Periodico101: Dec 23, 2015

Dec 23, 2015

Samsung Galaxy A9 is official with a 6-inch screen and 4,000mAh battery

The Samsung Galaxy A9 has been officially announced in China. Hardly anything about it is a surprise by now, as the smartphone has starred in more than its fair share of leaks.

The Galaxy A9 sits on top Samsung’s premium-built A-series and is positioned right where midrange meets flagship. The design is the newly adopted glass and metal affair, and this 6-incher features a FullHD AMOLED panel. Side bezels are minimal and Samsung is overly specific about their 2.74mm width.

The recently renamed Snapdragon 652 (which used to be S620) is in charge of computing, and is paired with ample 3GB of RAM. Internal storage is 32GB and, unlike the company’s true flagships, it is expandable.

Imaging department is represented by a 13MP primary camera with a wide f/1.9 aperture and optical image stabilization. On the front there’s an 8MP snapper behind an equally bright lens.

The Galaxy A9 comes with a battery well befitting its display size, and the 4,000mAh capacity can be topped up in a flash thanks to the QuickCharge support. There’s a fingerprint sensor inside the home button, complete with Samsung Pay support.

The smartphone comes with an extensive connectivity package including Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (but sadly, no ac). Bluetooth is v4.1, there’s GPS/Beidou for positioning and NFC too. A minor bummer is that the smartphone launches on Android 5.1 Lollipop, which is halfway out the door already, and certainly not a welcome sight on a newly announced premium handset.

Pricing and availability remain to be…

– Source

Samsung Galaxy A9 is official with a 6-inch screen and 4,000mAh battery

Searching "Bubble Level" In Google On Your Phone Gives You An Interactive Bubble Indicator

Of the many cool goodies in Google Search, this must be one of the most interesting and useful ones. Simply open Google Now or Google Search in Chrome and look for “bubble level,” and you’ll get a, well, bubble level. Quite expectedly.

The level appears as the top search card and is interactive. It adapts to whether you’re holding your phone in portrait or landscape, or laying it flat on a table.

Searching “Bubble Level” In Google On Your Phone Gives You An Interactive Bubble Indicator was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

– Source

Searching "Bubble Level" In Google On Your Phone Gives You An Interactive Bubble Indicator

How Black Lives Matter forced America to confront racism

…

More about Race, U.S., Us World, Us, and Baltimore – Source

How Black Lives Matter forced America to confront racism

HTC One X9 teaser suggests a possible Christmas unveiling

A couple of months ago, we first heard of a new HTC One X9 smartphone being in the works. The rumors back then pinned it as a high-class handset, with a Snapdragon 820 SoC, a QHD (1440 x 2560) display, 4 GB of RAM, and a 23 MP camera. Later on, however, subsequent reports showed that it’s going to be a midranger, with an octa-core MediaTek SoC, 2 GB of RAM, a 13 MP camera, and a 3,000 mAh battery. Full pictures of the device also leaked, showing it in its full glory – capacitive navigational buttons and stereo BoomSound speakers were revealed.

Yep, seems we know almost all there is to know … – Source

HTC One X9 teaser suggests a possible Christmas unveiling

Magnesium vs aluminum, or why a Samsung Galaxy S7 made of magnesium would be awesome

It is that time of the year again – a time of leaks, speculation, estimates, and plain guessing as to what the next big Samsung Galaxy model will bring to the table. And with rumors revolving around a January announcement for the Samsung Galaxy S7, the rumor mill is already running at full steam. How big is the phone going to be? Will it have radically better specs? What is it going to be made of? Will it be capable of shooting laser beams and projecting holograms in mid-air? These are the questions on the minds of many – questions that our rich collection of Samsung Galaxy … – Source

Magnesium vs aluminum, or why a Samsung Galaxy S7 made of magnesium would be awesome

Acer sells out of 70,000 Smart Bracelets on HSN in one-day

The smart bracelet known as the Acer Liquid Leap recently sold out of 70,000 units in one day, after being featured on HSN in the U.S. On December 13th, HSN offered viewers two Liquid Leap smart bracelets that are normally priced at $339.92, for a special price of $99.95. Or, the buyer could decide to take one Liquid Leap smart bracelet with three interchangeable bands, for the same price.

The Acer Liquid Leap tracks the number of steps you take, the distance you travel, and the amount of calories burned. It also monitors your sleeping habits. Fitness goals can be set, with … – Source

Acer sells out of 70,000 Smart Bracelets on HSN in one-day

Reliance Jio differs with Airtel, Vodafone and Idea on spectrum cap, reserve price of airwaves

Reliance Jio, in a submission to the Trai, said the government must abolish the cap on the amount of airwaves an operator can hold in a band.

– Source

Reliance Jio differs with Airtel, Vodafone and Idea on spectrum cap, reserve price of airwaves

Megaupload's Kim Dotcom can be extradited to U.S., New Zealand judge rules

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A New Zealand judge ruled Wednesday that colorful Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and three of his colleagues can be extradited to the United States to face criminal copyright charges.

Dotcom’s lawyers said they will appeal the decision.

Judge Nevin Dawson’s ruling came nearly four years after U.S. authorities shut down Dotcom’s file-sharing website Megaupload, which was once one of the Internet’s most popular sites. Prosecutors say it raked in at least $175 million, mainly from people using it to illegally download movies.

HP's $300 Pavilion x2 is a low-cost tablet that's actually a decent laptop

Let’s face it: Convertible laptops suck. A computer that can switch between a laptop and a tablet compromises too much and fails as both…at least they have in the past

Thanks to the improvements in low-powered processors, that’s changing. We’re seeing a growing number of Windows 10 machines that function as both a tablet and a computer, do so well, and manage that without emptying your wallet — like the HP Pavilion x2.

WSJ: Google Is Building Another Messaging Service... With Chatbots [And Blackjack, And Hookers]

Google, for all its skill in the realms of mobile search, advertising, email, and even operating systems, has never been particular good at the social thing. Even now, I suspect, someone at Google is fuming at the notion that the company “isn’t very good” at messaging or social networks and pointing animatedly at the tens of millions of Google+ and Hangouts users. The problem is and has always been that for whatever success Google has had in social and messaging platforms, it is constantly undercut by the actions of Google itself that say otherwise.

WSJ: Google Is Building Another Messaging Service… With Chatbots [And Blackjack, And Hookers] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

– Source

WSJ: Google Is Building Another Messaging Service... With Chatbots [And Blackjack, And Hookers]

Microsoft Surface Hub gets delayed, becomes more expensive

The Microsoft Surface Hub was first showcased in January, yet the company still hasn’t shipped any units. The touchscreen PC went up for pre-order in July, and it was first supposed to become available in September. That didn’t happen, as it got delayed to January 2016.

And now it’s been delayed again, in both 55-inch and 84-inch iterations. This time the release time frame has become a lot more vague too, with Microsoft only saying it will deliver the PC sometime during the first quarter of 2016. That could mean March 31, keep that in mind.

But wait, there’s even more bad news. Accompanying the delay is an unfortunate price hike for the already very expensive device. Both models now cost $2,000 more than before. The 55-inch Surface Hub can be pre-ordered for $8,999 (up from $6,999), while the 84-inch unit goes for $21,999 (previously $19,999).

The only good news here is that Microsoft will honor the initial price for those who have already managed to pre-order their Surface Hub.

Source |…

– Source

Microsoft Surface Hub gets delayed, becomes more expensive

Marshmallow-based CyanogenMod 13 nightly now available for Nexus 4

Just a few months after it was revealed that the LG-made Google Nexus 4 smartphone won’t be receiving the official Android 6.0 update, alternative Android OS developer Cyanogen has released the Marshmallow-based CyanogenMod 13 nightly for the device.

Weighing in at around 277MB, this is the first CM13 nightly build for the three-year-old handset. So, there are high chances that you may encounter some bugs or stability issues. Also, be warned that installation of nightly builds can not only result in a bricked device, but also void your handset’s warranty.

To download the Nexus 4 CM13 nightly build, head to the Source link…

– Source

Marshmallow-based CyanogenMod 13 nightly now available for Nexus 4

Famous actors reenact Star Wars moments with dialogue, Wookkiee roars - CNET

Watch actors Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Hiddleston, David Tennant, Natalie Dormer, Bradley Cooper and more recite Star Wars dialogue, roar like Chewbacca and make dueling lightsaber sounds.

– Source

Famous actors reenact Star Wars moments with dialogue, Wookkiee roars - CNET