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Friday, November 20, 2015

Don’t Miss These Android Stories: November 20, 2015

Another big week has passed on by here at Droid Life! This week, we told you what our best Android phone of the moment is, along with the best smartwatch. We also let you vote on the best phone, which essentially showed that you have the same thoughts we do.

Beyond all of those big features, we started putting together a big Black Friday deals list, went hands-on with the Galaxy View, covered Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile’s latest changes, and showed off home screens for the first time in over a year.

Time to catch up on it all! 

Who bought Adele’s new album? Don’t lie either.

Don’t Miss These Android Stories: November 20, 2015 is a post from: Droid Life



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HTC Details Its Upcoming Deals for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Beyond

HTC is getting in on the deals action for next week, and has detailed its plans for Black Friday, the weekend, Cyber Monday, and beyond. Stated in a release from HTC, the company will be offering a trade-in program for the One A9, where you can score the device for as little as $0 down by trading in your old smartphone. Naturally, this all depends on what you end up trading in for the device.

If you trade in an iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, HTC will grant you a $499 rebate, which is the exact full retail price of the One A9. If you don’t have an iPhone, you can trade in a Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge for a $200 rebate (ouch), and use that towards the cost of the One A9. For those who trade in a LG G3 or LG G4, you only receive $100 rebate to put towards a One A9. 

If the One A9 does not interest you, you can purchase a Nexus 9 at 40% retail, starting Thursday (Turkey Day) to Friday, November 27. If you are one of the first 500 buyers of a Nexus 9 32GB LTE model, you will also receive a free Logitech Keyboard for use with the device.

During the weekend (Saturday through Sunday), HTC is offering 40% off of all accessories listed through its website. Beginning Monday, November 30 through Wednesday, December 2 you can pick up a RE Camera for 60% off the retail price. In addition, the first 900 buyers will receive a free RE Protection Pack.

And finally, during that same timeframe, you can pick up a One M9 for 40% off retail, regardless of which model or carrier you choose.

That’s a whole lot of deals. Plan on taking advantage of any of them?

HTC Details Its Upcoming Deals for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Beyond is a post from: Droid Life



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AT&T Launches Advanced Messaging and Video Calling

This morning, AT&T announced that it has added Advanced Messaging and Video Calling to its Rich Communication Services (RCS) platform. The new additions join Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), HD Voice, WiFi Calling, and NymberSync.

With Advanced Messaging, users can send larger files (up to 10MB), but will also know when messages are delivered, read, and when someone is typing a reply. It’s basically a more robust texting experience that you already get through other messaging platforms. 

As for Video Calling, we are simply talking about placing HD Voice calls with video. Like with Verizon’s HD Voice and Video Calling, AT&T customers don’t need to download a new Video Calling app, you and the person you are calling just need to be using devices that support the feature through the native dialer, and be in an HD Voice calling area.

Both of these features are available today, assuming you have a compatible device. At this time, Advanced Messaging is only available on the Galaxy S5 Mini (hah!) and Galaxy S6 Active. Video Calling is only available on the S6 Active.

You can find out more about these features here and here.

Via:  AT&T

AT&T Launches Advanced Messaging and Video Calling is a post from: Droid Life



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Pushbullet Adds Option to Send Texts From Tablets, Answers Pro Questions in AMA

Pushbullet, the service you once loved but now seem to hate because they want to make money and survive as a company, introduced a new feature today for both free and Pro accounts. That feature is an option to send text (SMS) messages from tablets. That’s a big deal, because well, tablets aren’t attached to phone numbers and so you haven’t been able to do things like send SMS from them in the past. 

To get tablet texting up and running, you’ll need to have Pushbullet up and running on your phone with SMS sync enabled. Once you have that enabled, install Pushbullet on your tablet and look for an SMS option in the app’s main menu. See it? Good. Send away!

The SMS from your tablet are actually being routed through your phone, in case you were wondering. That way, they come from your phone number, which is exactly what you need to have happen. Don’t worry, no one can tell that you are actually sending messages to them from a tablet (not that that matters). Oh, and you can choose which phone to send through, should you have more than one phone number.

As of today, tablet SMS sending is free, but come December 1, the number of them that you can send will depend on your free or Pro status.

On that note, because you all loudly expressed concern over Pushbullet’s Pro plan and pricing method, they are (were) running a reddit AMA to answer your questions. If you are in the group who hates the piss out of Pushbullet at the moment, head over there to read through the conversation.

Via:  Pushbullet

Pushbullet Adds Option to Send Texts From Tablets, Answers Pro Questions in AMA is a post from: Droid Life



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Samsung Gear VR is Now Available for Purchase for $99

At last, pre-orders are over and “Innovator Editions” have been retired. The official retail, consumer version of Gear VR from Samsung is now available for purchase for $99. Compatible with Samsung’s newest top-tier devices, Gear VR brings the excitement of virtual reality to consumers who can watch movies, play games, and interact with media in new ways. 

Compatible devices currently include the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+, and Galaxy Note 5. To use, you simply place your smartphone inside of the headset, and away you go to a magical world of VR. During my time with the Gear VR Innovator Edition, I was able to watch movie trailers from the comfort of my own couch while having the sense I was on the moon and in a large theater, played a few games that made me extremely motion sick, and was left with a headache that lasted for about an hour. If you would like to try this same experience, then I highly recommend VR.

Samsung intends to keep working with developers to launch additional content for the devices, so if you have a compatible phone, I would definitely say that an experience such as VR could be worth $99.

You can purchase a Gear VR from Amazon, Samsung, and Best Buy. As a note, Amazon lists that they are current out of stock, but will be resupplied.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Best Buy | Samsung

Samsung Gear VR is Now Available for Purchase for $99 is a post from: Droid Life



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DEAL: UE Boom Bluetooth Speaker Just $99 ($100 Off)

We don’t often write up deals on speakers because we’re not an audio site. But every once in a while, a deal pops up that we just have to pass along. Best Buy, in a pre-Black Friday deal, has the UE Boom wireless Bluetooth speaker slashed to just $99.99, which is a $100 discount. That’s a hell of a deal.

This is one of the best reviewed Bluetooth speakers on the market with a 4.7 star rating at both Best Buy and Amazon, through thousands of reviews. It has 2 active and 2 passive speaker  drivers, NFC, is rechargeable with up to 15 hours of playback, has a 3.5mm aux jack, and is IPX4 water resistant. If you have two UE Booms, you can link them together for some stereo fun.

The deal is for multiple colors of the UE Boom and includes free shipping.

Best Buy Link 

On a related note, they also already discounted the SONOS 2-room starter set to $349, a $50 discount.

DEAL: UE Boom Bluetooth Speaker Just $99 ($100 Off) is a post from: Droid Life



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The Best Android Smartwatch You Can Buy Today

We already went over the best Android phones you can buy today, so why not share that same love with the smartwatches, too? This year has seen a ton of new devices for the wrist, even from companies that had not previously launched a smartwatch. Why would they want to get into the smartwatch market? Well, because it’s growing like crazy. According to Allied Market Research, the global smartwatch market is expected to reach nearly $33 billion by 2020, so we can all rest assured new smartwatches won’t go away any time soon.

This year saw the sequel to last year’s highly-popular Moto 360, Huawei’s first Android Wear-powered device the Huawei Watch, the luxurious Watch Urbane from LG, a watch from luxury watchmaker  TAG Heuer, and Samsung decided to go back to their roots with Tizen in the Gear S2.

With all that said, let’s get into the best Android smartwatch you can buy today. 


The best Android smartwatch you can buy today is the Moto 360 (2nd Gen).

moto 360 huawei watch gear s2-3

Why? No doubt about it, the Moto 360 (2nd Gen) checks all of the boxes, with its sophisticated looks, updated internals, and customization options available through Moto Maker, all of which can be had for quite an attractive starting price of just $299. Last year’s Moto 360 was a fantastic timepiece, and Motorola certainly did not disappoint with the sequel. Adding in lugs to help with comfort while wearing and increasing battery size, Motorola also upgraded from TI OMAP processors to a more standard Qualcomm-made Snapdragon 400 processor.

Through Moto Maker, which is where we suggest anyone interested would buy this device, users can choose between different colors for the body, different materials for the bands from leather to metal, and even choose which type of bezel design they want to have. In addition, Motorola made two sizes available – one for the larger wrists that features a larger display and larger battery, and one with a smaller body, perfect for those with petite wrists, such as myself.

Thanks to the updates for Android Wear from Google, the OS is smoother and more feature-rich than ever, only giving more value to those who decide to take a plunge into the smartwatch world.

What’s wrong with it, though? The main call-to-arms over the Moto 360 line is the “flat tire.” The bottom part of the display features an ambient light sensor, meaning Motorola can not incorporate a fully circular display into the design. This is a major turn off for some people. However, if folks choose a darker watch face, I find that I don’t even notice it anymore. It’s something you sort of get used to. Also, it allows Motorola to have one of the slimmest bezels you will find on a smartwatch. If the flat tire is a no-go for you, don’t fret, there are other options available.

Be sure to read our Moto 360 (2nd Gen) review if you haven’t already. You can buy the Moto 360 (2nd Gen) through Moto Maker or on the Google Store.

A really close runner-up is the Huawei Watch.

moto 360 huawei watch gear s2-7

Why? The Huawei Watch, at times, encompasses what a “perfect” smartwatch should be. It features a high resolution fully circular AMOLED display, while combining premium materials with top-tier smartwatch specifications. Huawei focused heavily on creating a timepiece that would remind those of a luxury device, yet also offer the feature-rich experience of a smartwatch.

Available in a variety of models, with all sorts of different materials, it is easy for buyers to find one that will match their specific look. The base model, priced at $349, features a Stainless Steel body with Black leather bands. In addition, Huawei built-in 40 custom watch faces for users to choose from, so regardless of where you are going or what you are wearing, there will be a watch face to match your activities.

Much like the Moto 360 (2nd Gen), the Huawei Watch also features a Heart Rate monitor and a gang of other sensors for use when you are working out or having a night out on the town. Both watches truly deliver a premium smartwatch experience for Android users.

Why is the Moto 360 (2nd Gen) a better option, though?  The one key area where Motorola delivers is the price. If you are not looking to spend over $400 on a premium Android Wear device, the Moto 360 allows you to design a fantastic looking device, for relatively cheap when compared to the Huawei Watch. Huawei has a few incredible designs for this device, however, the all-Gold model will cost you $799. I don’t know about you, but spending $799 on a smartwatch that could possibly become obsolete in just a couple of years does not interest me. Other models, such as the stainless steel mesh band, costs $399. This is much more affordable, and likely a great option for those looking for an alternative to the Moto 360 (2nd Gen).

Be sure to read our Huawei Watch review if you haven’t already. You can buy the Huawei Watch from Huawei and on the Google Store.

If you can’t stand Android Wear, go with the Samsung Gear S2.

moto 360 huawei watch gear s2-2

Why? Since this watch doesn’t run Android Wear, you get a completely different software experience than you will find on the Moto 360 and Huawei Watch. Not that Android Wear is bad, but some may just prefer something else. The Gear S2 offers that. The whole experience here comes off as a more robust UI that features a horizontal panel approach that can be customized through apps. Android Wear tends to be about glanceable info, whereas the Gear S2 wants to give you a fully customized, app-centric watch experience along with the notifications. Outside of the different UI, this watch also features this awesome rotating bezel for navigating the watch. This is one of those features that we hope others adopt in future watches, because it’s a true joy to use.

The Gear S2 comes in two models, one with a minimal, modern aesthetic (pictured above), plus another (Gear S2 Classic) that appears more like a traditional timepiece. Both watches are a manageable size at around 42mm and 40mm, with price tags of $299 and $349, respectively.

Why doesn’t it top either of those other two? Since Samsung has built the watch around Tizen for an operating system instead of Android Wear, the Gear S2 is sorely lacking in the app department. The two Android Wear watches we mentioned have deep app ecosystems, where you won’t struggle to find companion apps from your favorites available. With the Gear S2, you are stuck with a handful of apps from companies Samsung has partnered with. And since we aren’t sure if either of the Gear S2 watches will be a hit, it’s tough to tell if the app selection will ever improve.

Our full review of the Gear S2 will arrive soon. Until then, you can buy it today from Amazon.

The Best Android Smartwatch You Can Buy Today is a post from: Droid Life



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The Droid Life Show: Episode 98

After a couple of week break, we return for episode 98 of the DL Show, where we’ll catch up on the past couple of weeks of fun. We need to talk about our reviews of the Turbo 2, Maxx 2, and LG V10. We also have the TAG watch in house, a Blackberry Priv review on the way, and more, including our best phone you can buy today.

On a related note, we are ditching Google+ for shows, because well, Google+ changed this week and has basically made it impossible for us to use it any longer. We are now going with YouTube streaming through our main channel, which is actually the best solution anyway. Sorry if there is confusion here. Hopefully, your experience with the show won’t actually change at all.

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

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OnePlus Extends Warranty Program to North America, Powered by Assurant

The OnePlus warranty program, first debuted for overseas markets earlier this month, has been announced for North America. Powered by Assurant, the program is called On-Guard, and it aims at replacing your device should you break it from mishandling or a manufacturer defect. 

Available for the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X, there are three levels of coverage a buyer can select: On-Guard 12, On-Guard Plus 18, and On-Guard Plus 24. OG 12 comes with 12 months of ESC, which is short for Extended Service Coverage. This is replacement coverage for product hardware failures due to manufacturer’s defects in material and workmanship. The price is set $20 for both the OP2 and OPX.

On-Guard Plus 18 is 6 months of ESC and 18 months of ADH. ADH is Accidental Damage from Handling. If you have slippery fingers, and tend to break phones often from drops, this is the plan for you. For this coverage, the price is set at $65 for the OP2 and $50 for the OPX. Lastly, there is On-Guard 24 – 12 months of ESC and 24 months of ADH. The cost is $80 for the OP2 and $60 for the OPX.

This warranty program is only available for new purchases of these devices, and currently there is no grace period for second chance enrollment. According to OnePlus, they are working with Assurant to offer this as soon as possible.

A breakdown of pricing for the US and Canada is below.

Extending_our_Customer_Service_to_North_America_with_On-Guard_by_Assurant___OnePlus_Blog

Via: OnePlus

OnePlus Extends Warranty Program to North America, Powered by Assurant is a post from: Droid Life



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Nexus 5X Now Available From Amazon in All 3 Colors

Google has been selling the Nexus 5X for a good month or so now with immediate availability and free shipping if you go the Ground route. Unlike the Nexus 6P, the 5X has been well-stocked and is easy to obtain. But if for some reason you don’t like to buy devices directly from Google and instead were waiting for Amazon or other retailers to sell LG’s new Nexus, your time has come. 

The Nexus 5X in all three colors and both 16GB and 32GB storage models is now available from Amazon with Prime shipping. If you buy the Nexus 5X today, you could probably have it tomorrow.

Have you read our Nexus 5X review? You probably should.

Amazon Link

Nexus 5X Now Available From Amazon in All 3 Colors is a post from: Droid Life



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