to share that Nougat will rolled out today for HTC One M9 devices in Mainland Europe, Turkey and South Africa.

— Graham Wheeler (@wheelergd) February 2, 2017

Wheeler says more countries will follow in the coming days, so don’t fret if you’re not seeing that update notification just yet.

Nougat is likely to be the last major platform update for the M9, so if you’re still rocking HTC’s 2015 flagship, be sure to hit the comments and let us know how you’re getting on!

Samsung Pay Mini is an online payments platform that works on all Android phones

Samsung rolls out an online payments service that works on all Android phones.

Samsung’s digital payments platform Samsung Pay is available on select Galaxy smartphones in 11 countries. In a bid to increase the reach of its services, Samsung has announced Samsung Pay Mini, an online payments solution that will be available on all Android phones. Samsung Pay Mini will be launching in South Korea later this quarter, and Samsung has said that the service will be available in other markets at a later date.

Samsung Pay Mini will be available to download from the Play Store, and will work on all Android phones as long as they have a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 or higher and are running Android 5.0 Lollipop and above. The app includes access to select Samsung Pay services, such as membership, lifestyle, and transportation. Samsung is also rolling out a shopping feature that highlights popular online shopping malls, and a rewards service through which customers will be able to accrue points based on their purchases.

Unlike Samsung Pay, those using Samsung Pay Mini will not be able to make offline payments at retail stores, as the app is designed for online payments. Samsung Pay includes a hardware tie-in that allows the service to work with older magnetic card readers, and that functionality is still limited to select Galaxy phones.

Samsung has announced that it will conduct a pre-launch trial of the app on February 6, in which customers in South Korea will be able to download the app from the Play Store.

Rolling out the app for non-Galaxy phones is a smart move, as it allows Samsung to reach a wider userbase while giving them a taste of what’s possible with the full-fledged Samsung Pay service.

Buy a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge from T-Mobile, get a year’s worth of Netflix for free

Get 12 months of Netflix for free when you buy a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge from T-Mobile.

With the launch of the Galaxy S8 imminent, T-Mobile is rolling out new offers to incentivize the purchase of a Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. From now until February 7, customers that purchase a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge from T-Mobile will receive one year’s worth of Netflix for free.

As detailed in the terms (via PhoneArena), the offer is valid until February 7, and you’ll have to register your device at this link by February 21 to receive the promo code for Netflix. You’ll have to then redeem the code before March 31 to receive a one-year Netflix subscription. The subscription included with the offer is the “2 Screens” plan, which lets you stream Full HD content on two devices simultaneously.

Interested? Head to T-Mobile from the link below to avail the offer.

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Is it time to bring back the Sony Xperia Play?

Would the world be receptive to a new Sony Xperia Play with updated specs for gaming in 2017?

Gaming on Android is arguably better than it’s ever been. We all love it here at AC, and with the success of the NVIDIA Shield and promising titles like Super Mario Run and many more on the horizon, there’s been some talk about bringing back gaming-first phone design, most keenly expressed in the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play from 2011.

On the Android subreddit, users bandied around the idea of reimagining what a brand new Xperia Play phone might look in 2017, and whether or not it’s a worthwhile idea at all.

Here are some of the best reactions from that thread:

Reddit user pheymanss pitched perhaps the best idea which was upvoted to the top comment. They suggested that rather than another entire phone dedicated to gaming, there should instead be a gaming Moto Mod — complete with slide-out physical buttons — for the Moto Z.

Comment from discussion Would you purchase another Xperia Play like phone?.

User jcpb outlined some of the main specs they would need to see in a 2017 Xperia Play, focusing on four main areas: quality game library, flawless framerate performance, expandable storage space and, of course, a bigger battery to handle the power-drain associated with gaming:

Comment from discussion Would you purchase another Xperia Play like phone?.

Overall, reaction to the proposition was somewhat mixed, with Xperia Play fans enthusiastically in favor of a new update to their beloved device, and haters also chiming in. Perhaps the most balanced take was presented by user angelrenard:

Comment from discussion Would you purchase another Xperia Play like phone?.

So we turn to you, our loyal readers, with the same question: Would you purchase a new Xperia Play updated for 2017? Did you own an Xperia Play? We’d love to hear your opinions, so let us know in the comments!

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Google Wifi makes managing more than one network easy

When “just works” means it just works great.

There have been many good words praising Google Wifi and Google OnHub. Most of them center around how easy it is to set up a full-house Wi-Fi network and how taking away the confusion makes keeping one running well something anyone can do. They’re all true, and for anyone who just wants fast Wi-Fi everywhere in their house and has no need for advanced features and settings, Google Wifi is a perfect fit.

Fewer words have been written or spoken about the Google Wifi app. It’s an integral part of the experience and the friendly wording and simple tools will help you make the most out of your new network even after you’ve set it up. And everything that’s great here also applies if you have more than one network running.

Your cloud meets Google’s

When you set up a Google Wifi network — whether using the new mesh routers or a Google OnHub router with the latest software — you sign in with your Google account. All your settings and information are backed up not only on the device firmware but as data inside your online cloud on a server somewhere that Google has set up to hold our data.

Having an online account is trading convenience for privacy. But sometimes it’s worth it.

This can be a bit off-putting, and there are legitimate concerns about giving so much data to one company. I have them, too. We all should. But Google has been shown to value our privacy almost as much as we do and gaffes have been minor and few in number. So far. While it’s fine to be a little uncomfortable about it, there’s no denying that a lot of value is to be had from this arrangement.

One great way to see that value is if you need to setup and manage more than one Google Wifi network. Each is part of your Google account, and that means you can make any adjustments or new settings from anywhere with a data connection — even if that connection isn’t part of a Google Wifi network.

I have a Google Wifi network at my house. It consists of three Google Wifi mesh routers and an ASUS OnHub router using the latest software to merge it into the mesh. I can control who has access and what priority any devices on the network have, manage a guest network and even turn on my Hue lights. I can do this from anywhere right through my phone. I can even set someone else as a trusted person to manage my Google Wifi network.

Google Wifi lets me keep mom and dad’s network in tip-top shape instead of a cable company technician.

My parents needed a good router for their place so I picked them up a TP-Link OnHub router a while back. Mom and dad are pretty smart folks, but hooking up a cable modem and Wi-Fi router isn’t something they felt comfortable with. I set it up for them and used my Google account in the process. They have reliable and fast Wi-Fi all through their house (and in dad’s workshop thanks to the TP Link’s forward firing antennae) and I can make sure it stays that way without a long trip. They both are able to do the things they like to do online and don’t have to worry about any type of maintenance to keep their network running smoothly.

The best part of it all is that I didn’t have to do anything special to enable remote administration or open any ports or anything else. It just works because it was designed to just work this way. This is a small thing, but it’s an important thing for those who need it. Without it, my parents would be at the mercy of the cable company when it comes to equipment and service. Instead, they have me. That makes it one of the best features of Google Wifi for our family.

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Honor 8 Lite ditches the dual rear camera, comes with Nougat out of the box

The Huawei P8 Lite 2017 is being sold as the Honor 8 Lite in Finland.

The Honor 8 Lite is now official in Finland. The phone is currently up for pre-order in the country for €269 ($290), with deliveries slated to kick off from February 17.

Based on the image, the Honor 8 Lite is identical to the Huawei P8 Lite 2017 — which is now on sale from Vodafone UK for £185 ($235) — both in terms of the design and internal hardware. The Honor 8 Lite features a 5.2-inch Full HD display, HiSilicon’s 16nm Kirin 655 SoC with eight Cortex A53 cores, 3GB of RAM, 16GB storage, microSD slot, single 12MP camera at the back, 8MP front shooter, and a 3000mAh battery along with EMUI 5.0 based on Nougat. That’s the exact same hardware as the Huawei P8 Lite 2017.

It is possible that Huawei is simply rebranding the P8 Lite 2017 to the Honor 8 Lite in countries where the Honor brand is more popular. We should be seeing the P8 Lite 2017 — or the Honor 8 Lite — making its way to other markets in Europe over the course of the month.

Audi A5 (2017) review: Sporty looks, refined drive

The Audi A5 was launched in 2007 and revised in 2009 to put doors into the back of the Coupé version for a more conventional five-door arrangement, the Sportback as Audi calls it. So solid was the A5 that the second-generation A5 has only just appeared, launching late 2016.

The Audi A5 has always been one of our favourite Audi models. Those Coupé looks and that sporty stance stand it aside from many of the saloons that dominate this car segment. Flanked by the Audi A4 and the Audi A6, the A5 also affords better looks than the Audi A7 in our opinion (the executive sports saloon nearing the top of Audi’s models). 

There’s just something about the A5’s proportions that we’ve always liked, although we have to admit, the charms of the Coupé looks are outweighed by the conventional practicality of the Sportback. 

Audi A5 Sportback review: Same profile design, all new car

Rather than being a facelift model, this new version of the Audi A5 Sportback is all new. It’s built on the same platform as the new Audi A4; it’s a little longer, a little lower but also a little narrower than the outgoing A5 model.

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But Audi’s aim was to keep that distinctive profile, with the sweeping, dropping roofline. The Sportback loses those long front doors of the Coupé and eats further into the rear pillars so there’s more side window. The rear seats are more accessible here, but they are still not hugely spacious and the centre is rather small. 

The biggest visual change is the increase in creases and folds across the body of the car, particularly along the bonnet. This gives texture to what was previously a mostly flat hood. The white model we’ve pictured here perhaps doesn’t show this to best effect, but some of the darker colours are more muscular and menacing as a result of this added detail.

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Another change in this car is that it’s about 80-85kg lighter than the car it replaces (depending on the model you choose), about the weight of an adult passenger. That’s good for a number of reasons: not only is the design sharper, but the power and efficiency increase, too, while emissions are lower.

• Audi A4 (2016) review: All about the extras

Audi A5 Sportback review: Interior technology and comforts

Slip into the driver’s seat and you’d be forgiven for questioning which car you’re sat in. With many models in the Audi range and a uniformally high quality of interior spec, there’s a lot of familiarity here. We’re fine with that as the trim of the S line model – Audi’s biggest seller – gives you a plush finish, great attention to detail and plenty of toys.

S line comes with 18-inch wheels, LED headlights and sports suspension, but even if you were to opt for the SE model (the cheapest option) you get heated front seats, automatic lights and wipers and Audi Smartphone Interface, which gives you Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connections.

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Following the trend of recent Audi upgrades, one of the big options here is for the Virtual Cockpit. This fully-digital 12-inch driver display gives you customisation so you can change the size of the dials, switch to expansive mapping, as well as skipping through things like your entertainment or calling options. 

Virtual Cockpit isn’t standard in the A5, however, it’s a £250 upgrade and it’s only available if you take the Technology Package. That’s a fairly hefty hit of upgrade cost (over £1,000 depending on trim), but you get a larger central display and all the controls you need, like the touch MMI controller, mapping and a 10GB jukebox you can store your music on, in addition to SD card slots.

We think that’s worth the punt if you’re a technology fan, as the combination of all these elements (not forgetting the USB connections, Bluetooth, DAB radio and CD player) lifts the Audi to a level of sophistication that affords you just about everything you could think of.

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All of Audi’s systems will work in tangent with your connected phone too, so if you have your iPhone connected, it takes over the central display, yet you still have access to various car-based features too. A best of both worlds, leading to things like Google Maps for your display, while streaming music from Spotify. 

Audi A5 Sportback review: On the road

Technology isn’t limited to the interior and there’s a full range of tech to assist the driver too. You get cruise control as standard as well as pre sense city, the system designed to stop you driving into obstructions that suddenly appear, detected by the front camera. Parking sensors are also standard, with the option to upgrade to full 360 degree cameras.

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If you want to go further, the driver assistance pack contains a whole range of safety systems that will detect cars and junctions, give you adaptive cruise control, detect speed limits, identify lanes and help you avoid crashes at all speeds. This isn’t autonomous driving, but it uses a lot of the same technologies with the aim of keeping you safe.

• Audi Piloted Driving: A real-world glimpse into the future of self-driving cars

Whisked away in comfort, one of Audi’s aims in the A5 was to reduce the noise levels in the cabin. Having driven the 190bhp diesel, the 252bhp petrol and the 354bhp petrol of the Audi S5 there’s not a lot of engine noise – although that last engine on the S5 has an exhaust note that’ll make you smile when you put your foot down and tear through the higher rev ranges, even if it’s a bit of a drone at low rev ranges. 

In the model that will sell the most – the 2.0-litre 190bhp TDI – you won’t know you’re sitting behind a diesel. But the one thing that all these models seem to suffer from is some of the hissing road noise. You probably won’t notice that when you’ve got a car full of people and the radio on, but it’s something we noticed cruising along varied road surfaces on our Cotswold test route.

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That aside, with comfortable seats (various types of leather are standard as you move through the trim levels), the Audi offers sports suspension as standard that does keep things firm, but it’s not overly harsh. That fits the sporty positioning of this car, combined with Audi’s familiar drive select options that will change the car’s setup based on the driving style you want.

Select Dynamic and knock the 7-speed S tronic gearbox into S and you’ll be revving high with weightier steering and a more responsive throttle for a more enticing drive. That double clutch gearbox is quick to hop up and down gears with barely a pause for breath and whichever model you choose, the A5 is pacey enough.

The diesel manages to hit 62mph in 7.9 seconds, the petrol gets there in 6 seconds. The Audi S5 is a whole different beast hitting 62mph in 4.7 seconds. There is also a 6-speed manual option (that we didn’t test) and there’s the option for Quattro all-wheel-drive as an upgrade to the front-wheel drive standard, par for the course that Audi made its name on.

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The lighter steering that it defaults to at lower speeds in auto mode can feel a little disconnected, something that’s likely to push you toward a custom mode with heavier steering, but that’s common to many Audi models.

Verdict

The Audi A5 delivers exactly what it promises: sporty looks, sporty-ish drive, leaving you with a car that’s a little easier to love than the slightly more ordinary Audi A4. The question is whether the Audi has the allure to divert you from something like the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé or Mercedes C Class.

But even at its lowest trim, you’re getting a good spec for your money and a high quality of interior, with lots of options to add levels of sophistication to a car that’s wonderfully comfortable to drive and, boy, doesn’t it look good?

EU roaming charges will end this year, standardised wholesale prices to come into effect

The European Commission has delivered the news we’ve all been waiting for, roaming charges throughout the EU will come to an end on 15 June 2017. The European Commission, Council and Parliament have come up with a set of standardised wholesale prices that operators will charge each other when customers use the various mobile networks. You as a customer will be able to use your same tariff abroad without being charge any extra.

• Free phone use abroad at last, roaming charges officially scrapped
• Best roaming plans: Which is the cheapest network for EU and abroad?

Prices will be capped at 3.2 cents per voice minute, 1 cent per SMS message and €7.7 per GB of data, but this will decrease year on year: €6 per GB as of 1 January 2018, €4.5 as of 1 January 2019, €3.5 as of 1 January 2020, €3 as of 1 January 2021 and €2.5 as of 1 January 2022.

Mr Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market said: “…when travelling in the EU, consumers will be able to call, send SMS or surf on their mobile at the same price they pay at home. The agreement makes “roam-like-at-home” sustainable for people and businesses, while ensuring cost recovery and keeping national wholesale roaming markets competitive.”

Of course, the reality of no roaming charges only applies to countries and customers that are part of the EU. In a couple of years, that won’t include the UK. Until the UK officially leaves the EU, the mobile networks will most likely do what the EU says, but once we leave, it’s not clear what they’ll do. It’s possible the different networks could offer roaming package deals to keep prices as low as possible, but even then the UK networks will be able to charge pretty much whatever they like.

Android gets a Nintendo game at last, Fire Emblem Heroes also on iOS

Nintendo has finally released a full game on Android. Fire Emblem Heroes beats Super Mario Run to the punch, with the Android version of Mario’s first mobile outing planned for March.

An iOS version of Fire Emblem Heroes is also now available.

Android did get Miitomo, Nintendo’s cute social app last year, but this is the first proper game from the Japanese publisher.

• Super Mario Run for Android confirmed for March, pre-registration open
• Super Mario Run review: Is Mario on iPhone worth £8?
• Super Mario Run: How to play, how much does it cost and what phones and tablets is it on?

Fire Emblem Heroes is based on the successful tactical RPG brand that has appeared on Nintendo consoles since 1990, when Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light was released for the Japanese Famicom (NES).

The most recent, Fire Emblem Fates, came out for the 3DS in 2016 in the US and Europe and was pretty much universally loved.

Fire Emblem Heroes is more streamlined than the console games, focusing on quick fire, on-the-go tactical battles on “bite-sized” maps. There is a main story mode, but the action generally involves turn-based fights between the different in-game factions and heroes.

You can also fight against other players around the world in an arena mode.

The game is a free download on Google Play and iTunes with in-app purchases. However, these are optional and not needed to play the game.

Nintendo’s next big mobile game release – after Super Mario Run on Android – is expected to be based on Animal Crossing.

The Morning After: Thursday February 2nd, 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Another day, another Boston Dynamics robot. Also, Tesla made a name change and “shared reality” is a thing.

Moving forwardTesla pulls an Apple, drops ‘Motors’ from its name

Reflecting the company’s ambitions for solar and electric energy in more places than just your car, Tesla Motors has chopped off a bit of its name. Now known as simply Tesla (which you probably called it anyway), the company can push its Powerwall batteries and Solar City roofs under one brand name along with its famous EVs.

After all these yearsNintendo’s first-ever Super Bowl ad is for the Switch

You don’t have to wait for the big game to watch Nintendo’s big ad. Its first-ever Super Bowl ad is up in an extended cut on YouTube, trying to sell the upcoming Switch console to hardcore gamers, casuals and families alike.

Who hasn’t wanted to do this?The State of New York sues Charter over slow internet speeds

According to NY AG Eric Schneiderman, from 2012 on, Spectrum internet customers paid for plans promising 100Mbps+ speed but ended up with connections that were frequently 70 percent slower. Worse, investigators believe the poor performance was intentional, with execs aware their system couldn’t live up to the promised speeds and even creating interconnection bottlenecks.

Not everything needs a cloud connectionProject Nursery HD Baby Monitor review

Looking for a way to keep an eye on the little one? Dan Cooper tried out the Project Nursery setup, with a micro USB powered camera that broadcasts on its own 2.4GHz signal, the Parent Unit with a 5-inch display, and a wrist-wearable 1.5-inch “Mini Monitor.” With night vision and remote control over the camera, he found it has all the necessary features, although the $300 price tag is a little high. For a cheaper option, there’s also a $200 version with a 4.3-inch display and no Mini Monitor.

Boston Dynamics is back‘Handle’ robot combines wheels and legs

During a presentation, Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert showed off a couple of new robots, including this “Handle” model. While the company’s previous metallic terrors have focused on walking, this one includes wheels, perfect for spinning and leaping around on smooth surfaces. It may not have the go-anywhere chops of Atlas, but its impressive speed and agility would be perfect for hunting humans on a basketball court maneuvering around a controlled environment like a warehouse.

The company says it was done to give a “better user experience”The OnePlus 3T cheats by boosting its performance for benchmarking

Alternative facts are even popping up in benchmarks, as XDA posters discovered the OnePlus 3T and Meizu Pro 6 Plus both turn up the juice on their CPUs when a benchmark is running. Now, OnePlus says it will fix the behavior in its next operating system update.

An escape room designer built a puzzle game around ‘Zelda’‘Defenders of the Triforce’ is a fun but tedious adventure

Instead of a traditional escape room experience, designer SCRAP uses the “real-time puzzle format” in a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time retelling. As Sean Buckley discovered, that means “doing math, deciphering glyphs and turning in worksheets to a cast of Zelda-themed taskmasters.”

But wait, there’s more…

• ‘Star Wars: Battlefront 2’ will have a story mode
• PlayStation VR bundles are back
• Developer combines HoloLens and Vive for ‘shared reality’
• GoPro’s troubled Karma drone is back on sale
• Zenimax lawsuit scores a partial win against Oculus worth $500 million