Fully Charged: Motorola promises Stagefright fixes, and new Snapdragon chips revealed
Here's the tech news tidbits you ought to read before kicking off Tuesday
Motorola promises Stagefright fixes
Stagefright is a big deal for Android users, who could have their phones unwittingly accessed simply by opening an MMS, so the big manufacturers are making big moves (or promises) to address the OS vulnerability. Google led the charge last week, and Samsung and LG quickly joined suit; now Motorola is getting onboard.
The company says all of its 2013 or newer phones will have the vulnerability, found in media library code, fixed in the near future, with the upcoming Moto X Style (pictured) and Moto X Play already set when they release next month. And the new 3rd Gen Moto G, which just released, will get its patch soon. Motorola says it’s working with Google to "simplify the process" of getting security updates to consumers, but didn’t say whether it’ll start doing monthly updates like the aforementioned makers.
[Source: Motorola via Engadget]
New low-end Snapdragons
Tech junkies tend to focus on flagship phones and their rapidly-advancing processors, but low and mid-range phones are startlingly powerful for the price these days – and Qualcomm is pushing its cheaper options even further with the newly-announced Snapdragon 615, 412, and 212 systems on a chip.
None are huge advancements, but rather small tweaks: the 616 boosts the clock speed from 1.0Ghz (on the 615) to 1.2Ghz, while the others make similarly tiny spec bumps, according to AnandTech. Even so, they’re sure to start appearing in all kinds of below-flagship-level phones in the near future, and any spec boost sounds worthwhile to us – so long as they’re not prone to Snapdragon 810-like overheating issues.
Apple Pay adds AmEx corporate
Apple Pay may still be new and exciting to many users, but now it’s serious business – that’s because you can use American Express corporate cards with the digital payments service, at least in the United States.
Green, gold, platinum, and Centurion cards are all supported, and while AmEx already was on the Apple Pay roster for other types of cards, this week’s move means you might have a chance of impressing a new client when paying for a corporate meal. (Whatever helps you land the deal, right, corporate warrior?)
[Source: American Express via Macworld]
PaciFire hits Kickstarter
Ever wanted to blast some babies – as another baby? That’s the goofy premise behind PaciFire, a toddler-blasting multiplayer shooter that’s currently trying to raise funds on Kickstarter. Unfortunately, with just $345 (£220) pledged so far on a $50,000 (about £32,000) budget, it sounds like people aren’t really buying the concept. Worth a look for the gag, at least.
[Source: Kickstarter]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 