Sprint is working on something right now, and it’s so big the Now Network has decided that it warrants a landing page with a big countdown clock on it.

Sprint has officially launched a brand new countdown timer that will end on Wednesday, November 18, at 11:00 AM ET. As for what Sprint is planning on announcing, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. Whatever it is, Marcelo Claure, Sprint’s CEO, says that the carriers “are not going to like” it.

The other carriers are not going to like this…guaranteed. Check out this link to find out when https://t.co/iVK0Y4M2sv

— MarceloClaure (@marceloclaure) November 17, 2015

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There is a “Give me a hint” button on the right, but it doesn’t really give anything away, other than whatever the announcement is, it’ll be focused in one way or another on savings. One hint, for example, reads, “We’re here to do two things: Save you money and chew bubble gum. And we’re all out of bubble gum.”

The other hints are just as helpful.

What do you think Sprint will announce?

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Soon after the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 launched, several different people found that inserting the included S Pen could actually break the internal S Pen sensor and essentially prevent the S Pen from being removed without causing further damage. While Samsung was quick to respond, the damage, so to speak, was already done.

Now, almost three months later, Samsung has taken the initiative and created a brand new warning label for the Galaxy Note 5 and the S Pen. The new warning label was first discovered via a YouTube video published by “J. Williams” showcasing a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Gold Platinum, and surfaced by way of SamMobile.

In the video, it’s clearly showcased now on a new warning label that says inserting the S Pen the wrong way “can damage the pen and your phone,” and it also has a pair of images depicting the right (and wrong) way to insert the stylus.

Is it a good idea that’s a little too late?

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According to Tablety.pl, LG is finishing up its final round of testing for the LG G3′s Android 6.0 build and is planning to release the new software update starting in Poland between December 16 and 18. LG customers in Poland have been the first to receive major Android updates in the past, but there’s no reason why LG shouldn’t also release the update to other unlocked versions of the G3 around the same time.

It will be a different story for the US market and carrier-branded versions of the LG G3 in Europe and Asia. LG has done an incredible job of updating its unlocked phones, but they have had a few issues getting service providers to test and release updates for its phones in a timely manner. Based on LG’s track record, we don’t expect to see Android Marshmallow released for carrier-branded versions of the LG G3 until late January or even early February of 2016 — after LG gets the update rolling for the LG G4.

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While the SHIELD line became even more powerful this year in its Android TV form, last year’s SHIELD tablet remains a high point for Android tablets in terms of performance and, thanks to NVIDIA’s added touches, is unsurpassed in the gaming realm.

Since the recall of some SHIELD tablets at the end of the summer, the device has been out of stock in most locations. But NVIDIA is finally refreshing the SHIELD Tablet, now the SHIELD tablet K1, and bringing it back for the holidays.

This is technically a new SHIELD tablet, but the changes from the original are minimal. Gone are the stylus, charger and USB cable in the box, but in exchange for these the price of the SHIELD tablet K1 has dropped from $299 to just $199. Truly this is the best deal in Android tablets as long as you don’t have your heart set on a big screen.

While the tablet is shipping with Android 5.1.1, Marshmallow is on the way before the holidays for the new SHIELD Tablet K1. NVIDIA has promised owners of the original SHIELD Tablet will be treated to Marshmallow as well, but no timeline is available yet.

If you haven’t tried out the new GeForce NOW service, it is definitely one of the high points of any SHIELD device, and it is free for your first 3 months and $7.99 after. There are over 60 PC games playable for free as part of your subscription and the ability to purchase newly released games through the online store.

NVIDIA SHIELD tablet K1 is available for purchase starting today through shield.nvidia.com, Amazon, Newegg and coming soon to Best Buy.

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That’s right, it’s Tuesday and HTC is offering another incredible deal on its site. If you buy the HTC One M9 from HTC (we recommend the two-tone pink and gold model), you’re get a free HTC Desire 626 and a $100 to spend on Google Play for apps, games, movies or books. Like all other HTC Hot Deals, the promotion is only valid until midnight (PST). Inventory on HTC Hot Deal items typically goes fast, so we recommend jumping over to HTC’s site as soon as possible is you want to take advantage of this week’s deal.

For the number crunchers, this week’s Hot Deal represents a 30% discount since the total value of the HTC Desire 626, HTC One M9 and $100 Google Play credit adds up to $929. We’re not sure what Hot Deal HTC will be offering next week, but this might be the perfect opportunity to get a free phone for someone in your family who desperately needs to ditch that dumbphone they have been holding on to for the past five years.

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For years, Sony has been building the best digital imaging sensors on the planet. That being said, Sony’s software teams have struggled to deliver a stellar UI, making the use of the smartphone cameras quite cumbersome and dramatically harder to use than those of their competitors. Fortunately, Sony’s been listing to the complaints of its users and is now delivering a camera update to the Sony Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact and Z5 Premium which will dramatically improve the camera usability on all three devices.

Since Sony has dozens of Xperia Camera apps and presets available on its phones, the software team decided that they needed to do away with its clunky menu system. Rather than finding the camera more by tapping the screen a half dozen times, users can now swipe through to the various camera modes directly from the viewfinder. Manually changing the brightness of white balance of a shot is as easy as tapping the on-screen settings button and adjusting two different sliders which appear.  

The changes to Sony’ camera app UI will be well-accepted. The UI ideas implemented aren’t necessarily new (HTC and Samsung users have has similar UI features since early 2014), but it’s nice to see Sony continuing to improve the user experience on its phone. Now, if they could just find a way to get multiple service providers in the US to carry the Xperia Z5 line, Sony’s smartphone division might actually be able to make a profit in 2016.

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The Google app has been getting smarter and smarter as time goes by. First it started with the Knowledge Graph, which provided information on single entities. Then it became more advanced, recognizing facts about those entities and answering simple questions.

Now, Google will be able to answer more complex questions. Questions with multiple factors to them (as shown above) can now be answered by breaking down each part of the question behind the scenes. Google’s goal was to understand the intent of the question based on the various parts.

Hit the source link for more detailed information about this change. It’s always interesting to read what Google has to say about these things.

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Google said that T-Mobile band 12 LTE support would be available for the Nexus 5X and 6P by the time they ship, but unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. Thankfully, one of the devices may be very close to getting the promised support.

The Nexus 6P has appeared on T-Mobile’s list of devices that support band 12 LTE, also called Extended Range LTE by T-Mobile. Though the device hasn’t received an update to add this support, the fact that it’s on the list bodes well for the update coming in the near future. Unfortunately, there’s no sign of support for the Nexus 5X yet.

For those with a Nexus 6P on T-Mobile, keep an eye out for an update to enable band 12 LTE support

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Pandora has announced that it will be purchasing key assets of music streaming service Rdio. As Rdio files for bankruptcy, Pandora will be purchasing parts of the company, as well as offering its employees positions at Pandora, for $75 million in cash. The entire company will not be purchased.

On the plus side, Pandora will be improved using this new technology late 2016. Unfortunately, it also means that people will have to say goodbye to Rdio. It’s rarely a good thing when a competitor goes out of business, but the struggling service will soon be no more.

More details about changes to Pandora will be coming soon. How many of you still use Rdio? Leave a comment!

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OnePlus has released a few USB Type-C accessories recently, like a (much sought after) USB Type-C cable and a Type-C adapter. But according to a Google employee by the name of Benson Leung, they might be dangerous to your device.

The man has reviewed a lot of USB Type-C cables (even more since the article was written), looking for proper compliance and components inside. His research is fantastic, as the technology is young and there are a lot of bad products out there.

According to Leung, OnePlus cables and adapters use the wrong resistor inside, so devices will attempt to charge at 3A but will not be able to draw that current. He says this might actually damage your device! The OnePlus 2 doesn’t support fast charging, so it isn’t at risk, but devices like the new Nexus phones are.

If you’re looking for a new USB Type-C cable, you’d do well avoiding the OnePlus cables and selecting a good one from this list. And if you already have a OnePlus cable, shooting the company an email with Benson Leung’s info can’t hurt.

Source: +Benson Leung (2)

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