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Showing posts with the label Tech News

Xiaomi Mi A1 now receiving the Android 8.0 Oreo update

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Xiaomi's first Android One smartphone, the  Mi A1  is finally eligible for an Android 8.0 Oreo update after a short period of beta testing. Unlike many of its Android smartphones that are selling exclusively in China, the Mi A1 is available in a lot more countries. Also, since it's part of the Android One program, the smartphone should be among the first to receive a major Android OS update. Unfortunately, it took Xiaomi quite a long time to bring Oreo to the Mi A1. Initially  introduced in China in early September , the Mi A1 made its debut in  select European markets  one month later. Soon after, Xiaomi promised an Android 8.0 Oreo for the Mi A1 will be available before the end of the year. Today's announcement fulfills that promise, even if not all Xiaomi Mi A1 owners will be able to update to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of December 31. Finally, it's worth mentioning that Xiaomi added the December security patch in the update and  enabled fast charging

Floridians face a full ban on texting while driving if legislature passes new bill

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For now, Florida is one of seven states that requires those texting while driving to have committed another infraction before being charged with distracted driving. But that is about to change. The Florida state legislature will soon discuss the possibilities of pushing through a bill that will make texting while driving a primary offense. That means that the cops will be able to nail someone behind the wheel who is texting even if they aren't speeding, shifting lanes without flashing their signal, or driving a vehicle that doesn't have a license. First time offenders under the bill, would be fined $30 plus court costs, and would not be assessed any points. Many suggest that the bill is necessary, especially after data from 2015 revealed that accidents from texting and other forms of distracted driving resulted in an average of more than nine deaths a day in the state. Contrast that to the current law in Florida under which only three drivers a day on average, are cited for

Microsoft demands your mobile number when setting up Windows 10 Build 17063

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Windows 10 Build 17063 demands you turn over your mobile phone number before completing the installation Windows 10 Build 17063 asks, nay, demands that you give your  mobile  phone  number to  Microsoft  during the set up process. If you refuse to give the number to the gang in Redmond, you will not be allowed to finish installing the new build on your  PC . The screen that demands your number says "Link your  Phone  and  PC . Windows loves all your devices-get essential  apps  that help you work better across your  devices ." There is no "Skip" button, and when you enter your mobile number an SMS message is sent to your  smartphone  that links the two  devices . This allows you to use features like "Continue on  PC " which is an  app  that allows you to start looking over a website on your  phone  and finish it on your  PC  screen. Earlier versions allowed Windows 10 users to skip this action if the user so desired. As it turns out, invisible

Apple starts offering its $29 battery replacements today, two days earlier than expected

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A couple days ago, Apple apologized for throttling the CPU of certain iPhone models.  Apple  says that it did this so that the handsets' lack of prime battery power wouldn't shut them down when handling certain tasks. Along with the apology came a deal from the company. Since weak batteries are at the heart of the issue, Apple is allowing you to replace the cells on the iPhone6 and up for $29. That is a $50 discount from the usual price of $79. The deal was expected to start on January 1st 2018 and runs through the end of next year. An Apple spokesman said that it expected to need more time to set up the sale, but added that the company is ready to start offering $29 battery replacements starting today. He did caution that batteries for some models might be in limited supply at the moment. While Apple rivals like Samsung, Motorola, LG and HTC have taken this opportunity to distance themselves from Apple's actions, it remains to be seen exactly what kind of consumer ba

Camera app update reveals names of some unannounced Nokia smartphones

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HMD Global has quite a few  Android   smartphones  in the pipeline, so  Nokia  fans should be thrilled about the perspective of having a much larger portfolio at their disposal. We've already reported about two possible Nokia-branded  smartphones  coming next year,  Nokia 1 and  Nokia 6 (2018) . However, the Finnish company plans to launch a lot more  devices  in 2018, not just those two that we already know about. Luckily, someone found his way into the latest version of  Nokia   Camera   app  and learned more about HMD's upcoming products. Apparently, the latest version of the  Camera   app  that was released for the  Nokia  5, contains the logos of some unannounced  Nokia   smartphones .  Nokia 1 is present in this list , along with other  smartphones  that are already available on the market such as the  Nokia 2 ,  Nokia 3 ,  Nokia 5 ,  Nokia  6,  Nokia  7 and  Nokia 8 . But there are also  devices  that we didn't even hear about yet such as  Nokia  4 and

Is the LG G6+ coming to AT&T and other US carriers next year?

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The LG G6 is already available in the United States and customers can buy one from all major carriers, but the slightly improved version, the LG G6+ isn't officially available for purchase in the country. Of course, you could go ahead and buy the international version on Amazon, but that will not come with a warranty and it's not even working with all US carriers, as you'll only be able to use it on AT&T and T-Mobile. However, it appears that an AT&T version of the LG G6+ that goes by model number H871U has just been spotted on LG's open source website. The bad news is we can't confirm the H871U is indeed the LG G6+, although we do know that the regular variant comes as H871. There are also three other versions of the LG G6+ listed on the same website, which might or might not correspond to the other major carriers in the United States: LG LS993U (Sprint), LG VS988UB (Verizon) and LG H872UBL (T-Mobile). If you're not aware, the LG G6+ comes with 128

OnePlus 5 gets Face Unlock feature via OxygenOS open beta 3

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OnePlus 5T  is one of the not so many smartphones that offer Face Unlock, a face recognition system that adds another layer of security. Although none of its previous products had the security feature, OnePlus promised that at least one of them will get Face Unlock in the not so distant future, the  OnePlus 5 . Last week, the company's co-founder Carl Pei said that by popular demand, Face Unlock will be implemented into the OnePlus 5 software as well.  True to his promise , the Face Unlock feature is now being rolled out to OnePlus 5 units enrolled in the open beta program. Aside from Face Unlock and the December security patch, OxygenOS open beta 3 brings several other improvements and many bug fixes. You can find below the full changelog as published by OnePlus: Recorder Added app shortcut on Launcher. System Added Face Unlock; Optimizations for vibrations; Fixed connection issue of 5G Wi-Fi; General bug fixes and improvements; Updated Android security patch for Decem

Samsung responds to battery issue on the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8+

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Last week, we told you that some Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ units were getting bricked after the batteries were drained completely to 0%. Once these  phones  shut down, they could not be resuscitated by any method. While horrible news for the owners of affected models, at least we aren't seeing these handsets blow up, which is what happened last year when the batteries inside the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 failed. That led the latter to get recalled twice and finally removed from store shelves. Samsung took a hit in excess of a billion dollars because of this debacle. At this point, the best thing that Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8+ users can do is to avoid a problem is to make sure that they are charging up their batteriesbefore they get down to 0%. Samsung is in the middle of investigating what is going wrong with these two devices. Ironically, after the Galaxy Note 7 explosions last year, the manufacturer said that it would begin the process of implementing an

Missing Angolan satellite Now Found

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Launched on 26 December, Angosat-1 will improve TV, radio and net communications in Angola Russian scientists have restored communications with a satellite days after they lost contact with it. Launched on 26 December, Angosat-1 will boost mobile and net communications in Angola as well as broadcast radio and TV shows. Soon after launch, Russian ground control staff said they were no longer receiving data from the spacecraft. It comes soon after Russia revealed "programming errors" led to the loss of another t:multi-million pound satellite. Launch error The launch of Angosat-1 was the culmination of a project started in 2009 and was the first communications satellite built for Angola. The development and launch of the satellite cost more than 286m euros (£253m). The development and launch of the satellite was a source of national pride for Angola which said it would also use it to aid telemedicine and other development projects. The satellite is expected t

US says Romanians hacked Washington DC police cameras

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Washington police security was compromised by a computer hack in January US prosecutors have charged two Romanians with hacking Washington DC police computers linked to surveillance cameras just days before President Donald Trump's inauguration. The pair are being held in Romania, having been arrested at Bucharest Otopeni airport on 15 December. Mihai Alexandru Isvanca, 25, and Eveline Cismaru, 28, allegedly accessed 123 outdoor surveillance cameras as part of a suspected ransomware scheme. Mr Trump was sworn in on 20 January. The US Department of Justice said the case was "of the highest priority" because of the security surrounding the presidential inauguration. The perpetrators intended to use the t:camera computers to send ransomware to more than 179,600 email addresses and extort money from victims, the justice department said in a statement. Investigators have identified victims who had received the ransomware or whose compute

The man who can't face the internet

For someone who likes anonymity, it is no surprise that Jonathan Hirshon enjoys remote places such as northern Lapland Earlier this month, Facebook announced it would be using facial recognition to let users know every time a photo of them had been uploaded to the site. Such a feature would be extremely useful to one man - public-relations professional Jonathan Hirshon, who has managed to stay anonymous on the social network for the past 20 years. He has more than 3,000 friends on Facebook and regularly updates his profile with personal information - where he is going on holiday, what he has cooked for dinner and the state of his health. But what he has never shared on the social network, or anywhere else online, is a picture of himself. It is, he said, his way of "screaming my privacy to the world". "I choose to share virtually everything about myself on social media, but my face is the essence of me in

Apple apologises for slowing older iPhones down

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The company now says it will replace batteries for less and will issue software in 2018 so customers can monitor their phone's battery health. Some customers had long suspected the company slowed older iPhones to encourage customers to upgrade. Apple admitted slowing some phones with ageing batteries but said it was to "prolong the life" of the devices. In a statement posted on its website , the firm said it would reduce the price of an out-of-warranty battery replacement from $79 to $29 in the US for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later. In the UK the prices will drop from £79 to £25. It said it was pushing ahead with measures to "address customers' concerns, to recognise their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple's intentions". "At Apple, our customers' trust means everything to us. We will never stop working to earn and maintain it. We are able to do the work we love only because of your faith a

This Japanese Robot Car, Earth-1 Can Fold & Park In Tight Spaces & It Costs £52k

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Finding a parking space may soon become much easier thanks to this robot car that was unveiled by a japanese firm,Four Link Systems,which can fold itself up and squeeze into small spaces. This new electric car,a shapeshifiting Transformers-inspired robot has two large fins at the back with brake lights and a huge opening cockpit for the driver to step into. It looks like any other futuristic electric car and drives like a regular car with steering wheel and pedals. That is until you transform the car into the robot just like Optimus Prime or Bumblebee from the Transformers franchise,using the company’s clever motor system. The next step for Four Link Systems is to get permission to trial on public roads ahead of actual sales. Their first challenge was to build a car that can beat a t:Toyota.But since there was no way to compete with the auto giant on performance, cost or brand power,they focused on design and came up with the idea of a robotlike vehicle. . And de

China Unveils World’s Largest Amphibious Aircraft For Marine Rescue & Fire Fighting

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China’s home-grown AG600, the world’s largest amphibious aircraft in production, took to the skies its maiden flight. The plane, codenamed ‘Kunlong’ according to state news agency Xinhua, took off from the southern city of Zhuhai and landed after roughly an hour-long flight. With a wingspan of 38.8 metres (127 feet) and powered by four turboprop engines, the aircraft is capable of carrying 50 people and can stay airborne for 12 hours.

Bitcoin: My 400 coin bet paid off, but is it too late for others?

Entrepreneur Alessandra Sollberger funded her nutrition start-up off the back of an investment in Bitcoin. But as Rory Cellan-Jones hears, it may be too late for others to follow in her steps.

Apple's iPhones slowed to tackle ageing batteries

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Apple has confirmed the suspicions of many iPhone owners by revealing it does deliberately slow down some models of the iPhone as they age. Many customers have long suspected that Apple slows down older iPhones to encourage people to upgrade. The company has now said it does slow down some models as they age, but only because the phones' battery performance diminishes over time. Apple said it wanted to "prolong the life" of customers' devices. The practice was confirmed after a customer shared performance tests on Reddit, suggesting their iPhone 6S had slowed down considerably as it had aged but had suddenly sped up again after the battery had been replaced. "I used my brother's iPhone 6 Plus, and his was faster than mine? This is when I knew something was wrong," wrote TeckFire . Technology website Geekbench then analysed several iPhones running different versions of the iOS operating system and found some of

China Builds Solar Road That Can Charge Electric Cars And Melt Snow (Photos)

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China is set to open its first solar motorway that can generate electricity under sunlight. The two-kilometre-long (1.2 miles) stretch of highway, situated in Jinan, could charge electric cars as they are travelling on it. The two-lane road could also warm itself up in sub-zero weather to melt the snow on top so drivers could drive on it more safely. DailyMailUK Formed with special weight-bearing solar panels, the road can hold medium-size vans and has strong friction. Once it’s completed, the highway would be connected to the power grid so it could provide electricity to the city. The solar highway is formed with three layers. The top layer is paved with the so-called ‘transparent concrete’, which is said to be as strong as the traditional road-surfacing material, asphalt concrete. The middle layer is the power-generating layer consisting of solar panels. The bottom layer is the insulation layer which separates the photovoltaic system from the damp earth.

See World’s Largest Plane With A Wingspan Longer Than A Football Field (Photos)

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Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, unveiled the world’s largest aircraft in June The six-engine plane has a wingspan of 385 feet which is longer than the length of a football field Stratolaunch is designed to carry rockets between its two fuselages before they launch into space from air Firm fired up the aircraft’s six Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines for its first taxi down the runway at 28mph DailyMailUK The world’s biggest plane is a step closer to its first flight, after passing another major milestone. Named Stratolaunch, the colossal aircraft travelled down the runway under its own power for the first time, firing all six of its Pratt and Whitney turbofan engines – each weighing 8,940lbs (4,000kg). During the aircraft’s first low-speed taxi test, Stratolaunch successfully travelled down the runway at 25 knots (28mph/45km/h). Once testing has been completed, the aircraft – which has a wingspan longer than a football field – will be used t