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Monday, June 1, 2015

TAG Heuer Names Its Android Wear Device, Will be Upgradable as Technology Matures

TAG Heuer, the Swiss watchmaker who has been making headlines with its upcoming $1K+ Android Wear smartwatch, has revealed the name for the device. As stated by Jean-Claude Biver, TAG’s CEO, the watch will be called the Carrera Wearable 01, symbolizing the similarities between the wearable device and TAG’s current Carrera Heuer 01 watch, pictured above. 

As previously announced, the watch will indeed run Android Wear, while being powered by Intel silicon. The powerful ‘Swiss Made’ certification is still up in the air, though, as TAG appears to be ready to go on without it, which may be a big deal for potential buyers. TAG’s Biver states, “For a traditional mechanical watch, ‘Swiss Made’ is a reference and criteria of reliability and quality. For a connected watch, Android from Google and Intel Inside are the criteria of quality and reliability.”

Even for us American buyers, I would not go so far as to say Android Wear and mobile Intel processors are the criteria for quality and reliability. Quality, maybe, but reliability seems to be pushing it. To me, if I am paying nearly $1,400 for a smartwatch, the hardware better be the selling point, and it better last a long time. To combat the notion that its smartwatch will be outdated in only years, TAG claims the watch will be upgradable as time goes on and technology matures. For example, if you gave the watch as a gift, TAG will make sure the watch will last a lifetime.

“We want to be able to change the technology but keep the watch elements. If your child completed their Masters degree, you might want to give them a watch. We want to create something that will stay on your watch for a lifetime, that’s what TAG Heuer does. And as the technology changes, it will change,” claims TAG’s UK communications manager Alexandra King.

TAG’s smartwatch is set to release in Q4 of this year, featuring a price tag of around $1,400.

As you hear more about it, does it interest you?

Via: Forbes

TAG Heuer Names Its Android Wear Device, Will be Upgradable as Technology Matures is a post from: Droid Life



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Android M Feature: Be Gone Terrible Lollipop Volume Controls!

You know how the volume/do-not-disturb combination of things in Lollipop drove almost all of you nuts? Google heard you loud and clear and have attempted to fix the volume situation with Android M. We now have simplified volume controls that actually make sense and work like they used to.

As you will see in the video below, you can once again press the volume down button on your phone to take you all the way to vibrate, but another tap then jumps into silent mode, which really is now Do Not Disturb mode (again). That mode makes everything quiet, outside of alarms, which is exactly how it should be and should have been. 

Outside of the silent mode returning, you can drop down the volume pop-up to reveal quick access to individual controls for media and alarms.

Do Not Disturb mode has changed quite a bit, though, so we’ll be back shortly with more detailed info on how it works. Until then, rejoice over the return of volume controls that make sense!

Be sure to checkout all of our Android M feature highlights!

Android M Feature: Be Gone Terrible Lollipop Volume Controls! is a post from: Droid Life



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ASUS Announces ZenWatch 2, Comes in Two Sizes With IP67 Rating

At the annual Computex exhibition for manufacturers, taking place in Taipei, ASUS unveiled the ZenWatch 2. Running the latest Android Wear software, the ZenWatch 2 will come in a variety of finishes, along with a large collection of straps. To start it off, the ZenWatch 2 will come in two sizes, presumably for big and small wrists, with Stainless Steel casing in either Rose Gold, Silver, and Gunmetal.

When compared to last year’s ZenWatch, there are only a few major differences, but it is clear that ASUS thought quite hard about how they could make the design and usability much better. To start, ASUS added in a dedicated Power button on the side of the device, with ASUS stating that it allows for users to interact with their device in an all-new way. 

Additionally, the ZenWatch 2 features a water resistance and dust resistance rating of IP67, meaning users can even wear their watches in the shower if they so choose. And lastly, ASUS designed a magnetic charger that snaps onto the ZenWatch 2’s backside for quick charging. No more obnoxious dock that renders the device untouchable during charging.

As of right now, there is no release information or timeframe for the device, or a price. The original ZenWatch costs $199, so it could be likely ASUS will aim to stick around that price point. The ZenWatch also launched in November, meaning we could have a few months to go before ASUS is ready to launch.

Thoughts?

ASUS ZenWatch 2 Leather

Via: ASUS

ASUS Announces ZenWatch 2, Comes in Two Sizes With IP67 Rating is a post from: Droid Life



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Android M Feature: Auto Backups of Apps to Google Drive, Plus Auto Restoring

If you happen to change phones a lot or wipe your device often enough, you probably know that the backup and setup process on Android has been pretty brutal for, well, ever. That should change a bit in Android M thanks to auto backups of all apps installed on your phone. Because Google wants to “ensure a good experience” for those who do setup phones more regularly than others, all of this behind-the-scenes magic will happen without any work from users or developers. 

According to Google, app data and setting preferences in those apps will be automatically backed up to Google Drive in Android M. On a user side, this option can be toggled on or off at the system level, but on the developer side, developers simply need to decide if they want to limit what data is backed up. That’s it. Otherwise, Google is automatically backing up app user data and setting preferences to Google Drive, then encrypting it all. No work is needed from anyone for the most part to make this all happen.

The Android M documentation on “Auto Backup for Apps” states that there is no charge to developers or users for the data storage saved, plus it doesn’t count towards their user’s personal Drive storage quota. During the Android M Preview, users can store up to 25MB of data per Android app.

Google says that these automatic backups occur ever 24 hours, but only when the “device is idle, charging and connected to a WiFi network.” As for restores, (setting up a new device or uninstalling then reinstalling a backed up app), a “restore operation copies the backed up data into the newly installed app’s data directory.”

As I mentioned, the only thing that need to be configured on the developer is whether or not a developer wants specific files limited from backup. Google is doing the backup automatically for all apps, but developers can decide to exclude files. Keep in mind that Google won’t backup temp files or caches.

So yeah, auto backups of apps! I can’t tell you how excited this makes me as someone who sets up a new device every couple of days.

Via:  Google Developers

Be sure to checkout all of our Android M feature highlights!

Android M Feature: Auto Backups of Apps to Google Drive, Plus Auto Restoring is a post from: Droid Life



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Hey Look, a Nexus 5 With a Fingerprint Sensor!

At last week’s Google I/O, Google made a big push in the world of fingerprint scanning for authentication purposes by introduces a fingerprint API in Android M. Going forward, manufacturers who choose to include fingerprint sensors in their phones will no longer have to work around Android and can instead use the native API to make for tighter integration.

To show off how fingerprint scanning can work in Android M, Google put out a short video on using your fingerprint to make payments. The video shows you how a payment situation would likely unfold when running Android M, something can more than likely envision without the need to see a video. After all, there have been fingerprint-powered payments on iPhones for some time. But what’s interesting about the video is the fact that the presenter randomly pulls out a Nexus 5 that has been outfitted with a fingerprint sensor to show how it all works. 

nexus 5 fingerprint scanner2

So we are clear, she states in the video that she has a “phone which has been modified to add a fingerprint sensor.” In other words, this is not the rumored LG Nexus 5 (2015), but is instead what really looks to us like a red Nexus 5 (2013) with a square fingerprint sensor added up near the camera sensor. There is an odd black bar hiding something under her hand, though.

While hypebeasts clickbait title enthusiasts will want to suggest that this is a sneak preview of the next Nexus 5, that’s probably pretty unlikely. I guess there is always a chance this could be some early prototype of that rumored phone, but I for one am hoping Google doesn’t think that top-rear-centered fingerprint sensors are in a good location and re-thinks that type of setup.

Your mind is turning like crazy, though, isn’t it?

Via:  reddit

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OnePlus One Drops to $249 for the Next 7 Days During Limited Flash Sales

Last week, OnePlus told us that they were going to shake up the industry come June 1. Today is now June 1 and well, they have slashed the price on the OnePlus One for a limited time each day in a series of flash sales. That is apparently how you shake-up the industry. 

For those interested in this over-a-year-old phone, this is the deal. From June 1-7, OnePlus will host a flash sale that will drop the price of the OnePlus One by $50. So you will be able to get the 16GB white model for $249 or the 64GB black model for $299. Supplies are limited (of course they are), so you will have to hurry each time the sales go live in order to snag one. Actually, the first sale went live three hours ago and the promo pricing is still listed as active – maybe you won’t have to hurry after all.

Here are the times that each flash sale will run:

  • June 1 – 12:00 GMT (8 am EST)
  • June 2 – 2:00 GMT (10 pm EST -1 day)
  • June 3 – 12:00 GMT (8 am EST)
  • June 4 – 2:00 GMT (10 pm EST -1 day)
  • June 5 – 12:00 GMT (8 am EST)
  • June 6 – 2:00 GMT (10 pm EST -1 day)
  • June 7 – 12:00 GMT (8 am EST)

More info.

OnePlus One Drops to $249 for the Next 7 Days During Limited Flash Sales is a post from: Droid Life



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Friday, May 29, 2015

Google Play Services 7.5 is Packed Full of Goodies

Not only did we get Android M (our tour!) yesterday, but Google also introduced Google Play Services 7.5, which includes all sorts of new goodness like “Smart Lock for Passwords, Instance ID, new APIs for Google Cloud Messaging and Google Cast, as well as access to the Google Maps API on Android Wear devices.” See, this is a big time update. Let’s talk about some of it. 

The most important new addition (at least in my opinion) is Smart Lock for Passwords. Google is considering it the evolution of Chrome Password Manager, meaning developers can use a new CredentialsAPI to allow user passwords to be attached to user Google accounts. So as app users jump from device to device or setup new ones and install apps, they should be able to easily login to them. In the end, Smart Lock for Passwords could become your password manager for all things, assuming you trust Google and use Chrome.

Details for implementing Smart Lock for Passwords can be found here. Companies like Eventbrite, Instacart, Orbitz, and Netflix are already setup for Smart Lock for Passwords. You can find all of your stored passwords at passwords.google.com.

Outside of the password fun, Google is letting developers build-in an app invite system, where their users can invite contacts via SMS or email to use their apps. The image below will give you an overview of how this will all look and play out.

image01

Google Play Services now includes a Maps API for Android Wear as well, which really just means that developers can build in fully-interactive Maps, show current location of the user, etc. onto a watch.

And of course, we told you about all of the new Google Cast APIs and changes earlier this morning, all of which are a part of this new Play Services update.

The rest of the list of new features is for the developers among us, so if you haven’t caught up on it all, be sure to head over to the source link below.

 

Via:  Android Developers Blog

Google Play Services 7.5 is Packed Full of Goodies is a post from: Droid Life



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