TCL's BlackBerry KEYone Goes On Sale May 31

TCL has announced that the BlackBerry KEYone, a smartphone TCL developed with BlackBerry Mobile will be available unlocked starting May 31. 

The handset includes a 4.5-inch touch display and full QWERTY keyboard, Snapdragon 625 processor, 12 megapixel camera, and Android 7.1 Nougat with BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Messenger. 

TCL plans to sell unlocked GSM and CDMA variants of the phone directly to consumers online for $549. TCL noted a carrier version will be available later this summer.


Source: BlackBerry

Samsung's Galaxy S8 And S8 Plus' Separate App Sound, How It Works

Samsung's Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ will also have a Bluetooth Dual audio feature dubbed "Separate app sounds". This allows the phone to stream audio to two Bluetooth headsets or speakers simultaneously while still allowing the user to independently control each device. Bluetooth 5.0 is twice as fast as the current standard (Bluetooth 4.2), and it offers four times the range. 

That means it can connect to compatible tech like smartwatches or smart home devices that are up to 240 meters (800 feet) away. Bluetooth 5.0 is expected to further advance the internet of things (IoT) experience, and Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ is the first phone to offer this feature.

Samsung Galaxy S8 And S8+ Home Button Moves, To Prevent Screen Burn-In

It seems Samsung has taken the same route with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, though not with the entire display. The new on-screen home button shifts around a little bit to prevent burn-in. 

The new on screen home button shifts around a little bit to prevent burn-in. Though the home button is always at the bottom when in portrait you would see it in fullscreen or landscape apps if it burned into the screen, so this is a great move on Samsung’s part.

Source: Galaxyclub

Yik Yak Shuts Down, Sells Off Engineers To Square

Yik Yak messaging app geared towards college students, announced today that it would be shutting down. The app first launched back in 2014 as a way to discretely communicate with others nearby, and it took off quickly for its gossip centric role. 

Along the way, the team scooped up $73.5 million in venture capital funding. With today’s closure and an accompanying SEC filing issued last week we’ve learned that mobile payments company Square acquired Yik Yak for its engineering talent and some minor intellectual property valued at $1 million.

At one point, investors valued Yik Yak at $400 million.

Samsung DeX Station Turns Your Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ Into A Desktop Computer

Samsung DeX Station, allows owners of the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8+ to plug into a Samsung DeX Station wired to a desktop monitor, then have a full desktop experience powered by Samsung's Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8+ smartphone.

The Samsung DeX Station features two USB 2.0 ports, ethernet port, USB Type-C power in and a cooling fan. Samsung DeX Station also features Adaptive Fast Charging allowing for fast charging your Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8+ while connected.

According to Samsung’s Injong Rhee, CTO of the Mobile Communications Business, “Our collaboration with key partners such as Adobe and Microsoft was essential in the development of Samsung DeX Station, as they share our vision for building excellence in mobile productivity. With Samsung DeX Station, enterprise users can also be assured their smartphone and data are protected by the Samsung Knox security platform built into the smartphone. Samsung DeX Station redefines what a smartphone can do to keep mobile professionals productive.”

Samsung is currently taking pre-order's for the Samsung DeX Station at $149.99 through the Samsung store and linked below at the source link. Shipping is currently scheduled for April.

Source: Samsung 

Google's Android Wear 2.0 Delayed Due To Bugs

Detailed by Google, a bug was found in final testing for an array of Android Wear devices therefore delaying Android Wear 2.0 for all eligable device with the exception of the Fossil Q Founder, Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10, and Tag Heuer Connected Watch.

                                                                                                                                                      
Here’s the statement from Google that was provided.

"We have started rolling out the Android Wear 2.0 update to Fossil Q Founder, Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 and Tag Heuer Connected. For other devices, the update is currently being delayed due to a bug found in final testing. We will push the update to the remaining devices as soon as the issue is resolved."

Samsung Unveils The New Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+

Samsung today announced the Galaxy S8 and S8+ its flagship smartphones for 2017. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ adopt what Samsung calls its Infinity Display. Infinity Display moves from the industry standard 16:9 aspect ratio to a taller 18.5:9 ratio with 2,960 by 1,440 pixels. 

The devices share nearly all features other than screen size and battery capacity. Where the Samsung Galaxy S8 has a 5.8 inch display and 3,000mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy S8+ has a 6.2 inch screen and 3,500mAh battery. 

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ is first to see Samsung drop the physical home button that has been set at the front of its handsets in favor of on screen controls and a virtual home button that's unmarked in the area below the screen. This has allowed Samsung to reduce bezel size along the top, sides, and bottom edges giving the new flagship 83% display ratio. Samsung says the displays are mobile HDR certified and offer more room for multitasking. 

Core features include a Snapdragon 835 processors with 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and SD memory card supporting a max SD card of 256GB. Both Samsung Galaxy phones are rated IP68 for protection against water and dust. 

Samsung has moved the front mounted fingerprint reader for an updated rear mounted fingerprint reader, front mounted iris scanners, as well as wireless and rapid charging. 

The main rear facing camera has a 12 megapixel sensor with optical image stabilization and an aperture of f/1.7 while the front camera has an 8 megapixel sensor and boast an aperture of f/1.7 with autofocus and face detection. 

Ports include USB-C and 3.5mm headphone jack. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ are run Android 7.0 Nougat at launch along with Samsung's new Bixby voice enabled user interface, and comes with improved Samsung Health, Samsung Connect, and Samsung Knox apps preinstalled. 

The U.S. version will come in black, silver, and purple. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ is expected to go on sale next month, with pre-orders live. Pricing will be set by carriers.

Source: Samsung

Google Outs Google Family Link Early Access Program Starting Today.

Google is working on providing a more child friendly experience for Android. Launching as invite only Family Link allows parents to control what apps children can use on managed devices as well as set screen limits and usage locks.

The Family Link apps allows parents to create a managed Google Account for their child. Installing the app and signing into that account on an intended device will present parents with several management options.

Parents have full control over what kids can download from the Play Store, while being able to track how much time is spent in those apps. Reports show usage on weekly and monthly increments. There are also daily screen time limits as well as a more general device bedtime that remotely locks devices after set hours.

The Android 7.0 or higher requirement is a notable limitation given how relatively few devices are currently running Nougat. Additionally, tablets which parents are more likely to give to young children than phones have yet to widely see the latest version of the OS.

Parents in the US can request an invite to the Family Link early access program starting today by hitting the source link below. 

Google will ask early users for feedback on how to improve the experience before rolling it out to all.


Source: Google Family Link

AT&T To Acquire Time Warner For $85.4 Billion

AT&T has agreed to purchase Time Warner for $85.4 billion in a stock-and-cash deal that will merge AT&T's delivery networks with Time Warner's vast catalog of content. AT&T believes the combined companies will be able to save $1 billion per year once fully merged. The company says the acquisition will diversify its revenue mix thanks to the lower-cost, less-regulated content business from Time Warner. 

This will balance out the high cap-ex model currently run by AT&T and its wired and wireless networks, and DirecTV satellite service, which are all heavily regulated. The merger is said to have been approved unanimously by both boards, but will require regulatory approval from the U.S. Department of Justice and the FCC. The transaction is expected to close before year end 2017. 


Source: AT&T

Android 7.1.1 Nougat Developer Preview Now Available

Google has released Android 7.1.1 Nougat Developer Preview for a limited number of devices that includes the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C tablet. According to Google the Developer Preview will be available for other devices beginning in November.

If you are already signed up for the Android Developer Program then there isn’t anything else you need to do. The Developer Preview will become available to you, as long as you have the supported device(s) soon, as updates are provided as OTA releases. If you are not signed up, manually flashing the Android 7.1.1 Developer Preview is also an option (link provided below).

Android 7.1.1 brings a few welcomes changes such as app shortcuts by long press on an app icon and quick shortcuts will pop up, the new software also includes round icons, and a more advanced keyboard. To sign up for Android 7.1.1 Developer Preview hit the source link below. Let us know what you think in the comment section below.


Source: Android Developers Blog, Android Beta Program, flashing a device manually