Android Phone Fans

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• Tholotis will let you blur, dim, and tint your Android wallpapers for pure home screen perfection
• Best new Android apps from August 2014
• Become a master of the skies with the DJI Phantom drone, on sale for over 25% off
• Android Wallpaper: Graffiti

Tholotis will let you blur, dim, and tint your Android wallpapers for pure home screen perfection Posted: 30 Aug 2014 02:25 PM PDT We’ve been curating hand-picked Android wallpapers for awhile now (see past editions here). Contrary to what some might think, not every awesome piece of high-res art or pictures will make a good fit on your Android’s homescreen. While this largely depends on personal tastes, generally, having a wallpaper that’s considered “too busy” can make it difficult to easily locate icons on your homescreen. This can be especially painful when you locate that perfect wallpaper or want to use a snapshot of a loved one, only to find it conflicts with your theme’s color pallet, or is simply too bright or (again) busy. Tholotis is a wallpaper app who’s name comes from the Greek word for “blurriness” and looks to fix this first world problem by allowing users to not only defocus or blur backgrounds (making them appear less busy), but also tint/dim background images as well. The app utilizes the same open-source design resources as Muzei and features a clean and minimal interface that’s easy to navigate. Although free to download, there is an in-purchase (located by swiping left on the main screen) that unlocks the ability to color tint images as well (see right screenshot above). While this may not sound too appealing, we were surprised to find how wonderfully well this works with photos taken using your phone. Tholotis is definitely one of those must-have Android apps for anyone who enjoys customizing their homescreens to perfection. Download link provided below. Tholotis – Blur (Playboard) | Tholotis – Blur (Play Store)

Best new Android apps from August 2014 Posted: 30 Aug 2014 12:00 PM PDT Womp womp. The last “summer month” is coming to an end. The beaches are getting less crowded. RV’s are being put back in storage. Back-to-school sales can be found in every store. It’s a sad time of year. The good news is we had a bunch of great new Android apps launch in August. Everything from image editors to homescreen replacements to Android Wear apps. If you were busy enjoying the warm weather you may have missed some of these apps. Enjoy! Afterlight There is no shortage of image editing apps for Android. If you’re into that sort of thing you will be interested in a new one called Afterlight. This app uses a simple design, paired with powerful tools, to give you the look you want in no time. It offers 15 tools, 59 filters, 77 frames, and 66 textures. Afterlight is available in Google Play for $.99. Amazon Seller Use the Amazon Seller app for Android to help grow and manage your selling business on Amazon. The app makes it easier than ever for you to quickly identify new selling opportunities on Amazon, list your items for sale, respond to customer questions, manage inventory, search for new things to sell, and estimate profitability. Amazon seller is available for free. Blur Launcher One of the cool features about the Google Now Launcher is the ability to open Google Now by swiping to the left on the homescreen. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could launch other apps like this? Blur Launcher aims to be that app.  Any developer can create a “page” to be accessed from the homepage. Right now just a few apps work, but more are on the way. Download Blur for free. Football Schedule ’14 We’re less than a week away from the first official regular season NFL game. You’re going to want to keep up with your favorite team, see who is playing who, and get reminder for games. Our very own Football Schedule app is a quick and easy way to check the weekly NFL schedule. Download it now from free from Google Play. Fragment As we mentioned above, image editing apps are a dime a dozen on Android. However, Fragment is a completely new way to edit images on your phone. This app gives you the power to transform any image into totally unique, one-of-a-kind prismatic art you'll want to share with everyone. The only limit is your imagination. Fragment is available for free. Google News & Weather Remember that random News & Weather app that was always included on Nexus devices? It still exists. Yeah, we were surprised too. This month it finally got an update, and now it’s a really nice looking app. We’re not sure how it fits into Google’s current line-up of news reading apps, but at least it looks modern. Protip: the weather widget is awesome. HTC Zoe HTC released Zoe for non-HTC devices this month. Zoe is a simple way to create, share and remix professional quality highlight videos—and it's even better when your friends pitch in. Choose the photos and videos you'd like to share, add a filter to give your highlight video a unique look, and choose the perfect soundtrack. If that sounds cool you can grab it for free. LAS: Last App Switcher Multitasking on Android is pretty great, but it’s not perfect. Sometimes switching between apps can be bumpy. The back button behaves differently in all apps, and sometimes the multitasking button is laggy. Last App Switcher utilizes the swipe gesture on the home button to allow quick flipping between your last used app. It’s super fast and fluid. Download LAS for free from the Play Store. Metromile The Metromile app helps make car ownership easier, less expensive, and more enjoyable. Review your driving stats, get insights into your car's running condition, and even find your car if it's missing. After you sign up for an account the folks at Metromile will send you their "Metronome" device which plugs into your car's OBD-II port (if you live in California, Oregon, Washington and Illinois.) Over What’s this? Another image editing app from August? Apparently the summer is a hot time for editing images. Over is an editor that focuses on adding text to images. They offer a bunch of exclusive fonts and artwork along with some simple image manipulation tools. It’s nice to see an app that just does one thing, but does it really well. Over is available for $1.99. Snapshot Launching you camera quickly is an important task for every smartphone. Many manufacturers allow the camera to be launched directly from the lockscreen, but sometimes that’s not fast enough either. Snapshot is a new app that launches the camera when you unlock your device in landscape mode. I love this app because it’s also a good reminder to use landscape mode when taking videos. Download Snapshot for free from the Play Store. SpinMe Alarm Clock Suck at waking up? Are you the type of person to set multiple alarms a few minutes apart from each other just to make sure you wake up on time? If so, say hello to SpinMe. This alarm clock is a super clever app designed to get you out of bed on time. The only way to turn off the alarm is by getting out of bed and physically spinning yourself around until the alarm stops! There is no escape! TapPath TapPath allows you to customize how clicking a web link in a 3rd party app behaves. A single click on a link will load it in your favorite browser, but multiple clicks is where things get interesting. You could set up double-click to open Pocket, or a triple click could load Pushbullet. TapPath can save you a lot of time when trying to share links across commonly used apps. It’s available for $0.99. Unclouded Unclouded is a tool to help you analyze and clean your cloud storage (Dropbox and Google Drive). You can see which files or folders are using up storage, see which types of files are using the most space, search files, and more. Unclouded can also be used as a very attractive file manager and cloud file explorer. BOX and OneDrive support are coming soon. You can download it right now for free. WeTransfer Sharing big files across the internet can be tough. There are many services out there to help, but most cost money, or at minimum require you to sign up. WeTransfer is different. Simply select your photos or videos (or use the share button), add your friends email address, and upload up to 10GB! Enjoy inspiring backgrounds during the transfer. Your friends will receive an email with a download link. Easy peasy, and all for free. ANDROID WEAR APPS I’m Here Are you one of those people who constantly “checks-in” everywhere on Facebook? It’s okay, I am too. I’m Here is a simple Android Wear app that allows you to check-in to  Facebook directly from your watch. Checking-in to places can be one of those tasks that distracts you from the moment, which makes this app handy. You can also dictate status updates. I’m Here is available for $0.99. Showear A common complaint among Android Wear device owners is mistaken touches while showering. Since the displays are always on they can mistake water drops as finger touches. This is annoying. If you really must wear your smartwatch into the shower you need Showear, an Android Wear pattern lockscreen. Now your shower will have a much harder time pressing buttons and messing things up. TickTick Wear TickTick for Android Wear lets you access to-dos on wrist without taking phone out of your pocket. This is especially handy when doing things like grocery shopping. You don’t want to be constantly pulling out your phone while walking down the isles. Just quickly check your watch and go find the milk. TickTick Wear works best with TickTick for Android. Wear Quick SMS Currently you can only reply to SMS on Android Wear if you use the Hangouts app. Wear Quick SMS is a way you can send quick SMS messages to select contacts. First go into the phone app and choose contacts and create custom messages. You will be able to choose a contact and shot message to send right from your wrist. This is the type of thing we want to see for Android Wear. Download Wear Quick SMS for free.

Become a master of the skies with the DJI Phantom drone, on sale for over 25% off Posted: 30 Aug 2014 09:00 AM PDT Looking to get lifted this Labor Day weekend? Take to the skies with the DJI Phantom FC40 drone, available over at AndroidDeals.com for over 25 percent off its regular price. Normally retailing for $649, you can buy the FC40 for $499 outright (plus free shipping). If you use the code "PHANTOM35" at checkout, you can score an additional $35 off, bringing the final price to $464. BUY DJI PHANTOM DRONE NOW FOR OVER 25% OFF So what do you get for that price? For starters: the world's #1 rated personal drone. Its claim to fame is a WiFi-connected HD Smart Camera, which will let you record your escapades in 720p at 30fps or beam video back to your smartphone in real time using 2.4G connectivity. Everything you need is in the box: DJI Phantom Built-in 700 mAh Li-on Battery & Charger DJI FC40 camera Remote Control Transmitter – 5.8G Control and Receiver (will not interfere with 2.4G Wi-Fi) Getting started guide Never been behind the controls of a drone? Don't worry. The Phantom FC40 is packed full of features that make it easy to fly even for the most novice of operators. Auto-hover prevents crash landings should the user accidentally release flight controls, and a failsafe GPS-based auto-pilot will bring your drone home should you fly it out of range. Speaking of range, the included 5.8G controller allows for operation from distances as great as 1640 feet, giving you the ability to reach some truly great heights without lifting the soles of your shoes from the earth. Act quick because this deal will be ending in a matter of days, then take to the skies and get a totally new perspective on your world. And don't forget to check out AndroidArea.com for even more great deals on Android gadgets, accessories, apps, and more!

Android Wallpaper: Graffiti Posted: 30 Aug 2014 07:00 AM PDT See past editions of Android Wallpaper Happy three-day weekend (for some of you)! We’re back once again with more wallpaper for your Android device. This week we’re taking a look at graffiti art. Graffiti is defined as “writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface, often in a public place.” But nowadays it can be found almost anywhere, even digitally. For your viewing pleasure we have six HD graffiti wallpapers that will look great on your homescreen. To get one of these wallpapers on your phone, tablet, or even PC, simply tap or click on the image to see it at full resolution. The long press or right click to save the image. Let us know which one is your favorite, and be sure to share a screenshot if you use one of these wallpapers! Enjoy, and have a great weekend! Push new Android Wallpaper to your Android device with this IFTTT recipe.

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Android Phone Fans

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• Motorola giving some Moto 360 fans on Twitter the chance to purchase the smartwatch before anyone else
• How will the iPhone 6 compare in size to the HTC One M8, Galaxy S5, and Galaxy Alpha? [VIDEOS]
• Sprint finally makes the HTC One E8 official, available today for $100 with a 2-year agreement
• T-Mobile’s Uncarrier 7.0 event kicks off Sept 10th – ‘This time it’s personal’
• Mobile Roar 60: Round and Round
• AT&T giving $100 bill credit for adding new AT&T Next lines
• From Android Forums: HDMI on the LG G3, SmartSwitch, car chargers, and more!
• Report: Sprint to offer their very first Sony phone soon; Xperia Z3?
• OnePlus looking to get off the invite system by October, but is that too late?

Motorola giving some Moto 360 fans on Twitter the chance to purchase the smartwatch before anyone else Posted: 29 Aug 2014 05:38 PM PDT Motorola has been hard at work promoting their upcoming smartwatch — the Motorola Moto 360 — these past few days. Wednesday, we saw Motorola kick off their Yo contest where the manufacturer gave out 40 Moto 360s to lucky winners and it seems they were only getting started. We’ve been receiving reports that the official Motorola account on Twitter has been busy notifying select users on Twitter of a “sweet opportunity” headed their way. Motorola’s tweets seems to follow anyone who has recently tweeted the hashtag #moto360, where they’re then asked to DM Motorola with the email associated with their Motorola account. If that sounds a little fishy to you, here’s how it played out for one Twitter user: We did some digging on Twitter and sure enough, found this was not an isolated incident. Motorola spent a large portion of their day yesterday replying to just about anyone expressing interest in the Moto 360 over the past few weeks. Once Motorola receives a DM with the user’s email address, the conversation picks up there with Motorola notifying these Moto 360 fans of a chance to buy the smartwatch before it’s officially available to the general public. Here’s the email they’re sending out to a few lucky fans: Motorola was careful not to provide any kind of firm release date or timing for the Moto 360, only telling fans to continue checking their inbox over the next few days for a followup email where they’ll then only have a few hours to participate. We imagine that wont be too much longer as Motorola has a big event planned for Sept 4th in Chicago where the Moto 360 (along with a handful of other devices) will officially be unveiled unto the world. While it doesn’t appear that Motorola notified anyone else after yesterday, there’s no saying if they wont do so in the future. While I wouldn’t go rushing to tweet out any #moto360 hashtags, it certainly couldn’t hurt. Cheers. Images via Reddit Thanks anon!

How will the iPhone 6 compare in size to the HTC One M8, Galaxy S5, and Galaxy Alpha? [VIDEOS] Posted: 29 Aug 2014 03:37 PM PDT In case you’ve been living under a rock (or simply haven’t been keeping up with Apple news), it’s looking like the iPhone 6 will officially be unveiled in 2 weeks. Although “iPhone 6″ was never actually mentioned, Apple did begin sending out invites for a September 9th event in Cupertino where the tag line was “Wish we could say more.” Oh, you don’t need to. We know what you’re up to. There’s been enough leaks in recent months that we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the event. Perform a simple search on YouTube for “iPhone 6″ and look at how many people got their hands on alleged dummy units of the bigger, softer 4.7-inch iPhone 6. But with such a big jump in screen size (and still roughly the same bezel ratio), you may be asking yourself how the upcoming phone stacks up against Android’s greatest in terms of overall size. Luckily, with dummy units being so easy to come by these days (security is a bit more lax at Apple lately), we found a few videos that compare the upcoming i6 against Android heavyweights like the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, and Samsung’s most recent answer to the iPhone 6: the recently announced Samsung Galaxy iPhone Alpha. After taking a look at the videos, we were a bit surprised to find that, despite having a much smaller 4.7-inch display, overall the iPhone 6 is pretty large. This was mostly in part to that extra hunk of bezel along the bottom of the phone where Apple’s Touch ID home button sits. The iPhone 6 was only a little smaller than the HTC One M8 (which could have come out a lot differently had HTC only ditched their useless black bar bezel along the bottom) almost the same height as the Galaxy S5 (although a little more narrow), and nearly identical to the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. We can only hope that with the iPhone 6 said to come in 2 sizes — 4.7-inch model and a 5.5-inch version — Android OEMs will finally catch on and realize 1-size doesn’t fit all and that consumers need at least 2 size choices when shopping for a high-end smartphone. But given the fact that Android has had 4.7-inch screen sizes for years now, we’re sure many OEMs see smaller devices as a “step back.” Hey, at least Sony is on the right track with the rumored Xperia Z3 Compact. Gotta speak with your wallet, folks.

Sprint finally makes the HTC One E8 official, available today for $100 with a 2-year agreement Posted: 29 Aug 2014 12:46 PM PDT After prematurely publishing a video to their YouTube account nearly 2 weeks ago, Sprint is ready to stop beating around the bush and make the HTC One E8 official. The nation’s 3rd largest carrier has officially announced that the One E8 will be coming to their network later this year and provides the same One experience you’ve come to expect from devices like the One M8, only in a fresh new polycarbonate design. Yum. The HTC One E8 features hardware specs eerily similar to the HTC One M8 only with one exceptions. HTC has dumped the 4MP UltraPixel camera in their flagship phone for a regular ‘ol 13MP shooter. While we haven’t seen any picture samples just yet, we’re sure that on paper, the higher number count will make a few of you happy, although we’ll reserve judgment until we can see a few comparisons. Other One E8 specs include a 5-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, and a 2,600mAh battery — all running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Other key features include: Motion Launch:  Allows you to access your phone with just one swipe. Simply lift your phone to answer a call – no device unlocking needed. Wi-Fi Calling: An included service that lets you use voice and messaging services over existing home, office and public Wi-Fi networks. HTC Sense™ 6.0 3G/4G mobile hotspot, supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices. HD Voice enabled: Sprint HD Voice expands the normal voice call from a four-octave range to seven octaves to deliver crystal clear voice calls while helping to reduce unwanted background noise. Sprint Spark enabled: Sprint Spark provides the capacity to greatly improve the performance of video and other bandwidth-intensive applications while opening the way for futuristic applications. Sprint reminds us that HD Voice is now available nationwide and while Sprint Spark’s enhanced LTE service is currently available in 27 markets across the US, they plan to blanket 100 million customers by years end. The HTC One E8 is available right now for $100 with a 2-year contract from either Sprint.com or through their telesales department in either “Polar White” or “Misty Gray.” Well qualified buyers can even put the phone on Easy Pay, paying off the phone over 2 years with monthly payments of  $20.84 (or $500 outright).

T-Mobile’s Uncarrier 7.0 event kicks off Sept 10th – ‘This time it’s personal’ Posted: 29 Aug 2014 10:42 AM PDT Hold onto your butts, T-Mobile has just announced a date for their upcoming Uncarrier 7.0 event. Looks like everything will go down on September 10th — a day after Apple’s iPhone 6 event–  so we’re wondering if T-Mobile wont have some kinda Apple tie-in planned. According to T-Mobile press invite “This time it’s personal.” Sounds ominous. The event is actually being held at a T-Mobile retail store in San Francisco, right on the corner of Market and 3rd. The last T-Mobile event actually announced Uncarrier 5.0 and 6.0, where we saw week long, no strings attached, trials to test T-Mobile’s network using the iPhone 5s (did any of our readers ever take them up on that offer?), along with unlimited music streaming on very specific services (Google Play Music is coming soon). While it’s true you can find prepaid wireless services for a few bucks cheaper than T-Mobile (like the new Cricket which now operates on AT&T’s network), there’s no denying the added value you get when signing up with Magenta. The event kicks off at 1PM PST. Anyone want to guess what they’ll announce this time around?

Mobile Roar 60: Round and Round Posted: 29 Aug 2014 10:32 AM PDT The age of the round smartwatches is finally picking up steam. The Moto 360 is less than a week away, and so is a round Android Wear device from LG. The Amazon Fire Phone is in the news again, but not for good reasons. Same can be said about OnePlus’ “explosive” phone. Other topics this week include Apple’s September 9th iPhone post, Swing Copters drama, and much more! Thanks for watching/listening! Programming Note: we will not be recording the podcast next week due to IFA/Motorola event craziness. Top Stories LG G Watch R is a round smartwatch (and new square ones coming) Amazon only sells 35,000 Fire Phones Quick Hits OnePlus One explodes in someones pocket Apple Sept. 9th event invites go out Swing Copters dev accused of copying Bog Racer Coolest Cooler breaks Pebble Kickstarter record LG G3 could be first LG device to sell 10 million HTC One M8 for Windows headed to T-Mobile Wins/Fails Kevin: Apple finally gives in to NFC? (combo win/fail) Joe: HTC One Remix is cool / Samsung Ice Bucket Challenge ad Chris: Dropbox's new low pricing / Hyperlapse not coming to Android App Picks Kevin: Hyperlapse Joe: Auto SMS Chris: Tholotis Follow Us Joe Fedewa (@tallshmo) Chris Chavez (@gamercore) Kevin Krause (@youdontknowkev) Subscribe Hear us on Stitcher Radio Subscribe on iTunes Add RSS feed Download MP3 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

AT&T giving $100 bill credit for adding new AT&T Next lines Posted: 29 Aug 2014 09:42 AM PDT Quick heads-up on a deal for anyone looking to add lines to their AT&T accounts soon. Ma Bell is willing to shoot you $100 to go toward your bill if you add a line using AT&T Next. In case you’re not in the know, AT&T next allows you to buy phones for $0 down and you can pay it off in 20 (upgrade every 12 months) or 24 (upgrade every 18 months) monthly installments. The offer is good for new customers opening an account or existing customers adding lines. It’s good until September 30th, and you’ll have to keep your account in good standing for up to 3 months before you receive the bill credit. You can pop into your local AT&T shop or head online right here if you’re eager to take advantage. [via AT&T]

From Android Forums: HDMI on the LG G3, SmartSwitch, car chargers, and more! Posted: 29 Aug 2014 08:08 AM PDT The Android world has been busy, busy, busy as we slide into a long holiday weekend, and the forums have been abuzz with chatter in anticipation of some sure-to-be huge happenings next week. Time to check in on discussion surrounding the latest gadgets and gizmos in the Android World, where else but Android Forums. HDMI on the LG G3? Disappointed with Miracast on the LG G3? You’re not alone. Or maybe you’re coming from a Samsung device with AllShare and want an alternative. That’s been a big topic on our LG G3 Forums. The LG G3 doesn’t have HDMI out, but If you don’t mind running a cord between your phone and TV, you can buy an HDMI adapter for the LG G3 that gives you that functionality! And for those in the UK, here is your solution. Want more cool stuff for your G3? Head on over to the official  LG G3 Accessories Thread. Galaxy Note 3 to Galaxy Note 4 with SmartSwitch There are a hoard of Galaxy Note 3 users eager to upgrade, many of which have congregated in our Galaxy Note 4 Forums. They’ve suggested users bookmark the newly redesigned Samsung SmartSwitch page, an app and service that helps you transfer all of your contacts and content from your old phone to your new Samsung device. This doesn’t only pertain to people switching from Galaxy Note 3 to Note 4, though. Samsung’s website outlines how you can easily make the switch from an iPhone, iPad, another Android device, or even Blackberry or Symbian. Looks like Windows Phone users are out of luck. If you’re eager for the Note 4 you’ll want to check out the Note 4 Rumors Thread which has accumulated hundreds of posts since its inception in April and continues to garner buzz. Android Phone/Tablet charging in car but still draining? If you take your Android Phone or Tablet on a road trip, you’ll want to be prepared to keep it charged. You’d think plugging it into a cigarette lighter or other vehicle outlets would be a no-brainer, but that’s not always the case: often times it shows as charging but the device consumes more power than the charger emits. This is exactly what happened to RubyRide.co, a transportation network startup who faced this exact problem. Because they’re running the display (at full brightness), Bluetooth, GPS and Data all day long it was eating battery quickly, but they need reliability to best perform their service. So they asked Android Forums members for help. It all comes down to the charger itself, and in this case, it seems this PortaPow charger did the trick. Another problem solved at Android Forums!   Holy Smartwatch, Droidman! The amount of buzz around the latest Android Wear devices has reached a boiling point and we’ve got newly created forums for each: Moto 360 Forum LG G Watch R Forums Samsung Gear S Forums ASUS ZenWatch Forums Jump on in and get the discussion going or check out our full list of Android Wear Forums. Get in on the Action! There are literally THOUSANDS of people on Android Forums at any one time… to be one of them, all you have to do is sign up. Whether you want to browse around for interesting stuff, dive into your device forum, scour around to uncover apps and games, help answer questions, or ask some questions yourself: we invite you in. It’s 100% free! Join Android Forums today.

Report: Sprint to offer their very first Sony phone soon; Xperia Z3? Posted: 29 Aug 2014 07:03 AM PDT Take a quick stroll through Sprint’s history of phones and you’ll find that the company has never offered a single Sony Android smartphone. Ever. Shocking, isn’t it? That could change soon, though, as Reuters reports Sprint and Softbank will look to offer their first smartphone from Sony later this year. The exact wording was that this would be a “flagship smartphone,” and nothing sounds more flagship-y than Sony’s Xperia Z3 set to be unveiled at IFA next week. The report didn’t specify whether the launch would be exclusive for Sprint which leaves hope that it could eventually make its way to other carriers. We wouldn’t bet on that, though, considering Sony doesn’t have a history of being able to get their smartphones onto multiple US carriers at a time like HTC, LG, Samsung and Motorola have been able to. We’re certainly hoping that this is the first step to penetrating the US market with a more aggressive strategy, though, and that Sony could eventually reach the heights of their aforementioned competitors. The consumer electronics industry hasn’t exactly been friendly to Sony over the years with their struggling television and PC business havign drained them of a ton of money. They’ve gone as far as having to sell or spin-off some of those divisions and scale their business down. Their smartphone business wasn’t in as immediate danger as those dollar-sucking entities (we imagine it’s much less expensive to develop, research and manufacture smartphones than TVs and computers), however it isn’t exactly strong enough alone to keep Sony in the black. Let’s hope this is a good first step toward changing that.

OnePlus looking to get off the invite system by October, but is that too late? Posted: 29 Aug 2014 05:43 AM PDT When OnePlus originally launched the OnePlus One, they mentioned they’d need to sell phones via an invite-only system over a traditional pre-sale / first come, first serve setup. Many people forgave them for this considering they were still a very new company and likely had no other choice than to resort to unorthodox tactics. Many contests (controversial and otherwise) have already given tens of thousands of folks the opportunity to buy one, but there are still a ton of would-be buyers left in the dark. So when is it all going to end? Thankfully, we have a new answer — OnePlus hopes to wash their hands of this invite stuff at some point in October. That much was confirmed in an Ask Me Anything session over at the Android subreddit. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean stock is going to be readily available at that point. Shortages will still be prominent. The only difference is you’ll be able to pre-purchase the device without an invite. You’re still subject to the first come, first serve rodeo, which means you could be pre-ordering a phone that you might not see for a couple of weeks to a month. In fact, some might argue that this is even less savory than the invite system — at least when you have an invite you know there’s a phone waiting for you. It’s unfortunate that OnePlus is taking so long to wean off the invites. Some might wonder if October is much too late. IFA Berlin kicks off next week, and we’ll be seeing exciting new smartphones from Motorola, Samsung, Sony and other major players announced (many of which are due for worldwide launch the very next month). Granted, none of them are likely to be as powerful as the OnePlus One for a $300 price point, but at least folks would be able to buy those phones as soon as they’re available. Only time can tell if OnePlus ended up missing their first boat, but for now all anyone can do if they truly have their hearts set to buy this phone is to more actively pursue invites or just wait for the circus to be over with. Let us know if you’ll still be looking to buy one of these things by the time October makes its way to the forefront of the calendar.

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Dear buntheun keun,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 29, 2014:


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Spotlight Stories Headlines
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MEDICINAL GPS: DNA NANOTECHNOLOGY-BASED APPROACH ALLOWS INJECTED DRUGS TO FIND TUMOR SITES
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-08-medicinal-gps-dna-nanotechnology-based-approach.html#nwlt
STEP LIGHTLY: ALL-OPTICAL TRANSISTOR TRIGGERED BY SINGLE PHOTON PROMISES ADVANCES IN QUANTUM APPLICATIONS
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-lightly-all-optical-transistor-triggered-photon.html#nwlt
RESEARCHERS SUGGEST LACK OF PUBLISHED NULL RESULT PAPERS SKEWS RELIABILITY OF THOSE THAT ARE PUBLISHED
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-lack-published-null-result-papers.html#nwlt
GOOGLE BUILDING FLEET OF PACKAGE-DELIVERING DRONES
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-google-fleet-package-delivering-drones.html#nwlt
RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY ORIGIN AND PURPOSE OF THE FACIAL EXPRESSION FOR ANGER
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-08-purpose-facial-anger.html#nwlt
SEOUL TO PROVIDE SMARTPHONE-CHARGING DOWN BY THE STREAM
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-seoul-smartphone-charging-stream.html#nwlt
NOT ALL PHYTOPLANKTON IN THE OCEAN NEED TO TAKE THEIR VITAMINS
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-phytoplankton-ocean-vitamins.html#nwlt
CHINA'S REFORM OF R&D BUDGET MANAGEMENT DOESN'T GO FAR ENOUGH, RESEARCH SHOWS
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-china-reform-doesnt.html#nwlt
REDUCING WATER SCARCITY POSSIBLE BY 2050
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-scarcity.html#nwlt
MYSTERIES OF SPACE DUST REVEALED
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-mysteries-space-revealed.html#nwlt
ASSORTATIVITY SIGNATURES OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR NETWORKS CONTRIBUTE TO ROBUSTNESS
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-08-assortativity-signatures-transcription-factor-networks.html#nwlt
TEAM DEFINES NEW BIODIVERSITY METRIC
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-team-biodiversity-metric.html#nwlt
EXPERIMENTAL EBOLA DRUG HEALS ALL MONKEYS IN STUDY (UPDATE)
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-08-prototype-ebola-drug-early-hurdle.html#nwlt
PREVENTING CANCER FROM FORMING 'TENTACLES' STOPS DANGEROUS SPREAD
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-08-cancer-tentacles-dangerous.html#nwlt
TEAM PIONEERS STRATEGY FOR CREATING NEW MATERIALS
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-team-strategy-materials.html#nwlt


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Latest News On TECHNOLOGY:
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GOOGLE BUILDING FLEET OF PACKAGE-DELIVERING DRONES
Google's secretive research laboratory is trying to build a fleet of drones designed to bypass earthbound traffic so packages can be delivered to people more quickly.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-google-fleet-package-delivering-drones.html#nwlt

SEOUL TO PROVIDE SMARTPHONE-CHARGING DOWN BY THE STREAM
Seoul's mobile users will be able to make use of outdoor charging stations at a popular downtown stream, powered by mini-hydroelectric turbines that use the stream's current. The city is building the recharging stations along the Cheonggyecheon, which is a manmade stream in the city's downtown area. The Seoul metropolitan city government said on Wednesday that the plan is to make available smartphone recharging booths near Cheonggyecheon, or Cheonggye Stream in Seoul, with the small amount of electricity that is generated from t he flowing water, said Korea Bizwire. On Wednesday, city officials installed three small-sized hydroelectric generators on the Gwangtong Bridge on the stream, and two more generators in the walking trail 20 meters away. This will be a trial run, and the first time for phone-charging booths to be installed using the micro-hydroelectric generators. The city will experiment with the five generators for three months, according to the Korea Bizwire.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-seoul-smartphone-charging-stream.html#nwlt

LEAP MOTION OFFERS VR MOUNT FOR HAND RECOGNITION DEVICE, REVEALS PLANS FOR BETTER VR EXPERIENCE
Leap Motion, maker of a device that sits on a desk to capture hand movements (to replace the mouse, joystick, etc.) has announced that it is now offering a mounting apparatus that allows for connecting its recognition device directly to head-worn virtual reality gear such as the Oculus Rift. The mounting hardware also comes with an updated SDK kit to allow for the new perspective offered by the recognition device.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-motion-vr-mount-recognition-device.html#nwlt

FIXD TELLS CAR DRIVERS VIA SMARTPHONE WHAT IS WRONG
A key source of anxiety while driving solo, when even a bothersome back-seat driver's comments would have made you listen: the "check engine" light is on but you do not feel, smell or see anything wrong. What to do? Rush to the repair shop or try your luck and make it all the way home? FIXD, a plug-in sensor and phone app, wants to give you the answers by sending information to your phone when problems arise. A summary of the problem is provided in simple terms. Drivers are also told the consequences of continued driving. The driver is told the severity of the problem and provides instructions on what to do. The system even offers an estimate of the repair costs that the problem would involve. "We want to take the guess work out of maintaining your car," said the FIXD team in a promotional video. "We want to give you confidence when dealing with repair shops."
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-fixd-car-drivers-smartphone-wrong.html#nwlt

TESLA, CHINESE FIRM PLAN 400 CHARGING STATIONS
Tesla Motors Co. and a state-owned Chinese phone carrier announced plans Friday to build 400 charging stations for electric cars in a new bid to promote popular adoption of the technology in China.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-tesla-chinese-firm-stations.html#nwlt

AUSTRALIA'S CONSUMER WATCHDOG SUES US GAMES GIANT VALVE
Australia's consumer watchdog Friday said it was taking online US video games giant Valve to court for allegedly making "false or misleading representations" and refusing to offer refunds.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-australia-consumer-watchdog-sues-games.html#nwlt

CHINESE E-COMMERCE RIVALS CHALLENGE ALIBABA (UPDATE)
China's biggest property developer, Wanda Group, and Internet giants Baidu and Tencent unveiled a new e-commerce venture Friday in a challenge to industry leader Alibaba Group ahead of its U.S. stock offering.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-chinese-e-commerce-rivals-alibaba.html#nwlt

TWITTER TO SET UP SHOP IN SOCIAL-MEDIA-MAD INDONESIA
Twitter plans to open an office in Indonesia over the coming months as it seeks to boost revenues in the social-media-addicted nation, the company announced Friday.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-twitter-social-media-mad-indonesia.html#nwlt

JAPAN GOV'T CALLS ON CITIZENS TO STOCKPILE TOILET PAPER
The Japanese government is calling on its citizens to prepare for the worst-case scenario, should a major disaster hit the quake-prone archipelago: Stockpile toilet paper.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-japan-govt-citizens-stockpile-toilet.html#nwlt

'SWAZILEAKS' LOOKS TO SHAKE UP JET-SETTING MONARCHY
As WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange prepares to end a two-year forced stay at Ecuador's London embassy, he may take comfort in knowing he inspired resistance to secrecy in places as far away as Swaziland.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-swazileaks-jet-setting-monarchy.html#nwlt

ECUADOR HERALDS 'DIGITAL CURRENCY' PLANS
Ecuador is planning to create the world's first government-issued digital currency, which some analysts believe could be a first step toward abandoning the country's existing currency, the U.S. dollar, which the government cannot control.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-ecuador-heralds-digital-currency.html#nwlt

AVATARS MAKE THE INTERNET SIGN TO DEAF PEOPLE
It is challenging for deaf people to learn a sound-based language, since they are physically not able to hear those sounds. Hence, most of them struggle with written language as well as with text reading and comprehension. Therefore, most website content remains inaccessible for them. Computer scientists from Saarbrücken, Germany, want to change the situation by means of a method they developed: animated online characters display content in sign language. In the long term, deaf people would be able to use the technique to communicate on online platforms via sign language. To realize the technique, users would only need readily available devices.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-avatars-internet-deaf-people.html#nwlt

STUDY SHOWS LOCAL SEISMIC ISOLATION AND DAMPING METHODS PROVIDE OPTIMAL PROTECTION FOR ESSENTIAL COMPUTING EQUIPMENT
In experiments aimed at securing essential electronic equipment, a team of researchers led by earthquake engineer Claudia Marin-Artieda is seeking solutions for protecting computer servers, backup power units, and other high-tech equipment by employing locally installed passive seismic protective systems, such as base isolation and damping.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-local-seismic-isolation-damping-methods.html#nwlt

NINTENDO LAUNCHING 'AMIIBO' WITH 12 CHARACTERS (UPDATE)
Pikachu and Link will be among the first characters coming to "amiibo."
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-nintendo-amiibo-characters.html#nwlt

COURT WON'T RESTORE ORACLE'S $1.3B VERDICT VS. SAP
A federal appeals court is refusing Oracle Corp.'s request to reinstate a $1.3 billion verdict it won against German rival SAP SE in a long-running copyright dispute.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-court-wont-oracle-13b-verdict.html#nwlt

FACEBOOK TUNING MOBILE SEARCH AT SOCIAL NETWORK
Facebook on Friday said it is dabbling with letting members using smartphones or tablets search for past posts of friends at the leading online social network.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-facebook-tuning-mobile-social-network.html#nwlt

SAMSUNG DENIES CHILD LABOUR AT CHINESE SUPPLIER
South Korea's Samsung Electronics has refuted fresh allegations by a labour protection watchdog that one of its suppliers in China hired child workers.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-samsung-denies-child-labour-chinese.html#nwlt

TRICORDER XPRIZE: 10 TEAMS ADVANCE IN GLOBAL COMPETITION TO DEVELOP CONSUMER-FOCUSED DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE
XPRIZE today announced the 10 finalist teams competing for the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 3.5-year global competition sponsored by the Qualcomm Foundation for teams to develop a consumer-focused, mobile device capable of diagnosing and interpreting a set of 15 medical conditions and capturing five vital health metrics. Launched in January 2012, the competition encourages the development of a device much like the medical Tricorder of Star Trek fame, moving it from science fiction to science reality.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-tricorder-xprize-teams-advance-global.html#nwlt

WATCHING OTHERS PLAY VIDEO GAMES IS THE NEW SPECTATOR SPORT
As the UK's largest gaming festival, Insomnia, wrapped up its latest event on August 25, I watched a short piece of BBC Breakfast news reporting from the festival. The reporter and some of the interviewees appeared baffled at the huge popularity of "videogame livestreaming", otherwise known as gamers watching other gamers playing games.
Full story at http://phys.org/news/2014-08-video-games-spectator-sport.html#nwlt




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Electronics For You's 4 articles inside!

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• 5 Playlists On Electronics Design Tutorials! - EFY Exclusive
• The IoT Ecosystem: What You Should Know
• Study Shows Kill Switch in Mobile Phones Could Save Consumers More than $3.4B Annually
• Tutorial: All about MIDI

5 Playlists On Electronics Design Tutorials! - EFY Exclusive Posted: LED Drivers, Sine wave inverters, Smart meters, SMPS, Gesture recognition devices, what are you designing today?

The IoT Ecosystem: What You Should Know Posted: It is still early days for the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable devices, but everybody is confident about these being the next big wave, just like wireless data was 15 years ago. Every company has an IoT booth at expos, an IoT section on their website, and a dedicated IoT team as well. Marc Naddell, vice president of ecosystems at MediaTek speaks to Dilin Anand of EFY about what is essential to ride this wave.

Study Shows Kill Switch in Mobile Phones Could Save Consumers More than $3.4B Annually Posted: Updated research released today from Creighton University Heider College of Business professor and consumer advocate William Duckworth, Ph.D., shows consumer savings from the Kill Switch legislation exceed initial projections and now point to well over $3 billion. (Calculations include data from 2014 Annual State of the Net Survey by Consumer Reports national Research Center and comScore's MobiLens and Mobile Metrix reports.) This savings to consumers comes at the expense of insurance and wireless industry profits.

Tutorial: All about MIDI Posted: Musical Instrument Digital Interface or MIDI is a standard that allows various musical instruments and computers to connect and communicate to each other.

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