APK BRO™ - Download APK Android Apps: 11/12/15

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Samsung Announces the Exynos 8 Octa Processor, Mass Production Begins Later This Year

Today, Samsung introduced the Exynos 8 Octa 8890 application processor, the second processor from Samsung to be built on 14nm FinFET process technology. According to Samsung, unlike the previous Exynos 7 Octa 7420, the Exynos 8 Octa is an integrated one-chip solution that features Samsung’s first custom designed CPU based on 64-bit ARMv8 architecture, in addition to the latest LTE Rel.12 Cat.12/13 modem.

For a bit more comparison, Samsung claims that the Exynos 8 Octa is capable of 30% better performance and has a 10% increase in power efficiency over the Exynos 7 Octa. The chip also supports enhanced “heterogeneous multi-processing” for efficient usage of all eight cores, four custom and four ARM Cortex-A53, to deliver the high performance and power efficiency. The Exynos 8 Octa employs ARM’s latest GPU, the Mali-T880.

The Exynos 8 Octa is also an integrated single chip solution that combines the application processor and modem. The Exynos 8 Octa integrates an advanced LTE Rel.12 Cat.12/13 modem that enables a maximum download speed of up to 600Mbps (Cat.12) and upload speed of up to 150Mbps (Cat.13) with carrier aggregation. Thanks to the integration, hardly any space is needed for this hardware, allowing OEMs, such as Samsung itself, to focus on more thin, or even more unique designs for consumers.

Samsung announced that it plans to begin mass production of the Exynos 8 Octa in late 2015, which means, we might see this processor in the possibly upcoming Galaxy S7.

Via: Samsung Tomorrow

OneNote Updated, Brings “Badge” Floating Icon for Quick Notes

Microsoft’s OneNote application is receiving an update on Google Play, bringing with it a new “Badge” feature that allows users to take notes regardless of what is taking place on their smartphone or tablet. Think of Badge as you would a Facebook Chat Head. The floating Badge can go on top of any app you are using, such as web browsing or your gallery, allowing you to take notes anytime you need it.

When Badge is enabled, you will have a constant notification in your pulldown shade, just as you have with Chat Heads. This notification is where you will bring Badge to life, having it appear on top of other apps. If you want to minimize Badge, simply hit the icon. To expand it, hit the icon again. To completely dismiss Badge, drag it down to the bottom of your screen, again, just like a Chat Head.

In addition, you will be able to select the notebook and section of your choice when you share content with OneNote using Add to OneNote. As soon as you share content with OneNote, Badge will have a small lightning icon.

The update is now available in Google Play.

Play Link

Via: Microsoft

Deal: Grab a Fitbit Flex for Just $69.99

Still haven’t taken on a fitness tracker to help give you the motivation needed to hit new health goals? They can be useful, for sure. I’ve worn one for years to at least give me an idea as to where I am in terms of steps, general activity, and sleep on a daily basis. Part of me is hoping that at some point in the future, all of the data I’ve accumulated will be useful in some way at making me healthier when I’m old as dirt.

Oh, I also really love them because they are awesome at waking you in the morning as a silent alarm. Seriously, there is no better way to wake up than by killing your annoying, beeping alarm clock and instead replacing it with tiny wrist vibrations.

Over on the DL Deals store, we are currently selling a Fitbit Flex, one of the most popular fitness and sleep trackers on the planet. This is a “refurbished” model, but at $69.99, you are looking at a solid $20 discount over new ones on Amazon.

Deal Link

List of features:

Track your all-day activity including: steps, distance, calories burned & active minutes
Wear the slim, removable tracker on your wrist, in your pocket, or however you prefer
Set goals & view your progress w/ the helpful LEDs
Wear all day, every day w/ its water-resistant wristband & 5-day battery life
Sync your stats wirelessly & automatically to your smartphone or computer
Monitor your sleep patterns & wake up peacefully w/ the silent alarm
Log your food intake & monitor weight loss goals
Enjoy the top notch app functionality & constantly growing set of tools

Video: TAG Heuer Connected vs. Moto 360, Huawei Watch, and Gear S2

When you pay $1,500 for a smartwatch, are you really getting that much more for your money? Is a smartwatch ever going to truly be worth that kind of cash? That’s exactly why we picked up the TAG Heuer Connected, because we want to find out. There are dozens of smartwatch options available on the market today, many of which are very premium yet can be had for a few hundred dollars. So why would anyone pay in the thousands for one? We hope we can answer that soon.

In the video below, we take on a comparison of the TAG Heuer Connected to the top Android smartwatches of the moment, the Moto 360 (2nd gen), Huawei Watch, and Samsung Gear S2, to hopefully help try and bring additional clarity to this situation. You will see how each looks on wrist next to the TAG, see the differences in designs, and what you are getting for the price.

Our review will be here shortly, but I think it’s safe to say that this is going to be a tough sell for almost anyone, even those bleeding $100 bills. It’s a smartwatch, after all, which is a shortened way of saying that it wasn’t exactly built to last a lifetime. When you compare it to the Moto 360 and Huawei Watch, both of which are designed so well to take on classic watch personas, it seems crazy to think that those can be had for as little as $300 and $350, while this TAG Heuer Connected starts at $1,500.

In the end, you are paying for a name, logo, and reputation with this TAG smartwatch. Not only that, but you may just be putting a down payment on a real Swiss watch that TAG will sell you in 2 years.

Fossil to Acquire Fitness Tech Maker Misfit for $260 Million

Fossil Group, a design and manufacturing company, is to acquire Misfit, the wearable fitness tech maker, for $260 million. Fossil has been in the news quite a bit lately in the Android world, as the company recently announced its first Android Wear-powered smartwatch, the Q Founder.

With its acquisition of Misfit, the company will now own a proven technology platform entirely for wearable devices, scale Misfit across its lineup of goods, and expand the Misfit brand across various different distribution channels.

Misfit’s founder, Sunny Vu, began the company in 2011 with John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple and Pepsi. Now, Vu will take his place as president and chief technology officer of connected devices for Fossil Group, and will be a member of the company’s executive leadership team.

Greg McKelvey, chief strategy and digital officer of Fossil Group states, “We fundamentally believe consumers care about both technical functionality and fashionable design. In fact, one without the other is simply not enough. With the acquisition of Misfit, Fossil Group will be positioned to win with the connected consumer.”

So, to sum it up, Fossil will handle design and distribution, and the Misfit team will create the tech itself. The deal is planned to close by the end of the 2015 fiscal year.

Via: Fossil

Google Play Books Receive Update to Better Handle Comic Books

In an update to Play Books from Google, enjoyers of comic books will find a new way to enjoy their reading on mobile devices. Thanks to the update, when you are viewing comic books through the Play Books app, you can turn your device to the side, allowing you to view comics and read them with vertical scrolls. It should bring an easier way to digest each cell individually, instead of cramped on a single page.

Your comics will be organized by series and individual books, which means it won’t take long to find what you are looking for inside of the application. Additionally, Google Play has a new section for all things comics, which includes all of the top publishers like DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, and IDW.

In need of a few new comics? Check out Google Play’s newly curated selection right here, and if spending money doesn’t sound fun, you can find a ton of free comics here.

This update will be rolling out to Android users over the next few days in the US, and other users across the globe.

Play Link

Via: Android

Moto X Pure Edition Gets Marshmallow in “Next Few Weeks,” Here are the Improvements

According to Motorola’s David Schuster, they have begun the approval process for the Moto X Pure Edition Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. If all goes well there, the phone should receive the update within the “next few weeks.”

The note about the status of the Moto X Pure’s update came during an announcement that Motorola is already starting to push the Android 6.0 update to Brazilian variants of the Moto X Style (the Pure for Brazil) and the Moto X (2nd gen). The update will rollout slowly to those phones over the next few weeks.

Along with news of these 6.0 updates, Schuster also gave us a full changelog for the update. Below, you’ll find a shortened overview of the changes, which include Doze, Google Now on Tap, a System UI Tuner, RAM manager, automatic app backup, and more. If you would like to see the full list, jump through the source link.

A new Memory Manager that lets you check memory usage of all your installed apps
Volume controls have been greatly improved
Do not disturb button has been added to the quick settings panel for easy access.
System UI Tuner will appear in the settings menu at the very bottom once enabled. It provides a few simple UI tweaks.
Google Now on Tap allows contextual information to be delivered based on content on your screen with a long press of the home key.
Doze is a battery management feature that detects when your device is not in use and it will automatically go into a deep sleep state which saves your battery.
App Standby reduces battery drain by putting seldom-used apps into a reduced activity state.
Expandable Storage support allows for microSD cards to be used either in a portable storage or an internal storage mode. Portable storage allows your pictures, videos, audio and other media files to be stored. Internal storage allows both media storage along with apps and games but can not be used by other devices.
RAM manager in settings which allows a consumer to view memory used by the system or an individual app over different time frames
Automatic App backup not only backs up your apps but their associated data so when restored they will be the same as they were before
Text selection has been improved

Folks in Brazil, let us know if you see the update!

Via: +David Schuster | Motorola

Cheers Jason!

New Android Commercials Feature “Silent Disco Dancers” and “Sight Seekers”

Two new commercials from the Android team have been published to YouTube, possibly set to see a bit of TV time this season. Both are rather light-hearted, one pushing Play Music, and the other pushing Images on Google Search.

In my personal favorite, the Silent Disco Dancers video, we see what appears to be a group of young people dancing in the woods, all wearing headphones. If I did not know any better, I would assume they were all enjoying some sort of psychotropic drug, but I assume they are just listening to music and having fun. The video then goes on to show how easy it can be to start listening to music on Android.

In Sight Seekers, we have hikers who want to view images of Fogo Head Rock. When asked to, Google quickly pulls up images via Google Search, and the hikers are left to their exploration.

View both new videos below, then share which one is your favorite in the comments below.

Sight Seekers

Silent Disco Dancers

Android Wear Gets a New Google Now Collection Card, Cleaner Traffic and Navigation Cards

It’s tough to tell where this originated from, but thanks to an update to either the Android Wear or Google apps, some of us are seeing a new Google Now card on watches, along with cleaner traffic cards. I say that it could be from either, because both received updates within the past day, though one could be the recently launched beta of the Google app and may not be available to all.

After the update, the new Google Now card shows as a collection of sorts, with items like upcoming sports scores or recent/future games, shipped items that are being tracked, and weather. If you slide over from that initial card, you get a breakdown of your Google Now stream, with separate items that can be touched for more info. You can even pull-to-refresh the page, like you would do on your phone for Google Now.

Here is a quick look at the new Google Now card.

As for the new traffic cards, I’m told via reader that they are much cleaner and easier to recognize by color than in the past. Below, you can see those as well.

Seeing any other new cards?

Cheers blakjakdavy!

YouTube Music Now Available for Android, Try it Free for 14 Days

YouTube Music is now available on Android and iOS (US only), bringing together a one-stop shop for all things music videos. Upon opening the app, you are shown suggestions, and after a single click on whatever you like, a station is created to cater music that you will hopefully enjoy. YouTube Music brings together the entire catalog of tunes found on the service, which is millions.

The app features an Audio-only mode, plus an Offline Mixtape mode that pre-downloads songs you will like for playback even when you are not connected to data. On the Home tab, you will find recommended tracks, plus added suggestions based on your already existing viewing habits. Other tabs include Popular or “Fire,” and a “Like” tab for tracks you have previously liked for easy rediscovery.

The service is available as a 14 day trial (no credit card required), but after that, the service costs $9.99 per month. If you pay that monthly price, you are also gaining access to Play Music All Access, as well as YouTube Red (ad-free version of YouTube). For those already enrolled in YouTube Red, which would be anyone who was already signed up for Google Play Music All Access, then you get access to this, too.

What was so wrong with YouTube before all of these different apps, I have no idea, but I’m guessing YouTube got bored of people uploading cat videos and fail compilations. As someone who works in this biz, and has used YouTube since the very beginning, even I have to say I am quite confused on why YouTube needs to breakdown their experience into these sub-genres. We now have a YouTube Gaming app, YouTube Music app, and YouTube Red which is a subscription service for all of these apps, plus access to Play Music. It’s almost completely over the top. And yet, we still have a standard YouTube app that is completely free to use that offers everything you can find from these various applications. Are we not getting a little redundant here?

Go check out YouTube Music for yourself.

Play Link

Via: YouTube

Reported Renders Show Off BlackBerry’s Second Android Device

According to new renders hitting the web, the Priv won’t be the only Android device we see from BlackBerry. This morning, images of the Vienna are hitting the web, showing a more standard appearance from what we expect out of BlackBerry.

On the Vienna, there is no slider, as the physical keyboard is simply always present on the front of the device. There is of course a somewhat large touchscreen as well, in addition to three physical buttons directly below the display for your basic Android commands like Back, Home, and Multitasking.

Right now, these renders are very basic, and it possible we could see the Vienna’s design change heavily before launch. Speaking of launch, there is no timeframe yet given as to when we can expect to see this device hit the market, but with the Priv doing seemingly well among the Android community, BlackBerry may want to keep the hypetrain rolling along regularly.

Share your initial thoughts on the Vienna below, and if you happened to pick up a Priv, let us know how you are liking it so far.

Via: CrackBerry

LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE Arrives at AT&T and Verizon November 13 and 19

Last night, Google announced official cellular support for Android Wear almost at the exact same time that LG gave a firm launch date for its cellular connected watch, the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE. The new Watch Urbane arrives at at AT&T stores tomorrow, November 13, and is also up for pre-order starting today at Verizon. The wearable arrives at Verizon stores on November 19.

How much will you pay for the new Watch Urbane at either? At AT&T, it’s actually a pretty reasonable $299 if you buy it at full retail. At Verizon, you are looking at $499. Why the $200 price difference from one to the next, I don’t know – it’s the same watch.

As a recap, the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE has a 1.38-inch POLED display at a crazy resolution of 480×480 (348ppi), 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 768MB RAM, 570mAh battery, IP67 dust and water resistance, and of course, an LTE radio. It’s also a whopping 14.2mm thick and has a case that is 44.5mm wide. It’s a big watch, but it’s also packed with high-end specs.

Interested in the first LTE connected Android Wear device?

Buy Links: AT&T ($299) | Verizon ($499)

Via: LG | Verizon

Google Announces Cellular Support for Android Wear

Back in September, LG announced a new variant of its Watch Urbane line that featured an LTE radio for connecting to cellular networks. As you are probably imagining, the point of having LTE in a watch is to let you leave your phone at home and still be able to keep full connectivity. We can debate for days over whether or not the world needs this kind of connectivity in a wrist watch, but that’s not what this post is about. You see, LG went ahead and announced an LTE-ready watch without Google having yet announced support for such a feature for its wearable platform, Android Wear. Last night, they did just that as the watch begins to make its way to retailers.

Through the Android Official Blog, Google has now officially given support to Android Wear and the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE.

With cellular support on Android Wear, you can stay connected without a phone or WiFi connection present, use your favorite apps, send text messages, and make/take phone calls.

The LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE is the first Android Wear device to utilize this new feature, but there will undoubtedly be more before long. This new Android Wear device is coming to AT&T and Verizon this month.

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Thursday, November 12, 2015

Via: Samsung Tomorrow

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Cheers Jason!

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