Goodreads Android app updated with a revamped design and enhanced navigation
If you’re a fan of the popular book recommendation service Goodreads, you’ll be happy to hear that the Android app is receiving quite an update that brings a major UI redesign, improved navigation, and a few other tweaks.
Once you download the update, you’ll find a few big differences to the home page. For starters, the updates feed has now been moved to the home screen, allowing you to check out your friends’ updates and book recommendations much more easily. The Goodreads team has also gotten rid of the legacy menu button and added in a slide-out navigation menu – a change that will be welcomed by most users. Take a look at the screenshots below to see exactly what you’ll get in the new update.
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As an added bonus, the app will now show you a nice literary quote when the application is opening. If you’re interested, here’s the full changelog for the new update:
- Updates feed is now the home screen – see your friends’ updates and get book ideas
- New navigation – your favorite features are just one tap away
- Refreshed book page – new “Want to Read” button to make shelving your books even easier
- Updated design – cleaner layouts with easier to read fonts
If you have yet to download the latest version, now may be a good time to do so. Head to the Play Store link below to check it out!
BlackBerry earns ‘most improved’ in Net Promoter consumer study
While BlackBerry has had a bit of a rough go competing against Apple and Android over the past few years, the sentiment surrounding the company has begun to change for the better if only ever so slightly. The road ahead is long, twisty and full of hills but at least BlackBerry is still on the road and one of sign of that sentiment change I referred to has come by way of a new report coming from Satmetrix wherein BlackBerry scored the largest overall Net Promoter Score increase for the year and earned ‘most improved’ among U.S. consumers.
T-Mobile LG G3 owners can now update to Lollipop through the LG mobile support tool
If you own the LG G3 on T-Mobile’s network, your Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update is waiting for you as long as you’re willing to jump through a few hoops first. While T-Mobile’s software update page still reads that there is no update available for the G3, the update can be installed on your device by using the LG mobile support tool.
To download the update manually, you’ll first need to visit LG’s mobile support tool website, then click the link that reads Software Update (LG Mobile Support Tool). Once you download the new software, the tool may tell you that your software is already up to date. If so, select the options button, then choose upgrade recovery. This will install Android 5.0.1 to your G3. And don’t worry, the update process won’t erase anything from your device, though it may be a good idea to back up your information just in case. If you want to find out the best way to back up your data, our own Jonathan Feist went through a few methods in his Android Customization series.
Now that the update is available directly through LG, we can’t imagine it will be too much longer until the OTA starts rolling out to devices. With that said, if your T-Mobile LG G3 gets an OTA anytime soon, be sure to let us know!
Facebook’s ‘Scrapbooks’ feature helps parents organize pictures of their kids
Facebook rolled out a new feature today called “Scrapbooks” that lets parents more easily create and organize photo albums of their children.
Scrapbooks adds quite a few new options for managing photos of your kids with special tags and the option to share a scrapbook with your significant other. Here’s a breakdown of the Scrapbook features from Facebook:
- You can opt to co-own the scrapbook with a partner who you’re in a relationship with on Facebook.
- You choose what you call the tag—it could be your child’s name, initials or something fun.
- You and your partner choose which photos to tag.
- Only you and your partner can tag your child in photos.
- We’ve built in lots of reminders and tips to guide you along the way.
To get started with creating a scrapbook of your child, you head to the “About” section of your profile, then click or tap on the “Family and Relationships” section. From there, you can select “Add Scrapbook” next to your kid’s name if you’ve already added him or her as a family member on your profile.
Overall, this looks like a fun way to keep pictures of your kids organized on Facebook. The company says that the feature has started rolling out to users on the web and iOS today, so it may still take some to hit your profile.
Source: Facebook
UFC.TV and Channel 9 apps come to the Xbox One
Two new apps have landed on the Xbox One today, bringing a one-two punch of UFC action and content from Microsoft’s Channel 9 developer site.
Google shows how it fights apps that insert unwanted web ads
It’s bad enough when apps add unwanted toolbars and buttons in your browser, but it’s especially irksome when they inject ads. It’s no fun to have a technical support scam interrupt your web reading, after all. Google clearly hates this rogue software as much as you do, though, as it just outlined what it’s doing to fight ad injectors. In Chrome, the company’s tougher extension rules and malware blockers theoretically prevent code from inserting ads without your say-so. Google is also refining its techniques for catching bad extensions, and its AdWords policies prevent advertisers from offering shady downloads.
Of course, these aren’t bulletproof techniques. There are other ways of imposing ads (such as malware), and these approaches won’t help you if you’re either running a non-Chrome browser or install software from outfits that don’t use Google’s ad system. No matter what, it’s apparent that something needs to be done. Google has teased a report on ad injectors in releasing in May, and it notes that over 5 percent of visitors to its sites have these scummy programs installed — knowing Google’s size, that’s a lot of victims.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Source: Google Online Security Blog
Pandora CFO Calls Apple a ‘Frenemy,’ Says Music Service is Coming to CarPlay and Apple Watch
When Apple’s CarPlay feature launched last year, Apple partnered with several music services to offer a variety of listening choices on the platform, including Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Rdio, and more.
Noticeably absent from CarPlay was Pandora, but that appears to be set to change. Pandora CFO Mike Herring spoke to Fox Business Network yesterday and said Pandora will “definitely be in CarPlay” and integrated into the Apple Watch as well.
Though Herring did not provide a timeline for the possible launch of a Pandora CarPlay app, his statement to Fox is the closest Pandora’s come to revealing its plans for the platform. Last year, Pandora told MacRumors that Apple was a valued partner and though it did not have a CarPlay offering at the current time, it was exploring opportunities to expand its presence in the car in the future.
Speaking to Fox, Herring also spilled some details on Pandora’s relationship with Apple, which hints at why there may have been a delay getting Pandora on CarPlay. According to Herring, the two companies have a “frenemy kind of relationship,” possibly due to the similarities between Pandora and Apple’s iTunes Radio.
Pandora, which owes part of its success to the popularity of its iPhone app, has a “frenemy kind of relationship going on” with Apple, according to Herring. “We were part of what made it fun to have an iPhone,” Herring added. While the two companies are “close partners,” it is a “very interesting relationship.”
At the current time, there are still only a handful of CarPlay apps available, like Spotify, Beats Music, CBS Radio News, Umano, MLB.com At Bat, Overcast, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and Rdio. If Pandora comes to CarPlay, it’ll be the fourth non-Apple owned music app available.
CarPlay is still largely limited to aftermarket in-dash systems from companies like Alpine and Pioneer, as many automobile manufacturers are still working on integrating CarPlay into their vehicles. Of Apple’s CarPlay partners, Audi, Volkswagen, and Hyundai have promised CarPlay-compatible cars will be available for purchase in 2015.
Google brings Conditional Formatting improvements to Sheets
Google has updated the web version of Sheets with improvements made to the conditional formatting settings. Users can now use custom colors and shades to display lower or greater value more efficiently. The update also brings features like strike through and the ability to import or export color scale conditional formatting.
Here is a list containing all the changes as mentioned by Google:
- Ability to add gradient conditional formatting rules (e.g. green -> orange, where the lowest numbers are shaded green and the highest are shaded orange, with gradient shades in between)
- More style choices like bolding, striking through, and italicizing text based on conditional formatting rules
- A new look for the conditional formatting editing pane
- Import/export of color scale conditional formatting
Source: Google Apps Updates
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LG giving away a free VR headset with the purchase of an LG G3 (U.S. only)
LG has just announced that customers who purchase an LG G3 from select U.S. retailers will receive a free virtual reality headset with their purchase. The headset, which was announced last February, is essentially a plastic version of Google Cardboard built specifically for the G3. Though it’s built by LG, the headset utilizes the same VR content library as Cardboard which can be found in the Google Play Store. Just like Cardboard, VR for G3 features a neodymium ring magnet on the side that works with the magnetic gyroscope sensor in the G3 which allows the user to switch applications and scroll through menus without the need for a touchscreen display. There’s also no assembly required, so G3 owners will just need to pop in the phone and start downloading content.
In addition, the headset will come with a QR code in the box that will unlock a free download of a VR game.
This might sound like a nice deal, but remember, we’re only about a month away from the LG G4 announcement. If you can wait to buy a new smartphone, it might be a good idea to do so. Plus, if you end up snagging a G4 when it becomes available, you can purchase your very own Google Cardboard kit from Amazon for around $5.
ASUS Chromebit lets you convert any HDMI compatible monitor into a Chrome OS running desktop
ASUS and Google have just unveiled the Chromebit which is essentially an HDMI dongle that looks like the Chromecast, but has a lot more functionality under the hood. Plugging this device into an HDMI capable monitor will let you experience Chrome OS just like on a Chromebook. Google also announced four new Chromebooks earlier today, including the ASUS Chromebook Flip.
Make no mistake, the Chromebit is a proper computer in the size of a pen (or even smaller). This will take on Intel’s recently launched HDMI dongle which runs Windows 8.1 out of the box and retails for $150.
This device on the other hand merely costs $99, letting you try out Google’s new Chrome OS on the cheap. The device has 16GB of internal storage underneath along with 2GB of RAM, a Rockchip RK3288 processor and a full sized USB 2.0 port. This can let you connect wired peripherals like a mouse or keyboard. Since there’s only one port here, it’s wise to use a USB hub like device which will allow you to connect multiple accessories on one slot.
It’s a pretty nifty device and will be aggressively marketed by Google and ASUS over the coming weeks. Google has made it very clear that the Chromecast will continue to sell despite the launch of the Chromebit as they cater to a different sets of users.
Source: Google
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