DirecTV And Dish Network In Merger Talks, Again...

Dish Network could be in some financial trouble, as its deadline to cover 70% of the US with 5G comes up next month. The company is expected to meet that deadline, however, the company is going to need to spend billions more to cover 75% of America by 2025. And that’s billions that Dish Network does not have right now.

That brings us to Dish Network and DirecTV's potentially merging. The two have been posturing and position around a merger publicly for a few years. They are the two largest satellite TV providers in the US, and with cord cutting accelerating, a merger is likely inevitable. But now, the talks have stalled, reportedly.

Both of these satellite TV companies have their own Streaming TV service. With Dish Network having Sling TV, and DirecTV having DirecTV Stream and DirecTV via Internet, which are basically the same service. Clearly both companies know that streaming is the future, and it would make sense for the two of them to finally merge.

This would be a similar merger to Sirius and XM satellite radio merging 14 years ago, to form SiriusXM. If Dish Network and DirecTV did merge, they could end up being a viable competitor to AT&T. With DirecTV’s satellite and streaming TV service, and Dish’s services along with its internet business.

Now the other big question is, even if they do come to an agreement, would the regulators allow this deal to go through? Since they are the only satellite TV providers in the market right now, there’s likely going to be some pushback. Then again, satellite TV is dying, and this merger would be more about Internet and streaming TV, so it could be allowed to happen.

We’ll likely see a lot more about this potential deal in the coming weeks, especially if this while thing is one side trying to pressure the other into meeting their demands.

Meet Motorola’s New Razr Device, The Moto Razr+

 

After all the leaks and rumors of the past month or so, Motorola has taken it upon itself to confirm that its new Razr 40 range of foldable smartphones will be unveiled on June 1. It’s believed that Motorola will announce a pair of foldable phones at the launch event which will apparently “Flip the Script. June 1".

Evan Blass, known by his handle @evleaks, today published a batch of images showing off the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra (aka the Moto Razr+) from every angle in three colors black, blue, and the magenta/red.

Source: Twitter

Android 14 2.1 Public Beta, Now Available

 

Google has released the first public beta version of Android 14. Previous beta versions were intended only for developers. This version of Android 14 only includes a handful of minor changes visible to users, compared to Android 13. 

One is a smarter share-sheet, with new, faster options to share content with other people and devices. The "back" gesture has also been tweaked with a new visual interface. Most other changes are "behind the scenes" changes for developers. Google sometimes keeps new Android features hidden until it can announce them at an event like its annual I/O conference. Users wishing to try out Android 14 Beta 1 (on a non-critical device) can now enroll a recent Pixel phone in the beta program to access the software.

Source: Google

T-Mobile Buys Ryan Reynolds' Mint Mobile In a $1.35 Billion Deal

Mint Mobile, the wireless firm that counts Reynolds as a part owner, has been acquired by wireless giant T-Mobile in a deal that could value the startup firm at $1.35 billion. T-Mobile will pay the deal in 39 percent cash and 61 percent stock.

It is not immediately clear how much Reynolds will personally see from the deal, though he is said to own between 20-25 percent of Mint Mobile, implying a low nine-figure payday.

“Mint Mobile is the best deal in wireless and today’s news only enhances our ability to deliver for our customers,” Reynolds said in a statement Wednesday. “We are so happy T-Mobile beat out an aggressive last-minute bid from my mom Tammy Reynolds as we believe the excellence of their 5G network will provide a better strategic fit than my mom’s slightly-above-average mahjong skills. I am so proud of the entire Mint team and so excited for what’s to come.”

In addition to Mint, T-Mobile is also acquiring Ultra Mobile, which is geared toward providing international calling options to customers, as well as Plum, a wireless wholesaler. All three companies were owned by Ka’ena Corp, and founders David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim will run the company as its own business unit.

Under the terms of the deal, Reynolds will continue to work in his creative role for Mint. The actor has long appeared in commercials for the wireless brand, featuring his distinctive sense of humor.

In a statement, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said that he hopes to bring that formula to the larger company.

“Over the long-term, we’ll also benefit from applying the marketing formula Mint has become famous for across more parts of T-Mobile,” he said. “We think customers are really going to win with a more competitive and expansive Mint and Ultra.”

Reynolds is no stranger to the business world outside of acting. In 2020 he sold his Aviation Gin brand to Diageo in a deal worth $600 million.

Source: T-Mobile

Nothing Ear (1) True Wireless Earbuds Are Official, The First Product From Carl Pei

Nothing, a new brand from OnePlus founder Carl Pei, has today officially launched the Nothing Ear (1) true wireless earbuds after months of anticipation.

Nothing Ear (1) features an in ear design, Active Noise Cancelation, Bluetooth 5.2, IPX4 water resistance, and a charging case with Qi compatible wireless charging and a USB-C port. Fast pairing is supported on Android devices only.

ANC uses three microphones on each earbud and can be set to maximum for loud environments, light for quieter environments, and there is also a transparency mode for hearing the sound around you. During calls, the microphones are used to cancel out background noise.

The Nothing Ear (1) earbuds offer 5.7 hours of battery life with ANC turned off, and 34 hours of battery life when used with the charging case, four hours for the buds and 24 hours with the case with ANC switched on.

Each earbud can be controlled with tap and gesture controls, which can be customized with the accompanying app, and also features EQ controls and Find my Earbud functions.

Source: Nothing

Android 12 Beta 3.1 Update Is Here, Bug Fixes In Tow

Google has just released a bug fixing update for the recent Android 12 Beta 3 release. The new version Android Beta 3.1 addresses a number of undefined stability issues while also fixing a few more specific problems that adventurous users and developers may have run into, including bootloops and memory trouble. The update started rolling out via OTA and is available via direct download (view the download link below).

Android 12 Beta 3.1 Release Notes

If you’re already running a Android Developer Preview or Beta build, you will automatically receive an over-the-air (OTA) update to Android 12 Beta 3.1.

This minor update to Android 12 Beta 3 includes stability improvements as well as the following fixes:

Fixed an issue that caused some devices to get stuck in a boot loop after restarting the device. (Issue #193789343)

Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the System UI to crash.

Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the Android low memory killer daemon (lmkd) to excessively kill processes.

For instructions on how to update to Android 12 Beta 3.1 you will want to checkout out this post. If you are a part of the Android Beta program, then you can simply check for it by going to Settings>System>System update.

Android 12 Beta 3.1 Downloads: Factory, OTA  

Newton Email App Is Back

Newton is an email app for iOS, Android and desktop computers that has been around for a long time, gaining a large fan base over the years for its forward thinking features, going through many ups and downs as of recently, namely two shutdowns in two years. Media outlets have called it the better mail alternative to the Gmail app, and it has been downloaded on Google Play over a million times.

The new owners of Newton, Justin Mitchell and Maitrik Kataria have shared their plans for the future of the mail app, consisting of the following six steps:

1. A contingency plan to keep Newton going forever
2. Building a stable and steady independent business
3. Add “service” in the SaaS (software as a service) business
4. Add features that increase the lifetime value
5. Better security and privacy around your data
6. Rewards and discounts for loyal customers

You can download the Newton Android app, and Apple's App Store below at the source link.

Source: Google Play Store, Apple iOS App Store 

Android 11 Developer Preview 4 Goes Live...

Today we get Android 11 Developer Preview Four... Previously, Google said there would only be three Android 11 Developer Preview releases but Google is making a few changes to the Android 11 release schedule, and that includes this unexpected additional developer preview. The next beta release has been moved to June 3rd, where it will be dropped as part of a new Beta Launch Show online event details for which Google published earlier today. All of the following betas on the original schedule have also been pushed back a month.

Google says that this new timeline is the result of challenges posed to developers as a result of current events. The extra month will give them more time before Android 11's changes reach the "platform stability" milestone, and an extra month for developers to get Android 11 apps ready for testing (developers should note: SDK and APIs for Android 11 are still set to be finalized in June).

Source: Google, Android Developer Blog

Google Rolling Out Wireless Stadia Support

Google announced that wireless Stadia Controller support is rolling out to the web this week. This means that gamers playing on laptops and desktops no longer need to connect via USB.

Starting this week, you can now use the Stadia Controller to play wirelessly on your laptop and desktop. You no longer need to connect your Stadia Controller physically to your computer to play your favorite games. You’ll be able to link your Stadia Controller and Stadia.com through your Wi-Fi network and play without a USB-C cable connection.

As of this morning’s Stadia announcement, wireless Controller support on the web is not yet rolled out with a “coming soon” message still appearing. Once available, turn on your device and visit Stadia to open the Controller menu in the top right corner. A linking code that you need to enter on your Controller will appear.

Source: Stadia

Android 11 Beta Arrives, June 3rd

 

Android 11 Developer Preview program showed that we would get several previews before a public beta release some time in May. Google has now revealed that the first Android 11 Beta will arrive in June with a special online presentation.

This is the replacement for Google I/O, which was canceled due to coronavirus. The new event is called “The Beta Launch Show” and will take place on June 3 at 8AM Pacific (11AM Eastern).

Source: Android Developers