Phrasing! | Podcast 075

Seven. Joshua Vergara has his hands full this week with a total personality list of seven. Joe Hindy, Jonathan Feist, Andrew Grush, Nirave Gondhia, Lanh Nguyen and John Dye are all on deck to talk about seven, the Note 7 that is. In a particularly on-point show, even if a little extra long, the topic is almost exclusively the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Opinions come freely, particularly for the three that have had the chance to hold the phone already. With opinions ranging from unimpressed all the way up to 'I pre-ordered mine already,' join us to talk about the latest from Samsung.

Thank you for joining us. If you have not already, be sure to subscribe to the channel on your favorite podcast app, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Also check out our partner sites – SoundGuys cover the best mobile audio gear and TabTimes talks all things tablet. Finally, a huge welcome to VR Source, the home of all our virtual reality coverage, from gear to games, check out VR Source for all kinds of reality. Sign up for our various newsletters and enter for your chance to win one of our many giveaways.

Be sure to check out all of our great new giveaways this month. If you are reading this within the first week of publishing, check out our Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge giveaway here on Android Authority. Running for the month of August 2016, we've got a pair of Bose SoundSport Wireless Earbuds on SoundGuys, a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 on TabTimes, and a Sapphire Radeon RX 480 graphics card and a $100 Steam gift card on VR Source.

The Android Authority Podcast – discussing topics in Android every week.

Links to Podcast

RSS Feed
iTunes
Stitcher
SoundCloud
Direct Download

Relevant Links

Android Authority Forums
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 announced
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hands-on
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs the competition

SoundGuys is giving away a pair of Bose SoundSport Wireless Earbuds.
TabTimes Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 giveaway
VRSource is giving away a Sapphire Radeon RX 480 graphics card and a $100 Steam gift card.

Android Apps Weekly

Galaxy Note 7 in 20 seconds

Follow our Hosts

Joshua Vergara Twitter | Google+	Joseph Hindy Twitter | Google+
Andrew Grush Twitter | Google+	Jonathan Feist Twitter | Google+
Nirave Gondhia Twitter | Google+	John Dye Twitter | Facebook
Lanh Nguyen Twitter | YouTube

Recorded on August 5th, 2016 – Hosted and produced by Joshua Vergara.

"I have a battery life, I'm always drained."

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2bafnoW
via IFTTT

Pokemon Go update: speed warnings, XP bug fixes, grass and more

Pokemon Go is the most popular game in US history and currently has over 100 million downloads across the world. It is easily one of the most well-known mobile games around, but it is also definitely not touting the best design and performance. In fact, the app is quite buggy, but things continue to get better with every update… or at least for the most part.

The latest update brings the Pokemon Go app to version 0.33.0 and includes a few very welcomed improvements from Niantic Labs. Let's check out the "What's new?" log.

• Added a dialog to remind Trainers that they should not play while traveling above a certain speed; Trainers will have to indicate they aren't the driver.
• Fixed a bug that prevented "Nice," "Great," and "Excellent" Poké Ball throws from awarding the appropriate XP bonuses.
• Enabled the ability for Trainers to change their nickname one time, so please choose your new nickname wisely.
• Resolved issues with the battery saver mode on iOS and re-enabled the feature.
• Other fixes.

Likely the most exciting improvement is the second bullet. We will be getting our throw bonuses again! Oh, and the ability to change your nickname is pretty cool, even if it can only be done once.

See also: How to play Pokemon Go (and everything else you need to know)19

There is one noticeable improvement not listed above, though. The images of nearby pocket monsters now include grass. Yeah… not enough to make u for the missing footprints feature. I guess it makes Pokemon look a little cooler?

Download Pokemon Go now

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2aHEVtB
via IFTTT

MediaTek unveils 10nm, deca-core Helio X30

Steadily establishing itself as the Pepsi to Qualcomm's Coke, MediaTek recently unveiled the an SoC that may even be able to stand up to the top-shelf offering from its rival's Snapdragon line.

The deca-core MediaTek Helio X30 isn't expected to arrive in mobile devices until sometime next year, but at least the we finally have official confirmation from the fabless semiconductor manufacturing firm. Evolved from last year's Helio X20 and the turbo-tuned X25, the Helio X30 steps up from the 20nm manufacturing process employed by its predecessors and graduates to Taiwan Semiconductor Corp's 10nm format.

MediaTek has also revised its process architecture for the X30. Unlike its predecessors, which used a combination of only A72 and A53 core, the X30 leverage ARM's power-sipping A35 cores for even more efficient battery usage.

See also: MediaTek Helio X25 developed exclusively for the Meizu Pro 616

The X30 will have two Cortex-A73 cores, reportedly clocked at 2.8 GHz, to bull through the most demanding of task. It'll also have four Cortex-A53 cores, possibly clocked at 2.2 GHz, and four economy Cortex-A35 cores that will run at 2.0 GHz. The SoC will support cameras sensors of up to 40 MP with video capture capped at 24 fps video. The X30 will also support 16MP camera at up to 60 fps video and 8MP shooters at up to 120 fps.

The upcoming SoC will support up to 8GB of RAM, split between two LPDDR4 POP 1600MHz channels. For graphics processing, it'll come bundled with a quad-core PowerVR 7XT. Earlier reports indicated that it'd employ an ARM Mali GPU, but it looks like MediaTek wants to get ready for Daydream.

What do you think of the chip, based on what we know so far? Share your thoughts down in the comments.

 

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2b9BPi2
via IFTTT

Samsung Pay exploit could theoretically let hackers steal your credit card

Although the exploit hasn't been documented in the wild yet, security researchers have discovered a vulnerability in Samsung Pay that could be used to wirelessly steal credit card information.

This exploit was presented at a Black Hat talk in Vegas last week. Researcher Salvador Mendoza took to the stage to explain how Samsung Pay translates credit card data into "tokens" to prevent them from being stolen. However, limitations in the token-creation process mean that their tokenization process can be predicted.

See also: Get $5 by inviting your friends to use Samsung Pay8

Mendoza claims he was able to use token prediction to generate a token which he then sent to a friend in Mexico. Samsung Pay is not available in that region, but the accomplice was able to use the token to make a purchase using the Samsung Pay app with magnetic spoofing hardware.

So far, there's no evidence of this method actually being used to steal private information, and Samsung has yet to confirm the vulnerability. When made aware of Mendoza's exploit, Samsung said that, "If at any time there is a potential vulnerability, we will act promptly to investigate and resolve the issue." The Korean tech titan reemphasized that Samsung Pay uses some of the most advanced security features available and that purchases made with the app are safely encrypted using the Samsung Knox security platform.

What are your thoughts regarding this latest reported vulnerability to mobile payment systems? All alarm with nothing substantial, or a security issue worth being concerned about? Give us your two cents in the comments below!

Next: Quadrooter: the latest Android security flaw57

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2b23H5V
via IFTTT

SwiftKey update fixes privacy-threatening account error

Last month, SwiftKey rolled out an update that disabled account syncing. It seems that there was a bug in the previous update that led to a number of eyebrow-raising mixups. The predictive keyboard synced up with incorrect accounts, meaning some users were prompted with autocomplete suggestions drawn from strangers' typing habits. This led to some users uncovering personal information like email addresses or contact information.

By all accounts, SwiftKey jumped on this problem quickly, disabling account sync entirely before harm could be done. Swiftkey says that this particular problem only affected a few users, but the concern was great enough that the team decided to shut down account syncing across the board rather than risk a large kerfuffle.

See also: SwiftKey suspends cloud syncing after data leak33

Now it looks like the developers have isolated the root of this issue and pulled it out. The latest update to the keyboard returns account sync, so soon you'll be able to type away with predictive force on all of your logged-in devices.

The rollout only just began, so it might not be ready for your device just yet. You can check and see by tapping the button below to snag SwiftKey from the Google Play Store. Give it a spin and let us know in the comments if account sync is back on your device!

Get it in the Play Store Next: SwiftKey's new Swiftmoji keyboard will help predict your emoji8

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2aN313G
via IFTTT

If you loved Hulu’s free service, we’ve got some bad news

Shutterstock

Hulu, one of the largest internet TV streaming services, has decided to put an end to its free offering – a component of the service over for about nine years. You'll now have to pay to use the platform for your beloved TV shows.

There's no word about the two tiers of monthly subscription rates changing, at $7.99 for limited commercials or $11.99 for completely ad-free. According to Hulu's Senior VP and head of experience, Ben Smith, the reason for the change is because the limited free service falls short of everything the service now provides. "As we have continued to enhance that offering with new originals, exclusive acquisitions, and movies, the free service became very limited and no longer aligned with the Hulu experience or content strategy," said Smith.

See also: Hulu to stream cable TV in 20178

The news follows the word (via Variety) that Time Warner snagged a 10% stake of Hulu just last week (joining the investment club between Disney, 21st Century Fox, and Comcast). Part of this deal was to bring a live-TV component to Hulu in 2017 provided by cable channels from its parent companies.

But not all is lost to those who oppose paying. To soften the blow, Hulu is partnering with Yahoo to continue the free, ad-supported offering of new TV episodes. It will consist of the five most recent episodes of shows primarily provided by ABC, NBC, and Fox (for eight days after their original air date), as well as some other series and miscellaneous clips.

free service became very limited and no longer aligned with the Hulu experience or content strategy." qposition="center" qcolor="color2″ qstyle1="" qstyle2="italic" qcap="normal" qsize="medium"]

Hulu's free service is said to be phased out in coming weeks. The new Yahoo site is now live, but only through the web in the US (with the promise of the corresponding mobile apps coming soon). Are any free users significantly impacted by this change? Will you continue to take advantage of free service via Yahoo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Next: Hulu dives into VR with a Samsung Gear VR app1

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2b9GK1f
via IFTTT

OnePlus slams Samsung’s Adaptive Charging in comparison video

So the OnePlus 3 comes tricked out with a quick charging capability that OnePlus has dubbed Dash Charge. In a video posted to their YouTube channel earlier today, OnePlus touted the superiority of their "flagship killer" in the realm of charge-time, pitting their product against the increasingly ubiquitous Samsung Galaxy S7.

Now, the Galaxy S7 isn't without its own charging perks. The popular smartphone has "adaptive charging" listed as one of its selling points, but if this comparison video can be taken at face value, then it simply doesn't hold a candle to Dash Charge.

Consider: OnePlus 3 Dash Charge requires both a proprietary adapter and cable36

Although the video begins with a disclaimer defensively attesting that charge times could vary "depending on phone configuration, settings, usage while charging and power source," the tenor of the video picks up quickly as the two devices are put on chargers and set before a time-lapse camera.

This first demonstration shows the OnePlus 3 reaching 64 percent charge in the amount of time it takes the Galaxy S7 to reach 50 percent. That's not a tremendous difference, all things considered, but OnePlus has buried their lead here. The second demo is where Dash Charge truly shines.

The second demo is where Dash Charge truly shines.

In Round II, the same contest of speed takes place, but this time the device screens are left on. Since your display is your primary source of battery suck, it would stand to reason that the devices would charge substantially slower while their screens are active.

Not so. At least, not for the OnePlus 3. While the Galaxy S7's battery creeped along, Dash Charge rocketed the battery up to capacity almost as quickly as it did with the screen off. It's worth noting that both smartphones pack a 3,000mAh battery.

See also: OnePlus 3 review152

What are your thoughts regarding this competition of charge speeds? OnePlus has been laying down the heat pretty heavily to demonstrate to users that you can still have premium build and valuable features without breaking the bank, but Samsung has a long track record of quality products giving them momentum.

Can OnePlus's line of smartphones ever truly kill the flagship? Let us know your take in the comments below.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2avkajp
via IFTTT