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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Google Says “Nexus Orders are Shipped in Order Received” – Thoughts, Nexus 6P Owners?

On the morning of September 29, Google announced two new Nexus devices – the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. Later that same day, Google opened up pre-orders for each with a mostly open-ended expected date of arrival. Android enthusiasts didn’t care about the lack of a shipping date, as they were simply too excited at the thought of being able to choose between two Nexus phones for the first time.

Three weeks went by and Google announced that Nexus 5X orders would begin shipping. And they did. Nexus 6P orderees were left a bit frustrated by the lack of word on their future phone, but assumed all would be well and things would start moving along shortly. And that happened too. Cards began to see charges and shipping noticed arrived. For some. Well, a few. 

Google didn’t mention anything about devices shipping this time, instead choosing the silence route. Then the device sold out across all models of the 6P. Then it was back in stock! Then everyone who read reviews and decided they wanted in on the premium Huawei fun started ordering again with varying estimated ship dates! And then those late orders started shipping almost immediately, while those original Android enthusiast orders sat in “Pending” purgatory!

As you can imagine, owners of those early orders were not exactly excited to see their orders remain frozen while this new batch of late bloomers were getting devices so quickly. So they took to Twitter and reddit and (probably) Facebook and Google+ communities and our comments and wherever else internet people go to complain about such injustices.

Google clearly heard the complaints and sent this Tweet last night.

Lulz. Not good, Google.

And the replies then came in with proof that this wasn’t the case at all. Like this one, where a guy pre-ordered a 64GB Aluminium model a month ago and then another one 3 days ago. Guess which one shipped? Yep, you guessed it.

The replies only get better from there, many of which are not exactly SFW.

Oh, Google. There is trolling and there is trolling.

Nexus 6P folks, how are your orders doing?

Google Says “Nexus Orders are Shipped in Order Received” – Thoughts, Nexus 6P Owners? is a post from: Droid Life



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Wednesday, November 4, 2015

OnePlus X Might Struggle With LTE in the US

Last week, OnePlus announced the OnePlus X, a nicely designed, budget-friendly unlocked smartphone for the global market. At the time of announcement, OnePlus gave out a list of LTE bands supported by the device, which many noticed was very lacking in terms of US support.

We reached to OnePlus, asking if the list of bands was indeed accurate, and unfortunately, the company’s response confirms that anyone who purchases this device in the US may struggle with LTE connection.

As listed for the OnePlus X, bands supported are Band 1, Band 2, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, and Band 8. Here in the US, to be a desirable unlocked smartphone, the device would need to feature Band 12 and Band 17, which is what AT&T and T-Mobile have for low-frequency coverage. The 700MHz spectrum is usually what gives you service while inside of buildings, in suburban neighborhoods, and across rural areas of the land.

The devices does come with Band 4 support, but again, AT&T uses Band 17 for most of its LTE network. If you were to use this phone with AT&T, your LTE connection may not be that reliable.

This is the response we received from OnePlus when we asked about the supported bands, and if there were plans to add support for Band 17.

The bands listed on the spec sheet are correct. We have no plans for adding more bands right now.

Even with the $249 price, there are plenty of other similar devices that can at least deliver a solid 4G LTE for a reasonable price. The Moto G (3rd Gen) is a prime example.

If 4G LTE is not a priority for you, that’s fine, and you can order the device starting November 19. Keep in mind, you will need an invite to buy it.

OnePlus X Might Struggle With LTE in the US is a post from: Droid Life



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Samsung has Considered Letting Non-Samsung Phones Use Samsung Pay

During a lengthy conversation with ZDnet, the executive VP and head of enterprise business at Samsung’s mobile business (holy sh*t title), Injong Rhee, laid out all sorts of little nuggets of information on the company’s new mobile payment system, Samsung Pay. Rhee talked about their plans for expansion in the US, early successes of the platform in Korea, how they want to be more than just the other mobile payment system, new devices to feature Samsung Pay, and if they would ever let other manufacturers use the technology. 

The article is quite lengthy and so I encourage you to read the whole thing to find out all there is to know about Samsung Pay. Below, though, you’ll find a summary of sorts with the highlights.

  • Samsung doesn’t actually expect to ever replace your wallet with Samsung Pay, they instead just hope to make your wallet smaller by at least replacing your credit cards. In fact, they think that Samsung Pay and wallets “complement” each other.
  • As of October, Samsung says it has 1 million Samsung Pay subscribers and hit $88 million in transaction volume.
  • Samsung’s early US partners didn’t prioritize Samsung Pay because they all thought it was just another mobile payment system, like Apple Pay and Android Pay. But according to Samsung, the early market reaction was so good, that their partners realized the service was a priority.
  • In November, a major update will rollout that will allow for gift cards, membership cards, and in-app purchases. The UI will also get a slight improvement with a new menu that will show you all of your registered cards at once.
  • As far as future devices go, Samsung plans to start including Samsung Pay’s Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology in non-flagship phones. So at some point in the near future, low and mid-tier Samsung phones will be doing mobile payments just like the Galaxy line.
  • To confuse things a bit, the article talks about the Gear S2 not supporting Samsung Pay and that future watch will. I say that is confusing because the Gear S2 has NFC built-in and is supposed to be receiving an update within the next few weeks to add Samsung Pay support. Samsung’s own website even still shows it as being ready for Samsung Pay. We’ve reached out to Samsung for clarification on this and will follow-up if we hear back.
  • Finally, when asked if Samsung consider letting its partners use Samsung Pay, Rhee said that they have “considered” it, but that they aren’t currently working with anyone because they are “focusing all our energy on deployment.” Can you imagine, a Nexus with NFC and MST? Heaven,

Again, the whole article is worth a read if you want to know the current situation and future of Samsung Pay.

Via:  ZDnet

Samsung has Considered Letting Non-Samsung Phones Use Samsung Pay is a post from: Droid Life



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Deal: Grab a Homido Virtual Reality Headset for $69.95

Available through the DL Deals Store, you can pick up a Homido Virtual Reality Headset for just $69.95, down from its usual price of $100. With this VR headset, you stick in your smartphone, then open up an app that acts as a library of games, videos, and other activities you can do outside of your real, non-digital life. 

The headset allows you to watch 3D movies, “immerse yourself” in crowds during a concert or under the sea scuba diving, and it is wireless for ultimate portability. If you pick one up, you will need the Homido Center app, which features all of the content you will need.

The VR headset is up now, and if you have a compatible device, follow the link below.

Features

  • Watch your favorite 3D movies w/ binocular-vision-mode & two stereoscopic lenses
  • Immerse yourself in the middle of a crowd, underwater, or wherever your heart desires w/ 360˚ videos
  • Combine 3D & 360˚ head-tracking for a whole new gaming experience
  • Customize the vision w/ farsighted & nearsighted settings
  • Use it wirelessly as you maneuver about
  • Immerse yourself in virtual reality w/ 100% Field View
  • Adjust the distance between the two lenses & change out the face contact foam for a custom fit
  • Attach your smartphone w/ the locking clip for safety
  • Find a new game to play or an exciting environment to explore in the Homido Center w/ 300 app options

Deal Link

Deal: Grab a Homido Virtual Reality Headset for $69.95 is a post from: Droid Life



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Choo Choo: BlackBerry Hops on the Monthly Android Security Update Train

Picking up a BlackBerry Priv? If so, you should be happy to learn that BlackBerry is committing to monthly Android security updates, just as we have seen from Google, Samsung, and LG. These updates will include enterprise-managed updates, as well as general vulnerability updates that Google notifies OEMs about. More importantly, BlackBerry also states that they will handle hotfixes, which require faster rollout. 

Stated by BlackBerry, “Android is a complex, rapidly changing, massively popular, open source product, which makes it an attractive and fertile target for attackers,” and security is at the top of their priority list when it comes to the OS.

On BlackBerry’s website, the OEM details the importance of monthly updates, as it is Google who will release the information regarding vulnerabilities to the public, which leads to bad news for consumers.

Each month Google releases to BlackBerry and other Android OEMs a security bulletin containing a list of recently discovered Android vulnerabilities. Approximately one month later, Google exposes these in the public domain, so it is critical that BlackBerry release software in advance of public disclosure.

The Priv is set to arrive later this week across the US. Are you picking up a BlackBerry?

Via: BlackBerry

Choo Choo: BlackBerry Hops on the Monthly Android Security Update Train is a post from: Droid Life



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Chrome Dev Gets Colored Toolbars Without Merging Tabs!

Through Chrome 39 and Lollipop, Google introduced a little customization option for websites like ours who want to give visitors a semi-custom experience when they stop by. The new option allowed for us to offer a colored toolbar to Lollipop deivces, which we proudly turned on as Droid Life pink. The pink color has been viewable on the site since last November, but many of you probably never noticed it. 

Assuming you aren’t using Chrome’s “tab merge” feature (I seriously don’t know why anyone would), then you haven’t been able to see the pink toolbar. For whatever reason, Google only enabled colored toolbars when you told Chrome to merge your tabs in with your app switcher. So if you are like us, and refuse to merge tabs because the Chrome experience is a frustrating mess when merged, then your DL mobile browser experience hasn’t been as pink as it should be.

That may soon change, though, as Chrome Dev was updated this week to show colors in toolbars when not merged. Look at the image at the top of the post! How pretty is that?

Now, if the coloring is stable enough, you would hope that the feature would soon graduate to Beta before moving onto Stable. If that timeline continues to rollout, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Play Link

chrome dev toolbars-2

This is Chrome Beta without the coloring.

Chrome Dev Gets Colored Toolbars Without Merging Tabs! is a post from: Droid Life



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Google Drive Updated With Rich Notifications, Easier Access When File Sharing

An update for Google Drive is rolling out, bringing three features for those who use the service routinely on mobile devices. Once updated, users will have easier access to granting and gaining access to restricted files, the ability to preview files without a Google account on an Android device, and rich notifications when files are shared with you.

As of now, pre-update, sharing restricted files can be somewhat of a pain. You have to enter in the person’s email, have them accept, then you have to manage the permissions they have. But with the update, the Drive app lets recipients request access with a single tap, and file owners will be notified of the request instantly on the mobile device.

On the notification side of things, after the update, you will receive mobile notifications to alert you immediately when files or folders are shared with you and a single tap can take you right to them. Lastly, anyone can now preview documents, even if they do not have a Google account, as long as they are on an Android device. Why you would use Android and not have a Google account, I have no idea.

The update is rolling out to Google Play now, so keep you eyes open for it.

Play Link

Via: Google Drive

Google Drive Updated With Rich Notifications, Easier Access When File Sharing is a post from: Droid Life



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