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Friday, September 18, 2015

Google Sending Out Invites to Event on September 29 in SF

Well, it’s totally official now. We just received the above invite in our email inbox, detailing a press event Google is set to host on September 29 at 9am in San Francisco, CA.

What will they announce? Well, you should already know the answer to that, but if you need a bit of help, it’s likely that we will see two new Nexus devices (Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P), possibly a new Chromecast, full launch details for Android 6.0 “Marshmallow,” and maybe a bit more? 

According to the invite, the event will be livestreamed at http://www.youtube.com/google.

We will be live at the event to bring you all of the glory Google announces.

Excited?

Google Sending Out Invites to Event on September 29 in SF is a post from: Droid Life



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Don’t Miss These Android Stories: September 18, 2015

It’s National Cheeseburger Day, in case you were wondering why the picture of that delicious burger. So, go eat a damn good cheeseburger. As in, now.

While you do that with your greasy cheeseburger and fry hands, feel free to catch up on the week that was in Android. It was actually quite eventful around these parts, with new Nexus information creeping out, a bunch of hands-on time with the Huawei Watch, OnePlus 2, and Moto X Pure flooding in, and the first appearance of Google Now on Tap on consumer devices.

Be sure to catch up!

Mmmmm, cheeseburgers.

Don’t Miss These Android Stories: September 18, 2015 is a post from: Droid Life



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OnePlus 2 StyleSwap Covers Look Nice, But Add Thickness

Thinking about dropping $26.99 on a StyleSwap cover for the OnePlus 2? I urge you to possibly rethink that choice, as you may be left with a bulkier, more slippery device. When we picked up our OnePlus 2, we opted to grab a few StyleSwap covers to go with it, just so we can add a bit of character to the device, and to go over their quality for all of you. While the quality of the covers feel great, and look exceptional, we find that the covers add unnecessary thickness to the phone, taking away from the flush, smooth outline that the Sandstone Black cover offers straight out of the box. 

With the stock Sandstone Black cover, there is no lip surrounding the device’s backside, but with both the Bamboo cover and Black Apricot cover, a hump — or lip — goes around the entirety of the phone’s backside. In-hand, you can actually feel this raise quite a bit, and when compared to the in-hand feel of the flush Sandstone cover, the little hump does not feel very good.

The photos below detail exactly what we mean. As you can see, the StyleSwap covers add a lip around the backside of the phone, and for those who have slight OCD, this may cause an issue. It did for me.

OnePlus 2 Style Swap Covers 3OnePlus 2 Style Swap Covers 6OnePlus 2 Style Swap Covers 11

OnePlus 2 Style Swap Covers 2OnePlus 2 Style Swap Covers 1OnePlus 2 Style Swap Covers 10

In the grand scheme of things, I would have much rather preferred that OnePlus attempt to keep the flush, smooth feeling with all StyleSwap covers, but it is possible that this was undoable when working with the wood material. This is likely something we will never know.

I always enjoyed the idea of having bamboo or other various types of wood on my smartphone, so I was very excited to give these StyleSwap covers a try, but after installing them and seeing how they fit, I would not recommend them to anybody. As for the added slipperiness, the wood StyleSwap covers are exceptionally more smooth compared to the Sandstone Black cover, but that’s a given, considering the Sandstone is extremely porous and rough.

If a little lip around the back of your phone does not bother you, you can pick up the covers here, no invite required.

OnePlus 2 Style Swap Covers 14

OnePlus 2 StyleSwap Covers Look Nice, But Add Thickness is a post from: Droid Life



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Samsung’s S Health Arrives for Non-Samsung Phones With Android 4.4+

Samsung is much more open to other Android phones, it seems these days. First, they announced that its new Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic watches would be compatible with almost all Android phones, a move we didn’t exactly see coming. And now, they have opened up S Health to all running Android 4.4+. Big things are in motion here, folks.

S Health, for those not familiar, is Samsung’s fitness-related app that will act as your coach to getting healthier. It not only tracks typical exercise, but it connects with 3rd party apps and devices, and offers up specific programs depending on your goals. 

Ron spent quite a bit of time with S Health recently and had some pretty glowing things to say about it as a fitness platform. If you aren’t into Jawbone or Fitbit or one of the many other fitness services, feel free to give this one a try.

Play Link

Screen Shot 2015-09-18 at 2.08.59 PM Screen Shot 2015-09-18 at 2.09.08 PM Screen Shot 2015-09-18 at 2.09.17 PM

Samsung’s S Health Arrives for Non-Samsung Phones With Android 4.4+ is a post from: Droid Life



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The Droid Life Show: Episode 93

On episode 93 of the Droid Life Show, we’ll share the latest inside info on the new Nexus phones, talk OnePlus 2 since we finally have one in house, run through any new thoughts on the Moto X Pure, drool over how hot the Huawei Watch truly is, and more. Oh, it also happens to be National Cheeseburger Day, which is something that has to be discussed.

We will kick the show off live at 1:00PM Pacific (4:00PM Eastern). We have a live video embedded below, along with an IRC chat, so you can kick it with us during the show.

If you miss us live, feel free to subscribe to us by following one of the links below. 

Subscribe | iTunes | Stitcher| Show Page

The Droid Life Show: Episode 93 is a post from: Droid Life



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Deal: Tronsmart Quick Charge 2.0 3-Port Adapter is $11.99 With This Code

If you need another Quick Charge 2.0 certified adapter at a significant discount, think about the Tronsmart 3-port adapter that can be had right now from Amazon for $11.99 after coupon code. This adapter has a single QC 2.0 port to help quick charge most of today’s popular Android phones, but also an additional 2 ports for normal charging, giving you the ability to charge up to 3 devices at once.

The charger also comes with a 6-foot USB cable and has a foldable plug, unlike some of the other more popular adapters (looking at you, Motorola).

An $11.99, you are look at a heck of a deal. Most of the super cheap QC 2.0 adapters don’t include the long USB cable.

Amazon Link 

Use coupon code “JANQXRAX” at checkout.

Screen Shot 2015-09-18 at 11.32.16 AM

Deal: Tronsmart Quick Charge 2.0 3-Port Adapter is $11.99 With This Code is a post from: Droid Life



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Google Expands Android One in Parts of Europe, Now Available in Spain and Portugal

For Android fans located in Portugal and Spain, you can now order a new Android One device straight through BQ, a mobile provider in a Europe. Priced at €169.90 in Spain and €179 in Portugal, the A4.5 smartphone is a handsome little device, featuring a MediaTek quad-core processor, Dolby sound technology, 4.5″ IPS display, 1GB of RAM, and a 2,470mAh battery. 

Android One’s mission is bring great devices at affordable prices to all corners of the globe. With the launch in Portugal and Spain, Android One’s reach now stretches from parts of Asia and the South Pacific, to various countries throughout Europe.

The A4.5 also features a dual SIM tray, making it the perfect little travel companion for those who need one.

You can bet that we won’t see the A4.5 hit the US anytime soon, but it is good to see that 4.5″ display devices are still be produced.

Via: @GoogleES [2] [3]

Google Expands Android One in Parts of Europe, Now Available in Spain and Portugal is a post from: Droid Life



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BlackBerry Venice Treated to a Bit of Hands-on Time

Everyone’s favorite, the BlackBerry Venice, received a bit of hands-on time in a recent video to hit YouTube. In the video, the device is gone over in detail, and is a completely functional unit, complete with biometric keyboard and tap-to-wake display. 

During the hands-on, the device’s hardware is gone over, including the in-hand feel, the massive front-facing speaker, as well as the large bezel surrounding the rear-facing camera. We can also see that most of Google’s software is left untouched, with BlackBerry baking in minimal changes. For example, a swipe up on the Home button reveals the Google Now shortcut, but also shortcuts to BlackBerry Device Search and BlackBerry Hub.

Watch the video below, then share your thoughts down in the comments section.

Are you still excited for the Venice?

Via: BlackBerryOS

BlackBerry Venice Treated to a Bit of Hands-on Time is a post from: Droid Life



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Deal: Nexus 6 32GB Drops to $299 on eBay

The Nexus 6 dropped at Amazon and Best Buy to $349 a week ago, likely as a move to clear inventory before the new Nexus phones arrive at the end of this month. If $349 still wasn’t a good enough price for you, then take a look at eBay where you can grab the cloud white version with 32GB of storage for just $299. At $299, we are now well below 50% off the whale’s original price of $649. That, my friends, is a steal.

The deal includes free shipping too.

eBay Link 

Cheers Eric!

Deal: Nexus 6 32GB Drops to $299 on eBay is a post from: Droid Life



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Google’s New Phones Will be Called Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P

The new phones from Google that will more than likely be announced at the end of this month, will be called the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, according to a reliable source. The name Nexus 5X has been in rotation around the internet for the past couple of weeks when referring to the name of the LG-made Nexus, but we now know that the Huawei model will be called the Nexus 6P. 

Of course, there is always a chance that things can change between now and each phone’s announcement – which we are told should be by the end of this month – but we’d be surprised if these aren’t the final names.

We may be able to share additional info as we get closer to the event, but our source has told us that the codenames of “bullhead” and “angler” are indeed accurate, as is this leak for the LG Nexus 5X and this leak for the Huawei Nexus 6P (image on the left).

More to come.

Google’s New Phones Will be Called Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P is a post from: Droid Life



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2nd Gen Chromecast Said to Launch Soon, Basically Confirms Our Report From May

In a preview post for this year’s Google I/O, we told you that a new Chromecast was on the way, one that would sport a new form factor that would also allow users to attach the device to any speaker, making almost any audio product in your house Cast-ready. We were hopeful that Google might mention it during I/O, but in reality, our sources told us to expect the device in Q3 and at the same $35 price point. Fast forward to today, and 9to5Google has all but confirmed that report with a leak that shares even more on the new Chromecast.

According to this new report, the new Chromecast will change form factors, include some sort of feed service through its main screen and improved WiFi, a new feature called “Fast Play,” and will have a way to connect to almost any speaker for audio casting.

As you can see in the pictures below of the new device and its packaging, it certainly looks different this time around. Well, it still comes of dongle-y, only there could be color options and a more unique ball shape. The idea of an improved appearance makes sense if this new Chromecast can attach to more devices that will likely leave it out in the open, instead of just tucked behind a TV or screen.

New features like “Fast Play” should allow users to quickly establish connections to Chromecasts. The process isn’t terrible in the current version, but quicker connections are always something we’ll welcome, especially when it comes to showing a video clip or playing music. As for the audio portion of this Chromecast that we first reported on, 9to5Google is calling it “Chromecast Audio” and also mentions, as we did, that the new Chromecast should be connectible to almost any speaker.

new-chromecase

Today’s report claims that this new Chromecast will be announced on September 29 (Hey, Q3 still!) along with the two Nexus phones at an event in San Francisco. Spotify will more than likely be announced as a part of the presentation.

Via:  9to5Google [2]

2nd Gen Chromecast Said to Launch Soon, Basically Confirms Our Report From May is a post from: Droid Life



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