Android Central 223: Wicked Game
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We’re back with our last live recording before we head off to Mobile World Congress. On tap: We’ll see if this Lenovo “Superfish” means anything for us on Android. We’ll get Alex’s initial thoughts on the LG G Flex 2. And we’ll definitely preview what to expect from MWC in just one more short week.
And someone sings some Chris Isaak.
Use just your voice to toggle flashlight, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth from Google Now (Lollipop only)

Users running the latest version of Android can now change simple settings with simple voice commands, hands-free.
Google Now has long supported voice commands for jumping to device settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. But there was no way to do it with just your voice – issuing a command would open the correct setting, but you had to manually toggle it with a tap. Now this small, but rather inexplicable annoyance is gone, at least if you run Lollipop and the latest version of the Search app.
First discovered by Android Police, the feature currently works with the built-in flashlight, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Other features like GPS, Airplane Mode, volume settings, or tethering don’t seem to work in our testing. For the three features that work, you will get a vocal confirmation and a card that lets you toggle the feature back off with a tap.
Devices running KitKat or earlier don’t seem to have the feature, though turning on the flashlight (but not Bluetooth or WiFi) works on my KitKat-running Ascend Mate 7.
It’s unclear what’s taking Google so long to roll out this relatively simple functionality to Google Now, given that features like taking pictures or playing songs from Play Music or YouTube are already integrated. While, in many cases, a couple of taps may be easier than saying command, this is just another milestone on the long road to human-like computer comprehension.
On a related note, those who want more extensive command support in Google Now can try out Commandr; it’s not an official solution, but it gets the job done.
How to clear search and location history in Google Maps on Android
We all search for plenty of wacky and one-time things in Google Maps, and despite what Google thinks we don’t always want that sitting in our history forever.
There are also plenty of times when we navigate somewhere that we’ll never go back to, and there’s no reason to have it saved in the app’s history. Though the real power to wipe this all out from your account lies on the web, you can quickly remove specific searches and locations that you’ve recently navigated to right from your Maps app. Let us show you how to do it.
Marvel and comiXology team up to offer buy one, get one free deal on comics
Marvel and comiXology have teamed up to offer a buy one, get one free sale on Marvel comics on their websites from today, Feb. 20, through Monday, Feb. 23. When purchasing any number of Marvel comics either the Marvel or comiXology site, use the code MARVEL during checkout to to get an equal number of comics of the same or lower value for free.
Motorola has mystery announcement scheduled for February 25th
Motorola is sharing plans to make an “exciting announcement” next week on February 25th. No details have been provided, although Motorola has indicated that they will be shipping out some boxes that will include everything recipients will need related to the announcement. Of course, they do not indicate what size the box will be, so there is no telling what could be inside.
Anyone want to take a guess as to what Motorola may be announcing?
Come comment on this article: Motorola has mystery announcement scheduled for February 25th
Google offering HD movies as low as $4.99
Google is running a special promo offering a selection of HD movies on Google Play for only $4.99 per movie for the “Buy” option. There are a total of 32 movies to choose from and for some, the $4.99 price represents a significant discount, like Noah, which normally lists for $19.99.
The movies include a selection of newer titles like The Expendables 3 and A Million Ways to Die in the West as well as older classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Blade Runner. The collection is fairly diverse and you will find some of the standard “new” classics like Anchorman or The Hangover.
Buying them outright through Google Play gives you the ability to play them as often as you like. Hit the source link to check out all of the titles and start making your purchases.
source: Google Play
Come comment on this article: Google offering HD movies as low as $4.99
4Effects for Windows Phone lets you add four filters to one image
Why settle for one filter, when you can have four in one image? 4Effects divides your image in four different parts and then you can apply different effects to each one. You can come up with many different looks out of a single image. 4Effects is free at the Windows Phone Store and has thousands of positive reviews already. Want to see it in action? Check out our hands-on video.
Lenovo plans on unveiling a sixth smartphone at MWC
We already know of the five confirmed smartphones Lenovo plans on showcasing at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 event. Now, coming by way of a tip provided to GSMArena, a sixth phone will be added to that total.
This device will be the Vibe Max in the phablet category of smartphones.
The tipster, MXPhone, is claiming that the Vibe Max will be a 6-inch display with a QHD resolution. No word on the chipset, but it was mentioned that the Vibe Max will have a battery somewhere above 4,000 mAh.
Probably most interesting is that the Vibe Max will sport an integrated stylus. At this point, the only details known about this stylus is just its name. GSMArena is reporting that the stylus will be named AnyPen, but that designation has been used before by Lenovo for its technology that allowed anything pointy (including a fork!) to act as a stylus on Lenovo AnyPen-equipped products. So there might be a small mix-up on this tip.
Come comment on this article: Lenovo plans on unveiling a sixth smartphone at MWC
On Apple Watch pricing and strap swapping
There’s a lot we don’t know about Apple Watch. We don’t know how much it will cost, beyond the $349 price tag Apple’s hung on the entry-level Sport model. We don’t know if any other straps will be made available, including gold links to match the gold Edition. We don’t know if we’ll be able to buy additional straps separately so we can take advantage of the stellar strap-swapping mechanism Apple has included in all the collections. We know the broad strokes, but we know few if any of the fine details.
Our own Kevin Michaluk, a watch enthusiast most of his life, has been guessing/hoping the Apple Watch Edition will start at $10K and could go higher. In point of fact, he wants it too:
Personally, I’m hoping Gruber’s initial prediction is on par with Apple’s official Watch Edition pricing. A $10,000 (or even more expensive) Apple Edition Watch is an Apple watch I’ll actually want to wear. And, strapped to my wrist at that price point, I hope it will give me the same emotional pleasure as the other traditional luxury watches I already own.
Gruber — John Gruber of Daring Fireball — restated his own predictions today:
I can see which way the wind is blowing. For months I’ve been asking friends who might know — or know someone else who might know, or even know someone who knows someone who might know — whether my guess of $5,000 is too high for the Edition starting price. The answer has always been “No”. But the way I’ve been told “No” has given me the uneasy feeling that I’ve been asking the wrong question. I should have been asking if $5,000 is too low.
I now think Edition models will start around $10,000 — and, if my hunch is right about bands and bracelets, the upper range could go to $20,000.
Gruber’s not certain if the bands will be sold separately, or if they’ll be used as pricing tiers. It’s possible they’ll be both.
Jordan Kahn of 9to5Mac believes they’ll be available separately as well:
Apple does in fact plan to sell an array of bands as separate accessories for the Apple Watch at launch, according to sources. Claims have recently circulated that Apple might solely sell the Watch in pre-assembled collections, reducing their potential for customization, but our sources say that Apple’s retail outlets will be stocked on day one with individual straps so customers can easily mix and match the looks of their Watches.
A range of price points and the ability to “upgrade” straps makes the kind of sense that does. We won’t know for sure, however, until Apple makes with the final announcements.
Yahoo Introduces Mobile Developer Suite
Yahoo announced its own mobile developer suite that unites Flurry and Yahoo features to give developers the best of both worlds.The new suite includes five products: Flurry Analytics, Flurry Pulse, Yahoo App Search, Yahoo App Publishing, and Yahoo App Marketing.
Flurry Analytics allows you to analyze and use mobile app data in order to better customize an application during development. Flurry Pulse lets developers share app data with partners simply with the push of a button. Yahoo App Search allows you to integrate yahoo search results and ads into your application. Yahoo App Publishing helps you monetize your applications with high-quality ads that fit seamlessly into your application. Lastly, Yahoo App Marketing is the way for you to get your app out to the world more efficiently and reach your target audience.
Are you a developer? Could you see yourself using these tools? LEave a comment below and let us know your take on them.
Source: The Next Web
Come comment on this article: Yahoo Introduces Mobile Developer Suite










