YouTube TV finally gets apps for smart TVs, Android TV, Xbox, and Apple TV

YouTube TV finally gets apps for smart TVs, Android TV, Xbox, and Apple TV

is Google's live TV service, which launched earlier this year, and has been ever since. While you have been able to view its programming on TVs by using a Chromecast (including with ), only now is the company finally announcing that it's developed a YouTube TV app for actual TVs and consoles connected to TVs. Better late than never, sure but this has been quite an odd omission so far. Anyway, in the next few days a new YouTube TV app will be available for Android TV devices and the Xbox One family. Then in the coming weeks this new app will be launching on smart TVs from LG, Samsung, and Sony. It will also make its way to the Apple TV. This app will be similar to the mobile apps for YouTube TV, with the same signature tabs featured home, live, and library. You'll be able to (obviously) use the TV or console's remote or game controller for navigation, and you'll find a new Live guide made for your big screen. For a more cinematic look, the background is dark on your TVs. YouTube TV is now available in all top 50 metro areas, covering over two-thirds of the US. |

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Sprint to call off merger with T-Mobile, clash over control of the combined carrier to blame

Sprint to call off merger with T-Mobile, clash over control of the combined carrier to blame

Rumors of newly rekindled started popping up in September. Then at the beginning of this month it was claimed that the two companies were actually , so at this point we were expecting an official announcement on the matter. That, however, isn't going to happen, a Nikkei exclusive report says. Sprint owner SoftBank has allegedly decided to call off the merger. It will approach T-Mobile owner Deutsche Telekom as soon as tomorrow to let it know. Telekom and SoftBank had apparently reached a broad agreement to integrate T-Mobile and Sprint, the third and fourth largest carriers in the US, respectively. All that was left to do was iron out such details as the ownership ratio. And that's exactly where things went wrong. Telekom has insisted on having a controlling stake in the new entity formed, and some at SoftBank were initially amenable as long as the Japanese company retained some influence. But SoftBank's board discussed this issue specifically at a meeting on Friday, and in the end decided that the company would not agree to give up control. Following this, today SoftBank made up its mind about calling off the talks. So there you have it: it looks like everything was going very well for this deal, but unfortunately both parent companies of the merging carriers wanted to retain control of the new corporation that would be formed as a result. And so, once again, the existence of a combined T-Mobile + Sprint entity has been thwarted. Previously, SoftBank wanted to buy T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom in 2014, but it gave up amid opposition from regulatory authorities.

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HTC U11+ to come in a new translucent color

HTC U11+ to come in a new translucent color

HTC is having a launch event on where it will launch the and another rumored device called the HTC . Weve already seen the latter leaked through and photos. However, we still havent heard much about the HTC U11+, the device rumored to be a refreshed version of the HTC U11 with a taller 18:9 display. Even though details about the device are scarce, we can pretty much imagine what it would look like. Thanks to @evleaks, we are also expecting a new rumored color. The tweet mentions three color options for the supposed HTC U11+: (brilliant) black, (amazing) silver, and (??) translucent. Weve not seen such a color come from HTC and the company may be planning to debut it on the HTC U11+. Translucent does not mean transparent. It would be really cool to see through the glass into the phones innards, but this was only acceptable on things manufactured in the 90s. Our guess is the phone will have the same Ice White color behind the glass, but the glass will have a frosted matte finish on the exterior. The HTC Lifes current rumored specs include a Snapdragon 630 (though, conflicting rumors say Snapdragon 660), and 3GB of RAM. A 5.2-inch display is said to be powered by a 2,600 mAh battery. Meanwhile, the HTC U11+ is rumored to have the same specs at the HTC U11 with the exception of a taller 18:9 display. Thus, moving the fingerprint scanner to the rear, as seen on the .

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Asus launches the Zenfone 4 Pro, Zenfone 4, and 5.2 Zenfone 4 Max in the US

Asus launches the Zenfone 4 Pro, Zenfone 4, and 5.2 Zenfone 4 Max in the US

Today Asus is significantly expanding the Zenfone 4 family of smartphones in the US. The Taiwanese company launched the stateside last month, and now it's being joined by a bunch of its siblings. Let's start with the top of the line offering, in effect Asus' flagship handset at the moment. This one features a 5.5 1080p AMOLED touchscreen, 6GB of RAM, and the Snapdragon 835 chipset at the helm. It comes with 64GB of expandable storage and a 3,600 mAh battery. Its dual rear camera setup consists of a 12 MP main shooter with a 1/2.55 sensor, 1.4m pixels and f/1.7 aperture, as well as a 16 MP unit with 2x fixed optical zoom. On the front you'll find an 8 MP snapper for selfies, with f/1.9 aperture and 1.4m pixel size. The Zenfone 4 Pro runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat and is up for pre-order at , , , , and . It's available in black only and will set you back $599. It will start shipping on November 6. The Zenfone 4 has dual rear cameras too, though in this case both come with 12 MP resolution. The main sensor has f/1.8 aperture, while the secondary one has a 120-degree wide-angle lens. This phone is powered by the Snapdragon 630 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM and a 3,300 mAh battery. 64GB of expandable storage is in tow, along with an 8 MP f/2.0 selfie snapper, and a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD touchscreen. The Android version that's pre-installed is 7.1.1 Nougat in this case too. The Zenfone 4 is also available to pre-order from , , , and , and will ship on November 6 like the Pro according to Asus, and November 3 according to Newegg. Oddly enough, says it already has units in stock. It is priced at $399 and should be offered in both Midnight Black and Moonlight White. This model complements the 5.5-inch iteration that's already available. It obviously brings a smaller 5.2 display to the table, with 720p resolution. It's powered by the Snapdragon 425 chip, has 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage. It's got a 13 MP + 5 MP dual camera setup on the back, an 8 MP front-facing unit, as well as Android 7.0 Nougat on board. Its main claim to fame however has to be the huge 4,100 mAh battery, since that's the theme of the Max-branded Zenfones. This is sure to last one day or more on a charge for even the most demanding power users. Then again, it remains to be seen how many of those will settle for the lower-midrange specs on offer here. The 5.2-inch Zenfone 4 Max is priced at $169 unlocked and will only be out in black. You can pre-order one from , , , and . This model will be released on November 3.

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Samsung Galaxy Note FE now hits the Philippines

Samsung Galaxy Note FE now hits the Philippines

The has now arrived in the Philippines, making it the third Asian market after and to get the phone. Retailer is offering the device in the country. As you can see in the image above, the phone is only available for a limited time. Officially, there's no information on pricing (the device isn't yet listed on the retailer's website), although reports says its PHP 32,990, which is around $640.

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Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge on AT&T getting new update

Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge on AT&T getting new update

AT has started pushing out a new update to Samsung's Galaxy S series flagship smartphones from last year. The update arriving as version G930AUCS4BQJ2 for the and G935AUCS4BQJ2 for the includes October security patch. In addition to the latest security fixes, the update also brings along fix for the BlueBorne vulnerability, which allows a remote attacker to take control of devices via Bluetooth, even if they're not set in discoverable mode. The rollout stated late last week, so it shouldn't be long before you get to a notification for the 135MB update on your device (if haven't already).

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