Show HTC how good your selfies skill are for a chance to win an HTC 10

HTC's latest guerilla marketing campaign is all about that perfect selfie. The company recently launched a new contest that may land you a free HTC 10. All you have too do is upload your best selfie at the source link and keep your fingers crossed. Oh, you also have to be over 18 and live in the US and to participate.

#PutYourselfInOurSelfie, as HTC is calling it, seems be after raw material for a video, undoubtedly to promote the HTC 10 and its OIS-enabled front-facing shooter. There are even instructions for you to follow on the website and it appears you can enter as many of your portraits as you like. Hopefully, HTC has thought this one through and is prepared for the influx of files, as the form itself doesn't really have a captcha or any form of data validation, so, we can only assume script ideas for the clip are welcome too.

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We're making another "Selfie" video starring #TeamHTC. Send yours for a chance at a #HTC10: http://www.htc.com/us/selfie/ 

12:30 AM - 4 Jun 2016

 
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Submissions are accepted up until June 10, so you still have plenty of time to get creative with those selfies next week.

Microsoft promo shaves $150 off the prices of the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book

This isn't the first limited time price cut that Microsoft applies for the Surface Pro 4 andSurface Book, and it clearly won't be the last. It is a pretty sweet deal however, so if you've been eyeing either of these devices it would be a pity not to take advantage of it while it lasts.

Through Microsoft's online store, you can now buy select Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book models for $150 less than before. This means that, for example, the Surface Pro 4 with 128GB of storage, Core i5 processor, and 4GB of RAM can be yours for just $849 (was previously $999).

Get the tablet with the same CPU but 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and you'll shell out $1,149, down from $1,299. Move up from that to a Core i7 and pay $1,449, and not $1,599. Or just splurge for the i7 paired with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage if you can part with $1,649.

The situation is similar for the Surface Book. It now starts at $1,349 (not $1,499), with a Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. You can also save on the model that sports double that internal storage, which now goes for $1,749 (previously $1,899).

All of these offers are valid only until May 30, so this coming Monday.

Google says existing smartphones likely won't work with its Daydream VR platform

Has Google's new Daydream VR platform caught your fancy? Are you waiting to try it on the smartphone you own? Well, sadly, you are out of luck as Google has said that existing smartphones will "most likely" not work with the Android-powered VR platform.

"I can tell you that there will most likely not be any retroactively Daydream-ready phones," said the Mountain View, Califronia-based company's VR division head Clay Bavor.

"We want to hold a very high quality bar, and for that to happen all of the components need to be just right. So, to VR fans, I would say, hold off for a few months to get your next phone… and get a Daydream-ready phone."

It's worth mentioning that Google hasn't yet made public the exact minimum specifications that are needed for a phone to be certified as Daydream-ready.

Of all the already-available flagships, currently only the Nexus 6P is Daydream-supported, but that's only for development - there's no official word on whether or not the device would be supported once the VR platform is officially launched.

Samsung is still world's largest SSD maker

The latest report from storage market tracking company TrendFocus shows that Samsung remains the top dog in the SSD market. According to the report, a total of 30.77 million SSDs were shipped during Q1 2016, an increase of 32% from the same period last year.

The company has over 40% market share and for Q1 2016 shipped 12.93 million SSDs compared to 9.42 million last year. SanDisk follows with 12.8% of the market while Lite-On is third with 11.4% market share.

Samsung's SSD business includes not only selling products to PC makers like Lenovo, Apple and HP, but also directly to customers. The company's latest SSD is the 750 EVO, which was made globally available earlier this week.

New Apple patent might reinvent the walkie-talkie

Yes, you read it right and yes, the idea does sound silly on the surface. Still Apple has pulled off even stranger reinvention stunts in the past, so, we have to at least give the newly uncovered patent the benefit of the doubt.

The document in question outlines a "Point-to-point ad hoc voice communication", which, taking into consideration the diagrams as well, seems to boil down to using a short range communication technology, like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to establish a voice link between individuals on a peer-to-peer basis. So, the walkie-talkie analogy is a perfect fit, but we can only presume Apple's intention is to rethink the concept for the 21 century.

It would appear that the key element that differentiates the device outlined in the patent from, a fancy Bluetooth headset is the smart software component. The document outlines some sort of smart touch interface that appears to be used to manage advanced talking rules, perhaps with the addition of things like separate channels with encryption, priority, or user roles and privileges. The device cold be powering this interface by itself, but there are also parts in the text, suggesting that it will be able to connect wirelessly or otherwise to Apple devices, like an iPhone.

When you think about it, such a technology could actually make a lot of sense. Walki-talkies or at least similar radio-based communication equipment is still widely used in many professional settings - security, construction, logistics and all types of people coordination, to name a few. Even Apple employees sometimes benefit from such communication within front desks and the back of an Apple store.

Adding a dash of smarts to the otherwise antiquated technology could definitely revitalize it. Even a simple contact management system is way better than punching in channels, which is usually the case. But, before we get ahead of ourselves and ponder about the patent any longer, it is worth noting that like most patents, it is uncertain whether it will make it to a product at all, let alone when.

Still, tell us what you think about the patent and its possible implications and would you buy an iTalkie (if it sticks, you heard it here first)?

Samsung Galaxy Tab Iris with biometric technology lands in India

Samsung has been investing heftily in its local India research and development divisions lately and consequently, more and more interesting offers and innovations, tailor-made for the fast-growing market have started to appear. The latest such device is the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Tab Iris, which as its name suggests, is equipped with specialized iris-recognition technology.

The model is meant to be used with certain biometric-based services within the government, like Aadhaar - a centralized biometric and demographic database, operated by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) agency. The tablet is fully compatible with said system and is also STQC-certified and thus proudly wears the "Made for India" moniker as a tool aimed to simplify adoption and usage of the Aadhaar system among others.

As for the device itself, it is far from a tech powerhouse by today's standards. It is based on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite, which it might actually based on, with its 7.0-inch, 600 x 1024 pixels display. It also packs a quad-core processor, clocked at 1.2 Ghz, 1.5GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 8GB of expandable storage.

The 193.4 x 116.4 x 9.7mm, 327 gram tablet has a 5MP camera on the back, alongside the iris-recognition hardware itself. There is also Wi-Fi b/g/n on board, Bluetooth 4.1 USB host functionality, which might come in handy and a 3600 mAh battery pack powers the show. The only notable absence seems to be 4G, which is odd, considering the Korean giant's push towards the technology in its India-tailored offers of late.

The price point for the Galaxy Tab Iris is set at INR 13,499, or around $200, but most units are likely to arrive in bulk orders for professional use, rather than see much exposure on the end user market.

TripAdvisor for Android now gives you two free months of Google Play Music

If you want to use Google Play Music for free for a while and can't access the Google Cast offer we told you about yesterday (say, because you don't have a Chromecast), here's another opportunity for you. Though it has to be said, it does come as an effect of a very odd partnership.

See, the TripAdvisor app for Android has teamed up with Google Play Music in order to provide you with "the soundtrack for your next trip". This means you'll see locally-themed music stations based on the destination of your choice right inside the TripAdvisor app.

So you essentially now have access to city soundtracks, as conceived by Google and TripAdvisor. This is available everywhere you can get Google Play Music.

Now here's where the deal part comes in. You can get a two-month free trial of Google Play Music by simply going to the TripAdvisor app for Android (once it's updated to the latest version of course). Then just tap to play on any of the recommended music stations. That will take you into the Play Music app and the offer will appear.

Nexus Player is no longer available from Google

The Nexus Player is no longer available to purchase from Google - its listing on the Google Store has been removed, although the product information page is still there. Co-developed by the Mountain View, California-based company and Asus, the Android TV device was launched Back in October 2014.

For its part, Google has confirmed that the product has been discontinued. "Nexus Player is still available on some retail sites," a company spokesperson said. However, none of the retailers mentioned on Nexus Player's Google Store page currently have the device in stock.

Chromecast and Chromecast Audio receive $5 price cut in US

Google has given its Chromecast and Chromecast Audio dongles a price cut in the US. The devices, which usually carry a price tag of $35, are now available for $30 on the Google Store.

A quick look at some third party retailers including B&H, Target, and Best Buy reveals that the discount isn't only limited to the Mountain View, California-based company's online store.

The Google Store promo runs through May 29, and presumably, that should be the case with third-party retailers as well. Interested in availing the deal? Head to the Source link below.

Sony expects 20% drop in smartphone shipments this year

Sony has published its forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, revealing that it expects to ship a total of 20 million smartphones in the year, down nearly 20% from the 24.9 million figure it managed in the year prior.

The Japanese company says that the expected drop in sales is due to "a reduction in mainly mid-range smartphone unit sales reflecting an increased focus on high value-added models, as well as a reduction in smartphone unit sales in unprofitable geographical areas where downsizing measures were implemented during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016."

Sales are forecasted at JPY 940 billion (a 17% decrease year-on-year), but the company expects a profit of JPY 5 billion this year, up from the JPY 61.4 billion loss it recorded last year.

Marshmallow update starts hitting Nvidia Shield Tablet LTE as well

When Nvidia started rolling out the Marshmallow update to the Shield Tablet K1 back in April this year, it said that the original Shield Tablet - including LTE models - will also get the update in a few weeks.

In-line with that time-frame, the original Shield Tablet started receiving the update a couple of weeks ago, and now the update has started hitting the LTE variants of the tablet as well, at-least in the US.

The update brings Android 6.0.1, and includes Android security patch for the month of March, as well as several other features, improvements, and bug fixes. Head to the Source link below for the complete change-log.

Password-free logins coming to Android by end of year, Google confirms

If you recall, back at last year's I/O conference, Google introduced us to Project Abacus, an effort aimed at ditching passwords-based logins in favor of a completely different system that takes into account various factors including your typing and walking patterns, location, and voice.

Well, the company has now given a heads-up on the project, revealing that the new password-free system will be made available to Android developers by 2016 end.

But before that, the project - which has been under testing at over 30 universities in the US - will be tested by "several very large financial institutions," something which will happen starting next month.

"And assuming it goes well, this should become available to every Android developer around the world by the end of the year," said Daniel Kaufman, head of Google’s research unit ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects), at I/O 2016.

Facebook Live can now stream continuously for 24 hours

Facebook has been working on Live video feeds for a little while now. Over the past couple of months, Facebook has launched the Facebook Live feature which notifies you when anyone on your friends list starts a live video feed.

Up until recently, the maximum amount of time you were allowed to stream live video was just 90 minutes. Today, Facebook has changed these rules and will now allow continuous video streams that well surpass the original 90 minute time limit. The initial downside of being able to host longer Live streams is that viewers won’t be able to advance or rewind the live stream during broadcast.

Live screen capture from explore.org's Panda napping in a tree

Facebook’s Live hopes to trump YouTube’s Live stream and Twitter-owned Periscope by incorporating different elements than those offered by these live streaming services. One advantage of which is Facebook already hosts the majority of people you know that can easily access your Live Stream. Otherwise, YouTube users would need to share a link with their Facebook friends in order for them to be seen.

New features to the Facebook Live API include on-screen graphics and multi-camera broadcasts. Disney, The Bleacher Report, and CSPAN have already taken advantage of these API features. Facebook hopes to have a highly robust live-streaming platform for companies and users alike to take advantage of. Who knows, with these new features, a 24 hour live news station could potentially come to a platform like Facebook.

Deal: Buy Galaxy S7 or S7 edge and get 32-inch Samsung smart TV free

If you are in the United States, and are planning to purchase Samsung's newest flagship smartphone (the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge), here is a deal for you: Best Buy is offering a free Samsung smart TV with each handset.

The TV in question is a 32-inch LED Smart HDTV, and the promo is available only when you buy/lease and activate the handset on a 2-year contract, Sprint Lease, or monthly installment plan for Verizon Wireless, AT&T or Sprint.

There's also an option to upgrade to a 48-inch Samsung Smart HDTV, but for that you need to pay an extra $250. While the promo is available both online and offline, the upgrade option is only available on in-store purchases.

The offer has already begun, and runs through June 4. Head to the Source link below for more details.

Make your first Samsung Pay purchase and get $20 gift card

After similar promos in March and April, Samsung is back with a new Samsung Pay promo. This time, the South Korean company is offering a free $20 gift card to those who make their first Samsung Pay purchase within two weeks from now - or until June 6 to be precise.

While most Samsung Pay compatible credit and debit cards are eligible for this offer, there are a few exceptions. The promo's terms and conditions say: "private label (PLCC) cards and Bank of America Visa Debit Cards added to Samsung Pay before March 31, 2016," are not eligible for this offer.

For the gift card, you have the option to chose from the following five Samsung Pay merchants: Toys R’US, Nike, California Pizza Kitchen, Banana Republic, and Regal Entertainment. Head to the Source link below for more details on the offer.

This is the Samsung phones that will receive the updated Android N in the last quarter of this year

There is no doubt that Samsung mobile users eager to get the latest versions of the Android system, we mean here the new "Android N" system, Balbtaba Fsharkp Samsung and wont send another update from the Android system to a group of smart phones leading every year, but the Korean company may be delayed in sending updates.

It seems that Samsung will send updated Android N 7.0 to a series of leading in the fourth quarter of this year, its phones.

According to the site SamMobile, the "Samsung" will send another Android N system updates before the end of this year to smooth the following phones:
Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge and Edge Galaxy S6 + S7 and Galaxy and Galaxy S7 Edge added for Galaxy Note 5. As for the Tablet Galaxy Tab S2 might get the update at the beginning of 2017.

The Galaxy Note 6 Alfablat source pointed out that he had not previously launched system Android N.

Android N Developer Preview can now run Chrome side by side

Google added the ability to run apps side by side in Android N but so far we could only run different applications side by side, which means if you wanted, say, two browser windows side by side, you'd have to install a separate browser alongside Chrome to do that.

Well, Android N Developer Preview 3 fixes exactly that. Now, you will be able to run Chrome windows alongside each other.

With a new option in the Chrome menu, you can move a tab to the space next to your current window, which then creates another instance, and then you can use it to open other tabs. The OS remembers your instances so even if you exit multi-window mode, it won't combine them together and you will get two instances of Chrome in the multitasking (or Overview) mode.

This is limited to Chrome for now but the OS doesn't limit multi-window to a single app, so other developers, say, Microsoft for Office apps, will be able to make their apps run multiple instances side by side.

Weekend poll results: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge voted Best Android phone

Last week we asked you to pick the Best Android smartphone from the 2016 roster and the vote was very definitive - the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is the fan favorite by a landslide.

The runner up is the HTC 10, which along with the S7 edge left all other phones in the dust. Including the smaller Galaxy S7, which was edged out by the Sony Xperia X Performance.

The next close fight was the Xiaomi Mi 5 and the LG G5, the Xiaomi came out on top eventually. It's bigger sibling, the Mi Max didn't, get as much love, but it did top the Huawei duo.

Great stuff from our Top 3. Samsung's rethink of its flagship line continues to pay dividends. HTC and Sony have managed to preserve the fan love during hard times, hopefully, they can transform that into sales of their own rebooted lineups.

Oculus Store update prevents games from running on non-Rift hardware

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Prasad, 22 May, 2016

Oculus pushed an update to its games store that requires users to have a Rift connected to download games.

Previously, one could download any of the Rift exclusive titles from Oculus' store even without owning a Rift, which enabled users to run the games on the HTC Vive using third party software like Revive.

However, with the latest update, the store now requires users to have a Rift to download the games. It doesn't precisely stop you from running it on other devices, but you will also need to have a Rift along with the Vive to be able to download the games.

This is in stark contrast to the company's previous statement, where they said they their goal is not to profit from locking people to only their hardware and that the software they create using Oculus Studios is exclusive to the Oculus platform, but not to the Rift itself. However, with the addition of the DRM in the latest update, it seems the company has changed its stance on allowing non-Rift users to access its exclusive titles.

Google's modular Project Ara phone will be out for developers this fall

After a few delays, it looks like Google's much-hyped Project Ara modular smartphone is almost ready to ship. The device will be out for developers to try sometime this fall, while consumers will be able to get their hands on it at some point next year.

To celebrate the news, the search giant has created a new promo video for Project Ara. It obviously plays on the Ara's modular strengths, though it looks like some of those small modules are actually going to be pretty easy to lose.

According to a report, around 30 people inside Google are already using Ara prototypes as their primary phones. The company says it now has "all the key components of the platform". The developer edition will come with a 5.3-inch screen and will run Android, as you'd expect from a Google-made handset.

Partners that are already working on modules for Ara include Panasonic, TDK, iHealth, E Ink, Toshiba, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and Samsung. There will be six swappable modules on the back, all using the same connector so anything goes anywhere. Ejecting modules is fully controlled by software, meaning you can even say something like "OK Google, eject the camera" and that's what will happen.

One thing to note, however, is that the "phone technology" isn't part of any module, instead having been integrated into the frame. This means you probably won't be able to swap out the chipset, battery, or display, at least not with the first-gen Ara.