PlayStation Vue coming to Android next week

Tethered live TV is a thing of the past with services like PlayStation Vue. The gaming giant is now a television provider that operates completely online. There are no weird antennas, cables, contracts or politics. The best of all is that it is made mobile and works on multiple devices as app availability continues to expand.

Today Sony has announced PlayStation Vue compatibility for Roku TV, but that isn’t what we are excited about. They have also mentioned the application is coming to Android smartphones and tablets next week!

This comes as great news to Android fans who have been feeling a little bitter. Chromecast support has been around for while, but only for iOS users! With the Android app coming around, now all of us can enjoy live TV both at home and when mobile. All you would need is an internet connection. And of course, a subscription.

You can sign up by going to PSVue.com. Plans go as follows:

• Access: 55+ channels, including live cable TV, movies, and sports channels for $29.99 per month ($39.99 in cities with major live local broadcast stations*)
• Core: 70+ channels, including all the channels from Access with the addition of live national and regional sports networks for $34.99 per month ($44.99 in cities with major live local broadcast stations*)
• Elite: 100+ channels, featuring all the channels from Core with the addition of top movie and entertainment channels for $44.99 per month ($54.99 in cities with major live local broadcast stations*)

Are any of you signing up? Maybe you are already using the service! Hit the comments and let us know how it’s working out for you

Waze’s new feature will help you avoid busy and dangerous intersections

Waze is launching a new feature that will make your drives much safer.

If you’ve ever come to a busy intersection that requires you to cross multiple lanes of oncoming traffic, things can get pretty tense — especially if you’re driving in a new city. And things only get worse when you’re driving in peak rush hour traffic.

To help put drivers at ease, Waze is rolling out a new “difficult intersections” feature that will allow you to bypass difficult intersections when possible. The feature is only available in Los Angeles for now, but will expand to New Orleans sometime in the future.

Of course, avoiding difficult intersections also means you’ll have to take an alternate route, which will take more time. Waze says the feature is designed to balance an efficient ETA with limiting as many of these intersections as possible. The feature will be turned on by default. If the alternate route will take significantly longer, you’ll still be guided through the difficult intersection.

Once your app receives the update, you’ll find a Difficult Intersections toggle turned on by default. If you prefer to live on the edge and drive through all intersections, you can disable the feature by switching off the toggle.

If this feature came to your city, would you use it? If so, let us know in the comments!

June security update lands for the Verizon Galaxy Note 5 and S6 edge+

Verizon has begun pushing out a new update to its Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ handsets in the past 24 hours. There aren’t any major new features packed in here, but the updates do include the latest Android security patches from Google.

The update brings the two device’s security up to the latest Android June patch. The update addresses a number of important potential exploits, including driver elevation privilege vulnerabilities with Qualcomm processors, issues with the Mediaserver, and SD card emulation. In total there are 6 critical fixes, 11 high severity patches, and 4 problems fixed that were of moderate concern. Most of the fixes attempt to deal with privilege elevation exploits, as Google tries to eliminate potential vulnerabilities similar to Stagefright before Android N hits devices.

If you’d like a full breakdown of the June security patch, you can read Google’s full detailed bulletin here.

As usual, Verizon will be rolling the patches out across the country in the coming days, but you might have some luck hammering that update button in the settings menu if you haven’t seen the OTA notification appear quite yet. Have you spotted the updating rolling out for your handset already?

Android VP is teasing the name ‘Nutella’ as a potential name for Android N

Back in May, Google announced it would be doing something a little different for the naming process of the next major version of Android. Instead of thinking of a name internally, this time around the company is letting users vote on their favorite sweet treats that start with the letter N. While Google still hasn’t decided on an official name (even though that might happen soon), Android VP Hiroshi Lockheimer is trying is best to get the hype train rolling.

On Twitter, Lockheimer has tweeted out a series of not-so-subtle images that all feature the name ‘Nutella’ in some way. The first, as you can see below, is a photo of a menu that features a dish called Nutella pizzetta.

The next is a screenshot from a Chrome OS device running a number of different Android applications. Check out the Google search window in the back.

   

Google is no stranger to being huge trolls when it comes to naming the next version of Android. Dave Burke teased the name Milkshake before Android M was official, and Google even made an Android L tryout video before the Lollipop name was announced.

Nutella would certainly be a good naming choice for Android N, but really anything can happen.

What say you? Will Nutella be the next version of Android? Or is the Android VP just trying to troll us?

T-Moble begins rolling out Marshmallow to the BlackBerry Priv

For those of you who bought the BlackBerry Priv from T-Mobile (USA), I have some good news, you will soon be getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow! Blackberry started rolling out Android 6.0 Marshmallow towards the end of April 2016, however it has taken a little longer for the upgrade to come via some of the main carriers.

According to T-Mobile’s support page, “Beginning June 13, the BlackBerry PRIV receives a software update to Android version 6.0.1/build AAF153. This update provides features and improvements: Android Marshmallow software.” The release notes also mentioned “performance and stability enhancements.”

The new build number is “AAF153” and can be checked under Apps > Settings > About phone. If you have builds AAE134, AAD442, or AAD164 then you device can be upgrade. If you don’t have one of those build numbers then you don’t have a carrier variant of the BlackBerry Priv.

Among the many notable features that Marshmallow brings to the table are Doze mode, granular application permissions, Google Now on Tap, etc. BlackBerry has also thrown in quite a few of their own tweaks to the OS. You’ll find a lengthy changelog in this blog post.

Has your Priv received the update? If so, how are you liking it? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below!

WiGig devices are here: what you need to know

If you have money to burn, Sirin Labs has just stuck its completely overpriced $14,000 Solarin smartphone up for sale. While most of the hardware is quite typical of a modern flagship, albeit with a slightly older Snapdragon 810 processor, there is one rather interesting inclusion being touted by the company – Qualcomm’s X10 LTE modem with WiGig communication technology.

WiGig isn’t broadly supported in the technology industry quite yet, but the promise of multi-gigabit per second data transfer speeds over the air is tough to ignore. So here is everything that you need to know about the up and coming wireless technology.

WiGig is being actively promoted by the Wireless Gigabit Alliance, a trade association that comprises a number of notable names in the technology industry, including Samsung, Nokia, Mediatek, Huawei, Microsoft, Intel, and many others. In March 2013, the WiGig and Wi-Fi Alliance consolidated their groups with the aim of certifying future products and devices that poses both Wi-Fi and WiGig capabilities.

The core WiGig technology is based on the IEEE 802.11ad wireless specification, which supports data transfer speeds of up to 7 Gbps by operating at a very high 60 GHz frequency, rather than the 2.4 or 5 GHz bands of your typical Wi-Fi router. This results in a speed that’s more than twenty times faster than the highest 802.11n connection rate. The X10 LTE modem in the Solarin only supports data rates up to 1.5 Gbps, but that’s still up to three times faster than a physical USB 2.0 interface.

The downside of operating at such a high frequency is that the transmission distances are shorter and the waveforms lack the power to penetrate walls and other moderately dense materials. WiGig’s range is typically limited to around 30 feet (9 meters), hence the decision to push modems to support both WiGig and existing Wi-Fi technologies at once. Devices can automatically switch between bands to provide the best of both worlds. That being said, 30 or so feet is still more than enough distance to cover even large living rooms in an ultra-high speed wireless connection.

With data speeds reaching 7 Gbps, WiGig opens up wireless transmissions to much more than just moving files between smart devices and computers. Real time audio and uncompressed video transmission is possible at these speeds, meaning that HDMI cables could be a thing of the past as even 4K display data can be beamed wirelessly over short distances. WiGig has already been used to create the Wireless DisplayPort interface. The group is also working with USB to create a Wireless USB standard that will enable devices to seamlessly connect up and transfer data over the air. Other potential uses include automatic fast wireless storage and backups, and almost instantaneous media content sharing between connect devices, ranging from smartphones to TVs and speakers. Intel has already worked this technology into its Wireless Docking technology, which automatically connects compatible wireless devices, including displays, on your desk up to one another.

The industry and consumers are still waiting on a much greater number of WiGig certified products to hit the market before it becomes a major selling point, but the foundations have been laid down. Modems and products that support the technology are slowly starting to hit the market, and you’ll almost certainly be hearing much more about WiGig in the coming months and years.

International version of Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro gets Bluetooth certification

Back in March Samsung released the Pro version of its Galaxy A9 (2016) in China. It features a 6-inch Full HD (1920X1080) Super AMOLED display with a 1.8GHz octa-core Snapdragon 652 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage. It also has a 16 megapixel rear camera and 8 megapixel front camera plus a very healthy 5,000mAh battery. It supports Dual SIM, microSD expansion, an embedded fingerprint sensor in the home button, and runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The model number of the A9 Pro is SM-A9100 and it is what gives us a clue about an international version of the device.

If you take a look at the official Bluetooth certification page for the Chinese version of the A9 Pro (the SM-A9100), you will see that a new model number has been recently added to the “product list.” The new model is the SM-A910F/DS. The same model number was spotted a few weeks ago earning its Wi-Fi certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The “DS” most likely stands for Dual SIM and does raise the interesting question about a single SIM variant. Dual SIM support is important in lots of countries, however it is frowned upon by some carriers as it opens the door to customers using a rival’s service in a relatively seamless way, and as you know carriers are all about locking customers in, not letting them out! If there isn’t a Single SIM version then this particular device could have a limited international release.

The A9 Pro is different to the standard Samsung Galaxy A9 in that it has more RAM, 4GB rather than 3GB; more internal storage, 32GB up from 16GB; a 16MP camera compared to 13MP; and 1000 extra mAh in the battery.

The Chinese version of the Galaxy A9 Pro is available in three colors: White, Pink, and Rose Gold, and retails for 3,499 Yuan, which is roughly $540. However we will have to wait and see what price Samsung will set for the various international markets.

As for a launch date, that isn’t known as yet, however with Wi-Fi certification and Bluetooth certification both ready then it would seem that the release will be soon!

Are you looking forward to the international variant of the Galaxy A9 Pro?

Sony Xperia X Performance will see a limited release in the UK

Sony’s Xperia X line of phones has released in some parts of the world, though until now it has not been clear as to if the highest end product, the Xperia X Performance, would launch in the UK. It seems those fearing for the worst can alleviate their concerns, as the device will indeed be launching in the United Kingdom, but at the moment just with a single retailer.

Clove Technology has currently listed the Performance with a price of £457.00 without VAT, or £549.00 including it. This converts to roughly $650 sans tax and $782 with it, for those more familiar with USD. While the device is not yet in stock, it is listed with a Mid-July release date. According to Clove’s spec-related information (scroll to the bottom of this post to expand) the model will launch in just a single color: Black.

“Peculiar” pricing

Sony’s latest offerings have been the subject of some degree of controversy given that they has some decidedly mid-range specs. With respect to the Xperia X Performance, the phone packs the potent and powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 but couples it with a Full HD (1920 X 1280) display and only 3GB of RAM. Price-wise however, it – along with the standard Xperia X – are clearly on the premium side of the spectrum, competing with the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10. Said pricing, in and of itself, has already resulted in some rough reviews for said standard X, which is basically the same phone as the X Premium but with a Snapdragon 650 SoC instead.

It remains to be seen just how many customers the world over will go for the Xperia X Performance, especially when last year’s Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Premium are still sold and likely carrying significantly reduced price tags compare to that which they launched at last year. For those who don’t care about having an “old” SoC like the Snapdragon 810, the specs are shockingly similar, except the Z family was at least waterproof.

Clove lists the following key details for the Xperia X Performance:

 

And specifies the following selling points: 

 Wrap Up

What do you think? Are you a customer living in the UK? Does the Xperia X Performance seem like your cup of tea? Is it priced too high to purchase? Leave a comment or two below and share your thoughts!                       

LG is now offering its own security bulletin

Security is a big deal nowadays. Google offers monthly security patches and Samsung is doing the 

same same thing, too. Not to be left behind, LG is now offering security bulletins starting with Google’s may update. On LG’s site, everyone now has the ability to see all of the vulnerabilities affecting their devices, as well as a link to Google’s own bulletin. They are also grouped by severity, which is a nice touch. Ever since the Stagefright scare last year, Google is really taking security more seriously, and other companies are starting to follow.

There’s still another problem: carriers. It is great that LG and Samsung are making the effort to keep their phones up to date with the latest patches Google releases, but with the carriers having to check every patch that comes through, it could take all month to get the update. Maybe even longer in some cases. And of course, there are tons of models of smartphones from tons of different OEMs across all carriers, so carriers certainly have their work cut out for them every month.

Manufacturers have promised us updates before, but have failed to deliver. While it may be possible to install a custom ROM or the like, official updates usually drop off sooner than we’d like. So only time will tell if manufacturers keep their promise to do monthly security patches and whether or not they will continue to update “old” phones once the new models are released.

It is good to see LG joining the fight on security threats, though, and hopefully other manufacturers will follow suit and join in. Do you think LG will keep their promise? Let us know in the comments!

Lenovo foldable smartphone and tablet concept hands on

Foldable smartphones and tablets, it looks like they’re coming soon at some point. We’re here at Lenovo Tech World in San Francisco and a lot of cool stuff were announced here, like the Tango-ready PHAB 2 Pro and the shockingly modular Moto Z and Z Force, but the ones we really thought were cool are concepts. Yes, concepts, as in they’re not something we’ll be buying anytime soon – wherein they’ll more than likely incur premium costs when they arrive, due to the new tech they’re employing.

Either way, it really opens the idea of what we’ll potentially see down the road. Now, during a Q & A session with some of the engineers, we got a sneak peek at two foldable devices. The first one being a foldable smartphone, the one shown off during the keynote by YouTuber Meghan McCarthy. When it’s flat, it looks very much like an elongated phone from the front, something that oddly looks out of place if it were placed alongside today’s smartphones.

However, you know something’s up when you look at it from the back. Obviously, there’s more to than just the display being folded, since the chassis itself is bending to match the display. Lenovo’s concept seems practical because as it’s being bent, the interface slowly begins to shift – so that its operation while on your wrist is more appropriate. This isn’t a form factor we’re familiar with, so it’ll be interesting to see how Lenovo will tackle the way various operations we’re familiar with already on something curved.

 

Lenovo says that folding a display in isn’t a problem, but rather, it’s when you’re bending it out, which is the case here with the smartphone. That’s because of how the glass or whatever is covering the panel itself is being stretched, but from what we can see, it’s using this stretchy plastic looking cover – much like you might see those plastic covers over furniture. You can visibly see that layer, just because it distorts a bit under certain angles.

As for the foldable tablet, it’s pretty neat because it can go from a sizable tablet, to a phablet sized thing by bending it right in the middle. Whereas the phone bends in multiple places throughout the chassis, the tablet simply has its bending points around the middle area. And the same plasticy layer covers the display.

These are some pretty cool concepts, especially when they’re optimized to make them practical when they’re bent – like how the interfaces shift and all. Being concepts, you know that we’re thinking a lot about price, even though we won’t be seeing them anytime soon. We can only imagine them to be pricey, but hey, it’s pretty cool that foldable smartphones and tablets are coming at some point.

Who knows how these concept devices will evolve over time, or whether they’ll come to fruition at some timely manner. Regardless, Lenovo’s concepts provides us with a closer look at what are some of the challenges behind making a foldable smartphone. It’s a solid effort, probably requiring additional refinements, before they can certified for consumer sale. Even then, however, you can certainly expect some pricey figures attached to them.

MOD ready Cyanogen OS 13.1 is now available for the OnePlus One

Cyanogen’s relationship with OnePlus has been rocky at best, however that hasn’t stopped it from releasing new versions of Cyanogen OS for the handset. Back in April Cyanogen Inc released Cyanogen OS 13 which brought the Android 6.0 Marshmallow code base to the OnePlus One. Now the company has started rolling out Cyanogen OS 13.1 for the OnePlus One, and the big thing about version 13.1 is that it is MOD Ready.

The idea behind MOD Ready is that OEMs get to build “modules” for Cyanogen OS to differentiate their handsets in, as Cyanogen call it, “a market full of commoditized hardware and stock Android devices.” So offering Cyanogen OS, along with all its tweaks and benefits, rather than stock Android is one level, but offering Cyanogen OS with some custom, unique additions it a whole new level.

Cyanogen are calling it the “post-app era” because now smartphone makers have an easy path to include unqiue functionality beyond that of just changing the launcher and bundling a few apps. The idea is that while 3rd party apps are built on top of Android, MODS can dig deep into Cyanogen OS and allow OEMs to add extra OS level functionality. However like apps, users have control over which mods they want to install.

To this end Cyanogen has now released Cyanogen OS 13.1 for the OnePlus One with several important MODs available including the ability to view trending Tweets from the lock screen, place Skype calls from within the phone dialer rather than having to use a separate app, use Cortana from within the camera app to take a selfie, use OneNote from within the email and phone apps, and apply Microsoft’s Hyperlapse tech to videos.

You will have noticed that, with the exception of Twitter, all these MODs come from Microsoft. That is a whole different story for another day, but the point is that an OEM can now add their tech deep into a version of Android and get it shipped with a smartphone.

 

Will this be a winning strategy for Cyanogen Inc over the long term? Probably. However for OEMs to make a real impact then the number of Cyanogen OS devices is going to need to grow beyond just the OnePlus One and the handful of mainly Asian devices that it supports today.

One final thing, don’t confuse Cyanogenmod, the open source part of the Cyanogen family, with Cyanogen OS (with its MODs). The latter is a commercial version of Cyanogenmod that ships by default on a number of OEM phones including the OnePlus One (at least at the beginning anyway), the Swift and the Storm from Wileyfox, and a number of handsets from YU.

Millennials seem to love Samsung – do you?

Samsung is, without a doubt, the king of Android – at least in terms of popularity. You don’t need to do much research to see how big the Korean giant is. Statista’s numbers show Samsung leading in smartphone market share, making up for 24.5% of all global shipments. Our very own poll recently revealed that 26% of nearly 7,000 of our readers prefer Samsung over all other Android smartphone manufacturers.

Today we are getting more proof from research firm Reputation Institute. RI came up with a top 10 list of the most reputable companies in the eyes of millennials. This is an important group of people, considering they witnessed the smartphone boom.

Their ages range from 18-35 and they make up for a whopping 75.4 million people in the USA, officially surpassing baby boomers (as of the 2015 census). Results show Samsung as the #1 most reputable company. Other tech companies in the list include Intel and Sony.

But what is it that makes Samsung so popular? Reputation Institute rates companies in 7 areas: products & services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, leadership and performance. Samsung ranked highest in 5 of these, making it a clear winner.

RI also claims its success is likely due to a few factors, including great social marketing/advertising, creating an inclusive culture, social responsibility and the creation of enticing products. In short, succeeding in this market must involve a complicated formula that Samsung has managed to solve.

One thing is for sure – us millennials are not very easy to please. This is a great accomplishment for the company. Now we take things to the comments section to try and decipher how Samsung got where it is. What do you like about Sammy? Is it its products? Do you think it’s mostly the brand name and marketing?

Outdoor Nest Cam reportedly on the way

We were worried about Nest there for a little while. With the departure of the company’s CEO, the future of Nest was up in the air, but the new CEO says the company is here to stay. Now we’re catching wind of what’s next for the all-encompassing smart home company. Nope, it’s not a home security system. Their latest product is reportedly an outdoor version of their popular Nest Cam.

While we don’t have any images yet of this outdoor camera (pictured is the current indoor version of the product), Tech Insider is reporting that sources close to the company are saying that these rugged live cameras will come in white and will run off of a power cord rather than batteries. This product appears to be angling to fill an already existing niche, as the indoor version of Nest Cams are already being supplied with protective third-party casings so that they can be used outside in the elements. This product will be competing with other outdoor webcams like the Netgear Arlo

What’s more, the company is teasing that new thermostat colors are on the way as well. While these might not be the game-changing offerings that Nest fans were hoping for, it’s at least a nice addition for those concerned about monitoring the exterior of their homes. The company is hinting that they have bigger things in the works for 2017, but we’ll have to wait before we find out what they’re teasing about. In the meantime, let us know what you think of Nest’s smart home capabilities in the comments below!

Unlocked Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 getting Android Marshmallow update

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is an awesome handset. Our very own Joshua Vergara said it was “one of the best budget phones of the year” when he reviewed it. Since then, we have recommended it in multiple lists and buying guides. The affordable smartphone continues to be a very enticing gadget for the price, and now it is getting better!

The Idol 3 is currently getting an upgrade to Android Marshmallow, which is an update we know many of you have been waiting for. It should include all the features you can expect from the newer Android version, including things like Doze mode, granular permissions, Google Now on Tap, adoptable storage and more.

For those who may be out of the loop, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is an affordable smartphone that offers some of the best bang for your buck. Prices start at only $179.99 for the 4.7-inch version and $249.99 for the bigger 5.5-inch iteration.

The larger handset includes specs like a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16/32 GB of internal storage,a  13 MP rear camera, an 8 MP front shooter and a 2910 mAh battery. The smaller version sports a 4.7-inch 720p screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 8/16 GB of internal storage, a 13 MP main camera, a 5 MP front-facing camera and a 2,000 mAh battery.

Also read:

• Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 Review: one of the best budget phones of the year
• Best Alcatel Onetouch IDOL 3 cases
• Best cheap Android phones
• Best dual-SIM Android phones

And yes, both handsets are getting the update. If you own any of the unlocked versions, you should go ahead and check for updates now; Android 6.0 Marshmallow could be waiting for you! Just keep in mind not everyone gets upgrades right away. Sit tight if yours is not here yet!

After more than two years on the hunt, HTC finally snags a new CFO

It’s no secret that HTC isn’t doing so hot in the financial department. The company ran in the red from Q2 2015 to Q1 2016, hemorrhaging $148 million over the course of the year. HTC has long been in need of strong financial leadership with Chialin Chang doing the best he could while temporarily filling the role. Now with the new CFO stepping in, Chang can return to running sales. And who is this newcomer? Peter Shen, formerly of Inotera Memories and HP.

Shen has a lot on his plate coming into this new position, which has the additional role of Spokesperson. The company is struggling on the stock exchange, and smartphone sales are flagging. The HTC 10 hasn’t proven to be the game changer that the company may have hoped for, and although the Vive VR headset is an incredible piece of technology, making something awesome and making something profitable are sadly two very different things. HTC’s strategy involves launching a series of innovative flagship smartphones and leaning hard on a line of wearables.

Deal: get a Tylt Vu 3 wireless charger for just $29.99 (40% off) on Amazon

Wireless charging is one of those features that you need to try in order to fully appreciate. Yeah, it’s not truly wireless if you have to plug it in the outlet; yeah, it’s not that much faster than using a cable; but wireless charging is damn convenient, and once you get used to it, it’s hard to go back.

If you’re still not hooked up on wireless charging, here’s a good opportunity to give it a try: Tylt’s striking, but practical Vu 3 wireless charger is currently $29.99 on Amazon.

Normally listed at $69.99, the black version of the Tylt Vu 3 Coil Qi Wireless Charger was selling for around $50 in the past few weeks. Today’s deal is a 40% discount over the normal selling price.

With a user score of 4.2 out 5 across more than 950 reviews, this is a well-liked product. It features three charging coils and it’s compatible with any Qi-equipped devices, including the Galaxy S6, Nexus 6, many Motorola and LG devices and more.

The black model is the cheapest ($29.99), but spend a few bucks more and you can get handsome blue, red, or yellow versions, which are also discounted.

This is not a daily deal, but quantities may be limited. Happy shopping!

Bose announces four new pairs of headphones for fans of sport and silence

Bose has announced four new pairs of headphones – two sports models and two wireless noise-cancelling headphones. As with all Bose headphones, you can expect superior sound quality and comfort with a slightly higher price tag than your run-of-the-mill cans. But the extra cash you fork out will get you noise-cancelling, excellent battery life and that all-important brand cache.

• Best Bluetooth headphones of 2016
• Best noise-cancelling headphones

Bose QuietComfort 35 and QuietControl 30

In the QuietComfort range, Bose has announced the QC35 and in the QuietControl line, the QC30: an over-ear and in-ear offering, respectively. Both are wireless noise-cancelling headphones but the way they handle noise-cancellation is a little bit different.

The Quiet Comfort 35 over-ears let you completely block out all background noise. “With microphones inside and outside the earcups, the QC35 senses, measures and sends unwanted sounds to two proprietary digital electronic chips — one for each ear — which respond with a precise, equal and opposite signal in less than a fraction of a millisecond.” The QC35 has a 20-hour battery life and retails for $349.95/£289.95.

SoundSport and SoundSport Pulse

On the fitness front, Bose also announced an all-new range called SoundSport. There’s a standard wireless lightweight pair and a pair equipped with a heart-rate monitor in the ear bud that is apparently as precise as a chest-mounted heart rate monitor. Both models are sweat- and water-resistant and feature refined ear bud tips designed to stay in place.

The SoundSport in-ear headphones have a six-hour battery life and cost $149.95/£139.95. The SoundSport Pulse will cost you $199.95/£169.95 in September but this more advanced pair comes with a slightly shorter five-hour battery life. All Bose headphones include the Bose Connect app for additional functionality.

What are your current favorite headphones? Do you prefer wired or wireless, over-ear or in-ear?

Marshmallow is finally rolling out to the OnePlus 2

It’s been a really long time coming, and we’re happy to say the day has arrived – the OnePlus 2 is finally getting an official build of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

Announced in a blog post earlier today, the big Marshmallow update brings a number of new features and enhancements that should help breathe some new life into the handset. The over-the-air update has already started rolling out, and should reach 100% of OnePlus 2 devices within 48 hours.

Aside from a bump up to OxygenOS version 3.0.2, here are the main features that come with this update:

• Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow upgrade
• Enhanced Doze mode for better battery life
• System wide performance improvements
• Improved fingerprint sensor performance and recognition
• New OnePlus Camera UI and AF optimization
• MaxxAudio and Tuner have been removed. We have integrated with Dirac HD Sound technology for the speaker so you get a great experience without the knobs and dials
• Shelf UX has been improved. You can now long press to edit a board
• You can now lock apps in recents so they won’t be cleared away. We’ve also added clear process in addition to clear-all for those of you who want a better control of background processes
• Network operator selection will now stick to your choice so you don’t accidentally roam onto unintended networks
• SwiftKey update to 6.3.3

For some reason this update will clear out your stored fingerprints, so you’ll need to set that up again after your phone boots up.

Google first released Android 6.0 Marshmallow to its Nexus devices way back in October 2015, exactly 8 months ago today. Why is OnePlus just now getting around to updating its “2016 flagship killer” to the latest version of Android? Who knows. We’re just hoping things change with the OnePlus 3.

Have you received the update? If so, be sure to tell us how you’re liking Marshmallow!

Video shows Sony Xperia X has camera overheating problems

Update 2: Android Authority’s own Bailey Stein, who currently has an American Xperia X review model, provided the following statement having sought to test his model for similar problems:

While I did see the “some functions may be disabled” message after eleven minutes of recording 1080P at 60fps, the camera app did not close even after 30 minutes of recording on my Sony Xperia X review unit. Do keep in mind, however, that there are other variables to consider and each unit may perform differently.

It should be noted that Mr. Franc, the originator of the video this post is based on, has indicated he has a German model Xperia X and thus it’s possible this could be a regional-related issue specific to different firmware.

Update 1: Mr. Damir Franc, the man who posted the video, provided some feedback – which can be seen in the comments section below – that offers more insight into the matter at hand:

I didn’t buy it, it was a review unit I got from the press agency who handles review devices for Sony in Germany. I was also not the first one who got the unit, I guess 2nd or 3rd.

The issue was easily reproducible and I noticed it during my camera comparison because the video in the viewfinder got very stuttery like in the video just after a few minutes of recording.

I didn’t think this would get the attention it did and that’s why the test isn’t quite thought-through, I just wanted to show my few viewers what i found, nothing more, nothing less. Nothing was done on purpose to make it look bad, that was never the intention, especially since I still like the phone and therefore gave it a quite positive review.

The issue now becomes one of if the device (1) was running pre-release software, (2) was somehow damaged or such by the previous individual(s) who had previously used it before, or (3) was, and is, in need of software patches or even a hardware modification to deal with the heat-related problem. As Mr. Franc has indicated the issue is easy to reproduce, it certainly seems to be a potentially big problem for videographers.

When Sony announced its Xperia X line of products some months ago, the collective conclusion was somewhat of a concession of confusion: the Japanese OEM looked as if it was terminating its Xperia Z line of smartphones and instead “rebooting” it as the X, instead. Some weeks earlier, there was a report that said Sony aimed to rebrand all of its Xperia devices under the umbrella, yet lo and behold just this past week a new – or rather “old” – letter was reused. Still, branding aside it’s the hardware and performance that matters most, right?

Something seems to be amiss however, as one YouTuber, Damir Franc, has recorded a video that shows the Xperia X apparently has major problems when using the camera app for too long to record video. Specifically, the device begins to overheat and as a result, terminates the video recording to cool down.

The clip, which compares the Xperia X to the Samsung Galaxy S7, recreates the problem with perfect precision. The issue is, in and of itself, likely to be a potential headache for Sony, which had already made the decision to throttle the Xperia X’s camera recording down to 1080p, rather than the more standard-fare 4K video recording which is present on most higher end smartphones these days.

Now it’s quite possible that a future software update from the OEM may alleviate the issue at hand here, but at the same time it’s quite concerning that a device running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 is having trouble sustaining video recording due to heat-related issues. The upset is all the more relevant given the fact that the device itself has a 5-inch Full HD (1920 X 1280) display, not even a QHD panel.

It’s also worth pointing out that this is just one report of an overheating issue and therefore may not be indicative of a systematic problem. Mr. Franc may have simply purchased a defective unit and hence the device used is more prone to overheating issues.

Still, assuming this is not a one-off problem, given just how many devices there are on the market with a Snapdragon 650 SoC and how infrequently this issue is raised, something seems to be amiss 0n Sony’s software or hardware side. Hopefully the problem will be patched or fixed soon, less there may be a considerably number of complaining customers commenting and claiming.

Have you purchased an Xperia X? Have you noticed any problems related to the video recording or anything else? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts!

Samsung Gear Fit 2 hands-on: a gorgeous, but pricey fitness tracker

Whoa! Can you believe it took Samsung almost two whole years before finally coming out with a true successor to Gear Fit? That’s certainly a shocking revelation, knowing that the Korean giant is known to move at such a feverish pace when it comes to device refreshes, especially on a yearly basis. Despite that lengthy wait, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 is finally here to bring the attention back to fitness, first and foremost.

First of all, we will certainly say that the Gear Fit 2 is a significantly better designed fitness tracker than its predecessor. The time in between the two helped Samsung fashion together a beautiful looking wrist strapped fitness tracker.

There’s no more that feeling of bulkiness, which some considered to be the original Gear Fit’s biggest flaw, as the new Gear Fit 2 has been slimmed down tremendously. Also, there’s no more confusion about its operating orientation, since it’s now all done vertically.

While the curved screen is used again here, allowing the Gear Fit 2 to follow the contours of your wrist, it’s still one of the bigger looking fitness trackers out there. In comparison to things like the Fitbit Alta, Jawbone UP3, and even the UA Band from HTC, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 looks chunkier – albeit, it’s still not as chunky as those smartwatch-sized fitness trackers (Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band 2, Basis Peak).

Part of the reason why the Gear Fit 2 is larger than some of those other fitness trackers is because it features a larger 1.5-inch 216 x 432 curved Super AMOLED display. And boy does it look pretty! Colors are super potent and punchy, giving it that ability to instantly attract attention on your wrist. Thanks to the high resolution, everything that’s displayed is exquisitely sharp and detailed. Trust us, the screen is by far the biggest attention grabber with the Gear Fit 2.

Nearly every aspect of the Gear Fit 2 has been improved to meet the needs and demands of hardcore fitness junkies. So with that, they’ve added an IP68 rating, built-in GPS, Barometer, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. Of course, it also comes with a heart rate sensor on its underside to measure your pulse during workouts, as well as a gyro. The addition of GPS is key here, as the Gear Fit 2 can now track your runs independently – without the need of relying on your phone’s GPS. On top of that, it can act also as an independent music player, thanks to the Tizen-based software and 4GB of internal storage.

While spending just a brief time with it, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 looks fabulous no matter how you look at it. The bands are easily replaceable, similar to the implementation used by the Gear S2, which simply relies on a latch for quick and easy removal. It should be noted, however, that two sizes will be made available for it – small and large, so you’ll want to size up beforehand to know which one is right for you.

The design and features set of the Gear Fit 2 are incredible to say the least, but its worth among users will most likely lie in its ability to focus on fitness. It’ll leverage the S Health app to deliver all of the information and tracking it accrues during use, but we’ll need to spend a bit more time with that before proclaiming it a winner amongst other things.

With a price tag of $180, the Gear Fit 2 clearly grazing into smartwatch territory – placing it in the same caliber as some of the most advanced fitness trackers already on the market. It’s going to compete head-on with the likes of Fitbit Blaze and Microsoft Band 2, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of adoption we’ll see come June 10th, when the Gear Fit 2 officially goes on sale.

What do you think?