Moto X (2013) Lollipop update coming in a ‘few weeks’, in testing now
While a number of Motorola devices have already made the jump to Lollipop, the same can’t be said for the original Moto X. For those Moto X owners still holding out for Google’s latest sweet treat, the good news is that it may finally be coming “in a few weeks”.
The news of the Moto X’s impending Lollipop update comes by way of Motorola’s David Schuster, who revealed the good word on Google Plus earlier today. Schuster says that a ‘test drive’ of the update has begun in North and Latin America and, if all goes well, the wider deployment should begin soon enough. For those wondering why it has taken so long for the Moto X (2013) to get updated to Lollipop, at least according to Schuster, “ It has been a struggle due to the lack of support from some of our partners”. Unfortunately, no real specifics have been shared beyond that.
I know that a lot of people have been asking about the status of the Moto X (1st Gen) Lollipop upgrade. I can see the frustration and in some cases the anger about how long it has taken to get the upgrade deployed. It has been a struggle due to the lack of support from some of our partners but I am glad to announce that we are starting TestDrive in both the US and LatAm. If all goes well we should start full deployments in a few weeks.
David Schuster
Motorola
As for the flavor of Lollipop users will see? In April, Motorola confirmed that the Moto X would be jumping straight to Android 5.1 Lollipop from KitKat, although a few folks did manage to get hands on an earlier soak test of Android 5.0 on the Moto X (2013) before it was ultimately canceled in favor of moving to 5.1.
Bottom-line, the wait is almost over. For Moto X (2013) owners still on KitKat, how do you feel about this long wait? Disappointed, okay with it as long as it comes eventually? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Genie transforms food pods into meals in 30 seconds
If you’ve seen an episode of Star Trek, you’re likely familiar with the Replicator device on board the USS Enterprise that synthesized meals and beverages on demand. Well, a company in Israel created the modern-day equivalent to that appliance with Genie. The counter-top gadget uses food pods to create the recipe you desire, and claims it’s like having a personal chef around all the time. What’s more, it does the cooking in under a minute. The company doesn’t disclose the “patented technology” that makes this possible, but once a food pod is chosen and placed inside the Genie, 30 seconds is all the device needs to create “a freshly baked dish.”
Those pods look a bit like a pint of ice cream and are packed with natural ingredients that have been freeze dried. This process ensures a shelf life of a year or more with food options like ramen, couscous and chocolate soufflé. Dietary restrictions? Genie can wrangle those with the push of a button. The whole thing is controlled by your phone, and eventually, plans are for the unit to learn a person’s diet and coordinate meals based their micro-biome. Don’t take my word for it though, see the Genie in action here.
Filed under: Household
Via: CNET
Source: Genie
Is HTC Going to Monetize BlinkFeed with Sponsored Apps and their Promotions?
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
Looks like HTC is looking to generate some needed income by monetizing their own social media app, BlinkFeed. Now a lot of you out there that have an HTC device probably don’t utilize BlinkFeed, even though it has improved slightly over the short time it has been in the HTC arsenal. But now HTC wants to use the feed for sponsored apps and promotions according to the screenshot you see above that was posted by @upleaks.
After HTC has updated your BlinkFeed, you will now see at the top where trending news topics would be, sponsored ads for apps or games for you to click on. When there isn’t an ad shown, HTC might use that space to promote their products (phones, Re Camera) which doesn’t seem all that bad given it is their feed. The sponosored ads might annoy some people, but where can you go online these days without an ad reaching out at you to slap you in the face?
This isn’t exactly a bold move for HTC, and we really shouldn’t be shocked by their chose for doing this. If anyone needs more money, it is HTC. Let us know what you think about thise chose to monetize BlinkFeed. It’s not officially confirmed yet, but don’t be surprised if you see an ad at the top in the near future.
The post Is HTC Going to Monetize BlinkFeed with Sponsored Apps and their Promotions? appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Google’s self-driving vehicles have only been involved in 11 accidents over 6 years
Google’s self-driving cars are a big focus point for the company, but drivers and manufacturers alike are keeping their eyes on the safety of those autonomous vehicles. Fortunately for everyone (except maybe insurance companies) Google’s self-driving car program hasn’t caused any accidents over the 6 years and 1.7 million miles since it took to the road.
That’s not to say that there haven’t been any accidents where a Google car was involved, but none of the 11 recorded accidents were Google’s fault. To top that off, all 11 accidents that the self-driving cars were involved in were minor, so no one was injured. That’s pretty impressive, and seems far safer than what most human drivers can typically pull off.
Google’s research has also given a little insight into when crashes are most likely to happen. Out of the 11 times one of their cars was hit, 8 times were on city streets, while only 3 accidents happened on the freeway. Dealing with things like stop signs, intersections, and typical distractions seem to be the biggest culprit of minor vehicle accidents, and Google notes that. Too many people are distracted on their phones or by other things in their vehicles, which leads to drivers not paying attention at four-way stops or trying to rush to beat a red light. Google has developed some interesting ways to tackle those problems, like forcing their car to take a second pause when a light turns green to avoid getting hit by someone speeding through a red light.
Google also captured some pretty ridiculous things some drivers do, like driving on the wrong side of the road (seriously), sharply cutting across lanes to make a turn, and veering into other lanes in the middle of a turn. Google’s cars typically handle those situations very cautiously and probably much better than most human drivers, which explains the extremely low accident rate.
At the end of the day, this information really sums up how dangerous the human element is to driving. It’s much easier for a computer to make calculated, safe decisions, especially in a high-speed environment, especially compared to how people drive. It’ll be very interesting to see how Google plans to take this program further in the next few years.
source: Medium
Come comment on this article: Google’s self-driving vehicles have only been involved in 11 accidents over 6 years
Motorola to start testing Lollipop on the 1st Gen Moto X
Lollipop on the 1st generation Moto X has been a bit of a sore spot for Motorola, and the device is still sitting on Android 4.4. Motorola has committed to upgrading the device straight to Android 5.1 and skip 5.0 completely, but even that has taken longer than usual due to supposed issues with the processor in the device.
Motorola’s David Schuster has taken to Google Plus to try to reassure users that the update is still on the way. It’s not quite ready to start rolling out to devices, but Motorola is going to begin testing the update on devices in the US and Latin America. If this soak test goes well, the company hopes to begin a full rollout in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed.
source: David Schuster
Come comment on this article: Motorola to start testing Lollipop on the 1st Gen Moto X
Samsung will soon be deploying micro-updates to fix buggy Lollipop updates
Samsung has updated a handful of its devices to Lollipop, but those updates haven’t been without bugs. Fortunately, the company hears all the complains, and they’ll supposedly be working on some smaller updates to get everything sorted out for “various devices,” at least according to the Samsung Mobile UK Twitter account.
There’s no word on how long it’ll take Samsung to get these updates out to devices, and if they’ll be rolled out to devices outside of the UK, but let’s hope for the best.
source: Samsung Mobile UK
via: Phone Arena
Come comment on this article: Samsung will soon be deploying micro-updates to fix buggy Lollipop updates
AT&T launching self branded Trek HD 4G LTE tablet May 12th
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
Looks like the carrier branded tablet idea isn’t a dead one yet. AT&T announced this morning that they will be launching a new 7-inch tablet dubbed the Trek HD. The tablet carries a 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, a 4060 mAh battery, 16GB internal storage with expandable micro SD support, a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front facing camera. It does launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box.
Price wise users are looking at $49.99 on a two-year contract or $10 per-month on the 20 month tablet Next agreement. As with any tablet, you can toss it on to your Mobile Share Plan for $10 a month. The tablet officially goes live at AT&T on May 12th. Be on the look out for it online and in retail locations.
“The Trek HD is a big step forward for AT&T in terms of developing affordable products with premium features. Not only is this our first AT&T branded tablet, it’s the first tablet in our entire portfolio with Lollipop already installed, so when you buy the Trek HD you’re getting the most advanced Android operating system at a great value – on the network with the nation’s strongest 4G LTE signal.” – Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Device Marketing and Developer Services, AT&T Mobility.
The post AT&T launching self branded Trek HD 4G LTE tablet May 12th appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Android 5.0 Lollipop TestDrive for Moto X 1st gen starting in the US and Latin America
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
The 1st gen Moto X is still a pretty solid device for a lot of people. It was small, packed a lot of features and was very customizable. It did pretty well in many markets. What is missing from the device is Android 5.0 Lollipop though. We all want it of course. It would seem that we have a little information about said update in a Google+ post that went out this afternoon from Motorola’s Senior Director of Software Product Management, David Schuster.
In his brief post he explains that the update has been a struggle due to the lack of support from some of their partners. Never a fun statement, or realization, to have to make. None the less, he went on to say that they are starting to TestDrive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update in the US and in Latin America and with any luck, should begin rolling it out in a few weeks. That doesn’t mean everyone with a 1st Gen Moto X will see the update on deployment though. If history proves to be true, then it will most likely land on unlocked variants first with carrier branded versions to follow at some point afterwards. Hopefully all the carriers will be willing to jump on board and make the update happen on the aging device.
Source: David Schuster G+ Via: 9to5Google
The post Android 5.0 Lollipop TestDrive for Moto X 1st gen starting in the US and Latin America appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Microsoft pours money into undersea data cables
For many internet giants, undersea fiber optic cables are a lifeline. In some cases, it’s the difference between delivering fast services overseas and watching people give up in frustration. Microsoft knows this all too well, it seems, as it just poured money into three subsea fiber projects (Aqua Comms, Hibernia and New Cross Pacific Cable Network) that should speed up connections to Asia-Pacific and Europe. The Redmond crew sees this as a small investment that could pay off big in the future. As it explains, online products like the Azure computing platform and Office 365 are booming — it only makes sense to have those moneymakers running as smoothly as possible. This isn’t really an altruistic gesture, then, but it could go a long way toward improving your internet access as a whole.
[Image credit: US Pacific Fleet, Flickr]
Filed under: Networking, Internet, Microsoft
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Microsoft
Uber and other app-hailing services become legal in the Philippines
Uber has finally caught a break in the Philippines. It’s no secret that the company’s dealing with a bunch of issues, from sexual assault complaints to resistance by local taxi businesses and permit problems with governments across the globe. But in the Asian archipelago, the ride-sharing service is now completely legal, after operating without formal regulations for almost a year. In fact, the Philippine transportation department has created a whole new classification for Uber called Transportation Network Vehicle Service (TNVS). That category recognizes all app-based transportation services, which means rivals like Lyft can launch in the country with zero issues.
The classification comes with a number of requirements: every car should have a GPS device and should be no older than seven-years-old. Also, the government will only formally recognize Asian Utility Vehicles (AUV), Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV), vans or other similar vehicles. According to Uber exec David Plouffe, the Philippines is the “first country to create a national dedicated framework for ridesharing.” As Wired noted, though, it’s much easier for the company to get nationwide approval in a country where local governments don’t have as much as power as they do in the US.
That said, Uber in the Philippines is quite different from what you might be used to. A number of its vehicles are owned by operators and not the drivers themselves, so it works more like a taxi than a ride-sharing service in some instances. Further, it’s not exactly available everywhere, even if it’s already legal. Since the Philippines has a thriving means of public transpo called “jeepneys,” Uber is mostly confined to big metros like Manila, where its routing algorithms are no match for the horrible, horrible traffic.
[Image credit: TENGKU BAHAR / Getty]
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Wired
AIVAnet 