Project Ara won’t be arriving until 2016, test location still unconfirmed
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A few days ago, we heard that Project Ara, the effort behind the modular smartphone that we’ve been dying to get our hands on, would be re-routed from its original testing grounds of Puerto Rico to an undefined location. Project Ara promised more information in a few days, and it appears that has started trickling in now with their Twitter feed passing on the information. According to the tweets, Project Ara will be delayed till 2016 – although we would have expected the delay to be caused by the transition of Google under the Alphabet umbrella, it appears the delay may simply be because there are “lots of iterations” to be considered.
When? 2016. #yeswearelate #ProjectAra
— Project Ara (@ProjectAra) August 17, 2015
Why? Lots of iterations… more than we thought. #ProjectAra
— Project Ara (@ProjectAra) August 17, 2015
That’s not particularly surprising seeing as how complex and groundbreaking Project Ara is – its final product could see the smartphone industry redefined, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves. As for where Project Ara is going to be tested, it sounds like somewhere on mainland USA is the primary target at this point, so keep your fingers crossed that they settle on where you live.
What do you think about Project Ara being delayed till 2016? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Project Ara won’t be arriving until 2016, test location still unconfirmed appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
It looks like there may be TWO new Moto 360’s coming soon
Lost amongst all the news surrounding the reveal of the name of Google’s next version of Android, Marshmallow, it seems that we may be close to a release of the next generation Moto 360. However, it may not just be one new Moto 360 in the works.
It seems that two different variants have passed through Brazil’s FCC and carry two separate model numbers. The 360S and the 360L are the two different models coming from Motorola, and while the documents don’t give us much information, there is a bit of info that can be found.
First, the radios that will be included, are found in the documents, as well as the battery capacity. The 360S will have a 270mAh battery, while the 360L will have a 375mAh battery. Both devices will have Bluetooth LE and WiFi b/g/n.
Although these devices passed through Brazil’s FCC, not much else can be said as to whether this is the real deal. According to 9to5Google, a similar document went through Brazil’s in regards to the original Moto 360, which obviously came to fruition.
Both the 360L and the 360S are registered through Motorola, so we can only hope that the accidentally tweeted video of what looked like a new Moto 360, are real. It’s been almost a full year since the Moto 360 hit the scene and folks are clamoring to see what Motorla has up their sleeve next. It will also be interesting to see what improvements are made to the Moto 360
Is an updated Moto 360 (or 2) an insta-buy for you? Let us know what you would like to see from the next-gen Moto 360, including features and design.
Source: 9to5Google
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Age ratings for online UK music videos are here to stay
After a six-month trial, the UK government has successfully persuaded record labels, YouTube and Vevo to display age ratings on music videos. Under the new system, labels will pass their work onto the BBFC before sending the final rating onto YouTube and Vevo. The video will then list the classification in its description and, in YouTube’s case, be restricted to adult viewers if it’s been given an 18. Vevo says it’s looking at a similar system that would link ratings to age controls on its site, but we’re still waiting on the details.
Sony, Universal and Warner Music are all lending their support, so today the UK government has turned its attention to indie labels. The Department for Culture, Media & Sports is announcing a “six-month pilot phase” today for these smaller companies, but we’ll have to wait and see if there’s take up. If you’re curious to see the ratings in action, check out Couple of Stacks by Dizzee Rascal on YouTube — of the 132 videos submitted so far to the BBFC, it’s the only one to receive an 18 rating. If you’re signed out or have a Google account with an earlier date of birth, you should encounter the warning screen above. Of course, such a system should be easy to thwart, but at least adults, labels and video providers have a first line of defence now when it comes to keeping children safe online.
Filed under:
Internet
Via:
Sky
Source:
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
Tags: bbfc, classification, musicvideos, ratings, SonyMusic, UniversalMusicGroup, vevo, WarnerMusicGroup, youtube
Android SDK tutorial for beginners
Android is the world’s most used mobile operating system, so it is essential that there is an easy way to develop apps for it. This is where the Android SDK comes in. The SDK, which now comes as part of Android Studio and includes sample code and the emulator, makes it easier than ever to develop for Android. So, let’s get started.
What is the Android SDK?
The Android SDK is a software development kit that includes all the necessary libraries and files for developers to make apps for Android. The kit also includes sample code with working applications, and the Android Virtual Device Manager, which lets you test your app on any version of Android (or Android Wear) that you want.
There are different components that can be downloaded, including platform-tools and build-tools.
- Platform-tools are used to support new and existing features of Android, including the Android Debugging Bridge, bmgr and logcat. The Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) can be used to see what is causing errors and what processes are running as well as other things. bmgr is a tool used to manage the backup manager on an Android device with an API level of 8 or higher. It can be accessed by using the ADB.
- Build-tools are made to work with the Platform-tools but can be updated independently if needed. These include JOBB, ProGuard and zipalign. JOBB allows you to build encrypted and unencrypted APK expansions in OBB format. ProGuard is able to shrink and secure your app by removing unused items, renaming classes and the like, this makes it harder for people to reverse-engineer your app and it makes the overall size smaller which is also a bonus. Zipalign optimizes .apk files to start in a certain alignment relative to the start of a file.
- The SDK-tools are required and are used no matter what version of Android you develop for, these include: build-tools, debugging-tools and image-tools along with others.
- The Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) and fastboot are also included in case you ever need to get your device out of a jam as well. Fastboot can be used to flash or wipe partitions to your device in case something happens, this is very easy to do. The ADB can be used to troubleshoot issues with your device and apps.
What makes the SDK special is that everything you could ever need or want is just a few clicks away, and with Google’s excellent developer page, anything is possible. Updating is a breeze too, if an update is available, the SDK will let you know when you launch the SDK Manager. This is a helpful way to make sure everything is up to date as well as check to see if there are any previews to download and mess around with.
How to use the samples provided
Google provides some very helpful samples, if used correctly. Samples can be found in the SDK folder under “samples” then under the Android version you want to take the sample from. Android Wear samples have an extra subfolder known as “wearable”. In these samples Google provides basic outlines for how the user interface should look for that version of Android and other new API changes.
When the watch face API came out, Google added a great example on how to use a classic ticking second hand watch face and a mechanical watch imitating sweeping second hand watch face. You can learn a lot by using the samples and the official documentation that Google provides. You can run the examples using the AVD Manager and modify the code however you like before using the same techniques in your own app.
The samples covers areas such as connectivity, including basic networking and Bluetooth; gestures, including gesture detection and multi-touch; and the user interface, including ActionBars, Notifications, transitions, swiping and Immersive mode.
What is the AVD Manager and how to use it
The Android Virtual Device Manager is a very special entity when it comes to developing apps and the Android SDK. The AVD Manager lets you create virtual Android and Android Wear devices that you can run your apps on. These virtual devices are stripped down versions of Android that can be configured to any screen size, resolution and even type of processor including ARM, MIPS and x86.
In the last year, Google and Intel have made it a lot easier to run an AVD by using Intel’s Hardware Accelerated Execution Manager (HAXM) which enables the AVD to run in “Fast virt mode”. This makes for a very smooth virtual environment rivaling an actual Android device. The only downside is that there is no official way for two AVDs to communicate with each other. For example, you can’t have an Android phone connect with an Android Wear device if both are AVDs. However, you can connect your real device to an AVD wear device.
How the SDK and Android Studio tie together
Android Studio is in a league its own, and getting to know its ins and outs is a must, Gary Sims explains how to writing your first Android app using Android Studio. Android Studio makes accessing the SDK and AVD Manager a breeze. The icons to access both are located on the top middle toolbar. Having the Android SDK integrated into Android Studio is a huge plus when it comes to productivity. For example, the Android Debugging Bridge works beautifully with Android Studio and the AVD Manager. If you were to create a Android Wear app that requires the connection of a phone for data you could connect your phone and start an AVD of a wear device, connect the two and see exactly what is happening on each simultaneously. This is something that you will find hard to live without after you have used it a few times.
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Wrap-up
The Android SDK is a very powerful tool for creating simple apps to complex games. The SDK, AVD Manager and Android Studio work wonderfully together. Using the samples and documentation provided by Google anything is possible. It has never been easier to develop for Android. So why not start? You can pick up the Android SDK here.
Smartphone sales see another boost in Q2 2015
The global smartphone market has seen another boost in the second quarter of the year, led by strong demand from developing markets and the release of new flagship smartphones, according to GfK’s research.
In total, smartphone sales grew by 5 percent in the previous quarter, reaching a total of 302.1 million units. Vendors brought in a combined total of $92.4 billion in revenue, up from $86 billion in the same quarter last year.
The biggest growth in sales numbers comes from emerging Asia Pacific countries and the Middle East, with over 20 percent growth year over year, which has been the trend for a number of months now. North America and Western Europe has also shown signs of a strong pickup this year, with around 10 percent growth. However, China has seen a major slump, with shipments falling by 10 percent compared with Q2 2014, suggesting a contraction after the rush of new low-cost players that have entered the market.
In terms of revenue generation, both China and North America has seen the largest growth rates, up 17 and 19 percent respectively. GfK suggests that this is a result of increased demand for high-end smartphones, where the margins are larger. China’s high-end market is expected to grow along with economic progress and now accounts for 17 percent of the market, up from 10 percent last year. Premium smartphones, such as the new Galaxy S6 Edge, continue to generate revenue in the US.
“We see a price polarization as sales of high- and low-end devices grew at the expense of midranged devices, … Smartphones in the high end captured 43 percent of smartphone unit share in Q2 2015, up from 38 percent in 2Q 2014.” – GfK
Mid-range smartphones in the $250 to $500 bracket have apparently seen a large decline in America. The quality of low-cost smartphones, such as the Moto E, have continued to improve and have seen strong demand in the US, leaving little room for some mid-range phones. Essentially, Western consumers seem to prefer either the cutting edge products or those which offer good value for a low cost.
“The overall growth of the smartphone market was not only driven by the success of premium flagship devices from Samsung, Apple, and others, but more importantly by the abundance of affordable handsets that continue to drive shipments in many key markets,” – IDC
While sales numbers seem up in total, sales value remains more mixed across the global market and GfK’s results do not take costs or profits into account. From other reports and financial result in the year we can still conclude a general downward pressure on pricing in the low and mid-range markets, where competition remains very high. The high-end market continues to remain the most profitable, but is still dominated by Apple and Samsung.
Read more:
- Samsung shipments dropped in Q2
- LG post flat Q2 revenue as shipments fall short
- HTC posts a loss in Q2 2015
- Google’s Q2 revenue is up 11 percent YoY
Lower cost brands, such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Lenovo are now looking for new markets to expand to outside of their stagnating and competitive Chinese home. We will have to see how this affects the revenue and grow rates of markets in the coming year. Apple and Samsung remain the dominant brands in the high-end space, which, combined with the prevalence of lower-cost alternatives, appears to be particularly hurting high-end sales for less ubiquitous brands such as HTC, LG and Sony.
The remainder of 2015 is expected to show continued growth, with smartphone shipments expected to reach a staggering 1.3 billion units by the end of the year.
T-Mobile will kick off sales of the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ later today
T-Mobile’s CEO, John Legere, has just tweeted that Samsung’s latest smartphones – the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ – will both be up for order later today at 6am PT with handsets leaving the carrier’s warehouse “as soon as possible”.
Customers eager to get their hands on these devices who don’t want to go down the online and telesales route, only have three days to wait until August 21, when they can walk into any of the operators nationwide bricks-and-mortar stores to pick one up.
If you’re interested in bagging yourself either the Galaxy Note 5 or S6 Edge+ and would like to find out more about the procedure from T-Mobile – hit the source link below.
Source: T-Mobile
Come comment on this article: T-Mobile will kick off sales of the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ later today
Angry Birds 2 surpasses 30 million downloads in 2 weeks
In a statement posted on its official blog, Rovio announced that the brand new sequel to its incredibly popular Angry Birds title has surpassed 30,000,000 downloads in just two weeks, making it one of the company’s most successful games in its 12-year career.
Rovio claims that about one-third of all Angry Birds 2 downloads come from China alone, which perfectly coincides with the reality that a new generation of mobile gamers is brewing in the region. Seeing as there are more than 700,000,000 smartphone users in China, this is a huge growth potential for the franchise.
Angry Birds 2 includes a plethora of new levels, characters and tournaments for us to enjoy. You can see it in action in the gameplay video below:
Click here to view the embedded video.
If you like the look of Angry Birds 2 and would like to install it on your Android-powered smartphone or tablet to see if its just as addictive as its predecessor, hit the download link below.
Come comment on this article: Angry Birds 2 surpasses 30 million downloads in 2 weeks
UN reminds the US that member states should respect its privacy
The United Nations is still looking into the report that the NSA snooped on its NYC headquarters for years with help from AT&T. But it wants to remind the US and other countries who may have plans of spying on the organization that it expects member states to respects its right to privacy. “The inviolability of the United Nations is well established under international law and we expect member states to act accordingly and to respect and protect that inviolability,” said spokeswoman Vannina Maestracci. She has also revealed that the US didn’t only spy on the organization if the reports are true, it also lied and broke its pledge not to snoop on the UN’s communication channels.
Turns out the the country had given the UN “assurances as to the fact they are not and were not monitoring [its] communications” back in 2013. That was after news came out that the NSA gained access to the organization’s video conferencing system. Maestracci told Reuters that the UN is still thinking of how to respond to this recent revelation, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it stops taking member countries at their word.
[Image credit: Tetra Images]
Source:
Reuters
Tags: att, NSA, spying, UN, unitednations
Apple’s rebranded Music Festival will be livestreamed on Beats 1
Apple’s iTunes Festival is coming back to London with a new name and a slightly different format. For starters, it’s now called Apple Music Festival — an obvious move to promote the recently launched music streaming service. It’s still being held at the city’s Roundhouse venue, but this year the company is opting for a 10 night run (September 19-28) rather than its usual month-long affair. That could put extra pressure on its free and seemingly randomised ticket allocations, so Apple has also decided to stream the festival through Apple Music. Everyone will be able to watch the performances both live and on-demand, with coverage on Beats 1 and social media snippets on Apple Music Connect.
So far only four headliners have been announced: One Direction (September 22), Disclosure (September 25), Pharrell Williams (September 26) and Florence and the Machine (September 28). That leaves six headliner slots to fill, as well as the traditional supporting artists that open each night. In truth, it’s not a massive departure from the old iTunes Festival setup — but a rebrand could help Apple to push adoption of Apple Music, or at least persuade users that it’s trying to put some soul back into music streaming.
#AppleMusicFestival is coming! @Pharrell, @OneDirection, @Flo_Tweet, @Disclosure and more. http://t.co/6fVYjqZZmR pic.twitter.com/a0YyGdkMpK
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) August 18, 2015
[Image Credit: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty Images]
Source:
Apple Music Festival
Tags: 1d, apple, applemusic, applemusicfestival, beats1, disclosure, onedirection, pharrell, PharrellWilliams
Straight from Android Marshmallow: Download and install the latest Google Play Store 5.8.11 APK
The Google Play Store has just received a version bump, bringing it to version 5.8.11 and has been extracted directly from the latest Android Marshmallow Developer Preview.
What’s New
Being pulled from the Developer Preview, and the small version bump, this new version of the Google Play Store probably doesn’t contain much in the way of exciting improvements, and instead will concentrate on under-the-hood improvements and stability fixes.
Why download it?
If like me you like to be on the cutting edge of developments, you can go ahead and grab the latest Google Play Store 5.8.11 APK from here. Running the latest version of the Google Play Store always ensures you have the latest features and experience the changes first-hand into new developments within the APK. Often small incremental updates will lay the ground work for future, more substantial, changes and running the latest APK enables you to see these clues for yourself and experience the fixes Google are delivering to the Google Play Store app.
Notice anything else different in the newest version of the Google Play Store? Drop us a comment below.
The post Straight from Android Marshmallow: Download and install the latest Google Play Store 5.8.11 APK appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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