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This OnePlus OneWatch leak has us approaching with extreme caution
There’s no question 2014 is gearing up to be the year of the smartwatch. Just about every OEM under the sun is getting ready to take a stab at the latest trend in wearables. But a new “leak” from the boys at BGR India, have us exercising extreme caution.
An anonymous tipster has seemingly supplied the outlet with an image of OnePlus’ upcoming smartwatch, taken from an image straight from their site. Here’s what worries us: it wasn’t too long ago @evleaks was hoaxed with a similar OnePlus “leak,” using a supposed OnePlus Tab in place of this smartwatch. That being said, with the recent string of hoaxes going around these days, we wouldn’t be surprised to find this leak being nothing more than that. But then again, BGR has had some luck in past, scoring some composite sketches of the OnePlus One smartphone before it was officially unveiled.
So exactly what is being alleged in this latest leak? Well, OnePlus could be working on a circular smartwatch called the OneWatch. The watch is said to use premium materials, featuring an OLED display with Sapphire glass, premium titanium border and a leather strap. On the bottom, a curved battery can be found with compatibility with the Qi wireless standard, making the watch play nice with current wireless charging accessories you may have laying around.
Still no word on whether the OneWatch could run Android Wear or feature an entirely different in-house OS (CyanogenMod?). Given the fiasco that was the OnePlus One launch, we’re less than optimistic about the company successfully launching a brand new product. While the watch certainly looks nice, if it has a snowball’s chance in hell of being successful, OnePlus is going to have to hit that same rock-bottom low pricing to increase demand. Just no invites this time, ya hear?
French carrier Iliad has made a $15 billion dollar bid to buy T-Mobile [UPDATE]
We’ve long known Sprint’s intentions on scooping up T-Mobile, but it was only recently these talks became much more serious thanks in part to parent company SoftBank heading negotiations. Where the likelihood of a Sprint/T-Mobile merger faces a few regulatory hurdles, a new offer from a carrier not already invested in the US could have a little more luck.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that French telecom Iliad has made a bid for T-Mobile to the tune of $15 billion. This would give the French company a 56.6% majority stake in T-Mobile who carries a market value of $24.8 billion. Iliad seems confident their offer wont face the same antitrust issues as SoftBank/Sprint, given there wouldn’t be a removal of the 4th largest carrier in the US.
Iliad’s founder and self-made billionaire, Xavier Niel, has reportedly had his eye on the US market for awhile now. He’s been credited with sparking a pricing war in France, with Iliad undercutting much of the competition. Sounds like a perfect fit for T-Mobile.
UPDATE: Sources from the New York Times are now saying the bid may have already been rejected according to “a person briefed on the matter.”
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