Monday, December 15, 2014
FitBit Charge Is Also Starting To Cause Skin Irritation For Some Users
Wearables have a been consistent staple of this year. Whether it is a smartwatch, a fitness tracker or other health related wearable they are now in abundance. So much so that the choice is almost too much. One of the companies who has released a number of wearable over the last 18 months is FitBit. Generally speaking, their wearables are all health and fitness related although they can tell you the time as well (not sure if that is enough anymore to be called a watch). Anyway, FitBit have become pretty good at releasing these sorts of wearables.
That said, they did have a spot of bother at the start of the year when a number of its users starting having skin irritation issues with the then released FitBit Force. It seems wearing the bands caused quite substantial rashes on some users although FitBit claimed the affected users to be less than 2% of those who bought one. Either way, FitBit were not looking to cause any problems with customers and promptly offered a recall on the units and refunded those who had an issue.
Well, since then FitBit has launched a few more wearables including the recently released FitBit Charge. And you guessed it. This one also seems to be causing some users skin irritation problems. Now in contrast (and as the CEO of FitBit is quick to point out) the number of affected users (so far) is only a handful compared to more than one hundred thousand who have bought the device. That said, FitBit will not want a repeat of what happened with the FitBit Force. As a means of reassurance, the FitBit CEO also advises that a different form of adhesive (which was believed to be the problem with the Force) was used to what was provided in the Force. Further adding the company had met with dermatologists to make sure the current product did not elicit similar issues. In fact, the cause being offered by FitBit is likely a build up of sweat, water and soap being held against the skin underneath the device. As such, regularly cleaning is being touted as a means to avoid the problem. Either way though, if similar cases continue to come to light then this won’t be good news for FitBit. Are you a FitBit Charge owner? Noticed any issues with the device? Let us know.
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US Roaming Charges Drop At TELUS Due To Increased Competition
We have not seen much movement in cost of the base plans on the carriers, so they are using the U.S. roaming charges as a way to undercut the competition. It is no secret that many Canadians travel to the U.S., and vice versa, and those that travel to the U.S. can be hit with high charges for roaming. TELUS just updated their U.S. roaming packages to compete against Rogers’ Roam Like Home package and new comers like KnowRoaming and Roam Mobility. TELUS’ packages include unlimited voice minutes and outgoing texts – the price changes based on the amount of data included.
TELUS is offering three ‘Combo Passes” for its subscribers that visit the U.S. The first one costs $25 and is aptly called US Combo Pass 25. It is good for 3 days – you know, for those long weekend getaways – and gives you unlimited minutes, 150MB of data, unlimited outgoing text messages and free incoming text messages. If you go over, it will run you $5 per 50MB of data and TELUS claims you will save $725 over their pay-per-use rates of $1.50 per minute, $5.00 per MB and $.60 per text.
Their US Combo Pass 50 is for 10 days and will cost you $50. It will give you unlimited minutes, 300MB of data, unlimited outgoing text messages and free incoming text messages. The overage of $5.00 per 50MB remains the same and you will save $1,450 over the pay-per-use rates.
The third package is their US Combo Pass 80, which is for a 30-day period and will cost you $80. It will give you the unlimited minutes and outgoing text messages, free incoming text messages and 1GB of data. Overages will cost you the same $5.00 per 50MB and will save you $5,040 from the pay-per-day use rates.
The only Data only pass is a US Data Pass 15 will cost you $15 and will last you for 30 days. You only get 15MB of data, so this is no bargain…I guess this is TELUS’ attempt to force you into one of their Travel Passes. The US Text Pass 15 is also a 30 day affair that will run you $15 for only 100 outgoing text messages, but you do get unlimited incoming text messages. They also have a US Voice Pass 15 for 30 days for $15 that gives you only 25 minutes of talk time.
Your best buy is still Roam Mobility – for $3.95 a day, you get unlimited talk and text and 400MB of LTE Data, although you do have to put in a new SIM card and use a new telephone number when you travel. Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know if you have traveled to the U.S. and what do you do to handle your roaming…as always, we would love to hear from you.
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Deal: Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 – $279.99
Looking for a great tablet for someone on your Christmas list? Well Best Buy has the Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 right now for just $279.99, and this is a brand spanking new tablet here. It’s normal price is $349.99. And it’s a pretty decent tablet as well with a 10-inch 1280×800 resolution display with 1.5GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor inside. You can grab one from the link down below.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 – $279.99
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Rumor Has It That Bose Is Looking To Have It’s Own Streaming Music Service
So this is some interesting news. But not all that surprising. Rumors hit the interwebs today that Bose is looking to put out their own streaming music service. Why isn’t it surprising? Well remember Beats Music? Yeah that’s why. Beats Audio and Bose have been in tight competition for quite a while. In fact, that’s why Apple stopped selling Bose products in their stores for a bit after they bought Beats Audio earlier this year.
Hyperbot found a job listing from Bose today, where they are looking for a Senior User Experience Designer: Cloud Music Services. Which hints at Bose working on a Cloud Music Service. However it doesn’t tell us much else. The person that gets hired for this job will be joining the Algorithms and Cloud Experiences Group” and according to that job posting that group does “…imagines new customer-facing features, designs compelling user interfaces, envisions appropriate software architecture and infrastructure, and implements compelling proofs of concept that can be scaled to serve millions of users.”
Bose is really popular for their speakers and headphones. I actually really like their products, while some others don’t like them as much. But it’ll be interesting to see what their streaming music service would offer. I mean it’s not like we are in short supply of great music streaming services. I can think of five great ones right off the bat. Google Play Music All Access, Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio, Sony Music Unlimited, just to name a few. So what can Bose do to differentiate themselves from these other services? Whatever it is, it’s gotta be big to draw users away from these other services. Especially Spotify.
We’ll have to keep a close eye on this one and see what happens with Bose Music. Hopefully they do something that no one else is doing. But it’ll definitely be interesting. How many of you are interested to see what Bose has up their sleeves for a streaming music service? Let us know in the comments below.
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Android Wear 5.0.1 Mirrors The Notification Option On A Lollipop Device
With all this talk about the latest update to the Android Wear software, if you’re running a device that has Lollipop installed on it you will probably run into some changes you may not have expected. While Android Wear’s recent update adds a whole lot of usefulness to the way notifications come to your wrist, there’s stuff that comes along with the update that users on Android 5.0 will want to make note of. One of the biggest things being the way notifications come through when you have your notifications on the connected smartphone set to priority only or none. Earlier we also reported about one of the new things that came along with the update, being Sunlight mode and Theater mode, which can both be accessed either by swiping down on the Android Wear device display or by double and triple tapping the external buttons on the watches that have them.
Since the primary function of the Android Wear devices is notifications, it only seemed likely that Google at some point would have implemented the mirroring of the way notifications work between Android Wear 5.0.1 and Android 5.0.1 Lollipop devices, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. As we had stated in previous articles about the Lollipop software update for phones and tablets, notifications can now be set to priority, none, or all for the way you get your notifications. Android Wear now mirrors this change by syncing the option you choose to the watch, and vise versa. It’s just one detail to pay attention to if you have a lollipop device, mainly because if you want to mute the watch from buzzing every time a new email comes in, it mutes the notifications on your phone too, and you may not want that.
The good news is that as we mentioned above, these are changes that affect Lollipop devices since anything prior to Lollipop doesn’t have these notification options. That means you can continue to mute your watch and still have all your notifications come through on your smartphone. If you have the new software on your phone and on your Android Wear device, how are you handling the changes to the way notifications either come in or don’t? Did you prefer the way things were before? Or do you find the notification option mirroring to be a blessing?
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Android Wear Gets New Theater And Sunlight Modes With Software Update To 5.0
In case you missed it over the last few days, Android Wear devices are scheduled to be getting their update to latest version of the Android Wear software which is based off of Android 5.0 Lollipop, and the OTA downloads are available for just about every device short of the ASUS Zen Watch last time we checked. You can of course also choose to wait for this software to hit your Android Wear device over the air like it was intended if you like, which we recommend doing if you aren’t too versed in flashing things via ADB. With that said, there will be some great new features coming to Android Wear once the update hits your smartwatches, a couple of things being new modes, with theater and sunlight mode.
Now unfortunately I don’t personally have this update yet on my Moto 360, so I can’t show what you the screenshots are like from my own Android Wear device. As I stated above I could flash but I’m not also not against waiting for the OTA. Now if you’re someone that has already gotten this update or has flashed the OTA zip file for your appropriate device you might have likely already stumbled upon these features. We speak of those mentioned above as well as the newly added option to take screenshots of your Android Wear device via the Android Wear companion app. As far as the new watch modes go, you should have two new options, theater mode and sunlight mode, and we’ll go over those two briefly here and tell you how to access them.
You can access both modes by swiping down on the watchface where you access the mute notifications option, but you can also get to them by a short sequence of button presses for the devices that have a physical button on the side of the watch, like the Moto 360 for example. If you want to enter theater mode, you can do this by double tapping on the external watch button, which proceeds to mute your notifications, disable the tilt to wake feature and also turns off the “Always-on-Screen” so the brightness doesn’t distract other movie goers. Seems handy, and something I’d probably be using every time I go to the movies. We also mentioned the addition of another new mode called Sunlight, which as you could probably guess, tunes up your brightness to the max, then reverts back to the original brightness setting you had after about about five seconds. You can access sunlight mode by tapping the external watch button three times instead of two. Is anyone already using these two new features? What do you think of them?
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HBO Finally Available On The Amazon Fire TV And Will Land For The Fire Stick In The Spring
If you currently own an Amazon Fire TV you have probably noticed a very specific feature missing. HBO. Up until now, the HBO GO service has been absent from the Amazon streaming services. If you are one of those users then you will be happy to know that this is changing as from today. Amazon has today announced in a press release that HBO GO is now available on the Fire TV. Of course, you will still need a valid HBO subscription to be able to use the service. That said though, if you already do have both a subscription and a Fire TV then this will be a very warmly welcomed addition.
If this sounds like you then it is also worth noting that the HBO catalogue is fully integrated with Amazon Fire services and as such you will be able to use your familiar Amazon services like voice search and so on, to browse the selection. This will be extremely handy with the holidays approaching and all that extra TV viewing time users will have. In the press release, Amazon were also quick to note that they have consistently increased the viewing selection which now boasts over 700 apps and games. With the addition of HBO users will reportedly have access to over 1700 titles including major release movies, tv shows, sports and documentaries.
If you are a Fire TV Stick owner then you are probably thinking, what about me? Well, in short, Amazon have not forgotten about you, although you should not be holding out for the HBO service in time for the holidays. Instead, Amazon notes in the press release that the service will become available on the Fire Stick sometime in the Spring. If you have not picked up the Fire TV as of yet, then the press release also states that to “celebrate” the inclusion of HBO the Fire TV will be available at a discounted rate of $79 (down from its normal $99) from now and through until December 28th. Are you currently a Fire TV owner? Happy about the news HBO is now available? If so, let us know.
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Xiaomi Reported To Be Working On An $80 Smartphone For 2015
At what point does an entry level Android powered smartphone become too compromised? That’s a question with a constantly changing answer as customer preferences, operating systems and applications are evolving, whilst the price of hardware is falling. It’s a question that Google has attempted to answer with Android One by setting a minimum hardware specification and selling devices built down to this cost but still offering a respectable experience. And it appears to be something that Xiaomi have also asked themselves and now appear to be working on at least one smartphone that’s priced at or under the 500 Chinese yuan, or $80, point. This information is derived from component suppliers and the rumor was started by the news that LCD panel supplier, BEO Technology, is set to be the main screen manufacturer. Xiaomi, like most manufacturers, use a number of different component suppliers depending on the handset being build and BEO Technology appear to have won the contract to provide screens for a new low priced device. At this juncture, we don’t know the likely specification of the device such as processor type, memory, screen size and resolution, but if Xiaomi continue to release handsets in 2015 as they have for 2014, you can bet it’ll be a tough act for their competitors to follow. They have consistently offered the same specification as similar devices from ZTE and Huawei, but have a cheaper price. Or it’ll meet the ZTE and Huawei devices in price but offer a better specification. This business approach has slimmed Xiaomi margins down to under 2% but has helped the business to become the third largest ‘phone manufacturer in the world after just four years trading.
It’s difficult to try to assess the impact that a new low entry price will have on the market. As smartphones become more and more capable and are sold at lower and lower prices, it seems that the days of the dumbphones or feature ‘phones are well and truly numbered. This, however, is not news, but a trend that’s been happening since Xiaomi started selling smartphones. Putting brand new smartphones under the psychologically important 500 yuan level will help persuade potential customers sitting on the fence and should help Xiaomi’s relative sales growth in China. It will also continue to put massive pricing pressure onto ZTE and Huawei, although these manufacturers have at least been able to start selling their handsets around the world, something that Xiaomi has struggled with (witness the Indian sales ban). Nevertheless, I’m curious to see what Xiaomi can bring to the market for such a small sum and how the competition will fight back.
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Google Turns On “Works With Nest” Feature To Let You Control The Nest Thermostat By Voice
Back on December 12th we reported that the Google app would soon be gaining the new ability to voice control the temperature of your Nest Learning Thermostat. It looks like that time is now as users are reporting that the feature has been turned on and is now live for anyone with a Nest thermostat unit. This adds to the already extensive list of things we can do by simply saying “OK Google” to our smartphones, although the Google app not only has the ability to change your home’s temperature with just your voice, but now also enables your phones location services to alert your connected Nest to “get ready” for your return home so you can be greeted with the appropriate temperature.
There are multiple different commands you can issue to your connected Nest thermostat, although they all essentially provide you with the same result, changing the temperature to your desired state, short of the command where you ask Google to actually turn on the Nest unit. Last week when we brought this to your attention, users reporting that they had noticed the Google app was attempting to process the command were met with a failed message because the feature hadn’t yet been made live by Google, but now it’s easier than ever to set the right temperature for any occasion without having to do anything other than speak to your device.
Of course, controlling your Nest prior to this feature was already somewhat convenient and easy as you could still control things through any number of smart connected home hubs and paired companion apps, but this takes things to a whole new level of simplicity and makes things virtually hands free. Since this feature is live through the use of the Google app, appropriate Google Now cards will pop up during instances when the temperature is being changed, or when the app senses that you’re on your way home. If you want to set this feature up, much like when you may have opted into Google Now upon setting up your brand new Android device, you can head over to the “works with nest” webpage and opt into both the voice commands feature and the Google Now card for Nest connection. Is there anyone out there with a Nest thermostat that will be trying this out later today?
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Rumor: HTC One M7 And One M8 To Receive Android Lollipop From Early January
When Google released Android 5.0 Lollipop, HTC were quick to announce that they would bring the new version of the operating system to the both existing One models within within ninety days. This includes the Sense-equipped and Google Play Edition versions of the HTC One, the 2013 flagship M7 and the 2014 flagship M8 models. Not that I’m counting, but that meant buyers of the unlocked device and carriers should receive the latest version by early February. Depending on your particular carrier, you could be receiving the update from a few days to several weeks, perhaps even longer. We’ve today received news that HTC have explained that they’re expecting to get the new version of the software to carriers for the One devices running with Sense in early January, that’s after around sixty days. Perhaps HTC’s original ninety day promise was to include the testing process by carriers? So whilst this isn’t exactly the speediest of updates to Lollipop – Motorola and LG have beaten HTC – it’s good to see HTC appear to be on track to keep to their promise.
As for how Lollipop will look and run under the Sense overlay, we’ve already seen some images of Sense 6 running over Android 5.0. In these images, it appears that HTC have continued to use their own icons and navigation buttons, but have adopted the Google way of handling multiple applications and notifications. As such, Sense over Lollipop appears to be a somewhat confused mix of the old and the new. These images may show an early version of Sense and it’s possible that Sense 6 / Android 5 will change between now and release. We expect Lollipop on the Sense-equipped HTC handsets to include the same benefits as it Lollipop delivers elsewhere, including better performance, animations, battery life and notification handling. I’d also expect HTC to continue to use their own software tweaks including their own power saving mode, but I’m especially interested to see how things pan out. It’s also possible that HTC Sense 6 will be quickly superseded by Sense 7, which we’re expecting to be launched with whatever HTC call their 2015 flagship (logically, the HTC One M9, but we’ll see what happens). If this happens, Sense 6 over Android 5 might be a stop gap software solution as HTC prepares HTC Sense 7.
I suspect the New Year is going to be interesting, then. I use a carrier-branded, Sense-equipped HTC One M8 as my daily driver and now I am wondering if it’ll receive Android 5.0 Lollipop before my Google Nexus 7 LTE! I also reckon that HTC will quickly supersede Sense 6 with Sense 7 towards the start of summer 2015 so if Sense 6 looks mixed up, I’ll only have it on my device for a few months. But over to our readers: what do you think? Are you excited to receive the Android 5 update for your HTC One? Or will you not be so fussed as you’ll be waiting for the 2015 flagship devices to be launched?
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Local Residents In LA Reporting Fake Traffic Accidents In Attempt To Reroute Waze Drivers
While the appearance of guided navigation apps like Waze (purchased by Google back in 2013) has made getting around a whole lot easier for the many people that use it, not everyone is excited about the existence of the service. Some residents in neighborhoods through the Los Angeles area are none too happy that Waze has turned their once normally quiet streets into a busier traffic route for people who don’t live there. Complaints have reportedly been coming in that people who live in the neighborhoods are seeing increased congestion from passing through traffic. The beauty of apps like Waze is that they retroactively find the quickest route possible for commuters or anyone that uses the app, but for the residents who live in these areas it has apparently been making it vastly more difficult to get into their own homes for near the past year due to what the Associated Press refers to as bumper to bumper traffic.
The way that Waze works is mostly community driven, where users can report on traffic updates and conditions in real-time, which seems to work quite well in large metropolitan cities like L.A. since there are vast amounts of people and naturally, many more users. The more users that take advantage of the app, the more that can report on what the traffic is like in any given area, which can ultimately be much more effective than any team of curators who update the conditions of said traffic. While congested local neighborhood streets might not seem like much of an issue to anyone outside the city, residents have apparently had enough and have began taking matters into their own hands, reporting fake accidents in the attempt to have the Waze application reroute drivers away from the area.
While this seems like an idea that might work, a Google spokeswoman told AP that fake accident reports are “negated” usually because one person can report a fake accident, which might deter a single driver, but then multiple other drivers who use Waze could soon follow the same path and the app will automatically disregard the accident report. In plain terms, the app basically knows that the report is fake, more or less. Whether or not you use Waze to help your daily drive, instances like this might make you appreciate living in a smaller, less populated city.
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Uber’s Surge Pricing Tactic During Sydney, AU Hostage Situation Reversed After Negative Media Attention
While reports of Uber operating in cities illegally without consent form the city officials may seem like a terrible move on the part of a fairly new company attempting to tap into a large market like the transportation business, Uber has outdone themselves by introducing “surge pricing” in the wake of a hostage crisis situation in Sydney, Australia. For those who are unaware, surge pricing allows a company like Uber, or taxi services for that matter, or really any business, to rise their costs to the consumer based off of a simple principle of supply and demand. This is nothing new and it certainly is within the rights of any company to do so, but residents of Sydney aren’t taking Uber’s decision to introduce surge pricing in their area lightly as the timing just seems like bad form and inconsiderate.
Uber apparently has a policy set in place for situations such as these in which it imposes a set price that they can’t or won’t rise above if there is emergency situation at play. That apparently is only a U.S. applicable policy though so Australia gets to be at the mercy of whatever Uber sees fit as a fair price range. Is this ethical? Probably not but who are we to judge Uber on their decision to provide citizens with a service at whatever price they choose.
This choice by Uber follows a series of controversial business tactics like allegedly calling in fake ride reservations to competing service Lyft in the past, as well as opening up shop in Portland, Oregon before receiving a license to operate. Even though Uber initially began surge pricing in Sydney, following negative media attention over the decision they have since immediately reversed the pricing back to normal costs. Prior to backtracking though, individuals had stated that Uber was charging as little as $100 AUS for a single ride to leave the area of the hostage situation that is reportedly still taking place around the area of a Lindt cafe. Ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft are on the rise and for good reason as they allow easy access to the service via smartphones through apps. Do you agree or disagree with Uber’s decision to change prices accordingly in a situation like this?
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Deal: LG Tone Pro Bluetooth Headset – $34.99
Slip this Bluetooth headset around your neck, where it hangs comfortably thanks to a body-contoured fit. Suited for use in cars, offices, and outdoor locales, the headset allows you to take phone calls or listen to music without dropping all those ice cream cones. These are manufacturer refurbished and on sale for just $34.99 right now through Groupon! You can grab yours from the link below.
LG Tone Pro Bluetooth Headset – $34.99
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HTC Video Chat Enhance Lands On The Play Store For HTC Eye Experience Devices
Back In October, HTC launched their Double Exposure event. One of the main features of the event was the launch of the HTC Desire EYE. However, the whole event was geared towards camera abilities and functions. As such we also had the release of the HTC RE Camera and also a whole bunch of software based apps and services known collectively as the HTC Eye Experience. Most of this software was geared towards the Desire EYE, although HTC did also state that they would roll out what they could to other HTC devices.
One of those features has now landed on the Play Store today under the guise of the ‘HTC Video Chat Enhance’. It does not take a genius to work out that this particular app and feature is designed to enhance Video Chatting. As such the Play Listing states that the app currently works with Hangouts, Line, ooVoo, Skype, Tango and WeChat. In terms of what the app does, well, again the name kinda gives it away. This app will help to enhance the visual quality of chats and as such includes enhanced Face Tracking, so that your face remains always in view and even when moving around. Apparently the face tracking is good for up to five people on screen at the same time when multi conversing. Another notable feature included is Screen Share which allows users to share things on your screen with the other video callers. A last feature worth noting is dubbed Drawing and this allows users to annotate screens during calls so that users can highlight specific aspects, figures or notes which can be seen by all callers.
As you would expect, this app only currently seems to be available to HTC devices and even that list will not include all devices but instead those originally slated to be compatible with the new HTC software. If you do have a compatible device then the app is available now via the Play Store, it is free and works on all compatible models running Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) and higher. If you decide to give it a go then let us know how much it improves your video chatting.
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T-Mobile Nexus 5 And Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 OTA Update To Begin Today
When it comes to updates the familiar saying “it never rains, but it pours” comes to mind. It was only a few hours ago that it was reported that the Google Nexus 5 was expecting to get the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update begin rolling out. However, at the time this was only for Sprint customers. This seemed strange as the Nexus 5 factory images have not yet been made available to download. Compared to all the other Nexus devices, the Nexus 5 seemed to be taking its time. Well, as I said, it never rains but it pours and reports are now coming in that the Nexus 5 on T-Mobile will also start receiving its OTA Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update today.
Yes, a post has gone live on the T-Mobile software update page which clearly states that starting today (December 15th) the Android 5.0.1 update will begin rolling out. Similar to what was reported early with Sprint, if you are a T-Mobile customer then you should not expect that you will definitely receive the update today. These things take time to roll out and it may be a couple of days before you do see the update landing. To add to this, the T-Mobile software and update page is also listening that the T-Mobile Google Nexus 6 will also begin seeing its Android 5.0.1 update rolling out today. Similar to the Nexus 5 you should not expect it to land today, but just know that it is en-route and you will have the update sooner rather than later.
Both updates will bring the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 up to build number, LRX22C. This is the same build we are generally seeing for all the Android 5.0.1 updates. Again, nothing too special is expected in this update beyond performance and bug issues, but that said, an update is an update. If you are running either of the two Nexus devices listed and have seen the update already hitting your device, then leave a message and let us know. With both T-Mobile and Sprint announcing the update for the Nexus 5 landing today, it is probably a safe bet to assume the other carriers (and the factory image) will not be too far behind.
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Deal: Logitech UE Boombox Bluetooth Speaker – $59
This is still one of my favorite smaller Bluetooth speakers. It’s the Logitech UE Boombox. It’s on sale right now for $59 from Daily Steals. Which is almost half off of it’s normal price. It outputs some amazing sound as well as providing you with some awesome battery life. It could typically last me around 10-12 hours of continuous use. Which is pretty damn good.
Logitech UE Boombox Bluetooth Speaker – $59.99
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LG Has Started Its Full European G3 Lollipop Rollout
LG was fast to toot its own horn after being the first OEM to (sort of) push out a Lollipop update. That original OTA only went out to Poland, but now users of the international D855 model are getting their updates all across Europe.
The Android build number is LRX21R with LG software version V20e. This is a 5.0 build, not 5.0.1, but the Android build is dated a few weeks ago, so that's not surprising.
LG Has Started Its Full European G3 Lollipop Rollout was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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Google working on one-click “Buy Now” button for Google Shopping
When it comes to internet shopping, Amazon is sitting at the top of the heap. Tons of sites include Amazon integration, and there are very few things you can’t find to buy on the site. Of course, online shopping is a pretty competitive area, and Google is looking to add some new features to Google Shopping to position it better against the likes of Amazon.
Google is working on creating a “Buy Now” button for products listed on Google Shopping with the intention of keeping users on one of Google’s sites instead of sending them off to the retailer’s site. Right now, if you look up computer speakers on Google Shopping, it will list tons of other merchants that sell it along with links to their website, which means less potential for Google to dish up ads to potential viewers.
This new button would fix that problem, but it doesn’t look like Google is interested in stocking merchandise, so all of the transactions would still go through whatever merchant you wanted to place an order through. On the bright side, though, it means that users could search for products on Google instead of Amazon, which is exactly the point.
To make Google Shopping a little more competitive, Google is also reportedly working on a two-day shipping membership very similar to Amazon Prime or Shoprunner. For just $79 a year, users would be able to place as many orders as they’d like and get their stuff delivered within a couple of days without worrying about extra costs or late delivery.
Like with many of Google’s other ideas, both of these could end up on the cutting room floor if negotiations don’t go well, or if Google just decides that there isn’t enough upside to the new features. It’s pretty clear that many shoppers are hitting Amazon first for their searches, though, and that’s something that Google will have to address one way or another.
source: Wall Street Journal
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Android 5.0.1 now available for download for Nexus 5
If you’ve been waiting around for the latest Android build to hit the Nexus 5, you’re in luck. Android 5.0.1 has finally been released for the Nexus 5, joining most other Nexus devices.
You can grab the download below, and if you need help getting it installed, check our guide to manually install the update.
Android 5.0.1 Download Link for Nexus 5
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HTC Video Chat Enhance arrives on Google Play, allows for easy updating for video chat features
Taking a page out of Motorola’s book, HTC has been doing a great job at unbundling many of their apps and features from their core OS, and making them available on Google Play Store. An easier (and much quicker) way for HTC to update many of their exclusive apps found on their devices, these apps no longer have to rely on complete system updates (and carriers who seem to drag their feet).
Their latest addition to the Google Play Store is an application called HTC Video Chat Enhance, their application that handles HTC’s new video chat features introduced in the Eye Experience update (Android 4.4.4). The app is responsible for features like face tracking, screen sharing and — new in this update — drawing, a fun way to annotate screen shares during video chats.
For those unaware, HTC’s Video Chat Enhance features are currently compatible with Hangouts, Line, ooVoo, Tango, and WeChat, working seamlessly and most of the time, automagically. For HTC One M8 owners on Android 4.4.4, you can update via the Google Play Store. For everyone else, hit the link below and wonder what could have been had you gone M8.
from Phandroid http://ift.tt/1Afm5v2
Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft now available for Android but only select regions
After launching back in April for iOS, Blizzard’s Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft is now officially available for Android tablets. Well, for the most part anyway. According to Blizzard’s blog, you can only pick it up in the Google Play Store if you live in Australia, Canada, or New Zealand at the moment. It’s standard practice, and one we’ve seen company’s like EA employ to ensure their servers and whatnot can handle the load.
If you clicked this post, there’s a good chance you already know exactly what Hearthstone is all about. For everyone else, think of it as an easy to pick up, hard to master card game featuring characters from Blizzard’s Warcraft titles. Blizzard wouldn’t say exactly when to expect the title to hit other regions, only in “the coming days.” We’ll be on the look out. For the lucky few, download link provided below.
from Phandroid http://ift.tt/1zZFpOu
[Update: ZenWatch] Android Wear Lollipop OTA Roundup
If you own an Android Wear device right now, chances are you're probably waiting patiently furiously checking for that elusive Android Wear update. Well, we've got you covered. As the links to the OTA ZIP files become available, we will post them here. To flash these, you'll need to have ADB installed and have the Google USB drivers from the Android SDK. You'll reboot your watch into recovery mode, then select "Install Update From ADB." You can then run "adb sideload filename.zip" from a command prompt.
[Update: ZenWatch] Android Wear Lollipop OTA Roundup was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
from Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets http://ift.tt/1zilXww
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