Google Play Services 6.1 is released with Analytics, Drive and Google Fit improvements [ APK Download]
It appears that Update Wednesday is truly upon us, and it’s not even Wednesday in some places. It appears many of Google‘s core apps are getting an update today, including Docs, Sheets, YouTube and it appears Google Play Services 6.1 is also being pushed out today. We didn’t expect to see another major revision of Play Services before Android L was released, particularly seeing as version 5.0, the last major revision, was released just after Google I/O a few months ago. Still, we’re not complaining, and it looks like there are some big changes that will make some people happy.
As detailed on the Google Developers blog, the version 6.1 update includes updates to Analytics to add Enhanced Ecommerce analytics support from Google Tag Manager, an update to the Google Drive Android API, as well as changes to the Google Fit Developer Preview after it was first announced and released after Google I/O. While this update doesn’t seem like this would need a whole new version number, perhaps this is Google’s way of gearing up for an Android build release, which we’re expecting to see sometime in the next month or so.
Google says it is pushing out the update from today, but for those who want the update now, we have the updated APK available for download below:
What do you think of the latest Google Play Services update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Google Developers Blog
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Coming this January: The 2015 Best of CES Awards, brought to you by Engadget
We know. It’s only September, but it’s never too early to start dreaming of that greatest of all gadget gatherings, the International CES. As always, the Engadget editorial team will descend upon the Las Vegas Convention Center this January to bring you all the action as the Official Blog and Online News Source of the show. And, just like last year, we’re also choosing the Best of CES awards! As we comb the floor of the world’s largest consumer tech trade show, we’ll be looking for truly stand-out products worthy of becoming 2015’s Best of CES — but that doesn’t mean we’re waiting until we touch down in the desert to begin our search. We’re accepting nominations starting November 1st, when we’ll dish out all the info you need to know to put your device in the running.
[Image Credit: Samaruddin Stewart, AOL]
Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Alt
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Leica continues tradition of re-branding Panasonic cams with V-Lux, D-Lux
We’ve seen plenty of interesting rebrands in past years. Leica’s perhaps the most prolific manufacturer to redesign housings and jack up a camera’s price, but Hasselblad is also guilty of trying to pass off a competitor’s cam as its own, with the $10,000 Solar. Leica’s own recreations are hardly as egregious — select photographers certainly don’t mind paying a few hundred dollars more for what’s arguably a better-looking camera from a more premium brand, making this year’s V-Lux and D-Lux a reasonable purchase for some. That first model is based on the Panasonic Lumix FZ1000, while the D-Lux is a deluxe version of the LX100, which squeezes a powerful Micro Four Thirds sensor into a surprisingly compact body.
The challenge, of course, comes down to pricing. If you opt for the generally identical Panasonic models, you’ll pay much less. Panasonic’s FZ1000 costs $899, for example, though Leica’s pricing its equivalent at €1,100 (about $1,425). The LX100, meanwhile, will also run you $899, compared to €995 (nearly $1,300) for the Leica D-Lux model. If you can afford to look past that discrepancy, you’ll end up with a great (perhaps better) looking alternative to two of the most powerful point-and-shoots on the market. The V-Lux hits shelves next month, while you’ll need to wait until November to pick up a D-Lux.
Photos by Edgar Alvarez.
Filed under: Cameras
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Samsung’s next big budget phone is made for selfies
Companies like Microsoft and Sony know that you don’t necessarily want to buy a high-end smartphone just to take selfies, and it now appears that Samsung knows this, too. In the wake of store listings and government filings, Thegioididong has managed to get its hands on the unannounced Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime (aka G530), a 5-inch budget Android phone that’s seemingly tailor-made for self-portraits. Its centerpiece is undoubtedly its 5-megapixel front-facing camera; while that’s certainly not the highest resolution we’ve seen, it’s unusually powerful for a device that’s likely to be cheap off-contract.
The rest of the phone won’t be much to write home about, although it shouldn’t be a slouch as far as low-cost phones go. While the 960 x 540 screen is disappointing, there will also be a respectable 1.2GHz quad-core processor (likely a Snapdragon 400 or 410), speedy LTE data, 8GB of expandable storage and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The Grand Prime is expected to reach Vietnam (and other countries, such as China) as soon as October. You probably won’t see an official launch in the US given that previous Grand phones haven’t made it stateside, but that shouldn’t be a problem for American selfie addicts — phones like the HTC One Remix (One Mini 2) are easily up to the job.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Via: TechRadar
Source: Thegioididong (translated)
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New Moto X up for order, including the Pure Edition
Motorola’s second generation Moto X is certainly a thing of beauty and finally you can start customizing your Moto X today, in the US at least. The 5.2-inch 1080p screen toting device is available for pre-order through AT&T with a 2-year contract for just $99.99. If you opt for a special wood or leather back be sure to factor in an additional $25 to the contract price tag. If you opt for Next 18 you are looking at $21.96 a month and Next 12 will set you back $26.35 on the basic color offering, if you go with the leather or wood, then it goes up a little over a buck.
The Moto X is also available through the Moto Maker today as well. You have the same AT&T option with more customization of course. You can also pick up the Pure Edition version of the device. It works with AT&T and T-Mobile and starts off at a base of $499 with a $25 add-on charge for the special wood or leather backing.
AT&T spouts off a ship date of 9/23 while Motorola lists the ship date as 9/26. Not a huge variance, but one to consider if you ave little patience. It is interesting to note that the Motorola site mentions the unlocked version for $499 as being compatible with T-Mobile, but T-Mobile isn’t listed in the preferred carrier section. T-Mobile might not sell the device directly to customer, at least not right away. Now we just need to see what the deal is with Verizon and Sprint.
Anyone out there grabbing their credit card already? If you are, head over to the Moto Maker site and get to customizing or bounce to AT&T for your pre-order. .
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New Moto X TV advert shows off new voice commands
Pre-orders for the new Moto X has started and to accompany this milestone Motorola have begun airing TV commercials showing off the different voice capabilities of the device.
They begin by showing off the voice commands allowing you to dictate to Facebook as well as the ability to compose voice generated text messages – all hands free.
Check out the new commercials below:
Do they make you want the new Moto X?
Deals, Discounts, Freebies, and More! Click here to save today!
The post New Moto X TV advert shows off new voice commands appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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How to speed up the OnePlus One charging time
The battery on the OnePlus One is undeniably good, no, fantastic, but a little tweak to the device could decrease the amount of time it takes for the device to charge, keeping the device in your pocket for that bit longer.
The method involves flashing a kernel so the standard we do not accept any responsibility for bricked or exploded devices applies here. The problem here is that the OnePlus One never draws more than the standard USB output power, so when compared to standard AC power, the charging time is almost doubled. However, a developer by the name of Francisco Franco has developed a kernel that will unlock the charging potential of the device.
Prerequisites
There are a few requirements for this to work: first, you’ll need to be running CyanogenMod 11S that the OnePlus One ships with, together with TWRP recovery, and an unlocked bootloader.
Instructions
1. Download Francokernel.zip directly to your phone storage and boot into recovery.
2. Once TWRP recovery starts up, proceed to install the .zip file you just downloaded.
3. Wipe the Dalvik Cache and Cache for good measure and then reboot.
Result
Now when you plug in your OnePlus One device to charge, the device will draw the full capability of the AC power and you’ll find your charging time is drastically reduced.
Be sure to check out the source for further enhancements and optimisations to the kernel to bring added functionality to your OnePlus One.
Deals, Discounts, Freebies, and More! Click here to save today!
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Boeing and SpaceX will shuttle American astronauts to the ISS
There had been rumors of NASA awarding Boeing a big contract for its Commercial Crew Program, and it turns out that the claims were true — and then some. The agency has just announced that both Boeing’s CST-100 capsule and SpaceX’s Dragon V2 will ferry American astronauts to the International Space Station from 2017 onward. Most of the funding ($4.2 billion) will go to Boeing’s entry, but the SpaceX deal is still pretty hefty at $2.6 billion. Once both vehicles are certified and tested, they’ll participate in manned scientific missions (up to six each) and serve as lifeboats in emergencies. Unfortunately, Sierra Nevada’s aircraft-like Dream Chaser isn’t part of the picture. It’s ultimately a good day for space travel, but those hoping for a Space Shuttle-like design will be disappointed.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: NASA (Twitter), NASA Administrator
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Capture super-sharp shots with Leica’s X point-and-shoot
Leica cameras are not without their critics, especially when it comes to pricing (which admittedly can be absolutely absurd at times), but the company’s point-and-shoots are more affordable. Of course you’ll still pay a significant premium for the Leica name, but if you have the cash to spare, there are some very capable cameras to choose from, including the latest X model we met at Photokina today. Like its predecessor, the X sports a large 16.2-megapixel APS-C sensor (the same size you’ll find in most DSLRs), paired with a fixed 23mm f/1.7 lens, which provides a field of view equivalent to a 35mm lens on a full-frame camera.
The X is awfully sharp looking, and it’s very lightweight as well. You can shoot JPEG and RAW stills, along with 1080/30p video. There’s a crisp 3-inch LCD with a very wide viewing angle (helpful, considering it doesn’t pop out or tilt), and you can add on an EVF if you’d like. There’s a 5 frames-per-second consecutive shooting mode and a top sensitivity of ISO 12,500. The Leica X is shipping now for €1,850 in Europe or $2,295 in the US in brown with silver accents or with an all-black finish.
Photos by Edgar Alvarez.
Filed under: Cameras
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Apple Launches Guide for Android Users Switching to iPhone
Ahead of the launch of the large-screened iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has released a detailed support document that walks Android users through moving data from their Android devices to the iPhone.
The document includes information on moving email accounts to the iPhone, giving Android users instructions on how to add email accounts to the Mail app. It suggests using a third-party app (Copy My Data [Direct Link]) to transfer data like contacts, calendars, and photos.
Apple suggests Android users can transfer photos, videos, books, and music from Android devices to iPhones using iTunes on a Mac or PC, giving step-by-step instructions. The document also walks users through transferring various documents to iCloud, which can then be opened in Pages, Keynote, and Numbers via iCloud and on iOS devices using the three apps.
Ahead of the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, analysts suggested that the introduction of a larger-screened device could trigger a massive spike in upgrades and lure Android users who were using the Android platform due to the availability of devices with big screens.
Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook made similar statements, suggesting the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus would trigger “the mother of all upgrades” with Android users also looking to switch to the iPhone due to the fact that the phones are “appreciably better in every single way.”
On Monday, Apple announced that it had processed more than four million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus pre-orders on the first day of pre-launch dales, doubling the previous iPhone 5 pre-order record set in 2012. Pre-order supplies of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus dwindled quickly, with iPhone 6 Plus shipping estimates slipping to 3 to 4 weeks early Friday morning and iPhone 6 shipping estimates slipping to 7 to 10 days on Friday evening.
Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available in stores beginning on Friday, September 19. Early pre-orders will also begin arriving to customers on that date.
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AIVAnet 