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- After we shared this article, Qualcomm has updated its press release page to expressly state that the double twist gesture has been replaced by the double tap of the power button. "The feature to launch the camera via double-twist of the device was replaced by double tap of the power key. The name Context Core has been changed to Android Sensor Hub." We've reached out to Google and are awaiting confirmation from them. Thanks, Tony.
When the Nexus 5X and 6P were announced late last month, many of their camera features like slow-motion video capture and smart burst were disclosed to us. But what good is a camera when you have to fumble to launch it and your perfect moment has already passed by the time your phone is ready to take a shot or a video? That's why both Nexuses have two nifty ways to launch the camera immediately while the phone's screen is off.
WhatsApp's developers are a little unpredictable. Sometimes, all it takes them is one swift update to add a ton of features, other times, they dabble painfully slowly with dozens upon dozens of beta releases until they get a small feature ready (Google Drive backup anyone?). But credit goes to them for keeping us on our toes and entertained with their small incremental updates, like this new version for example.
The thing about Marshmallow is that it added a lot of granular control over your apps, but it did so in such a confusing and redundant way that it kind of made things worse in my opinon. Apps now have their individual properties page where you can control their notifications (despite that being also available in Sound & notification), permissions (despite that being accessible in one list under Settings -> Apps -> cog icon -> App permissions), and defaults and supported links (despite that also being accessible in that same cog setting). It's this last part that we'll talk a little bit about today, but brace yourself, this will be baffling, inconsistent, and unnecessarily convoluted. But what would Android be without some unnecessarily convoluted setting hiding somewhere that only you could find and then fix for all of your stumped friends and relatives?!
VUDU might be one of the lesser popular video streaming services, but it's still used and loved by many loyal customers. Its Android app, however, wasn't that good. It was functional, we'll give it that, but it was slow, not quite responsive, and stuck in the Holo era of Android app design. That was version 1.5. Today, the app jumped to 4.1. Whoaaaaaaaaa.
Opera Max isn't a browser. It's an Android utility that works in the background to apply the same data compression you've come to expect from Opera's regular and Mini browsers, except it does it on all of (or most of) your apps without you having to worry about a thing.
I have been trying to write about Medium's 2.0 update for a few hours, but I got lost using the app, enjoying it, and I even decided to sign up and write one of my first non-Android stories in years. That's how you know the app is not just good, it's great. I have always thought about joining Medium, but I never felt compelled to. I guess this update was the final push I needed, and I decided to pull the trigger and dive deep in the service.
Over the past couple of days, Marshmallow's official release has been making its way to us as Nexus factory images and OTA updates for Nexus and Android One devices. Like us, you've probably rushed to download this stable release and started using it, turning it upside down, and checking all the cool features it packs. One such feature, however, may be causing trouble to some of your apps without you noticing: App Permissions.
Remember the exorbitant amount of casheesh that Samsung wanted for its Galaxy S6 Edge less than half a year ago? Yeah, that's no more. As is the case with most flagships, if you're patient enough to wait for prices to drop, they inevitably will and to a point where you could actually consider forking that much money for them.
The folks at CyanogenMod work fast. It was only two days ago that the AOSP code was updated with October's security fixes (following Google's promise to issue monthly security updates to Android) and now these changes have been merged into the custom ROM's code and are stable enough to deserve a "snapshot" label instead of the nightly status.
Yesterday saw the release of Android 6.0's factory images and OTA updates for the Nexus family. One other group of devices that are supposed to get the update just as quickly (and way before all the OEM smartphones) is Android One phones. And it looks like Google is making good on its promise to update these One devices timely and efficiently.
Boy did those poor green robots not learn their lesson from trying to escape the deathly grip of lollipops or what! Not only are they back, stupidly hoping for another outcome with the new marshmallow monsters, but they brought along friends for the ride. As if seeing one green robot collapse on the floor, hit its head on the ceiling, or tumble to its demise on a killer 'shmallow wasn't enough, now you gotta endure the sight of five more equally innocent but differently colored Androids do just the same. This easter egg is all kinds of evil, just like we predicted from that one screenshot we saw last month.
Around these parts, Synology is better known for its NAS boxes, which are storage drives that you access over the network and that come with a slew of optimized Android apps dedicated to accessing videos, photos, audio, documents, files, and notes from your mobile device. But it looks like Synology is casting a wider net with the release of the new RT1900ac router.
The idea of using multiple phones as speakers to play the same music isn't new. It was popularized by Samsung's Group Cast way back in the Galaxy S3 days and has since gotten over that proprietary requirement thanks to third-party apps like SoundSeeder that made it possible to tune Android devices together, regardless of their brand. As a newcomer in the field, AmpMe has a lot to prove against tough and established competition. The app manages a few victories thanks to cross-platform compatibility, but loses in terms of services supported. For now, that's only SoundCloud, although the developers say more are coming.
We don't mention Viber quite as often as WhatsApp around these corners, but the app sure has its own legions of fans and dedicated users thanks to continuous updates and interesting features being sprinkled in all the time. Take this last version 5.6 for example. It may not seem like a huge leap on paper, but it does bring feature parity between phones and tablets, and between individual conversations and group messages.
Just, just when I pull the trigger on a Nexus 5X, I see a link to this video taken by the Nexus 6P. And now I'm cold and confused, while still feeling warm and fuzzy inside. The video in question was taken by Eddy Talvala, the camera framework team lead at Google, and shared by Dave Burke on Twitter.
The 500px community is very famous among photography enthusiasts. Along with Flickr, it might be one of the most sought after sites for sharing beautiful and breathtaking pics taken around the globe by amateur and professional photographers alike. It's no surprise then that the service is an excellent fit for the Chromecast and that it wants a place on your TV screen.
A couple of months ago, we shared with you a deal on Intocircuit's 11200mAh battery, which at the time was down to $13.49 after a coupon code on Amazon. Today, we have another external battery from the company, except it's the next generation one with better specs, more power, and a relatively great price of $14.99 after applying a $15 coupon code.This dual-USB 13000mAh battery has SmartID technology, which allows it to detect the type of device connected to each of its two ports and channel the most efficient amount of power to it. It can go as high as 2.4A on each port, for a total of 4.8A. A LED light is included, and an LCD screen lets you know exactly how much battery is left.Intocircuit's battery is rated 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon after 187 reviews. It usually costs $29.99, but you can get the price down to $14.99 after applying coupon code 1NEWDEAL. Free shipping is included for Amazon Prime members or on orders above $35.Source: Intocircuit 13000mAh on Amazon
Google Play Newsstand's paid content has been forging its way around the world, trying to catch up with the various Play entities that preceded it. Today marks its arrival in three new countries in East Asia: Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Sonos' brand name has become synonymous with expensive streaming speakers, and the company is still riding its success in making this vision of connected audio equipment mainstream. Its latest speaker is the PLAY:5, a six-driver unit with dedicated amplifiers, touch controls, and a pairing system that lets you assign two units as left and right channels for a stereo sound effect. The PLAY:5 also has an accelerometer on board that recognizes the position it's placed in (horizontal, vertical on its right side or left side), and adjusts the sound and tuning so it's perfect for this configuration.