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vendredi 9 décembre 2016

Department of Transportation proposes new rules for phone calls during flights

New York Daily News

On Thursday, The Department of Transportation proposed a few new rules that would allow airlines to decide whether they will let passengers make voice calls during flights using the aircraft's onboard Wi-Fi system.

However, the rules state that airlines and ticket agents would have to let the passengers know in advance that making voice calls during the flight is allowed and that, therefore, mid-air distractions can be expected.

Consumers deserve to have clear and accurate information about whether an airline permits voice calls before they purchase a ticket and board the aircraft. Today's proposal will ensure that air travelers are not unwillingly exposed to voice calls, as many of them are troubled over the idea of passengers talking on cell phones in flight. — Anthony Foxx, U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

As of now, the final decision regarding the implementation of the above-mentioned rules has not been made. The Department of Transportation will first take the feedback it gets from airlines as well as passengers on this topic into consideration, which might take some time.

See also:

Google Flights will inform you when you can buy the cheapest ticket

October 17, 2016

So, if you have a strong opinion regarding the topic and want your voice to be heard, head over to the official website of the Department of Transportation by clicking the button below to post your comment.

Post your comment

Also feel free to express your opinion in the comments section below. We would love to hear what you think about the proposed rules.



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(Update: download now) Unlocked HTC One M9 Nougat update is out

htc one m9 review aa (27 of 34)

htc one m9 review aa (27 of 34)
Update, December 9: The Nougat RUU file has been uploaded for the HTC One M9, so if you haven't already received the update OTA you can now install it manually with HTC Sync Manager. You can grab the 1.9 GB download file here and Sync Manager here.

Original post, December 5: Yet another older smartphone is getting ready for its Android 7.0 Nougat update. HTC has confirmed that the Nougat over-the-air update for the unlocked version of the HTC One M9 will begin rolling out later tonight.

See also:

HTC 10 vs HTC One M9

May 27, 2016

The reveal came from HTC's Twitter feed, which added that the carrier varients for the One M9 would get the same Nougat sometime in early 2017. The same update was also released for the unlocked HTC 10 a couple of weeks ago. The company has also confirmed that Nougat will also be released for the One A9 at some point, but there is no specfic date.

The upgrade to Nougat for older phones is moving along at a slow pace. The latest Android distribution numbers which came out today show that Nougat is only installed on only 0.4 percent of all Android devices so far. Other over-the-air updates have been released in recent days for the LG G5, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, the Sony Xperia X Performance and a few others. Samsung is in the middle of beta testing its Nougat updates for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge phones.



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Xiaomi starts rolling out Marshmallow update for Redmi Note 3 in India

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3-6

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3-6

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 started selling in India in March this year with a starting price of Rs 9,999. It's currently the company's best-selling smartphone in India and features a 5.5-inch Full HD display, the Snapdragon 650 processor, 2/3 GB of RAM, and a primary 16 MP camera.

The device was originally released with Android Lollipop and Xiaomi's MIUI 7 on top. And although the company has updated the smartphone's user interface to MIUI 8, the Android version stayed the same.

See also:

It's official: Xiaomi won't launch a flat screen version of the Mi Note 2

3 days ago

In hopes of keeping its customers happy, Xiaomi has recently started rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for the Redmi Note 3. The update, which comes in at a hefty 1.3 GB is a nightly build, however, Xiaomi claims that it's Beta Stable. It's currently only available to a random selection of users, but we expect that the final build will be available to Redmi Note 3 owners across the country soon.

This is quite a big update and should bring a few interesting and useful features to the device. If you get your hands on it, do let us know what you think of it by posting a comment down below.



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South Korean President impeached, Samsung accused of bribery

samsung-logo-mwc-big

samsung-logo-mwc-big

In case you weren't aware, a dramatic soap opera has been playing out in recent months at the highest levels of South Korean politics. Involving corruption, bribery, shamans, show horses, secret societies and all manner of other peculiarity, the situation has finally resulted in the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye amidst allegations that seven Korean conglomerates including Samsung are guilty of bribery.

See also:

Samsung Experience: the interface formerly known as TouchWiz

2 days ago

The corporations are accused of accepting "government favors in relation to duty-free licenses" following bribes paid either to the President or her controversial "advisor" Choi Soon-sil. Choi has been accused of manipulating and controlling the President for years and has long been suspected of using her close relationship with the President for personal gain. If you need a primer, read this.

The impeachment motion said that "considering the wide range of the president's authority, a total of 36 billion won ($30.9 million) given by Samsung, SK and Lotte is viewed as bribery, as they have direct interest in succession, special pardons and duty-free business rights". Prosecutors are expected to re-summon the leaders of the businesses accused of bribery, with potentially dire consequences.

"The possible prosecution of business heads by the special prosecutor will be critical to the companies. If group chiefs are prosecuted for bribery, they may face challenges in holding on to financial affiliates by losing their eligibility as a major shareholder," professor Chun Sung-in of Hongik University told The Korea Herald.

The possible prosecution of business heads by the special prosecutor will be critical to the companies involved.

Samsung's heir-apparent Lee Kun-hee, recently appointed to the board of directors, faced a grueling parliamentary examination in front of Korea's National Assembly on Tuesday, facing 80 percent of the questions directed at the assembled business leaders.

It was a pitiful public appearance for the reclusive man expected to assume control over Samsung's sprawling empire upon the passing of his father Lee Kun-hee. Although no new facts were uncovered during the hearing, the President's impeachment will undoubtedly reveal new angles for prosecutors to pry into.

It goes without saying that the last thing Samsung needs right now is a political scandal at the highest levels of its executive branch. At this stage it is impossible for forecast how it might affect the company as a whole. But this story is so far-ranging that Samsung's role in it is just a small part of the broader impact it will have on South Korea as a nation.

Prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is now the acting president of South Korea until the Constitutional Court gives a final ruling on the President's impeachment and new leadership can be put in place. In the interim, analysts fear the effects of the political instability on investors, foreign companies and trade. The Korean economy is expected to be thrown into a "vortex of uncertainty" following the impeachment.

What do you expect to come out of this story?



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AT&T to refund more than $88 million to customers for unauthorized charges

AT&T logo

AT&T logoShutterstock

Back in 2014, the FTC cracked down on AT&T for placing unauthorized third-party charges on its customers' phone bills, a practice known as "mobile cramming". On average, the company charged its users $9.99 per month for ringtones and text message subscriptions containing love tips, horoscopes and fun facts, without their consent. AT&T kept 35 percent of the money, while the rest went to Tatto and Acquinity, the two other companies involved.

AT&T already settled the case in 2014 and will now start issuing refunds totalling over $88 million, which represents the most money ever returned to consumers in a mobile cramming case. The refunds will be issued within the next 75 days to more than 2.5 million current and 300,000 former AT&T customers. According to the FTC, the average refund amount is $31.

See also:

Best AT&T Android phones (November 2016)

3 weeks ago

AT&T received a high volume of complaints related to mobile cramming prior to the FTC and other federal and state agencies stepping in on consumers' behalf. I am pleased that consumers are now being refunded their money and that AT&T has changed its mobile billing practices. — Edith Ramirez, FTC Chairwoman.

The 2.5 million current AT&T users will receive a credit on their bill within the next 75 days, while the 300,000 former customers will get a check in the mail, which has to be cashed within 60 days.

Are you happy to see that the FTC has stepped in on consumers' behalf and made sure that they get refunded? Let us know down below.



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TSMC wants to build a new factory for 5nm and 3nm chips

bn-dq158_0710ts_gr_20140710075834

bn-dq158_0710ts_gr_20140710075834WSJ

Samsung may be the first to mass produce the industry's first 10nm SoC, but that doesn't mean TSMC can't prepare for what's to come in the future – the Taiwanese chipmaker is apparently planning to build a new factory for future processors built on a 5nm and a 3nm design.

See also:

TSMC to start testing 7nm mobile processors

October 20, 2016

TSMC wants to make chipsets even smaller – I mean, who doesn't? That means more room for other components all the while being more power-efficient. But before we get ahead of ourselves, the reality is that these 5nm and 3nm chipsets are a long way away. After all, TSMC hasn't even unveiled its 10nm chips yet. According to leaked documents, TSMC will begin 10nm production this year for next iPhone's A11 chipset.

However, the Taiwanese semiconductor giant certainly seems to be looking ahead as the competition to produce smaller and smaller chips grows. Nikkei Asian Review reports that TSMC is planning on building a $16 billion advanced chip facility in order to maintain its lead in the global market:

We're asking the government to help us find a plot that is large enough and has convenient access so we can build an advanced chip plant to manufacture 5-nanometer and 3nm chips.

Easier said than done, however. The smaller the chip, the more advanced it is, but also the harder it is to manufacture. TSMC has previously said that the company is looking to push out 7nm chips by 2017 and 5nm chips by 2020, but I personally think that's overly optimistic. Mass producing 10nm chips is hard enough as it is – and that's precisely why Samsung is one of the very few companies with the necessary resources to do it. Thermal challenges as well as other optimization issues are going to take a significant amount of time to be addressed fully when it comes to even smaller structures.

Thermal challenges as well as other optimization issues are going to take a significant amount of time to be addressed fully when it comes to even smaller structures.

The race to see who produces the smallest chips the fastest will continue, but it is highly unlikely that we will see anything smaller than 10nm before 2018 or later.



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Sony wants to be the first manufacturer (besides Google) to release Android 7.1.1 Nougat

Sony Xperia X Performance-5

Sony Xperia X Performance-5

Sony aims to be the first manufacturer outside of Google to release Android 7.1.1 Nougat. According to Xperia Blog, Sony's developer team has stated that issuing Android 7.1.1 is its "number one priority" and that "if you spot any other vendor (excluding Google) releasing this faster than us, prepare your rotten tomatoes!"

Android 7.1.1 was recently released on December 5 for the Google Pixel phones and Nexus devices, and Google made the source code available to manufacturers via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) on the same day. When exactly Sony intends to release its take on Android 7.1.1, and to which devices, isn't yet known.

See also:

Sony rolling out the Nougat update for Xperia XZ

1 week ago

Sony was previously one of the first manufacturers to roll out the Android 7.0 Nougat software, bringing a beta build of it to its Xperia X Performance handset on November 2. Sony has already confirmed that the Android Nougat update will at some stage roll out to its Xperia X and Z5 series, as well as the Z3+ and Z4 Tablet.

Do you think Sony will be the next manufacturer to release an Android 7.1.1 Nougat build? Give us your take in the comments.



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