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AfterDawn: News

Zuckerberg and Gates want Internet for all by 2020

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Sep 2015 11:09

Zuckerberg and Gates want Internet for all by 2020 Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates have both pledged to help bring Internet to everyone on the planet by 2020.

"When people have access to the tools and knowledge of the Internet, they have access to opportunities that make life better for all of us,"
reads the declaration. "The Internet belongs to everyone. It should be accessible by everyone."

The declaration was made at the UN this week, as part of a larger pledge by the United Nations to get everyone out of poverty by 2030.

"The Internet is more than just a network of machines; it is the key driver of social and economic progress in our time," Zuckerberg added. "A 'like' or a post won't stop a tank or a bullet, but when people are connected, we have the chance to build a common global community with a shared understanding -- and that's a powerful force," he said.

By giving Internet access to all, Zuckerberg estimated that affordable education could be brought to 600 million children who would otherwise grow up without education.

So far, the UN says $25 billion has been pledged by the U.S., Canada and other nations although the UN has estimated it will cost over $5 trillion to make its goals a reality.

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AfterDawn: News

Report: Google under antitrust scrutiny over Android operating system

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Sep 2015 10:50

Report: Google under antitrust scrutiny over Android operating system According to a new report, the FTC and Justice Department are prepared to begin an investigation into Google's Android operating system and whether the search giant blocked competitor's access to the OS.

Technology companies have been complaining that Google gives priority to its own services while restricting others.

Of note, the inquiry is still in early stages and the FTC could end up not filing an official case against Google. The European Union has started its own investigation into Android, as well.

Android has nearly 60 percent share of the U.S. market, and much higher share around the globe. The investigation will likely focus on Google's long-term strategy of bundling its own software into the stock version of Android including YouTube, Maps, Chrome, Gmail, Google Play Music and Drive. The watch dog group will see whether that practice harms developers of rival applications, and if it hurts manufacturers that build Android phones but may have their own rival apps.

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AfterDawn: News

Blackberry's Android phone is official and it's called the Priv

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Sep 2015 9:20

Blackberry's Android phone is official and it's called the Priv BlackBerry's first Android smartphone is official, and it's called the Priv.

Formerly known by its codename Venice, the device will launch later this year.

"Today, I am confirming our plans to launch Priv, an Android device named after BlackBerry's heritage and core mission of protecting our customers' privacy," said John Chen, Blackberry's executive chairman and CEO. "Priv combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform."

Plenty of pictures have been leaked over the past few months of the device, which will have a full QWERTY keyoard that slides out, as well as a touchscreen. Additionally, the device will be powerful with a QHD display, a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB RAM and 5MP/18MP cameras. It will run on Android 5.1.1 right out of the box, as well, in stock with the exception of a few BlackBerry ecosystem apps.

While the specs seem nice and there are definitely people out there that miss a full keyboard, it will be interesting to see if the BlackBerry name can translate to any sales.




AfterDawn: News

Report: Samsung owned smartphone market in Q2

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Sep 2015 9:04

Report: Samsung owned smartphone market in Q2 According to new research from Counterpoint, Samsung was the undisputed king of smartphones for the second quarter.

For the Q2, Samsung had 21 percent of global sales, beating out Apple at 14 percent and Huawei at 9 percent. ZTE and Xiaomi rounded out the top 5 at 5 percent each.

In most continents, the numbers were similar, except for North America where Apple had a 31 percent share to Samsung's 24 percent. Of note, Xiaomi actually beat out Apple in Asia, at 11 percent to 10 percent.

Also of note, Samsung had 19 percent of all mobile phone sales for the quarter, which includes non-smartphones, as well.

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AfterDawn: News

Samsung Pay has been popular - in Korea

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 Sep 2015 5:17

Samsung Pay has been popular - in Korea Samsung has boasted of the success of Samsung Pay this weekend, although the service is currently only available in South Korea.

The tech giant says there have been $30 million worth of transactions done in the first month, through 1.5 million purchases. While those numbers are very small, Samsung says it's a lot higher than they expected for the first month of availability in a limited market.

36 percent of those with the app installed used it in the past month, and 10 percent used it daily.

The Galaxy Note 5 was the most used device, unsurprisingly, with 60 percent of purchases being made by Note owners. Samsung Pay comes pre-installed on the device.

For now, the Korean experiment is the first of an eventual global launch, although it is unclear what the road map and time frame are.

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AfterDawn: News

Pebble surprises with new circular 'Pebble Time Round'

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Sep 2015 11:15

Pebble surprises with new circular 'Pebble Time Round' Pebble has surprised this week, introducing the Pebble Time Round with a circular display and a much thinner profile than previous devices.

In-line with other smartwatches, the smartwatch will begin at $249 (for leather strap model) or $299 for black or gold metal bands.

The recently released Pebble Time was the first of Pebble's devices to introduce a color e-ink display and the new watch integrates the same technology.

Unfortunately, Pebble has killed one of their best features: battery life. All previous Pebble watches offered at minimum three days of battery life, and usually around 6 days, but the new Pebble Time Round only promises 2 days with regular use. With the loss of battery life does come a massive upgrade in looks and a slimmer profile, so I guess the trade off could be worth it.

The Pebble Time Round goes on sale on November 10th.

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AfterDawn: News

Alibaba shows off $110 smartwatch

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Sep 2015 10:33

Alibaba shows off $110 smartwatch China's Alibaba has announced their payments-focused smartwatch 'Pay Watch' this week, with plans to crowdfund the device through their online ecommerce site Taobao.

Alibaba was quick to say that the watch is being designed and manufactured by FiiSmart, and that the watch will run on YunOS for Wear, which integrates Alipay for payments.

Unofficially, the specs include a 1.63-inch AMOLED display, a dual-core CPU with 4GB of internal storage, a 300mAh battery, and compatibility with Android and iOS. The battery has a stated life of 36 hours with regular use.

Furthermore, the smartwatch has heart-rate monitoring, motion detection, a pedometer and will have other built-in Alibaba features like the ability to buy directly through Taobao.

Pricing is still a bit unknown, but Alibaba says you can get the watch for the equivalent of $110-$160 depending on bands, etc.

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AfterDawn: News

Minecraft goes VR

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Sep 2015 10:09

Minecraft goes VR Facebook and Microsoft have announced that one of the world's most popular games, Minecraft, will have its own virtual reality version soon.

Facebook-owned Oculus VR and Microsoft-owned Minecraft are partnering on the VR version of the game, and the title will be sold through the Windows store and the Oculus store.

The VR version will be a port of 'Minecraft for Windows 10,' confirmed Oculus.

There is little else known except that the game will work via the Samsung Gear VR or via next year's Oculus Rift headset, but it will be interesting to see how you can interact with the Minecraft world in virtual reality.

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AfterDawn: News

Samsung's new Gear VR will cost just $99

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Sep 2015 9:44

Samsung's new Gear VR will cost just $99 Samsung executive Peter Koo took to the stage at the Oculus Connect event this week, announcing the updated Gear VR, which apparently will be ready in time for Black Friday.

According to Koo, the new device will be available for their entire 2015 Galaxy lineup, including the Note 5, S6 Edge+, S6 and S6 Edge.

The new Gear is 22 percent lighter than its predecessor, has improved touchpad performance and will give users "access to an expanding universe of premium content" - although it is unclear what that content entails.

Most importantly, the price of the next generation Gear VR is just $99, an obvious play on getting more expensive smartphone buyers to add the "accessory."

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AfterDawn: News

Sling TV announces UI update for Xbox One

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Sep 2015 9:20

Sling TV announces UI update for Xbox One Sling has announced that it will soon be updating its UI for the Xbox One, adding better functionality.

The overall user interface will remain the same, but Sling says there are a ton of bug fixes, and streaming quality has been improved significantly.

Additionally, you can now see the full schedule for any channel you have, as well as video-on-demand content for the channel all in one place.

Of lesser note, searching now uses the "Y" button for the Xbox just like nearly every other app does.

Read the full changes here: Sling




AfterDawn: News

Sling TV just had its UI updated for Xbox One

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Sep 2015 9:18

Sling TV just had its UI updated for Xbox One Sling has announced that it will be soon updating its UI for the Xbox One, adding better functionality.

The overall user interface will remain the same, but Sling says there are a ton of bug fixes, and streaming quality has been improved significantly.

Additionally, you can now see the full schedule for any channel you have, as well as video-on-demand content for the channel all in one place.

Of lesser note, searching now uses the "Y" button for the Xbox just like nearly every other app does.

Read the full changes here: Sling




AfterDawn: News

'Angry Birds' movie is an origin story about why they are so angry

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Sep 2015 12:02

'Angry Birds' movie is an origin story about why they are so angry Rovio has released the first trailer for their upcoming 'Angry Birds' movie, one that should answer the question about why birds and pigs hate each other.

"The question Rovio gets more than anything is 'Why are these birds so angry?'
" said producer John Cohen. "This is the origin story for how that conflict came to exist between birds and little green piggies."

At this point, the movie may be the last attempt for Rovio to save its business as the company has not been able to recreate the success of the first Angry Birds game. The movie certainly has star power (for an animated flick), with Jason Sudeikis as Red, Josh Gad as the yellow bird, Chuck and Danny McBride as Bomb. Additionally, there are quite a few popular comedic talents voicing the pigs (and more).

Angry Birds the movie is set for release in March.

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AfterDawn: News

Funny Video: Conan plays Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 with Tony Hawk and Lil Wayne

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Sep 2015 11:48

Funny Video: Conan plays Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 with Tony Hawk and Lil Wayne Late night TV host Conan O'Brien has updated his 'Clueless Gamer' series with the new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, playing along hilariously with Tony Hawk himself and rapper Lil Wayne, who is also in the game.

The game is set for launch next week, and many early reviews have the game 'reviving' the series, which had flatlined since its early PS2 roots.

Besides getting back to its skating roots, it seems the game has added some extra fun, as well, such as 'Big Head Mode' where you have to keep doing tricks to not have your oversized head explode.

Watch the hilarious video here:

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AfterDawn: News

Vertu's updated luxury Signature Touch has powerful specs, great looks, massive price tag

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Sep 2015 11:10

Vertu's updated luxury Signature Touch has powerful specs, great looks, massive price tag Vertu, known for selling smartphones that cost over $10,000, has updated their flagship Signature Touch device, adding high-end specs to its sleek looks.

The new Signature Touch has a 5.2-inch 1080p display protected by 'fifth generation sapphire,' is powered by 4GB RAM and a Snapdragon 810 processor, has 64GB internal storage and a microSD slot and Android 5.1. Additionally, the phone has a 21MP rear camera with phase-detection autofocus and 4K recording.

Furthermore, the phone has Dolby Digital Plus certified stereo speakers, a large 3160mAh battery, supports nearly all LTE bands, has wireless and quick charging support, and iPass support - allowing for a connection to Wi-Fi nearly everywhere for free.

Of course, Vertu has kept their grade 5 titanium casing, a handcrafted calf leather back, and ceramic pieces, meaning the hardware is top notch, as well.

Finally, Vertu will give you free 18 months of Vertu Concierge, a 24/7 real-life personal assistant service, access to Vertu Life for "unrestricted access to elite and invitation-only events" and Vertu CERTAINTY, a way to encrypt all your communications.

Prices for the Signature Touch range from $9900 to $20900 depending on the combo you choose, and will begin shipping on October 16th.

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AfterDawn: News

Evleaks gives us a good look at HTC's One A9, an iPhone clone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Sep 2015 10:34

Evleaks gives us a good look at HTC's One A9, an iPhone clone Thanks to infamous leaker Evan Blass (@Evleaks), we have a good look at HTC's iPhone clone, the One A9.

The device will sell in six colors, including rose gold, garnet, 'acid gold' and a few silver/gray variants.

As rumored, the HTC One A9 will have a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED, run on a Snapdragon 617 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, dual 4MP/13MP cameras, a 2150mAh battery, a microSD slot, a fingerprint reader and a metal body.

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