Android Wear took the wearable market by storm with its unexpected March announcement. It was, simply put, insane. One wearable platform to rule them all. The hype has settled as Google I/O nears, but Google is now ready to take off again.
Of course, Android Wear will be a main topic at Google I/O, and the company wants to make sure they have apps to show. Google is calling all developers, asking them to show off their awesome apps. And of course, there is a benefit to being one of the first to develop for the new platform.
These developers may get extra exposure at the Play Store, as well as at the company’s yearly developer conference.
“Early participants can gain direct design and product feedback from our team, and possibly, higher visibility from exposure at I/O, our collections and in the Google Play store. Send us an email with a link to your APK and, optionally, open source code to wear-apps@android.com.” -Louis Gray
We are hoping to see a major Android Wear launch at Google IO. This is not announced or confirmed, but what event would be more fit than Google I/O to launch the Moto 360 and/or LG G Watch? And Google trying to hear from more developers is only proof that they may be getting ready. You do know what this means, right?
Those who go to Google I/O are likely getting an Android Wear device. I am no psychic, but I would be willing to bet on it. The devices should become available to the general public soon afterwards!
I am especially excited about Android Wear. It seems as though Google has created a common platform that will bring uniformity to the wearable industry. Android wear is simple, helpful and uncluttered. It doesn’t try to be something it’s not. And it may very well be Google’s way of taking over this market.
What does it take to shoot the right photo? It’s a mixture of settings, lighting, surroundings, composition and most importantly, timing. It’s hard to keep all of these factors in order when trying to take a selfie. Whistle camera makes it easier on you by allowing you to trigger the shutter with a, well… whistle.
Whistle Camera offers a simple interface and minimal settings to make your experience as smooth as possible. You have the ability to choose between timer options (0, 3, 5 or 10 seconds), switch between cameras, zoom in/out, access the photos or enter more advanced settings. And of course, there is also an on-screen shutter button.
One of my biggest problems in smartphone cameras is focusing. I hate tapping where i want to focus only to have to redo it after I move my whole device. Most of us use large phones, so you may understand my frustration. We often lose the focus spot and have to re-tap.
And don’t even get me started on selfies. Trying to one-hand the device, focus and then take the shot is no fun. I have been known to drop many a phone while trying to do this during my weekend adventures. Whistle Camera brings a simple shutter trigger, similar to smile detection, but it is more accurate and simple.
I downloaded Whistle Camera and must say it works well. Everything does what it’s expected to do. I did, in fact, whistle and the camera went off. I didn’t have to have those whistling, kiss-like lips show up in the shot either. The timer makes sure you can prepare for the right look.
These are simple things, though. I wanted something a bit more challenging for the app. I played some good music on my computer and raised the volume as much as I could. Then I turned on my TV and started watching some YouTube videos at about an equal volume (compared to the laptop).
I did not edit the whistling sensitivity settings (default is Level 3) and the camera was still able to recognize my whistle at arm’s length. Given, it was not as accurate. It would work about 3 out of 4 times, which is also nothing to scoff at.
You can go ahead and download Whistle Camera straight from the Google Play Store. It may not be the best-looking camera app, but it is free and offers a great feature. You can also pay $1.12 to get rid of ads. The developer states there should be new features coming at some point which will only be accessible to “Pro” users. Something to keep in mind!
Concepts like ASUS’ Transformer and Padfone series are great conversation-starters and very unique apparatuses. The idea of having multiple components/devices, and being able to make them work together is certainly engrossing – but is it what we are looking for? It appears Google is willing to bet on it.
The Search Giant was granted US patent #8,649,821 last February. It revolves around a concept of a phone docking into a laptop computer. But this is unlike what we have seen in the past.
Of course, we can assume Google would use Android and Chrome OS as the main platforms in this project. But how could this make any sense? Other manufacturers have made the smartphone the brains of the contraption. The tablet, laptop dock and any other components simply take the phone’s processing power and storage.
Their larger screens become a form of extension to the smartphone, if you will. Google’s new combo would work the opposite way – both devices would work separately and take advantage only of the parts they need from each other. For example, the laptop would be able to use the cellphone’s cellular antennas for data; or the phone could act as a speaker/microphone for the laptop’s VOIP calls. Likewise, the phone could take advantage of the laptop’s speakers and battery.
If our assumptions are correct, Google would create a connection between both platforms, allowing them to work seamlessly. It’s assumed this device would not use microUSB to create this connection, so it would take advantage of some form of proprietary connector.
Aside from all the technical factors, though, how well can Android and Chrome OS work in tandem? In essence, this would be more of a hardware partnership than it would be a software crossover. They would just code both devices to take advantage of each others parts. There would also not be much of a need for storage sharing, as Chromebooks work mostly in the cloud. This means files could be shared via Google Drive, Music, Photos and the like. Regardless, this may be a step into a long-rumored future where Android and Chrome OS either work amazingly close or become one.
Don’t get your hopes up, though. This is nothing but a patent filing. Such device(s) could be announced soon, in a long time, or never.
If you think LTE is great, you’re going to love XLTE — or at least that’s what Verizon’s marketing team hopes. No, XLTE isn’t some magic new wireless technology. In reality, it’s pretty much just a rebranding effort for Verizon’s LTE improvements that utilize both the 700MHz spectrum and its AWS spectrum.
So should consumers even care? While XLTE might not be the greatest thing since sliced bread, despite Verizon’s marketing efforts to make you think so, it does represent a jump forward for Verizon.
Basically, in markets where XLTE is available, customers should now get even faster data speeds and more consistent performance than before, due to the fact that AWS is being used to relieve traffic congestion. Verizon says it’s offering as much as double the LTE bandwidth in many areas coast to coast, and says that XLTE has already been deployed to half of the existing LTE markets. Better yet, XLTE is compatible with many existing devices including the Galaxy S5, GS4, Note 3, all new Droid devices, the Moto X, LG G2, HTC One M8 and the list goes on.
For more details on Verizon’s XLTE, you’ll want to check out Verizon’s official blog post. Curious whether your phone supports XLTE? The phone section of the Verizon store has been updated to reflect which devices are supported.
The so-called “Prime” version of the Galaxy S5 is slowly shaping up, following a few months of speculation based on unconfirmed anonymous reports. We now have an idea of the phone’s specs and approximate release date, and, if the shots below are real, the first clues of the S5 Prime’s appearance.
The source of the images is reportedly a tipster of Phone Arena’s, so proceed with caution. With that warning out of the way, what are we looking at here?
The device in question features a metallic frame, possibly made of aluminum. The overall shape is very similar to the Galaxy S5, though the phone in the shots appears to be slightly thicker and wider. Another change is the placement of the speaker on the bottom side of the phone, beside the USB port, as opposed to on the back, like on the standard S5.
The back cover appears to be the same textured plastic found on the standard Galaxy S5, but it’s possible that’s just used as a replacement for the final design.
According to Sam Mobile’s Faryaab Sheikh, the device leaked by Phone Arena is real. Faryaab says that a source of his confirmed the veracity of the pics, but he cannot vouch that the phone is indeed the Galaxy S5 Prime or even a member of the Galaxy S family.
In related news, a hands-on video made the rounds over the weekend allegedly showing an aluminum-clad version of the Galaxy S5. However, that turned out to be a regular Galaxy S5 with a metal aftermarket cover and an edited build.prop file.
According to several sources, Samsung may introduce the Galaxy S5 Prime (note that’s still not the confirmed name of the phone) in early summer, possibly in mid-June. Presumed specifications include a Quad HD display, a Snapdragon 805 processor, and 3GB of RAM.
What do you think of this design?
