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Do you like your phone to be almost the size of a tablet? Are you of the opinion that all phone names sound better with the word "Nexus" in them? Is "6" the best number you can think of to put in a phone name? If you answered yes to those questions and you don't already have Google's latest flagship phone, then we have the giveaway for you.
There was a lot of backlash when Google did away with the dual notification/quick settings trays on large screen devices (which happened with Lollipop). Now it looks like the company is taking a slightly different approach with the notification shade on tablets - in the M release it has three different positions (left, center, right) and will drop down closest to wherever you actually swipe.
There are features both big and small found in Android M, and most still seem to be pretty useful all around. This one is a somewhat small feature found in M, but that doesn't take away from how massively helpful it actually is - especially for those who type on their tablet often.
Portal and Half-Life 2 were both launch titles for the SHIELD Portable, and to this day remain two of the best games you can play on Android. Recently, both apps got updated to support Android TV, which really only means one thing: they support the new SHIELD set-top box. That's good, because playing them on the TV is honestly one of the best ways to experience these classic FPS titles. Here's a look at the changelogs for each:
Late last year, we took an early look at a then-rumored feature that we expected to see in an upcoming build of Android: Multi-window. We've heard rumors and whatnot since then, but no physical implementation had been spotted. Now, Multi-window is a real thing, it's part of M, and you can try it today (if you're willing to mod your device a little bit).
One thing we haven't seen change much in Android over the past several versions is the hotspot feature. I'm sure many of us have used it quite often, but it's one of those things that basically works fine as it is.
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When you hear the name "NVIDIA," the first thing that comes to mind is most likely graphics cards, or at the very least the company's Tegra chips that have been powering Android devices for several years now. Either way, it's probably not "the company that makes the killer Android TV box that's hanging out in my living room."But after today, it honestly might be.We've spent the last week or so playing with both the base model SHIELD and storage-laden SHIELD Pro, which at this point are unquestionably the best Android TV boxes that money can buy. And while Android TV as a whole is still very immature, SHIELD (which is how we'll refer to both versions of the box moving forward, unless otherwise stated) does an excellent job of providing a great experience with what it does have to offer. Of course, you can also count on NVIDIA to work closely with developers to bring their content over to Android TV for stuff like SHIELD, so you'll get content here that you won't find on other ATV boxes.It's worth noting that while I (Cam) penned the bulk of this review, Michael (Crider), our resident gamer, took over the gaming section in order to provide the best look at SHIELD as a console.With that, let's get into it.
A while back, Apple got to announce exclusive access to HBO's standalone application called Now that lets users watch content without a pre-existing subscription to the service. Of course we were all jealous, but today, that jealousy ends. Sundar Pichai just announced at Google I/O 2015 that HBO Now will be available on Android "across all devices."
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It seems like it's been forever since Motorola started pushing 5.1 to the 2014 Moto X over in Brazil with barely a word here in the US. Things appear to finally be ramping up, as US Cellular started sending the update to its Moto X variant (and the Moto X LTE) just a couple of days ago. Now, it looks like owners of the Pure Edition X are starting to see the update trickle out, as we've been getting tips for most of the morning from owners of that particular device who are getting the OTA notification.
I've spent time with a lot of Blu handsets over the past couple of years, and one of the biggest downsides (to me, at least) is always the outdated software. In fact, every Blu phone I've looked at so far this year has been running KitKat. Fortunately, Lollipop is set to hit a few of the company's handsets starting this month, and it also just released the Studio C - its first offering to run Lollipop right out of the box.The Studio C is a modest midranger with specs similar to some of Blu's other more recent devices (like the Studio Energy):
Brace yourselves...summer is coming. (That's the saying, right? Yeah.) You know what that means: vacations, camping, time outside of the house, and other stuff. And you know what THAT means: your devices are going to need more juice than ever and you're going to need a way to blast some music while doing your thing outside.
The idea of portable, folding keyboards has been around for a number of years now - I recall having one from Boxwave many years ago that I used with my Dell Axim x51v pocket PC. It was totally useless, but man I felt cool popping those two things out at coffee shops to do...whatever I did back then. I can't recall, to be honest with you. But that's not important. What is important is that the folding keyboard is back, better than ever, and we have some to give away.
MediaTek may not be the first name that comes to mind when talking about CPU innovation, but that doesn't stop the company from doing its best to try and change the game with interesting designs and new takes on existing tech. Today, it announced a new mobile SoC that is unlike anything I've personally heard of before: a deca-core processor with the company's own design that it calls "Tri-Cluster" technology.
When it comes to device skins, dbrand is my go-to company. After going hands-on with some of the company's Nexus 6 offerings back in February, I was extremely impressed with the quality - both materials and precision cutouts. I highly recommend checking them out if you're interested in giving your gadgets a new look. (And if you missed out on the Nexus "X" symbol promotion, well, I'm sorry.)
Have you guys heard about Listen? It's a pretty rad service for T-Mobile and MetroPCS customers that lets users set custom ringback tones, be it music or a custom message for callers to listen to instead of a ring. It's got some other neat features as well, like Drive Mode, which automatically detects when the phone is in a moving vehicle and plays a message letting callers know that you're currently traveling. It can also auto-reply to SMS messages if you'd like.
While Google itself may have somewhat deviated from the old school red, blue, green, and yellow Nexus "X", it's become an iconic symbol within the enthusiast crowd. Dbrand recognizes the love for the old school Nexus symbol, so for a limited time it is offering a free upgrade with any Nexus skin that includes exactly that - a traditional Nexus logo. So sick.
As much as we all love to live in a digital world, there's just no replacing books. Sure, ebooks are good - but there's something awesome about having a physical copy and flipping through the pages. That's especially true if you're already using your computer for something else - you know, like work. Let me give an example.
Some number of months ago (I forget how many), I decided I needed to lose some weight. Using MyFitnessPal to monitor my food intake/calories and Runtastic's suite of apps to track my cycling activities, I was able to knock off something like 45 pounds. I've since gained back about 10 of those pounds for various reasons, but I'm finally getting back on top of things so I can get back to where I want to be.A big part of weight loss is having a good, accurate scale. While there are plenty of options out there, one with Bluetooth connectivity can simplify your weight loss journey since it can essentially automate weight tracking. I started off using a simple digital Eat Smart scale to keep up with my progress, but recently switched to the Runtastic Libra Bluetooth scale when the company finally released the unit's companion app for Android. Since I use several of Runtastic's other products, the Libra scale just makes sense for me - it automatically sends my updated weight, body fat, and other stats to Runtastic, which in turn lets MFP know the new weight so my caloric intake can be adjusted accordingly. I love the future.But as far as the scale is concerned, it's stupid-easy to set up and use. The app does most of the heavy lifting, so we'll take a quick look at the functions built into the scale first.Basically, it's just a normal scale. It has a blue LED readout that displays all the pertinent information: total weight, body fat, muscle, bone, and tissue. It also displays the connection status with a small Bluetooth icon, as well as the current user. It supports up to eight different users and will automatically select the appropriate one based on body statistic. That can, of course, be a little bit of an issue if two (or more) people have nearly identical stats, so that's something to keep in mind.All of the same info also shows up in the app, just in a lot more detail. As you'll see in the screenshots, everything is very well organized and easy to read. Each category provides a pop-up description when tapped, making it easy to understand what you're looking at.
Some people may not understand this, but there are things in this world that don't need to be "connected." They just don't. Case in point: these stupid connected bike pedals that have somehow managed to raise 180% (at the time of writing) of the $50,000 goal on Indiegogo. I'm pretty sure the people who are backing this don't actually ride bikes, but rather romanticize the idea of how useful something like this could be if they actually did.
While smartphone enthusiasts typically care deeply about every spec inside the phones they buy, there's one feature that nearly every smartphone owner wants: a good camera. In fact, on several occasions, I've had friends and family ask which phone they should buy based around that one qualification: which phone has the best camera? Needless to say, a good shooter is a pretty big deal in the smartphone world.With a name like Selfie, to say that Blu's newest handset is all about the camera experience would be pretty accurate. Not only does it have a 13 MP rear shooter, but also a 13 MP front camera with flash. Basically, what most phones have on the back, the Selfie also has on the front. Other specs are pretty decent, as well: