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Wednesday, December 2, 2015

New Emoji, Keyboard, and Font Coming to Nexus Devices Next Week

Hiroshi Lockheimer, Android daddy of them all, announced this evening that new emoji are coming to Android next week via Nexus phones. Lockheimer mentioned that a new keyboard, new font, and new code will all be a part of the emoji arrival, so that means full software updates to the Nexus line. 

We aren’t sure if this is just going to be a December security patch or something more substantial, like Android 6.1 or 6.0.1. In his Tweeted announcement, Hiroshi did say that he “can’t spoil all the surprises!” ahead of time, so there could be more. Either way, he said that a new system image is coming,

His Tweet included emoji for the unicorn, lion, and crab, all of which are a part of the Unicode 8 release. In case you were wondering, Unicode 8 includes the taco emoji! Mmmmm, tacos. The full list of Unicode 8 can be seen here.

On a somewhat related note, we are seeing what appear to be updated emoji in the Chrome Hangouts app. The image at the top of this post is showing all of the emoji that have been changed.

Ready for emoji? Ready for an update?

Cheers Jon!

New Emoji, Keyboard, and Font Coming to Nexus Devices Next Week is a post from: Droid Life



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5 Reasons the LG V10 is Worth Buying

The LG V10, a new line of flagships introduced this year by the Korean manufacturer, is a lovely, although extremely large, phone. LG likely introduced this new V line because it needed an extra push towards the end of the year, as their G line just hasn’t cut it over the past couple of years. And look, it only makes sense, since others do it as well, including their major competitor, Samsung.

Is the LG V10 worth buying? Of course it is. In our review, we came away surprisingly delighted by its unique set of features, build, use of new materials, and performance. If for some reason you had not had a chance to read that review yet, or simply want the abbreviated version, we have that for you today.

Here are 5 reasons the LG V10 is worth buying. 

lg v10-4

1.  That big, beautiful bundle of pixels.

The 5.7-inch QHD LCD display on the LG V10 is gorgeous and a joy to use, especially when consuming media. At 5.7-inches, it’s large, but that’s almost what makes it so great. You can take in a video or game and feel like you have a small, insanely high-resolution TV in your hand. It has great viewing angles as well, reproduces colors without offending your eyes, and gets plenty bright too.

2.  This design is different, and different is good.

When I first saw the LG V10, I thought it was about the ugliest phone I’d ever seen. With its mixture of random colors and textures and metals and secondary displays, I just sat there shaking my head at LG after first setting my eyes on it. Then, I got it in hand in the cream and gold colorway and fell in love. It’s just so different from any other phone that you can’t help but appreciate it.

LG used steel bars up its sides to add strength to the V10’s frame. They also double as an opportunity to add some color flair. The rest of the body is covered in a Dura Skin texture that is both inviting to the touch and strong enough to give you a feeling of safety. The headphone jack sits at the bottom where it should be on all phones, the camera housing adds a nice circular touch of class, and the phone is thin enough, yet balances nicely in hand.

This is a well-made phone – probably LG’s best in terms of overall quality.

lg v10-8

3.  Removable batteries and microSD cards.

If you bought a phone within the past two years, it probably doesn’t have a removable battery or a microSD card slot. Companies were at one time moving away from them because Google wanted to with Android, but now, most are doing it because they want to increase their margins by forcing storage hogs into spending more on phones with more storage. LG isn’t doing that. The V10 has both a removable battery and a microSD slot that holds up to 2TB cards. While the battery and its 3000mAh capacity is enough to get you through from morning to night, should you have that extra heavy usage day, you can always swap in a fresh battery if needed.

Oh, LG is also on its second promotion where they will give you a free SD card, battery, and battery charger if you buy the phone. Not a bad deal.

4.  Performance is buttery smooth.

When I first started reviewing the LG V10, I was nervous about the phone’s performance. It runs a Snapdragon 808, a processor that hasn’t exactly shown itself as performance king in most of the phones that adopted it over the more powerful Snapdragon 810. But after putting the phone through the app-switching, multi-tasking madness that I do when reviewing, I came away quite impressed. LG has fine-tuned this phone so that it runs refreshingly smooth. Sure, the LG skin isn’t my favorite thing, but you should be able to whip in and out of apps and games and calendar appointmentss and emails and calls without a hiccup.

lg v10 review-7

5.  A secondary display with useful features.

The V10 has a secondary display situated at the top of the phone, just above the primary 5.7-inch display. Most would be quick to dismiss this like we have all done with every other attempt at a secondary display over the years, but this one actually has some useful features. If you aren’t interested in using it for quickly switching to your favorite or recently used apps, accessing your favorite contacts, or controlling music, I think you may find use it the display when you aren’t using the phone.

During my time with the V10, I used the secondary display as an always-on clock when the phone was sitting on my desk. I also loved having it there as a bed-time clock, where I didn’t need to turn the phone on to see the time, to see notifications pending without having to touch a thing, and to turn off some settings like WiFi or to toggle the flashlight on or off. Sometimes with a phone, it’s the little software or hardware tweaks that can really enhance a phone to purchase-worthy territory. The V10’s secondary display does just that.

So there you have it, 5 simple reasons why the LG V10 is worth buying.

5 Reasons the LG V10 is Worth Buying is a post from: Droid Life



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Report: Andy Rubin Interested in the Android Phone Business Again

According to a report out of The Information, Andy Rubin may be looking to get back into the Android phone business again. No, he’s not re-joining Google, he’s potentially looking to start a new phone company, maybe even through his Playground Fund investment company

Today’s report claims that Rubin has tried to recruit personnel that could help him build this smartphone company, though it’s not clear if he would lead this company or simply look to put the pieces together through funding. Either way, if true, as the “father” of Android, I can’t think of many others I would want at the helm.

As you may recall, Rubin was the leader of Android at Google for years before stepping away and into a secret robotics devision. That opportunity didn’t last, as he officially stepped away from Google in late 2014 to start his new company to help fund startups. This is where he has been since.

Is it a smart move to create a new smartphone company in 2015? As much as the smartphone industry seems to be plateauing, maybe it’s someone like Rubin, who has been away from the game for a couple of years, that could step back in and find a way to refresh things a bit. If anything, maybe he has ideas on how an Android manufacturer could rise in a time where few seem to be making any money, outside of Apple.

Via:  The Information (subscription)

Report: Andy Rubin Interested in the Android Phone Business Again is a post from: Droid Life



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Nova Launcher Beta Update Adds Gestures for Double-Tap-to-Lock, Google Now, More

Nova Launcher beta just received a fantastic update that adds a bunch of new features that a number of you have likely been hoping would arrive one day. We’re talking about double-tap-to-lock, a gesture option for opening Google Now, options to make the app drawer just like Google’s latest vertical app drawer (with recent apps and persistent search), and more.

The update also attempts to fix the slow Marshmallow notification pulldown, though it does require root. A bunch of bugs have been squashed as well, plus optimized an startup time and fast scrolling in long lists were added. 

Here is the full list of changes:

4.2.0-beta1 Dec 2, 2015

-Persistent searchbar in drawer (Settings – Drawer – Searchbar)
-Frequently used apps in drawer (Settings – Drawer – Frequently used)
-Root workaround for Marshmallow slow expand notifications
-Nova Actions for screen lock and Google Now
-Improve handling of double-tap gesture
-New fast scroll in long lists
-Optimize startup time
-Fix widget placeholders after Titanium Backup restore
-Fix persistent search bar moving downward over time
-Fix FCs

Play Link

To get into the Nova Launcher beta, join the Google+ community here and opt-in.

Cheers Jeff!

Nova Launcher Beta Update Adds Gestures for Double-Tap-to-Lock, Google Now, More is a post from: Droid Life



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Moto X Pure Edition’s Marshmallow Soak Test Will Run for About a Week Before Wide Rollout

Yesterday, we spread word of a soak test of Android 6.0 Marshmallow that had begun for the Moto X Pure Edition. Today, Motorola’s David Schuster confirmed that the test had started, but also shared some timeline info for non-soak testers. 

According to Schuster, the soak test will run for the next week. If things go well, and Doze and Google Now on Tap don’t melt anyone’s face, then Motorola will proceed with the full rollout.

We’ve got the update loaded up on our phones here at the DL offices, so if you need us to look into anything now or have any questions, be sure to shoot those in the comments. Feel free to also take to the comments for a special treat.

Via:  +David Schuster

Moto X Pure Edition’s Marshmallow Soak Test Will Run for About a Week Before Wide Rollout is a post from: Droid Life



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Pre-Order a Nextbit Robin, Receive a Free Vinyl Sheep Mascot by Christmas

Starting today, if you are one of the first 100 people to pre-order the Nextbit Robin, the company will send you one of its vinyl sheep mascot figurines (a $40 value) for free. While your phone will not arrive until February of next year, your little mascot figurine will arrive on or before December 20, just in time for the holidays. 

Pre-orders for the Robin have been up since late October, and if you need a quick refresher, then allow me to explain Robin. Robin features a cloud-first storage function, meaning the phone automatically backs up apps and data to the cloud, making itself more intelligent as time goes on by using your usage stats. The point is, the phone wants to optimize as much storage as possible, keeping your goods stashed safely in the cloud. Advantages of the Nextbit solution would be its ability to backup apps settings, as well as data to the cloud, which you can’t do on a microSD card. An SD card is basically a storage locker that can break or get lost. With the cloud, that can’t happen.

The device is purchasable in two colors as of right now – Mint and Midnight. Priced at $399, there are models available for a variety of carriers, so regardless of who you give your money to each month, there is a Robin for you.

If interested, follow the link below, then choose the “Holiday Special” option to receive your free vinyl mascot.

Pre-Order Link

Pre-Order a Nextbit Robin, Receive a Free Vinyl Sheep Mascot by Christmas is a post from: Droid Life



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Google’s Contacts and Phone Apps Arrive on Google Play

This morning, Google pushed two apps to Google Play for the first time, Contacts and Phone (or Dialer, depending on Google’s mood). The arrival of each shouldn’t surprise you, though I am a bit surprised it took this long for Google to do this, since they started decoupling their stock apps from Android long ago. 

With the Phone app, Google doesn’t seem to have updated much if anything, but the new version is available as v2.3.12. The Contacts app did get a new “streamlined contact editing” layout, along with “bug fixes and improvements” in v1.3.07.

Both apps are live on Google Play now and were available as updates to my Nexus 6P. At this time, though, they are only available to Nexus, Android One, and Google Play Edition phones running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Plays Links:  Contacts | Phone

Cheers Vinu!

Google’s Contacts and Phone Apps Arrive on Google Play is a post from: Droid Life



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HTC One M8 Update to Android 6.0 to be Pushed Out Shortly

Owners of the unlocked One M8 from HTC will be happy this week, as the company announced testing for the update to Android 6.0 has been completed and approved, with the update set to roll out to all owners within the next 24 hours. 

The update will bring the latest version of Android to your smartphone, which will include any fixes and Sense improvements HTC decided to build in. At this time, we don’t have an exact list of changes, but you will definitely find access to Now on Tap as well as Doze, so that’s useful.

If you own an unlocked One M8, be on the lookout for the update to hit your phone later today or early tomorrow.

Via: @moversi

HTC One M8 Update to Android 6.0 to be Pushed Out Shortly is a post from: Droid Life



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LinkedIn App Get Much-Needed Overhaul on Android

Last night, LinkedIn revealed its new apps for Android and iOS that are “more intuitive, smarter and dramatically simplifies your LinkedIn experience.” In other words, they are modern apps that will hopefully negate Android developers from taking to their Google Play reviews with things like, “Hire some better Android developers.”

So what’s new? Lots of stuff, actually. 

The whole app experience has been “streamlined” into five areas of Your Feed, Me, My Network, Messaging, and Search. Each category includes just what you think it includes, like your LinkedIn “professional day” news on Your Feed, your “professional brand” in the Me section, all of the happenings in your network in the My Network section, messaging in Messaging (shocker!), and searching in Search (whoa!). LinkedIn did say they made search 300% faster, though, so that’s something.

Business professionals, go!

Play Link

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 8.40.29 AM Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 8.40.41 AM Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 8.40.58 AM

Via:  LinkedIn

LinkedIn App Get Much-Needed Overhaul on Android is a post from: Droid Life



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Google’s Santa Tracker is Back in Action for the Holiday Season

Santa TrackerGoogle’s festive holiday app for kids and grownups alike, has been updated for 2015. Inside, a new activity can be found each day leading up to Christmas, all of which will help Santa get ready for his big trip across the globe to deliver presents to all of the good little boys and girls. 

Over the course of the month leading up to Christmas, Google states you can brush up on your coding skills with mini computer games, learn about charitable organizations, test weather conditions with Rudolph, and much more.

Google went all out to make sure this experience can be had on multiple displays, so you will find that this app is compatible with many different devices, with extensions available for Android Wear, activities made for Android TV, and you can also cast the app to your HDTV using Chromecast.

Go pick it up and let your kiddies have a bit of fun with the Santa’s reindeer.

Play Link | Web Portal

Via: Google

Google’s Santa Tracker is Back in Action for the Holiday Season is a post from: Droid Life



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