Pokémon Go, the augmented reality mobile game from Niantic and The Pokémon Company, is a bona fide overnight success. The game, which tasks players with getting off the couch and exploring the real world around them as they try to catch ‘em all, relies on cellular data most of the time meaning it’s eating through your data bucket as your play.
That is, unless you’re a T-Mobile subscriber.
The nation’s third largest wireless provider has announced that as part of its next T-Mobile Tuesdays offer, they’ll be rewarding customers with unlimited data for Pokémon Go. Rather than a full week or even a month’s worth of data, T-Mobile will make Pokémon Go data absolutely free through August 2017.
Its next reward day will also include a free Frosty from Wendy’s, a free Lyft ride up to $15 and half off select accessories including battery packs. What’s more, 250 people will win $100 to spend on PokéCoins and five people will win trips to anywhere in the US to hunt for new Pokémon with a guest.
The degree to which the game uses data is up for debate. According to Verizon, the game makes up less than one percent of its overall network data traffic. But regardless of how much data Pokémon Go does or doesn’t consume, it’s a timely marketing move by T-Mobile that could score it a lot of new customers. And if in a few months, the craze has died down considerably, T-Mobile won’t be out any money from the promotion.
The Zenfone 3 release date is expected to be in two weeks, meaning we'll be able to test out the 6GB of RAM and other specs in full. Here's how it performs so far.
Zenfone 3 Deluxe represents a major upgrade to Asus' spelling-challenged smartphone series with a component design and specs you won't find on any other Android today.
The phone is making a name for itself with 6GB of RAM, when all but one of thebest phones in 2016 so far top out at 4GB of RAM. You should be able to open more apps on its 5.7-inch display without slowdown.
Yes, the ZTE Axon 7 was just announced to have a 6GB of RAM variant, but it wasn't shown off at its Beijing launch event next to its still-very-promising 4GB version. I could test the Asus Zenfone 3 at Computex 2016.
6GB of RAM and ready to go
It also includes the latest Snapdragon processor, starts with 64GB of internal storage and includes a 23MP camera, all of which are impressive numbers on paper. It'll just miss Android Nougat, but does run Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
But do these Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe specs compute into anything meaningful? The Taiwanese release date is set for mid-July, while the US release date isn't for several weeks, according to Asus. So I went hands on with the forthcoming phone while in Taipei, Taiwan to determine more in the meantime.
Design
The Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe is being touted as the world's first full-metal unibody phone with an invisible antenna design, and that's technically true.
It beats Apple's iPhone 7, rumored to be anti-antenna lines too, by three months, and the new LG G5 has a gap meant for modular add-ons; it isn't really unibody. Samsung Galaxy S7 is made of glass.
That leaves the Zenfone 3 Deluxe to steal some thunder with a sleek look of its own. I like the full-metal body and the seamless unibody design, and the invisible antenna lines are a nice perk.
What's more important to me than any of that, though, is the fact that the phone does away with the plastic that made last year's Zenfone 2 design downright unlikable. I dug the specs and the software customization, but it felt cheap. Like, not even good plastic. This new design begins to right that wrong.
It measures 156.4 x 77.4 x 7.5 mm, which doesn't make it as thin as the Nexus 6P (7.3mm thin), but it's close and, when testing it, it felt better than the thicker, non-Deluxe Zenfone 3 (7.7mm thin).
The power button and volume rocker are now on the right side (instead on of the back), but there's an oddly shaped rectangular fingerprint sensor on back. You don't actually press it in. There's still capacitive soft buttons for home, back and recent on the front, going against the trend of using purely on-screen buttons. I tend to like my buttons always being at the ready like this and not sometimes vanishing at the worst possible moments.
A slight camera bump and top-mounted headphone jack
I had a big problem with Zenfone 2's top-mounted power button, which I described as "squishy." I'm happy to report than while the Zenfone 3 Deluxe side-mounted buttons feel a bit shallow, they're at least clicky. This is all the more important now because the Deluxe camera can be launched by hitting the volume down button twice when the phone is asleep.
Like a lot of phones in 2016, it pivots to USB Type-C, sticks with one speaker (but of course promises stellar audio, according to the company's marketing efforts) and comes in three colors: Titanium Gray, Glacier Silver and Sand Gold.
Display
Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe has a spacious 5.7-inch screen that competes with theSamsung Galaxy Note 5 in size. Even more relevant, I fully expect the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to be the same size, too.
Its large Super AMOLED panel takes on a 79% screen-to-body ratio. That means less bezel on the sides and more screen space to work with. The capacitive buttons on the bottom do eat into significant screen space.
A better screen, but still 1080p
Under the Computex lighting, it also appears to be brighter, fixing be biggest issue I had with the Zenfone 2. Taking last year's phone outside snap photos was a headache due to its dull screen; I couldn't see what I was shooting and just hoping the photos turned out okay (they didn't, last year's camera was also mediocre).
I'll have to test it outdoors in a full Zenfone 3 review soon, but the brightness seems to have been ratchet up thanks to the new AMOLED display.
Clearly still a prototype, as you'll read I was reminded of on the next page
What remains, though, is the same is 1080p resolution. You won't find a pixel-dense quad HD (aka 2K) panel like the Android rivals that Asus is trying its best to mimic.
I'm okay with Full HD 1080p displays on phones of this size, but the company does appear to be working on an Asus VR headset.
As I experienced with the Huawei VR headset, 1080p can be problematic when the screen is sitting two inches from your face.
WHAT IS A HANDS ON REVIEW?
'Hands on reviews' are a journalist's first impressions of a piece of kit based on spending some time with it. It may be just a few moments, or a few hours. The important thing is we have been able to play with it ourselves and can give you some sense of what it's like to use, even if it's only an embryonic view. For more information, see TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is nearly a year old, and its replacement is said to be Samsung Galaxy Note 7, not a Galaxy Note 6. Here's what we think of the current-gen S-Pen-equipped Android phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is a large phone that's either a game changer or deal breaker for longtime fans of the Android phablet, now that it has a premium look and feel.
Its 5.7-inch display, super-fast processor, improved camera and S Pen stylus are joined by a new, glass-and-metal design that reflects the solid construction of last year's Samsung Galaxy S6 and the newer Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
That makes it a huge leap over last year's Galaxy Note 4, which backed the phone in cheap, textured plastic. Samsung's build quality is finally fit to compete with the aluminum iPhone 6S Plus, Huawei Mate 8 and Nexus 6P.
The Galaxy Note 5 S Pen returns with new Air Commands
All of this comes at a cost, however. There's no microSD card slot for expandable storage or removable battery to swap out, like on the Note 4, LG G4and the Samsung Galaxy S7, and the new sealed-shut glass design is slippery. The feature is expected inside the Note 7, however.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is among the best phones in the world, but it isn't for everyone who can't grip a two-handed phone, or its compromises in the name of style.
Release date and price
The Note 5 may not be for everyone simply because it's currently only available in the US and Canada in the Western world. It launched in the US on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular on August 21, 2015.
It never came to the UK or the rest of Europe. Samsung instead focused on the Galaxy S6 Edge+in the UK. For now, anyone outside of North America who wants a new phone with a stylus is out of luck until the Note 7 launch.
Its price remains competitive, even with its fancy new design, thanks to a price drop from a high of $249 on two-year contract in the US. It now costs $49 on contract via Verizon and Sprint. AT&T Next plans start at $24.67 a month for a 30-month duration, while the full retail Note 5 price is $696 at Verizon. It'd likely have cost £600 in the UK if it launched, the same as the Note 4 price.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has the same basic shape as the Note 4, but the construction of the two phones couldn't be any more different.
Galaxy Note 5 (left) is smaller and more refined than the Note 4 (right)
Gone is the faux leather back that was made of plastic but felt more like cheap snakeskin. It's been replaced by a glass sheet that's infused into a metal frame, just like on the Galaxy S6.
At 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, the Note 5 dimensions are certainly bigger than Samsung's 5.1-inch flagship, but it's actually a hair smaller and noticeably thinner than the Note 4. It's lighter too, at 171g, shedding 5g, even with its metal-and-glass construction.
Its back glass also curves inward on the right and left sides. This smaller footprint and curved back made it easier to hold in my palm, despite its phablet size.
There's a curved glass back that makes it easier to hold
Glass does make gripping this 5.7-inch phone more of a challenge, breakable and a fingerprint magnet compared to its faux leather predecessor. There's less traction, but it's nowhere near as slippery as a super smooth aluminum iPhone 6S with rounded corners.
Cases will help with the grip and prevent my overarching palm from interfering with the touchscreen, due to its ultra-thin bezel. This happens more often as bezels wane, phone sizes increase and my hands get fat. But I don't suggest Samsung's default case offering. I know from my time with the Galaxy S6 – its slick plastic makes the phone even more slippery.
Here are the Note 5 colors. You can get three of the four of them in the US
The Galaxy Note 5 colors include Sapphire Black, White Pearl and, as of November, Gold Platinum in select sizes in the US. The Silver Titanium option is offered outside of North America. Interestingly, it's one of three new colors for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, as is Black Onyx and Blue Coral. Better late than never.
The Galaxy Note 5 aluminum frame is silver in all cases, with a color-matching power button on the right and volume rocker on the left. These buttons are thin, but feel strong when pressed and, importantly, are situated in the upper portion of the frame, exactly where my fingers clutch the phone.
Earlier this year FreedomPop announced a global SIM card that offers 200 minutes, 200 texts and 200MB of data each month for free, aside from the one-time cost of the SIM card itself -- $10. It’s a pretty strong value proposition for frequent travelers, with coverage in the U.S., 24 European countries and more to come, but if that isn’t enough to pique your interest now you don’t even need to buy the SIM card to get the free voice and text allowance.
FreedomPop is making its iOS and Android apps available to everyone, regardless of which network they are on, with which you will get 200 minutes and 200 texts every month. The data quota is not included, of course, as that would only be possible with their SIM card.
Upon signing up to the service the app will assign you a virtual number in the U.S. or U.K. so you can make calls. WiFi-only devices can support the service too, and anyone that signs up to FreedomPop also gets 300 free minutes of international calls in the first month.
Of course FreedomPop hopes you’ll eventually buy one of its added-value packages like unlimited calls and texts for $4 per month, or a second, foreign virtual number for cheap international calls. Or for those that do buy the FreedomPop Global SIM card, one of their data packages starting at $14 for 1GB up to $40 for 4GB with data rollover for an extra $4/month.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) on Thursday officially unveiled the next major revision of the global wireless standard, Bluetooth 5. To say that it’ll be far more useful is a massive understatement.
Set to arrive by the end of the year (or in early 2017 at the latest), the new standard will double the speed and quadruple the range of low energy connections while increasing the capacity of connectionless data broadcasts by 800 percent. That last bit will be especially important to the millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are expected to flood the market in the coming years.
Mark Powell, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, said there are 8.2 billion Bluetooth products in use today. The enhancements in Bluetooth 5 and planned future technical advancements, he added, means that Bluetooth will be in more than a third of all installed IoT devices by 2020.
The Bluetooth SIG also revealed that it now has more than 30,000 member companies that use its technology.
For better or for worse, Bluetooth 5 will make things like beacons even more prevalent. Patrick Connolly, principal analyst at ABI Research, notes that more than 370 million Bluetooth-enabled beacons are projected to ship by 2020. Odds are, many of those will likely be used by retail stores as part of advertising campaigns.
Asus has teamed up with Verizon to announce a new 7.9-inch tablet, the ZenPad Z8. Priced at $250, the device packs a decent punch for your money with a 2048x1536 display, Snapdragon 650 hexa-core 64-bit processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage, expandable through microSD. Being a Verizon exclusive, the device supports 4G LTE connectivity and comes with a SIM card preinstalled, in a addition to 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The ZenPad 8 features an 8-megapixel rear camera as well as a front facing 2-megapixel unit. It’s fairly small and light at 8.08 x 5.37 x .30 inches and 11.29 ounces, and uses the newer USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. The tablet is powered by a 4680 mAh non-removable battery that’s said to last around 13 hours according to Asus.
On the software side of things, the ZenPad Z8 comes with Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 out of the box and features ASUS’ own user interface, ZenUI. Pre-orders are open starting today and the tablet will be stocked in Verizon stores starting June 23rd, or on a device payment plan for less than $11 per month for 24 months.
Facebook is continuing to evolve its Messenger app. Following the announcement earlier this week that built-in SMS support had returned to the messaging service on Android, the social network has just announced that its incredibly popular application will be receiving a revamped look.
Messenger’s redesigned homepage keeps the most recent conversations at the top, but scrolling past them will reveal a new section that shows your favorite contacts. It contains the family and friends you engage with most on Messenger.
Beneath this is a new section that reminds you of people’s birthdays. Not that Facebook itself doesn’t have enough ways of alerting you when a person you barely know gets another year older.
The final and arguably best new part of the Messenger update is the “Active Now” section. It works in the same way as the chat sidebar found on the desktop version of Facebook, showing a green dot next to people who are currently online. There’s also a “see all” option that brings up a list of all friends that are available on Messenger.
Explaining the changes in a blog post, the company wrote: “Up until now, most inbox experiences haven’t kept up with the new ways people connect.So, we’ve been thinking about how we can make it simpler and easier to find what you want to start a conversation.”
Facebook didn’t say when Messenger’s 900 million users can expect to see its new look, but the rollout probably won’t take long to get here. The company didn’t mention which platforms will be supported but, seeing as it’s only shown iOS images so far, it may arrive on Apple’s handsets before coming to Android.
OnePlus will officially unveil the OnePlus 3 on June 14th at 12.30pm EDT through a virtual reality experience, similar to the launch of the company's last-generation flagship. The handset will then be available to purchase without an invite shortly thereafter.
Sales of the OnePlus 3 will initially be restricted to those viewing the launch event through The Loop, OnePlus' free virtual reality headset they shipped in limited quantities to some people last week. After the two-hour sales exclusive, at 3:00pm EDT the OnePlus 3 will go on sale for everyone.
The best thing about the launch of the OnePlus 3 is that the company has ditched the awful invite system in favor of a traditional, hassle-free buying experience. OnePlus CEO Carl Pei stated that invites are "gone forever" from all future OnePlus product launches as well, which is welcome news for those who struggled to purchase a OnePlus device over the past few years.
We will know for sure soon enough, but the OnePlus 3 is expected to pack a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, a 16-megapixel rear camera, up to 6 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and a 3,000 mAh battery.
Like previous models, the OnePlus 3 is expected to retail for just over $300, making it a solid value proposition for those after high-end hardware.
