Zone Telechargement Gratuit

lundi 22 août 2016

T-Mobile attacked again by EFF over new “unlimited” data plan

T-Mobile-Uncarrier-12

It seems that the Uncarrier's new "unlimited" plan is in hot water with digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), but then again, did we expect any less? It was just late last week that T-Mobile hit off its Uncarrier 12 campaign; this time targeting carriers' inefficient tiered data buckets and the shared data practice. It launched a new plan to rule them all, dubbed T-Mobile One, meant to be the mainstream's solution to the data plan entanglement. Only, many of us concede that T-Mobile One is a bit too limited for an "unlimited" plan, and the EFF wholeheartedly agrees.

One of the standout misdeeds about the plan is that you'll be stuck on Binge On's video quality cap of 480p, unless you dish out an extra $25 a month, which the EFF's senior staff technologist, Jeremy Gillula, strongly feels 'runs afoul of the principle of net neutrality". He goes on to suggest that the practice of limiting video streaming quality may also clash with the FCC's Open Internet Order, which he says that 'IPSs can't throttle traffic based on its type, or charge customers more in order to avoid discriminatory throttling'.

That seems like a pretty solid argument. Another fine print under T-Mobile One is that users who reach 26GB of data or more a month may get throttled. We'll see what T-Mobile has to say for themselves. Mind you, this isn't the first time that Magenta has found itself in a pickle with the EFF and the accusation of violating net neutrality. Back when Binge On was introduced, T-Mobile's colorful leader, John Legere, had some not so friendly backlash when the EFF attacked the carrier's video bandwidth 'optimization', which he followed up with an apology.

We'll have to wait and see if the conflict develops into something bigger, or if the two will just have to agree to disagree. For the record, Binge On is still alive and well. What do you think about the EFF's accusations? Are they spot on, or do you think it's too extreme to accuse T-Mobile of going against net neutrality principles? Let us know down in the comments!

Next: Best T-Mobile Android phones

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2bJXr0l
via IFTTT

ARM putting its chips on supercomputing

arm softbank

We know and love ARM for their smartphone processors, but it looks like the company is planning on branching out into some new territory. This week they announced that they have designed some new chip architecture that is specifically suited for use in supercomputers.

What sets ARM apart has historically been the ruthless efficiency of of their processors. This has made them right at home in the mobile market, where space is so limited. If the company has some more space to work with, it's possible that their strengths on the small scale could prove to be a perfect match for computing on a grander scale.

We first saw ARM's interest in supercomputing when it was revealed that Fujitsu's follow-up to their Project K supercomputer would house ARM chips. At the time, ARM didn't have any chip designs suited for this goal, but those revealed to day use a system called vector processing to handle immense amounts of data. The Post-K supercomputer will be the first to utilize these newly announced chips.

How well will ARM stack up in this line of work? Well, that remains to be seen, and you probably shouldn't hold your breath. We won't find out how effective ARM supercomputing chips are until Fujitsu's Post-K device is online, and that switch isn't slated to be thrown until 2020.

How well will ARM stack up in this line of work?

One curious relationship that's bound to be affected by this is ARM's dynamic with Intel. Intel struggled in the smartphone chip market for quite some time against the likes of ARM, but finally appears to have thrown in the towel. Intel Custom Foundry recently partnered with ARM, their former rival, to help produce 10nm SoCs (likely for Intel's new customer LG).

However, if ARM making a push into the supercomputing realm would appear to put the company back in an adversarial role with Intel. It will certainly be interesting to stay abreast of how this plays out. As always, give us your take in the comments below.

Recently: ARM partners with Intel Custom Foundry, ARM chips for LG on the way?22

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2bcZ5e2
via IFTTT

Android 7.0 Nougat OTA rollout roundup

Android 7.0 Nougat page

Today Google finally pulled the wrapping paper off the consumer version of Android 7.0 Nougat. Updates are on their way to Nexus devices and should arrive naturally through an OTA sometime over the next couple of weeks. However, if you're impatient, then you can go ahead and join the beta program to get Nougating immediately.

This post will serve as a general hub for OTA captures. We'll keep updating this as OTAs are made available, so check back every once in awhile to see if the OTA is ready for your device yet. The factory images aren't up yet, but we'll post them as soon as they are made available.

Without further ado, here are the full images currently available for these devices:

Nexus 6P: NRD90M

Nexus 5X: NRD90M

Nexus 6: [Not yet available]

Nexus Player: [Not yet available]

Pixel C: NRD90M

Nexus 9 (LTE): [Not yet available]

Nexus 9 (Wi-Fi): [Not yet available]

General Mobile 4G: [Not yet available]

Again, check back soon to see if the OTA image for Nougat becomes available for your device. Let us know if you have access to Android 7.0 and which device you're running in the comments below!

Next: Android 7.0 Nougat update arrives: when will you get it?136

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

Pokemon Go fever is dying off

Niantic Labs Pokemon Go

Well, it was fun while it lasted, but the latest data seems to indicate that the latest poke-craze is already on its way out. A variety of app and market intelligence firms are reporting that Pokemon Go usership is starting to fade away.

When the game first launched, it quickly rose to the top of all app lists, breaking record after record and creating its own micro-culture awash with rivalries and tongue-in-cheek propaganda. However, in the shadow of a number of poorly received actions on the part of developer Niantic, daily and weekly users are in decline.

At its highest point, Pokemon Go boasted more than 40 million active users, joining the leagues of app titans like the official Facebook and Twitter apps as well as Instagram and Snapchat. Bloomberg reports that, although interest is still high in the game, players don't seem to be as engaged.

pokemon go engagement

Perhaps Niantic will re-snag their players' attention if they ever end up pushing out much-needed features like a more sophisticated tracking system, player to player battling, and Pokemon trading. For now, it seems, the novelty of catching 'em all is starting to turn into a grind.

It's notable that data from Sensor Tower, Survey Monkey, and Apptopia demonstrate that Pokemon Go was actually responsible for a significant bump in augmented reality interest across the board. However, this interest since petered off significantly while interest in virtual reality remains high.

pokemon go ar vr

What are your thoughts regarding the rise and possible fall of Pokemon Go? Are you glad that the craze is starting to fade, or do you think there's still room for a resurgence? Let us know your take in the comments below!

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2bcF6fq
via IFTTT

Android Nougat will have regularly scheduled maintenance updates

android 7.0 nougat update Amid all the hubbub of Android 7.0 officially arriving, we're not seeing a whole lot of new information from Google. Indeed, practically everything about the consumer version of Nougat is identical to the fifth Developers Preview, so while it's great that Nougat is finally here, there's not much we haven't already seen going on. Google did, however, sneak one tiny little morsel into their announcement blog post.

In the post, which "takes the final wrapper" off Nougat, Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke gives us all the information we want to hear. We know which devices Nougat is coming to and how to get our hands on it today if we aren't willing to wait for the rollout. But what the post also makes note of is the fact that Nougat will be getting regular maintenance updates over the coming quarters.

Basically, although Nougat is 'finished,' there are still some nicks and divots that the developers want to polish over. They've even put out the call to keep reporting bugs as you find them so that they can address these issues in the scheduled maintenance updates.

We'll be closing open bugs logged against Developer Preview builds soon, but please keep the feedback coming! If you still see an issue that you filed in the preview tracker, just file a new issue against Android 7.0 in the AOSP issue tracker.

What are your thoughts regarding these maintenance updates? Let us know your take in the comments below!

Next: Sign up for Android beta to get Android 7.0 Nougat right now!40

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

Android Pay launches loyalty card integration, starting with Walgreens

AndroidPay_Terminal_BR___FOR_DISTRIBUTION_Highres

I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of packing my wallet with loyalty/reward/stamp cards from shops I find myself back to. Thankfully, there are other options, at least technically. Both Android Pay and Samsung Pay support baking loyalty programs right into these virtual payments, but the concept has apparently been lost on retailers. Thankfully this changes today, as the first loyalty program to offer Android Pay integration has arrived – Walgreens Balance Rewards.

Android Pay vs Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay (5)

Walgreens has made sure that the logging in your rewards upon checkout is seamless; it just involves two taps on the PIN pad, the first to confirm your rewards information and the second to make the payment. You, of course. first have to install the Android Pay app and add your Walgreens Balance Rewards card virtually, which is now available. Google has a support page on the specific subject. Oh, and also make sure that NFC is enabled on your phone.

Get Android Pay from the Play Store

Google's senior director, Pali Bhat, emphasized the goal to make in-store payments simpler for users and that the team has worked to get Balance Rewards integrated with Android Pay across the US, 'giving customers instant, frictionless access to their loyalty card when they pay'. It's said to be supported in nearly 8,200 Walgreens stores nationwide, so chances are that your phone won't get rejected at the checkout counter.

Now if we can only get more retailers to jump on board. Are you glad to see loyalty cards finally make their way to Android Pay?

Next: Android Pay – What is it, how does it work and who supports it?

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

Sign up for Android beta to get Android 7.0 Nougat right now!

Android 7.0 Nougat statue copy

The day has finally come! Android 7.0 has arrived, and you can get it right now on eligible devices. All you have to do is sign up for the beta program to update straight from Marshmallow.

To dive in, just click the button below and sign up. The download looks to be about 1.1GB in size and will bring flexible multi-window support, better battery management, and a slew of new emoji for all your modern hieroglyphic needs.

If you're already following along with the Developer Preview, then you won't see much different here. As far as we can tell, this consumer-ready version of Android 7.0 is essentially identical to the Developer Preview version 5 except that it's more stable.

If you're the owner of a Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, Pixel C, or General Mobile 4G (Android One), then you can expect Android 7.0 Nougat to roll out to your device naturally over the next couple of weeks thanks to an OTA update. If you're feeling less patient, then head on over to the beta program to get started immediately!

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