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Mint has been on Android for years, long before it was acquired by Intuit. It's always been able to track your money, but bills are a more tricky matter. The service recently added bill tracking and payment to its list of features, and now the main Android app has been updated to take advantage of it. This is separate from the bills-only app, which hasn't been updated since earlier this year.
Google trotted out a number of new Daydream titles the other day, one of which was supposed to be Need for Speed VR. However, the actual release of the game lagged behind all the others. Now, it's available, and the price is a little lower than what Google originally quoted. It's not cheap, but for $15 it's probably the most ambitious Daydream game yet.
Google Home launched with the ability to cast YouTube videos to your Chromecast devices, but other types of media were off limits. That's changing today with the official launch of Netflix and Google Photos support on Home. You'll need the latest versions of some apps, but Home itself is ready to go as soon as you are.
There's a new vending machine in the San José International Airport, which is not usually something we would have any reason to care about. However, this is a Google Project Fi vending machine, and it gives away free stuff. Not to everyone, though. It's only for Project Fi subscribers.
Amazon's Alexa voice control platform continues worming its way into more products today with the Onvocal OV Bluetooth headphones. The OV is like any other Bluetooth device in that it can communicate with the voice assistant built-into your phone, but there will be an app for OV that adds one-touch access to Alexa as well. That ability doesn't come cheap, though.
Apple has a switch tool in the Play Store that helps Android people switch to iOS. It's unlikely Google would get such an app approved by the Apple bots in the App Store. However, it's done a bit of an end-run around that with an update to the Drive app. You can now back up your iPhone data to Drive, then restore it all on Android.
Did you know that today is the fifth anniversary of Nova Launcher? In celebration of this occasion, the v5.0 update to Nova Launcher is being released in the Play Store. This update has been in beta testing for a while, but now everyone can get it without joining the beta.
Pokémon GO players have been salivating at the notion of gen 2 monsters showing up in the game, but the holiday update isn't quite so grand. Okay, it's a lot less grand. There are a handful new Pokémon, which can only be hatched from eggs. Oh, and Pikachu has a new hat.
Google dipped its toe in the waters of the ambiguously defined "Internet of Things" (IoT) at I/O 2015 when it announced the Brillo operating system. Today, Google has announced Android Things, the new name for Brillo, is ready for public testing. Developers can grab the images right now for several hardware platforms.
Logitech's Circle security cameras are a compelling option for keeping an eye on your home. They're a bit cheaper than other cameras, are super-easy to set up, and include free 24-hour archiving of 1080p video. The app has been a little lacking, but it's getting a big update today that includes easier navigation and a new subscription plan.
Google pushed back the release of Android Wear 2.0 a few months ago, which is currently expected to debut in early 2017. There's been a great deal of uncertainty about the future of the platform, but Google isn't giving up. In fact, it just acquired a company (founded by former Googlers) that created a smartwatch OS. It's called Cronologics—or rather it was. The company is being absorbed entirely by the Android Wear team.
One of the few substantive changes in Android 7.1 was the addition of GIFs in the keyboard. When typing in a supported app, you can use the GIF button to drop in an image. This was only working on Android 7.1 previously, but the new Gboard keyboard update changes that.
Instagram's focus on sharing pictures has expanded steadily ever since the Facebook acquisition, and now it joins its parent company in offering live video. After announcing the feature a few weeks ago, Instagram says the feature is rolling out to all US users this very day. It's a bit different than the way Facebook and others handle live video, though.
Stitcher is a podcast player with a more "radio" vibe. You can create a station of all your favorite content and listen on-demand. The app has gone through a few big changes lately, and today's update to v3.8 adds more control over your front page, offline saving to SD cards, and a premium upgrade that ditches the ads. Sound good? Well, there's still more.
With all the uncertainty, I don't imagine Android Wear smartwatches will be a hot item this holiday season. Some people are probably still willing to take a risk, but pickings are getting slim either way. Even though it launched more than a year ago, the Huawei Watch is still considered by many to be the best Android Wear device. It's no longer on sale in the Google Store, though.
German audio firm Raumfeld is known for making some nice (and expensive) speakers with support for streaming services like Spotify and Tidal. Starting today, those speakers also support Chromecast. The update is rolling out to all of Raumfeld's WiFi speakers this very day.The gist is that after the update, Raumfeld WiFi speakers will appear as cast targets in any audio app using the Chromecast API. Most of the speakers with built-in Chromecast support are on the expensive side, and Raumfeld's are no exception. The smallest single speaker is $199, and the next step up is $499. Raumfeld's large tower stereo speakers will run you a whopping $1,899. There are a few other variants sprinkled in there as well. You can see all of them on Raumfeld's product page.If you decide to pick up a high-end speaker with Chromecast support (Raumfeld calls it Google Cast in the PR, but that's not the name anymore), all the Raumfeld speakers are available on Amazon with Prime shipping. Despite the high price, they do seem to review very well.Source: MarketWired
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Google has a new round of games for Daydream VR out today, and some of them are pretty good. And some of them... are not that great. Hey, there's also HBO Now VR out today, which is only as good as the stuff you choose to watch. I've had the chance to play around with all of the new titles. Here's how they stack up.
You might remember hearing about Dawn of Titans a very, very long time ago. The title was announced in the spring of 2015, and has been in geo-restricted testing for about a year. Now, NaturalMotionGames has gotten the game built up to the necessary level to unleash it on the entire world. You can command your own sword-wielding giant after a sizable Play Store download.
The ongoing recall of Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices is serious business for the Korean company. After canceling the phone following repeated battery fires, Samsung has done everything in its power to make sure owners return or exchange the phones. When asking nicely didn't elicit the desired response, Samsung put a 60% cap on battery charge. Now, it's going to start crippling any remaining devices in Canada.
Black Friday is over, but that doesn't mean the deals have to be. Motorola appears to have resurrected its Black Friday deal on the Moto G4 for the next couple days. You can get $20-40 off the already very inexpensive phone from Motorola and a few other retailers. That's $179.99 for the 16GB and $189.99 for the 32GB.The Moto G4 is a competitively priced phone even when it's not on sale. The software and hardware are both very competent, and it's unlocked with support for both GSM and CDMA networks. Even Motorola's $600+ flagship phones don't have that. The Motorola deal includes Moto Maker customization of the device, but Moto's sale is only slated to run through December 8th at 11AM central. Note: the 32GB is currently out of stock, but check back. B&H has both the 16GB and 32GB on sale for the aforementioned prices, but you have to get the standard black or white versions. These prices are valid through the 10th, and they'll throw in a free screen protector. Amazon has the 16GB on sale, but the 32GB is out of stock and listed at the normal price. Finally, Best Buy has the 16GB on sale.