AfterDawn: Tech news

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AfterDawn: News

The HTC One Max has a fingerprint storing scandal

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 11 Aug 2015 8:31

The HTC One Max has a fingerprint storing scandal According to a report from security firm FireEye, the HTC One Max left your fingerprints exposed to any and all apps.

The firm says the phone kept all scanned fingerprints as unencrypted files that any app could read if it knew where to look.

HTC has fixed the bug, "in all regions," following the report. The One Max had been storing the fingerprint data as a specialized bitmap image file, but FireEye was able to easily reconstruct the images to have full scans of the print.

There were worries that other phones may have been affected, but FireEye only named the One Max. Samsung, for their part, says they have spoken with FireEye and reviewed their devices with fingerprint readers, which have all been cleared.

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AfterDawn: News

Internal docs show Samsung could go back to Qualcomm for Galaxy S7

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Aug 2015 8:37

Internal docs show Samsung could go back to Qualcomm for Galaxy S7 Thanks to a new leak of internal documents, it appears that Samsung is at least testing going back to Qualcomm for its next flagship, next year's Galaxy S7.

The company used its own Exynos chipset for the Galaxy S6, following overheating issues with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 chipset. According to the leaked docs, Samsung is testing the Snapdragon 820 for its upcoming phones.

Codenamed "Jungfrau," the Galaxy S7 will run on Android M (with Samsung's own bloat, of course), and notably the phone could launch a month or two faster than expected thanks to Samsung's "Agile" process which promised to improve their internal management process.

If accurate, Jungfrau could launch well before next year's Mobile World Congress, and even in time for the holidays this year.

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AfterDawn: News

Google has spun off Google, and Sundar Pichai is the new CEO

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Aug 2015 5:46

Google has spun off Google, and Sundar Pichai is the new CEO In a massive restructuring, Google has spun off its core Google businesses and created a new holding company for everything else.

The new company, Alphabet, will allow Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page to separate the incredibly profitable search and ad businesses from the more world-changing (but not profitable) ones such as self-driving cars and Internet-carrying balloons.

Current Android and Chrome boss Sundar Pichai will become the new CEO of Google, while Page will become CEO of Alphabet. Brin is the president of Alphabet, and former Google CEO and chairman Eric Schmidt will become the executive chairman of Alphabet.

Breaking down the new structure, Google will include search, ads, maps, apps, YouTube and Android while Alphabet will hold Calico, Nest, Fiber, Google Ventures, Google X and Google Capital as "managed separately from the Google business."

"We've long believed that over time companies tend to get comfortable doing the same thing, just making incremental changes. But in the technology industry, where revolutionary ideas drive the next big growth areas, you need to be a bit uncomfortable to stay relevant. Our company is operating well today, but we think we can make it cleaner and more accountable,"
added Page.




AfterDawn: News

Google revamps Hangouts for Material Design

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Aug 2015 5:12

Google revamps Hangouts for Material Design Google has updated their Hangouts application for Material Design and included speed and performance updates.

Now in version 4.0 for Android, you should be able to chat with improved speed and simpler menus.

Full list of what's new:

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft is updating its discontinued Windows RT operating system

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Aug 2015 3:33

Microsoft is updating its discontinued Windows RT operating system Microsoft has updated their Windows 10 FAQ page to reveal info on the upcoming update for Windows RT.

Windows RT launched in 2012 for ARM-based tablets but support was quickly dropped after consumer outrage on how little apps actually worked for the platform. Despite killing off the operating system (which hasn't been updated since 2013), it appears there is one more update in the works, the oft-rumored Windows 8.1 RT Update 3.

The update will hit your OS in September and will be unremarkable. Microsoft says the lock screen is being updated, and the Start Menu is being updated, as well.

Microsoft says to expect the update in September and that it is the end of the line for the OS. If you still have a Surface RT, it might be time to upgrade.

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AfterDawn: News

Ubuntu Touch-powered BQ Aquaris now available in the U.S.

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Aug 2015 3:10

Ubuntu Touch-powered BQ Aquaris now available in the U.S. Smartphone OEM BQ has announced this week that their Ubuntu Touch-powered Aquaris phone will now be available "wherever you live" meaning the company is expanding outside of Europe to the Americas, Australia, Africa and Asia.

Unfortunately for U.S. would-be buyers, the Aquaris does not have the proper band support for 4G in the U.S., and on some carriers you may not even get 3G. For those interested, please check the bands for the device and then what your carrier offer.

Currently, the Aquaris sells for under 200 euro, depending on the model.

The only other Ubuntu phone to be launched so far this year is the Meizu MX4, which sells in Europe and China and also does not support LTE in the States.

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AfterDawn: News

Cyanogen claims more users than Windows and BlackBerry combined using slick wording

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Aug 2015 2:40

Cyanogen claims more users than Windows and BlackBerry combined using slick wording Speaking at Seattle Code Rush, mobile operating system startup Cyanogen has made some bold claims.

The company said its operating system now has "more users than Windows Mobile and Blackberry combined," a nice subtle slight of hand since Windows Mobile died in 2010 and was replaced by Windows Phone.

Cyanogen now claims over 50 million users, compared to under 40 million for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile. Windows Phone on the other hand, has near 80 million users and is the third largest mobile OS on the planet.

Regardless, the milestone is huge for Cyanogen as the company looks to disrupt the Apple/Google monopoly that has become the smartphone industry.

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AfterDawn: News

Google will bring back Android One platform starting in India

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Aug 2015 2:28

Google will bring back Android One platform starting in India Last year, Google launched its Android One platform to bring affordable handsets to the developing world but the program quickly disappeared.

Even Google admitted that Android One had "not delivered to expectations" with Google's own Rajan Anandan also confirming that "we had a few hiccups."

Android One had quite a few partners in the developing world, all of which were aiming to create higher volume devices with standardized specs and all running on a stock or near stock Android.

In the coming weeks, Google will 'reboot' the program, starting in India. Google's ultimate goal is to sell handsets for well under $100 in most areas, and in India the "sweet spot" is 'between Rs.2,000 ($31) and Rs.3,000 ($47).'

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AfterDawn: News

Browser maker Opera looking into potential sale of company

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 09 Aug 2015 11:14

Browser maker Opera looking into potential sale of company Browser maker and online advertising firm Opera Software has said this weekend it may be seeking a sale of the company after another quarter of less than expected earnings.

Opera says the search for a partner or a sale is "in response to strategic interest in the company from a number of parties."

The company said its Q2 revenue grew 45 percent to $146 million, below all analyst predictions and profits were $29 million compared to the expected $30.6 million.

Worst of all, due to a drop in revenue from their advertising business, the company is now expecting revenues of $600-$618 million for the fiscal year, compared to their previously forecasted $630-$650 million.

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AfterDawn: News

T-Mobile is now the U.S.' third largest mobile carrier

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 09 Aug 2015 10:46

T-Mobile is now the U.S.' third largest mobile carrier T-Mobile, long the smallest of the major mobile carriers, has now surpassed Sprint to take sole control of third place.

According to their recent earnings reports, T-Mobile USA now has 58.9 million customers, ahead of Sprint at 57 million. For the quarter, T-Mobile added 2 million new customers, crushing Sprint who managed to gain, but only 675,000.

Despite the title loss, Sprint has actually been doing a good job in turning around its struggling business.

"Over the past year, Sprint has made meaningful progress in our turnaround by improving our network performance and enhancing our overall value proposition," new CEO Marcelo Claure noted.

Regardless, we should expect some gloating from boisterous T-Mobile CEO John Legere.

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AfterDawn: News

Google, Samsung, LG others promise monthly Android security updates

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 08 Aug 2015 11:07

Google, Samsung, LG others promise monthly Android security updates Following the terrifying, headline grabbing Stagefright bug, manufacturers are quickly moving to secure their devices.

Google, Samsung and LG have all announced that there will now be monthly OTA security updates for all of their devices moving forward.

"LG will be providing security updates on a monthly basis which carriers will then be able to make available to customers immediately. We believe these important steps will demonstrate to LG customers that security is our highest priority," noted LG.

Samsung said essentially the same thing: "Samsung Electronics will implement a new Android security update process that fast tracks the security patches over the air when security vulnerabilities are uncovered. These security updates will take place regularly about once per month."

A few days ago, Google announced their updates. "The first security update of this kind began rolling out today, Wednesday August 5th, to Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7, Nexus 9, Nexus 10, and Nexus Player."

Motorola and Alcatel have also promised StageFright patches but did not promise monthly updates.

Stagefright, which is being called the worst Android vulnerability ever, would have allowed attackers to take over a device just by sending an MMS message. It would not have mattered if you opened the message or not, as most phones are set to auto-retrieve MMS. Google says anyone with Android 4.0 or newer is protected, but there are apparently still 100 million devices out there running Android 2.2, 2.3 or earlier. Yikes.

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AfterDawn: News

U.S. watch sales plummet as smartwatches take a bite

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 08 Aug 2015 10:28

U.S. watch sales plummet as smartwatches take a bite According to NPD data, U.S. watch sales plummeted in June, as smartwatches finally took a little bite of the industry.

Retailers sold $375 million in watches during the month, a huge 11 percent drop year-over-year, the largest such decline since 2008.

Splitting the industry up, NPD says watches that cost under $1000 are most at risk of losing share, and the $100 to $149 range saw a huge 24 YoY decline in June. The average Android smartwatch costs $150-$300 and the Apple Watch starts at $349.

"In the short term, brands at accessible price points are going to have to think very seriously," said NPD's Fred Levin.

For Apple, the Apple Watch still appears to be an experiment and sales are nowhere near its core device sales. For the last quarter, the company is expected to have sold about 2.1 million watches. By comparison, it has sold over 60 million iPhones (at higher prices) for the last couple of quarters. However, that figure is large compared to traditional watch sales, which were under 1 million for June.

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AfterDawn: News

Browser maker Opera acquires mobile app discovery platform Bemobi

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 08 Aug 2015 9:54

Browser maker Opera acquires mobile app discovery platform Bemobi Opera has announced the acquisition of Bemobi, a subscription-based mobile app discovery platform that specializes in Spanish speaking markets.

Bemobi offers users unlimited access to paid mobile apps for a weekly fee, and the charge is added to their carrier bill. The carrier part is important in many Latin American nations since credit cards and even bank accounts are relatively hard to come by.

The company says it has 6 million active subscribers.

How will Opera, a browser developer, use the service? Good question. According to Opera, thanks to their existing connections with carriers (some of which pre-install mobile Opera on their phones), Opera will look to leverage such relationships and combine the services to "bring innovative app-discovery and monetization services across the globe and position Opera as the global leader in this space."

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AfterDawn: News

'Angry Birds 2' sees over 25 million downloads in first week

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 08 Aug 2015 9:30

'Angry Birds 2' sees over 25 million downloads in first week Rovio's latest franchise game, 'Angry Birds 2,' has seen over 25 million free downloads in its first week of availability.

Comparing the figure to the original Angry Birds, Rovio creative director Patrick Liu says it took 9 months for the original game to reach the milestone.

Of note, downloaders seem to be actually playing the game as well. 1.4 billion birds have been launched and 300 million levels have been completed since launch, added Liu.

Unlike the original, however, Angry Birds 2's freemium model is a bit aggressive. You can buy gems (basically extra lives and birds) for as cheap as $0.99 or you may not be playing for too long in one sitting.

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AfterDawn: News

European Commission: Apple Music is A-Okay

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 08 Aug 2015 8:41

European Commission: Apple Music is A-Okay The European Commission has concluded their investigation into Apple Music and claims of anti-competitive behavior.

Rivals services such as Spotify have asked authorities across multiple countries to investigate Apple and its launch of Music. The main issue at hand is the fact that Apple takes a 30 percent cut of all paid apps and all in-app purchases from apps purchased through the app store. Spotify, for example, is $9.99 a month for a premium subscription but the company has to charge $12.99 through the App Store to ensure they get the same margin for their service.

While the investigation found no wrongdoings or illegal activity, the EU will continue to monitor the entire industry, says the report. Additionally, the regulators will continue to seek information from rival streaming services.

U.S. regulators continue to look into the claims.

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