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Samsung offers Note7 owners $100 credit towards the purchase of another Galaxy phone

Alexandra Arici
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Earlier this week Samsung urged all Galaxy Note7 owners to power off their devices and stop using them immediately. The Korean tech giant also invited affected parties to take advantage of the remedies available, like requesting a full refund.

Interestingly enough, US customers aren’t flocking to return the faulty phablet, so Samsung has come up with a plan to persuade users to renounce their devices.

While the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has just made the second Galaxy Note7 recall official, this time including the replacement units, Samsung is attempting to do a bit of damage control. In the hopes of keeping Note7 former owners from waltzing off to other brands, the Korean tech giant is now offering $100 credit to those willing to exchange their Galaxy Note7 for another Samsung phone like the Galaxy S7 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 S Pen ejected

Samsung posted an official statement on their US website saying:

“As a sign of our appreciation for your patience and loyalty, we are offering up to a $100 bill credit from select carrier or retail outlets if you exchange your Galaxy Note 7 for another Samsung smartphone, less any incentive credits already received.”

However, if you’re done with Samsung for the time being and want to move to another brand, you’ll be awarded $25. If you have already returned your phones and taken the $25 credit offered at the time, you will be able to claim an additional $75 from your carrier or retailer. The US Note7 Refund and Exchange Program kicks off at 3:00 pm ET on October 13.

One more thing: with the Galaxy Note7 now being gone, the phablet’s accessories aren’t really of any use anymore. We’re talking case, wireless charging docks and such. Luckily Amazon comes to the aid of those who have purchased Note7 accessories.

Users on Reddit are reporting the e-commerce giant is refunding these products, even those whose 30-day return window has expired. The Verge confirmed that in most cases its Note7 refund policy include accessories, so if you are holding on to any Note7 accessories you know what to do.

It will be interesting to see whether the $100 incentive will be enough to make mourning Galaxy Note7 want to remain in the Samsung camp. Some have been using Samsung products for as long as they can remember, so the force of habit might end up playing a big role in the decision.

 

Huawei Mate 9 leaks out in standard and curved display versions

Alexandra Arici
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Once an obscure smartphone manufacturer from China, Huawei has grown to become a globally recognizable brand and a serious challenge to titans of the industry like Samsung and Apple.

Advancing with the speed of light into the new markets worldwide, Huawei is now the world’s number three smartphone brand. The company is always working on new smartphone models and actually has a very interesting premium phone in the makes.

According to a report coming out of Venture Beat, the Chinese smartphone giant is prepping to release the previously rumored Mate 9 during an event in Munch, Germany on November 3.

Two people familiar with the matter have stepped forward recently and claimed the company will not be showing one phone, but two. It makes sense given that most phone makers today tend to release flagship models in pairs. Just think of Samsung and its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge pair or of Apple and it’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus combo. Most recently Google unveiled the Pixel and Pixel XL phones.

Going back to Huawei, the two Mate 9 versions are reportedly dubbed Manhattan and Long Island internally. Serial leakster @evleaks has worked his magic and is now giving us a glimpse of what to expect.

Apparently, the mirage of the Samsung Galaxy Edge models has contaminated Huawei as well. If the leaked images are any real indication of what’s coming, then Huawei is gearing up to unleash a standard Mate 9 (Manhattan) and one with dual curved displays (Long Island).

Buyer’s Guide: Unlocked Smartphones

Out of the two models, Long Island is going to be the premium one arriving with a QHD display (2,560 x 1,440 resolution) and featuring support for Android Daydream, while Manhattan will be boasting only an FHD screen (1920 x 1080 pixels).

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Other specifications include a spacious 5.9-inch display, a 64-bit octa-core HiSilicone Kirin 960 SoC and a wide range of memory configurations, the more advanced being 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

As for the photography department, rumor has it that at least Long Island will be taking advantage of a Leica dual-sensor, dual-lens assemblage, in the vein of the Huawei P9 but improved to 20MP at f/2.0.

Other manufacturers have been playing with the idea of releasing a Galaxy Edge inspired phone. For example, back at CES 2015, LG put on display a phone prototype which features a dual-curved display. Similarly, a phone dubbed Xiaomi Mi Edge popped in the rumor mill, only to disappear as fast as it showed up.

It’s quite interesting to see whether Huawei will actually manage to pull this off and release a Galaxy Edge competitor in the wild.

While the Mate 9 event is going to be hosted in Germany, the sources say that Manhattan will see a global release, including the United Stated, while the curved Long Island will probably be marketed in the company’s home base in China.

Verizon solemnly promises timely updates for Google Pixel and Pixel XL

Alexandra Arici
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1

Android enthusiasts welcomed the Google’s new pair of Pixel phones with open arms, but did not take too well to the news that apart from the unlocked versions, the handsets will be available exclusively under Verizon in the United States.

Big Red doesn’t have a great track record of providing timely updates for its smartphones, so it’s understandable why the announcement didn’t sit well with fans of Google’s device lineup. Nexus models and now the Pixels are special in the Android world because they’re usually the first receive the newest updates.

Buyer’s Guide: Verizon

During the Pixel launch event, Google stated it will deliver monthly security updates, while system updates would be the responsibility of Verizon. This basically means Google will still be in charge of making the updates, with Verizon subsequently rolling it out to its customers afterward.

[graphiq id=”jBvmQBseSLX” title=”Google Pixel” width=”600″ height=”729″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/jBvmQBseSLX” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/6878/Google-Pixel” link_text=”SpecOut | Graphiq” ]

The announcement put off a lot of users who were relying on the Pixel and Pixel XL to be at the forefront of receiving updates from Google. However, it doesn’t seem users have anything to be concerned about, as Verizon has just confirmed customers buying the Pixel will be getting updates at the same time as unlocked users.

In a statement released to ArsTechnica, the carrier is attempting to provide some clarity on the matter:

“First and foremost, all operating system and security updates to the Pixel devices will happen in partnership with Google. In other words, when Google releases an update, Verizon phones will receive the same update at the same time (much like iOS updates). Verizon will not stand in the way of any major updates and users will get all updates at the same time as Google.”

Google itself confirmed all of the above. The news probably comes as a relief for a lot of Pixel fans who were considering purchasing the new flagship under Verizon. So even if the handset will arrive with a locked bootloader, which is almost always the case with carrier subsidized phones, customers should be getting the same experience.

[graphiq id=”37uEF5D7aBL” title=”Google Pixel XL” width=”600″ height=”729″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/37uEF5D7aBL” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/6877/Google-Pixel-XL” link_text=”SpecOut | Graphiq” ]

By partnering up with Verizon, Google is trying to get its new Pixel duo out into stores and in the face of the average buyer and that’s probably a good strategy for increasing their popularity. However, at this point, we see no reason why you shouldn’t be purchasing from Google itself.

First off, all Verizon is notorious for beefing up its phones with bloatware. Sure, the Pixel phones will be spared a bit, meaning they will only be carrying three apps: Verizon Messages, Go90, and My Verizon. But just knowing these phones ship with a set of pre-loaded apps is enough to put some of us off.

The Google Store sells the Pixel and Google Pixel XL at the same price, free shipping included. All configurations are available and even the 24-month interest-free financing plan is offered. Google also offers Device Protection for its phones. For $99 it covers drops, spills, and general malfunctions for two years. This is $99 option is much cheaper than paying upwards of $10 a month for insurance through Verizon. Google is also selling the phones through its own carrier – Project Fi.

Despite Verizon promising timely updates for the new Google phones, there’s no real guarantee the carrier won’t change its mind later or something will go wrong. So why risk it?

A smart and simple 3-port charger from UNITEK is a great value at just $8

Derrick Miyao
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I use quite a few mobile gadgets. From the latest and most current smartphones, to Android Wear devices, through wireless headphones and speakers, my dependence on portable power is embarrassingly high. I review quite a few chargers mainly because there are quite a few differences between them all. Some of those differences are subtle, but others can mean the difference between charging your phone in an hour and four hours.

Quick Charge, Fast Charge, and countless other charging methods have all made themselves known in recent years for mobile devices. All of the different terminology is confusing, which is why we try our best to sort out the best for you. There’s a good chance you own multiple products that rely on mobile power too.

I’ve been using UNITEK’s 24W 3-Port USB Wall/Travel Charger from Amazon (with discount code 26FO38S4) and think it’s worthy of your $8. 

Design and Build

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UINTEK’s 3-port wall charger is made from plastic and metal, but is compact measuring in at just 2.7″L x 1.1″H x 2″W. It’s made with a foldable plug that makes it perfect for traveling or being the charger that you bring along on your study trips to coffee shops, or business trips across the country. The size is not much larger than some OEM chargers, but rather than only offering one USB port, it has three ports so you can charge as many devices at the same time.

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There’s one smart Quick Charge 2.0 port that can charge compatible devices like the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge from 0-50% in about thirty minutes. Most people only own one smartphone, and rather than give you three ports with QC 2.0, UNITEK opted to save you money and put in 2.4A USB ports for the remaining two slots.

2.4A is enough power to charge most devices at full speed, including the latest iOS devices which don’t use fast charging methods. Apple’s OEM charger costs double what this option from UNITEK does and only offers on third of the USB ports.

The QC 2.0 port is identifiable by the green colored USB slot and the QC 2.0 indicator. It’s the one on top and is the one you want to use with your compatible QC devices. You don’t need to worry about plugging in devices without QC, as the charger will automatically detect the power requirements and adjust accordingly.

Summary

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Moving your one USB charger around the house to charge your smartphone or mobile accessories is a tired practice. So is bringing multiple chargers along on vacation or business trips. It’s easy to misplace your chargers that way or beat up on the cables. Multi-port charging blocks are extremely affordable and reliable. The latest 3-port QC 2.0 travel charger from UNITEK is reliable, well-built and affordable at just $7.99 with discount code 26FO38S4 at Amazon.com.

UNITEK 60W 6-Port USB Smart Charging Station (review)

Win a free unlocked Ulefone Tiger smartphone

AndroidGuys
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In the market for a new unlocked smartphone? Of course you are! We’re always on the lookout for discounts and deals as it pertains to devices, gadgets, gizmos, and doodads. If you haven’t checked out our daily roundup of promotions, you are surely missing out on some kick-ass stuff.

Today sees us learning of a free unlocked smartphone promotion being offered by Ulefone. Effective immediately, and for the next few days, Ulefone will be giving away one of its new metal Tiger smartphone at no cost. That’s right, it’s a freebie. Actually, it’s more like seven free phones, but you only need to win one, right?

tiger-bg-16

Why you want to win

So what makes the Ulefone so special? Well, for starters, the Tiger runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and features a CNC metal unibody with a brushed metal finish. Under the hood you’ll find a 64-bit processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage.

In terms of screen size, the Ulefone Tiger packs a 5.5-inch display with 2.5D curved glass, all of which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Unlocked and ready for two SIM cards, the phone also offers up a 13-megapixel rear camera and a generous 4,200mAh battery. And, when you aren’t paying a penny for it, what’s not to love?

How to enter

It’s really quite simple, really. All you have to do is head to to Ulefone’s dedicated page for the giveaway. Once there, pick three of the features which most intrigue you about the Tiger and enter an email address. Share it on social media and your odds of winning can go up. That’s basically it!

The Ulefone Tiger giveaway lasts until Monday, October 17.

Amazon takes on Spotify with own music streaming service

Alexandra Arici
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Rumors about Amazon prepping its own on-demand music streaming service have been popping up online ever since January. Fast-forward a few months later and Amazon’s new Music Unlimited is already here and ready for action.

The service will be competing against popular alternatives such as Spotify, Apple Music or Google Play Music. Music Unlimited is a paid service that costs $8 per month, or $80 a year for members of the Amazon’s Prime loyalty program.

Those of you who are not Prime members will be asked to take $10 out of your pockets on a monthly basis if you want to enjoy the perks of Music Unlimited. It’s the same fee charged by Spotify and Apple Music.

Amazon Echo users will be able to get the service for a low $4 a month – the cheapest anyone has ever had to pay to get access to unlimited on-demand music. With this move, the e-commerce giant is obviously trying to attract more attention to Echo, a speaker with access to Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa.

amazon_echo

A family plan – to be made available later this year – will allow a group of six people to gain access to the Music Unlimited for $14.99 a month or $149 a year.

Even with the paid music subscription ecosystem being a rather crowded field, Amazon is doing its best to differentiate Music Unlimited from the competition. Offering the ultra-affordable “for Echo” and putting an emphasis on voice commands are part of the strategy.

https://www.androidguys.com/buyers-guide-headphones/

Amazon Music Unlimited is home to “tens of millions of songs” selected from major and indie labels. The service is also be offering recommendations, algorithmic or hand-picked playlists and the option to search for songs by lyrics.

Now if you have an Amazon Echo laying around the house, Music Unlimited becomes even more exciting. At launch, the service will be bundled with behind-the-scenes artist commentaries, called Side-by-Sides featuring The Chainsmokers, Jason Aldean, Lindsey Stirling, Sting, Norah Jones, One Republic and Kongos. More will be added in the future.

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More than that, you can put Alexa to good work. For instance, you can simply ask it to play “God Is An Astronaut’s new song” and then hear the tune in question. You can also request a certain type of music suited to a particular mood. If it’s a rainy day outside, you can just say “Alexa, play melancholic music.” You can formulate the same request to include a particular genre of music, let’s say “Alexa, play some electronic music”.

Buyer’s Guide: Earbuds

It should also be noted the “for Echo” monthly subscription can work in combination with other two Amazon speakers, the Amazon Echo Dot and Amazon Tap. The former is a lot cheaper than the $180 Echo and is also powered by Alexa.

Amazon has already tried its hand at offering a music service. Remember Prime Music? It was provided free of charge to all Prime subscribers but offered a limited song catalog and wasn’t exactly intuitive. Music Unlimited is certainly a positive development if you don’t mind the additional fee.

Amazon has launched the new service in the United States today, but it will soon make it available overseas in the UK, Germany, and Austria.

New battery flaw found in Galaxy Note7, might be to blame for fire incidents

Alexandra Arici
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Samsung announced yesterday it was putting an end to the production of its troublesome Galaxy Note7 phablet, but questions about what really made the phones catch fire continue to linger.

However, the issue is being looked into and today a new report coming in from Bloomberg announced investigators now believe the recent overheating incidents may be the results of a different battery flaw than the one that led to the initial recall.

The original Galaxy Note7 units were plagued by a battery flaw that occurred during the manufacturing process. An error in production allowed pressure to be placed on plates inside the battery cells, determining the negative and positive poles to come into contact and generate excessive heating. That’s how Galaxy Note7 smartphones started to emit smoke and burst into flames while they were charging.

Shortly after the first reports of smoking Galaxy Note7 started pouring in, Samsung issued a recall, while at the same time promising “safe” replacement Galaxy Note7 units.

samsung-galaxy-note7-burns

Sadly, the new phablets were doomed to have the same fate as their predecessors. But there was something peculiar about these new Galaxy Note7s – they heated up despite not being in charging mode. So at the time it seemed the phablet’s battery issues were more complex than originally thought.

Today’s report suggests there are two independent issues at play responsible for the Galaxy Note7 debacle. Investigators have apparently discovered a new issue with replacement Galaxy Note 7 batteries, one that probably occurred in the supply line after Samsung started sending out replacement handsets.

It seems the batteries provided by Samsung SDI were a bit too large for the Note7 and this mismatch quickly led to overheating.

During the initial recall, Samsung abandoned the services of Samsung SDI and turned to Chinese company Amprerex Technology. The manufacturer was in charge for providing the battery for Note7 units sold in China, a country that wasn’t included in the first recall.

By the way, Amperex Technologies has also been doing business with Apple, supplying batteries for their iPhone lineup.

Now preliminary examinations seem to indicate that a fault exists with Galaxy Note7-bound Amperex-made batteries as well. Investigations are currently unfolding in the US, as well as in South Korea. The results should finally shed some light on where exactly Samsung went wrong and hopefully will help prevent such occurrences from ever happening in the future.

Needless to say, Samsung’s reputation has already been damaged beyond repair, there’s no way around that. The decision to kill off the infamous phablet sent the company’s share down 8% this week, shaving off in an instant $17 billion in market value. The worst is probably yet to come.

Samsung kills off the controversial Galaxy Note7

New OnePlus 3 variant rumored to arrive soon

Alexandra Arici
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OnePlus unleashed its latest flagship smartphone a few months ago and the device really caught the attention of consumers everywhere due to its powerful set of specs and relatively affordable price-tag.

Lots of people were extremely excited about the OnePlus 3 and naturally, the company received a lot of requests to purchase the handset. Unfortunately, OnePlus seems to be having a big problem keeping up with the unexpected wave of demand.

The smartphone has been out since June, but current delivery times can take up to four to five weeks due to high demand and low stock. According to sources inside the supply chain reported by Gizmo China, OnePlus seems to be working towards a solution to solve this stringent issue.

If we are to believe the rumor mill, the Chinese device maker is going to stop production of its newest flagship, the OnePlus 3 to make room for another smartphone, purportedly dubbed the OnePlus 3S or quite possible the OnePlus 3 Plus.

[graphiq id=”iaqC4jrdEnb” title=”OnePlus 3″ width=”600″ height=”729″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/iaqC4jrdEnb” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/5761/OnePlus-3″ link_text=”SpecOut | Graphiq” ]

Now you might be wondering, what does OnePlus hope to achieve by replacing one smartphone with another one? Well, the move does make sense if you take into account that the reason OnePlus can’t keep up with OnePlus 3 demand is AMOLED display shortage.

That being said, the upcoming OnePlus 3S or OnePlus 3 Plus is expected to make use LCD panels instead, thus removing the issue from the equation.

Apart from the new display, the upcoming variant is also rumored to come boasting a new Snapdragon 821 chipset. Currently, the OnePlus 3 packs a Snapdragon 820 processor with Adreno 530 CPU, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

In the photography department, the handset takes advantage of a 16MP camera on the back with OIS and LED flash and an 8MP frontal snapper.

The report hasn’t been confirmed officially by OnePlus, so take this information with a healthy grain of salt until further notice.

Back in August, the company was forced to halt sales in Europe for more than a month due to inability to keep up with demand. Today’s rumor brings us a bit of hope that OnePlus is on its way to solving this frustrating situation.

Cyanogen outlines new strategy, announces Modular OS

Alexandra Arici
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At the beginning of this week, the company behind CyanogenOS – a popular alternate operating system for Android smartphones – announced a host of major changes, including the appointment of a new CEO.

Cyanogen’s strategy for the future involves moving away from developing its own Cyanogen operating system and focusing on the new Cyanogen Modular OS program instead. It’s an effort to provide device manufacturers with a much more customizable “modular” version to Android.

The idea is that device makers will be able to select and use different MODs on its devices. Manufacturers will be able to select whatever portions of CyanogenOS suit its needs better and incorporate them into its ROMs. For example, it will be able to have stock Android or its own variant on a phone and then add a bunch of apps from Cyanogen as well.

cyanogenos-smartphone

This isn’t Cyanogen’s first brush with modularity. A while ago the company offered the MOD program – an initiative designed to allow partners to tweak previously locked levels of Android. This enabled device makers to basically create its own custom OS. An example of MOD in action was Microsoft adding the Skype app to the Android dialer.

Aside from Modular OS, Cyanogen also announced it has a new CEO, Lior Tal who will be overseeing company operations from now on. He will replace Kirk Mcmaster who will now serve as executive chairman.

Tal detailed in an official blog post what motivated Cyanogen to make the transition towards Modular OS. He explains the new version of Android is expected to become a useful tool to combat Android fragmentation. Growing security issues are also cited.

This week’s Modular OS announcement remains pretty ambiguous, as no specific details about the different MOD modules were shared. However, the company will probably shed more light on the matter soon enough.

Project Fi introduces $15 Group Plans

Dan Bartram
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Google has added group plans to it’s popular Project Fi wireless provider service. This means that you can easily add a line to your existing plan for a flat monthly rate, and no change in other pricing otherwise.

Project Fi only charges you for the data you use, at $10 per GB per month on top of a flat rate $20 “Basics” per month charge for use of the service. The new group plans mean that you can add a line to your Basic Fi plan for only $15 a month additional per line, and you would still only pay for whatever data you use and are credited back for any unused data every month. Currently you can have up to 6 additional lines on a Group Plan through Fi, and each line can bring their own device and number as well as finance a new Nexus or Pixel device.

Similar plans from competitors like T-Mobile go for $50 to start, and that’s without bill credits for unused data along with the other perks of Project Fi. Sprint offers competitive pricing for group data plans, at $45 for a shared 6GB, but that is a pool for all users and also comes with Sprint’s less than stellar reputation not service.

It’s unanimous: Users are in love with Google’s Project Fi cellular service

The additional lines don’t raise the cost of data, and you can bring your own number over as well as any compatible Fi device. Google also offers financing on Fi compatible phones like the Nexus 5X and 6P, and the new Pixel phones as well. Currently Google is offering a sale if you purchase a Nexus device through Fi, with the 5X starting at $199 and the 6P at $399.

Google has been improving Project Fi steadily since it launched, and the addition of group plans makes it a strong option for those who pay for multiple lines on one plan and are looking to save a bit of money. Project Fi is a great service and if you are in the market for a new provider I’d definitely check it out.

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