iFixit’s HTC One M9 teardown shows a phone just as infuriating to repair as last year’s model

iFixit has long been a fabulous resource for definitive smartphone teardowns. You guys may remember that not too long ago, they even launched Android dedicated section on their site where regular users, such as yourself, can snap pics of any repairs you do on your device to share with others.

Now we already got a look at a sort of rough HTC One M9 teardown last week. The video was a tad overexposed and out of focus, but it got the job done. Definitely not as comprehensive as iFixit’s usual step-by-step process. The one thing last week’s video and iFixit agree on: the HTC One M9’s display is hard as balls to fix.

According to iFixit, the One M9 gets a few points for ditching a lot of the sticky tape found on the One M8, but loses even more points for continuing to use “intense” adhesives that make removing components tough and even dangerous in some cases. When it comes to replacing the display — the most common smartphone component in need of repairs — you’ll have to tunnel through the entire phone just to replace it. Not cool.

In the end, iFixit was not at all amused with HTC’s infuriating internal design and even joked that HTC should be an acronym for “Has To Change,” The HTC One M9 received a repairability score of 2 out 10. Suddenly, it makes sense why the HTC offers that amazing Uh Oh protection because, let’s be honest, ain’t no way in hell any normal person is going to be repairing their One M9 should the screen break.

[iFixit]

Report: Google in talks with LG to build this year’s Nexus smartphone, not Huawei

Details about how the Nexus 6 was conceived is still shrouded in mystery. With rumors last year that Google would effectively be killing off the Nexus line in favor of multiple high-end devices — all running stock Android — sold in carrier stores, Google seemingly made a U-turn. This was after the Android Silver project head made his sudden departure from the company altogether.

Now, as we look ahead to the next Nexus, early rumors began swirling that Chinese smartphone maker Huawei would take up the mantle, something we’ll admit we never saw coming. But before you got your hopes up (or down), a new report has emerged, suggesting that it could be none other than LG.

Apparently, Google engineers were spotted visiting LG headquarters in South Korea, where they took a tour of a few LG facilities responsible for building LG’s displays, OIS cameras, wireless charging parts, as well as LG’s own R&D facilities. Carrying the codename “N000,” (those are zeroes, by the way, not the letter “o”) the device — said to be a smartphone — could launch as the “ Nexus 7.” Um… what?

Going by Google’s current naming convention, the number following a Nexus name has always denoted screen size — not generation. It’d be odd if Google suddenly switched gears confusing consumers in the process. So, that either means Google is looking to LG for a 7-inch tablet followup, or they’re launching a 7-inch smartphone (or not using the 7 name at all). If LG is making another tablet (and not a smartphone), then it’s still entirely possible for Huawei could be working on the actual smartphone. Confused yet? So are we.

As you can already tell, we’re getting a little bit ahead of ourselves here. In any case, LG is a major Android partner and has released quite a few Nexus devices to date, even more if you count their Google Play tablet. If rumors of an LG-made Nexus 2015 smartphone are true, would you guys be disappointed or overjoyed?

[eToday]

Google’s self-driving cars have been involved in 11 accidents in 6 years, and none were their fault

“Self-driving cars? Madness! What happens when the cars get hacked? Or the electric circuitry gets all weird? Or, even worse, they become sentient evil beings? These cars must be banned before they even hit the road!”

Those are the lines we imagine many people have had run through their heads when they first heard Google was working on self-driving vehicles, but Google’s cars have actually proven to be much safer than many people could have anticipated. Head of the project Chris Urmson revealed that Google’s cars have only been involved in 11 accidents in the past 6 years.

While that number alone should be low enough to quell fears, this fact should drive that point home: none of the accidents were caused by fault of the vehicles, and they all resulted in 0 injuries and only minor damage. The most common cause of accidents were other drivers rear-ending the driverless cars, which Google says accounted for 8 of the 11 accidents.

Those are some pretty strong numbers to be able to tout, and Google’s sure to keep it in their back pocket should they ever face strong resistance from road regulators due to questions of safety.

Other choice statistics from Urmson’s latest blog post:

• Google self-driving cars have traveled a combined 1.7 million miles in testing combined


• Of the 1.7 million miles, nearly 1 million were autonomous, the rest being manually controlled by the test drivers


• Google is averaging 10,000 self-driven miles per week, which is just less than a typical American drives in a year


• Driver error causes 94% of road crashes


• In America, 660,000 people at any given moment have their attention split while behind the wheel (texting, calling, eating, etc)


• Meanwhile, Google’s self-driving cars have 100% of their attention focused over all 360 degrees of their surroundings

You can read Urmson’s full post over at Medium right now if you’re interested in a deeper look at how their self-driving car project has evolved to become one of the most safe driving experiences on the road today.

Keep your data and online activity secure with 2 years of NordVPN for $39

The internet can be a scary place. People can track your location, hack your personal accounts, and even steal your identity. Sometimes you might want to browse the web with a little more privacy. A VPN (virtual private network) allows you to use the internet through an encrypted network. This means all of your private data is hidden from prying eyes.

Over at AndroidArea we have a sweet deal on NordVPN. For just (usually 0) you can get a 2-year subscription to this handy service. The deal ends in two days, so act fast. What exactly does get you?

• All data sent through NordVPN’s private tunnels is double encrypted (double data SSL-based 2048-bit encryption), keeping you anonymous and hiding your information


• Secures any Internet connection: public Wi-Fi hotspots, cellular networks & more


• Bypass content restrictions and stay anonymous


• Strict no-log policy: your activity is not recorded anywhere


• 43+ worldwide server locations in 25 different countries for online access anywhere


• High speed connections for streaming video and content access


• Easy to use and set up; custom versions for each specific device


• Automatic kill switch shuts down your site as soon as the VPN connection drops, so no data is revealed


• All DNS queries stay secure and protected


• Secret notes that auto-destroy & encrypted chat function


• Connect two devices simultaneously


• No limit on data


• Web proxy extension for Google Chrome

Snag this deal right here before it ends. If you’ve been looking for a VPN service, or have been curious to try one, this is a nice deal.

Brilliant idiot turns 16 years of selfies into epic time lapse [VIDEO]

He calls himself an idiot… we’d say he’s brilliant.

You’re featured in some devastatingly awesome photobombs. You’ve mastered the art of the duckface. Your front facing camera skills put the Selfie Stick to shame. Brag all you want… you’re a rookie compared to this guy who took 16 years of selfies and compiled them all into one mind-blowing video.

He calls himself an idiot (probably to generate more clicks) but I’d say moreso a self-depracating genius. It takes a lot of foresight and vision to start such a project before mobile phones were popular. Heck, before modern day selfies were invented.

The photos are creatively compiled on his site, allowing you to experience them in different ways:

His name is JK Keller and here are some interesting facts from this truly interesting project:

• He used Adobe After Affects Image Stabilization Plugin to maintain consistency across photos


• The project started out of spite when his girlfriend mocked his expensive purchase (Nikon Coolpix 900) by sarcastically asking, “Are you going to use it every day?”


• He was 22 years old when he started the project on October 1st, 1998


• He plans on continuing the project (and updating the videos) until the day he dies


• He doesn’t smile so the images are objective and similar across days, months, years, and decades


• There is 8 months of missing data during which time JK was a janitor in Antarctica. This is not a joke.

Now this is a guy with whom I’d like to sit down and have a cup of coffee. It’s one thing to have the idea, it’s another thing to start it, but consistently keeping at it for 16 years without some overarching motivation besides self interest? This is a real artist at work.

That being said, JK readily admits that he’s not the first to pursue such projects and acknowledges he won’t be the last. He has even compiled a list of related photo projects for those who enjoy his own.

Do you now feel inspired to dream up a project of long-term creativity of your own? Because I sure do…

HTC says next year’s M phone will be completely different

HTC has taken a lot of flak for the HTC One M9. It’s not a bad phone on its own, but the company did next to nothing different compared to yesteryear’s HTC One M8. Well, it wasn’t enough to get M8 owners to consider upgrading, anyway.

But the company says the iterative updates are about to go away. CEO Cher Wang confirmed to Focus Taiwan that HTC is planning to bring a fresh, innovative device for the next flagship M device ( HTC One M10, anyone?). We’ll see new goods in areas of both design and technology. It will have been the biggest departure from HTC’s tried and true engineering since the original HTC One (M7).

Beyond that, the company is also planning to launch another hero device later this year, which seems to indicate that they’ve ditched their strategy of releasing just one sole flagship device each year. Then again, they’ve already shown us that they have no problems releasing multiple high-end smartphones, even when their launches come weeks apart.

HTC’s also conscious about their questionable marketing efforts, and says they have plans to step it up down the line. We’re not sure what they will do, but we sincerely hope it features a lot less Robert Downey Jr.

OnePlus 2 rumored for a July unveiling at a price higher than last year’s model

OnePlus 2 is gearing up for a summer launch. We know this because OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei told us last year during a Reddit AMA that they were aiming for a Q2/Q3 launch for the followup to last year’s OnePlus One. But we still don’t have a specific date, despite the phone recently hitting its 1-year anniversary.

That hasn’t stopped OnePlus from getting the hype train rolling, teasing the OP 2 and early access for participants willing to jump through a few hoops (contests). Today, we’re could be getting a clearer picture of exactly when OnePlus will at least formally announce the phone, with sources out of MyDrivers pinning an official unveiling for July.

What’s more is sources claim to know the expected pricing: 1,999 Chinese Yuan, or somewhere around 2 US dollars for the base model. In other words, expect the phone to launch for a little more than last year’s OnePlus One, probably closer to 0 base. Remember, the original OnePlus One launched at 0 for the 16GB model, but also had a 64GB version for only 0. At that time, that was absolutely unheard of, especially for a device offering that much storage.

In either case, we’re certainly excited to see what OnePlus will unveil and yes, you’ll initially need an invite to pick one up. Rumors currently point to the phone coming equipped with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 810 CPU, 3GB of RAM, 13MP camera, and a 3,300mAh battery.