วันศุกร์ที่ 25 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2558

China Mobile Roadmap Claims New 4-Inch iPhone Coming in April 2016

Chinese cellular carrier China Mobile recently held an event discussing its upcoming plans for 2016, in which it hinted at an April 2016 release date for Apple's rumored 4-inch iPhone, reports MyDrivers [Google Translate] (via Gadgetz Arena).

An April 2016 release date for the device is in line with previous rumors that have suggested it will launch during the first months of 2016. Apple is rumored to be holding a March event where it will introduce a second-generation Apple Watch, and it's possible the 4-inch iPhone will also be unveiled at that time.

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Today's report from MyDrivers refers to the 4-inch iPhone as the "iPhone 7c," but Apple is unlikely to use that nomenclature for a device that launches ahead of the "iPhone 7," the name most probable for the 2016 flagship iPhone coming in September. All previous rumors have instead referred to the 4-inch iPhone as the "iPhone 6c."

The iPhone 6c is rumored to feature an aluminum casing like the iPhone 5s, with at least two to three color options available and a 2.5D curved edge cover glass like the glass used on the iPhone 6 and later. It may also include the same A9 processor used in the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, along with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.1.

Related Roundup: iPhone 6c (2016)
Tag: China Mobile

Judge Dismisses Android-Switching iMessage Lawsuit Against Apple

U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh has dismissed [PDF] a lawsuit against Apple over a long-standing issue that prevented some former iPhone owners who switched to Android smartphones from receiving text messages from other iOS users, as reported by Business Insider.

Koh originally ruled against granting the lawsuit class-action status, because it was not clear enough that all Android smartphone switchers were actually affected by the issue, but a trio of plaintiffs Adam Backhaut, Bouakhay Joy Backhaut and Kenneth Morris persisted with their case.
The three alleged that they switched from iPhones to Android phones in 2012. After that, texts sent to them from other iPhone users were not delivered. They were probably stuck in Apple's iMessage system, which was notoriously unreliable at delivering texts to Android phones until late 2014, when Apple introduced a fix for the bug. That constitutes a violation of the Federal Wire Tap Act, the three claim. Apple denied the allegations.
Apple launched a web tool in November 2014 for users to deregister their phone number from iMessage in the event they switched to a non-Apple device, and Koh ruled that Apple would face a federal lawsuit over the issue just two days later. As of Koh's ruling on Tuesday, however, all lawsuits against Apple related to the matter have come to a close with no punitive damages against the company.

Tags: lawsuit, Android, iMessage

YouTube Accuses T-Mobile of Downgrading All Video With Binge On Program

YouTube this morning provided a statement to The Wall Street Journal criticizing T-Mobile's recently introduced Binge On program and accusing T-Mobile of throttling all video and not just the video of its Binge On partners.

Launched in November, Binge On is a T-Mobile video service that allows T-Mobile subscribers to watch video from content partners without it counting against customer data plans. The catch is that it uses a proprietary data compression algorithm to stream the video in 480p. While Binge On can be disabled, using the feature requires partner video to be watched in 480p, which T-Mobile calls "DVD quality."

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T-Mobile has 24 partners for Binge On, including Netflix, HBO, Sling TV, and more, but YouTube has not signed up to participate. Despite the fact that YouTube is not partnering with T-Mobile, the company says its video streams are still being downgraded to 480p quality, a problem YouTube would like fixed.
YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet Inc., said T-Mobile is effectively throttling, or degrading, its traffic. "Reducing data charges can be good for users, but it doesn't justify throttling all video services, especially without explicit user consent," a YouTube spokesman said.
The Internet Association also backed up YouTube's claim, stating that T-Mobile's Binge On service "appears to involve the throttling of all video traffic, across all data plans, regardless of network congestion."

T-Mobile did not address YouTube's complaints when questioned by The Wall Street Journal, instead giving a blanket statement about Binge On. Customers love "free streaming video that never hits their data bucket" and "the quality of their video experience and the complete control they have."

The United States Federal Communications Commission is looking into Binge On along with free data services from AT&T and Comcast. While there is no formal inquiry at this time, the FCC has asked the three companies to answer some questions about their free data practices. YouTube's accusations could further spark the FCC's interest, especially as some consumer advocates believe that programs like Binge On violate net neutrality rules.