Bertel King, Jr.
Contributing since April, 2013
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3518articles
Page 15
About Bertel King, Jr.
Bertel is a Linux user who likes budget smartphones more than flagships, uses a custom ROM, and gets his apps from F-Droid. When he isn't writing short stories for Android Police, you might find him penning the fictional kind. Otherwise, look for him reading pixels that were converted to ink and paper.
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Verizon Wireless has announced that Android 6.0 is on its way to the Galaxy Note 5. That makes this the first Marshmallow-packing over-the-air update to hit the Note 5 in the US. Verizon has beat AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile to the punch. This is also the first Galaxy device on Verizon's network to make the leap.
Earlier this month, Google began testing a new look for the review interface inside the Google Play app. The designers took away a dialog box and embedded it directly in the page. In the process, they removed the space to insert a title.
Now is looking like a good time to pop a bag of popcorn and settle down in front of the Chromecast. Google is offering movie rentals for 50% off. This isn't a pre-selected crop of films either. You can rent any one of your choice for half the usual price.
You can use Google+ on your phone, but you can also use it on the web. That's how these things work. If you're using the preview version of Google+ in your browser, a couple of additions have made their way into the experience.
No, the 2nd gen Moto E LTE doesn't have Android Marshmallow in the US, but the spiffy little phone did get the update elsewhere. Now Motorola has posted the open source kernel files for said release onto GitHub.
What's in your wallet? If it's a Capital One card, and you live in one of the largest metros in the US, and you like hoping into cars with strangers, then you may be about to get four free UberPool rides.
Local music players are apps that turn your phone into an MP3 player that also happens to make calls. That may not sound like something you can put on a box now that music streaming services are the new hotness, but some of us still prefer to build up our own libraries, stick them on a ridiculously large microSD card, and jam using an interface of our choice.
General Motors Announces Android Auto Updates For Various Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, And GMC Models
General Motors is rolling out Android Auto in a big way. The company has announced that it's providing updates for select vehicles that previously only supported Apple CarPlay. The models are spread through its Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands.
Google long ago teased Hands Free, a way to make mobile payments without even having to reach for your phone. Now it's launching a pilot program in the southern San Francisco Bay Area.
How much RAM does your phone have? How would you like to own one with two or three times more? Folks in China will soon have that chance.
Portable battery packs are nice. When they're slim, they're even nicer. Taking up less space goes hand in hand with the whole being portable thing.iMarku makes a 20,000mAh external battery pack that is only 12mm thick. You can currently snag it on Amazon for $35.99.By using the coupon code MCMMHJJH, you can make that $19.00. Alternatively you can use ZVSRSDM5 to bring the battery down to $19.99, but that's an extra 99 cents. Save that in your pocket in case the first one expires, I guess, or use it if you plan on ordering more than one. Though if you're planning on ordering in bulk, there are other coupon codes listed on the page to consider. A789V27X, for example, will save you 55% if you order 3 or more.This battery is thin, but it's still a little wide. That makes it something you might find more comfortably squeezed between your laptop and a textbook in a messenger bag than flush against the side of your hip. But that's your decision to make. You can find the link to Amazon below.Source: Amazon
The most cost-effective way to experience Android TV is to buy a set-top box, but if you don't want something else taking up space near your TV, getting the software baked in does just that. Sony's latest line of 4K TVs run Android TV, and after going on pre-sale in the middle of February, they're starting to become actually available.Right now the smaller X850D models are available for purchase on Best Buy's website, and the starting price is significantly less than the number previously provided ($1,599.99 vs $2,499.99). Attempting to arrange in-store pickup shows the soonest availability being Thursday, March 10th. That's a wait of over a week.The X930D and X940D models both show up on the site as coming soon.
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The holiday season is behind us, but maybe you didn't get that LG Watch Urbane you were hoping for. Hey, it's understandable. Not everyone wants to shill out several hundred dollars for a gift. Fortunately you're a working adult, and you can afford to buy your own expensive wrist accessories.Amazon offered the LG Watch Urbane for $199.69 as part of a lightning deal last month, but now that price has risen back up to 9. You may prefer the former price, and so do we. That's why it's worth checking eBay. Right now you can get the LG Watch Urbane from BuyDig via the site for $199.99. You have your choice of gold or silver, and shipping is free in the US. Only residents of New Jersey have to deal with sales tax. The seller is sending units out to countries scattered all over the world.The Watch Urbane's 1.3-inch p-OLED screen is fully round, lacking the flat tire found on Motorola and Fossil's watches. It sits alongside the 2nd gen Moto 360 and the Huawei Watch as one of the most premium Android Wear devices available. If you're eager to have one, this isn't a bad price.
Sometimes things don't go as planned. Sony released Driveclub for the PlayStation 4 in October of 2014. At the time, a companion came out for Android, but Sony quickly pulled the app after less than a day on the site. The servers struggled to handle the load of everyone trying to play, so Sony delayed the PlayStation Plus Edition and mobile companion app in order to reduce the strain.
Ingress players are a special breed. They're willing to take their phones out in public and walk around staring at their phones. Okay, maybe they're not all that different from other Android gamers after all. Nonetheless, their game of choice requires they go out and explore, and that means running the risk of a dead battery.Cheero made a battery specifically for Ingress players, and it has been officially licensed by the game's creator, Niantic Labs. It packs 12,000mAh of juice that your phone can suck through one of the two USB ports. One provides 2.1A, while the other is 1A.But really, what you want is the design on top with LED lights that can glow in six different patterns. That, plus Ingress branding.
America's struggling carrier Sprint is working with European wireless retailer Dixons Carphone to expand the former's physical retail presence in the US. The two companies have made an agreement to open up to 500 new Sprint-branded stores.
There are many ways to send money to a friend using your phone. PayPal, Venmo, Facebook, Google. Not long ago, Square introduced Cash as its own personal method for you to take money that's in your bank account and stick it in another's. Now the company is introducing a feature that lets you set aside money specifically for this purpose.
Operating system updates don't come quickly in the Android world. They show up fashionably late, nevermind that parties where everyone looks forward to a new software release aren't the kind where people care how anyone is dressed.
There's this feeling floating around the Internet that Facebook is irrelevant. It's old. The kids have moved on. They're Tumblring, Vine-ing, Snapchatting, and Instagramming (okay, that one's owned by Facebook, but whatever). They wouldn't be caught dead using the same social network their parents sign into. Famous people aren't using it either. They've moved to Twitter.