Virgin Media launches 4G plans with unlimited WhatsApp and Messenger
When Virgin Media relaunched its mobile network, the company set itself apart by offering unlimited calls, texts and data at an almost unbeatable monthly price. The only drawback was that its EE-powered service was 3G-only, meaning it couldn’t reach the speeds that other providers were advertising. As the UK’s big four continue to plough millions into expanding 4G coverage, Virgin Media has decided it’s time to jump on the LTE bandwagon. Unlimited plans are now gone but to cushion the blow, the company is offering free messaging on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Virgin Media’s plans start at £6 per month — offering 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 300MB of data — and rise to £25 for 5000 minutes, unlimited texts and 20GB of data. All plans include free messaging options but also offer “data rollover,” allowing customers to bolt unused downloads onto next month’s allocation. It’s basically combining perks from FreedomPop and O2 plans into one.
The company says that if people are intent on maximising their data allowance, subscribers can jump on up to 250,000 WiFi hotspots using its dedicated WiFi app. This, of course, also includes free access to 250 stations on the London Underground.
That might not stop some people blasting through their monthly allowance, so Virgin Media is making it easy for them to change their plans. Freestyle, which includes an extra monthly “loan” amount for handsets, and SIM-only plans both come with an option to move up or down each month depending on customers’ data needs.
Also, if data usage creeps over with only a few days until the end of the month, Virgin Media says it will cap charges at £2 for each day, allowing users to download to their heart’s content.
Source: Virgin Media
Software update will annoy Galaxy Note 7 owners into a return
While Samsung continues its quest to retrieve every Galaxy Note 7, a software update that reduces how much the phone’s battery can be charged is finally rolling out in the US. Even though it’s still apparently unclear exactly what caused so many of the phones to overheat, smoke and/or start fires, the idea is that this will increase participation in the recall. Another “feature” of the update is a system of pop-up notifications about the recall anytime an owner reboots, charges or turns on the screen of the device
The update itself first appeared in Korea back in September, while in the US T-Mobile is the first carrier we’ve seen listing its availability. Samsung says that so far, “nearly 85 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note7 devices have been replaced through the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program.” Most owners have apparently opted for a replacement Samsung device, which, thanks to a few other software tweaks, may work a little more like the phone they’re leaving behind.
Anyone who still has a Galaxy Note 7 is asked to return it by contacting Samsung or their carrier for a replacement device.
Source: Samsung
McDonald’s is testing mobile ordering
Over the last couple of years, a trend among fast food franchises has focused on reducing customers’ wait time by allowing them to order and pay ahead of time on their mobile devices. Starbucks, Domino’s, Dunkin Donuts, Chipotle and Taco Bell (especially Taco Bell) already allow for mobile ordering. However, McDonald’s has noticeably lagged behind its competitors. However, according to a Business Insider report out Friday, Micky Dees is about to catch back up.
The report, citing anonymous sources within the company, McDonald’s will roll out mobile ordering to the US market — as well as Australia, Canada, France and the UK — next year. And by 2018, the company hopes to expand the program to as many as 25,000 franchises worldwide.
Source: Business Insider
It sounds like Facebook Messenger will soon have more games
Facebook’s gaming aspirations are deeper than its Gameroom app and quick rounds of basketball, soccer (football to the rest of the world) and chess in Messenger. Zuckerberg and Co. are shopping a development kit to, well, third-party developers to bring more distractions to Facebook Messenger. The “Instant Games” toolset will launch later this month, according to a report from The Information.
Aside from those details, all that’s known is the social network is pushing for more asynchronous games than stuff where you’d be playing in real-time with another player. Which makes sense considering Words With Friends or Catan lends itself much more to the mobile platform than a Facebook game like Racing Legacy probably would. Hopefully when this launches it fares better than Messenger’s chatbots have.
Source: The Information
Adobe’s powerful Photoshop Fix app finally arrives on Android
Adobe isn’t always quick to bring new creative apps and features to Android. It took the company over a year to deliver a version of Photoshop Fix for those devices. After making its debut for iOS last October, the mobile software brings some powerful desktop editing tools to phones and tablets that run Google’s OS. Tools like the face-aware Liquify tool to adjust facial expressions are here alongside Heal, Smooth and other adjustments that can make precise changes to images from a mobile device.
Photoshop Fix for Android also offers tools to tweak more general characteristics like focus, color and paint as well as the ability to adjust exposure, saturation, contrast and more. When you get back to your desktop machine, Adobe’s CreativeSync tech takes the work you’ve started on mobile and packages it in a layered PSD file so you can easily continue the task. Of course, you’ll need a Creative Cloud subscription to employ that workflow.
If you aren’t paying for Adobe’s suite of creative apps, you can still use Photoshop Fix on an Android device, but you won’t have access to the handy sync features that allow the company’s mobile and desktop offerings to work together. If you’re looking to give it a go, Photoshop Fix is available for free at Google Play.
Via: Lifehacker, Android Police
Source: Google Play
India wants the tech used to unlock the San Bernardino iPhone
Israeli forensics company Cellebrite helped the FBI access the contents of a suspect’s iPhone 5c following the shooting in San Bernardino last year. Now India is in talks to buy the company’s tech that will allow it to unlock phones and other devices. The Economic Times reports that India’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) is purchasing the tool and should have it in hand within a month. What’s more, the FSL says India will be “a global hub for cases where law enforcement is unable to break into phones.” In other words, the India government will lend a hand to other countries that need to crack encrypted devices.
The Economic Times reports that the Indian government has already enlisted help from Cellebrite in “a few cases,” but now it will have the encryption cracking tech on hand to use as needed. Details are scarce on if the country will be the exclusive owner of the technology or under what circumstances it will make the resource available to other governments around the world. It’s also not a done deal yet, but FSL officials seem confident the government will complete the purchase soon. There’s no word on how much the transaction will cost, but the FBI paid Cellebrite over $1 million for its services in the San Bernardino case.
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: The Economic Times
WhatsApp is reportedly developing its own Snapchat clone
WhatsApp is reportedly working on an ephemeral photo-narrative feature that’s in no way a rip-off of Snapchat. According to Mashable, the Facebook-owned messaging service is testing an image-sharing function called Status. The project was apparently uncovered by keen-eyed folks examining the most recent WhatsApp betas for iOS and Android. The plan appears to be that Status will slot in on the tab menu between Chats and Calls. There’ll even be the ability to create doodles and add text captions just like… you know.
Long before Snapchat was a huge deal, it was the subject of a buyout deal from Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg. Snapchat rebuffed the offer, and Facebook’s response has been to work relentlessly to undermine the object of its jilted affections. Instagram has been slowly drawing inspiration from its main rival, adding Instagram Stories to its core platform. In addition, Facebook tried to buy the “Asian Snapchat” this summer in the hope of curtailing its rival’s international growth. It’s a lesson to us all that if Mark Zuckerberg offers you $3 billion for something, maybe factor how much revenge he’ll exact if you say no.
Source: Mashable
Sainsbury’s finally caves to contactless
No, you haven’t gone back in time. We’re almost at the end of 2016, and Sainsbury’s is just now confirming it’ll soon begin accepting contactless payments in stores — finally coming good on an old promise (sort of). Most Sainsbury’s Local spots will have the facility before Christmas, with more locations catching up early next year. It’s been a long time coming, but Sainsbury’s isn’t the only slowcoach. Contactless support in Asda and Tesco stores is far from ubiquitous.
Tesco is making a (likely futile) attempt to push its own, in-house mobile payments app PayQwiq, meaning the apathy is somewhat understandable. Sainsbury’s isn’t being very forthcoming about why it’s been dragging its heels, but we imagine the secret lies with Zapp. Two years ago, Zapp was pitched as a kind of friendly mobile payment system. One that wouldn’t be tied to one device manufacturer, or mobile OS. Asda and Sainsbury’s pledged their support for Zapp way back when, but it never materialised. In fact, the last we heard, MasterCard acquired VocaLink — the company behind Zapp — this past July.
It was only a matter of time before Sainsbury’s had to pull a Barclays and admit that contactless support is now an important convenience for customers. And with the active authentication of Apple Pay and Android Pay allowing contactless transactions to breach the £30 cap for cards, you can now pay for your weekly shop without a wallet or purse in sight.
Via: The Inquirer
The Wirecutter’s best deals: The Galaxy Tab S2 drops below $300
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot—some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8″
Street price: $350; MSRP: $400; deal price: $250
This is a solid price drop on a tablet that practically never drops below $300. At $250 for the 8″ version, it’s as low as we’ve seen it.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is our runner-up pick for best Android Tablet. Chris Heinonen writes, “If gaming isn’t your priority and you don’t mind paying more for a slimmer, higher-resolution Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8-Inch is the way to go. It has a faster processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage (with a microSD slot for additional storage), and a 2048×1536 OLED display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. It isn’t as fast as the K1 for gaming, and the OS won’t get upgraded as quickly or frequently, but the S2 8-Inch has a beautiful screen and feels great in your hand.”
Logitech K780 Wireless Keyboard
Street price: $80; MSRP: $80; deal price: $65
This is a great deal and the first drop in price we’ve seen on this Bluetooth keyboard from Logitech. At a solid $15 drop from the street price, it’s a good time to pick up this keyboard.
The Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless is our “keyboard with a number pad” pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth keyboards. Kimber Streams wrote, “If you need a keyboard with a built-in number pad, we suggest the Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard. The K780 is very similar to the K380—offering the same round keys, multiple-device pairing, and estimated two years of battery life—but adds a number pad and a built-in stand for smartphones and tablets. It shares some of the K380’s flaws, too, namely a lack of backlighting and only one layout. The K780 also comes with Logitech’s USB Unifying wireless dongle (it’s the only Bluetooth keyboard we’ve tested so far with this option), so you can connect it to a computer without Bluetooth if you need to.”
Imprint CumulusPro Standing Desk Mat
Street price: $80; MSRP: $100; deal price: $60
This is the best price we’ve seen on the CumulusPro and a strong deal on a mat that makes a huge difference if you’ve got a standing desk. This sale beats our last low from July by a few dollars, but that sale only lasted a few days, so it’s unlikely that this deal will stick around for long. Only the black color is available at this price.
The Imprint CumulusPro Commercial Anti-Fatigue Mat is our former top pick in our best standing desk mat guide and still comes recommended highly. Kevin Purdy recommends this mat, “If you know you stand fairly flat-footed, or if you prefer to have a wider area for standing…” He continues, “The CumulusPro Commercial is our longstanding (heh) pick among traditional flat anti-fatigue mats because of its firm, supportive feel, its eco-friendly single-piece construction, and its generous warranty.”
Vornado 660
Street price: $95; MSRP: $140; deal price: $75
We’ve rarely posted deals on the Vornado 660 since it rarely receives worthwhile discounts, and our primary pick is often a fair bit cheaper. With this new low of $75, it’s still more expensive than our main pick, but a comparable price for those that prefer this style of fan.
The Vornado 660 is our runner-up pick for the best fan. Séamus Bellamy wrote, “While it has no remote control and can’t oscillate, the 660 is a powerful, well-built fan that can move a massive amount of air in a short amount of time. If you can’t get our main pick, get this.”
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
Parrot brings fancy follow-me features to its Bebop 2 drone
With a price tag of $550/£440, Parrot’s Bebop 2 drone is aimed at budding pilots who want more than a toy, but can’t justify spending four figures and up on a flying camera. The problem with getting something in between, though, is you can’t expect all the features of more expensive drones. There are a couple of third-party mobile apps floating about that add auto-follow features to the Bebop 2, but today Parrot is updating its official FreeFlight Pro app with what it claims is the “most accurate and reliable” implementation around.
Parrot explains that its follow-me feature doesn’t just rely on your smartphone’s GPS and barometer readings, but employs fancy visual tracking algorithms too. Simply put, these can identify objects (like people or animals or vehicles) from the on-board camera feed and lock on to them, making sure they are always the focus of the shot. Activating the auto-follow mode, pilots can manually set the subject of the shot via the app, as well as the preferred altitude, camera angle and filming distance.
There are several more advanced settings, too. “Perfect side,” for example, lets you choose the best camera angle for a clip (directly behind you, say), and the Bebop 2 will make sure it’s always filming your back wherever you happen to move. Then there are the various “dronie” modes (sigh): Pre-set flight paths for making your videos extra flashy. With these, the Bebop can be instructed to circle you while it’s filming, or drift up and down on the vertical axis, among other types of programmed shot.
Finally, there’s a semi-autonomous framing assist feature. This lets the pilot set the subject but otherwise fly the drone manually. While the direction of the Bebop 2 can be controlled, it’ll always orientate itself to keep the subject in front of the lens. And when you’re done, you simply tell the drone to return to you or land nearby. Unfortunately, there is one catch. As is Parrot’s way, you have to unlock the new follow-me feature via a $20/£15 in-app purchase in FreeFlight Pro. Secondary bummer: It’s only live in the iOS app now, with Android support arriving next month.
Source: Parrot
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