Android Community |
- Samsung snags Boxee and staff for a quick $30 million
- Samsung names Gregory Lee as president of US mobile division
- AT&T privacy policy change shows a firesale of our user data
- HTC One Mini images surface with further talk of specs
- Motorola launches Moto X teaser page
- Falcon Pro v2.0.4 update arrives outside the Play Store
- Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumors speak of a phablet with 3GB of RAM
- Samsung GALAXY S 4 shipments top 20 million
- Jawbone UP partner integration includes RunKeeper, IFTTT and others
- Samsung GEAR trademark filing hints at future smartwatch name
- Moto X will not be a DROID-branded Verizon offering, says sources
- MediaTek 2GHz MT6592 8-core chipset rumored for market arrival early 2014
- Facebook Home gets an update, no tablet version in sight
- Mugen Power reveals 5,500 mAh extended battery for Galaxy S4
- Redbox Instant update adds support for rooted devices
- Google Keyboard: 5 helpful tips and tricks
- Motorola teases the “design yourself” Moto X smartphone
- SelfLoops accessory brings ANT+ support with 2000 mAh of battery power
- Polamatic by Polaroid app released, we go hands-on
- YouTube app with picture-in-picture and multitasking in the works
| Samsung snags Boxee and staff for a quick $30 million Posted: 03 Jul 2013 10:38 AM PDT This isn’t the first time we’ve been hearing talks about Samsung acquiring the set-top box company Boxee, but now it looks to be semi-official. While both ends are still keeping quite, multiple sources have confirmed the Korean electronics giant has just purchased Boxee for roughly $30 million. The rumors are also being confirmed by Israeli media, and TechCrunch.
The popular set-top and DVR TV company Boxee was one of the first companies to offer a product which offered full movie streaming and TV shows via the internet, something that is widely available these days. Options like the Roku, Apple TV and more all offer stiff competition. Boxee has been around since 2007, and originally started out as a software company that now offers their own Boxee Box, and a TV dongle for streaming video and TV shows. We’re hearing the staff of about 40 employees will stay on board with Samsung, but what’s next is anyone’s guess. Maybe we’ll see some Android-powered units in the future with Samsung in charge. So far these reports haven’t been 100% confirmed, but it sounds like Samsung got Boxee for a relatively low price. Boxee has been shopping around, and this might be perfect timing as their efforts haven’t been seeing much adoption as of late. We’ll update if we learn more, or get the official word from Samsung. VIA: SlashGear |
| Samsung names Gregory Lee as president of US mobile division Posted: 03 Jul 2013 10:31 AM PDT Samsung has announced a new president of the US mobile division. Gregory Lee will be stepping in to replace the outgoing Dale Sohn. Mr. Lee will be stepping into this new position immediately. His official role will be as the President of Samsung Telecommunications America (STA). Mr. Lee is coming to this position by way of Asia where he served as president of Samsung's Southeast Asia Headquarters.
That was a position held for three years and prior to that Mr. Lee was in Korea serving as the head of Global Marketing Operations. Samsung has said Mr. Lee will be “responsible for leading the company's mobile business operations and strengthening the company's leading position in the smartphone market in the US.” They are also citing Mr. Lee as being a “recognized expert through his achievements in marketing and innovative operations in Southeast Asia.” As far as Dale Sohn, he will be heading back to Korea to serve as Executive Advisor to JK Shin. Samsung credits Sohn for helping the company climb to be number one in the US mobile phone market, as having achieved record results with the Galaxy S smartphone portfolio and driving Samsung's commitment to network business. Otherwise, aside from this change with Samsung, we also saw a recent announcement coming from Huawei. The Huawei news arrived yesterday and named Colin Giles as the executive vice president of the Consumer Business Group. The interesting part about the Giles news is where he came from — Nokia. Giles had left Nokia back in April with claims of wanting to spend more time with his family. SOURCE: Business Wire |
| AT&T privacy policy change shows a firesale of our user data Posted: 03 Jul 2013 09:50 AM PDT Some new tweaks and changes to AT&T‘s privacy policy have been revealed today, and things aren’t looking good. It sounds like AT&T may join other big groups like Facebook, Google, and Verizon and start selling our user data, although it will all be anonymous. This comes right as privacy is on the top of our minds, which isn’t the best timing for AT&T, but read on for more details.
User privacy has been a hotly debated topic as of late, especially in the mobile world with the NSA and PRISM listening in on all of our calls. However, today AT&T is talking about anonymously selling user data to other businesses, and this falls under the “big data” movement we’ve been seeing as of late. Now don’t get too alarmed. While the report states AT&T will start selling wireless and WiFi locations, web browsing stats, U-verse usage, mobile app downloads and usage, as well as “other information”, we will see some privacy. The carrier states it will protect our privacy by providing the data anonymously. Or in aggregated data so it cannot be used to identify anyone. Verizon Wireless did the exact same thing last year, and called the business Precision Market Insights. Google and Facebook have been doing this for years, and now it appears that AT&T will join the business. Whether we like it or not. Unlike Verizon, AT&T will be sharing both wireless and wired information, as well as U-verse TV customers data. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but what do I know. As a bit of silver lining, AT&T has stated that customers can opt out should they choose. Although surely that process won’t be extremely easy, or advertised. VIA: FierceWireless |
| HTC One Mini images surface with further talk of specs Posted: 03 Jul 2013 09:37 AM PDT Some new images of the HTC One Mini have recently surfaced. These latest images are showing the handset in black and thankfully they are not blurry. While we are of course going to treat these as nothing more than leaked images, we should point out the original source has since taken the images down. There is probably some speculation that could go along with that, but we will leave that as it stands.
Anyway, the images were originally posted by the smartnews.bg blog. There are three pictures and they came along with a few details and specs of the handset. The specs should sound familiar to those who have been following the saga of the HTC One Mini (M4), however it is nice to see them coming from the person responsible for shooting these pictures.
That said, The HTC One Mini specs break down as follows; 4.3-inch 720 display (with a 342ppi), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage space and an UltraPixel camera. The handset is said to be running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and as you can see in the images — it looks to have the front-facing stereo speakers of the HTC One.
The latest rumors and reports are suggesting HTC will unveil the One Mini sometime during the third quarter of the year. In addition to these images, these were also some leaked docs coming out of O2 Germany that mentioned the handset. Those same docs also included a mention of the HTC One Max. These O2 docs didn’t include much new and really just touched on a bit about how the handsets were heading to the carriers available device lineup. There was mention the One Mini will be available in silver and black. Finally, the HTC One Max rumors point towards a device with a 5.9-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 800 processor and UltraPixel camera. SOURCE: TechKiddy, the unwired |
| Motorola launches Moto X teaser page Posted: 03 Jul 2013 08:49 AM PDT An advertisement for the Moto X smartphone was revealed yesterday afternoon. That ad is running in several newspapers today and it looks like that is only the beginning of the campaign for the Moto X. We still have yet to see specifics on the phone itself, however Motorola has launched an official coming soon style teaser page.
Sadly, similar to that newspaper advertisement — we are still not seeing any images of the phone. What we have instead lives up to the teaser name in that it is really just a place where you can trade your email address in exchange for the promise of getting additional details when they come available. Of course, you can rest assured in knowing you will get those same details from the crew here at Android Community. Otherwise, this teaser page basically recaps some of the text we saw in that newspaper advertisement and concludes with Motorola saying the will let you know what else they are up to — that is assuming you give them an email address. Motorola has this page listed as being a “4th of July Promo Page” which would lead one to believe this is just the first of many advertisements we will be seeing for the Moto X smartphone. One thing is for certain, they are really pushing the bit about the handset being assembled in the US and as being designed by you.
Going back to a point we mentioned yesterday, that whole design bit remains a mystery for now though we suspect this will have more to do with exterior color options as opposed to internal hardware. While we wait for more from Motorola, we are at least happy to see them kicking off this campaign and hopefully putting an end to some of the rumors we have been seeing. |
| Falcon Pro v2.0.4 update arrives outside the Play Store Posted: 03 Jul 2013 08:21 AM PDT Falcon Pro has been one of the more popular Twitter apps. While that statement by itself sounds like something to be happy about, there is another side that brings some issues not only for the developer but for those trying to continue using the app. That issue deals with tokens and the fact that Twitter has a 100,000 limit available for third-party apps.
Those who have been following Falcon Pro for sometime will likely remember the story. Basically, the app reached its limit and had to revoke the tokens a few times to clear up some that weren’t being used. That was done in an effort to try and sneak a few active users back in to play. But it seems that game came to an end and earlier in the month we saw Falcon Pro disappear from the Google Play Store. The removal was done to prevent users from downloading the app and not being able to do anything with it. This of course brought issues for existing active users in that they would not be able to get updates or be able to download the app should they get a new device. Sure, there were some APKs floating around, but that is hardly a solid option. That being the case, Falcon Pro developer Joaquim Verges has recently made an announcement that solves that issue. Not to mention, it gives a bit of hope for those without a Falcon Pro token. Basically, Falcon Pro is now available from the getfalcon.pro website. That site will allow users to download the most recent version of the app. At the moment that happens to be 2.0.4. And along with the 2.0.4 update comes news of some smaller improvements and fixes as well as a new mobilizer with “seamless integration of articles in the app.” Anyway, current users with an existing token may want to grab the latest version of Falcon Pro. Otherwise, those without an active token looking to start using the app may want to look for the secret mentioned by Verges. We certainly aren’t going to offer a full spoiler here, but we would suggest looking towards the beta group that was announced a short while back. |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumors speak of a phablet with 3GB of RAM Posted: 03 Jul 2013 07:33 AM PDT It looks like another Galaxy Note III report has surfaced. This latest is coming by way of a Korean newspaper and deals with the amount of RAM the handset will have. Simply put, the Korean language hankyung is reporting the Galaxy Note III will be launching with 3GB of RAM. We should mention this is a rumor we have seen before though.
In fact, we have also seen earlier rumors dealing with the processor, display size and camera as well as a bit about what material will be used for the Galaxy Note III. Touching on that last bit, back in May we saw reports the handset would drop with the familiar plastic design. Otherwise, the display is expected to be 5.99-inches and Full HD with an octa-core or Snapdragon 800 processor. The camera is looking like it will be 13 megapixel, however there is more to that story than just megapixels. An earlier report has it looking like the Note III will arrive with optical image stabilization. And of course, it seems to reason the Note III will launch with the latest versions of Android and TouchWiz. An earlier report claimed to show benchmarks for the Note III running Android 4.3. Bottom line here, this latest report coming out of Korea is just that, the latest report dealing with the Galaxy Note III. So far we have yet to see official details coming from Samsung. What we do know is that the Note III should be arriving with a larger display and support for the S Pen — just like the original Note and Note II. At this time we are also expecting the official word from Samsung during IFA 2013 which will take place in Berlin later in the year and in the meantime it seems safe to say the rumors will continue. VIA: SamMobile SOURCE: hankyung |
| Samsung GALAXY S 4 shipments top 20 million Posted: 03 Jul 2013 07:06 AM PDT Samsung originally launched the GALAXY S 4 on April 27 and since then we have seen both good and bad reports in terms of shipments and sales for the handset. The reports on the bad side seem to have been coming from analysts and on the flip side, the positive reports seem to have been coming from Samsung.
With that in mind, Samsung announced they crossed the 10 million milestone back in May and as of today we have word that another milestone has been meet. This latest is 20 million and the details are coming by way of the Korean language iNews. The news report has this as coming from Samsung CEO JK Shin. That said, we should mention that we have yet to see anything come direct from Samsung. Basically, this report has Samsung as shipping 20 million GALAXY S 4 handsets in just over two months time. Then again, given we are so close to the two month mark, this milestone could have actually been reached a few days earlier. Simply put, while JK Shin spoke to reporters about the 20 million number, there wasn’t a specific date given as to when it happened. Otherwise, looking at the Galaxy S III in comparison and we find a handset that took 100 days to reach the 20 million milestone. This has the GALAXY S 4 reaching the same level about 40 days sooner. Coincidentally, the Galaxy S III took 50 days to reach that 10 million milestone while the GALAXY S 4 did the same in a little less than 30 days. Bottom line here, it looks like the GALAXY S 4 is easily outselling the Galaxy S III. Now, lets see when we get the official confirmation from Samsung on the 20 million. VIA: SamMobile SOURCE: inews24 |
| Jawbone UP partner integration includes RunKeeper, IFTTT and others Posted: 03 Jul 2013 06:36 AM PDT Jawbone has announced the latest update for the UP fitness bracelet. Well, specifically for the app and the good news here comes in the form of partner integration. There have been 11 partners announced from various services and details from the Jawbone announcement talk about how this is ‘initial’ support.
With that in mind, Jawbone hasn’t said when other partners will be coming, but they have revealed the initial 11 names. Those include the following; IFTTT, LoseIt, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, Maxwell Health, Notch.me, RunKeeper, Sleepio, Wello Aetna CarePass and Withings. Many of these are names that will be recognized as being fitness and health related, however that is not where the support stops. If you noticed the first in that group was IFTTT. Some may not be as familiar with this one, but essentially what IFTTT does is automate things. They tout themselves as helping you put the web to work for you. The process is simple, once you have an account created you either pick from an existing ‘recipe’ or create one of your own to make things happen. As far as this new integration, Jawbone has said you can select the apps tab in the left hand menu to set things up. This also works both ways in that you can integrate data into your Jawbone UP feed as well as share that data out onto the feeds of other services. Two in particular that sound like a good match is Runkeeper and MyFitnessPal — both of which also have Android apps available.
In addition to this Jawbone UP app update adding the integration with other services, the folks at Jawbone have also recently released an UP band in orange. This special colored orange UP band goes to support the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. This one is priced at $129.99 and Jawbone will make a $20 donation with every purchase. SOURCE: Google Play Store |
| Samsung GEAR trademark filing hints at future smartwatch name Posted: 02 Jul 2013 09:42 PM PDT We received confirmation in May that Samsung is, as rumors speculated, working on a smartwatch, in fact having been doing so for quite a while as a long-term project. The word came from Samsung’s Executive Vice President Lee Young Hee, and though we haven’t seen any images of the device aside from artists renderings, we may now know the smartwatch’s name: Samsung GEAR.
The information comes from a couple of trademark filings discovered by the folks at Phandroid, and after looking through the documents, there’s no doubt they refer to a smartwatch. One of the documents details a fairly lengthy description of an electronic device and its various software aspects, with the terminology being vague enough to apply to a range of items. The other filing, however, is full of keywords related to smartwatches, such as “bracelet,” “wrist watch,” “clocks,” and “watchbands.” Beyond that, under a section termed Identification, there’s a description about GEAR that defines it as a watch that can “communicate data to personal digital assistants, smart phones, table PCs, PDA, and personal computers through internet websites and other computer and electronic communications networks; watchbands that communicate data to [the same aforementioned devices].” Unfortunately, the documents don’t provide enough information to ascertain whether Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch will function similar the Pebble, which is a type of secondary wearable device that makes it more convenient to interact with a smartphone sans having to pull it out of a pocket. Some speculate that a more robust offering will be developed that extends beyond these types of features. We do know what Mr. Lee said about the smartwatch in May, however, when he explained that Samsung is “working very hard to get ready for it. We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them.” This follows closely after a patent was discovered for a Qualcomm smartwatch in the making called TOQ. SOURCE: SlashGear |
| Moto X will not be a DROID-branded Verizon offering, says sources Posted: 02 Jul 2013 08:08 PM PDT Earlier today, we reported that Motorola’s new logo, which has been redesigned to show off the company’s Google underpinning, will be shown in an advertisement slated to appear tomorrow for the Moto X smartphone. Unfortunately, the advertisement won’t be showing off the handset, but according to sources, we already know one aspect of the design: it won’t be DROID-branded.
The information comes from sources who spoke to the folks over at The Verge, and according to them, the Moto X will not be a DROID offering on Verizon. This is a shakeup of how DROID flagship offerings are typically offered as exclusive Verizon offerings. The news isn’t particularly surprising, but is another interesting look at where the company is going with its new phone. The handset is being hailed as “the first smartphone you can design yourself,” and we got our first somewhat detailed look at what it will offer from Motorola’s Dennis Woodside at the D11 conference in May. In particular, Woodside has said the Moto X is “contextually aware of what is going on around it,” and that it is being built in the United States. Further elaborating, Woodside had said: “[The Moto X] is going to be broadly distributed. There are a couple things we're going to be doing differently … Motorola has always been good at managing ultra-low power sensors, such as the gyroscope and the accelerometer, and keeping those on all the time so the device knows different use states. The [Moto X] knows when it is in my pocket, it knows when I take it out of my pocket. I might want to do something, I might want to take a picture, so it fires up the camera." Woodside had briefly talked about cell phone pricing in general during the D11 conference, having stated that the wide span in price range between handsets “won’t persist,” and that the company feels the industry is receptive to Motorola “building a low-cost, high-quality market.” This adds substance to rumors that the Moto X could be as inexpensive as $199 sans contract subsidization. Of course, this doesn’t mean the Moto X won’t necessarily be offered from Verizon, just that it won’t be an exclusive DROID offering. Woodside, and later on a press release, stated that the Google-owned company plans to release other handsets this summer, of which the Moto X is the lead smartphone. Among them will likely be a line of DROID handsets, and we expect you’ll see it at the carrier. Sources have appeared over the past weeks leaking details on what we can expect from the Moto X, particularly concerning the customization aspect of the handset. One source that spoke to Android And Me claimed the Moto X will be available several different colors – possibly more than 20. Later editions of the handset could also feature different casting options, including wood and carbon fiber. Overall, the prospects of what the Moto X could offer are numerous and exciting, and if the rumors all prove to be true, this flagship offering could be a game-changer. SOURCE: The Verge and Android and Me |
| MediaTek 2GHz MT6592 8-core chipset rumored for market arrival early 2014 Posted: 02 Jul 2013 06:15 PM PDT Word has surfaced from a couple sources in China that MediaTek is working on a full 8-core offering, the MT6592 2GHz chipset, which is rumored to begin shipping in the last quarter of this year. If the leaks pan out, this will trump Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa offering in terms of pure core usage, due to the Exynox 5 Octa utilizing big.LITTLE tech with four Cortex-A15 and four Cortex-A7 cores.
This first tip comes from an analyst with HQ Research, Pan Jiutang, who posted on Sina Weibo what he says was a covertly taken shot of MediaTek’s roadmap for the upcoming quarters, which you can see in the image above. In the roadmap, the MT6592 octa-core offering is clearly visible under Q4 with a 1.7GHz to 2.0GHz 28nm offering. This was preceeded by a report over at UDN stating that MediaTek has already shown off the MT6592 chipset to its clients, having begun doing so last week. Reportedly in an AnTuTu benchmark, the 8-core offering neared close to 30,000, and as such won’t be trumping Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800. However, considering MediaTek’s other options, the price will likely be more budget-friendly. Along with the MT6592, you can see in the image a quad-core MT6588 1.7GHz chip as well, which falls in the same time bracket, and will perhaps also be seeing a shipping date of sometime in November. According to the folks at Engagdet, both of these chips will be compatible with MediaTek’s MT6582 slated for release in the third quarter of this year. And all of this follows a recent large spat of job openings that surfaced at MediaTek in June. The roadmap shows the MT6290 LTE modem, which was mentioned by the company’s chairman Tsai Ming-kai as being slated for launch in 2013′s fourth-quarter. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too much longer to find out if the rumors are solid. SOURCE: Engadget |
| Facebook Home gets an update, no tablet version in sight Posted: 02 Jul 2013 04:54 PM PDT Facebook has begun pushing out another update to their Facebook Home replacement launcher today, but so far we have no clue as to what actually changed. This isn’t the first update, but most new features have arrived through the official Facebook app, not the Home app itself. It still says version 1.0 in the Play Store, and there is no changelog. So your guess is as good as ours.
Facebook Home isn’t doing quite as well as Mark Zuckerberg and company would have hoped, and neither is their Home-rocking HTC First “Facebook phone,” which was delayed outside of the US. While we’ve seen a few changes to Facebook Home, and they even returned our icon app tray, things aren’t looking too good. Today they pushed out an update to Facebook Home itself, and not the regular Facebook app or messenger, but we’re not sure what has changed. Our devices aren’t showing anything new, and they didn’t even update the changelog on the Google Play Store. Get it together guys!
According to a few tips, it sounds like the Facebook Home update could be related to last weeks news of Facebook opening a beta program. The company revealed they’ll be allowing BETA members early access up to 10 days before app releases, to test and try new features on their mobile app. They promise a better and faster app, and likely much of that will roll into Facebook Home. When Zuckerberg announced Home the team promised monthly updates and improvements, as well as adding support for more devices as time went on. So far we haven’t seen too many devices added, so let us know if one of yours is now supported after the update today. We’re not seeing anything new here, aside from NVIDIA SHIELD support. That’s odd. As soon as Facebook reveals more details we’ll update. In the meantime, what ever happened to the tablet version? And do you still use Facebook Home? VIA: Play Store |
| Mugen Power reveals 5,500 mAh extended battery for Galaxy S4 Posted: 02 Jul 2013 03:44 PM PDT Battery life is important, and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone has some pretty great battery life. Even with a quad-core processor and a huge 5-inch 1080p display, it should easily last all day with that 2,700 mAh battery under the hood. However, if you want your phone to last for days the folks from Mugen Power just released a massive extended battery.
Mugen Power is known for their 3rd party replacement and extended battery options, and they have quality goods. These are certainly no cheap knockoffs like you’ll find on eBay. Mugen only uses premium Li-ION in their extended batteries, and they match the manufacturers voltage and specs too. Making them a perfect replacement. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a huge battery from Mugen, but the latest and greatest smartphone available today, the Galaxy S4 is now getting the same treatment. Mugen is promising double the battery life. Offering a huge 5,500 mAh battery (and replacement door) to replace the current 2,700 mAh battery the device comes with stock. Strap that thing in your Galaxy S4, and pop on their color-matched replacement battery cover and your GS4 should potentially last for 3-4 days. Depending on usage obviously. The bigger capacity adds some thickness to the device, as you can see in the image, but they don’t share exactly how much thicker it is. The Mugen Power 5,500 mAh extended battery for the Galaxy S4 is $89.50, comes in both black and white, and ships in late July. Who’s interested? VIA: Mugen Power |
| Redbox Instant update adds support for rooted devices Posted: 02 Jul 2013 02:56 PM PDT Just like many other apps including Netflix and Google Movies & TV, Redbox Instant launched and completely cut out users who have rooted devices. Verizon and Redbox blocked all users with a rooted device from being able to use and enjoy the app, and we couldn’t stream rented movies. Today’s update however, has fixed that issue, as well as a few others.
Today Redbox Instant by Verizon was updated in the Play Store to version 1.2, and we have a few important things to mention. For one, the issue of it crashing on 10-inch tablets appears to be fixes, even though it isn’t mentioned in the changelog. Then they’ve “changed the way they handle rooted devices.” What does that mean exactly? Well, if you were rooted before you couldn’t stream movies, as that was blocked. Now though, Redbox will simply warn the user to use caution, and that he/she is open to malicious activity. The big news here is the millions of root users now can use Redbox Instant should they choose. However, the filter is a mess. That or their selection is still as terrible as before. The update mentions bug fixes and and stability improvements. Video plays a little better, but the quality is still quite poor. To put it lightly. Even Netflix looks better, and they could use some work too. It’s a small but important update for us root users. Get it from the via below. VIA: Play Store |
| Google Keyboard: 5 helpful tips and tricks Posted: 02 Jul 2013 01:55 PM PDT When Google released the stock Android Jelly Bean keyboard to the Play Store for all users, it was quite the shocker. Offering their keyboard as an alternative to manufacture skinned models, or the likes of Swype and SwiftKey. For those who do (and don’t) use the stock keyboard, we wanted to share a few tips and tricks that make it useful. Things like gesture typing, next-word suggestions, and even text expansion support.
Everyone has their own mixed feelings on keyboards for Android. SwiftKey is obviously one of the most popular and highest paid apps to be downloaded, Swype was really popular for a long time. And recently we’ve seen newcomers like Fleksy and Minuum. However, I’m a big fan of the stock experience and here’s some tips you might not know. For one, text expansion support was huge, and something I rely heavily on. When typing something like AndroidCommunity.com being able to just write ‘ac’ is much easier. So head into the settings of the stock Google Keyboard (that’s on the Play Store) and go to personal dictionary. Then hit the + sign up top to add a new word. Under the input field is a ‘shortcut’ area. and that’s all she wrote. Instant text expansion to make typing fast and simple. Without getting too into it, just take a peek at the quick video below for 4 or 5 tips and tricks that makes using the stock Google Keyboard even better. Many of you probably already know about blocking (or unblocking) offensive words, gesture typing, and advanced settings for contact names. It was the next word suggestion (or disable) that gives you the punctuation suggestions, the shortcut quick keys, and of course text expander that really makes it unique. Sadly the dictionary and expansion doesn’t sync to other devices, but that could arrive in a later update.
Once in settings > keyboard > personal dictionary you’ll want to add a new phrase. Write it out as shown above, then choose the shortcut (and language) and hit back. It’s that simple. I rely heavily on text expansion, gesture typing, and the punctuation to the point that this is my new go-to keyboard. The newest feature I just learned was highlighting all the text and tapping shift to instantly lowercase or capitalize every word in seconds. That’s super helpful. There’s plenty of choices when it comes to a keyboard for your Android smartphone and tablet. Hopefully you just learned a few new tips and tricks for the stock Google option. Feel free to share any other tips in the comments below. Download: Google Keyboard |
| Motorola teases the “design yourself” Moto X smartphone Posted: 02 Jul 2013 01:47 PM PDT Motorola recently revealed a new logo, one that touts itself as being “A Google Company” and while that was interesting to see, it looks like we are now getting a look at that logo in action. The new logo will be appearing on a new advertisement set to hit newspapers on July 3rd. That advertisement is for the Moto X smartphone, though we will offer this warning right in the beginning — it doesn’t contain any images of the handset.
According to a AdAge report, Motorola will have this advertisement in a handful of newspapers to include The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Motorola also appears to be setting things up for a message of freedom — timing this with Independence Day. In fact, the ad talks about how “tomorrow, you’ll eat burgers, watch fireworks and celebrate the freedom to be whoever you want to be.”
Perhaps key here, the copy in the ad goes on to talk a bit about the Moto X. Motorola mentions how this will be the first smartphone that you can design yourself. The other aspect with the timing of the release of this ad includes how the handset will be coming out of the USA. Motorola has said “this is just the beginning” and goes on to ask readers to “imagine what will be possible when you have the world’s best design, engineering and manufacturing talent located here in the USA.”
This ad is nice to see if for no other reason than it seems to imply we will soon be able to put some of these Moto X related rumors to rest. But with that in mind, there are still some important details missing at this time. As mentioned earlier, we have yet to see any official images of the handset. Another question is when the handset will be fully revealed. This ad closes by saying is is “coming soon” but reveals nothing more than that teaser. As you can see from reading the full text of the ad (in the above image), the Moto X will be customizable. That of course is the other big question — just how customizable will the Moto X actually be? This ad doesn’t reveal any specifics, but we suspect this will include various color options. In the meantime, don’t forget this ad will be landing in newspapers tomorrow. SOURCE: Ad Age |
| SelfLoops accessory brings ANT+ support with 2000 mAh of battery power Posted: 02 Jul 2013 01:05 PM PDT SelfLoops has announced a new accessory that brings ANT+ support to just about any Android device. This little goodie is called the SelfLoops ANT+ Accessory and it arrives with support for devices running Android 2.3.4 or later. And in addition, this is also packing a 2000 mAh battery and promises support for any app that is using the official ANT Alliance API.
Basically, the SelfLoops ANT+ Accessory sounds like something the fitness lovers may want to check out. The ANT+ Accessory will be able to display data to include heart rate, foot speed, distance, bike speed, power and cadence. It pretty much just needs any certified ANT+ sensor so it is really up to the user in terms of what they want to track and record. While there are a wide variety of ANT+ products, a few manufacturers include Timex, Garmin and Geonaute. This setup connects to your smartphone using a USB connection. The ANT+ Accessory weighs 1.76 ounces and measures in at 0.43 (H) x 2.4 (W) x 3.45 (D) inches. In addition to being able to grab data from ANT+ sensors, this will also power your smartphone by way of the 2000 mAh battery. Judging from the SelfLoops website, using the ANT+ Accessory looks to be simple enough. There will be a few apps to install (ANT Radio Service and SelfLoops ANT Service) the first time, but otherwise, it is just a matter of turning it on and connecting it to your phone. With that, the SelfLoops has the ANT+ Accessory is currently priced $115. SelfLoops has this available in a variety of colors and are accepting pre-orders at this time. The ANT+ Accessory is then expected to begin shipping on October 1. SOURCE: SelfLoops |
| Polamatic by Polaroid app released, we go hands-on Posted: 02 Jul 2013 12:16 PM PDT It looks like Android users now have another image filtering app to choose from. This latest is called Polamatic by Polaroid. The app comes by way of Appadana and this is described as being an officially licensed Polaroid app. That bit aside, the app brings options for 20 photo filters along with 36 Polaroid frames. Users are also able to caption these images and then share them out on other networks.
Aside from seeing this as just another image app with filters, this will likely bring some nostalgia for the Polaroid fan. Of course, that comes with some good and some not so good. For one, there is a delay from the point when you capture an image to the point of actually seeing it and being able to do anything with it. In testing the app this delay (while only a few seconds) was frustrating, but then we remembered that with a regular Polaroid camera — you have that same wait. In fact, using the Polamatic by Polaroid you will still see your image spit out (in a manner similar to what is expected with a regular Polaroid camera. The app also has an image counter that keeps track of how many pictures you have saved in the gallery. Basically, it looks like the Polamatic app is attempting to bring back some memories.    Anyway, perhaps more important here, once those images have been captured you can choose the frame and filter you want. The filters are well, filters. The frames are a bit different and are said to be “high-quality scans of new, used and vintage Polaroid picture frames.” Again, this is going to the nostalgia aspect here. Once the perfect frame and filter has been applied you can then add a caption with an option to pick from 24 different fonts.
Otherwise, while the Polaroid frame aspect is neat and interesting, the remaining features are pretty standard. For example, this app allows you to capture a new image or start with an existing image from your camera gallery. You can also share those images on a wide variety of sites including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, email and more.
A few other perks include these images being saved in high-resolution as well as being able to save pictures in the original unedited format (in addition to your Polaroid edited version). All said and done, we liked the app for the nostalgic side, but sort of feel that many are going to overlook this app simply because it is not available for free. In fact, as of the time of this writing the app is showing between 1 and 5 installs — one of which came from us and another commented about how they asked for a refund after 3 minutes. SOURCE: Google Play Store |
| YouTube app with picture-in-picture and multitasking in the works Posted: 02 Jul 2013 12:01 PM PDT With our smartphone displays getting bigger and bigger as of late, not to mention tons of processing power, being able to truly multitask and offer things such as picture-in-picture with YouTube seems like a given. Samsung’s been bringing multitasking and multi-screen modes since the Galaxy Note II, and we’re now hearing Google will be doing the same with YouTube, and possibly others.
A popular tipster by the name Ryan Socio has shared as many details as he can about the new YouTube over in The Verge discussion boards, and it sounds pretty interesting. He also brought us news about the new Gmail before it arrived, and also was the original tipster behind Babel, which is now Google Hangouts, so we’ll take this with a little more than just a grain of salt. According to the details YouTube will be getting a major update that will focus on features, more than design. We’ll get getting a true multitasking option where you can gesture or swipe the video to the bottom side, and minimize YouTube. At the same time the video will continue playing (audio) and you’ll be able to search for another while listening to the current one being played.
Ryan goes on to mention picture-in-picture, or as Samsung calls it, Multi-window mode. Being able to minimize and watch one YouTube video in a small box, while searching for and playing, another in fullscreen. Sounds nice right. Now I can watch the Phillip Defranco Show (sxephil) while searching for some kitten videos at the same time. He does mention these new features aren’t system wide, but they could be by the time the new YouTube app hits the Play Store. It would be nice if Google brought native multi-screen options, but we’ll have to wait and see once they deliver the new version. |
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