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CYSPO Omnistation: first wired and wireless charging device

Does your desk or room look like a snake pit because of all the wires criss-crossing in just one extension to charge various devices? A crowd-funded project has come up with what is supposedly the first charging dock that has both wired and wireless capabilities with the CYSPO Omnistation. With the device you can charge your smartphones, tablets, power banks, smartwatches, wearables, etc, all at the same time.



Most people now have multiple devices that are used a lot, and therefore need a lot of charging as well. But sometimes all you have is just two wall outlets, especially when you’re traveling and staying at a hotel. The Omnistation solves that particular problem for you by having just one charging dock for all your chargeable electronic gadgets, both the wired kind and even the wireless ones that are slowly catching on. For the latter, it uses the Qi Standard Multi-Coil Free Positioning wireless charging Transmitter Technology while for wired charging, the device includes 6 customizable USB ports. The adaptors can be interchanged as well so less hassle when you need to be more flexible when charging.


In case you’re not satisfied with those options and you need to add your ebook reader or bluetooth speaker for charging, there are two more USB ports on the side. One of the ports has 2.1A output so you can use that for bigger devices like tablets or phablets since it is faster. And the design of the Omnistation is not bad to look at either, and it is also portable enough that you can carry it whenever you’re traveling.




Their Kickstarter project has already met and exceeded their goal of $30,000 with still 34 days to go. The target date for shipping to backers is by December of this year. Here’s hoping it will also be available in retail stores afterwards.


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SOURCE: Kickstarter


California “kill switch” bill takes effect July 1, 2015

The once contentious "kill switch" feature, previously blocked and now accepted by the mobile industry, has finally been signed into law, at least in California. But given the practical implications of this new legal mandate, suffice it to say that we would most likely see this anti-theft feature implemented equally across the country, whether or not other states legally require it.



The ability to remotely wipe and lock down a smartphone via some security service is nothing new, at least not recently. Android has had this for quite some time now via the Android Device Manager. iPhones, too, have their Find My iPhone feature. The CTIA Wireless Association, mostly made up of mobile carriers, once disapproved of this method, preferring to simply have a database of stolen devices as a deterrent to theft. Finally, however, they caved in and announced a voluntary commitment to let users install such features. The commitment has already been signed by major carriers and manufacturers, making it practically enforcing.


The difference between these features and California's new law is one of subtle implementation. While those previously mentioned left the decision up to carriers, manufacturers, and users, California will soon require these kill switches by default. Or to be exact, it will require devices to prompt users to enable the feature during initial setup of the device instead of burying it under dozens of settings. Users of course have the freedom to not enable it (or disable it if it is enabled by default) but should be informed of the potential consequences of that decision. Considering that OEMs, carriers, or other retailers are unlikely to have a special California-only edition, this implementation is as good as nationwide.


The law, however, isn't overarching. For one, it doesn't cover smartphones launched before January 1, 2015 that cannot be modified to support the feature, though that set is probably few and far in between. It also doesn't cover devices that are just being resold in the state of California in secondhand markets. And lastly, perhaps more worryingly, it doesn't cover tablets. At least not yet. The law goes into effect July 1, 2015 and the penalty for violating it ranges from $500 to $2,500. That's per smartphone sold.


SOURCE: State of California (PDF)

VIA: SlashGear





OnePlus One phone unit burns, injures user

OnePlus One user and forum member “MiYzu” posted his major issue on the OnePlus online forums on August 25, and it was about his OnePlus One phone appearing to just smoke out and burn up without no external causes. We’ve seen a lot of phones do this, one recent “under-the-pillow” incident comes to mind, but this is a very real concern for OnePlus, especially as they begin to build on their early hype.



The user says that the phone had been in his rear pocket when the incident happened, with the phone burning through his pants and causing a burn on the back of his leg, presumably. As we can see from the pictures, it looks like the burning process started from the battery and got hot enough to even burn through the user’s Cruzerlite case.


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On reading the thread posts, some forum members did point out that the user had complained of a charger issue beforehand – maybe a few months back – and they pointed out that the issue may have started from the bad charger itself. Be that as it may, there are probably millions of phones out there using defective chargers but do not spontaneously combust on its own.


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OnePlus is struggling to find street cred in a very unforgiving market. Things like this – and even misguided sexist marketing ploys – give arguments like “you can’t buy a USD$600 phone for USD$300” and the relative mistrust on Chinese gadget manufacturers more ammunition. OnePlus needs to deal with this issue decisively to move to a position of credibility. As of writing, the user has reported the incident to OnePlus but the company has not posted an official response yet, nor has the user informed the thread of a private one. Worse, the forum thread has been removed, which speaks badly for OnePlus' handling of criticism and issues.


SOURCE: OnePlus Forums





Moto Skip to have Bluetooth connectivity, other functions

A gadget that unlocks your smartphone? Most of us would call that “our fingers” but Motorola believed that having a small and nifty gadget to quickly unlock your Moto X with a tap was something that their users needed. Hence the launch of the Moto X Skip sometime last year. It didn’t really set the market ablaze with its release but it looks like it’s going to get an upgrade of sorts, with Bluetooth connectivity and some other uses rather than just to unlock the phone.



Based on an FCC filing document, the new Moto Skip would still be a clip-on gadget that you can put in your pocket or bag, but this time, instead of using NFC to connect with your smartphone, it will use Bluetooth instead. This may be to keep in line with a lot of devices that use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which is a power-saving feature of Bluetooth 4.0. The device also has a tiny battery since it’s always on and should be replaced at least once a year.


But more than just unlocking your phone, it can now be used for other functions as well. You can attach the Skip your car or house key ring and just in case you misplace it, you can use the app on your phone to make the Skip beep. Or if you don’t want it to make a sound, you can locate it on your map for the last detected location. Now if it’s your phone that you’ve misplaced, then you can double press the power button of the Skip so your phone will ring.



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But before you get all excited, remember that this works with Motorola phones only. The new Moto Skip might just be revealed during the announcement of the new Moto X+1 during their September 4 event at the IFA in Berlin.


VIA: SlashGear





Samsung to out SIM-enabled Gear, round smartwatch coming

More Galaxy Note 4 news, but this one specifically on the partner devices that will launch with it on September 3 at IFA 2014. The Samsung event in Berlin is shaping up to be a big one in terms of new products, as apart from the Gear VR – a virtual reality accessory for the Note 4 – the South Korean gadget giant is reportedly outing a cellular-capable Gear smartwatch.



The Gear Solo, is probably what it is – a smartwatch that is SIM-enabled. A couple of considerations here – Google has not yet given an official greenlight for SIM-capable Android Wear devices, so the Gear Solo will most likely feature Tizen as its OS. Also, battery efficiency is a probable issue for this device. We all understand that network-connected devices drain power a lot more than stand-alone ones. The question remains as to how Samsung has dealt with that issue.


Also, a network-connected Galaxy Note 4 would probably dovetail well enough with a smartwatch that relies on the main device for its connectivity and data. Samsung, of course, has the propensity to try to be different. This is different enough, but will it work? Unit price is reportedly around USD$200.


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Lastly, a round-face smartwatch is apparently in the works – as response to the generally great reviews of the Moto 360. LG has commenced planning for a round-face smartwatch as reaction to this, and Samsung will not be left too far behind. We will have to see if these new smartwatches will offer something novel as the Moto 360 did, or if will it be weak competition.


VIA: Sam Mobile





7 Glimpses into Android's Beautiful Future

7 Glimpses into Android's Beautiful Future


The newest version of Android (Lemon Meringue Pie ?) is on its way, bringing with it a whole new look for Google at large. For now it's just a beta, but designers are already playing with Google's new guidelines. So far, so good.


Read more...
















More Samsung Galaxy Alpha models tipped to arrive soon

If you've been mulling over getting one of Samsung's latest metal-clad beauties, you might want to hold off for a bit longer. Insider sources claim that the Korean manufacturer actually has a few other Galaxy Alpha models on the way, possibly making their debut next month or later this year.



The Galaxy Alpha has made quite a stir, not because of hardware specs alone, but also because of the design. Give Samsung plastic fetish, a smartphone with a sturdier and more premium looking metal frame seemed almost like a pipe dream. And yet here we are. That said, the Galaxy Alpha isn't a bad device either, though not exactly top of the line, which Samsung still reserves for the plastic Galaxy S and Galaxy Note families. A new and powerful Exynos 5430 octa-core, 2 GB of RAM, a 12 megapixel camera, all tucked inside a handy 4.7-inch 720p Super AMOLED display makes for a rather decent offering.


Based on this leak, however, the Galaxy Alpha is true to its "alpha" name, an opening salvo and progenitor to a new "A series" that is believed to bear the same new design. The A300, A500, and A700 have been named as the new models for this line. The SM-A300 is said to bear only a 960x640 qHD display while both the SM-A500 and SM-A700 retain the 720p resolution. So far, only the A500 has been semi-confirmed via the User Agent profile of Samsung's own website, and it indeed bears a 1280x720 screen though the size is still a mystery.



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Not much else is known about these three A smartphones but, according the source, we might not have to wait long to learn more. These Galaxy Alphas, or whatever name they will bear, are set to appear in Q3 this year. If so, there is a chance that they will debut at IFA 2014. But then again, Samsung will hardly take the spotlight away from the Galaxy Note 4 and what could be a new Gear smartwatch, so the most realistic expectation would be a 2014 Q4 announcement.


VIA: SamMobile





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