APK BRO™ - Download APK Android Apps: 01/12/16

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Tuesday Poll: Interested in VR on Any Level?

Tim and I just wrapped up our special CES 2016 edition of the Droid Life Show, where we talked about a bunch of takeaways from the conference, including our thoughts on VR. We strapped on HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in their newest forms. They were cool. Were they completely mind blowing experiences that will forever change our lives? Eh, not really. Again, they were very cool and we both see how under the right circumstances (read: with the right game and powerful enough setup) VR could be a hell of a time; I just don’t think we have sipped enough of that hype Kool-Aid surrounding each.

That sort of brings me to today’s poll. We’re – obviously – interested to see where VR goes on at least some level. There is a mobile tie-in, thanks to Samsung with Gear VR, but even the PC-powered versions like Vive and Oculus have at least captured our attention after demoing them. What about you? Has all of the overblown VR hype caught your attention? Are you interested in any implementation, whether that be in conjunction with your phone or as a full-blown room-required gaming experience?

Let us know. Feel free to explain why.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Deal: Don’t Want Android Wear? Grab a Martian Notifier for Only $36

Martian, a company we recently checked out during this year’s CES, makes semi-smart wearable devices that provide functions for those who don’t need a full blown Android Wear smartwatch. Priced at just $36, down from $130, the Martian Notifier syncs up to your smartphone via Bluetooth, then displays notifications and other select information right on your wrist.

With the Martian Notifier, wearers can snap pictures on a smartphone with a remote trigger on the device, easily find your lost phone by tapping a menu to call it, receive alerts when you are walking away from your smartphone, and assign custom vibration alerts for different apps.

Below, check out the full feature list, then follow the link below to pick one up.

Features

Get push notifications from any of hundreds of apps
Assign custom vibration alerts
Snap pictures using a remote trigger
Set up to 5 individual or recurring alarms
Receive alerts when you’re walking away from your phone
Easily find your phone by tapping a menu to call it
Access a digital world clock
Quickly check local weather conditions

Deal Link

LG Sends Out Invites for MWC Where “Play Begins” on February 21

MWC, an electronics show with an actual mobile focus that has been the chosen platform for the big dogs to unveil real-deal phones for the past few years, kicks off on February 22 in Barcelona. We expect companies like Samsung to show off the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, and HTC to show off their next flagship, but LG is sending out invites before their rivals can announce any plans.

This afternoon, LG pinged select media with invites for an event that will take place on February 21, the day before MWC. The invite doesn’t provide much, but does say that “Play begins.” on that day.

Will we get the LG G5? That seems unlikely, since LG typically waits until April or May to announce the new “G” flagship, but you never know. Will we get some sort of audio-focused phone or product? Maybe. Something gaming-focused? Maybe. This is actually all sort of a surprise.

Any guesses?

Via: Pocket-Lint

No, Motorola Isn’t Killing the Moto G, Its Best Selling Smartphone

Last night, a report out of China’s Sina that included an interview with Lenovo’s Chen Xudong, the head of the company’s mobile business, went through a really fun media cycle that took a whole bunch of translation completely out of context and then turned it all into an embarrassing display of journalism. The interview was pretty wide-ranging, covering topics like the recent change in branding direction of Lenovo and Motorola, Google Play services returning to China, use of fingerprint scanners in upcoming phones, a change in the UI approach to Motorola phones, and the death of the Moto G and E.

We’ll talk about many of those in a minute, but let’s first start with that last mention of the death of Motorola’s best selling smartphone of all time, the Moto G. I read the report from Sina a good three or four times and still don’t know where this idea came from. But some took talk of no more sub-5-inch phones and Lenovo’s Vibe brand becoming the company’s mid-tier line as the death of the Moto G. At least I’m assuming that’s what happened because otherwise, I see absolutely no reference at all to the Moto G and Moto E being mentioned as entering retirement. In fact, there is a roughly translated reference to the Moto G being very popular in Latin America, but hey, “Death of Moto G” works.

Either way, we reached out to Motorola to get some clarification on not only the Moto G and E line, but also on some other topics (thus the reason we haven’t reported on any of it yet). They reached out to The Verge instead, confirming exactly what we assumed, that the Moto G (which again, is the company’s best selling smartphone of all time) and Moto E will continue to live on. Their words were, “Although we are simplifying the combined Motorola and [Lenovo] portfolio, we have no plans to retire Moto G, our most successful smartphone, or Moto E.”

As for the rest of list of tidbits mentioned above, I’ll start first with the UI change. The interview – which again is incredibly roughly translated to English – says something about the “original Vibe UI and Motorola native Android UI will next year (in China) into a new UI.” It seems as if some have taken that to mean that Motorola will ditch their pure Android experience in favor of a heavily Lenovo-based, Vibe-like UI. Although, that translation doesn’t say that at all and instead says they’ll likely manipulate their Vibe UI to be more like the Moto UI…IN CHINA. This was one of the points we asked Motorola for clarification on, so we’ll update this if we do hear back.

In other news, Chen Xudong said that we should expect fingerprint scanners in all of this year’s phones, including those from Motorola. He also mentioned that they expect Google and Google Play Services to return to China in 2016.

Via: The Verge | Sina

Nexus 5X Drops to $349 at Google Store

This morning, Google dropped the price of the Nexus 5X to $349. This sounds like a somewhat permanent change as well, as the announcement on Google+ states that it “now” starts at $349, not “temporarily” or something of that nature.

At $349, instead of the original $379, you are looking at a solid $30 discount. And at $349, you have a heck of a deal to consider should you have a sub-$400 budget for a smartphone at the moment. In my opinion, I’d still suggest you go Moto X Pure Edition (review) if your budget tops out at $400. But if you must have Nexus because of updates and all the love in the world for Google, the 5X could serve you well. It does have a really good camera. Here are five other reasons to buy it as well.

Be sure to read our Nexus 5X review if you have any questions.

Google Store Link

Report: HTC Vive to Cost $1500 at Launch

We already know that HTC intends to launch Vive, its VR system, in early April. We also know HTC’s CEO said pre-orders are going up on February 29. Yet, even with all of that, we still have no confirmed information on how much Vive will cost, or exactly what someone needs inside of their computer at home to make it run smoothly at 90 frames-per-second. However, the latest report out of Taiwan may have spilled the beans on pricing, and if you were hoping for a somewhat reasonable pricing scheme from HTC, you may be gravely disappointed.

According to Focus Taiwan, who cites foreign brokerages, the Vive VR System from HTC could launch with a price tag of $1500, pricing itself way above the competition. To compare, Oculus Rift, the closest thing to Vive, will cost $599 and is available for pre-order right now.

If the price does in fact stay at $1500, let’s discuss why this may be. It is still unclear what will come with the Vive package, at least in terms of hardware. At this point, custom Oculus controllers for Oculus Rift won’t be available until later in 2016, but HTC could market Vive as a complete package, including the headset, a set of two controllers, and a standalone motion sensor for whatever room you install Vive in. As we found out at CES, for complete motion tracking, you will need two sensors, but if you intend to only use Vive while sitting, you will need just one sensor. If you opt for Rift, they ship a Xbox One controller, sensor, remote, and cables with the $599 package.

In addition, Vive will also come shipped with integration to SteamVR, granting gamers access to the latest titles as soon as they are made available on the service. Does this access cost a few hundred dollars extra? I wouldn’t think so.

Before we go raising pitchforks and lighting torches, we will need to wait for HTC to confirm its pricing decision. If the report is true, is $1500 simply too expensive for Vive to penetrate the ever-growing VR market? I would say so. For anyone looking to get deep into VR, Rift is essentially the same machine, at a much lower cost. Yes, Vive has a few perks (front-facing camera, for example), but the overall experience won’t differ enough to justify a price increase of over two times that of Rift.

Keep in mind, your computer probably can’t even run VR in its current shape, so be ready to buy a new graphics card when the time comes.

Via: G for Games | Focus Taiwan

The Droid Life Show: Late as Hell CES 2016 Recap

Since CES was last week, and we almost always have a blast that needs to be shared, we figured even if this is about 5 days late, it’s time for a CES recap show from Tim and I. Look, we know that CES is 99.9% boring from an Android standpoint these days, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other tech stories to share, our personal experience stories to share, and all that jazz.

Today, we’re doing our special CES 2016 show where we’ll talk about Binge On drama (it started at CES!), Motorola branding news, all the VR happenings (because we tried a lot of it), the new wave of smartwatches, what we did for our annual CES dinner, if we ran into any random celebrities (sorry, no Dennis Rodman this year), and more.

Join us at 1PM Pacific (4PM Eastern) for the fun. And no, this doesn’t count as episode 100.

If you miss us live, feel free to subscribe to us by following one of the links below. We have a video embed as well, along with an IRC chat. Also, we’ll be chatting through the YouTube feed too.

Subscribe | iTunes | Stitcher| Show Page

LG G4 on US Cellular Getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow Update

LG, surprisingly, has been one of the quicker OEMs to push out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update to its flagship phone from early 2015. The LG G4 on Sprint saw the update a few weeks ago and now the US Cellular variant is joining it.

While we wish we were sharing this same news on the AT&T and Verizon variants, we’re just not there yet. If you have the US Cellular model, though, you should see the update this week if you haven’t already. A source of ours who tipped us to the update said it was supposed to start yesterday.

The LG G4 on US Cellular is model US-991, for those keeping track. The update is rolling out as US99120b.

Let us know if you see it!

Deal: Google-Approved iOrange-E USB Type-C Cables on Sale Via Amazon With These Coupon Codes

In early November, a Googler took to Google+ to list a few of the “spec compliant” USB Type-C cables available on Amazon. While there were plenty of cables they did not recommend for usage, cables from iOrange-E were high on the compliant list, and for a limited time, you can grab a few at a discounted price on Amazon, thanks to these coupon codes.

There are three cables on sale, a 1 foot, 6.6 foot, and 10 foot cable. With codes applied, the 1ft cable runs $8, the 6.6ft costs $9, and the 10ft cable will run you just $10. Each cable is eligible for Prime shipping, so once purchased, you can receive them in a very timely manner.

To claim, hit the links below, add them to your cart, and then enter in the cable’s respective coupon code.

Amazon Links: 1ft Cable (Code: OZIWJRGS) | 6ft Cable (Code: BUE2SL39) | 10ft Cable (Code: OYDTW5TH)

Google I/O 2016 Dates Set – May 18-20 in Mountain View

Google I/O 2016 dates are now set. How does May 18-20 sound? It doesn’t matter what you think because those are the actual dates. Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent out a Tweet this morning confirming the date for your calendars, but also mentioned that they are taking the show to Mountain View and the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

“More details soon.”

I/O'16 coming to neighborhood where it all started 10 yrs ago: Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, May 18-20. More details soon. #io16

— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) January 12, 2016

Verizon Open Enrollment for 2nd Chance Device Protection Now Live

Each year, as Verizon opens up open enrollment for device protection, we try to let you know, just in case you have decided well after purchasing a device that you might want to get some insurance on it. As you probably guessed, that time is now. Well, it opened yesterday and runs through March 10, so you do have some time to decide.

What is open enrollment? As Verizon puts it, this is a “2nd chance for device protection.” In other words, if you declined insurance at the point of sale, but have now decided that you want protection in case of a drop or other disaster, you can now add on insurance.

You still have the same options as always – Extended Warranty, Wireless Phone Protection, or Total Equipment Coverage (TEC).

Extended Warranty ($3.00 per month): Get a free replacement device for mechanical or electrical defects after the manufacturer’s warranty expires.
Asurion Wireless Phone Protection ($7.15 per month for smartphones; $5.00 per month for tablets): Cover your device against loss, theft or accidental damage, including water damage.
Total Equipment Coverage ($9.00 per month for smartphones; $7.00 per month for tablets): Protect your device against loss, theft, accidental damage and defects after the manufacturer’s warranty expires (combines Verizon Wireless’ Extended Warranty with Asurion’s Wireless Phone Protection).

If you choose TEC, here are the costs associated with it outside of the monthly fee.

Again, you have until March 10 to decide. Hit up the link below to enroll.

Verizon Link

DEAL: Enpass Password Manager is Free Today Only ($9.99 Off)

I’m still fairly new to the password locker game, but after becoming a LastPass subscriber last year, I can’t imagine life without one. Today, if you would like to get into using a password locker or manager without the typical associated cost (subscription or hefty one-time fee), we have a pretty stellar deal for you from Enpass Password Manager that is only available for the next 24 hours.

Normally priced at $9.99 for mobile access, you can setup an account with Enpass today on mobile for free and never pay again. That’s a heck of a deal.

Keep in mind that this attaches to your Google account of choice, as well, so should you jump between devices later on, you can restore without worry. Also, the desktop version of Enpass is and will continue to be free, but the mobile access is the portion with the $9.99 fee. So yeah, sign-up today and get in for free.

As for features, you get the following with Enpass (plus more):

Available For All Major Desktop And Smartphone Platforms
Built-in Browser To Fill Login Details
Military grade encryption- Enpass secures your data by SQLCIPHER which istransparent and open-source AES-256 encryption to ensure highestlevel of security. All protection mechanism is done locally (offline)at your device.
Strong password generator- Built-in password generator lets you create strong and unique passwords for logins.
Auto-locking-Automatically locks itself when not in use or device is lost.
Works with Fingerprints.
Backup/Restore over WiFi.
Folder support.

The deal is live now. All you need to do is install the app, create a master password, choose a Google account, and accept the free license.

Play Link

Cheers Vikram!

Facebook Mentions Hits Android, an App for Verified Public Figures

Facebook Mentions, an app made solely for those with verified public figures pages (celebs), is now available for Android. With the app, celebrities and other verified personalities can more easily share the happenings in their life, including live video feeds, status updates, and trending stories all in one single place.

As stated on the Facebook website, verified public figure pages can belong to musicians, actors, journalists, athletes, and political folk. If you have a verified page, and want access to Mentions, you can sign up here.

Again, unless you are a verified public figure, then the app itself is virtually useless. Even if you own a verified business page, it still won’t work, according to Facebook’s signup page. And since we all know celebrities use iOS exclusively, then this launch might almost be a waste of time.

If we do have any celebs here, go check it out.

Play Link

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Tuesday Poll: Interested in VR on Any Level?

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LG Sends Out Invites for MWC Where “Play Begins” on February 21

Via: Pocket-Lint

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Via: The Verge | Sina

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Via: G for Games | Focus Taiwan

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Cheers Vikram!

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