You can buy Pioneer’s Android Auto units right now

Yep, Pioneer’s the first to bat with Android Auto products officially available. The line of in-dash units revealed at this past CES is available for boatloads of cash, depending on what you need out of your vehicle’s in-dash system.

There’s just one problem: Android Auto isn’t actually out yet. It’s a fine audio unit on its own, mind you, and for those with Apple CarPlay that functionality is readily available. But those hoping to be able to add Android Auto functionality to their car without having to buy a brand new vehicle will have to wait for an update (though Google tells us that will happen quite soon).

These things don’t come cheap:

• AVH-4100NEX: 9.99


• AVH-7100NEX: ,199.99


• AVH-8100NEX: ,399.99

The main differences between them seem to be in areas of navigation. The cheapest option doesn’t support standalone GPS navigation, while the latter two do. The most expensive option offers a more robust suite of navigation features over its cheaper counterpart.

All units seem to enjoy the same audio, connectivity and media support (DVD and CD), though, so if navigation isn’t your thing then you’re better off going with the cheaper of the three. They’ll slot into any standard 4-inch Double-DIN dash bay so make sure your car has enough room for it and order one in anticipation of Android Auto’s arrival at some point down the line.

Some Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge units shipping with tiny scratches all over the display

When manufacturers churn out hundreds of thousands of devices in order to meet demand, occasionally a bad egg or two makes it past quality control. It’s not uncommon to have one, maybe even a few defective devices slip out when your phone is as popular as say, the Samsung Galaxy S6. So it’s not too surprising to find that some brand new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge customers have discovered some oddities with their shiny new devices, fresh out of the box.

It’s not #bendgate (thankfully), but as highlighted by XDA Developers, a handful of forum members have discovered what appears to be tiny scratches all over their “new” Galaxy S6 Edge displays. It’s a pattern not too unlike the swirl marks you might find on your car’s clear coat. It’s not clear how they got there, or how wide spread the issue is at the moment, but it’s definitely something you wouldn’t expect to find when unwrapping a 0+ piece of tech. The uploader also makes mention of dead pixels being present when the display is turned on.

Keep in mind out-of-the-box defects like this aren’t unique the Galaxy S6 Edge. Even the folks at iFixit found a scratched display on their freshly unwrapped HTC One M9 (complete with a dead pixel). Like any out-of-the-box defects, issues like this should be taken up with the retailer from whence it came, which happens to be T-Mobile who began shipping out the Samsung Galaxy S6 ahead of its April 10th launch date. There was a single report of an international model also arriving in this same condition, but that could be more isolated.

We should note: this defect seems to only affect the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge — not the regular flat Samsung Galaxy S6. In any case, now would be a good time to check your device out under a lamp or direct sunlight. Anyone find something similar on their Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge unit?

[XDA]

Report: the Samsung Galaxy S6 reached 10 million units shipped within a month

It seems Samsung sells their flagship phones faster and faster each year, and 2015’s lineup seems to be no different. The Korea Herald reports that Samsung shipped (which is as good as sold, really) over 10 million Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphones within a month of its April 10th launch.

The report says the Galaxy S6 “models” sold enough to surpass the milestone, so we imagine it includes both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. For what it’s worth, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 also reached 10 million with a month, so they’re quite used to these results by now.

What’s interesting to note is that Samsung admitted to having supply issues after misjudging the market, particularly in the UK. The company didn’t anticipate that the popularity and demand for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge would come close to that of the base model. Had their estimations been accurate they might have been able to produce a sufficient amount and sell even more.

The success of the phone comes at an important time where Samsung has been challenged to start thinking differently about mobile. They’re still by and large one of the biggest single manufacturers in the space, though they’ve had their mettle tested in many different regions, particularly in China where up and coming domestic manufacturers are creating better devices and commanding a lot more market share than years past. A sudden early launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 might do even more to help them regain the strong footing they once had.