Samsung patents a foldable tablet with built-in stand and keyboard

There have been plenty of rumors, speculation, and even prototype demonstrations related to foldable smartphones in the past, but it appears that Samsung is working on foldable tablet designs too. The company has just been awarded a patent for flexible tablet that also features a built in stand and a keyboard by the US Patent Office.

The illustrations show off a design that is split into three foldable segments. The display is presumable split across all three of the front panels and can be folded out for maximum screen space. The stand is located on the back of the middle panel to hold the tablet up if you want to watch a movie, and the keyboard on one of the side panels can be flipped over if the user wants to do some typing.

The tablet neatly folds up into one third of its maximum size for easy portability. However, it doesn't appear that it's possible to fold it up with a portion of the display facing outward, which would be handy for folding the tablet down for one handed use.

Still, this foldable tablet is certainly an interesting design concept, but the patent listing doesn't reveal anything else about the potential product's build materials, software features, or internal hardware. After all, this patent application is for protection of a concept rather than an indication that Samsung intends to brings this tablet to market.

See also: Lenovo foldable smartphone and tablet concept hands on49

Samsung seems to spend a lot of time dreaming up ideas for foldable products, but we're yet to see anything hit the market. Do you think that Samsung is onto something with its foldable tablet, or is the company wasting its time?

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WhatsApp refuses to delete user data in India after court ruling

Changes to WhatsApp's data sharing rules are causing more controversy this week. The company refuses to comply with a court order from India's Delhi High Court, which requested that the company delete any and all data collected by users who opted out of the company's new privacy policy before September 25th.

Since WhatsApp announced that it would be sharing some user data, including phone numbers, with Facebook, the app has come in for some serious critisism for undermining consumer privacy in India. These changes were made under the guise of cutting down on spam and improving services, but a good portion of users remain unconvinced.

Days after the policy change, two students approached the Delhi High Court, claiming that the changes compromise the privacy and rights of the 100 million users in the country. This caused the High Court to step in and demand that WhatsApp not use data held on users who opted out of data sharing before September 25th. However, the company claims that "the ruling has no impact on the planned policy and terms of service updates".

Latest: WhatsApp public group links appear in the beta branch7

India is not the only country putting up resistance to WhatApp's new privacy policy. Yesterday the German government ordered Facebook to cease collecting data through WhatsApp and to delete user information it has collected so far. Facebook is appealing against the order.

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World’s tech giants unite in Partnership for AI

Google, Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon. Hallowed names that have already secured their places in history, thanks to products that are shaping the lives of billions of people.

And yet, their existing achievements could be dwarfed by the impact of their work on artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence is emerging as the most transformative technology since the dawn of the smartphone age. Now Google and the four other tech giants are coming together to ensure that AI is used to benefit humanity.

The five companies have established a new "Partnership on AI to benefit people and society." The goal of the non-profit is

"To advance public understanding of artificial intelligence technologies (AI) and formulate best practices on the challenges and opportunities within the field."

The organization will conduct research on AI and publish its findings under an open source license. It will also elaborate and recommend best practices designed to promote "ethics, fairness, and inclusivity; transparency, privacy, and interoperability; collaboration between people and AI systems; and the trustworthiness, reliability, and robustness of the technology."

The organization wants to harness AI to tackle humanity's biggest challenges, including climate change, healthcare, education, and the fight against poverty and inequality.

The founding companies are already heavily invested in AI – Google already calls itself a "machine learning company" and it uses AI to improve products ranging from Photos, to Translate, and Assistant. Microsoft has Cortana and a smattering of other AI projects. Amazon has Alexa. IBM has Watson, which among others, is used to fight cancer and other maladies. Facebook uses AI to tweak its Newsfeed and many other aspects of its products.

See also: What is machine learning?6

Notably absent from the "club" is Apple. With the exception of Siri, the iPhone maker doesn't have major public projects involving artificial intelligence – that said, Apple is keen to clarify that it's very much interested in AI, and Microsoft's Eric Horvitz, one of the co-chairs of the Partnership for AI said that he hopes that Apple would join the initiative.

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Sony launches its new flagship Xperia XZ with triple sensor camera in India

Announced at IFA 2016, Sony has announced the launch of their new flagship smartphone – Xperia XZ – in India. Along with an interesting new take on Sony's design language, the triple image sensing technology on the main camera stand out as highlights for this well-rounded smartphone.

With the new loop surface design, the Xperia XZ sports a 5.2-inch display with a full-metal body and is powered by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Another variant, a single SIM unit with 32GB internal storage, has not been launched in the country.

Sony continues its functional design with the Xperia XZ with a IP65/68 water-resistant design that can take a little splash of water or unexpected showers. Unlike other smartphones in the market, the fingerprint sensor on the Xperia XZ is placed on the Sony's iconic power button on the side of the phone, allowing you to pick up the phone and securely unlock it in a single movement.

Sony Xperia XZ Specifications

• Operating System: Android Marshmallow
• Display: 5.2-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Triluminos IPS LCD | Gorilla Glass 4
• Processor: 2.15GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64-bit | Adreno 510
• RAM: 3GB
• Internal Storage: 64GB; expandable up to 256GB via microSD card
• Rear Camera: 23MP with Triple image sensing | Predictive hybrid autofocus | 5-axis stabilization
• Front camera: 13MP | 22mm wide angle lens | F2.0
• Battery: 2900 mAh | Quick Charge 3.0 | Qnovo Adaptive Charging
• Dimensions: 146 x 72 x 8.1 mm
• Weight: 161g

Available in three colors – Forest Blue, Mineral Black, and Platinum – the Sony Xperia XZ will be available at a MRP of ₹51,990 and a "best buy" price of ₹49,990 (~$780 and ~$750) from October 10 onwards.

From October 1 to October 10, customers can pre-book the Xperia XZ at all Sony Center stores, select retail outlets, and online – exclusively on Amazon India. As part of limited-period pre-booking offer, customers will get SmartBand Talk – SWR30 worth ₹8,990 free.

Xperia XZ comes with a Quick Charger UCH12 in the box which allows you to use Xperia XZ for 5.5 hours of normal usage with just 10 minutes of charging. There's also free Sony LIV three-months subscription worth ₹349 and Modern Combat 5 Gameloft credits worth ₹780 bundled with the smartphone. While the device runs Android Marshmallow out-of-the-box, Sony has pre-emptively announced that the XZ will get Android Nougat via a firmware upgrade in the coming months.

What do you think of the Xperia XZ, Sony's newest flagship that packs in a punch on the specifications sheet and boasts of a fantastic camera? Check out our hands-on impressions of the Xperia XZ, and let us know your thoughts on the XZ and how it fares after a disappointing Xperia X.

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Android Wear watches aren’t connecting to the iPhone 7

One of Android Wear's biggest strengths is it that the platform is designed to be cross compatible with Android and iOS. However, a number of consumers are reporting that they can't connected a range of Android Wear smartwatches up to the new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus.

What's happening is that customers aren't managing to get to the accept message screen when pairing their smartwatch to an iPhone 7, suggesting that the Bluetooth pairing function is failing somewhere. Google has officially acknowledged that there is an issue with the Moto 360 v2, ASUS ZenWatch models, Fossil, MK, and Tag Heuer watches. However, many more consumers, through the Google forums, are also reporting the same problem when using the LG G Watch and the first generation Moto 360. Here's what just some users are saying about the issue:

I've got a TAG Heuer Connected that was working fine with my iPhone 6 even after I upgraded to iOS 10, but then since I unpaired to connect to my new iPhone 7 I haven't been able to pass the pairing screen. I've tried with both phones, even tried to after downgrading the iPhone 6 to 9.3. I've also tried to a factory reset through the 'Android dead robot' as advised by TAG, but didn't help, none of the phones get the code from the watch. Thanks!

 

Just wanted to let you guys know I'm facing the same issue. Can't get my Moto360 2nd gen to pair with my iPhone7 (iPhone 6 and 6s with iOS10 was no problem).My iPhone7 sees my Moto360 2nd in the Android Wear App and in the bluetooth list when trying to pair but I never get the "accept message" on my Wear App when trying to pair so the pairing keeps failing.

The exact cause of the problem isn't yet fully understood, but it's looking increasingly like a hardware problem of some sort. Users don't appear to be running into the same connectivity problems while using iOS 10 on the iPhone 6 or 6S, so it looks to only be affecting iPhone 7 units.

Google has confirmed that it is looking into the issue, plans to fix it as soon as possible, and has reported the problem to Apple. Apple has not commented on the matter yet. So, if you really want to keep using your Android Wear smartwatch, it might be best to avoid picking up an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus for now.

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OnePlus 3 Soft Gold model to start arriving in India from October 1

The Soft Gold variant of OnePlus 3 is all set for shipment to Indian shores beginning on October 1. That's three months after the Soft Gold model of the handset was launched in the U.S.

It will be available to Indian consumers as an exclusive offering on Amazon India with a price tag of Rs. 27,999 ($420). OnePlus has been known as an online-only company, so the phone's exclusive online availability doesn't come as a surprise.

See also: OnePlus 3 review163

Nevertheless, it would help Indian consumers to have a variety of sales channels to buy the OnePlus 3 from physical stores in addition to online shops. Such is the case in the United Kingdom, where OnePlus will be selling its devices in O2 stores starting today.

The scheduled arrival of the OnePlus 3 Soft Gold model in India will broaden the color selection for users in the country. Currently, only the OnePlus 3 graphite variant is available to the Indian market.

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  OnePlus 3 Review!

With the upcoming sale of OnePlus 3 Soft Gold, consumers in India can expect to avail of the same perks that buyers of the graphite model enjoyed. The Soft Gold variant will be offered with Rs 500 worth of Amazon Kindle credits, 12 months of double data on pre-paid and postpaid connections courtesy of Idea Cellular, and 12 months of OnePlus Care complimentary accidental damage protection from Servify.

What do you think of the OnePlus 3 Soft Gold version? Share your opinion in the comments below!

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Mercedes-Benz and Kia announce Android Auto support for new models

This post was originally published on our sister site, Charged.io. Read 10 of the best plug-in hybrid cars – September 2016 and other cool posts on modern transportation.

Android Auto is already available on a wide range of vehicles, ranging from small city cars to behemoths like the Audi Q7. Google still has a way to go until Android Auto becomes the norm, but progress is made all the time.

This week, Google announced the availability of Android Auto on new models from Mercedes-Benz and Kia. While Kia was already invested in the Android Auto ecosystem, the addition of the German marque is a bit of a coup, as only the 2017 E-Class had offered the smart driving system until now.

Here are the Kia models that currently offer Android Auto support:

• 2014 – 2016 Soul
• 2015 Optima
• 2015 – 2016 Optima Hybrid
• 2015 – 2016 Optima Plug-in Hybrid
• 2015 – 2016 Sedona
• 2015 – 2016 Soul EV
• 2016 Optima
• 2016 Sorento
• 2017 Forte
• 2017 Optima Hybrid
• 2017 Optima Plug-in Hybrid
• 2017 Sedona
• 2017 Soul
• 2017 Soul EV
• 2017 Sorento
• 2017 Sportage

Android Auto support will also come to Kia's 2017 Cadenza, 2017 Niro Hybrid, 2018 Rio, and 2019 K900.

When it comes to Mercedes-Benz, customers will be able to order the following models with Android Auto:

• 2017 A-Class
• 2017 B-Class
• 2017 CLA Coupe
• 2017 CLA Shooting Brake
• 2017 GLA
• 2017 E-Class Sedan
• 2017 E-Class Wagon
• 2017 E-Class Coupe
• 2017 E-Class Cabriolet
• 2017 CLS Coupe
• 2017 CLS Shooting Brake
• 2017 GLE
• 2017 GLE Coupe

For all of these models from Kia and Mercedes, Android Auto is available as an option or part of standard versions. Google warns that the actual availability of Auto will be based on trim level and market.

Android Auto has come a long way since it was announced in 2014. After a slow start, the Android-based system was picked up my most major carmakers, often as an option alongside CarPlay, the competing system from Apple. That said, Google is moving much slower than it does when it comes to smartphones, partly due to the much slower release cycles of the car industry.

Google keeps an up to date list of Android Auto-compatible models here. For more information on Android Auto, check out our in-depth walkthrough!

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