android
Instagram ignites spark between iPhone and Android users
Now that Instagram has launched its successful Android app, many of the iPhone app users have taken to Twitter and Facebook saying that the once gated community has become a virtual trailer park. From a few of the iOS app fans, the words ‘there goes the neighbourhood’ could be seen flooding among #TeamiPhone tweets.
It is understandable that they feel this way since iOS instagram users have had time to go through the rough period to learn about the app and refine their phot taking technique and suddenly with the release of the Android version, many of the users who are still new to the app and the filters involved will have to walk along the same learning curve that their iOS counterparts once tread.
A tweet from Tobias Harris from the Milwaukee Bucks stated, “Instagram just turned into the projects now that all you Android users are here.” And that just about sums up the animosity that has been bubbling since Instagram announced that it was going to make an app for Android users. While the iOS Instagram users have been having their say, Android users haven’t been taking the punch of the jaw quietly like one tweet from @callmeMsJones which read “who is hating on the iPhone camera: Just so we’re clear….my camera has more megapixels and it doesn’t always have to flash for my pictures to look nice either.”
Another tweet from a member of #TeamAndroid, @YourFavoriteZoe said “I don’t have to jail break my phone for it to be cool.” All this will probably die off once Android users get the hang of things and start posting acceptable pictures up but until then, it would be nice if everyone could get along. As our friends from the LATimes say, both teams should stop the fight, come together and spare a thought for #TeamBlackBerry.
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?