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Meizu’s next flagship phone launch imminent

It’s not just the low-end, entry level Android phone market that’s getting saturated, outfits from China – like Meizu – are becoming bolder in their quest to battle the big boys with flagship level devices that are priced relatively cheaper than those of Samsung, LG, Sony, or Apple. Meizu, according to social media updates, may be coming out with its own flagship sooner than expected.



September 2 is the date to mark, according to Meizu’s Facebook account and the official invite (see below) – which could mean that the outfit may be launching the Flyme OS 4.0 (Meizu’s own rendition of Android), or that they could be launching the MX4, Meizu’s upcoming flagship device. Or it could be both!


meizu-invitation


According to leaks and rumors, the MX4 might come out in a number of variants, with a “pro” version being the most robust. The MX4 is rumored to be an LTE-capable phone (maybe only for Chinese networks), with a monster 20.7MP main camera purported to be the same the Sony used for the Z2. It will most likely sport a MediaTek chipset, although a Samsung (Exynos) or Qualcomm chipset isn’t impossible as well, being that the model will have different variants.


meizu leak


The phone will reportedly have a generous 3GB helping of RAM, a gorgeous 5.4-inch Quad HD screen, and will be priced at around USD$400. We only have over a week to wait, so we expect to have the real information soon.


VIA: GSM Arena





Researchers reveal gyroscopes can be used to spy on you

It is almost difficult to believe that a seemingly innocuous part of your smartphone would be a huge security hole, but then again that is how miscreants usually gain unauthorized access to otherwise secure systems. Standford researchers are once again proving how a device's motion sensors, this time the gyroscope, can be used to compromise your security and spy on you, without you knowing the better.



Last year, it was the accelerometer, responsible for measuring the speed of movement or turning of the device, that was being put under a microscope. According to Standford researchers, accelerometers, as well as microphones and speakers, have unique identifying marks that can be used to monitor the components and, by extension, the devices that house them. All a web service or app needs to do is to store that ID associated with the data coming from the sensor and then watch for that same ID whenever the device access the service or the app.


Now it's the gyroscope, which is more interested in orientation and rotation, that is on the hot seat. According to Standford researchers and Israel's defense research group, the sensor can be used to eavesdrop on phone conversations. This is because, according to them, gyroscopes are sensitive enough to pick up sound waves, practically turning them into microphones. The process isn't perfect but it is enough to probably generate some panic. The demonstration, which is scheduled to be shown to the public at the Usenix security conference this Friday, showed that it can pick up the speaker's gender with 84 percent certainty, differentiate the owner's voice from surrounding voices with 65 percent certainty, and distinguish spoken digits also with 65 percent certainty.




Of course, one would first need to install a spying app to be compromised, but that can easily be done by the user without knowing it. The problem is that, unlike other components of a smartphone or parts of a mobile platform, accessing the gyroscope does not require special permissions. Not that majority of users will even read permissions when installing apps, but the lack of a default gate might already be worrisome by itself. That said, there isn't any reason to panic just yet, as this security hole is still more of a proof of concept. But who knows what may happen once the cat is truly out of the bag.


VIA: SlashGear, Wired


Best Buy might have leaked Moto 360′s retail price

To say that the soon to be announced Moto 360, the first round face smartwatch in the market, is highly anticipated is like saying that a full moon is, well, round. Those who are waiting to purchase their very first wearable are holding out for the official launch, expected to be this September 4th at the Motorola event. But the main concern right now is if this smartwatch running on Android Wear will cost an arm and a leg. Best Buy might have inadvertently jumped the gun as a product page on their mobile site showed the retail price of the Moto 360.



As expected based on the previous leaks and also on the price of the current Android Wear devices in the market, the page lists the price at $249.99. It’s a little more expensive than the LG G Watch (SRP $229) and the Samsung Gear Live ($199) but that is not surprising since the hype, not just on the shape of the Moto 360 but on its functionalities as well, has been leading to the fact that it will be more expensive. It can also be considered competitive to the price of the Pebble Steel (which is compatible with other smartphone platforms) which has less functionality.


The listing at Best Buy’s site also confirms some previously leaked info about the smartwatch. It says that the Moto 360 is indeed waterproof and can survive being submerged in 3.3' water for up to 30 minutes. It also has an optical heart-rate sensor and a pedometer, must-haves for fitness enthusiasts with a penchant for wearable devices. The page also shows the unique charging dock that was leaked a few days ago.


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The Moto 360 is expected to be announced on September 4th, together with another anticipated Motorola device, the Moto X+1. If the leaks and rumours are indeed true and they meet people’s expectations, then these products from the OEM might just challenge market leaders Apple and Samsung even more.


VIA: SlashGear





Androignito: hide your personal files easily with one app

Truth be told, Android was never designed with security and privacy in mind. That is why when efforts at Android security like the Blackphone (recently rumored to have been rooted) come out, they are certainly notable. This app called Androignito, developed by XDA forum member “aritraroy” might just be another one to take note of when thinking about privacy on your device.



When we talk about security and privacy in Android, we talk about PIN codes and patterns, the patented KnockCode for premium LG phones, and even the rumored eye scanning being studied by Samsung. But once you get past those, the phone’s content is literally at the tip of the user’s fingers. The Androignito app adds another layer of protection at the file level so that your personal data – pictures, videos, documents – can be protected from casual snoopers.


androignito1


The new app is able to use 3 layers of encryption and is able to hide most popular file types like documents, images, apps, and the like from casual browsing by asking for a PIN. The app has a built-in Stealth Mode that asks users to log-in three times, and when the user fails to do so, the application blocks access to the files for 15 minutes.


androignito2


The caveat here is that the app does not give industry grade security and privacy. The developer did not discuss much about the encryption algorithms used by the app, so we assume that a dedicated hacker – one who really wants to get at your data – could break through the app’s wall given enough time. But for securing data so that they are not in plain view of those whom you casually allow to flip through your device, Androignito might just be the app for you. Check out the application thread at XDA and look for the Google Play Store download link within.


VIA: XDA





Huawei skips digits, Ascend Mate7 slated for Sept. 4

Huawei is jumping over numbers again. While the jump from Honor 3 to Honor 6 was believed to be motivated by the upcoming Apple iPhone 6 and next year's Samsung Galaxy S6, going from Ascend Mate 2 right to Ascend Mate7 is a bit more perplexing. Whatever the Chinese OEM's reasons may be, the Huawei Ascend Mate7 is coming next month at IFA 2014 in Berlin.



Leaked information about Huawei's next big, figuratively and literally, smartphone is a bit sparse but quite consolidated. They revolve around two variants, with one believed to sport a 2K resolution screen with 3 GB of RAM, while the other only has a 1080p display and 2 GB of RAM, both coming at 6 inches. Both variants will also be powered by the new Kirin 920 which Huawei flaunted inside the Honor 6 last June. There is believed to be a 13 megapixel camera at the back and 5 megapixels on the front.


The Ascend Mate7 might be interesting not in itself but by how much it might resemble some other high-end, and more expensive, smartphones. Previously leaked photos betray a design, specially with the rear cover, that looks eerily similar to HTC's finest. There is even talk of a fingerprint scanner on the back, similar to the HTC One Max. While that sensor seems to be mostly confirmed as coming, its placement is still uncertain.


The smartphone will also mark the debut of Emotion UI 3.0, the next major version of Huawei's custom Android experience. Like MIUI 6, which Xiaomi just announced earlier, Emotion UI, or EMUI for short, is switching to a flatter and more minimal look. Unlike MIUI, however, EMUI leans more towards the Android side of the spectrum, making the user interface uniquely Huawei's but still undoubtedly Android. Expect to see and hear more about Huawei's new baby come September 4, when the OEM unveils its latest products amidst the throng of competitors doing likewise.


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VIA: MyDrivers, Weibo


Xbox One SmartGlass beta: TV streaming, game recording

The Xbox One SmartGlass app beta version has received a major update to make your television, Xbox and your gadgets all the more interactive. While some of the new features will be rolling out first in regions where the upcoming Xbox TV tuner will first come out, it still is exciting to anticipate all these new functionalities when it eventually arrives for all other regions.



With the update, you now have the capability of streaming your TV content onto your smartphone or tablet through the Xbox One app (beta version, not the regular one). So even if someone is playing a game on the TV and you want to watch a particular show at the same time, you can stream it to your tablet or phone, and even change the channel or pause and resume it. However you can only do so if you have the Xbox TV tuner, which will be rolled out to the European market first. So sorry, US residents, this feature will not work on your app yet, since you’re missing that key component.


But worry not, there are other cool features in the update. You now have the ability to record your gameplay clips onto the Smartglass app and you can post this onto your Xbox Live activity feed if you want to boast about how well you played that particular game. You need to update your Xbox One system software as well, so you can now share and post activity feed items through your app and see all your activities on your profile.


Since this particular app is still in beta version, not all features might work as smoothly as expected. But if you want to try it out, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store (not to be confused with the regular app which doesn't let you try out the new features but is more stable)


VIA: Android Police





Qualcomm’s 64-bit Snapdragon 810 makes AnTuTu appearance

Judging from the focus on this feature, it looks like 64-bit computing might just be the next big thing for mobile devices – if the efforts from SoC manufacturers like NVIDIA and Qualcomm are any evidence. NVIDIA has the 64-bit version of the Tegra K1, and Qualcomm has the Snapdragon 810, with the latter now making an appearance at AnTuTu’s benchmarking databases.



The new SoC – earmarked with code number MSM8994 – is reportedly still in its testing phase, but what we see here is an unofficial sneak peek into what it looks like. The model is an octa-core chip – quad Cortex-A57and quad Cortex-A53 – with AnTuTu reporting some low speeds per core at testing phase (200 to 940.8Mhz). None of the cores are even breaking 1Ghz at this point, so we might still be seeing huge improvement in this aspect soon.


The test device is a strange one. It is yet unnamed, but what we know is that it sports a 6.2-inch 2560x1600 display being run by the SoC’s Adreno 430 graphics chip, backstopped by a whopping 4GBs of RAM on an Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS. Any guesses?


snapdragon810_1


This is clearly a developmental stage for the Snapdragon 810, and with NVIDIA already promising great leaps with its 64-bit Tegra K1, Qualcomm really needs to get this one together fairly quickly and efficiently. What will be the first Snapdragon 810 device? Tell us if you have any theories on this.


SOURCE: AnTuTu





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