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Lollipop 5.0 And The Phones That Will Be Upgraded First

February 13, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Which are the very first phones and devices that will be upgraded to the new versions of Android, Lollipop 5.0? That is the answer Android users all over the world are awaiting.

Android 5.0 Lollipop has been released on the market and all manufacturers hurried to update their phones to the newest version of the Google operating system. To be sure you are informed with everything there is to know, here are the official news but also the rumours regarding the fresh arrival on your favorite brands of phones and tablets of Lollipop 5.0.

SONY

Sony comes with good news for all the people owning Xperia Z smartphone.The company will update all its premium models to Android 5.0 Lollipop and they have confirmed that the following phones will be updated with the new software: Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3V, and also the Xperia Z3 Compact.

Their tablets haven’t been left aside either, and will be updating the Lollipop 5.0 on the tablets Xperia Z, Xperia Z2 and the latest Xperia Z3 compact. The Google Play Edition of Xperia Z Ultra seems to already have been updated. Last December, Sony confirmed that they intend to start a broader update of Android 5.0. A post on the official Xperia Twitter account, reaffirmed the company’s intention of bringing Android 5.0. to the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z3 at the beginning of 2015.

LG

Until now, LG’s Android 5.0 updates have been limited to Europe, but that has changed, and Lollipop 5.0 is on its way to the United States. The updating starts with AT&T for the LG3, according to Android Authority.  The update occupies a space of 689.53 MB and starting with February 10, people owning G3s will get it.

Ending of October, LG sent from the Twitter account of LG Electronics UK, a welcome tweet concerning the G3 smartphone, informing that the G3 phone model should get its Android 5.0 update before the end of the year. They haven’t mentioned an exact date, but recent news stated that it might come sooner than later.

The first in line will be G3 owners from Poland, and the process is expected to start from the 10th of November. A statement from LG’s blog said that this will be followed by other key markets in the near future. LG’s seems very proud of the efforts for Android 5.0 and stated with confidence that it will be the first worldwide manufacturer which will provide this year the latest version of the OS created by Google. As usual, it will be an shaky release which will depend on the cooperation of the network. A French network, released on the 8th of December, a software update schedule and the LG G3 model was catalogued as being ongoing.

Also at the middle of December, there has been a leak of the list containing the European countries where G3 would receive Lollipop 5.0. Among the mentioned countries were Austria, UK, Italy, Germany and Spain, December 12 being the start date. In India, G3 phones seem that would receive the software, before the ending of the month.

It doesn’t come as a surprise hearing that LG will first take care of its phones, and once that is over LG will discuss about the other devices to be prepared for the update. G Pro2 and phones like G Flex and also the G3 Beat are expected to occupy high places on the list.

MOTOROLA

Motorola collaborated with Google to create the Nexus 6, so it is normal that they are already pretty familiar with the OS to quickly upgrade its latest phones. On their official blog they declared that Moto x and Moto G phones will get Lollipop 5.0 together with the versions 4G LTE of the Moto G and the Moto E.

The older Motorola phones wont be left out either, also the Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx and the Droid Mini. On the 12th of November Motorola has released Android 5.0 for the second generation of Moto X Plus, the U.S. version and the international second generation of Moto G. At the ending of last month, owners of Moto G second generation connected to Verizon, have also updated to the new version.

Beginning of December, Indian owners of original Moto G, reported the arrival of Lollipop 5.0 which was confirmed by Motorola on its own software update page. In France, the Moto G phones would be updated in December but it wasn’t mentioned which generation of Moto G would be updated. Motorola promised that soon other devices will be updated as well.

SAMSUNG

In the U.S., the first Samsung smart phones that will receive the update will be Galaxy S5, sold at Verizon, which should happen to all the Galaxy S5 owners during the next two weeks.

For those on other networks, including the ones owning Galaxy Note 4, will have to wait a bit more, until Lollipop 5.0 will be updated on their devices. Usually manufacturers, send out updates little by little to ensure everything is working perfectly.

The European Galaxy S5 owners, will slowly but surely receive the update, with U.S. smart phones close behind, but the update will be related to the speed with which networks favour the new firmware.

A previous rumour that was published by SamMobule.com, turned out to be real, when Polish users started to receive the update at the beginning of December 2014. British Galaxy S5 owners have also access to Lollipop 5.0. A schedule update of a French network, showed that Galaxy S5 will be upgraded during the month of December, while Galaxy Note 4 will be postponed till January.

According to SamMobile, Samsung has given a unique makeover to their Android interface to bring it on the same level with Google’s Material Design, introduced with Android 5.0 and also a selection of brand new features.

NEXUS

Nexus has upgraded their new Nexus 6 smartphones and on the tablet Nexus 9. The Lollipop 5.0 was confirmed also for Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 smartphones and the tablets Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.
Google tweeted on the 12th of December that Lollipop has been released and will quickly be available on the majority of Nexus devices.

HTC

HTC was the other Android 5.0 hardware of Google along with Motorola, and produced the Nexus 9 tablet. According to HTC’s official page of software update, HTC One and HTC One M8 will be updated to Lollipop 5.0. Even though the company has announced the updated within 90 days after the team would receive the last version from Google, failed to make its deadline.
HTC said that in spite of that the update will be introduced soon enough. In Europe already have Lollipop 5.0 on their HTC One M8.
Starting with the 10th of February, T-Mobile upgraded to Lollipop customers having HTC One M8 phones. The update occupies around 630 MB and can be done by going to Settings> About> Software Update. The phones HTC One M7 and M8 Google Play Editions should be the first to receive the upgrade, somewhere between November and December. The versions Sense-based will be next and will be updated in January/February.

During the period between January March, Lollipop 5.0 will arrive to phones like One M8 Dual Sim, Desire Eye, E8 Dual-Sim, One E8 and also Butterfly 2.According to the source, Lollipop should make its way to the Desire Eye, One M8 Dual-Sim, One E8, One E8 Dual-Sim, and the Butterfly 2.

By March and April Desire 816 and One Mini 2 should be upgraded and Butterfly S and One Mini are scheduled for March/ May. An interesting fact is that the Desire 820 , of 64 bit hasn’t been mentioned. However, their Mediatek powered handsets are still evaluated so it is not sure if they will receive the Lollipop 5.0 upgrade.

Image Sources: xda Developers, Sony.com, Lg.com, Tech 2, T-Mobile.com, TechAdvisor, HTC.com

Facebook Creates Legacy Contact For Profiles Of Deceased People

February 13, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

A new section is about to change the future of the Facebook pages of people who have passed away as Facebook creates legacy contact for profiles of deceased persons, meaning, someone will handle their data aftewards.

Facebook has revealed a brand new tool that allows users to decide what happens to their Facebook account after they pass way,and could also be called a will for their social media pages.

The new settings will let users to decide whether their pages should be deleted for good. Or they can choose a “legacy contact” a some sort of web executor who can manage their internet data.

So far, the status of a Facebook profile after the death of the user, has been kind of foggy. The family members of the person who had just passed away, were able to contact the social media network and ask them to take down the page or turn it into a memorial. But the road has not been steady.

There have been clients contacting Facebook to ask for the page of their deceased child to remain memorialized, but there was one family member that reached Facebook and asked them to delete the page, explained a lawyer from the Minneapolis firm, Gray Plant, James Lamm.

The new protocols would allow the user’s legacy person to update a memorial page, which includes the posting of a adapted message from the person deceased, would download that person’s posts and publish updates at the top of the profile.

Even so, Facebook will not allow access of the legacy person to the private messages sent among users.

Facebook has proved to be an amazing tool also when it comes to grieving the loss of a loved one, remembering that person and celebrating their life. These were clear signs that Facebook should put more work into supporting the grieving families and friends.

The new policy of Facebook, is a sequel of what Google did in 2013, when it started its Inactive Account Manager, a service which allows friends or family members to take over the Google belongings of the deceased person.

Users of Google are the ones deciding who will get access and to which files. For example, a woman could let her husband download all the images stored in her Google account, but could block the access to her e-mail messages from her account of Gmail.

The new tool of Facebook might be a following of the efforts of a commission of legislators from several states to adopt a law that would facilitate the access of relatives to the deceased person’s online files. The state of Delaware has passed this legislation and Massachusetts would consider it.

However Facebook and other web companies are against this legislation, as it would give the relatives of the deceased person complete access to his/hers documents. Lets say, if the family would have access to emails and messages that contain embarrassing information about the person who just died and his/hers friends. This could also have an impact on the privacy of the ones who were in contact with the dead person, for example revealing identities of members of Alcoholics Anonymous who chatted trough mails.

Here is how you can create your Facebook Legacy Contact

Go on Facebook and press the symbol with three bars that can be found either at the top or bottom of the page

Scroll down until you reach the section called” Help & Settings” and press on “Account Settings”

When in Settings, pick the second tab from the first setion, called “Security”

At the bottom of the security options, you will find a “Legacy contact” and there you will be informed on what your designated Legacy Contact will be allowed to do.

If you don’t wish to designate a person, you can choose for your account to be deleted after your death. Even though this option is not recommended, but it is your call.

For more information regarding the creation of a legacy contact go to Facebook’s FAQ Legacy Contact page.
Image Source: NBC news
Image Source: The Hoops News

The People Who Have Volunteered To Spend The Rest Of Their Lives On Mars

February 13, 2015 By Nancy Young 2 Comments

Would you live Earth to live on another planet that looks exactly the opposite of our green and friendly planet? There are people who have volunteered to spend the rest of their lives on Mars, far far far away from everything they know and is familiar.

When making life changing decisions, there are a lot of things we take into consideration before taking actions. Just the thought of moving to another city, implies so many changes and make us wonder about how will our life be affected by it, let’s not talk about moving to another country, a situation that would change our whole universe.
Talking about Universe, if moving to another city or country would be challenging, how about moving to another planet, lets say Mars?

Would you be brave enough to leave Earth for good along with all the comfort that this planet offers us and move to less life hospitable conditions like the ones on Mars?
Well, if you are not brave enough to do it, there are others who would leave even this instant.
Mars One, a special travel nonprofit, is planning the next giant leap for human kind, establishing a permanent settlement for human life and after, will send people there.

WHATS THE PLAN AND HOW TO APPLY

The organisation will soon start the selection of the next round of “space lovers” out of almost 700 present finalists. So far, tens of thousands of people are ready to leave their families, jobs and Earth life behind and move to Mars and never come back.
The project plans to land the very first Mars colonists by the year 2023. Applicants with the minimum age of 18, are eligible to apply, it doesn’t matter were are they from. So far, Mars One has received over 165,000 applications, so there are that many people who want to run away from this planet.

During the interview, applicants had to respond questions from the audience, concerning their main reasons they wanted to for ever go to Mars. Twenty nine years old, Aaron Hamm a hotel manager, stated that traveling to Mars has been his lifetime dream, Leila Zucker, of 45 years old, married and an emergency doctor, said that space travel has been a wish since she was a child, Austin Bradley of 32 years old, is a physics student , stated that he wanted to apply for NASA, but MarsOne could actually be his one way ticket to space.

IS SPACE TRAVEL FOR ANYBODY?

What does it take to dream so far away from Earth? Does it take tremendous courage and a great dose of crazy?
Yes, a little crazy is definitely needed, as this is not for everybody and it takes a certain type of person to deliberately choose to live the rest of their life, “prisoner” on another planet, not life friendly at all, with no breathable air, no cable television, not cell phones, no more video games, bye bye romantic walks on the beach and maybe bye bye sex.

Since the moment we started space explorations, the humans sent in outer space, have always been chosen from the smartest, the ones most physically fit and the ones having the best skills for survival in the an unfriendly environment. This criteria was mainly based on the fact that leaving Earth was a difficult task.

Astronauts had to know how to fly ships, how to fix computers, to conduct scientific experiments, and if these things weren’t hard enough as it was, they had to do all this in a zero gravity space, wearing space suits that needed also knowledge to put on and off.

But the organisation who is preparing to colonise Mars in the future, doesn’t demand such high qualifications from the people that will populate planet Mars. The present technology can help humans arrive to Mars in about nine months, a period of time close to the one spent by astronauts on the International Space Station. It doesn’t sound easy and you wont just go to bed and wake up the next morning on Mars.

HOW WILL PEOPLE LIVE THERE?

Previous explorations taken by NASA’s Curiosity Opportunity and its arsenal of Rovers, experts have enough information about the conditions on Mars and what would be the demands to make human living possible. First of all people would need special spacesuits to protect themselves against dust storms and sub zero temperatures, large quantities of frozen dried food, housing capsules that could provide protection against radiation, and a huge drill to reach the water found beneath the surface of Mars. It doesn’t sound like an easy living at all, but people should manage.

One of the most difficult tasks wont be trying to stay alive but trying to remain sane. Life on Earth has provided humans with a lot of things that they might not manage to live without, and we are not talking about the vital things like water and air. Try imagining living on a planet where there are no cupcakes, no Starbucks, none of these things that are addictive and so comforting.

Moving on further, living a life without love, and since love is out of the question, living a life without sex? How many of us could go trough that and still keep his head straight and clear?The ones choosing this extreme isolation should have a great amount of weirdness in them, otherwise is tough to swallow. For those who are curious if they are fit to live on the Red Planet or if they want to get a glimpse of how life there would be like, here are some things you need to know from the Survival to Life on Mars guide.

THINGS YOU WILL HAVE TO GIVE UP

Sex- colonists are not advised to have intercourse as the supplies couldn’t support the arrival of a baby born in space
Beer- sad thing, but carbonate drinks cannot survive in low atmospheric pressure conditions
No food that cannot be freeze-dried
Your family and loved ones, if you thought internet connection on earth was bad, imagine being 35 million years away
Definitely say goodbye to your World Cup tickets from 2026.

THINGS YOU WILL NEED

A lot of curiosity and fascination for the unknown
A tablet with a lot of books, which should include Introduction to Rocket Science and Engineering by Travis Taylor and possibly How to Win a Bridge
Plenty of self esteem as there are no mirrors in outer space
Meat glue, also known as transglutaminase, to convert the pre-fab proteins they would serve in space, into an actual meal.
Maybe some good old scotch.
Lots of condoms, because who wants to have a baby in space, its difficult enough on Earth imagine how would be out there in the loneliness, and you couldn’t pass out the opportunity of space sex, could you?
Image Source: Space.com
Image Source: Z NEWS
Image Source: Space.com

Healbe GoBe Review: Is A Fitness Gadget Able To Count The Calories You Have Eaten?

February 10, 2015 By Karen Jackson 1 Comment

When struggling to loose weight, being able to be informed on how much energy you have spent, could be very helpful, but there are two aspects of the problem. A fitness tracker might tell you how many calories you have burnt during a 5 kilometres you have run in the morning, but it wouldn’t know about the high caloric breakfast you might have after. For those worrying about that now, there is a device that can tell you if you have eaten more calories than you have burnt.

SUMMARY

There are gadgets that allow you to log your daily diet, but people might forget to log on their meals every time, including the goodies they cheated their diet with. So, the perfect fitness wearable gadget would be the one that tracks your physical activity, auto logs your sleep hours and is aware of everything you have eaten without you telling it. GoBe, by Healbe costs $300 and it promises to do all of those things

The marketing slogan of the products is “GoBe You” and the main idea of it is quite simple: a wearable gadget that can provide a complete overview of your every day fitness condition. The device can tell if you have eaten more calories than you have burned, or the other way around, can analyse the quality and duration of your sleep, can keep count of you daily water intake and can even measure the stress levels, among others. For those who are into fitness, diets and keeping their body healthy the device might be a dream come true.

After all these life changing claims, it was obvious there were going to be certain critics who were doubting its capacity, saying that they found it hard to believe the gadget can measure the caloric intake, the way it was presented by the company. The only way to prove them right or wrong was to test the device itself.

DOES IT REALLY WORK?

For a broad explanation, the system the gadget was created, is based on a impedance sensor that can detect fluid levels in our body tissue. Theoretically after we consume food, our system converts it to glucose and as body cells absorb it, they release water. GoBe calculates this moving of fluid and with the help of an algorithm it converts all that into a number of calories.

The device has risen a lot of medical controversies, as medical experts believe that the measuring of calories in this manner was impossible and also they are skeptics whether the device can measure glucose in the blood non invasively, as they haven’t yet found a way to do it otherwise.

So the only way to prove them wrong or right was to test the device itself.

HARDWARE

The device is designed to be worn on the wrist. The aspect is not very discreet, compared to fitness trackers. GoBe is a large metallic piece fixed with a plastic strap. It has one button and a punctured top section serves to hide a simple LED display.

The bottom of the gadget has two plug-ins for charging and the metal sensor that is in contact with the skin. The aspect of it might remember you of a GPS tracking device similar to the ones that could be used to attach on criminals who were released out on bail. Most probably it is not one of the cutest devices but isn’t either all up in your face. The dark grey strap can be taken out and replaced with a purple one, which comes with the package.

GoBe has three sensors: the impedance sensor, a pressure sensor and an accelerometer. All three together, calculate calories, heart rate and activity. The last two sensors together are able to analyse your sleep. It can connect to the phone via Bluetooth and it is water proof up to three meters which means users can shower and swim at peace.

It is not uncomfortable to wear, even though the size of the main sensor part is bigger than the wrist with about 1 centimetre, almost 2 towards the ticker part. The tester admitted to feeling a small itch on the spot where the sensor makes contact with the skin.

Regarding the battery life, Healbe claims it will last for three whole days.

SOFTWARE

The gadget works on both Android and iOS, and the app created for it will show all your situation.
The pairing process is quite simple as the app asks you to switch on your GoBe and once it finds it you pair the two of them the same as any other Bluetooth device. After that you will need to fill in your vitals, for a more precise calorie calculation, like size, gender, age etc.).

Once that is completed, you will be forwarded to the main interface of the app, which has five sections: Energy, Water, Heart, Sleep and Stress. So it was designed for more actions than just calculate the food intake. If swiping every section’s icon to the left, you will read a short summary, total amount of burnt calories, sleep hours and so on.

The prime section is called “My Energy Balance”, portrayed as a circular icon that can be used as a visual shortcut. At the beginning the circle will be half filled and depending on the calories intake of that day, the volume inside will grow or decrease. Under this, written with the big font is the number that shows your up to date shortfall or excess in KCAL. If you scroll down, it shows you how many grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat you have eaten. It will also inform you on how many of those grams have transformed back into energy.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

When referring to GoBe, the message transmitted on Healbe’s site is “Tell it nothing. Knows everything.” Even though this is the goal of the invention apparently this might be true only in the minds of its marketing team. The device doesn’t ask you to log food manually, but you have to inform it on when you have eaten, if not you will get no tracking.

You are supposed to press for two seconds GoBe’s only button to let the device know that you are preparing to eat, and from that point on GoBe should receive the rest of the information from the impedance sensor for the next 15 to 30 minutes, while your body is absorbing what you ate. A procedure that seems legit, but parts away from the idea of the gadget being automatic. Sometimes one might forget to press the button, or remember about it during the meal.

But it comes with a back up plan. When you sink with the app, if the device logged any impedance information, it would ask you to confirm if you were eating or not at that time. So it wont skip the meals you forgot to fill in. What is a little bothering is that the at times there are several pop ups that keep asking if you ate at a certain time. Sometimes these periods are overlapping. For example it asks “Did you eat between 12:00 and 12:25?” and then ask you if you ate between 12:15 and 12:35, etc. If you fill in the data at the end of the day, you might not remember exactly at what time you had a biscuit, even if you try to remember.

Another problem might be the battery life. It can happen the battery to run out while you are sleeping or at the end of the day, even if you have charged it in the morning. The battery dying right before a meal, and having to constantly charge it, can be quite frustrating, if it affects the accuracy of calorie counting, showing a large difference of caloric intake between the manually calculated and the ones logged by GoBe.

When your comes to tracking your sleep, GoBe might turn out to be exceptional as unlike the counting of calories this is indeed automatic. It really manages to log sleep and naps very accurate. As the device is aware of your heart rate trough out the day, plus the movement information reported by the accelerometer, and the extra data the device would gather while you are sleeping.

Apart from this, the gadget offers information about the quality of your sleep, including the moments when your heart rate is below 60(bradychardia) and when you go trough irregular heart beating(arrhythmia) and also tells you, if your body goes trough heart blocks.

On the fitness activity tracking, the device seems to do a good job as well, since it can measure your pulse, it will know when you are running and for how long and in this way it would tell you the effects it will have on your body.

CONCLUSION

Bottom line, the gadget might need further improvement, especially in the counting calories area, as it doesn’t deliver useful enough data. And there is also the fact that it’s a device that requires interaction, despite its claims of “knowing everything”.
Image Source: Digital Trends
Image Source: Digital Trends
Image Source: Indiegogo
Image Source: Computer Nerds
Image Source: Digital Trends
Image Source: Blog Healbe

First Ubuntu Phone Coming Soon

February 7, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Image source: cbsistatic.com

The first Ubuntu phone is going to be released soon by Canonical, after the failed attempt to crowdfund the project. But can a new smartphone compete with the popular Android devices and iPhones?

In the following days, the first smartphone that runs Canonical’s Ubuntu operating system is going to be launched in Europe by BQ, a Spanish electronics company. The new device features a very distinctive approach towards common smartphones in terms of user interface and a very affordable price. However, we’re not very clear how the new mobile phone will stand out in a market that’s controlled by Android smartphones and iPhones.

Canonical and BQ are coming right behind Xiaomi, the Chinese mobile phone manufacturer, which sold an enormous amount of very affordable Redmi 1S phones in India last summer. For only brief intervals, the Chinese company offered its mobile phones through the online retailer Flipkart. This tactic proved to be very successful and soon Micromax, a rival company, started having similar sales through Snapdeal.com in September. It seems that fake shortages are adored by the social media.

The first Ubuntu phone comes in black and has 8GB of storage, a 1.3GHz MediaTek Quad Core Cortex A7 processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera. The new device is dubbed Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition.

Canonical initially tried to get into the mobile phone market with the help of a crowdfunding campaign in July 2013. The company tried to raise $32 million but was only able to get $12 million, and since the company chose an all or nothing kind of campaign they had to refund all of it.

The smartphone uses a card oriented interface, very similar to Google Now. These cards in the interface are called Scopes and present content that, on iOS and Android, would be displayed in several different apps. For instance, the “Today” card shows contact information, weather information and a calendar. Users can easily swipe between cards, which is somewhat easier than opening and closing several apps.

Some of the Scopes on the first Ubuntu phone are “Video”, “Music”, “News”, “Nearby” and several others. Users may also open apps from Scopes or by selecting them from an app menu that slides on the screen from the side. This is quite a departure from the home screens found on iOS or Android devices.

Even though there is interest in this new mobile phone, it is competing in a market dominated by Android and iOS devices along other low-priced phones offered by both Windows and Android.

New Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Details

February 6, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Image source: phonearena.com

Some new Samsung Galaxy S6 release details have surfaced recently and we will present a few of them to you.

We have seen a lot of rumors regarding the Samsung Galaxy S6 in the news in the last couple of months. These rumors tease almost everything regarding the new device, from the Galaxy S6 specs and design to the Galaxy S6 release date. As we come closer to Samsung’s usual launch window, we’ve began seeing numerous rumors that hint at a very large scale launch of the device.

Some publications claim that the new Galaxy S6 will come in four different colors: blue-green, dark blue, white and gold. The Galaxy S5 was available in black and white only. It seems like the curved version of the Samsung Galaxy S6 called the Galaxy S Edge will be launched in the same four different colors. Samsung is well known for providing different carriers and retailers exclusive colors but we hope the South Korean company will make all the colors available regardless of retailer or carrier.

More and more companies are getting ready for the release of the Samsung Galaxy S6. We’ve seen numerous companies post teasers about the new device and Belsimpel (a Dutch mobile carrier) has even posted its own teaser page about rumors regarding the Galaxy S6.

Such companies are trying to get attention before the official Samsung Galaxy S6 announcement and even though the details they provide are very vague, it’s pretty obvious that companies are preparing for a huge Galaxy S6 release.

Some publications claim that the new smartphone from Samsung will feature the rumored rival of Apple Pay available on iPhones. It has been said that the Galaxy S6 will use the LoopPay mobile payment service. If this is true, we might get to see Samsung reveal the new service in March.

Samsung confirmed earlier this week an Unpacked event in Barcelona, Spain on March 1st. This event in Spain will help start the Mobile World Congress 2015 show. Samsung hasn’t yet confirmed the arrival of the Galaxy S6 but the South Korean company generally saves these events for big product releases. And if the Galaxy S6 isn’t a big release then we have no idea what a big release for Samsung actually means.

The Galaxy S6 design is believed to be a step up from the usual plastic design Samsung usually uses. The South Korean company keeps on hinting that it will use a new form factor and a premium design for its newest device. More and more rumors claim that the new Galaxy S6 will use glass, metal or a combination of both of these materials. There is a theory that states the company’s metal based designs of Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 were trial runs for the new Galaxy S6.

Recent design leaks of the Samsung Galaxy S6 hint at redesigned buttons, a thinner design and curved edges. Many of these leaks come from an accessory maker that probably has the right dimensions of the Galaxy S6.

Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers usually offer accessory producers dimensions and molds of their products before the official launch. This allows such companies to be prepared when the device finally hits the market. In the past we’ve seen manufacturers give out accurate details regarding the design of unreleased smartphones but there have also been occasions in which they were completely wrong.

Rumors about the new Samsung Galaxy S6 point to very powerful specifications. The smartphone’s specifications include a 20MP OIS camera, Exynos 64 bit processor and a Quad HD display. Most rumors also claim that the smartphone will be made out of premium materials such as glass or aluminum and will feature wireless charging. It’s believed that the device will launch on all major carriers in the United States including Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, U.S. Cellular and Sprint.

There is no indication that the South Korean company will get rid of its Super AMOLED screens so we expect the S6 to also feature one. There will probably be a boost in the resolution, however. We expect the Samsung S6 to have a resolution of at least 2,560 x 1,440.

As a matter of fact, Samsung even said that it intends to manufacture smartphones with 3,840 x 2,160 4K displays by 2015. It is quite possible that its newest device will completely ignore 2K and jump directly to 4K. But we’ll be really surprised if this will happen. It’s very likely that Samsung will save such a resolution for its Galaxy Note 5.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 may get a relatively bigger screen whether it will be QHD or not. The South Korean company has gradually been making its smartphone screens bigger and we won’t be shocked if they will increase the size of the screen even more on the S6.

There’s a slight chance that the Galaxy S6 will feature a flexible display. The company has made a lot of research regarding this type of technology and even released the Galaxy Note Edge. This phablet is a version of the Galaxy Note 4 where the display curves on one side, so it’s not entirely far-fetched to expect Samsung to do the same with its newest flagship.

It’s possible that we will get two versions of the same phone; one with a curved display and the other with a flat one. There are rumors that support this exact idea and claim there will be a Galaxy S6 featuring a normal, flat display and a Galaxy S6 Edge that will have a curved display, much as the Galaxy Note Edge.

There have also been rumors that claim the S6 will have both of its screen edges curved but not in the same form as the Galaxy Note Edge. This might mean the curves on the device will be a lot more subtle.

The S4 and the S5 launched in April 2013 and 2014 but some rumors claim that the new flagship will show up a couple of weeks earlier than usual. This means that we may get to see the new mobile phone in early April or late March.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Problems and Fixes

February 6, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Image source: anandtech.com

Even though there isn’t an official release date for the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, we do know that it will eventually see the light of day. And with this in mind, we decided to analyze some of the more frequent Samsung Galaxy Note 2 problems and provide some possible fixes that will improve the performance of the device before a potential upgrade to Android Lollipop.

In 2012 Samsung announced its second generation of the Galaxy Note, and that device was at a time one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is now being replaced by its newer versions called the Galaxy Note 4 and its older brother, the Galaxy Note 3.

When the Galaxy Note 2 was originally launched it came with the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Over the time, Samsung upgraded the operating system to 4.3 Jelly Bean and the 4.4 KitKat. Now, most people are using the Android 4.4.2 KitKat on this device.

Many of its users are currently having a very stable experience on the smartphone but there are some who encounter issues with the aging device. Samsung has released various enhancements and bug fixes to stabilize it but there are still several people who complain about the problems they have with Android KitKat on the Galaxy Note 2.

Knowing this, we analyze some of the problems we’ve encountered with the device and will provide you with some potential fixes for them. Even though these fixes are intended for smartphones running KitKat, they should also work for Android Jelly Bean Galaxy Note 2 devices.

Galaxy Note 2 Battery Life Issues

Battery life problems are very common issues for most smartphones that run Android. Over the time we’ve seen a lot of complaints about Galaxy Note 2 battery life problems. Even though we can’t give you a certain fix, we can give you some tips on how you can improve the battery life on the Note 2.

Most of the times, these kinds of problems are due to third-party apps. We’ve seen numerous apps that are unintentionally draining the battery life on some devices and they could also be doing the same thing on your Galaxy Note 2. We recommend that you boot your device in safe mode before attempting to fix these issues.

The Safe Mode will turn off any third-party apps and will allow you to isolate the problematic apps. This is a very boring process but it’s a very good way to find out which app causes battery life problems.

This is how you boot your device in safe mode:

1. When the device is booting you will see the model name on the display

2. Once the logo animation starts, press the menu button

3. A ‘Safe Mode’ text will appear at the bottom of the screen if you’ve successfully entered Safe Mode

If this doesn’t work there are more ways in which you can try to fix these issues. For starters, we suggest that you restart your Note 2 to see whether or not this fixes the battery life problems. Rebooting your device will clear the cache and kill services that might drain the battery life. This is a very simple fix that has worked for us and many other users.

If these problems continue, try turning off Air View, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC or any other somewhat unnecessary functions. This could also have a positive outcome on your battery life. Live wallpapers may also impact the battery life and switching to a static one could help.

Galaxy Note 2 Performance Issues

As the device got older, there were more and more complaints about it being laggy and slow. Numerous Samsung Galaxy Note 2 users said they experienced poor performance after they upgraded to Android 4.4 KitKat. However, this isn’t very surprising considering how old the device is.

Even though there is no miraculous cure for these problems, there are some fixes that will improve the performance on older Galaxy Notes. The first possible fix is a process that clears the cache partition. In order to clear the cache partition, follow these easy steps:

1. Turn off the Galaxy Note 2

2. Press and hold together the Volume Down, Power and Home buttons until it will vibrate

3. Release them the moment the Samsung logo appears on the screen

4. Tap the Volume Down button until you reach Wipe Cache Partition. Select this by using the power switch

5. Wait until the process is completed

6. Reboot the device

If this fix doesn’t work, we also suggest you stop using live wallpapers as they are known to impact the device’s performance negatively. You can also try switching NFC off. Turning NFC off has proven to fix these issues and we recommend that you do so. You can also try disabling S-Voice which can be found in the settings.

If things are really bad on your device, we also recommend disabling the animations. You can do so by accessing the settings. People who experience Samsung Galaxy Note 2 performance problems can also disable some unnecessary apps in the Application Manager.

Galaxy Note 2 Charging Issues

It seems that charging issues are plaguing the Galaxy Note 2, but this doesn’t really surprise us. Numerous older Galaxy smartphones have showed the same issues in the past.

You should make sure that you use the original charger that came with your device when you purchased it but if that doesn’t work you should try using a different charger that has the same voltage as the original one. If nothing works, try getting rid of the wall charger in favor of a USB cable. Plug the device into a computer and see if it helps in any way. Charging with a USB cable takes more time but it could potentially save you of a few headaches and some money.

And, as usual, if none of these fixes work try rebooting your smartphone.

Galaxy Note 2 Bluetooth Issues

Another common issue on the Galaxy Note 2 is the Bluetooth. If your device has problems with the Bluetooth we have several suggestions that may be able to fix this. However, like all other fixes, we can’t guarantee that this will work on your smartphone.

First, turn the Bluetooth off and then back on. To do so, go into Settings and then to the Bluetooth and toggle the feature off and after a few moments back on. If this doesn’t fix the issue try forgetting the connection. Forget all connections to Bluetooth devices that are problematic. After you complete this step, reconnect your Bluetooth device to the Note 2.

People that can’t connect to a car with their Bluetooth should check the manual of the car. There’s always a way in which you can reset the Bluetooth connection. Once the connection has been forgotten by your smartphone and the Bluetooth on the car has been reset, try reconnecting it and see if that helped. This method has been successful for many users.

If this fix doesn’t work, we suggest you boot the device in Safe Mode. This will let you check which app is causing the issues.

Galaxy Note 2 App Issues

The users who are dealing with a change in the performance of an app have some ways in which they could potentially improve the performance of the application. First, you should check for an update of the app. A compatibility update or bug fix may fix the problem with the app.

If this doesn’t work, try to reinstall the app. Delete the app and then install it again. This has fixed the performance with apps in the past and should be taken into consideration if an app starts to behave poorly. However, if the problem persists, we suggest that you contact the developer and inform him of the problem you’re having. This will help the developer identify the issue and fix it.

We’ve also experienced some problems with the Messenger app on the device. This stock app regularly crashes on some devices. First, try to reboot your smartphone. If this doesn’t work, however, you can try and use an alternative app that is more stable than the stock one.

You can also try to clear the cache of the app. To do so go to Settings tap More and then Application Manager. Tap on All and go to the Messenger app and then tap Clear Cache. If other apps have the same problem, we suggest you do the same thing to all of them.

Fix Galaxy Note 2 Problems

If you don’t succeed in fixing your device with none of these solutions, try considering a factory reset. However, keep in mind that this deletes everything on your device and you will have to make a backup of your files before doing this.

In order of resetting your device to factory settings go to Settings, then Accounts, then Backup Options and tap on Backup and Reset. From there, you can finally select Factory Data Reset.

If you still aren’t able to fix the issues with your Galaxy Note 2, you should contact your service provider or Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Lollipop Update Details

February 6, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Image source: geek.com

The roll out of the Samsung Galaxy Lollipop update is rapidly expanding and there are some new details regarding the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy S5. We’ll analyze what the Galaxy phones users should know about the Android 5.0 Lollipop update and its date of release.

The Lollipop update for Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones has started off very slow. Samsung started to roll out the update in December; however, they only made it available for a single version in just one region of the world. This kind of strategy is quite typical of the South Korean company. Samsung rolls out its updates slowly so that there is enough time for it to fix possible issues with the software.

In the past month we’ve seen Samsung start to make progress with the Lollipop release and the company also started offering updates for the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy S4. They are currently isolated but we expect the updates to follow in the footsteps of the Samsung Galaxy S5.

People all over the world who use Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets are impatiently waiting for their devices to receive an update to the Android 5.0 Lollipop. Samsung and its partners have started to issue more details that allow us to have a better view on what to expect from the Lollipop update on numerous devices.

Galaxy S5 Android Lollipop Update

Image source: t-mobile.com

This is the first Samsung device that received the Lollipop update and in the past couple of weeks there has been quite a significant progress with the update that makes us believe that February will probably be a very busy month for the South Korean company’s Galaxy S series.

In the United States, the only available update is the Verizon Galaxy S5 one which features numerous new enhancements and functions. Verizon isn’t particularly known for being fast with Android updates so this was quite a shock.

There will likely be more updates this February from numerous other carriers. However, Samsung is known for slowly rolling out Android updates and some of the carriers will most likely lag behind others.

Galaxy Note 4 Android Lollipop Update

Image source: geek.com

The fact that an Android Lollipop update hasn’t yet started to roll out for this device comes quite as a shock, seeing how it is one of Samsung’s flagship devices. Some believe that the delay is due to the fact that the Note 4 is the only smartphone that supports the Gear VR and the company is currently tweaking the code of the update. We can’t tell you exactly how long it will take for Samsung to finally roll out the update but we’re quite certain that it is closer and closer to a release date.

We’ve noticed that Samsung started to update its manuals of the Note 4 to show the unreleased software. Even though these manuals don’t offer an official release date, it’s clear that the company plans to make the update available quite soon.

Samsung is still sticking to the early 2015 release date of the Lollipop update for its Galaxy Note 4 and that’s what users should be expecting.

Galaxy S4 Android Lollipop Update

Image source: androidbeat.com

Samsung started to roll out the Lollipop update for the Galaxy S4 late last month. This is quite surprising seeing how the smartphone is nearly two years old. But this doesn’t bother any S4 users.

The update is currently available in Russia and we aren’t sure when and where the next update will be offered by Samsung as the company is very unpredictable when it comes to its software updates.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 update is pretty huge, at around 1GB. The size of the Lollipop update has forced Samsung into giving up some of its pre-loaded software. The version of the update is Android 5.0.1, which will probably be the same on other smartphones in the future.

We don’t recommend average and novice Android users to install unofficial software, despite it being available.

Galaxy Note 3 Android Lollipop Update

Image source: ndtv.com

Just like the Galaxy S4, the Galaxy Note 3 Lollipop update is only available in Russia at the moment. The company is obviously using the customers in Russia as lab rats to see if the update is all set for a worldwide launch. If the company decides that it is ready for more users we will see the update within the next weeks or so.

Sprint is currently working on an update but it not the Android 5.0.1 update but the 5.0. There is nothing else confirmed at the time but the carrier is probably going to make it available after it’s done working on the S5.

If Sprint is working on an update for the device this means that other carriers are possibly doing the same thing. We don’t have an exact release date for the United States but it looks like mobile carriers are busy progressing and we expect the update to see the light of day in the very near future.

Galaxy Note Edge Android Lollipop Update

Image source: dailytech.com

Unlike other devices from Samsung this update hasn’t been confirmed for early 2015. However, there was a leak earlier this week featuring the Galaxy Note Edge Lollipop update.

The leak is an official Samsung build and has been made available by XDA-Developers. While it most likely isn’t the final build, it is possible that the update is very close to what Samsung plans to eventually roll out. However, users that wish to install the update on their devices should be very careful.

Other Samsung Galaxy Android Lollipop Updates

There haven’t been any other major actions taken by Samsung recently. Samsung did confirm Android 5.0 Lollipop updates for the Galaxy S5 Mini, the Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy Alpha. However, none of them have made progress recently and these devices are most likely not as important for Samsung as others.

We should begin seeing information about the Android Lollipop update for older and lesser used tablets and Galaxy smartphones really soon. This will probably happen the moment some of the more important devices will get their updates.

Google May Launch Self-Driving Taxi Service

February 4, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Image source: hereisthecity.com

A recent report claims that Google may launch a self-driving taxi service. This could mean that the relationship between the tech giant and the app-based transportation provider called Uber is flourishing. An executive from Google is in Uber’s board of directors and the tech company is a major investor in the company.

Uber was established in 2009 and since then has expanded its ride requesting app all over the world and was able to raise a fund of $1.2 billion. This sum includes an investment from Google Ventures of $258 million. On Monday Uber revealed that it was partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to develop technologies that will boost Uber’s wish of making reliable, safe transportation for everyone. The new Uber Advanced Technologies Center near the Carnegie Mellon University campus will research “the areas of mapping and vehicle safety and autonomy technology.”

This means that Uber is considering manufacturing self-driving cars. That, along with Google’s interest in creating a cab service, might mean that the two companies will start working on a self-driving taxi service. It’s been reported that there are already people working in Uber’s new center, a corporate facility separate of the CMU. The university has a lot of experience in autonomous navigation. Some of the Curiosity rover software is linked to CMU.

But Uber and Google aren’t the only companies that show interest in the self-driving car market. For instance, both Audi and Daimler grabbed the public’s attention at the Consumer Electronics Show last month in Las Vegas by revealing their autonomous cars.

Google unveiled its prototype of self-driving vehicle late last year. The company is currently testing it on the Silicon Valley test track and is expecting to try the new car this year in Northern California on the streets of the city.

By combining such a car with a taxi service, Google could make Uber’s journey even tougher. Even though Uber is growing rapidly and has a lot to offer, the company still faced criticism for the way it treats drivers and competitors. There have been reports of assaults on passengers by drivers and many other unpleasantries that seem to affect the company’s image.

The chief legal officer from Google who is also in Uber’s board, David Drummond has reportedly said to some of his fellow members of the board that Google is working on a service that may compete with the one offered by Uber. A source claims that the board is currently considering whether to ask Drummond to resign from his position or not.

Microsoft Stopped Making the Windows RT Tablet

February 4, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Image source: microsoft.com

Recently, Microsoft stopped making the Windows RT tablet. A Microsoft spokesman said that the company recently decided to stop the production of the Nokia Lumia 2520 Windows RT tablet. This was the last remaining Windows RT device from Microsoft.

Windows RT was developed as an alternative to the more demanding Windows 8. Windows RT was designed for devices that use ARM processors instead of Intel x86 ones. Devices that ran Windows RT were more battery efficient and cheaper. However, the mobile operating system didn’t quite catch on and it confused a lot of potential consumers who were unable to make the difference between Windows 8 and Windows RT. Tablets that used the less demanding RT OS were unable of running desktop applications, a factor that even further damaged the consumer opinion on such devices.

Microsoft released a Surface tablet with the RT operating system in 2012. This decision led other companies that had RT devices such as Asus, Dell and Lenovo to remove them from their hardware line-up. In 2013 Microsoft lost $900 million on the RT Surface tablet. Later that same year, Microsoft also launched the Windows RT-based Surface 2 tablet but also gave that device up in order of focusing more on Intel powered tablets.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that Windows RT has been completely left out in the cold.

In last month’s Microsoft conference regarding its new operating system, the company briefly talked about RT. The tech giant told the media that they are working on a Windows RT update as well. Microsoft said that it’s going to update the entire Surface Pro line-up to Windows 10 but that it is also working on an update for the RT version which will offer some of the features present in Windows 10.

However, it seems like the company’s dedication to the less demanding operating system is a little uncertain. Microsoft is launching its new OS to offer a common platform across smartphones, tablets and PCs. Keeping the other OS alive would be against what the tech giant is trying to accomplish with Windows 10.

The company said that even though they are no longer manufacturing Nokia Lumia 2520 Windows RT tablets, those who are interested in purchasing these devices may still do so by visiting MicrosoftStore.com, Microsoft Retail Stores and third party resellers and retailers. After the company bought Nokia in 2014, Microsoft also got custody of the Lumia series along with Nokia’s mobile business.