Someone got Android Wear running on Samsung’s Gear 2 watch
Don’t despair if you bought Samsung’s Gear 2 smartwatch, only to realize that you wanted the Android-powered Gear Live instead — there might be a solution in the works. XDA tinkerer biktor_gj has successfully loaded Android Wear on the Gear 2 after four months of work. It’s in a very rough state, as you might imagine. Only touch and rudimentary Bluetooth support are working right now. Android Wear doesn’t have an open source project the way that regular Android does, so any support for audio, the motion sensor and other features will likely be tricky to implement. Biktor is hopeful that he’ll get those working, however, and even this crude port is proof that your smartwatch isn’t necessarily limited to its original software.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Samsung
Via: SamMobile
Source: XDA Developers (1), (2), (3)
Interactive exhibit honors women in game development
There’s a new interactive video game exhibit at The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment (MADE) in California, and it’s not showing off just any game-related material. No, it’s putting a spotlight on the accomplishments female game developers — eight women who worked on influential titles, in particular. Those include Roberta Williams (King’s Quest), Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter III) and Kim Swift (Portal). According to the museum’s announcement, the exhibit aims to raise awareness about women’s contributions to the industry, as they can be easy to overlook in a male-dominated field. “Women are not some oddity in the video game industry,” MADE founder Alex Handy told Kill Screen. “We hope this exhibit helps to highlight that fact for the next generation of game developers.” The exhibit has been open since the 12th and will run throughout the summer.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Kill Screen
Jay Z says his Tidal music service is doing just fine, thank you
Jay Z re-launched Tidal with a lot of fanfare, but how well is his artist-owned streaming service doing so far? Just fine, if you ask the man himself. As part of a flurry of Twitter posts, Mr. Carter revealed that Tidal has “over 770,000″ subscribers to date. He also scoffs at the idea that Tidal is solely about pampering wealthy artists who want a larger cut — the rapper argues that Tidal’s $60 million in equity value pales in comparison to the billions in musical net worth at rivals like iTunes and Spotify. Every artist on Tidal gets a 75 percent royalty rate, Jay Z says, not just those with a direct stake.
Tidal is doing just fine. We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. #TidalFacts
– Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Tidal pays 75% royalty rate to ALL artists, writers and producers – not just the founding members on stage.
– Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Of course, the stats don’t tell the full story. It’s not clear how many of those customers were around before Tidal’s star-studded reboot, and how quickly the company is growing. And while 770,000 users is respectable number for a fledgling operation, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to incumbents. Spotify has 15 million paying customers at last check, for example. Jay Z isn’t fazed by the numbers, though. He’s quick to note that it took years for the established online music services to get as big as they are today, so there’s little doubt that he’s in the streaming business for the long haul.
[Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Source: Jay-Z (Twitter 1), (2), (3), (4)
Android Authority this week
Android fans, it’s been a lively week in the world of mobile technology. Sony took everyone by surprise by announcing the new Xperia Z4 in Japan, though truth be told there’s not much new about the device; Xiaomi introduced the latest in a series of affordable blockbusters on Wednesday, the $200 Mi 4i; LG continued to reveal details about the G4, due to launch on April 28; OnePlus restarted the Cyanogen OS 12 update and announced it’s finally dropping its invite system; and Google launched a new version of Android Wear and the Project Fi wireless service.
Inside AA HQ
This week, Rob and Gary visited ARM in London to check out the chip designer’s latest innovations. We’re already brought you a close look at the Cortex A72 chip, and a whole lot more is coming next week.
For next, we’re looking forward to going hands-on with LG’s latest and greatest, the leather-bound G4. While there may not be many surprises left in store, we still can’t wait to see how the G4 stands against the S6 and other hot Android devices that came out thsi season. Our Ash Tailor will be in London to take the G4 for a spin.
Besides our regular weekly giveaway, this week we brought you a new sweepstakes, courtesy of Opera Software. To stand to win a Galaxy S6 Edge, just head over here and follow the instructions to get your sweepstakes tickets.
The Friday Debate Podcast
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Comparison: Developers, what are the differences between the Play Store and Apple’s App Store?
- Versus: Jon takes a close look at the Nexus 9 vs the iPad Air Mini 3
- Opinion: Nirave argues that HTC and Sony have made a costly mistake with their 2015 flagships
- Opinion: Matt’s counterpoint to Nirave’s piece: maybe we expect too much from our phones
- Tech talk: ARM revealed details about the Cortex A72, and you can get a primer here
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
Xperia Z4 controversy
- Sony Xperia Z4 officially unveiled – Snapdragon 810, 3GB RAM, 5.2-inch display
- Why the Xperia Z4 makes perfect sense… for Japan/
- Xperia Z4 – what’s new and why Sony, why?
- Sony’s REAL flagship could land next month
- Build your own Xperia: How would you improve the Sony Xperia Z4?
LG G4 teasers
- LG shows off the ‘professional grade’ camera inside the LG G4
- LG G4 will hit retailers on April 29th in South Korea
- New LG G4 teaser video shows off the device’s leather back
- LG releases another video showcasing LG G4 UX 4.0
- The leather back could make the G4 more expensive than we thought
OnePlus One rollout and invites
- OnePlus halts CM 12S rollout to add new ‘OK OnePlus’ feature
- OnePlus One says farewell to invites, but they will return for the OnePlus 2
- Cyanogen OS 12 rollout resumed, new build includes bug fixes and “Ok, OnePlus” hotword
Android Wear new features
Project Fi is here
- Google’s wireless service is official, dubbed Project Fi
- T-Mobile CEO John Legere formally announces partnership with Google for Project Fi
- Google releases two Project Fi videos to help you check your data usage, manage calls and texts
Xiaomi Mi 4i: what do $200 buy you?
- Xiaomi Mi 4i official: 5-inch Full HD, Snapdragon 615 for just $200
- Xiaomi Mi 4i closer look: picture gallery and videos
Sound off
We always want to hear your feedback. Whether it’s criticism or praise, feel free to tell us what you think about Android Authority’s content, design, and community. Comment here or get in touch with us on our social channels:
Happy Sunday!
‘Gears of War’ looks like the next game to get an Xbox One remaster
Like it or not, ports of classic games to the latest consoles are still all the rage… and Microsoft appears eager to cash in on the trend. Both Kotaku and Polygon report that Microsoft, Black Tusk Studios and Dirty Bomb‘s Splash Damage are working on a remastered Xbox One version of at least the first Gears of War game. It’s not certain just how far this update to the cover-based shooter will go, but it supposedly includes both improved in-game graphics (such as sharper textures and improved lighting) and “reworked cutscenes” courtesy of animation studio Plastic Wax. This sadly wouldn’t be a genuinely new game, then, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the leaks are on the mark. Gears of War was one of the big money-makers for the Xbox 360 in the console’s heyday, and it’d likely attract plenty of gamers with fond memories of blasting Locust drones.
Apple Watch Impacts iPhone Battery Life… One Way or the Other
With the launch of the Apple Watch on Friday, the first wave of consumers have received their Apple Watches. Our forums are abuzz with activity surrounding Apple’s newest device. While there were initial concerns about the Apple Watch’s battery life, reports seem to indicate that the Apple Watch, itself, has no problem lasting a full day.
However, there have been mixed reports about the impact the Apple Watch has on iPhone battery life. The Apple Watch needs to be paired to an iPhone for full functionality. The iPhone connects to the Apple Watch via bluetooth and Wi-Fi to feed it data and notifications throughout the day.
Some users have found a notable improvement in iPhone battery life with the addition of an Apple Watch. This suggests the act of offloading notifications and quick interactions to your Apple Watch, could make your iPhone battery last much longer.
The best unexpected but /now/ obvious surprise to having the Apple Watch is plenty of battery life on the iPhone after a full day out!
— Dan James (@Daniel277) April 26, 2015
However, several other users have noticed a significant drain on their iPhone batteries in early usage with the Apple Watch.
Apple Watch battery life: 16-20 hrs. iPhone paired with Apple Watch: seemingly zero hours
— Jacqui Cheng (@ejacqui) April 26, 2015
Former Engadget editor Ryan Block had as similar experience and pinpointed the Apple Watch Companion app as the culprit. John Byrne also puts some blame on the Companion App, saying that force-quitting the app seemed to help at least a bit. A discussion thread in our forums provides similarly mixed results, with one user blaming his battery drain on checking email on the Apple Watch. Due to the inconsistency in reports, it seems that either a software bug or particular usage pattern could be a culprit.
AIVAnet 