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May

Bluetooth Low Energy And AVRCP 1.3 Coming To Android With API Level 18

Posted by Cody Toombs in Android OS, Google, News

There’s no denying that the switch to Broadcom’s Bluetooth stack in Android 4.2 has created some stressful situations for frequent users of the short range networking technology. The added attention also raised awareness for some features that are woefully lacking in the OS, something that other OEMs have been working to resolve independently. To a round of applause during the Best Practices for Bluetooth Development session, Sara Sinclair Brody announced Google will finally address two of the most popular requests. Beginning with API level 18, Android will officially support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and AVRCP 1.3.

BLE, also marketed as Bluetooth Smart and Smart Ready, has been a hot topic in light of many new wearable computing devices sporting the feature, like the Pebble smartwatch and Amiigo Fitness bracelet.

May

Deal Alert: Jawbone's BIG Jambox Available On Amazon For $249.99 (That's $50.00 Off)

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Accessories, Deals

We first heard about the Jambox's larger sibling, the BIG Jambox, just over a year ago. At the time, it promised to be bigger (of course) and better than the original, offering a bigger battery, a wall power adapter, and "unbelievable sound". If reviews are to be believed, the Jambox managed to deliver good sound and power, while maintaining the unique design language of its smaller counterpart.

If you're in the market for a Bluetooth speaker, the BIG Jambox is a decent choice, and Amazon's sweetened the prospect by putting the device on sale for $249.99, down $50 from its usual $299.99 price.

Mar

JayBird BlueBuds X Deep Dive Review: Ultraportable Perfection Comes At A Price

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Accessories, Other Reviews, Reviews

I have a confession to make: I'm obsessed with wireless portable audio gear. Bluetooth earbuds, headphones, and portable speakers excite me more than they probably should. And I'm OK with that. My wife, however, gives me "the look" every time a new gadget arrives, rolling her eyes so far up her skull she could have easily become a soap opera star or an extra on The Walking Dead. She doesn't get it - she's not a geek who loves to get to the bottom of every feature, spot every miniscule detail, and figure out if we have something special on our hands.

Mar

Verizon Preparing To Release 4.1.2 (VRBMB1) Update For Galaxy S III With Minor Improvements

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy S III, News, Verizon Wireless

It's not Jelly Bean yet. Well, I mean it is. It's the older Jelly Bean. Not the newer Jelly Bean. I'm sure this isn't confusing. However, Verizon is getting ready to roll out an update to the Galaxy S III that will bump the phone from 4.1.1 to 4.1.2. Unfortunately this isn't the 4.2 upgrade most users were likely hoping for. Among the listed improvements are a better keyboard and the ability to take pictures while on a call.

Additionally, the update will bring a few minor tweaks such as adding a refresh button to the lock screen stock ticker (try saying that three times fast), better email syncing and improved Bluetooth performance.

Feb

Official Pebble App Adds Music Player Selection, Should Work With Most Music Apps

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

There was one black spot on our mostly favorable review of the Pebble smartwatch: the music control app just didn't work on some phones. As stated in the review, that's probably got more to do with the phone in question than Pebble's software, since it worked just fine on two separate Nexus devices. Even so, the people at Pebble have been listening, and the latest update to the official app includes a music player selection feature. It will scan your device for music apps and let you choose which one your watch will default to.

After trying out the update on my DROID RAZR M (which, again, would only display track information on the Pebble and not control it) the Music app on the Pebble works great.

Feb

Pebble Notifier Now Works Without Tasker, Adds Selective App Notifications

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

Last week we told you about Pebble Notifier, an app that allows Tasker to send updates to the Pebble smartwatch over Bluetooth. Developer Dattas Moonchaser has updated the plugin to a full, independent app: you no longer need Tasker to send updates to your watch. (You'll still need the official Pebble app.) As you probably know, while Tasker is an incredibly powerful piece of software, it's also very difficult to learn and master, so the update should make it useful for a larger percentage of Pebble owners.

Even better, the app can selectively include or exclude apps from its "watched" list, a great help to anyone who was inundated with relatively useless updates when they tried it out.

Feb

[New App] Pebble Notifier Tasker Plugin Makes The Smartwatch Approximately 300 Times More Useful

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Apps/Games, News

We love Tasker. And we mostly love the Pebble Smartwatch. But there's no denying that the utility of the Pebble is somewhat limited - right now you get calls, emails, texts, Facebook, and a few more remote notifications. With the Pebble Notifier plugin for Tasker, the Swiss Army knife of Android apps can send alerts for anything and everything happening on your phone. It may be the single most useful thing that could happen to Pebble.

Naturally, the official Pebble app is necessary to make use of the bridge, and the Tasker accessibility service needs to be enabled. (Settings>Accessibility>Set Tasker to "On.") Developer Dattas Moonchaser (yes, really, we couldn't make that up) has kindly released the plugin free of charge, along with the source code and a few basic Tasker profiles.

Jan

Sprint Rolls Out An EVO 4G LTE OTA With MHL For Your HDTV (Plus Various Bugfixes And Improvements)

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), News, Sprint

While it's not a major Android version update, Sprint is rolling out a pretty good upgrade to Evo LTE customers. The over-the-air software will add the ability to stream audio/video to a television set or other display via an MHL cable. Neat!

The update will also bring a variety of improvements, including to WiFi, Bluetooth compatibility, and the proximity sensor while listening to voicemail. So hopefully you won't have to worry about your face pressing buttons now. Additionally, an issue where certain processes or applications shutdown unexpectedly should be resolved.

The OTA (3.16.651.3) is rolling out to users right now.

Jan

[Deal Alert] Motorola Bluetooth Keyboard (89451N) Is Just $19.99 After Coupon With Free Shipping From NewEgg

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Deals, Motorola

We've featured this particular Motorola keyboard in our deals section before, but the price has never dropped quite so low: the 89451N model Bluetooth keyboard is now a paltry twenty bones on NewEgg's store, with the application of promo code EMCXWVS225. It's also got free shipping. If you want to take advantage of this deal, get a move on - it's only valid until January 30th (next Wednesday). Sorry, international readers, this one's US-only.

There are a lot of options in this space, and Motorola's keyboard is generally well-regarded thanks to a slim build and good battery life. It'll work with any Android smartphone or tablet, and though the layout and navigation keys are definitely meant for the everyone's favorite green robot, it'll function on iOS or Windows too.

Jan

Pebble Smartwatch App Finds Its Way To The Play Store Just In Time For Initial Shipments To Arrive

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Hope you like the idea of a smartwatch, because startups are not giving up on them. To wit, one of the most popular manifestations of the concept is the Pebble which began as a Kickstarter project that aimed to raise $100k. Instead, the company raised $10 million. Yes, a hundred times a hundred thousand. That investment seems to be paying off a bit, though, as today an Android app landed in the Play Store just prior to the first round of units arriving on customers' arms.

The app allows Pebble owners to set customized watch faces, choose what types of notifications get sent to your wrist, and test the connection between the two devices (extremely handy).