Mobile Devices - Page 132

The adoption of Apple Pay, while still stirring controversy among retailers preferring a non-Apple-centric payment service, continues to help stimulate the mobile pay revolution.

For retailers, they have a monetary incentive to adopt Apple Pay: the payment service charges a fraction of what current credit card companies charge per swipe at checkout, which could help win over additional retailers in the future.

"I've never seen a bigger adoption of an alternative-payment system," said Brian Roemmele, a payments consultant, in a statement to the Wall Street Journal.

Apple had a great Q4 2014, but its mobile payment system, Apple Pay, likely didn't have a major impact on that success, analysts believe. Despite drawing tremendous interest from consumers looking to embrace mobile payment, Apple Pay - and rival platforms - simply haven't been able to compete against cash, debit and credit card payments.

"Apple Pay is not likely to be a material revenue stream on its own anytime soon," predicted Colin Gillis, analyst at BGC Partners, in a statement published by CNN Money.

However, a growing number of retailers are interested in adopting Apple Pay, and that will lead to future iPhone adoption - along with one day hopefully moving the needle. Most credit card companies charge 1.5 percent up to 3 percent per swipe, while Apple charges just 0.15 percent per transaction.

If you're a fan of slim wallets and packing light when going out clubbing, to dinner or to a casual bar with your mates, Justin Portable Power Products may have a solution for you.

Although their name is a bit of a tongue-twister, their 2,000 mAh slim offering is elegant, simple and unique.

Quoted on their official website as a "Credit Card Sized Power Bank with Synthetic Leather Carry Case," this product features a handy blue LED battery indicator, a micro-USB in and out port and a leather carry case that can easily hold two or three cards that you may have. Not only do we have one of these for review, but we've been taking it out with us to test it to its limits.

The four major wireless carriers in the United States are engaged in a war for new subscribers, with an increased level of poaching taking place. The increased competition has presented a great opportunity for subscribers looking to upgrade their plans, get new phones, or switch carriers.

Verizon Wireless and AT&T currently enjoy their respective positions as the No. 1 and No. 2 wireless carriers in the United States, but Sprint and T-Mobile are locked in a fierce battle for the No. 3 position. Sprint is giving current T-Mobile subscribers an incentive to jump ship, offering up to $350 to cover switching costs along with a minimum of a $200 trade-in for T-Mobile phones. The Sprint promotion runs until April 9.

Both companies also have an eye on the remaining one-quarter of US mobile phone owners using feature phones, with both fighting to attract them to smartphones.

The release of the iPhone 6 garnered a lot of attention in 2014. There were more than 1 million tweets about the iPhone 6 after its launch event, of which 17 thousand were about the camera and 22 thousand were about its larger size, reports Forbes using Spredfast data. However, once the Bend Gate scandal hit, it received 26,000 mentions on Twitter that morning.

Although the iPhone was talked to death this past year, it may not be the best present for the techie in your life. But by putting all your eggs in the iPhone basket, you may be missing the opportunity to get your tech enthusiast a more unique gift. So, before you click on that buy button, consider these less conventional, but practical alternatives to the iPhone 6.

If a 3D printer sounds like a wildly extravagant gift, think about the endless possibilities that this emerging technology makes possible. Also consider this: Independent consulting firm Wohlers Associates estimates that sales of 3D printing products and services could hit $6 billion worldwide by 2017. For a small business owner, a 3D printer can enhance your product offerings or it could be the impetus for a fresh business idea. If your special someone is holding off on a big idea because of manufacturing costs, noodle on the 3D printer. Not sure where to start? Check out the printers offered by Solidoodl, which are gaining momentum because of its surprisingly affordable models.

Acer has introduced two new Chromebook models, the Chromebook C910 and Chromebook C740, designed for students in the classroom at appealing price points.

The C910 has a 15.6-inch display providing full HD IPS (1920x1080 resolution) or HD (1366x768) resolution, according to Acer. Both models have Intel Core i3-5005U CPUs or Intel Celeron 3205U CPUs.

The Chromebook C910 will be available in 16GB or 32GB SSD and 4GB RAM, with a starting MSRP of $299.99. Meanwhile, the Acer C740 will be available with a 16GB SSD and 2GB or 4GB of RAM, with a starting MSRP of $259.99.

After years upon years and millions upon millions of devices sold with Qualcomm processors inside, Samsung is rumored to be dropping the Snapdragon 810 processor from its upcoming Galaxy S6. The reason? Bloomberg is reporting that the South Korean giant isn't happy with overheating issues in its new Galaxy S6 handset.

The new report from Bloomberg says that Samsung would be "dropping its use of a Qualcomm Inc. chip that overheated during the Korean company's testing". The chip that Bloomberg is referring to is the Snapdragon 810, which has been used in many devices so far, and even upcoming devices like the new LG G Flex 2 smartphone, and it should be baked into the upcoming HTC One M9 smartphone.

Bloomberg says that the "new Galaxy S will be equipped with Samsung's most advanced chips" which would mean we could expect Samsung to provide its own Exynos range of processors inside of the Galaxy S6. We normally see Samsung use its Exynos range in some of its smartphones, usually splitting the load with Qualcomm processors depending on the market. But a full head first dive into only using Exynos processors for its upcoming flagship smartphone would be a big shift for the company.

It looks like Apple could eventually turn the iPhone, or at least an iPhone-like device into a full fledged mobile gaming powerhouse with its latest patent.

The Cupertino-based iGiant has patented a design for an iPhone that would feature a pop-out joypad, something that Forbes found with a filing date of 2014, and published last week. This new patent teased a "multi-function input device" that would allow gamers to overcome the "shortcomings" of touchscreen games, which interfere "with the user's ability to see what he is controlling and/or other portions of the game display".

The patent goes on to say that it would feature a built-in controller that is enabled through a spring mechanism, something that would be very useful for games that feature tactile feedback. The application states "Some gamers hold the opinion that realistic game play cannot be fully experienced without joysticks and/or tactile buttons".

If you're looking to have your phone completely off-contract and pay as you go, Optus Australia are promoting their business to all prepaid customers, throwing in some bonus' if you walk down that path - for a limited time only.

As of today Optus will be offering an upgraded $30 AU prepaid service, which gives you 30 days of access, 1.5GB of data, 350 call minutes and $5 of extra credit for premium services (like MMS). In total this is a 500MB improvement on their previous $30 AU offering.

If you're looking to spend a little more, $45 AU will get you unlimited call minutes, 3GB of data and $10 of bonus credit. This is surpassed yet again by a $60 AU offering which will gather you unlimited minutes yet again and a beefier, 6GB of data.

With rumors building over Apple's new large iPad and its possible inclusion of a stylus, HP has jumped the gun and released their plethora of new tablets with one of them being this gigantic 12-inch offering.

There is one thing that the Apple and HP products have in common and that is a business focus. Tablets haven't been doing too well in the public sector for a while now, however it seems that companies are turning their focus towards professional business and education applications. There are plenty of schools which now offer iPads for their students to use on a regular basis, so these companies are trying to fully capture that market by providing a direct solution rather than a one-device-fits-all approach.

HP's new 12-inch tablet comes with their own "Duet Pen", described as a stylus that can write on anything. Utilizing Qualcomm's Snapdragon digital pen technology, this pen can write on your tablet and take normal notes on paper. This means that whenever characters are written on paper, they will appear on the tablet also - allowing to you store, share and publish any notes taken.

Aimed at educators, retailers, healthcare workers and other professional industries, Hewlett-Packard has today announced a grand total of eight new tablets to be released in the market. This wide variety is apparently to combat the 'one device suits all' approach that is seen with tablet manufacturers of today, HP is fighting this stigma by releasing a wide variety of options.

Two of these tablets are aimed towards school and education, seeing HP produce a model that is claimed to resist dust, moisture and "the rigors of an education environment," producing something a little more robust than others.

With pricing ranging from $199 to $1,599, this is apparently a massive move by HP to take some market share from the tablet scene, with reports stating that this large-scale technology company has been struggling to catch up with the growing consumer preference for tablet design. According to Jack Gold, a tech analyst, "this is a logical extension of their current strategy, which is to stay competitive in the business market. They have an opportunity to become more than just a commodity supplier of tablets, which is where the market is headed. Many companies won't invest in tablets until they find a compelling reason to do so. And HP offering specialized devices geared to specific markets could be the catalyst for those companies eyeing tablets but still cautious about the expense and management risks, as well as the less-than-optimum designs in general-purpose devices."

The Apple iPhone has strong internal security that is hard to bypass, and iOS 8 encrypts data by default. Google has also followed suit with stronger protections for Android, much to the chagrin of government agencies, which are unable to hack into the phones directly to retrieve information. Apple and Google are also refusing to decrypt the data for anyone, so phone security is locked up pretty tight.

Where there is a will there is a way. According to Der Spiegel, the publication with access to Edward Snowdens documents, the British Secret Service had figured out how to track iPhone users when they connect their phone to a computer. Once the phone is connected to an infected computer the agency analyzes the downloaded data. This eliminates the need to directly hack the phone, thus proving to be a working model for circumventing encryption and security features on the phone itself.

The British Secret Service also tracked internet usage on the device through a vulnerability in Safari and Google's Admob advertising service. The UDID, a device identifier number, is exposed through the tactic, and then the user can be tracked online. These methods were used by the agency in 2010, and likely the loophole has since been closed. However, variants of the same method may still be in use that are successful.

Microsoft will show off more details regarding its upcoming Windows 10 operating system later this week, as partners, corporate clients, and consumers wait patiently. There is a renewed optimism that the desktop and laptop will have a proper next-generation operating system, but Microsoft hopes Windows 10 will succeed where it has struggled the most - in the mobile space, powering smartphones and tablets.

Microsoft has less than three percent of the global phone market OS - and won't be able to catch up to Google Android or Apple iOS anytime soon - but just a larger chunk of the market would be valuable in itself.

Even with mobile potential of Windows 10, Microsoft opened up Office for Android and iOS devices, along with enhancing developer tools for other mobile OSes. Both steps are important, but a seamless OS between mobile, laptops, and PCs could give Microsoft a major advantage that it has been unable to create for years.

Smartphones are virtually everywhere in the United States, and some banks are rolling out "cardless cash" ATMs that dispense money to consumers using their smartphones.

Wintrust Financial pairs its mobile app with the ATM, so consumers choose how much money they want to withdraw, sign into the mobile app using a four-digit PIN or password, and select the cardless cash option. From there, they touch the "cardless cash" button on the ATM screen, scan a QR code, click submit, and the ATM will provide the funds. Consumers only need to touch the ATM screen once - and provides a faster, streamlined option than inserting an ATM card.

"We anticipate the increasing convergence of ATMs and mobile banking," according to Mercator Advisory Group's "2015 Outlook: Banking Channels" report. Early testing reveals no significant problems - and if the smartphone is lost or stolen - the criminal would need a PIN/password to unlock the device, and know the password for the mobile app.

LG Australia has told customers today that G3 owners should expect their Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to begin appearing as soon as the 23rd of January, with this model being one of many to finally get the latest OS release.

Set as a staged roll-out, users will see their phone receiving update capabilities ranging from the 23rd of January right through until late February, so if you're not on the of the first to get it, don't be worried.

Android 5.0 Lollipop has been toted by many as a new major advancement in the Android Operating System, claiming that this is their first foray into 'real' design, with some claiming that this is directly fighting against Apple's swanky offerings, animations and little tricks.

Apple Insider has leaked information that Apple may be developing a self-branded stylus to be included with the iPad Pro - reports claim that it may be named the iPen or Apple Pen. It's a rumor stacked on a rumor - but it does have some logical merit.

Stylus pens for tablet devices are actually quite common among older (40-year and over) crowds. Although I've never seen a person under 40 use one voluntarily before, my parents and grandparents are often using their third-party stylus devices to play Solitare and browse the web on their iPad 2's.

As with most official Apple products, there's no reason that this technology giant couldn't release a simple stylus, slap a $30 RRP on it and watch it walk itself out the door with massive sales - lets be honest, how much really goes into a stylus pens' design?

HTC has pretty much just confirmed its upcoming codenamed Hima smartphone, or the One M9, for Mobile World Congress 2015 which kicks off on March 2, but HTC will be hosting its own event on March 1 to debut the new smartphone.

There's no concrete information on it, or whether HTC will be actually unveiling the new One M9, but the tease is that "utopia in progress" should be enough. The picture on the invitation itself is filled with stars, with a single burst of light that highlights the company's invite.

What will the One M9 materialize into? We should see it featuring a high-end Sony-built rear-camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a QHD display, Android 5.0 Lollipop with Sense 7.0 UI and much more.

Set as the first Lumia product to be part of Sprints offerings, Microsoft are putting up their Lumia 635 smartphone for free on a new two-year contract, or $168 if no contract is something you're interested in. This 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400-powered entry-level phone has been on offer through Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile since December the 23rd, seeing it finally hit the big-name brand Sprint.

Announced back in April 2014, this phone also contains 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a 4.5-inch display running at 865x480 resolution and 4G LTE capability - obviously providing nothing too crash-hot and ground breaking, however for $168 it's an extremely good entry-level device, spare phone for travel or emergency backup device.

Its saving grace is said to be the LTE support, often not seen for phones in this pay-grade - however I think it's a suitable candidate for your child's first device or any of the other applications as mentioned above.

Marriott was fined $600,000 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for blocking Wi-Fi hotspot access at its Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. The company said it was concerned about rogue wireless hotspots, and flooded guests' Wi-Fi networks by sending disassociation packets.

Instead of being able to use their own Wi-Fi hotspots, visitors had to pay up to $1,000 per device for access to Marriott's Internet service.

"Marriott International listens to its customers, and we will not block guests from using their personal Wi-Fi devices at any of our managed hotels," a Marriott spokesperson said in a statement. "Marriott remains committed to protecting the security of Wi-Fi access in meeting and conference areas at our hotels."

The groom's speech at a wedding comes with many challenges; balancing the jokes, quirky anecdotes and grand gestures of love, and all to be delivered in front of the most important people in your life. That pressure wasn't quite enough for Ed, a 28 year-old accountant from London.

In the ultimate declaration of love, Ed made a resolution this year to deliver his speech in his fiancé - Mariana's native Spanish. The only problem was that Ed didn't speak a word of Spanish. With the wedding fast approaching Ed knew time was running out...

Microsoft Lumia had discovered that, like Ed, 36% of people around the globe would have also loved to "learn something new" as their 2014 resolution*. So when Ed submitted his resolution to Microsoft Lumia as part of the #MakeItHappen campaign, they came straight to his rescue.