Instagram will now show your photos in 1080×1080 resolution
Instagram has become one of the easiest ways to share photos with your friends and followers on mobile, but the app has always come with one big caveat. For some time now, images have been resized to the low resolution of just 640×640, which is very noticeable when scrolling through your timeline. But now that current mobile phones can produce much higher resolution photos, the Instagram team is making a big change that many users will enjoy. Beginning today, images uploaded to the service will finally be viewable at 1080×1080.
The ability to view higher resolution photos is now rolling out to both Android and iOS apps, though there was no mention in the announcement regarding Instagram’s website. Also, there’s no need to head to the Google Play Store to update your app – this is a subtle change, so you’ll begin seeing higher resolution photos in your feed automatically.
We’re not exactly sure when everyone will get these improvements, but the Instagram team says the new feature is gradually rolling out as we speak. Be sure to let us know if your feed looks any better today!
Windows 10 preview turns Xbox Music into ‘Groove’
Welcome to the new music experience in Windows 10. As hinted at earlier this morning by Paul Thurrott, the company just announced it’s rebranding the Xbox Music experience to “Groove“, while also renaming the Xbox Video app to just “Movies & TV.” According to a blog post about the changes, the new naming is meant to be “more identifiable to our broad customer base” and will roll out to other devices in the coming months. The timing of the change is odd as Windows and Xbox begin to work more closely together than ever before, but it doesn’t appear that the actual features will be much different. Of course, with the launch of Apple Music, rebranding could be just the way to get some attention for an existing service that already offers a lot of the same features.
The subscription Xbox Music Pass is turning into Groove Music Pass with $10/month or $100/year streaming of songs from the Windows store, along with custom radio stations. Meanwhile, if you want to store your own tracks in the cloud, that OneDrive link to the Music service that just launched on Xbox, Windows and Windows Phone is coming to Android and iOS “soon.”
The new Movies & TV app in Windows 10 is also mostly the same, however now it’s added MKV container support while it lists your personal video files along with any stuff you buy from the Windows store. Windows Insiders on the Fast ring should see these changes with the next update, while everyone else will have to wait until Windows 10 launches July 29th.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Blogging Windows, Groove Music
Microsoft’s latest app experiment helps you get friends together
Microsoft’s Garage team has tried to solve many everyday problems with its experimental mobile software, but it’s now tackling one of the most common: how do you get your friends together for a night on the town? The group’s new Tossup app for Android and iPhone gives you a simpler, shared experience for deciding on where you’re going, when, and who’s coming. You only have to ask your friends for a vote, and Tossup will automatically plug your decisions into your calendar. Is this a one-trick pony? You bet — but that might be all you need if you don’t want to set up a Facebook event (or juggle multiple conversations) just to head out for Korean barbecue.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: App Store, Google Play
Prepare to be inundated with Happy Birthday tweets
Do you enjoy getting a truckload of birthday wishes on Facebook each year? Well, prepare for the same thing to happen via Twitter. The 140-character social network now allows you to add your birthday to your profile, letting the masses know the proper 24-hour period to ping you with a celebratory GIF. Adding that bit of info is optional, of course, and you’ll be able to configure the settings so that it only appears for the folks who you really want to be informed. And yes, you can leave out the year so the internet won’t know exactly how old you are. The new addition is said to be available “starting today,” so if you’re not seeing it now, you should be shortly.
[Image credit: OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet, Software
Source: Twitter
AOSPA back from the dead, OnePlus didn’t kill them after all
Paranoid Android, AOSPA, had been inactive for quite some time. Their last update to the official channel came in March in the flavor of an Alpha 5.0 build.
This was a month after OnePlus announced that they would hire up a bunch of Paranoid Android team members to create the Oxygen OS.
Despite the OnePlus fiasco with Cyanogen Inc. which drove them to snatch up various important Nexus team members, the Paranoid Android folks were able to rise from the dead and not allow OnePlus to put them down.
If you don’t know the story, Cyanogen Inc. and OnePlus had a sort of falling out over the Indian market, if my memory serves me well, and the future of the OnePlus One was uncertain. In order to ensure their users that their devices would remain up-to-date and because #NeverSettle, OnePlus set out to create their own in-house ROM by hiring a team of AOSPA developers.
This resulted in the creation of Oxygen OS, an operating system that you really don’t hear much about anymore.
Their legacy team forged ahead without their Nexus developers and managed to push out builds to the legacy devices but not the official Nexus devices.
“The legacy part of the team have been working hard to keep the work up and they switched to a separate release schedule a while back. That left the Nexus family a bit behind, but with the combined help of the Nexus and legacy team, we are ready to release today. “
In order to get an update out to the Nexus devices, the remaining Nexus team members worked with the legacy team to provide the update that is available today.
AOSPA also mentioned that they would no longer be releasing weekly builds; instead, they are switching to a release when ready schedule where they will upload an update whenever they feel that there is a build worthy of being uploaded.
“As maintaining a solid release schedule does not seem viable as of now we’ve thought we should release when there are enough changes merged to make a difference with the previous public build. So instead of the previous “weekly release” we’re switching to a “release when appropriate” schedule.“
The AOSPA team has also requested testers for mobile tablets and mantra as they do not have the devices in hand.
We are missing support for mobile tablets and manta because we don’t have the device in our hands. If you do have one of these and are willing to test for us, please contact +Evan Anderson at evananderson@aospa.co to get hooked up with the testing process.
Features included in the 5.1 release today are:
- Theme Engine
- Quick Settings Reordering
- App Ops
- Advanced Power Menu
- Immersive Mode
- [Nexus 6 only] WiFi calling and VoLTE for T-Mobile US users
- [Nexus 6 only] VoLTE for Verizon users
You can download the latest builds for Nexus and legacy devices from their website.
Source: Paranoid Android G+ Page
The post AOSPA back from the dead, OnePlus didn’t kill them after all appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Instagram stores HD images but you need to dig deeper to view them
Despite its many virtues, the popular photo sharing app, Instagram, had one major flaw: users could only upload low resolution images on it. But we noticed last weekend that it began storing images of HD (1080 x 1080 pixels) resolution, which is an upgrade from the standard 640 x 640 pixels photos.
However, there is a catch – you can’t see them in HD resolution yet. At least not in the mobile app. If you really want to view a high resolution Instagram image, make sure that it has been uploaded recently. Also, you need to go to the desktop version of the app, and then access source code. If you are not familiar with the term, right click on the image and choose the ‘Inspect elements’ option. A panel will appear showing the source code including a URL link to the image that you are trying to access.
While it might sound like too much trouble to see an image, the move might be precursor to a new era of Instagram where HD images will be the norm. And why not, mobile camera sensors are getting bigger in size and precision with each passing day. Nowadays, even a budget phone comes with at least an 8-megapixel rear camera, so, it is only fair of photo sharing apps to aspire for higher standards.
Source: The Verge
Via: Engadget
Come comment on this article: Instagram stores HD images but you need to dig deeper to view them
Best text messaging apps [2015]
If you’re tired of the native texting app on your smartphone, Google Play has a plethora of great alternatives. When choosing a new solution you need to be careful, as not all of them incorporate SMS. The Play Store is filled with apps for messaging services that lack any SMS integration. Many options disguise themselves as a text messaging app when they are actually an instant messenger, which would require you to get your friends and family on-board to put it to use.
That, of course, limits our scope quite a bit. But there are still plenty of great options out there, some even built by Google itself. Be sure to check them all out below and find the one for your needs.
Hangouts
There are people who look at Hangouts as merely an instant messaging service that Google positions to compete with Apple’s iMessage, but it also incorporates SMS features capable of converting it to an all-in-one messaging service. The nice thing about using Hangouts is that you have all of your text messages, instant message conversations, and video chats in a single place. On the contrary, this means that it can be frustrating trying to sift through text messages and instant messages.
Google Messenger
Another great solution is Messenger by Google. It replaces your native text messaging app with a beautiful Material Design solution. It has your standard features–the ability to send photos, video, audio messages, and search past conversations. What makes Messenger unique is that you can change conversation colors, adding a layer of customization to your conversations while making it easier to identify who you’re talking to, which is especially helpful if you have a lot of messages going on. It’s a nifty little feature.
There’s also functionality for SMS blocking to get rid of those annoying spam messages that randomly hit your phone. It’s a relatively new app that hasn’t been updated since April, but we highly doubt that Google is leaving Messenger behind for much longer.
Textra
Textra features a gorgeous Material Design user interface, which is one of the many benefits of using it to replace your native SMS app. It’s a seamless and fast solution, featuring over 800 emojis, a dark mode, theme colors, the ability to schedule a message, quick reply popups, and much more. And if you’re an Android Wear user, Textra works seamlessly on smartwatches.
Hello SMS
Hello SMS is an innovative replacement for your default messaging service, focusing on speed, performance, and quality. It’s quite possibly one of the fastest SMS options available, allowing you to quickly switch from conversation to conversation through a unique tabbing system. Hello puts conversations first, making sure you can easily send messages, start group chats, and send photos without much hassle.
Chomp
As far as design goes, Chomp is your stock text messaging app. However, it aims to not be as boring by adding a lot of features. One of its best features is Quick Reply, where you can reply to a message on any screen, no matter what you’re doing. In Chomp, you’ll find other cool features like SMS blocking, SMS and MMS backups, and better group messaging. There’s also a crazy amount of customization options.
EvolveSMS
EvolveSMS does just about everything your stock text messaging app does. However, it has a beautiful and smooth interface, taking on a card-like style that you might find in Google Now or Google+. It’s loaded with features, such as GIF support, private inboxes, Facebook and Google+ cover photo integration, desktop messaging support, and more. The base app is free, but some of the fancier features will need to be unlocked through an in-app purchase.
While WhatsApp is not a direct SMS replacement, we had to mention it simply because of the sheer popularity of the application. It has hundreds of millions of users. That said, for it to work properly, whoever you plan on conversing with will also need to have the app downloaded. Besides that small caveat, it function as a text messaging and phone call replacement. There are no international charges since it uses your phone’s wireless connection.
WhatsApp features a lot of customization options, such as setting wallpapers for certain contacts and customizing your notification sound. It’s jam packed full of features, and if you can get your friends to join in, it’s a great solution.
Wrap Up
The stock text messaging app that comes with your smartphone or tablet can be disappointing as it gives you a really basic package. You may want to replace your standard SMS app with something on this list if you’re looking for something that is packed with features and just looks better. If you’re looking for speed, Hello SMS will fill the void perfectly. Need free international texting? WhatsApp might be your go-to solution then. You really can’t go wrong with any of these apps.
Come comment on this article: Best text messaging apps [2015]
The mobile trends of 2015: which excite, which repel?
It’s hard to believe, but we’re already more than a half year into 2015! In that time, we’ve seen a number of interesting trends rise up, including the emergence of more budget-friendly devices that don’t actually suck from the likes of Alcatel OneTouch, Asus, and others.
2015 has also seen the emergence of a dual-edge display with the Galaxy S6 Edge, a rise to more premium materials for Samsung, and a near-death for devices with a removable battery. We’ve also seen HTC lose a lot of attention due to an arguably lackluster flagship and too many flagship-level market-specific iterations. Sony has also fallen into a similar position.
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
Back in May we asked our readers what they thought of the crop of devices that had surfaced in early 2015, both on the flagship and budget-friendly front. In the flagship sector, Samsung led with 50% of the vote (combining GS6 and GS6 Edge), with the LG G3 not too far behind with 32%. On a separate poll for the budget-friendly options, the Asus Zenfone 2 commanded 55% of the vote, with the OneTouch Idol 3 only managing 17%.
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
So it’s pretty obvious what phones people have been most impressed about, but what about the bigger picture? Which rising trends are you most excited about as we head into the second half of the year and beyond?
// <![CDATA[
(function () var opst = document.createElement('script'); var os_host = document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:"; opst.type = 'text/javascript'; opst.async = true; opst.src = os_host + '//' + 'www.opinionstage.com/polls/2281002/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] ());
// ]]>
On the flipside, what trends most concern you in the mobile space?
// <![CDATA[
(function ()
var opst = document.createElement('script');
var os_host = document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:";
opst.type = 'text/javascript';
opst.async = true;
opst.src = os_host + '//' + 'www.opinionstage.com/polls/2281003/embed.js';
(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] ());
// ]]>
OnePlus 2 will be Priced Under $450 According to OnePlus CEO
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
The OnePlus 2 will likely be unveiled at the end of the month, and according to OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, the new flagship will be priced under $450. A lot of people are now assuming that the price with simply be $449.99, but let’s hope they decide to go even lower.
Honestly, it’s never been about the price. We simply make the best smartphones we can, and we go from there.
We all can agree with that quote from Lau. We want quality, but we also don’t want a device that breaks the bank. Let us know what you think about what Lau had to say about the price of the OnePlus 2.
Source: Google+
The post OnePlus 2 will be Priced Under $450 According to OnePlus CEO appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
NBA Player Blames Elbow Injury on Larger-Screened iPhone [iOS Blog]
San Antonio Spurs player Matt Bonner recently revealed in an interview with Concord Monitor (via Yahoo) that he suffered from tennis elbow during the 2014-2015 NBA season, a condition that he theorized was caused by Apple’s larger-screened iPhones and led to a lower-than-normal 3-point shot success rate.
“Everybody is going to find this hilarious, but here’s my theory on how I got it,” he said. “When the new iPhone came out it was way bigger than the last one, and I think because I got that new phone it was a strain to use it, you have to stretch further to hit the buttons, and I honestly think that’s how I ended up developing it.”
According to Bonner, his two-and-a-half months of tennis elbow made it so painful for him to shoot that he’d “almost be cringing” before catching the ball. He spoke to a Spurs strength and conditioning coach, who reported suffering from a similar injury after spending time playing a game on a larger-screened iPhone.
Tennis elbow is attributed to any activity involving the repetitive use of the muscles in the forearm, causing muscles and tendons to be damaged from excessive use and leading to pain and inflammation in the elbow. A quick Google search suggests that tennis elbow caused by iPhone is not a common condition, but a few others have complained about similar iPhone-related stress injuries over the years.
It’s not entirely clear if Bonner was making a tongue-in-cheek joke when he gave the tidbit of info to the Concord Monitor, but at 6’10” tall, it’s a bit difficult to believe he would have trouble using the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus or the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, even one-handed. As iMore points out, there’s likely another cause for his elbow issues.
AIVAnet 
