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24
Jul

Let’s talk about smartphone colors


I’m sure everyone has a recurring pet-peeve with phone launches.  One could be storage size.  Another could be compromising battery capacity for thinness.  Well, mine is COLORS.

colors

Before you turn away to avoid hearing more from a crazy person, hold up.  Seriously.  We’re humans, we like to express and differentiate ourselves.  I mean, speaking of Android itself, consider all the customization we can do.

But then when it comes to phone hardware, we are too often just stuck with two choices, black or white.  Yes, flagships tend to throw in another, like gold or a different shade of grey, but come on.

What’s worse is that sometimes OEM’s display several color at their launch, but you can’t get them!  For instance, the Xperia Z3 launched with four color options, but you could only get black at T-Mobile (for the Verizon Z3v, only black or white).  Remember that emerald green S6 shown at the launch event?  It is so scarce it might as well not exist.

What may be even worse is releasing a sweet color months after the phone’s release!  Such as these:

Droid Turbo, sapphire blue

turbo_sapphire_blue

HTC M7/M8, red (and blue)

htc_m8_red

Note 4, pink

Samsung-Galaxy-Note-4-in-pink_2

And do you remember the S5 coming out in electric blue as a Best Buy exclusive?  That’s like kicking somebody when they’re down.

samsung-galaxy-s5-electric-blue

Now, to give the manufacturers the benefit of the doubt, they don’t know how successful the phone will be.  So I can buy that they prefer to be cautious.  We also don’t know the manufacturing cost associated with throwing in another color.  Nonetheless, I feel that color is important in the appeal of a device and should not be overlooked.

This is the part where I give Motorola a shout out, for evolution of Moto Maker:

MotoGOptions

Are you annoyed by continual color limitation as well?

The post Let’s talk about smartphone colors appeared first on AndroidGuys.

24
Jul

Youtube mobile app gets updated with new tabs and tools


Almost all of us use Youtube, some more than others.  More than half of all of the views on Youtube are done via mobile devices making the Youtube app a top priority for Google.

Google announced a new update yesterday, and it will bring three new tabs to the app. Here are the new tab descriptions from the press release.

  • Home: Easily explore and discover videos you’ll love with recommendations based on your watch history as well as playlists personalized just for you.
  • Subscriptions: Find the latest videos from your favorite channels and creators on the new Subscriptions tab. And to help make sure you never miss an upload, you can now tap the bell icon on the channels you love to get a notification as soon as a new video is posted.
  • Account: Check out your playlists, watch history, and the videos you’ve uploaded all in one spot.

HomeAccountSubscriptions

 

Another feature, which probably should have been implemented a while ago, is you can now watch full-screen vertical videos with just a single tap.  No more awkward landscape viewing of a vertical shot video.

The update doesn’t stop there.  Google also created a new set of tools for the Youtube app which will help you trim your videos, tint the image with filters, add music, and upload all within the app.  No more need to sit at a computer to make your perfect Youtube video.

Video-Edit

 

Source

The post Youtube mobile app gets updated with new tabs and tools appeared first on AndroidGuys.

24
Jul

First Trailer for ‘Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine’ Documentary Released


Magnolia Pictures has shared the first trailer and movie poster for Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine with Mashable, just over four months after the film premiered at SXSW 2015 in Austin, Texas. The upcoming documentary, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, portrays Jobs as both a tech visionary and unapologetic leader throughout his career at Apple.

Apple senior executive Eddy Cue expressed disappointment in the documentary following its debut, describing the film on Twitter as “an inaccurate and mean-spirited view of my friend” and “not a reflection of the Steve I knew.” Cue added that the best portrayal of Jobs is in the book Becoming Steve Jobs by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, which he describes as “well done and first to get it right.”

Universal previously released the full-length trailer for its aptly named Steve Jobs movie, starring Michael Fassbender, Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet and Jeff Daniels, earlier this month. The trailer mainly consists of a single shot of Fassbender as Jobs, with cast voiceovers providing snippets and teases of conversations regarding Jobs’ true legacy at Apple, which he co-founded with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in 1974.

Steve Jobs MITM Poster
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine opens in select theaters on September 4.


24
Jul

LinkedIn’s making it harder to download your account data


mountain view  ca usa  ...

Sometimes things are way harder than they should be. If you’re a LinkedIn user, the networking site is now making it more difficult to download your contact list and other personal information. Instead of being an instant process, as is the case with Facebook or Google’s products, LinkedIn (quietly) announced you’ll have to wait up to three days to get that data from its service. The change, which took effect yesterday, also applies to additional account info — like your LinkedIn updates, daily activity, IP records and searches. So plan ahead, folks, because you’re going to be waiting and waiting.

[Image credit: Shutterstock]

Filed under: ,

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Via: VentureBeat

Source: LinkedIn

24
Jul

‘Rick and Morty’ Instagram game is an interstellar treasure hunt


Adult Swim has added one more weird experience to its warehouse of silly yet generally entertaining video games based on its television shows: Rick and Morty Rickstaverse, a hidden-object game that takes place entirely on Instagram. This is a true point-and-click game — In Ricktaverse, players click on photos of the literal Rick and Morty universe (the starting point is in space with a naked Santa) and tap the tags that pop up on each photo to be transported to a new area. There are secrets, collectibles and mini-games to find, each played out by tapping photos on Instagram. Find and follow the accounts of five Garblovian Bootleggers, for example, and they may post exclusive Rick and Morty clips in the future. Welcome to the golden age of user-driven advertising.

Adult Swim has invested heartily in the video game market, with a trippy VR experience, a hat-based partnership with Valve, and some silly games for Vita and PC. The company has even gotten into the Instagram game before with Rick and Morty, in 2014 offering entire episodes in 15-second chunks. And then there’s Paul Robertson’s Super Dino Boys, a series of adorable animated shorts done up in a retro side-scrolling style. Stay weird, Adult Swim.

Filed under: ,

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Via: Mashable

Source: Rick and Morty Ricktaverse

24
Jul

Honda is bringing Android Auto to the new 2016 Honda Accord


android auto review aa (14 of 16)

During an event in Silicon Valley yesterday, Honda announced that its first vehicle to come equipped with Android Auto will be the brand new 2016 Honda Accord. Honda claims that this new model will be among the first wave of “high-volume” cars to feature both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Both Sedan and Coupe models of the 2016 Accord will feature a 7.0-inch Display Audio touchscreen interface, which is where the Android Auto interface will be shown. There’s also a slightly larger, 7.7-inch display mounted in the dash that can be controlled with steering wheel. This secondary screen will show you audio settings, turn-by-turn directions, Rearview Camera displays and more.

2016 Honda Accord with Android Auto™

The 2016 Accord models will also come equipped with the company’s driver-assistive technologies, Honda Sensing. This includes notable safety features such as Collision Mitigation Braking System with Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, Road Departure Mitigation with Lane Departure Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control. All 2016 Accords will also come with a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera, making the car much more safe when backing up.

Learn more about Android Auto

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Both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay will be available in EX and above trims beginning in August. We’re sure Honda will integrate Android Auto into future models of its vehicles in the future, though information on that is scarce at the moment.

24
Jul

Tony Fadell volunteered to help clean up the Google Glass project


tony-fadell

Google Glass graduated from the Google X labs in January, and as such, the team began reporting to Nest co-founder Tony Fadell. Fadell is now saying that the project wasn’t forced on him, but that he offered to help clean up the Glass project and make it something “important.”

In a BBC interview, the iPod designer clarified that he volunteered to help the project. “It wasn’t handed to me and said, ‘Tony, clean it up,’” he said. “I offered and said, ‘this is important.’ I remember what it was like when we did the iPod and the iPhone. I think this can be that important, but it’s going to take time to get it right.”

Google Glass has never been a big success. It’s an extremely innovative concept, but it has just never taken off, partially because virtual reality and augmented reality technologies are still in its infancy. However, we hope that Fadell will be able to breath some new life into Glass and make it into a truly revolutionary project.

source: BBC
via: Engadget

Come comment on this article: Tony Fadell volunteered to help clean up the Google Glass project

24
Jul

TextMuse an aMusing way to text your friends (App Review)


In case you were wondering, yes the title of this review has an intentional pun in it. I have another reason that I used that word aside from the opportunity to be punny. That reason is that I feel amusing is the a word that accurately sums up this app. I’ll tell you why.

TextMuse overview

The whole concept behind TextMuse is to have a repository of interesting items, that you can send to your friends via text. The whole value of this app will come down to whether you’re a big texter or not.

When you first open the app, you are presented with a very basic tutorial of sorts. It doesn’t really tell you much, but the app is very intuitive and most people will be able to figure it out, even with the tutorial. This is one of my favorite features of the app.

From there the app breaks down the items that you can share into categories.

  • Trending
  • Highlighted
  • News
  • I Can Has Animals
  • Inspiring Quotes
  • Birthdays and Occasions
  • Recipes of the Day
  • Daily Deals
  • Friendship and Love
  • Sports
  • Celebs/Entertainment
  • FailBlog
  • Everyday Texts
  • News of the Weird
  • Fact of the Day
  • Science and Education
  • Fitness and Health
  • My Texts

By default, all categories are shown, but in the settings of the app, you can uncheck the categories that you don’t want. The My Texts category allows you to create your own texting templates.

From there you are pretty much ready to start using TextMuse. Select something to share and blast it out to your friends that you want to share it with.

TextMuse setup

Aside from downloading this from the app store, the only setup, that isn’t even required, is to deselect categories that you are uninterested in. The app will take care of everything else.

Who will enjoy TextMuse?

This is a loaded question. Personally I wouldn’t use the app because I’m not a big texter. I know plenty of people who are and who would love this app. For me to use it, they would need to integrate other sharing options. This is one of the only opportunities for improvement that I see. If I could share some of the quotes or funny pictures on Facebook, I would use the app.

The only other opportunity for improvement that I see is that when you want to send a funny cat picture to your friend. It does not actually include the picture in the text. Instead, it sends a link to the picture. I can only conclude that SMS is the only messaging protocol that it supports. MMS doesn’t seem to be supported at this time. In their promo video, it shows the pictures in the texts, but perhaps this is an iOS only feature as they are all using iPhones in the video.

TextMuse

What we liked

  • Simple and intuitive design
  • Easy to send SMS blasts out to all your friends
  • Ability to customize content

What could be better

  • Other sharing options besides SMS
  • MMS picture attachments

Overall

If you enjoy sharing things through SMS, then this is the app for you. You may get some aMusement though just from looking through the articles, regardless of whether you are going to text it to someone or not.

The post TextMuse an aMusing way to text your friends (App Review) appeared first on AndroidGuys.

24
Jul

Best tech items to make your next BBQ amazing


bbq speaker

We are in the middle of summer and that means a lot of things: all the kids are out of school, you might be taking your vacation, and backyards are bound to be filled with entertainment.

For most people, that means buying fancy napkins and attention-grabbing cups. Those of us who love tech, however, use this time to impress everyone else with all of our gear and show them how much better BBQs can be with today’s technology.

I have been working tirelessly every weekend having or going to a BBQ. The following items are what I think make the next BBQ you host or attend perfect.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

Samsung_Galaxy_S6_Active_Leaked_Press_Image_01

The Galaxy S6 Active is the perfect BBQ phone. It will be the brain of the entire operation as it can really do anything. It stores or streams music and control things with the IR blaster when needed. The Galaxy S6 Active is tough enough to survive drops, meaning by the end of the night once you have had a few too many drinks, you don’t have to worry about breaking your phone when you drop it. The phone also handles spills and dunks, proven by its IP68 certification. And the 3500mAh keeps this thing going through the day and into the night.

Jabra SOLEMATE Bluetooth speaker

Jabra SOLEMATE Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

A Bluetooth speaker is mandatory. Life is so much better with music as a backdrop (or at the forefront). I found this out the hard way when my last Bluetooth speaker was lost and I had no music playing at all. Not even close to being as fun and definitely not a situation you ever want to be in.

I like the Jabra SOLEMATE because it’s decently loud, sounds pretty good, and is durable. It has two tweeters and one subwoofer to give a nice range of sounds to any music you like to listen to. Pairing is done with NFC, Bluetooth, or the auxiliary cable built into the bottom so you’ll never forget it. It’s also water resistant to prevent any worry about someone spilling something on it. If you have a pool, the SOLEMATE comes with a water resistant bag that allows music to play out without muffling it and becomes even more waterproof.

The SOLEMATE is meant to look like a shoe if you notice the bottom and handle. The design may be cool, but it does serve a function. The thick rubber bottom really grips to any surface. Many smaller speakers move around, but the SOLEMATE never will. Even if someone bumps it a little, it won’t slide.

Jabra offers the SOLEMATE in many different colors, too, which is fun although the price is high on Amazon for any color that isn’t black. Normally, the price is about $200, but Amazon has the black color option for around $60, a huge win at that price.

The Big Blue Party Indoor-Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker

For larger parties, that may need to consider a speaker that can seriously blast music the entire time. The Big Blue Party Indoor-Outdoor Bluetooth speaker is bigger, louder, and sounds much better than Jabra’s respectable SOLEMATE. Of course it cost a lot more, but it comes with four speakers and a subwoofer, a durable case, water resistance, and has 360° sound. It is sure to bring life to parties of any size.

Samsung Gear 2 / Gear 2 Neo

Samsung_Gear_2_033

My personal favorite smartwatch, the Samsung Gear 2, is also the perfect smartwatch for BBQs. Just like the Galaxy S6 Active, it can handle contacting water, the battery will easily last the entire time, and, perhaps most importantly, it can control your music.

Being able to control your music from your wrist is huge. No more going over to the speaker to change the song or taking out your phone to do something simple like raise the volume. With a smartwatch, you just lift your wrist, change what you need to, and get back to festivities without stopping anything. You’re guests will probably be amazed. Every time I do it, everyone around me is so impressed and thinks I have some super expensive sound system.

The best part is that it works with many different music player apps including Spotify. This for me was so simple. Plus, I can still get all my text, emails, calls, and other apps on it.

Perfect Drink App-Controlled Smart Bartending

Perfect Drink App-Controlled Smart Bartending

The Perfect Drink Bartender is basically a scale that you pour drinks into to mix the perfect cocktail. What makes it cool is an app which you can use on your phone or tablet that tells you how to mix tons of different drinks. It even fixes the ratio after over-pouring. Every single person is going to stop and to get a mixed drink after seeing it. It’s hard to explain just how cool it is, but be sure to check the video below to see it in action.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out the compatibility list before making a purchase. No one wants to be a killjoy at a BBQ.

ALLPOWERS 10000mAh Solar Panel Charger

ALLPOWERS 10000mAh Solar Panel Charger

Maybe the most important thing here is making sure batteries are taken care of. If any of these devices die, your entire party dies with it. They all work together and must be charged! Since BBQs are outside, you don’t want to have to run an extension cord all the way inside since it doesn’t look very nice and people can trip on it. That’s why a portable battery pack like ALLPOWERS’ solar panel charger is a must. Plug it into whatever device is going to die and keep the party going.

ALLPOWERS allows two devices to charge at once and the 10,000mAh battery inside actually receives its own power from a small solar panel. ALLPOWERS’ product here is perfect for charging when the sun is out and when the sun goes down because it can be used as a flashlight. The ALLPOWERS Solar Panel Charger even comes in multiple colors to match your style.

Closing

Most of these items are interchangeable with whatever you happen to have. Just use what you have and shop around for different fits. These are just my personal favorites and what I think will work best for the ultimate BBQ.

If you have any suggestions for tech items that are mandatory at summertime BBQs, we would love to hear about them in the comments.

Come comment on this article: Best tech items to make your next BBQ amazing

24
Jul

Top Cyber Security Hacking and Training Deals


If you haven’t had a chance to grab any of these deals, now is the time to act. These packages have sold like hotcakes as the demand for expert-level tutelage on how to protect yourself from online threats is at an all-time high. Everyday, news sources are uncovering hackers wreaking havoc (say that 3x) and the victims have almost categorically been blindsided. While we can’t guarantee 100% immunity, there are preventative measures you can take to ensure you’re not caught with your pants down. Learn about writing secure code, VPN’s, CISSP, Linux & WordPress vulnerabilities and more! These deals put that knowledge at your fingertips and as they say: Knowing is half the battle.

 

See more at deals.androidguys.com

The post Top Cyber Security Hacking and Training Deals appeared first on AndroidGuys.