Motorola publishes Android 5.1 release notes for the Moto X (2014)
Motorola has just announced that it’s now started internally testing an Android 5.1 Lollipop update for the Moto X (2014). The upgrade will begin rolling out to unlocked variants over the course of the next few weeks, but carrier-branded devices will have to wait a little longer.
Hit the break below to see what Motorola has included in the Android 5.1 update (version 23.1.38).
- Notifications & Interruptions
- Block interruptions until your next alarm. This choice will show only when you have an alarm set within the next 12 hours. It will prevent you from missing an alarm when you choose ‘No interruptions’.
- You can choose to enter a scheduled downtime early. For example, if you are going to bed early and change your notification settings, you can choose “Until your downtime ends”. This option will be visible when within 4 hours of the scheduled start of your downtime.
- Adds icons to the volume settings panel that match those that will show in the status bar (None, Priority).
You can now alter notification volume controls while media is playing. With the volume controls showing, a tap on the bell icon will bring up notification volume controls.
- Heads-up Notifications
- In addition to dismissing a heads-up notification, you can now swipe it up to remove it from your screen. It will remain in your notifications tray and you can dismiss it later.
- Quick Settings
- You can quickly select different Wi-Fi access points or different paired Bluetooth devices with a new pull-down menu on each tile. Conditional settings tiles that only show if you use the feature – like “Invert Colors” or “Hotspot” – can now be hidden via a long-press on the tile.
- Camera
- Reduces noise in low-light shots and improves responsiveness of the viewfinder with the front-facing camera (selfie).
- Device Protection
- Lost or stolen devices will remain locked until you sign in with your Google account, even if reset to factory settings. Note that you must have a Google account on the device to automatically enable this feature and set a PIN, password or pattern screen lock.
- Performance
- Improvements in the Android Runtime (ART) lead to faster application launch times..
- Lockscreen
- If you have enabled Ambient Display, the minimum swipe distance has increased to reduce accidental interactions.
- Bug Fixes
- Clock in the status bar isn’t updating and alarms are not going off
- Can’t delete SMS messages when the SIM card is full
- No ringer audio while making an outgoing call
- Calculator floating point calculations
- Chrome crashes on launch
- Frequent restarts while watching Netflix
- Wi-Fi will not automatically reconnect to your home Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi not connecting after being idle all night
- Wi-Fi connection issues with multiple routers in one location
- Bluetooth discovery is not triggered when you refresh settings
- CPU wakelocks that contribute to heavier battery drain
- Connection and synchronization issues with MS Exchange servers
- Incorrect default APN
- Can’t unlock the SIM with a PIN/PUK code
- Can’t play ‘pinned’ content
- General stability improvements
Source: Motorola
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Amazon rumored to give away paid apps for free with new ‘Unlocked’ program
Amazon may possibly be changing the way they distribute some paid content in Appstore with upcoming ‘Unlocked’ program.
According to slides obtained by TechCrunch Amazon is working on a new way to entice more downloads through the Amazon Appstore. The new program, called ‘Unlocked’, will apparently allow users to download paid apps and in-app purchases free of charge for various large name apps and games.
Latest MacBook Pro, MacBook Air models drop Boot Camp support for Windows 7
Apple’s most recent 13-inch MacBook Pro, along with both of the new MacBook Air models, ship without Boot Camp support for Windows 7.
Boot Camp allows Mac users to install Windows on a hard drive partition. On Apple’s latest 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, as well as the most recent models of the MacBook Air, only the 64-bit release of Windows 8 is supported in Boot Camp. All three of the new laptops were announced earlier this month at Apple’s “Spring Forward” event.
If you own one of these machines, and need to run Windows 7 on them, you’ll need to turn to another solution, such as VMWare Fusion or Parallels. You can find the full list of Boot Camp-capable computers and which versions of Windows they support on Apple’s Support site.
Source: Apple
Google starts testing new ad-targeting service for Fiber TV in Kansas City
In a press release published earlier today, Google announced that it’s now testing local ads with mobile-like ad-targeting for its Fiber TV service in Kansas City.
This ad delivery process pretty much resembles the manner in which ads are targeted for mobile devices, by way of enabling publishers to set specific requirements for their ads; for example, not being displayed on the same device more than once, or only being shown on units that have viewed technology-related content.
Here’s what Google has to say.
“Fiber TV ads will be digitally delivered in real time and can be matched based on geography, the type of program being shown (eg, sports or news), or viewing history. You can opt out of seeing ads that are based on viewing history from the Fiber TV settings.
If you’re a local business in Kansas City, just as with digital ads, you’ll only pay for ads that have been shown, and can limit the number of times an ad is shown to a given TV.”
If you happen to be based on Kansas City and you’re not happy with being part of the testing process, don’t worry. You can opt out. On the other hand, if you do already have access to the service, we’d love to know what you think of it — so be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google starts testing new ad-targeting service for Fiber TV in Kansas City
Pin.it, the best Pinterest app for Windows Phone gets even better with 2.0 updates
Pin.it is a third party Pinterest (pinterest.com) app for Windows Phone we’ve covered earlier last year. We loved it then and we love it even more now. Chris Zorn, the developer of Pin.it, has redesigned the app from scratch for Windows Phone 8.1 devices with the intent of making it universal Windows app. He also has added a bunch of new features.
Google throws a virtual ‘Global Happy Party’ for the International Day of Happiness
Today, March 20, is the International Day of Happiness, and to celebrate, Google has teamed up with the United Nations Foundation and Pharrell Williams to create a website for the occasion.
The website, called “Global Happy Party,” presents GIFs of people being happy set to the tune of, you guessed it, “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
Reuters: FAA to ease approval process for commercial drones
The Federal Aviation Administration wants to make it easier to operate commercial drones, it’d seem. The idea is to make it so companies that are already are exempt from the drone ban don’t have to get a new certificate of authority for additional use case scenarios for UAVs, according to Reuters‘ sources. This could happen as early as next week Tuesday’s congressional hearing on drones and, if approved, it might not be long before the sky gets a little busier. So far the amount of exemptions is slim thanks to the slow approval process. Of the over 750 requests, only 48’ve been awarded and the companies that have them (including State Farm’s auto insurance wing and Chevron) would have more leeway in terms of what their fleets can do should the changes come to pass. It isn’t quite the ban getting completely reversed, to be sure, but it’s another step to speed up the typically lethargic wheels of bureaucracy.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Reuters
BlackBerry updates its BBM app to bring support for “Protected”
Yesterday, BlackBerry updated its official BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) application in the Play Store to bring support for “Protected” — a new ” enterprise-grade secure instant messaging service.”
So, what exactly is BBM Protected and how does it work?
Well, according to the Canadian manufacturer:
“BBM Protected offers an enterprise-grade secure instant messaging service with all the features of a consumer IM app, the hardening of on-premise security together with the convenience of a cloud service. All messages are encrypted using keys generated by the communicating mobile devices themselves. This BlackBerry innovation effectively prevents ‘man in the middle’ hacker attacks, providing greater security than competing encryption schemes, and earning BBM Protected FIPS 140-2 validation by the U.S. Department of Defense.
With the announcement this week, organizations using BBM Protected can now let their employees chat securely using BBM Protected to non-BBM Protected workers at other companies, or customers. The result: instant federation and bulletproof security for messaging communications with partners outside of your enterprise.”
BBM Protected is available via an extra subscription through BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Services), but to get you acquainted with the service, a 30-day free trial can be accessed. It’s available for all Android devices running Ice Cream Sandwich or above, version 2.6 of the BBM app or higher.
Source: Play Store
Come comment on this article: BlackBerry updates its BBM app to bring support for “Protected”
Android Central 228: Hot Hot Heat!
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Strap in, folks. This week is gonna be fun. Perhaps most exciting is that Android Auto has been released — and we’re taking it for a test drive! If you’ve got questions, we’ll have some answers.
Plus, Peter Chou is out as HTC’s CEO — we’ll talk about what that means as we get ready for the release of the HTC One M9. And, yes, we’ll talk a tad about the damned Snapdragon 810. Is it hype? Or overheating?
Plus, more on the Galaxy S6, and we answer more of your questions live!
Also: Enter our Huawei Friendly User Testing Contest at androidcentral.com/huawei.
This week’s sponsor
- Lynda.com: Learn from more than 3,000 professional courses online, and try it free for a week! Click this link for your free trial!
Listen to Kendrick Lamar on Xbox Music or watch Interstellar on Xbox Video this weekend
Every week, new stuff drops on Xbox Music and Xbox Video that it becomes hard to keep up. Well, that’s where we come in handy. Every Friday we’ll highlight some of the hottest albums and singles on Xbox Music. We’ll also let you know what movies and television shows just dropped on Xbox Video for your viewing pleasure. It’s the weekend, and we’ll help entertain you.
AIVAnet 