android
Google Wallet now official for AT&T’s Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus
If you are looking forward to seeing what NFC can achieve in terms of mobile payment services, but you’re not a Sprint subscriber and you don’t own the Nexus S 4G, the good news is that Google Wallet seems to have made its way onto the Android Market sporting compatibility with AT&T owners of the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus!
For those unfamiliar, Google Wallet was previously exclusive only to Sprint and the Nexus S 4G and it was speculated that it was due to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon’s partnership with Isis that prevented Google Wallet from making its way onto their devices, although the carriers argued that it was due to incompatibility issues.
Unfortunately it was not mentioned whether Verizon’s LTE capable Galaxy Nexus would be supported, but there are reports from some that say that it is possible to load Google Wallet onto the Galaxy Nexus simply by following the instructions below. We should caution you that this is done at your own risk and that we cannot guarantee that it will work for you. However those AT&T subscribers with the Galaxy Nexus or the Nexus S can head to the Android Market for the download. [Android Market]
1. From your phone open the browser and head to http://market.android.com.
2. Search for “Google Wallet.”*If your browser prompts you to open the Market, don’t. Just stay in the browser.
3. When the results come back, tap on the Google Wallet icon.
4. Tap the “Install” button from within the browser and then sign into your Google account.*Again, this is all from the browser, not the Market app.
5. Once you have signed in, you should be redirected back to the Market page in the browser.
6. Obviously, you will not have the option to install there since the VZW Nexus is not supported.
7. Tap the back button until you are prompted for the Market or Browser again, this time choosing the Market.
8. The Android Market should open to the Google Wallet page with an option to install.
The Fairphone 2 was first unveiled in June earlier this year, where this particular handset carried a modular design while featuring majority of its components that have been sourced from conflict-free mines. It seems that this particular handset that you can purchase with a clear conscience has begun to ship to those who happen to live across Europe.
Fairphone announced in a blog post, “It’s been almost two years in the making, and some of the earliest buyers have been patiently waiting since July to receive their new phones. As community manager, I want to personally welcome the new batch of Fairphone owners to our community.” The initial 1,000 units are tipped to ship this month, before the other pre-orders follow in January 2016.
In terms of hardware specifications, the Fairphone 2 will run on a Snapdragon 801 chipset, has a 5″ 1080p screen with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP camera, with Android 5.1 Lollipop in tow. It will be a dual SIM capable handset with a microSD memory card slot and plays nice with 4G LTE networks, retailing for approximately €525 a pop.
It looks like the upcoming flagship model from Xiaomi will feature NFC support, at least based on a document that was released by China UnionPay. Just in case you are scratching your head and wondering who China UnionPay is, they happen to be the only domestic payment gateway supplier and card organization, and hence, to see them offer detailed support concerning the newly released NFC-based payment system points to the very real possibility of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5 featuring NFC capability.
After all, the Xiaomi Mi 3 was also mentioned on the list, which so happens to feature NFC, and there is no mention of the Xiaomi Mi 4 which does not come with NFC. Still, such a new payment system would be the ideal tool to see the reintroduction of NFC to the flagship model.
OnePlus did make an announcement in the previous month that the Ceramic variant of the OnePlus X will be released on November 24. True to their word, they did exactly that – although only a pitiful number of units were made available, and not only that, this was through a charity auction. Thankfully for the rest of the masses who are on the lookout for this device, it has gone on sale officially already.
Needless to say, this particular variant is available only by an invitation, although do bear in mind that standard OnePlus X invites are not good here – you will still need to snag yourself a specific Ceramic variant invite before you make a purchase. OnePlus is also on the lookout to offer additional methods of picking up this smartphone, although no further details were revealed.
The OnePlus X Ceramic will be available only in select markets, where among them include Europe, India, and Hong Kong. To date, we do know that OnePlus had made only 10,000 units of the handset available. A case of the early bird getting the proverbial worm here?