Monday
Jan232017

Samsung has new eight-step process for testing batteries

Samsung is looking to avoid the mishap of the Galaxy Note7 by introducing a new testing process as well as forming a battery advisory board. The latter will be comprised by academics from the likes of Cambridge, Berkeley, and Stanford. The former will be implemented for all lithium ion batteries in Samsung products.

The first three steps—durability, visual inspection, and X-ray—as well as open circuit voltage tests are already being conducted on batteries but now Samsung says the testing has been “enhanced” and will be done more frequently. As you see above, the other tests include charge and discharge tests, tests of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), disassembling tests, and accelerated usage tests. It’ll take some time for Samsung to win back the trusts of consumers but taking steps to make sure they do that is a step in the right direction.

Source: The Verge

Sunday
Jan222017

Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 1/15-1/21

Sunday
Jan222017

PlayStation VR now has support for YouTube’s 360-degree videos

While it’s been tested out last year with a few issues that needed to be resolved, it looks like the Sony PlayStation VR can now support 360-degree videos on YouTube. And you won’t be limited to watching the 2D versions of videos, there are even some 3D 360-degree videos. You can check out a list of that here in this Reddit thread. Bringing in access to more content is a boon for the PSVR and that is something this fledgling industry needs.

Source: Digital Trends

Sunday
Jan222017

Nokia 6 reportedly sold out in a minute in its first flash sale in China

Nokia’s comeback phone, under HMD Global’s brand, seems to have done well out of the gate in China. The Nokia 6, which sold for around US$245 (approx. CA$320), went on its first flash sale on its exclusive retailer JD.com and was said to be sold in a minute. It’s unknown how many units were put up on sale and whether a second flash sale will be happening.

The mid-range device features a 5.5-inch Full HD display with 2.5D Gorilla Glass and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processr, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It has a16-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, and dual-tone flash, as well as an 8-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture. And it runs on a 3,000mAh non-removable battery with fast-charging support. There is no word yet if the phone will be making its way out of China. But HMD is set to reveal more Nokia phones at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Source: RT