Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will ship with S Pen – but without a slot for it

Samsung is going to be in Barcelona in a couple weeks to launch an Android tablet that will ship with S Pen, according to a new report.

SamMobile has claimed that the tablet, called the Galaxy Tab S3, will come with the S Pen stylus as part of a bundle. Previous Samsung devices that shipped with S Pens, including the Note line, came with a slot in the body for storing the stylus, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will simply ship with one in the box. In other words, it won’t have a designated slot for you to slide in and store the stylus.

Other accessories, according to SamMobile, will include a “Keyboard Folio” and a “Book Cover case”. The flagship tablet is expected to feature a 9.6-inch 2048×1536 resolution display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipset, an upgraded 4GB of RAM, 12-megapixel camera, 5.6mm-thick frame, and availability in both Wi-Fi-only and LTE models. It will also ship with a version of Android Nougat.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 “confirmed” for MWC reveal
• Mobile World Congress 2017: Nokia, Sony, Huawei and more
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: What’s the story so far?

Samsung should officially announce the Galaxy Tab S3 on 26 February. In the US, you will be able to buy the Galaxy Tab S3 from Verizon and US Cellular, at the very least. However, Samsung will likely first release the tablet in South Korea by March.

Pocket-lint will be at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to bring you the very latest from Samsung as it happens.

Take the internet’s best dogs for simulated runs with ‘Good Dogs’

When life gets you down and the world appears to be coming apart at the seams, nothing calms a troubled mind quite like a good run through the park with your favorite doggo. Now thanks to WeRateDogs, the internet’s number one professional dog rater, you can do just that from just about anywhere.

GOOD DOGS

OUT NOW ON IOS AND ANDROID
(it’s a good game, Brent)

DOWNLOAD HEREhttps://t.co/Svxf2qgrGu pic.twitter.com/0PabHnFbuh

— WeRateDogs™ (@dog_rates) February 3, 2017

Good Dogs, which is available on both iOS and Android, is “the most realistic and numerically accurate dog running simulator ever,” according to its developer. It’s an infinite runner in the same vein as Crossy Road or Super Mario Run. Players can buy or unlock seven different breeds of dog including Corgicools, Byzantine Rigatonis, Labracadabradors and even the super rare Peruvian Horned Pup. You can also earn different coat colors for each dog and even find some adorable little hats for them to wear. The park and its obstacles will also change each month, to keep the action fresh.

The game mechanics are simple enough: swipe left and right to turn the dog as she runs and hold down to charge up a pup jump. Beyond that, it’s simply a matter of dodging obstacles while collecting golden bones which can be traded in for digital prizes.

Source: DogRates (Twitter)

Goodbye for ‘Now’: Google Now Launcher will reportedly be discontinued

Why it matters to you

If the Google Now Launcher is removed from the Play Store, there will be no official alternatives for Android devices until the Pixel Launcher is made available for everyone.

Google may be gearing up to discontinue the Google Now Launcher, the default launcher on devices running stock Android before the Pixel was released last fall.

According to a leaked email from the Android team at Google Mobile Services, which was obtained by Android Police, “Google Now Launcher will be unpublished from Google Play” in the first quarter of 2017.

More: Google’s latest Live Case designs inspired by a NYC Ballet performance

“Although users would not be able to download and install the launcher from the Google Play Store, Google will continue to support existing users of the Google Now Launcher by updating the Google Search app,” according to the email.

The Google Now Launcher debuted with the Nexus 5 in 2013, but it was called the Google Experience Launcher at the time. It was rebranded the following year when Google made it available to most Android devices on the Play Store. The launcher introduced the ability to access Google Now directly from the home screen.

Google has been rebranding a lot lately — many of Now’s features are simply a part of the Google search app, and the company recently removed all mentions of “Google Now” from the Google app. The Pixel Launcher became the new standard when the Google Pixel was released in 2016, but it’s currently only exclusive to the Pixel. It’s similar to the Google Now Launcher, in that you can access the Now page by swiping right on the home screen.

More: Discover new recipes and fine-tune your search results via the Google app

In the email, Google says the Search Launcher Services library is available for manufacturers — this means any Android smartphone manufacturer can integrate the Now feed directly into their launcher. The email also says that Google Now Launcher will be removed from the optional Google Mobile Services package on March 1 — any devices with the launcher preinstalled will not be approved.

Google told Digital Trends it does not comment on rumors and speculation.

A mystery Samsung phone has emerged online, sporting a MediaTek processor

Why it matters to you

A low-cost option from Samsung may be on the way, if leaks are any indication.

Historically, Samsung has sourced smartphone processors from its own internal chip division, or from chip maker Qualcomm. The Snapdragon S7 Edge, for example, uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and Exynos 8890, depending on the model. But the company recently inked a contract with MediaTek, a manufacturer of low-cost CPUs, to use the chipmaker’s processors in low-cost smartphones and tablets. If rumblings are to be believed, one of the first fruits of that partnership is on the way.

It February, a mystery Samsung device with the model number SM-G615F was spotted on benchmarking website GFXBench. The listing shows a handset with a 5.7-inch 1080p display, a 2.3GHz MediaTek Helio P20 processor paired with 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. It sports a 12-megapixel camera on the front and back and runs the latest version of  Android 7.0 Nougat.

More: Another octa-core chip is coming to Android KitKat phones in 2014

Details about the yet-to-be-announced smartphone are hard to come by. We don’t know when it’s likely to be announced or even which of Samsung’s phones it will replace. SamMobile points out that Samsung referred to the original Galaxy On7 and On7 (2016) as the SM-G600 and SM-G610, respectively, suggesting the phone might be a next-generation On7. But it’s too early to say for certain.

Whichever branding the device receives, it’s a meaningful step forward in Samsung and MediaTek’s relationship. According to some reports, Samsung worked with the chip supplier to build phones running Tizen, its proprietary mobile operating system. In late 2016, MediaTek Chairman Tsai Ming-kai told the press that it was actively working with Samsung on devices that would ship in the coming months.

It’s good news for MediaTek. According to analyst Arisa Liu at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, the chip maker’s global market share could substantially increase as a result of its relationship with Samsung, which is expected to order “as much as 10 percent” of MediaTek’s processors this year.

More: Apple vs. Qualcomm: Everything you need to know

Qualcomm’s travails could have something to do with it. In December, the Korea Fair Trade Commission sued the electronics behemoth for allegedly violating antitrust laws in the way that it licenses its patents and sells modems for smartphones and other devices. According to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), Qualcomm uses its dominance in the industry to elbow out the competition. Manufacturers are given a choice: Either pay inflated royalties for the use of Qualcomm’s essential patents or face intellectual property lawsuits.

Following the KFTC’s filing, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed suit, as did iPhone maker Apple. Both contended that Qualcomm required that Apple pay a percentage of the revenue it made for the iPhone, iPad, and other devices in return for the use of Qualcomm’s patents.

Qualcomm denies the allegations.

Realdoll is building a fleet of AI-powered sex robots with customizable personalities

Why it matters to you

Does your wife criteria include programmable personalities to fit any occasion? If so, you may be interested in Realdoll’s forthcoming sex robot ecosystem. Just remember to put it away when you have visitors!

Sex doll manufacturer Realdoll is dipping its toe (and we don’t want to know which other body parts) into the world of artificial intelligence and robotics with a forthcoming robot sex assistant that promises to form a “real bond” with its, erm, users.

The new system is made up of several components, which will roll out over the course of this year and next. It will begin with the Harmony AI app, scheduled for release on April 15, followed by the company’s “first robotic head systems,” set to launch by the end of the year. A virtual reality platform will ship sometime in 2018.

It’s not going to be cheap, mind you: the head alone will set you back $10,000. No pun intended.

More: Ohroma’s ‘smell-o-vision’ VR wants to put your nose in a porn star’s room

“We are developing the Harmony AI system to add a new layer to the relationships people can have with a Realdoll,” Realdoll CEO Matt McMullen told Digital Trends. “Many of our clients rely on their imaginations to a great degree to impose imagined personalities on their dolls. With the Harmony AI, they will be able to actually create these personalities instead of having to imagine them. They will be able to talk to their dolls, and the AI will learn about them over time through these interactions, thus creating an alternative form of relationship. The scope of conversations possible with the AI is quite diverse, and not limited to sexual subject matter.”

From the sound of things, the Harmony system may be back-compatible with some of the existing dolls the company offers, although we’re sure that more clarification will be made available at a later date. With the AI system, users can choose from a range of personality traits (kind, sexual, shy, naive, brainy, etc.) and then choose how strongly these characteristics are engrained in their new acquaintance.

“We feel that this system, and this technology, will appeal to a segment of the population that struggles with forming intimate connections with other people, whether by choice or circumstance,” McMullen continued. “Furthermore, it will likely attract those who seek to explore uncharted and new territory where relationships and sex are concerned.”

We do worry about the resale value, though.

Alexa hackathon points to future where virtual assistants talk just like humans

Why it matters to you

The digital assistants seen in movies like Her or Iron Man may not be as far off as you think, if the Alexa hackathon is any indication.

While current Amazon Alexa assistive features are great, they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what future digital assistants might be capable of. Giving us a hint at that future recently was the Alexa hackathon hosted by Automated Insights, the company behind Wordsmith, the natural language-generation platform.

The idea behind the hackathon was to combine Alexa’s cloud-based assistance with Wordsmith’s natural sounding cadence to create a tool that responds more naturally to users. Teams were tasked with combining the two services in new and exciting ways, and the event drew innovators from The Associated Press, Lincoln Financial, NASDAQ, TicketMaster, and Reverb Nation, among others.

More: Being a Plex user gets even easier thanks to the service’s new Alexa skill

As you might expect from many of the participants, a lot of what they created were new business tools. Alexa, when augmented with Wordsmith, was able to analyze stock options, offer tips before important meetings, and evaluate sports plays.

Other teams were able to have Alexa share information on a child’s academic achievements, suggest new TV shows or movies to watch, and give a report on a vulnerable loved one.

The winning team came from fleet management firm Omnitracs. It created a system where Alexa users could ask about truck driver performance. In return, they would receive information on how the drivers operated that was drawn from the company’s telematics system.

Automated Insights wants to continue exploring integration with Alexa, believing that the human voice could prove to be a fundamental input mechanism for our digital futures.

“It was exciting to see the future of natural language technologies in action. Alexa can now leverage Wordsmith to provide natural spoken conversations, and the possibilities are endless,” said CEO Robbie Allen.

Both Automated Insights and Amazon plan to hold a joint hackathon event later this year.

Cisco Prime Home vulnerability could let attackers into your home network

Why it matters to you

As careful as you might be to keep your internet connected devices updated, access to some — like your router and modem — are completely out of your control.

As we connect more and more devices to the internet, we create more and more potential security vulnerabilities. While we’re usually aware of the gadgets we use every day — our PCs, smartphones, and tablets — we might now always think about just how secure are all of our other connected devices like networked cameras, cable boxes, and internet modems.

Sometimes, our own devices can be compromised by systems outside of our control, such as internet service providers and other companies who can access our devices remotely. Cisco Prime Home is a system that such companies use to remotely manage things like set-top boxes, modems, and routers, and that system has recently suffered a security vulnerability, Bitdefender’s blog reports.

More: On edge after the DDoS attack? Here’s how to prevent your smart home from being hacked

Basically, the vulnerability is in Cisco Prime Home’s web graphical user interface (GUI) and it could allow a remote, unauthorized attacker to access devices managed by the service with administrator privileges. By sending a series of commands via an unsecured HTTP connection to a specific network address, the attacker can gain the same access to managed devices as an administrator.

Having administrator access to anything is a very big deal and this particular vulnerability is a serious one. Someone who exploits the vulnerability could gain access and control over any device managed by Cisco Prime Home. That means that no matter how carefully you secure your devices yourself, there is another possible avenue of attack that is completely outside of your control and knowledge.

Cisco issued a fix for the service, meaning that the companies who use it to manage your devices should have already updated and resolved the vulnerability. You may not even be aware of which of your service providers are using Cisco Prime Home and so there is really not a lot you can do except hope that those companies are keeping up their end of the security bargain.

Coin to shutter app, signaling the end for its universal credit card

Why it matters to you

Coin users will no longer be able to make changes to their account after February, and when your card’s battery dies, it’s gone for good.

Last spring, wearable company Fitbit acquired universal credit-card maker Coin to bolster its mobile payment efforts with future products, like smartwatches. In July, Coin announced it had ceased manufacturing and selling inventory. On February 28, the company will terminate its mobile app and support services, meaning assistance will no longer be offered through Coin’s website or social media accounts.

Coin published a list of frequently asked questions on its blog alongside the news earlier this week. The post stresses that the devices themselves will continue to work until their batteries die, which the company says is two years after the activation date. However, alongside the support shutdown at the end of the month, the iOS and Android apps used to sync, add, and delete cards will also be taken down and stop functioning. If you want to keep using Coin, the company recommends you make whatever changes are necessary over the next few weeks.

More: Fitbit slashes 110 jobs, but new wearables are on the way

Not surprisingly, the announcement also invalidates the warranties of existing Coin devices out in the wild, and all customer information stored on the company’s services will be wiped after February 28. Data stored locally on the cards will remain. Users will still be able to contact the support team if they wish to delete their account in the future.

The news closes another chapter on one of the most memorable startup campaigns of the past several years. When Coin burst onto the scene in 2013, it broke its initial funding goal of $50,000 in just 40 minutes. After a rocky start of delayed shipments, the company began to find its legs, iterating upon the original product with Coin 2.0. The second release added an E-Ink display, NFC for tap-to-pay, and EMV chip for pin readers, making the device much easier to live with on a day-to-day basis.

Coin 2.0 only released about a year ago, and the startup was acquired by Fitbit in May, so customers unfortunately didn’t have much of an opportunity to experience the improved product. Still, Coin had the odds stacked against it. The device was compatible with many but not all merchants, meaning users still had to carry around conventional cards to mitigate the risk of being left penniless, and that somewhat defeated the purpose.

Also, it didn’t help that payment via smartphones was beginning to take off right around the same time. Why would people fork over cash for another device to consolidate their credit cards when they already had one in their pockets? Coin was becoming a harder and harder sell.

Now a part of Fitbit, the team responsible for creating Coin will be asked to channel everything they’ve learned in their brief history toward the wearable company’s newest products. Having also acquired smartwatch darling Pebble last November, Fitbit says it has something waiting in the wings to challenge the likes of the Apple Watch and Samsung Gear series later this year.

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers make paid apps free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

PDF Pro 2

PDF Pro 2 lets you read, edit, and annotate your PDF documents directly on your iPhone and iPad. Highlight text, take notes, embed shapes, or draw with your finger. You can even embed voice recordings or photo annotations.

Available on:

iOS

Compress Video

Compress video to free the space on your device Now! It re-encodes videos filmed on your device to smaller file size while keeping the same video quality. Also, it can compress videos in batch.

Available on:

iOS

Fizzy Dating Tips

Are you single? Are you new to online dating? Have you been using online dating platforms, but without much luck? Do you want to improve your success rate in online dating? This app is for you.

Available on:

iOS

Paper Keyboard

Forget Bluetooth, use paper! Just print a PDF file on paper and use it as a keyboard. Put your phone where marked on the paper and see the magic happen: the phone’s camera detects your fingers with state of the art algorithms.

Available on:

iOS

Worry_Bead

Restful and relaxing, this app lets you flip, spin, or fiddle the beads in a manner that suits you. Use a two finger motion to set the bead size and get lost in the motion.

Available on:

iOS

Instant Collage

Instant Collage is simple, fun Combine and clip photos to create awesome collages to share with your family and friends by email, Facebook, and Instagram.

Available on:

iOS

S. Korea may require smartphone makers to report phone fires ‘immediately’

Why it matters to you

The South Korean government may change its rules regarding smartphone regulation, hoping to ensure exploding phones are a thing of the past.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 controversy was a major headache, to say the least, and the South Korean government is doing all it can to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. According to The Investor, new safety regulations will require smartphone makers to report immediately when their handsets explode or burst into flames.

“When the new rules come into effect, phone makers will […] have to immediately launch an investigation — right after the submission of the report — to provide if the fires or explosions were caused by flawed parts or external force,” an official from The Ministry of Trade, Industry Energy told The Investor on the condition of anonymity.

More: Everything we know about Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 recall

“In the latest Galaxy Note 7 incident, it took 10 days for Samsung to report the first case to the government. At the time, there were no timeframe requirements in notifying the authorities,” the official said.

The new rules are expected to be announced as soon as next week, alongside the publication of the results of a government-led investigation into the Note 7 series.

In early September, reports of exploding Note 7 devices emerged online. Samsung issued a worldwide recall in the weeks following, blaming the problem on a “battery cell issue” and pledging to conduct a “thorough inspection with […] suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market.”

The company subsequently began replacing customers’ units with replacements, but several of those, too, caught fire.

More: Galaxy Note 7 broke basic engineering rules, says damning new report

The controversy reached a fever pitch in late 2016, when the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) banned Note 7 devices from public transit and commercial flights in the U.S. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) followed suit, issuing a mandatory recall of all Note 7 devices.

To encourage Note 7 owners to return their devices, major carriers in the U.S. including Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T deployed an update that disabled the battery on the phone, rendering it useless. An update distributed via Canadian and Australian carriers limited the phone’s capacity to 60 percent.

All told, Samsung received 96 reports of batteries in Note 7 phones overheating in the U.S., including 23 new reports since the September recall.

More: Samsung issues global recall of Galaxy Note 7 due to exploding batteries

South Korea’s new regulations come on the heels of Samsung’s tell-all press conference in January. The company revealed that flawed battery cells in the first and second batch of Galaxy Note 7 units were to blame for explosions and fires in some phones.

DJ Koh, president of Samsung’s mobile communications business, told reporters that the company would institute preventative measures going forward, including an eight-point visual inspection process, added staff dedicated to overseeing each battery’s safe installation, and the publication of its intellectual property around battery safety and standards.