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- We're also hearing from a reddit thread that Fifth Third Bank and some local banks are no longer compatible with Android Pay.
Last year around this time, Google announced that unsupported cards already in Google Wallet accounts would be able to be used with Android Pay, but only for a limited time. Problem was, we didn't exactly know how long Google's "limited time" would be. Thanks to a ton of emails that were sent out to Android Pay users with unsupported cards today, we now have an actual date: October 14th, 2016.
Like countless other people, I've accidentally deleted files I didn't mean to get rid of; it's frustrating, but you can usually find them in a "Trash" or "Recycle Bin" folder and restore them. Until today, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides users on Android who accidentally deleted documents they were working on were forced to exit their current app, open Drive, slide out the hamburger menu, click "Trash", and retrieve their work there. Pretty tedious, right? Don't worry, because Google's got a solution for you.
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- ASUS's website is also offering the watch at the same price.
Just last week, we featured a deal for the smaller 1.45" ZenWatch 2 with a metal band. Now, we're back with another ASUS smartwatch offer; Amazon and B&H are both offering the 1.63" ZenWatch 2 with HyperCharge for just $119. Not only is this a larger, slightly newer model, but it's also $10 less than the deal from last week.$119 is an extremely small price to pay for a watch that has specs this modern. Like the current Android Wear boss, the Huawei Watch, this ZenWatch 2 sports an AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 400, half a gig of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, IP67 water resistance, and a speaker. In addition, this version comes with HyperCharge, which is an ASUS-exclusive quick charge method that allows the ZenWatch 2 to charge from 0 to 60% in just 15 minutes. Considering how rapidly non-quick charge-equipped Android Wear devices top up their batteries already, this could either be considered extremely impressive or quite useless.If you're interested, you can purchase one from either Amazon or B&H. Only the model with a brown rubber strap is available at $119 from both retailers. If you grab this from Amazon, you can get free one-day shipping if you're a Prime member, but if you buy it from B&H, you have the option of walking into their New York location and buying it in person (although you will have to pay NY sales tax). Decisions, decisions.
Google Allo, the second of Google's two new messaging apps, has just hit five million downloads in the Google Play Store. All the anticipation for Allo (let's forget about the subsequent letdown for now) has made its download numbers soar. However, the aforementioned letdown is quite apparent in its current ranking in the Play Store; while Allo sat at #1 in Top Charts just five days ago, it's since fallen to #8.
Five years - that's how long Indians have had to wait for Google Play Music to come to their country. However, it appears that the massive delay may finally be over. Several India-based AP readers have tipped us that Play Music is now showing up on their devices with songs available for purchase. This news comes just a day after Google's big announcement regarding the Indian market.
We first saw custom tiles in an Android N Developer Preview a few months back, but unfortunately, not many apps have added this feature. It's a shame, really; custom tiles are easy to use and can add a lot of speed and functionality to frequently-used apps. Now, Shazam has added one called "Auto Shazam," and it might come in handy if you're a big music listener. I don't personally use Shazam anymore (Google does the same thing if you start a voice search, FYI), but I can certainly see the merits of this for people who are invested in it.
If there's one thing Lenovorola (Motonovo?) has been consistently good at for its past few phones, it's releasing kernel source code quickly. The Moto G4 Play was made available for sale just last month, but its source code has already been published. This might be one of their quickest turnarounds yet.
The Xiaomi Mi5 was only released a couple of months ago, but the Chinese company is already refreshing it with some improved specifications. In addition, Xiaomi has announced a larger version of the Mi5s, the aptly-named Mi5s Plus. (Does this naming scheme remind you of a certain fruit company's?) Both handsets sport excellent internals and great price tags.
The ZenWatch 2 may not be the newest kid on the block (the ZenWatch 3 was announced a few weeks ago at IFA), but that only means that more deals will be available for it now. Case in point: Amazon is offering the ZenWatch 2 in the smaller 1.45-inch screen guise with a silver Milanese loop for just $129.99.The ZenWatch 2 actually still has pretty current specs; like the reigning Android Wear boss, the Huawei Watch, it features an AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 400, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and IP67 water resistance. Not bad at all for a last-generation model. Keep in mind that a decent amount of people are probably going to mistake it for an Apple Watch, since both smartwatches have rectangular bodies and are available with Milanese loops. (I actually had some people think my Moto 360 was an Apple Watch back when the fruit company's product was known as "iWatch".)If you're interested, head to Amazon to pick it up. The watch is shipped and sold by Amazon itself, so you don't have to worry about dealing with potentially problematic third-party sellers. If you've got Amazon Prime, you might even be able to get it delivered by tomorrow. How sweet is that?Source: Amazon
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- Snapchat has created a site specifically for Spectacles, so we've got additional information on them now.
Snapchat, the company best known to us for creating a horrible Android app, has just announced two big pieces of news; not only is Snapchat renaming itself Snap Inc., but it's also releasing 'Spectacles', a pair of sunglasses built just for Snapchat that is equipped with a wide-angle camera.
Eight years - that's how long Android has been available to the public for. September 23rd, 2008 marked two huge events in Android's history: T-Mobile's release of the G1, the first Android device available to the masses, and Google's release of the Android 1.0 SDK. Happy birthday, Android!
After several months of exclusivity with Verizon, the Moto Z is now available for pre-order as a GSM unlocked variant for a whopping $699.99. In addition, the unlocked model of the newer (headphone jack-equipped) Moto Z Play can be pre-ordered, but for a more reasonable $449.99. Unfortunately, the Moto Z Droid Force is remaining a Verizon exclusive.The 5.2mm-thin Moto Z is equipped with a 5.5-inch 1440p AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, a 13MP camera, and a 2600mAh battery. In contrast, the Moto Z Play has a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 625, 3GB of RAM, a 16MP camera, and a 3510mAh battery. Interestingly, the unlocked version of the Moto Z gets a storage bump to 64GB, which isn't even an option through Verizon; however, the Play's storage remains at 32GB.The unlocked Moto Z will be released on October 2nd through Amazon and October 3rd through Best Buy and Motorola, but you'll have to wait until October 20th for the Play. It's worth noting that these unlocked devices will only support GSM networks, unlike last year's Moto X Pure Edition, which supported Verizon and Sprint.If you buy the Moto Z through Motorola's site, you'll get the Charcoal Ash Wood shell included free of charge (no other shells are in stock, by the way). If you buy it through Amazon, you'll get $200 off the Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod, effectively bringing its price down to $50. Those of you who prefer the Moto Z Play will receive the Incipio offGRID Moto Mod with your order for free from Best Buy. This Mod, which goes for .99 on Amazon, packs a 2200mAh cell. Motorola claims that it'll add 20% to your Play's battery life (not really sure how that math works out).If you're interested, you can hit the source links below to pre-order.Source: Motorola, Amazon (1), (2), Best Buy (1), (2)
We first heard about the newest additions to the ZenFone lineup back in late May, but ASUS didn't elaborate on availability for the United States. The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe and ZenFone 3 Laser are now available to buy on Amazon for $530.48 and $206.95, respectively. However, they still won't ship for at least two weeks (if Amazon's information is correct).It's been a while since these phones officially launched, so let's recap their specs. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is the top-of-the-line model; for the US, it sports a 5.7-inch 1080p AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 821 (or 820, both chipsets are mentioned on the Amazon page so it's unclear) (update: seems to be the 820, as the 821 variant includes 256GB of internal storage), a whopping 6GB of RAM, 64GB of microSD-expandable storage, a 23MP camera, and a solid 1-year US warranty with accidental damage protection. It's listed for $530.48.
The ZenFone 3 Laser is a lower-end model; it's packing a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display, a Snapdragon 430, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage with a microSD slot, a 13MP camera, and the same comprehensive warranty that the Deluxe has. $206.95 will get you one of these.Both devices have metal bodies, fingerprint sensors, and dual SIM capabilities. There doesn't appear to be a listing for the standard Snapdragon 625-equipped ZenFone 3; it's possible that ASUS isn't planning on selling that model in America.If you're interested, you can head on over to the source links to check them out. Both devices will be shipped and sold by Amazon.com with Prime shipping, so you won't have to deal with third-party sellers.
AT&T and Samsung are both notoriously bad with Android updates, but they've done a good job with this latest update for the Galaxy Note5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+. Not only does this update bring the latest security update, but it also adds support for AT&T WiFi calling and Advanced Messaging.
Although the Galaxy Note7's tendency to explode has been a disaster for Samsung, it's hard to deny that they're doing a good job with damage control. A few days ago, the Korean company promised that replacement devices would be available no later than September 21st. Tomorrow's the 21st, so Samsung's evidently kept their word.
Earlier this year, BlackBerry released the DTEK50, a rebadged Alcatel Idol 4 with some extra BlackBerry security software on it. That phone didn't fare too well with critics. Now, the security-crazy company has mistakenly published the specs of the DTEK60, which looks to be a plus-sized, upgraded DTEK50. For what it's worth, the URL of the DTEK60's specifications page includes "donotpublish.html".
The V10 is a massively underrated phone; it excels in a number of arenas where other phones fall flat on their faces. Spec-wise, it's not as nice as the recently announced V20, but have fun trying to get one of those for under $300 in the near future. If you're looking for an affordable flagship, the Verizon LG V10 will be waiting for you at Best Buy for a price of $299.99.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge may not be the hottest phones on the block anymore (that title goes to the Note7, both literally and figuratively), but they're still excellent smartphones. They've been highly rated by almost everyone who's touched them, including David (which, if you know David, is pretty rare). Now, you can pick up the desirable US unlocked (SM-G93xU) Galaxy S7 and S7 edge for just $369.99 and $429.99, respectively, from Best Buy.
The Moto G4 and G4 Plus haven't been out for long, but you can already pick them up in less-than-new conditions at pretty steep discounts. Currently, Best Buy is offering up refurbished 16GB Moto G4s for $139.99 and 16GB G4 Pluses for $179.99.
Project Fi's Wi-Fi Assistant has been in the news more than usual lately, due to its addition to all Nexus devices and its new ability to secure networks that users manually connect to. Now, the team behind Wi-Fi Assistant has added eleven new European countries for Fi users and a new feature that aims to make existing, saved open networks on your device more secure.