We've compiled a 'Top 10' list of our favorite Android apps to hit the Google Play Store in January 2017. The apps highlighted in this video include Peek Launcher, Vine Camera, Cubway, Weather Wiz, Cornerfly, SentiNews, Screens, The Little Fox, Smart Drawer and Meitu. Which app is your favorite?
Looks like our schedule on February 26 just got a bit busier.
Samsung today confirmed that it’s holding a press conference on February 26, the day before MWC 2017 kicks off. Samsung didn’t say exactly what it’s got planned for the event, but it did include a teaser image that appears to show part of a device.
So what might Samsung have in store for us on February 26? Well, the company has already confirmed that the Galaxy S8 won’t be shown on at MWC 2017, so we can forget about that.
It’s possible that we’ll meet a new Samsung tablet at this event. A rumor recently suggested that Samsung is cooking up a high-end Android 7.0 tablet called the Galaxy Tab S3, adding that it’ll debut at MWC 2017 before launching in March. Now we know that Samsung is indeed holding an event at MWC 2017, and a high-end device like the rumored Tab S3 seems like something that Samsung would want to hold an event for.
What do you think that Samsung will announce on February 26?
Samsung just sent out its invites for the Mobile World Congress 2017, however, unlike previous years, the big news is what won't be there. As a knock-on effect of the whole Galaxy Note 7 mess, its introduction of the flagship Galaxy S8 is delayed from its usual February reveal to (likely) March. Still, Samsung has a show to put on and sent out this curious image to pique our interest.
We're not sure what it shows, and your guess probably hinges on whether you think the marker in the center is a home button or a USB-C port. Of course, this being the "Mobile" event, and considering the devices already ruled out, it could be some new (albeit oddly-shaped) Galaxy Tab. Whatever it is, you have a month to get your guesses in.
Source: Samsung
UPDATE: Apple revealed today that while the iPhone 7 was the most popular iPhone model in Q1 2017, the iPhone 7 Plus saw especially strong demand.
The Apple Watch did well, too, with Apple saying that the Watch had its best-ever quarter and that Apple couldn't make enough to meet holiday demand. However, Apple didn't reveal any concrete Apple Watch sales numbers.
Apple also said that there are now more than one million people using CarPlay.
ORIGINAL: Apple has officially revealed its fiscal Q1 2017 results.
During the fiscal Q1 2017 period, Apple says that it sold 78.3 million iPhones during the three-month period ending on December 31, 2016. That’s up from 74.78 million iPhones sold during the same period one year ago.
Apple sold 13 million iPads during fiscal Q1 2017, which is down from 16.1 million in Q1 2016. The Mac sold 5.37 million units during Q1 2017, up slightly from the 5.31 million units sold during Q1 2016.
Finally, the “Other Products” category that includes the Apple Watch, Apple TV, and other devices finished Q1 2017 with revenue of $4 million (Apple doesn’t report “Other” units sold). That’s down eight percent from the $4.35 million in revenue that “Other Products” pulled in during Q1 2016.
Apple also reports that it pulled in $78.4 billion in quarterly revenue during Q1 2017, an all-time record for the company. Net income for the quarter finished at $17.9 billion.
Apple will hold a conference call to discuss its fiscal Q1 2017 earnings at 2:00 pm PST/5:00 pm EST. I'll be listening in and will share any interesting tidbits with you.
Facebook is building an app for television and is asking publishers to create exclusive, TV-like shows for it, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook has been building the app, which would be available for boxes such as Apple TV. It is also talking to media companies about licensing TV-quality shows to be available on the app, the Journal reported, part of a long-term strategy to make video the center of the platform.
Facebook began working on an app last summer after discussing the idea for years, according to the Journal. But it’s not enough to build an app: Facebook needs to fill it with programming. Video on Facebook today consists mostly of short clips and experimental live streams — both formats...
After 11 years online, Disney's kid-friendly social network Club Penguin will shut down at the end of March, to be replaced by a new mobile-only version called Club Penguin Island. The site originally launched in 2005 before Disney bought it up two years later and devoted considerable resources towards making the platform a safe space for kids to play games and chat online. When it launches on March 29th, Club Penguin Island will carry over the same philosophy to a new standalone mobile with an updated look plus new features, games and quests to engage with.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Club Penguin, Club Penguin Island Pre-registration
Google's Chrome browser has been open source from the get-go (through the Chromium project), but not on iOS. Apple demands that browsers use WebKit instead of their own rendering engines, so Google couldn't just use its typical code base and call it a day. However, that all changes today: Google has added the iOS Chrome code into Chromium. Developers who want to build on the iOS app, or just poke around looking for security holes, should now have an easy time seeing what makes it tick.
Source: Chromium Blog
We’ve seen a couple of LG G6 image leaks recently, but both photos only let us see the top half of the device. Now a new leak has surfaced that may show us a bit more of LG’s upcoming Android flagship.
New photos that allegedly show an LG G6 prototype model have surfaced. The top half of this prototype resembles the G6 phones that we’ve seen in past leaks, with the earpiece, sensors, and front-facing camera all sitting in about the same places.
While the screen of this prototype LG G6 is off, the phone does appear to have pretty slim bezels around its screen. There’s an LG logo below the display and what looks to be a metal frame.
Around back, there’s a dual rear camera setup with a fingerprint reader below it, similar to what we saw on last year’s LG G5 and LG V20. The back of the phone appears to be made of a black plastic, but it’s cautioned that this is a prototype model and that the final LG G6 won’t ship with this back cover.
Finally, the bottom of the device is home to a USB Type-C port and speaker. The top of the G6 is said to have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
While the device shown in these leaked photos may not be a finished LG G6, the images do give us a better idea of what the final unit could look like. There’s nothing terribly surprising about its design given what we’ve seen in past leaks and the fact that the G6 won’t be modular like the G5, but so far the G6 looks like it should be a good-looking device made with premium materials.
Remember the days when you were supposed to share websites between phones using QR codes? They're back, but with a modern twist. Snapchat is updating its mobile apps (iOS at first, with Android still in beta) with the ability to create Snapcodes for websites, not just your profile. If you want to share an article or plug your favorite page, your friends only have to capture it to start browsing from within the app.
Via: TechCrunch, Sam Sheffer (Twitter)
Source: App Store
And just like that, YouTube star Casey Neistat's brief stint in mobile apps is over... for now, anyway. As promised, the social video service Beme is shutting down on January 31st following CNN's acquisition of the app in the fall. You can download an archive of all your clips to preserve them for posterity, but the software will likely have stopped working by the time you read this. The team has hinted that it's working on "something new," but you'll have to look for an alternative if you want to share your life in short snippets.
Source: Marc Wieland (Medium), (Twitter)
It’s not often that we see new Android tablets anymore, but Samsung may be prepping one for debut next month.
Samsung is rumored to be working on a Galaxy Tab S3with a 9.6-inch 2048x1536 display, 12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, and Android 7.0. Packed inside of this new tablet is said to be a Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM. The body is said to be thinner than the Galaxy Tab S2, which measured 5.6mm thick.
It’s said that Samsung is planning both Wi-Fi-only and LTE versions of the Galaxy Tab S3.
Samsung will allegedly debut the Galaxy Tab S3 at an event on February 26, one day before MWC 2017 kicks off. The device is rumored to be launching in March at a price around 700,000 KRW ($607 USD).
The Android tablet market isn’t nearly as vibrant as it once was, but there are still a few companies churning out Android slates for those that want them. It’s good to see that Samsung is one of them, especially considering the Galaxy Tab S3’s high-end spec list. Now we just have to wait until MWC rolls around so that we can actually handle the thing.
Hot on the heels of its redesign from last week, Snapchat is back with another update to its app, adding the ability to make custom Snapcodes for websites. Like the original Snapcodes, which add a user on Snapchat when viewed in the app, the new Snapcodes will prompt users to open a website when people snap the image.
It’s a subtle but powerful move on Snapchat’s part that will no doubt help further attract brands to use the popular ephemeral sharing network. Or, in other words, get ready to start seeing a whole lot more Snapcodes in advertisements in the near future.
Big news today out of HTC, as a top-level executive has announced that he’s leaving the company.
Jason Mackenzie has revealed that today, January 31, is his last day at HTC. Mackenzie has been with HTC for 12 years, most recently serving as the company’s global Executive Vice President, and as President of HTC America before that.
After 12 amazing years, today is my last day @htc. It was a great run & I feel blessed. Thank you Peter Chou, @cherwang, & TeamHTC.
— Jason Mackenzie (@JasonBMac24) January 31, 2017
Mackenzie hasn’t said where he’ll land next.
It’s a big deal whenever a high level executive leaves a company, but that’s especially true when it’s an exec like Mackenzie, who has been with HTC for more than a decade. As for Mackenzie, it’ll be interesting to see where he goes next.
We've compiled a 'Top 10' list of our favorite iOS apps to hit the App Store in January 2017. The apps highlighted in this video include Vine Camera, Panols, Splitter Critters, Meitu, Sky Dancer, Vantage, DROP'd, fire + rain, ScanMath and LogoMetric. Which app is your favorite?
Today’s a big day for Super Mario Run, as Nintendo revealed some statistics about its major mobile game and also released a new update for it.
Nintendo says that Super Mario Run has been downloaded more than 78 million times to date, with more than 5 percent of customers paying $10 to unlock the full game. Super Mario Run has earned Nintendo $53 million in revenue so far.
Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima isn’t totally pleased with the numbers that Super Mario Run has put up so far, as Nintendo was hoping to get at least 10 percent of players to pay. Super Mario Run could get a nice boost in paying players in March, though, when it finally arrives on Android. We’ll just have to wait and see if that boost is enough to push the percentage of paying players above 10 percent.
Meanwhile, current Super Mario Run players on iOS should keep an eye out for a new update to the game that's now rollng out. The most notable addition is Easy Mode, which adds unlimited Bubbles and removes the time limit to make it easier for players to finish levels.
Today’s Super Mario Run update also adds new events, Korean compatibility, and tweaks to Toad Rally that make you lose fewer Toads and make it easier to gather Toads.
Team communication service Slack today announced a new product designed to help its software scale to organizations with tens of thousands of employees. It’s called Slack Enterprise Grid, and it’s essentially a rethinking of the core app. It takes new features, critical design changes, and other alterations that make Slack easier to use and more efficient for corporations that are large and sprawling.
For those familiar with Slack, this new product doesn’t change much about how you use the app to communicate with your co-workers, get work done, and go about your day. For those in administrative roles, however, Slack Enterprise Grid is supposed to tackle how large companies are organized and how a myriad number of smaller teams are able...
How well has Nintendo's first experiment in mobile gaming fared so far? Quite well... though it's not enough for the company's tastes. The gaming giant has revealed that Super Mario Run has pulled in more than ¥6 billion ($53 million) in revenue since its December launch. That isn't a whole lot for a company used to selling far more expensive games, but it's very healthy for a mobile title that's less than two months old. And Nintendo is better than most at turning users into paying customers. Out of 78 million total downloads, more than 5 percent forked over the money to unlock everything. Games consultant Serkan Toto tells the Wall Street Journal that this is "amazing" for a game with one $10 in-app purchase. Most rivals can't hit 5 percent even with $1 or $2 purchases.
Via: The Verge
Source: Wall Street Journal
When OnePlus hit the scene, its smartphone sparked lots of interest, but only limited quantities were available. Now, it's become a standard for those looking to pick up a quality Android handset at a good price ($440+). The OnePlus 3T comes hot on the heels of the OnePlus 3, but it's a welcome update. Long battery life, great performance, solid build quality and a camera that works well in low light are key selling points in a handset and the 3T has them all. There's a Snapdragon 821 processor under the hood and the camera boasts 16 megapixels. Similar to Apple and Samsung's offerings, the 3T keeps its fingerprint sensor tech on the front, while OxygenOS manages the on-screen show -- which is a fairly clean-skinned version of Android. This week, OnePlus has provided us with two 3T handsets for a pair of lucky readers to enjoy. To get in on this giveaway, just head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning a OnePlus 3T smartphone.
Source: iTunes, Google Play, Oculus
Plex wants to be in charge of all the videos you watch, even the news. The media player system has acquired news streaming service Watchup to make the latest reports from Fox News, CNN, CBS, Euronews, Sky News and other sources more accessible on mobile and streaming devices. Watchup gives you a way to collect news broadcasts from 150 sources in one place using its iOS, Android, Amazon or Nintendo Wii U app. Neither company has revealed the details of the acquisition, but it sounds like Watchup's features will be available on Plex.
Source: Plex
Earlier today, Google officially unveiled Android 7.1.2 for several Pixel and Nexus devices. The company also confirmed two devices that won’t be getting the update.
The Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 will not receive an update to Android 7.1.2. Google hinted at this when it omitted the N6 and N9 from its list of devices that will receive the final 7.1.2 update, then the company straight-up confirmed that neither device will be updated to Android 7.1.2.
While the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 will not get Android 7.1.2, they will continue to receive security patches through at least October 2017.
Google has said that the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 were no longer guaranteed Android version updates after October 2016, so lately it’s been more of a “when” and not an “if” today’s news would come. It’s disappointing that the N6 and N9 won’t receive the next Android version update, but the good news is that they did receive Android 7.1.1, so they got the improvements and features included with those updates, like app shortcuts.
Do you have a Nexus 6 or Nexus 9? Does today’s news have you thinking about upgrading to a new phone or tablet?
If your child is a budding Lego genius yearning to show off their creative constructions to the world, then Lego has just the place for them to do it. The company behind the iconic bricks has just launched a new social network made for kids under 13. Called Lego Life, it's designed to let kids connect with a community of their peers. They can look at what other kids have created and also share what they've built. Lego Life is made for the tablet, and both the iOS and the Amazon Kindle Fire version of it is available today in the US, UK, France and Germany.
Nextbit, makers of the crowdfunded Robin, has officially been acquired.
Nextbit announced today that it has been acquired by Razer, maker of gaming computers and accessories. Nextbit says that it’ll operate as an independent division inside of Razer with a focus on “mobile design and experiences.”
So what does this mean for Robin, Nextbit’s Android smartphone? Nextbit has stopped sales of the Robin and its accessories, but folks that’ve already bought one aren’t being left out in the cold. Warranties will continue to be fulfilled for the next six months, and Nextbit plans to continue releasing software updates and security patches through February 2018.
The Nextbit Robin was a big deal when it was first announced in September 2015, as the team behind it was made up of veterans from Google and HTC. The Robin was successful on Kickstarter, and while the Robin didn’t necessarily gain massive commercial success, it seemed to do well enough as an attractive, affordable Android device.
Now we wait to see what’s next for Nextbit inside of Razer. Does this mean that we could see Razer enter the mobile market through Nextbit by releasing a new Android phone? It’s certainly possible, and given the Robin’s unique design, I know I wouldn’t mind seeing another piece of hardware from the folks at Nextbit.
Surprise! Google today announced Android 7.1.2 and revealed that the update is now rolling out to public beta testers.
As you might expect from an x.x.1 update, Android 7.1.2 is primarily focused on bug fixes and under-the-hood improvements. Google says that the update includes “a number of bugfixes and optimizations, along with a small number of enhancements for carriers and users.”
While Android 7.1.2 may not sound like the most thrilling update ever, it’s still worth getting exciting about. Not only do bug fixes and optimizations help to make your smartphone run more smoothly, but it’s good to see another Nougat update so soon after Android 7.1.1.
If you’re a member of the Android Beta Program and you’ve got a Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 5X, or Nexus Player, you should see Android 7.1.2 on your device in the next few days. Google says that an Android 7.1.2 beta for the Nexus 6P will be released “soon.”
If you’re not in the Android Beta Program, you can enroll your Nexus or Pixel device now.
Google plans to launch Android 7.1.2 to the public in a couple of months. It’ll be available to the Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, and Pixel C.
In the last couple of years Razer has acquired companies including Ouya and THX, and now it's making a splash in mobile with the purchase of Nextbit. Its latest target introduced the Robin "cloud phone" last year, which we found "beautiful, but flawed."
Developing...
Things with ZTE’s Project CSX crowdsourced smartphone haven't been going well lately, with the phone having launched on Kickstarter earlier this month and currently only at $36,000 of its $500,000 goal, and then ZTE saying that it made a “mistake” with the device. Now ZTE has revealed what’s next for the device.
Jeff Yee, VP of Technology Partnerships and Planning for ZTE North America, has said that his company is “rethinking” how it will sell the Project CSX/Hawkeye phone. “Kickstarter just wasn’t the right place to sell this phone,” Yee explained to Android Central.
As for what happens to the Hawkeye now, ZTE hasn’t yet decided. The company is still weighing its options, but Yee has said that it’s possible that the phone will be cancelled entirely. ZTE does want to use the Hawkeye’s eye-tracking and adhesive case features, though, so they may be added to a future Axon flagship phone.
"This whole process has been a learning experience for us and because it is an industry first, we've learned so much from the program,” Yee said. “If we choose to do it again, we now know how to break it down and learn from our past — and learn from our mistakes."
The premise of Project CSX/Hawkeye was an interesting one, letting consumers name features that they’d like to see in a phone and then picking the best and actually building that device. It didn’t turn out so well in practice, though, as the consumers that participated wanted a high-end flagship smartphone but ZTE wanted a mass market product that’d appeal to (and be affordable for) lots of people.
At this point, it’s looking unlikely that the ZTE Hawkeye will meet its crowdfunding goal. We’ll have to wait to see if ZTE adds in other features that people want, like a high-end Snapdragon 835 processor that would also make the phone more expensive, or if ZTE just scraps the project altogether and opts to build the eye-tracking and adhesive case features into a future Axon phone.
Voice controls are big in mobile right now, with services like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa all helping you get things done using only your voice. Today Starbucks is getting in on the trend.
Starbucks is now rolling out voice ordering in the Starbucks app for iOS and. The feature, which is currently available to select customers, is called My Starbucks Barista and lets you place your Starbucks order using only your voice.
Using a messaging interface, you tell My Starbucks Barista your order, and it’ll then display it back to you to ensure that it got everything right. You can also type out your order if you’d like. Your order can be as complicated as you want, as Starbucks showed a demo of a customer ordering a “double upside down macchiato half decals with room and a splash of cream in a grande cup” and the app understanding the order correctly.
My Starbucks Barista is now available to one thousand customers as part of a beta test, and it’ll continue a phased rollout through summer 2017. An Android version will come later in this year.
Meanwhile, Starbucks is adding the Starbucks Reorder Skill to the Amazon Alexa platform. You can use this skill to set your “usual” Starbucks order and then say “Alexa, order my Starbucks” to get your regular order from your store.
Android users aren’t being totally left out in the cold today, as an update to the Starbucks for Android app is now rolling out. It brings with it a new Favorites feature that’ll let you save custom food and drink orders so that you can quickly order them again later. This feature should come in especially handy for folks with very specific orders, saving them the trouble of having to check all of their boxes when ordering a drink.
Uber isn't the only ridesharing company to integrate your calendar and simplify booking trips. Lyft has added its own calendar syncing feature, making it easy to pick the address of your next meeting as the destination. It works on both Android and iOS -- the only stipulation is that you use your native calendar app. It's a simple addition, but important if you regularly hail rides around town.
Source: Lyft Blog
Fashion brands know that experimenting with tech is imperative, whether it be to enhance the retail experience or introduce fans to the concept of virtual reality. For Gap Inc., which, in addition to its eponymous label owns Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Intermix, technology has never played a major role in its business strategy. But, as the company struggles with declining sales, it's trying to find new, creative ways to engage with customers. That's where Gap's "DressingRoom" app will come in when it launches in the coming days.
After releasing a new iOS 10.3 beta last week, Apple today unleashed an all-new watchOS beta update.
watchOS 3.2 beta 1 is now available to registered developers. The update enables a new Theater Mode that will make the Apple Watch ready for use in a movie theater. For example, activating Theater Mode will mute sounds and disable Raise to Wake. You will still get haptic feedback notifications, though, and you’ll be able to view info by tapping on the Watch’s screen or pressing the Digital Crown.
While many folks may be accustomed to silencing their smartphones and putting them in a pock when at a theater, silencing a smartwatch is a bit different. Not only do you have to turn off the sounds, but many watches activate the screen when you raise your wrist so that you can see the time like a normal watch. Theater Mode aims to streamline the process of prepping your watch for a movie theater.
Also included in watchOS 3.2 beta 1 is SiriKit support, which will let you ask Siri to perform actions like sending a payment, search through photos, book a ride, and more.
Apple hasn’t yet said when watchOS 3.2 will be released to the public.
Starbucks is continuing its efforts to stay on top of technological trends by adding new voice-ordering functions to its iOS app and Amazon's Alexa digital assistant. Called "My Starbucks barista" on iOS, the service is being rolled out to select customers today as an extension of the company's Mobile Order and Pay feature, which lets users send and pay for an order ahead of time. At the same time, the company is launching a Starbucks Reorder Skill to the Alexa platform.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Starbucks
Apparently 2017 is the year that T-Mobile targets taxes, because after simplifying its T-Mobile One plan by bundling taxes into the advertised price, T-Mo is now going to cover the sales tax on your new phone.
T-Mobile’s latest offer is to cover the cost of sales tax on all of its new smartphones. Just buy a new phone on an Equipment Installment Plan, submit your account info and the promo code 17DEVICECREDIT on T-Mobile’s promotions website, and then T-Mo will send you a prepaid MasterCard card worth 11.2 percent of your phone’s price (11.55 percent in Puerto Rico).
This offer starts February 1 and will run for a limited time. It’s open to both new and existing customers, but in order to qualify, you’ll need to be on a T-Mobile One or Simple Choice Unlimited 4G LTE plan.
New smartphones can be expensive, so every little bit that you can get back helps out. T-Mobile’s new promo means that you can get more than one-tenth of the price of your phone back in the form of a prepaid card, letting you buy yourself a nice lunch or maybe something even nicer if you get a more expensive phone.
For years, Three has offered WiFi-enabled calls through an app called inTouch. While serviceable, the experience pales in comparison to the app-free versions offered by Vodafone and EE. After all, who wants an extra icon taking up your home screen or app drawer? Thankfully, Three now has a competitive service. If you're using a compatible device (LG G5, Samsung S6 and S6 edge, iPhone 5c, 5s, 6, 6s, SE and 7), you no longer need the app to call someone over the internet. That means you can talk when you're trapped in a pesky "notspot," or even on the London Underground. Three says more devices will be added over time -- Samsung's (soon to be replaced) S7 and S7 edge will be compatible next month, for instance.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” seems like a fitting phrase to describe HTC’s roller coaster ride in the smartphone industry year over year. It feels like every other year HTC is either on the cutting edge of technology or making some sort of decision that nobody but HTC understands. But when you take those “off” years out of the equation and focus on only the good, you have to admit that HTC has implemented some pretty great features, two of which have been retired, and two of which I strongly feel should be re-implemented in future HTC phones: the kickstand and the dual front-facing speakers.
I’ll start with my defense of the kickstand. When the HTC EVO 4G first launched, its 4.3-inch display was largely considered too big. When compared to the 3.5-inch standard on the iPhones at the time, it certainly seemed that way. Of course, as we can see, we adjusted just fine to that screen size and then some. Along with its large display, one of the more understated features of the EVO was its permanent metal kickstand on the back of the device.
The kickstand was great for a number of things for me: watching movies on the EVO’s “big” screen, propping up on my nightstand to use as an alarm clock, and also setting it up for an optimal mobile gaming experience with a controller. Now that media consumption on smartphones is at an all-time high and screens are bigger than ever (and still growing thanks to shrinking bezels) I feel like now is as good of a time as any to bring the kickstand back. Not a kickstand case, mind you, but a fully integrated kickstand.
Arguably more iconic than the kickstand, HTC’s introduction of dual front-facing speakers on the original HTC One was one of my favorite aspects of the phone because it just made sense. When you’re watching videos, your phone is facing you; when you set your phone down and play music, it makes sense for the speakers to face up and into the room for maximum volume and clarity. Front-facing speakers just made more sense than putting them anywhere else, so I was a bit baffled when HTC ended up removing that feature in the HTC 10.
I believe that reimplementing these two features could boost enthusiasm for HTC. The aluminum unibody thing worked for a while until everybody else started using it, and now HTC devices look about as generic as they can be. But a kickstand? Dual front-facing speakers? These are features that no other smartphone is going to have. Especially with so many manufacturers allegedly focusing on smaller bezels, the market for front-facing speakers is going to be wide open – and I feel like that’s a feature that could still be milked. I think there are a surprising amount of people that don’t give a hoot about bezels that could be sold on other useful features like front-facing features and the kickstand (which, by the way, nobody else does).
I wrote an article not too long ago regarding how I considered HTC 10 the most forgettable phone of 2016, which was a shame because it was actually a pretty great phone all things considered. While dual front-facing speakers and a kickstand might not remedy that on its own, I do think that bringing back some unique features couldn’t hurt.
LG's Google-blessed smartwatches now exist as more than a set of specs. Well-known leaker Evan Blass has scored photos of the Watch Style, the budget model of the two that LG is expected to launch in early February. The Android Wear 2.0 device certainly lives up to its name -- it's designed to look good, with a subtle bezel (silver and rose gold are shown here) and matching, easily removed leather straps. They're even relatively thin, although that's partly a trick of the eye.
Via: 9to5Google
Source: Evan Blass (Twitter), Android Police
Have you ever held your smartphone in your hand and thought, “Man, this is not comfortable to hold”? I have. In fact, I just did. I’m using a Galaxy S7 Edge for the next 6 months, and I’m on my third or fourth week of using it at this point and I just can’t shake the feeling that I really do not like the way this phone feels in my hand. At the same time, I also can’t pinpoint exactly what it is I don’t like about it. Is it the size? The edges? The weird way all of my cases seem to fit over it? Maybe a mixture of everything?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized I have only ever owned one phone that I considered comfortable: the 2013 Moto X. The size of the phone, the somewhat rounded edges, the soft matte material used on the back of the device, and the subtle dimple on the back for your finger are all design aspects that I remember fondly. And while I contribute a lot of my fond memory to its smaller size, I also realized that most smartphones nowadays are designed for style rather than comfort regardless of size. All of a sudden I find myself regretting past stances I’ve taken regarding smartphone design.
I look at my S7 Edge and I think back to articles I’ve written calling for Samsung to get rid of its polycarbonate housing in favor of something more “premium”. I think Samsung achieved that at one point with the textured design of the Note 3 and Note 4, but overshot it again by introducing the glass back on the S6 and dragging it over to the S7. While I wasn’t a fan of the polycarbonate material, I was even more opposed to the use of glass on the back of a phone. Sure, it’s pretty to look at if you never intend to touch it. Otherwise, it’s just a fragile, cold material that doubles as a fingerprint magnet, and a pain in the butt to replace if it shatters.
And then there's the rampant use of aluminum, which is sturdier than glass in the sense that it won’t completely shatter if dropped. Still, aluminum (in my experience) is still quite slippery, and when I think of words that I associate with “comfortable”, “slippery” is usually not one of them.
To be clear, glass and aluminum aren’t the real issues here. They may not be the most comfortable materials, but many people simply adjust and they’ve proven to be popular choices. The problem is that OEMs seem to be hopping on both bandwagons without much regard for anything else. In a sea of phones that are hell bent on trying to have the biggest, thinnest and most stylish design, maybe just one manufacturer can shift their focus to making a smartphone that is specifically designed with style and comfort in mind. Given that most people spend time using smartphones in their hands, the phrase “Hey, this feels really nice,” makes as much sense as, “Hey, this looks really nice.”
Perhaps the definition of what makes a smartphone “comfortable” is too subjective to make such a thing happen, but at this point, I would happy take an attempt at improved comfort over some of the major changes that have been made to smartphones lately.
LG Watch Style, in silver (top) and rose gold (bottom) http://pic.twitter.com/JlHaq35bZ0
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 28, 2017
Rumors have suggested that Google and LG will launch a pair of new Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches on February 9, but we don’t have to wait until then to get a good look at one of them.
Several images of the LG Watch Style have leaked out. In the images shared by Evan Blass, we can see both the front and rear of the silver and rose gold versions of the watch. The watch has a round display — rumored to be a 1.2-inch 360x360 screen — and a digital crown on the side that’ll let you navigate through the Android Wear 2.0 software.
Other rumored features of the LG Watch Style include 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Google Assistant, IP67 water and dust resistance, and a 240mAh battery.
The LG Watch Style is expected to make its official debut on February 9 and launch in the US on February 10. Also expected to be coming is a larger LG Watch Sport with a 1.38-inch 480x480 display, 768MB of RAM, 3G and LTE connectivity, GPS, NFC, 4GB of RAM, an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, and a 430mAh battery.
When Apple announced the 4-inch iPhone SE last year, I was elated. Apple exceeded my expectations by not only bringing back the 4-inch form-factor but making sure that it wasn’t a complete joke. Sharing many of the same specs as the iPhone 6s, which had only been released half a year earlier, Apple made sure that the SE's compact size didn’t compromise on performance. As an added bonus, the iPhone SE was Apple’s most affordable phone yet starting at $399. Although not the cheapest phone by any means, it is when you’re talking about Apple.
As I was reviewing what came out when last year (in anticipation for what we might see this year), I realized that the iPhone SE’s anniversary is just around the corner in March, which got me to thinking: Should there even be a second generation iPhone SE?
In short: Yes, there absolutely should be. Apple and Sony are practically the only two big manufacturers that give a darn about compact phones that don’t perform like garbage, and although I would like more variety in the compact category, I am grateful for the two that currently exist.
However, I don’t think that Apple should continue releasing the SE in the same manner that they did last year, or even give it the same name. Instead, I think the SE would be better off simply being a third addition to Apple’s typical iPhone refresh in the fall.
If the iPhone SE were to be added to the fall lineup, I think it would receive larger fanfare. Anybody who wasn’t an enthusiast expected the SE to pop up, so when headlines popped up last March it was likely a surprise for most people. Additionally, I think there are a considerable amount of people now that strategically plan to upgrade in the fall according to Apple’s “normal” schedule at this point, so I would think that people would be willing to give it more consideration if it was released around the same time as other iPhones.
At this point, I’m of the mind that three size offerings would be a good thing to offer. A lot of manufacturers seem to be offering two size variants lately, but even then the smaller of the two typically doesn’t fall into the “compact” category. Maybe I’m still living in the past, but in my mind, a 4.7-inch display is still pretty big. Apple could stand out by offering their 4-inch variant alongside their other two flagship iPhones.
If Apple did choose to take this route, I think it would be cool if the smallest iPhone’s design would reflect that of the other two as well. I actually like the SE’s square form factor, but having a unified design would make it more appealing, especially if Apple plans to shave bezels in this year’s iPhones as rumored; just because some people prefer a smaller phone doesn’t mean they necessarily prefer a smaller screen.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, if Apple intends to keep an iPhone with a 4-inch screen around, I think it makes sense to release it alongside the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones. If nothing else, I do hope that Apple keeps the iPhone SE’s concept (compact, affordable new iPhone) around for at least one or two more generations.
Readers, what are your thoughts? Do you think that Apple should keep releasing the SE in a separate event, or do you think they should incorporate it with their fall iPhone line-up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Comcast has reaffirmed its plans to enter the wireless market in 2017.
During Comcast’s earnings call yesterday, CEO Brian Roberts said that launching wireless service in 2017 is one of the company’s priorities. Comcast is targeting a mid-2017 launch for its wireless service.
Comcast plans to resell service using Verizon’s network, and while it will be able to sell service nationally, it expects to push it as part of product bundles in markets where it currently sells cable service. Comcast will also sell smartphones that customers can make payments on.
Here’s what Roberts had to say about Comcast’s wireless plans:
"We plan to include wireless in our multi-product bundles in a way that is designed to add value to our customers, improve retention, and ultimately benefit lifetime customer economics for us. Our offering will give customers access to a world-class wireless network, benefiting from our Wi-Fi [hotspots], with the best mobile devices and a simple, transparent experience, all for a great value."
Comcast’s plan to push its wireless service in markets where it already sells cable seems like a smart one. After all, what incentive would consumers have to choose Comcast over Verizon if they didn’t already have Comcast service? Existing Comcast customers will likely be able to consolidate their wireless bill into their cable bill if they sign up for this service, and Comcast might give them a bit of a deal if they do become Comcast wireless customers.
Verizon Wireless, in a commercial they've been running recently to promote a $55 per month for 5GB of data per month plan, says that most people, two out of three even, only use around that amount of data per month. The ad is pretty obvious in its effort: The Big Red carrier wants you to know that maybe, just maybe, you don't need to worry about unlimited data plans. Verizon's the only major wireless carrier that doesn't offer unlimited data at this point (AT&T offers it with a DirecTV subscription), and it doesn't sound like they plan on changing that game plan anytime soon.
So it isn't all that surprising that Verizon would want to start advertising that "most people" don't need an unlimited data plan. After all, why pay for it if you're not going to use it, right? That's Verizon's line of questioning at this point.
I checked Verizon's, Sprint's, and T-Mobile's websites as I wrote this, checking up on prices. Verizon offers 4GB of data per month for $50 per month. Meanwhile, T-Mobile's offering unlimited data for $70 per month with its T-Mobile ONE plan, and Sprint's $60 per month plan offers unlimited data, too. In the case of Sprint and T-Mobile, you'll have to fork over extra if you want HD video content while you stream from the network, but that's an entirely different conversation to have.
Just looking at the pricing there, I'm not sure that Verizon has a leg to stand on. It's not like these customers on T-Mobile's and Sprint's networks are paying that much more -- and they get unlimited (optimized) data. Telling customers that they should immediately limit themselves, just because they might not use a ton of data, while at the same time automatically making sure they can't use any additional data without paying extra every month in overages, or changing their bill, is silly.
I saw someone ask, "If most people don't use more than 5GB of data, why not just offer unlimited data?" and that's a good question. Because no matter how you shake it, a carrier that offers unlimited data, versus one that doesn't, but charges the same amount? I know which one looks better to me.
There are a ton of factors to consider, of course. Network capability, device availability, all that jazz. But that's not really what I'm asking at this point. I want to know if Verizon's right when it comes to your personal usage with your smartphone.
Are you on your phone all the time? Using a variety of different apps that consume data? If you are, how much data do you use every month? What's the most you've ever used? Let me know!
While game companies are spending millions developing and marketing addictive mobile games, every once in a while an indie hit appears out of nowhere and captures the public's imagination. In 2013, that game was Flappy Bird, a notoriously difficult endless runner-style game that thrust its Vietnamese creator, Dong Nguyen, into an unwanted spotlight.
Nguyen ended up pulling the game from Apple and Google's app stores a few months later (despite making a ton of money), because it had become an "addictive product" that was causing him and its players issues. It also allowed him to focus on making more games. With seven titles now behind him, including Swing Copters, Nguyen is back with a new game called Ninja Spinki Challenges!! -- and it's every bit as difficult as you'd expect.
Via: Venturebeat
Source: Ninja Spinki Challenges (App Store), (Google Play)
Sprint has responded to Verizon’s new $55/5GB plan with a deal on a plan of its own.
Sprint is now offering its unlimited data, talk, and text plan to new customers at a price of $50 per month, down from its normal $60 price. The plan includes unlimited talk and text as well as unlimited mobile-optimized data, which includes video streams at up to 480p, music streams at up to 500Kbps, and streaming gaming at up to 2Mbps.
You can get two unlimited plans from Sprint at a price of $90 per month, and each additional line is another $30 per line per month.
This promotion will only be available for the next four days, so you’ll have to act fast if you want to take advantage of it.
Also worth noting is that if you do sign up for this plan, the $50 per month price is only good through March 31, 2018. After that date, your monthly price will go up to $60 per month.
Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Apple are all developing their voice assistants to be the perfect companions for our busy lives, helping us control our smart homes, buy things, summon Ubers, play funky music and find out what show that guy from that film is in. Nokia's newly announced voice assistant, on the other hand, is strictly business -- we're talking the Nokia that specializes in network technologies here, not the Nokia brand of devices licensee HMD Global puts out. The Multi-purpose Intuitive Knowledge Assistant, or MIKA for short, is a voice assistant built specifically for telecoms engineers, quickly surfacing the information they need to fix network faults and such.
Source: Nokia
In an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo this morning, VoteStand founder Gregg Phillips asserted that he knows for a fact that 3 million people voted illegally in the 2016 election, insisting that he just needs a little more time to prove it. Cuomo pointed out the flawed logic in this statement saying, “If I know the answer to something it’s because I concluded my process of analysis, not because I’m in the middle of it.”
The apparent baselessness of Phillips’ assertions did not weaken President Trump’s belief in claims of widespread voter fraud. Less than an hour after the segment aired, the president tweeted his support for Phillips.
Look forward to seeing final results of VoteStand. Gregg Phillips and crew say at least 3,000,000...
2017 may be the year the US starts a nuclear war because someone tweets something mean about Donald Trump, but at least we’re getting some weird selfie apps before we go. Earlier this month we had Meitu, which made you look like a terrifying anime character and possibly tracked your location data, and this week we have FaceApp, which uses neural networks to paste a smile on anybody’s photo and possibly steals your soul or something.
The app is iOS only and very hit-and-miss. You can see it did quite a good job with Trump up top, but that’s because his face is quite small in the photo, he doesn’t have a beard, and he’s looking straight at the camera. Add in any of these elements, and the results become much less convincing, as with...
US Cellular today made some tweaks to its prepaid plan lineup.
First up, the Simple Connect plans now start at $30 per month for unlimited text, 500 minutes, and $0.03 per megabyte of high-speed data. You can move up to unlimited talk and text with 500MB of high-speed data for $35 per month, 3GB of data for $45, 6GB for $60, or 12GB of data for $75 per month.
US Cellular also offers Ready Connect prepaid plans that start at $25 for 1GB of high-speed data, 100 minutes, and unlimited text. Next up is the $35 plan with unlimited talk and text as well as 1GB of high-speed data, a $45 plan with 4GB of high-speed data, a $55 plan with 8GB of high-speed data, and a $75 plan with 12GB of high-speed data.
You can save some cash on the larger Ready Connect plans if you enroll in auto pay. Adding auto pay to your account will knock $5 off the 4GB and 8GB plans, or $10 off the 12GB plan.
