We’ve seen a lot of enhancements to Google Search and Google Now as of late, including a new Park Car Location card and offline capabilities. It seems that’s not all Google has in store for us, however, as they have now announced a new “Shopping Reminders” feature.
As you already know, Google already knows the games, clothes and other goodies we are interested in by simply following what we search for. Google Now is putting this information to work by giving us a new card that reminds us of the stuff we want to buy whenever we are near a store that carries it.
For example, let’s say there’s a new electronic gizmo you’ve been searching for online. If Google finds a listing for the item from a nearby retailer, it will give you a card that lists how much the item costs. This really isn’t much different from what we’ve already seen within Google Search results, other than it’s now in card form.
Unfortunately, the card doesn’t tell us whether the item is actually in stock, so you’ll still need to call the store or simply stop in and check for yourself. Whether this feature is really useful for you or not is probably a matter of opinion, though it’s always nice to see Google further refine its Google Now experience. It is worth noting that Google says you’ll need the most recent version of Google Search in order to take advantage of this feature, which can be found via Google Play.
Imagine if YouTube and cable television had a baby. That baby would be Frequency. Frequency is an application that can be described as an RSS feed for video. It compiles sources from around the internet to create a near-constant stream of news video from sources like YouTube, The Wall Street Journal, TED, CNN, Android Authority, and others.
Here’s how it works. You open the app, select a video to play, and then watch it. That’s really it. You can choose from a number of categories including kids, tech, politics, general news, and sports along with many others. Frequency also comes with social media integration for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Vine so you can quickly find videos from your contacts via those sources. All the feeds are frequently updated so there’s really never a lack of anything to watch.
Although the app doesn’t adhere to the Android design guidelines, the app still manages to look pretty good. The bottom part is intended for personal use and lets you create channels, surf videos, and watch videos. Along the top is a recommendation bar of sorts where a number of top news sources can be found for easy access. It could be argued that the app could be more ergonomic if it used the design guidelines. However, not using them didn’t really hinder the experience.
Perhaps the best part about Frequency is the customization. You can create your own channel lineup with your own sources if you so choose. The app has well over a thousand channels to choose from and includes not just mainstream channels but indie channels as well. Overall, Frequency features a lot of depth and that provides a lot of options for people to gather news. It’s also not restricted to just news channels. People have used the app to find comedy channels, animal channels, and other sorts of videos too.
It kept a lot of its iOS design elements when it was ported to Android and that may cause a few shakes of the head. There have been a few people that have complained that the service is not available in their area as well. There haven’t been a lot of bugs reported yet although I’m sure there have to be at least some because it is still an initial release. What bugs there are will likely be discovered as the app gets more popular. So far, people seem to be enjoying it and haven’t complained about anything bad yet. The only really bad thing about it is a lack of Chromecast support for now.
Overall, this is a really nice app. Every day life is getting busier and busier and people simply do not have the time to go browsing individual websites for videos anymore. Frequency fills this gap amazingly well. The set up process can take some time and we’re sure there are bugs that are yet to be discovered, but once everything is up and running you have a personalized, ever-updating stream of content sent directly to your device and that’s a service we can get behind. It’s also free in the Google Play Store and you can pick it up using the button below.
Check out the last indie app of the day: FacesIn
As a company that started life as a contract manufacturer for other companies, HTC has long prided itself with the fact that it makes all of its products in-house, in contrast with how other phone makers are outsourcing their production to specialized companies in China and Taiwan. But that’s no longer the case.
Following rumors that surfaced in September of HTC scaling down its production facilities to cut costs, the Wall Street Journal reports that HTC is already outsourcing the production of several Desire models. According to people familiar with the matter, China-based Wingtech Group is making the mid-range Desire 616 and the entry-level Desire 210, both primarily targeted to the Chinese market. Compal Electronics, whose clients include HP, Dell, Acer, and many other companies, is reportedly manufacturing another phone in the Desire range.
However, according to the WSJ’ sources, HTC is still manufacturing in-house the high-profile One (M8), as well as the Desire 816. This should appease some fans worried about a possible drop in build quality due to externalization.
Back when the rumors about outsourcing first emerged, the stock market reacted positively, as handing production over to an outside specialist is a way to reduce production costs. While HTC is an experienced and accomplished hardware maker, it can’t really compete with manufacturers that optimize their entire business for the smallest possible cost.
Will this move have a real, positive effect on HTC’s fortunes? At least in theory, it should have, even if the bulk of the production is still handled in-house. But HTC has arguably bigger problems, including its largely ineffective marketing. The company’s leadership insisted that marketing will be more than an afterthought in 2014; among other measures, HTC hired former Samsung marketing boss Paul Golden as an advisor last month.
In related news, HTC is expected to report a return to profit, after two quarters in the red. The company will release guidance for the current quarter tomorrow.
Part of the magic of Android is the flexibility of the platform when it comes to customization and modding. With a little ingenuity, you can transform your Android-powered devices into just about anything — including a sweet hacking tool.
That’s exactly what Pwnie Express did to the Nexus 5, which it dubs as the Pwn Phone. Retailing for a pricey $1295, the Pwn Phone utilizes Nexus hardware but switches out stock Android for a special variant that has a recompiled kernel and runs on its own derivative of Kali Linux on the back-end of Android.
the Pwn Phone utilizes Nexus hardware but switches out stock Android for a special variant that has a recompiled kernel
The Pwn Phone’s custom ROM gives the device the ability to act as a USB host, allowing it to add on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet via adapters. The reason for the added on adapters are that they offer improved range and capabilities over what’s already baked into the phone.
The purpose of the Pwn Phone is simple: it’s designed for white hat hackers as a means of testing the strength of both Wi-Fi and Ethernet networks. The device is loaded with plenty of goodies to make the job as easy as possible, with 103 included network monitoring and attack tools. Twenty-six of these tools are even touch optimized and can be executed with one simple tap. Other tools require a bit of terminal work to get going. Many of the PwnPhone’s functions can also be carried out from another device such as a PC, thanks to the use of web-based adminstration tools. This is particularly useful in ‘stealth’ situations where you don’t want to make it known that you are testing the network’s security.
Aside from the Nexus 5-based Pwn Phone, there’s also a Nexus 7-based Pwn Pad, which is essentially the same but comes in cheaper at $1095. While PwnPhone might only be targeted towards a niche group of folks, it is further testament to the power of Android and the hardware that runs on.
For those interested in the idea of the Pwn Phone but already have your own Nexus 5, reportedly a community version of the Pwn Phone software will eventually be available for download.
In the years since Bose has entered the world of audio, consumers and audio enthusiasts have come to expect a few things from the company, for better or worse. They tend to run a bit high price-wise compared to their competitors, they prefer a small footprint over most anything else, and as for style, well, their products aren’t ugly, but they’re never adventurous in their design either.
In April of this year, Bose decided it was time for that to change, releasing two new products with a markedly different approach to their look. The SoundTrue headphones and FreeStyle earbuds, while not groundbreaking in their sonics or their feature-set, take far more risks on the visual side. Last month we tried and liked the SoundTrue, so we were curious to see how the FreeStyle fared.
For the full review, check out the video above or head over to Sound Guys for the written review.
Have you tried the Bose FreeStyle or SoundTrue? Which do you prefer?
