Sony makes Android M Developer Preview available for select devices
Traditionally, Google’s AOSP Developer Previews are only available for Nexus devices. However, thanks to Sony’s awesome development team, those who wish to try out Android M, are now able to do so. Of course, this is provided if you are using one of the following devices:
- Sony Xperia Z3
- Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
- Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
- Sony Xperia Z2
- Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet
- Sony Xperia Z1
- Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
- Sony Xperia Z1 Ultra
Now there are some instructions to follow, which can be found on Sony’s Open Device Program page. It’s not as cut and dry to run the Android M Developer Preview on these Sony devices as it for Google’s Nexus devices, but the fact that it has been made possible, is pretty awesome.
As a disclaimer, please be sure to follow the instructions provided by Sony to T, and as always, make a backup of your device, or at least backup all of your pertinent and important files.
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Google News Lab: A way for journalists to collaborate
To the average user, it seems Google is all about services integration. Android is a great example of this. The platform integrates seamlessly with the Goog’s product ecosystem. For the consumer side of things, this has been the search giant’s bread and butter for the better part of a decade. The real money, however, is in the enterprise. There are a plethora of Google business services, and depending on who you talk to, none are quite as good as their competitor. Google apps for business is great, and in full disclosure this article is being written in Google Docs. Unfortunately, for companies that do business on a large scale, Microsoft Office has been king. Google Compute Engine is a marvel of modern computer science, but Amazon Web Services has been able to boast some of the industry’s biggest customers (think Netflix). Where Google has seen the most success, is when it has been able to couple the engineering part of its brain with truly innovative and exciting ideas. Google News is a great product that has been around for sometime, but there hasn’t been an urgent need to create an enterprise ready platform for journalists and other media outlets. The focus has been on the consumer.
Enter: Google News Lab. The idea behind this new project is to allow Google to “…collaborate with journalists and entrepreneurs to help build the future of media.” The folks in Mountain view plan to do this by connecting the various Google services and applications directly with journalists and media outlets. The first of these is Youtube Newswire, a feed of aggregated content of the day’s news on the web’s #1 video site. With integration of reporting into other apps like Earth and Maps, Google is positioning itself to be the premier location for new media journalists.
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T-Mobile starts seeding Android 5.1.1 update for the Galaxy S5
Owners of the T-Mobile variant of the Samsung Galaxy S5 can now rejoice. Big Magenta has started the seeding process of Android Lollipop 5.1.1 to their users as of today. There has been no official announcement from T-Mobile, nor is the official changelog available.
Nonetheless, Galaxy S5 owners can experience the latest and greatest from Android with the Lollipop 5.1 rollout. Some of the improvements that are expected with this release are “support for RAW and lower ISO values if you’re using a third-party camera app”, as well as a bunch of bug fixes.
This is of course, an OTA update so you can start rapidly updating the “Software Update” page until the update appears. Let us know if you’ve received the Android 5.1.1 update on your T-Mobile Galaxy S5 yet in the comments below.
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Android Wear gains a slew of new watch faces
Google has kicked off the week with a number of new Android Wear watch faces from some 17 brands scattered about the globe. Available immediately, you can pick up designs from the likes of Angry Birds, Hello Kitty, Moomin, Lulu Frost, and Bang & Olufsen. Indeed, you can also find a watch face to help display your excitement over the upcoming Terminator Genisys film.
- Moods of Norway
- Hello Kitty
- Time Will Come
- Rubik’s
- ANREALAGE
- Angry Birds Aviator
- George Frost
- Terminator Genisys
- Lulu Frost
- Kevin Tong
- TRIWA
- Rowley
- Bang & Olufsen
- Gundam RX-78-2
According to Google there are now more than 1,500 watch faces to choose from for Android Wear devices. We’ve played with a couple of these recent additions and think they’re superbly done.
What about you? Which of these look the most intriguing to you?
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Avantree Bluetooth Stereo Earbuds, just $27 after coupon
Are you still walking around with corded earbuds, getting caught on door handles and having to break out the old 10-second breathing exercise to stop from blowing your lid? If I touched a nerve, I’ve got the cure my friend. It’s 2015 and about time you joined the rest of us by cutting the cord and getting yourself a pair of wireless earbuds. With today’s coupon code, the Bluetooth move is as affordable as ever.
The Avantree Bluetooth Stereo Earbuds are comfortable, splash-proof for durability and offer dynamic sound. With a small form factor, six-hour constant use battery life and built-in microphone, these are the earbuds to bring you into the modern age. Normally, you might expect to pay $50 for a nice set of something like these. What do we say to that? Not today! Use coupon code EARBUDS10 and take these beauties home for just $27.
See more at deals.androidguys.com
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Videophone lets kids call Grandma but not surf the web
Want to encourage your kids to stay in touch with family, but don’t trust them with a smartphone? A product called the ILY family phone from startup Insensi may do the trick. It’s designed to help young ‘uns place video phone calls to anyone else who also has either an ILY or the iOS or Android app. Calling couldn’t be simpler — they just tap the recipient’s picture on the main page of the color touchscreen. Video and voice calls can be made over the internet via your WiFi network, or you can place regular phone calls by plugging it into your landline.
Kids can even send pictures or create them with an included app, but there’s no browser or other way to access the internet. And that simplicity is the point — it’s intended to give kids a way to call without exposing them to the dangers of the wider web. We don’t have any specs yet, but if the $200 price tag doesn’t give you pause, pre-orders are opening soon, with shipping expected by this fall.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets
Google’s News Lab helps journalists with their online reporting
Google’s efforts to improve internet journalism are going far, far beyond a special YouTube feed. The search firm has officially launched the Google News Lab, an initiative that helps reporters collect and publish news online. The Lab shows journalists how to use Google tools like data visualizers, Maps and Trends. It’s also partnering with news outlets on data experiments, fostering media startups and supporting citizen journalism. Google hopes that all these tutorials and team-ups will adapt journalists to the direct, data-driven nature of internet reporting — and, no doubt, show that the company isn’t always at odds with publishers.
[Image credit: AP Photo]
Source: Google Official Blog
You can now pre-order the Pebble Time smartwatch for $200
If you missed out on nabbing a Pebble Time smartwatch through the company’s Kickstarter campaign, now’s your chance to order one. The wearable is available for pre-order starting today for $200 through Best Buy in the US and in Pebble’s online store if you live outside of the States. While the company says exact shipping dates and in-store sales are still in the works, Best Buy product pages indicate that your Time should arrive by July 20th — if you order today, of course. The smartchwatch is available in three colors (black, white and red), and if you’re looking for a certain hue, all three options are available in both stores. Still on the fence about splurging for one? Read through our full review for all the detailed info.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: Pebble
Apple Looking to Eliminate Home Button on iOS Devices, Integrate Touch and Display Driver Chips?
Apple is seeking to develop an in-house single-chip solution for integrating both the touchscreen and display drivers for mobile devices onto one chip, according to a new report today from Taiwanese site DigiTimes. The touch and display driver integration (TDDI) chips would also include “integrated fingerprint sensors”, potentially allowing Apple to do away with the iconic home button.
Apple is internally developing touch and display driver integration (TDDI) single-chip solutions for its iPhones, according to sources in Taiwan’s IC design industry.
The TDDI single-chip solutions will also come with integrated fingerprint sensors, said the sources. The integrated design would fit into future iPhone designs – models with ultra-thin and ultra-narrow displays, and with a whole plane design eliminating the Home button.
TDDI is a new advance in the industry, with Synaptics introducing the first such solution earlier this year. Synaptics created its new TDDI chips by leveraging its recent acquisition of chipmaker Renesas SP Drivers, combining Synaptics’ touch technology chipset with Renasas’ display technology. Apple reportedly explored acquiring Renesas SP Drivers last year but the talks failed to lead to a deal.
Synaptics had hoped its acquisition of Renesas SP Drivers and its TDDI chips would entice Apple to once again become a Synaptics customer, but today’s report suggests Apple is pursuing its own solutions.
DigiTimes suggests Apple’s solution could eliminate the traditional iOS device home button, presumably by integrating its functionality into the device’s screen, something Apple has explored in previous patent applications. This could allow future iPhones to see increased display sizes with edge-to-edge screens or smaller form factors with the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays seen on today’s models.
Apple Plans to Release iOS 8.4 GM and iOS 9 Beta 2 Later Today [iOS Blog]
Apple plans to seed iOS 8.4 Golden Master (GM), which has historically been release candidate software, to registered developers today ahead of the Apple Music launch on June 30, reports BGR. iOS 9 beta 2 is also reportedly scheduled for release today, although it is possible that the release date is pushed back by one week to next Monday, June 29.
The iOS 8.4 GM will succeed iOS 8.4 beta 4 and will most likely be the final pre-release version before the software update is publicly released. Apple Music for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch requires iOS 8.4, so the update should be released for all users within the next eight days, with the new streaming music service built into the revamped stock Music app.
Apple Music was announced earlier this month as an all-in-one streaming music service, live global radio station and social platform for artists to connect with fans. The subscription-based service will cost $9.99 per month after a three-month free trial for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC. Apple TV and Android versions of the service will be available in the fall.
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