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Friday, July 17, 2015

Don’t Miss These Android Stories: 7/17/15

Shortly after Google I/O ended, I told myself that it was time to settle into the Android M preview, relax for the summer, and not think about the craziness of the Fall for a few weeks. That was foolish. Samsung more than likely moved up their Note 5 event (because of Apple) and Motorola is ready to rock out with the new new in just over a week. Our Summer is no longer relaxing – it’s all business. And you know what? I wouldn’t want it any other way because this is the fun stuff.

Over the last week, we saw signs of all of this, grabbed an invite from Motorola to their event on July 28, are also getting ready for the OnePlus 2 on July 27, and found the realness at the FCC for a number of new phones.

Be sure to catch up on it all below. 

Beer.

Don’t Miss These Android Stories: 7/17/15 is a post from: Droid Life



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Deal: Moto Hint is Now Just $80 ($70 Off)

Motorola’s Moto Hint, the little earbud Bluetooth headset thingy that can be used to access some of the Google Voice search and Moto Voice stuff you regularly use on your Moto X (or DROID), has dropped to just $79.99 on Motorola’s web store. Originally priced at $150, this earbud lets you ask about the weather, your upcoming schedule, directions to a location, or call someone without needing to touch your phone.  It can actually be paired with any Bluetooth enabled smartphone for calls, but you get the full experience when paired with a Motorola device.

I spent some time with the Moto Hint a few months back and came away impressed by some things (fit, finish, look, battery life and case, etc.), while others left me looking elsewhere (volume is way too low when maxed out) for a Bluetooth experience in the $150 price range. But with the Hint at just $80, it’s probably now worth considering. If you want a Bluetooth headset that won’t make you look like the guy in the cheap suit at Starbucks talking loudly on a hands-free call, this is one to consider.

The Moto Hint also comes with leather, wood, or fabric accents. Classy.

Motorola Link 

Cheers Scott!

Deal: Moto Hint is Now Just $80 ($70 Off) is a post from: Droid Life



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Zooper by Beard 3 is Probably Your Next Zooper Pack

The Zooper by Beard series has always been one of the best, so it’s no surprise that the newly released Zooper by Beard 3 has already taken over our home screens. Featuring around 30 different clock widgets for a single dollar, I’m not sure there is a better value in customization.

In this release, vibrant colors seems to dominate, but it’s summer and the brightness is actually kind of a nice change at the moment. There are pinks and bright blues and greens, all that seem based off of the Material color palette. The clocks vary from those which are minimal and text heavy to those that have weather and dates. You’ll find rectangular designs, plenty of flatness, shadows here or there, and squirrels. (Who doesn’t love a good squirrel?) 

As a reminder, you will need Zooper Pro in order to apply these.

#beardshit

Play Link ($1.00)

zooper by beard 3

Cheers Jim G!

Zooper by Beard 3 is Probably Your Next Zooper Pack is a post from: Droid Life



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I Love Google for Removing the “Saving Screenshot” Animation in Stock Android

If you watch the animation above and are addicted to the little details of Android (read: crazy, batsh*t anal), you should see something wonderful – the lack of a “Saving screenshot…” animation in between screenshots, which I’m pretty sure Google did away with when they introduced Lollipop. Either way, I can’t thank them enough for it.

Sure, it’s a small detail that most wouldn’t notice, but if you have ever taken a series of screenshots, you will know how much of a nuisance that little animation can be, especially if you like them to be as clean as is possible. You either have to wait for the animation to disappear between shots (breaking: impatient people hate waiting), or it often forces you to re-take a screenshot because you snapped one too quickly and are blessed with the message of “Saving screenshot…” at the top. 

To this day, even on the Galaxy S6 in the GIF below, most Android phones tell you in the status bar that they are “Saving screenshot…” just after snapping one. And keep in mind that the Galaxy S6 is running Android 5.1.1. Google has done away with this in stock Android and instead just shows a new notification that represents a screenshot. As you snap more, nothing changes up top – you just get a single screenshot icon even if you snap 10 in a row.

Ahhh, the little things.

screenshot1

I Love Google for Removing the “Saving Screenshot” Animation in Stock Android is a post from: Droid Life



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Cortana for Android Leaks Early, Available for Download

Microsoft was supposed to release the Android version of Cortana by the end of this month as a companion app to Windows 10 PCs. That may even still be their official plan. However, the app leaked today and is installable on just about every Android device. 

Cortana is a bit like Siri or Google Voice search in that you can ask it about events or to help you find restaurants or how your favorite sports teams are doing. You can also have it track your flights, check the weather, tell you news, and display showtimes for movies at nearby theaters. You can customize many of those categories, as well, by adding in your favorite teams, news categories, food types, and cities.

We’re playing with it now to see if it’s any good. While we do that, feel free to get after it with us. You can grab the .apk file below and sideload it.

Download Link

Via:  PocketNow

Cortana for Android Leaks Early, Available for Download is a post from: Droid Life



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It’s #WorldEmojiDay! What’s Your Go-To Emoji?

🔥🔥🔥 It’s World Emoji Day! Trust me, I’m with you in wondering why that’s a thing 👀, but hey, it is. Embrace it or it’s going to be a long day on Twitter, my friends.

So, to show our support, let’s all share that go-to 👍 emoji that you seem to use over and over again. You know you have one. It’s the emoji that’s so convenient as it sits in your recently used list that you can’t help but tap it, even though deep in that emoji mind, you really wish you had the ❤ to branch out and be more creative like that friend of yours who always seems to have the perfect emoji for every situation. “Dammit, 🌊🌊🌊 wave emoji in our beach conversation! Why didn’t I think of that!” you constantly find yourself saying. It’s OK, the 😛 tongue face was cute…for the fifth time today. “Wait, I just typed out ‘peace’ but he went ✌!” It’s 👌, one day you’ll figure out that emoji are great word replacements. That is the point after all. Come 💪, today. This is the day.

What you got. 😎

It’s #WorldEmojiDay! What’s Your Go-To Emoji? is a post from: Droid Life



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Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ All Over the FCC This Week

You know that report about Samsung moving up the launch date of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ to give them some breathing room ahead of Apple’s next iPhone unveiling? I wouldn’t be shocked at this point if Samsung really has decided to release these two new phones earlier than originally anticipated. Yesterday, a Samsung phone under model number SM-N920 showed up at the FCC for almost every single major US carrier. We’ve got listing for T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, just not Sprint (yet). If that wasn’t enough, we are also seeing listings for another model number of SM-G928 that is largely thought to be the Galaxy S6 Edge+, a bigger version of the original S6 Edge. 

In case you were wondering why those model numbers mean anything, it’s because they are continuations of previous Samsung model number schemes. The Galaxy Note 3 was SM-N900 and the Galaxy Note 4 was SM-N910. It certainly makes sense that the new Galaxy Note 5 would drop in as SM-N920, right? As for individual carrier models, we have listings for the SM-N920T (T-Mobile), SM-N920A (AT&T), and SM-N920V (Verizon).

With the Galaxy S6 Edge+, we have model numbers of SM-G928T (T-Mobile), SM-G928V (Verizon), SM-G928A (AT&T), and SM-G928R (US Cellular). The original Galaxy S6 Edge was SM-G925, in case you were wondering.

If that info wasn’t enough, take a look at this label location image of the SM-920, which is the Note 5.

Screen Shot 2015-07-17 at 8.24.31 AM

And here is the SM-G928, which is the S6 Edge+.

Screen Shot 2015-07-17 at 8.24.45 AM

Of course, all of the LTE bands for each carrier are present in the filings. It’s all there. These are your next flagship Samsung phones. Here’s to hoping we really do see them on August 12.

We’re close!

Via:  FCC [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] | Blog of Mobile [2] | GforGames

Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ All Over the FCC This Week is a post from: Droid Life



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Verizon Messages Gets a Big Material-ish Update

Verizon Messages (or is it Message+?) received an update this morning that introduced the app to the idea of Material Design. Well, it at least added some vibrant colors, a FAB that probably doesn’t exactly match up to Google’s vision for a FAB, and a slideout drawer with…well I’ll just stop. Verizon Messages (or again, is it Message+?) got a big update! 

I hear good things about the app…Verizon customers do use it from what I understand. So yeah, grab that update and enjoy Verizon app designers’ take on Material Design. If anything, it’s an improvement over the app’s former Gingerbread styling.

Play Link

Screen Shot 2015-07-17 at 7.25.59 AM Screen Shot 2015-07-17 at 7.26.08 AM Screen Shot 2015-07-17 at 7.28.12 AM

Cheers Terry!

Verizon Messages Gets a Big Material-ish Update is a post from: Droid Life



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