Samsung rolling out Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S6 in France, Malaysia, the UAE & Vietnam
If you own a Galaxy S6 and live in France, Malaysia, the UAE or Vietnam, you may want to listen up as Samsung has just started pushing out the long-awaited Android 5.0.2 update. In terms of added functionality, this upgrade transports the latest build of Lollipop to the handset, in addition to a truckload of bug fixes and stability improvements.
All the changes you’d expect to find are bundled into this upgrade, including support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, a smoother multitasking experience and the recently-announced Material Design guidelines.
As is customary with all manufacturer updates, the upgrade is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device, you could always search for the update manually. To do so simply follow the four steps below:
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll to the bottom and tap on “About Device”
- Hit “System Updates”
- Tap on “Check for update”
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The LG G4 displays its resilience in twice taken drop test
Smartphones are often quite delicate devices, sometimes the shortest fall can result in the handset being unusable, whether because of a smashed display or scrambled innards. Sadly, every time a new smartphone is released, we get to see it being dropped on the floor, sometimes repeatedly. Today, it’s LG G4‘s turn to be tortured by YouTube user TechRax.
As you can see in the video below, the G4 is dropped twice. The first drop sees the handset hit what appears to be a concrete surface with minimal consequences. The second time the G4 is dropped, its display is facing towards the ground. Needless to say, the display hits the ground first, and the shock waves of the landing separate the rear panel and battery from the handset. As for the display, well it’s shattered to the extent of looking like crazy paving.
What is impressive is the fact that the display still recognizes touch input and functions normally, meaning that the damage is cosmetic and not fatal. It should be said that this is most likely a fluke result, I certainly wouldn’t recommend duplicating the test at home with your own G4. Sadly, I’m sure we will see the LG G4 being drop tested a few more times in the comings days and weeks. The inhumanity of it all.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: The LG G4 displays its resilience in twice taken drop test
ASUS will launch a couple of new Android-powered tablets in July
According to a recent FCC filing, ASUS is set to launch a couple of new Android-powered tablets within the next twelve weeks. Both slates will carry the ZenPad name, but will be available in a two different sizes.
First up we have the ZenPad 8, which is the larger of the two, packing as the name suggests an 8-inch display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, an Intel Atom Z3560 processor, 16/32/64GB of internal memory and 2GB of RAM.
Next we have the ZenPad 7, which sports a 7-inch panel and a slightly lower resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. It’s powered by an Intel Aton x3 processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8/16GB of internal storage.
The duo come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as standard, with 2-megapixel rear-facing and VGA front-facing shooters on board. They also ship running the latest build of Android 5.0 Lollipop.
The ZenPad 7 and 8 are expected to be launch in early to mid July for $158 and $180, respectively.
Source: FCC
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Nova Launcher graduates to 4.0, complete with material overhaul
Since Nova Launcher introduced a new material design implementation to its beta, the beloved launcher has gone through 16 different beta steps and now is ready for primetime with the home-screen replacement graduating to a stable build. Nova Launcher 4.0 features the full material overhaul we’ve seen in the beta plus a few new features.
Included in the 4.0 stable release is three bundled wallpapers and a circle app animation. Much like opening folders in Nova, when you tap your favorite app, it will open in a circle out animation, complete with the prominent app icon color, giving the animation a colorful look to it. It can be found by going to Nova Settings > Look and Feel > App Animation > Circle. On top of that, there are a slew of cosmetic and animation changes, functionality improvements, a new grouped widget picker and a pull to search in the drawer and widget search.
If you haven’t already given Nova Launcher a go, now may be an appropriate time to do so. After eight months of development, I’m pretty sure you’ll find something to love in the launcher.
source: Kevin Barry on Google+
Come comment on this article: Nova Launcher graduates to 4.0, complete with material overhaul
Meerkat leaves beta with version 1.0
Live video-stream app Meerkat graduated to a stable build this morning with its version 1.0 release, after a very short beta period. The premise of the app is simple. It allows you to live stream video from your phone to all your Twitter followers at once with one simple step.
Simply press “Stream” and your live stream is instantly shared and shows up on your followers’ Twitter feeds. If your followers have the app, they get a push notification, allowing them to watch the stream live, comment and interact with it via the app. The rules of Meerkat are pretty simple and they are as follows.
- Everything that happens on Meerkat happens on Twitter.
- Streams will be pushed to followers in real time via push notifications.
- People can only watch it live. There are no reruns.
- You can save your streams to your phone, but Meerkat will never keep them.
- Watchers can retweet any stream to their followers in real time.
- Everyone can watch on web.
- Be kind.
It’s really that simple. So if you’re using the app, be mindful of what you’re live-streaming. We have a QR and download link below. Enjoy!
Come comment on this article: Meerkat leaves beta with version 1.0
Meerkat leaves beta with version 1.0
Live video-stream app Meerkat graduated to a stable build this morning with its version 1.0 release, after a very short beta period. The premise of the app is simple. It allows you to live stream video from your phone to all your Twitter followers at once with one simple step.
Simply press “Stream” and your live stream is instantly shared and shows up on your followers’ Twitter feeds. If your followers have the app, they get a push notification, allowing them to watch the stream live, comment and interact with it via the app. The rules of Meerkat are pretty simple and they are as follows.
- Everything that happens on Meerkat happens on Twitter.
- Streams will be pushed to followers in real time via push notifications.
- People can only watch it live. There are no reruns.
- You can save your streams to your phone, but Meerkat will never keep them.
- Watchers can retweet any stream to their followers in real time.
- Everyone can watch on web.
- Be kind.
It’s really that simple. So if you’re using the app, be mindful of what you’re live-streaming. We have a QR and download link below. Enjoy!
Come comment on this article: Meerkat leaves beta with version 1.0
Seabeard arrives to Android, feels a lot like a Nintendo game
After hitting Apple devices last year, the highly popular Seabeard has finally arrived on Android!
The game puts you in the role of a grandchild of Seabeard, who was more of a king than a pirate and helped unite the lands together with the formation of a kingdom called Accordia. Unfortunately, things didn’t last for long, as an evil presence eventually destroyed everything that Seabeard had built, and he was never heard from again.
The gameplay here is actually part adventure, part city builder and the mechanics are point-and-click in nature. While we haven’t had extensive time with it just yet, I did play around for about twenty minutes to get a feel for what Seabeard has to offer. My initial impression is that this could be a lot of fun, but only if you enjoy casual, laid-back games that have a cartoon-y, almost child-like feel to them.
It is also worth noting that this game, despite being built by Backflip Studios, feels very much like a Nintendo product. The whole dynamic of the game is reminiscent of the Animal Crossing series, though the sea-focused theme and even the cel-shaded graphics also can’t help but remind me of the Legend of Zelda: Windwaker — which happens to be one of my personal favorite games of all time.
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One potential deal-breaker here is that this is a freemium title, and relies pretty heavily on in-app purchases. Although it appears to be possible to play without paying, there are things like pearls, coins, etc, that can be purchased to speed things up a bit and so forth.
To give the game a try for yourself, you’ll want to head on over to Google Play.
Download and install latest Google Play Store 5.5.11 APK (Material Design)
The Google Play Store has just received a version bump, bringing it to version 5.5.11 and few minor changes, only a few days after version 5.5.9 was released.
What’s New
– There doesn’t seem to be anything major included in this version, and giving the small bump in version number appears only to be a patch to pick up some loose ends from 5.5.9.
Of course, there could be more undisclosed under the hood performance enhancements not immediately noticeable.
If like me you like to be on the cutting edge of developments, you can go ahead and grab the latest Google Play Store 5.5.11 APK from here.
Notice anything else different in the newest version of the Google Play Store? Drop us a comment below.
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Need a solar power charger or weatherproof speaker? Check out these Goal Zero deals!
It’s the middle of May which means a lot of us are starting to spend more time outside. Be it a few hours in the back yard or an entire week out camping, we’re going to be out and about quite a bit over the next few months. To that end, we’ll be away from our wall chargers and not able to juice up in the normal ways. Thankfully there are companies like Goal Zero around to help us stay charged.
We’ve gathered up a number of limited-time deals being offered through the Goal Zero website, some of which are worth a decent amount. Most of these expire at the end of May so hop on them fast!
- Get $20 Off the Lighthouse 250 Lantern at Goal Zero! Now on sale for $59.99, no code required.
- Take $30 off Goal Zero’s Rockout 2 Solar Rechargeable Speaker! Weatherproof & Bluetooth enabled. Offer ends 5/31/15.
- Take $50 off Goal Zero’s Yeti 150 Solar Generator! Great for camping, emergencies & more. Offer ends 5/31/15.
- Take $90 off Goal Zero’s Yeti 150 Solar Generator Kit! Offer ends 5/31/15.
- Take $20 off Goal Zero’s Switch 8 Mobile Recharger Kit! Stay powered up wherever you go. Limited time only.
- Take $40 off Goal Zero’s Nomad 20 Portable Solar Panel! Get the most power from the sun for your gear. Ends 5/31/15.
- The Sherpa 50 Solar Kit is now on sale for $349.99 at Goal Zero! Ultra-portable power supply. No code required.
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HTC J Butterfly heads to Japan with high end hardware
HTC on Thursday announced the J Butterfly , a high-end smartphone for the Japanese market. Powered by Android 5.0 Lollipop with HTC Sense 7, the phone boasts an impressive set of specs.
For starters, the phone offers up a 5.2-inch QHD (2560 x 1440 pixel) display and 20-megapixel rear Duo camera. Around front we find a 13-megapixel front-facing shooter and BoomSound stereo speakers.
Dig deeper and you’ll see a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, and a 2700mAh battery. Indeed, the phone also allows for external storage in the form of a microSD expansion card slot.
The J Butterfly boasts a waterproof and dust proof polycarbonate shell and will be sold in multiple colors.
As to where this phone will be offered, well… it’s exclusive to Japan’s carrier KDDI.
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