Mobile Devices - Page 117

Apple's iPhone SE -- effectively an upgraded 5s -- wasn't full-blown hyped, but it seems to be selling like it anyway: demand for the 4'' device is outstripping supply as most stores are now posting stock-outs and delays, saying that new orders won't ship for as long as a few weeks from now. This includes both online and retail outlets (including Apple stores), not just nationally but internationally.

The fastest you get can one as of press time is April 12, and there you're likely limited to the smaller $399 16GB models. If you want a $499 64GB model, you'll have to wait until April 20-27. This is all assuming you're willing to pay for faster shipping, mind you.

The iPhone SE launched March 31.

You know when you click agree to a privacy policy without reading it? Well, sometimes they're allowed to share your information, though very anonymously. WalletHub lets you check your credit score for free, and they've come to some very fun conclusions about credit score and devices used.

These are more of a correlation at the moment and don't at all indicate anything other than mere observations of the customers that use their website. But they did notice that iPhone users tend to have excellent credit, with 56% holding that score range. Only 19% have bad credit and 15% have good credit. BlackBerry users seem to have the worst ratings with 46% of those users being put into that category. Windows Phone users tend to have excellent or good credit scores as well. Perhaps because of the proliferation of devices, nearly 44% of people on Android-based phones have bad credit.

In their survey they have a lot of other fun facts that really mean absolutely nothing, but are pretty interesting observations in their own right. More data and a proper study would need to be conducted to actually conclude anything, but these are "fun facts" anyway. Take a look at their full infographic below and see if you follow the same trends.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and Apple have signed a collaborative agreement that will see the iPad Pro become the device of choice for on-field usage. More, the league's new MLB Dugout app -- which was developed alongside Apple and offers stat reports of all kinds, data visualization, and scouting videos, as based on club feedback -- will take full advantage of it.

The Pro and Dugout app will be used league-wide, and will be customized for each team. Security shouldn't be a concern, as reports and video will be loaded onto a private network infrastructure to be installed this offseason in each ballpark. As you'd expect, the devices won't be able to access Internet in the dugout or bullpen.

MLB and Apple will continue to work on the app together; as of now, Apple Pencil and video annotation functionality are in the pipeline.

So, after all of the hoopla surrounding the FBI wanting Apple to cooperate in breaking into the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, the FBI has managed to break into the iPhone 5C without Apple's help.

According to a filing from government prosecutors to the courts, there has been no information on how the FBI broke into the iPhone 5C, but it did state that it has "successfully accessed the data stored on [San Bernardino killer Syed Rizwan] Farook's iPhone". The FBI has now withdrawn its order for Apple to help it unlock the iPhone 5C.

The FBI seems to have broken into the iPhone 5C thanks to an "outside party", which was reportedly an Israeli mobile forensics company called Cellebrite. Cellebrite reportedly has a device that can analyze, and extract data from various smartphones. It's a weird one - because you'd think that with the copious amounts of spying done by US agencies like the FBI, NSA, DHS and CIA - that they could've used their collective power to break into the iPhone - as the information is taken before, and after it hits the iPhone anyway.

When LG unveiled its new G5 smartphone, it was one of the bigger risks the company has taken, and for good reason. It has an upgradeable camera, SD card slot, removable battery, and so much more thanks to its impressive Magic Slot module.

Forbes has taken a look at the G5 smartphone, comparing its rear-facing camera against the G4, and what they found was more than impressive. Forbes contributors Patrick Moorhead and Anshel Sag tested the G5's camera in "multiple camera modes, auto, manual, and HDR . However, most of the shots will be taken in auto and HDR because the reality is that most users will be using their phones in auto".

The first image, which we've got above, shows a huge change over the G4. The HDR image is interesting, as it shows how the sensor deals with bright situations.

Most people thought Apple were kind of crazy launching a new 4-inch smartphone, but the iPhone SE has been super popular in China where they've seen 3.4 million pre-orders in the country alone.

Splitting these numbers up, JD.com has 882,000 pre-orders, Suning has 1.7 million, and Gome has 889,000 pre-orders for the new iPhone SE. Gold is the most popular with 1.3 million pre-orders, Rose Gold comes in second with 1.2 million pre-orders, and Silver with only 450,000. The 4-inch iPhone SE features the same A9 processor found in the larger, and much more expensive iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus smartphones.

Around the back, we have a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera that shoots 4K without a problem. 802.11ac Wi-Fi is included, making it 3x faster than the iPhone 5S. There's Wi-Fi calling and NFC, Touch ID, and Bluetooth 4.2 on the iPhone SE - all for $399.

The first Linux tablets are coming soon with Ubuntu driving the show under the hood with quad-core MediaTek processors. The devices, from BQ are available in a full HD and HD (720P) screens with the ability to run full-fledged (ARM compatible) Linux applications and turn into a traditional PC when hooked up to an external monitor and keyboard/mouse.

The BQ Aquaris M10 comes in two flavors, the 1280x800 10" model with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage and a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT8163A processor. The Full HD version will actually have a 10" 1920x1200 resolution screen with the same storage and RAM but a 1.5GHz quad-core processor. Both will have an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front camera and a microSD slot that can hold up to 64GB of additional storage.

The HD version is $289 while the FullHD version is $335. This is part of Canonicals bid to bring Linux into every facet of our lives, letting you enjoy it in nearly any format, akin to Microsoft's strategy with Windows 10. It's supposed to provide a seemless experience, even if it's not particularly quick with the specs these two 10" tablets have.

Apple may have just revealed its new, but old iPhone SE - but now the latest rumors from credible Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo with KGI Securities has the company teasing the next-gen iPhone.

Kuo teases that the iPhone to be revealed in 2017 will be completely new, with glass casing and a sure-to-be beautiful AMOLED display. Kuo believes that Apple will choose between glass, plastric and ceramic casing for its next-gen iPhone, but believes Apple will land on using glass - like it did with the iPhone 4 "as plastic doesn't offer thin and light form factor designs, and it would be not easy to precisely control the tolerance of ceramic".

The new iPhone will also reportedly feature a curved display, much like their competitor Samsung and their Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S7 edge smartphones. KGI says that Apple will build on the iPhone 4 design, with the 2017 iPhone featuring a glass front and back, with metal sides. Kuo adds that the new iPhone will feature a "completely new form factor design", with narrow bezels and a "more comfortable grip".

Amazon surprised the world with its impressive Echo device, a personal voice assistant that has made waves - so much so, that Google is reportedly working on a device very similar, according to The Verge.

Considering Google owns connected thermostat and smoke detector company Nest, it will most likely leverage its $3.2 billion acquisition to better combat the Amazon Echo. The rumors have Nest wanting to work on an Echo-like product, but Google dismissed the idea, as it was working on its own. Nest has been struggling to expand on its product line since Google acquired the company in early 2014.

Google making an Echo-like product makes total sense, especially with its powerful Google Now service - involving Nest into this, would make sense - so I don't understand why this wouldn't happen. Google, what's going on?

Sony isn't finished restructuring their PlayStation brand it seems. The latest move by the Japanese company has formed a new division that's sole focus is to bring back PlayStation-esque gaming to the mobile space.

The idea, it seems, is to be able to provide full-fledged console-type gaming with complex character interactions and an overarching narrative to mobile phones, tablets and any other mobile or connected devices. The wording even suggests making another app to act as a hub for those experiences. It also suggests that this will be, again, limited to their own devices. It looks like they're ready to re-enter this arena again, and with a whole new strategy.

Of course this is well after the actual PlayStation mobile app, which contained targeted and optimized games and was available only on certain Sony handheld devices, has been shut down. This seems to be another effort to expand past the PlayStation Vita and into a broad mobile strategy, something that Nintendo has opted to do as well. One would hope that they would extend the compatibility to include more than just Sony branded devices, maybe even having soft requirements to play certain games to ensure that the best experience is had. It's likely that they've re-evaluated their stance after reviewing the popularity of even the Kim Kardashian game and other segments.

There was an unexpected outcry when the iPhone started growing in diagonal size. The smaller, and original(ish) 4" screen was sorely missed. Apple has heard those cries of anguish and have revived that particular size as the iPhone SE. But it definitely isn't the iPhone 5C of this generation.

Inside the new phone are flagship level parts, with the full A9 and M9 chips found in the 6S. The only difference is the smaller Retina screen. The camera around back is also the same 12MP one featured in the 6S, 6S Plus and the recently announced 9.7-inch iPad Pro. That means this small phone is capable of 4K video and can produce slow-motion video at up to 240FPS.

NFC is also supported so you can use Apple Pay or any other NFC related app that can make use of it. For other connectivity, you'll have faster LTE support but only single-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi support. Missing from the spec sheet is 3D touch, however. You'll be able to pre-order the iPhone SE on March 24th and they'll show up in stock on March 31st. The iPone SE will be priced at $399 for 16GB and $499 for 64GB of storage.

Apple's "Loop you in" event just finished up in Cupertino today, the last one in this particular amphitheater, and it was full of updates to their mobile line. The newest member of the iPad family was announced, firmly taking the spot in the line that's slotted directly before the larger iPad Pro yet after the current iPad Air 2.

This iteration is almost exactly the same as it's big brother with the same A9X chipset, 4 speaker audio setup and Apple Pencil compatibility. The screen has a resolution of 2048x1536 with full DCI-P3 color gamut support. From the video, it looks like it's actually calibrated individually at the factory, so it should prove to have accurate color rendition out of the box.

Apple has added something they're calling True Tone display to the screen, which uses a set of 2, four channel, ambient light sensors to change the color temperature of the screen based on the ambient light around you. The screen borrows similar IGZO and the custom timing controller from the larger iPad Pro and is capable of a whopping 500 nits of brightness.

If you own a Kindle, then you need to update it to the latest version of software as soon as possible. Otherwise you may not be able to use it anymore. Well, you won't be able to use it as a proper e-reading device connected to Amazon's cloud services, or access the store, or do much of anything with it seems.

Amazon is making some changes that require this update in order to continue normal operations, which is not fun for anyone, though the update process is a fairly simple one. Though you'll have to update via the approved avenue for doing so, either via Wi-Fi or Wireless if you happen to have those radios available. It seems to really only apply to any Kindle that was made prior to 2013, however. They're quite serious about needing to update, though.

Save the date, March 21st marks a new Apple event where they want to "loop us in" with the latest in innovations and products. And just what could those be?

We're expecting a number of different new things to pop-up, but of course the reality is that only one or two of these predictions are likely to come true, if at all. High on that list is the resurgence of a new 4" iPhone device. the iPhone SE as well as a smaller version of the iPad Pro, likely in a 9.7-inch chassis that mirrors the current iPad Air, but with force touch and pen support. Supposedly we'll also see new Apple Watch bands too, ones that are more durable and add a bit more flair. Because, why not.

And of course final versions of the next major steps in the OS's for the various iOS and OSX devices should be revealed as well. We're up to iOS 9.3, tvOS 9.2, watchOS 2.2 and OSX 10.11.4. What else is in store? Usually we see bigger and larger devices make their way into the stable, but we hope that this event is one that focuses on the refinement of the brand instead.

A recent eBay survey has uncovered that Australians love hoarding their old technology, or simply just can't be bothered getting rid of it. Information from this survey pointed out that Australians have a collective of approximately $4.8 billion ($6.4bn AUD) worth of unused phones sitting around.

This is backed up by worldwide research from Deloitte Global that says there is approximately $12.72 billion worth of handsets laying unwanted around planet Earth. This eBay survey and data analysis is part of a marketing plan for this website giant, trying to show users that their old phone is worth money and could possibly be sold on some form of online auction site (eBay, maybe?).

Mark Bulgin from eBay commented that "now is the perfect time for Aussies to sell their older models to fund the upgrade," citing releases of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 that may interest users. He also discussed the currently strong Australian second-hand market, stating that "The average selling price of the Apple iPhone 6s has only fallen $50 since September 2015 and is still fetching over $875 for a single handset, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 is fetching around $526."

It feels like we've been promised this many times before, but Apple is expected to make the big leap to OLED displays with its next-gen iPhone, something the company will reportedly unveil next year, according to Nikkei.

Apple contacted both of its rivals in LG and Samsung in December, to talk about the possibility of increasing OLED production for the 2017 iPhone. But, the OLED displays would most likely be exclusive to the higher-end iPhone 7 Plus (or whatever Apple calls it), or the rumored iPhone Pro, due to supply constraints.

Apple is reportedly close to inking a deal with Samsung regarding flexible OLED displays, but I don't see that happening for years yet, as Apple seems to drip feed its consumers upgrades and features to the iPhone. The company has also been interested in curved OLED displays, but according to Nikkei, Apple might leave curved OLED displays to the side for now - in favor of normal OLED displays for the 2017 iPhone. The company is apparently wanting to move to OLED displays quickly, as it wants to squeeze more life out of iPhone sales, which analysts expect to stall in the coming months.

Whereas Microsoft's new ads go for the gut punch to a rival, Samsung is going for humor with its Galaxy S7 ads while highlighting the strengths of the device. (And it succeeds wildly, I might add.)

The best by far is the "Why?" ad, which features celebrities William H. Macy (or does it?), Wesley Snipes (who makes an amusing quip at his own lack of versatility), Weezy himself, and a couple "celebrity sports persons" (if it's not hockey, I can't help you), among others. The ad doesn't rely on star power alone, though: clever jokes pop up left and right, like in one scene where a man is wandering in the woods at night and his battery dies. "Eh, probably fine, though," he says, before lightning flashes and a masked murderer appears behind him.

The "Water" ad has its moments, too, whereas the "Dark" ad is pretty typical as far as ads go and can be safely skipped.

Samsung is getting serious about mobile storage. They may have brought back expandable storage with the Galaxy S7, but they want native storage to grow exponentially as well. And they're doing that by producing 256GB embedded NAND using the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 standard.

The UFS 2.0 standard will allow phones to enjoy read speeds that are nearly twice as fast as SATA 6, though still lagging behind NVMe enabled PCIe SSD's. The new embedded UFS 2.0 NAND from Samsung will be able to read at around 850MB/s and write at a much lower, but still acceptable, 250MB/s. They're quoting that it'll be able to sustain around 45,000 IOPS, which is far faster than the previous generation.

Samsung says that this is the ideal solution to record 4K footage to, since more mobile phones are beginning to have 4K capabilities. The faster interface means you can actually record them without having to rely on buffering in RAM or otherwise.

Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge smartphones at Mobile World Congress earlier this week, with DisplayMate putting it under its equipment to test out just how good the new 5.1-inch QHD display really is.

Well, DisplayMate walked away more than impressed. The company said that the Galaxy S7 features the best OLED display its ever seen, with subtle improvements in brightness and contrast over its predecessor. The AMOLED display on the Galaxy S7 is 24% brighter than the Galaxy S6 display, which is important for visibility in various conditions. Contrast has been improved, with the Galaxy S7 falling closer to the larger Galaxy Note 5 - but offers higher pixel density than its larger sibling.

Samsung introduced Personalized automatic brightness with the Galaxy S7, a new feature which remembers the brightness settings you've chosen through ambient light levels. This results in the Galaxy S7 adjusting its brightness to your specific personal preferences, something else DisplayMate liked to see.

T-Mobile product expert Des takes a dip while showing you exactly what to expect out of the Samsung Galaxy S7 in the unboxing video below. That's one way to show off water resistance, right?

Throughout the video, Des takes a call from his friend Darrel, snaps pictures, and streams TV, all the while indecipherably talking up the features (how about that 200GB microSD expandable storage?). A couple of things not mentioned in the video: The S7 includes caller ID (the traditional kind) and fraud and scam call flagging by default, as well as a very respectable 3000mAh battery.