Evening brief: More Note 7 bans, Android Wear's holding pattern and Spotify keeps growing
Here's all of the important news you may have missed in the Android world today.
The Note 7 recall story just keeps rolling along, with the MTA (New York) and NJT (New Jersey) transit organizations telling riders not to use their Note 7s on trains, no matter how unenforceable that may be. In other news about products that people don't use, Android Wear watches from Google's biggest partners won't be coming until 2017, according to a new report.
On the upside, Spotify now has 40 million subscribers and is easily the biggest music streaming service in the world. Qualcomm has announced some new camera tech that promises better photos (as soon as manufacturers use it), and Google is ponying up the big bucks for hackers who can find exploits in the Nexus 6P and 5X. Here's all of the biggest news for you to get caught up on.
MTA and NJT tell travelers not to use Note 7s in transit or at stations
New York's MTA and New Jersey Transit are the latest bodies to tell Galaxy Note 7 owners not to use their devices while they travel over battery explosion fears. The former says there've been no incidents of Notes blowing up on MTA property. However, developments like this cast doubt on whether the Note 7's reputation will ever recover, or whether travel restrictions will be raised even after "safe" units are in customers' hands.
No new Android Wear watches from LG, Huawei or Moto this year
A report from CNET reveals that both Moto and Huawei are holding out for the arrival of new tech, while LG's waiting to see what sticks with consumers. For its part, Google is expected to launch its own-branded smartwatches along with its new Pixel phones later in the year. More
Honor 8 in blue in short supply in the UK
Current supplies of the blue model are set to run out soon, we're told, following news that the phone has sold more than 1.5 million units in its first two months of availability. More
Spotify hits 40 million subscribers, and is rising fast
Spotify's CEO announced today that his company now has 40 million paid subscribers, up from 30 million six months ago. Spotify has the most popular streaming music service in the world, outpacing competitors like Apple Music (which announced 17 million users last week), TIDAL, Deezer, and others.
Google ponying up big money to good hackers
Google is offering prizes to hackers who can find exploits in the Nexus 6P and 5X as part of a new Project Zero bounty meant to encourage crafty coders to do the right thing. There are three prizes: $200k, $100k, and $50k. Don't spend it all at once!
Qualcomm has new dual-camera tech for manufacturers to use
Much like Huawei has done with the P9 and Honor 8, Qualcomm has announced new "Clear Sight" dual camera technology that lets a color and monochrome camera work together to produce even better photos. It's available to any manufacturer shipping Snapdragon 820 or 821 phones. More
Android OEMs are dying, again
Another day, another editorial on the woeful state of Android manufacturers. Seems like we hear the death knell of companies like HTC and Sony Mobile every year around this time. Remind us to check on the status of this claim next year with our HTC 11.
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