James Sanders
Contributing since October, 2017
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61articles
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About James Sanders
James Sanders is a Tokyo-based technology journalist.
Latest Articles
Given that not all displays are equal—IPS is better than TN, HDR is better than non-HDR, some people prefer LCD, others prefer OLED—a certification system for what displays can do seems overdue. The display standards body VESA has (at least partially) filled that void with the newly-announced DisplayHDR standard, which defines the abilities of display panels used in notebook PCs and monitors for desktop PCs.
Google's Android Pay team is keeping the momentum going, with support for 59 more banks added. While most of the banks in question are regional banks hailing from Texas and other southwestern states, the most nationally known is likely Barclayscard US. This update brings the total number of participating banks to 1,131.
Launch of Android Go brings Oreo optimizations and features to low-end phones for developing markets
Google has made public the first release of Android Go—the optimized version of Android for low-end phones targeted toward developing markets, which was announced in May at I/O 2017. Rather than let OEMs stick to outdated Android versions when shipping budget phones, Android Go brings a full, up-to-date experience for devices which ship with 512MB or 1GB RAM.
VLC, the video player that can handle practically anything you throw at it with no config tweaking, has been updated to version 2.5, marking the first update to the stable channel of the popular media player in over a year. In addition to a lot of interface tweaks bringing it more in line with Material Design guidelines, visual changes have also come to Android TV and Auto.
Though tablets often feel like the unloved member of the Android family, the Pixel C has gradually received features that first debuted in the Pixel series of phones. Android 8.1 Developer Preview 2 carries over some features from the Pixel launcher for phones. While it seems like it should be the other way around—the Pixel C was released in December 2015, 10 months before the Pixel phones—tablets are not the realm of innovation. Foremost among the changes is the updated menu when you long-press an app in the launcher.
As infrequently as budget phones are updated, owners of low-cost phones should be glad their phone is continuing to receive support. However, a software update released on November 28th for the BLU Life One X2 has users less than thrilled. On first boot, the phone displays a new password screen—unfortunately, nobody has the password. Without a way to unlock the phone, users are resorting to factory resetting the phones with mixed results.Multiple user reports on Reddit, iFixit, and Amazon have indicated that the affected phones crash on a screen in which you can enter your email address to receive updates from BLU. However, not all users appear to be affected by this bug—others have reported success after removing the microSD card. Additionally, given BLU's massive product portfolio (the company has released upward of 40 phones this year) and unintuitive naming scheme, it is somewhat unclear what models are affected. One Amazon user wrote a review indicating that the BLU Advance A7 was affected, while another user has posted about the Advance A5 at iFixit.For now, not updating your firmware is advisable. This incident was foretold in 1999 by electronic oracles Eiffel 65, with their song "Blue (If I update, I die)."This incident follows a tumultuous history for BLU Products. In November 2016, some Blu devices were identified by the security research firm Kryptowire as carrying spyware which transmitted user information to a Chinese company. As a result, sales of the BLU R1 HD were suspended for one month at Amazon. Amazon again pulled some Blu devices in July 2017 when the co-founder of Kryptowire claimed at Black Hat 2017 that the apps were still present on the phones, but that "They replaced [the malware] with nicer versions." Amazon restarted sales of the affected phones after a week. BLU has consistently denied responsibility for these vulnerabilities.Android Police has reached out to BLU Products for a statement on this update situation. We'll let you know if we hear back from them.Source: Reddit (1), (2), (3), (4), iFixit, Amazon
In what is likely a smokescreen intended to distract from the FCC planning a vote to destroy net neutrality, the FCC has issued additional rules which permit telecoms to block robocalls, specifically those which use Caller ID spoofing to impersonate phone numbers that do not exist, are not allocated by telecoms to subscribers, or are inbound-only phone numbers— in other words, allocated to systems which are unable to make outgoing calls.
Although development of Android for tablets has largely stagnated, mid-range media consumption tablets are still cheaply produced. The AT&T Moto Tab (stylized as 'moto tab') is technically Motorola's first tablet since the Xoom 2 (known as the Xyboard in the United States), though the design strongly resembles that of the Lenovo Tab 4 10. You can now buy the Moto Tab from AT&T for $299.99 upfront, or for $15/month for 20 months. This is $120 more than the Lenovo-branded tablet, though the two share more similarities in appearance than power.
Gboard—the virtual keyboard app from Google—has received an update adding support for 40 additional languages, including Japanese. Although Google has long offered a separate input method for Japanese and other languages which do not have a writing system based on Latin script, support for additional languages has been added in gradually since Gboard launched on Android in December 2016. With this update, Gboard now covers over 120 languages.
The Nexus Player, Google's first (and only) digital media player (see note) has received support for Google Assistant as part of the November security update. This is the third Android TV device to receive the Assistant, after the nVidia Shield and select Sony Bravia televisions.
Following rumors that Google's digital wallet service Android Pay would be launching this month in Brazil and the Czech Republic, Google has made the news official today. With the Brazilian launch, this is Android Pay's first foray into South America.
Recently, Google has notified developers of apps that use Accessibility features for purposes other than helping users with disabilities to cease using those APIs or otherwise unpublish their app. The impetus for this move appears to be existence of (now removed) apps in the Play Store which use Accessibility features in conjunction with a vulnerability patched as part of the September security update to install malware.
PayPal has launched a new crowdfunding-type service called Money Pools, which enables users to set a fundraising goal, and share a page describing the nature of the fundraiser with friends. PayPal suggests using money pools for group gifts, planning trips, special events like baby showers, or collecting money for someone in need. Chances are it will be used predominately for the latter, as almost half of the billion raised on GoFundMe has been for medical expense fundraisers. Pages can be shared through email, social media, or messaging apps.
If your TV is tragically not smart enough—or otherwise lacks a way to play Amazon Prime Video—Amazon has been heavily pushing their line of Fire TV devices since 2014. While the 3rd generation Fire TV started shipping last month, Amazon just announced the new Fire TV Stick Basic Edition. Problem is, there's absolutely nothing new about this at all.The year-old 2nd Generation Fire TV Stick is powered by the quad-core Mediatek 8127D at 1.3 GHz, accompanied with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage. It can decode H.265 video, and supports Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11 ac Wi-Fi. The "new" Basic Edition has identical technical specs, and identical physical specs—both are 1.1 oz (32.0 g) and 3.4” x 1.2” x 0.5” (85.9 mm x 30.0 mm x 12.6 mm).The "new" Basic Edition has a different remote compared to the 2nd Generation, it lacks the Alexa voice control integration. The remote itself, though, is actually the remote from the 1st Generation Fire TV Stick. So far, there's a whole lot of "Basic," but no "new" to be found. The product page does not specify the Fire OS version, though the 2nd generation stick is stuck on Fire OS 5, based on the three-year-old Android Lollipop.For unknown reasons, the Basic Edition is $49.99 while the 2nd generation debuted at $39.99. If you feel like paying $10 more to not have Alexa, the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition is available now. It ships to "more than 100 countries around the world," though Amazon doesn't have operations in that many countries. Presumably, it ships from Amazon.com to the countries in question.
After the "will they or won't they" mess of negotiations between Deutsche Telekom, the reluctant owner of T-Mobile US, and SoftBank Corp., the owner of Sprint fell apart once again, SoftBank has announced their intent to increase their ownership stake in Sprint. This change would increase SoftBank's control of the US's 4th largest mobile network operator from 80% to 85%.
Usually, when massive companies tell you "your opinion matters," it is a transparent way to placate people who complain. With Google Opinion Rewards, your opinion gets you pocket change, which is probably a fair bit more than you would get anywhere else. Digital pocket change, in the form of Google Play credits. All the better, as it doesn't run the risk of scratching your screen. Opinion Rewards has been available in the United States and several other countries for some time, though Belgium and New Zealand are joining the club this month.
If you have fond memories of the 2014 Moto X with leather backing, the Gionee M7 Plus is comparatively more akin to a nightmare. Characterized as a "flagship" by prolific Android leaker Evan Blass, the M7 Plus apparently packs in an 18:9 6.43" display, and is coming "soon." The non-Plus Gionee M7 was announced and released in September, with a MediaTek Helio P30 and running Android 7.1.
After a nearly 12-year absence, Sony announced the return of the aibo robot pet. The new model of aibo, ERS-1000, uses an unspecified 64-bit quad core CPU, in addition to a variety of custom-developed actuators and sensors allowing aibo to move freely and interact with humans and the environment. The aibo can move its body along 22 axes, and can provide visual cues with OLED-display eyes. Four microphones and a speaker facilitate audio input and output, and two fisheye cameras with simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) capabilities allow it to detect objects, in much the same way self-driving car technology works.
In an effort to combat e-waste, Samsung and iFixit announced the "Galaxy Upcycling" initiative at the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco. This initiative intends to allow users to develop ancillary uses for their old phones, and share the code on the Upcycling website, where other users can download and use these crowdsourced ideas. Among the ideas presented at the developer conference were Bitcoin mining clusters made from Galaxy S5 units, an arcade cabinet using a Galaxy tablet, and an IoT-connected fishtank. In addition to providing code downloads, the Upcycling website will also sell sensors and accessories for IoT-related projects.
Following the September release of the mid-range LG G Pad X2 8.0 Plus on T-Mobile, LG and Sprint soft-launched the entry-level LG G Pad F2 8.0. Like its T-Mobile counterpart, the F2 8.0 can connect with pogo pins to the Plus Pack to gain an additional 4,400mAh battery, a full-size USB port, and 2x2W speakers (plus a kickstand).