#Rotategate: Many Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge users are having auto-rotate issues

Is your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge suddenly stuck in one screen orientation? You’re not alone — Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge accelerometers everywhere seem to be getting their gears jammed and it has nothing to do with forgetting to select auto-rotate in your settings.

A fairly sizable collective of individuals have reported that their Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge units periodically refuse to respond when trying to switch from portrait to landscape and vice versa. The only solution that has worked thus far? Walking into the store and requesting a new device, and reports from Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T customers confirm that they are granting these replacements without hesitation.

It seems that the Galaxy S6 Edge fast charger is heating the battery more than normal, causing the nearby accelerometer chip to burn out.

How to check if your S6 Edge accelerometer is busted:

… you can see that the accelerometer is stuck. To verify, enter “*#0*#” in your phone app to enter hardware test mode. Touch “Sensor”. The X, Y and Z for the accelerometer must all change in rapid succession as you rotate your phone. If any are stuck on 32767 or -32768, you have a HARDWARE problem which cannot be fixed by updates of software/firmware of ANY kind.

It’s still possible that a simpler solution exists, for example a firmware patch or maybe there was a bad batch of fast chargers but unfortunately that’s not the currently prevailing school of thought. We’ve put in a word to Samsung and are awaiting an official response, but in the meantime, join the more complete discussion on the topic on Android Forums.

It’s also worth noting that there have been no such reports for the regular version of the Samsung Galaxy S6, just the S6 Edge.

[via AndroidForums.com]

Twitter makes it possible to DM someone without having to follow each other

“Can you follow me so I can send you a direct message?” That’s how a typical 140-character conversation that needs to go private begins if the two parties aren’t following each other. It was always annoying not being able to send private, direct messages to other people unless both parties followed each other, but now Twitter is changing that.

You can now set whether you want people to be able to send you a direct message regardless of follow status. Should you enable it, someone who wants to send you a direct message will see a button to do so when they visit your profile. You can also continue the conversation with a reply of your own even if that person has opted out of receiving direct messages from people they don’t follow.

Here’s how you go about doing it on the Android version of the Twitter app once you’ve received the update:

1. In the top menu, tap on the overflow icon


2. Select Settings and tap the account @username you’d like to adjust.


3. Under Other, tap Receive Direct Messages from anyone to allow anyone to send you Messages.

And there you have it — no more awkward “follow me and I’ll follow you” nonsense before two people are able to converse in the private, comfy confines of their digital message box.

[via Twitter]

Imagine never having to charge your phone again [VIDEO]

Yesterday, we told you guys about a cool smartphone case that proposed to “capture” the energy outputted by your phone and convert it into usable DC energy. The idea is cool, sure, but many of you questioned the practical purpose, technical validity and even whether the technology exists.

Well, we can tell you the technology does exist. RF energy harvesting is a real thing, so there should be no question in that regard. It’s the application of said technology that makes the difference between revolutionary invention and wet dream.

Energous‘ forthcoming product — dubbed WattUp — is of the former variety, we believe. Like yesterday’s featured case, WattUp aims to capture RF energy and convert it into usable DC power, only it’s not claiming to be sucking up your phone’s excess power for its source of RF goodness. Instead, you set up a unit whose sole dedicated purpose is to blast RF energy, and your device — perhaps one with a proper case — captures that pocket of energy to be used for charging the device.

You can see this in action in the demo video above, where the gracious CEO demonstrates a cellphone that is being charged wirelessly, and without a charging pad, to boot. Here’s a quick explanation of it in layman’s terms, if you prefer:

WattUp™ uses pocket-forming technology to accurately direct energy to the receiver.  By dynamically adjusting the shape and content of the RF waves they can be directed to a specific location in 3D space.  There, the energy is gathered by the receiver’s metamaterial array where WattUp™ ASICs convert the RF signal to DC current, delivering a charge.

Needing a case for this sort of thing isn’t the most ideal, we’d say, but it’s what the company is doing in the area of logistics that has us most excited. Their aim is to get RF harvesting systems inside your tablets, smartphones and smart watches as standard, and they claim they’re already in talks with major OEMs to make that happen.

It’s also worth noting that the approach is two-pronged, as they are also exploring razor-thin units that can be put inside televisions, refrigerator doors or what have you. The hope is that you can have a home or office where needing bulky cables and wireless charging pads are a thing of the past. Simply walk inside, and you’re juicing up. How cool is that?

Oh, and if you had any concerns regarding its potential impact on health, WattUp maintains that their system is no more harmful than wearing a smartphone in your breastplate pocket all day long. Take that for what you will.

Unfortunately we still seem to be a moderate stretch away from seeing this thing seed into the market. The technology isn’t expected to be ready for about another year and a half, and it might be longer still before we see any OEMs implement it in a meaningful way. Either way, this is the sort of stuff  we need to mitigate the downsides of modern battery technology while we wait for other breakthroughs, and we can’t wait to see what happens next!

[via Yahoo]