Pandora now recommends radio stations to Android and iOS listeners
Pandora is built around personalizing radio to your tastes, but that’s only so much help once you’re tired of listening to a given station. Thankfully, the company’s Android and iOS apps now recommend new stations. When you’re creating a station or browsing your existing list, you’ll see suggestions for additional artist channels based on both your history as well as thumbs-up ratings for individual songs. If you’ve ever been left scrounging for new music to stream, you’ll want to grab Pandora’s latest mobile app today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile
Source: Pandora Blog, App Store, Google Play
Box redesigns its iOS app for simplicity, speed and real-time search (video)
Box is finally countering Dropbox’s revamped iOS app with a redesign of its own. Its updated cloud storage software centers around a fresh, iOS 7-native interface that’s both simpler and faster at drawing content. The app takes advantage of that newfound speed, too — it now previews over 100 file types with accurate rendering, and grid views make it easier to find photos and presentations. Box has also slipped in real-time searching, a comments sidebar and the option to copy, delete or move multiple files at once. Even if these features don’t justify an upgrade by themselves, the company is sweetening the pot by offering 50GB of free, lifetime space to anyone who downloads the new app within the first 30 days. If you’re at all interested, we’d suggest hurrying to the App Store.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Storage, Mobile
Source: App Store
HP Chromebook 11 with Verizon LTE now available at Best Buy for $379
HP’s Chromebook 11 is one of the better Chrome OS devices on the market, power adapter woes notwithstanding, but it hasn’t had a cellular version to please those who want always-on data. That won’t be a problem after today, as Best Buy has quietly started selling a model with Verizon LTE. The 4G link boosts the ARM-powered laptop’s price to $379 without otherwise changing the specs; if you attach it to a shared Verizon data plan, you’ll also get a $50 rebate. The new computer probably won’t change your mind if you didn’t like the Chromebook 11 in the first place. Still, it’s one of the cheapest LTE laptops on the market — that’s no doubt appealing to at least a few budget-conscious road warriors.
Filed under: Laptops, Wireless, Google, Verizon, HP
Via: Liliputing
Source: Best Buy, Altair Semiconductor
HP intros Slate 6, Slate 7 Voice Tablets for India
Slate6 VoiceTab and HP Slate7 VoiceTab due in February
HP is back in the smartphone game, yet not in the capacity you might envision. Today sees the company introducing the Slate 6 and Slate 7 “Voice Tablets” for the Indian market. Featuring 6-inch and 7-inch display sizes, the two are considered “more than a tablet, smarter than a phone” by HP.
Powered by Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the duo feature quad-core processors, 3G Dual SIM Dual Standby, front-facing stereo speakers, and a pair of cameras. The resolution for the Slate 6 VoiceTab is 1280 x 720 while the Slate 7 VoiceTab gets a 1280 x 800 picture. Not all that high, no, but it should keep the cost down. Reportedly, these should fall somewhere around $200-$250 without subsidy when they arrive next month.
“Consumers are looking to consolidate their phones and tablets, which is propelling the voice tablet market…This is an exciting new category that represents a meaningful growth opportunity for HP. Our HP Slate VoiceTab provides consumers with a high-quality product at a great value.”
The post HP intros Slate 6, Slate 7 Voice Tablets for India appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Pandora brings personalized station recommendations to Android
Pandora on Wednesday introduced a new personalized station recommendation feature to its Android and iOS app experience. Listeners will be presented with up to six suggested artist stations to listen to or add based on what they like, dislike, and current station list. Rolling out as part of the latest update, it’s one of those “the more you use it, the smarter it gets” tools.
Station recommendations can be found in a couple of areas in the Pandora app:
- Create a Station screen: when you tap to create a station, your recommendations will be listed on the screen. You can create a new station by tapping that station name or choose to expand “More Recommendations” to view more.
- Bottom of Station List: If you scroll down your station list, you will see recommendations at the bottom. You can create a new station by tapping that station name or choose to expand “More Recommendations” to view more.
The listener gets a refreshed list of stations every time they add or delete a station; additional features are already under development.
The post Pandora brings personalized station recommendations to Android appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Chrome for iOS Adds Data Compression and Translation Tools [iOS Blog]
Google today announced an update to its Chrome web browser for iOS, bringing data compression functionality that can reduce data usage by up to 50%.
To start saving data and turn on an even more secure browsing experience, visit “Settings” > “Bandwidth management” > “Reduce data usage.” Then simply turn the toggle to “On.” From this menu, you’ll also be able to track how much bandwidth you save each month as you browse on Chrome.
The update will also see the addition of a translation bar that automatically offers to translate web pages into the user’s language. The translation bar will be familiar to users of the desktop version of Chrome, as a similar feature is already available on that platform.
Google says that the update will be rolling out “over the next few days”. Chrome is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]
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Nike launches FuelBand SE Silver Edition, available January 19th for $169 (hands-on)
It hasn’t been that long since Nike released a Rose Gold model of the FuelBand SE, and today the company’s announcing another limited edition version of its activity tracker. The newly minted Silver Edition, which is part of the Metaluxe Collection, joins the Black, Pink Foil, Total Crimson, Volt and Rose Gold as a member of the current Nike+ FuelBand SE lineup. Nike’s clearly done its research and knows there’s a market for these shinier, special edition wearables; a quick browse through the outfit’s website would tell you it is currently all sold out of the Rose Gold FuelBand SE.
Other than the obvious addition of a silver plate on the clip, don’t expect any other changes out of this new FuelBand SE. Which is to say, the Silver Edition’s functionality is exactly the same as is found on the cheaper, more colorful Sports Pack — namely, features like tracking daily activities, measuring intensity of workouts and being able to share this information with friends. That being said, the Silver Edition is geared toward folks who prefer a more subtle and sleeker version of Nike’s FuelBand SE — and, of course, it is a needed and very solid option if gold just isn’t your thing.
After trying it out, we can’t deny our extreme fondness for the new chrome variant. And while there were some worries about it being a huge fingerprint magnet, we’re happy to say this wasn’t a noticeable issue and one that a quick t-shirt rub can’t solve almost immediately. Now, is it worth the extra 20 bucks? To some, perhaps. Either way, something tells us certain people won’t mind shelling out the $169 when the Silver Edition hits shelves later this week, on January 19th. After all, you need a FuelBand to match that iPhone of yours, right?
Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Wearables
Source: Nike
Titanfall special edition Xbox One controller drops this March
Hey, Xbox One Day One Edition owner, we get it: you’re into special editions. So how about if we told you there’s another opportunity to own yet another piece of “limited edition” swag for your Xbox One? That’s exactly the news we’ve got today, as Microsoft and Respawn Entertainment worked together to create the limited edition Titanfall-themed Xbox One gamepad seen above. Like Titanfall, it’ll be available this March and it’ll cost over $60.
There are some flowery quotes about how it’s supposed to look like military tech from the game and stuff, but you really just wanna ogle the gamepad from every angle, right? We thought so. Gallery’s below, Vine’s after the break.
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Chrome updates bring data compression to all Android and iOS users
Google has been testing data compression in mobile versions of Chrome for what seems like ages, but today it’s finally ready to bring that efficiency to the masses. Both the Android and iOS versions of the browser now let all users squeeze website content to reduce their data use — and, in some cases, their phone bills. There’s also a pair of platform-specific upgrades in the pipeline. Android fans will get to create web shortcuts on their home screens, while iOS users will see the automatic translation bar that has been available on Android since last year. Whichever version of Chrome you’re running, you’ll want to grab its latest update through one of the source links.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google
Source: App Store, Google Play
James Frey and Google team up to fuse interactive teen novels with AR games
We knew Google’s Niantic Labs was planning to use its Ingress tech to power other augmented reality games, but we didn’t expect this. In an announcement today, Niantic announced it has teamed up with publisher HarperCollins to create a location-based game for ENDGAME, a new book trilogy for young adults by bestselling authors James Frey (of A Million Little Pieces fame) and Nils Johnson-Shelton that has already been optioned by Twentieth Century Fox. Niantic will play a significant part in the interactive project, which is lovingly referred to as an “innovative omni-platform endeavor,” by developing a virtual-meets-real-world game that allows mobile users to solve virtual puzzles to advance parts of the story.
Google’s involvement doesn’t end there, either. The company has secured the rights to exclusively distribute six of fifteen original e-books on the Play Store and will also use YouTube videos, search and image results and maps to build the story, mirroring elements of Niantic’s Ingress campaigns. So when can we expect the project to bear fruit? HarperCollins says the first first book in the trilogy, ENDGAME: THE CALLING (yes, it appears someone’s Caps Lock got stuck), will be published on October 7th, along with Niantic’s official iOS and Android games. To mark the occasion, gamers will be asked to solve a virtual puzzle to claim a quantity of gold secured inside bullet-proof glass case. If that’s got you excited, there is a catch — that case is on public display and Google plans to stream the event live on YouTube.
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: HarperCollins (PRNewsWire)
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