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Thursday, June 11, 2015

Let Google Help You Decide Which Android Phone is Best for You

For some, picking the perfect Android phone may prove somewhat difficult, given the insane number of choices out there on the market. Thanks to a new tool from Google, picking a device right for your lifestyle may not be so difficult, as the tool asks for what you look for most in a device, then lists devices suited for those needs.

For example, if you play a ton of action shooter games and want to take great pictures, Google will suggest the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S6, while others who want a bit more fit and on-the-go will be recommended the DROID Turbo. Whatever your lifestyle may be, there’s a perfect Android phone for you.

In total, there are 12 categories to help pinpoint what your needs are, and inside, a list of the most important aspects of that category are listed. It is up to you to determine what you really need from a smartphone. Once you have chosen your needs, all Google needs to know is which carrier you want the device on. If you like what you see, Google lists purchase links directly on the page.

If you are either in the market or just want to have some fun looking at phones, check out Google’s online phone finder tool right here.

Via: Android

Let Google Help You Decide Which Android Phone is Best for You is a post from: Droid Life



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Free Version of Threes Now Available on Google Play, Powered by Ads

If you never checked out Threes, the game that launched many clones like 2048 into popularity, it is now available for free over on Google Play. Two versions are currently available, one that you still pay for featuring no ads, and a free version that allows you to play the game in its entirety, but with the occasional advertisement to help boost the amount of plays you get. 

To explain, you start out with a fixed number of plays. Once you run out, you have to watch an ad to get more plays. This process is repeated until you are done playing. Of course, if watching ads in exchange for plays sounds lame, you can still buy the paid version for just $3.

Seriously, if you have not even tried Threes, go grab it. It’s free.

Play Link

Free Version of Threes Now Available on Google Play, Powered by Ads is a post from: Droid Life



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Twitter is Removing 140-Character Limit in Direct Messages

Twitter’s CEO just quit (or was forced out – who knows), in case you were interested in executive shake-ups at big tech companies. If not, then let me direct your Twitter attention to a new announcement by the Twitter staff to developers concerning a lifting of the 140-character limit in direct messages. On the Twitter Community portal, Twitter staff made the change public while providing recommendations for app developers to follow in order to make sure their apps and services can handle longer format messages before they flip the switch.

That’s right! No limit when having conversations through direct messages come July on Twitter! Somewhere, Master P is makin’ ’em say uhhh.

As for how this impacts you and I, well, it doesn’t other than the fact that we will soon be able to send longer direct messages without limitation. Thanks, Twitter.

Via:  Twitter Community

Twitter is Removing 140-Character Limit in Direct Messages is a post from: Droid Life



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Deal: Pay What You Want for This Mobile-First Developer Bundle

Currently over on the DL Deals Store, you can pay what you want for a 10 course Mobile-First Development Bundle, ranging in topics from Swift Programming to HTML5 Projects. 

The way it works is pretty simple. For whatever price you want, you get access to two courses – Monetize Your App and the Complete Android Lollipop Development Course. If you beat the average, set currently at $6.94, you gain access to all 10 courses. If you want to be really special and sit atop the leaderboard, that price is $101. Be aware, if at any point you are on the leaderboard, not just on top, you gain 5 entries into an exclusive giveaway that can win you $700 towards any Apple product you want.

A portion of proceeds support charity, with over $3,000 raised already for Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools.

If development is up your alley, the price can’t be beat. Check out the link below.

Deal Link

Deal: Pay What You Want for This Mobile-First Developer Bundle is a post from: Droid Life



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Level Money Update Introduces “Flexible Money Management”

On a basic level, Level Money is an app that attempts absorb your life’s financial picture to tell you how much money you have to freely spend each day, week, or month. In an update released today on Android, Level Money now has a Flexible Money Management feature for those who may not have steady income or whose bills change from month to month. 

Think servers or commission-based jobs or those with flexible work schedules who take in cash at varying intervals. With Flexible Money Management, Level tries to “automatically adjust the amount you can spend when bills” or income fluctuates. The goal is still for Level to tell you how much money you have to spend, but with this new feature, a lot of the work should be taken out of it for those with not-so-typical schedules.

This is Flexible Money Management:

  • Set the frequency of income and bills to anything from weekly to yearly
  • Let Level deal with income and bills that arrive randomly
  • Spread commissions or bonuses over multiple months
  • Let Level automatically adjust the amount you can spend when bills fluctuate
  • Create bills to capture a wide range of expenses you want monitor
  • See income and bills that Level predicts for you
  • Have credits that come in each month increase your spendable cash

Play Link

Level Money Update Introduces “Flexible Money Management” is a post from: Droid Life



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Google Slides Updated With Chromecast Support

Google Slides received an update this morning, bringing support for the Chromecast HDMI dongle. Once updated, users can send their slide presentations straight to an HDTV, while the smartphone then becomes a remote for controlling playback. 

This update is perfect for those of you who perform presentations at board meetings or at your local library. Just make sure you bring your Chromecast with you and get it all set up over the WiFi network at wherever you will be presenting.

iOS users can also join in on the fun, as the app for iPhones and iPads now supports AirPlay.

Play Link

Via: Google

Google Slides Updated With Chromecast Support is a post from: Droid Life



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Cyanogen Teams Up With Playphone Game Store in Emerging Markets

This morning, Cyanogen and Playphone announced a new partnership that would allow Cyanogen to distribute the Playphone Game Store in “key international markets.” 

Not familiar with the Playphone Game Store? Playphone has created a “social game store” that delivers Android games to international markets including Southeast Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe. They have a new strategic focus on emerging markets, which is where the Cyanogen partnership comes into play. As Cyanogen focuses on bringing Cyanogen OS to “some of the fastest growing markets,” a distribution agreement with Playphone gets many popular gaming titles in their customers’ hands.

If you look at the Playphone website, it’s pretty obvious that they have a decent catalog of games that would appeal to almost any market. Titles like NBA Jam, Cut The Rope 2, Tetris, and others are featured on their front page. I don’t know that Playphone gets the latest releases as quickly as Apple or Google’s stores will, but for markets without access to either, this is an option.

Via:  BusinessWire

Cyanogen Teams Up With Playphone Game Store in Emerging Markets is a post from: Droid Life



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Motorola on DROID Turbo Lollipop Update: Still 5.1, Still in Lab Test Cycle Too

So, about that DROID Turbo update to Android 5.1. Because the Internet is going absolutely nuts over its seemingly late arrival, and because there is all sorts of random rumor and speculation floating about causing mass confusion, largely fueled by Verizon updating the phone’s listings with mentions of “Android 5.0.2,” Motorola’s David Schuster took to Google+ to set the record straight.

According to Schuster, the update will indeed still be Android 5.1 when it rolls out. Motorola is still in the “lab test cycle” at the moment, so it’s probably safe to assume that the update needs more time to bake before it’s ready for your phone. In other words, an update showing up this week is probably unlikely.

Here is the full quote:

Hey, I wanted to give a quick update on our progress on the DROID Turbo 5.1 lollipop upgrade since there seems to be A LOT of inaccurate information out there. We are still in the lab test cycle and things are looking good. We have not provided a launch date yet, but I will let you know as soon as the update is available.

Via:  +David Schuster

Motorola on DROID Turbo Lollipop Update: Still 5.1, Still in Lab Test Cycle Too is a post from: Droid Life



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Tip: Chrome Beta 44 Flag Gives New Tab Screen Icons Instead of Thumbnail Previews, Looks Great

Tucked inside the latest Chrome Beta for Android (v44.0.2403.30) is a Flag that turns the thumbnail previews on your “New Tab” screen into icons. You can see it in action in the shot above. How clean is that?

On the flip side, you have the default setting pictured below, which shows those thumbnails, to let you know where you last left your most recently/often visited sites. 

At first glance, I wasn’t a fan of the icons, because I kind of like seeing previews of sites. But after using it a couple of times in a new tab, I realized how useful icons are. Not only do they let you quickly identify the sites, they also allow your screen to show more results. In the shot below, the previews are giving me two full previews along with two cut-off previews. With the flag flipped on for icons, I can get up to eight, non-cut-off shortcuts to my favorite sites. I like it.

To turn on this flag, you will need Chrome Beta 44 (Play Link). Once installed, in your URL bar, type in “chrome://flags” and hit enter. Once there, do a “Find in page” for “icons” and you should see an option for “Enable large icons on the New Tab Page.” Flip the pull-down menu from “Default” to “Enabled,” re-launch Chrome Beta, and boom! Enjoy.

Which do you prefer?

chrome icons-2

 

Via:  reddit

Tip: Chrome Beta 44 Flag Gives New Tab Screen Icons Instead of Thumbnail Previews, Looks Great is a post from: Droid Life



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Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Reported to Feature USB Type-C Port

USB Type-C, the latest hardware feature everyone in the tech world is clamoring for, may be featured on the upcoming Galaxy Note 5 from Samsung.

Type-C offers a few advantages over the typical microUSB ports you see on the bottom of current Android smartphones. For staters, data transfer speeds are much higher, allowing you to send and receive files through the port at 10Gbps. In addition to a higher transfer rate of data, charging also becomes faster, too. 

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, there is no right way to plug it. Unlike microUSB that has an up and down side, Type-C can be plugged in either way, sparing you any confusion and wasted time trying to plug it in incorrectly.

At this moment, Type-C is featured on the new MacBook from Apple, and the Chromebook Pixel 2 from Google. So, unless Google with its new Nexus or another OEM throws in USB Type-C on an upcoming phone, it appears Samsung may be the first to adopt Android’s support of it. Not only that, but Type-C support was just announced for Android M during Google I/O, and unless Samsung was planning on a miracle, we don’t think there is anyway the Galaxy Note 5 is launching with Android M. This leads us to believe that either Samsung has possibly worked some way to get Type-C working with later builds of Lollipop, or the Note 5 will in fact not launch with USB Type-C.

Guess we will find out in September during IFA when Samsung is supposed to announce the device.

Excited?

Via: SamMobile

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Reported to Feature USB Type-C Port is a post from: Droid Life

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Verizon Moto E (2nd Gen) Receiving Update to Android 5.1 Lollipop

Android 5.1 is rolling out to a Motorola device on Verizon! Yes, the Moto E (2nd gen) is now receiving the update! It might not be the Turbo or MAXX or other flagship-level phones receiving the goods, but hey, at least something is getting it. 

The update, according to one of our readers, is arriving in two parts as build 23.11.17. The update improves some UI elements, like easier choose and connect for Bluetooth and WiFi in the quick settings pull-down. The “Interruptions” controls are also tweaked slightly and Factory Reset Protection has been added.

The update should be rolling out now, so head into Settings>About phone and try to grab it.

moto e 5.1 moto e 5.1-2

Via:  Verizon
Cheers @njbuzz19!

Verizon Moto E (2nd Gen) Receiving Update to Android 5.1 Lollipop is a post from: Droid Life



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Rovio’s Angry Birds Fight! Now Available in US, a Mix of Avian Mortal Kombat and Bejeweled

Rovio has a new game available on Google Play for players in the US, titled Angry Birds Fight! In this game, which looks like a mashup of Mortal Kombat and Bejeweled, you rank up characters through various color matching puzzle levels, then fight other players with your characters in real-time. These players are all around the world, as Rovio has created a global bird-fighting network for people to enjoy. 

As you progress through the game, you travel to new islands, fight crazy-new pig monsters, and add legendary weapons to your inventory for whoopin’ bird booty.

Of course, being Rovio, the game is littered with IAPs. They range from cheap ($1.12) to stupidly expensive ($84.87), so keep an eye on your kid if they decide to start playing. The IAPs are used to upgrade weapons and power-ups.

Features

  • Challenge the rest of the world to outrageous puzzle battles!
  • Fight your way to the top in the all-new global fight rank system!
  • Explore new islands, fight new Pig Monsters, and wield new legendary weapons!
  • Enhance your weapons and unleash their full power upon your opponents.
  • Keep an eye out for new, limited-time events coming soon!

Play Link

Rovio’s Angry Birds Fight! Now Available in US, a Mix of Avian Mortal Kombat and Bejeweled is a post from: Droid Life



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Verizon Updates DROID Turbo Specs to Show Phone has Lollipop, Except It Doesn’t

A rumor floating about the interwebs over the last week suggested that the DROID Turbo would finally receive its update to Lollipop yesterday, June 10. That didn’t happen, obviously, but Verizon was clearly, at one point, thinking that June 10 sounded like a good idea because last night, they updated the specs for the Turbo to show that the phone runs Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. There are a couple of things to talk about here. 

First, the Turbo didn’t receive 5.0.2 yesterday – that much is true. A new date may be June 12, though like the rumor for the 10th, things can always change last minute, so don’t get too set on it. I would imagine that we will get word on the update any day or Verizon wouldn’t be updating the phone’s listings to show that it runs Lollipop.

Second, what the hell, 5.0.2? Motorola told us to expect a jump straight from KitKat to Android 5.1. Has something changed? Sources of ours yesterday actually told us that the update that has been approved is Android 5.0.2, not 5.1. We haven’t been able to receive a second confirmation on that, so expect one or the other, just don’t be shocked if it ends up being 5.0.2.

Verizon Link

droid turbo lollipop

Cheers Tony!

Verizon Updates DROID Turbo Specs to Show Phone has Lollipop, Except It Doesn’t is a post from: Droid Life



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