Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 is Rebranded the Galaxy Note 7 FE, Coming to South Korea on July 7th

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last year, you likely already know about the issues Samsung has had with the Galaxy Note 7. What initially seemed like a teething process for a new smartphone quickly turned into something the company wishes they could have avoided. This resulted in Samsung having to pull all Galaxy Note 7 units from store shelves and then a promise was given saying they would dispose of the waste properly.

Many felt the issue would loom over the company and ruin the launch of the Galaxy S8, but early reports of sales numbers shows that could not have been further from the truth. With the whole faulty battery debacle behind them, you would think that Samsung would like to distance themselves from the Galaxy Note 7 phone as much as possible. However, then we some reliable reports about Samsung wanting to sell a refurbished model just a couple of months ago.

Some fans of the Galaxy Note 7 loved their phone so much, that many didn't even want to send it back to the company. These customers knew the risks that were involved and it resulted in Samsung having to disable charging completely just to keep customers safe. Samsung knows there are people who truly feel the Galaxy Note 7 was the best phone they had ever owned, so it somewhat makes sense for them to want to sell refurbished units of the device.

The new device is said to be called the Galaxy Note 7 FE, with the FE standing for Fandom Edition. Sources close to The Wall Street Journal say it will be priced lower than 700,000 South Korean won (which is about $616). It's believed that Samsung will be producing "at most" 400,000 units of the Galaxy Note 7 FE, which will be divided among the three major South Korean wireless carriers.

Since a Samsung representative has declined to comment, it's unknown if Samsung will be releasing the Galaxy Note 7 FE in other countries.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal

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Qeexo Wants to Replace Your Proximity Sensor With EarSense

We have often heard how smartphone design has stagnated over the past few years with many smartphones bearing a stark resemblance to each other. Some companies such as Xiaomi have been trying to change this with the introduction of smartphones with radically different designs such as the Mi Mix. Other companies are slowly creeping towards a more bezel-less design, such as the Essential Phone or the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, however the screen alone isn't what made the Mi Mix so unique. One of the biggest design changes that the Mi Mix pioneered was the removal of the earpiece speaker which was replaced with what the company calls a "cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology."

It's changes like this that OEMs are looking for to make their device look and feel unique from the rest of the market. This is where a company called Qeexo comes into play with their EarSense technology. You may not have heard of them before, but one of their products may already be on your smartphone. Their previous technology, FingerSense, is what powers Huawei's Knuckle Gestures. EarSense is a new technology by Qeexo which aims to aid OEMs in replacing the traditional proximity sensor found in our devices.

Compared to a traditional proximity sensor which is a piece of hardware that is generally packed in the top bezel of our smartphones, EarSense is a software alternative – so it doesn't take up any space on the phone. The goal of this proprietary software solution is to allow OEMs to free up space from inside the phone (for other components) as EarSense will be able to recognize contact with someone's face and ears so that it can turn off the screen during a phone call – a function normally accomplished through use of the proximity sensor. You can see a demo of this in action in the video below.

By freeing up this space inside the device, Qeexo hopes that it will enable OEMs to use that space for some other innovative hardware. We saw Samsung start to add an iris scanner to the top bezel of their phones so software like this could enable future devices to feel less cramped in this area of the phone. It could also allow for future devices to more easily transition to the true bezel-less design that we're currently seeing a trend towards.

In an interview with XDA-Developers, the CEO of Qeexo, Sang Won Lee, told us that EarSense, much like FingerSense, is a software solution that is licensed out to OEMs for implementation in their devices. That means it's ultimately up to the OEMs to implement EarSense into their OS, and to provide an API so third-party voice calling applications such as Hangouts, Google Duo, or Whatsapp can also take advantage of it.

Currently, these applications assume that any given smartphone is operating with a hardware proximity sensor in place, as such hardware is universally present on mobile devices. However, if EarSense, a software-only alternative, were to take off – then these applications may need to rethink that assumption. It's possible that OEMs may implement EarSense in a way that it seamlessly replaces the hardware proximity sensor – such that third-party applications do not need to be updated – but we'll have to wait and see how the first OEMs to implement the technology play this out.

Although some way not be a fan of proprietary software replacing the tried-and-true proximity sensor, the potential physical benefits that removing this hardware may bring can't be denied. But, given that there are legitimate uses of the proximity sensor outside of turning on/off the screen during voice calls, it may not be worth the trade-off for some users in the end.

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The OnePlus 3/3T Will Receive Android O by the End of 2017

The OnePlus 5 may be the the talk of the town right now, but OnePlus still has a lot to prove to consumers when it comes to updating their older devices. OnePlus previously confirmed that the company would be updating their previous flagship smartphones to Android O, but thanks to a recent AMA that the company held on Reddit, we now have a due date as to when we can expect that update to hit.

After Reddit user The_Malteser asked, "Will the OP3 and OP3T be forgotten now that the OP5 is out?" a OnePlus representative from the OxygenOS product team responded by saying, "Nooo. 3/3T will get Android O update within this year." OnePlus unfortunately didn't get any more specific than this, but a confirmation that the update will be available before 2017 is over is at least slightly reassuring.

We say slightly because, although the OP3 and OP3T have received regular software updates since their release, we still have to deal with the fact that OnePlus has no official plans for updating the OnePlus 2 – a phone that could have been updated to Nougat but won't (at least officially).

Assuming OnePlus sticks with this claim and does deliver Android O to the 3 and 3T by the end of the year, just what can we expect? Android O still hasn't officially released outside of a few Developer Previews on Nexus and Pixel devices, but thanks to these previews we know that the 3/3T should get picture-in-picture support for watching videos while doing other tasks, icons that can adapt to certain shapes for a more consistent look, the ability to snooze individual notifications, and plenty more (not to mention any extra goodies that OnePlus decides to throw on top with OxygenOS).

We, along with most fans of OnePlus phones, do hope that the Android O update is released in a timely manner for the OnePlus 3/3T.

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Source: OnePlus

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Honor 9 Versus the Competition

The Honor 9 has been announced as the followup to the popular Honor 8 from last year. This new phone comes at the same time as other powerful phones within the same price hit the market. Let's check out these different phones and see how they compare to the new Honor 9.

Like the OnePlus 5, the Honor 9 has elected to go with big processing power with the Kirin 960 while only having a 1080p screen. You don't see many flagship devices going with the 1080p resolution anymore, but the ones that do still sell without any problems. That's because most users value speed and battery life more than higher pixel density. By putting the latest hardware in the Honor 9 and skipping out of the higher resolution screen, they're creating a much faster phone.

In this video the Honor 9 is put through a speed test with the OnePlus 5.

Honor 9 – €429/€449 ($488/$511)

Honor 9	Specs
CPU	HiSilicon Kirin 960
RAM	4/6GB
Storage	64/128GB
Cameras	Dual 20MP + 12MP, f/2.2 (rear) 8 MP, f/2.0 (selfie)
Battery	3200 mAh

OnePlus 5 – $479/$539

OnePlus 5	Specs
CPU	Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835
RAM	6/8GB
Storage	64/128GB
Cameras	Dual 20MP + 16MP, f/1.7 (rear) 16MP, f/2.0 (selfie)
Battery	3300 mAh

LG G6 $549

LG G6	Specs
CPU	Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
RAM	4GB
Storage	32/64/128GB
Cameras	Dual 13MP f/1.8 (rear) 13MP, f/2.4 (selfie)
Battery	3300 mAh

During the launch event, the Honor 9 was shown to be faster than even the Galaxy S8, opening and reopening apps much faster than the much more expensive phone. Honor is proving that it can stand up to the competition and with the Honor 9.

Honor 9 Forums on XDA!

THanks to Honor for their partnership with XDA

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European Commission Orders Google to Pay $2.7 Billion for Manipulating Shopping Results

European Union regulators have issued a whopping $2.7 billion (€2.42 billion) fine on Google for violating European antitrust regulations. The search giant was accused of manipulating search results to favor its own shopping service. Google has been given 90 days to fix the problem, and if it doesn't, the EU will hit it with penalty of up to 5% of the average daily global revenue of Alphabet (Google's parent company).

Margrethe Vestager, the Danish politician who is currently serving as the European Commissioner for Competition had this to say:

"Google abused its market dominance as a search engine to promote its own comparison shopping service in search results, whilst demoting those of rivals (…) This is not competition on the merits and is illegal under EU antitrust rules."

The European Commission opened proceedings in this case in November 2010 following a number of complaints by European and U.S. competitors that Google had allegedly breached EU antitrust rules. After an initial investigation, Google sought to address the Commission's concerns by offering legally binding commitments, which the EU officials found to be unsatisfactory.

EU Commissioner of Competition Margrethe Vestager, Source: Getty Images

The Commission has come to a preliminary conclusion that Google has abused its dominant market position in two other cases which are still being investigated. One of them concerns the Android operating system, in which the Commission is concerned that Google pushes phone vendors to use Google services on their devices. While Android is an open-source operating system, Google requires OEMs to abide by the Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) in order to be licensed to ship with Google Play Services. The second case includes AdSense, where the Commission is concerned that Google has reduced choice by preventing third-party websites from sourcing search advertisements from Google's competitors. Google may soon face similar fines for said alleged breaches.

Mrs. Vestager explained that the European Commission studied 1.2 billion search inquiries before they came to the conclusion that Google was unfairly manipulating results.

In addition to the decision, the Commission stated that Google has to respect the simple principle of equal treatment in its search results for its own comparison shopping product and rival comparison shopping products. Google has to apply the same processes and methods to position and display rival comparison shopping services in Google's search results pages as it gives to its own comparison shopping service.

Google replied to these accusations with a statement insisting that the company is simply providing the best service possible to its search engine customers. One of their spokespersons responded with the following:

"When you shop online, you want to find the products you're looking for quickly and easily. And advertisers want to promote those same products. That's why Google shows shopping ads, connecting our users with thousands of advertisers, large and small, in ways that are useful for both. (…) We respectfully disagree with the conclusions announced today. We will review the Commission's decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case."

The European Commission has fined many companies in the last few years for alleged antitrust statute violations. A few years ago, another American giant – Microsoft  – was fined for using its dominant desktop OS position to promote Internet Explorer. As a result, the company decided to introduce the browser select window in Windows XP and Windows 7. The Commission is also targeting some smaller telephony carriers for not following its "Roam Like at Home" regulation.

Google Search is the most popular search engine in Europe. According to StaffCounter, users are picking up Google search in over 90 percent of cases. The second search engine in the table, Bing, has just a handful of users.

Nicolas Petit, a professor of competition law and economics at the University of Liège in Belgium said that "Europe has been more aggressive in enforcement against monopolies than the U.S." He also added: "In Europe, we're more threatened by the dominance of big companies." Companies such as Google or Microsoft are the leaders in their respective fields, and have to tread carefully to abide by EU regulations when doing business in this lucrative market.

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Source: European Commission Via: The New York Times

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Android Nougat Finally Rolling out for the Moto X Force

Motorola has finally pushed the Android Nougat update for the Moto X Force. Users of this handset may soon receive an OTA update notification when the update has been downloaded and is waiting to be installed.

The build number of the update is NPK25.200-12, and the version of Android is official 7.0. There's no telling if or when the phone will receive an update to Android 7.1 Nougat, though. XDA Forum Member justmoto92 created a thread in which you can discuss the latest Nougat update. Hopefully, someone will eventually get around to capturing an OTA file for those of you who can't sit still. For those of you who are waiting, a full change log of the update can be accessed here so you'll know what to expect when the update does arrive.

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Discuss the Moto X Force Update

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Google Home is Far More Likely than the Amazon Echo to Answer Your Searches

Voice activated home assistant devices are all the rage right now. At the forefront of this new device war is Amazon's Echo powered by Alexa and the Google Home powered by Google Assistant. A new study decided to test the accuracy of Google Home and Amazon Echo to see which one performs better at searching.

To capture the results, researchers at the New York-based 360i agency developed a program to determine which assistant is better at voice exchanges with humans. The results indicate that the Google Home is six times more likely to answer each question than Amazon's Echo.

Both devices were asked 3,000 questions to determine which one is better at understanding and replying. Google Home outperformed Alexa 6-to-1 in adequately responding to these questions. The excellent result is not that surprising, as Google's search engine is by far the largest and most powerful search engine available on all platforms.

But search accuracy doesn't tell the whole story, and just because the Google Home may be more accurate doesn't mean consumers believe it to be the better product. CBT Nuggets, based in Eugene, OR also performed a set of tests to find out which assistant has the edge in terms of consumer confidence. From their research, we learn that more users are satisfied with Alexa and choose it over Google Assistant. Over half of Echo users are happy with Amazon's assistant. Google Home scored just 46.8 percent of satisfied users. The study also reveals that Alexa handles the environment scenarios better. The Amazon's assistant outperforms Google Assistant in both louder and quiet locations.

The market of virtual assistants is growing. Amazon and Google are the two main competitors, but Apple is rumored to soon join the fray. As each home assistant device improves with new services and features, it's hard to definitively proclaim one or the other to be the king of the field. While the Amazon Echo performs better in certain situations, the Google Home currently provides the best search results. If you're planning to get one, you need to decide what you would like to prioritize.

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Source: Adweek Source: CBT Nuggets

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