Microsoft wants you to use Bing Torque instead of saying “OK Google” on your Android Wear smartwatch

I’m not sure what’s going on at Microsoft these days. First, Microsoft Research released a pretty much useless keyboard for Android Wear smartwatches, and now, Microsoft Garage has just released Bing Torque.

Bing Torque replaces the need to speak “OK Google” each time you want to ask a question. With Bing Torque, you can just twist your wrist and then say your question. If you’re reading between the lines here, it’s not just the “OK Google” command that’s being replaced here. Yup, you guessed it. Next time you want to find out how tall President Obama is, you will be asking Bing. Microsoft is saying that it’s like having Cortana running on your smartwatch. However, it might not work for commands like, “Set a timer” or “Send a text to _____.”

The app works well on the LG G Watch, LG G Watch R, and Samsung Gear Live, but not so well on the Moto 360. If Bing is your thing, then by all means, hit the break and check out the screenshots and download this app today.

Play Store Download Link

Come comment on this article: Microsoft wants you to use Bing Torque instead of saying “OK Google” on your Android Wear smartwatch

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2040 Design Studio Launches Two New Kickstarter Campaigns For Arq Dock 2 And PuGoo Mini

If you've been around AP over the past couple of years, you probably know that we're big fans of 2040 Studio and the sweet little accessories that it puts out. Things like Capta, Vavo, MODO, Arq Dock, and PuGoo all came from the creative minds over at 2040.

Since these guys never seem to rest, they have a couple of new Kickstarter projects looking to receive funding: Arq Dock 2 and PuGoo Mini.

2040 Design Studio Launches Two New Kickstarter Campaigns For Arq Dock 2 And PuGoo Mini was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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The Cleaner Aims To Keep Android Devices Running As Quickly And Smoothly As Possible [Sponsored Post]

When it comes to technology, all devices slow down over time. As things like RAM and storage get used, the OS has a harder time trudging through all the data compared to when the device was brand spankin' new out of the box. While Android does a great job of making the most of the hardware it's given, sometimes a little help is needed to give it that extra push. That could mean something simple like cleaning out cached files to open up more storage, deleting old text and picture messages, or just getting rid of applications that haven't been used recently.

The Cleaner Aims To Keep Android Devices Running As Quickly And Smoothly As Possible [Sponsored Post] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Blizzard commits to bringing Hearthstone to Android tablets by year’s end

Fans of Hearthstone, one of the fastest growing new collectible card games to launch within the past year, will be excited to hear this news: Hearthstone is headed to Android tablets by the end of this year! While Blizzard already stated they wanted to get the game up on Android before year’s end, that was very early on and if you know Blizzard then you know they love taking their sweet time on things. Today’s affirmation so late in the year is a good sign that things are still on track and that Android folks will be able to enjoy their card-dueling goodness on the go before too long.

Hearthstone is a card game that draws its inspiration from the vast World of Warcraft universe. Players build decks using 1 of 9 hero classes (Druid, Mage, Hunter, Paladin, Rogue, Warrior, Shaman, Warlock and Priest) to go head-to-head with other players not willing to let you slide by easily.

Its simple mechanics allow for new players to pick it up easily, while its free-form deck building lets advanced players get even deeper. Hearthstone is a free-to-play title supported by in-app purchases of card packs and arena tickets. Be sure to check it out on your PC (or iPad) right now if you’re wondering what all the hubbub is about.

Blizzard also touched on forthcoming support for Android phones (and iPhones). The company said while they have an internal build humming along, they feel it won’t be ready for launch by the end of the year. They state the smaller screen real estate of a phone as the challenge keeping them from rushing the game out. Better for them to take more time and make sure the user experience is top-notch than to rush out a shoddy port that will annoy users to no end. Let us know if you’ll be looking forward to its arrival.

[via Blizzard]

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Hearthstone coming to Android tablets by year’s end

Hearthstone, a free-to-play card game from developers Blizzard, has already gained tremendous popularity in the PC gaming sphere. As promised, an Android version is in the works and Blizzard has confirmed that the game will ship on tablets before the end of the year.

“we’ve got our sights set on a release for Android tablets, our next new platform, before the end of the year; we’ve just got a few more mana crystals to polish and some Angry Chickens to chase down.”

However, Android smartphone owners will have to wait a little longer to break out the card packs, as the developers are still trying to optimize the experience. The reason for the delay is due to the need for a revamped Hearthstone interface, allowing for seamless play on smaller screen sizes.

“Releasing Hearthstone on iPhone and Android phones is something we’re incredibly excited about, but ultimately we’d rather take the extra time to make Hearthstone’s user interface on the phone customized to feel great for the platform”

It looks like a smartphone version won’t be available until 2015, so I’ll still have some free time until then. Blizzard is also planning a further 100 card expansion pack to keep veteran players entertained, which could arrive in a similar time frame as the Android tablet release.

20 million people have already played Hearthstone all across the globe and a release on the biggest mobile platform is bound to boost the game’s popularity even further. Have you got this beast in your sights?

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Google+, Hangouts, And Other Google Services Are Currently Crashing Left And Right

Trying to do something Googley this fine evening? No you're not—Google is suddenly experiencing widespread issues with services like Google+, Gmail, and Hangouts. This looks like a larger outage than most, but presumably Google is working to restore service.

The services that are broken seem to vary from one user to the next. I'm unable to load Google+ and Hangouts, but others can't get their Gmail inboxes to work. A few others on the team can connect to hangouts, but messages won't go through.

Google+, Hangouts, And Other Google Services Are Currently Crashing Left And Right was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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