Upstart OnePlus' 'Smash your Phone' gimmick is wasteful and stupid

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

OnePlus is a new Android smartphone manufacturer that has shown a very promising flagship device, but it's gimmick is earning it some notoriety as being a wasteful and stupid. OnePlus is giving 100 of their new "One" smartphones for $1.00 to anyone who smashes their current smartphone.

The idiocy is spelled out as a 3 step process:

1. Apply - Fill out the application form and send it in.

2. Stand Out - We'll choose 100 applicants to be our smashers.

3. Smash & Share - Share a video of your smash on YouTube and the OnePlus One will be yours!

This coming from a fledgling company pushing their first product and which has zero reputation for support and reliability.

The phones the OnePlus hopes interested buyers will 'Smash' include the iPhone 5c, the iPhone 5c, the HTC One and One (M8) and the latest Samsung Galaxies, Sony Xperias and even some BlackBerry devices.

Oh, and you can select your method of destruction which can range from hammer, baseball bat, blender, fire and screwdriver.  How about just giving away phones to lucky contestants? 

Many of these listed smashable phones have a $300-$500 resale value if sold or traded. They can be handed down to family members, donated to charity, sold for cash.  A smashed smartphone is of no use to anyone. 

OnePlus began their promotion of the "One" as an exclusive, by invitation only affair. No one cared so now this is their approach.

Google’s PhoneBloks concept is exciting and it’s never going to work (for the mass market)

By Simon Cohen

When you love tech (sometimes just for tech’s sake), it can be pretty heady stuff to read up on the projects that Google has on the go. Consider this incomplete list, it’s really quite extraordinary:

• Android@home
• Google “X” Robots
• Driverless cars
• Space elevators
• Clean energy
• Extending human lifespan
• Android Wear

You’ve got to hand it to Larry and Sergei. When they dream, they dream big. How cool is it that a couple of guys who came up with a better way to index the web are now in a position to influence the course of human history?

But when you roll the dice on monster concepts, you’ve got to be prepared when some of them don’t pan out. Of the items on the list above, there’s a good chance that all but the space elevator and human lifespan will make it from concept to reality. Even the driverless car–an idea that we were scoffing at less than 6 years ago–is real, and it works and they’re even legal in some places.

What I like about all of these projects is that there is a strong chance that if they work out as planned, they will see mass adoption. A lot of people are going to want the benefits these projects will offer.

But I can’t say the same for Google’s most recent foray into the future: Project Ara.

Click to read more ...

Done deal: Nokia now belongs to Microsoft

Nokia's mobile business (devices and services) is officially owned by Microsoft starting today, fulfilling an agreement both companies entered into last September. It is a Spring of change in the industry as Microsoft now lays claim to all the patents, expertise and some of the personnel that Nokia acquired through decades of being the leading mobile handset maker.

"Today we welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business to our family. The mobile capabilities and assets they bring will advance our transformation. Together with our partners, we remain focused on delivering innovation more rapidly in our mobile-first, cloud-first world," said Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella.

Canadian Stephen Elop, a former Microsoftie who took over Nokia in time to point out it was on a 'Burning Platform," ushered in the Lumia age of Windows Phone and will be returning back to his roots in Microsoft as head of the hardware division (yes that includes XBox, keyboards, mice and Surface). A fitting reward for a champion who divided and conquered a foreign army and brought home its best pieces and people.

"As Microsoft and Nokia Devices and Services come together as an expanded family, we will unify our passion, dedication and commitment to bringing you the best of what our joint technologies have to offer," Elop stated in his final memo as Nokia CEO. 

Apple lets you refund unauthorized in-app purchases

Following complaints of kids accidentally making in-app purchases on iTunes without their parents’ consent, Apple is giving users a chance to refund those purchases. Users will need the order ID number in the receipt sent to your email by Apple. Look for emails from do_not-reply@itunes.com with “In-App” Purchases indicated in the Type field. Or you can browse through your iTunes Store purchase history. Afterwards, head to the Apple support page and select email support option. Indicate the order ID and inform Apple you would like to “Refund for In-App Purchases made by a minor.” This option will only be available until April 15, 2015.

Source: Lifehacker