Mobile Nations Weekly: Anniversary Update
- jul
- 31
BlackBerry's newest phone is a new approach and Microsoft ramps up for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
Microsoft is updating in a big way — the week past brought a huge update for the Xbox One and the week ahead will be bringing the huge Windows 10 Anniversary Update to PCs. The Xbox update brings the console's feature set even closer to that of core Windows, including the addition of Windows 10 app support and Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana.
BlackBerry's seond Android phone is here, and it's a mouthful: the BlackBerry DTEK50. Billed as the "world's most secure smartphone", the DTEK50 is actually a re-badge of the Alcatel Idol 4 — made by BlackBerry contractor and Alcatel owner TCL.
Apple's earnings report landed, and as expected, they made several buckets worth of money. And in an interesting twist, an Apple veteran is back to take over their not-so-secret car project.
There's all of that and so much more — like a VR roller coaster inside a real-life amusement park — in this edition of Mobile Nations Weekly!
iMore — Pokegone
It's still a Pokemon Go world and we just live in it. Another week and a couple more launch countries, and it remains the most popular thing on mobile. That is, when the Pokemon Go servers aren't down. Yet, somehow, we've all managed to go on and even get a few other things done!
- How Apple could improve iPhone battery life in the age of Snapchat and Pokemon Go
- The one change Apple made that'll unless TV gaming
- This is Tim: Our transcript of Apple's Q3 2016 conference call
- Bob Mansfield takes over Apple's car project, Titan
Android Central — Prisma my DTEK50 photos
BlackBerry unveiled its second Android phone this week, the … wonderfully named DTEK50. It's a re-badged Alcatel Idol 4, actually, with BlackBerry's touches in the software — and while it isn't going to captivate many in the Android world, it's likely a good strategy for BlackBerry going forward.
Verizon also started officially selling what are likely to be far more appealing phones — the Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid Editions. Hit up a Verizon store or its website if you're interested in the latest from Moto.
The popular iOS app Prisma made its way to Android this week, and it's a pretty neat way to take what could be dull photos and process them with awesome filters. The app's a bit slow as Prisma's servers try and cope with all of the requests, but if you haven't given it a look yet you should.
In other app news, just in case you were wondering just how popular Pokémon Go is, the Android app surpassed 50 million downloads this week. That's just a fraction of the players, of course, as there are tens of million more over on iOS as well.
- How to set up Google Play Family Library
- Samsung Galaxy S8 edge: What does a curvy Note 7 mean for next year's flagships?
- Moto G4 review: Balanced on a budget
- OnePlus 3: A second opinion
- JBL Charge 3 and Clip 2 prove there's still innovation in Bluetooth speakers
CrackBerry — Deetech
If a new mid-range Android phone designed to address your security and privacy needs is what you were hoping for from BlackBerry, then you're good to go after this week, as BlackBerry has now officially announced their second Android-powered device better known as DTEK50.
- BlackBerry officially announces the DTEK50, pre-orders now open for $299
- Watch the BlackBerry DTEK50 launch webcast
- Watch the BlackBerry DTEK50 Facebook Live Q&A replay
VR Heads — Roller Coasters in VR
What's the line between real world adventure and virtual fun? The new VR addition to Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags America blurs that line even further by taking a real roller coaster and adding a VR story on top. Outside of the theme park world, it's important to remember the hardware powering these experiences can be a bit fragile. We got a different experience instead of gameplay, as we pulled the hardware apart to see what's inside.
- I rode a VR coaster, and it was beyond epic!
- Exploring the inside of an HTC Vive controller
- Steam's VR Weekend Sale slashes prices on hundreds of titles
Windows Central — Behold the AU
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update hits PCs starting on this coming Tuesday, but we gave the big OS update a thorough review and walkthrough. While not a revolutionary update it does pack quite a lot of features and improvements driven by users on the Insider program.
We also gave a look at one of the first custom Xbox One controllers that you can design yourself.
Speaking of updates, Microsoft pushed out the Summer Update for the Xbox One, which brings Cortana, some UI changes, and more. We have a complete breakdown including a list of all the new universal Windows apps that are co-launching with the update.