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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Yahoo Mail App Gets Complete Redesign, New Features

Yahoo announced today that Yahoo Mail has received a major redesign on both Android and iOS. The new app not only looks different, but should be more powerful and “simple to use.” Yahoo says that they made a “significant investment” in the tech behind their mail app, so it’s now both fast and responsive.

Within the redesign, you will find new features like a more prominent photo experience (with Twitter, Facebook integration), easier photo attaching to emails, a lack of ugly avatars, new contact cards, quick swiping to mark items as read or to delete them, long pressing for multi-selection, and a shortcut to Yahoo News. The app should also be smarter with searching for both people and keywords. 

Outside of the redesign, Yahoo is also adding in third party email and multi-account support for Outlook.com, Hotmail, and AOL Mail.

Finally, Yahoo has integrated Yahoo Account Key into the app, which is their attempt at making the world a password free place. Account Key uses push notifications to “provide a fast and secure way for you to access your Yahoo accounts.”

The update should be live!

Play Link

Via:  Yahoo

Yahoo Mail App Gets Complete Redesign, New Features is a post from: Droid Life



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Fallout Shelter Updated With Cloud Saves, Survival Mode, and “Mysterious Sightings”

Fallout Shelter, everyone’s favorite post apocalyptic mobile game, received a large update today. Inside, players will find an all new survival mode to test their skills on, as well as cloud saves! For cloud saves, users simply place their game data in a folder on Google Drive, handled entirely by the game. This means no matter what device you are on, you can access the same vault. 

More interestingly, the changelog states, “Dwellers are reporting strange, some would even say mysterious, sightings in Vaults,” which could really mean anything. Should we expect new characters? New disasters? I opened up the game after updating and did not notice anything weird, so comment down below if you know what the developers are referring to.

The update should be live for all on Google Play.

What’s New

  • New Vault-Tec network protocols are finally in place. Now you can save your Vault to the “cloud,” (no moisture condenser necessary!).
  • Some Dwellers are reporting strange, some would even say mysterious, sightings in Vaults.
  • Introducing Survival Mode! More danger, More glory. Make Vault-Tec proud!
  • Support added for Russian-speaking Overseers.
  • Continued general maintenance to the Vault simulation. Because when you speak, Vault-Tec listens!

Play Link

Fallout Shelter Updated With Cloud Saves, Survival Mode, and “Mysterious Sightings” is a post from: Droid Life



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Nike Publishes “Tech Book” Shopping App for Android and iOS

To help lure potential customers to its latest Tech Pack and SneakerBoot collections, Nike has published the Tech Book app to Google Play. The app is sort of an interactive catalogue, detailing Nike’s latest offerings in sportswear innovations. 

Not only does Nike showcase its range of new products, but users can actually access the entire Nike lineup through the app, something that has been unavailable to Android users through an app since forever. Now, instead of using your device’s built-in browser to scroll through Nike’s website, you can scoop the later pair of Jordan and Kobe kicks to hit the streets right through the app.

On top of shopping, users can see exclusive features with some of the world’s top athletes from all around the world. From what I can see, there’s a behind-the-scenes with Maria Sharapova at the moment with her wearing Nike products.

The app is available for Android and iOS right now, so to all you sneakerheads, go get it.

Play Link

Via: Nike

Nike Publishes “Tech Book” Shopping App for Android and iOS is a post from: Droid Life



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Whoops: Motorola All but Confirms DROID MAXX 2 in Newly Updated Email App

Motorola and Verizon will more than likely announce the DROID MAXX 2 at a press event in New York City on October 27. In case you had any doubts, look no further than the Moto Email app that was published today on Google Play. In the series of screenshots uploaded along with the listing, the person who took the shots has openly signed each as “Sent from my DROID MAXX 2.” Yeah, I don’t think it gets any more official or confirmed than that. 

It should also be noted that this app can’t be installed on any phone I own, including those made by Motorola. You have to wonder if this app wasn’t posted prematurely and should have been held back until the MAXX 2 was actually announced.

As for the Mail app itself, Motorola appears to have included a whole bunch of tweaks to it, like picture attaching from the camera, progressive search capabilities, customizable peak time schedules, and more.

What’s New

  • Disable sync while roaming
  • Progressive search capability for emails
  • Attach pictures from Camera in composer
  • Notifications for attachment download failures/cancellations
  • New option “Select All” for email operations
  • Customize peak time sync schedule
  • New option to choose number of emails to sync for POP account
  • New safe way of communicating with Google Gmail server using OAuth 2.0
  • Bug fixes and stability improvements.

Play Link

Cheers CW!

Whoops: Motorola All but Confirms DROID MAXX 2 in Newly Updated Email App is a post from: Droid Life



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Big Google Play Redesign is Coming, Separating Apps and Entertainment

Ready for the next redesign of Google Play? It’s coming #soon, according to Google’s Kirill Grouchnikov, a man of #pixelpushing and Google Playness. Grouchnikov posted screenshots of the update to his G+ this morning, screenshots that show quite a change to Play’s main store page. 

In the shots below, we are seeing what appears to be a new intro splash followed by an introduction to the new layout, which will be broken out into “Apps & Games” and “Entertainment” sections. So when on the main Play store page, you will see two tabs – one for Apps & Games and another for Entertainment. Presumably, you will be able to swipe between the two, but a tap on each will also get you there. Gone are the six shortcuts for Apps, Games, Movies & TV, Music, Books, and Newsstand.

From within each, you will now see subcategories like Top Charts, Games, Categories, Family, etc. in the Apps & Games screen. On the Entertainment page, you will then see the familiar shortcuts for Movies & TV, Music, Books, Newsstand, etc.

And then below each of the subcategories, you will get the familiar related shortcuts to apps or content, along with recommendations. Google also appears to be using the new header space at the top of Google Play to showcase apps, games, movies, or whatever else is on their mind.

intro

Kirill didn’t say, but my guess is this is Google Play 6.0.

Anyone see an update to Google Play lately? If you do, be sure to hit us up.

Via:  +Kirill Grouchnikov

Big Google Play Redesign is Coming, Separating Apps and Entertainment is a post from: Droid Life



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This Dude’s Galaxy Note 5 is Cooler Than Yours

A user over on reddit posted up a photo of his custom Galaxy Note 5, and frankly, it looks badass. Apparently, if you remove the backside of the phone, strip it of whichever color film is applied, you then have a see thru back for the device. This allows for a real mechanical look, and for those who enjoy that type of thing, it ends up looking really cool. 

So, you want to try this on your phone? According to the original poster, the process is really not that complicated, as long as you have the necessary tools. You will need some form of a heat gun, strong suction cup, and razor blade. Long story short, you heat up the backside, apply suction to remove the back, and then peel the colored film with a razor blade. Once complete, reapply the back and that’s it.

For a somewhat more detailed explanation of the process, here’s what the OP posted.

You first have to heat it up. I use a Ecoheat gun that gets it really hot, the use a suction cup to pry the back off. After that you let it cool off a bit and take off all the film with a razor blade. Then i just stuck it back on the phone because there was already adhesive on the actual device.

Personally, I love this look, but something about breaking apart a very expensive device scares the heck out of me. To see a larger image of the backside, look below.

Do we have any brave souls here that might give this a try?

SbQjVMV

Via: reddit

This Dude’s Galaxy Note 5 is Cooler Than Yours is a post from: Droid Life



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Official NBA 2K16 Game Hits Google Play for $7.99

The official NBA 2K16 game is now available on Google Play, priced at just $7.99. Made specifically for mobile devices, the game brings the same action you will find on full consoles, including the MyCareer gameplay, as well as regular Season and Blacktop modes for making it splash. 

According to the app’s listing, 2K16 features improved graphics and performance, plus updated controls making for smoother gameplay on mobile devices. In addition to the same modes you will find on consoles, players earn Virtual Currency (VC) in the game, which can be used to purchase in-game items such as new moves, and courts to play on.

The game is now live, so head over to Google Play and grab it.

Features

  • Full MyCAREER, Blacktop, and Season modes.
  • Improved graphics and game performance
  • New controls for smoother mobile gameplay
  • Earn and enjoy more Virtual Currency
  • Euroleague teams now available
  • NBA 2K Store offers equipment, courts, VC, updated content, and much more.

Play Link ($7.99)

Official NBA 2K16 Game Hits Google Play for $7.99 is a post from: Droid Life



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Nexus 6P and 5X had Motorola’s Double Twist for Camera, but the Feature was Dropped

Yesterday, after seeing the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X in new hands-on videos, thanks to a Google event in India, a couple of sharp-eyed enthusiasts noticed something not yet mentioned by Google in one of the clips, a “Double twist for camera” action. The feature should sound familiar, as Motorola introduced this back in 2013 with the original Moto X. The basics are this – twist the phone in your hand with your wrist twice and the camera launches. It’s a super quick way to get your camera fired up without reaching for a button or swiping a shortcut. Unfortunately, the feature won’t make it into production units or will possibly disappear through a software update. 

We aren’t sure why the feature wasn’t mentioned at Google’s original Nexus event, but Qualcomm did acknowledge its existence in a press release shortly after the event. They have since corrected their press release with an update claiming that the wrist twist action has been replaced by a double tap of the power button to launch the camera. We showed off the double tap in both of our hands-on videos.

Here is a screenshot of the twist for camera feature for reference:

Screen Shot 2015-10-15 at 7.30.21 AM

We have also learned that while both were at one time in testing, the “Double twist for camera” has indeed been dropped in favor of the double tap.

Who knows, maybe a developer can figure out a way to enable it? Or maybe an app like this one will re-appear and work well?

Via: +Greg Abbott | Qualcomm | Gadget Diary

Nexus 6P and 5X had Motorola’s Double Twist for Camera, but the Feature was Dropped is a post from: Droid Life



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Credit Cards Being Charged for Nexus 5X Orders, Should be Time for Shipment

It’s looking like Nexus 5X pre-orders through the Google Store are preparing for shipment. A number of people just pinged us with a status change on their orders that not only showed a change to “Pending,” but also a charge going through on their credit cards. If Google is charging, that should mean that phones are ready to be shipped. 

As for the Nexus 6P, we are hearing that some are seeing the change to “Pending,” but no card charges just yet. If that changes, we’ll update this post.

Nexus pre-orderees, seeing charges? Anyone get a shipping notice?

Cheers Ryan, Paul, Richard, Chad, Hunter, Tom, and Eric!

Credit Cards Being Charged for Nexus 5X Orders, Should be Time for Shipment is a post from: Droid Life



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Motorola, What the Hell is Going on With You?

I don’t really know how to start this other than by repeating the title of this post – Motorola, what the hell is going on with you? I ask, because the current Motorola is so far removed from the revived Motorola we had really become to enjoy again over the last couple of years. Sure, that lovable Motorola was created in part by Google and the team of executives they put in place to run it and we now have new ownership in Lenovo, but who would have thought that things would have gotten this ugly this quickly under the China electronics giant. 

So much for software updates.

If we rewind a bit back to 2013 and the introduction of the original Moto X, I think it’s safe to say that most in the tech industry understood what Motorola was doing and loved it. They were taking Google’s vision for Android, keeping it, and then adding highly useful features on top instead of bloating the experience up with a custom skin. But not only that, they were talking quick software updates because they were ready to work with carriers and Google to make them happen. And that did happen. The original Moto X on Verizon received the update to Kit Kat before most Nexus phones. It was an insane success that needed a close relationship with Verizon, a notoriously slow updater, in order to succeed. From there, the software updates continued to flow through carrier and unlocked models in rapid fashion. Today, it’s about as far to the opposite as one can even attempt to imagine.

Before we get to the current disaster of a situation, we should point out that the update frequency and timeliness started dropping off last year, just as the acquisition of the company by Lenovo was finalized. As you know, Lollipop was last year’s big update and let’s just say that Motorola getting its phone updated properly to it was nothing short of a mess. They came out swinging initially with an early update to their new Moto X (2nd Gen) “Pure Edition” before realizing that Google had actually released a pretty spotty and buggy version of Android. Once that realization came through, in came the delays for months and months and months. Motorola was able to slowly update its 2014 Moto X, but its 2013 Moto X, Moto G and E models, and DROID Turbo were essentially left as 2nd class citizens, especially those on Verizon. Computerworld does a great job at tracking software updates by manufacturers and gave Motorola a “D” score this year after putting up an “A+” the previous year. In case you were wondering, that “D” is the lowest of any major manufacturer.

Fast forward to today and things are only worse. Motorola took a minute shortly after Google announced Android 6.0 Marshmallow to share the devices they planned to update to the new build. They said not to expect ultra-fast updates, and that’s fine after last year’s Lollipop mess. But the fact that they left out the carrier versions of last year’s Moto X (2nd gen), a flagship phone barely a year old, and the last two Moto E phones, left a whole bunch of Motorola fans disappointed, angry, and ready to leave the Chicago-based manufacturer behind for good. You should see Motorola’s forums.

So we have gone from updating phones at record paces to phones around a year old, some that are flagship-level phones, being cut off by Motorola. To make matters even worse, at least from our perspective, is the fact that their press teams won’t even respond to comment on the situation. We have reached out twice now and are left with silence. So outside of a note from a Motorola forums manager about the carrier (Verizon and AT&T) Moto X (2nd gen) phones not getting updated, we have no other confirmation.

moto x pure edition review-12

Shipping issues.

It’s not only the software update situation that is troubling, though. Our inbox, since the Moto 360 (2nd gen) and Moto X Pure Edition went up for pre-order, is filled with emails about delays in orders and shipments, and about attempts at cancellations. And the thing is, we experienced most of the issues that our readers continuously tip us about.

For example, two out of the three orders that have shipped to us (Both Moto 360 and Moto X Pure) from China had issues when they arrived stateside, often seeing 1-2 day importing delays. The reason, which many of our readers are seeing as well (or go look at Motorola’s forums for more examples), has to do with a value discrepancy in the packages Motorola is shipping. While I’m no shipping expert, that seems like a pretty bonehead error to continually have over and over from a company this large, who is preaching the value in custom made phones out of China.

But we are also seeing delays in phones and watches being put together before they ship. We previously ordered a Moto X Pure Edition for Tim that took just over a week to be assembled, ship, and arrive on his doorstep. Unfortunately, it had a volume rocker issue and had to be sent back. We re-ordered him a new one the same day we shipped the bad phone back. That was September 30. His new order, which was for the exact same phone with the same design, still isn’t here. Motorola has been assembling it since October 1 and has estimated since then that it would arrive to his house by October 16 – tomorrow. It hasn’t even shipped and it’s October 15.

Why the delays and shipping issues? Tough to say. Maybe it’s because Motorola and Lenovo are still working out the kinks through China fulfillment. Either way, we are far removed that 2013 promise of 4 days or less.

What’s next?

That’s anyone’s guess. In a recent interview with The Information, Rick Osterloh, current chief of Motorola, said they will start to focus on improving hardware aspects of their phones, like cameras, while continuing to make them affordable. That’s fine and all, because Motorola still does make pretty outstanding products, but that’s not going to do much if they ruin all of the relationships they have with current customers. Good products only get you so far. You still need to have teams in place to support them post-sale and I just don’t feel like Motorola has that at this time. There have been massive layoffs since Lenovo took over, which has to leave you wondering if they even have enough bodies to keep up.

Motorola needs to say something. They need to break this silence and maybe even make some promises to get things back on track. The current situation isn’t great in terms of both shipments and software updates, just read through our comment threads on every Motorola post. It’s too bad too, because new DROID phones are coming in two weeks, both of which will likely be solid phones, but how could you even consider buying them after this year’s DROID Turbo update fiasco and the cut-off of the year-old Moto X (2nd gen)?

So again, Motorola, what the hell is going on with you?

😐

Motorola, What the Hell is Going on With You? is a post from: Droid Life



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YouTube Gaming Update Brings Mobile Capture to Your Phone or Tablet

The YouTube Gaming app received an update this morning, allowing anyone with a channel to now upload mobile gaming content directly to YouTube for all to watch. The feature allows you to store gameplay videos directly to the device for later uploading, or you can live stream in real-time for everyone to enjoy the action as it happens. 

When recording, a bubble with your face is there for all to see, allowing those who watch to see your reactions as things happen. This same bubble is where the streamers control their stream, such as microphone, video, and the stream’s on/off settings.

In addition to mobile capture, the changelog states faster discovery of live streams is included, the ability to tip your favorite creators with actual money, and all around performance improvements.

To get an idea of what you can do with the mobile capture feature, check out a livestream I just posted below where I play a bit of Zynga Texas Hold ‘Em Poker.

What’s New

  • Mobile Capture! Live stream or record your mobile games. Host your stream with your selfie cam and record your commentary with your phone’s microphone. (Lollipop and higher)
  • Faster discovery of live streams for games in your collection
  • Support your favorite creators with Fan Funding (just tap “$” and choose your tip)
  • Easy video bookmarking with Watch Later
  • Import existing subscriptions from YouTube via Settings
  • Performance improvements and bug fixes

Play Link

YouTube Gaming Update Brings Mobile Capture to Your Phone or Tablet is a post from: Droid Life



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T-Mobile Planning to Make AT&T’s NumberSync “Look Small”

Yesterday, AT&T announced plans for NumberSync, which will allow customers to apply a single phone number to all of their connected devices, even when they are not synced via WiFi or Bluetooth. However, when speaking to re/code, T-Mobile’s operating chief Mike Sievert states that they intend to make AT&T’s NumberSync “look small.”

Sievert claims T-Mobile is working on something better for customers, following with, “Our strategy is to ask customers what they want and need, and then build it. AT&T’s is to build or buy things, and then try to convince customers they asked for it.”

Naturally, Sievert gave no specifics on what we can expect, but we can assume it will be part of T-Mobile’s UnCarrier initiative. While it makes sense that we can expect it to include number sharing across multiple devices, we can’t think of anything that would make NumberSync look small.

AT&T plans to launch NumberSync on devices set to hit the market in the holiday season.

Via: re/code

T-Mobile Planning to Make AT&T’s NumberSync “Look Small” is a post from: Droid Life



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Gear S2 With 3G Up for Pre-Order Today at Verizon, Hits T-Mobile November 15

Samsung’s Gear S2 with 3G network connectivity is now up for pre-order at Verizon and will also arrive at T-Mobile by November 15. This is the version of Samsung’s round wearable that allows you to leave your phone behind and still take calls, send text messages or emails, and more. 

At $349 from Verizon, you can own the watch outright. If you don’t want to fork out the full price, Verizon is offering up a 2-year contract price of $299, which you would be a fool to consider. Seriously, just spend the extra $50 and keep yourself free of early termination fees. To connect the device to your account for making calls and all of that fun, you will need to pay $5 extra per month.

The watch arrives at Verizon stores November 6.

As for T-Mobile, the Gear S2 with “4G” connectivity arrives November 15 at the jacked up price of $359. Of course, T-Mobile will let you finance the watch for $0 down and $15 per month for 24 months. Like Verizon, T-Mobile will charge you $5 per month to get the calling, texting, and other connectivity.

Interested?

Quick Links:  Verizon | T-Mobile

Gear S2 With 3G Up for Pre-Order Today at Verizon, Hits T-Mobile November 15 is a post from: Droid Life



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