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- Twitter now allows Direct Messages from strangers
- Bluboo X550 Dons Android 5.1 and a 5300mAh Battery
- OnePlus Ditches Invites for OPO, Enables Them for OnePlus 2
| Twitter now allows Direct Messages from strangers Posted: 21 Apr 2015 11:09 AM PDT  A lost functionality returns to Twitter, the ability to send direct messages to complete strangers, and the Internet ponders whether or not this is a good idea. The social network of the blue bird has revealed through a press release on their blog that they have a new idea for direct messages, explaining how they are going to work from now onwards. And, just like in 2013, everyone is going to be able to direct message everyone: a functionality that lasted only for a month, until the company decided to remove it.
This time around it will be different, though. Users will be able to specify in their configuration menu whether or not they want to allow strangers to message them – a functionality that can be activated or deactivated at will. Furthermore, it will remain inactive by default, and users have to purposefully go out of their way to enable it if they consider this is a good idea. This “new” function will basically turn Twitter into an instant messaging service, so we wonder if they intend to take Facebook’s WhatsApp head-on, or if this is just an “innocent” service , aimed to give the fans and users a few more liberties in the world of Twitter. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Twitter's new feature: "While you were away" and Twitter Announces 'Offers' to Give You In-Store Discounts.         |
| Bluboo X550 Dons Android 5.1 and a 5300mAh Battery Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:57 AM PDT  Until the battery life-increasing technologies currently developed by researchers become mainstream, the only option available now to mobile manufacturers is to increase the capacity of the batteries. Bluboo is not exactly a newcomer on the Chinese smartphone market, but the company seems to have been dormant last year, as it only launched a couple of devices that didn’t grab the attention of the public. This year, however, the manufacturer will surely make some heads turn with the X550 and several other great performing and competitively priced devices. Much like the Elephone P4000, the Bluboo X550 sports Mediatek’s MT6735 chipset with 4G LTE World Mode. Included in that chipset are a 64-bit Cortex A7 CPU running at 1.3Ghz, and a Mali-T760 GPU. All of this is paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, to make sure that multi-tasking doesn’t represent a challenge for this phablet. The storage can be furthermore expanded using a microSD card. On the software side of things, the X550 will run Android 5.1. The 5.5″ OGS display may not have a great resolution (it only features 1280×720 pixels), but it still has a decent pixel density of 267 ppi. Below the display are the three capacitative buttons almost all Android smartphones have, but these lent a bit from Google’s Material Design. The pictures taken with the 8MP rear camera or the 2MP front-facing camera should look sharp enough on this display. Given the small resolutions, relative to the cameras found in the competitors’ phones, I’d dare to say that these are not interpolated, but we’ll have to wait until the phablet hits the market to see how its cameras compare to others. Bluboo lists the following frequencies for the X550:
Besides these, the phablet includes GPS, Bluetooth, and USB connectivity. NFC or HotKnot would have been nice, but such features will probably make their way to Bluboo’s more expensive models. The most important feature of the X550 remains its battery capacity. This phablet allegedly comes with a 5300mAh battery, which is definitely something other manufacturers cannot say about their phones. Charging such a large-capacity battery would normally take ages, if it weren’t for the quick charging technology. Coupled with the HD resolution, the battery should be able to keep the phone up and running (and I literally mean screen-on time by that) for up to 10 hours or more. As a result of packing such a hefty battery, the phablet tops the scale at 198 grams, but the battery life should make this worth it. Bluboo X550 is currently available on pre-sale at GearBest, where you can pre-order yours for $152.89 if you apply coupon code X550 during the checkout procedure. The pre-sale will end on May 19, so orders placed by then will start shipping towards the end of next month. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Xiaomi’s new products, or the privacy-protecting Elephone P3000S.    |
| OnePlus Ditches Invites for OPO, Enables Them for OnePlus 2 Posted: 20 Apr 2015 01:43 PM PDT  To mark the one-year anniversary of their flagship killer, OnePlus announced that it open up a sale system that no longer requires invites. However, the invite system will stay in place for the newly confirmed OnePlus 2. It may seem odd to use the same invite-based sale system for a whole year, especially considering the demand for the OnePlus One. However, the manufacturer has explained on numerous occasions the reason behind this decision. First of all, they are not Samsung, so they neither need or want to spend a lot of money on marketing their products. If the users are satisfied with what they’re getting, they’ll recommend the smartphones to others. It definitely looks like some companies have underestimated the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Secondly, OnePlus made razor-thin profits off of their flagship killer. By eliminating suppliers and offering the OnePlus One straight to the buyers, the company cut out the middle man and made sure that people are getting the best possible bang for their buck. Now that the invite system is gone, anyone wanting to buy one of the best smartphones of 2014 only have to visit OnePlus.net. To maintain the same excellent price-quality ratio, the company will continue to sell the upcoming OnePlus Two using invites. As frustrating as that may sound, getting an invite is not impossible, as they often run contents on their forum and Facebook page, not to mention that there are people out there who are winning invites and don’t use them (incredible, right?). Word has it that the OnePlus 2 won’t be the only smartphone the company will launch in 2015. There have been a lot of rumors lately about OnePlus One Lite, an Android phone with better specs than last year’s flagship killer, yet lesser than OnePlus Two’s. That makes their whole naming convention a tad bit confusing, to say the least, as they could’ve gone with another name. It is yet unclear if this device is real or not, and if it will be sold using invites, as well. Regardless of how OnePlus decides to sell its devices, one thing is certain: their smartphones can compete anytime of the day against others that cost twice as much or more. In other words, OnePlus has showed the entire world that people don’t have to break the bank in order to own a very capable Android smartphone. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the initial launch of the OnePlus One, or the reason why OnePlus replaced CyanogenMod with a custom ROM.    |
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