Last day to nominate your favorite gadgets for the 2013 Engadget Awards
We’ll soon be crowning winners in our annual Engadget Awards, but we need your input first. If you haven’t answered our survey about the best products from 2013 yet, head here now. You’ll be able to nominate your picks until 11:59PM ET tonight, March 7th, and then the real fun — voting on our finalists — will begin. Stay tuned!
Filed under: Announcements
Livr is my most fav app 4va LOL im drunk
If you’ve heard one too many gripes about your boozy postings, don’t fret — there’ll soon be a like-minded social app for you. It’s called “Livr,” and you won’t even be able to log in without a smartphone breathalyzer confirming you’ve tippled enough. In fact, the higher your BAC, the more app features are unlocked. Those include a crowdsourced “truth or dare” game and hotspot map that shows the location and sobriety of other users. You’ll even be able to drunk-dial random Livr folks, simulating the types of encounters you’d normally have at a bar (sans the possibility of getting punched). After a questionable evening, whatever happens on Livr can stay on Livr, thanks to the “Blackout” button that deletes all evidence of your misdeeds. We’re not sure if this is one of the best or worst ideas in recent memory, but in any case, prepare your actual liver — the app will arrive to Android and iOS sometime in the spring.
Filed under: Software
Via: TNW
Source: Livr
uNu Aero Wireless Charging Battery Case and Mat for Samsung Galaxy S4 Review
Overview
When I thought that the uNu Unity Battery Case for Samsung Galaxy S4 couldn’t get any better, it just did. The uNu Wireless Charging Battery Case and Mat takes everything that the Unity case provided and adds the ability to wirelessly charge your device.
Covering the extra battery and performance of this would be going over old ground and was covered in my uNu Unity Battery Case for Samsung Galaxy S4 review, so go and have a read of that to understand just how good these range of cases are.
Design
The design follows the same as that of the Unity Case; they have similar dimensions, button aesthetics, and fit. The only difference is you get a panel on the rear case for the charging points. It’s very minimal and hardly noticeable.
The wireless charging mat is also very minimal and doesn’t look out of place on a bedside table or desk.
Functionality
The uNu Aero Wireless Charging Battery Case and Mat does exactly what it is supposed to do – wirelessly charges your Samsung Galaxy S4. Sure it seems a novelty at first, but it doesn’t get old and soon becomes second nature. The simple task of plugging your device in to charge now seems like a chore and simply laying your device down on the charging mat seems so easy you take it for granted.
The device does take longer to charge and you’ll find around an hour charge on the wireless mat will probably only yield around a 10% battery gain. But remember, you’re charging two batteries wirelessly. Ok, so it’s not really wireless since it’s charging through the two contacts on the back, but it’s still without wires so that counts.
Conclusion
The novelty never gets old and the uNu Aero Wireless Charging Battery Case and Mat is extremely good. It takes all what was good about the unity case and makes it a ton better. I just love being able to charge my Galaxy S4 without having to plug it in – I just wish I had more of these mats laying about the rest of the house.
The uNu Aero Wireless Charging Battery Case and Mat is available for only $89.95 from uNu.
The post uNu Aero Wireless Charging Battery Case and Mat for Samsung Galaxy S4 Review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
OUYA is coming to the M.O.J.O. Micro-Console for Android
A recent content agreement between Ouya and Mad Catz will see the service be included on the M.O.J.O. Android Micro-consoles, and in addition the price is being dropped to $199.99 in the United States, with similar discounts being applied worldwide.
OUYA on M.O.J.O is expected to appear on the Micro-Consoles later this spring, with all existing and upcoming OUYA content being made available.
“Up until now, the game console experience has been locked inside a box,” said Julie Uhrman, CEO and founder of OUYA. “Together with the hardware veterans at Mad Catz, we end that. Today’s announcement signifies the inception of a truly open platform where independent developers can bring their creations to the platforms where gamers actually play: everywhere.”
OUYA latest numbers claim more than 680 games, with more than 33,000 developers on board, so this is a huge step forward for Android gaming, and the Micro-Console M.O.J.O.
The post OUYA is coming to the M.O.J.O. Micro-Console for Android appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Play Music update brings playlist-related radio stations
A few updates have hit the Google Play Store in quick succession that bring some welcomed functionality to the Google Play Music app for Android.
The first of which sees the ability to pin radio stations for listening to them offline when you don’t have an internet connection, as well as bringing some improvements to the user interface to make it easier to navigate. For example, there is a new “Play Next” option included in the menu.
Following on from this, Google have issued yet another update today which allows users to listen to radio stations based on user-generated playlists. This will assist in music discovery by taking music that a user likes and recommending new content based on their current interests.
Here’s the full changelog for both incremental updates.
The post Google Play Music update brings playlist-related radio stations appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Get This Look: Minimal Zooper Widget
We’re huge fans of changing the home screen around a bit and creating a new user experience for our Android. So much so that we present our ongoing series of Get This Look posts. In a nutshell we show you a new layout, app, widget, or icon set for your Android handset and tell youwhich apps you’ll need to mimic the feel.
Some of these are a little easier to create than others and many of them can be tweaked to no end. The following details are but the ingredients to which you can create your own delicious Android dish; your results will vary. Which is awesome!
If nothing else, this is a great way to discover new apps, widgets, icons, and more!
Minimal by Scott Tech
Why we love this look:
Everyone loves a fancy looking clock widget, but this Zooper widget goes one step further offering a futuristic look coupled with notification counts, weather, and even music controls. Having all the information in a 5 x 2 space means it leaves your homescreen space to fill with other widgets, folders, or apps.
What you’ll need:
The post Get This Look: Minimal Zooper Widget appeared first on AndroidGuys.
HP quietly launches an 8-inch Android tablet for $170
Hewlett Packard is trying to pull off a flanking maneuver on the Android market, through low-profile launches of low-cost devices. We recently came across the company’s VoiceTab phablets during a side-show at Mobile World Congress, and now we’re looking at a more traditional 7.85-inch tablet called the HP 8. In return for $170, you’ll get a plain-looking device that, aesthetically, has more in common with last year’s Slate 7 than with the faux-metal VoiceTabs. However, since we’re making comparisons, we should also point out that the HP 8 has a worse display than both the Slate 7 and Dell’s rival Venue 8, with fewer pixels (1,024 x 768) spread out over a larger area. The software and internals seem functional enough, though: Android 4.2.2 running on a quad-core ARM chip made by the Chinese company Allwinner, with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, stereo speakers, and a just-about-okay 3,800mAh battery that promises up to seven hours of use.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, HP
Via: PhoneArena
Source: HP
Android 4.4.2 OTA update for the HTC Butterfly S rolling out Now
HTC appears to have been working quite hard lately to get its Android KitKat update out to all its HTC One handsets, only narrowly missing its promised target. The job of updating the rest of its devices, however, isn’t over yet and today we’ve been told that the Android 4.4.2 OTA update for the HTC Butterfly S is starting to roll out today.
The 737MB update brings the Butterfly S all the KitKat goodies as well as cloud printing support, Bluetooth profiles and security enhancements. If you’re not one to wait for OTA updates to get to you, you can head over to this XDA forum page where the update has been captured and ready for your download.
Presumably HTC is going to continue pushing out Android 4.4.2 updates, and the next in line could be the HTC Butterfly, A.K.A the HTC Droid DNA; I guess we’ll just have to see. Any Butterfly S users seeing the update yet? Let us know if you do in the comments below.
Source: XDA
Nice try: The Goophone M8 tries to jump on the All New HTC One Bandwagon
Goophone is best known in the smartphone industry for their striking imitation devices; they came out with a wonder iPhone 5C imitation even before the 5C had been released, and currently have devices that look incredibly similar to the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5. The hardware in these devices tends to differ quite a lot from the phone it is based on, but the lure of these copycats are in the novelty value and appearances. Their latest entry, the Goophone M8, might seem very familiar to you.
Yes, Goophone has tried to imitate HTC’s next flagship, the All New HTC One, to be launched later this month, but as with all things that are copies, it’s not quite the same as the original. Most prominently, you will notice that the Goophone M8 is missing the dual-sensor camera that is expected to be the new One’s most innovative feature. With all the leaks of the All New HTC One that have come out recently, it’s no surprise that an imitation device has surfaced so soon, but the fact it is a missing the dual-sensor camera is a testament to how impressive the technology should be when it launches. If you are actually interested in getting a Goophone M8, it will run you about $229.99 USD, but with that money you could also get a Moto G. Just saying.
Is anyone actually interested in getting a Goophone M8? Or any of Goophone’s other devices for that matter? Let us know what you think about these imitation devices in the comments below.
Source: Goophone via Phones Review
Judge rules that flying commercial drones is legal, for now
The Federal Aviation Administration may want to go through some rigorous testing before it allows commercial drone flights on a broader basis, but the National Transportation Safety Board isn’t willing to wait that long. One of the Board’s judges has determined that the FAA currently has no authority to regulate drones; the move effectively makes drones legal, and it spares a pilot from a $10,000 fine for shooting a commercial with his unmanned aircraft. The Administration has no rules on the books for such vehicles, according to the judge, and the 2007 policy notice it has been using to ban drones isn’t binding. There’s still a possibility that the FAA will create enforceable rules down the line. For now, though, Amazon and UPS don’t have to worry about legal threats to their delivery drone plans.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Vice
AIVAnet 