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Google doesn't always knock it out of the park with new products and services, and you don't need to look any further than Google Glass to know that. Glass was a forward-looking idea that might have easily been incorporated into the company's family of devices, but it just didn't seem to land with consumers and dropped off the radar almost as soon as it was introduced — only to pop back up a few years ago for enterprise users. Google may not be done with AR hardware just yet, though, as it confirms the acquisition of microLED firm Raxium.
Back in the day, Light Flow was an integral part of the Android enthusiast toolkit. Nexus phones came with snazzy multicolored LEDs for notifications, but customization options were limited. Light Flow filled that gap with per-app and per-notification type tweaks. Sadly for those that might still be using it, Google's API targeting requirements will be limiting colored LED support going forward. Per-contact and call/SMS/MMS distinguishing notification customization will also have to be abandoned as a result of other developer policy changes.
Sony's been busy with announcements so far at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, debuting new headphones and speakers, an Android Auto audio system, and some new phones (trademark bezels still intact). There are surely many more new Sony things being launched at the show, but not all of them are relevant to us here. New Android TV sets with the Google Assistant built in? Yep, that's relevant enough.[EMBED_YT]https://youtu.be/GajehPK4xPc[/EMBED_YT]Two new premium models have been unveiled by Sony, with display technology being the major difference between them. The A8F Series features a Bravia OLED panel (65" or 55") with Acoustic Surface tech, which means "the entire screen resonates with sound." Its X1 Extreme processor also offers 4K HDR picture quality and Dolby Vision is on board too. Those features together with the great blacks, colors, and viewing angles of the OLED display should make for one hell of a TV, complemented by its clean, minimal design.Just in case that wasn't enough, Sony also wants to show off the new X900F Series, which goes all the way up to a massive 85" in size, with other options at 75", 65", 55", and 49". These are LED panels, but they also have the X1 Extreme processor to handle 4K HDR content. X-Motion Clarity reduces the blur that can blight large TVs during fast-paced action, and X-tended Dynamic Range PRO enhances even non-HDR content with clever backlighting. The X900F range also includes Dolby Vision and has been designed to complement Sony's new Dolby Atmos soundbar, the HT-X9000F, to give you the ultimate cinematic viewing experience at home.All of Sony's recent 4K HDR TVs were updated to support the Google Assistant a couple of months ago, and these new entries come with it out of the box. All you have to do is push the microphone button on the remote and you can command the Assistant to search for video content, play music, control other smart home devices, and much more. You can also control these Sony TVs with your Google Home or Amazon Alexa device. Pricing and availability are yet to be announced, but you can bet they'll cost a pretty penny (or several). Amazon and Best Buy will be among the stockists when the new models are released.
It can be tough thinking of gifts for kids. These days nephews and nieces already have all the latest gadgets, and whatever gift we choose is already out of style, out of date, or boring. But you know what they probably don't have? A pair of MindKoo's Unicat light-up Cat Ear Bluetooth headphones. Even better, right now our readers can pick them up for 35% off. Little Suzy doesn't need to know you got them with a coupon, though.[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH6AWTo-xO4[/EMBED_YT]MindKoo's Unicat Cat Ear headphones use Bluetooth v4.2, feature 5-8 hours of battery life, fold up easily, and have both built-in controls and a mic, but it's not all about specs. With their unique cat ear design, complete with flashing LEDs on both the ears and earmuffs, kids are sure to enjoy the way they look wearing them. It's easy to stand out while you rock out with a pair of these.
There's no doubting that Google's 2nd generation Pixels are excellent phones, but like any major release, they've not been without their fair share of teething problems. The screen of the Pixel 2 XL has captured the most headlines, with various issues which may or may not have been overblown in some media circles. With all that talk of the display, the camera must have been feeling left out. Well not anymore.
Rumors began percolating a few weeks ago that Samsung would be revamping the notification LED on future phones by making the entire border area around the camera sensor light up. The existence of "Smart Glow" was confirmed by a manual for the Galaxy J2, but the diagram in that left a lot to be desired. Now, SamMobile has a leaked image of the Galaxy J2 itself with Smart Glow. It looks... kind of not great.
Nexus launch day is a cutthroat time when mere moments can make the difference between a speedy shipment and weeks of waiting. While quickly comparing the Nexus 5X and 6P to decide which one to order, many have noticed that the 6P lists an RGB notification LED, but the 5X doesn't. Well, we've confirmed there's an LED on the 5X too. How? We bothered Google VP of Engineering Dave Burke via email. He was kind enough to explain what's going on.
January brought us the yearly madness that is CES, but that doesn't mean much in terms of software. The biggest news is probably Microsoft's continued expansion into multi-platform support for its biggest software sellers, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and now even Outlook. Google has been uncharacteristically quiet so far in 2015, aside from updating its current stable of apps.
The Nexus 6 is a confounding beast. This big phone doesn't have tap to wake functionality, but it does have ambient screen mode. This way of displaying notifications as they come in might be the reason there's no LED notification functionality built in. There is, however, a physical LED.
Out of the box, you probably don't give your phone or tablet's LED notification light all that much thought. It glows, sure, but that's just one more way of conveying information otherwise relayed via a sound or vibration. Well, if you take control of your LED and color-coordinate your apps, then you can get that little light to convey quite a bit. And if you want to do this, Light Flow is going to be one of the best recommendations you get.
While certain manufacturers are removing LED flashes from high-end smartphones (we're looking at you, Sony) Samsung is improving theirs. In a lengthy blog post on Samsung Tomorrow, the South Korean company posted technical specifications and photos on five new OEM flash modules, some of which use new techniques for brighter and wider flashes.
Knight Rider may have starred David Hasselhoff, but it was his autonomous car that stole the show. This Pontiac Trans Am could talk, had bulletproof glass, and, most distinctively, featured a prominent set of red lights on the front for eyes. Two decades later, we still can't cram most of KITT's functionality into a car, but a new Indiegogo project can help us replicate what matters most, those distinctive LED lights. Rollin' Eyes accent lights, customizable via an Android app, promise users the ability to make their cars flash and flicker with all the personality of a vehicle packing more of a brain.
Have a KitKat device? If so, you've made the leap to the latest version of Android faster than most other people. That's the fun part. You've also jumped to Android 4.4 before most apps. That's the not so fun part. While older apps are generally stable and compatible, sometimes an update is in order to iron out the kinks. Thus a new version of Light Flow is now available that makes the app more compatible with Android 4.4 and the Nexus 5.
Light Flow LED Version 3.8 Adds Support For NinjaSMS, More Hangout Types, Fixes CyanogenMod Bugs
Light Flow is the kind of app that best showcases Android's sensibilities: esoteric, amazingly customizable, and downright impossible on other platforms.
Light Flow is the kind of app that best showcases Android's sensibilities: esoteric, amazingly customizable, and downright impossible on other platforms. The popular notification manager for devices with LED indicator lights has just had a big update to version 3.8, most notably bringing support for the popular NinjaSMS texting app. NinjaSMS users, make sure you're running the latest version of both apps, and enable Light Flow in the settings menu.
Anyone that has ever spent any length of time with an e-ink based e-reader like the Kindle or Nook can attest to their uselessness in dark spaces. Now it looks like Barnes and Noble is going to be taking a crack at fixing that shortcoming of e-readers in an effort to gain some traction in its battle against Amazon. Leaked signage points to an updated Nook Simple Touch with a front-lit screen, and it might be here sooner than you think.
Team iLuminate, one of the most visually impressive and creative dance troupes who just happened to win be one of the finalists in America's Got Talent last year, recently joined Labrinth in this stunning performance at the Sony Xperia S party. There really isn't much to say here - just watch:
The G-Slate Honeycomb tablet, announced at CES, was never shown off to the public outside of this weak T-Mobile video which just embedded the official Honeycomb intro into a dark G-Slate frame. Last week, the tablet made a brief and fuzzy appearance in a random Korean music video, seemingly confirming previous rumors of a 3D camera.
Take a look around Google and you can see that people are seriously peeved by the lack of notification LED in the Samsung Galaxy S line of devices (excluding the Epic 4G). Developer and i9000 owner Michael R. - better known as neldar on the XDA forums - was annoyed enough by the glaring omission that he decided to come up with a solution. The result: BLN (BackLight Notification).
Talk about adding insult to injury - in addition to the news of the upcoming Google Nexus S missing any kind of external memory slots (microSD, etc), we’ve just found out that this supposed Nexus One successor is also missing LED notifications. What other essential system function is it going to lose next – a phone speaker?
Over at XDA-Developers, Hitorii just got his sweet new T-Mobile G2. Naturally, before even opening the box, he went and told everyone about it. Wouldn't you? I am super jealous, anyway.