Cult of Android - page 35

Samsung wants to be one of the world’s top 10 places to work by 2020, but according to the latest third-party labor conditions report, working for the South Korean smartphone maker is still a horrible experience, especially if you’re one of its Chinese suppliers.

An audit of 100 of Samsung’s suppliers in China found issues like overtime, proper saftey gear and training are still prominent issues. You can read the full 69-page report on Samsung’s site, but here’s a quick rundown of the egregious conditions:

Many Community fans were upset at the news back in May that the popular sitcom was being taken off the air.

Well, Yahoo has come to the rescue, announcing that it is picking up the show for a sixth season to be screened on little-known video streaming site Yahoo Screen.

The entire future of the Android universe was just laid open for all to see as Google I/O kicked off this morning with a keynote at Moscone West.

Yes, there were juicy bits about the newest version of Android coming soon to a smartphone near you, but this year’s keynote was about so much more than mobile phones, as Google took aim at every “smart” category imaginable, from smartwatches to automobiles, cheap handsets to the biggest screen in your living room.

We just sat through the marathon keynote, and while we didn’t get a free Moto 360, we’ve digested, regurgitated, and spit out the hot mess of new Android features, APIs, cloud tools and wearable goodness, so you don’t have to.

Here’s everything you need to know about what Google revealed at I/O:

Samsung isn’t expected to announce its earnings for Q4 2014 until early July, but the company is already trying to manage expectations with investors weeks before the bad news comes that it bombed.

Samsung’s CFO Lee Sang-hoon made a rare public statement to a group of reporters at the company’s Seocho headquarters, saying “it doesn’t look too good” when pressed for info on Q2 performance.

Forget Android L, Android Wear, AndroidOne and every other new “android” variant Sundar Pichai stumbled through during Google’s 3-hour keynote. The coolest thing coming out of Google I/O wasn’t new software and thousands of APIs, it’s a small DYI VR headset that anyone can make.

After today’s keynote Google I/O attendees were given a taste of Google’s next wearable product that’s made from nothing more than cardboard. The experimental VR toolkit sounds like another one of Google’s April Fool’s jokes, except it’s totally real, and even if you didn’t happen to pick up a free one from Moscone West, you can build your own at home.

After giving the world a glimpse at Android Wear back in March, Google has finally revealed its new OS meant for wearables. Android Wear, detailed Wednesday at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, is a true OS for smartwatches that will offer many advanced features like synced notifications, the ability to control other devices around you and constant display of relevant information based on the wearer’s location.

Unless Apple surprises the world with the speedy release of its long-rumored iWatch, it looks like Android Wear smartwatches will win the race for wrist supremacy. In other words, they’ll be your first “iWatch.” Here’s what the Google-powered devices will offer.

Google will make several big announcements during its Google I/O keynote today — and one of them will almost certainly be about Android TV.

Sources familiar with the plans claim we’ll see “at least one” set-top box powered by the search giant’s latest entertainment platform during the event. In addition to playing movies and music, they’ll also allow users to play Android games through their TVs.

Slingshot, Facebook’s new Snapchat competitor, has today been made available internationally on Android and iOS. The free service, which first made its debut in the U.S. last week, allows users to send “shots” containing pictures or videos to each other — but only after they’ve sent a shot back.

When Microsoft announced its Surface Pro 3 back in May, everyone expected a new Surface Mini tablet to accompany it. Although we didn’t get one, it seems the device was (still is?) definitely a part of Microsoft’s plans. The Surface Mini is mentioned numerous times in an official Surface Pro 3 user manual that was published online.

Amazon’s new Fire Phone boasts plenty of unique features; flashy stuff like 3-D effects, the intriguing scan-to-buy app Firefly, and 24/7 tech support via Mayday. But should the Fire Phone be your next smartphone?

Here are five possibly fatal flaws you need to be aware of before you place an order for Amazon’s first smartphone.

Amazon introduced its first smartphone to the world this morning and while the jury is still out on whether its incredible Dynamic Perspective feature is a UI revolution or just another 3-D gimmick, Jeff Bezos and the Amazon team have pumped Fire Phone full of features that could make it more than just the world’s best buying machine.

From Firefly’s compulsive-purchasing features to Mayday’s instant tech-support tether, Fire Phone has a few tricks up its sleeve that we weren’t expecting. But will that be enough to convince consumers to buy one of the AT&T-exclusive phones?

Check out these six things your iPhone and Android can’t do, but Fire Phone can:

Years of speculation are finally over: Amazon is taking on the iPhone with a handset of its own that offers advanced features and a tight integration with Amazon Prime.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos triumphantly pulled the new Fire Phone from his pocket this morning in front of a Seattle crowd of 300 reporters and Prime fanatics, revealing a new handset that looks like an iPhone but houses tons of Amazon special features to set it apart from Apple’s and Samsung’s top wares.

To do battle with the iPhone and Apple’s enormous ecosystem, Bezos says Amazon chose a 4.7-inch screen for the device after testing models between 4.3 inches and 5.5 inches. Like the iPhone 5s, the Fire Phone uses Gorilla Glass 3 for the front display, but Amazon has wrapped the enclosure in an injection-molded rubber frame.

Like warring divorcees who are trying to make it work “for the kids” Apple and Samsung are reportedly attempting to find “common ground” that will let them end their ongoing legal battles.

The report comes from the Korea Times, which cites sources “familiar with the negotiations.” According to the newspaper, both sides are trying to be “more practical” about finding a solution, since Apple would ideally like to continue using Samsung as one of its main parts suppliers — possibly for the long-awaited iWatch.

If you aren’t already using Sunrise to manage your calendars on Android and iOS, then you’re doing something wrong. It’s the prettiest (certainly on Android) and most impressive calendar app, and it just got even better.

A new update that’s rolling out today lets you connect to services like Songkick, Evernote, Tripit and more to automatically add upcoming tasks and events to your schedule.

We’ve been waiting years for Amazon’s challenger to the iPhone to finally surface, but unless you’re on AT&T you’ll have to wait a while to get Amazon’s crazy 3D phone in your pocket.

Like the original iPhone before it, Amazon plans to launch its first smartphone as an AT&T exclusive, reports the Wall Street Journal who has talked to “people familiar with the plans.”

If you’re ready to play big-name triple-A PC games on a mobile tablet, gaming companies WikiPad and OnLive have you covered.

Using game-streaming technologies from OnLive’s CloudLift service, the Wikipad 7 will allow you to play full high-end PC games, both single and multiplayer from any digital download service like Steam. The service will extend to the just announced Wikipad Gamevice controller, which will give you the same controller system for Apple’s iPad mini, letting you play games you never thought you’d be able to on a smaller mobile device.

Samsung’s scattershot business plan of trying to come out with its own version of whatever tech other companies are working on meant that it was only ever going to be so long before Samsung announced its entry into the virtual reality headset market.

Sure enough, last month we reported that the South Korean company is in the process of developing VR technology that will work alongside Galaxy devices — and how it is desperate to get the product to market before Facebook and Sony launch their Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus headsets. Now it seems that Samsung’s plans are taking shape, as the company has filed an application to trademark the name “Gear VR.”

As one of the best-known remote-desktop clients for the iPad, Parallels Access has now expanded into the iPhone and Android space with Parallels Access 2.0.

Described by Parallels president Yakov “Jack” Zubarev as “the most reliable way to to remotely access all Windows and Mac applications from your phone or tablet,” apps accessed via Parallels Access should provide the same experience as a desktop computer — only on a smaller screen and using the taps, swipes and pinch-to-zoom gestures you’re used to dealing with on mobile.

Nest Labs’ smoke and carbon monoxide detector, Nest Protect, was recently recalled due to a potential safety issue which meant that the alarm could be unintentionally deactivated.

Jump forward a few months and Nest has resumed sales of the device — fixing the problematic feature via both a hardware and software update. Even better, the units now cost just $99, down from the previous price point of $129.

Domino’s Pizza has today added Nuance voice recognition to its Android and iOS apps, enabling users to order pizza using their voice. The technology provides a “human-like” customer service experience that hopes to make it easier to order your dinner on the go.

Google Glass “explorers” have not integrated well into society.

There have been bar fights, street fights and subway nightmares thanks to the awkward face computers unleashed by Google, but Sarah Slocum and a group of Glassholes are convinced they’ve been unfairly targeted in hate crimes that had nothing to do with being a rude techies.

The Daily Show sent Jason Jones to investigate the group’s claims, who in turned tried to convert Jones with the joys of browsing the internet on your face. Jones of course had to try to the tech for himself, but at $1500 a pop, opted for a more homemade solution.

Watch the hilarious segment below:

Microsoft’s efforts to make Cortana as pervasive as possible could see the intelligent digital assistant brought to Android and iOS. A member of the software giant’s Windows Phone team has confirmed that Microsoft is “actively talking” about bringing Cortana to rival platforms.

Apple may have bought Beats, but that’s apparently not enough to stop Beats cutting support for its Beats Music Android app, which just received a notable update.

The update adds a new landscape mode, as well as the ability to save offline downloads to an external SD card, and transfer offline downloads between an SD card and internal device storage.

Amazon’s long-rumored music streaming service is finally here. It’s called Amazon Prime Music, and it offers unlimited, ad-free streaming of more than a million songs and hundreds of playlists. And if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you get it completely free on your smartphone, tablet and computer.

Google is planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Virgin Galactic to gain access to satellite launch technology and an equity stake in the company, Sky News reports.

The deal, which is believed to be in its final stages, is thought to be part of Google’s plan to put hundreds of satellites in space that will provide Internet access to billions of people.