android
BlueStacks Beta brings Android apps to your PC
If you have ever hoped to use your Android apps on your PC it seems that BlueStacks has found a way. The software, which is currently still in beta, will allow users to run Android apps on their Windows PC. The application is free to download from the Google Play Store or you can just go to their website linked here. The application allows your imagination to run wild with ideas.
Due to the fact that the application is still in Beta mode though, users will find themselves faced with an app that supposedly syncs with your phone via the Cloud but in beta app it doesn’t work yet. If you were thinking of starting up a game you can try out the suggested ones which work well such as Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds. Playing multi-touch games will not work well because of the lack of hardware keyboard support and you are left moving your mouse vigorously trying to do multiple things at a time.
Reportedly, downloading apps via Google Play Store failed but the Amazon, GetJar and 1Mobile App Stores worked without issue. While all these problems seem like a handful, they are to be expected in any beta release. But if you are an Android user with some time on your hands, it is still entertaining. You can download the app for your PC here and just follow the instructions.
For the app to finally be released issues such as app syncing will have to be flawless or most users will get tired of it and move on to the next new and interesting thing.
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?