Android News

The Samsung Galaxy S9  is going to be announced on February 25 . Samsung is already marketing the camera system on the upcoming smartphone, which will reportedly have a variable aperture. But Samsung will likely have something else to discuss about its newest flagship. A feature called “Intelligent Scan” has been surfaced ahead of the official announcement by SamCentral . As it currently stands there is no mention of the feature in any current build of Samsung’s mobile software, nor is it mentioned in any beta seeds of the Android 8.0 Oreo build. There is a video showcasing the feature, which will apparently combine iris scanning and facial recognition to get a better picture of the person that is trying to unlock the device. It looks like iris scanning will work in low-light situations, too. The idea appears to be for Samsung’s biometric security measures to work in tandem in an effort to make unlocking the Galaxy S9 a lot easier and smoother. If the iris scanner can’t pick up t

Samsung Pay , Samsung’s mobile payment service, continues its rollout to international markets. Samsung has confirmed that Samsung Pay is now available in Mexico, which marks the 20th market to get the service. As is par for the course, Samsung has partnered with a variety of companies to mark the launch. Those include American Express, Visa, Citibanamex, Santander, HSBC, and others. Samsung Pay will work in Mexico in the same way it does in those other markets. You’ll just need to find an NFC-supported terminal or a standard credit card reader and you will be able to use your supported Samsung-branded smartphone to check out. As far as those supported devices go, you’ll need a Galaxy Note8; Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+; Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge; Galaxy S6 edge+; Galaxy Note 5; Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ (2018); Galaxy A5 (2016 and 2017); Galaxy A7 (2016 and 2017); Galaxy A9 (2016); Galaxy A3 (2017); and Galaxy J5 Pro and Galaxy J7 Pro. How often do you use Samsung Pay?

Microsoft announced in 2016 that it was discontinuing its Band line of fitness wearables. The Microsoft Band 2 was already out at that point , and it was significantly better than the original Microsoft Band. It was also understood that the Microsoft Band 3 was just months away from being ready for launch, but Microsoft was in the middle of a transition at that point, and manufacturing wearables in a tough and growing market was seen as a non-priority. So what would the Microsoft Band 3 have brought to the table? A lot of good things, apparently, as revealed from an actual prototype that has leaked and been summarily studied. Among the highlight features of the Band 3 would have been waterproofing, the ability to track swimming activities, and blood pressure tracking via an electrocardiogram sensor. The ECG sensor would have also been able to monitor the wearer’s stress levels and body temperature. Design-wise, the Band 3 did not look that much different from the Band 2. The s

The Amazon Cloud Cam Indoor, which already starts out at a tough-to-beat price of $119.99, has been discounted today to just $89.99. That’s a $30 discount for those not into that whole math thing. It’s also a heck of a deal for those ready to dive into the indoor cam arena. The Amazon Cloud Cam Indoor  ( Android app ) is a lot like other smart home cameras in that you get a 1080p stream that you can check out 24 hours per day. It’ll push notifications to you when it notices activity, can see in the dark with night vision, includes 2-way audio, and works with Alexa (you can pull the feed up on screens by voice). If you want more features, you can pay for a Cloud Cam subscription (start at $7/mo) and get person detection, motion zones, and up to 30 days of video history. $90 for a smart home camera is a good deal. Amazon Deal Link DEAL: Amazon’s Cloud Cam is Just $89.99 Today ($30 Off) is a post from: Droid Life

One of the big new trends we’re about to see in smartphones is secure face unlock methods. Face unlock is certainly not new to Android phones, but it has never been as secure as a fingerprint. For example, you can use your fingerprint for mobile payments, but not your face. Apple’s Face ID is secure enough for those tasks. Samsung phones have had face unlock for a while. Starting with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 , they have also included iris scanning. Some users have been digging around in the Settings app of the Oreo beta for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 . They discovered a few strings that relate to a new “Intelligent Scan” feature. This feature supposedly combines face unlock with iris scanner for a better experience. The idea is using the two methods together will make the feature work better in all lighting conditions. Since there is no such feature on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8, it’s believed that this is for the Samsung Galaxy S9. Obviously, Samsung will want something to compete

As the days fly by, we are getting closer and closer to the launch of the Galaxy S9, which Samsung is expected to do at an event during MWC 2018 next month in Barcelona. That means we are beginning to see more and more information revealed about the device, and the latest piece of information may give us an idea as to when the device may go on sale. This latest report suggests that Samsung will open pre-orders of the Galaxy S9 lineup on March 2nd in the company’s home country of South Korea. The pre-order time period will last until March 8th, when the device will likely go on sale everywhere in the country. While specific pricing for either the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus were not mentioned, the report does state that these devices will be “slightly more expensive” than the Galaxy S8. For reference, the Galaxy S8 was priced at $875 when the device launched, meaning we could see a price hike to above $900 for the S9 lineup. One reason for the higher pricing in Samsung’s latest

Last night, Axios uncovered a document from the Trump administration’s National Security Council that floated the idea of a government-owned 5G wireless network . Their reasoning for considering such an idea was that they believe China to be evil, that China will spy on us if we allow their 5G network products in our country, and that the US doesn’t want China crushing it economically by being the major provider of said equipment. That narrative shouldn’t surprise you after watching the assault on Huawei we saw during and immediately after CES . Both Huawei and ZTE were mentioned numerous times throughout the document. As you can imagine, anyone interested in wireless freaked the hell out after this report dropped, wondered if the US government was serious about this, how it might affect Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, and whether or not the FCC would even be on board with such a move, you know, since this is kind of their area of expertise. To address that first point, t

So let us start this by saying no, OnePlus is NOT sending your clipboard data to Chinese servers. OnePlus is again in the spotlight for the wrong reasons – and we’ve probably typed that line more than we should ever have to, so it is true that OnePlus needs to clean up its act. This new allegation comes from a Twitter post saying that OnePlus is identifying and uploading clipboard data like bank account numbers to a Chinese server. OnePlus has immediately come out to clarify the issue and deny the allegation. According to the Twitter account @fs0c131y , they discovered a file within OxygenOS’s clipboard app called “ badwords.txt ”. The allegation made is that OnePlus uses this file to identify data to upload to a Chinese server. Of course, when the Twitter post hit Reddit , almost everyone was ready to crucify the company all over again. In the defense of the people, OnePlus has made some pretty big mistakes lately, like the credit card hack incident. The @OnePlus #clipboard

Almost everybody who’s somebody on the internet has their own livestreaming platform, and that is especially true of Facebook. It launched Facebook Live in 2015, allowing users to live stream from their phone’s cameras, and the stream appears on the users’ timelines and their social media contacts can comment and react to these videos. This feature was positioned to compete with other popular streaming platforms like Periscope. These days, Facebook is also targeting game streamers on platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming, hoping that they would transfer over to Facebook Live. Facebook has recently unveiled its Facebook Gaming Creator Pilot Program . According to the world’s biggest social media platform, this is an effort make Facebook Live work better with game streamers, helping them get viewers and build communities on Facebook. This program will be creating new tools specifically for live streaming games. Facebook also said that it is “actively exploring ways for fans to

At CES earlier this month, Razer announced that an upcoming update would bring access to Netflix HDR and Dolby Plus 5.1 to the Razer Phone . Well, that update is apparently rolling out right now to all owners, weighing in at 249MB. Listed under “Netflix Enhancements,” you’ll find the Netflix app automatically included on the device, support of HDR content playback, and support of Dolby 5.1 audio playback from within. Not only will you experience the greatness of HDR, but the camera is also getting a few improvements, too. Described in the changelog, the update fixes an issue where some images would appear yellow, tuning and image quality improvements, as well as other bug squashing. To round it off, the update includes the January security patch, which includes fixes for the Spectre and Meltdown exploits. So far so good, Razer. // @superscientific Razer Phone Getting Updated With January Security Patch, Camera Improvements, and HDR Content Playback Support is a post from: Dro

How many times have you been looking at something on your phone (an article, image, Twitter thread, etc.) and thought, “Man, I’d love to be able to capture that extra little bit that’s off the screen.” It happens to me all of the time, to be honest. Here’s the frustrating part about that, though. If I’m using a Samsung phone (Galaxy S8, Note 8, and S7) or OnePlus device (OnePlus 5 and 5T), I can capture that off-screen bit and then same, thanks to scrolling capture screenshots. Since I’ve been on a Pixel 2 XL for the past couple of months, I don’t have that ability. It’s time Google build this in, dammit. Now, I know that Google has had a rough history when it comes to screenshots. They didn’t allow us to take them without root or the SDK until Android 2.3.3 or so. They didn’t include a “Share” button in screenshot notifications for years after that, plus it took even longer before a “Delete” button joined the party . I believe only recently did tapping on a screenshot notification

Verizon’s Galaxy Note 8 is being updated this week (listed as software version N950USQU3BRA5), bringing the latest Android security patch to the device. The January patch specifically addresses the Meltdown and Spectre exploits, so you’ll no longer need to worry about that. In addition, multiple bugs were fixed, such as bugs that froze the screen when there was an incoming call, as well as a force close issue when you unlocked the phone. All good things. Verizon also lists an added Bokeh effect for the camera app, usable from the Live Focus setting. What’s New Android Security Patch Level: 2018-01-01, including Meltdown and Spectre security patches Fixes the issues that froze the screen during incoming calls; force closed the device when unlocking it; and force closed the device settings when the user tried to change the method of locking the device screen. The “Bokeh” camera effect is now available while using Live Focus. Go get that update! // Verizon Cheers Bash! Veriz

Prince Noctis n’ friends are gearing up to take on flurry of monsters and baddies on Android devices with the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition. The 10 episode mobile game — which is a retelling of the console/PC version only with revamped tap controls and a fun “chibi” art-style — is coming to iOS and Android starting on February 9th. VIDEO Because this is Final Fantasy XV we’re talking about here, the first episode of the money grab game will be free, with the 2nd and 3rd episodes running 99 cents each. After that, episodes 4-10 will run $4 ($30 total), or you can purchase then entire game straight up for a cool $20. Oddly enough, the game’s listing in the Apple App Store displays the Feb 9th release date , while the Android version does not. We’re hoping that’s not in any way indicative of a timed exclusive, but either way you’ll probably want to pre-register on Google Play to get a notification when it’s available. Link provided below. Final Fantasy XV: Po

Let me start off by saying, why has no one ever told me about the developer Rusty Lake? Apparently, this developer has published multiple Rusty Lake point-and-click adventure games, but I’ve never been alerted to their existence. Thankfully, that all changed this weekend and I’ve been playing a ton of their latest game, Rusty Lake Paradise . This game, like their other titles, takes place in the Rusty Lake universe, with Paradise focusing on mysterious plagues that have infected Paradise Island. The main character is Jakob, the oldest son of the Eilander family, with the story being that he must find his recently passed mother’s hidden memories and perform “strange family rituals” in order to stop the plagues. While the story itself is intriguing, I love point-and-click puzzle/adventure games and these Rusty Lake titles may be some of the best on Android. A lot of the imagery used throughout this particular universe is rather occult (I’m a fan), so keep that in mind if you’re sensi

Samsung announced availability of Samsung Pay in Mexico this morning, bringing its global market total to 20. That’s right, now whether you’re with your family enjoying a week in Cabo San Lucas or apart from your family in Tijuana, you can use Samsung Pay to make your payments at virtually any merchant that accepts credit, debit, or loyalty cards. Samsung lists the banks that are currently supported with Samsung Pay in Mexico, and of course, you have the big names like HSBC, Santander, Citibanamex, Banorte, and Banregio. The accepted card networks also include the big names you’d expected, including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Samsung even released the below video that will likely air in Mexico, showing off the awesomeness that is Samsung Pay. // Samsung Samsung Pay Enters Mexico, Brings Global Market Total to 20 is a post from: Droid Life

Not to be outdone by the other major wireless carriers in the United States, Sprint has just announced its own deal for travelers to South Korea for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. If you are traveling to South Korea and happen to be a Sprint customer, then you’ll be covered during this year’s Winter Games. The Now Network is offering free high-speed data, calling, and texting between February 1 and March 18. To get it to work, you just need to turn on their phone when you arrive in South Korea. Once you do that, you’ll see a welcome message, which you’ll have to accept. After that, Sprint will activate 7-day data passes during your stay. The one bit that stands out here is that Sprint’s offer ends on March 18, while the other carriers are wrapping up their promo on March 20, so keep that in mind. Are you or anyone you know traveling to South Korea for the PyeongChang Olympics?

After the Oreo update for the ZenFone 4 and ZenFone 3 Max, ASUS is now rolling out the Android 8.0 Oreo via FOTA. The specific models in focus are ZE520KL and ZE552KL so check your smartphone if you are eligible to receive the upgrade anytime soon. You may be receiving a related alert but if not, you can always check manually. Proceed to Settings> About> System update to manually update to Oreo. Don’t be surprised if you get a notification about the cookie update. Don’t procrastinate and hit the update button. This particular release will be V15.0410.1712.31. It was released this week (January 29, 2018). After the phone is updated to Oreo, swipe up to All apps and notice the more user-friendly setting UI design. Mini Movie, Photo Collage and Do It Later will be removed. Other Android Oreo features available are as follows: Background limits, Autofill, Smart text selection, Picture-in-Picture, Notification Dots, Android Instant Apps, Adaptive icons for consistent icons, an