Chrome’s experimental browser comes to Android
You no longer have to stick to your computer to try the cutting edge version of Google’s web browser. The company has started offering Chrome Canary for Android, giving you a taste of new mobile browsing features before the beta crowd gets its turn. As always, the Canary releases are something of a gamble. Google will automatically post updated versions every weekday without human testing, so there’s no guarantee that they’ll work properly or at all. Thankfully, you don’t have to ditch your regular version of Chrome. If you just want to experiment with Chrome on the side, it probably won’t hurt to give this a shot.
Source: Google Play, Chromium Blog
Facebook isn’t done trying to copy Snapchat
Facebook’s Snapchat-alike Messenger Day app has expanded to a new test ground: The Land Down Under. “We know that people come to Messenger to share everyday moments with friends and family,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch. “In Australia we are running a small test of new ways for people to share those updates visually.”
As a bit of catchup, Messenger Day’s main rub is it hosts photos and videos that expire within 24 hours. You can add stickers (of which there are apparently quite a few) and filters to dress up your evaporating stories, too. So yeah, like the Facebook-owned Instagram’s Stories feature, this is a carbon copy of Snapchat — just without that app’s lurid reputation.
How long before the app hits domestic shores, and its life expectancy if and when it does, are up in the air at this point.
Holy crap, they’ve built Snapchat into Facebook Messenger as “Messenger Day”. I must be on some sort of A/B test. pic.twitter.com/hv3I8ubqEG
— Long Zheng (@longzheng) October 18, 2016
Source: TechCrunch
Huawei opens preorders for its Honor 6X phone in China
A month after Huawei started selling its Honor 8 in the US, the company has opened up preordering for its 6X phones in China and to ship out on October 25th. While there’s no news about when that device will reach the rest of Asia, Europe or North America, because the 5X was the first phone in the Honor line to go on sale in the US back in January, it’s a good bed that its successor will follow in time.
As expected, the released spec list describes a beefier 5X, ditching the last generation’s Snapdragon 616 for Huawei’s in-house octo-core Kirin 655 processor. The lowest price tier gets you 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage for about $150, the middle boosts memory up to 4GB for around $190, and the top tier expands space to 64GB for about $240.
The 6X has a dual rear-facing camera (12MP and a second 2MP for depth), while its front one is a respectable 8MP. Like its predecessor, it supports dual-SIM functionality with a microSD slot, though 9to5Google couldn’t confirm whether it has a USB-C connector. It runs Huawei’s EMU 4.1 software on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow to start, with an update for Nougat likely on the way.
It’s not as powerful as the $400 Honor 8, which comes with a Kirin 950 processor, but the 6X has enough mid-range hardware at low prices to serve as a decent affordable option. At least its 5.5-inch 1080p display covered in 2.5D glass and all-metal build gives it a little class near the bottom of Huawei’s product family.
Via: 9to5Google
Source: FoneArena
Instagram’s suggested Stories are now available to everyone
If you’ve been scrounging for Instagram Stories to watch outside of the ones your friends make, you’re in luck. After slipping Stories into the Explore tab for a limited number of users, it’s now making the feature available to everyone. Visit the Explore tab and you’ll see a section full of suggested stories that are personalized to your interests.
As before, this promises to help Instagram as much as it helps you. If you have a steady stream of new Stories to watch, you’re more likely to stick around instead of heading over to arch-rival Snapchat. Moreover, it should help grow Instagram’s already sizable user base — newcomers will have more people to follow even if they’re not all that interested in the usual stream of photos and videos.
Source: Instagram Blog
Fairphone’s easy-to-fix handset relaunched with a slim cover
Most smartphones are doomed to the scrap heap several years after they’re new, because glued and soldered parts make them too pricey to repair. With the modular Fairphone 2 handset, on the other hand, you can replace the screen in a minute without tools, and other modules can be swapped with a screwdriver. In fact, iFixit gave the device a perfect 10 for repairability. The company behind it has refreshed the device, and released its first replaceable component: the cover
The case is slimmer than the one that came with the original Fairphone 2, which first went on sale late last year. New buyers will get the refreshed case, and the 50,000 buyers of the original can update. “With the new cases we are exploring an interesting part of modularity: customization,” Fairphone’s Fabian Hühne tells Engadget. “You can now get a refreshed look for your phone without having to buy a completely new device.”
The Fairphone has a Full HD screen, 8-megapixel back camera (2-megapixel front cam) Snapdragon 801 CPU, Android 5.1 Lollipop, dual-SIM slots for travelers, 4G wireless capability, 2GB RAM and 32GB of RAM with expandable storage. The company uses conflict-free minerals, recycles e-waste and promises better working conditions at its factory.
The new covers are easy to change and come in four colors, and you can still purchase the transparent or custom older models. If you’re worried about the phone becoming obsolete, Fairphone will eventually offer updated components, starting with the camera.
All of that comes at a price: it’s on pre-order for €525 in Europe (around $575), with delivery by December 16th. That’s $175 more than the technologically superior OnePlus 3, for example. You will feel less guilty, however, knowing you can keep it around by fixing or updating parts if need be — provided the company itself has the same longevity.
Source: Fairphone
Sky Q smartphone app lets you take your recordings with you
One of the clever things about the Sky Q box is that it can sync recordings to devices throughout your home. The company has offered a tablet app since launch, but if you wanted to transfer TV shows and movies over to your smartphone, you were out of luck. Thankfully, that changes today with the launch of a dedicated mobile app that lets you stream live and on-demand programmes but also remotely set your Sky Q box to record episodes while you’re out and about.
As you’d expect, the Sky Q app will only let you access channels and programming available under your existing subscription. Recordings won’t be available if you’re outside of your home network, which means you’ll need to download content to your device over WiFi before you leave the house. It’s a welcome update for commuter types who want to fill their journey to work with an episode or two but would rather not blitz their entire data allowance when doing so.
Via: Sky
Source: Sky Q (App Store), (Play Store)
Samsung is setting up Galaxy Note 7 exchange stations in airports
Sasmung has officially cancelled the Galaxy Note 7 following its exploding battery scandal, but there are still plenty of people out there who need to exchange their phones. If you’re planning to fly soon, that need got stronger a few days ago, when the US banned the phone from all flights. To help air travelers get a phone that they’re actually allowed to have on a plane, Samsung is setting up exchange stations in airports to give customers refunds or a new phone.
So far, the company has only officially announced the program in Australia, but ABC News out of San Francisco reports that Samsung is set up at the San Francisco International Airport to help customers exchange their phones. If you get a new phone from Samsung at an airport, the company will transfer all the data from your Note 7 so you don’t lose any vacation pictures.
Samsung has a team of representatives at SFO to help customers with the Note7 phone. It’s banned from US flights. pic.twitter.com/2IiEcg6hsU
— Sergio Quintana (@svqjournalist) October 17, 2016
CNET notes that Samsung also has exchange stations set up in South Korea and has plans to get them into high traffic airports around the world. They’re set up ahead of security checkpoint, where the Note 7 would be cause to turn passengers around, at least in the US. If it somehow hasn’t become clear yet, the obvious message here is that you should turn in your Note 7 and get another phone, as soon as possible. Why wait until you get to the airport? But for those who have been traveling while the airplane ban went into effect, these exchange stations could be quite handy.
Via: The Verge
Source: Samsung, ABC 7 News, CNEt
Amazon Japan’s manga-ready Kindle has 8 times the storage
Amazon Japan has an unusual challenge with the Kindle: it not only has to cater to your typical bookworm, but to a local fondness for image-heavy (and thus storage-intensive) manga books. What it’s going to do? Release a special model just for those readers, apparently. The company has introduced a manga version of the Kindle Paperwhite with 32GB of storage, or eight times as much space as the run-of-the-mill 4GB model. You could cram every single volume of Asari-chan, Kochikame and Naruto into this e-reader, Amazon says. On top of that, a 33 percent faster page turning speed promises to keep you engrossed in your comics.
The manga Kindle is available for pre-order now, with pricing commanding a slight premium over the usual Paperwhite. You’re spending ¥16,280 (about $157), or ¥12,280 ($118) if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber. The first units ship October 21st, and the update to improve page turning performance should arrive by the end of the month. As you might gather, it’s not very likely that you’ll see this model elsewhere in the world — when the 4GB in regular Kindles is enough to hold thousands of regular books, Amazon doesn’t have much incentive to boost their capacity any time soon.
Source: Amazon Japan (translated 1), (2)
London’s Uber drivers must now pass an English exam
After many months of proposals and legal challenges, Transport for London (TfL) has finally imposed a new rule requiring private hire drivers, including those from Uber, to meet an English-language requirement before they can hit the city’s streets. On October 14th, the authority confirmed that any driver seeking to renew or apply for their private hire licence will need to hold an English qualification. If they don’t, they’ll need to pass a two-hour £200 exam to earn one.
While the changes affect all of London’s private hire firms, Uber has been very vocal in its opposition. TfL originally mooted the idea of capping the number of private hire vehicles and enforcing a Knowledge-like test (like drivers of London’s iconic black cabs must pass) to improve driver understanding of the city, but those plans were scrapped in favour of an English language test and a push for better customer support and vehicle insurance.
Uber took the English requirement to the High Court, arguing that a test would reduce the number of drivers on the road, ramp up prices and was in some ways more difficult than the exam required to gain British citizenship.
It wasn’t able to block its introduction, but Uber was able to convince the court that asking drivers from predominantly non-English speaking countries for proof was discriminatory. This means that London’s 110,000 private hire drivers will one day need to supply the necessary documentation regardless of their nationality.
British drivers will be able to use an A-G GSCE qualification as proof, but non-English drivers need to pass a test that meets European Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) guidelines. The B1 exam is said to be on par with tests taken by nine and 11-year-old secondary school pupils.
“It is essential for public safety that all licensed drivers can communicate in English at an appropriate level. Drivers must be able to communicate with passengers to discuss a route, or fare, as well as reading and understanding important regulatory, safety and travel information,” says Helen Chapman, TfL’s General Manager for Taxi and Private Hire. “We are clear that this is crucial to a driver’s role in transporting the public.”
To ease fears of a driver shortage, TfL says that any driver applying after the October 14th deadline have until March 31st, 2017 to prove their English skills. Those who have already got a TfL licence only need to supply documentation when they come to renew their accreditation, which must be done every three years. It also means TfL won’t have to sift through 110,000 English language certifications all at once.
Uber, which recently cried foul over London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to boost London’s black cab trade, believes a written English exam is unnecessary:
“It’s disappointing that, to try and dig themselves out of a legal hole, TfL is now insisting every private hire driver in London must have essay writing skills. We’ve always supported spoken English skills, but passing a written English exam has nothing to do with communicating with passengers or getting them safely from A to B.”
“Thousands of drivers who’ve spent years providing a great service to Londoners will now have to fork out £200 and pass a writing exam, try to find an old GCSE certificate or lose their licence and their livelihood. Transport for London should think again and scrap these unnecessary new rules.”
Via: Bloomberg
The Misfit Phase is yet another connected analog watch
Misfit may not be the first (or even tenth) name that comes to mind when you think about sophisticated design, but its acquisition by the Fossil group last year may have taught it a thing or two about style. The company just debuted the Misfit Phase, an eye-catching analog watch that tracks your steps and sleep habitss and shows your progress toward various fitness goals. Like other smartwatches, it will alert you to incoming calls, messages and app notifications.
If that “hybrid-smartwatch” format sounds familiar, it’s because plenty of other brands already offer it — including Fossil itself and its partners Michael Kors and Skagen. Even Swiss watchmakers such as Frédérique Constant and Mondaine have joined in the fun. At $175, though, Misfit’s Phase is slightly less expensive than most of the competition.
Like others before it, the Phase sports a traditional watch face instead of a digital one and tracks your steps taken as well as sleep duration and quality. But whereas the Activite and the Swiss watches show your progress in a sub-dial on the same face, the Phase moves its hands when you press the Mode button on the top right. So if you’ve achieved a twelfth of the progress you needed to that day, the hands would move to the number ‘1’ when you press the button. Indeed, the two buttons that sit on the right of the device’s face set it slightly apart from the hybrid-smartwatch herd. But I’m not sure that having to push a button to pull up your progress is better than having it always there. The added step doesn’t feel worth the reduced clutter.
Pressing the Phase’s top button cycles through modes such as time, progress and alarm setting. A small circular window at the six o’clock position will change colors to reflect the mode you’re in. You can also set the hands to point to specific numbers on the dial depending on who’s calling or messaging you. During a brief demo, I was amused to see the hour and minute hands both swing to two o’clock position when a call came in, while the watch vibrated. Eventually, when Misfit updates its software (it’s not clear when that will happen), you’ll be able to program it so that the round window will turn to a specific color for any app you choose (i.e., blue for Facebook, green for calls, et cetera).
The bottom button triggers designated actions on your phone, such as snapping a picture when the camera is open, advancing through presentation slides or controlling music playback. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see this feature in action, so I can’t vouch for how well it works.
I was most taken by how pretty the devices looked, especially the blue-and-gold version. You wouldn’t be able to tell that this was more than a mere analog watch. That is, unless you spotted the chunkier-than-average stainless steel case. Just like your typical wristwatch, the Phase can be paired with any standard 20mm watch strap. Misfit is also offering custom bands that are available in leather or silicone, and the latter material felt surprisingly soft and comfortable. The watches themselves will be available in six band/case color combinations at launch. Because I’m such a style guru, you’ll need to know my favorites: the blue/gold, white/gold and black/gold options (in that order).
The Phase has some other things going for it. It’s water resistant up to 50 meters and, like other Misfit wearables, promises six-month battery life.
Considering how easy it is now for traditional watchmakers to add these fitness-tracking and connected features to their existing (and very handsome) timepieces, I was surprised that Misfit is charging as much as it is for the Phase. It’s slightly cheaper than Fossil’s Q Tailor ($195) and Skagen’s Hagen Connected ($195), but a touch pricier than the Withings Activite Steel ($170). The new watches will be available on November 7th on Misfit’s website.
AIVAnet 