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jeudi 24 novembre 2016

OnePlus team talks updates, what’s new with 3T, and more in Reddit AMA

oneplus-reddit-ama

oneplus-reddit-ama

OnePlus started out as a scrappy underdog, at least in appearance, but has certainly succeeded in making a name for itself, especially with the quite well received OnePlus 3 and 3T. To help answer any questions that fans may have had about the new handset, and how things are going at OnePlus in general, the company recently took part in a Reddit AMA.

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, Aaron from the ROM team, Jonathon from Customer Services, Steven from Logistics, and Caio from the EU team took part in the AMA. Here are some cherry picked best bits:

Q: Will the OnePlus 3 and 3T be updated to Android 7.0 or 7.1?

A: "We are initially shipping with 7.0, 7.1 was released midway through development and integrating it would have delayed the update."

Q: Update cycle for OP3 and OP3T?

A: "Both devices will be on the same update schedule following Nougat."

Q: How is the merger of Oxygen OS and Hydrogen OS shaping up?

A: "we are able to move at much faster pace than before while maintaining two different products with the same team."

Q: Why launch the OnePlus 3T 6 months after the initial launch of the 3?

A: "We had the capability to improve the product, wanted to try it out, so we did."

Q: Can I charge the 3T with the 5V/3A charger for my current Nexus 5X without any risk of damage?

A: "You're free to use 3rd party chargers, but the dash charging will only kick in with the official cable and adapter."

Q: Does the 3T's front camera come with PDAF or not?

A: "The front camera on the OP3T is fixed focus."

Q: Why not improve the 3T's rear camera?

A: We didn't have any improvements ready to go.

Q: Why not make it to be able to put 1 sim card and an sd card insted of the second sim card?

A: "What's the pain point that SD card solves? We now have a 128GB UFS2.0 version that performs so much better than any external storage could."

Q: What are your thoughts on disgruntled devs and their statement that they won't support the 3T with kernels or roms?

A: "Dev support is something we're serious about, and it's an area where we really put our money where our mouth is. Honestly, we just love the custom ROM scene. It's why we are one of the few that allow for rooting/installing custom ROMs without voiding warranty. It's also why we always release kernel sources and devices trees super early, as mentioned in the OP.

As for devs who are upset about the 3T – we hear you, we understand where you are coming from, and it's something we were prepared for. We have something planned (that we can't announce just yet) to address this. Just hang on a bit. We got you."

Q: Why did you not put 3400 mah in the OP3? Apparently it fits.

A: We were testing the reliability of a higher density cell. The tests weren't ready in time for OP3. Quality is very important, especially when it comes to battery. It's better to be on the safe side.

Q: Why not support Daydream?

A: Daydream was announced after the product design of the OnePlus 3, so we did not design is with Daydream compatibility in mind.

Q: Do you guys see yourself releasing multiple product lines in the near future?

A: Maybe when we're 10x our current size. Still a lot of work to do better before product line expansion.

Q: What do you guys feel like you've learned from the OnePlus X and 2?

A: To think more, and reflect more. To better know ourselves and our situation, and do the right thing. In other words, to find our own true north, and not to have noise such as the market or competition lead us.

See also:

OnePlus 3T review

3 days ago

Hopefully that has answered your important questions about the OnePlus 3T and offered a little about what the company has planned regarding future updates and the direction of the company. If you fancy sifting through the rest of the Q&A, you can check out the full thread here.



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Samsung Gear Fit 2 update adds auto pause, dynamic workout tracking and more

samsung gear fit 2 review aa (21 of 26)

samsung gear fit 2 review aa (21 of 26)

Samsung has rolled out an update to its Gear Fit 2 fitness band, adding several new features. The firmware update was detailed in a Samsung press release earlier today and includes an auto pause function, streamlined Sets interface and Dynamic Workout Tracking.

Auto pause enables the Gear Fit 2 to identify when users have temporarily halted their workout, for example, at a stop light while running or cycling. This is an automatic function, which doesn't require any input from the user. The Gear Fit 2 will begin tracking again once the user continues the exercise.

Dynamic Workout Tracking expands the number of exercises that the Gear Fit 2 can recognize. The Gear Fit 2 could already identify when users were walking, cycling, or rowing etc. Now, when a user engages in other repetitive-motion exercises – such as basketball, table tennis, badminton, dancing and soccer – for more than ten minutes, the Gear Fit 2 will log the session as a Dynamic Workout.

See also:

Gear Fit 2 review – can Samsung get fitness tracking right?

July 11, 2016

Lastly, the Gear Fit 2 has altered the way in which indoor exercise sets are managed. "Users can input their desired number of repetitions and sets per exercise and the Gear Fit 2 will start tallying their progress as soon as they begin," said Samsung. "Moreover, because getting adequate rest between sets is key for efficient training, the device will display appropriate break intervals between sets to help users catch their breath and maximize their effort."

The firmware update is rolling out over-the-air now and users will be notified of it in their smartphone's Quick Panel as it becomes available in their region.



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Google Play’s Cyber Week deals are live: save up to 80% on select apps, books, movies and more

android-authority-play-store-cybe-week

android-authority-play-store-cybe-week

The Google Play Store is currently home to a range of deals to coincide with Cyber Week; everything from games, movies and TV shows, books, apps, and more have seen steep discounts.

Below we've listed a few highlights from each category, which are on sale until November 29. If you're more interested in hardware, don't miss our Black Friday tech deals article to see what else you can get your hands on.

Apps

Movies

You can also get 50% off any one movie or film bundle purchase in Google Play with a coupon code. Details of that can be found here.

TV shows

Comics

Books

As for music, Google has discounted a number of albums in the Play Store and is offering its Google Play Music subscription with four months free – the regular price is $9.99 per month.

You can also get up to 80 percent off selected games this week: check out those in detail in our best Black Friday Android game deals article.



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Unsurprisingly, Samsung’s battery-making arm is suffering

Samsung Galaxy Note7 Teardown - iFixit

Samsung Galaxy Note7 Teardown - iFixitiFixit

Samsung SDI, the Samsung group affiliate that made batteries for the Galaxy Note 7, is having a hard time in the market.

Samsung SDI (SSDI) manufactures batteries and other electronic components for various industries. Its clients include Samsung Electronics and other sister companies, but two thirds of its revenue actually comes from non-affiliate companies including Apple.

SSDI took the brunt of the Note 7 crisis. The company was initially blamed for the slew of fire incidents that eventually forced Samsung Electronics to recall the device. Fire incidents continued even after Samsung switched to Amperex batteries, but the damage to SSDI's reputation was already done.

See also:

What caused the great Galaxy Note 7 defect? Here are the leading theories (UPDATE: Samsung explanation coming)

October 12, 2016

Company insiders told Reuters that several existing customers have expressed concerns about the reliability of Samsung SDI batteries. Among them, Apple, one of the biggest battery buyers in the world.

"Since the first recall, we've had many inquiries from our clients, including Apple, asking whether batteries used in their products are safe," said a source at SSDI.

While Samsung SDI might be able to convince existing customers to stay, acquiring new clients may be more difficult, claim analysts cited by Reuters.

Samsung SDI's market value decreased by around 20 percent since the Note 7 fiasco began and its Q3 operating loss doubled year-on-year.

See also:

What is the best Galaxy Note 7 alternative?

October 10, 2016

Unsurprisingly, the highly embarrassing affair caused some soul searching within the company: "It's a matter of our capability … We thought we had control (over all aspects of manufacturing), but it turned out there were some aspects we weren't able to govern," said one Samsung SDI employee.

Samsung Electronics has yet to reveal the precise cause of the Note 7 fire incidents. The Reuters report suggests that the phone was simply too ambitious. "We focused on boosting battery capacity, but this could have been disadvantageous to reliability," said one engineer.

Meanwhile, the extent of the damage to Samsung Electronics' image has been limited. According to a recent poll, most customers still trust Samsung devices.



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Samsung said to be developing its own CPU core based on RISC-V

soc-processor-feature

soc-processor-feature

Samsung's semiconductor division made a big leap forward this year with the development of its first custom CPU core inside its Exynos 8890 processor for the Galaxy S7, and it looks like the company intends to expand its CPU development efforts. According to industry sources, Samsung's Device Solution division is working on its own CPU core for 32-bit microcontrollers, most likely targeted at the wearables and internet-of-things markets.

Allegedly, the CPU core will be based on the open source RISC-V instruction set architecture, rather than an ARM based architecture such as ARMv6-M or the company's latest ARMv8-M, which are more closely related to the architectures used in Samsung's smartphone chips. This means that Samsung won't have to pay a license fee to ARM, suggesting a change in strategy from the company's previous tactic of licensing entire ARM Cortex CPU core designs directly from the company.

Speaking of ARM, the source suggests that Samsung's MCU is targeting a transistor count somewhere in the region of 10,000 to 20,000. Less than 20,000 transistors would put the MCU core in a similar power envelope to ARM's Cortex-M0. The M0 and M0+ are very low power cores designed to bring 32-bit performance to use cases that historically favored low cost 8-bit AVR components. Samsung sold its 8-bit microcontroller business to IXYS back in 2013, but could be returning to the field in preparation for the expansion of the low power IoT market.

"Although we need to wait and see if RISC V core that has competitive edge to replace ARM's core, we are interested in Samsung Electronics since it has an experience of manufacturing its own customized CPU core that is used for mobile AP." – anonymous industry representative

The RISC-V processor architecture was developed by UC Berkeley under a royalty free permissive BSD license, and has received support from a number of major technology companies. The RISC V Foundation is backed by names including Google, Qualcomm, IBM, and NVIDIA, and offers a free compiler and open ISA development environment. In fact, NVIDIA and Qualcomm are already using the architecture to develop their own IoT processors and memory controllers for GPUs.

While RISC-V may not offer the same speed to market and proven compatibility as a licensed ISA, its lack of a royalty fee and entry price makes it a very attractive option for low cost microprocessor development. Especially considering the increasingly low price point of small MCUs. A 32-bit Cortex-M0 based STM32F0 microcontroller sells for less than $2!

Samsung is said to have been developing its microcontroller CPU since the first half of 2016, and the core could appear in its first commercialized product sometime next year.

 



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Deal: Buy a Chromecast and get a free 3-month subscription to HBO NOW

Google Chromecast Ultra 4

Google Chromecast Ultra 4

Google has partnered up with HBO for its latest deal. It's offering three months of free access to HBO Now to customers who either buy the new Chromecast Ultra or last year's Chromecast device.

As always, conditions apply, though. The offer is valid for purchases between November 23 and December 24 and should be redeemed by January 8 at the latest. It is also only available for new users. So, if you already have an HBO Now subscription, you won't get an additional 3-month access to the service. Sorry.

The Chromecast Ultra currently retails for $69 on Google's Store, while its predecessor is available for only 25 bucks. The devices will transform your regular TV into a smart TV, so you'll be able to access the HBO Now service on your big screen and start watching the popular Westworld series everyone has been raving about.

See also:

Check out these short ads for Google Chromecast

2 weeks ago

Please note that after the three-month promotional period, HBO will start charging your credit card on a recurring basis — 14.99 bucks each month. So in case you don't like the service and decide to call it quits after the initial three months, make sure to cancel your subscription on time.

Are you thinking about taking the deal? If you are, visit the Google Store by clicking the button below.

Get the Chromecast Ultra
Get the Chromecast


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mercredi 23 novembre 2016

HTC Bolt buyers can now get a free USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter

htc-bolt-hands-on-11-of-27

htc-bolt-hands-on-11-of-27

Earlier this month, Sprint started selling the HTC Bolt smartphone. It is one of the first such phones that has ditched the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. While it comes with its own USB-C headphones that are supposed to offer adaptive audio features, the phone does not come with a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. This meant that buyers who have a favorite set of wired headphones would have to spend extra money their own adapter … until now. HTC has decided to give Bolt owners a way to get a free adapter, if they are patient.

See also:

Best Sprint Android phones

1 week ago

If you have bought the Bolt from Sprint, you can go to the HTC Rewards site and type in the day you purchased the phone, along with its transaction number and its MEID number. HTC's site says that it will begin shipping the USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter to those folks sometime by the end of December, but the site does warn that "there could be delays resulting from unforeseen inventory situations or high demand." In other words, if you really, really need that adapter right now, you might be better off just getting one yourself.

The offer is for anyone who buys the HTC Bolt from Sprint from the day it went on sale until January 31, 2017, and those folks have until February 28, 2017 to take advantage of the free adapter promotion.

Get it at HTC Rewards Center site


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