Epic App Battles of Android: week 2 summary
The dust has settled and our second round of Epic App Battles of Android has concluded. There were some winners and there were some losers and after the dust settled, there were only two left. Here is a summary of the battles.
1st Battle: Google Play Music vs. Tidal
| Final Score | Score /10 |
|---|---|
| Google Play Music | 25.0 |
| Tidal | 24.6 |
Summary
This was a pretty close battle. Google won the app design category hands down for their easy to use interface and ease of finding something to listen to.
Both Google and Tidal came to the table with some pretty strong features. Google’s slightly larger music catalog, explicit search filter, and 50,000 song uploads on the free tier slightly edged out Tidal’s HiFi music streaming.
Tidal won in the pricing category, because while Google offers a free tier, Tidal has discounts.
In the end, Google wins this Epic App Battles of Android and advances to the next round.
Read the entire battle here.
2nd Battle: Spotify vs. Slacker
| Final Score | Score /10 |
|---|---|
| Spotify | 25.5 |
| Slacker | 27.0 |
Summary
As much as it pains me to report this, down goes Spotify. The battle boiled down to the design differences. The Slacker team designed a drop-dead gorgeous application that is appealing, easy to use, and the menu transitions make navigation captivating. Spotify is still an amazing and well designed app with an abundant music selection but ultimately wasn’t as good as Slacker. Slacker wins a close one.
Read the entire battle here.
Next week’s lineup
What do you think? Do you agree with our picks? Who do you think will win the last battle? Let us know in the comments.
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GNARBOX – a complete photo & video editing machine that fits in your pocket
Photo and video editors will know getting work done on-the-go is no simple task. Bulky laptops and other hardware can be cumbersome; not to mention, they can get damaged in the process. We love digging through Kickstarter and came across something that may change your work flow. Enter the GNARBOX, the first high quality editing hardware that can fit right in your pocket.
The GNARBOX is a small box that essentially looks like an external hard drive. And really, it is. Or at least that is part of its purpose, but it does much more than just store your content. This thing is pretty much a computer without a screen!
The GNARBOX comes with a 2.2 GHz quad-core processor, an 8-core GPU, 4 GB of ram, 128 GB of internal storage, 2 USB 3.0 ports, a microSD card slot and even SD support. Battery life is said to average at 6-8 hours, and the device has IP67 certification, making it dust resistant and waterproof (up to one meter). You can get work done anywhere!
These specs make this little box a very powerful editing machine that can even process 4K video and RAW photos. But how does it do this without a screen? Well, your phone pretty much acts as the controller for this little machine (Android app development will begin as soon as the Kickstarter project succeeds). Through the official GNARBOX app, users can view, backup, organize and edit any content stored in the drive.
While editing, your phone is actually doing nothing but acting as a remote display. All the hard work is actually being done by the powerful hardware the GNARBOX touts.
It’s really quite an awesome little gadget, and though it’s not cheap, it also won’t break the bank if you are a dedicated photo/video editor. You can get one for as low as $149 if you back the project. There were cheaper options, but these are early bird specials and spots run out. It’s worth noting that the full retail price is set at $249, so this is a pretty good discount.
The finalized units are said to ship in March of 2016, and the Kickstarter project has more than quadrupled its $100,000 goal, so there’s no longer any doubts surrounding its launch. You should act fast if you want a GNARBOX, though, as the Kickstarter funding period ends in 4 days.
Are any of you getting one of these? I wonder how good the editing software really is. I would like to see if its complex enough to get real work done on it. Hit the comments and let us know what you think of this little editing box!
Check out the GNARBOX Kickstarter Page!
Dreamify uses Google’s Deep Dream to turn your photos into eccentric art
Google’s Deep Dream project aims to help developers understand how neural networking works and classifies elements within an image. It was purely an educational concept, but us normal users also found great interest in the odd effects this process gave images. Some of them looked awesome, some trippy and others downright creepy.
Regardless of your reaction, these images were something you couldn’t just look away from. The only issue is it wasn’t very simple to use these tools on your own images, so all we could do was enjoy the processed photos developers and more savvy users provided.
Such is no longer the case. A new app called Dreamify now automates the process, using Google’s own code to create your very own crazy imaging. All you have to do is select your effect and upload an image. One can even share results, either within the app or through any other service of your choice.
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I used the application for a while and only encountered one issue – one of the photos couldn’t be converted. A message told me the “custom parameters combined with this particular image caused an error with the Deep Dream algorithm”. The same notification then states the team will take a look at it and fix it. The finished photo should show up as soon as that happens.
Other than that, the application is pretty straight forward and easy to use. What’s even better is that it doesn’t cost a single penny! Just download it from the Google Play Store and give it a go. My friends are already saying I am in some kind of psychedelic hallucinogen and making weird art. Here are some of my creations, share some of yours!
Download Dreamify from the Google Play Store
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You can now use Cortana’s beta app to replace Google Now
Microsoft’s Cortana has been talked about more and more, as the feeling of its impending release is upon us. Microsoft originally announced back in May that the personal assistant replacement, would be coming to Android. Then, last month, the APK for the original beta of the Google Now competitor was leaked, but lacked a few options.
Well, the latest version of the APK has been released, and this fixes something that was not previously available. You can now set Cortana to replace Google Now, with the Swipe-Up gesture on the home screen. The other issue that is still around is that you can not activate Cortana by saying “Hey Cortana” or anything like that.
It’s only a matter of time before the voice-activation of Cortana will be coming to our devices. But, of course this is only beta software, so we can’t expect everything to work right out of the gates.
Speaking of beta software and things not working, it seems that Cortana doesn’t really like the 2014 Moto X. Every time I tried to start her up on my stock Moto X 2014, Cortana crashed after a second or two of being open. However, Cortana works perfectly fine on our in-house Moto G 2015. So maybe there’s some type of conflict with Moto Voice that is preventing Cortana from working correctly.
My advice would be, if you really want to use something other than Google Now, just wait for the official version of Cortana to be released.
Source: Phone Arena
The post You can now use Cortana’s beta app to replace Google Now appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Song sharing service This Is My Jam shuts down the ‘right’ way
When internet services shut down, that’s usually all she wrote. You have a few weeks to grab your data, and then all those memories are lost forever. Well, that’s not going to happen with song sharing service This Is My Jam. While the service “in its current form” is unfortunately riding into the sunset this September, it’s bending over backwards to keep as many things running as possible. You won’t get to post, but you will have access to just about everything else — everyone’s shares will still be available (including through Spotify playlists), and developers can still tinker with a lot of TIMJ’s code. As the founders put it, this is more about putting the product into a “time capsule” than turning the lights off.
So why is it shutting down? The creators are candid there, too. Simply put, internet music is no longer as accommodating to TIMJ as it was back when the service launched in 2011. Streaming is gradually moving from the web toward apps, and the combination of service changes with tougher copyright protections has made it difficult to keep song links working. TIMJ could theoretically do its own mobile app, but that would require a “total product reboot” and evidence that it might succeed. We’d add that the service just isn’t as vital as it used to be. When numerous music providers make it almost trivial to share what you’re listening to on social networks (Spotify treats sharing as a tentpole feature), there might not be much point to adding an in-between service, however helpful it might be.
Filed under:
Internet
Source:
This Is My Jam (Tumblr)
Tags: internet, music, shutdown, thisismyjam, web
Quantum VJ puts a glitchy audio visualizer around your neck
Do pendants and other wearable ornaments lack pizzazz for you? Alexander Zolotov has a way to spice things up… if you’re fond of 8-bit graphics gone haywire, at least. His Quantum VJ is small enough to hang around your neck, but clever enough to turn audio into wonderfully glitchy visuals on its 128 x 64 OLED display. As you’ll see below, the result is at once modest yet mesmerizing — plug in some tunes and you’ll have a tiny, synchronized light show several inches away from your face. It runs for 20 hours on a typical coin-sized battery, too, so it can distract passers-by all day long. This is currently a one-of-a-kind device that doesn’t even have video out, but Zolotov tells The Creators Project that future models might have output. If so, you may one day have a dance party backdrop dangling around your chest.
Via:
The Creators Project
Source:
WarmPlace.ru
Tags: alexanderzolotov, audio, glitch, music, necklace, quantumvj, video, visualizer, vj, wearable
Cyanogen has “more users than Windows Mobile and Blackberry combined”
We knew Cyanogen makes the most popular Android ROM in the world, but it seems their influence now expands far beyond the echelons of the third-party developer world. In fact, the company’s own Adnan Begovic has just taken the stage at the Seattle Code Rush, where he announced their numbers are so high they have surpassed BlackBerry and Windows Phone users… combined.
Reaching 50 million users is no small feat, and it’s specially an accomplishment considering Cyanogen (and CyanogenMod) is not even its own platform, it’s just a modified version of Android.
Let’s put things into perspective. According to the IDC research firm, Windows Phone’s market share is at 2.7% (worldwide) as of Q1 2015. On the other hand, BlackBerry’s numbers continue to decline and are down to 0.3%. Both platforms are definitely struggling as numbers continue to drop.
IDC’s statistics and Cyanogen’s latest numbers also suggest that the ROM maker alone probably holds about 3% (or a bit more) of the world’s total smartphone market share. That is pretty insane, guys. And honestly, I don’t see their success dropping anytime soon.
Cyanogen keeps getting funded left and right. They are also hiring high-class talent and continue on their quest to get new partners to distribute their tailored Android experience. Their deal with OnePlus has ended, but they plan to partner up with “bigger Chinese vendors”. If they manage to get some of the big Asian companies on their side, Cyanogen just might be able to “put a bullet through Google’s head”.
Motorola reveals plans for Stagefright patch rollout
Worried about the Stagefright vulnerability that affects 95% of all Android phones? Surely, you don’t want your phone to be taken control of with a simple MMS message. Google, Samsung and LG (among others) have already gotten to work, and Motorola wants to let you know they also have your back.
The manufacturer is now getting ready to update its entire line-up, going back to phones released as far as about 2 years ago. New handsets like the Moto X Style, Moto X Play and Moto G (3rd-gen) will be updated at launch, meaning all new users will be protected. As for other devices and previous generations, Motorola has provided a neat list, so just check and see if your phone is to get this crucial update.
- Moto X Style (patched from launch)
- Moto X Play (patched from launch)
- Moto X (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
- Moto X Pro
- Moto Maxx/Turbo
- Moto G (1st Gen, 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen)
- Moto G with 4G LTE (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
- Moto E (1st Gen, 2nd Gen)
- Moto E with 4G LTE (2nd Gen)
- DROID Turbo
- DROID Ultra/Mini/Maxx
These patches will begin rolling out soon, but Motorola warns that some of you may have to wait a bit more due to carrier delays. The manufacturer is planning to begin sending upgrades to their carrier partners beginning August 10th, so tomorrow. After that, the ETA is all up to the service providers, which need to test and verify all updates before pushing them out.
Don’t want to wait until the update comes around? There are other ways to stay protected. We have detailed all the methods in our Stagefright attack prevention post, so go give it a read if you want to stay on the safe side.
Also, you may notice the Nexus 6 is not listed. Don’t worry, remember that phone gets all its updates from Google, and the Search Giant has already taken care of business.
With all that said, all we can do is ask you to stay secure and sit tight for your update to come. That is a very good list, so most of you should be covered. If your phone is not included, you should probably be worrying about getting an upgrade by now!
Drones may get better cell service thanks to an old ambulance
Aerial internet connections will likely be crucial for courier drones and other robotic aircraft, but modern-day cell towers are usually designed to serve people on the ground, not machines in the skies. What to do? Carnegie Mellon researchers might have an answer. They’ve converted an old ambulance into a full cellular network, and they’re using it to test connections to quadcopter drones carrying phones on their stomachs. As it turns out, in-air wireless links aren’t that reliable using current technology — you need to point the antennas upward, and the signals propagate differently above a cell site than they do below.
Provided scientists can refine the experience, there might be a shift in how cellular networks are built. Rather than focusing on tower-building in populated areas, companies might also think about coverage that keeps drones online as long as possible. That, in turn, could lead to unmanned vehicles that can easily receive new instructions mid-flight (such as a new shipping address), or send you a message when they get close.
Filed under:
Robots, Wireless, Networking, Science
Via:
PCWorld
Source:
Carnegie Mellon University
Tags: ambulance, carnegiemellon, cellular, drone, networking, robot, science, wireless
New Huawei handset images leak ahead of IFA announcement
Evan Blass (@evleaks) is back for one of his now-rare appearances, and this time the leakster is giving us a bit of information on what could be Huawei’s upcoming large-screen smartphone, as well as an image. Let’s take a look at it!
As you can see, this is a large-screen smartphone that looks to be the successor to the Huawei Ascend Mate series. It’s not yet verified if this is the branding the device will be released under, though. In fact, not much is revealed about this mysterious smartphone. All Evan Blass could tell us is that the device will be launching at IFA 2015, on September 2nd.
At first it was believed this smartphone would be a part of the D-series and feature Force Touch, but Blass later confirmed neither bits of information were correct, leaving us in the dark.
Followup: I’m told that this is not a D-series — which is dead — and that the force touch feature has been pulled from this model.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 8, 2015
What we can capture from the image is that the new Huawei handset will come with a sizable display, a fingerprint reader on the back and what looks to be a full metal body. We had actually seen a leaked video of this phone before, but we couldn’t confirm its validity. I mean, even the branding in the back was off, but now that this image is around we can see a huge resemblance.
Maybe the weird brand in the video is just being kept as a place-holder, something Huawei has been known to do in the past. Just remember all this information is unofficial, so don’t hold your breath on the image, the video or any of this information just yet.
We are sure more leaks and rumors will show up before IFA, so keep it tuned to the Android Authority home page for more details to come. Also, you can be sure we will be in Berlin covering all the goodies, so you will hear from us as soon as this phone goes official (if it does).
Other Huawei videos!
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AIVAnet 