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1,101 'Tech Industry' stories May 2013 - September 2015
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Moto E w/ 1-yr FreedomPop unlimited talk-and-text $150, LG G Pad w/ LTE $80, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Sep 1 2015 - 12:55 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

9to5Toys Specials: Moto E & 1-Yr FreedomPop unlimited talk-and-text: $150 shipped (Reg. $120 + plan)

LG G Pad V410 AT&T GSM Unlocked 7-Inch 4G LTE 16GB Tablet: $80 shipped (Reg. $200) | eBay

Ringke Cases from $3 shipped: Galaxy S6/Edge, Nexus 6, iPhone 6/Plus, more in multiple colors/styles

SanDisk Ultra 200GB Micro SD card for Android devices: $200 shipped (Reg. $220+)

LG G3 D850 32 GB unlocked new 32 GB blue: $250 shipped (Reg. $400) | eBay

GoPro HERO4 Silver waterproof action camera: $319 shipped (Reg. $400)

HP Chromebook 14″ 2.3GHz 16GB storage Chromebook (refurb): $200 shipped (Reg. $220+) | eBay

Giveaway: $400 Belkin WeMo bundle including the new Lightify Starter Set, multiple winners

More new gear from today:

Healthkit-supported Bluetooth Smart Bathroom scale with BMI, more: $49 Shipped

  • Games/Apps: Borderlands Handsome Collection $35, 1TB Xbox One Halo bundle $360, more
  • Nintendo brings new smaller 3DS to North America, Zelda Tri Force 3DS, opens digital store on Amazon
  • Pandora celebrates its 10th anniversary by nixing ads for all listeners
  • D-Link PowerLine AV500 Mini Adapter Starter Kit: $20 shipped (Reg. $35+)
  • Fitbit Charge HR Activity Tracker in multiple sizes/colors: $120 shipped (Reg. $150)
  • Kindle First Books for September: The Prettiest One, Pale Queen Rising, Still Waters, more
  • Daily Deals: Logitech K350 Curved Wireless Keyboard $30, Urge Basics Bluetooth Speaker $19

More deals still alive:

Brother All-in-One AirPrint Wireless InkJet Printer $50 shipped (Reg. $85+)

Gift Cards up to 20% off: Sports Authority, Domino’s, Jiffy Lube, Steak ‘n Shake, TGI Fridays, Michaels, more

New products & more:

Leica partners with an Italian auto designer to create a marvelous set of limited edition binoculars

Microsoft details new Xbox One Elite Bundle w/ upgraded SSD, new special edition controller

9to5Toys Lunch Break: 200GB SanDisk microSD $200, LG G3 (unlocked) $250, GoPro Hero4 action cam $319, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Aug 31 2015 - 12:52 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals

SanDisk Ultra 200GB Micro SD card for Android devices: $200 shipped (Reg. $220+)

LG G3 D850 32 GB unlocked new 32 GB blue: $250 shipped (Reg. $400) | eBay

GoPro HERO4 Silver waterproof action camera: $319 shipped (Reg. $400)

HP Chromebook 14″ 2.3GHz 16GB storage Chromebook (refurb): $200 shipped (Reg. $220+) | eBay

All-in-One AirPrint Wireless InkJet Printers: Brother $50 shipped (Reg. $85+), Canon $68 shipped (Reg. $87)

Giveaway: $400 Belkin WeMo bundle including the new Lightify Starter Set, multiple winners

More new gear from today:

Logitech wireless Anywhere Mouse MX for Mac or PC $28 shipped (Reg. $60)

More deals still alive:

Western Digital 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop Hard Drive: $130 shipped (Orig. $200)

New products & more:

SmartHalo adds simple smartphone-connected navigation to your bike’s handlebars

Gears of War creator reveals the first gameplay footage for his new gravity-defying FPS

Google takes Android Wear cross-platform with iPhone support on new smartwatches

Avatar for Zac Hall Aug 31 2015 - 9:11 am PT
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Google has good news for iPhone users curious about Android Wear and the diverse design selection of smartwatches running the OS. Starting today Android Wear watches will work with the iPhone for the first time. Just like Apple Watch, Android Wear watches is compatible with iPhone 5 or higher with iOS 8.2 or higher required. The slight catch is that not all current Android Wear watches will be compatible with iOS…
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Early reviews of Google’s first OnHub router say it’s impressive but value isn’t yet known

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Aug 31 2015 - 7:48 am PT
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I suspect most of us had the same reaction when Google announced its OnHub wireless router: it sounds impressive, but could it really be worth $200? The early reviews are in, and the verdict seems to be that … it depends.

On the plus side, everyone agrees that setup is utterly painless (possibly a first for any router), and the performance is impressive. On the downside, techies may be disappointed at the lack of configurability, and the fact that you can get better performance for the money.

But as ArsTechnica notes in the final excerpt, the $64,000 (or $200) question is – what will it turn into in future … ? 
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Google Chrome to begin pausing Flash ads around the web on September 1st

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 28 2015 - 10:24 am PT
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Adobe Flash is notoriously both resource intensive and ubiquitous on the web, which hasn’t helped the open web survive in the consumer shift to mobile devices that have smaller screens and processors. Flash isn’t even supported in most mobile environments anymore because of its poor performance. Google is as a result working hard to eliminate Flash content from its ad network and create a better web browsing experience. Today it announced September 1st is when it will begin pausing many of the Flash ads seen around the web for users of its Chrome web browser.

Fortunately for Google, it’s able to convert most of the Flash ads uploaded to its AdWords advertiser network to the less intensive HTML5 automatically. The company provides a section on its support site where advertisers can go to see what Flash ads are eligible for this conversion, and it has even made a step-by-step tool for converting ads which can’t be automatically converted or haven’t already been uploaded to Google’s servers.

Google first announced this shift back in June, and while the company has its own mobile operating system with a massive amount of native apps in the form of Android, it’s still a big proponent of the web. Perhaps because that’s where it was born, but really because the web isn’t closed off like mobile operating systems, and the underlying hypertext language of the web allows the company to easily scrape and index it for its Search business, among other things. The company introduced a setting to its Chrome browser in March which enables this disabling of Flash plugin content. Chrome for Android and iOS doesn’t support it at all.

New Xperia Z5 press pictures leak from official channels

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 27 2015 - 1:05 pm PT
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XperiaBlog.net is reporting that official Sony Mobile accounts across social media channels today inadvertently published press pictures of the yet-unannounced flagship Xperia Z5 smartphone. Note that we ourselves weren’t able to verify this.

Sony itself teased earlier this week the unveiling of a smartphone “with greater focus,” and that all would become clear on the 2nd of September. That date, of course, falls during IFA Berlin, the annual technology trade show where Sony will be present and has been known to unveil new hardware. The images seem to show the phone packing another one of Sony’s Exmor RS pixel-stacked image sensors, although XperiaBlog.net states that the images confirm this one is a 23MP sensor — Sony doesn’t publicly list a 1/2″ 23MP sensor on its sales site, so it would have to be one they haven’t announced yet.

Aside from that, the images show the phone in gold, white and dark turquoise colors, as well as an “Xperia” logo engraved on one side, which we haven’t seen on previous models. We predicted earlier this week that this new phone could come with Sony’s hybrid autofocus technology, which Sony says combines two technologies — Phase detection AF for quick response and Contrast detection AF for added precision — to allow “fast, accurate focusing in all situations, even if your subject is moving.” Sony’s software is widely panned for softening up images and doing other things to negatively degrade them.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: 128GB Galaxy S6 Edge for Verizon $350, Bose SoundTrue headphones $80, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Aug 27 2015 - 12:48 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals

Galaxy S6 edge w/ 128GB storage Verizon Wireless (w/ 2-year contract): $350 shipped (Reg. $500) | Best Buy

Bose SoundTrue on-ears in black $80 (Reg. $120), Skullcandy Hesh 2 Bluetooth 4.0 $60 (Reg. $100), much more

Power Banks: Anker PowerCore 15600mAh w/ dual USB ports $25 Prime shipped (Reg. $33), KMASHI 10000mAh $9, more

Chromecast (Manufacturer Refurbished): $24 shipped (Reg. $35) | Groupon

Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone 32GB: $500 shipped w/ code DEAL80OFF (Reg. $800) | T-Mobile

Brand new LG G4 32GB 4G LTE smartphone (unlocked): $420 shipped (Reg. $550+)

HTC is offering a free $100 Google Play gift card with the purchase of an HTC One M9

VIZIO 49-inch 120Hz 4K LED Smart HDTV $600 (Reg. $720), 43-inch $548 or $528 w/ Prime (Reg. $599)

Back to school gift guide: essential tech gear every student should be using

Giveaway: Jaybird’s new X2 Bluetooth earbuds are the ultimate workout counterpart ($180 value)

More new gear from today:

Storage: WD 3TB portable HDD (multiple colors) $130 (Reg. $150), Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD $150 (Reg. $170+)

More deals still alive:

PS4 Batman or Last of Us Bundle w/ 3 mo. PS Plus, Madden 16 & another game $399 ($500+ value)

Get a free download of the AirPano Travel Book iOS app courtesy of Apple ($3 value)

New products & more:

Samsung introduces new multi-room speakers alongside an improved Android and iOS app

Sensel’s Morph is an ultra sensitive Force Touch Trackpad look-alike

HTC Desire 626 hits Verizon for $192 unlocked or $8/month

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 27 2015 - 9:10 am PT
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Verizon Wireless has begun selling HTC’s new Desire 626 mid-range Android smartphone. HTC back in May introduced a litany of new mid-rangers to the US market across every major carrier, including the Desire 526 which hit Verizon earlier this month.

The Desire 626 is a bit of a step up from the 526, sporting a larger 5-inch, 720p display, 8MP rear-facing and 5MP front-facing cameras, 1.5GB RAM, and a quad-core Snapdragon 210 processor. It also has a 2,000mAh battery and the storage can be increased through the microSD card tray.

Those are low-end specifications when put up against today’s flagships like the Moto X Style or OnePlus Two, but they come with a price to match: $192 fully unlocked or $8 per month on a 24-month contract. And for what it’s worth, the Desire 626 is a solid-built phone with a design that is quite attractive. It’s unlikely to pull HTC out of the rut it’s in right now, though. You should check out our full video review below if you’d like to learn more about the phone.

WSJ: Amazon likely abandoning smartphone ambitions following failure of Fire Phone

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Aug 27 2015 - 4:10 am PT
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A report in the WSJ suggests that Amazon is most likely abandoning plans to make any further smartphones after the failure of the Fire Phone.

In recent weeks Amazon has dismissed dozens of engineers who worked on its Fire phone at Lab126, its secretive hardware-development center in Silicon Valley, according to people familiar with the matter […]

The company told some smartphone engineers earlier this year that further phone development would be shelved, though one of the people said Amazon has shifted the effort to its hometown of Seattle … 


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Eat24 finds Android customers less healthy than their iPhone counterparts

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 26 2015 - 7:28 pm PT
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Sorry, Android users: Popular online food ordering service Eat24 has determined that you are less healthy on a nutritional basis than owners of Apple’s iPhone. That’s based on data it collected from its mobile app over a three month period, tracking information regarding how ordering habits differed across the rival platforms.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Canon WiFi printer/scanner $68, Chromecast (refurb) $24, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Aug 26 2015 - 12:46 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals

Amazon Gold Box – Canon PIXMA Wireless Color Photo Printer w/ Scanner & AirPrint $68 shipped (Reg. $95)

Chromecast (Manufacturer Refurbished): $24 shipped (Reg. $35) | Groupon

Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone 32GB: $500 shipped w/ code DEAL80OFF (Reg. $800) | T-Mobile

Brand new LG G4 32GB 4G LTE smartphone (unlocked): $420 shipped (Reg. $550+)

HTC is offering a free $100 Google Play gift card with the purchase of an HTC One M9

Daily Deals: TDK Life on Record TREK 360 Wireless Speaker $50, M-Audio Studiophile Active Studio Monitors $99, more

Back to school gift guide: essential tech gear every student should be using

Giveaway: Jaybird’s new X2 Bluetooth earbuds are the ultimate workout counterpart ($180 value)

More new gear from today:

Bluetooth Headphones: SoundPEATS In-Ear $17 Prime shipped (Reg. $30), MEElectronics Over-Ear $38 shipped (Reg. $62), more

More deals still alive:

Free Xbox Live Gold Games for September: Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, Battlestations Pacific, more

Free PS Plus Games for September: Grow Home, Super Time Force Ultra, Twisted Metal, more

New products & more:

Sensel’s Morph is an ultra sensitive Force Touch Trackpad look-alike

The new limited edition BIT.TRIP vinyl LP comes with free game download codes

Report: Android Pay not launching today despite signs of otherwise (Updated)

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 26 2015 - 12:22 pm PT
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Update: Google has posted a vague tweet to its Android account on Twitter, presumably in response to these reports. It simply says to “stay tuned” and ends with a #soon hashtag. Hard to draw many assumptions.

Android Pay will not go live today despite signals of otherwise from major fast-food chain Subway, and a purported leaked staff memo from McDonald’s, TechCrunch is now reporting.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Samsung Galaxy S6 $500, Toshiba 2TB Portable HDD $70, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Aug 25 2015 - 12:54 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals

Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone 32GB: $500 shipped w/ code DEAL80OFF (Reg. $800) | T-Mobile

Toshiba Canvio Connect 2TB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive in Red $70 shipped (Orig. $130)

 

Brand new LG G4 32GB 4G LTE smartphone (unlocked): $420 shipped (Reg. $550+)

HTC is offering a free $100 Google Play gift card with the purchase of an HTC One M9

Giveaway: Jaybird’s new X2 Bluetooth earbuds are the ultimate workout counterpart ($180 value)

More new gear from today:

Aukey Power Banks w/ Prime shipping: Dual USB 10000mAh $10 (Reg. $20), 3000mAh $6 (Reg. $10), more

More deals still alive:

Canon T5 DSLR w/ 18-55mm lens kit (refurb w/ 1 yr warranty): $250 shipped (Orig. $549)

New products & more:

The iBackPack Indiegogo project is loaded with all the back-to-school technology you can imagine

Nintendo’s fall release plans revealed: Super Mario Maker bundle, Star Fox Zero, Mega Yarn Yoshi, more

Samsung dismisses Galaxy Note 5 stylus flaw concerns in statement

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 25 2015 - 12:04 pm PT
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Yesterday Android communities around the web were ablaze with discussion surrounding a flaw in the design of the stylus eject mechanism in Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 5 smartphone. Put simply, if you insert the S Pen stylus into the device slot from one end, all is well. Accidentally insert the pen from its opposite end, however, and risk permanently breaking functionality key to the Note 5’s power-user selling points — the device will no longer detect when you remove the pen. Samsung has responded quite bluntly.

In a comment to The Verge, the company essentially says that owners should just insert the S Pen from the end they want you to:

“We highly recommend our Galaxy Note5 users follow the instructions in the user guide to ensure they do not experience such an unexpected scenario caused by reinserting the S pen in the other way around.”

Here’s our explanation of the problem from yesterday (emphasis mine):

When working correctly, the S Pen detection feature will launch a note taking app when the pen is removed while the display is powered off. When powered on, the detection feature automatically launches the S Pen menu when the Pen is removed. After inserting the Pen in backwards, however, these detection features no longer work. Our own Dom Esposito fell victim to this flaw and was not able to get his S-Pen detection features working again.

While the obvious solution to this problem is to not insert the Pen backwards, it’s a common mistake that will likely plague a decent amount of Galaxy Note 5 users. The biggest problem is that the Pen goes in backwards with zero added force, meaning that it’s incredibly easy to mindlessly put it in the wrong way.

From these comments it doesn’t appear that Samsung has any intention of recalling customer devices or fixing the problem in new units in any way at all. It also seems, however, that the company was well aware of this problem before the phone’s consumer release, since a cautionary warning about the issue is right there in the device’s user manual (we haven’t been able to determine whether or not the manual included this prior to the controversy or was updated afterwards):

IDC: China slowdown cuts smartphone forecast, Android will continue to hold lead through 2019

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 25 2015 - 10:43 am PT
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IDC released an updated forecast today lowering its expectations for worldwide smartphone shipments this year with a continuing slowdown of growth in China cited as the biggest contributor to the lower than expected shipments. It also shared some insight into the future of Android, expecting its current 81% share of the global smartphone market as of 2015 to hold strong through 2019, citing continued price sensitivity in the markets with the biggest growth potential (read: China, India, and everyone else in the Asia-Pacific region).
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Sony Xperia teases new smartphone with “greater focus” coming next week

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 24 2015 - 3:40 pm PT
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Sony Mobile has practically made it a tradition to unveil new devices at the IFA trade show in Berlin, and this year should be no different. Sony Xperia Great Britain has tweeted today that eager Sony smartphone fans should get ready for “a smartphone with greater focus,” and that all will become clear on the 2nd of September.


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Sprint Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge receiving Samsung Pay, live broadcasting via YouTube, more

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 24 2015 - 1:36 pm PT
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The service may not be launching until next month, but owners of Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are now receiving an over-the-air update which includes support for Samsung Pay. The update, which you’ll need approximately 303MB of free storage to install, includes some other additions as well.

For starters, there’s support for live video broadcasting over YouTube, which has been a highly-requested ability from the video hosting platform ever since the launch of the competing Meerkat and Periscope apps. This is possible thanks to WatchMe, an open-source project by Google that allows app developers to integrate with the YouTube Data and YouTube Live Streaming APIs, among others.  There’s also higher quality audio output to Samsung headsets (those new Level On headphones, perhaps?), UI updates, and the usual bug fixes.

Samsung Pay is Samsung’s mobile payments app and service that is different from other solutions from Google and Apple because it includes the ability to pay at nearly any credit card terminal. It does this through the use of MST technology, the same thing used in the magnetic strips on the back of all credit and debit cards.

While Samsung Pay is expected to work in far more places than Android Pay and Apple Pay currently do, Verizon Wireless here in the States is still evaluating whether or not to allow the service onto the Samsung devices it sells, according to a representative from the company speaking to 9to5Google.

The update could take several days to hit devices. You can check manually by visiting Settings > About phone > System updates.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: LG G4 (unlocked) $420, Free $100 Google Play GC w/ HTC One M9 purchase, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Aug 24 2015 - 12:24 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals

Brand new LG G4 32GB 4G LTE smartphone (unlocked): $420 shipped (Reg. $550+)

HTC is offering a free $100 Google Play gift card with the purchase of an HTC One M9

Giveaway: Jaybird’s new X2 Bluetooth earbuds are the ultimate workout counterpart ($180 value)

Canon T5 DSLR w/ 18-55mm lens kit (refurb w/ 1 yr warranty): $250 shipped (Orig. $549)

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: JBL Micro II Portable Speaker $15, Mophie 1,300mAh Power Reserve with Lightning $14, more

More deals still alive:

Beats Studio Wireless headphones: Titanium $230 (Reg. $380), Blue $264 (Reg. $380)

New products & more:

Samsung SmartThings hub comes next month with Amazon Echo-powered voice control support

Tile announces a new generation of its Bluetooth tracker

Quick Review: The Conway Electric Extō Dual-USB is the envy of all power strips

Droid Maxx 2 back cover appears in leaked images, possible US variant of Moto X Play

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 24 2015 - 8:42 am PT
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Motorola’s recently announced Moto X Play isn’t coming to the United States — not with that name, at least. It’s widely believed to be coming to the states exclusively on Verizon as the Droid Maxx 2, and the widely-sourced Hellomotohk has released new images of what is purportedly the back cover of the phone.

The most notable thing about these images is how the Verizon and DROID branding blends in with the rest of the cover — Verizon tends to plaster the back of its DROID phones with prominent logos. It depends on how the covers are manufactured and at what stage these were taken off the line to be pictured, but hopefully this is what the back will look like at its consumer release.

The reason it’s believed that the Moto X Play will come to the US as a re-branded Verizon phone is due to simple pattern-matching: Motorola builds all of Verizon’s DROID line of smartphones, and save for modifications to outward appearance and features, they tend to follow Motorola’s phones closely in terms of their baseline platform. Last year’s Droid Turbo, for example, was a tuned up Moto X. And in particular the Moto X Play compromises in places where Motorola’s other recently announced phone, the X Style, doesn’t, in favor of a larger battery. The Droid Maxx is traditionally Verizon’s line targeted at those who want large batteries.

Based on the sight of two different back plate covers, it seems possible that Moto Maker or something similar will be available for this phone, but we wouldn’t get our hopes up. Nothing pictured has been confirmed by Motorola or Verizon, and could be fake.

Samsung is showing ads to device owners through push notifications

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Aug 21 2015 - 10:04 am PT
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Not you too, Samsung. After reporting early this month that HTC was sending advertisements to owners of its devices through push notifications, it appears that Samsung is doing something similar.

Android Police is today reporting that owners of Samsung devices have reached out to the site to share with them screenshots of ads appearing in the slide-down menu that includes all their notifications. The ads — one for the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is pictured — appear inside cards that looks just like every other notification. They’re delivered via the Samsung Push Service, a piece of software Samsung pre-installs on its Android devices to send helpful information to device owners. Not exactly helpful this time, though.

We weren’t terribly surprised when HTC started doing this, being in the kind of financial straits they are, but it’s definitely surprising coming from a technology giant like Samsung. The company’s software is already notoriously bloated and known to kill running apps a little too quickly, so this is just another blow for a company that has only just began to produce great phones again after an uninteresting Galaxy S5.

Aside from people just not liking ads in general, much of the frustration here centers around the distrust it creates. While we pay for cable television and still see ads there, it hasn’t become acceptable practice to see ads in and around the gadgets we buy with our hard earned money. Hopefully OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) don’t think they can make it okay.