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Friday, June 5, 2015

Chrome Colored Toolbars May be Coming Without the Need to “Merge Tabs”

Back in Chrome Beta 39, Google introduced one of our favorite features to Chrome that was unfortunately, only available in select situations, and on select versions of Android. We are talking about colored toolbars, of course.

When first introduced, colored toolbars (assuming a website enabled them) could only be viewed when a phone or tablet was running Lollipop and if the tabs were merged into the app switcher. We have talked about how terrible this whole merging of tabs thing is in its current state, but had hoped all along that Google would tweak the way it worked to make it easier to switch between tabs when enabled. I don’t know if they will ever do that bit, but one thing seems to be happening in the latest Chrome Beta that was a merged-tabs-only feature. 

Look at that image above. See it? Yes! Unmerged tabs with colored toolbars! A reader of ours noticed Droid Life pink popping up on his phone, which didn’t have tabs merged (probably because his Moto X had yet to receive Lollipop and merged tabs is a Lollipop feature). We checked ours and noticed some colors appearing here or there before going away, but weren’t sure what to make of it. And then! We got them to stick, sort of. You can see them in action in the GIF below.

So what’s happening? Good question. To get them to appear, you need the newest version of Chrome Beta and a website that has colored toolbars enabled. Ours is a good place to start. With a tab open, open another tab for another website. Let that website load and then swipe back over to Droid Life. Boom! Pink! So much pink. (We were able to replicate this on two Galaxy S6s, an Xperia Z3 Compact, and our reader’s Moto X (2013).)

So is this finally a feature for those who aren’t weird as hell don’t merge tabs? That we do not know. This could just be a bug that’s allowing colors to shine through temporarily. The status bar isn’t even changing colors as it should. Our hope, is that Google is enabling this for those who aren’t weird as hell don’t merge tabs and we have just stumbled into early work on it.

Please be real, you all need more pink in your lives.

chrome color tabs

Cheers blakjakdavy!

Chrome Colored Toolbars May be Coming Without the Need to “Merge Tabs” is a post from: Droid Life



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Don’t Miss These Android Stories: June 5, 2015

As Rebecca Black once so elegantly stated, “Yesterday was Thursday, today is Friday.” Yes, sadly, it’s the end of the work week here at DL, but we had a lot to talk about. With Google I/O all wrapped up, we featured a ton of Android M tips and tricks, plus talked a bit about NVIDIA’s Android TV set-top box SHIELD.

On top that excitement, Ron gave us his take on Google Photos in his latest opinion piece, ASUS announced the ZenWatch 2 with zero theatrics, Motorola declared the Android 5.1.1 update for the Moto 360 “not quite there yet,” and TAG has a name for its $1,400 Android Wear smartwatch.

Below, you will find the list of this week’s top Android and mobile-related stories.

Have a great weekend, folks!

Don’t Miss These Android Stories: June 5, 2015 is a post from: Droid Life



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Deal: ExoMount Touch Universal Car Mount for $20

The ExoMount Touch car mount is currently slashed to just $19.99 in the DL Deals store. That’s roughly $10 off the full price, and still cheaper than Amazon. That’s a solid deal for those of you looking at car mounts for your oversized smartphones.

The ExoMount features a one-touch attach and release setup for phones, able to fit even the big boys such as the Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6. With a 360 degree swivel and easy rotator, you should have zero issues setting this up nicely in your car.

If the ExoMount is the perfect little accessory for your vehicle, follow that link below.

Features

  • Attaches & releases your smartphone with one touch
  • Mounts to any flat, smooth, textured, curved, or rounded surface
  • Attaches to more than just the car; use on a desk or wall
  • Easily rotates & swivels 360 degrees
  • Sleek & clean design
  • Installs in less than a minute
  • Washable & reusable suction cup
  • Works w/ a wide-range of devices

Deal Link

 

Deal: ExoMount Touch Universal Car Mount for $20 is a post from: Droid Life



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HTC Will Actually Innovate With Next Year’s One Instead of Mailing It In Again

The HTC One M9 is without a doubt, the most disappointing phone I have touched in years. HTC had a short list of items to address from 2014 to 2015 to make an almost-perfect phone and essentially failed at all of them. As I said in my One M9 review, I have no idea what the hell HTC spent the last year working on. What I do know is that your company has completely screwed up (maybe given up too), when your flagship phone from the previous year is better than your flagship phone for this year. You also know things are bad when you spend the weeks leading up to the release of your hand-picked media reviews, reminding everyone that once the phone hits customers’ hands and all of the early bloated benchmarks are public, you will throttle the phone down to not melt anyone’s face off.

After apologizing to shareholders for the company’s poor performance for the fourth straight year (stock price has dropped from NT$1300 in 2011 to under NT$100), CEO Cher Wang essentially admitted that it’s time for her company to do something different going forward and try not to repeat the past few years of mistakes. Wang told shareholders that HTC would launch a “hero product” in October to help boost their smartphone segment, but that they would also make significant improvements in innovation and design for their flagship phone for 2016. In other words, the HTC One M10 might not suck.  

Well, there are no guarantees, but it sounds like HTC will at least put some effort into next year’s phone. That’s good news for those who don’t want to see HTC exit the smartphone market with their tales between their legs. And I’m not saying they should exit this arena, but when you look at the decline from 2011 to now, and also take a look at the embarrassment that is the One M9, you have to wonder why they continue to hang around. How much further downward can you go before it’s time to give in?

As for other HTC news, the company will not renew the contract of Robert Downey Jr. That, my friends, is terrible news. We will no longer get these glorious, “Someone just hand me this stupid phone already so I can fulfill my contract and move on” ads.

Does anyone have any confidence in HTC at this point?

Via:  Taipei Times

HTC Will Actually Innovate With Next Year’s One Instead of Mailing It In Again is a post from: Droid Life



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Friday Poll: What Version of Android is Your Phone Running?

Earlier this week, Google updated its Android distribution numbers, showing that only a small group of users, at about 12%, are running the latest version of the OS available. Lollipop was released last year, and now that we are creeping towards the half of 2015, we would have hoped to see that number a bit higher.

Regardless, there are a lot of versions of Android still out in the wild, with plenty of ‘mid-range’ and even some ‘high-end’ models of phones running Jelly Bean and Kit Kat. Our question today is, what version of Android is your current smartphone running?

To see what version of Android you are on, head into Settings, About Phone, Software Info, then you should see exactly what your phone is running.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Friday Poll: What Version of Android is Your Phone Running? is a post from: Droid Life

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Friday Poll: What Version of Android is Your Phone Running?

Earlier this week, Google updated its Android distribution numbers, showing that only a small group of users, at about 12%, are running the latest version of the OS available. Lollipop was released last year, and now that we are creeping towards the half of 2015, we would have hoped to see that number a bit higher.

Regardless, there are a lot of versions of Android still out in the wild, with plenty of ‘mid-range’ and even some ‘high-end’ models of phones running Jelly Bean and Kit Kat. Our question today is, what version of Android is your current smartphone running?

To see what version of Android you are on, head into Settings, About Phone, Software Info, then you should see exactly what your phone is running.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Friday Poll: What Version of Android is Your Phone Running? is a post from: Droid Life



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Is AT&T Hinting at a Galaxy S6 Active Announcement on Twitter?

Even though we already know everything about the Galaxy S6 Active itself, AT&T has yet to come out and officially announce the device, complete with availability and pricing. But finally, it appears the company is ready to awaken the hypebeast on Twitter, possibly teasing an upcoming announcement for the device in a tweet sent out yesterday morning. 

In the tweet, AT&T states, “Only one thing is missing from your workout. It’s almost time to activate your full power.” We added in the italics ourselves, since adding emphasis to the word “activate” is rather important. In the photo accompanying the tweet, a phone is being held, but is blocked out. Is it a S6 Active being hidden? Our guess is, more than likely.

Given the S6 Active’s water and dust resistance, it is no surprise that AT&T would assume that this device is the best workout companion a person could ask for. You can drop it, sweat on it, and everything should continue to work normally.

So, yeah, Galaxy S6 Active coming soon to AT&T.

AT_T_on_Twitter___Only_one_thing_is_missing_from_your_workout__It’s_almost_time_to_activate_your_full_power__http___t_co_PzgOS6SATJ_

Via: @ATT
Cheers Theon Greyjoy!

Is AT&T Hinting at a Galaxy S6 Active Announcement on Twitter? is a post from: Droid Life



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Minecraft: Pocket Edition Update With Player Skins and Fishing is Now Available

Last week, an update for Minecraft: Pocket Edition was teased by the Mojang team, and this week, the update is available for all to download on Google Play. Inside, players can now customize their character’s skin, allowing for a more entertaining walk through the caves. Players are given a few free skins, while other skins can be purchased via IAPs. You can also upload your own skin via the web, then apply it for free. 

On top of skins, boats with space for two have been added in, letting you take your wolf pup friend on a boat ride. Squids have been added, in addition to cave spiders, bats, and even adorable baby zombies.

Check out the full changelog below, then have at it.

What’s New

  • Multiple language support.
  • Boats with space for two! Take your pet for a pleasant ride.
  • The ability to throw stuff from boats, including snowballs and eggs.
  • Fishing! Now you can fish for fishies!
  • Squids!
  • Spider jockeys!
  • Cave Spiders!
  • Bats!
  • Adorable baby zombies!
  • Weird chicken jockeys!
  • Edible clownfish. Yum!
  • A fancy new World Edit screen so you can rename worlds, change game modes and do other things.
  • Creative players can no longer be set on fire. Controversial.
  • We’ve stopped cheeky chickens from walking on water.
  • Animals can no longer breed without touching each other ooh err.
  • Drinking milk now removes mob effects.
  • Ridiculous amounts of bug fixes.
  • More cool things that you should discover for yourself.

Play Link

Minecraft: Pocket Edition Update With Player Skins and Fishing is Now Available is a post from: Droid Life



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Amazon Echo Can Now Read Books to You Thanks to Audible Support

Amazon Echo, the company’s voice-activated assistant of sorts, can now read audiobooks to you thanks to newly implemented Audible support. If you have a little library of ebooks piled up in your Audible account, you can get started by saying, “Alexa, play the audiobook 50 Shades of Grey.” 

To celebrate this most joyous occasion, Echo owners can grab two free audiobooks from Audible for listening. All you need to do is download the Audible app.

How It Works

  • Start any book you own with “Alexa, read [Audible book title]”
  • Resume the current book you’re reading by saying “Alexa, read my book.”
  • Control playback with “Alexa, go back/forward.”

And that’s it. If you have an Echo, go make Alexa read you War and Peace. On that same note, does anyone here own an Echo?

Via: Amazon

Amazon Echo Can Now Read Books to You Thanks to Audible Support is a post from: Droid Life



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Square Enix Publishes Final Fantasy Tactics: WotL to Google Play for $14

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, a hit game from Square Enix, is now available on Google Play for the price of $13.99. In this Final Fantasy game, players are greeted to a tactical, turn-based RPG, where you must build up your character in order to take on bigger baddies. 

Each level appears on a boardgame-like map, and various warriors with different skills fight to take control. Honestly, since I have zero experience with it, I would say it looks somewhat similar to old Pokemon games, given the turn-based “attack” or “reequip” commands.

To get an idea of what you are in for, watch the super old trailer below. So far, all reviews are 5 stars, so it must be pretty epic.

Play Link ($13.99)

Square Enix Publishes Final Fantasy Tactics: WotL to Google Play for $14 is a post from: Droid Life



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HTC Shows Off 24ct Gold One M9 to Celebrate Soccer Championship

For the past couple of years, HTC has made Gold variants of its flagship device, usually for some special occasion. Apparently, 2015 is no exception, as the company revealed on its Twitter account a new 24ct. Gold One M9, celebrating the UCL Final in Europe. That’s soccer, just in case you did not know. 

According to HTC, the device will be super limited, but given its gold exterior, you can be sure that it will be priced out of most consumers’ range anyway. And seriously, if I was paying a few thousand bones for a gold phone, I might expect a better camera.

Throw your Goldmember memes down in the comments section below, then share your thoughts on whether you think it is good business for HTC to continue its gold phone-making ways.

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Via: @HTC

HTC Shows Off 24ct Gold One M9 to Celebrate Soccer Championship is a post from: Droid Life



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