Your kitteh-filled life is close to being complete as of this moment. The Hangouts extension on Chrome now has access to stickers. Go get them.
Stickers Now Available in the Chrome Hangouts Extension is a post from: Droid Life
Fans of Pebble who backed the company’s second Kickstarter adventure, your Pebble Time is about to ship. Announced this afternoon via the Pebble blog and Kickstarter, Pebble states that the first 10,000 units are at distribution centers and will begin their journey into your hands this week. After those go out, shipping will only ramp up until all of their 78,000+ backers have received units.
For those who missed the Kickstarter campaign, don’t worry, as a pre-order for the Pebble Time will open on Monday, June 22.
Who ordered? If so, is yours ready to ship?
Pebble Time Begins Shipping This Week! is a post from: Droid Life
New Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge owners won’t have long to wait to receive their Android 5.1 update, as the OTA is scheduled for sometime in June, according to the folks at SamMobile.
Inside, owners will receive one of the latest versions of the Android OS, plus a tweak to the camera application. As stated by SamMobile, who are running an unofficial build of the update, the tweak will bring an easier adjustment UI for the exposure level in any given picture. This feature is already available on both devices through the dedicated Pro mode, but when updated, it is said to be easier to use, and more straightforward for endusers.
Of course, the June timeline may just be for overseas variants of the phones, meaning US users who purchased their phone through a carrier may have to wait a tad bit longer to receive Android 5.1.
Regardless, we will keep you posted on when to expect your update.
Android 5.1 Update for Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Expected in June, Includes Updated Camera Feature is a post from: Droid Life
For fans of American automakers, Chevy is set to bring Android Auto functionality to 14 models offered by the manufacturer, including the Corvette, Camaro, Spark, Malibu, and Tahoe.
Synced directly through Chevy’s own MyLink infotainment system, the 2016 models will also be compatible with Apple’s CarPlay, meaning families with differing platform users can all take advantage of the added benefits.
During an event in San Francisco this week, Chevy’s Dan Kinney, Director of User Experience stated, “We want to change the way people use their smartphones in their car by making sure drivers keep their hands on the wheel. Voice activation is a critical component here.”
For anyone who may be soon heading to the dealership in search of a new car, keep this in mind.
Android Auto Coming to 14 Chevy Models Later This Year is a post from: Droid Life
Verizon announced this afternoon that its variant of the LG G4 will go up for pre-order May 28 before arriving in stores on June 4. Priced at $22.91 per month for 24 months through Verizon Edge, or $549 at full retail, Big Red appears to be offering one of the better deals in the industry for this new LG flagship.
Be sure to read our LG G4 review if you are considering this phone.
Included in today’s announcement, Verizon also unveiled the new LG G Pad X8.3 as the next tablet to enter its line-up. The G Pad X8.3 will run $12.49 per month for 24 months with Edge, or $299 at full retail.
So what is the G Pad X8.3? That price leads us to believe this is a middle-of-the-road tablet. You get a 1.5GHz unnamed octa-core processor, 8.3-inch Full HD IPS display, dual stereo speakers, 8MP/2MP camera setup, 16GB internal storage with microSD support, and a 4,800mAh battery. Oh, it also runs Lollipop out of the box, so you won’t have to hang out with DROID Turbo owners who hate life with Kit Kat.
The LG G Pad X8.3 arrives the same day as the G4.
Verizon LG G4 Arrives June 4, G Pad X8.3 Too is a post from: Droid Life
Yesterday, Verizon told us that they were simplifying the Edge upgrade and payment experience by getting rid of the plan’s requirements that ask you to wait 30 days and pay off 75% of the phone in order to pick up a new phone. The new version of Edge, which goes into affect on May 31, only asks that you pay the phone off in full before upgrading. Sounds simple enough, right?
It’s simple all right, but it also completely kills off any form of an early upgrade at Verizon.
With the old Edge policy that required you to pay off 75% of your phone, you had the opportunity to upgrade within about 18 months assuming you paid your monthly payment and nothing more each month. Should you buy a $600 phone and pay $25 per month, you could upgrade to a new phone six months early without ever paying the full $600 price. Once you hit that 75% mark, you could swap out your phone for a new one without paying an upgrade or activation fee.
As of May 31, that all changes. If you want to upgrade to a new phone early, you have to come up with the full $600. Either that, or you just continue to pay your $25 per month payment for 24 months until the device is paid in full and then you can upgrade. See, no more early upgrades with Edge.
Of course, the early upgrades haven’t just stopped there with Verizon. Back in 2013, Verizon changed their 2-year contract upgrade dates to better “align” with contract terms, which meant a move from 20-month upgrades to 24-month upgrades.
So no 75%-paid upgrades with Edge and full 24-month upgrades when you have a 2-year contract. That sounds to me like Verizon has completely abandoned any form of an early upgrade.
On the flip side, AT&T has three different Next plans that allow you to upgrade in as little as 12 months (they also have 18 and 24 month plans). T-Mobile has its JUMP! program, which costs you $10 per month, but lets you upgrade at any time, with T-Mobile covering the rest of your device payments up to half of the device’s total price. Of course, those plans from AT&T and T-Mobile both require you to trade in your device, while Verizon lets you keep it (but they should, since you paid it off fully).
Just something to think about.
Early Upgrades at Verizon are Now a Thing of the Past is a post from: Droid Life
This morning, we shared our thoughts and predictions for this week’s Google I/O conference, but those were just that, our thoughts and predictions. We now want to know what you think we’ll see or also what you are most looking forward to from Google when they take the stage for the opening keynote.
Obviously, you want as much Android as you can take. But are their specific new features or issues that would make you giddy should they find their way into Android M? Do you want a new Chromecast or more cast-ready technologies? Are you hoping for big new Android TV or gaming announcements? What about Android Auto – are you ready for a smart car? Do you just need all things Material Design? Or maybe you just want to see Matias’ shirt?
You tell us!
Question of the Day: What are Your Google I/O Predictions? is a post from: Droid Life
Google I/O is tomorrow. Oh, you forgot? Well, good fellow, you should probably call in sick tomorrow, because it’s going to be filled with awesomeness, once again. I know that as I/O approaches each year, many find themselves saying, “Oh, Google doesn’t have much on the horizon this year, so I/O might be a bore.” That, would be a terrible mindset almost any day when referring to Google, but that would be even terrible-er(?) this year. This may very well be one of the most jam-packed Google I/O events in years, if any of the reports, leaks, and whispers out of Google are any indicator.
I’m not typically into big, bold predictions, but there are some items in particular that I can’t wait (and hope) to see Google talk about. Let’s run through them in a quick preview to prepare for tomorrow!
Android M and Developer Preview
Like last year, we should see a developer preview of the newest version of Android, which Google has already told us will be Android M. They won’t tell us what “M” stands for, but I know that many of you have some good guesses. As for what will be new, well, that’s a good question. Google hasn’t hinted at much, but we should see things like better privacy controls when installing apps, new Smart Lock options or uses, potential battery and RAM improvements (there are two battery sessions and one on memory tooling), new developments in terms of gaming (multi-screen action?), more context aware opportunities, and more. We are also hearing rumors suggesting that Google may build in native fingerprint scanner support. I would imagine we’ll see fine-tuning of Material Design with Android, learn how Android M will improve the Android Auto experience, and maybe even some talk of another new approach to updates or at least how long devices will be supported. Further improvements to the backup and restore process would also be greatly appreciated, even over the massive improvements we saw in Lollipop.
If anything, we should see the preview go live this week, so that we can all take it for a spin on Nexus phones (and tablets?). Once that happens, you know we’ll be walking through all of the new goodies, just like we did last year.
New Chromecast
The Google I/O schedule doesn’t talk much about Chromecast, but I would be shocked if we don’t see a new Chromecast 2 in the very near future. I/O would be the perfect time to announce one and show off a device that should have new flexibility and features. Rumors in and out of our inbox have suggested that a tweaked form factor will allow the new Chromecast to not only plug-in to TVs, but to speakers as well, so you can stream audio to just about any speaker you own (since not all are Cast-ready).
The new Chromecast will likely stay at the $35 price point of the original.
Photos app
Back in February, media reports surfaced with word that Google would soon break down Google+ into three areas: Hangouts, Photos, and Stream. Hangouts has already mostly become its own messaging platform and the G+ stream is still the G+ stream, though there may be tweaks there as well to make that more obvious. As for Photos, we have yet to see it fully materialize as its own stand-alone app. That should change at Google I/O. Google should have its all new Google Photos app ready for prime time. Don’t be surprised if it shows up as a new app listing on Google Play this week. For the most part, it should be the same app you are already using alongside Google+, but Google may re-brand parts (Auto Awesome becomes Assistant) of it and give it a new polished look. The folks at Android Police have spent a ton of time with it in case you want to see how it looks.
Android Auto updates
Like wearables, cars are the next big frontier for tech companies. Since Google already dominates the smartphone landscape and was one of the first to smartwatches, they will now spend all sorts of time getting into your next car. We have seen Hyundai adopt Android Auto in their new line-up of cars, but you should expect plenty of new news surrounding the platform at I/O, this week. Google has at least two sessions dedicated to it, but I would imagine we’ll see some of the 3-hour keynote tomorrow morning spent on it as well, maybe in relation to the Android M preview.
Android Wear announcements (hardware and software?)
Google still seems heavily invested in wearables, but without any rumors of new hardware, I don’t know that we’ll such much other than a big focus on fitness and Google Fit (two sessions related to fitness). There may be an announcement surrounding the next version of Wear, but keep in mind, Google just started (slowly) pushing the recent WiFi-support update within the last week and it has yet to hit most watches. The sessions (four related to wearables) all seem targeted at getting developers to buy into fitness integration or using a wearable as a means of authentication.
Maybe we’ll finally get release news on Huawei’s watch? Maybe Google will give them to attendees, like they did last year with the 360? Please!
Voice controls of apps
Google is going to teach developers how to add voice controls to their apps at I/O. We know this because there is an entire session dedicated to it. What we don’t know is if this is an Android M feature or something that will work retroactively with other builds of Android. Either way, get ready for your voice to take over your phone.
App Permission controls
A report from earlier in the month talked about Google giving more control over the permissions that are provided to you during app installs. In basic terms, this could mean that you could hand-pick which permissions you give an app as you install it. Last year, Google gave us a simpler, cleaner overview of permissions, but this move would give you serious control over what your new apps can and can’t access. Tough to tell if that might break some apps, but leave it to Google to figure all of that out. Also, don’t be surprised if this is one of the major new features of Android M.
Google Home or Android@Home
Like all tech companies, Google is preparing to take over your home and the Internet of Things (IoT). According to a report earlier in the month, Google will (at least in our opinions) revive their Android@Home initiative by creating a new software that can run on low-powered, low-RAM devices that would make your home smarter. The hub of it all could be Google’s Nest, but the big deal here is their software (codenamed “Brillo”) being provided to smart home product makers to help create a standard for your home to all run as one. This is a big deal if you want your phone to be smarter in the future.
WTF is ATAP doing?
Google’s Advanced Technologies and Projects (ATAP) is going to introduce a wearable that will “literally” blow your socks off. I have no idea what they have in store, but it could be smart shoes or socks (if we are talking “literally”) or something else altogether. Whatever it is, it should be weird yet awesome, in a weird-awesome way.
VR, because why not?
Don’t be surprised if Google jumps on the Virtual Reality (VR) train. I’ll be sleeping as they talk about it, but others may get all sorts of giddy. Look, I get that companies are always trying to find the next big thing, I just don’t buy into it being VR. VR, to me, is like 3D TVs and Google Glass – it sounds and looks cool at first in demos, but probably won’t ever actually be that cool in reality.
Free stuff!
Google always gives out free stuff at Google I/O to attendees. Last year it was a bunch of Android Wear devices. In years past, it has been Nexus phones or tablets, Chromebooks and boxes, and Chromecasts. What will it be this year? This is pure speculation, but I’m guessing the new Chromecast 2 will be gifted, along with an Android Wear watch of some sort (Watch Urbane or Huawei Watch). And if nothing else, maybe Google will hand out Nexus 6s and Project Fi invites to those interested.
Join us tomorrow at 9:30AM Pacific (12:30PM Eastern) for the live keynote! It’s going to be a long one, so bring water, snacks, and butt cushions.
A Quick Google I/O 2015 Preview is a post from: Droid Life
The Android 5.1.1 factory image for the Nexus 6 on Sprint and US Cellular is now available for download and flashing.
If you own this exact device, you can find the link below. Do note, if you have a Nexus 6 not on Sprint or US Cellular, do not attempt to flash this image.
Factory Image (Android 5.1.1):
Instructions for flashing factory images can be found here.
Android 5.1.1 Factory Image Available for Nexus 6 (Sprint) is a post from: Droid Life
In either a full blown app update or simple server-side change, the Google app is reported to become a bit more helpful and quicker in delivering the answers you are looking for.
Before the update, when you attempt a search such as “How old is Barack Obama?,” you need to hit Enter to complete the search in order to view the answer. Thanks to the update, your answer will appear directly below in the Search Suggestions, with no need to continue to the results page.
As another example, you could ask, “What year did California become a state?” Without having to see the results page, Google will tell you the answer right below in the Search Suggestions.
It’s not a huge change, but definitely something to help speed up the search process.
If you see this change hit your phone, let us know in the comments section.
Google to Answer Your Search Inquiries Directly in Search Suggestions is a post from: Droid Life
T-Mobile told us to expect the LG G4 today and they delivered. You can now purchase the LG G4 from the Uncarrier for $0 with equal monthly payments of $24.99 per month. In case you don’t have a calculator handy, that means you will pay $599.76 over that 24-month period.
Don’t forget that T-Mobile is tossing in a free 128GB microSD card, though supplies are limited. Also, T-Mobile has an exclusive on the brown leather version and they haven’t even upped the price on it over the standard grey plastic model. That seems like a deal in and of itself, especially since you could swap it out if you decide you don’t like it or it doesn’t hold up to the elements.
Be sure to read our LG G4 review if you haven’t already.
LG G4 Now Available Online From T-Mobile is a post from: Droid Life
