Possible Next Gen NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet Drops by FCC

Possible Next Gen NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet Drops by FCC

Thanks to the FCC, we have learned that NVIDIA is working on a new tablet (product number: P2290W), possibly a follow-up to the SHIELD Tablet and SHIELD Tablet K1. While many details remain confidential due to NVIDIA’s successful filing of the Request for Confidentiality slip, we have learned a few things by digging through the hundred plus page reports, available for all to see on the FCC website.

First, the dimensions of the tablet are 8.58? (L), 4.84? (W), 0.31? (H), it weighs 350 grams, and it featured a 5,100mAh battery at the time of testing. Furthermore, it features dual-band WiFi connectivity, and also features a microUSB port; not USB Type-C. As you could probably guess, the tablet features Bluetooth LE connectivity, too. For specs, that’s all we know at this time, with no specifics being mentioned regarding display size, processor, or amount of RAM. 

Keep in mind, FCC filings are never a sure thing, meaning it could be a while until we see this product, if ever. Two years ago, a SHIELD Portable-like controller device entered the FCC, which many thought was a SHIELD 2. Now, with it being 2016 and NVIDIA going full steam with Android TV set-top boxes, we will probably never know.

Time to share your wish list. If NVIDIA is working on a SHIELD Tablet sequel, a true sequel that is, what would you want to see from it? For me, I’d like an 8? display, Tegra X1, 4GB of RAM, Android N, and a big ol’ battery. Yup, that’s what I want.

Via: FCC | liliputing

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Google Current Smartphones Unlikely to be Supported by Daydream VR Platform

Google Current Smartphones Unlikely to be Supported by Daydream VR Platform

Google’s overseer of Virtual Reality, Clay Bavor, states that folks looking to get into Daydream, the Android VR platform, should hold off on upgrading their smartphone for a couple of months. For anyone who wanted to upgrade within the next few weeks, if VR is an important purchasing factor, you may want to take Bavor’s advice. According to Bavor, it is “unlikely” that many current devices, or any at all, will be “Daydream-ready” out of the box when the platform is made available to consumers later this year. 

Stated by Bavor, “I can tell you that there will most likely not be any retroactively Daydream-ready phones.” Apparently, Google’s standards for internal components to support Daydream are so high, many of the current devices on the market, such as the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10, may not make the cut. Bavor continued with, “We want to hold a very high quality bar, and for that to happen all of the components need to be just right. So, to VR fans, I would say, hold off for a few months to get your next phone… and get a Daydream-ready phone.”

Google has yet to publicly announce what exactly separates a “Daydream-ready” smartphone from an already available high-end smartphone, but the company did list a few general bullet points for what is inside a would-be Daydream device. Phones will need low-persistence displays, a high performance SoC (system on a chip), as well as a myriad of low latency and high quality sensors. Also note that a phone must be running Android N to enable the VR Mode that is required for Daydream to work properly. Even with this information available, we still don’t know the exact requirements or if any current flagship device carries them. While most current high-end devices would meet the SoC and display needs, it’s likely that the built-in sensors are not quite up to the standards Google is requiring. Right now, specifically for developers, Google lists only the Nexus 6P as a supported device for Daydream development, but Bavor did not state whether or not it would be supported once Daydream is officially available.

Alongside the announcement of Daydream, Google listed a few partners who would have Daydream-ready smartphones later in the year, including ZTE (the company announced its first Daydream-ready phone this week), Samsung, LG, HTC, and more. If getting into virtual reality is something you have been contemplating, and don’t want to wait for a Daydream-ready smartphone, you can purchase a Galaxy S7 and Gear VR headset.

Let’s see hands for who all is fine waiting until Google’s partners release their Daydream-ready phones. Anyone?

Via: Road to VR

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Google Home is Official Powered by Google Assistant Available Later This Year

Google Home is Official Powered by Google Assistant Available Later This Year

During the keynote of Google I/O this morning, Google Home was made official. Set to be a real competitor to the Amazon Echo, Google Home is powered by Google Assistant, the new AI-based software that helps users complete tasks.

Much like Echo, a user will speak to Google Home, which will get it to relay information from the web, playback music thanks to a built-in speaker, tracks your packages, make and change dining reservations, and even go over calendar events you have linked to your Google account.

Additionally, Google Home can be linked to other smart features in your home, such as speakers, HDTVs, thermostats, and more.

Google has opened up a sign-up of sorts, which is really just an email list to be informed of when Home is available. You can sign-up here. At this time, Google has not provided an official release date or pricing.

What’s your take on Home? Will it dominate Amazon Echo?

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Report Moto X Line to be Replaced by New Moto Z Phones

Report Moto X Line to be Replaced by New Moto Z Phones

According to a report out of Venturebeat, the Moto X line may have been unceremoniously retired by Lenovo in favor of a new Moto line dubbed Moto Z. This news comes on the heels of Lenovo announcing new Moto G phones that may show up later this summer in the US and just before Lenovo shows off new Moto products at its Tech World conference in early June.

Today’s report claims that unpublished marketing materials have revealed the new branding, which also might shift the DROID line at Verizon into Moto Z branding. Let’s talk about what we are being told today. 

The Moto X line is dead and the Moto Z line is taking over. The two Motorola phones under codenames Vector Thin and Vertex, whose details were leaked last week, will arrive publicly as the Moto Z Style and Moto Z Play, respectively. Those names certainly match up to last year’s Moto X Pure Edition, which was more widely presented as Moto X Style outside of the US. Its counterpart, as you may recall, was the Moto X Play.

As for the DROID line, Verizon and Moto may end up ditching the Turbo and MAXX lines in favor of this Moto Z branding, only they’ll be dubbed “DROID Edition.” So we could have a Moto Z Style “DROID Edition” and Moto Z Play “DROID Edition.” That’s ridiculous, but then again, these are DROID phones we’re talking about.

Finally, we have additional information on the modular aspect to all of these phones. According to today’s report, the individual modules may end up being sold as MotoMods instead of Amps, which was previously rumored.

So much re-branding. I hope you know what you are doing, Lenovo.

Via:  Venturebeat

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OnePlus Drops Pricing for OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X by 50

OnePlus Drops Pricing for OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X by 50

Dropping a few phones in price to likely make way for incoming OnePlus 3 inventory, OnePlus has the OnePlus X, OnePlus 2, and if you can find it, the OnePlus One on sale via its online store.

Once priced at $349, the OnePlus 2 is now marked at $299. The OnePlus X, launched at $249, is priced now at $199. I’m assuming you see a trend, as every phone currently available on the OnePlus website has been lowered by $50. 

For those here who may have purchased a OnePlus device within the past 14 days, you can contact OP support and request a refund of the price difference. Good Guy OnePlus.

Now, when is that OnePlus 3 coming?

OnePlus Links: OnePlus X | OnePlus 2 | OnePlus One (Out of Stock)

Via: OnePlus

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Report Google Created a Android Update Ranking System by Manufacturer Might Publish It

Report Google Created a Android Update Ranking System by Manufacturer Might Publish It

According to a report out of Bloomberg, Google has created a ranking system for Android device manufacturers based on how quickly they are not only updating their phones to the latest versions of Android, but applying the most recent security patches as well. Google has apparently considered publishing their findings, which of course, would be bad for manufacturers, almost all of which are terrible at updating phones in a timely manner. 

The report dives into slow updates and how some manufacturers have attempted to improve their timeliness, but carrier involvement has often delayed important updates for months. Some carriers have softened timelines a bit over security patches since big scares, like Stagefright. However, the larger, feature-packed updates are still taking longer than we all want them to. None of this is news to us, as we continually complain about how much of a disgrace most Android phone manufacturers are in the update department. Sure, some have improved in recent years, but we see them all come and go as the shining update stars from time to time and hesitate to crown anyone as even “good.”

But we really just care about whether or not Google will post this ranking system, right? Think about how amazing it would be for consumers to be able to point to Google’s list and then at the manufacturer of their phone (and the carrier) to say, “You know what, you are terrible at updating, so I’m not buying another phone from you until you get better.” That’s power I think we all deserve to have.

Google could place a chart or list for this right on their Android distribution page and update it monthly. They already show updated numbers at the beginning of each month for each Android version’s percentage of the pie, so they may as well include the phone manufacturers whose phones are contributing (or not contributing) to each slice.

Quick, someone fire off a change.org petition to force Google into publishing their findings. (That’s sarcasm, by the way.)

In all seriousness, this is something that Google really should do. While it might be a bit of PR disaster for a number of companies on day 1, it should only lead to improvements from everyone in pushing out updates, assuming they care about their public perception and consumers coming back for more. I can’t think of a better way to start turning this all around.

Via:  Bloomberg

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