Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 has unfortunately managed to gain itself some negative press over concerns of it overheating. It looks as if Sony might be trying to alleviate those issues by using a revised version of the processor in their upcoming Xperia Z3+, although pre-release units haven’t seen significant benefits as yet.
The post Sony To Use Snapdragon 810 “V2.1″ appeared first on xda-developers.
Maps v9.10 may not include offline mode, but you will see an improved gallery that tiles multiple pics into one view, a manager for your uploaded photos, prompts & popups for previously scheduled car rentals, and an “always on” mode for the scale bar. Check it out!
The post Google Maps Adds Photo Gallery & More appeared first on xda-developers.
During Apple’s conference we learned more about iOS 9. One of the unannounced features that comes to the system is actually an app that helps transferring data from an Android device to iPhone. An end of the war between Apple and Google is yet to be seen.
The post Apple Shows Off New Move to iOS App appeared first on xda-developers.
Tasker is one of the most flexible apps ever released, allowing you to automate almost any aspect of your device’s functionality. Today’s update sees the application gain support for low-power location detection using the Accelerometer, basic Cloud App Backup, UI tweaks and more.
The post Tasker Updated to v4.7 appeared first on xda-developers.
The battle between users and companies over privacy is getting pretty hot. Only a couple of weeks ago, at Google I/O, we were hearing how Android “M” would add optional permissions to Android (one of the most sought-after features on the platform for several years). Indeed, this is something which originated on the iOS platform, and which Google has had in the works for some time now.
Nonetheless, Apple has been hitting headlines recently, with Tim Cook launching a rather forthright and unfaltering attack on Google and Facebook’s data-gathering tendencies. Indeed, he actually went on the attack against many more people than just Facebook and Google, focusing on companies that “built their businesses by lulling their customers into complacency”. Which sadly is a lot of them, these days.
Today, at WWDC (Apple’s main developer conference), among other announcements of a new iOS (and the open sourcing of their Swift language), Apple fired what appears a clear shot at Google’s Now product.
In his talk, Apple VP Craig Federghi talked about how data is processed by Siri without compromising user privacy, on-device as much as possible. He specifically mentioned the lack of cloud-based mining (ahem, Google and Facebook), and how the processing is done on-device, with the data staying on-device. Queries made to their server (for real-time internet-based queries, for example) are kept anonymous, not tied to an Apple ID, and not shared with third parties (another dig at the near-constant data sharing by applications on the Android platform).
At this point, lest you think your author is an Apple shill, I’d add I don’t use any Apple devices, and simply can’t manage to use them. But I must say, I have to admire Apple’s stance. It certainly looks like the privacy battle is heating up, and that Apple will likely be one of the big defenders of privacy on mobile.
If Apple show a “Google Now” experience can be done locally, on your device with Siri, would it make you more sceptical of why Google needs to take your data to their servers? Let us know in the comments below.
Image credit: The Verge live coverage of WWDC
The post Privacy War – Shots Fired by Apple at WWDC appeared first on xda-developers.
Apple just finished wrapping up this year’s WWDC keynote. Their traditional “One more thing…” was the long-rumored “Apple Music” service. Apple is joining the already crowded streaming music space with a few differentiators like curated stations (such as BeatsOne), Connect, and Siri Integration.
BeatsOne will be broadcasted from different cities around the globe 24/7. Zane Lowe and a few other select DJs will be will be playing a mix of the latest and best around the clock.
Connect is a way for artists to share things like behind the scenes pics, in progress lyrics, or rough cuts of music videos. Apple says this section will be “Unfiltered” and “Unedited.” Users can comment on or like anything posted by an artist. Artists are also able to directly message users. This is supposed to be a way to bridge to gap between artists and their fans.
With Apple music you can ask Siri questions like: “Play the top songs from 1982,” or “Add the new Blur Album to my library.” It remains unclear if the Siri portion is coming to Android and Windows, though it’s highly unlikely.
Apple has announced a June 30th release date. The service will cost $9.99 per month, with the first three months free. Families of up to six people can share a membership for $14.99 per month which each member having their own profile. As a nice surprise, Apple Music will be coming to Windows and Android “later this fall.”
More Details at Apple.
The post Apple Music Coming to Android This Fall appeared first on xda-developers.
AT&T has just announced the impending arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active. An impressive IP68 rated device, with a sturdy looking body and mechanical buttons in lieu of their capacitive counterparts. The device also features a 3,500 mAh battery, that is almost an extra 40% on top of the regular S6’s battery capacity.
The IP68 rating means that the device is water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes, is able to withstand dust, vibrations, temperatures and is shock resistant when dropped from 4 feet or less on to a flat surface. The body has clearly received a rugged overhaul and now appears to protrude from the back of the device several mm, it is yet to be seen whether this will affect the device’s performance when charging wirelessly; it is clear that Samsung do not believe it will.
Apart from the Activity Zone app that features a compass, flashlight and stopwatch, the device from here appears to be identical to the Samsung Galaxy S6, with a 5.1″ super AMOLED display and 16MP/5MP cameras. As always we will keep you updated as more details including prices are announced. Until then check out AT&Ts product page here.
What do you think to the S6 Active? Leave a comment below!
The post AT&T Announces The Galaxy S6 Active appeared first on xda-developers.
