Samsung’s quarterly earnings weren’t affected by the Note 7 recall
Samsung might spend as much as $1.8 billion recalling and replacing 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s, but it still expects a 5.6 percent operating profit growth for the third quarter. According to the Korean chaebol, its profit will likely reach 7.8 trillion won ($7 billion) for July to September, up 400 billion won from the same period last year and 400 billion more than forecasts predicted. See, despite its Note 7 issues, the company’s chip and display business has been doing very well — it might even be this quarter’s top earner, knocking Samsung’s mobile division off its perch.
Young Woo Kim, an analyst for SK Securities that’s owned by Korean conglomerate SK Group, told AP that Samsung’s chip and display business might have generated nearly half of its income. The company is the world’s foremost manufacturer of computer chips, after all, and is also a leading producer of OLED screens. It helps that Samsung uses the screens it makes for its Galaxy S7 phones whose sales apparently haven’t been affected by the company’s Note 7 problems. Kim believes, however, that its mobile business plunged to its lowest level within the past three quarters this July to September.
Samsung started recalling its latest plus-sized handset in early September, after it received several reports of units burning and exploding due to faulty batteries. The number of cases only grew after that initial notice, and airlines, subways and other locations started banning their use. The US and the Canadian government followed up with official recalls of their own. It doesn’t look like the company’s problems are over, though: A passenger aboard a Southwest flight recently reported that his replacement Note 7, which was supposed to be safe, overheated on board.
Now, this quarter’s earnings aren’t all roses for the tech titan: its sales fell 5 percent from a year earlier. Analysts believe its profit will only continue to grow these coming quarters, though, thanks to its computer chips and OLED screens. The company will release a more detailed report of its earnings later this month, so keep an eye out if you want to see exactly how it’s doing.
Source: AP, Reuters
Prisma’s art filters can turn your videos into moving paintings
A Prisma for videos doesn’t sound so enticing now that Prisma itself has begun supporting the format. The popular app can now apply filters to videos and spit out 15-second snippets that look much more artistic than their source. Even better, it can process files even if you’re offline, which the team made possible by optimizing the algorithm. The bad news? Only the iOS version of the app supports videos for now, but the team is working on bringing the feature (along with offline processing) to Android.
If you’ve ever used the app, you know that it can take some time to pass images through its filters, so you may be wondering how much longer videos take. It all depends on your device: it will take iPhone 7 up to 30 seconds, iPhone 6s a full minute and iPhone 6 two minutes to reveal your 15-second masterpiece.
At the moment, videos only work with nine filters, but the developers plan to add more until all their filters can be applied to both photos and videos. While the app sounds more useful now, this still isn’t Prisma’s final form: the company promises to add support for GIFs “very soon,” so you can give those reaction GIFs the artistic touch they deserve.
Source: iTunes
Facebook is trying to bring its basic internet services to the US
Facebook initially launched “Free Basics” as a way to bring basic internet services to countries with limited or no traditional internet connectivity, but now it sounds like the company is working with the White House to bring the program to the US for the first time. According to the Washington Post, Facebook is actively exploring how it can bring Free Basics to “low income and rural Americans” who can’t afford broadband internet either at home or through a smartphone. But the catch will be doing so without attracting the regulatory attention that got Free Basics banned in India earlier this year.
Essentially, Free Basics is a zero-rating scheme, not entirely dissimilar to what T-Mobile has been pulling by offering select music and video services that don’t hit your data cap (with compromises, of course). Verizon similarly offers its Go90 video service to customers without its content counting against bandwidth caps.
The Free Basics platform offers things like local news, weather, Wikipedia and Facebook access over your phone, and those sites that fall under its umbrella can be accessed without incurring a data charge. But zero-rating plans like Free Basics have come under intense scrutiny as they are in strong conflict with net neutrality rules — indeed, India cracked down on all zero-rating schemes, not just Free Basics. The concern is smaller companies won’t be able to offer things that giants like Facebook can, putting them at a pretty distinct disadvantage. And it obviously gives users lots of incentive to use Facebook, if it won’t be counting against your data cap.
So Facebook is trying to head off these regulatory problems in the US before it launches, rather than afterwards. The company is trying to convince smaller, rural internet and cellular providers to join up with it and waive any data charges that users of Free Basics incur. Simultaneously, Facebook is also trying to court the government and get it on board with its plan.
What could be a saving grace for Facebook is the fact that the company is now letting any third-party organization or service participate in Free Basics; previously, Facebook was the decider of what Free Basics users could access. Still, zero-rating schemes and net neutrality in general have been under scrutiny by the FCC, though the regulator hasn’t taken any action against Verizon and T-Mobile’s schemes just yet. But if Facebook can get the FCC on its side before it brings Free Basics to the US, it will have cleared one of the biggest hurdles in its way.
Verizon has final say over when its Pixels get Android updates
Verizon is pretty pleased to be Google’s sole US carrier partner for the new Pixel and Pixel XL. Sure, you could order one straight from Google, but nothing sates gadget lust like being able to walk into a store and buy a thing right there. Buying a Verizon model obviously won’t be for everyone, though, and we now have a clearer understanding of how those phones will — and could — differ from the ones you can order from Google.
If you’re concerned about keeping your Pixel secure, Google has your back. A Verizon spokesperson confirmed that their Pixels will get security updates and patches at the same time as the non-Verizon versions. Not bad.
Still, it’s a little troubling that Google and Verizon have been cagey about when Verizon Pixel owners will get more substantive Android software updates. One of the best parts of using Nexus devices in the past was the understanding that they would get updates straight from Google, well before carrier-branded phones did. That practice will continue with Google’s new Pixel phones, but Verizon’s software certification process could introduce some delays into the mix. Carriers in general can take ages to test software updates, making sure they (among other things) don’t adversely affect the network. Google has pushed carriers to reduce that lag, and a Bloomberg report from earlier this year claims Verizon has trimmed its testing time by “a few weeks.”
Google has confirmed that Verizon is handling software updates for the phones it sells, so the biggest question here is one of time. Verizon wouldn’t comment on the specific update schedules for their Pixels, though a spokesperson for said the company’s goal “is to always provide software updates in a timely fashion so our customers have the best experience.” Take that however you like. Hopefully there is no gap between when Verizon and non-Verizon Pixels get those big updates, but it’s a little troubling that no one is coming out and committing to it. For now, we’ll just have to wait and hope.
At least bloatware shouldn’t be a huge issue. Verizon has said that the Pixel and Pixel XL will only have three apps — My Verizon, Verizon Messages and the Go90 streaming service — that straight-from-Google devices don’t. What’s really interesting is how they get on your phone in the first place. None of them are technically preloaded onto the phones. Instead, they’re downloaded onto the Pixels during the setup and activation process. Not at fan? You can uninstall them at will, leaving you with a mostly pure Pixel or Pixel XL to play with. That’s a surprisingly hands-off approach for a carrier that usually bars users from uninstalling Verizon apps on more heavily branded devices — the best you can typically do is disable apps you didn’t want in the first place.
An extra $79 turns the Oculus into a room-scale VR system
At Oculus Connect 3, the VR company announced room-scale support for its upcoming Touch controllers. To enable the feature users will need a third sensor in the room for an additional $79.
The room-scale features lets VR users move within a real space by 3D mapping the room. By adding that third sensor, games and other content should be more immersive because you can wander around in an area while wearing an Oculus Rift.
Adding room-scale support and putting extra sensors on sale isn’t that big of a surprise. Back in July, Rift’s Oculus Home software gained support for multiple sensors.
Oculus isn’t the first VR company to add this feature. The HTC Vive already supports 3D room-scale and developers can already add this to their games.
Both the Touch controllers and the extra sensors will launch on December 6th for $199 and $79 respectively.
Giphy Cam finally arrives on Android
After 14 months of breathless waiting, Android users can finally experience the Instagram of GIFs. Giphy released its Giphy Cam app to the Play store on Thursday. The app allows you to record GIFs, apply various filters and fades, as well as overlay text and emoji. Unfortunately, the Android version doesn’t currently appear to be able to import video and generate GIFs from that source, as the iOS version can. However a Giphy rep did explain that the Android version should be getting camera roll import as well as the AR capabilities announced for iOS this morning, in coming the months.
A quick tour of Engadget HQ West
Speaking of iOS updates, Giphy rolled out a new Giphy Cam for iOS on Thursday morning as well. Dubbed Giphy Cam 2.5, its marquee new feature is Augmented Reality. Rather than capture video directly from the camera or pull it from the camera roll, the new Giphy Cam will overlay graphics and sprites atop live video — Pokemon Go-style. You can then generate gifs from the augmented feed.
Search ads show up on Apple’s App Store
While we’ve known for months that Apple would start placing adverts in App Store search results, only a small percentage of iPhone and iPad users have seen them so far. From today, however, all device owners running iOS 10 in the US will see targeted apps whenever they search for popular terms like “taxi,” “to do” and even “Pokémon” on Apple’s app marketplace.
Should you search for a common keyword that Apple has allowed advertisers to target, the App Store will show the familiar app card — detailing its name, developer rating and price — but sponsored listings will show a light blue background and a small badge labelled “Ad.”
When Apple SVP Phil Schiller first confirmed that developers could influence the visibility of their apps, the company wanted to be “fair to developers and fair for indie developers,” allowing smaller studios with limited budgets to make their creations more visible to the hundreds of millions of iOS device owners.
Apple continues to reinforce the claim that its Featured sections are “not for sale,” so this could be seen as a fair compromise. The company follows Google, after the search giant introduced a similar feature in May 2015. It now remains to be seen how closely Apple’s marketing teams will monitor the placement of apps so that users aren’t shown spoofed apps or are tricked into downloading a third-party app purporting to be the real deal.
As VentureBeat points out, Pokémon Go already has a clone called Catch ‘Em sitting in the paid top spot. However, the real app is listed below, so just be sure to double-check before you download anything.
Via: The Verge
Source: Venturebeat
Where to buy Sony’s Xperia XZ in the UK
Sony’s smartphone launch timetable has been pretty questionable of late. After bringing the Xperia X Compact to the UK the day after Apple’s iPhone announce, the company is back with a poorly timed release of the Xperia XZ, just as the dust is settling after Google’s big Pixel event. Nevertheless, the Xperia XZ is Sony’s first smartphone of the year bearing all the hallmarks of a flagship. It may only pack slight improvements over the uninspiring Xperia X Performance, but between the handset’s industrial design, powerful innards and laser-autofocus camera, there’s still plenty to like. And as of today, it can now be yours.
| Cheapest contract (with upfront) | £38.49 (£50) | £34 (£70) | £32 (£120) | £28.49 (£90) on EE | £18.49 (£325) on EE | £23 (£175) on O2 |
| Cheapest contract (lowest upfront) | £51 (£10) | £37 (£0) | £42 (£20) | £36 (£0) on EE or O2 | £36 (£0) on EE | £42 (£0) on Vodafone |
| Pay-as-you-go | — | £552 | £550 | — | — | — |
| Unlocked (SIM-free) | — | — | — | £540 | £519 | — |
Typically, Sony phones don’t get this amount of traction among carriers and contract resellers, but it seems they’re all ready to show the Xperia XZ some love. There aren’t any particularly cheap options, though, so you’re either looking at an upfront payment of some variety, a high contract cost or low monthly allowances, if not all three. Speaking of Three, the carrier will be offering the Xperia XZ but hasn’t nailed down its pricing structure just yet. We’ll be updating this post just as soon as Three adds the phone to its online store.
It appears giffgaff is the only MVNO ranging the Xperia XZ, at least on launch day. The provider’s pricing starts at £35 upfront on a £35.49 per month contract (this goes down if you pay more upfront), or you can buy the phone outright for £549 and bundle it with plans starting at £10 per month.
If unlocked is more your style, then Buymobiles.net has the best deal we can find currently at £519. Mobilephonesdirect.co.uk is pretty close with its £523 pricing, but right now there’s no point looking elsewhere, with most other retailers charging between £540 and £550 for the device.
ASUS’ Zenfone 3 and its Snapdragon 821 arrive this month
If you want the fastest Android phone in the US, you can pre-order Google’s Pixel phone starting at $649, and get it around October 20th. There is another option, though — ASUS will release its 5.7-inch Deluxe Special Edition ZenFone 3 smartphone with the same Snapdragon 821 processor in the US for $799 by the end of the month. Both have metal unibodies, but the ASUS is the flashier of the two.
For many, the ability to get Android updates first on Google’s Pixel devices or use the Daydream headset will be a deciding factor. But the ZenFone 3 does have a few things going for it — it has 6GB of RAM instead of 4GB, 256GB of (expandable) UFS II storage (instead of 128GB max on the Pixel) and is the first device with Sony’s new Exmore IMX318 23-megapixel front camera sensor. Both have 1080p screens, but the 5.5-inch Pixel XL sports a Quad HD display and significantly higher $869 price tag.
If both of those options are too rich, ASUS has tamer variants of the ZenFone 3, including the Deluxe 5.7-inch 4GB model with a mere Snapdragon 820 for a very decent $499. The 5.5-inch Deluxe sports a mid-range Snapdragon 625 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a $399 price tag.
ASUS also confirmed the final price and availability for the ZenWatch 3. As a reminder, that’s a stainless steel Android Wear watch that can be recharged to 60 percent in just 15 minutes — it’ll run $229 and arrive at the beginning of November. Meanwhile, the ZenPad 3S 10, a middling 10-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 tablet with an Octacore MediaTek CPU and 4GB of RAM also comes in early November for $299. All devices and pre-orders are available at the ASUS store.
Shazam Lite for Android requires less storage and data
Shazam has introduced a “Lite” version of its app today, designed specifically for Android users in emerging markets. Just like Facebook and Messenger Lite, it uses less storage and data than its full-featured sibling. Despite being a pared-down variant, it can still do what you mostly use Shazam for anyway: identify sick tunes, so you can look them up and listen to them again later. It can even ID music while offline and save your most recent results.
Shazam Lite takes up less than 1MB of space, whereas the full-sized version takes up almost 26MB on our Samsung phone. Add that to its ability to use as little data as possible and to identify tracks offline, and you’ve got the ideal app for a lot of users in emerging markets. You can install it on older phones and Android devices with very little storage and RAM, after all, and even fire it up in places with limited connectivity.
An English version of the app will be available on Google Play in India, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Nigeria sometime today, if it isn’t yet. The company is also releasing a Spanish version in Venezuela. If you live elsewhere and want a simpler Shazam, cross your fingers: we asked the company if it plans to release the app in other locations, and spokesperson James A. Pearson told us that it’s very much possible:
“GSMA estimated earlier this month ‘More than one billion people worldwide will be connected to mobile networks by 2020.’ I believe it was a logical strategy for Shazam to build on our global community of evangelists with new audiences in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. We will surely see similar efforts in other regions, as we see potential growth and wider audiences in all emerging markets. We have seen half the population of North America fanatically engaged with Shazam on their devices — and we’ve just announced the app has been downloaded a billion times. Shazam Lite represents our ongoing commitment to deliver the magic of Shazam to the entire world.”
Your chances of getting it look pretty slim if you’re in the US and other developed countries, though. Iordanis Giannakakis, the company’s Head of Android Engineering, said in a statement:
“We’re focused on providing Shazam in areas where connectivity is poor and available devices may be limited. Shazam Lite was built from the ground up with listeners from these regions in mind and it aims to bring the core, ‘magic’ Shazam experience to them.”
Source: Shazam
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