Google Play Services version 7.3 SDK now available, brings Google Fit enhancements and ability to connect multiple Android Wear watches to one device
Google has been updating all Android devices to Google Play Services 7.3, and they just announced the roll out has been completed. What does it bring to the table?
As we learned last week, Android Wear has a pretty big update and Google Play Services 7.3 plays a big role in that. It allows you to connect more than one Android Watch to your device. The Capability API is new, which allows apps to communicate different things to devices with different features. The Channel API is also new, which creates a bidirectional data connection between nodes for the transfer of larger binary files.
Users will of course need the latest Android Wear companion app and the newest Android Wear update, which should be rolling over the next few weeks.
Google Fit now has the ability to track granular nutritional information such as protein, fat, cholesterol, and more. Third party apps can start implementing these data types now. It’s also now easier for apps to retrieve data totals for the day, making it great for watch faces.
Lastly, you may not realize it, but a lot of apps are asking for your location these days, which can be a battery drain. Google has updated the LocationRequest with a maximum wait time for location updates via setMaxWaitTime(). This way the system will batch location updates together, which will not only consume battery, but it could improve location accuracy on some devices.
Here’s a video with more info….
Click here to view the embedded video.
And for even more info, hit the source link.
source: Android Developers
Come comment on this article: Google Play Services version 7.3 SDK now available, brings Google Fit enhancements and ability to connect multiple Android Wear watches to one device
LG Watch Urbane now available at AT&T
The LG Watch Urbane is already available from Google and Verizon Wireless, and now it’s available at AT&T. For starters, it’s only available online, but it will hit stores on May 15.
Unfortunately, just like Verizon Wireless, AT&T is only offering the Silver option. The price is the same as Google and Verizon, which is $349. However, the best deal might be Verizon since they are offering Free two day shipping, while Google and AT&T only offer standard shipping for Free.
Are you buying one?
source: AT&T
Come comment on this article: LG Watch Urbane now available at AT&T
Cyanogen breaks up with OnePlus
One of the biggest factors behind OnePlus One’s astounding success was CyanogenMod, the popular custom ROM that released Android from Google’s strict licensing policies and made the operating system much more customizable.
However, rifts became apparent in their mutually beneficial relationship last year when Cyanogen signed a contract of exclusivity with an Indian electronic firm, Micromax. The contract had the sale of OnePlus devices running the CyanogenMod banned in India. And now Cyanogen has officially parted ways with OnePlus.
Addressing the press at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, Cyanogen’s Steve Kondik divulged that the two companies ultimately had different goals for its software and, as a result, there were collisions between personalities as the two attempted to proceed with their own visions.
“That’s probably the last you will see from that partnership. Two new companies are trying to do crazy stuff, a lot of people collide,” Kondik said.
Cyanogen’s move is being seen as one of the first steps towards global business expansion as the firm has already started working with new partners. There were rumours in the past that Microsoft had invested in Cyanogen.
However, if you have a OnePlus One phone that runs the CyanogenMod, you need not be worried as the the company will continue to support the devices running on the custom ROM.
Via: Android Authority
The post Cyanogen breaks up with OnePlus appeared first on AndroidGuys.
LG G4 and LG G Stylo get Aegis and Cyclops support from Trident
The LG G4 was announced yesterday with all of its stylish glory. Sporting top of the line specs, a beautiful leather back and a gorgeous display, the LG G4 is device truly worthy of being called a flagship smartphone. With so much going for it though, it would be a shame if something were to happen to it…such as falling on concrete and shattering. Yes, that would be a grand shame. Trident, being the great case manufacturer that it is, has thankfully foreseen that happening to some unlucky individuals and has thus decided to expand its Aegis and Cyclops cases to support the LG G4 and LG G Stylo.
“Known for its lightweight and slim protection, Trident’s Aegis series is designed with polycarbonate and silicone to guarantee a superior fit with any smartphone or tablet device.“
The Aegis series is Tridents lightest offering while at the same time still offering great protections. Made from polycarbonate and silicone materials, the case is more than capable of handling drops onto most hard surfaces. The Aegis also meets MIL-STD-810G standards for vibration and drop protection, for those of you that like to have concrete proof of its durability.
“Known for its optimal protection, Trident’s Cyclops series minimizes bulk without sacrificing smartphone security. Cushioned inside and out, Cyclops series cases are constructed with polycarbonate and TPE to provide superior case strength in a thin design. “
The Cyclops series offers a step up in durability by ditching the silicone material used in the Aegis case and opting instead to use TPE. This gives the Cyclops series higher durability when it comes to being dropped or thrown about (you know, when you get angry at something and your phone is the only unfortunate item close by). Also included in the Cyclops series of cases is Tridents latest technology, Sound Funnel Technology, wich enhances audio output from your device.
All in all, these are some great cases for the newly announced devices from LG. It is usually a shame when you have to hide the beautiful designs of the smartphones that you spent so much money on, but Trident at least makes that pain a bit more dull by making some vibrant cases that will protect your LG G4 and still make it look good in the process.
The post LG G4 and LG G Stylo get Aegis and Cyclops support from Trident appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Swiftkey releases new Clarity keyboard as part of it Greenhouse program.
Swiftkey is one of our personal, hands down, favorite keyboards. With its great theme market, fantastic autocorrect, and just overall great functionality, it’s easy to see why. Though it knows that not everyone has the same needs and all others, so today they are releasing a new keyboard that takes a different approach than its current offering, by introducing the Clarity keyboard.
Clarity is different from Swiftkey in one main way, the way that it autocorrects your words. While Swiftkey does so on a word-by-word basis, Clarity aims to correct entire phrases. Neat, huh. We thought so, so we headed over to Swiftkeys Greenhouse page and gave Clarity a trial run.
“Clarity Keyboard Beta is an experimental keyboard offering a simple way to type, helping you to focus on what you’re writing and nothing else. “
While we found the idea to be interesting, at least in concept, we didn’t really find Clarity to be any different than Swiftkey. Words were corrected as they should be, so that was not the issue, we just didn’t find Clarity adding any new words or offering advice as to what words should be used instead. It should be noted howeverClairty is still in beta and will most likely remain so for the foreseeable future. At least until the keyboard gets some more data under its belt and can make more advances corrections to our phrases or sentences. It is still a nice looking keyboard with Swiftkey great autocorrect features, so if you need something simple that will get the job done, Clarity is still a worthy contender.
Source: Play Store
The post Swiftkey releases new Clarity keyboard as part of it Greenhouse program. appeared first on AndroidGuys.
ARM lead architect talks to AA about the Cortex-A72
brightcove.createExperiences();
ARM announced its second generation high-end 64-bit processor, the Cortex-A72, back in February, and we recently took a deeper look at the chip’s architecture following some technical sessions at ARM’s TechDay 2015 in London last week. During the event I was able to catch up with the Cortex-A72’s lead architect and ARM Fellow Mike Filippo.
The baseline was A57, but it is a pretty reasonably sized derivative.
I asked Mike to tells me a little bit about the Cortex-A72 and what where the design goals behind the new processor. “There were three major themes that we were looking for in that design. Pushing the performance to the next generation for the next series of phones and mobile products. Pulling the power down significantly so that we can sustain maximum frequency performance on those products. And pulling area out of the design, again contributing to a reduction in power, but also enabling low cost designs as well.”
The starting point for the Cortex-A72 was the design of the Cortex-A57. Mike was also the lead artitect of the A57, so I asked him if the A72 can really be consider an iteration of the A57. Although the heritage of the Cortex-A72 is the Cortex-A57 it isn’t just a tweak and should be considered “a large-scale derivative.” The improvements to he A72 means that the core design has “performance improvements ranging from upwards to 60%” in some situations. Whereas the power reductions range from “approaching 20% to 45% depending on the workloads.” This is coupled with the significant area reductions.
“The baseline was A57, but it is a pretty reasonably sized derivative,” said Filippo during the interview.
Mike confirmed that the design for the A72 is with ARM’s partners and that during 2016 we should see chips using the Cortex-A72. In fact, since MediaTek has shown off some silicon based on the Cortex-A72, Mike hinted that we could see production level SoC’s during the latter part of 2015.
Although there are no deals announced, ARM is looking for the major handset makers to pick Cortex-A72 based SoCs for 2016’s flagship phones. As Mike put it, the Cortex-A72 is “a generational leap, a general movement from the A57 and will enable top-tier devices.”
LG expects to ship 20% more G4 units than its predecessor
LG seems confident that the G4 is going to sell way more than ever before.
Just a day ago, LG announced its 2015 flagship. Formally that is. The standard one. Despite leaks of all sorts coming in for weeks now and even LG itself getting in on the action, the phone’s specs were somewhat of a mystery until the last few days. When all the dust and commotion settled, some felt a bit disappointed with the presence of a Snapdragon 808 instead of the beefier 810. The manufacturer, on the other hand, doesn’t seem concerned in the slightest; if anything, it’s actually more confident than ever that the G4 will be a super success.
The Korean conglomerate has gone on record to state a projected global shipment estimate of 12 million G4 units. For those keeping track, that comes out to be 20% more than last year’s G3, which was no doubt a major factor in LG’s recent good news. To some, this might seem shocking; to others, it might be perfectly logical. At the end of the day, assuming the sales numbers are on-par with the shipments, it will mean some major financial fortunes will be coming LG’s way.
LG G4
.rvs_wrapper
width: 335px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
#page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
Now that the G4 has been unveiled, smartphone aficionados eager for LG’s next big thing must hold their breath a bit longer for the upcoming G Note to arrive. Presumably, that is the other major device that “stands above the G series” the company plans to release this year…or is it?
Pixelmator for Mac Updated With Force Touch Trackpad Support, Improved Repair Tool [Mac Blog]
Popular image editing app Pixelmator was today updated to version 3.2.2, introducing a more powerful repair tool and introducing support for the new Photos app and the Force Touch trackpad found in the new MacBook and the recently updated 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro.
Pixelmator‘s repair tool (the bandaid icon in the app) lets users remove unwanted objects from photos in just a few minutes using a paintbrush, and in 3.2.2, the repair tool has been improved to be faster and more efficient, resulting in even cleaner results when removing an object from an image.
Repair tool is one of our many secret scientific projects that is fun and interesting to work with. We even used the new Mac Pro (because it’s extremely fast and powerful) to automatically improve our Repair technology algorithms.
Since there are numerous ways to repair any area of an image, our Mac Pro worked incredibly hard for months to find the best algorithm. It analyzed millions of possible ways to repair areas of various complexity and then it compared the speed and quality ratio of each final result. Lastly, our Mac Pro (this is really awesome) derived with a repairing strategy that gives the optimal result every single time. How smart is that!
After updating to 3.2.2, Pixelmator users with a Force Touch trackpad can use it for pressure sensitive painting. The Force Touch trackpad sensors detect how much pressure is being applied to the trackpad, and Pixelmator uses that information to change the size of the brush while painting for thicker or thinner lines.
With Photos for OS X support, also included in the new update, Pixelmator users can access their Photos libraries from within the Photos Browser inside the Pixelmator app.
Pixelmator can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $29.99. [Direct Link]
Samsung Overtakes Apple to Reclaim Title of World’s Largest Smartphone Maker
The latest numbers from Strategy Analytics reveal that Samsung surpassed Apple to reclaim its position as the world’s largest smartphone maker in the first quarter of 2015. The two smartphone vendors were previously tied in the fourth quarter of 2014 after Apple matched Samsung with 74.5 million smartphones shipped on the strength of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and busy holiday shopping season.
Samsung recaptured the number one position with 83.2 million smartphones shipped in the first quarter, while Apple trailed in second with 61.2 million smartphones shipped during the three-month period ending March. Lenovo-Motorola finished a distant third with 18.8 million smartphones shipped, followed by Huawei at 17.3 million and 164.5 million smartphones shipped by other vendors.
Despite its first place finish, Samsung’s global share of the smartphone market dropped to 24.1% in the first quarter of 2015 compared to 31.2% in the year-ago quarter. Apple’s global smartphone market share grew marginally to 17.7% in Q1 2015 compared to 15.3% in Q1 2014. The global smartphone market experienced 21% year-over-year growth overall, from 285 million units in Q1 2014 to 345 million in Q1 2015.
While it was impressive that Apple was able to tie Samsung during the fourth quarter, based on the popularity of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, it was highly probable that Samsung would eventually reclaim its title as number one again. The electronics giant’s smartphone lineup is much larger than the iPhone lineup, with at least a half-dozen current-generation devices available compared to only a handful of iPhones.
Pretend you’ve got Project Ara with this modular smartphone case
As awesome as Project Ara is, we’ve yet to hear a solid timeline nor pricing info for Google’s ambitious modular smartphone. But we bring you good news: For those who lack patience and want to try the next best thing, you may want to consider the Nexpaq, a modular case for the iPhone 6, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6 Edge and many more devices to come. Admittedly, we were a bit skeptical with this project’s claim upon receiving the startup’s pitch, but after meeting two of the co-founders in Hong Kong, we know they mean business.
Calling the Nexpaq “the next best thing” after Project Ara may be unfair, because rather than forcing you to pick up a totally new phone, this versatile case has the advantage of letting you add handy features to a device that you’re accustomed to. And of course, from a business standpoint it makes sense to go right after the biggest existing user bases, courtesy of Apple and Samsung. The Nexpaq team wants to keep its product super affordable, after all; even if you miss the $89 early bird offer, the starter package is just $109 and comes with four modules. As mentioned, the catch is that at the moment this is only available for the iPhone 6, the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge.
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-203805display:none; .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-203805, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-203805width:629px;display:block;
trydocument.getElementById(“fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-203805″).style.display=”none”;catch(e)
The base case has a built-in 1,000 mAh battery along with six module slots, each using a customized connector that can be plugged in and out for at least 10,000 times. The startup already has a wide range of modules to offer: a 400 mAh battery, an amplified speaker, a powerful flashlight (with six multi-color LEDs), a microSD card reader, a temperature plus humidity sensor, a pair of customizable hotkeys, a 32GB USB flash drive (with built-in USB plug), an air quality sensor, a breathalyzer, a laser and a 32GB backup memory module. Most of the bundles come with the loudspeaker, battery, hotkeys and microSD reader modules, with the rest being optional, ranging from $14 to $29. And there’s also a $3 dummy module, should you struggle to decide how to occupy the last remaining slot.
The possibilities are limitless. Chief Strategy Officer Hubertus Wasmer sees great potential in developing a range of medical sensor modules, which can greatly lower costs while increasing portability, meaning doctors can easily carry a tiny lab to remote areas in third-world countries. The same goes for environmental sensors.
A prototype Nexpaq modular case shown alongside its companion app with non-final UI.
Unlike Project Ara, there are no fancy electropermanent magnets on the Nexpaq. According to CEO Alex Murawski, this technology is far from ready, and not to mention that it’d add up the cost. What you get instead is the good old slide-in mechanism that’s surprisingly secure on the prototypes we played with.
The status of each module is displayed in the accompanying app. Interestingly, this part is actually done through Bluetooth Low Energy, but the usual data link is through the micro-USB port or the Lightning port. In a live demo given by Murawski and Wasmer, the app responded almost instantaneously as they shuffled the modules around. It’s as if you’re slapping on various IoT sensors onto the back of your phone.
Nexpaq co-founder and CEO Alex Murawski.
Nexpaq is no doubt a very ambitious project, but it’s also a solid one with good intentions. Prior to this startup, Murawski had already worked on eight other Kickstarter projects — including the Nomiku immersion circulators — for his clients at his other company, so R&D and manufacturing shouldn’t be a problem. Wasmer also stressed that this is an open platform, and it’s all about vastly lowering the cost of gadgets for both makers — hence the development kits — and consumers. For us, we just need to convince Nexpaq to make cases for more phones and maybe even tablets.
Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile, Apple
Source: Kickstarter
AIVAnet 