Say, Nexus nerds, what about Project Fi?
As September 29th approaches, and Google's annual autumn launch event, rumors increase in frequency, and a few in absurdity, about what will be revealed. The gadget-obsessed shouldn't forget what else might arrive with one, or even two, rumored new Nexus smartphones: Expanded support for Project Fi. I am surprised how little buzz there is among the fan base. Where are the rumor-wagging tongues?
The search and information giant introduced the invite-only cellular service in April 2015, piggybacking Sprint and T-Mobile networks for a cool $20 a month, plus 10 bucks more for each gigabyte of data (refunding for portion unused). The gotcha: Project Fi only supports one device: Nexus 6. You buy one or you bring your own. Otherwise it's fee-Fi-fo-dumb for you.
Here are the specs of 2015 Google Nexus 5
When Google unveiled its latest Nexus smartphone last year, many were disappointed that the search giant didn't announce a new version of the beloved Nexus 5. Yes, Nexus 6 was there to take its place, topping its predecessor in just about every regard, but the phablet was just too big for plenty of folks. So sales of the aging Nexus 5 continued until mid-March 2015, if only to just keep fans happy.
This year, however, Google will announce the real successor of the Nexus 5 we know and love. And, courtesy of Amazon India, who listed the smartphone ahead of time, we now know its main hardware specifications.
Ingenious design: iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard [Review]
You might think it would be hard to get overly excited about a keyboard. I understand, I felt the same. But then I tried out the iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard and my opinion changed. I've used various portable/mini keyboards before and they have been -- almost without exception -- utterly awful.
The iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard gets off to a great start; it has a lot of things in its favor. The metal construction gives it a solid, robust feel and a great semi-industrial look. The aluminum has neatly curved edges, but at the same time it feels wonderfully brutalist. The real killer feature, however, is the foldability of the peripheral which means beautifully sizable keys are available for typing on.
This is BlackBerry's first Android smartphone
If you were wondering how BlackBerry’s first Android phone, Venice, will behave in action, wonder no more.
First video footage of the smartphone has been released online, and on it we can see its sliding QWERTY keyboard in action. The keyboard can also be used as a touchpad by sliding your fingers across the keys. This interesting feature is not unique though, it was already seen on the BlackBerry Passport.
iOS 9 adoption tops 50 percent in just 3 days
In an announcement that is mostly meant to remind us that its new iPhones go on sale on September 25 -- like we did not already know that -- Apple today reveals that iOS 9 has been installed on more than 50 percent of all iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices currently in use.
That is a remarkable achievement, but it is even more impressive that iOS 9 reached this milestone just three days after its release on September 16. Apple says it is the "fastest iOS adoption ever".
At $300, Elephone Vowney flagship smartphone dual-boots Android 5.0 and Windows 10 Mobile
Back in April, we reported that Chinese smartphone manufacturer Elephone planned to launch a handset which would dual-boot Windows 10 Mobile and Android 5.0 Lollipop mobile operating systems. Five months later, that phone has been officially launched. Called the Elephone Vowney, the smartphone is priced at $299.99 and goes on sale from September 30.
As for the specifications, the Elephone Vowney sports a 5.5-inch QHD display (2560 x 1440) with a pixel density of 535ppi. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6795 processor clocked at 2.2GHz coupled with 3GB of RAM. It comes with 64GB of inbuilt storage with support for a microSD card should you want more.
Bypass the Android Lollipop lockscreen by entering a really long password
A lengthy password is a good thing, right? For some Android users running Lollipop, however, it may be possible to bypass the lockscreen simply by entering a password that is incredibly long. Copy and paste a lengthy string into the password field, and it is possible to crash the lockscreen and gain access to the phone or tablet.
While the vulnerability is worrying, it is not something that can be exploited remotely -- it is necessary to have physical access to the phone. The bug was discovered by security researchers at Texas University and while a patch has been issued for Nexus devices, other handsets remain vulnerable.
Microsoft to announce new Windows 10 devices at October event
We knew that Microsoft won’t be making any announcements related to its newly released operating system during the IFA 2015 fair, but now we have more details.
Microsoft has taken to Twitter to announce it is holding a separate event on October 6 at 10 am EDT (3 pm London time) in New York.
Apple could soon allow you to remove unwanted stock apps from iPhone, according to Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook has addressed one of biggest annoyances in the otherwise excellent iPhone. Cook has said that the company is aware that not everybody is a big fan of several stock apps -- more popularly known as junkware, crapware, bloatware -- in the iPhone lineup, and it intends to step back and (almost certainly) give users the ability to remove them.
In a wide-ranging interview with BuzzFeed News, the company's chief executive talked about privacy concerns with the new iPhones, the company's claim of iPad Pro being a desktop replacement, and more importantly, why it doesn't allow users to remove stock apps -- for example, Calculator, Stocks, Tips, Watch -- from their iPhones or iPads.
Blame 3D Touch for the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus' weight gains
The new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have not only gained a better display, better cameras, a faster processor and stronger casing, but also a bit of weight and thickness compared to their predecessors. However, to paraphrase South Park's Eric Cartman, the new iPhones are not fat, they're big boned.
Apple did not explain why its latest iPhones are heavier during the keynote, but the common assumption has been that it is caused by the more bend-resistant aluminum alloy used for their casings. However, environmental reports on the new flagships disprove this theory, while revealing where the actual weight difference comes from.
Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10536 available on Fast Ring -- here's what's new
While the launch date of Windows 10 Mobile is still shrouded in mystery, Microsoft is at least treating platform enthusiasts to new Insider Preview releases. After a long wait, build 10536 arrives on Fast Ring with new features and lots of improvements in tow, but also its fair share of known issues. Development appears to be far from over.
To get to Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10536, users on Fast Ring who are running Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10512 will first have to upgrade their devices to builds 10514 and 10536.1000. Here is what's new in the latest release.
Moto X Play review
Motorola’s Moto range for 2015 includes two variants on the standard Moto X. The Moto X Style is focussed on how it looks, and this phone the Moto X Play is aimed at providing a good entertainment experience.
To that end it has a large 5.5-inch 1080p screen, a standard version of Android and a 3,630 mAh battery that promises plenty of use between charges. There’s a 1.7 GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage (a 32GB version is available too), plus 21 MP rear and 5 MP front cameras. Naturally it’s 4G and has dual-band Wi-Fi.
Apple's new iPhone 6s has 2 GB of RAM, iPad Pro gets 4 GB
Apple does not like to dive much into the technical side of things when it talks about how its new products perform. So, when it unveiled the new iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus last week, Apple focused on how its processor stacks up against the previous generation instead of detailing its clock speed, number of cores, manufacturing process or even how much RAM is inside. The new iPad Pro was no exception.
Those things are important, of course, but they do not mean much to the average consumer, who likely has no idea what RAM actually is or whether a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor is actually faster than a 2.3 GHz quad-core solution. But they can more easily understand that, for instance, 50 percent faster in some area is actually better. However, us enthusiasts, still want to know what's inside. Ahead of a teardown, we now know how much RAM the new A9 chip packs.
Moto X Play with FHD display launches in India starting at Rs 18,499 ($275)
Motorola today launches the Moto X Play in India. The highlights of the handset are its high-end specifications and an equally interesting price point starting at Rs 18,499 ($275) for the 16GB storage variant.
As for other specifications, the Moto X Play sports a 5.5-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) display offering 403ppi pixel density and Corning Gorilla Glass protecting the screen from scratches. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octal core processor clocked at 1.7GHz coupled with an Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM.
Apple spends just $234 making each iPhone 6s
Analysis by Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates that the components part of the iPhone 6s cost Apple $234 -- only a very slight increase from the iPhone 6. With the 64GB model selling for $749, Apple is pulling in $515 from each sale before the costs of manufacturing and distribution is factored in.
The biggest cost is for semiconductor parts, accounting for $127 of cost. The 64-bit A9 processor costs just $25, while various sensors add up to around $22. The estimates suggest that the screen of the iPhone 6s is the most expensive part, coming in at around $50 on its own.
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