Chromecast support coming to VLC within 4-6 weeks!

Chromecast support is the new trend among popular apps. The HDMI dongle is so well received and popular that it has started to become a standard in any apps that can take advantage of it. VLC was taking its sweet time, but the developers have stated Chromecast support is in the works as we speak.

After all, what made VLC one of the best media players in the world was its extensive and superior support. In a world with so many video formats, it was a dream to be able to download a media player that could handle any video you throw at it. It literally hasn’t failed me once. The addition of Chromecast support will only make the mobile player that much more exciting.

This information comes from the VideoLAN forums, in which company associates mention the feature is now under development. Google Cast compatibility will be included in iOS’ next update, with the Android app being next in line. Not only will mobile apps get this feature, though, it will spread across the whole spectrum of operating systems.

In addition to the iOS variant, we are also working on a Windows / Linux / Mac implementation, which will take a bit longer because it’s harder.

All desktop versions of VLC will be optimized for Chromecast use, possibly making this app the best all-around solution for your video playback and streaming needs. It literally has no competition in terms of support.

No details on specific dates were given, but VideoLAN’s OSX and iOS developer Felix Paul Kühne says we could possibly see this update coming in 4 to 6 weeks. As we can see, iOS is getting preference here, which is odd for a feature that involves a Google product. Regardless, we can celebrate that we will soon get the feature in every platform, including Android!

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1xA8kHq

Just in time for Father’s Day: Nexus 7 2013 for $190, Moto X for $274, GS4 for $349 and more

Father’s Day is just around the corner, and so if you’re looking for a great gift for your tech-loving dad, you might want to check out one of the many great deals on Ebay right now.

For those looking for a good tablet, the Asus Nexus 7 32GB model can be yours for $189.99. This is an excellent deal compared to the $270 standard retail price, and shipping via USPS is completely free. For those wondering, this is a new model and not a refurbished or used one.

If you’d rather pick up a handset, you can get the 16GB Moto X for $275, or all three colors of the Nexus 5 16GB for $335. There’s also the LG G2 for $433, and the Galaxy S4 for $350. Like with the tablet above, these devices are all new — no refurbs or used devices here. While the Moto X and Nexus 5 are unlocked, the former two will either need to be unlocked or will require you to use them on AT&T’s network.

Either way, if you’re looking to impress dad with a new phone or tablet (or just buy yourself a nice gift) without breaking the bank, Ebay seems to be the go-to place right now.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1qiFd6F

HTC Gallery gets a new update, brings ability to adjust UFocus and more

HTC is bringing out an update to the Gallery app for all Sense 6 owners today, introducing Dimensions Plus and Pan 360 to all supported devices.

For those that don’t know, Pan 360 is basically HTC’s equivalent of Photosphere and Dimensions Plus lets you add minor 3D effects to your photos. In addition to these two new features, all Sense 6 owners can expect to see minor bug fixes and performance improvements as well.

For those that own the HTC One M8, the update also brings a new adjust option for UFocus. The feature uses the Duo Camera to add depth-of-field blurring effects to photos, but you can now control exactly how much blur is applied.

None of today’s changes are massive ones, but they are still welcome additions and highlights just how important pushing system apps to the Play Store is when it comes to introducing timely updates. To grab the latest HTC Gallery update for Sense 6 you’ll want to head over to Google Play.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1pWr2a6

Stay on top of World Cup with Calendar and Google Now

In preparation of the 2014 World Cup, Google is making it easier than ever to keep track of your favorite football (soccer) teams.

Just a few days ago Google added World Cup information to Google Now, allowing you to view scores and other information about your favorite teams. Club teams would even show up as a card in Google Now automatically when you searched them, making it even easier to keep track of what’s going on. Now it seems that Google has added Google Now cards for national teams as well.

For those that want to ensure cards for their favorite teams are generated, you can also go into the customize menu (wand-looking icon at bottom of Google Search app) and manually add in your teams.

Want to follow the action even closer? You can even add the World Cup calendar to Google Calendar. To do so you’ll need to head to the web version of Calendar first, calendar.google.com. You’ll then need to log in with the Google ID you utilize for your phones and tablets. Once in, you should see an “other calendars” option on the left sidebar, you can click on the drop-down arrow here and add the following URL:

http://ift.tt/1kSG2EF

That’s it, you now have the entire World Cup schedule for viewing directly from the Calendar app on your device. The dates and timing for these events will also be displayed in your local time zone.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1oNiu1w

More alleged pics of the Galaxy F pop up

Last week we showed you this render of what @evleaks claims to be the Samsung Galaxy F, a souped-up version of the Galaxy S5 that Samsung is rumored to introduce this summer.

Over the weekend, Phone Arena came up with three images that allegedly represent the same device. Take them with a bit of salt, as the source of the images is said to be an anonymous tipster, in other words, as unreliable as sources get. However, the shots seem to match @evleaks’ render from last week, so there could be something in there after all.

We’re looking at what seems to be the black version of the Galaxy F, with the same brushed metal texture on the back and arrangement of the front camera and sensors as in the @evleaks render. The screen bezels appear to be much thinner than on the Galaxy S5, which wouldn’t be a surprise, considering that the Galaxy F is rumored to feature a 5.3-inch display in a frame that’s similar in size with the Galaxy S5.

We still don’t have solid clues on the build material – the chromed sides and brushed metal back cover could easily be plastic, just like the very convincing LG G3. According to Phone Arena’s tipster, this is a pre-production model that’s indeed encased in metal and the device is actually smaller than the Galaxy S5.

What do you guys think? Real of fake?

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1pVQgFA

Get to know the LG G3’s software features from these 6 videos

The LG G3 is perhaps the hottest device of the moment, and that’s no small achievement during a season that saw the release of powerhouses like the Galaxy S5, OnePlus One, and HTC One (M8).

The biggest reasons to love the G3 are its mighty specs and sleek design, but LG has also enhanced the software experience, long considered a weakness of its devices. The UI on the G3 is cleaner and fresher than before, and the features that LG added are quite useful. If you want to learn more about them, here’s a collection of short videos that will walk you through some of the most important software features of the G3.

Smart Keyboard

LG’s new Smart Keyboard learns from your typing habits, features adjustable height, and packs several swipe gestures that let you quickly complete a word of fix a typo.

Guest Mode

Say you want to keep your personal information away from prying eyes. With Guest Mode, you can assign a special Knock Code that will wake up your phone in Guest Mode. You can customize Guest Mode so it only shows the apps that you want.

Dual Window

What’s the point in having a nice 5.5-inch screen if you can only use one window at a time? Dual Window on the G3 lets you split your screen in two and open different apps or different instances of the same apps in the two windows. Just press the “back” key for two seconds to activate it.

Smart Notice

Google Now is doing a great job as a virtual assistant, but LG thinks it can offer more with its own virtual assistant dubbed Smart Notice. Get information about weather, reminders about missed calls, and tips to clean up your system right on the homescreen.

Knock Code

This one’s not new, but it’s still worth giving it a look – Knock Code lets you assign combinations of up to eight taps on the screen to wake up your device and go straight to the homescreen.

QuickCircle

If you bought the snazzy QuickCircle smart cover, you can assign six shortcuts to the apps that you use the most and access them without even opening the cover. With an SDK coming soon, more apps that can use QuickCircle will pop up in the future.

Here you go – any feature that you particularly look forward too on the LG G3?

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/TzcDTP

Deal: Kindle Fire HD 8.9 LTE for $200 (certified refurb “like new”) today only

Father’s Day is happening this Sunday, and if you still haven’t picked up a nice gift for your dad or grad, this Kindle Fire HD deal could be just right up your alley.

Amazon is offering a 32GB Kindle Fire HD 8.9 4G LTE for $199, a nice $100 off the list price of $299. This is a “Certified Refurbished” unit, meaning that it was pre-owned and Amazon had it refurbished and tested it to guarantee that it looks and works “like new.” Typically, refurbished devices have limited warranties, but for this Kindle Fire 8.9, Amazon offers a one-year warranty, just like on brand new devices.

Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ 4G LTE Wireless Tablet on Amazon

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 LTE is one of the nicest tablets in its class, offering a crisp 8.9-inch LCD display, a dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz, Dolby Audio integration, fast dual-band Wi-Fi, and, of course, LTE for always-on connectivity.

The Kindle Fire 8.9 LTE runs a heavily customized version of Android, but chances are your dad doesn’t care about it. If he does (kudos!), there are custom ROMs that you can throw on it to bring it to a stock-like state.

This deal goes for today only, so you better make up your mind soon.

If you’re looking for something cheaper, Amazon has another great deal today on SanDisk microSD cards. Check them out here.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1o50Zhh

Asleep on the train? Google Now can wake you up before your stop

If you ever had to commute by train, subway, or bus late in the evening or – oh, the humanity – very early in the morning, you might be familiar with the horrible feeling of waking up to the realization that you dozed your way pass your get off station.

Google Now already learns your daily routes, so wouldn’t it be helpful if the service could give you a gentle nudge when your usual stop is next? It seems that Google Now can do that right now, as spotted by the folks at Android Police.

The functionality looks pretty simple – when the phone determines you are approaching your station, an alarm will go off, hopefully waking you up from your nap or bout of daydreaming. The feature could also be useful if you like to dive into your device and seal yourself off from the world while commuting, so you don’t have to keep looking at what stop you are.

It looks that the feature requires you to manually set the alarm, so you won’t get an annoying wakeup call every time you take the bus or train.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1mvKvYG

CM11 M7 out now for 50 devices, brings revamped Theme Chooser and more

A little over a month since the previous milestone release, the CyanogenMod team is now pushing out version M7 of CM11, bringing a host of new features and improvements.

CM11 M7 is based on Android 4.4.2, as – the team explains – there wasn’t time for proper integration of the Android 4.4.3 code base into M7. However, nightly releases based on Android 4.4.3 are already available for many devices.

CM11 M7 brings several cool features, including the much anticipated Theme Chooser UI, which lets users apply customization features such as fonts, icon packs, sounds, or even full themes. Other notable changes include a revamped Calculator app, UI and feature updates to the Trebuchet launcher, the basis for a future Performance Profile feature, and more.

Here’s the official changelog, and head over to CM’s blog post for more details on the update:

• Common: Theme Chooser UI Overhaul


• Common: Calculator app redesign (courtesy Xlythe)


• Common: Performance Profiles


• Common: Improved theming performance on low memory devices (~512MB RAM or less)


• Trebuchet: Move settings to new slide-out panel


• Trebuchet: Consolidate settings for home and drawer options


• Media: Add FFMPEG support (expanded media format support)


• Bluetooth: Improved support for new car audio systems and docks


• Various small bug fixes, global and device-specific

As a reminder, Milestone (M#) releases are the most stable releases of CyanogenMod currently available, having replaced the old Stable and Release Candidate releases. Nightlies remain the “cutting edge” option, sacrificing stability for faster access to new features.

At the time of this writing, CM11 M7 is available for 50 devices, including Nexus devices, Samsung Galaxy S series, One series, LG flagships, Kindle Fire tablets, and more. For a full list, check out the Snapshot category on the CyanogenMod download page.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/SqTvWQ