Hasta La Gadget!

Nobody likes having their internet speeds throttled, but unfortunately that is what AT&T seems to be doing. Recently the carrier had caught some flack from the FTC over their data throttling. However the carrier argued that the reason for data throttling was because of congested networks.

Now this only applied to those on unlimited 3G/non-LTE 4G phones, or at least that’s what many had assumed but as discovered by Ars Technica, this is not the case as AT&T has been found to be throttling unlimited 4G/LTE devices as well, with 4G covering HSPA+ phones as well. While 4G and LTE are more or less synonymous these days, it is technically true that 4G does include HSPA+ as well.

That being said unlike the 3G/non-4G throttling which supposedly only happens after a customer exceeds 3GB of data and during times of congestion, 4G/LTE devices are throttled after exceeding 5GB, regardless of whether the network is congested or not. AT&T has since confirmed this and told Ars Technica that the policy will be changing come 2015, although when exactly remains to be seen.

In the meantime AT&T’s rival Verizon had similar data throttling plans of their own, but due to the immense backlash that followed their announcement, the carrier had a last minute change of heart, although we have to wonder if the FCC breathing down their neck might have anything to do with it.

AT&T Throttling Unlimited Data Users Regardless Of Network Congestion

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It is safe to say that Samsung’s Galaxy S releases have been very popular over the years, and we expect that 2015’s Samsung Galaxy S6 will be no different. In fact it could very well be the most popular as Samsung is said to be changing the way they are approaching the device, so safe to say we are very interested in seeing what they can bring to the table.

That being said, there have been some reports that suggest that the Galaxy S6 could pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset under the hood, and while that is no doubt a possibility, a recently published (via PhoneArena) AnTuTu benchmark result has revealed that the Galaxy S6 could be powered by Samsung’s own Exynos chipset.

Then again it is possible that we could be looking at two variants, so the benchmark is obviously for the Exynos version. The benchmarks reveal an Exynos 7420 octa-core chipset, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of onboard storage, an ARM Mali-T760 GPU, and a 5.5-inch display with a QHD resolution. Android 5.0 Lollipop also appears to be running the show.

Of course the hardware only tells us one side of the story as additional features have yet to be revealed. In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but if Samsung’s launch pattern is anything to go by, we can expect an announcement early next year.

Alleged Samsung Galaxy S6 AnTuTu Benchmark Revealed

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Before a new phone is released to the market, its OEMs run it through a battery of tests to ensure that not only does the phone perform as intended, but that it is also able to withstand a bit of abuse that one might encounter in daily life. Companies like Apple, OnePlus, and Samsung have shared some insights into what goes on behind the scene.

Well as it turns out, those tests are limited just to OEMs, but to carriers as well. According to a report from Engadget, they have revealed that Verizon has a testing facility of their own where the carrier subjects brand new phones to similar durability tests as well. These tests are more or less the same that OEMs conduct, like drop tests, tumble, scratch, and so on.

If the carrier deems that the phone is not up to scratch, they then send it back to the manufacturer with some notes about it in hopes that the manufacturer will be able to do something about it. It might be possible that this could be one of the reasons why phones released on carriers tend to come out a bit later than if you were to pick it up from the store unlocked.

That being said we guess we can appreciate Verizon running their own battery of tests – after all we’re sure the last thing Verizon needs is for customers to come back with faulty and broken devices which they then have to replace, right?

Verizon Reveals They Conduct Phone Durability Tests Of Their Own

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You might recall that a couple of weeks ago, Sony Pictures was hacked. The hacked was followed by leaked movies which were posted online by the hackers. Well it seems that hacking Sony Pictures and disabling them wasn’t enough, but the hackers have now sent out a mass threat to Sony Pictures employees, according to a report from Variety.

According to the alleged email the hackers sent to Sony Pictures employees, it reads, “Many things beyond imagination will happen at many places of the world. Our agents find themselves act in necessary places. Please sign your name to object the false of the company at the email address below if you don’t want to suffer damage. If you don’t, not only you but your family will be in danger.”

While it is unclear if the email sent is indeed from the hackers, it has been speculated that there is a chance it could be due to the same phrasing used, not to mention the theme found in earlier messages. So far it is unclear as to why the hackers have targeted Sony Pictures and where the hackers come from.

However earlier reports have suggested that the hackers could come from or could have been sent by North Korea, although this has since been denied by North Korea as to their involvement in the hack, claiming that the accusations are fabricated so as to target them.

Hackers Send Threatening Messages To Sony Pictures Employees

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With the latest builds of their mobile operating systems, both Apple and Google have introduced new encryption methods that basically takes the key away from the companies themselves and gives it directly to the user. This means that if law enforcement officials were to compel either Apple or Google, they will not be able to unlock a user’s smartphone or access its locally stored data.

Safe to say that authorities are not pleased by this. A compromise has been suggested where the keys are handed only to the authorities but as Apple’s General Counsel Bruce Sewell said, “We can’t create a key that only the good guys can use.” Well the good news is that Senator Ron Wyden appears to be on the side of privacy advocates.

The Senator has recently introduced a bill that would prevent the government from forcing companies to design backdoors or security vulnerabilities in their products that would aid surveillance. According to Wyden, “Strong encryption and sound computer security is the best way to keep Americans’ data safe from hackers and foreign threats.”

Wyden’s proposal also goes against FBI Director James B. Comey’s own proposal in which he suggests that the US Congress should pass a law that allows police access to all communications tools. This also follows in the wake of the Snowden reports in which it was revealed that the NSA has backdoor access to devices made by the likes of Cisco, Juniper Networks, and more.

Law enforcement officials have recently invoked the “All Writs Act” to compel Apple to help them with some of their cases in which they need access to the suspect’s smartphone. That being said, what do you guys think of Wyden’s bill? Is this something you could see yourself getting behind on?

Senator Proposes Bill That Blocks Backdoor Access By Law Enforcement

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